Tda 2.6

Assessment Task- TDA 2. 6 Help improve own and team practice in schools. 3. Understand the work of a team. This essay will demonstrate my knowledge about working as a team, the importance of it and who forms the team at the school where I work. I will look at the aims of my school and where I fit into that as a voluntary Teaching Assistant and I will also show how other members of the team all work together to reach the same goal. One person alone could not complete the entire workload a school requires to function.To teach, to feed, to make safe, to make a happy place all needs the work of a very dedicated team who work together to achieve the same goal, at Priestsic Primary and Nursery school where I work this is: â€Å"To create a safe, healthy and stimulating environment in which the children feel secure and are willing and eager to spend their time. † And this team is also encouraged to: â€Å"allow the children to reach as high a level as their ability allows increasing their pleasure, understanding and confidence. †Priestsic Primary School-Teaching Assistant Student Booklet 2010. This is all achieved by individuals who work together, sharing ideas and knowledge to make a really good team a great one. The school staff are not the only ones encouraged to practice teamwork â€Å"Children are encouraged to work as part of a team and to respect other people’s beliefs and feelings. † Priestsics Home School Agreement 2010 This message is enforced in the Schools Home School Agreement which is given out to parents at the start of a child coming to school.There is no doubt that my school values teamwork in everyone who is associated with it. The morale of the school is very high and I have seen for myself that everyone I ask a question of, they are willing to help and if they don’t know an answer they will find someone for me who does. It is enjoyable to be at a school where everyone is happy to help each other and it is absolute ly motivational and if I feel this way as a partial outsider, then the children must also feel very proud that they belong to a school with staff members who really care about them and their education.The purpose and objectives of the team in which I work is to be focussed and knowledgeable about literacy and Maths. The teacher in the class that I work in is the Literacy co-ordinator for the Year and the teacher in the opposite side of the classroom is the Maths co-ordinator so the two teachers work very closely together, they complement each other. One takes charge of the Literacy activities and the other devises the Maths activities and they share these within the classrooms.My working environment is split into two sides with a dividing curtain, my teacher has 30 children and the other teacher has 30 children and together they make up Year Two at the school. The two teachers are constantly consulting each other about Maths and Literacy matters and they share ideas between themselv es. I work with both of the teachers and they will often give me a group of children to work with who perhaps need more support and they will introduce activities to me by explaining what they are and if I need to give specific help to someone they will give me the time to do this.The qualified Teaching Assistants in the class will help the teachers set up the activities and help with the planning and then I help, when I go in , executing the practicalities like setting out tables or making displays. â€Å"members of the team will need to understand their role and how it fits with the role of other members of the team†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Burnham and Baker 2010 When I first began my placement at Priestsic Primary and Nursery School I was given a â€Å"Teaching Assistant Student booklet† and it defines my role by stating: What will be expected of you:The children spend quite a lot of time sat on the carpet, particularly during numeracy and literacy. You will be expected to either su pport particular children or to be sat in the classroom preparing resources/displays. It goes on to say that You may also be expected to: Sharpen pencils File children’s work Supervise children’s milk time. This is my role as a student and it is what I do whenever I go into my placement. The qualified Teaching Assistant works very closely with me whose role it is to: †¢ Work under the direct instruction of teaching/senior staff, usually in the classroom. To attend to the pupils personal needs. †¢ To prepare the classroom as directed. nottinghamshirecountycouncil. gov. uk. I usually help the Teaching Assistant with her role so as to free up the teacher so she can carry out her role, which includes: †¢ Teaching all areas of the primary curriculum †¢ Organising the classroom and learning resources to create a positive learning environment. †¢ Plan, prepare and present lessons that cater for the needs of the whole ability range within the class and to †¢ Work with others to plan and co-ordinate work.TES. co. uk So the teacher, Teaching Assistant and Student Teaching Assistant all work very closely together in the classroom to support the children, we also rely on the help of the midday supervisors to look after the children at mealtimes, they ensure that they sit and eat nicely that the children clear up after themselves and they ensure acceptable standards of behaviour are maintained in the playground afterwards. If they do not they inform the teacher and necessary action will be taken, such as that child missing the next playtime.Teachers also need the help of the Administration staff who answer the telephone and act as a first point of contact for the school. They send out any necessary letters, they monitor and control visitors with the help of the Site Manager who is responsible for who comes onto the site and the security of the building. Our Site Manager at the school will also help the Teacher if she needs chairs or tables getting for displays, he cleans up any spillages and he changes the toilet rolls and is responsible for the general groundwork of the school.All of these people who help form the team at school are ultimately responsible to the Head teacher whose role it is to: †¢ Lead and manage the school †¢ To ensure the achievement of educational standards †¢ To promote and safeguard the welfare of the children. †¢ To work in partnership with the governing body, staff and parents generating the ethos and values which will underpin the school. TES. co. uk Every single person who works at a school has an important job to do even the cleaners who make a great job of keeping the classrooms clean and tidy.Without the skills set of all these people the school would not function properly and so for that reason I respect everyone who I work with. I might not know about a hazardous substance so I would have to rely on the expertise of a cleaner or the Site Manager to tell m e if I could use it or not. I do not understand the workings of the curriculum so I would need the help of the teacher to explain it to me. I think that it is absolutely vital to respect the skills and expertise of other practitioners, especially at the moment when I am so new to the school working environment.I never take anyone for granted and always listen to what they have to say. Everyone is different and even if two people have done the same course to come back and teach a class they will have different ways of doing so. I would personally never dream of going into school and try to tell somebody what to do because I feel that I don’t have the knowledge yet to do so, as described by Burnham and Baker 2010; â€Å"If a member of your team has been working in schools for a long time and a new person comes in and tells them that things should be done in a different way, it will cause bad feeling and resentment. I could not agree more with this statement and feel that you w ould gain more respect by showing that you are open to ideas and suggestions from other members of staff. It is invaluable to me to have done so from first going into school, I have learnt so much from different people and I have found that everyone treats me the same way in which I treat them, friendly, honestly and respectfully. I thoroughly enjoy working as part of a team that makes up a school.Although I am still learning about where everybody fits in I feel that every time I go into my school I learn something new about peoples roles and how they work in the successful team that is Priestsic Primary and Nursery school. Everyone values each other and no one is selfish, the staff share ideas and work together professionally to maintain the schools aim â€Å"To create a safe, healthy and stimulating environment in which the children feel secure and are willing and eager to spend their time. Teamwork is not only important in schools it is probably the most important thing in schoo ls where Teachers, Teaching Assistants, Midday Supervisors, Admin staff, Cleaners, the Site Manager and the Head teacher all work together to make the school a happy, safe, educational place to be. BIBLIOGRAPHY Priestsic Primary School – Teaching Assistant Student Booklet 2010. Priestsics Home School Agreement 2010. Burnham and Baker 2010. nottinghamshirecountycouncil. gov. uk. TES. co. uk

