Company Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Company Analysis - Research Paper Example The company’s core and associated brands include Ford, Mercury, Land Rover, Lincoln, Aston Martin, Volvo and Mazda (Ford Motor Company, â€Å"About Ford Motor Company†). Vision and Mission Company’s mission statement is reminiscent of a reflection of its core principle, identity, and values. Ford Motor Company operates its business throughout the world and endows with ‘personal mobility’ for the communities. The company is committed to serve the people with enthusiasm. Mission statement of Ford Motors is as following: â€Å"We are a global family with a proud heritage passionately committed to providing personal mobility for people around the world† (Missionstatements, â€Å"Mission Statement†). Ford Motors offers values for all its stakeholders. Ford Motors focuses on ‘one team’ consisting of all stakeholders such as customers, employees, suppliers, dealers and investors among others. Vision statement shows the future pers pective of the company. The vision statement reads, â€Å"One Ford: One Team, One Plan and One Goal† (Ford Motor company, â€Å"One Ford Mission and Vision†). Strategic Objectives Organizations set up several strategies to operate business efficiently in international market. Ford Motor Company witnessed lots of strategic challenges during recession in the US. In the recent past, Ford Motors has redesigned a coherent business strategy. Ford emphasizes on ‘One Ford’ philosophy. Strategies implemented by Ford Motors Source: (Ford Motor Company, â€Å"Annual Report 2010†). Ford Motor Company focuses on meeting the customers’ requirements by providing them quality products. It enhances the efficiency of its plants and processes by adopting advanced technologies. Their strategies are chiefly based on ‘One Ford’ approach. Ford offers high-quality vehicles with global appeal such as ‘fuel-efficient cars’, competent utility vehicles, and ‘fun-to-drive’. They ensure continuous improvement driven by their strong product line. Ford Motors highlights on overall profitability. Ford Motors’ loyalties to excellent fuel economy, stunning style as well as customer-focused technology are demonstrated throughout its product line. Lincoln, one of the associated brands, is under focus to be established as a luxury brand to attain opportunities in the developing markets. Excellent quality, laser-sharp spotlight on client safety and fuel efficiency continue to make Ford Motors a market leader with the US consumers. Ford Motors looks forward to 70% of its development in the next few years to originate from its market segment of Asia Pacific and Africa. Ford Motors also expects to witness sustainable growth in emerging markets of India, Brazil and China (Ford Motor Company, â€Å"Annual Report 2010†). Financial Objectives The remarkable decline in automotive industry sales that came together with stiff credit markets along with the expenses associated with the changing business mode put major difficulty on automotive liquidity. Ford Motors witnessed record losses in 2008 during recession. They developed a feasible financial plan to sustain. The basic challenge of Ford Motors to be concentrated upon has been its failure to produce small vehicles in the US that can be put up for sale to generate more profit. Ford Motors informed net earnings of $6.6 billion in the year 2010, an increase of $3.8 billion from the year of 2009. Ford Motors’

Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 18

Analysis - Essay Example This book is about these changes and what effective managers can do to understand and anticipate such changes and respond accordingly (Henry and Kenneth 34). The organization should also include qualities such as reliability, availability, and the background of the persons they hire. The DIY projects that they greatly encourage have to be limited and monitored in order to ensure that the hired personnel provide top quality projects instead of just a creative but shoddy piece of work (Henry and Kenneth 24). The leadership presented is the transformational style of leadership (Robbins 10) whereby the workers are not strictly monitored thereby they depend on themselves to be their own leaders, this is very effective as the workers are not bossed around and they set their own milestones with each employee trying to perform his best leading to a very productive organization (Robbins 12). The communication method presents itself as a reliable means since majority of the people are connected to the Internet due to the rise of social websites and the development of technology over the years. Distinguished by its incorporation of theory, examination, practice and a wide managerial perception, this text has a universal edge (Richard 93). It scrutinizes in detail on how people behave at work, discussing each person’s individual characteristics, their work environment, group dynamics as well as individual and combined behavior. This edition incorporates international and moral issues throughout, and discovers many interesting subjects, including Total Quality Management, managing diversity and virtual corporations (Richard

Is Hong Kong A Preferable Travel Destination?

