Ethics in Group Counseling

Abstract Ethical issues are at the heart of the counseling process and practice. This paper discusses the issue of ethics with close consideration of professional practice of counseling and therapy. The paper narrows down to the complexity of ethical issues that counselors face in group settings in comparison to individual therapy.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Ethics in Group Counseling specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It further discusses the issue of leadership and leadership challenges in group therapy. The paper concludes by shedding light on the reason behind preference of group counseling to individual counseling by counselors. Ethical issues in Counseling Ethics can be defined in various ways depending on one’s profession and context. It refers to the code of conduct that is supposed to be followed by a person or a group of persons especially in regards to their duties. Ethics demands the observa nce of high levels of moral values. According to Hill (2004, p. 131), in counseling, the issue of legal principles is considered depending on the impacts of the counseling case being handled. In addition, Pan et al. (2012, p. 349) add that the cultural norms of the society from which the victim comes are also considered in the process. Freeman et al. (2004, p. 163) also reveal that the codes of conduct in counseling are closely intertwined with the values that counselors have to follow. Ethics guides the counselor and the client on the ‘do’s and don’ts’ that they have to abide by throughout the counseling process. It enhances the efficiency and effectiveness of therapy sessions. In addition, the ethical code of conduct in counseling enables the counselor to gain trust from the client. However, counselors differ in their levels of commitment to the ethical conduct and moral values. In fact, Freeman et al. (2004, p. 163) argue that some counselors underrate the actual intensity of the moral values in counseling. It is not enough to abide by the set standards in the counseling process. However, the beliefs and relationships that one has gained in life should enable him or her to make a sound interpretation of the case. It is therefore important for the counselor to strike a balance in all the cases that he or she handles.Advertising Looking for essay on ethics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More According to Crespi (2009, p. 273), it is important for the counselor and learners to learn the legal principles that guide the process of counseling by governing the standards to be observed by the counselor and the client. Moreover, Hill (2004, p. 131) affirms that legal principles also set up the punishments to be followed by the offenders in a counseling case. They also stipulate the consequences of violating the counseling conduct by either the client or the therapist. Legal doctrines th erefore ensure that no one violates, abuses, or neglects the counseling ethics. In addition, the ideologies control and regulate the licensing process. Licenses ensure that only the vetted and recommended counselors are involved in a professional counseling. Such a move eliminates quarks hence ensuring high professional standards in the process. The licensing bodies control the renewal of such licenses. Such guidelines also elaborate how and when a client can claim liability from a therapist who fails to meet the terms of the agreement. Malott, Paone, Humphreys, and Martinez (2010, p. 257) argue that ethics in counseling are also regulated by the cultural norms of the society. Every profession has its norms on what is right and wrong. Professional bodies have the responsibility of setting specific standards that stakeholders have to uphold. For example, in America, the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs set the counseling standards to be adhered to by counseling stakeholders. In psychological counseling, the counselor and the client are guided by a set of psychological counseling ethics as set by their regulating bodies. With counseling standards in place, both the counselor and the client are protected hence making the procedure professional. In addition, the professional bodies set the academic qualification standards that the counselors must present before being admitted as professionals. The level of education, experience, and dedication that the counselor must have is also stipulated.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Ethics in Group Counseling specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Such vetting and professional authentication is done to ensure professionalism in dealing with clients of diverse backgrounds. Professional counselors will not rush for trial and error, but will only administer remedies after a clear analysis of the case and having gathered su bstantial evidence. In every profession, ethical issues are hard to abide by, even becoming more challenging when one is dealing with several human beings. Stephens (2010, p. 509) add that a counselor must be well equipped in group skills for him or her to handle a group in counseling. Every group has its own dynamic complexities. In fact, conflicts increase with an increase in the number of group members. It is ethically required that every counselor should therefore have the necessary skills required in handling group dynamics. Every member of the group should get a different screening procedure besides being understood according to his or her behavior and character. Such close evaluation should also be done on potential group members. Other personal qualities like and economic background should also been factored. For example, it would be difficult for university graduates to appreciate counseling when they are placed in groups of primary school dropouts. The counselor should hav e skills to interpret the mental status. Emotional stability of a client to withstand the truth should also be measured accordingly. According to Wade (2012, p. 329), religious beliefs and spiritual foundations of every individual in a group should also be appreciated. For example, Christians have respect for Jesus Christ as the son of God and strict adherence to the Ten Commandments. On the other hand, Muslims have strict adherence to the Quran and the words of Prophet Mohammed. In most cases, spiritual foundations of individuals dictate what their values are and or whether they observe them or not. A counselor may forever labor for years in unearthing and treating certain cases of mental and psychological sicknesses if they continue with the counseling process without initial personal screening. It is from a deep understanding of the client that guides the counselor in the therapy process.Advertising Looking for essay on ethics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Counselors cannot gain wisdom through the process of academic training: God gives wisdom. In fact, wisdom seems to be naturally occurring in some people. Complexity of some group cases requires the counselor to have enough wisdom on top of his or her professional training. Good judgment also enables the therapist to forecast the implications of certain cases in the future. Some effects of counseling may go far ahead to determining how individuals make decisions in the future. Therapists must be able to withstand the morality test of the society that goes beyond what they do with their life in and outside the office. Counselors must have high ethical standards that enable them avoid compromise. For instance, a counselor ought to avoid doing wrong even when every other person says it is right to do so. Counselors should be guided by what is right in the eyes of God and the law. When one is compromised, their moral and ethical standings are highly affected. In counseling, one faces dif ferent personalities. Therapists who are not strong in their moral standing may even fall prey of the evils that their clients commit. A counselor may easily be enjoined in drug abuse legal case, firearm handling, and sexual immorality cases amongst others. Although, a fee is paid for therapy, counselors should not be money minded. Money is a factor in most instances of the failure of counselors to observe moral and ethical principles. It is wrong for a counselor to forfeit his or her ethical guidelines in order to gain more money. Counselors should therefore adopt ethical means of earning their livelihood to avoid compromise. After counseling, clients assumed to have gained the necessary skills in handling life on their own. It is not enough for the counselor to give verbal and written guidelines to clients and leave them to their own devices in life. Effective counseling should bear visible fruits. According Jen der pan (2011, p. 779), the counselor should give the clients some li fe skills that will enable them to live well by interacting with others comfortably in the society. At the end of the counseling session, clients should appreciate the undertaking. They should be able to move forward and forget their past unproductive lives to adopting a beneficial life. Counseling should reduce human suffering. Therapy should eliminate or reduce mental and emotional suffering that the client suffered before counseling to minimal levels. According to Wade (2012, p. 329), clients should handle the condition that faced them before counseling without any assistance. By extension, they should assist other victims of similar situations. The sustainability of the effects of counseling depends on experience, academic qualifications, and commitment of the counselor. The remedy to counseling cases should have a permanent or long lasting effect. Issues Unique to Group Therapy Group counseling is different from individual counseling. Although group counseling is similar to ind ividual counseling in some ways, there are many differences between the two. In a group counseling, the counselor must understand that each individual in the group is unique in some ways. Unlike individual counseling, various personality traits are brought together in group therapy. The confidentiality of every individual client must be maintained even when clients are grouped together for therapy unless the clients agree on disclosure. The counselor has to understand the specific problems that each client faces. Although there may be similarities in the cases, there are unique differences in individual cases that the counselor must differentiate. Every member of the group would want to hear his or her individual problems being addressed by the counselor. The counseling program must touch on the problems that they face. If the whole counseling process does not address the challenges that they face, they will not appreciate the need for attending the counseling sessions. Group counse ling involves dynamics such as advising members not to share information concerning the counseling sessions when they are out of class. To the counselors, it is likely to become very hard for them to control their clients once they live the counseling halls. However, it is their discretion to advise the client against it and to ensure that the rules of counseling are upheld. When individuals are in groups, they are likely to form social alignments before, during, or after the session. Since man is a social animal, it is likely to be difficult for such individuals to refrain from sharing their experiences in the sessions. However, Der Pan et al. (20012, p. 731) argue that it is upon the counselor to train the clients on how to mark certain boundaries in their communication. When the clients in groups understand what can be disclosed to others and or what is private, it becomes easier even for the entire counseling process. Issues that are disclosed by each individual during the group s are not to be discussed by other members outside the session. Information that individual clients disclose to the counselor or to the group for example personal experiences should not be discussed with other people outside the conference. Crespi (2009, p. 273) affirms that the counselor is charged with the responsibility of ensuring that all group members understand the rules, regulations, and legal principles concerning counseling. In a group counseling setting, the counselor must ensure that he or she gains trust from the clients. It is also imperative that the group members begin to trust each other with information. Conviction is important since it speeds up the rate of information disclosure. According to Piper (2007, p. 130), without personal disclosure, counseling becomes almost unfruitful. Each client must begin by owning his or her individual situations before seeking advice on what to do about it. After owning the process, the same client should be ready to make it known to a trusted therapist. According to Yildirim (2012, p. 130), the level of disclosure determines the kind of treatment and professional counseling that the client receives. However, most of the counselors are tempted to ignore the need for confidentiality. Such ignorance can result in dangerous impacts. For example, when counseling a woman who has been unable to get out of lesbianism, it may be very dangerous to disclose such information to the public or to her friends. It would even be worse to divulge information about a man who joins the group for counseling after a long struggle with impotence. Such revelation can amount to soiling of personal demeanor. Other people can even begin to disregard the person. No client can unveil such information to a therapist whom he or she believes or has evidence that the therapist cannot keep confidential information. Trust and confidentiality are therefore crucial in a group counseling. Every group should have strict adherence to ethical cont rol. The counselor has the greatest responsibility in controlling what happens in the group. Individual clients in a group setting have little or no control of what happens during the session. The kind of communication that majorly happens in a group setting can be both beneficial and detrimental to the group. Sharing of individual experiences and the content of learning can be valuable to the individual clients. The counselor is therefore charged with the duty to monitor and control the group members when they are on the session and when they finish the sessions. In a group setting, members are also bound to influence one another into various acts. Every member of the group is therefore bound to learn and emulate certain traits from the other members. The danger involved in this process is that a client can join the group with a need to be counseled on a certain issue but end up being predisposed to learning other awful traits. Every member learns from one another. Luke and Hackney (2007, p. 287), argue that leaning is a continuous activity. As members interact in the group, a lot of exchange happens. The counselor should therefore be very keen to monitor the level of communication that is entailed in the group. It is also important that professional ethos be observed when assigning counseling groups to individuals. For instance, a client may come for the counseling session due to family conflicts. Another client may also come for the session with a similar problem. Hence, the counselor will be tempted to put them under one class. However, one client may be an alcoholic in addition to being in family wrangles. Such a person may influence the other into alcoholism within the several days that they interact in the therapy. Such dynamics are majorly out of peer pressure. Disclosure of information in a group setting may also take a lot of time. In fact, some clients may never divulge information about their problems in a group setting. In such cases, there is a s trong bond of peer influence or fear in the group. A member of the group may fear what others may say about him, or worse still what they can believe about him or her after the disclosure. In many instances, clients are forced to lie in order to save their face from the group. The counselor should therefore be very vigilant in order to identify such dynamics and react to them before they become a major problem. In some cases, peer pressure in group counseling becomes very hard to disengage. The group members can also agree not conceal any information to the counselor. Such actions make the counseling process very difficult. It is against the counseling ethics to coerce members of the group to change behavior. In a group setting, members can force others to behave in a particular way against their will by making some members appear foolish in the presence of others. Such members are therefore forced to change their behavior even when they are on the right. Coercion from the therapist himself or herself is also unethical. In fact, intimidation from the group leaders and the counselor makes the victim lie or refuse to reveal the truth. According to Banks (2005, p. 17), if the client does not disclose the correct information to the counselor, the process is likely to experience many hurdles and fail to be successful. It is therefore imperative for the counselor to ensure that none of the clients is coerced from any corner especially in giving information and changing of behavior. The counselor should be vigilant to ensure that no one compels the other into acting in a strange way. Good behavior should be cultivated in a sensible way. The clients should be at liberty to change their bad behavior to leap the benefits of good conduct. In a group setting, diversity cannot be underrated. It may result in stereotyping. PAN (2012, p. 139) affirms that members of a group may come from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Therefore, they may be different in the way t hey do things or even believe. Every member should therefore be taught to respect each other’s beliefs and diversity. No tribe or ethnic community is better relative to the other. According to Luke and Hackney (2007, p. 287), members of the group may have variations in educational levels, economic levels, and even social status. The counselor must ensure that each member appreciates this multiplicity. In fact, Yildirim (2012, p. 129) affirms that group members should be encouraged to learn from one another and to enquire more in confirmation of facts and biases. It is against the counseling ethics to prejudice and or stereotype others. It is the role of the counselor and the group leader to ensure that every group is properly integrated to represent the image of a wider group. Malott, Paone, Humphreys, and Martinez (2010, p. 257) are for the opinion that the counselor should ensure that members of a similar cultural orientation are not placed in a similar group unless the pre vailing circumstances dictate so. Failure of members to condone and embrace diversity is likely to indicate the weakness of the counselor. Counseling skills, experience, and education should make the counselor an authority in the field. It should therefore be easy for him or her to make the members tolerant to other people’s beliefs and cultural stands. Cultural beliefs are deeply entrenched into people’s