Framework for the Assessment of Children and their Families Essay

The Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families (which I will refer to as the assessment framework in this assignment) is an ecological framework that includes personal, intra-personal, inter-personal and sociological influences on development. It was developed in response to findings from a programme of research on child protection (Department of Health 1995), and a series of government inspections (Social Services Inspectorate 1997a,b). Social workers often have to balance the needs of children and families with agency requirements, which Davies (1997), points out are often underpinned by a legal mandate therefore accountability is a complex concept in social work. The assessment framework provides a systematic way of gathering, analysing, understanding and recording what is happening to children and young people within their families and the wider context of the community in which they live, (Department of Health, Department for Education and Employment, Home Office, 2000); and the skill in undertaking and recording an assessment according to Coulshed & Orme (1998 p.26) lies in the ability of professionals to collect enough of the right kind of information and this can only be done in the right kind of environment. Cleaver and Walker’s (2003) research study found that the implementation of the assessment framework overall has been successful, it has facilitated joint working  between agencies having a profound influence on policy and practice in children’s services. The Every Child Matters policy initiative was a positive social policy programme in a lot of respects and a catalyst for radical reform however some of the processes and procedures invaded and undermined the rights of the child to privacy under Article 8 of the European Convention for Human Rights (ECHR), Hoyle, (2008), which I will discuss further in this assignment. There have been many criticisms of the assessment framework and Helm (2011) mentions that even though the quality of assessments have improved there is persistent difficulty with levels and quality of analysis and a repeated failure amongst professionals to pay sufficient attention to what children and young people may be saying about their own needs and experiences. Parton (2010) highlights that during the period since late 2008 & the tragic death of Baby P, the focus has shifted more centrally to child protection where prior to this period the emphasis was on ‘safeguarding’, and there has been a renewed official priority given to social work to which the developments have been given an added impetus with the election of the Conservative/Liberal Democrat Coalition government in May 2010 which generated the Munro review into child protection. I will provide a critical analysis of how relevant legislation and policy impact on assessing the needs of children and their families and I will discuss ways that inadequate assessments can lead to failures. To successfully implement the assessment framework a process has to be followed which requires social workers to be skilful and experienced. I will explore ways in which the assessment framework is a useful tool in contemporary social work practice, identifying the significance of risk and safeguarding with children and young people and how we can learn from past mistakes. In addition I will discuss some of the dilemmas that social workers face with the assessment process in relation to the rights of children and families. Legislation and Policy in the Children and Families Assessment Framework The assessment framework was introduced under section (7) of the Local Authority Social Services Act in 2000 and implemented in April 2001. (Millar & Corby, (2006). It followed the introduction of the Children Act (1989) which legitimises actions taken by social workers. The framework builds on the duties of assessment of needs set out in section (17) and schedule (2) para (3) of the Children Act 1998. (Parker & Bradley, p.18), and builds on responsibilities under section (47) of the Children Act which obliges local authorities to consider making inquires if concerns have been expressed about a child’s well-being or possible maltreatment. Assessments under section (47) involve a shared responsibility in consultation with other professionals. Failure to properly implement Section (17) schedule (2) meant that the broader welfare needs of disadvantaged children was overlooked so the DOH had to refocus social work practice so that child protection concerns were included in the assessment framework. Parker (2007) states that the assessment framework is policy driven and highlights the importance of inter-agency sharing of information and cooperation in working together, while emphasising the principles of person-centred, strengths-based practice. It is made up of three domains (triangle) that represent the child’s developmental needs, the parenting capacity to respond to those needs and family and environmental factors with the child’s welfare at the centre (Department of Health, 2000a). According to Parton (2010), there was an important shift under the New Labour government away from services that were framed primarily in terms of ‘the family’ to ones that were explicitly ‘child-centred’. The Every Child Matters (ECM) policy framework a direct response to the Climbie Report was developed within government and championed by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) in September (2003), and underpins the Children Act (2004). The ECM joined-up services for children and families under one roof; so how can anyone dispute that not every child matters? Well, it only applied in 150 local authority areas in England and was not scheduled for  implementation in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, which would lead to the assumption that every child matters in England but not in the United Kingdom. Also under the ECM framework was a considerable financial investment, made in establishing a universal child surveillance database (Contact Point) and countless areas of activity concerning children but were brigaded under the ‘every child matters’ brand. The Integrated Children System which built on the assessment framework according to White et al, (2010) disrupted the professional task, engendering a range of unsafe practices and provoked a gathering storm of user resistance, (p.405). Parton (2011, p.16) notes that the Conservative/Liberal Democrat Coalition government made it clear, after its election victory in May 2010, that it was the reduction in the public finance debt that was its overriding and most urgent political priority and immediately set about reducing public expenditure. The new government established an independent review of child protection, chaired by Eileen Munro within three weeks of coming into office, (Parton, 2010, p.2); and the new government also began to dismantle key elements of the ECM framework (e.g. Contact Point), and almost consigned the enormous ECM website to the archive! ( Butler & Hickman, 2011). Research tells us that when thresholds are likely to be raised if there are limited resources, financial constraints or the pressure of increased workloads, this is a way that organisations can ration responses, by prioritising cases, (Turney et al, 2011), executive summary notes that, where children are neglected or abused evidence in dicates that the help they received from services was inadequate. The Munro review is the latest in a long line of policy initiatives in England set up to address the challenges for the state and wider society to the problem of child abuse. (Parton, 1985:2006). The review argues that a major reason why child protection policy and practice has developed in the way that it has in England arises from negative and critical responses from the media to professionals, in particular social workers, so improving the public image of social work is key to improving child protection. (Parton,  2012, p.158). But the review did not make it clear what it meant by child protection or what it identified as the main aims of the child protection system (p.154) The Assessment Process Assessment can be seen as an on-going, continuous and mutual process in which the service user interacts and participates. Darlymple and Burke (2006) explain that participation defines an activity where people are not just listened to or consulted but are also able to influence and achieve change. It is a process of what has happened and what is happening now. (Butler & Hickman, 2011 p.168), and Smale et al. (1993) highlight the idea of ‘exchange’ in assessment in which a two-way communication takes place, enabling the views of service users and professionals to be accorded equal respect. The assessment framework describes itself as ‘rooted in child development’, (DOH, 2000) therefore it is vital that social workers have a thorough understanding in child development as this is critical for work with children and families. It takes the skill and talent and understanding of a social worker to make sense of the information gathered from different sources and begin the process with the information in front of them. Sometimes the information needs to be collected again and again at the cost of the people using the services, especially if they have already given information to a social worker previously, but the process is an on-going one so in some cases negotiations need to be made with a range of people. Each child’s needs should be assessed individually when referred to services. An initial assessment is completed within 7-10 days. The initial assessment gathers information along the three parameters of assessment framework, which determines what services (if any) are needed. The tight time constraints can at this stage in the assessment framework can influence the initial decisions about where and how to manage referrals. Regan (2001) mentions that the form filling associated with the assessment framework is a time-consuming obstacle to the process of engaging helpfully with people.  (cited in Millar & Corby, 2006, p. 888). The core assessment which is an in-depth process containing numerous questions, is only necessary if it is clear from the initial assessment that a more detailed assessment is required and if there are safeguarding concerns. It uses the full model of the assessment (the child’s needs, the needs within the wider community) and the (capacity of the parents) and should be done within 35 working days. Current statutory guidance on promoting the health and well-being of looked after children (DCSF, 2009) suggests the use of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) as an early stage screening tool for this purpose. (cited in Turney et al, 2011). In social work practice, it is important to agree on the assessment plan with the child and it’s family so all parties are aware who is going to be doing ‘what’ and ‘when’, and how the assessment will be used to inform overall judgements about the child’s needs and subsequent planning, (DOH, 2000a). Two studies conducted by Corby et al, (2002a) who sought the views of 34 sets of parents being assessed under the new framework, concluded that almost all parents were satisfied or had positive views about the initial assessments and two-thirds felt in a similar way about core assessments. Focus groups who also took part in the study were also positive about initial assessments and had mixed views about the core assessments. The majority raised issues about time constraints and staff resources. The study doesn’t mention, which local authority area the study took place, the ages of the parents or the ethnic origins as this may have made a difference to the outcome. Anti-oppressive and Anti-discriminatory practice when conducting assessments should take into account people’s differences, for example religion, colour or race. If assessments are done correctly it will be person-centred and will include diverse factors such as the gender, sexuality or age of a person, cited in Turney et al, (2011). They also note criticisms of the child development model and that it doesn’t take into account the child’s disability and suggest that the assessment should include tailoring of templates to reflect their strengths, abilities and needs through their chosen method of communication. Coulshed and Orme (1983) discuss drawbacks to the assessment process in that they could be used to control not just access to services but also disadvantaged sections of the community for example dossiers kept on so-called ‘problem families’ or those who have assertively sought assistance, and Ahmad (1990) mentions the adjective ‘aggressive’ which is applied to black clients who assert their needs for equitable services and that white assessments fail to take into account black realities and environments. Preston-Shoot, (2003) adds that studies have shown that social workers have a lack of referencing to research and theory in their assessment reports. The components of the assessment framework requires more than just vision. It requires social workers to observe behaviours as well as gather information which can be non-verbal, for example observing facial expressions, looking at attachments with family members, observing body language etc. The message in social worker practice is clear, that when working with children and their families it is vital to have a non-judgemental manner, not to make assumptions when carrying out assessments and intervening with individuals and to keep an open mind. In addition social workers should, maintain adequate and accurate note keeping records and should ensure accountability when working in collaboration with other organisations. Risk and Safeguarding The discussion of risk and safeguarding and allocation of resources is a reminder of the power that social workers hold. The assessment framework (Department of Health et al., 2000), attempted to move the focus from the assessment of risk of child abuse and ‘significant harm’ (Department of Health, 2001) to one that was concerned with the idea of risk of impairment to a child’s overall development in the context of their family and community environment. (cited in Parton, 2010 p.7). Parton, (2010) discusses that by the early 1990s the child protection and child welfare systems could be characterised in terms of the need to  identify ‘high risk’ cases so that these could be differentiated from the rest. According to Dale et al., 1986; Parton and Parton, 1989, ‘High-risk’ was conceptualised in terms of ‘dangerousness’, for it occurred in the small minority of ‘dangerous families’, and such families were subject to extreme family dysfunctions and violent personalities and were seen as the primary cause of child abuse and needed to be identified so children could be protected. Government guidelines that specifically focused on ‘the protection of children from abuse’ was reinforced further in the only official guide on the purpose and content of professional assessments from the Department of Health, (1998) guide, Protecting Children: A Guide for Social Workers Undertaking a Comprehensive Assessment. The guide was specifically designed for social workers in cases where abuse was either substantiated or highly suspected and was concerned with assessments for ‘long-term planning in child protection’ cases. (Parton, 2010, p.6) So how can risk be identified? According to the (2003) Green Paper the risk characteristics of experiencing negative outcomes is concentrated in children with certain characteristics, and the more risk factors a child had, the more likely it was that they would experience negative outcomes for example ‘poor parenting’, ‘crime’ and ‘anti-social & deviant behaviour’ are seen to playing key roles and it is stated that identifying factors and intervening early provided a major strategy for overcoming the social exclusion of children and avoiding problems later in life. (cited in Parton, 2010, p.10) The Department of Health (Social Care Institute for Excellence, 