Bachelor in business and management studies

In this contemplation essay I will discourse my experience in working in-group, composing accomplishment and take notes skill, enchantress is truly touch my demands. To began with, my first work in group at UWIC that was at the beginning of term one, we informed by the leader of concern in context faculty that we have 20 % of entire appraisal will be a group presentation ( 15 -20 proceedingss ) , besides the subjects will be assigned in 3rd seminar ( Week 4-12 ) , and the presentation will get down from hebdomad 33 ( 14 March 2011 ) . That sound makes me exciting because I liked to work in-group, where I already have some cognition from my working in ministry of wellness, Sultanate Of Oman. After that, during that term, the faculty coach, Andrea steel divided the category pupil to different groups.A Me, George Cliff, Laura Colligan, and Catherine Casey to be in one group called group E. Because of the group is assorted between male childs and misss, I though the group will be more active. Anyhow, this group must sit to garner during the seminars until the coach give us the subject of the presentation that we have to do.A Than, seminar after seminar, I shocked that no 1 came to that group except Laura, me, and sometimes Catherine attended. I discussed with Laura that we could n't work without the remainder group. So, we decided to talk to our coach to see what can she make. The response from our coach was to believe about allotment us to anther groups and she would direct an e-mail inform us witch group that we will fall in. I became Sade because I will non work in that group. In the last hebdomad of the first term, precisely on 16/12/2010, I received an electronic mail sent to all pupils in the category for regeneration all groups.A Besides the subjects were given ( To what extent is leading different from direction? ) that is my group subject. Fortunately, there was no alteration in my group members ; besides the coach increased the squad members to be five instead than four.A William Gray has been joined the group ( Appendix 1 ) . Furthermore, there is a deadline that we must subject a transcript of the presentation on 04/03/2011. After Christmas interruption, in the 2nd term, we started the study.A As usual, most group squad did non go to the seminar group.A My co-worker Laura three to reach some members that we should run into to complete the work, but no Convincing reply. Day by twenty-four hours, Laura and me started to fix the presentation. That make me to work under presser, we had to complete the presentation before the deadline. AndA besides theA work will beA limited toA two. ThisA does notA accomplish theA goalA ofA the group ‘s work. But we do n't hold option except complete our work, and me, her and possibly Catherine and George both will fall in us at the presentation twenty-four hours ( as Laura said ) . Differently we completed ( Laura and me ) the work and handed in I-zone on clip. It is truly bad experience to me to be in group non earnestly and did non take the duty of the work that we should did as a group. I agreed that the work finished by the clip, but non by two members merely from originally five members. The Surprising is, at the suggested twenty-four hours of the presentation, all group work met for the first clip. Indeed, that mad me disappointed from this group. As a group we should cognize the advantages of working in-g roup and what we should achieved. At least, I should inform faculty Tutor about that but I did non make that due to Laure takes the duty of our work. She said ; she would wish to be the squad leader, so the squad leader must inform the module leader of any non active members in the squad as we informed antecedently. I am abashed that I did non took the duty to inform the faculty leader or the coach about what happened in this group from the beginning and left that to Laura. Because she is sympathetic with the members, she did non inform the specializer. As Burns and Sinfield ( 2003 ) concluded, â€Å" If you can non work with other people, you are improbable to be able to maintain a occupation † . I think the simple and really effectual scheme is to take my group with attention. Choose people who are as motivated, positive and hardworking. Consequently, I faced the job with my group since the group may non involvement to work in this group in peculiar. Besides some pupils may happen it hard to take part in a group. Group work offers many advantages to us as a pupil. One thing it offers an chance to portion the work load. It is easer to make some research in the presentation subject if I portion it out. Furthermore, it gives the opportunity to discourse things in-group and every one in the group will larn more if they had merely done something on their ain. Not merely this, it besides get to polish the personal and inter personal accomplishments if we learn to discourse thoughts and negotiate schemes with tact and diplomatic i n my group. Another advantages of group work is that a good group offers societal support that can interrupt down some of the isolation sometimes associated with being a pupil. Another accomplishment I would wish to discourse approximately in this essay is my writing manner. Trough the academic Year there is a figure of assignments I had to make. The coachs ‘ feedbacks indicate the betterment in my authorship. For illustration, in the Entrepreneurship and Enterprise faculty assignment feedback signifier was reference that, I am first-class in research and really good in construction presentation ( appendix 2 ) . That gives me the inducement to better my authorship for the following assignments. That is due to the techniques that I used within to better the quality of my response to the assignment undertaking. As Wallace ( 2004 ) and Longman and Atkinson ( 2005 ) Argues, the techniques are: Using definitions and illustrations: when composing it is frequently utile to specify cardinal footings in order to forestall confusion or misinterpretation. Generally, I can do clearly statement by giving an illustration. But I can non turn out anything by giving illustration. There may be counter-examples that I have ignored or overlooked. In my assignment I tried to utilize definitions and illustrations because I know it makes my position clearer, besides that gives indicate to reader of my points. Evidence, deduction and illation: when I want to back up my statement, I have to include some grounds. Because that implied the dependability of my authorship. Drafting and re-drafting: composing assignment non like composing an reply in an test, I likely have clip to compose my reply merely one time in test. Whereas composing an assignment is non timed. So, that able me to compose more than one bill of exchange. Re-drafting is painless when I used a word processer for my authorship ; it is greatly heighten the quality of my written work. Overall impact ( coherence and signposting ) : many first bill of exchanges suffer from non being consistent plenty and from being inadequately signposted. To avoid being in that state of affairs, I tried to accomplish much greater impact in my authorship by: Signpost the construction in a helpful manner. Make it clear to the reader ( hangs together ) Proofreading: its 2nd and concluding phase of re-drafting. I concerned to look into in inside informations for illustration, spelling, punctuation, pages numbered, spell-check, and whether grammar is right. Mentions: I ever make certain that all beginnings referred to in the listed of mentions. Furthermore, mentions must to be in the right alphabetical order, displayed in the appropriate manner, and besides complete in that they contain all the required beginning information. Writer ‘s family name is most of import for alphabetical ordination. Writing really assist me to develop creativeness and contribute to my ability to analyse chief thoughts and reflect in my authorship. I will concentrate in reading more books because that will supply me with the cognition of composing different manners such as studies or thesis. Taking note is another of import factor that contribute to the success of pupils in their academic old ages. That is one of my failings since the beginning of the academic twelvemonth. I ne'er take the important of taking note during the talks or seminars. I face job when I performed the economic test in the managing markets module in 2nd term, because I had non take the duty of the of import of note pickings. Notes serve several intents. First, some talk information might non be in the text or press releases, so I need to enter this information for future mention. Second, the information emphasized in a talk frequently signals what will be on test, and that ‘s ground adequate for taking notes. Third, category notes serve as a agency of external storage. As I am a busy pupil, I can non retrieve every thing I hear accurately. Therefore, notes serve as alternate signifier of memory ( Longman & A ; Atkinson 2005 ) . Note taking AIDSs callback in several ways. First, note pickings is a multisensory activity that requires more attempt than mere hearing does. This extra attempt additions my acquisition and provides extra ways for me to hive away, and subsequently recover, information. Because I do n't hold clip to compose of all time thing that ‘s said by lector, I have to be selective. This selectivity helps me to be attending to the information. Given that I have already made some witting determinations about the importance of the information, I am more likely to retrieve it. Finally, as I am taking notes, my paraphrasis, form, and understand information to link this new information to my background. Therefore, integrate new thoughts more to the full and remember them more efficaciously ( Longman & A ; Atkinson 2005 ) . There is no individual right manner to take notes. Some note taking schemes my will assist to better this accomplishment. For illustration, symbols, layout, highlighting, circling on paper, abbreviation, underlining, and usage of capital letters. Besides I need to day of the month each twenty-four hours notes because this provides mention point if I need to compare my notes with person. Furthermore, I have to reexamine my notes every bit shortly as possible after taking them. That allowed me to accomplish more so pupils who do n't reexamine notes. ( Wallace 2004 ) & A ; ( Longman & A ; Atkinson 2005 ) .

