Challenging Homeostatic Interpersonal Process Essay

Challenging Homeostatic Interpersonal Process - Essay Example Another key issue is the increasing economic challenges in today's society. According to Shulman (1996) there should be realization that economic pressures have highlighted the need for individual and support groups to provide emotional and psychological support for those that are most challenged. Coupled with globalization, people are not only having to deal with the social changes but also have to deal with the accelerated pace of these developments. Gitterman and Shulman (2005) that this issue had served to highlight competencies and deficiencies of sectors in the society that calls for a review of previous standards and approaches for social services. This opinion was also given by Blank (2002) and has prompted him to call for the evaluation of perspectives in welfare and social care not only as a service but also with regard to the factors that drive needs. The reaction has been not just in health and social service reforms but also in the involvement of the community. In the UK, in an effort to improve channels of services, the government has established community based programs to deliver or provide for social services (Lalor et al, 2005). ... As the demand for social services increase, so will the cost of providing and accessing social services increase: a development that has limited access to social and health services particularly in less affluent communities and further aggravates disparities in socio-economics levels. Thus, service partnerships and collaborating between the sectors of education, social and health services have increased in significance. The efforts also are an indication of greater awareness in the community regarding the urgency of social issues particularly those that affect children and the marginalized. The School Social Work and Attendance Department The School Social Work and Attendance Department in the Broward County School is a local effort that is committed to positively impacting student achievement by addressing and removing barriers to learning (SSWAD, 2007a). The programs include the assignment of social workers to each school, abuse and truancy interventions, counseling, health education, psychological services and programs for exceptional students. SSWAD wants to accomplish its objectives by ensuring that all students have access to the wide array of services provided the department assigns a school social worker assigned to every school. The initiative echoes Broward County School's campaign of "transforming education one student at a time" (Broward County Public Schools [BCPS], 2007) The school social worker intervenes as part of the schools' Collaborative Problem-Solving Team, the Crisis Team, and additionally, provides training and teachers' consultation regarding child abuse, homelessness, teenage pregnancy, mental health concerns, dependency, and

Analyzing woterstoff reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analyzing woterstoff reflection - Essay Example This stage is evidenced in Woterstorff’s â€Å"Lament for a Son†. Wolterstorff (1987) cannot believe that his son is dead. He chooses not to believe the caller at first. He walks to Eric’s favorite places in the hope of finding him there with his friends. The second reaction is anger. Individuals start asking themselves questions after realizing the death is real. The questions often seek to find failure that caused the death. In â€Å"Lament for a Son,† Wolterstorff is angry at his son for going to climb the mountains alone. He is angry that his son did not take his friends with him. A friend could have saved his life. Lack of answers to such questions leads to the bargaining stage. In bargaining, the grieving persons have come to terms with the reality of death. They seek the intervention of a higher power and seek to explain the death through spiritual and religious perspectives. Wolterstorff believes that his son died doing what he liked and was drawing near to God as he climbed high up the mountains. The believe gives him solace. However, depression is inevitable in grief. Depression is a long term effect that affects the behavior, attitude and way of life of an individual. The bereaved person cannot simply let go of the deceased. Wolterstorff cannot forget his son just yet He goes to his son’s favorite places and keeps asking himself questions about his death. The psychological wound that he suffered due to his death is still raw. Acceptance is the last stage of grief. Individuals accept that death is the fate of human beings (Kübler-Ross & Kessler, 2007). Individuals also realize that death is inevitable and cannot be planned, or be prepared for. In this stage, people seek peace within the family and friends. A good example is that Wolterstorff finds solace in his family and find happiness by talking about their deceased son. As noted, Wolterstorff is heavily reliant on his family for comfort. He is a Christian and

Living Organ Donation Inspired Explorations In Normative Ethics Philosophy Essay

Living Organ Donation Inspired Explorations In Normative Ethics Philosophy Essay Ever since the first living adult organ transplantation in 1954, organ donation continues to advance as a form of medical intervention (Pence, 2007). With its ongoing popularity, living adult organ donation inspires a variety of debates in normative ethics circles. In this essay, I am taking the opportunity to advocate for Virtue Ethics as the most ethically defensible approach to living adult organ donation. Virtue Ethics, unlike Utilitarianism or Deontology, promote the highest degree of personal enlightenment and, as such, ensure the highest calibre of our moral choice through maximized consistency, personal accountability, and overall highest harmony of our actions as they relate to key players in living adult organ donation (donor, recipient, doctors and society). To complete my perspective, I will reclaim the widely-accepted drawback of Virtue Ethics regarding its lack of systemized action rules (i.e. codifiability) by proposing realistic societal long-term transformations, as governed by Virtue Ethics, which would make codifiability achievable. Living adult organ donation is an act of providing of a vital organ to an organ recipient by an organ donor for organ transplantation for the immediate purposes of either improving the quality of life of a recipient, the quality of life of both donor and recipient or saving recipients life (Pence, 2007). Living adult organ donation differs from cadaveric organ donation because the donor is alive, while in cadaveric organ donation the donor is brain-dead (Pence, 2007). According to the provincial organ donation agency, Trillium Gift of Life Network, there are 1487 people on waiting list for organ donation this year (Trillium Gift of Life Network, 2010). Organs that can be transplanted are liver, heart, kidney, lung, pancreas and small bowels (Trillium Gift of Life Network, 2010). The reality of the situation is that some of these people will not find a suitable donor and their health will deteriorate or they may die. In order to truly explore the ethical journey of organ donation, I will put myself in the shoes of a potential organ donor and take a walk in the halls of Deontology, Utilitarianism and Virtue Ethics schools. Why, when and to whom would I donate my organ so that my decision is morally right for me, for the recipient, for the doctors and for society? There is nobody that I know requiring an organ at this moment. Although I could enlist myself as a living organ donor and potentially save another human fellow, currently I choose not to. If my loved one or somebody I know and respect needed an organ right now, I would, however, donate it without hesitation. As I walk in an organ-donors shoes, I enter the Deontology school and I see a representative Deontological philosopher, Kant, sitting at his work desk, surrounded by piles and piles of paper. He greets me and at the same time approves of my present choice of not being enlisted in an organ donors list. According to Kant and Deontology theory, one should never treat oneself as an object or means only, but always as an end (Pence, 2007). He goes on to share his view that if we voluntarily choose to potentially endanger our bodies by taking out organs for organ donation purposes, we are not cultivating humanity in that case because to be human means protecting your bodys integrity (Pence, 2007). Kant considers my present choice of not being enlisted as an organ donor morally right because I am not physically harming myself for the benefit of another human being, i.e. I treat myself as an end, not as means. Deontologians believe that our decisions must come from a rational and autonomous perspective of a free will in order to be morally right (Pence, 2007). Furthermore, it is not rational to harm yourself and it is always wrong to potentially harm yourself for the benefit of another human being. The final view of wrongness of organ donation is universalizable for everyone and in every situation and it would be my duty to follow such set of rules (Pence, 1998). Thus, according to Kants rationale, it is always morally wrong to engage in organ donation. I disagree with Kant about what constitutes a free will and what is my moral duty. According to my upbringing, system of values and my life experiences, free will, for me, is not only consisting of a rational component, but also emotional component. If my brother needed an organ and I was a match, I would donate it. If I act according to Kant and not donate my organ to my loved one, my action would be morally wrong for me, the recipient, doctors and the society. Firstly, the motivation behind my organ donation is the unconditional love I feel for my brother. I consult the Virtue Ethics School and in their teachings I find that unconditional love is actually a trait in the character, and if made habitual, it would constitute a virtue because unconditional love promotes good actions (Pence, 2007). By giving my brother my organ, he would know even more about my unconditional love for him and we would both strengthen even further our individual emotional foundations. Second, my intellect is satisfied by my organ donation to my brother because I know that, if the operation goes well, his health will improve and I wouldnt suffer any major side-effects that require hospitalization. Because both my brother and I would be healthier and happier, I would not be anxious or depressed about his state. This wo uld mean that I would not be a burden to the healthcare system because I would have no need to see a psychiatrist or a psychologist, for I would be happy. As both my brother and I are healthy and happy, each of us could further contribute to society by being productively employed. Our positive attitude due to the happiness we feel could be positively reflected further in our other relationships, thus contributing to the overall harmonious developments stemming from an organ donation to a loved one. According to Virtue Ethicists, my action of organ donation would be morally right because I have displayed character virtues such as courage and sincerity of my motivation. Most importantly for Virtue Ethicists, my actions are in alignment with my system of values and my life experience, thus I have exercised my moral wisdom and reach a sought-after happiness state (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2003). I continue my exploration of normative ethics by entering the hallways of Utilitarianism school. According to Utilitarianism, the action is morally right if its consequences produce the greatest amount of goodness or the smallest amount of negative consequences (Pence, 2007). Goodness can be measured in various ways and, depending on the reference parameters, goodness can be measured in emotional, psychological, monetary or any other means as goodness. Utilitarianism school has two divisions rule utilitarianism and act utilitarianism (Pence, 2007). According to rule utilitarianism, what makes an act right is following general moral rules that produce the greatest good for the greatest number. On the other hand, act utilitarianism wishes to reserve the right to judge each unique case and then decide which action creates the greatest good. Although act utilitarianists agree that general rules commonly should be followed, they reserve the right to break them. Rules are broken if extrao rdinary circumstances arise, where a greater good for a greater number of people would be created by doing so (Pence, 2007). In my hypothetical case of donating an organ to my beloved brother, act utilitarianism would approve of such an action because it would benefit me, my brother, the healthcare and the society, as previously stated. But does general utilitarianism produce consistent moral actions that are in harmony with our personal value system, irrespective of external benefits to the society? To illustrate that utilitarianism does not encompass the entire spectrum of human decision-making requirements, consider the scenario where I have an opportunity to save three people by donating three of my organs (liver, kidney and a lung lobe), versus saving my brother by donating only one organ my heart. If I choose to donate to these three people, I would, numerically speaking, increase the overall good consequences in the world by allowing three people to live at the cost of my emotional turmoil on my death bed, following the surgery, for not saving my brother. More people would be happy than not, if we take into account that families of three recipients outnumber my family. But, in my opinion and in the opinion of Virtue Ethicists, this action would not be morally justified as I would have betrayed my emotional v irtues framework when I decided not to save my brother. When deciding whether the action is morally right, Virtue Ethics do not hide under a cloak of incomplete moral rules, such as Deontological evasion of an emotional component during such an act. By calling upon the complete enlightenment of ones character (i.e. virtues) and in combination with moral wisdom attained through life and its conditions, Virtue Ethics holds every individual accountable for his/her actions (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2003). When people are held personally responsible for their actions as they relate to their character, they truly have an opportunity to grow as a human being and reach the ultimate potential for happiness and thus, perform the most morally righteous action on any particular topic. The followers of the Virtue Ethics school embrace the intricacies of human experiences and aspire to understand a moral action within the cultural, emotional and intellectual conditions it has been performed in. While it can be a tedious and somewhat challenging to expect from every human to seek to act in accordance with Virtue Ethics, if exercised, it does ensure consistency of moral acts within a society which Utilitarianism and Deontology lack. Some argue that codifiability of Virtue Ethics is impossible to achieve, but I argue that it is possible. The societal transformation that would need to occur would require enormous good will from the majority of human population, mandatory excellence in parenting, and most importantly, ones utmost commitment to achieving happiness as defined by Virtue Ethics. Both Utilitarianism and Deontology schools offer noble, but incomplete foundations for evaluating whether adult organ donation is a morally right act. While each theory protects the principles of either ratio or overall goodness, neither of them account for the myriad of emotional and empirical factors that are present in our decision-making, whether we like it or not. Virtue Ethics seeks to understand moral actions in a true rainbow of colors that they arise from, which is why it is the only normative ethical theory that is realistic enough to salute our human complexity.