2005), following the introduction of the Children Act (1989) commissioned a series of research studies which reported an over-emphasis on issues of abuse and neglect at the expense of assessing and supporting families. The (SCIE) drafted the report ‘Managing risk and minimising mistakes in services to children and families’ in 2005. The report based on a pilot study of organisational approaches to risk management and includes opportunities for learning from safeguarding incidents. The teams involved in the study were practitioners and service users recruited from England and Wales and fieldwork was conducted in July/August 2004 from both teams. Regarding the  needs assessment, the report mentions that assessing and safeguarding children from significant harm is complex, which means that near misses involves cases where potential significant harm to children was overlooked. During the referral and assessment stage the near misses arise due to the prioritisation of cases  professional not having an accurate or full picture of what is happening decisions made by other teams or agencies The report concludes that in relation to assessing the needs of children in particular the need to safeguard them from significant harm practitioners commentaries showed that near misses were a regular occurrence and were part and parcel of the job. The report also suggested that latent failures are embedded in the system which include a lack of sufficient resources to meet the needs of children and families. (SCIE, 2005, p.35) The role of social work practice in children’s services in England has in relation to child protection seen a dramatic change. Since late 2008, Parton (2010) mentions that following the Baby P’s tragic death, policy and practice have moved in new directions and the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS, 2009) reported that there were nearly 50 per cent more care applications to court in the second half of 2008-09 compared with the first half of that year. High-profile and very public criticisms of social workers and other health and welfare professionals in cases of child abuse put increasing pressure on child welfare services in the UK. (Parton, 1985; Butler and Drakeford, (2005). More recently the sentencing of 9 Asian men in the ‘Rochdale Grooming’ case in which critics have highlighted further ‘protection’ issues amongst professionals. So with clear messages from research, what is the best way for professionals to address issues of risk to children? The report focused primarily on active failures and it states that good practice is to learn from past mistakes and a key means for learning is to harness the knowledge and expertise from service users and to improve assessment systems promoting the welfare of children and families. (SCIE, 2005). Social workers also need to  know why they are seeking a particular piece of information and how to process it questioning all the information from sources, being intuitive and thinking analytically and critically. Professional issues in relation to rights of children and families and the assessment process. Jones (2001) mentions that social work assessment frameworks in general largely ignore the value of listening and forming supportive relationships, diminishing the power of service users to express their concerns effectively, and adds that social workers often have to balance the needs and rights of the child with those of the parents. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) sets out the independent rights of the children, but it also states that the ‘best interests of the child’ are usually served by supporting the child’s family, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, (2005). The (JRF), 2005 study examined the tensions inherent in child and family policy, it’s implications of human rights legislation for policy development and the extent to which government has managed these responsibilities through the development of appropriate policies and structures for service delivery. The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), sets out the parents and children entitlements, including the right for respect for family life enshrined in Article (8). The (2005) study encourages a debate about managing the tensions between policies in support of children and those directed at parents and the family and concludes that contradictions and conflicts in policy in children’s welfare eclipses parents’ rights, and there is no consistent overview of how interests of family members are managed across the generations. It also states that at local level, Children’s Trusts might be strengthened by changing their name to Children and Family Trusts encouraging holistic thinking and making their remit explicit. ‘Although the ECHR has been integrated into domestic law through the Human Rights Act, it’s entitlements are not promoted in social policy and despite signing up to the CRC the government has not incorporated its articles into UK legislation’. (JRF, 2005) It is important as part of the assessment process and for a good assessment to keep the focus of the child at the centre of the assessment process. Although this may be a problem with teenagers who are already going through changes and many of whom have estranged relationships with their parents and families. Studies note that there is sometimes an unwillingness of some social workers to intervene with teenagers and evidence from Serious Case Reviews indicate that suicide was a common cause of death with teenagers aged between the ages of 16 to 17 years of age. Social workers need to be aware of the dangers and of the impact of non-engagement with teenagers, and agencies need to have appropriate strategies and resources in place to address their needs (Brandon et al., 2008 and 2009; Hicks and Stein, 2010; Stein, 2007) (cited in Turney et al , (2011). The Turney et al, (2011) research article indicates that there are difficulties for many social workers in making and sustaining relationships with children and with representing the child’s voice in assessments and evidence shows that on occasions practice has fallen short of the standard required. Helm (2011) writes that children and young people have clearly identified that professionals fail to really listen, not because of a lack of time, but because they focus on adults views and protect themselves from the difficult nature of what they are being told. (p.908) Ferguson, (2001) mentions the difficulties that social workers and other professionals face in such cases of assessing the needs of children while at the same time trying to engage a mother and father who don’t always want the intervention, and research shows that there is considerable evidence that the nature of parental relationships with professionals affect decisions arising from assessments. Turney et al, (2011). Assessments of disabled children raises a number of complexities and challenges; for example the child developmental model underpinning the assessment framework can be seen by some social workers as not appropriate for disabled children (Cleaver et al.,2004; Mitchell and Sloper, 2008). Children need support at various stages of the assessment process so as to be  able to exercise their own rights. (Butler & Williamson 1994, Darlymple & Hough 1995). The child’s views whether expressed verbally or non-verbally and those of relevant people in the child’s life to the assessment is usually sought to get ideas about the best way of helping the child. (Coulshed and Orme, p.26). The assessments of parents relies on verbal communication, but if the parent has learning disabilities or there are language barriers communication could be misinterpreted. A qualitative study carried out by Walker (1999 a,b) in which 15 children aged between 12 and 15 were interviewed for the purpose of viewing children’s experiences of review meetings. Many of the children viewed assessment as formal and bureaucratic, which they said took place on the adults’ terms, and many wanted to get away from the meetings as soon as possible. One child described feeling as an outsider, when adults opened their diaries and planned the next meeting without consultation with the child. Some children felt the language used was difficult, and the aim of meetings was to talk about them and not with them. Conclusion The Assessment Framework is underpinned by child development and an ecological framework developed in response to findings from a programme of research on child protection. It provides a systematic way for social workers to gather and analyse information and recordings of what is happening to children and young people within their families and the wider community in which they live. Legislation and policy legitimises what actions social workers can take when undertaking assessments. There was an important shift under the New Labour Government in assessment with the ‘Every Child Matters’ policy framework which was a direct response to the Climbie Report & the death of Victoria Climbie. The ECM framework joined-up children’s services under one roof, but it was only implemented in England, it was a considerable financial investment and established a child surveillance database and countless areas of activity were brigaded under the ‘every child matters’ brand. Within 3 weeks of coming into office in May 2010, the Conservative/Liberal Democrat Coalition government’s most urgent political priority was reducing the public finance debt. The government established an independent review of child protection chaired by Eileen Munro, which is the latest in a long line of policy initiatives in England. The new government dismantled the key elements of the ECM framework almost consigning the enormous ECM website to the archives. The Assessment Framework as a process appears to have been welcomed by professionals and service users, but there have been criticisms. Messages from research tell us that the issues raised from professionals regarding the assessment process were the time constraints and staff resources and usually when there are limited resources, thresholds are likely to be raised and organisations tend to ration responses to their services by prioritising cases, and Turney et al (2011) note that in cases where children are neglected or abused evidence shows that the help they received from services was inadequate. Discussing Risk and Safeguarding according to Parton (2010) ‘high risk’ in the early 1990’s was conceptualised in terms of ‘dangerousness’ and occurred in a small minority of dangerous families. But the 2003 Green Paper looks at certain characteristics associated with risk such as ‘poor parenting’ or ‘anti-social behaviour’ (deviance) as playing a key role in negative outcomes associated to ‘risk’. The Social Care Institute for Excellence 2005 study found that during the referral and assessment stages near misses occurred due to prioritisation over cases and professionals not having an accurate or full picture of what is happening in a child’s life and that near misses were part and parcel of the job. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child notes ‘the best interests of the child’ are usually served by supporting the child and their family and although the European Convention on Human Rights sets out the parents and children entitlements in Article 8, according to a study conducted by the (2005) Joseph Rowntree Foundation study the entitlements  are not promoted to social policy and despite signing up to the CRC the government has not incorporated its articles into UK legislation. For good assessments it is important that social workers keep the focus on the children and young people and use intuitive skills even though there are difficulties in social work practice in making and sustaining relationships. References Ahmad, A. (1990) Practice with Care, London, Race Equality Unit/National Institute for Social Work. Bartlett, H. (1970) The Common Base of Social Work Practice. New York: National Association of Social Workers. Brandon, M., Bailey, S., Belderson, P., Gardner, R., Sidebotham, P., Dodsworth, J., Warren, C. and Black, J. (2009) Understanding Serious Case Reviews and their impact: A Biennial Analysis of Serious Case Reviews 2005-07. Research Report DCSF-RR129. University of East Anglia. Brandon, M., Belderson, P., Warren, C., Howe, D., Gardner, R., Dodsworth, J and Black, J. (2008). Analysing Child Deaths and Serious Injury through Abuse and Neglect: What Can We Learn? A biennial analysis of serious case reviews 2003-2005. Research Report DCSF-RR023. University of East Anglia. Butler, I. And Drakeford, M. (2005) Scandal Social Policy and Social Welfare, Bristol, Policy Press. Butler, I & Hickman C. (2011). Social Work with Children and Families: Getting into Practice. Third edition. Jessica Kingsley Publishers. London Butler, I. & Williamson, H. (1994), Children speak, Children, trauma and social work. Essex: Longman Information and Reference. Cleaver, H., and Walker, S. (2003) From policy to practice: the implementation of a new framework for social work assessments of children and families. Child and Family Social Work 2004, 9, pp 81-90. Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Cleaver, H. & Walker, S. with Meadows, P. (2004) Assessing Children’s Needs and Circumstances: The Impact of the Assessment Framework. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Coulshed,V and Orme, J. (1998) Social Work Practice: an introduction, Basingstoke: Macmillan. Dale, P., Davies, M., Morrison, T. and Waters, J. (1986) Dangerous Families: Assessment and Treatment of Child Abuse, London, Tavistock. Dalrymple, J. & Hough, J. (eds) (1995), Having a Voice. An Exploration of Children’s Rights and Advocacy. Birmingham: Venture Press. Davies, M. (1997) (ed) The Blackwell Companion to Social Work. Oxford: Blackwell. Department of Health (1995) Child Protection: Messages from Research. HMSO, London. Department of Health (1988) Protecting Children: A Guide for Social Workers undertaking a comprehensive assessment. London: HMSO Department of Health, Department for Education and Employment, Home Office. (2000). Framework for the assessment of children in need and their families, London: The Stationery Office. Every Child Matters Green Paper, Retrieved, 30th May 2012 from http://publications.everychildmatters.gov.uk Helm, D. (2011) â€Å"Judgements or Assumptions? The Role of Analysis in Assessing Children and Young People’s Needs†. British Journal of Social Work, 41, 894-911 Hoyle, D. (2008). ‘Problematizing Every Child Matters’ the encyclopedia of informal education. Retrieved June 8th 2012 from http://www.infed.org Jones, C. (2001) ‘Voices from the front line: state social workers and New Labour’, British Journal of Social Workers, 31 (4), pp. 547-562. Jones, P. (2011) â€Å"What are Children’s Rights?: Contemporary Developments and Debates†. Part One; Chapter Overview. Retrieved, 29th May 2012 from http://www.sagepub.com Joseph Rowntree Foundation. (2005). Findings; Informing Change: â€Å"Human Rights obligations and policy supporting children and families†. Retrieved, 29th May 2012 from www.jrf.org.uk Mitchell, W. and Sloper, P. (2008) The Integrated Children’s System and Disabled Children. Child and Family Social Work, 13 (3): 274-285. Parker, J. (2007) â€Å"Chapter 11: the process of social work: Assessment, Planning, Intervention and Review†. In, Lymbery, Mark & Postle, Karen (Eds.), Social Work: a companion to learning, pp. 111-122, London: SAGE Publications Ltd. Parker, J and Bradley, G. (2005) Social Work Practice: Assessment, Planning, Intervention and Review. Learning Matters. Parton, C. and Parton, N. (1989) ‘Child Protection, the law and dangerousness’, in O. Stevenson (ed), Child Abuse: Public Policy and Professional Practice, Hemel Hempstead, Harvester-Wheatsheaf. Parton, N. (1985). The Politics of Child Abuse, Basingstoke, Macmillan. 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(2010) ‘When policy overlaps itself: The ‘tragic tale’ of the integrated children’s system.’ Critical Social Policy 30, 3, 405-429.