Great Little Box Company Case Study Essay

Problem Statement Idea Points – The company’s original informal, simple structure has moved on to an organic structure has now outgrown itself. How does GLBC implement a structural revival and still retain and absorb customers in a market that is no longer suffering an economic down turn. How can this new structure be used against the competition in a global market – How do we influence and delegate various levels of Authority and Legitimate power to employees to further organizational efficiency – How do we implement different concepts of power type to our current and future organizational design? – With the acquisition of new companies, interorganizational conflict will arise. Structural and personal factors lead to conflict in organizations. What key factors can we work on to heighten Emotional Intelligence? Symptoms – We can see that the company started as a small structure. The power was in the hands of Robert Meggie † taking orders to making sales calls to running one of the machines and shipping out the completed orders.† – Expert Power has been implemented through the hiring of a recently laid off salesperson from one of its largest companies (supply shipping first). The member of the organization â€Å"Upped our business 80 percent overnight† – and highlighted the importance of a strong sales force – Eventually Meggie required the skills and expertise of another person (for sales and marketing) Meggie was then responsible only for administration and production (we can see a change into a slightly more divisional structure, based on the services) – * Administration * Production *Marketing *Sales – The Six types of OD structures can fall under two comprehensive categories (Mechanistic and Organic) we can identify GLBC as being closer to the organic side. (No one company can be purely be from one side or the other) – We can see that size is increasing for the company (Absorption of Parrot Label (label capabilities), Vanisle Packaging (P provider on Vancouver Island), and Action Box Company (Lead provider of protective packaging in BC). This also forwards the Formalization and Specialization of the company. This in turns decentralizes decision-making. – The past economic downturn had the small, agile company cut into an edge in the market. However, the now growing expansion has the need for strategic leader ship that can facilitate access to the company’s capabilities and knowledge. – We do not have any type of standardization information present for this company. We have nothing that points to identification of a standardization of company management. (Rules, Policies, Documentation) – As the company is continuing to grow, centralization is also growing. This is demonstrated by the monthly meetings that Meggie administers. The information shared is a vehicle of empowerment for the people below him at the various locations. – Meggie also meets with everyone twice a year in groups, to provide â€Å"a state of the nation† (Centralized Authority Structure) – It is possible to assume that as the complexity of the structure increases, so does the political element of the strategic decision processes- As the company grows Meggie may be faces with a problem where he may have to balance efficiency orientation and the quality orientation of the organization. Problem Analysis – Information Technology and communication systems can lead to interworking with the company. These companies are less hierarchical and more engaged into external networking. – This will deter a delay in decision-making, and increase the quality of the decisions being made. The right information is meeting with the right people. And no one is being overloaded with data. – Coordinating plans can be not as effective in a changing structure, if the it is designed poorly – GLBC at times may experience powerlessness can due to existing staff being grouped with newly acquired companies, and experience conflict. (Changing OD Structure) – We must share power between people to project empowerment to the people? – Information Power is the access and control to information that can be used by managers to establish power. We should use current technologies to share the proper information to the right people – A high level of Vertical Differentiation must be in place for the organization to consider growing in size (global market). – Horizontal Differentiation must be at a level where the needs of the customers are met by the specific Organizational Units (domestic and foreign operations). Conflict can arise from the improper grouping of processes. Refer to page 253 (Technology) – Formalization, specialization, standardization, and centralization. – Must allow the proper authority to make key decisions, but allow the parent firm to allow the goals of the organization to be in check at the same time. Page 253 (Size) – Structural Factors can lead up to a cause of conflict in an organization. We can identify this through the specialization of companies that have been absorbed by GLBC. – In a big box company, Interdependence will become prevalent. All the groups rely on each other to create the finished product. It one section where to fail, it will be easy for one of the groups to blame another group.( Negative Consequences ) – Functional Conflict – Can be used to promote new solutions to problems and promote creativity. Recommended Solutions – We want to lead up to a semi – autonomous system. Where organizations can self-manage and controls themselves. o The negative consequence in choosing this route is the possibility if a section of the company to lose track of the focus of the company. o A section might be given so much freedom that they can lead to a huge economic loss in not in check o Can be positive due to authority based decisions to be transferred completely to another autonomous unit, thus having speed and being unhampered by politics. o Delegation of tasks (Semi-Autonomous) will always answer to the organization but still be allowed to do its own thing – Authority, Legitimate Power – Can be deployed to specific people with the use of information technology (For an example, Microsoft Domain Networks with separate Organizational Units) the proper people with have the proper knowledge, (The higher ups can be exposed to more but not actually work with it, people lower in the hierarchy can see less but more action orientated with it. (Goal setting mechanism)) o Very similar to authority, Based on mutual agreement of the structure and the target. We must make it visible to all workers, who is where and what they can do. o The negative side is that, people can choose to ignore people they do not respect. And later be swayed by referent power (They persons charisma) o It’s crucial to identify the group’s main source of authoritative inspirations and deploy someone who can meet the power needs. o A engineer is more likely to Expert Power and Reward Power more than the other power types. We can tell this by their personality type ENTJ INTP (Intuitive types). Perhaps even if we have a lot of EN** we can find a charismatic person that can a lot of expert power J – If we cannot show a proper power structure to a changing organization, we may find people attempt to resort to political power to gain power. For an example, character assassinations. People may start to take favourites or put down people that will not help them achieve their power goals. -People may try to gain people under a personal agenda book -Make themselves look socially better -Influence people without using power ethically – To deter this, again legitimate power can be instilled – Vertical Differentiation – We have to have solid management with Authority. Progression up the company is clear and hierarchical. Communication flows vertically up and down – Disadvantages We have individual containers for each section of a geographical area that is in charge of it owns sales, BUT Production is to remain consistent across all locations to have the brand product remain the same. The respective marketing is left up to the location is thus does not have to answer to the higher ups CEO in the company. This will prevent information overloading with the OD. The (Project Manager) will have the ability to work in two difference areas. As a regular projects manager in the Marketing Dept and as a functional Production manager. The right people to complete the tasks will be pulled from the locations thus leading to a organisations intimacy through the location. Also this provides for a need for achievement and affiliation. People will not feel like they are stuck in a certain area. In addition, the ability to flex positions would be present. Once they task is completed staff can be returned or combined with several structures creating a hybrid entity.