Is Hong Kong A Preferable Travel Destination? One of Hong Kongs important incomes is from tourism. In 2010, the annual number of inbound tourists has 30 million. Mainland Chinese visitors accounted for 22.7 million, followed by the visitors from Taiwan, accounting for 2.2 million people; Hong Kong is one of the most popular tourist places. Why the tourists like to travel Hong Kong? In this project we will analysis Mainland Chinese this group of tourist in Hong Kong. And we will analysis what reasons attract the tourist. We will analysis some products is it enough for tourists? Introduction of Hong Kong History Hong Kong the full name is the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China. It is located in the Pearl River estuary, the South China Sea on the Hong Kong Island, the Kowloon Peninsula, connected to the mainland China, and the New Territories. Under the principle of One Country, Two Systems, Hong Kong became a Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China on 1 July 1997. Climate Hong Kong has a sub-tropical climate with distinct seasons. Hong Kong Spring is on March to May. The temperature and humidity are rising. Evenings can be cool and average temperature is Summer is on June to August. It is very hot, humid and sunny, with occasional showers and thunderstorms. The temperature can exceed 31 °C and high humidity levels can make it feel even hotter. In summer time, the average temperature can have 26à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™- 31à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™. The tourists can enjoy the sunshine and swimming in Repulse Bay Beach. Then it is autumn. Autumn is on September to November. There are pleasant breezes, plenty of sunshine and comfortable temperatures. Many people regard these as the best months of the year to visit Hong Kong. The tourists can go hiking in Lamma Island. In autumn the average temperature is Winter is from  December to February. It is quite cool, dry and cloudy, with occasional cold fronts. The temperature can drop below 10 °C in urban areas. The tourist can go to Temple Street to eat Pot Rice. The average temperature is 12à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ -20 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™. Attraction In Hong Kong, the attraction has two types. It is a natural and man-made attraction. First we will introduce Tai O. Tai O is located in the west of Lantau Island, New Territories, the existence in Hong Kongs most famous fishing village. Tai O is a natural attraction, Near Tai O there are lots of the growth of mangroves, visitors can enjoy the natural beauty of the local. Also the tourist can see the hut in Tai O. This is a Hong Kong early fishing village, and it is the homes of the fishermen. Hong Kong Disneyland is a man-made attraction. It is located Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong Lantau Island. Hong Kong Disneyland was officially opened on September 12, 2005. Also there have hotels too. There have six themes. For example, Fantasyland, Tomorrow land, Toy Story land etc. This park can attract the family to travel. The tourists can go there by rail MTR Disneyland Resort Line from Sunny Bay Station and Disneyland Resort Station. Analysis of Mainland Chinese The increasing and growth number of Chinese mainland visitors to Hong Kong. Last year, it has 5,550,000 of mainland individual visitors. Mainland visitors go to Hong Kong from China, generally about 25-44 years old. The visitors will stay around 3-4 days; over half of the visitors will spend on shopping. And they have a higher average education and income. Now, the Mainland visitors go to Hong Kong visit is very easy. Because the Hong Kong Government has provided the Signed a multi-line , they can visit Hong Kong still the holidays. First, mainland visitors visit Hong Kong main purpose is shopping, For example: they will buy an electronic products, preferred clothes, jewelry, beauty cosmetics and health products. It is because Hong Kong have most international brand, and have confidence guarantee. Ad Hoc Quota Trial Scheme for Cross Boundary Private Cars is means a self-driving tour of China and Hong Kong, Guangdong and Hong Kong traveling by car, is the implementation of a pilot scheme by the Hong Kong Government and the Guangdong provincial government plans to allow cross-border traveling vehicles in Hong Kong and Guangdong Province. But this plan stops in March 2012. Tourism products in Hong Kong Transportation Hong Kong provided a wide range of transportation to cater the transport demands so Hong Kongs transportation network is highly developed. Over 90% of daily travels (11 million) are on public transport, the highest such percentage in the world. Our target consumers could go everywhere that they like. Payment can be made using the Octopus card, a stored value system introduced by the Mass Transit Railway (MTR), which is widely accepted on railways, buses and ferries, and accepted like cash at other outlets go to the urban city. Mass Transit Railway is the most convenient way to understand how to go the place that we want to visit. There are all together ten lines in the MTR system, with a total of 83 railway stations and 68 light rail stops. It is utmost comfortable to go to the Hong Kong International Airport into the city center or rural place like Tai Po and Yuen Long and other famous attraction like the Hong Kong Disneyland. Bus services have a long history in Hong Kong. They could take the bus to go everywhere. There are also a variety of non-franchised public buses services, including feeder bus services to railway stations operated by the railway companies, and residents services for residential estates (particularly those in the New Territories). Taxi is the most relax transportation in Hong Kong as it is just carry yourself and your family. Taxi fares are charged according to the taximeter; however, additional charges on the fare table may apply, such as road tolls and luggage fees. Urban taxis are the most expensive, while Lantau taxis are the cheapest. The standard of service among different kinds of taxis is mostly the same. Attractions Hong Kong is frequently described as a place where East meets west, reflecting the cultures mix of the territorys Chinese roots with influences from its time as a British colony. Hong Kong had many attractions for our target consumers. We had classified into 2 parts: natural and man-made attraction. Man-made attraction For the