Firearms at a Crime Scene Essay

After a firearm has been photographed at the scene, it will be necessary to be rendered safe. An automatic pistol will require its magazine to be removed and the round extracted from the chamber. When removing the magazine it will need to be handled carefully in order to preserve potential fingerprint evidence and be placed in a paper or plastic evidence bag. The round from the chamber should be placed in a plastic vial or paper envelope. A revolver will need to have the rounds taken from the chambers within the cylinder. The chamber that is on top and in line with the barrel will need to be marked. The cylinder and chambers should be sketched and assigned numbers. As the rounds are removed from the chambers, they need to be placed in individual plastic vials or paper envelopes with a corresponding chamber number indicated. Regardless of type, automatic or revolver, each firearm will need to have an identification tag affixed to its trigger guard. The identification tag needs to contain the hammer position, caliber, make, model and serial number of the firearm, the investigators name, date, time, and location of collection. An additional identifier can be scratched on to the firearm, in an inconspicuous location, and in a manner that will not damage potential evidence. If the firearm was recovered from under the water’s surface, it will need to be cleared as mentioned previously, pertinent details recorded, and placed in an evidence container that will allow it to remain covered in the same water that it was found. The firearm should not be cleaned or allowed to dry. The rounds recovered from either type of weapon will need to be packaged individually, preferably in plastic vials or paper envelopes. Each vial or envelop will need to be accompanied by the following information: date, time and location of recovery, caliber, and investigators name. If a bullet is found at the scene it should be handled carefully in order to protect the striation marks. Bullets should not be pulled out of materials that they are lodged in; the surrounding materials should be broken or chiseled away. The bullet should be marked either on the point or the base, wrapped in tissue paper, placed in a plastic vial or envelope, and the afore mentioned information attached to the applicable evidence container. Spent shell casings, if found, should be picked up with tweezers or forceps, marked with an identifier near the mouth of the casing, packaged individually in plastic vials or envelopes, and be accompanied by the previously mentioned pertinent information. It is imperative that the chain of custody reflects the change of possession when any item is handed over to a laboratory or testing facility.

Computer security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Computer security - Essay Example From this analysis, it has been deduced that PCs could be attacked without their users’ awareness by an effortless visit to any website that has been infiltrated by hackers [1]. Finkle and By Anoop noted that researchers have realized a code that attacks PCs by taking advantage of a newly discovered error in the newest installation of Java. In a subsequent piece of program called â€Å"Poison Ivy,† its release allowed hackers gain authority over the infected PC. PCs are vulnerable to infection without the users’ awareness merely by a visit to any website that has been infiltrated by hackers [1]. It is worth noting that a number of security organizations counseled users to instantly render Java program inoperative. This applied to the software installed through their internet browsers. These browsers had some nature on the great majority of PCs across the globe [2]. According to oracle, Java is present in 97% of activity PCs. Computer security specialists have commended the disabling of Java scripts for global usage on their browsers by PC owners. Rather, they stated that it was securer to authorize the usage of java browser plug-ins on a case-by-case when pressed for authorization by trusted software [1]. [1] Anoop. (2012, Aug.) â€Å"Quick! Disable or Uninstall Java from Your PC before Its Too Late†, Hacktabs. Available: http://www.hacktabs.com/quick-disable-or-uninstall-java-from- your-pc-before-its-too-late/ [2] J. Finkle. (2012, Aug.) â€Å"Java Update Leaves PCs Open To Hackers, Experts Warn†, Huffingtonpost. Available:

E-Commerce business model Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

E-Commerce business model - Coursework Example In fact, the business has been making a profitable use of its e-commerce platform to attract new customers as well as retain existing customers. For this purpose the business model that this business has adopted is known as business2customer (B2C) model. This business model allows GAP Enterprise to perform transactions directly with its customers. The web site contains a wide variety of dresses for both males and females including with other accessories. In this report I will analyze the business structure of GAP Enterprise by paying a particular attention on its e-commerce business. In this report I will discuss its e-commerce model and how it makes use of its e-commerce business to attract its customers. In this report I will present some of recommendations regarding e-procurement, e-marketing, and improvement of online ordering and for Internationalization of the GAP website. Introduction In the past few years, traditional business practices have been replaced with modern and inno vative business environment. In this scenario, e-commerce is a very attractive trend that has attained the attention of the majority of business organization. Basically, e-commerce is a way of carrying out business tasks using the Internet or over the Internet. In this scenario, business and customers can communicate with each other. There are so many benefits of using an e-commerce business platform (Laudon & Laudon, 1999; Turban et al., 2005). This report will present a detailed analysis of an ecommerce platform. For this report I have chosen GAP’s e-commerce platform. Basically, this firm uses a business2customer business model for attracting different customers. In this report I will present an analysis of its different aspects. Though, the GAP Corporation is a web based e-commerce platform however it also works through a physical store can provide its customers with a wide variety of products varying from outfit and accessories such as head to toe with a well established brand. In addition, GAP Enterprise is aimed at offering and meeting the customer’s requirements and expectations in a unique manner. Thus, currently the GAP has also established the business offering a full range of â€Å"accessories and furnishings† for business customers to individualize their home, with a unique style of living and wearing. This report presents a detailed analysis of GAP’s e-commerce platform, e-commerce model and major recommendations for e-procurement, e-marketing, improvement of online ordering and for Internationalization of the GAP website. Figure 1Web site of GAP Enterprise, Image Source: www.GAP.com Organizational Overview Gap Inc. is a well-known retailer which presents a wide variety of accessories, clothing, and personal care products specially designed for women, men, babies and children under the Gap, Old Navy, banana republic, Athleta and Piperlime brands. Additionally, the staff working at Gap Inc. consists of more than 132,000 people. In addition, it has more than 3,000 corporate stores and more than 250 franchise stores all around the world. Some of the well-known brands of Gap Inc. are: (Gap Inc., 2012) Gap GapKids babyGap GapMaternity GapBody Banana Republic Old Navy Piperlime Athleta Figure 2 A Banner to Attract the customers Attraction for Customers GAP Inc. offers a wide variety of accessories and dressing styles developed through high quality fabrics and materials. Historically, this business started by offering outfit and access

