Featured Post

It is hard to define the words true American Essay

It is difficult to characterize the words genuine American. There are a wide range of characteristics in an American that don’t consi...

Thursday, January 30, 2020

Values & Ethics Essay Example for Free

Values Ethics Essay Within this essay I will look at my own personal and professional development in relation to the case study of Mrs Begum, a British South Asian women aged 79 who has been diagnosed with vascular dementia. Although I recognise that there are many more values that could be explored I have chosen the following values to discuss; respect, self-determination and empowerment. I will also explore anti-oppressive and anti-discriminatory values in terms of age, disability and race as they are all included within the case study. I will analyse my learning in regards to personal and professional values and the reading undertaken to support my learning. Throughout this essay I will identify areas of development personally and professionally in order to use values successfully within social work practice. To date I have learnt about social work values through various sources, how they apply and how they can be implemented. I will outline some of these sources and their value guidelines which will highlight the values that I have chosen to discuss in relation to Mrs Begums case study. The British Association of Social Workers (BASW) has a Code of Ethics which every social worker who becomes a BASW member is required to be committed to. This Code of Ethics comprises of five basic principles; social justice, human dignity and worth, integrity, service to humanity and competence. These principles all include key social work values such as ‘respect the diversity of the societies in which we practice’, ‘respect, promote and support people’s dignity and right to make their own choice and decisions’, ‘uphold and promote human dignity and well-being’ BASW (2012) [online]. The Code of Ethics is there to ensure that service users receive a quality service. It does this by providing social workers with a guideline and checklist to enable them to provide the best service possible. As Parrott (2011, p. 17) states ‘The purpose of social work values is to provide a common set of principles, which social workers can use and develop as a means of working in an ethical way with the service user’. Parrott continues to go on and say ‘The importance of having a value base for social work is that it is intended to guide the action of social workers and protect the interests of the service user’. The National Occupation Standards for Social Work (NOS) also set out key values that social workers must adhere to. These are; have respect for the users and their carers and the expertise and knowledge they may have about their own situation, empower users and carers in decisions affecting them, be honest about the power invested in them and their role and the resources available to them, respect confidentiality and inform them when information needs to be shared with others, be able to challenge discriminatory practices affecting users and carers and put them first. The TOPSS (2002) [online]. The Health and Care Professions Council also provide a clear guideline on how to apply the practice. Some of the values I will be discussing in relation to Mrs Begums case study such as self- determination and respect were spoken about by Biestek (1961) over 50 years ago but they remain relevant today. Biestek writes about seven traditional values and they have been cited by Thompson (2009) and Dominelli (2009). These values are Individualisation, Purposeful expression of feelings, Acceptance, Non-judgemental attitude, Client self-determination, Confidentiality and Respect for persons. Firstly I will look at Mrs Begum’s case study in terms of the value respect. A value that is included within NOS, BASW and Biestek’s set of values. NOS sets out that as a social worker I will need to respect the service user regardless of their age, ethnicity, culture, level of understanding and need, also the knowledge the service user may have about their own situation TOPSS (2002) [online]. Therefore I would show Mrs Begum respect by treating her in a way I believe all people should be treated and in a way that I would wish to be treated myself. As stated by Thompson (2009, p. 35) ‘the basic point is a simple one really, namely the importance of treating people with respect – not treating them in a way that you would object to if other people treated you like that’. On meeting Mrs Begum her age, ethnicity and culture would not be an issue. More importantly I would treat her as an individual in order to be able to assess the services that can be pr ovided to her to help her improve her quality of life. Mrs Begum has an insight into some of the difficulties she has been experiencing and