Pro and Contra Student Work

STUDENT WORK STUDY AND PRO-contrast BY MOHAMMAD ZAKARIA CHE ZAKWAN UKM: Although PTPTN loans or scholarships have been awarded, but so the price increases and cost of living are higher indeed inadequate. Therefore, they began looking at ways to overcome the financial difficulties experienced by them. According to the fourth edition of the chambers dictionary, the word â€Å"Temporary Works† means work done while normal work or other regular work. For a student, their main task is to learn and focus their attention on academic aspects, while working part-time at leisure intended to supplement pocket money or looking for work experience.If seen from the positive side, working part-time as to train students to become independent. Desire to work comes from themselves masing. Bagi some students they do not want to burden their parents with problems faced by them. Thus they take their own initiative to work part-time in order to reduce the financial burden of their parents. In addit ion, part-time work can increase revenue or give incomekepada students. With the availability of this income from part-time work, to some extent they are able to buy all the equipment needed or whether an item needs to meet themselves.Worked part-time for those who hold student status is indeed a big challenge. Both in terms of time or energy. Time constraints for a student is a challenge indeed. They need to complete assignments given by lecturers and review the lecture notes given in preparation for the final test of the semester and at the same time they have to work part-time to cover their living costs. Furthermore, the study work is also very tiring. Family life far from their need to do it all alone. Starting from toiletries, food, drink and everything should be done independently.However, every single thing that we do indeed have its own pros and contrast and need our wisdom in finding a solution. MAHASISWA KERJA SAMBIL BELAJAR DAN PRO-KONTRANYA OLEH MOHAMMAD ZAKWAN CHE ZAKA RIA UKM : Walaupun pinjaman PTPTN atau biasiswa telah diberikan namun begitu dengan kenaikan harga barang dan kos sara hidup yang semakin tinggi sememangnya masih tidak mencukupi. Oleh sebab itu, mereka mula mencari jalan penyelesaian bagi mengatasi masalah kewangan yang dialami oleh mereka.Menurut kamus dewan edisi keempat, perkataan â€Å"Kerja Sambilan† membawa maksud kerja yang dibuat disamping kerja biasa atau kerja tetap yang lain. Bagi seorang pelajar, tugas utama mereka ialah belajar dan menumpukan perhatian mereka terhadap aspek akademik, manakala bekerja sambilan pada waktu lapang bertujuan untuk menambah duit saku ataupun mencari pengalaman kerja. Jika dilihat dari sudut positif, bekerja sambilan dapat melatih mahasiswa untuk berdikari. Keinginan untuk bekerja itu datang daripada diri masing-masing.Bagi sesetengah pelajar mereka tidak mahu membebankan ibu bapa mereka dengan masalah yang dialami oleh mereka. Justeru itu mereka mengambil inisiatif sendiri dengan beke rja sambilan bagi mengurangkan beban kewangan ibu bapa mereka. Selain itu juga, bekerja sambilan dapat menambahkan pendapatan atau memberi incomekepada para pelajar. Dengan adanya pendapatan daripada kerja sambilan ini, sedikit sebanyak mereka dapat membeli segala peralatan yang diperlukan sama ada barangan keperluan ataupun untuk memenuhi kehendak diri mereka sendiri.Bekerja sambilan bagi golongan yang memegang status pelajar sememangnya merupakan satu cabaran yang besar. Baik dari segi masa mahupun tenaga. Kekangan masa bagi seorang pelajar sememangnya merupakan sesuatu yang mencabar. Mereka perlu menyiapkan tugasan yang telah diberikan oleh pensyarah serta mengulangkaji nota-nota kuliah yang diberikan sebagai persediaan untuk menghadapi ujian akhir semester dan dalam masa yang sama mereka perlu bekerja sambilan bagi menampung kos sara hidup mereka Tambahan pula, kerja sambil belajar juga amat memenatkan.Kehidupan yang jauh daripada keluarga memerlukan mereka melakukan semuanya se cara sendirian. Bermula daripada kelengkapan diri , makan, minum dan semuanya perlu dilakukan secara berdikari. Walaubagaimanapun, setiap perkara yang kita lakukan sememangnya mempunyai pro dan kontranya yang tersendiri dan memerlukan kebijaksanaan kita dalam mencari jalan penyelesaiannya.

Living in Dorms Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Living in Dorms - Essay Example Just like a metropolitan city, the dorm has its own network of corridors, individual (single) rooms, a 125 seat theater, a 24 hour coffee station, a fitness centre and a dining room with open-air seating. The rooms have been specially designed to be properly ventilated and create a peasant environment in the room so that the student can comfortably focus his complete attention towards his studies without any disturbance. Dormitory is not only a place for students to live in but also a place to learn how to live. There are many activities such as sports, singing competition, celebration for festivals, and gatherings customized for dormitory students to learn as well as to enjoy their dormitory life. Not only is the dormitory a place where students stay and study, it is also a positive environment where students integrate their intellectual, social and emotional development and inspire one another in their learning and research through social activities. Students coming from all corners of the world, their life at MIT, including residential life, social life, extracurricular activities, et cetera, is as important a part of the educational experience as class-work. ... The more people you interact with, and the more diverse that set of people is, the more you will learn. What the students wants is a lifestyle in which they can do their studies while carrying on their other activities simultaneously, else they loose focus on either of the fields. Recommendation regarding this aspect include that MIT should focus more of its resources towards supporting "community" housing, student life activities, social events, athletics, recreation; the types of things that allow people to interact and help make students and faculty feel that they are part of a larger community of scholars. It is within these informal settings that some of the best learning occurs at MIT. This required integrating the separate elements bringing together people from different living groups, and most importantly, bringing together faculty, students, and staff. That's why the 'Founders Group' of the dorm that was formed included both faculty as well as students. Residential life acti vities ideally should be controlled by the students who live in the dorm, using house taxes and elected governments to control their own programs. This teaches the students how to manage themselves, their expenses, events, activities and fellow-beings. The idea behind this was to encourage and measure students' ability to work together as a group, to make decisions for themselves, and to take leadership as a key element of the community education. Freshmen-on-campus decision was extremely opposed by many of the students, feeling that it was an attempt by the administration to take away students' very freedom and bring them under closer oversight and control by the administration. The student saw it

A report on how to keep stock cost under the revenue budget in your Essay

A report on how to keep stock cost under the revenue budget in your ward as a manager - Essay Example The financial controls systems include internal and external auditing as a major part of evaluating, monitoring and validating the financial statements of the organization. The financial control measures are designed by those people in the organization who are charged with management and governance. A financial control environment mainly consists of auditing and accounting. The financial control within an organization is used to ensure that the risks levels within the organization are controllable. A financial control system involves the implementation of the different financial measures to evaluate and monitor the performance of an organization. The focus of the financial control system may be on a product, a department or the organization as a whole. The financial control system establishes a contradicting view to that of a balanced scorecard as it establishes that the financial results are major drivers of the organizational performance (Callaghan, Savage and Mintz, 2007, pp.9-12). It is important to develop suitable financial measures for evaluating the performance and the targets of an organization because the external stakeholders of the business will rely on the financial statements and the financial reporting done by the organization. Therefore following suitable accoun ting and auditing systems within the financial control environment is critical for improving the performance and goodwill of the organization. The main objective of the financial control environment is to increase the operational efficiency and performance of the organization while maintaining the activities in compliance with the standard policies and regulations. The financial control environment in the healthcare industry is a critical aspect of the financial management in the industry. The financial control measures are directed to monitor and measure the financial resources and financial activities within an organization (Sarens

Paraphrase - Monte Carlo Simulation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Paraphrase - Monte Carlo Simulation - Essay Example As a company decides on investing its present assets in an effective way while expecting cash flow of income over a period of years, the capital budgeting process could be explicated. These decisions are basically dwelt on acquisition and expansion. The foundation of capital budgeting is creation of opportunities because the opportunity as observed is not defined. Prior to capital budgeting for a company needs to assess and analyze the future. Capital budgeting is done through capital expenditure. This is the immense input as investments put in the company’s acquisition of new machinery, space, and other massive input. Many companies have to make decisions that involve budgeting. These decisions are often weighty and risky considering their capital intensity. The main aim of this study is to evaluate Conch Emirates investment opprotunities using techniques centered n capital budgeting. The other objective was to make recommendations founded on the Capital Budgeting Tools. Moreover, the study analyses strengths and weaknesses of venturing into a new product line. It aids in the measurement of future profitability and proper management of capital budgeting tools that lead to more positive results. Proper capital budgeting helps in keeping up with inflammatory changes and trends, projecting growth and checking if the company is achieving its objectives for future projections. Capital budgeting is important since it is used in decision making and the decisions are vital in the profitability and the financial health of a company. A company’s successful performance is attributed to proper capital budgeting. The decisions that pertain capital expenditure are nor easily reversible and may bring loss to the company. In making comparison between two investment opportunities, capital budgeting is an excellent tool. It aids in keeping debts in check therefore preventing losses that may arise in future. This study thereby allows proper capital