LBST Assignment 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

LBST Assignment 3 - Essay Example stant faith the head authority is the individual, in orthodox Christianity this authority has been given to the seven ecumenical councils of their church. In other Christian groups, the scriptures are the main guidelines of faith but in the Eastern Church the writings of Greek fathers such as John Chrysostom, and St. Basil the Great are relied on heavily for teachings and some of their faith confessions of the 17th century are seen to have only historical significance (ReligionFacts, 2004). The Eastern churches place their emphasis on an individual’s experience with the truth and was able to produce a lot of what would be considered significant theological and philosophical thought in the first millennium and this is in contrast with the Western churches. Sin is viewed as the cause of the blurring of the human state from being in the image of God to being less human and ends in death according to the Eastern Church. In their opinion, salvation was set to reestablish mans relationship with God and reunite humans with the divine and not as a legal pardon as is the belief with the Western churches. These maintain the belief that human beings had freedom which they abused in the form of sin and it was taken away accompanied by a punishment and this is where grace and the forgiveness of sin through the and salvation comes in. The churches differ in their opinions of the trinity. The Eastern Church delves more into the preexistent and divine nature of Christ contrary to the Western Churches that delve more into the human nature of Christ. The difference in their views of the Holy Spirit led to the 11th century split due to the addition of the word filioque that was supposed to elaborate the divinity of the Son (ReligionFacts, 2004). The Eastern Church holds the belief that the spirit and the son have their origin from the father but the addition implies that the spirit proceeds from the father. The churches do not disagree on all religious view points. Both churches

Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Reflection - Essay Example In such a way, this author will define forgiveness within the organizational context as not only understanding that what was done had unexpected/unintended outcomes but also realizing that people are only human and that such situations occur within life. Additionally, this brief essay will also try to show the ways in which forgiveness within the organization is able to benefit overall efficiency, trust, and further realization of human nature. Finally, the essay will point to two distinct ways in which the ethical leader can try to instill the ideas of love, forgiveness, or trust within the organization, business, family or community. The first benefit that trust and forgiveness can have with regards to an organization is with respect to the greater level of stakeholder appreciation and buy in that it can affect. In such a way, an individual who is a member of an organization that puts a high level of emphasis upon trust and forgiveness will begin to understand that the culture of t his organization and/or business prizes these aspects above personal ego or profitability. All too often in the business world, profitability takes the lead role and other aspects or ethics fall by the wayside. However, if an organization shows that they comprise these aspects, the individual stakeholders will also come to appreciate them as well as. An obvious secondary benefit is with regards to the way in which forgiveness and trust emphasizes and appreciation within the organization that no one is perfect and all can make mistakes. This may seem as something quite obvious, however, by engaging in trust and forgiveness within the culture and human resource practices of an organization, community, or family, a culture of human understanding develops that does not place any ego above error. All too often, individuals within the higher structure of an organization or community set themselves up to have something of an infallible approach. The final level of benefit is with regards t o efficiency. Due to the fact that fewer feelings are hurt and fewer frustrations and anger is exhibited, it is possible for a far greater level of work to be accomplished without personal differences or frustrations aggravating the way in which work takes place. Although it cannot be said that the incorporation of a culture of trust and forgiveness means that full efficiency will be realized, it is an extremely helpful than that by which an organization, community, or family can help to encourage further efficiency without sacrificing any form of ethics or personal rights. With regards to two ways that an ethical leader can hope to encourage a greater level of trust and forgiveness within an organization, community, or family, it must be understood that these are primarily leading by example and by attempting to promote a culture of forgiveness and trust from the top down. Leaders from all organizations have understood throughout management experience that regardless of the level o f controls or guidelines that they engage their employees/stakeholders with, these are all but useless unless leadership by example is engaged. In short, even if a firm has a very solid human resources Department and a good product or service that they are offering, the level to which truth and forgiveness can be encouraged within this entity will be all but nonexistent if this same process is not engaged and shown to be appreciated from

Are HIV-Infected Persons at a Higher Risk for Certain Types of Cancer Article

Are HIV-Infected Persons at a Higher Risk for Certain Types of Cancer Comparative to the General Population - Article Example Subjects included in the study were 54, 780 HIV- infected persons in the Adult and Adolescent HIV disease project and 6948 HIV positive outpatients. The subjects were subjected to 2 large prospective cohort studies; the Adult and Adolescent Spectrum of HIV Disease (ASD) project and the HIV Outpatient Study (HOPS). 12-month initial medical review was conducted by the researchers to establish the characteristics of the subjects of study. During this period a total of 60,000 HIV infected persons were observed with over 180,000 person-years of observation. The HOPS study was conducted at 9 HIV specialty clinics in 8 US cities with the data being gathered electronically from physician-patient interactions. Of interest to the researchers included; symptoms, diagnoses, CD4 lymphocyte counts, laboratory test results and socio-demographic characteristics. For the HOPS project, investigators conducted follow-up medical reviews after a six month period. With the total study population of 54, 780 HIV-infected persons, median follow-up times were 2.0 and 2.6 years in the ASD and the HOPS projects respectively. Standardized Rate Ratios (SRRs) was used during data analysis to compare cancer incidences within the HIV infected population together with standardized cancer incidence within the general population. Multivariable Poisson regression was used to evaluate the trends of specific cancer types in HIV infected population. The study found that the incidence of a number of non-Aids defining cancer was higher within the HIV infected population comparative to the general population. The combined HOPS and ASD project identified 3550 cancer incidents of which 80% (2842) of the cases were Aids defining and the remaining 20% non-Aids defining cancer types. Subjecting  Subjecting specific cancer cases to Standardized rate ration (SRR), the resu lts were; 42.9, 21.0, 14.7, 7.7, 3.3, 2.6, 2.5, 2.3, and 1.8 for anal, vaginal, Hodgkin lymphoma, liver, lung, melanoma, oropharyn- geal, leukemia, colorectal and renal cancer types respectively.  

Analysis of Jewish Messianism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Analysis of Jewish Messianism - Essay Example The messianic concept of the Christians believed Jesus to be a messiah or the Son of God. In Christianity, Daniel prophesied that a messiah would come to rebuild the Promised Land and bring peace to Israel by defeating the wicked. The Messiah would be the Son of Man and a descendant of King David and he would redeem the Holy Land from the Philistines. The hope of such a messiah can be traced in the history of the people of Israel. The main difference in the messianic concepts of Judaism and Christianity lies in the fact that in Christianity, Jesus, the Messiah, suffers for the sins of man and has to die to redeem humanity and reconcile it to God’s righteousness. In Jewish messianic beliefs, the Messiah is the upholder of God’s justice and His supremacy. The other point of difference is that unlike Christianity, Judaism does not believe in the resurrection. The traditional belief amongst the Christians that the Messiah must suffer and die for the cause of humanity is not resonated in the Jewish faith. Also, the spread of Christianity and the retaliation reeked by the Romans led the Jews to be skeptical of messiahs. The arrival of the Messiah is a belief that Jews hold very dear and await God’s benediction by following a path of intense piety and puritanical rules. To the Jews, the anointed messiah would bring the world back to God’s ways, restore the religious courts of justice, gather all the exiled under the fold of the holy land, restore the line of David, and so on. When Jesus was unable to realize all these expectations, the concept of Messianism in Christianity changed from being another Jewish messianic sect to a completely new religion.  Ã‚  

The Tough Life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Tough Life - Essay Example She appears embittered about â€Å"lost beauty.†The woman lives in abject poverty, endures racial discrimination, suffers from mental illness, and feels abandoned. She is also depressed and lonely. The image of the woman reflects on the life experience of Native-Americans, secluded from their culture and entangled in cyclic poverty. For the woman, a mother of three, suicide seems to be the only avenue through which she can escape the harsh life in Chicago. As the author asserts, the woman speaks out for the other women watching her dangle from the window on the thirteenth floor. The squalid health of women becomes evident. Her only comfort is the memory of the good life she experienced as a child, which is nothing but a dream at the moment. The woman lives in a cruel world, surrounded by people who seem to care less even if she jumps to the ground. Her life is basically separated from death by a very thin thread. She is unable to speak about her despair, and attempted suicide seems the only sure way through which she can drive her point home. Cross-cultural issues appear the most significant problem in the poem. The woman hangs from a window in the 13th floor, which is often associated with bad luck and avoided in most buildings, where floor numbering usually jumps to fourteen from twelve. From personal experience of life away from one’s culture, I can attest what might have led the woman to think of attempted suicide. In New York City, I have also endured a very tough life relative to the one I lived back in my native country. Unlike in my homeland, I have to collect my laundry and wash away from my home. Also, I am forced to take the subway to the university, which takes a long time and thus very tiresome. Further, here in New York City, I have to walk a lot, while back in my country, I have my own car and a driver. Life has become so stressful