sightseeing, we provide the visitor visit Avenue of Stars which with commemorative plaques, celebrity handprints, descriptive milestones, movie memorabilia, a life-size statue of kung fu action hero Bruce Lee and a bronze rendering of popular cartoon character McDull and also there is the perfect vantage point to catch the A Symphony of Lights multimedia show. After visit Avenue of Stars, if they want to shopping, they could go to Times Square which is the One-stop shop and eat paradise and highly cater their required of services. Causeway Bay is one of Hong Kongs most popular shopping areas and Times Square is its biggest mall. It has around 230 shops, including fashion, sportswear, furniture, electronics, toys, two department stores and around 17 restaurants offering food from all over the world. They could visit Ocean Park which offers affordable marine animal education and entertainment and is a private organization for commercial purposes. The park divided into 2 parts: The waterfront and Summit. The waterfront had Amazing Asia Animals, Ocean Express Waterfront Station, Aqua City, Whiskers Harbor and Cable Car Plaza. For the Summit, there are Summit cable car station, ocean express summit station, marine world, polar adventure, adventure land, Thrill Mountain and rainforest. They could spend a whole day to have a look on Hong Kong and play with their friends, family or relatives. Nature attraction Hong Kong Global Geopark of China is the famous place for the travelers to get in touch with the history of nature. They could take a tour to view covering an area of 50 square kilometers; the Geopark includes the Sai Kung Volcanic Rock Region and the Northeast New Territories Sedimentary Rock Region, which, together, feature eight scenic areas containing Hong Kongs major exotic landforms. Finally, they could go to Cheung Chau to view The Cheung Chau Bun Festival as it is the best way to feel the traditional mood in Hong Kong. Every year, the people of Cheung Chau get busy making papier-mà ¢chà © effigies of deities, preparing costumes, baking buns and building a bamboo tower. Theyre preparing for the thousands of people that will soon descend upon their tiny island for what Time.com deemed one of the worlds Top 10 Quirky Local Festivals. It is an easy way to find that Hong Kong provided a wide range of transportation and attraction to cater the rich mainland Chinese people. Accommodation Since there are more than 50,000 rooms available in Hong Kong. Most accommodation places are linked by the public transport system to ensure all attractions are close together. We use hotel ratings in order to divider their quality, such ratings are very useful for tourists to choose their accommodation places. In Hong Kong, there have five types of hotels. There are five-star hotels, four-star hotels, three-star hotels, boutique hotel and budget hotel. We think the Mainland visitors may consider on those two types hotels, because they need the quality of the hotels. For a five-star hotel, it always offers most luxurious premises, as well as swimming pool and sport and exercise facilities. For example, The Peninsula, Kowloon, Hong Kong, offers the ultimate in luxury accommodations with the most spacious hotel rooms and suites in Hong Kong. Each one of the guest rooms equipped with advanced technology for the convenience of hotel guests and is comfortable and stylish. However, its room rate range from $5000 to $16000. For a four-star hotel, it may lack of certain facility like 24-hour room service or individual phones or showers in bathroom, but overall it is a larger and comfortable hotel accompanied with many basic amenities. This hotel is located in Causeway Bay Hotel Hong Kong. The hotel provides the easiest walking distance between Causeway Bay MTR subway stations and The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, which is one of the tourist attractions and business areas that can be accessed within 10 minutes drive. Catering services Since Hong Kong is a city which Chinese and western culture combined, it is also famous for both type of food. Chinese Cuisine is the most famous type of food in Hong Kong. Since Western food is already adapted to local tastes, it is a good place for homesick travelers who have had enough of Chinese food. For some richer visitors, they can follow the Michelin guide to find some Western restaurants with excellent menu and service. We think the Mainland visitors may try some Hong Kong local food, so we have some ideas for the visitors. Dim Sum is one of the famous menus of Cantonese food; it dominates in food style of breakfast since Cantonese people tend to avoid fried foods early in the day. Dim Sum comes in countless variations with a huge price range from $8 to more than $100 per order. Common items include steamed shrimp dumplings, pork dumplings, barbecued pork buns, and Hong Kong egg tarts. The other famous Cantonese food is Chinese Barbecue, it is known as Siu Mei, restaurants usually use steamed chicken as these barbecued meats. Those meats are roasted on spits over an open fire or in a rotisserie oven. Chinese barbecue restaurants usually have highly flexible menus that allow you to pair your roast meats with rice, noodles or rice noodles. Combo plates enable solo diners to sample several meats in one meal. Rice with roasted pork Char Siu, roasted duck, all are common dishes of that. For the western style of food, there are numerous selections in Hong Kong. Italian, French, German, Mediterranean, Mexican and American all feature strongly. Given Hong Kongs cosmopolitan population and passion for dining trends, foreign travelers would not be hard to find out their home type of food. For the famous places of Western food in Hong Kong, Cà ©page is sure one of them, it serve French cuisine, influenced by Eastern type of cooking style and are served in the chic. The restaurants name is French for wine blend, an allusion to its impressive wine list of over 2,000 bottles, its recommended dish are Steamed Tasmanian Salmon, Aromatized with Diced Vegetables and Oriental Sauce. Ming Court is the other place; it has raked in rave reviews from the citys most respected food connoisseurs. Its executive chef applies his 30 years of experience to ensure that every dish bears his signature style of delicate presentation and exquisite taste. Braised E-Fu Noodles with Fresh Abalone Slices and Prawn are its recommended dishes. Suggestions for the Hong Kong Tourism Industry In order to develop the tourism