Methodology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Methodology - Essay Example Finally, inductive approaches do not always allow researchers to capture the complexity of various social phenomena (Cargan 2007). This is why, when researchers cannot overcome the major limitations of inductive data, they begin their study with a theory, followed by a hypothesis and research (Saunders et al., 2007). In other words, they apply for deductive research approaches. Deductive data is usually derived from the study of earlier experiments, empirical and theoretical literature. In other words, deductive approaches rely on the previous studies and lead to the creation of generalizations and assumptions from earlier formulations (Cargan 2007). The use of deductive data in research is very common. According to Saunders et al (2007), deductive data allows developing conceptual frameworks from theories considered in the literature. These frameworks are then tested using the data (Saunders et al. 2007). Researchers who use deductive data develop new theories, based on the earlier studies in the same field. In deductive approaches, researchers usually begin with the analysis of literature. At times, meta-analysis designs are used to systematize earlier research findings. All these steps are integral to deductive approaches in research. With deductive data, researchers find it easier to make generalizations and develop recommendations for future research. ... Mixed methods research Mixed methods have already become a defining feature of contemporary research. Mixed studies are often valued for their strength and reliability. Basically, mixed methods designs involve the use of both quantitative and qualitative features (Denscombe 2010). The concept of mixed methods can be traced to the end of the 1950s (Creswell 2003). Mixed methods exemplify a logical and promising response to the limitations inherent in all research methods. With the help of mixed methods, researchers can â€Å"neutralize or cancel the biases of other methods† (Creswell 2003, p.15). Triangulation is a popular method of research, which is used to ensure better validity and reliability of the study findings (Creswell 2003). For example, the results obtained from one method can be used to inform another method of research, or one method can be nested within another research strategy to ensure effective analysis of the different levels of data (Creswell 2003). Researc hers who use mixed methods in their studies can choose from three research procedures. First, in sequential mixed method approaches, researchers use the data obtained from one research method to improve the quality of the results obtained from another method (Creswell 2003). The data obtained from one method can also be used to improve the second method used a mixed study design. Second, researchers can also use concurrent procedures, when qualitative and quantitative data are used simultaneously to study one research question (Creswell 2003). Finally, there are also transformative procedures when a particular theoretical framework is used to interpret both quantitative and qualitative study findings (Creswell 2003). The choice of particular procedures and

Traits Approach to Explaining Entrepreneurship Essay

Traits Approach to Explaining Entrepreneurship - Essay Example Entrepreneurship is not a simple phenomenon and not every individual is viable to become an entrepreneur. For any meaningful research to result, psychological approaches in the future studies of entrepreneurship need to carefully examine the personality variables being studied (Frese 2000) There are several traits that those successful entrepreneurs possess that make them outstanding in the entrepreneurial world. These traits include even the personality or psychological ones. Personality traits are those traits that define an individual in terms of what he does and how he undertakes different tasks when faced by some situation. That is how an individual thinks and behave in different situations. Entrepreneurship can be studied from different perspectives since it is a very wide topic of discussion and needs critical assessment to understand. From a personality view of study, entrepreneurship is an interesting area of study. One of the most significant traits that is fundamental in e ntrepreneurship is integrity. Integrity refers to the act of being honest to all the parties involved in entrepreneurship. ... These regulations include the tax policies of a government. An entrepreneur is obliged to pay the tax dues as required by law and successful entrepreneurs know that for his idea to thrive and to ensure solvency for his entity, he or she must honor his tax obligations at all times. Another party involved is the suppliers. The entrepreneur must honor them by treating their creditors with respect and honoring their dues, keeping promises in terms of paying them in time and the agreed amounts. Employees are key players in entrepreneurship and therefore should be taken for granted. The entrepreneur should know this and give them maximum respect at take their interests at heart when making his entrepreneurial decisions. The most important individuals that are most vital to an entrepreneur are the customers. These are the main reason will determine whether an entrepreneur will fail in his entrepreneurial endeavors or fail. An entrepreneur must express some business ethics in dealing with hi s customers. This is a trait that happens to be so important that without it, one is bound to fail. Being an honest and integral individual in entrepreneurship motivates the employees to follow the example and avoid unethical behaviors such as engaging in fraud or corruption. These acts are dangerous to the existence of a business entity. Integrity is not just a policy, but researchers have clearly shown that it is the only policy in running a business entity. Perseverance is another personal trait that is equally important in entrepreneurship. An entrepreneur is bound to go through a lot of challenges before implementing his idea. There is no one defined way to successful entrepreneurship. The economic

Management Information Systems Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Management Information Systems - Research Paper Example In this project, the basic idea is to automate the traditional business practices and improve the overall capability and performance of corporation. Business Overview The scenario of the business is that my best friend has bought a small retail business in Central Florida and its name is Bright Moon Store. The business has been doing fairly well but my friend has just found out that the accounting system consists of cash and receipts in a shoe box and there are no reports of anything since everything was kept in the prior owner's head. So in this project, my friend has hired me as a consultant to help him get things organized. Markets The Bright Moon Store deals in general household products that are used in our daily lives. The basic intention of this store is to provide customers with more convenient and easy access to daily used products. Bright Moon Store has a long business history in the market and with the passage of time its overall reorganization has improved. As a result, B right Moon Store wants to improve its overall market reorganization and performance. With the passage of time the business customers are increasing so the business needs to adopt some effective tools and techniques to deal with these growing requirements. Mission/Business Need In order to run its business effectively Bright Moon Store has to fulfill its basic business needs. The effective fulfillment of these needs will effectively support all business areas. In this scenario Bright Moon Store’s basic business needs are outlined below: (Laudon & Laudon, 1999; Turban, Leidner, McLean, & Wetherbe, 2005) Automated product management Rapid management and processing of business resources Staff management Effective supply chain management and automation Efficient and effective customer record management Back-office information management Purchasing management Data security Finance management Data sharing among all store areas like store, purchase counter, etc. Improved inventory ma nagement Timely and accurate business reporting Effective decision support HR management Problems with Current Information Processing Bright Moon Store is currently completing its business tasks using manual ways. In such scenario the overall workload and working style are more rigid, which ultimately causes less effective business performance. The present business data is paper based or semi automated. In this scenario problem is that the amount of data is huge and it cannot be handled without using an appropriate information system. According to (Hoffer, Prescott, & McFadden, 2007; Laudon & Laudon, 1999), â€Å"an information system is a collection of organized components that work collectively, process, store, and distribute information to a variety of departments with the purpose of supporting decision making and control in an organization†. Thus, in the absence of an information system we connect retrieve some valuable information from this data. This data is presently w orthless because the extraction of the valuable facts and figures is much harder. In addition, business of Bright