Ethno Nationalist Terrorism Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethno Nationalist Terrorism - Personal Statement Example in Palestine, with the assistance of Jews and English mandatory authorities, the agriculture and the industry started developing and new jobs appeared. Todays Arabs know well, who their ancestors and when and where they came to Palestine from. The citizens of Israel who live in settlements on the occupied territories follow the laws of Israel, and they have all the rights of citizens of Israel. At the same time inhabitants of occupied territories submit to the Jordanian code of laws and management of military authorities. Thus, in one territory there are 2 groups of people with different rights: one group of people (Israeli-Arabs) has more rights, at the same time as another (Palestinians) has less. This situation is identical to the situation in the Republic of South Africa where individuals of different nationalities had different rights, in particular, blacks, as well as Palestinians, had no right to vote and a freedom of movement t(Payes, 2005). Israeli-Arabs committed the acts of terrorism very seldom in comparison to Palestinians that can be explained by the fact that they have many privileges. Wimmer explains that the terrorists acts of Palestinians are provoked by the government of Israel which does not give them any chance for peaceful resolution: â€Å"It is infuriating that the passivity of the governments of the international community has allowed Israel to impose collective punishment, clearly prohibited by the international law, while the military machine of the occupation continued to act without compassion against the Palestinian civilian" (Wimmer, 2009). However, various violations were rather frequent and sometimes serious, giving Jews certain grounds to see in them silent allies of the enemies. Israeli-Arabs are also deprived of certain rights in comparison to Jews, because they are considered to be a threat to national security. Israel preferred to fight against threat from the side of the Israeli Arabs by means of their exclusion from the system

Essay on the the Secret Book Essay Example for Free

Essay on the the Secret Book Essay According to recent studies, self-help books – non-fiction books that offer advice for behavior modification and make explicit promises for positive change – have doubled as a percentage of all book titles since the 1970s. The increasing popularity of self-help books is an indicator of the modern societys quest to maximize personal happiness through a process of self-discovery. Self-help books are a response to a real and genuine hunger for psychological understanding and self-improvement and are part of the larger market of advice media. Readers buy self-help books seeking self-control – both as a good-faith attempt to increase their self-control and to elicit a temporary sensation that, in fact, the first step toward self-control has already been taken. And of recent years, one of the increasing self-help or spirituality books involve the teachings of New Age-ism. The New Age is a decentralized Western social and spiritual movement that seeks Universal Truth and the attainment of the highest individual human potential. It includes aspects of Occultism, astrology, esotericism, metaphysics, alternative medicine, music, collectivism, sustainability, and nature. New Age spirituality is characterized by an individual approach to spiritual practices and philosophies, and the rejection of religious doctrine and dogma. New Age practices and philosophies sometimes draw inspiration from major world religions: Buddhism, Chinese folk religion, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism; with particularly strong influences from East Asian religions, Gnosticism, Neopaganism, New Thought, Spiritualism, Theosophy, Universalism, and Western esotericism. New Age spirituality has led to a wide array of literature on the subject and an active niche market: books, music, crafts, and services in alternative medicine are available at New Age stores, fairs, and festivals. And one of the most phenomenal publishing successes in the self-help/New Age teachings is a book called The Secret. ABOUT THE SECRET Product Details The English-language 6. 9 x 5. 7 x 0. 9 inches hardcover book is fairly lightweight at 198 pages. It was first published in November 28, 2006 by Atria Books in Australia. In the United States of America, the book is published by Beyond Words and in United Kingdom by Simon Schuster UK. Product Description Fragments of a Great Secret have been found in the oral traditions, in literature, in religions and philosophies throughout the centuries. For the first time, all the pieces of The Secret come together in an incredible revelation that will be life-transforming for all who experience it. In this book, youll learn how to use The Secret in every aspect of your life money, health, relationships, happiness, and in every interaction you have in the world. Youll begin to understand the hidden, untapped power thats within you, and this revelation can bring joy to every aspect of your life. The Secret contains wisdom from modern-day teachers men and women who have used it to achieve health, wealth, and happiness. By applying the knowledge of The Secret, they bring to light compelling stories of eradicating disease, acquiring massive wealth, overcoming obstacles, and achieving what many would regard as impossible. Content of The Secret 1. Foreword 2. Acknowledgements 3. The Secret Revealed 4. The Secret Made Simple 5. How to Use The Secret 6. Powerful Processes 7. The Secret to Money 8. The Secret to Relationships 9. The Secret to Health 10. The Secret to the World 11. The Secret to You 12. The Secret to Life 13. Biographies The Secret Revealed The first thing you need to know is that The Secret isn’t really a secret. The secret is actually â€Å"The Law of Attraction† that asserts what you think creates what you feel, and these feelings flow from your body as magnetic energy waves over vast distances, which then cause the universe around you to vibrate at the same energy level as your feelings. The idea dates back nearly 3,000 years to early Hindu teachings that like attracts like. The law of attraction, which the author Rhonda Byrne says is the most powerful law in the universe, states that people experience the logical manifestations of their predominant thoughts, feelings, and words. This gives people direct control over their lives. A persons thoughts (whether conscious or unconscious) and feelings bring about corresponding positive or negative manifestations. Positive thoughts bring about positive manifestations while negative thoughts bring about negative manifestations. The theory is very simple. Because it is an absolute law, the law of attraction will always respond to your thoughts no matter what they are. Thus your thoughts become things. You are the most powerful power in the universe simply because whatever you think about will come to be. You shape the world that exists around you. You shape your own life and destiny through the power of your mind. To quote some of the teachings in this book are â€Å"Thoughts are sending out that magnetic signal that is drawing the parallel back to you. †Thus there is no such thing as accident or coincidence; it is you, the individual, who brings misery on yourself because of your toxic thinking. But the good news, if you can alter your thoughts, and therefore your feelings, you can actually cause the universe around you to vibrate at a positive energy level and the desires of your heart will come to be realized! All you have to do is Ask — Believe — Receive. You just have to visualize what you want, feel good about it, and then ask the universe — and whatever you can imagine can be yours. It is like having the universe as your catalogue and you flip through it and go, ‘Well I’d like to have this experience and I’d like to have that product and I’d like to have a person like that’ †¦ It is you just placing your order with the universe. The law of attraction was the power, the author argues, behind geniuses such as Plato, Newton, Beethoven and Einstein. In this book too, she has also gotten quotes, experiences and support from the whos who of the self-help industry, including John Gray, author of Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus, and Jack Canfield, who wrote Chicken Soup for the Soul. Jack Canfield, provides an excellent example of the ask-believe-receive system where he tells us that he visualized earning $100,000 (even writing the desired amount on a bill worth far less and tacking it to the ceiling above his bed) and focused his mental energy only on the goal of attaining the money. He tells us that he had absolutely no idea how he was going to get the money — he simply focused on believing that he would get the money, somehow. But how? For four weeks he had no breakthrough ideas but then, one day in the shower, he remembered that he had written a book and, if it was published (particularly if he sold 400,000 copies and he made a quarter on each) he just might achieve his financial goals. Of course the book was published, and the results were only a few thousand dollars shy of 100,000 dollars. And this is just one of the many testimonials in this book called The Secret. The Story Behind The Secret It is not a secret now that The Secret is a publishing phenomenon of recent years especially for in the non-fiction self-help category. This small book, with a parchment-brown cover engraved with the image of a red wax seal, debuted in 2006 and since then it has sold over four million copies worldwide and has been translated to 38 different languages. The Secret began as a DVD which came out end of 2004. Rhonda Byrne was a television producer in Australia in 2004 when the death of her father led her to discover ‘the secret’, which is her term for what is commonly known as the law