industry, there are some suggestions provided for different sectors. For Hospitality industry, when the peak tourist season was coming, the hotel room and staff always not enough to supply. Therefore, they should build more hotel or other types of accommodation in Hong Kong. Also, hotel can organize a large-scale job fairs to recruit the talents and allocate the manpower efficiently, such as Disneyland and Ocean Park. Disneyland and Ocean Park is one of the popular attractions in Hong Kong, most of the tourists visiting there, so it should build more hotels in there. Mystery Customer Service Association published the 2010 Global smile report, shows that Hong Kong smile index is only 53 and ranking in third last. The company should provide training course and teaching the staff how to serve the customers, it can help to build up the good image of tourism. For Hong Kong Tourism Board, because travelers become more and more, the tourist facilities are insufficient to cope with the large number of travelers, they should develop more attractions, such as Disneyland, can build more mechanical rides. It also can strengthen efforts to publicize; they should do more advertising in other foreign countries and attract foreigner interest. Moreover, Hong Kong Tourism Board needs to organize more large-scale events for tourists, such as Tourism Festival, Winter Festival. This type of events is one of characteristically in Hong Kong. Recommendations to Government There are many recommendations for the Government of Hong Kong that are in favor of the Tourism Development. First of all, it is strongly recommended to the HK government that the 2nd Cruise Terminal at Kai Tak, which is now under building progress, should be completed as soon as possible as it can be very helpful to the tourism industry in a way that it can create efficiency for the cruise customers as there will be more space to park and more ports for the cruise ships. Secondly, the HK government should have more and more promotions and advertisements overseas to increase the number of the inbound tourists and the advertisements should be promoting the cultural and the leisure activities that can be done in HK such as a mix culture of HK and not only focus on Mainland Chinese market. And the HK government is also recommended that it should put more efforts on the HK Airport to make more spacious and to reclaim more land for development of the runways which in return will be one of the contributing factors for the development of the tourism industry of HK. It is because this will be a reason for the efficiency of the customers that are both in bounding and out bounding as the airport will be able to cater more and more flights and will provide more space to airlines. Conclusions All in all, Hong Kong has a wide range of facilities and products to cater to this object China rich. Provide multiple choices and quality in basic necessities, the economy status of China began to raise, the message of the people the crescendo ability, in line with the visa policy with China, Hong Kong an advantage compared to other cities. So for the Chinese rich people, Hong Kong is a choice. Access To Higher Education: Reflective Practice Access To Higher Education: Reflective Practice Firstly this assignment is based on three models of reflective practice, Kolb’s, Gibbs and John’s with an explanation of the structure of each model. To understand all three of the models they will all be described in detail explaining how they should be utilized. This assignment will also seek to critically evaluate all three of the models. All of these models can assist someone to reflect on some everyday situations and seriously think about what to change when things go wrong and how to put them right on another occasion. Starting with Kolb’s model of reflective practice, this model has been structured on four stages of learning which are, concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualisation and active experimentation. Concrete experience is having an experience which can be evaluated, reflective observation is looking at the experience to see what was done, abstract conceptualisation is learning from the experience and active experimentation is planning and trying out what has been learned. (Mcloud 2010) There are also other parts to Kolb’s model that focus on the way someone will learn, these are diverging, assimilating, converging and accommodating. Diverging is to feel and watch, assimilating is to think and watch, converging is to think and do, and accommodating is to feel and do. (Kolb 1984) With Kolb’s model it is suggested by him that whoever is using it should think about what they are doing and reflect on this by reviewing what they did. Using the information and learning from their experience. (Arora 2008) The end outcome should be to learn from their experience and to turn the negatives into positives. Anyone using this model should plan what they could do next and think about how they could improve their experience. Kolb’s model of reflection has been criticized because of insufficient attention to the process of reflection itself, ‘it’s lack of empirical support, it’s very rigid and sequential nature and it’s simplification of the learning process in general’. (Smith 1996) This model of reflection will not suit everyone’s learning experience as it does not take into account the abilities of different learners and can also seem a little complicated to follow with the use of some uncommon words that are not understood by all individuals. According to research Kolb’s model of reflective practice does not show the full extent of reflection. (Boud et al1983) Now we move onto Gibbs model of reflective practice which is based on six questions: Description: What happened? Feelings: What did you think and feel? Evaluation: What did you find good and what was bad about the experience? Analysis: What do you make of the situation? Conclusion: What should you do to make the experience better? Action plan: If it happened in the future what would you do?