Analyze the Oregon Health Plan- see directives below Essay

Analyze the Oregon Health Plan- see directives below - Essay Example ic and private-partnership for ensuring access to health care for all Oregonians covering Medicaid reforms, insurance for small businesses, and high risk medical insurance. During the late 1980s, millions of Americans did not qualify for public assistance or Medicaid, uninsured by their employers, and could not afford medical coverage (Department of Human Services, 2006, p. 1).Thus, â€Å"instead of seeking early preventive care, the uninsured sought emergency care when their illnesses became severe† (Department of Human Services, 2006, p. 1). The â€Å"free† emergency treatment that the uninsured receive, however, was not genuinely costless because costs are merely passed on thereby increasing the cost of insurance premiums of those who can afford the premiums (Department of Human Services, 2006, p. 1). In 1987, Oregon Governor Neil Goldschmidt created a workgroup of health care providers, businesses, labor, insurers, and lawmakers to address three fundamental questions on the Oregon Health Plan: who is covered, what is covered, and how it is financed (Department of Human Services, 2006, p. 1). The workgroup agreed that all citizens should have full access to basic levels of care and that society is responsible for caring poor people (Department of Human Services, 2006, p. 2). The workgroup also agreed on providing a basic health care package for low income groups as well as health insurance reforms to make it more available and affordable (Department of Human Services, 2006, p. 2). The Oregon Health Plan sought to lower costs by reducing cost pass-on, emphasizing early intervention and primary care, and not covering ineffective care (Department of Human Services, 2006, p. 3). From 1987 to 1993, several legislative reforms were undertaken until â€Å"Medicaid was expanded to inclu de Oregonians under 100% of Federal Poverty Level (FPL), providing a Basic health care benefit package via the Prioritized List† (Department of Human Services, 2006, pp. 3-5). Reforms were

Media Audiences Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Media Audiences - Essay Example The intention of this study is technology as one of the aspects in the twenty first century that has not only changed the ideas, notion and perceptions of the human beings but also the way people live their lives. It has become one of the most significant and considerable facets of human lives. Moreover, the technological changes and the advancement in technologies in the last few years have proved to be much more in comparison to the previous hundred years. Furthermore, the exponential boost in the advancement and innovation is technology is in a continuously growing process. Therefore, no one can neglect the truth that the humans are now living and belonging to the society that has exquisitely become reliant on science and technology. In fact, according to one of the authors â€Å"Technology is one part of the complex of relationships that people form with each other and the world around them; it simply cannot be understood outside of that concept†. Due to such an immeasurab le development and progression of technology, it has gained and dominates over all pieces of human lives, weather it is business, health care, education, entertainment, travelling or personal relationships. Whilst looking at the world of business and commerce, one can figure it out that ecommerce has altered and transformed the business community and how one thinks about while doing business. From small business enterprises to giant multinational corporations, every businessperson is making the most of the technology in the today’s fast-paced world of online market. ... Therefore, mass media has become a powerful and prominent figure for the entire populace of the world (Haour, 2004). Audiences come under immense effects on a short-term, median-term and long-term basis by the technology and media due to its influential powers. The short-term effects of technology and media not only expose the people with the awareness and providing knowledge about an entity, but also modify and revise the obsolete and outmoded or inaccurate information, and increase their recall abilities about a meticulous announcement or advertisement. When the attitudes, beliefs, behaviors and opinions about social norms changes or alters within a person, that individual comes under the intermediate or median-term effect of technology and media. However, the long-term effect of technology and media relates and integrates all the impact of short-term and median-term in conjunction with focused streamlining the alleged norms and preservation of behavioral change (Napoli, 2011). The ideas about the audience dependency on technology have come under a range of studies and researches in the precious decades. The consequences of media exposure provides with the fact that the effect of media and technology on audience are diverse and wide-ranging. In addition, it has also been an understanding that audiences also leave an impact on the media with the intensity and incidence of their usage. Media and technology have come under advancements with a prime objective to promote social change in developing and under-developed nations. Therefore, with respect to this objective research studies have identified and concluded that knowledge gap and media exposure over time are the factors that affects and shapes the

The Supernatural and the witches Essay Example for Free

The Supernatural and the witches Essay The story of Macbeth, like most of Shakespeares plays, tells a story that has a moral lesson attached to it. Macbeth was essentially a man who craved power but even when a prophecy was revealed that he would gain, Macbeth still wasnt truly satisfied. Instead, he went to great lengths to ensure that his power lasted longer than it should have. He submitted to the evil whims and plans of his wife, Lady Macbeth, and put himself in a position that destroyed his self respect, ruined his pride, degraded his honour, and spoiled his integrity. For my essay I have decided to base it on the witches and the super natural things, which take part in the book Macbeth One will always notice the many influences that Macbeth encounters before his downfall. Each one of these may have had some bit of impact on the final outcome. The three most popular causes of the tragedy of Macbeth are the main characters ambition, the witches prophecies, and Lady Macbeths influence over Macbeth. in this case, it is obvious that there was some other force behind him that helped him to change from a respectable, trustworthy man, to a deceiving murderer. In his encounters with the witches, Mabeth was introduced to that fact that he could have more power, and in hearing what he had to do to earn it, he was scared. However, with the witches making this power sound so grand, he was eventually convinced that his dignity was no longer essential. The witches, therefore, were what caused the legacy of Macbeth as a heroic individual to lead to his ultimate death and destruction. At the very beginning of the play it clearly shows that the three witches can foretell the future. They come into the play in the first scene during a horrendous storm and they have foreseen the visit that Macbeth is going to pay them. During Macbeths visit all three witches spoke in rhyme as if they were putting some sort of spell on him for example When the hurly-burlys done, when the battles lost and won They also give Macbeth a prediction, they did this because they knew it would encourage Macbeth to kill because they knew how ambitious he was and what lengths he would go to become king. At the end of the first scene it tells me that the witches have opposite values to us fair is foul and fouls is fair meaning good is bad and bad is good. The witches are very evil and vengeful. I know this because they send a sailor out to sea in a constant thunderstorm for several months. They do this because the sailors wife would not give them one of her many chestnuts. A sailors wife had chestnuts in her lap, and munched, and munched, and munched, and munched. Give me quoth I: Aroint thee, witch! the rump-fed ronyon cries. Her husbands to Aleppo gone, master O the tiger: But in a sieve Ill thither sail, and, like, a rat without a tail Ill do, Ill do, and Ill do. The quote explains why and how the witches gave such a terrible punishment. The witches are described as not looking like typical women. They are very ugly, old and they have beards. Obviously your typical woman would not have a beard. I know this due to the fact Banquo said to the witches live you? Or are you aught? This tells me that the witches are very old. Banquo said to the witches you should be women, and yet your beards forbid me to interpret that you are so Clearly this shows that the witches have beards The witches prediction was correct; Macbeth did ultimately murder Duncan and his guards. He murdered the guards just incase they saw something and they were to people about it. Lady Macbeth helped Macbeth murder the guards by putting something in their drinks so they would sleep. Personally I think that Macbeth cannot be held totally responsible for the killing of Duncan and the guards. I think this because other characters did motivate him to murder them such as Lady Macbeth and the witches. So far in the play Macbeth has become Thane of Cawdar by winning the battle against the Norwegians and Macdonald. The witches give Macbeth three Prophecies, which are Thane of Glamis (which Macbeth already is) Thane of Cawdar and the last prophecy that the witches gave to Macbeth is King of Hereafter All hail, Macbeth! That shalt be king here after The witches prophecies have already taken a big influence over Macbeths life. Glamis and thane of Cawder: The greatest is behind This meaning for Macbeth the next step is even better than the one before. Macbeth wants to become king but Banquo doesnt trust the witches he refers to them as the devil can the devil speak true Banquo believes that evil spirit would not tell them the truth. Banquo then said to win us to our harm meaning the witches are going to lead Macbeth and Banquo to their own destruction. Banquo was becoming suspicious of the death of Duncan. Macbeth Realises that Banquo heard the witches three prophecies he doesnt like Banqos suspicion so he arranges for him and his son Fleance to be killed. Macbeth wants his son murdered as well as Banquo because the witches have told him that they were the future King. Unfortunately for Macbeth there was a mistake in the killings of Banquo and his son. Although the killing of Banquo was very successful it was very brutal murder it consisted of 20 gashes to his head. His son escaped. That night Macbeth held a big celebrity banquet. This is the scene, which Banquos ghost appears. Macbeth being the only person, who can see him, turned and said to him Thou canst not say I did it. Never shake thy gory locks at me Obviously he does not react well to seeing a ghost at the feast. He denies having anything to do with the murder. When Banquos ghost reappears Macbeth begins to go mad and said to himself Avaunt! And quit my sight! Let earth hide thee Lady Macbeth makes excuses for Macbeth to cover up for his behaviour My lord is often thus, and hath been from his youth: pray you, keep seat; the fit is momentary In the quote lady Macbeth is trying to say that her husband is ill and that the Banquet must come to an end due to this. Macbeth again visits the witches for one last final time. Whilst he was there he mentioned that he had gone so far into his murders that he might as well carry on I am in blood stepped so far, that, should I wade no more Also during his visit, the witches are joined by Hecate, who is the queen of witchcraft. This shows the importance Macbeth had in the forces of evil. Not long into Macbeth visit the witches start listing ingredients for some sort of potion, which contains guts, a toad toe, snake, eye of newt, a frog, bats fur, dogs tongue, a humans lips, nose and liver, a wolf tooth, and a finger of a prostitutes baby strangled at birth Fillet of a fenny snake, in the cauldron boil and bake; eye of newt, and toe of frog, wool of bat and tongue of dog, adders fork, and blind-worms sting, lizards leg, and howlets wing, for a charm of powerful trouble, like a hell-broth boil and bubble The witches put all these ingredients into a cauldron to make a potion, which is made for Macbeth to drink. Once Macbeth had drunk the potion he begun to have apparitions. He saw an image of a head with a helmet this symbolised Malcolm coming towards the castle. I think the bloody child represented Macduff being born by a caesarean, the child with a crown on its head holding a branch I think represented Macduff becoming King as he was the only person who could kill Macbeth due to the fact that he was born by caesarean and not by a natural birth and the branch represented Macduffs army approaching Macbeths castle camouflaged into the woods hence the witches prophecy Macbeth shall never vanquished be until Great Birnham Wood to high Dunsinane Hill shall come against him and Banquo holding a mirror represented Banquo beginning a dynasty of royals. Due to Macbeths previous visit to the witches he proceeds to burn Macduffs castle to kill all his family but he fails to kill Macduff because he had gone away to rally an army somewhere in England. The castle of Macduff I will surprise, seize upon fife; give to th edge o th sword his wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls that trace him in his line. No boasting, like a fool; this deed Ill do, before this purpose cool. When Macduff found out about the tragic, and brutal murders of his family he and his army returned to Scotland to kill Macbeth. Each person was carrying a branch from a tree, to form an illusion that they were a moving forest. Just as the witches prophecy said. As I said earlier Macduff was the only person able to kill Macbeth because he was born not of a woman, a lot of the army members have trouble trying to kill Macbeth but eventually Macduff killed Macbeth. Even in his final uttered words before his death, Macbeth refers to two of the witchs apparitions, these being the second and third apparition concerning the Great Birnam wood knocking at his door and his inevitability to anyone born of a woman:

Is Keeping Animals In A Zoo Cruel?

Is Keeping Animals In A Zoo Cruel? Until recently, the existence of zoos in our society was never something which we thought twice about. Zoos were widely accepted as educational and entertaining institutions. Children, and adults, love seeing animals, and a visit to the zoo has always been something we look forward to. Gradually, however, discussion has aroused about the morality of keeping animals, and other creatures in captivity, as animals have rights such as we do. There are around 430 zoos in Britain alone and 10,000 worldwide. Conditions vary greatly, with the worst being nothing more than concrete prisons holding very distressed animals. (Born Free Charity). This quotation shows the insensitivity of the proprietors of such establishments and gives us a clear picture of the conditions in which creatures are kept. Rather than encouraging animals to thrive in natural settings, zoos place very unnatural boundaries on their residents. For example, in zoos, polar bears are usually confined to spaces that are only around one-millionth the size of their minimum home range in the wild. Animals who stray across large distances in nature often develop zoo chosis in captivation which is similar to dementia in humans. Typical behaviours resulting from boredom and distress when placed in zoo enclosures, are endlessly pacing or swimming in circles. Animals have evolved from nature, just as humans, and each belongs undisturbed in its own natural habitat. To remove these animals from what they are used to against their will is immoral. As humans, we must treat animals humanely in our role as stewards of the earth. It is therefore unacceptable that animals in zoos under our care, are suffering from neglect and early death, through distress and health problems. In the wild, creatures such as the ones found in zoos are free to roam without restraint and interact with other species. Whereas, in captive conditions they are only able to mix with their own species, sometimes only being a few of each species. If these animals do not get on with the others in the enclosure, they have no way of escaping each others company, and animals, like us, have personalities and forge friendships and rivalries. Furthermore, animals do not gain the necessary skills for survival in zoos and so will never be able to be reintroduced back into the wild and survive. Therefore they will have to live an enclosed, cramped lifestyle entirely dependent on humans who do not always care for them appropriately, for the entirety of their lives. On this note, Attachment relationships between animals are often studied by separating pack animals and recording their subsequent behaviour. Studies of primates have shown that separation results in changes of behaviour that are symptomatic of both psychological and physiological stress. Because of this, it is clear that in order to maintain physical and psychological well being in animals, it is vital that animals which are used to being together with animals of their kind should not be isolated from one another. In many zoos, it is felt necessary that animals should be alone as it saves costs and ensures there are no conflicts between them. Zoos are therefore knowingly causing the animals psychological and physiological trauma. Animals kept in zoos have no privacy; they are continually watched by the public and have little enclosed space where they can hide. Zoo animals develop anxious behaviours if they are always in the public gaze. Being stared at all the time can be predatory and threatening. Another strange species staring at you or enproaching in your environment is disconcerting and agitating for wild animals in the same way that a tiger coming into your house and staring at you would be not just threatening, but simply terrifying. This in turn can lead to aggression and distress in the animals. Even when the animals are not disturbed by human presences watching over them, there is constant noise of other creatures and maintenance works on the zoo (e.g. Tractors). They will get no peace and quiet. This is not natural for any animal. They should be able to have time on their own to relax in harmony. Zoo Keepers and many employees of zoos do not treat the animals living within the exhibitions with enough compassion or care. A San Diego Zookeeper described an incident in which an African Elephant was beaten for two days with axe handles, as a way of motivating the animal to put on a display for visitors. This kind of treatment is extremely vindictive and clearly demonstrates how in some zoos, the living beings are not treated as well as they should be. Even though they are given all the necessities for life and they have a veterinary surgeon on hand at all times, the animals only get enough to get by, and no more. After all, zoos are a money making business. They often scrimp and save at the expense of the animals well being and comfort. Large animals such as elephants are often subjected to cruelty above and beyond that of smaller animals. A study has proven that in a certain American zoo, the elephants there were dying at a faster rate than they were breeding, as a result of dis ease spread by the lack of space and dirty cages. The exhibition of animals in captivity tells an impressionable public that cruelty to animals can be condoned. Many zoos claim that they are of high educational benefit, and although some visitors only spend around two minutes at each inclosure, using the animals for entertainment rather than for instructive matters. Although, children do get to see animals and experience how they live, which they wouldnt get the chance to do if animals were only in the wild. Zoos have to educate the public about the value of animals so that people understand the importance of conservation. After a fun trip to the zoo, visitors leave with a newfound awareness and perceptive about animals. How are they going to discover these interesting facts if they dont get to see the creatures? Zoos give people an appreciation for animals. They need to see, listen to and smell an elephant to gain love and respect for the creature. Viewing an animal on TV does not give a person the same effect as seeing it first hand does. An arguable advantage of having zoos present in todays society is that many endangered species will be protected and will refrain from becoming extinct. Zoos promote the awareness of animals that are being wiped out. This would allow for people to help fund the repopulation of those animals. If more people are aware of new animals on the endangered species list, there is more of a chance that researchers will get more funds. But endangered species may not gain as much support and attention of the crowds as people are only usually interested in popular species like Lions. Furthermore there is some debate because of the inadequate gene pool of a species in zoos. This could, lead to inbreeding which would then create mutations and defects in the offspring. In conclusion, animals are born wild and therefore should live and die wild. It is wrong that wild creatures should be kept in enclosures in zoos as they do not get to behave naturally: a lion cannot hunt for its prey, or experience the nobility of living with other lions in a pride. My overall view is that keeping animals in zoos is extremely cruel as they are not free to convey their natural way of living, whether it is to roam in a large area, to breed with a partner of their choice, or to kill their own prey. The animals are troubled every minute of the day by people observing them, something which, in the wild, would hint great danger. All of these factors contribute to my strong sensitivity to this topic of treatise. Word count- 1310 Sources www.bornfree.org http://www.captiveanimals.org/zoos/zfact1.htm Pros and Cons : A Debaters Handbook [Paperback] published 1999 http://www.idebate.org/debatabase/topic_details.php?topicID=1 Trees in Celtic Culture and Art: An Analysis Trees in Celtic Culture and Art: An Analysis The use of yew, rowan, birch and Scots pine trees in Scottish Celtic mythology, legend, symbolism, religion and literature Preface Celtic society was dominated by its links