lives. Any contravention of it may result in conflicts. It is ethically wrong for group members to be dishonest. Without the truth, the whole group may not benefit from the counseling process. Dishonesty is even likely to make the counselor unprofessional. The moment various clients visit the counselor and undergo the full counseling program but fail not change from their past unbecoming behavior, the counselor is compromised. He or she is seen as a quark or a non-performer. Counseling in a group setting should be result oriented. If all members of the group are insin cere in their confessions and discussions, the group cannot progress. It will reach a point where the fabrication will require sophisticated deception to cover the initial ones. Members who are misleading live in tension and cannot trust each other. Yildirim (2012, p. 129) argues that dishonesty among members is likely to result in interpersonal conflicts among the associates of the group. No one would like to be embittered. In such circumstances, group members cannot even feel free to discuss their experiences and thoughts with the rest of the group members. Others will immediately or slowly withdraw from active participation in the group activities the moment they realize that the rest are deceitful. Gumpert and Black (2006, p. 61) affirm that the counselor is therefore charged with the responsibility of cultivating integrity among various members of the group. All these ethical dynamics of group counseling discussed above can result in the breaking of the group. When counselors f orm psychotherapy groups, they always have plans and objectives to achieve through them. When a group breaks out of the above ethical problems, the members and the counselor have to lose the mutual benefit. According to Hong et al. (2012, p. 180), it is unethical for a group to be terminated immaturely in the presence of a trained counselor. This case is likely to indicate failure and incompetence. The counselor is blamed for not being able to exercise expertise and leadership skills. The members are also blamed for having no sense of direction and purpose in their undertaking. The honest, truthful, and rule-abiding clients may never join such groups again hence making it unwelcoming to the therapist and the whole idea of counseling. People may begin to lose interest in counseling or even fail to value it. Out of group break ups, the societal issues of uncouth acts will remain unsolved. The idea of counseling is underrated when clients cannot trust the therapists. The counselor is u ndermined, with his or her work being seen as unfruitful while the society continues experiencing difficulties in dealing with psychotherapy cases. The result is that unqualified persons who may not have the knowhow of conducting such activities will be left to do the counseling. By the end of it all, members of the society may result into violent means of solving differences among them hence harming each other. The society may not understand those that are psychologically sick. It may even treat them badly resulting in the worsening of their situation. Counseling is therefore imperative in the society. Hong et al. (2012, p. 179) affirm that therapists should also be keen to ensure that all members of the group respect the ethical guidelines of the counseling process. With good ethical guidelines and adherence, both the counselor and clients will benefit. Reasons as to why Therapists choose Group over Individual Counseling Experiences in individual counseling are completely differen t from group counseling. In counseling, both individual and group counseling are important. However, most of the counseling therapists prefer counseling groups than an individual. There are various reasons for counselors to engage group counseling than individual counseling. One of the reasons for preferring on group counseling is that members in groups develop a feeling of being equal to one another. A counseling group is just like a class or a school situation where all members are equal. Crits-Christoph et al. (2013, p. 24) observe that, when members are in a group, they begin to appreciate that the problems that they experience are not unique to them only. Others also experience it. The gap and the tension that the client experiences when he or she is alone with the counselor is eliminated. Group therapy is therefore important for the people that appreciate being with others. Such people can even divulge more information to the counselor relative to when they are alone. Therapis ts would therefore prefer dealing with such groups than individuals. Group therapy is also better than individual counseling since it is more lively and encouraging than when one is faced with a single individual alone. Pan et al. (2012, p. 349) add that, when clients are in a group, they appreciate the words and directions of the counselor than when they are just alone. Groups are also better because when one member becomes dull or decides not to share information, others remain vigorous hence encouraging the therapist to carry on with the process of counseling. In such a situation, the counselor is also encouraged to perform better in order to keep those that are keen in better positions. In a group setting, members also discuss with others about the areas where they may not have understood during the process. It is also important to note that, in some instances, the counselor may not be able to clearly articulate a certain point in the course of counseling. In such circumstances, a group member can assist those that did not understand. Such an opportunity to learn from each other is not present in individual counseling. Members that prefer being appreciated also benefit from group counseling since there are many people to compliment them. Compliments raise their level of self-esteem, with such members making the work of the therapist easier. Piper (2007, p.130) affirms that the counselor in a group setting is also likely to face more questions than when he or she is counseling an individual. Questions are an indication of openness and the need to know. The counselor will therefore achieve his goals more easily when the members are active. Questions are a source of feedback for the counselor to evaluate himself. In a group therapy, members are able to appreciate the fact they do not face the circumstance alone. According to Banks (2005, p. 17), when clients meet in a group and share information on personal experiences, they realize that problems are universa l and not personal. Such an appreciation makes the work of the counselor even easier since members will be ready for therapy. Group therapy also indicates to the counselor whether the individuals will be able to reintegrate into the society after the session. Personal Leadership qualities in a Group Therapy Leadership is at the heart of group therapy. It is therefore important to have experienced counselors who can manage leadership in the group. Leadership is power. Power on the other hand can corrupt leaders. The feeling of pride and authority may lead to the disintegration of the counseling group. This case is especially common when group leaders devolve powers to subgroups and then appoint subgroup leaders. Although such groups enable the group leaders to achieve efficiency and quick coordination, they may result in conflicts of interest. Other members of the group may begin to feel that they are doing better in relation to others, or that they are in charge of others. Group lea ders should therefore be cautious while appointing other leaders or sub-leaders. Crits-Christoph et al. (2013, p. 23) observe that it is important to screen the leaders before assigning them various duties. It is imperative to evaluate whether they meet the educational standards for the position, their levels of emotional stability, and their cultural foundations. Such factors are likely to impact on their performance as leaders in the groups. The ability to lead should also be evaluated before such appointments are made. Some people may have good humiliating traits. However, they may show no leadership abilities. Worse still, they may have the necessary skills in leadership but have no desire for it. Appointment of bad leaders in the group can be the beginning of failure or success of the group. A good leader can cultivate a good relationship among members of the group. It is also possible for an efficient leader to control the group during disputes and even solve cases of conflict s among the group members. Ability to solve cases is important in delivering quality counseling to the group. Leadership should avoid differences among leaders themselves and the rest of the group members. Respect between group leaders creates cohesion between members. Members cannot believe in divided leaders. In fact, the groups may disintegrate if leaders portray their conflicts openly. Openness and admission should also be encouraged between leaders. Der Pan et al. (20012, p. 731) argue that leaders should cultivate a good and open communication within the group. Communication is power. Proper communication enables people to gain information that is necessary for them to tackle the problems that life poses. It is unethical for leaders to fail to articulate themselves properly. Leaders should share information about group dynamics, leadership hurdles, and the best strategies that can enable the group to leap the best benefits from counseling. Leaders should ensure that every memb er of the group is empowered through adequate provision of information. There should also be avenues for members of the particular group to give their feedback. Leaders should keep on updating each other with the right information during the therapy process. Sharing of information is important for uniformity and good performance. Proper communication channels should be made public for all leaders and members to know. It is out of poor communication that leaders get into conflicts among themselves and with their members. Ethical guidelines in counseling emphasize the power of communication. Leaders should therefore ensure that they gain the necessary communication skills and put in place proper communication mechanisms. Conflicts among leaders should be avoided at all cost. Every group leader is a role model to his or her members and to other leaders. Gumpert and Black (2006, p. 61) assert that, whenever members witness open conflicts between group leaders, they become tensed about t he relationships. They may even become completely disengaged in the group affairs. Conflicts with other leaders may result in loss of trust from the members. In fact, tension begins at the point where members experience open or hidden conflict between their leaders. Worse still, members can rebel against such leaders. Such a situation can result in complete disintegration of the group. The group leader is charged with the responsibility of ensuring that conflicts among leaders of subgroups are eliminated or ironed out on time. Competition among members and even among groups is important. However, only healthy competition among leaders can help other members of the counseling group. It is worth noting that unregulated competition can result in actual conflicts among the leaders and the individual members. Health competition among groups enhances learning. In the process of competing, members and group leaders can perfect their skills. Group and subgroup leaders should therefore enhan ce proper communication among them to ensure that their individual groups leap the benefits of communication. Competition has rules and guidelines, which must be followed properly in the process of competition. Pan et al. (2012, p. 349) reveals that the major goal of setting up groups should not be forgotten in the process of the group and leadership competition. It is therefore important for every member of the group to realize the importance of competition and be ready to play by the rules. With good leadership, competition among members can result in better performance of the groups. Leaders who work together are able to solve conflicts among themselves. During the moments of conflicts among members of the group, leaders have to show authority and competence. It is even better when leaders come together and work in unity when solving conflicts arising from members. My Leadership Qualities and Approach to Group Therapy As a counselor, one of the leadership qualities that I possess is the ability to communicate well. Good communication skills are important in leadership. Proper communication involves being clear, concise, correct, and complete. Communication breakdown results in clashes among members of a group. In fact, a counselor who does not communicate well is likely to face opposition from clients. A leader who does not communicate correctly can drive people into disagreement. It is therefore important for one to have good communication skills. I am also a good planner and time manager. These skills have enabled me to be consistent in my endeavors. Before engaging with my followers into any program, I begin by having a good arrangement. Planning is essential when dealing with groups. Crits-Christoph et al. (2013, p. 24) insists that one requires a pre-planning of what to cover at a certain time together with the expected results of the session. My plans also have alternatives for eventualities. I am a good time manager. Discipline in time management ena bles me to be organized and timely in completion of assignments and projects. It is always good to honor promises to other leaders, to the followers, or even clients. The tight schedules that are common in a group counseling must be upheld. In order to keep abreast with such schedules, time management became a necessary skill that I have developed. I also have a wide range of skills and experience in counseling. Training and experience enable me to be professional on how I approach various issues. Professionalism also enables me to abide by ethical guidelines and codes of conduct in counseling. When one is professional, it is hard to contravene the law or even ethics of his or her profession. Challenges in Leadership In leadership, one must expect to face various obstacles occasionally. I have faced many challenges in leadership. Such challenges range from conflicts among members, poor cooperation by members, incitement of members, interference from external forces, and competition for leadership positions. Leadership involves dealing with a variety of people, guiding them, and directing them towards success. However, people come from different backgrounds with different beliefs. They view things from a multiplicity of dimensions. Having the ability to communicate in a manner that creates mutual understanding enables me to quell conflicts among my students. Communication is a solution to most of the problems that people face. In fact, Der Pan et al. (2012, p. 739) affirm that most of conflicts in the world are out of poor communication and hence misunderstanding. Incitement of learners from among themselves and from other external forces is another major hurdle that I have been able to overcome. Learners may feel over bombarded with learning and the tight schedules of counseling sessions. Others may just want to cause havoc and render the process unsuccessful. In such situations, I apply professional counseling skills that enable me to manage people. Peopleâ⠂¬â„¢s skills and human resource management skills are crucial parts of therapy. Conclusion In conclusion, ethics is inherent in every profession. Professional ethics in a group counseling is supposed to be adhered to by both the counselor and the client. These guidelines enable the process of counseling to be professional, consistent, and to run smoothly. When therapists observe the ethical guidelines of their profession, they are less likely to contravene the laws of God, man, and their nation. Group counseling differs from individual counseling due to various dynamics of group management. As the paper has revealed, most of the therapists prefer group counseling to individual counseling. Leadership qualities are important for group leaders for them to manage and influence the group. Good communication can enable leaders to overcome most of the challenges that are likely to emerge in a group therapy. Reference List Banks, R. (2005). Solution-Focused Group Therapy. Journal of Family Psychotherapy, 16(1), 17-21. Crespi, D. (2009). Group counseling in the schools: Legal, ethical, and treatment issues in school practice. Psychology in the Schools, 46(3), 273-280. Crits-Christoph, P., Gibbons, C., Johnson, J., Gallop, R. (2013). Process Predictors of the Outcome of Group Drug Counseling. Journal of Consulting Clinical Psychology, 81(1), 23-34. Der Pan, P. et al. (2012). Associations Among Self-Concept, Verbal Behaviors, and Group Climate Early In The Group Counseling Process. Psychological Reports, 111(3), 739-754. Freeman, J., Engels, W., Altekruse, M. (2004). Foundations for Ethical Standards and Codes: The Role of Moral Philosophy and Theory in Ethics. Counseling Values, 48(1), 163-173. Gumpert, J., Black, N. (2006). Ethical Issues in Group Work: What are They? How Are They Managed?. Social Work with Groups, 29(2), 61-74. Hill, L. (2004). Ethical Analysis in Counseling: A Case for Narrative Ethics, Moral Visions and Virtue Ethics. Counseling Values, 48(3) , 131-148. Hong, Z., Lin, H., Wang, H., Chen, H., Yu, T. (2012). The effects of functional group counseling on inspiring low-achieving students’ self-worth and self-efficacy in Taiwan. International Journal of Psychology, 47(3), 179-191. Jen Der Pan, P., Liang-Yu, D., Shiou-Ling, T., Shona, H. (2011). Taiwanese Members’ Report Of Verbal Interactions And Their Relations To Demographic Variables In The Group Counseling Process. Psychological Reports, 108(3), 779-790. Luke, M., Hackney, H. (2007). Group Coleadership: A Critical Review. Counselor Education Supervision, 46(4), 280-293. Malott, M., Paone, R., Humphreys, K., Martinez, T. (2010). Use of Group Counseling to Address Ethnic Identity Development: Application with Adolescents of Mexican Descent. Professional School Counseling, 13(5), 257-267. Pan, P. et al. (2012). Verbal Interactions in Taiwanese Group Counseling Process: A Cross-Cultural Perspective. Psychological Reports, 111( 2), 349-363. Piper, E. (2007). Underutilization of Short-term Group Therapy: Enigmatic or Understandable?. Psychotherapy Research, 18(3), 127-138. Stephens, D., Jain, S., Kim, K. (2010). Group Counseling: Techniques for Teaching Social Skills To Students With Special Needs. Education, 130(3), 509-512. Wade, G. (2012). Encouraging Student Interest in Research on Forgiveness, Religion, and Group Counseling in a Counseling Psychology Ph.D. Program. Journal of Psychology Christianity, 31(4), 326-329. Yildirim, T. (2012). The Unheard Voice in Group Counseling: Quietness. Educational Sciences: Theory Practice, 12(1), 129-134. This essay on Ethics in Group Counseling was written and submitted by user Mary Jane Watson to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