Teamwork Analysis Essay -- Team Building Papers

Teamwork Analysis Abstract The purpose of this assignment is for each learning team to apply what team members are learning about successful teams to an in-depth analysis of itself. As teams go through development stages, the members learn how people feel about themselves and what the content of the task that is to be accomplished, based on each stage that is achieved. Describe the process your team has used to form, storm, norm, and perform. At this point, where do you believe your team is in the team formation process? Team A was initially formed by our professor, and everyone had their anxieties and questions about the other members. After the team was formed, a Team Charter was developed to gather information about everyone on one document, so we would all know each others strengths, weaknesses, and contact information. We realized that our team was a diverse team, with members scattered in several different time zones, including Africa. We had an initial conference call to check the temperature of everyone, but not everyone could participate in the call. Once everyone agreed to the team charter, it was suggested that each person on the team be a leader for a week, leaving the last week without an actual leader. The plan was to let the last week have everyone work together without a leader, but to draw virtual straws to decide who would post that week’s team assignment. The team members were listed in alphabetical order, which is the same order each person was assigned a week. Team A was successful at reaching the next stage of development, which is storming. The team had some initial problems durin... ... Caouette, M.J. & O’Connor, B.N. (1998). The impact of group support systems on corporate teams’ stages of development. Journal of Organizational Computing and Electronic Commerce, 8(1), 59-60. Chupp, M. (2002). Reaching for Higher Ground in Conflict Resolution. International Journal of Conflict Management. 13(2). Retrieved February 11, 2005, from EBSCOhost database. Horton, T. R. (1992). Delegation and team building: No solo acts please. Management Review, 81 (9), 58. Mckenna, P.J., Meister, D.H. (2002). Playing by the rules. Industrial Management. 44 (5), 8-14. Retrieved February 14, 2005, from EBSCOhost database. McShane, S.L. & VonGlinow, M.A. (2004). Foundation of team dynamics. Organizational Behavior, second edition (pp 238-240). Â ©The McGraw-Hill Companies.

Introduction for OJT Essay

1. To pursue venerable career in a professional organization enable achieving company’s objectives of development, customer pleasure and service. 2. Together with assets for instance sincerity, truthfulness and struggle for excellence, add value and strength to the company, to empower the student or the team where he is a fraction of. 3. In quest of a position in a top business where the OJT is able to transmit the knowledge gained through bachelor’s degree. Determinedly deem in the principle of implementing duties with loyalty and courage. 4. To grow capably by giving skills to the association and vice versa. 5. To work in a demanding environment where skills and efforts is explored and familiarized the varied OJT fields, and understand potentials and add to the growth of the organization with inspiring performance. 6. To utilize knowledge and skills for the implementation of organizational goals. PHILOSOPHY â€Å"It is the policy of the State to establish, develop, promote and perfect a sound and viable tax-exempt social security system suitable to the needs of the people throughout the Philippines which shall promote social justice and provide meaningful protection to members and their families against the hazards of disability, sickness, maternity, old age, death and other contingencies resulting in loss of income or financial burden. Toward this end, the State shall endeavor to extend social security protection to workers and their beneficiaries.† (Section 2, RA 8282) VISSION â€Å"The SSS aims to develop and promote a viable, universal and equitable social security protection scheme through world-class service.† Viable. Social security protection shall be provided through generations. Universal. Social security protection shall be provided to all residents of the Philippines, citizens and non-citizens alike, regardless of creed, gender, age, geographic location and economic status, especially the disadvantaged, so that no one will become a burden to society. Equitable. Fair and uniform coverage shall be made available to all. Benefits shall be meaningful and able to sustain a decent standard of living. World-class service. Social security service that is prompt, accurate and courteous shall be provided to ensure total member satisfaction. MISSION To provide meaningful protection to the members and their families against contingencies resulting in the loss of income and financial burden and to contribute to the socio-economic development of the country through a viable social insurance program. VALUES â€Å"The SSS aims to institutionalize a corporate culture that instills the core values of Trust, Empowerment and Teamwork.† On January 26, 1948, Pres. Manuel A. Roxas proposed a bill seeking to establish a social security system for wage earners and low-salaried employees. This was recommended to Congress in his State of the Nation Address. After the death of President Roxas, Pres. Elpidio Quirino created the Social Security Study Commission on July 7, 1948. The creation of the Commission was his first official act upon his assumption to office. Based on the report of the Study Commission, a draft of the Social Security Act was submitted to Congress. In 1954, Rep. Floro Crisologo, Senators Cipriano Primicias and Manuel Briones introduced bills based on the report of the Social Security Study Commission in the House of Representatives and in the Senate. These bills were consolidated and enacted into Republic Act (RA) 1161, better known as the Social Security Act of 1954. However, business and labor groups objected to the Social Security Act resulting in a deferment of its implementation. In 1957, amendatory bills were presented in Congress. These bills were the bases of RA 1792, which amended the original Social Security Act. On September 1, 1957, the Social Security Act of 1954 or the Social Security Law (SS Law) was finally implemented, marking a significant milestone in the social security program. Thus, with the implementation of the SS law, the government also adopted the social insurance approach to social security, covering the employed segment of the labor force in the private sector. In 1993, household helpers earning at least P1,000 were included in the compulsory coverage of employees. In 1980, some groups of self-employed persons were also required to contribute to the social security fund from which benefits are paid upon the occurrence of a contingency provided by law. Self-employed farmers and fisher folks were included in the program in 1992, while workers in the informal sector earning at least P 1,000 a month such as ambulant vendors and watch-your-car boys, were covered in 1995. The Social Security System (SSS) administers social security protection to workers in the private sector. On the other hand, the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) takes care of workers in the public sector. The SSS administers two programs namely: 1. The Social Security Program; and 2. The Employees’ Compensation Program (EC) Social Security provides replacement income for workers in times of death, disability, sickness, maternity and old age. On May 1, 1997, Pres. Fidel V. Ramos signed RA 8282, further strengthening the SSS. Also known as the Social Security Act of 1997, it amended RA 1161, providing for better benefit packages, expansion of coverage, flexibility of investments, stiffer penalties for violators of the law, condonation of penalties of delinquent employers and the establishment of a voluntary provident fund for members. The EC program, started in 1975, provides double compensation effective June 1984 to the worker when the illness, death, or accident occurs during work-related activities. EC benefits are granted only to members with employers. SSS used to administer the Medicare program for hospitalization and other medical needs of the private sector workers; and the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), for the public sector workers. However, with the passage of Republic Act 7875 or the National Health Insurance Act of 1995, the SSS and GSIS transferred the administration of the Medicare program to the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) for an integrated and comprehensive approach to health development effective July 1999. SSS retirement, death, and total disability pensioners prior to the effectivity of RA 7875 on March 4, 1995 are entitled to hospitalization benefits under Phil-Health. Pensioners upon the effectivity of RA 7875 on March 4, 1995 and thereafter are no longer covered except when they meet the qualification requirements set by PhilHealth.