to nature and the spirituality of the world around it. Of these natural objects, trees represented the ultimate in spirituality and wisdom. This is not only due to the life giving properties of trees within the forest-strewn wilderness of Europe at the time, but also because of the supposed wisdom and power that trees offered people. Their longevity, practicality, power and importance within Druidism means that trees, and in particular yew trees, formed the basis for literature, religion, myth, legend and symbolism within Scottish Celtic culture. Introduction Trees play an important role in Irish and Scottish Celtic traditions in terms of mysticism, legend, medicinal remedies and religion and literature. The most famous example of this is probably the Celtic notion of the Tree of Life, a tree that symbolizes the connection that links all the worlds in Celtic mythology. The Irish Celts often took this even further with each chieftain having their own specifically grown sacred tree that would allow the clan leader to stay in contact with the Otherworld and his ancestors (Conway, 2000, p. 69). This essay will examine these concepts with particular emphasis on the importance of yew, rowan, birch and Scots pine trees in Scottish Celtic mythology, legend, symbolism, religion and literature. The first section will look at the history of trees within Celtic mythology and literature. Sections two and three will then examine the importance of trees in Scottish Celtic myth, legend, symbolism, religion and literature. History of Trees in Celtic Mythology and Literature The importance of trees in Celtic mythology is linked to their belief that all living things were spiritual and mystical beings. Whilst other cultures only saw animals as being spiritual, the Celts attached spiritual meaning to both animals and plants. Trees were also initially important because they provided food, warmth and housing for people, and therefore were seen as a sort of sustainer of life. The Celtic landscape of Northern Europe was also one where thick forests dominated the landscape. All of this contributed to trees becoming extremely important in Celtic history. Trees have also been used from the very early stages of Celtic existence as a type of alphabet and calendar known as Ogham. This intricate pattern of carved grooves has different trees representing different months (Matthews, 2001, pp. 6-8). Trees played a part in helping the sick in a physical way as well as a spiritual way. The oils and barks of different trees were used to treat illnesses ranging from abscesses and bronchitis to general disinfectant. The trees were seen as having great wisdom and being linked to both this world and the Otherworld (Conway, 2000, pp. 39-41). Trees were part of the magic of the time, and not just in Celtic culture. Throughout Europe there were examples and symbols of trees as powerful creatures. In Germany the rowan tree root could be formed into a humanlike image called an Alraun that could house a spirit and be communicated with (Greer, 2003, p. 19). The birch and yew trees were also mentioned extensively within the old Germanic language as part of the runes within Anglo-Saxon culture (Greer, 2003, p. 63, 149). It is clear that trees and plants have played an important part in language, culture and literature since the beginnings of the Scottish Celtic culture. In fact, the belief in the power and spirituality of plants can be traced right back to the Celtic religion and culture at its foundation. The very term Druidism is a testament to the Celtic worship of trees and plants. This is because Druid as a word is formed from a root DR. This root signifies a tree – in particular the oak – in several of the Aryan languages. Therefore, the very fabric of Celtic religion is based upon the sacred tree (Squire, 2003, p. 33). The original word for church at the time, kirk, was in fact derived from quercus – a type of oak. This species of oak was particularly sacred, and therefore its name became the basis for the place of worship that has been transformed through language to the modern church of today’s world (Thiselton-Dyer, 2004, p. 22). Trees were also important for warding off evil spirits and protecting the land. They protected the land physically through their thick branches that provided wood, shelter and shade from the elements (Davidson, 1988, pp. 13-14). However, they also provided protection from the evil of witches and other demons. The yew tree was particularly painful and disliked by the witches – mainly because it had an association with churchyards and being planted in such places. This gave the tree such holy power that it could take away the abilities and evil of witches (Thiselton-Dyer, 2004, p. 44). Trees could also be inhabited by spirits, which meant they were important vessels to link the current world with the spirit world. Trees were seen as a form that ghosts and spirits could take in order to contact the living, and this was something to be both worshipped and feared in equal measure. The trees were often seen as ‘semi-tangible’ objects that were not as vastly important as the highest gods, but they were symbolic of the demi-gods and along with animals were far more important than many of the other elements and objects around them (Macbain, 2003, p. 33, 37). The other element that made trees so sacred and valued was their longevity. Trees could live hundreds or even thousands of years, which made the people of the time see them as something almost eternal. They were timeless and ageless in many ways, and their longevity also gave them supposed wisdom. Man would decay and crumble, but the trees would live on and gather knowledge throughout the centuries. This is another reason why they were revered and worshipped as sacred objects (Murray and Card, 1998, p. 8). This section has outlined some of the background reasons and history as to why trees were sacred in the Celtic culture. The next section will look at specific examples of trees in Celtic myth, legend and symbolism. Trees in Myth, Legend and Symbolism Perhaps the most important elements of tree symbolism, legend and myth within Celtic society are the calendar and alphabet of trees and the Tree of Life. The tree calendar has 13 of the 25 tree letters as names for months. For example, birch is the symbol for new starts and therefore represents November – the first month in the Celtic calendar (Murray and Card, 1998, pp. 8-9). The yew, rowan and ash trees were also included in this alphabet (Crews, 2005). Each letter or tree symbol within the alphabet means something quite different and symbolizes a certain attribute within human existence. One famous poem and story shows the power of trees in Celtic myth and legend. ‘Big MacVurich and the Monster’ tells how the whelp of a monster is captured by MacVurich and in order to get it back the monster must build a house for MacVurich with timbers in the roof. The beast agrees, but will not use certain types of wood. Whilst the house is built and it seems that MacVurich has what he wants, the beast has in fact denied MacVurich fertility (wild fig), safe passage to the next life (yew) and protection against illness (white poplar) amongst others. The fact that these trees were left out of the construction is significant for it means that MacVurich would not have a good life – the monster was taking revenge through the power of trees (Murray and Card, 1998, pp. 19-20). Trees were also symbolically important for culture and art at the time, as they were the surroundings and inspiration that gave rise to the art of the time. Celtic artists worked predominantly with metal, and their works focused on the animals and plants around them (Green, 1998, p. 1). Symbols such as this show how the tree binds the worlds together, from the living world to the Otherworld and beyond. The tree is the link to all worlds with its roots deep in the ground and its branches far into the sky (Green, 1992, p. 25). The tree of life is also a symbol for the fact that trees provided protection, food, shelter, fuel and warmth for people and animals throughout the forest-strewn landscape. The trees were the objects that gave people the greatest resources