(Gibbs 1988) With the Gibbs model of reflective practice it is suggested by him that whoever uses this model should describe what happened and think about what they were feeling to evaluate the situation and work out what went well and what did not go well. The person using this model should analyse what sense they can make of the situation and decide what they could have done to make the situation better. (Jasper2003) It is also suggested that anyone using this model should develop an action plan to improve the situation if it should happen again. Gibbs model of reflective practise is described as self-explanatory and easy to use. (Jasper 2003) Gibb’s model does not give the learner enough specific questions to answer and does not give them enough scope to be more critical of themselves. ‘‘It also does not consider whether there is a difference between teaching practice and the requirements or expectations of learners’’. (Jasper 2003) (Jasper 2003) explains that Gibb’s ‘‘model comes from an educational context as opposed to a practical context’’. (Jasper 2003) The learning styles of many reflective models have still not been proven according to some and may be of no benefit to some learners. (Barrett 2013) Finally, John’s model of reflective practice is based on five questions with sub headings. Reflection: What were you trying to achieve? Influencing factors: What things like internal and external knowledge affected your decision? Could you have dealt with it better: What other choices did you have and what were the consequences? Learning: What will change because of this experience? Description of the experience: How has this experience changed your way of knowing? (Dran 2011) It is suggested by Johns that anyone using this model of reflective practice should work out why they did what they did and if anything swayed their decision to do what they did as well as what other things they could have done instead. It is also suggested by Johns that the person using this model thinks about what will change because of the experience and if it has changed their view of what they did. One weakness of this model is that ‘the outside framework does not leave any room for learners to use their own awareness, standards and priorities and some learners and practitioners doubt the value of reflection’. (Davis 2005) Reflective practice can often be interpreted in the wrong way. (Loughran, 2000) It could be seen that if practitioners are extremely busy they may find the pressure of completing reflective models a little tiresome. There are also some ethical concerns, which may breach confidentiality and privacy so anyone using reflective models of practice should take this into consideration. It should be noted that dealing with emotions in this way can be upsetting and do more harm than good. (Davis 2005) Boud and Walker (1998) are unsure of reflective practice as a required part of a course. Another criticism on the impact on someone using a model of reflective practice is that the practitioner always wants to find ways of doing things better which can lead to them feeling down hearted and unworthy. If a practitioner is to assume that the word ‘critical’ has the same meaning as ‘negative’ then this could make them feel very low indeed and also extremely worthless. (Quinn 1988/2000). Quinn (1988/2000) suggests that ‘the inappropriate use of reflective Models may actually devalue practitioners’ professional work instead of promoting it. It seems that not everyone would like to utilize the same model as we all adapt to each situation differently and the learning process is not the same experience for everyone, just as all models of reflection are different models of reflection so are we as humans. If used correctly in the right situation these models of reflection can be very valuable however used badly can be detrimental to our thought process and feelings of usefulness. (Quinn 1998/2000) Table of References www.academia.edu/1057509/Experimental_learning_.termpaper (Accessed 30 May 2014) Davis. C. et-al (2005) Changing practice in health and social care sage publications London Thousand Oaks New Delhi in association with the Open University p85 www.docstoc.com/docs22730941/JOHNS-MODEL-OF-STRUCTURED-REFLECTION (Accessed 10 June 2014) http://ebookily.org/doc/example-of-gibbs-1988-reflective-cycle-in-nursing (Accessed 12 June 2014) Finlay.L.Reflectingon‘Reflectivepractice’http://www.open.ac.uk/opencetl/files/ecms/web-content/Finlay-(2008)-Reflecting-on-reflective-practice-PBPL-paper-52.pdf pp 10 11 12 (Accessed 2June 2014) www.3.hantsgov.uk/reflection-2.doc (Accessed 2 June) McLeod S. A. (2010). Kolb Learning Styles. www.simplypsychology.org/learning-kolb.html (Accessed 10 June 2014) http://prezi.com/qsys43dbyzy9/gibbs-criticalreflectionmodel/ (Accessed 1 June2014) http://www.scribd.com/doc/48449899/BREAKING-BAD-NEWS-REFLECTION (Accessed 12 June 2014) http://www.scribd.com/doc/69580365/Johns (Accessed 10 June 2014) http://www.silkysteps.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7386 (Accessed 12 June 2014) http://www.ukessays.com/essays/education/an-overview-of-peer-reviewing-education-essay.php (Accessed 12 June 2014) www.ulh.nhs.uk/for-staff/educationtrainig/clinical-education/leadership-in-practice/gibbsreflectivecycle.pdf (Accessed 1June 2014) http://wikipedia.org/wiki/Reflective_practice (Accessed 3 June 2014) http://www.worc.ac.uk/adpu/documents (Accessed 30 May 2014) Part B Without realising at first Gibb’s model of reflection was the one out of all the models which I automatically started to and still continue to use. I found the model very user friendly, and this is a reflective model that is in plain speaking English without the use of any uncommon words. It has made me think seriously about situations in my studies and made me realise what I am doing wrong and what I should think about to improve the way I study. Sometimes I do things and do not really think about what I am doing however this model of reflection has taught me to actually stop, think and reassess a situation. Here is an example of Gibb’s model of reflective practice applied to my own learning experience. Description: What happened? I was given assignments to complete. Feelings: What was I thinking and feeling? I was feeling a little daunted and unsure of the work ahead of me. Evaluation: What was good and bad about the experience? I thought the assignments were quite hard to do and found putting things into my own words very hard. Once I thought I finally understood a little more I felt much better. Analysis: What sense can I make of the situation? I get too stressed and rush myself too much to get my work done all at once. Conclusion: What else could I have done? I could have organised my time better and done my work in small chunks. Action plan: If it arose again what would I do? I will organise my time better and work in small chunks rather than trying to do it all at once.