Implementing the Duty of Care in Health and Social Care Essay

Act within own competence and not take on anything not believe we can safely do As a care worker, we owe a duty of care to the people we support, colleagues, employer and ourselves and the public interest. Every one have a duty of care that we cannot opt out of. Peoples we care support should be treated with respect, involved in decision making about their care and treatment and able influence how the service is run. People should receive safe and appropriate care that meets their needs and support their rights. A negligent act could be unintentional but careless or intentional that results in abuse or injury. A negligent act is breaching the duty of care. Explain how duty of care contributes to the safeguarding or protection of individuals Our duty of care means that we must aim to provide high quality care to the best of our ability and express if there are any reasons may be unable to do so. Professionals act within duty of care must do what a reasonable person, with their trainin g and background, can be expected to do so. It also connected with the areas of carrying and reviewing of risk assessments, which ensuring elimination of hazards, use of equipments and all health and safety guidelines. Policies and procedures sets clear boundaries in safe guarding in social care setting. The concept of safeguarding, whether it is children or vulnerable adults, is broader than protection. Safeguarding is also about keeping children or vulnerable adults safe from any sort of harm, such as illness, abuse or injury. This means all agencies and families working together and taking responsibility for the safety of children and vulnerable adults, whether it is by promoting health, preventing accidents or protecting children or vulnerable adults who have been abused. It is the staff responsibility in duty of care to safeguard individuals from harm. All employees should report any concerns of abuse they have. These might include evidence or suspicions of bad practice by  colleagues and managers, or abuse by another individual, another worker or an individual’s family or friends. Local authorities have Safeguarding policies and procedures that will be published on their websites or available from their Safeguarding team. Know how to respond to complaints Describe how to respond to complaints Complaint means â€Å"an expression of dissatisfaction that requires a response†. The procedure provides the opportunity to put things right for service users as well as improving services. Dealing with those who have made complaints provides an opportunity to re-establish a positive relationship with the complainant and to develop an understanding of their concerns and needs. Effective complaints handling is an important aspect of clinical and social care governance arrangements and, as such, will help organisations to continue to improve the quality of their services and safeguard high standards of care and treatment. Increased efforts should be made to promote a more positive culture of complaints handling by highlighting the added value of complaints within health and social care and making the process more acceptable/amenable to all. All complaints received should be treated with equal importance regardless of how they are submitted. Complainants should be encouraged to speak openly and freely about their concerns and should be reassured that whatever they may say will be treated with appropriate confidence and sensitivity. Complainants should be treated courteously and sympathetically and where possible involved in decisions about how their complaint is handled and considered. However received, the first responsibility of staff is to ensure that the service user’s immediate care needs are being met. This may require urgent action before any matters relating to the complaint are addressed. Where possible, all complaints should be recorded and discussed with the Complaints Manager in order to identify those that can be resolved immediately, those that will require a formal investigation or those that should be referred outside the HSC Complaints Procedure. Front-line staff will often find the information they gain from complaints useful in improving service quality. This is particularly so for complaints th at have been resolved â€Å"on the spot† and have not progressed through the formal complaints process. Mechanisms for achieving this are best agreed at organisational level. Explain the main  points of agreed procedures for handling complaints The Health and Social Care services recognises that most of our work is involved with supporting people to overcome and manage difficulties or situations in their lives. The aim is to consider all complaints as close to the point of contact as possible, and in many cases staff will be able to respond and resolve these at the time and place that the complaint is made. The Regulations on complaints identify ‘if a complaint is made orally and resolution can be agreed with the client by the end of the next working day’ it does not fall within the regulations and therefore it can be viewed as day-to-day business. Details of such representations managed within service areas should be forwarded to the Complaints Team, this information will assist in the overall departmental learning from complaints. The details of the complaint will also require to be screened to look at the significance of the complaint for the complainant and for the management and to indicate the manner in which it should be dealt with. Factors to be taken into account when screening are: The likelihood of re-occurrence. †° The degree of risk for the individual. The degree of risk for the Department. The views of the complainant. Know how to address conflicts or dilemmas that may arise between an individual’s rights and the duty of care Describe potential conflicts or dilemmas that may arise between the duty of care and an individual’s rights The main area of conflicts or dilemma arises is related to the decision making associated to the choices by services to take risks. Some times individuals may want to do something which could be a risk to their health and safety. As a social care worker we have the duty of care to that person and we ensure to do all that we can to keep them safe. The conflict arises when we uplift the idea to respect the individuals rights and choices and promoting independence. In this scenario, we need to carry out a thorough risk assessment to ensure this particular activity is managed in a safest way. In order to minimise risks and promote welfare of the children and young people under care, it is important to report the areas of conflict to  the management, social se rvices and professional involved in an individuals care. Describe how to manage risks associated with conflicts or dilemmas between an individual’s rights and the duty of care In situations where there is a conflict of interest or a dilemma between an individual’s rights and duty of care, it is best practice to make sure the individual is aware of the consequences of their choice and that they have the mental capacity to understand the risks involved in their choice. It is their right as an individual to be able to make informed choices about their own lives even if we disagree with their choice. It is the right of every individual to make choices and take risks. It is the social care worker’s role to assist them in making those choices and reducing the risks without compromising their rights. An individual may be restricted if his or her behaviour presents a serious risk of harm to his or herself or to other people. People who receive care and support are considered to be at risk, and as such the law requires that an assessment be carried out to look at any possible risks there might be to the individual or to others. The aim of this assessment is not to remove the individual’s right to take risks, but to recognise and reduce them where possible to an acceptable and manageable level. Explain where to get additional support and advice about conflicts and dilemmas The first port of call if a social care worker is unsure about what to do and if they are exercising the duty of care is to their manager. They should be able to advise you about the best approaches to take. Also we can contact Regulator for advice about how to implement the Code of Practice. All of the Regulators produce guidance about how to implement the Code of Practice. These guidance documents can be very helpful in looking at the implications for day-to-day work. Members of a professional association or a trade union can co ntact them and they will also be able to offer advice about any uncertainties you have about whether you are exercising a duty of care towards the people you support effectively.

Environmental Factors Essays

Environmental Factors Essays Environmental Factors Essay Environmental Factors Essay Environmental Factors Heidi Wallen HSM/220 March 21, 2013 Environmental Factors The four external environmental factors are: economic factors, sociological factors, technological factors, and political and professional factors. The six internal factors are: organizational purpose, mission, and philosophy, Organizational planning, Organizational operations, Human resources, Technological resources, financial resources. Economic factors including knowing what financial resources the company has and where funding is coming from weather it is government funds, donated funds, fees for service, or other agency income. Sociological factors include understanding community demographic both in terms of client and community. Understand the makeup in terms of income, education, gender, age, and other demographic factors. Technological factors for human service agencies can understand how to use the equipment such as computer hardware and software as well as new treatment approaches. Political/professional factors include knowing laws and regulations from federal, state and local levels as well as a political climate, or the attitudes of community and local leaders and the general public towards the services provided. Professional factors in human services include being aware of licensing and certification standards; and staying in good working relations with these agencies. When looking at all four of the factors it is heard to say what would be the most important. They all have good value, but if I had to I would say that Sociological factors seem to be very important. One needs to know the people that you are going to help each and every day. To make sure that you are able to give them the help that they may need. Organizational Purpose is to have the understanding of a mission statement and a vision that is intended to provide the logic and the organizing theme . human service agency believes in what it hopes to achieve and what services they will provide to achieve its mission and the vision, goals that were set. Organizational planning is having a strategy and plan to identify were the organization ideally would like to be in a time frame such as five or more years. This takes some brainstorming and looking at available data so they are able to project future needs. Organizational Operations requires regular review and examination of the programs and services offered to make sure that performance is measuring up to expectations. Human Resources refer to the many functions that are involved in the supervision and management of the organization’s employees and volunteers. Staff requires a working knowledge of human resources law. Technological Resources can include support and consulting services, computer resources, financial management expertise, marketing and public relations expertise, and other technologies that may be used to support the work of the organization. Financial Resources requires a careful examination of budget documents to determine where the funding is coming from and what obligations the agency assumes in accepting funding from each of the various sources.

Business Strategy Coursework Assignment 2006 Essays

Business Strategy Coursework Assignment 2006 Essays Business Strategy Coursework Assignment 2006 Essay Business Strategy Coursework Assignment 2006 Essay Business Strategy Coursework Assignment 2006 / 2007 Analyse the schemes used by Lush UK to construct and prolong competitory advantage. What are the strategic issues and options confronting the administration in November 2006? The first strategic issue would be to increase the board members so that the board is independent, with a Non-executive Chairman and four Non-executive Directors. Recruit or promote or train and advance one or two proficient specializers, from within the administration, with one to be the future CEO and the other to run R A ; D. Besides appoint Marketing and Finance Directors. The Executive Directors being the CEO, FD and Marketing Director should be responsible for looking after the operations: Chief Executive Officer – UK Operations Finance Director – Finance and Canadian and Italian Operationss Marketing Director – Marketing and Australian and Nipponese Operationss The 2nd strategic issue will be to pull up a household tree of the administration to demo who runs each store and each operation. That’s the Board and the Management squad with Team Leaders and Team members. Note: TBA = To Be Advised and Shops need to be defined by Regional Manager and Country. The 3rd strategic issue, since the company exports to 29 states do they hold web sites, packaging and cusps that cover the linguistic communications of all these states. The 4th strategic issue would be for the Board to so carry on a reappraisal and study all the employees and clients for their positions on how things could be improved. The last five old ages of their rivals Annual Reports should be included in this reappraisal and all thoughts and new merchandises listed and scored as a possible merchandise or thought to better a merchandise scope, packing or selling. This will ensue in the route map for the future way of the administration.