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TECHNOLOGICAL FORCES Starting in 1970’s Motorola has concentrated its energies on high-technology markets mainly in commercial, industrial, and government fields. Commercial Motorola’s first product was a â€Å"battery eliminator, â€Å" allowing consumers to operate radios directly from household current instead of the batteries supplied with early models. In the 1930’s, the company successfully commercialized car radios under the brand name â€Å"Motorola,† a word suggesting sound in motion. By the end of 1980’s, Motorola had become the premier worldwide supplier of cellular telephones and in 1996 produced the 3.1 ounce, pocket-sized StarTAC wearable cellular telephone. The Accomli 008 wireless phone that contains a touch-screen display with handwriting-recognition software in eight languages was invented by Motorola. It features fast access to Internet documents via General Packet Radio Service technology. Similarly, the Timeport 7392i came out. It was the first General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) cellular phone available in North America. GPRS wireless phones offer consumers always-on access to the Internet. Motorola’s V70 cellular phone was the first to use a rotating cover and circular display. The i1000plus handset was the first to integrate a digital phone, two-way radio and alphanumeric pager with Internet microbrowser, e-mail, fax and two-way messaging capabilities. Government During the decade of the 1940’s, the company began government work and opened a research laboratory in Phoenix, Arizona, to explore solid-state electronics. By 1959, Motorola was a leader in military communication and has built its first semiconductor. Motorola helps Federal Government agencies from civil to law enforcement and military to manage ever-increasing complexity by offering wireless communication solutions. Industrial Motorola Life Sciences introduced its first commercial eSensor DNA Biochip Array. The chip he... Free Essays on Motorola Free Essays on Motorola TECHNOLOGICAL FORCES Starting in 1970’s Motorola has concentrated its energies on high-technology markets mainly in commercial, industrial, and government fields. Commercial Motorola’s first product was a â€Å"battery eliminator, â€Å" allowing consumers to operate radios directly from household current instead of the batteries supplied with early models. In the 1930’s, the company successfully commercialized car radios under the brand name â€Å"Motorola,† a word suggesting sound in motion. By the end of 1980’s, Motorola had become the premier worldwide supplier of cellular telephones and in 1996 produced the 3.1 ounce, pocket-sized StarTAC wearable cellular telephone. The Accomli 008 wireless phone that contains a touch-screen display with handwriting-recognition software in eight languages was invented by Motorola. It features fast access to Internet documents via General Packet Radio Service technology. Similarly, the Timeport 7392i came out. It was the first General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) cellular phone available in North America. GPRS wireless phones offer consumers always-on access to the Internet. Motorola’s V70 cellular phone was the first to use a rotating cover and circular display. The i1000plus handset was the first to integrate a digital phone, two-way radio and alphanumeric pager with Internet microbrowser, e-mail, fax and two-way messaging capabilities. Government During the decade of the 1940’s, the company began government work and opened a research laboratory in Phoenix, Arizona, to explore solid-state electronics. By 1959, Motorola was a leader in military communication and has built its first semiconductor. Motorola helps Federal Government agencies from civil to law enforcement and military to manage ever-increasing complexity by offering wireless communication solutions. Industrial Motorola Life Sciences introduced its first commercial eSensor DNA Biochip Array. The chip he...