The Etiology of Autism Essay -- Psychology Neurology Disorders autisti

The Etiology of Autism Autism is a syndrome that is characterized by the impairment of social interaction skills, verbal and nonverbal communication, and a decreased interest in participating in a variety of activities. In 1943, Kanner, the man who is attributed with the identification of this disease, hypothesized that autism might be a biological disorder as opposed to a psychological one. Numerous studies have been conducted supporting Kanner’s hypothesis. These studies have ranged from examining the effects of rubella to investigating certain purine metabolic disorders as possible etiological agents. Recently, the areas of neuroanatomy, neurochemistry, and genetics have played a crucial role in developing a clearer picture into the etiology of this disease. Upon exploring the biological aspects of autism, the fields of neuroanatomy, neurochemistry, and genetics have offered new insights concerning their association with the onset of this disease. Neuroanatomy is one of the latest fields involved in uncovering the possible causes of autism. Many past studies conducted in this area found that autistic patients had enlarged lateral ventricles, however, this abnormality didn’t reveal any damage to a specific anatomical site. The most recent studies conducted on the cerebella of autistic patients showed much more dramatic results. In one specific experiment conducted by Dr. Courchesne, the cerebellar lobules of eighteen autistic patients were compared with the lobules of twelve subjects within a normal control group. The eighteen autistic patients were chosen on the basis that their autistic state was "... not complicated by severe mental retardation, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, genetic abnormality, other neurologic dise... ... R. S. and B. H. Herman. A Novel Biochemical Model Linking Dysfunctions in Brain Melatonin, Proopiomelanocortin Peptides, and Serotonin in Autism. Biological Psychiatry, 28:773-793, 1991. Courchesne, E. et. al. Hypoplasia of Cerebellar Vermal Lobules VI and VII in Autism. New England Journal of Medicine, 318:1349-1354, May 26, 1988. Gillberg, C. et. al. Monozygotic Female Twins With Autism and the Fragile X Syndrome (AFRAX). J. Child Psychol. Psychiat., 29(4); 447-451, 1988. Herman, B. H. and Panksepp, J. Effects of Morphine and Naloxone on Social Attachment in Infant Guinea Pigs. Pharmacol. Biochem. Behaviour, 9;213-220, 1978. Lowenstein, P. R. et. al. Effects of Naloxone on the Nocturnal Rise of Rat Pineal Melatonin Content. Eur. J. Pharmacol., 98;26 Reiss, A. L. et. al. Autism and Genetic Disorders. Schizophrenic Bulletin.12(4); 724-38, 1986.

Spin-Out Management: Theory and Practice Critique

Name: Yue Qi BA501 1H-Management Theory & Org-FA12 Instructor: Dr. Scott Burke Week 8(10/17-10/23)-Spin-out management: Theory and practice Critique Critique The article The Tensions of Organization Design: Optimizing Trade-offs discusses a new theory of organization design which is the tensions of organization design that managers must face and resolve. Robert Simons introduces four crises in different stages of organizational growth, including the crisis of leadership, the crisis of autonomy, the crisis of control, and the crisis of red tape.To anticipate and avoid the crises just mentioned, managers must design organizations that can adapt over time. And the author offers a number of tensions that affect organization design which we must be sensitive to the need to reconcile the tensions between: Strategy and structure, Accountability and adaptability, Ladders and rings, Self-interest and mission success. The author uses an organized thought process throughout the article that hel ps to develop a clear understanding of the subject matter.The author begins with a background of the importance of this subject and the factors that make the subject relevant in today’s environment: â€Å"New technologies have increased productive capacity, markets have become global, the pace of competition has quickened, work has become more complex, and the capabilities of workers have been enhanced. Information technology, outsourcing, and alliances have changed the traditional boundaries of the firm†. Then the article go with the negative effects an organization will encounter by doing nothing, using previous research from Greiner and Miller & Friesen.Next, the four tensions of organization design are discussed in a manner that is easy to comprehend. Each tension is given its own section that gives a background of the information that is about to be presented and the implications for organizations to tend to those tensions. A crisis of leadership emerges in an ent repreneurial structure when the leadership of founding entrepreneurs is no longer suitable for the management of a larger company and the organizational structure will change to functional structure which is based on specialization and separate business functions.Under this structure, decision making becomes highly centralized. As the firm is growing, the decision making prevents company from contact with customers and market and leads to a crisis of autonomy. Then the organizational structure will be redesigned as a decentralized structure. After the company's growth resumes, a crisis of control arises from a set of problems, such as waste of resource, decline of profit, and hampered coordination. The segment structure, which relies on the new centralized staff groups, like a new top management team, replaces the former structure.Over time, central staff groups become more powerful, leading to a crisis of red tape in which decision making slows down and a lot of time is wasted in m eetings. Therefore, the organizational structure will back to basics and cut through the bureaucracy. To avoid the crises just