of attraction. Her discovery was mainly caused by the 1910 book The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace Wattles. Wattless book struck such a chord with Byrne that she plunged into a crash course in Western, Eastern, ancient and modern thought, devouring hundreds of books and articles in just two and a half weeks. Inspired, she flew to the States in July 2005 and began lining up people to interview; the film was finished six months later and she began trying to find an Australian network to air it. The top-rated Nine Network was intrigued by her proposal, but the finished film struck Len Downs, the program manager, as just a whole range of talking heads giving their basis of the secret of life. It eventually ran in Australia just a few weeks ago, and, says Downs, it didnt do all that well. But armed with the law of attraction, Byrne was confident things would work out. A Web company situated just blocks away from her office in Melbourne had a technology for distributing streaming video over the Internet. In March 2006, her site (http://thesecret. tv) began selling downloads and DVDs, one of which found its way to Cynthia Black, president of the New Age-oriented publishing house Beyond Words saw its potential and by late November the book was in the stores and the rest as they say, is history. PURCHASING THE SECRET The Secret books are available at all major bookstores, online bookstore and through its official website. It is usually placed in the Health, Mind Body - Self Help category or Religion Spirituality - New Age category. At most of these major bookstores, The Secret books are placed most prominently on the shelves. Due to it being constantly on worldwide bestseller lists for non-fiction books thus the title is prominently displayed in the bookstores should the bookstore have a bestsellers display section. Its average retails price for cash carry stores are $23. 95 in the United States; ? 12. 00 in United Kingdom; and MYR79. 90 in Malaysia. While its average retail price for online purchases are $14. 00 and ? 12. 00 in United States and United Kingdom respectively. PROMOTING THE SECRET After the phenomenal success of the The Secret DVD, it made sense for it to be turned into a book and what better way for the marketers to embark on promoting the book than playing up the hype of the movie and using the popular internet marketing tool such as the viral video site YouTube. The book was marketed with an online viral video campaign focusing on wealth enhancement. The short video clips showed testimonials from readers of the book and practitioners of the secret claiming that the technique brought them wealth, cured sickness, and brought about a general life-change. The video clips do not disclose what the secret is, where it originated from or how it can be practiced, but rather pointed viewers to the website for both the book and film. Thus hooking the viewers and made them all the more intrigue by the claims made by the author in the book. As for packaging and promotional material, the book also played into the consumers’ senses by trying to showcase that the secret originates from the cosmos. The cover prominently displayed a parchment-brown cover engraved with the image of a red wax seal (see Appendix 1) to indicate it is somewhat a book from the olden days and in the inside pages, the background design are a field of stars, and various shots of the universe thus adding mystique to the claims and the practice. However, the most savvy and most probably the ultimate gambit of the book is to call it The Secret. To quote Mr Donavin Bennes, a buyer who specializes in metaphysics for Borders Books, We all want to be in on a secret. But to present it as the secret, that was brilliant. † Thus the name evoke a sense of intrigue to readers who are looking for something magical or perhaps easier tool for them to understand and to fully live their lives. Another smart marketing move made by the publisher was to have it endorsed by well-known and highly popular worldwide celebrities. The book got its first break in the US when Ellen DeGeneres featured it on her show. And when Oprah Winfrey decided to run a show on it, although it was already a big success, the sales ballooned up much more. Oprah Winfrey first featured it on Feb. 8 2007 and according to Nielsen BookScan, the book had sold 18,000 copies the week before. During the week of the show, sales rocketed to 101,000 and when the show did a follow-up on Feb. 16 2007, the sales that week reached 190,000. With the success of the book, the publishers decided to create more spin-off titles, which they call The Secret tools. There are now The Secret to Teen Power (see Appendix 2), The Secret Daily Teachings (see Appendix 3) and The Secret Gratitude Book (see Appendix 4). Not only that, at its official website there are also ‘gifts’ for the readers such as visualization tools, The Secret memory game, wallpapers, ebook and blank checks (see Appendix 5) which goes hand-in-hand with the teachings of the book. THE SECRET S. W. O. T ANALYSIS Strengths 1. The intriguing title. As elaborated above, the title play a major role in inciting readers’ interest in the book. 2. The cover design. Alongside its intriguing title, the odd-shaped book with its olden-days personification invoke a sense of mystery that is definitely eye-catching and surely pique a person’s interest while browsing the shelves at a bookstore. 3. The content is an easy read with its simple language and peppered with inspiring testimonials from many men women who has experienced the use of the secret plus personal experience quotations from the the whos who of the self-help industry. 4. The savvy marketing ideas of the publishers that has created the hype that constantly raise awareness of the book. 5. Endorsement by high-profile influential personalities that are recognized world-wide certainly helped boosted its sale internationally. 6. Constant high-placing in best-selling charts, most probably due to the savvy marketing ideas of the publisher and as the  long-term effect of the celebrity associated to the book especially Oprah Winfrey. Weaknesses 1. The selling price in Malaysia of RM79. 90 is definitely a setback to potential buyers as the price is rather steep for many people especially for books in the self-help category. 2. The book is not available in paperback form thus some book buyers are not keen on buying hardback cover books due to its steeper price or its slightly heavy weight. 3. The content is not something that is unique and there are many similar teachings that one can get in many other books thus it does lack a little originality. 4. As typical with many New Age teachings, the content of the book has garnered much criticism which try to debunked the book’s teaching as merely hype, mumbo-jumbo or just plain illogical. 5. The book has to complete with many other form of self-help books available that are cheaper, more accessible and from much more renowned authors (Paulo Coelho, Eckhart Tolle, Anthony Robbins) Opportunities 1. Publishers could promote to younger readers especially The Secret for Teens book first and therefore will garner their interest in the main book The Secret. 2. Use the The Secret movie to lure potential readers as there are those who would like to have to book in hand as a way to look back or do revision which is harder to do with the dvd. 3. Offer a cheaper paperback form, thus the book is able to be sold at a cheaper price and therefore garner many more readers. Threats 1. With the easy access to internet, potential readers might decide to check out what the book is about online and thus stumbling on the many critics that the book has garnered. This in turn can make them believe the critics before actually reading the book, thus will result in loss of sales. 2. Like many other things in life, people are apt to stumble upon a new idea for a book or a belief that could help the world, thus there will be brand new books in the future that will probably come with a much more savvy marketing approach and thus will affect the interest of the people about The Secret! THE SECRET CONCLUSION The Secret is a phenomenon and it is likely to become one of the best-selling self-help books of all time. Venture into your local bookstore or look around you while waiting at an airport, and youre bound to see people reading it and absorbing it. They will not just be people who consult astrologers and who listen to Tony Robbins tapes, but normal, average people like the ones who live next door to you. There are almost 1400 reviews of the book printed at Amazon with an average rating of 3. 5 out of 5. The breakdown of those scores is interesting: fifty-two percent of them are 5-star, thirteen percent are 4-star and twenty-one percent are 1-star. This means that the majority of people, the great majority even, believe in at least some aspects of the books premise and teaching. They believe in the law of attraction. The one problem that The Secret poses is that it simplifies and speculates way too much and there are a quite a significant level of moral defects, the lack of scientific backing, and the various philosophical shortcomings, how is it that a significant number of people still believe there’s something to The Law of Attraction? Part of the reason must certainly be the powerful testimonials coming from celebrity figures such as Oprah Winfrey, a woman who attributes her success to her mighty powers of attraction. Of course, thats a long way from the simple model of Ask-Believe-Receive. In most peoples lives, positive thought leads to success only through the transforming medium of action. But as the author Rhonda said in an interview, she just wants to bring happiness to everybody. Thats the reason it all began. And to her credit, she does bring happiness to many people worldwide and surely there is nothing, in principle, wrong with thinking about what makes you happy.