Non Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Non - Case Study Example Considering the geographical maps as shown in the diagram below of the position of the SAP and FRY, we have privileged information that the naval military of the SAP are majorly docked at the port of Banes and Haba (Heuer, & Pherson, 2011). These ports are directly opposite to two of our ports, that is the Mia and Eyer. Given that there are conflicting reports on the kind of impending attack the SAP are planning, reports of diversionary attack has also reached us. The report indicates that they are planning to attack the port of Eyer and Mia simultaneously. We are therefore expected to consider undertaking a naval reconnaissance in our territorial areas in a bid to understand how and when to place military control for any attack. Following the information on the attacks at the ports, we have to consider monitoring the ports so that any mishap from our adversaries does not materialize. The need to tighten security around the hot spots indicated by the reports should be swiftly put into place to curtail any advancement from the SAP. Following the analysis of the situation of the SAP, we are confident that the situation can be put under control given that we have all the necessary information to do so. The intention to attack us through their ports of Haba and Banes shows all indications to be true given that through our survey, we have noticed increased activities in the ports a clear show that they are preparing for attacks (IBM, 2013). Concerning the intelligence reports that have reached us, we should thus spare no effort to ensure that we cushion ourselves from the impending attacks from our opponents. Despite general sage who is the supreme commander in the SAP military calling for peace from the neighboring nations, it can only be interpreted as a public relation exercise aimed at programming people’s mind that they are for peace while the intention is to

Explore the Measurement, Extent, Causes And Consequences of Inequality Essay

Explore the Measurement, Extent, Causes And Consequences of Inequality - Essay Example This essay stresses that income inequality results in many intense issues including low levels of trust, high prevalence rate of mental illness, infant mortality, homicides, and teenage births, increased imprisonment rates, decreased life expectancy, and high incidence of obesity. Evidently, this situation would force national governments to allot huge funds for addressing these issues. Therefore, governments cannot raise enough funds for promoting development activities; instead, they get less time to focus on economic growth. Researchers indicate that income inequality and the resulted social stratification may lead to high levels of psychological stress which in turn may intensify the issues like alcohol and substance abuse, depression, and poor community life. This paper makes a conclusion that it is clear inequality is becoming a growing issue all around the globe. The lion’s part of the world’s total incomes goes to a small percent of the richest people. Inequality leads to issues like lower life expectancy, high violence rate, low levels of trust, and other health and social problems. Hence, this issue adversely affects a nation’s economic growth. In order to address this issue, national governments must ensure a minimum wage for all citizens regardless of their age, sex, religion, or politics. It is also recommendable for governments to impose huge income tax rates on rich people and to exempt the poor from taxes and other duties.

Role Of Icts For Improving Efficiency And Relevance Of Airlines Essay

Role Of Icts For Improving Efficiency And Relevance Of Airlines Services For Tourists - Essay Example In this direction it has become quite crucial for the organisation to undertake some crucial, new and innovative strategic and tactic moves. In this direction adoption of new and competent Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) has become an important and effective way for the business organisations to enhance their overall capabilities in existing challenging business environment (Konig and Strauss 2000). The importance of ICTs can be sighted in different industries across the world. In this context, international airline industry has also been adopted ICTs quite significantly. The proliferation of Internet as an important channel of communication between business organisation and customers has provided some important and effective measures related with ICTs to international Airlines for enhancing quality of services provided to passengers (Sarmento 2011). In direction to this, the paper aims to ICTs relaed trends prevailing within the International Airlines Industry. The paper also elaborates different new technologies and trends related with information and communication technologies (ICT) that are quite prominently followed within airlines industry. The impact and role ICT related practices and trends in advancing customer expectations is also an important point of discussion made in the paper. On the basis of entire findings, the paper also presents some crucial recommendations for airlines industry for using ICT in the more tactical and strategic way so that efficiency and productivity of the industry can be enhanced. ICTs acceptance within airlines industry Like other business industries, the growth of internet and technological advancement of business environment has also affected trends and practices followed in airlines industry. In order to enhance efficiency of services provided to passengers and providing some intensive an d value added experience to them, airlines companies has adopted ICT as one of the most effective tools. The history of ICT acceptance by different Airlines is quite old. Since 1970s, Airlines companies have been using different variants of ICT for facilitating its customers. The availability of telephone availability within this decade has changed the trend of enquiring about availability, reservation and confirmation (Sarmento 2011). In regard to this, first of all American Airlines introduced SABRE Computer Reservation System (CRS) in the year 1962, for the purpose of providing fast and effective facilities regarding reservations and bookings. Afterwards, the system was started to be used for inventory control function within the organisation. This system allowed the company to schedule its crew effectively, track spare parts requirements, and have effective decision support systems for management (Knowles and Garland 1994). The revolution regarding ICTs in Airline industry can b e spotted from mid 1990s. The development of internet and intranet facilities within the market place has allowed the airline industry to have some effective strategies on technological innovations in their ICTs infrastructure. In this regard, British Airways has spent ?1.1 billion on its ICT infrastructure for the purpose of making its distribution channels more effective and responsive. Increasing competitive pressure has imposed business organisations to have enhanced the level of interaction with customers so that their trust and loyalty can be won (Noakes and Coulter 2002). In this concern, effective communication and information technologies used by the company has been considered as effective gateways. In addition to this,