described, managers must always redesign organizations with changing circumstances. The second one is the tension between accountability and adaptability. There are always some imbalance problems between accountability and adaptability, like agency problem and ethic problem.For instance, top managers may focus on the accountability for today's goal to accomplish a great job while stakeholders may emphasize the adaptability for the future to retain competitiveness of the company. By using governance mechanisms, like stock-based compensation schemes or promotion tournaments and career paths, this kind of problem can be resolved. The third one is the tension between ladders and rings, namely, the tension between vertical hierarchy and horizontal networks. If an organization has vertical hierarchy, it chooses a mechanistic structure; and, an organization with ho rizontal networks has an organic structure.When managers trade off ladders against rings, they also balance differentiation and integration, centralization and decentralization, and standardization and mutual adjustment. The tension between self-interest and mission success is the last one managers should consider. The author demonstrates this problem through introducing the change of the view of human nature in organizations, and concludes that every individual in every organization makes some important decisions: Should I work toward my own self-interest, the goals of the subunit to which I belong, or the goals of the overall organization taken as a whole?If the tension is interrupted, employees may leave the organization and the organization will lose part of its workforce. Thus managers should recognize the importance of the tension between self-interest and mission-based goals to keep the advantage of human resources. In all, Robert Simmons’ work was organized in a way t hat made the information clearly understandable and that helped to engage the reader.

REBT

Began his career attempting to scientifically validate Fraud's theory of depression. When the failed, he began researching a cognitive model of depression that results in his rejection and isolation from the psychiatric. Arnold Lazarus Grounded his work in cognitive and social learning theories, developed multimode therapy. Which involves a multi faceted assessment and encourages technical eclecticism to effect change across all areas all areas of functioning and experience.When People Understand or have Insight into how they needlessly disturb themselves and create an unhealthy and dysfunctional feelings and behaviors, that insight often will help them change and make themselves less disturbed. But understanding and insight is not enough. In order to significantly change themselves, They almost always have to pinpoint their irrational philosophies work at changing them to more functional and self helping attitudes. Cognitive, Emotive-evocative and Behavioral. Ellis 2003- Rational em otive behavior therapy (REST) the first of the cognitive behavior therapies, and nowadays it continues to be a major cognitive behavioral approach. 0 REBUT has a great deal in common with the therapies that are oriented toward cognition and behavior as it also stresses thinking, Judging, deciding, analyzing, and doing. The basic assumption of REBUT is that people contribute to their own psychological problems, as well as to specific symptoms, by the rigid and extreme beliefs they hold about events and situations. REBUT is based on the assumption that cognitions, emotions, and behaviors interact significantly and have a reciprocal cause-and-effect relationship. Moreover REST's basic hypothesis is that our emotions stem mainly from our beliefs, which influence the evaluations and interpretations however we make of the reactions we have to life situations. Through the therapeutic process, clients learn skills that give them the tools to identify and dispute irrational beliefs that have been acquired and self-constructed and are now maintained by self-indoctrination.In addition learn the process themselves how to replace such ineffective ways of thinking with effective and rational cognitions, and as a result they change their emotional reactions to situations. View of Human Nature Rational emotive behavior therapy is based on the assumption that human beings are born with a potential for both rational, or â€Å"straight,† thinking and irrational, or â€Å"crooked,† thinking. People have tendencies for self-preservation, happiness, hinging and verbalizing, loving, communion with others, and growth and self- actualization.They also have inclinations for self-destruction, avoidance of thought, procrastination, endless repetition of mistakes, superstition, intolerance, perfectionism and self-blame, and avoidance of actualization growth potentials. View of Emotional Disturbance Based on the premise that we learn irrational beliefs from significant others during childhood and then re-create these irrational beliefs throughout our lifetime. The therapeutic should be actively reinforce our sulfanilamide beliefs through the recesses of autosuggestion and self-repetition, and we then behave in ways that are consistent with these beliefs.Hence, it is largely our own repetition of early-indoctrinated irrational beliefs, rather than a parent's repetition, that keeps dysfunctional attitudes alive and operative within us. In addition therapist teaches clients how to feel sad, but not depressed. â€Å"l must do well and win the approval of others for my performances or else I am no good. † â€Å"Other people must treat me considerately, fairly, kindly, and in exactly the way I want them to treat me. If they don't, they are no good and they deserve to be condemned and punished. â€Å"l must get what I want, when I want it; and I must not get what I don't want. If I don't get what I want, it's terrible, I