Air travel

Aircraft Utilization: The most basic metric for an airline is aircraft utilization. This is a measure of the average number of hours that each aircraft is flying in each 24 hour period. Planes that are flying are probably making money. Planes that are sitting on the ramp, whether undergoing maintenance, suffering delays due to weather or waiting for crews to fly them are not making money. Utilization is a statistic that varies from carrier to carrier and is normally considered a closely guarded corporate trade secret and is not tracked by government. Part of the art in running an airline is keeping utilization high. Load Factor: The next most important metric for an airline is the Load Factor, which measures the percentage of available seats that are filled during a specific period. In 2007 load factors for major airlines ranged from 72-84%[citation needed]. In 2008 U. S. airlines averaged a Load Factor of 79. 74% on domestic flights and 78. 74% on International flights [1] Available Seat-Miles (ASM): The ASM metric is used to track seat supply among airlines. ASM is equal to the number of available seats times the number of miles flown. Revenue Passenger-Miles (RPM): RPM measures the number of seat miles flown for which the company earned revenues. That is, RPM equals the number of filled seats times the number of miles flown. Yield: The amount of revenue earned per RPM is known as the airlines yield. This metric is generally expressed in cents and ranged from 9. 8-13. 1 cents for the major airlines in the first half of 2007[citation needed]. Fuel Costs: Most factors that affect the profitability of airlines are fairly stable, except for fuel costs. Fuel costs are facing extreme risk from the threat of Peak Oil. During January 2009, airline fuel costs averaged $1.76 USD per gallon[2]. Trends and Forces Joseph Weisenthal said in a recent post Airline-In-A-Box: Few businesses have as many variables and challenges as airlines. They are capital-intensive. Competition is fierce. Airlines are fossil fuel dependent and often at the mercy of fuel price volatility. Operations are labor intensive and subject to government con trol and political influence. And a lot depends on the weather. The Dual Mandate Problem The general public, including most investors, is not aware that congress long ago created what is referred to as a dual mandate for regulation of the airline industry. This means that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which is a sub-agency under the U. S. Department of Transportation (U. S. DOT), is charged with both the promotion of the airlines and the safety regulation of the airlines. This creates an obvious conflict of interest and the dual mandate has been questioned and criticized for decades. The question has been asked if the FAA should be divided into two separate divisions, one that would function as a Department of Airline Promotion and another that would function as a Department of Safety. Another proposed solution is to shift the sky police functions involving safety to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Although the NTSB seems like it might be a good solution to police safety, the political realities of the U. S. Congress, the FAA hierarchy and the extreme size and funding imbalance between the two agencies make it impractical and unlikely that any shift would be feasible. The FAA generally maintains that they do not directly promote the airlines, which is true in the sense that the public doesnt see billboards and television commercials and email campaigns from the FAA promoting airlines. However, the FAA indirectly promotes the airlines in a huge way on a daily basis by imposing generally lax standards and enforcement. In fact, it is a well known historical fact that the FAA is so bad at safety enforcement that there exists what is called in the airline industry the Tombstone Imperative which refers to the fact that over and over again the FAA has known about serious safety issues and refused to correct them and the result was dead people. PGSanalyst 21:11, March 14, 2009 (PDT) The Railway Labor Act Problem The general public, including most investors, is also not aware that labor in the airline industry is regulated by the Railway Labor Act. This is arguably amazingly strange and curious that one of the major modern industries, developed in the early 20th century, and now providing part of the industrial backbone for commerce and industry in the 21st century, is regulated by a body of law that was originally passed to protect wealthy railroad investors from railroad strikes in 1877. As a general rule, airline labor is not allowed to strike, similar to the prohibition on strike actions for Federal Employees and employees of some states. For example, the Airline Pilots Association (ALPA) functions as the collective bargaining agent for most, but not all, of the airlines in the U. S. and most ALPA collective bargaining contract terms provide very, very limited circumstances under which a strike is legally authorized. Another example of the difficulty of labor expressing its grievances by means of a strike is the 1981 Professional Air Traffic Controllers (PATCO) strike that ended with President Ronald Reagan firing the controllers by using the authority of the Taft-Hartley Act that was passed in 1947 to greatly reduce the power and influence of unions in the U.S. The basic thing for a wise investor to understand about labor issues is that happy people are generally more productive than unhappy people and limiting by means of regulations peoples right to express their grievances may not promote happiness of the labor pool and thus adds risk to investments in those businesses in industries affected by labor relations ris ks. PGSanalyst 21:11, March 14, 2009 (PDT) Consolidation After the events of 9/11, the domestic commercial airline industry went into a precipitous freefall, prompting consolidation of several airlines and bankruptcies of others. Elimination of airlines, through consolidation or bankruptcy, benefit both revenuesthrough higher faresand costs by eliminating redundant expenses and routes. Additional terrorist attacks or declines in the overall domestic economy could accelerate consolidation as weaker airlines get acquired by financially stronger ones or become insolvent. Airlines worldwide have also sought to share costs by creating partnerships or alliances. Through these agreements, airlines can share facilities and operational costs (e. g. , maintenance facilities, sales offices) and negotiate volume discounts on large purchases. Passengers benefit from lower prices (due to lower expenses) as well as optimized routes and pooled loyalty rewards, especially in regards to international travel. Since the deregulation of the airline industry begain, airline ownership has been limited to companies and individuals of the operating country. THis has prevented major international mergers and acquisitions from occuring. Recently, the US government has announced its intentions to relax these regulations and clear the way for international ma deals in the airline industry. This could create significant cost-saving and synergy in the rapidly deteriorating industry. The three major global alliances are: Spotlight on Oil Prices Oil Prices are a key factor for airline operations because Jet Fuel costs are directly linked to the cost of the oil that must be refined to produce Jet Fuel. In 2008 fuel is constituting about 34% of an airlines costs, as opposed to about 13% in 2002. [4] For the budget airlines such as Jet Blue and AirTran, this share rises to nearly 50%. The rise has been very drastic just in the first six months of 2008. At the start of the year, jet fuel cost $850 a metric ton. As of June, the cost is now approximately $1300 a ton. [6] Jet fuel is extremely correlated with spot petroleum prices, which have risen significantly over the past several years. On the flip side, the stock prices of domestic airlines tends to be highly negatively correlated to jet fuel prices, indicating the sensitivity of this historically low-margin business to fuel expenses. In an exogenous event for the fuel procurement of airlines, oil companies are increasingly making airlines pay up front for fuel. In the past, the airlines were allowed to use fuel on credit and pay up to weeks later. Now, the oil refiners are eliminating this free credit line and making the carriers prepay. This will cause a negative shift in the short term cash situation for the airlines as they can no longer keep cash from revenues on the books for this credit line period. On June 4, the International Air Transport Association drastically lowered their profit forecasts for the industry. The group now projects that global airlines will collectively lose $2. 3 billion if oil averages $107 for 2008. If the price averages $135 for the last six months of the year, airlines will lose $6. 1 billion. [8] However, on 1 October 2008 Northwest Airlines (NWA) CEO Doug Steenland claimed that his company can maintain profitability even if oil stays at $100 a barrel. [9] Some airlines have utilized hedges to lock in the price of fuel and hence insulate themselves from oil price volatility. Southwest was perhaps the most forward-looking of airlines, and has hedged significant portions of its fuel expenses through 2010 at various prices per barrel below the current market rate. The company will reap benefits compared to other airlines if oil prices continue to rise or remain at current levels. On the other hand, if prices fall below Southwests hedging levels, they will be at a disadvantage to other airlines. American Airlines and United Airlines, on the other hand, have no remaining fuel hedges in the foreseeable future as of 2008. Other airlines have limited remaining hedges. Peak Oil Peak Oil experts from the oil industry are already warning of impending catastrophic drops in oil production that will severely limit the future growth of the airline industry and cause extreme increases in Jet Fuel costs and other oil related costs including fuel for airline support infrastructure such as maintenance vehicles, External Ground Power Units (GPUs), crew transportation vans, airline food costs, etc. , etc.. Some scientists and industry experts are seriously discussing the viability of the entire global airline industry and asking the question of whether their grandchildren will ever even fly on a commercial aircraft? The mere fact that these questions are being asked and remain unresolved should cause a wise investor to carefully consider the long and short term impacts of Peak Oil on the airline industry as a whole. PGSanalyst 21:23, March 14, 2009 Business vs. Leisure Travel Business travel is important to the commercial airline industry for two major reasons. First, it commands a much higher average ticket cost, approximately 5 times higher than the average leisure fare. Second, business travel is less elastic changes in macro-economic trends than leisure travel, which may be considered a form of luxury. In the past 24 months, leisure fares have dropped slightly, ranging from $110 to $100 In the same time frame, business fares have increased significantly, from around $350 to $500 Domestic vs. International Travel International travel accounts for about one-third of all traffic and capacity for the major carriers. Comparing 2007 year to date to the same time period in 2006, these major carriers saw international travel increase by about 5% , which is faster than domestic travel, which was relatively flat. Growth in domestic travel has been soaked up in large part by the regional discount carriers such as Southwest and AirTran. History of Airline Bankruptcies Raises Risk Concerns For Investors Over the period from 1990 through 2006 the Air Transportation Association of America reports that domestic airlines posted a cumulative loss of $22 billion on cumulative revenues $1,866 billion. Since 1978, when commercial aviation was deregulated, no fewer than 137 carriers have filed for bankruptcy protection. And from the end of World War II, when aviation started to become big business, through 1994, the sum of the industrys profits and losses was less than zero. Warren E. Buffett once remarked that it would have been a blessing for shareholders if someone had thought to shoot down Orville Wright at Kitty Hawk. [11] One reason the major airlines are at higher risk for bankruptcy is that they use huge amounts of fixed capital wide-body jets go for $100 million each and cant be readily liquidated which explains why many airlines do not own their aircraft but lease them instead. Airlines also depend on a highly skilled labor force that requires large cash flow into training, benefits and pensions. Consider some other businesses for a moment: Microsoft has highly skilled programmers but little invested capital. Merrill Lynch has both, but its assets stocks and bonds mostly could be liquidated overnight. Steel has high fixed capital, but it can replace its workers more easily. Unbundling of costs usually bundled in ticket prices Business practices for much of the history of the airlines included bundling all costs of travel into a single ticket price. Although some unbundling of the costs in tickets has occurred to various degrees at some airlines in different parts of the world, since the summer 2008 spike in fuel costs many airlines have chosen to broaden the practice, for example, charging the passenger for each piece of checked baggage b) Forces in the macro environment In terms of the case, it suggests that the environment of airline companies is not very stable, especially the increasing price of fuel which is the key driver of change. From Ryanair profit statement (Exhibit 1a) it shows the fuel and oil cost has increased by â‚ ¬200 million from 2005 to 2006. The increase in fuel costs is 74 percent. The impact to the airlines companies is obvious and the budget airlines may face the trouble more so than normal airlines. Moreover, airline companies also have to concentrate on some other issues. For example, according to the case, they are facing the risks from terrorist attacks which are difficult to predict. It is not difficult to find the changeability, however it is complex to the airline environment. Some factors, such as legal action and customer demand, also have influence on them. Some of these such as the price of fuel and oil can be predicted, while some of them cannot. Audit environmental influences The Pestel Analysis is employed to identify macro-environment influences of the airline industry. Political: Government wants to strengthen the economy and, consequently, will support local airlines by setting rules, such as preferential rights. Every government however, will probably do so. Therefore there’s no obvious advantage between competitions. The political issues have a wide range of effect, so they are not the key points that budget airlines are facing. Economic: This is identified as the most crucial factor to airline companies, especially to budget airlines. The influences refer to the macro-economic factors such as the national growth rates and the exchange rates. As budget airlines, they will pay more attention to the operation costs such as fuel cost. It became a big issue for budget airlines because of the increasing cost of fuel. That may reduce the advantages and the companies will be less competitive than before. On the other hand, the recession will lead more people to choose budget airlines. Social: With the development of Asian countries in particular China, there are more and more people deciding to study or travel in Europe. In recent years, the lifestyle of local people has also changed. They tend to travel abroad to enjoy their lives. Most of these people are not wealthy such as student. The budget airlines therefore, will be their best choice to reduce the travel costs. Technological: The innovation of technology helps the airline companies reduce costs and carry out tasks more effectively. The new type of aircraft can help to reduce the burning of fuel; and new technology can also make the security check more efficient and accurate. Environmental: European countries pay more attention on environmental issues, especially greenhouse gases from carbon emissions. Moreover in terms of the case, airline companies have to pay the environmental taxes for the contributions they make to global warming. In particular, it is bad news for budget airlines. Costs will increase and the companies want to maintain good brand image in the consumer’s perception. Furthermore, noise pollution and energy consumption cannot be ignored under such conditions. Legal: Some legal actions such as preferential airport rights are directed against the specific airlines. As budget airlines, which have higher competitive power, they should pay more attention to the legal forces to prevent loss. On the contrary, they can also take the initiative over illegal aid to rivals. Stage 3 – Determine industry specific factors (this stage will be analysed in Question 2) Stage 4 – Identify competitive position (this stage will be analysed in Question 3) Stage 5 – Identify key opportunities and threats There are many potential opportunities for the airline companies. For instance, the recession may lead to more people choosing the budget airline rather than the expensive ones; new technology which helps to reduce the usage of fuel; government set the tax at a lower percentage. On the other hand, the increasing cost of fuel may be the most significant issue most budget airlines face. What’s more, the compensation to passengers, terrorism and security, and customers’ satisfactions will all have potential negative impacts on the airline. In order to achieve lower costs, budget airlines will have to reduce costs from many departments and operations. That’s why lots of customers are not satisfied with the budget airlines except for the price. Question 2 Prepare a Porter Five Forces analysis of the budget airline industry. Express Ryanair’s perspective of these forces. The threat of entry There are high barriers to enter the budget airline industry. i) High investment requirements. Economies of scale are important in the airline industry. It is difficult for new entrants to match others existing competitors. In addition to this, the operational experiences cannot be acquired in such short space of time. ii) Expected retaliation. Retaliation will take place when new entrants appear for budget airlines, it will probably be in the form of a price war due to costs of entry being very high for them. iii) Legislation or Government action. Government won’t let new entrants enter the market if the industry is saturated. With regards to Ryanair in the budget airline industry, there will not be large impacts to existing budget airlines if new entrants appeared. Budget airlines always focus on the costs and price, so does Ryanair. According to the case, Ryanair was the first budget airline in Europe and now its ticket prices are much lower than the other rivals’. Therefore it will be impossible for new entrants to set a low price to win the market. The threat of substitutes Before discussing the threats, some comparative data is showed below. London Stansted Milan Going Out Regular Fare Adult 8. 99 GBP Tue, 2 Dec 08 Flight FR 4184 8:15 Depart 11:15 Arrive Coming Back Regular Fare Adult 12. 99 GBP Sun, 8 Dec 08 Flight FR 4185 6:45 Depart 7:50 Arrive (Source: Ryanair. com) One way by Rail Europe: London (ST Pancras) Milan Standard Class Adult 227 GBP Tue, 2 Dec 08 8:40 Depart 21:20 Arrive (Source: Raileurope. co. uk) Most of the travellers will prefer the short journey, in addition to the cheaper way to travel. From the tables it is obvious that taking a plane from Ryanair is much cheaper than taking the train in a similar situation. Although some airlines may be expensive, budget airlines such as Ryanair will usually be the best choice. The impact of substitutes, therefore, has less impact on the budget airlines. The power of buyers Buyers of airlines tickets can sometimes be the travel agency. In other cases, Ryanair caters to ultimate consumers. Majority of the buyers are not concentrated buyers and they come from all over the countries. Individuals can select the budget airlines according to their preference, because the switching costs are low and the differentiation of such service is weak. It is extremely expensive for people to own an aircraft. When there is a choice of budget airlines to use, with low prices. So there is a low buyer competition threat. Like Ryanair, with less concentrated buyers and buyers’ competition threat, the power of buyers is low. The power of suppliers The high power of suppliers may be one of the most significant threats among the budget airline industry. The increasing price of fuel, which leads to a high cost for airlines, is a basic issue they are facing. As we know, fuel industry is now concentrated in the hands of few producers. Therefore, in this situation it is difficult to cut the price for this essential material. In addition to this, it is useless to change fuel suppliers when the global price is growing. Moreover there are no practical substitutes. Ryanair is facing this problem with other budget airlines. Furthermore Ryanair sells all the ticket directly through the website. Thus there is no intermediary. Competitive rivalry Rivalry is influenced by these four competitive forces and each of them may have different levels of impact on the competitive rivalry. In this market, every airline provides the same services which are poorly differentiated. Low differentiation and switching costs in this industry, therefore, cause the price competition. Ryanair, which has the first mover advantages, still holds the dominant position. Although many of the competitors were losing money or even have been taken over, Ryanair remains steady in incremental growth. For industry growth rate, this industry is in the maturity situation of life cycle, which means the growth is low. Price war is therefore playing a crucial role throughout the competition. Question 3 Evaluate Ryanair’s particular strengths and weaknesses and explain, with reasons, what Ryanair must do to retain a sustainable competitive advantage. As the first-mover of budget airline industry, Ryanair still holds the dominant lowest-cost position. This is also the one of the strengths it has. What’s more, Ryanair was announced being the most profitable airline in the world according to the case. The revenue is still increasing, despite the price of fuel did not stop growing in recent years. The brand image of Ryanair is also one of its strengths. Customers are attracted by the lower price. Its traffic is the highest among the competitors (see Exhibit 2) and it is still increasing due to the enlargement of the company. On the other hand, there are still some weaknesses of this budget airline leader. In terms of the case, Ryanair win the market mostly depends on the costs. However, the costs of its major raw materials are increasing rapidly these years. This will be a serious issue. Further, minimize costs largely will cause the lack of service and training quality and so on. The Skytrax star rating (See Exhibit 2) indicates Ryanair is below the average level. Besides, competitors contribute big influence to Ryanair. For example, Easyjet which is a young upstart of the European budget airline industry grows quickly with a large number of market shares. It is obvious Ryanair makes success base on its price advantage, and how to sustain this advantage become very crucial issue in recent situation. Keep first mover advantages. Long history with experiences, well-known brand image and economy of scale, these are the unique resources of first mover advantages. It is difficult for competitors to get these resources at a similar level. Therefore, in order to prevent the competitors from copying the same strategy as cost reduction, Ryanair must make good use of these unique resources and try to dominate the market. Technology. Purchase and introduce the latest technological support. Although the fixed costs will be high, they can help the airline carry out tasks more efficiently and effectively such a new security check machine. Moreover it can also help to reduce the variable costs. For example, according to the case, new type aircraft produced 50 percent less emissions, 45 percent less fuel burn and 45 percent lower noise emissions per seat. They help Ryanair reduce the fuel cost with a lower pollution to environment. Unique cost structure. A cost structure which aims to minimize the costs must be set up. In particular to fuel cost, the fluctuations are subject to unpredictable and volatile world events according to the case. It is important for Ryanair hedge the risks before the price goes up suddenly. On the other hand, choosing the secondary and regional airport destinations is a good way of the structure. Moreover, the internet is used to reduce distribution costs. Service quality / Customers’ satisfaction. Customers will normally associate low price with low service benefits. Ryanair was voted the world’s least favourite airline due to its bad service such as unfriendly staff and poor legroom. However it still won a great number of customer base on the price. Thus if some competitors cut down the ticket price to a low level, Ryanair will get into a big trouble due to the similar prices but lower service quality. Therefore it must not only focus on the price but also the service. In order to gain competitive power, for example, brand loyalty can be one of the aspects. Government / legal actions. Ryanair should take care of the government and legal actions and moreover, can take the initiative over illegal aid to rivals. These may prevent the unnecessary loss. In summary, Ryanair, as the cost leader in budget airline industry should not only focus on the costs but also lots of other issues. Although it is developing rapidly and successfully, the future is unknown. The uncertain environment is changing all the time, thus Ryanair should always follow it and make the long-term plans in order to retain a sustainable competitive advantage. Grasp the opportunities, and it will has a bright future. c) Sources for collecting information Collecting your info: We may collect personal information that can identify you such as your name and e-mail address, as well as other information that does not identify you. When you provide personal information through the Site, the information may be sent to our servers located in the United States and other countries around the world. User Provided Information. We may collect and store any personal information that you enter into the Site or provide to us in some other manner. This includes identifying information (such as your name, address, e-mail address, and telephone number), and any other personal information you choose to provide while using the Site or the Services. Third Party List Information. We may also obtain both personal and non-personal information about you from third party data gathering sources. We may match this third-party collected information with the personally identifying information that you provide to us. When obtaining this information from third parties, we seek assurances from such third parties that they have the right to provide the information to us. Cookies, Web Beacons, and Other Information Collection Technology. We and our business partners, such as advertisers, may use various technologies to collect information from your computer and about your activities on the Site. For example, we and our business partners may collect and store non-personally identifying information through technologies such as cookies, log files, clear gifs (also known as web beacons), and other tracking pixels and third parties to help determine user viewing preferences for advertising and other purposes. We collect information at several stages during your interaction with . When you first enter our site, we note your IP address and time of your visit. As you browse the site, we record your zip code via a cookie so we can serve more location specific information on your next visit. We will not collect any personally identifiable information about you. Cookies do not recognize you as a person, just your computer. You are always free to decline our cookies if your browser permits although in that case you may not be able to use certain features on our site. This Privacy Policy is intended to cover collection of information on the Site from residents of the United States. The data protection and other laws of the United States and other countries might not be as comprehensive as those in your country. If you are visiting the Site from outside the United States, you acknowledge and agree that your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States where our servers are located and our central database is operated. By using our Services, you acknowledge and agree that your  information may be transferred to our facilities and those third parties with whom we share it as described in this privacy policy. Third Party Advertising: We work with third parties who use cookies to collect non-personally identifiable information when you visit our Web site and other sites. 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How we protect your information: The privacy and protection of your personal information is vitally important to us. Our Travel Portal does not make personal information available to any third parties without your permission. Any user statistics that we may provide to prospective advertisers or partners regarding your usage are provided in the aggregate only and do not include any personally identifiable information about any individual user. This Website Privacy Statement is effective as of the date listed below. Even if you read and/or agreed to a prior policy statement, you need to review this updated version. If we decide to change our privacy policy, we will post those changes to this privacy statement, the homepage, or other places we deem appropriate so our users are always aware of what information we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances, if any, we disclose it. We will use information in accordance with the privacy policy under which the information was collected. If, however, we are going to use users personally identifiable information in a manner different from that stated at the time of collection we will notify users by posting a notice on our Web site for 30 days. d) Collection tools and methods Prior to 1992, the length of time that aircraft deicing fluids (ADF) provided protection was overestimated by most commercial airlines. This was realized after the crash of U. S. Air Flight 405 at LaGuardia Airport, in which a long queue caused ice to re-accumulate on the planes wings and airframe after ADF had been applied. Bryan Wagoner, the Environmental Programs Administrator at Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW), says this incident spurred a nationwide focus on deicing practices. The FAA mandated that every plane must be absolutely free of snow at the end of the runway prior to take-off, he explains. This resulted in a significant increase in the quantity of ADF used nationwide. Midwestern winters, however, can be unpredictable. Months can go by with little to no precipitation, and then a snowstorm worthy of national news can hit with a fury. W