is aware of the danger she faces should she have another fall. Mrs Begum’s son has said that his mother ‘must go into a home’. While I would take his concerns and the information he has provided me with very seriously, it would be my job to respect the fact that Mrs Begum has expressed on a number of occasions that she wishes to return home and I would focus on the help she would need and work with Mrs Begum in order to fulfil her wish. Respect is a value that I’ve always held and pre-course I still would have treated her with the respect she deserves. The next value I would employ is empowerment . To give service users a meaningful choice of courses of action for the present and to enable them to create valuable options for their future (Clarke, 2000). As a social worker it is important to try and provide community care where possible. In order to make Mrs Begum feel empowered enough to live as independently as possible and remain in her own home, I would focus on her, listen to her and respect her wishes while showing her compassion, empathy and understanding of her situation. I would discuss with Mrs Begum what assistance she thinks she needs in order to achieve her wish of living at home, for example meals delivered, help with mobility, home help, help with medication or direct payments. It is suggested by Adams (2008, p. xvi) ‘the capacity of individuals, groups and/or communities to take control of their circumstances, exercise power and achieve their own goals, and the process by which, individually and collectively, they are able to help themselves and others to maximise the quality of their lives’. I would act as an advocate for Mrs Begum by providing her with as much information and contacting relevant service providers on her behalf. This would ensure that she was aware of the services that are or are not available to her. To empower Mrs Begum it would be important that she knows that I have taken her wishes seriously and in order to do this I would summarise the points she has made to me so that she has a chance to add or correct anything that I have said but at the same time it will let her know that I have listened and understood what she has been telling me. These actions will help to build a good relationship with Mrs Begum and help her to feel that we are working in partnership towards achieving her wishes. I would also have to respect that not all individuals wish to be empowered. They would be happy for the social worker to take control of their situation. I believe that all people should be empowered but some to a lesser degree than others as some people’s abilities are stronger than others. The value of self-determination is a bit more complex. As suggested by Beckett Maynard (2010, p. 130) ‘it would appear that a service user’s right of self-determination should be respected, but only as long as it doesn’t harm others, conflict with the interests of society, or harm the service users themselves. The service user’s right of self-determination is therefore, provisional, and a social worker is very often placed in the position of deciding whether or not the service user’s wishes are permissible’. As a social worker it is my duty to care and not put the service user at risk, it is also my duty to risk assess and should the assessment show that there is a possibility of significant harm to the service user or others it would restrict the service user’s right to self-determine. I would have to take in to account that Mrs Begum had been found walking in the street near her home appearing lost. As a social worker I would play an active role in helping the service user to understand the risks. Therefore, I would help Mrs Begum recognise the choices that were available to her to help her remain at home, as mentioned before home help, help with mobility etc. I would provide enough information so that Mrs Begum and her family can make informed decisions about the options and resources available to her and to help her explore these options. Supporting her and encouraging her to make her own decisions. As mentioned previously within my essay, one of BASW values is to ‘respect, promote and support people’s dignity and right to make their own choice and decisions’ BASW (2012) [online]. I believe it is a person’s human right to be able to express and give their opinion as well as make decisions even if they are unpopular or seem unwise to another individual. This belief has developed during my time on the course. Other factors that Mrs Begum may experience are ageism society’s views that older people can be a burden or nuisance in turn being treated insensitively by being shouted at, excluding them from conversations and being patronised. As Butler and Lewis (1973) suggests ‘ Ageism can be seen as a process of systematic stereotyping of the discrimination against people because they are old, just as