can't stand it, and life is no good for depriving me of what I must have. † A-B-C Framework The A-B-C framework is central to REBUT theory and practice. This model provides a useful tool for understanding the client's feelings, thoughts, events, and behavior (Wolfe, 2007) Assumption in Cognitive Therapy Fully acknowledging that we are largely responsible for creating our own emotional robbers.Accepting the concept that we have the ability to change these disturbances significantly Recognizing that our emotional problems largely stem from irrational beliefs Clearly observe beliefs Seeing the value of disputing such self-defeating beliefs Therapeutic Process According to Ellis (2001 b; Ellis & Harper, 1997), we have a strong tendency not only to rate our acts and behaviors as â€Å"good† or â€Å"bad,† â€Å"worthy' or â€Å"unworthy,† on the other hand likewise to rate ourselves as a total person on the basis of our performances.These marks found one of the main sources of our emotiona l assistances. As a result, most rational emotive behavior therapists have the general goal of teaching clients how to separate the evaluation of their behaviors from the evaluation of themselves their essence and their totality Pearce and how to accept themselves in spite of their imperfections. Therapist's Function and Role The therapist has specific tasks, and the first step is to show clients how they have incorporated many irrational absolute â€Å"should,† â€Å"oughtn't,† and â€Å"musts. Moreover somewhat dispute clients' irrational beliefs and encourages clients to engage in activities that will counter their self-defeating beliefs and to replace their rigid â€Å"musts† with preferences. A second step in the therapeutic process is to validate how clients are keeping their emotional disturbances active by continuing to think illogically and unrealistically. In other words, because clients keep re programming themselves and the client's responsible for their own psychological problems. The Third Step helping clients modify their thinking and minimize their irrational ideas.Even though it is unlikely that we can entirely eliminate the tendency to think irrationally and reduce the frequency of such thinking. Lastly, step in the therapeutic process is to challenge clients to develop a rational philosophy of life so that in the future they can avoid becoming the victim of other irrational beliefs. Embark upon only specific problems or symptoms can give no assurance that new illogical fears will not emerge. REBUT focal point here-and-now experiences and clients' present ability to change the patterns of thinking and emoting that they constructed earlier.The therapist does not apply much time to exploring clients' early history and making inspections between their past and present behavior unless doing so will aid the therapeutic process. Nor does the therapist usually explore clients' early relationships with their parents or siblings. Instead, the therapeutic process stresses to clients that they are presently disturbed because they still believe in and act upon their self- defeating view of themselves, other people, and the world.Cognitive Approaches Grounded on the idea that Psychological Disorder are characterized by dysfunctional thinking based on dysfunctional beliefs Usually incorporate a persuasive cognitive methodology in the therapeutic process. Demonstrate to clients in a quick and direct manner what it is that they are continuing to tell themselves. Teaches client's how to deal with these self-statements so that they no longer believe them, encouraging them to acquire a philosophy based on reality. REBUT relies heavily on thinking, disputing, debating, challenging, interpreting, explaining, and teaching.Disputing Irrational beliefs ; Disputing irrational beliefs. The most common cognitive method of REBUT consists of the therapist actively disputing clients' irrational beliefs and teaching them how to do this challenging on their own. Clients go over a particular â€Å"must,† absolute â€Å"should,† or â€Å"ought† until t hey no longer hold that irrational belief, or at least until it is diminished in strength. Doing cognitive homework Clients are expected to make lists of their problems, look for their absolutist beliefs, and dispute these beliefs.Functioning homework, clients are encouraged to put themselves in risk- taking situations that will allow them to challenge their selecting beliefs. Where in client with a talent for acting who is afraid to act in front of an audience because of fear of failure may be asked to take a small part in a stage play. Bibliographer Assigning clients readings that will be Motivating and Instructional for dealing with their presenting Problem. However Therapist/Counselor assign Self Help Books to Read and Also Suggest to Read a Inspiration Inspirational Literatures.Cinema Therapy – Similar to bibliographer, Cinema T herapy Involves assigning client to watch a movie that will speak to the problem issue. Labeling Cognition Philosophical questioning and direction questions, Some client find it helpful in identifying and label distorted thinking to reduce it sway on them. Counselor/Therapist will reinforce to help the client to practice labeling distorted hinging in session so that clients can transfer this skill to their everyday lives.Arbitrary inference: † Jumping to conclusions† Selective Abstraction: † Filtering out the Positive† Personalization: † All Boys are like that† Magnification and minimization: † Emphasizing the negative and Ignoring the positive†. Personalization: † Exaggerating one's responsibility or misinterpreting neutral comments†. Dichotomous Thinking: â€Å"Black and White† Misleading: † Attaching an extreme or personalized label to a person or situation†. Mind Reading: † Assuming negative tho ughts and intentions on the part of others†.