Trade unions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Trade unions - Essay Example European trade union leaders, along with their 'London Declaration', studied the financial crisis and appeal for fair dealing and rigorous action. Practical suggestions were as well made to prevent this situation from happening again: successful measures should be taken to guarantee that the economy carries on enjoying capital investments, also to put a stop to disgraceful financial forecast. The addition of public funds into the economy should correspond to public regulation, whereas the control of financial markets at global and European levels should be enhanced (Satre 2005, 804). This paper's objective is merely a wake up call. While trade unions determinedly expand their organizing attempts and ideas, there remains a noticeable need for constant research on effective strategies and techniques. It is essential to acknowledge nowadays that organizing has turned out to be increasingly complex. Under the pressing burden of feeble and incompetently enforced labour laws, aggressive employers harbouring antiunion sentiments, and a progressively intimidating political and economic atmosphere, it is not fascinating that hardly any workers surmount the threats, anxieties and hindrances and continue to in fact organize a union and negotiate an initial agreement. Problems are only worsened when labor leaders are informed repeatedly by their believed allies in government and the academe that workers are not interested anymore in unions but perceive a more workable and less intimidating option in management-offered participation activities. Confronted with an increasingly unfriendly climate, the labour movement has started to concentrate its energy on the single component of the organizing mechanism that it has power over, union strategies and techniques. This part focuses on the means by which workers, whether unionized or non-unionized, are adequately represented at work, and by which they gain differing extents of voice in the decision making of the top management or employers. Apart from collective bargaining exercised by trade unions, it emphasizes the means of information dissemination and collaborative consultation contained within an employment relationship. One premise is that an interpretation of the interaction of these systems of representation is fundamental for a positive reception of the current and potentially future trends of worker representation in the United Kingdom. In particular, it proposes that types of representation aside from collective bargaining may prospectively establish more mainstream voice systems, with employers and employees alike, than what they actually have previously (Wigley 2002). In the past, employers single-handedly made majority of decisions on issue regarding work. In a number of circumstances, typically job-related matters, expert or strategically positioned employees could single-handedly control particular features of their working lifestyles. From the latter part of the nineteenth century up until the present, collective bargaining steadily developed. In a number of incidences, to defend