Benefits of Balanced Scorecard Implementation

Benefits of Balanced Scorecard Implementation Introduction Business organizations are facing increasingly complex markets, customers and suppliers, and fierce global competitive pressures. In such competitive environment, access to the right information is important to ensure high quality decision making and thus, the success of the organization. Resulting from the changing needs of information in a competitive environment, pressure was put on accounting information to increase its relevance. Extensive and exclusive use of financial measures has been criticised due to their historic nature. Financial measures reveal a great deal about an organisations past actions but nothing about its future alertness. Exclusive reliance on financial indicators could promote behaviour that sacrifices long term value creation for short term performance (Dearden, 1969). Indeed, an overemphasis on achieving and maintaining short term performance can cause a company to overinvest in short term fixes and underinvest in sustainable value creation, which would be detrimental to its future success. In an attempt to remedy the shortcomings of financial performance measures, Kaplan and Norton (1992) devised the Balanced Scorecard which integrates financial and non financial strategic measures. The Balanced Scorecard will be discussed in this paper focusing on what the Balanced Scorecard is, the theory underlying it and how it is being practiced. The manner in which the Balanced Scorecard is practiced in two companies, namely Metro Bank which is adapted from Kaplan and Norton (1996) and Asia Telecom, a telecommunication company whose name is disguised to preserve confidentiality is also discussed in this paper. What is the Balanced Scorecard? The Balanced Scorecard is a tool, which systematically expands the measurement areas traditionally involved in accounting. It provides a system for measuring and managing all aspects of a companys performance. The scorecard balances financial measures of success with non financial measures of drivers of future performance. These non financial measures include measures on customer satisfaction, internal processes, the organisations innovation and improvement activities. The Balanced Scorecard measures organizational performance across four different but inter-related perspectives: financial, customer, internal and learning and growth perspectives (Atkinson, Kaplan and Young, 2004). The Balanced Scorecard, as devised by Kaplan and Norton (1992), is thus a balanced performance measurement system that enables companies to track financial results while simultaneously monitoring how they are building their capabilities with customers, internal processes, employees and systems for future growth and profitability. It provides feedback around both the internal business processes and external outcomes in order to continuously improve strategic performance and results (Kaplan and Norton, 1996). The Balanced Scorecard is a comprehensive framework that translates a companys vision and strategy into a coherent set of performance measures. It is an integral part of an organizations strategy execution process that emphasizes communicating strategy to employees and providing feedback to help attain objectives. The scorecard can be used at different levels of an organization. For each level, the Balanced Scorecard approach identifies the key components of operations, sets goals for them, and finds ways to measure progress toward achieving these goals. Taken together, the measures provide a holistic view of performance both inside and outside the organization, and allow each constituent of the organization to see how his or her activities contribute to attaining the organizations overall mission (Von Bergen and Benco). Essentially, the Balanced Scorecard measures are used to translate vision and strategy into concrete directions for action by people throughout the organization. The measures prescribe a plan for strategic execution and create focus for the future. The measures communicate important messages to all organizational units and employees and thus, influence their actions. To take full advantage of this power, companies soon integrated their new measures into a management system (Kaplan and Norton, 2001). Thus, the Balanced Scorecard concept evolved from a performance measurement system to a strategic management system. The strategic management system focused the entire organization on implementing long term strategy by aligning and supporting key processes. The essence of the above discussion can be summarized using Atkinson, Kaplan and Youngs (2004) definition. The Balanced Scorecard is a strategic management system that translates an organizations strategy into clear objectives, measures, targets and initiatives organized by four perspectives. These four perspectives and other principles underlying the Balanced Scorecard will be discussed in the next section of this paper. The Balanced Scorecard: Theory The Balanced Scorecard is based on several underlying premises. The first is that financial measures alone inadequately measure the health of a company and that a single-minded pursuit of financial objectives could lead to long-term ruin. The second is that Balanced Scorecard focuses on process, not metrics. As such, it is forward-looking (e.g., How can our organization retain its best customers?) rather than backward-looking (e.g., What were our organizations earnings per share last quarter?). The third is that the scorecard is an analytic framework for translating a companys visions and business strategies into specific, quantifiable goals and for monitoring performance against those goals (Von Bergen and Benco). The Balanced Scorecard framework consists of four perspectives of which the organizations performance is measured. Across organizations, the relevant Balanced Scorecard components vary depending on the organizations specific goals and circumstances. There is no theory that four perspectives are necessary and sufficient for an effective balanced scorecard. However, there is some agreement that a typical BSC would include the following four components in some form (Horngren, Foster, Srikant, 2000): Learning and growth perspective: Can the firm continue to improve and create value for customers? Internal business process perspective: In which capabilities must the firm excel? Customer perspective: How do customers see the firm? Financial perspective: How does the firm look to providers of financial resources? The financial perspective Kaplan and Norton do not disregard the traditional need for financial data. Indeed, the ultimate objective for profit-seeking companies is a significant increase in shareholder value. Financial performance measures indicate whether the companys strategy, implementation and execution are contributing to its profitability. Financial objectives typically relate to profitability and measured, for example, by economic value added, return on investment or net profit. Companies increase economic wealth through two basic approaches revenue growth and productivity. Revenue growth comes from either growing wider (new products, markets and customers) and/or from growing deeper by achieving more price or volume from existing relationships. Productivity comes from reducing the cost structure, and/or the fixed and working capital required to support the business. The customer perspective The customer perspective is about the identification of the customer and market segments in which the company will compete and the measures of the companys performance in these targeted segments. Typical core measures of the successful outcomes from a well-formulated and implemented strategy include customer satisfaction, customer retention, new customer acquisition, customer profitability and market and account share. Beyond these measures, the companies must also identify the objectives and measures for customer value proposition, which describes the unique mix of product, price, service, relationship and image that a company offers its targeted group of customers. Customer value proposition that defines how company meets the needs of its customers vis-Ã  -vis its competitors is essentially a differentiation strategy. There are three generally acknowledged generic value proposition: Operational Excellence is characterized and differentiates itself by a combination of products/services that provide quality, selection, and competitive prices, and order fulfillment capability that is fast and timely. Customer Intimacy is characterized and differentiates itself by the quality and personalization of its relationship with its customers. Product Leadership is characterized and differentiates itself by the functions, features, and overall performance of its products and services. The value proposition is crucial because it helps an organization connects its internal processes to improved outcomes with its customers. The internal business process perspective Once the financial and customer perspectives are identified, the critical internal processes in which the organization must excel to achieve its objectives are defined. These processes enable the organization to deliver the value propositions that will attract and retain customers in targeted market segments and achieve productivity improvements for the financial objectives. Since organizations perform many different processes, it is useful to group the processes into four groups: Build the franchise by spurring innovation to develop new products and services and penetrate new markets and customer segments. Increase customer value by expanding and deepening relationships with existing customers. Achieve operational excellence by improving supply-chain management, internal process, asset utilization, resource-capacity management and other processes. Become a good corporate citizen by establishing effective relationships with external stakeholders. Measures of these processes allow managers to evaluate how well their business is running, and whether its products and services conform to customer requirements (the mission). The learning and growth perspective This perspective describes the infrastructure necessary for the achievement of the objectives identified in the other three perspectives. Under this perspective, objectives for the people, systems and organizational alignment that create long term growth and improvement are identified. The objectives for these three components normally lie in the following areas: Employees capabilities Does the employees possess the appropriate level of skill and knowledge to perform the work/function required to achieve strategy? Information system and database Is the information system and database available to provide excellent information to employees for process improvement required? Organization alignment Corporate culture and climate Do employees have the awareness and understanding of the vision, strategy and cultural values needed to execute strategy? Goal alignment Are goals and incentives aligned with the strategy at all level? Knowledge sharing Do employees and teams share best practices and other knowledge relevant to strategy execution? This perspective ultimately emphasizes the role of intangible assets people, system, climate and culture in driving organizational capabilities for learning and long term growth. Strategy Map A strategy map is a comprehensive visual representation of the linkages among objectives in the four perspectives of the Balanced Scorecard. Each objective in the four perspectives is portrayed in a cause and effect relationship where gains in the learning and growth perspective lead to improvements in internal business processes, which in turn lead to higher customer satisfaction and market share, and finally to superior financial performance. The strategy map tells the story of the companys strategy. It identifies for employees and management the importance of each perspective as a feeder of success into the next perspective. It also identifies and makes explicit the hypotheses about the cause and effect relationship between outcome measures (lag indicators) for example, customer satisfaction and return on investment, and performance drivers (lead indicators) for example, motivated and skilled employees, short cycle time processes and product development processes (Atkinson, Kaplan and Young, 2004). Lagging indicators indicate whether the strategic objectives in each perspective are achieved while leading indicators represent how the outcome should be achieved. The causal link between lagging and leading indicators not only occurs within the individual perspectives, but also across the four perspectives of the Balanced Scorecard (Figge, Hahn, Schaltegger Wagner, 2002) Organizations build strategy map from the top down, starting with the destination and then charting the routes that lead there. The vision and mission of the company provides a picture of the companys overall goal. The strategy of achieving the companys vision and mission, when translated into objectives and measures in each of the perspectives provide more meaning and clarity to employees. Measures describe how success in achieving an objective will be determined and thus give clarify to the objective. Typically, the objectives in the four perspectives of a strategy map lead to 20-30 measures. However, the number of measures is irrelevant when these measures are viewed as inter-dependent measures that are instrumental for achieving a single strategy. The multiple measures on the Balanced Scorecard are linked together in a cause and effect network that describes the business strategy. Targets are set for each measure. A target establishes the level of performance or rate of improvement required for a measure. Level of performance required should represent excellent performance. Companies identify initiatives, that is, short term programs and action plans that will help companies to achieve targets. Initiatives that will not have a major impact on one or more scorecard objectives should be de-emphasized (Kaplan and Norton, 2004). The Balanced Scorecard: In practice Having discussed the theory and principles underlying the Balanced Scorecard, we will look at the manner in which the measures of the Balanced Scorecard are developed and communicated in the corporate world by taking the case of Metro Bank and Asia Telecom. Metro Banks case adapted from Kaplan and Norton (1996) is used to illustrate revenue growth strategy whilst Asia Telecom is used to illustrate both revenue growth and productivity strategy. Metro Bank case Metro Bank, a retail banking division of a major bank was facing problem of excessive reliance on a single product. The revenue growth strategy is undertaken to resolve this problem, that is, to reduce earning volatility by broadening sources of revenue with additional products for current customers. In the process of developing the Balanced Scorecard, the strategy is translated into objectives and measures in the four perspectives. The financial objective to support revenue growth strategy was to broaden the mix of revenue. The financial measure is the percentage increase in year to year revenue (lag indicator) and revenue mix (lead indicator). The existing customers of the bank however do not view their banker as the