racism and sexism accomplish this for skin colour and gender’. Due to Mrs Begum’s disability assumptions can also be made such as, she isn’t as capable, her opinion isn’t as valid and her cognitive ability may be questioned. These are all based around dominant ideas within society which makes things acceptable or unacceptable. According to Disability Rights Activist, Justin Dart (1992) [online] ‘The hard reality is this, society in every nation is still infected by the ancient assumption that people with disabilities are less than fully human and therefore, are not fully eligible for the opportunities which are available to other people as a matter of right’. Mrs Begum is of South Asian decent she may experience racism due to tereotypical believes formed by society about an individual’s race/ culture. ‘The belief that races have distinctive cultural characteristics determined by hereditary factors and that this endows some races with an intrinsic superiority over others. Abusive or aggressive behaviour towards members of another race on the basis of such a belief’ (Collins English Dictionary, Standard Sixth Edition, 2003). These factors and society’s influence can lead to oppressive or discriminative behaviour. While looking at the case study in terms of values it has become apparent to me that prior to doing the social work degree I did think in an oppressive and discriminative way even if it was not consciously. I would have been looking at the aspects that Mrs Begum could not do for herself and the difficulties she would face rather looking at it from a can do perspective. Stereotypes would play a role. In terms of elderly people I thought they could be stubborn and didn’t always know or want to listen to what is best for them. In terms of a disability such as dementia I would have thought that someone was practically incapable of making a rational decision as to what was best for them in certain situations and would possibly need full time care and supervision and probably need to go into residential care. Since being on the social work course, I have been able to develop my understanding and instead of sympathising with an individual I empathise with them. I am able to work in a much more anti-oppressive and anti-discriminative way by putting stereotypes to one side and not making assumptions about an or a particular group of people. By doing so it redresses the power balance within society and enables the social worker and service user to work in partnership. As Parrott (2011, p. 23) states ‘AOP represents a general value orientation towards countering oppression experienced by service users on such grounds as race, gender, class, disability, etc. On the other, it also contains specific practice values; these are values of empowerment, partnership and minimal intervention’. Also learning about what services are available to individuals such as community care and direct payments I have realised that people of different ages and disabilities are able to achieve a lot more and have their wishes met. To ensure that Mrs Begum did not experience any inadvertent discrimination I would do research in to her culture and her religion if applicable as she is a British South Asian women and therefore, may have different ideas from myself about family and the way society works. Age, disability and race are all characteristics that are protected under the Equality Act 2010. In conclusion I feel that from the beginning of the course until now I have developed personally and professionally in terms of values and being able to implement them by looking at and putting aside stereotypes I had which in turn has helped me to work in a less anti-oppressive and anti-discriminative way. When I first started the course I thought equal opportunities was about treating everybody the same but I have since learnt that as everyone is an individual each person’s case should be treated according to their needs. This is done by giving them the same opportunities available to everyone in order to provide them with the best service. I have also become aware of how complex values can be as they are personal beliefs that vary from person to person. Some of the values such as self-determination and the respect for people to make their own decisions may not be able to be fulfilled due to the level of risk to the service user or others involved. I am now able to look at myself critically and can recognise areas that I need to develop. My self-determination will need to be developed further because there will still be a part of me that will feel that some service users may be making the wrong decision but I will have to respect this as a social worker. I will need to continue to be aware of my development when facing new situations. I believe the way in which I have developed my original value base will help my career as a social worker.