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2-way mixed ANOVA Schizotypy practical report protocol - Essay Example These findings were consistent with the theories put forth that a diagnosis of schizophrenia is made by a high score on deviating from normal emotional indications, as well as the theories that schizophrenics tend to have cognitive deficits with regards to context processing, and not as many cognitive deficits with regards to spatial processing. Schizophrenia is an illness that is characterized by a number of neurocognitive impairments, including impairments in attention, executive functioning, and verbal and non-verbal memory. (Gooding & Braun 261). Failure in logical reasoning is also a hallmark of schizophrenia (Tsanikos 1717), as is emotional disturbance (Yoon et al. 2008). Schizotypal personality disorder (SPD) is often associated with schizophrenia, and some theories state that schizophrenia and SPD share the same genetic liability, with environmental stressors being a leading cause of SPD turning into schizophrenia. (Olin et al. 93). Research has shown that schizophrenics tend to perform poorly on tasks that involve sustained attention. (Rawlings & Goldberg 2001) (Hoff & Kremen 2003). This would affect the participants, as the spatial reasoning portion of the study was timed, therefore it would be predicted that the higher on the schizotypal scale the participant is, the lower he or she would score on the spatial reasoning scale. Research has also established a positive correlation between schizophrenia and schizotypal personality disorder and emotional disturbance. (Yoon et al. 2008). Yoons study of participants who scored high on the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ) found a positive correlation for depression, anxiety and anger, and a negative correlation for mood clarity and mood repair. (Yoon et al. 2008). This is backed up by other research. For instance, Kohler (2003) has shown that schizophrenics have difficulty reading facial

Proposed amendment to county comprehensive plans Assignment

Proposed amendment to county comprehensive plans - Assignment Example (Puget Sound Regional Council, 2008, 59) The counties of both Pierce and Snohomish will have the opportunity to vote on the Vision 2040 document, and amongst its terms are the preceding. The following discussion paper will outline the policy and its various facets. It will also introduce some of the broadest national, indeed international, implications of the policy as well as the local issues of direct and immediate importance. This document will provide Pierce and Snohomish councilors with all the information necessary to make a considered and enlightened decision regarding Vision 2040, in the context of Multicounty Planning Policy DP-47. Vision 2040 and the Goals of Pierce and Snohomish Counties Vision 2040 is 'The Growth Management, Environmental, Economic, and Transportation Strategy for the Central Puget Sound Region' and was adopted by the PSRC General Assembly on April 24, 2008 and amended by the PSCR Executive Board on May 28, 2009. Consequently, it's jurisdiction covers Pie rce and Snohomish Counties. ... (Puget Sound Regional Council, 2008, v) As such in its general principles it corresponds precisely with the goals of the Pierce County Code Title 19A – Comprehensive Plan, 2010. This document commences with the identification of thirteen goals. One of these is (E.) 'Economic Development', and another is (J.) â€Å"Protect the environment and enhance the state's high quality of life, including air and water quality, and the availability of water.† A range of the other objectives relate to social goals and quality of life issues. Clearly, therefore, the Vision 2040 document is congruent with Pierce County's broadest policy thrusts. Such is also the case with Snohomish County. The future of Snohomish County is outlined in the Snohomish County Department of Planning and Development Services, General Policy Plan, 2011 identifies a series of themes and policy objectives that are also consonant with Vision 2040: Encouragement of development and/or redevelopment in urban areas with existing or planned public facilities and services. Reduction of urban sprawl. Adequate provision of efficient multi-modal transportation systems. Availability of affordable housing for citizens of all income levels. Promotion of economic opportunity. Respect for private property rights. Predictability and timeliness of permit review processes. Conservation of natural resources. Retention of open space and provision of recreational opportunities. Protection and enhancement of the environment. Citizen participation in the planning process. Adequate provision of necessary public facilities and services. Preservation of historic and archaeological resources. Utilization, protection, restoration and preservation of shorelines of statewide significance. (Snohomish

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Visual Analysis Assessment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

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Curriculum Development and Design Essay Example for Free