logical source for a broader array of products such as mutual funds, credit cards and financial advice. The banks executive concluded that if the banks new strategy were to be successful, they must shift customers perception of the bank from that of a transactions processor of checks and deposits to a financial adviser. With this, the customer objective was to increase customer confidence in the banks financial advice and increase customer satisfaction. This is done by building long term relationship with targeted customers so that the bank can sell them multiple financial products and services. The measures are share of customer segment i.e. number of Metros customers in targeted segment (lag indicator) and depth of relationship (lead indicator). Internal activities that need to be mastered if the strategy were to succeed were identified as 1) understand customers, 2) develop new products and services and 3) cross-sell multiple products and services. Each business process would have to be redesigned to reflect the demands of the new strategy. For example, the selling process had traditionally been dependent on institutional advertising of the banks services. The bank did not have a selling culture. The bank personnel were reactive. A major reengineering program was launched to redefine the sales process into one which is relationship based. Measures introduced were cross-sell ratio (lag indicators) which measured selling effectiveness and hours spent with customers (lead indicators) to send signal to salespersons of the new culture required by the strategy In order to improve employee effectiveness in implementing the revenue growth strategy, the learning and growth component of the scorecard identified the need for 1) salespersons to acquire a broader set of skills (to become a financial counselor with broad knowledge of the product line), 2) improved access to information (integrated customer file), and 3) realignment of the incentive systems to encourage the new behavior. The lag indicators included a productivity measure, average sales per salesperson, as well as the attitudes of the work force as measured by an employee satisfaction survey. The lead indicators focused on the major changes that had to be orchestrated in the work force. These indicators are 1) the upgrading of the skill base and qualified people i.e. strategic job coverage ratio, 2) access to information technology tools and data i.e. strategic availability ratio, and 3) the realignment of individual goals and incentives to reflect the new priorities i.e. personal g oal alignment. Asia Telecom Asia Telecom, a telecommunication provider strives to grow business profitability and improve operating efficiency in a highly competitive environment. The company embarked on the following strategy: Growth strategy: expand new business while defending the traditional fixed line business Productivity strategy: improve efficiency by managing new capital investment and increase asset utilization In the Balanced Scorecard development process, the strategy is translated into objectives and measures in the four perspectives. Prepared and motivated work force Productivity strategy Growth strategy Defend traditional business Expand Regionally Grow New Business Manage Capital Expenditure Increase Asset Utilization Improve cost efficiency Improve returns Delight the customer Exceptional value services One stop solution Enduring relationship Synergy with Partners Ensure win-win partnership Innovation Process Develop alternative channels Develop product services offerings/bundles Operations Process Focus on operational efficiency Optimize deployment of shared services Improve Strategic Skills Competencies Create conducive organization climate Access to strategic information Customer Perspective Internal Perspective Financial Perspective Learning Perspective Figure 1 The Asia Telecom Strategy Map Growth strategy is pursued by: 1) defend traditional business, 2) expand regionally and 3) grow new business. Productivity is increased by: 1) manage capital expenditure, 2) optimize asset utilization and 3) improve cost efficiency. The company intends to grow new business and expand regionally (acquisition of other business) while defending its traditional fixed line business. Asset utilization and capital expenditure management is important as telecommunication assets are costly, require high investment and can quickly become obsolete with the advent of new technologies. Operating costs efficiency is targeted to reduce costs in running the business. Financial measures are earning per share, return on investment, revenue growth, operating costs per staff and EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization) (lag indicators) and strategic business support (lead indicator). Asia Telecom offers a variety of products and services to customers and builds enduring relationship with its customers. The customers are valued as always right. The company aspires to improve service quality in its outlets to retain and satisfy its customers. A Mesra Pelanggan Project was launched to strengthen necessary capabilities and capacities, strengthen and build on customer relation basics and ultimately, delight the customers. The customer measures identified are 1) one stop solution, 2) enduring relationship, 3) exceptional value services, and 4) ensure win-win partnerships. The measures are service level agreement compliance, customer and partner satisfaction index and customer retention and acquisition (lag indicators) and service level agreement and satisfaction survey (lead indicator). In order to achieve the above objectives, internal business processes identified are 1) create product and services offerings/bundles, 2) develop alternative channels, 3) focus on operational efficiency and 4) optimize deployment of shared services. Business processes needs to be redefined and changed to reflect the needs of the new strategy. For example, product development process has been designated to a small group of product development personnel. The rest of the marketers are not involved in product development even though they have direct contact and interaction with customers. A change in mindset was instigated to encourage every personnel to spend more time talking with customers to learn about their emerging needs and to think of innovative solutions to these needs. The measures include new product revenue, new channel ratio, expense ratio and cost savings (lag indicators) and product and channel development cycle and cost control (lead indicators). These measures clarify w hat needs to be done in order to achieve the objectives identified. The work force must be motivated and prepared to produce the level of effectiveness required to support the objectives in the three other perspectives. In order to foster long term growth and improvement, there is need to 1) improve strategic skills and competencies, 2) create conducive organization climate and 3) provide access to strategic information. Positive work culture including integrity, sense of urgency, teamwork and group interest was instilled to improve quality of the work force. Employee innovativeness is encouraged to create employees that are capable of applying knowledge to produce new products and services. The outcome measures are competency index, employee satisfaction index and climate survey index. The lead indicators which are organized to create change in the work place are staff development vs. plan, employee survey, organization climate survey and strategic systems availability vs. plan. Figure 2 Asia Telecoms Balanced Scorecard Strategic Objectives Measures Outcome Measures (Lag) Performance Drivers (Lead) Financial Defend traditional business Expand regionally Grow new business Manage capital expenditure Optimize asset utilization Improve cost efficiency Earning per share, EBITDA Return on investment Revenue growth Operating costs per staff Strategic business support Customer One stop solution Enduring relationship Exceptional value services Ensure win-win partnerships Customer satisfaction index Customer retention acquisition Partner satisfaction index Service level agreement compliance Customer satisfaction survey Customer satisfaction survey Partner satisfaction survey Service level agreement Internal Create product and services offerings/bundles Develop alternative channels Focus on operational efficiency Optimize deployment of shared services New product revenue, % of contribution to profit New channel ratio Expense ratio Cost savings Product development cycle Channel development cycle Cost control Learning Improve strategic skills and competencies Create conducive organization climate Access to strategic information Competency index Employee satisfaction index Climate survey index Staff development vs. plan Employee survey Organization climate survey Strategic systems availability vs. plan Figure 2 summarizes the objectives and measures for Asia Telecoms Balanced Scorecard. The scorecard and strategy map (Figure 1) describes a system of cause and effect relationships, incorporating a mix of leading and lagging indicators, all of which eventually point to improving future financial performance. Based on the above cases, it can be seen that the Balanced Scorecard framework translates and communicate strategy to the whole organization. In the case of Asia Telecom, employees understand what needs to be done in order to achieve the companys strategy to increase productivity. The measures in place such as competency index send signals to employees of what is required and focuses change efforts. There is shared understanding of the companys vision. From the cause and effect relationship inherent in the scorecard model, employees are able to see how they contribute to the companys success. Balanced Scorecard as a Strategic Framework for Action Companies also use the Balanced Scorecard as the framework around which the management processes and programs are built. By identifying the most important objectives on which an organization should focus its attention and resources, the scorecard provides a framework for a strategic management system that organizes issues, information, and a variety of vital management processes. These processes are: Clarify and translate vision and strategy Communicate and link strategic objectives and measures Plan, set targets and align strategic initiatives Enhance strategic feedback and learning (Kaplan and Norton, 1996) By using the case of Asia Telecom, the manner in which the strategic framework is put into action is discussed next. Clarify and translate vision and strategy The Balanced Scorecard process starts with the senior management team working together to translate the business units strategy into specific strategic objectives. When translating the strategic into objectives in the four perspectives discussed above, the management must ensure that there is consensus on what objectives should be prioritized and what measures, targets and initiatives should be used. Consensus is important to ensure that everyone in the company is pursuing the same agenda. In Asia Telecom, sales and marketing has traditionally been regarded as important as they bring in revenue. However, as business becomes more competitive, the traditional fixed line business comes under attack, eating up the companys bottom line. There is increasing need for innovation to create new products and services to retain and win customers. New business needs to be developed and nurtured. In developing the scorecard, this strategy is agreed upon and translated into objectives in the four p erspectives. The development of the scorecard enables the management to agree, prioritize and be accountable for the objectives of the business. Communicate and link strategic objectives and measures The Balanced Scorecards strategic objectives and measures are communicated via company newsletters, bulletin boards, video conferencing and groupware to all levels of organizational constituents. The communication serves to signal to all employees the critical objectives that must be accomplished if the companys strategy is to succeed. The communication process enables the alignment of goals throughout the organization. Once employees understand the high level objectives and measures, they can establish local objectives that support the companys objectives. In Asia Telecom, the Balanced Scorecard is cascaded down to all levels and more than 180 Balanced Scorecards were developed at various levels of the company. The Balanced Scorecards reflect each organizational units objectives in achieving the overall objectives. These scorecards can be accessed online using a Balanced Scorecard system developed in house by the company. Plan, set targets and align strategic initiatives Managers should establish the following to use the scorecard in an integrated long range strategic planning and operational budgeting process: Set long term, quantifiable and stretch targets for the scorecard measures. Identify initiatives (investments and action programs) and resources for these initiatives which will enable the achievement of targets. These initiatives are intended to close the gap between targets set for strategic measures and current performance on those measures. Link to annual resource allocation and budgets i.e. formulate specific short term targets for the scorecard measures. This will allow managers to determine whether their strategy is valid and enable progress monitored. In Asia Telecom, the customer satisfaction index is targeted at more than 90% in 2006. The initiative to achieve the target is via the Mesra Pelanggan Project and customer relationship management. Resource allocation required to achieve the target is included as part of the business plan. Any deviation from the initial target can be picked up during the business plan review. This is also available in the Balanced Scorecard system which links strategy, business plan and performance. It also makes all strategic initiatives and resources congruence to Asia Telecoms Strategy. Enhance strategic feedback and learning The Balance Scorecard enables managers to monitor and adjust the implementation of their strategy, and if necessary, make fundamental changes in the strategy itself. The learning process is of two types: Single loop learning process: feedback about whether the planned strategy is being executed according to plan Double loop learning process: feedback about whether the planned strategy remains a viable and successful strategy. This learning process will prompt managers to question their underlying assumptions and reflect on whether the strategy under which they are operating remains valid in consideration of the current evidence, observations, and experience. The strategic feedback and learning process feeds into the next vision and strategy process where objectives in the various perspectives are reviewed, updated, and replaced in accordance with the most current view of the strategic outcomes and required performance drivers for the upcoming periods. Suppose that the data reveal that the organizations employees and managers have delivered on the performance drivers employees skills and competencies has been improved, tools and technology are available, new products and services have been developed and introduced on schedule. Now, th