Explain How Internal And External Business Essay

Explain How Internal And External Business Essay Business is an organization or company that provides goods and services to the community. The general aim of a business is to satisfy the needs and wants of the community whilst also making a profit. In Australia business has a major impact on our everyday lives. Business provides people with employment, it boosts our economy and also it allows us to have a greater quality of life. This means it provides us with the benefits needed to lead a simple and convenient life. There are several factors that can influence a business, these factors include Internal and External influences. Internal influences include factors the business itself may have some control over, whilst on the other hand factors that the business can not control such as laws and regulations are External influences. Importance of business Business is like the blood that flows through our bodies, with out business our lives would be almost impossible. Business plays many different roles in our everyday lives. Most people either own or work for a particular business. Businesses make it possible for the community and even further places such as overseas countries to receive and sell goods and services. A business can be anything that provides goods and services to the community such as corner shops providing customers with goods and sweets and they can also be larger companies such as Nike selling shoes and clothing all over the world. Businesses allow for our economy to grow and become stronger, with out a strong economy a country can not run as smoothly as preferred. One of the main reasons why businesses are so important in our everyday life is due to the fact that businesses provide millions and millions of people with job opportunities. If businesses did not exist people will not be able to work and earn money for e veryday living. There are certain factors that can influence a business. These factors include internal and external influences. Internal influence Internal influences are influences that a business has some control over, such influences include product, location, management, resource management and business culture. 2 Product influences: These influences affect a large majority of the internal structures and operations of a business. Depending on the types of goods and services the business produces will depend on the internal structure. If the goods being produced require certain equipment, these needs must be catered to so that the business may go on with its production. Each type of business has a different set of product influence, for example a service provider will require less preparation, whilst on the other hand a manufacturer will need more services to produce the goods sold. The size of a business can be determined by the different types of goods and services produced and also the availability of technology. So from this we understand that the amount of goods and services produced by a business depends on the size of the business. Poor productivity can be seen in the article Anger at Vodafone Sydney morning herald, this impacts on the business because Vodafone is providing very poor services to their customers, therefore tempting the customers to switch to another network, taking business away from Vodafone. 3 Location influences: One of the most important factors of a business is the location in which that business is positioned in. The location can either make or break the business. Location is especially important for retail and service oriented businesses, as they need to be seen and recognized by customers. The business owner must take into consideration of where he/she chooses to locate their business The business must be in area with a good image, for eg not a poor suburb, they business must be located in a place were customers are consistently walking past and spotting the shop, for eg in the city. Another important thing is that the business must be convenient towards the customers, so that they may take the time and effort to check the place out, if the business is located in a area which is not convenient the customers may loose interest and go somewhere else. 4 Resource influences: -Basically there are 4 main types of resources available to a business, these include: Human resources Information Resources Physical resources Financial resources Human resources may be considered as the most important resource, for they are the employees that allow for the business to run. Information resources are all the actions in which the business takes to research and learn more about their situation for eg sales reports. Physical resources include all the equipment and tools necessary for running the business. Financial resources are basically what the business depends on to buy and help support their business, for example to buy new machines. 5 Management influences: There is no doubt that over time businesses and the way in which businesses are run have dramatically changed. Management has been a part of business that has been changed in an effective way. In the past there were many levels of management and hierarchy in a business that new ideas and issues had to go through, but now due to many factors such as the pressure of competitiveness from globalisation the way in which businesses are run have been altered. These days there are much fewer levels that new ideas and issues have to go through, this will result in quicker and more efficient decisions that in the long run will allow the business to focus on the way it runs. This allows businesses to adapt quicker and more efficiently to the ever changing needs and wants of consumers because there are fewer managers in which the process of decision making must go through. 6 Business culture: In reality every business has its own type of business culture, these are all the values, beliefs and ideas that are agreed upon by all employees and managers of the business. The culture of a business is shown in the way in which the business acts and performs. Business culture is usually shown in the rules and regulations of a business such as the way staff are expected to dress and behave. Culture has been proven to be a necessary tool that must be used by businesses to achieve the best out of its staff members and customers. Business culture is proven to be important in the video Australias food fight: west farmers vs. Woolworths. Coles have changed their business culture by undergoing management change, which has allowed for a different culture to be applied, and this has proven to be successful as they are now basically ahead of Woolworths. 7 Internal influences have an extraordinary impact on business in Australia. They include every thing from were the business is located to how the business is run. The location of a business basically is essential for the success of the business, depending on were it is located, it must be convenient and visible to customers. If it is not located in a convenient area customers may not be able to get to the business and purchase from it. The management of a business is the way in which the business is run, in order to have a successful business it must be under good management and the necessary actions must be taken when they are called for, for eg if employees are needed to be cut off, due to lack of financial sustainability. So basically it is essential for businesses to be affected by internal influences in a positive way. External influences External influences are factors that a business may have little or no control over, such factors include: Economic, financial, geographical, social, legal, political, institutional, technological, competitive situation and markets influences. 8 Economical influences In Australia and the rest of the world, the economy experiences economic cycles. These cycles include booms and busts (recession). Basically during an economic boom the economy experiences higher levels of employment, they may be so confident in their sales that they may increase the price of items to gain higher profits. Also during booms wages of employees tend to increase as more profit is being made by the business. However the economic cycle does have its down side, such as when the economy is experiencing a recession period. An unfortunate reality of recessions is that employment rates decrease due to the fact that the business is not making enough sale profits to keep their employees. Another effect of recession is that business may not be able to raise the price of their products because people are not purchasing so they may have to even lower prices to continue to compete in the market. The influences of economical factors are shown in the article Petrol prices soar and no r elief in site. Due to the poor economical status prices are raised and customers may not be able to purchase petrol at this price. Another ecomical influence can be seen in the radio article impact of floods on grocery prices 2GB, Sydney, this impacts on the business because all the crops are being destroyed making it impossible to make a profit, with farmers not making profits the economy will suffer and be under pressure. 9 Financial influences Financial influences impact a business in several ways. due to deregulation which is basically the extermination of government regulation in an business, Businesses are now able to improve competitiveness with each other. Even better, now due to globalisation, Australia is now able to trade goods overseas, further more improving the financial sustainability of the country. 10 Geographical influences Geographical influences impact businesses in many ways. Australia is located in the Asia-pacific region, the economical statuss in these surrounding countries are very important in the interest of Australia. Basically if china is doing well, it may be able to trade goods and services with Australia creating an advantage for both countries. Another thing is that a lot of Australian companies are located in the Asia-Pacific region, so the countries must be economically doing well for the Australian companies to survive. Also the demography of the country has a significant influence on businesses, for eg Australia must be run to suit people of all different cultures, ages and sexes. One major demographic impact on Australia is the ageing population, with an ageing population there must be centres and facilities created for elders. Also with people retiring, their jobs will need to be completed by younger people, who may not be as experienced as the retired worker. Globalisation is also an important fact of geographical issues, due to globalisation Australia is not tied down just to trade goods and services throughout Australia, but how ever to do so around the entire world. The impact of globalisation can be seen in the video picking up an Aussie apple, we see that Australia is beginning to import overseas apples to Australia. 11 Social influences Social influences have an sever impact on the success of a business. For eg as time goes on peoples taste in fashion and trends will change. If businesses do not adapt to these changes they may be affected in a very negative way. In order for a business to make a profit they must take into consideration all the new fashions and trends going around. One other major social influence is the influence of of our environment which is basically wearing away day by day, businesses must always consider what is in the best interest of the environment, for eg not giving out plastic bags after a sale. One final issue is the issue of family-work practices, as women give birth they must leave work, and this may result in the business losing an employee, affecting in the production of the business. An example of social influences can be seen in the article Petrol price soars and no relief in site, With the rise of petrol, the people in society may decide that instead of using cars, they can probabl y save money by using public transport or riding a bike to work. 12 Legal influences Businesses can not just do as they please. There are many legal actions that influence businesses and basically tell them what they can or cant do. With more and more laws being passed onto businesses, the business must adapt their company to what the law is telling them to do. Generally the people of a society expect that businesses may run under the rules and guidelines provided by the law. Businesses must be aware of all the laws so that they may not breach them and pay the penalties. 13 Political influences Even though political influences may not be the most affective factors onto a business, they still have a pretty heavy impact. For eg whenever a new election Is held, the new government may introduce new policies. A policy that was introduced in 2000 was the goods and services tax, this was a 10 percent tax on the supply of most goods and services used in Australia, this affected businesses in a way that they had to collect taxes basically on behalf of the government. However deregulation has also been introduced in the picture in the past few decades, this is the removal of government regulation in industry, and this takes pressure off businesses and allows for a greater range of competitiveness. 14 Institutional influences Three institutional influences on business are government, regulatory bodies and trade unions and employer associations. Government: Three levels which are federal, state and local. Federal government deals mainly with issues such as tax, making sure that the taxes are being paid and also things such as how the businesses are running in according to the customs regulations. State governments deal with lower case issues such as workers rights and responsibilities such as OHS requirements and making sure businesses are abiding by the state laws and trade practices Local government deals with issues such the condition of building and making sure of improvements, parking rules and fire regulations Regulatory bodies; These bodies observe and understand the way that businesses deal with certain issues and how the business treats its community and consumers. Examples of regulatory bodies include: the Office of fair trading and the Australian competition and consumer commission. (ACCC) Other institutional influences are Trade unions and Australian stock exchanges, these groups have aims such as improving working conditions and pay rates. 15 Technological influences Technology without a doubt has had probably one of the most affects on businesses. With new technologies being invented and discovered every day this can only help improve productivity and efficiency for businesses. Technology has allowed for robotic machinery to be used in productivity which in the long run cheapens the cost of productivity as no employee or has to be paid. Robots also help to reduce the amount of boring and repetitive jobs that some humans may have to do. Also communication technology has been improving rapidly over the past few years making it even easier to communicate with suppliers and consumers, with out them actually being there. Businesses must strive to use the available technology to the best of their ability so that they may keep up or even be ahead of competitors. 16 Competitive situation influences These influences may be very helpful and useful to both consumers and producers, for eg when two businesses are competing to be the market leader, they will lower costs of their stock to attract customers. As a result they will be making more sales and more importantly a profit. These competitive situations also benefit consumers because with competition in a market there will be a greater range of goods available for consumption, this allows the consumer to get a wider variety of choice when considering the good or service they want. Competitive situations are shown in the video Australias food fight: west farmers VS Woolworths as these companies are competing with each other to get the most customer satisfaction, It also discuss how the affects of globalisation such as Aldi here in Australia also competing amongst the big guns. Another example of competitive situation is shown in the article Anger at Vodafone, with Vodafone giving such poor services, customers will want to change to another network providing greater coverage. 17 External influences have a major impact on our every day lives in Australia, with all the different types of factors such as social and technological influences our lives are affected on a day to day basis. If external influences did not exist we would not be living in a society were goods and services from all around the world are accessible to us for our own usage. External influences can be both positive and /or negative for example, competitiveness in the market allows for a variety of options for consumers to choose from but contrasting the effects of external factors such as geographical issues involving the weather can have a negative affect, for eg flooding in farms or drought seasons. Conclusion As mentioned in the executive summary above, business can be compared to the blood in a living organism, it is essential for our everyday survival and living. Business allows us to live the pleasures and entertaining lives that we live each day. Internal influences summed up can be recognized as influences that a business can control whilst external influences are those factors that the business can not control. Internal influences for eg can be explained as factors that a business can use and apply to help determine the success of their business, such as the location in which they choose to place their business. External can be explained by using the example of a economic recession, this can affect the business in many negative ways such as letting employers go. So summed up we can say that business is essential for everyday living and it can be broken down into two different types, Internal and external, and it can be concluded that they basically determine how the business is run and how successful it will be. The end  Ã…’