Curriculum Development and Design Essay These programs arose from the thinking of a group of pioneers who believed that the educational approach that had been developed by medical education innovators at McMaster University was also most relevant for the preparation of occupational therapists and physiotherapists. Consequently, a group of educators from both institutions, Mohawk College and McMaster University, combined their skills and created a vision that became the diploma programs in occupational therapy and physiotherapy. This approach was problem-based learning, and was used as the foundation for both programs from their inception to the present day, across three different iterations of curriculum. One of the key innovations to the way in which the college programs were taught was the combination of using faculty from both the university and college to teach all courses. In the 1980s, a degree completion program was launched that provided graduates of the diploma program a chance to upgrade their qualification to a bachelors degree from McMaster University. This was particularly important since the minimum credential for entry to practice had been raised to the baccalaureate level by the professional associations. In 1989, the program moved completely into the university setting and the graduates were granted a BHSc(PT) or BHSc(OT), a bachelor degree in health sciences. Ten years later, in 2000, candidates were admitted to the entrylevel masters programs in occupational therapy and physiotherapy. The Pedagogical Framework: Problem-based Learning As briefly referred to above, the occupational therapy and physiotherapy programs at McMaster University have a strong history with and legacy of problem-based learning. While the initial curriculum models were strongly influenced by the inaugural undergraduate medical curriculum, time and confidence presented opportunities to create our own models. These models reflect the special nuances of each discipline. Problem-based learning is recognized as having begun at McMaster University, in the medical curriculum, and was in response to critical concerns about the nature of more traditional learning models in medical curricula. The intention was to create an approach to teaching and learning that was learner-centered, yet based upon clear objectives and evaluation criteria. The key difference was the expectation that learners would be facilitated and guided rather than taught (Barrows and Tamblyn 1980; Neufeld 1983; Saarinen and Salvatori 1994). Both the occupational therapy and physiotherapy programs at McMaster University have embraced these ideas, although with differing degrees of connection and commitment to the original model. In fact, true problem-based learning models should naturally emerge from each individual context and culture. There is no â€Å"right† way although there is a growing recognition of a common set of principles and elements that can be applied to determine the â€Å"problembased-ness† of a learning environment (Maudesley 1994; Walton and Matthews 1989). Problem-based learning principles tend to become grouped in two distinct categories: first, the values upon which problem-based learning is based and second, some characteristics that are held in common understanding as being critical to the core of problem-based learning. Underlying values include: partnership, honesty and openness, mutual respect, and trust. Core characteristics incorporate: Chapter 2 Curriculum Development and Design 13 i Learning which is student/learner-centered i Faculty roles that are those of facilitator and guide i Learning scenarios which form the basis, focus, and stimulus for learning i New information and understanding that is acquired through self-directed learning (Baptiste 2003 p. 17) Consequently, there is a continuum of problem-based curricula from pure through hybrid models. The masters entry-level physiotherapy and occupational therapy programs at the School of Rehabilitation Science at McMaster University continue to be based upon problem-based principles. Although both programs are very different one from the other, there are also many common elements and approaches that are celebrated. Examples of these similarities are cited throughout this book, particularly in the chapters focusing on evidence-based practice and ethics education. Approaching the Task of Curriculum Renewal Perhaps one of the most overwhelming, yet exciting, tasks with which to be confronted is the opportunity and challenge of developing a new curriculum. This task is made even more daunting when circumstances provide a chance to do something different based on external forces and not a need to change because â€Å"something is broken†. Over the past few years, and in several years to come, many educational programs in rehabilitation science are facing this situation. The changing nature of the entry-level credential for occupational therapists and physiotherapists demands that faculty undertake a detailed review of curricula, to determine the optimal approach to moving toward graduate-level preparation, or, at the very least, complete a review of existing curricula models to identify their responsiveness and congruence with emerging practice expectations and demands. Approaches to such a massive task can vary from ensuring the preservation of what is good from the existing curriculum to making a total shift and adopting a radically Table 2. 1. Principles for curricular change and innovation Rationale should be articulated explicitly Overall goals should be reiterated constantly throughout the process Continuing communication is essential, coupled with a clear rationale Ensure that the intended change is in response to a defined and recognized need or purpose Ensure that the innovation is seen as a high institutional priority Focus on pedagogy and not on resources for implementation Foster strong leadership support Identify incentives for faculty participation Gain faculty buy-in for the curricular blueprint Involve the active teaching faculty throughout the process Anticipate potential barriers to change and develop strategies to address them Recognize the potential need for and value of negotiation Adapted from Guze (1995) 14 Sue Baptiste, Patricia Solomon 2 new approach and design. To have an optimal effect, options to be considered should bear relevance to the pervading culture of the institution and environment within which the curriculum is to thrive. Also, decisions must be made concerning the pedagogical choices of how learner-centered the curriculum should be, and what particular educational modalities are the best for the circumstances. This chapter will address the entire picture of curriculum development and design, from the first conversations about how to engage in the renewal process through making decisions about methods of teaching, approaches to learner assessment, and preparation of entry-level practitioners for the emerging practice contexts. Guze (1995) provided a clear and succinct discussion of several core principles that can guide curricular change and innovation (Table 2. 1). The following is an overview of these principles. Where to Begin? Motivation for curriculum renewal can come from both internal and external forces. External expectations from regulatory and professional bodies are tending to impose standards for new practitioners that require: i Preparation at an advanced level of clinical reasoning and judgment i The ability to assume roles that require autonomy and a strong sense of professional ethics i Engaging in their professional role from the first day of practice, in a conscious nd moral manner that requires reflection and self-awareness Regardless of whether the motivation for curricular change stems from a desire to do something differently or better, or from outside influences, the task is one that requires careful planning. However, it is imperative that any planning process recognizes the need to dream and envision what could be, to create a model that will exemplify those visions, and to produce a graduate who is well prepared to face the complexities and challenges of emerging practice. When developing a curriculum, four general questions must be asked: i What is the purpose of the curriculum? i What educational experiences can be created to fulfill this purpose? What is the most effective manner in which to organize these educational experiences? i How can we determine that the purpose has been fulfilled and the goals attained (Wiers et al. 2002)? Another very critical element of any change is the recognition that the cultural context is a key in managing change successfully. Hafferty (1998), when reflecting upon the realities of a medical school curriculum, discusses the existence of informal and hidden curricula as well as the formal curriculum. He posits that, in order to induce a lasting change, the entire organizational culture needs to be engaged to facilitate stud ents and faculty alike in embracing and working with change. When facing the task of curricular reform, redesign has to occur not only in terms of content, but also in relation to the Chapter 2 Curriculum Development and Design 15 educational processes that enable the learning to take place. This is the difference between reforming the syllabus and reforming the curriculum; the overall learning environment of the educational program and institution is changed (Burton and McDonald 2001). Once the decision has been made to reform the curriculum, a first step is to complete an environmental scan and situational analysis that explore the educational and organizational environment within the institution, to determine what will facilitate the proposed changes. By defining a clear and newly articulated set of riorities and guidelines, changes that are being made within the curriculum will be given the vehicle through which impact can be made upon the surrounding environment (Genn 2001). This strategy is part of the first overall phase, the planning p hase. This is when the need for change is established and the vision for change is designed. It is during this phase of development that the non-negotiable elements of structure and process are determined. For example, within the School of Rehabilitation Science at McMaster University, both the Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy Programs were already designed as two-year, twenty-four-month, curricula. Also, the province of Ontario mandates that all masters programs are two years in duration. Therefore, the decision was readily made, based on these graduate program regulations and history, that the new masters entry-level curricula would be twenty-four months long. One key commitment was clear and that was to the foundational philosophy of problem-based, selfdirected learning utilizing the application of these principles to small group, large group, and skills-based learning experiences. Wiers et al. (2002) provide a clear and helpful outline of ten general steps of curriculum design within a problem-based learning context (see Table 2. 2). While this rubric is structured around the specific processes inherent within problem-based learning development, most of the guidelines can apply broadly across any curricular development process within any pedagogical framework. From the onset, all faculty members at McMaster University were on board regarding the need to undertake the development of entry-level masters curricula in both occupational therapy and physiotherapy. Both disciplines had undergone dramatic changes in the preceding two decades, largely focused upon the growth of foundational science and evidence for practice. Professional practice models had emerged for both professions and provided a strong backdrop against which to create fresh ap- Table 2. 2. Ten general steps in curriculum design for a problem-based learning (PBL) environment 1. . 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Give rationale for the curriculum and form a planning group Generate general educational objectives for the curriculum Assess the educational needs o f future students Apply general principles of PBL to the curriculum Structure the curriculum and generate a curriculum blueprint Elaborate the unit blueprints Construct the study units Decide on student assessment methods Consider the educational organization and curriculum management model Evaluate the curriculum and revise as appropriate Adapted from Wiers et al. (2002) 16 Sue Baptiste, Patricia Solomon 2 proaches to the preparation of graduates for entering practice. While both the occupational therapy and physiotherapy programs undertook curriculum renewal at the same time, the physiotherapy program had engaged in an ongoing process of change across the preceding five years. Many of the issues, concerns, and changes addressed and implemented by the occupational therapy program had already been addressed by physiotherapy. Therefore, this chapter will focus predominantly upon the initiatives inherent within the curricular shift within occupational therapy, although reference will be made to processes within physiotherapy as appropriate. Designing Our New Programs Deciding upon the overarching constructs that would determine the final curriculum model was a complex and dramatic process in many ways, and one in which everyone was eager to participate and have a chance to have input. At the onset of the development of the occupational therapy program, three faculty retreats were held that progressed from a totally unstructured brainstorm of what would be perfect, to a detailed accounting of core curricular elements in the context of a delivery structure. In the initial retreat, all full-time faculty members together with some part-time members participated in a â€Å"blue-skying† day-long session during which everyone spoke of their dreams for the perfect curriculum. What if we could do what we wanted? What if we did not have to be concerned with logistics like room bookings? – and so on. This exercise provided us with a high-level ppreciation of the values and elements that were important to us as a collective. It was from this beginning â€Å"fantasy† that the next level of planning emerged. The second retreat was more structured and focused upon the creation of a continuum for learning that resulted in the overarching framework for the cur riculum, together with the delivery methods. A process was followed whereby we decided upon a central construct around which the whole curriculum would evolve, namely, â€Å"occupation†. To support this core notion, there were several longitudinal conceptual threads that represented continua of thought such as: wellness to illness, simplicity to complexity, local to global, and unifaceted to multifaceted. Through this process, we were able to identify the starting place for the first study term, and to create a high-level framework for the progression of the total curriculum (see Table 2. 3) In physiotherapy, the process began similarly with a faculty retreat; however, the focus varied slightly. Initial discussions identified elements of the curriculum that we Table 2. 