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Lightrail Is A Good Idea :: essays research papers

The installation of a light rail transit system in Austin would be a step in the direction of progress for Austin’s traffic problem. Austin’s present traffic situation is atrocious. There seems to be no real plan on how it will be fixed and paid for. The Capital Metro buses are the only form of mass transit in Austin. The buses run for college students and go around campus and off campus. The buses that only travel on campus never have a very high ridership, where as the buses that go off campus always tend to be overfull. This is where light rail comes in. Light rail is a term that come into being only in the last thirty or forty years. It refers to an electric railway system, constructed in the 1970s or later, characterized by its ability to operate single or multiple car consists, trains. It travels along exclusive rights-of-way track at ground level, on aerial structures, in subways, or in streets. It can board and discharge passengers at station platforms or at street, track, or car-floor level. Light rail can also refer to an electric railway with a "light volume" traffic capacity, as opposed to heavy rail. Light rail may use shared or exclusive rights-of-way, high or low platform loading and multi-car trains or single cars. Also known as "streetcar," "trolley car" or "tramway.† Opponents of Austin’s proposed light rail system usually say that a better solution to Austin’s traffic problem is to add more lanes to the highways and add more miles of road. They also say that the city needs to maintain the current streets better. Houston is a good example of what good roads can do to help traffic problems. Houston Metro, Houston’s transit agency, spent $700 million on 88 miles of carpool lanes in Houston. Carpool lanes, or high occupancy vehicle(HOV) lanes, are lanes that are separated from the main highway by barriers and require that a vehicle be carrying at least two people to use them. The extra HOV lanes have reduced Houston’s overall traffic congestion by six percent. In Katy, southwest Houston, the HOV lanes have reduced congestion by 14 percent. Houston has done a good job with improving their highways, but there are some downsides. Even though the HOV lanes have helped to reduce traffic congestion in most places by up to six percent, they are now carrying more people than designed for.