Random Student Drug Testing (RSDT) Essay -- School Drug Testing Progra

What is drug testing? Drug testing is an examination of biologic material such as urine, hair, saliva, or sweat to detect the presence of specific drugs and determine prior drug use. Student random drug testing programs, RSDT, is increasingly common (Edwards). RSDT can help identify the students who are already abusing illicit drugs. Yet most schools only drug test the students, when they should also be drug testing the teachers and staff. Illicit drug use interferes with the ability to learn, affects other students learning and disrupts the teaching environment (Random). Although drug testing at first glance seems like a good idea, it may not be the best decision for every circumstance. Drug testing in high schools will not do very much good. It will cause use in other drugs and create more problems with alternative uses and more sneaky behavior. Drug testing does not prevent drug abuse or stop them from doing it. It usually just pushes them into harsher drugs or into unfamiliar situations. There have been many changes in today’s school systems to help prevent drug use in their students other than drug testing alone. They have introduced a zero tolerance policy. In schools, common zero-tolerance policies concern possession or use of drugs or weapons. Students, and sometimes staff, parents, and other visitors, who possess a banned item for any reason, are always to be punished. They have also introduced metal detectors, sniff dogs, and camera systems. The zero tolerance policy has proven to reduce the presence of these things on school property but doesn’t prevent them outside the walls of the schools. So how do we keep student’s drug free outside of the schools. There are moral aspects of drug testing the student body... ...ext. Web. 25 Nov. 2013. Yamaguchi, Ryoko.†Relationship Between Student and Illicit Drug Use and School†. Student Drug Testing.org. 2003. PDF File. Yamaguchi, Ryoko. â€Å"Drug Testing in Schools: Policies, Practices, and Association With Student Drug Use†. Drug Policy.org. 2003. PDF File.

Doris Lessing’s ‘To Room Nineteen’ and ‘Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ by Robert Louis Stevenson Essay