3. Occupational therapy curricular framework Term 1 2 3 4 5 6 Content theme Wellness, health, and occupation Person, environment, and occupation Development, disability, and occupation Youth and the development of self Adulthood and disability Complexities of contemporary practice Chapter 2 Curriculum Development and Design 17 alued and wanted to maintain and those needing less emphasis. Through ongoing curricular evaluation and feedback, we identified new areas that needed to be included in the emerging curriculum and other areas that needed to be enhanced. These areas were discussed within the context of the changing practice of physiotherapy and the knowledge and skills required by the physiotherapist in the new millennium. The decision was made to use a curricular framework that incorporated a modified â€Å"body systems† design, as current physiotherapy practice and clinical specialties were aligned with this model. Inclusion of a Community Practice/Community Health unit allowed or a focus on emergent health care roles in the community and on integrating health promotion and disease prevention into practice. The faculty recognized that while many physiotherapists identified their practice in an area related to the body systems, increasingly clinicians were faced with more complex patients with multiple system involvement. Hence, the final unit of study focused on integrated practice dealing with clients with complex multisystem health care problems. Following the initial planning process, it is now time to initiate the plan. It is during this time period that the â€Å"unfreezing† of old organizational patterns and the introduction of innovations into the educational environment take place (Burton and McDonald 2001). Often, while there is a strong commitment to engaging in the conversations that lead to the design of a changed reality, it is a very different matter to start â€Å"doing† and actually making that changed reality come to life. A cooperative internal environment is essential for the realization of that initial dream and therefore it is well worthwhile for planners to engage in a transparent and collaborative experience that enables maximum participation and open debate. A process of this nature is characterized by collaborative problem solving, effective communication, abilities in conflict resolution, and a cultural expectation of working together in harmony that guides the overall enterprise (Burton and McDonald 2001). Therefore, it is of importance to determine at the onset the values and behaviors by which the development experience will be approached to set up structures and processes that will ensure that the best attempts at making it so will be expended. During the initiation period, we experienced intense interest and levels of emotion from all participants regarding the manner in which the planning and the visions for the two disciplines would be evolved and realized. As mentioned previously, we had determined that the existing problem-based learning principles would remain but that the key changes would be realized through the manner in which the content was introduced to the students and through which the continuum of learning would evolve. Similarly, we were committed to maintaining a student-centered approach. One core difference was to be the manner in which the experiential component of professional preparation would be integrated more centrally into both curricula. Previously, the curricula were designed in a more traditional fashion whereby the clinical fieldwork experiences were placed at the end of each study term and were linked directly to the area of academic focus for the preceding learning block. By definition, once the overarching concepts of the curricula were determined to be different from the previous models, then fieldwork placements would become less strictly aligned. This was reinforced more heavily in the occupational therapy program which was originally designed around developmental stages and central practice populations. Students would face a more eclectic approach in their clinical learning; therefore, both programs determined that learning around professional issues and practice expectations should be interwoven through the longitudinal axis of the curriculum. 18 Sue Baptiste, Patricia Solomon Redevelopment Within a Problem-based Learning Culture 2 As with any problem-based learning system, the small group learning unit is the nucleus of the whole curriculum. However, the success of problem-based, small group learning is supported by the strategic use of large group interactions for the imparting of theoretical and expert knowledge, while still maintaining a problem-based learning philosophy. Similarly, the application of problem-based learning principles is a critical piece of one-on-one learning and synthesis of knowledge and information throughout the academic and clinical components of the curriculum overall. Both the physiotherapy and occupational therapy programs elected to continue to utilize problem-based learning methods in a manner that celebrated the development already achieved over twenty-five years of curriculum development. This has evolved over time very differently in each program. For example, during the planning process for the occupational therapy curriculum, efforts were made to define new models for tutoring and many were identified and put into place. During the second year of the occupational therapy program, the problem-based tutorials occur only once weekly. This allows additional scheduling time for including the evidence-based practice courses and is also in response to the difficulties many practitioners are experiencing in gaining release time from employers to participate as tutors. In this new tutorial model, tutors are required to participate in only one weekly session with two or three tutors’ meetings across the term instead of weekly. Application of problem-based learning principles in large groups has been maintained and, in fact, enhanced particularly in the clinical skills sessions. Students often are placed in small groups (different groups from their core tutorial group) and provided with opportunities to explore assessment tools and intervention methods. Through these group experiences, the students apply a problem-based learning approach to the identification of learning issues, the uncovering of essential information and resources, and the synthesis of their understanding of the tool or technique. Integration of Experiential Practice Preparation Within a Problem-based Learning Framework As mentioned earlier, both the physiotherapy and occupational therapy faculty groups were committed to ensuring the integration of academic and experiential learning into the curricula from the beginning, and were focused on developing innovative models for the synthesis of practice preparation into the core academic units. It is important to note that the work related to integration commenced at the very onset of the curriculum planning process. In the case of the occupational therapy program, there had always been sessions held throughout the full curriculum that provided opportunities for the Clinical Placement Coordinator (now Professional Practice Coordinator) to inform, advise, educate, and monitor students in preparing for their practice experiences and in checking in with them following these experiences. However, a greater focus on such integration was placed within the masters entry-level curriculum model in order to ensure that students were being prepared to meet the enhanced expectations of a graduate program. Chapter 2 Curriculum Development and Design 19 Evaluation Within a Graduate Problem-based Learning Framework There should be clear and close linkages between how students learn and how that learning is assessed. Therefore, some information will be presented here relative to the evaluation methods developed at McMaster University in the occupational therapy and physiotherapy programs. Student Evaluation. In the preceding years, the two programs at McMaster University had been very involved in designing evaluation/student assessment tools that reflected the principles of problem-based learning and provided students with opportunities to integrate their academic learning with their growing professional awareness and identity. Most of these tools are built around the basic problem-based learning process of exploring a learning scenario that has been developed to address the objectives for the particular learning unit. Essentially, problem-based evaluation needs to be congruent with the underlying values and principles of problem-based learning. Traditional methods of assessing students’ knowledge tend to be contradictory to these principles and therefore should not be applied out of context. Problem-based learner assessment should: i Be congruent with the underlying problem-based learning process illustrated by the development of learning scenarios based on real life practice situations i Mirror the problem-based learning process of reflecting on a practice scenario, efining learning issues, researching, synthesizing, and synopsizing the learning with application to the defined case i Involve personal reflection and enhanced awareness of individual critical think- ing and clinical reasoning skills F aculty Evaluation. As with student assessment, the evaluation of faculty is central to the maintenance and enhancement of a problem-based learning culture. And, similarly, faculty evaluation is built into the roles played in any given learning context. In the case of the small group tutor role, faculty members are evaluated by each student and provide a self-evaluation to students during the course of the group process. Following the completion of the small group experience, students evaluate the faculty member as well as the overall course, and these ratings are provided to faculty and placed in their file for attention at times when promotion, tenure, and merit increase decisions are made. For those faculty members, practitioners, and others who facilitate large group sessions in both theory and practical skills, similar evaluations are completed. This process has been in place over many years and has not changed since the advent of the new curricula. However, the items being evaluated have altered to reflect the expected level and scope of graduate teaching. Student Self-assessment: Development of the OTPPI. Students admitted into the occupational therapy program are not expected to have any prerequisite courses completed during their undergraduate education. This has been the case from the very beginning. In the program itself, there are no formal courses that provide students with basic knowledge related to the foundational sciences that underlie occupational therapy practice such as anatomy, physics, biochemistry, sociology, psychology, and anthropology. It has been the long-held belief that in a pure problem-based learning 20 Sue Baptiste, Patricia Solomon 2 environment, the learning is accomplished through the horizontal meshing of various areas of knowledge and information; that through the integration of these sciences and bodies of knowledge, students can gain the understanding they require by using real life situations as springboards for integration and synthesis of all inputs. Consequently, recent efforts were expended to develop the Occupational Therapy Personal Progress Inventory (OTPPI), a tool that was developed from the experience of the undergraduate medical program over the past few years (Blake et al. 1996; Cunnington 2001). The OTPPI focuses on foundational knowledge that our students need in order to become practicing occupational therapists. It is not a test of the application of that knowledge in practice. The examination consists of 90 multiple-choice questions developed with the expectation that a â€Å"star† student would be able to answer by the time of graduation. There are three main domains included in each examination: biology (this includes anatomy, physiology, etc. ), social sciences (this includes psychology, sociology, anthropology, etc. ), and research (this includes statistics, research methods, ethics, etc. ). The breakdown of each examination is 40 percent biology, 40 percent social science, and 20 percent research. The examination is generated each term and students in both years have the same examination, with the expectation that the students in second year will achieve a higher result than those in the first year. Students receive a detailed report with their scores and a profile of how they have progressed over time. They are provided with information about their total score as well as a breakdown on each of the three domains. They also receive a zone score, which is an indication of how well they have performed on the test in comparison to the other members of the class. Students in the yellow or red zones may want to review their scores in more detail and make learning plans to address gaps that may have been identified through the examination. This tool is designed as a self-assessment measure, the individual results of which are known only to each student. We have made a conscious choice that results are not used in the summative evaluation of the students, and are intended to provide the learners with a sense of how they are progressing in accumulating knowledge relative to the basic sciences of their discipline. The students are expected to use that information to set plans in place to address weaknesses (e. g. , through problem-based tutorials, individual assignments, etc. ). The OTPPI has been a pencil and paper test so far, but steps are being taken to convert it to a web-based format. While the occupational therapy program has undertaken this initiative on a pilot basis, initial responses would indicate that students are finding the process helpful to them, although this is very new at the time of publication. Integration of Evidence-based Practice Skills into the Curricula. The integration of skills related to practicing in an evidence-based manner is seen to be critical to both programs. A detailed description of the models adopted by the occupational therapy and physiotherapy programs is found in Chapter 5. In both programs, there is a strong commitment to evidence-based practice as a central onstruct for the curriculum and a natural partner for client-centered and problem-based principles. Conclusion Since their inception, the masters entry-level programs in occupational therapy and physiotherapy have presented opportunities to revisit our history and legacy in health sciences education. In order to reflect on the overall process, the general steps for curriculum design offered by Wiers et al. (2002) will be revisited (see Table 2. 2). Chapter 2 Curriculum Development and Design 21 For us, the rationale for the curriculum was clear both from an internal and an external perspective, and the notion of forming a planning group was a natural approach to the task. Our profound commitment to involving our broad academic community was illustrated through the involvement of a wide range of individuals encompassing full-time, part-time, and sessional faculty members as well as members of the wider practice community. Such involvement was realized throughout the planning process and continues through such individuals’ representation on our Education, Curriculum and Admissions committees. The need to define clear general educational objectives for the curriculum was also recognized at a very early stage. We found that being able to determine the goals and directions from the outset served to facilitate the planning that followed. Assessing the educational needs of future students was assisted by our own knowledge concerning the entry-level competencies demanded by our professional regulatory colleges. Also, the connections we have with our practice communities and past graduates were invaluable in providing a background for determining the shifts necessary within the curriculum to fulfill practice expectations. Similarly, the same thoughtful reasoning was used to consider the differences of teaching and learning between undergraduate and graduate approaches to education. Applying general principles of problem-based learning to the curriculum was not a concern for us, given our long history of internalizing this philosophy. Specific difficulties arose when converting the undergraduate courses and assessment tools to the needs of a graduate program. Nevertheless, problem-based learning in many ways is a gift for this transition since it resembles closely the natural proclivities of graduate work – smaller groups, self-directedness, learner autonomy, and a degree of freedom to determine learning directions. Structuring the curriculum and creating a blueprint became different experiences for physiotherapy and occupational therapy. As mentioned previously, while the planning processes looked ostensibly similar, the manner in which the final curricular models were derived was very different (see Tables 2. 3 and 2. 4). However, after the master models were created, the processes for elaborating the blueprints and constructing study units were again very similar. Methods of student assessment tended to remain grounded in the familiar processes and tools that we had developed across our history with problem-based learning. However, as each curricular element emerged throughout the planning (e. g. , evidence-based practice, ethics, clinical skills, fieldwork) so did innovative ways to enhance the student assessment processes that were already strong. Details of these innovations will be discussed in the book chapters relating to these specific areas. Consideration of the educational organization and curriculum management model required particular attention since our lines of accountability had shifted, with the Table 2. 4. Physiotherapy curricular framework Unit 1 2 3 4 5 6 Content theme Fundamentals of physiotherapy practice Fundamentals of musculoskeletal practice Fundamentals of cardiorespiratory and neurological practice Advanced neurological practice Community practice Integrated practice and professional transition 22 Sue Baptiste, Patricia Solomon 2 move to the School of Graduate Studies. Two slightly different models of governance emerged, with the Admissions Committee being the only shared group between physiotherapy and occupational therapy. However, both governance models reflect a central group responsible and accountable for curriculum and another group that oversees general program functioning. Curricular evaluation remains an ongoing responsibility and expectation. Chapter 13 provides a particular model for curriculum evaluation that was used by the occupational therapy program, the Program Logic Model. However, there are many ways in which faculty members can retain a clear image of what makes up a curriculum and what indicators are critical to evaluate for the success of the program overall. The three years of planning and launching the new curricula at McMaster University were years of extremely hard work, high energy and output. As we see each student cohort graduate, and receive feedback concerning our students and graduates in practice settings, we feel heartened that we appear to be on the right track. We know, however, that curriculum development is an ongoing process.