Tuesday, January 14, 2020

Breakfast at Tiffany(TM)s Essay

Breakfast at Tiffany’s is a romantic comedy that was released in America in the year 1961. Breakfast at Tiffany’s was based on the novella by Truman capote. It introduces a young woman, played by Audrey Hepburn whose profession is a high class male’s escort, prostitute. When studying the film in more depth, I queried how and why a â€Å"high class prostitute† film could be so popular. In my article I will address and find out how and why the film is still so popular today. The film is a total of 110 minutes in length which is consequently 20 minutes longer than an average romantic comedy of today. The first scene is one of the main reasons why Breakfast at Tiffany’s is so popular today. When making a film the opening scene is extremely important and needs to include certain things for the film to be popular and well selling. The opening scene of any film should set the scene and introduce the audience to the surroundings and setting of the film. When we see the character, protagonist, for the first time we are automatically drawn in by her as she is in the foreground and the only thing moving in the scene, our eyes are focused on her. The audience feels connected with her and has an opportunity to be a part of her life. The audience is then introduced to one of the main themes throughout the film of â€Å"Tiffany’s† Tiffany’s after this film became more popular and some members and shoppers of Tiffany’s say that consequently Tiffany’s was made by the link of the film and the well known jewellers. As the scene progresses the camera follows her from the side as she walks. Then the camera changes to behind her with the use of an over the shoulder shot to increase the already gained intimacy. The fact that she is an ordinary woman on an average day and she has nothing special makes the audience almost feel they could be her. Another reason why it is still so popular today is that it fits in with the romantic comedy criteria. Every girl or most girls love romantic comedies. The comedy can be identified in many of the scenes. For instance at the part scenes where lots of comedic techniques and ideas are used such as the cigarette burning a woman’s purple headdress and Holly checking the time on a man’s watch consequently pouring a drink on the woman’s headdress. Also the cat jumping on everybody as they walked through the door. The comedy is basic and not to detailed as to not over power the romantic aspect of the film and this is why the film is still so popular. The soundtrack of the film is based around the song â€Å"Moon River† lyrics by Johnny Mercer, Music by Henry Mancini. The song is a total of 2 minutes 44 seconds and won an Oscar for the best original song. The music can be identified in many of the scenes, if carefully looked for. For instance in the party scene the song â€Å"Moon River† is played in the background but has been edited to create a more up-tempo version. The lyrics of â€Å"Moon River† are totally associated to the life of Holly Golightly. As the actress, Audrey Hepburn was no singer the song was very simple an only sung in one octave which almost makes the performance of the song more believable and the audience can relate to the lyrics more. The soundtrack can still be bought today from amazon and because it is still so widely available that helps the film stay so popular. Due to the advertising of the film, the film was made more popular. The poster that was widely used was the image of Audrey Hepburn on a white background with a border of blue, red and yellow. The poster has many hidden meanings in the images and colours used, for example, the border colours used, when added together, make the background colour of white. The yellow also used could mean wealth and link to jewellery from Tiffany’s. Audrey Hepburn’s name is in capitals and black lettering as the film sold off her name. The picture of the protagonist takes up half of the poster as people aspire to be like her. The title of the film Breakfast at Tiffany’s is in a red colour to represent Romance. In the background a shot of the end scene is added to show the setting of the film and to reveal the ending. All these things together make the film still so popular by creating a picture and selection of images which stick in the audiences mind for years to come. This poster can also still be bought in shops and on the internet. On Tuesday 5th December 2006 the Givenchy dress used in the 1961 film, was sold for 1.2 Million dollars which keeps Breakfast at Tiffany’s constantly in today’s society so the popularity of it is still withheld. Fashion of the 60’s is still popular today whether that is because of the film or not, people still dress in 60’s clothes and Audrey Hepburn is still kept as an admired icon. The novella that was used to base the film around had a different ending to the film. The ending of the novella resulted in Holly travelling to Brazil and sending Paul a postcard, Holly never wrote to him again. The director made the choice to change the ending for a variety of reasons. The way the novella ended was on a cliff hanger with loose ends which wouldn’t make the film popular, so the director of Breakfast at Tiffany’s decided to make the ending in to a typical happy, clichà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½d ending that ties up all loose endings as more people prefer happy endings and they stay popular after time. The way the ending of the film now ends is that the audience can walk away from the film feeling happy and uplifted full of aspiration to be like her. Sinse the ending was changed i believe that it has helped the film to be influential to our culture and stay popular after 50 years due to the film still being a part of today’s present society. Breakfast at Tiffany’s is still so popular today due to the hard work and important techniques used when making the film, the film was created to achieve all the necessary aspects of a romantic comedy which hasn’t changed in the last 50 years consequently making the film still a big hit today.