The concept of Simone de Beauvoir’s myth of women discussed in ‘The Second Sex’ was still very much prevalent in the 1960s when ‘To Room nineteen’ was set and certainly at the time of ‘Strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’. In the 1960s, in accordance with the second wave of feminism, women were thought to be more conscious and aware of their rights as a woman because of the media (Hanisch)1 and this is what we, as a reader could easily deduce from the beginning of Doris Lessing’s ‘To room nineteen’. This new- found consciousness however some would argue was not the case during the 1960s and is certainly not the case in the text. ‘The Strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ is a male dominated thriller where female instabilities are never exposed as females are hardly ever mentioned (Shuo and Dan, 2012)2. This Victorian marginalization of women was very common at the time and also links to woman being classified, according to Simone de Beauvoir in ‘The Second Sex’ as the ‘Other’ (de Beauvoir, 1949 p. 16)3 and not worthy of being the subject of the novella. Both texts involve the notion of a demon taking over the main character, whether this demon is a result of their own creation or a result of society. The following essay will attempt to draw similarities and differences between the two texts in relation to Simone de Beauvoir’s ‘The Second Sex’. ‘The Second Sex’ is arguably one of the earliest attempts to tackle human history from a feminist perspective4 and expresses the idea that men fundamentally oppress women by characterizing them as the ‘Other’. It states, ‘the moment when man asserts himself as subject and a free being, the idea of ‘Other’ arises (de Beauvoir, 1949 p. 19). Although in ‘To Room Nineteen’ it would appear that both Susan and Matthew are making a joint, educated decision by Susan quitting her job to raise the children and tend to her house, it appears to be more of a decision according to social expectations instead of what Susan really wants. Without a second thought ‘Susan became pregnant [†¦] gave up her job, and they bought a house in Richmond’. This sentence structurally is placed in the middle of a  paragraph, not at the end or in a paragraph of it’s own. This would suggest that it is not a big decision that involves careful thought and planning but more something that was decided because it was the obvious decision. Susan made a ‘concession to popular decision’ or a decision that was implied by society to quit her job and a decision implied by society for Matthew to stay at work and earn an income to support the family. According to de Beauvoir, by Susan accepting her role as ‘Other’ this denies a great deal of her humanity thus culminating in her depression, hallucinations and eventual suicide. In ‘Strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ as there is a distinct lack of female characters, this would imply that the males have taken the role of the ‘subject’ (de Beauvoir, 1949 p. 19) and free being as the Victorian culture would dictate. This would naturally then make the very few female characters mentioned in the novella assume the role of the object; constrained by the dominant male characters and being a type of humble, counterpart to males 5. The first mention of a female in the novella is the little girl that gets trampled. Enfield describes this encounter as â€Å"natural† (Stevenson, 1886 p. 9), which we as an audience know would clearly not be the case. The way in which Enfield blindly denies that this encounter was no accident highlights the solidarity of men 6and accentuates their power over helpless female characters. The little girl doesn’t come to great harm however does depend on others to help her this is because she is the ‘other’ (de Beauvoir, 1949); she is essentially seen as feeble and evil because men are unable to visualize themselves as such. The character of Susan, in ‘To room nineteen’ although seemingly independent and equal at the beginning of the text, becomes completely dependent towards the end. She relies on Matthew for comfort when she isn’t feeling herself and she eventually relies on him to give her the money so that she can rent out a room in a hotel; room nineteen. ‘She only had to run across and fling herself into them, onto his hard, warm chest, and melt into herself, into Susan’. This shows how Susan relies on Matthew to feel herself, without him she feels like a stranger: soulless, nothing. ‘She cannot think of herself without man† (de Beauvoir, 1949 p.16). At this point however she feels too  distant from him that that place in his arms isn’t hers any longer and she eventually feels like ‘[†¦] an imposter’. In addition, although being dependant on Matthew, Susan is given the freedom to essentially do what she wants. Matthew gives her the money for the room, allows them to have an au pair girl and is even accepting of Susan’s fabricated lover. This would, at the surface go against de Beauvoir’s view of the ‘Other’ being a person who is not free. On closer examination however this statement seems to be fundamentally flawed. To Susan, even when alone in the house with Mrs. Parkes, she still feels a certain restraint and unavoidable attachment to her life and worries. When she first rents room nineteen, the texts quotes ‘She was alone. She was alone. She was alone.’ The repetition of this highlights how unhappy she is around the distractions and obligations of real, family life. It also points out how women, without the input of men can be completely happy without them, by themselves. In this text however Susan obviously cannot find complete happiness as she is tied to her family and tied to the cultural expectations of the time. When she talks to Miss. Townsend she conveys genuine jealousy and want for a life in solitude, ‘I wish I was absolutely alone in the world, like you’. This draws on the traditional objective in life to marry and have children not actually being the ideal for some women. In fact, being alone for Susan is the ideal and what we can note from this is even today, this can be the ideal for other women too. Matthew would be seen to have freedom and is definitely not concerned with conforming to social expectations when he so openly discusses his affairs. This may be because his role as a man dictates that he can behave how he likes and other woman, as they are the ‘Other’ (de Beauvoir, 1949), will not question him. When Susan questions as to why Matthew does not feel the same depression as her it states, ‘The good marriage, the house, the children, depended just as much on his voluntary bondage as it did on hers. But why did he not feel bound?’ This could arguably be because there is an unspoken pressure on Susan, as a  woman from society, which is unknown to the couple. This makes all choices, seemingly decided by them both, actually decided by society. This unknown pressure on Susan is why Matthew doesn’t feel bound. The idea of freedom is also prevalent in ‘Strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’. If the women detailed in the novella are of low social status, thus assuming the role of the object and other which is limited and oppressed then arguably Dr. Jekyll should be completely free and not restrained by these classifications. The monster that is Mr. Hyde however slowly takes over Dr. Jekyll until he is no more and nothing but the monster that remains. ‘This brief condescension to my evil finally destroyed the balance of my soul’, marks the point where Dr. Jekyll knows that the monster will soon completely take over and thus Dr. Jekyll will no longer have any control or freedom over his body and over his actions. The novella describes the duality of man and not the duality of women. The Victorian era in which it was written would suggest that this is because women are just pleasing objects to be viewed and do not have a complex nature about them; they are submissive creatures that will adhere to the role that men give them and are essentially unsophisticated. De Beauvoir states a woman’s function is, ‘simply what man decrees; thus she is called the sex’ (de Beauvoir, 1949 p. 16) by which we can deduce that in terms of the novella, the female characters are only there to serve the men, not having a brain of their own and to be complacent in all aspects of their lives. This quotation also has sexual connotations. If women are called ‘the sex’ then this could mean that women appear to men, chiefly as sexual beings. De Beauvoir states that there ‘is an absolute human type, the masculine. Woman has ovaries, a uterus; these peculiarities imprison her in subjectivity, circumscribe her within the limits of her own nature’, (de Beauvoir, 1949, p.15) meaning that women are discriminated against because of their sexual organs which, through physical and hormonal differentiation paves the way for female oppression. The character of Susan in ‘To room nineteen’ towards the end of the text doesn’t feel like a woman any longer. On thinking about  when all of her children are ‘off her hands’ during school term it states, ‘She would turn herself back into being a woman with a life of her own’. Her having children and her using her reproductive organs to produce children makes her feel like t hat is all she is; a mother, a womb but not a woman (de Beauvoir, 1949 p. 13). If having children then for Susan means that you are not a woman then this does pose the reader with the question, ‘what makes a woman?’ De Beauvoir states, ‘One is not born but rather becomes a woman’ (de Beauvoir, 1949). For Susan, this could mean that the qualities of a woman are not innate but rather learned either from society or from oneself. De Beauvoir believes that all beings have the right to define themselves however for Susan this seems to already have been done for her by society even though she appears seemingly free. Her decisions are always in accordance to society’s expectations. She wants desperately to become the woman that she was before she quit her job and had children however this is impossible for her, resulting in the loss of her voice as a character and the physical loss in voice from her suicide. This idea of voice is important, as although Susan is the main character of the text and her feelings and attitudes are foregrounded, this is not the case in her communication with others. She feels like she needs to lie to almost every other character in the text, most probably because she feels like her thoughts are too different than the social norm to be voiced. When Matthew knows that Susan is hiding something, Susan ‘[†¦] Understood that he hoped she did have a lover, he was begging her to say so, because otherwise it would be too terrifying’. This highlights how isolated she is feeling. Like the demon that eventually takes over Dr. Jekyll, a devil takes over Susan and she feels like her once loving, equal partner who she so carefully waiting longer than her friends to marry is now someone who she fears will ridicule her and be unaccepting of the devil voice that slowly takes over her. Lessing describes Susan’s devil as being ‘perhaps a middle-aged man pretending to be young’. The  characterization of the devil being a man, could be seen as a metaphor for the males and men in society, although not voicing their opinions out loud any more, their views have become rooted in women’s minds thus again highlighting this unspoken pressure. The comparison to the devil being a ‘middle-aged man pretending to be young’ could suggest how even though women’s suffrage is moving forward and men are becoming more accepting of woman’s rights, they are always going to have the slightly discriminative view of the older generation as they have been raised on these views. It could be suggested that it is the lack of a significant female voice in ‘Strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ that drives men to become their dark side. Thus, Stevenson deliberately decided to foreground the voice of men and leave out any major details about the female characters. The novella ultimately illuminates the instabilities of men, which, in turn, highlights the stabilities of women. It was not a woman that led to the eventual downfall of Dr. Jekyll it was the monster that the man created or the monster that was always a part of the man. On the surface, ‘To Room Nineteen’ tells the story of an unfulfilled woman in 1960s suburbia and ‘Strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ deals with issues about the duality of man, without mention of women however as previously stated there are deeper issues entailed in both. Both texts deal with the problems surrounding female identity and voice and the consequences when this voice isn’t expressed. ‘To Room Nineteen’, being written by a woman, questions the voice of women by letting the reader know her inner thoughts but not letting other characters know them. ‘Strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ being written by a man cleverly underlines the questions around the position of women in society by hardly including them in the novella at all which was very common for literature in the Victorian culture. Both use different techniques however it could be argued that the main idea that can be taken from a feminist reading of these texts is that in order for equality of genders to progress and for females to be content, they must not allow their feelings to be suppressed by individuals or society as a  whole. The characters in both texts choose to ignore the suppression of women and Simone de Beauvoir in ‘The Second Sex’ chooses to bring them to our attention. In order to maintain a healthy and balanced existence, men and woman need to be equal and not be classed as the ‘other’ or the ‘object’. Without this, men and women are destined to fail.

Why Ming China Ended the Treasure Fleet Voyages

Why Ming China Ended the Treasure Fleet Voyages Between 1405 and 1433, Ming China sent out seven gigantic naval expeditions under the command of Zheng He the great eunuch admiral. These expeditions traveled along the Indian Ocean trade routes as far as Arabia and the coast of East Africa, but in 1433, the government suddenly called them off. What Prompted the End of the Treasure Fleet? In part, the sense of surprise and even bewilderment that the Ming governments decision elicits in western observers arises from a misunderstanding about the original purpose of Zheng Hes voyages. Less than a century later, in 1497, the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama traveled to some of the same places from the west; he also called in at the ports of East Africa, and then headed to India, the reverse of the Chinese itinerary. Da Gama went in search of adventure and trade, so many westerners assume that the same motives inspired Zheng Hes trips. However, the Ming admiral and his treasure fleet were not engaged in a voyage of exploration, for one simple reason: the Chinese already knew about the ports and countries around the Indian Ocean. Indeed, both Zheng Hes father and grandfather used the honorific hajji, an indication that they had performed their ritual pilgrimage to Mecca, on the Arabian Peninsula. Zheng He was not sailing off into the unknown. Likewise, the Ming admiral was not sailing out in search of trade. For one thing, in the fifteenth century, all the world coveted Chinese silks and porcelain; China had no need to seek out customers - Chinas customers came to them. For another, in the Confucian world order, merchants were considered to be among the lowliest members of society. Confucius saw merchants and other middlemen as parasites, profiting on the work of the farmers and artisans who actually produced trade goods. An imperial fleet would not sully itself with such a lowly matter as trade. If not trade or new horizons, then, what was Zheng He seeking? The seven voyages of the Treasure Fleet were meant to display Chinese might to all the kingdoms and trade ports of the Indian Ocean world and to bring back exotic toys and novelties for the emperor. In other words, Zheng Hes enormous junks were intended to shock and awe other Asian principalities into offering tribute to the Ming. So then, why did the Ming halt these voyages in 1433, and either burn the great fleet in its moorings or allow it to rot (depending upon the source)? Ming Reasoning There were three principal reasons for this decision. First, the Yongle Emperor who sponsored Zheng Hes first six voyages died in 1424. His son, the Hongxi Emperor, was much more conservative and Confucianist in his thought, so he ordered the voyages stopped. (There was one last voyage under Yongles grandson, Xuande, in 1430-33.) In addition to political motivation, the new emperor had financial motivation. The treasure fleet voyages cost Ming China enormous amounts of money; since they were not trade excursions, the government recovered little of the cost. The Hongxi Emperor inherited a treasury that was much emptier than it might have been, if not for his fathers Indian Ocean adventures. China was self-sufficient; it didnt need anything from the Indian Ocean world, so why send out these huge fleets? Finally, during the reigns of the Hongxi and Xuande Emperors, Ming China faced a growing threat to its land borders in the west. The Mongols and other Central Asian peoples made increasingly bold raids on western China, forcing the Ming rulers to concentrate their attention and their resources on securing the countrys inland borders. For all of these reasons, Ming China stopped sending out the magnificent Treasure Fleet. However, it is still tempting to muse on the what if questions. What if the Chinese had continued to patrol the Indian Ocean? What if Vasco da Gamas four little Portuguese caravels had run into a stupendous fleet of more than 250 Chinese junks of various sizes, but all of them larger than the Portuguese flagship? How would world history have been different, if Ming China had ruled the waves in 1497-98?