Monday, January 6, 2020

Value Chain And DS Agency. Whether Selling A Product Or

Value Chain and DS Agency Whether selling a product or producing a service, companies have to find and establish a set of competitive advantages (Gertner, 2013). These advantages should be advantageous to the customer and also be sustainable to the company (Gertner, 2013). The value chain is a tool that companies can use to analyze the steps they need to take to provide the highest level of service to its customers and create a competitive advantage (Blocher, Stout, Juras, Cokins, 2016). The value chain analysis tool can be taken to the next level when companies utilize it to help them assess where they can reduce costs, which processes are not competitive or productive, and if there are any steps that can be outsourced (Blocher, et†¦show more content†¦The value chain works to uncover processes within processes so that the management team can identify which processes are linked together and which processes are not needed at all (Gertner, 2013). When Porter originally developed the concept of the va lue chain, he identified five activities that are primary within any company and four activities that support the primary activities. The five activities that are primary are operations, inbound and out bound logistics, service, and marketing and sales (Pivoda, 2014). The four support activities are, human resource management, firm infrastructure, procurement and technology development (Pivoda, 2014). All of these activities pulled together are the independent activities that are actually interdependent on one another to a company’s success (Pivoda, 2014). The value chain evaluates each of these to determine how they can be improved to better prepare the company’s future. The value chain management system works by looking into each system and/or process within the agency and evaluates them for defects. The value chain starts with the inbound and outbound logistics of the company. These are defined as the planning processes, storage and flow of goods, services and any related information from the company to the customer (Chan, 2007). Operations are the nextShow MoreRelatedDesigning and Managing Integrated Marketing Channels3538 Words   |  15 Pagesmerchandise are called ________. 2. Companies that search for customers and may negotiate on the producer’s behalf but do not take title to the goods are called ________. 3. Transportation companies, independent warehouses, banks, and advertising agencies that assist in the distribution process but neither take title to goods nor negotiate purchases or sales are called ________. 4. One of the chief roles of marketing channels is to convert potential buyers into profitable ________. 5. A marketingRead MoreStudy Quiz for Chapter 15 Kotler8303 Words   |  34 PagesChapter 15: Designing and Managing Value Networks and Channels GENERAL CONCEPT QUESTIONS Multiple Choice 1. Intermediaries who buy, take title to, and resell the merchandise are called ________. a. retailers b. facilitators c. marketers d. agents e. merchants Answer: e Page: 468 Level of difficulty: Easy 2. Companies that search for customers and may negotiate on the producer’s behalf but do not take title to the goods are called ________Read MoreDesigning and Managing Integrated Marketing Channels3547 Words   |  15 Pagesmerchandise are called ________. 2. Companies that search for customers and may negotiate on the producer’s behalf but do not take title to the goods are called ________. 3. Transportation companies, independent warehouses, banks, and advertising agencies that assist in the distribution process but neither take title to goods nor negotiate purchases or sales are called ________. 4. One of the chief roles of marketing channels is to convert potential buyers into profitable ________. 5. ARead MoreMarketing and Supply Chain Management22997 Words   |  92 Pages_____________ 1. Google, Facebook and YouTube are all innovative, and each company has succeeded because it provided value to its customers. True 2. Marketing is an activity that only large firms with specialized departments can use. True 3. False The group of firms that makes and delivers a given set of goods and services is known as a supply chain. True 9. False The goals of marketing promotion are youth, style, and sex appeal. True 8. False ThoughtsRead MoreRole of Supply Chain in the Operational Efficiency of a Firm2671 Words   |  11 Pagesï » ¿How improvement in the performance of the Supply Chain could impact a Firms Sustainability INTRODUCTION The Supply Chain plays an important role in the operational efficiency of a firm. With a good performance of its supply chain, a firm can ensure the smooth running of its operations and steady growth in its business size (Bamford Forrester 2010). Supply chain members can help the firm in increasing the customer satisfaction for its products by supplying the best quality raw material and renderingRead MoreVariable Cost and Correct Answer23992 Words   |  96 Pagesthis information for questions that refer to the World Tennis Ball (WTB) Company case. World Tennis Ball Co. (WTB) makes tennis balls and sells them only in the U.S. Raul Fernandez, the firm s marketing manager, is comparing his firm s distribution with two major competitors. 1) WTB sells its products through four regional distributors who then sell to 22 sporting goods wholesalers. The wholesalers sell to a total of 7,000 retail outlets. From its website, WTB also sells directly to any customerRead MoreTour Operator1671 Words   |  7 PagesOperators 3 a. The Domestic Operators 3 b. The Incoming Tours Operators 3 c. Mass Market tour operators 3 d. Specialist tour operators 3 e. Independent tour operator 3 4. Forces affecting on tour operators 4 a. External 4 b. Internal: 4 5. Package Holiday or Inclusive Tour 4 a. Inclusive tour Product Transport 4 b. Inclusive tour Product-Accommodation 4 c. Inclusive Tour Product Transfer and extra 4 6. Planning, marketing and negotiating package tours 5 a. Market research 5 b. NegotiatingRead MoreMarketing Channel44625 Words   |  179 PagesMarketing Channels: Delivering Customer Value 1) Which of the following is NOT a typical supply chain member? A) resellers B) customers C) intermediaries D) government agencies E) raw materials supplier Answer: D Diff: 1 Page Ref: 337 Skill: Concept Objective: 12-1 2) ________ the manufacturer or service provider is the set of firms that supply the raw materials, components, parts, information, finances, and expertise needed to create a product or service. A) Downstream from B) UpstreamRead Moretest bank16982 Words   |  68 Pagesstated B) real C) unstated D) delight E) secret 2) Companies address needs by putting forth a(n) ________, a set of benefits that they offer to customers to satisfy their needs. A) demand B) offering C) target market D) value proposition E) brand 2) _______ 3) Automobile manufactures, new car and used car dealers, financing companies, and insurance companies are all part of the automobile ________. A) marketportal B) marketplace C) metamarket D) marketspace E) metamediary Read MoreMarketing and B. Market Development3395 Words   |  14 Pages  Fernando was thrilled to find out that his company had just decided to invest a great deal of money in the product he was managing. He knows that even with its recent high rate of growth and the fact that it dominates its market, he would need more money to establish it firmly. Using the BCG portfolio analysis, his product would be classified as a(n):   A.  star. B.  cash cow. C.  question mark. D.  dog. E.  Anchor 2.  Adrienne decides to add new sales representatives and increase advertising in her