that could sustain them, and therefore practically they were a life force (Green, 1998, pp. 3-4). Trees could also symbolize power and political force, as reported by the Romans in their fights with Druids. The Druids would use the forests to gather their clans together, communicate with each other using the branches and fight back. This is why the Romans, who did not specifically believe in the divine power of trees, cut down as many trees as possible to stop the Druids. This was both a practical and spiritual measure, given the significance of trees to the Druids (Heinz, 2008, pp. 139-140). The yew tree has perhaps the greatest significant and myth surrounding it, and even today has an element of mysticism around it due to its old age and the dwindling numbers of yew trees in Europe. Yew trees are in fact poisonous, and so they were used as parts of weapons within Celtic times. They also symbolize the dream-state, as the poisonous vapours from a yew tree can make a person become light-headed or even hallucinate. The tree is in fact given thirty three different titles and meanings in the 12th century Book of Leinster (Heinz, 2008, p.151). However, the most common meaning associated with the yew tree is death, rebirth and regeneration. As one of the longest living trees it was a symbol for the continuation and renewal of life (LaFey, 1999). The birch tree is also associated with birth or inception. The birch is the beginning of all things in the link between life and death and is used in the training of ‘beginning’ for Druids. The rowan tree is seen as a magical tree that grew food of the gods. The berries of the rowan tree were highly sacred and protected. The pine tree represents hardiness and continuation in life – a characteristic of the evergreen tree (LaFey, 1999). All of these trees and many more played a vital role in the development of Celtic myth, legend and symbolism. The next section will move on to look at the importance of trees within the religion and literature of the Celtic tradition. Trees in Religion and Literature As already discussed, trees were an important part of the Druid religion during the time of the Celts. Not only were trees the location for gatherings of Druids, but the trees themselves were part of the Druid religion. The birch was used to train those in the religion, and the carvings of the alphabet from trees were used for communication. Even the calendar that was observed by the Celtic Druids was based upon the tree alphabet. Much of the church of the Druids was based around the sacred importance of trees. Even special houses for religious and spiritual purposes were constructed out of vast quantities of wood to add a sacred element to the construction. Basic houses such as the Pimperne Down round-house used over 200 trees for construction for both practicality and religious advantage (Green, 1996, pp. 195-197). However, literature also contains a number of tree references and stories. In a practical sense, trees were obviously important in the physical creation of stories with wood and then eventually paper. However, before paper the use of trees for carving stories upon was commonplace. The tree alphabet characters were easy to inscribe and were carved upon wood, and such tree tablets served as early writing surfaces within Celtic society. The particular use of trees and the order of characters or letters often depended on when and where the particular trees shed or grew leaves and spread within a particular area. This is why certain areas put more emphasis on the importance of yew or rowan trees above birch or pine trees, and vice versa (Crews, 2005). One of the most famous of these tree stories is the ‘Battle of the Trees’, reworked by Robert Graves. It shows the rise of the belief in trees and the rise of a class of people devoted to agriculture from those who were merely priests within the Bronze Age. The story shows trees and plants as not only being part of the ruling of the nations, but also spirits that contribute to the decision making of who is to lead. Trees are the wisdom behind the power that rules within Celtic society (Rosenfeld, 2005, pp. 196+). There are references to all the various trees within texts and literature throughout Celtic culture. The rowan tree is mentioned extensively in the Dindsenchas or History of the Names of Places. This book tells of a female Druid called Dreco who wounded a man called Cethern (a word derived from rowan) with a rowan spear. Incantations took place when the weapon was used, showing that the rowan was more of a magical weapon than just a physical weapon formed from the tree (Blamires, 1997, p. 77). The birch tree can be used to call upon different beings such as the Daghdha. This rough looking man with unkempt appearance, long hair and a large belly can be used with the birch to help you understand the trees more effectively and communicate with the newly born and the Otherworld (Blamires, 1997, pp. 71-72). The yew is written about more than any other tree and is worshipped as two of the five sacred trees within the Druid religion. It is used to prepare magical literature, wands and in divination. As the oldest of the trees it holds more wisdom than any other and is used for the most important tasks within Druidism. The yew has no special significance in the sense of being about one object or element – the yew simply is and always will be in the same way that God or other worshipped entities whose existence is merely enough to understand the greatness of their power (Blamires, 1997, p. 210). The holiness of the trees and wood can also be seen with fines that had to be paid if you damaged trees such as the oak, yew, ash pine or apple tree. These ‘lords’ of the wood were sacred and could only be used for certain things. Any damage to these trees meant a fine and potentially replanting a tree to replace the one damaged. Rowan and birch were classed as lower trees within this system, and a lesser fine needed to be paid. However, all the trees were seen as precious commodities not only physically but spiritually. This is why trees were the inspiration and object of worship for so many within Celtic society and culture (Delahunty, 2002, pp. 16-18). Conclusion Trees have a long and rich history within Scottish Celtic society in a variety of areas. The reverence of trees came about because of the huge prevalence of trees within Europe at the time of the Celts. These trees provided the life force, shelter and sustenance for people to live their lives. As this developed along with the Druid religion, trees gained a spiritual significance along with the other elements of nature. Animals and weather are important within Celtic tradition, but trees are the basis of the Druid religion and Celtic myth. The concepts of the Tree of Life and the Ogham tree alphabet and calendar show how trees penetrate all areas of Celtic life. Different trees have different meanings, with the rowan and birch trees symbolizing magic and birth respectively. However, the most important tree within the Celtic tradition is the yew tree. This tree represents the highest power of trees. Its longevity, poisonous properties and ghostly shape make it the most revered and feared of all trees whose existence is as important as any modern God. This fear and reverence of trees as a link between worlds inspired the art, literature, legends, symbolism and behavior of Scottish Celtic society. Bibliography Blamires, S., 1997. Celtic Tree Mysteries: Practical Druid Magic and Divination. Llewellyn Worldwide. Conway, D.J., 2000. Advanced Celtic Shamanism. United States: The Crossing Press. Crews, J., 2005. Forest and tree symbolism in folklore. (Online). Available at: http://www.fao.org/docrep/005/y9882e/y9882e08.htm (Accessed 13th January 2009). Davidson, H.R.E., 1988. Myths and Symbols in Pagan Europe: Early Scandinavian and Celtic Religions. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press. Delahunty, J.L., 2002. Religion, War and Changing Landscapes: An Historical and Ecological Account of the Yew Tree (Taxus baccata L.) in Ireland. Diss., Graduate School of University of Florida. Available at: http://etd.fcla.edu/UF/UFE0000522/delahunty_j.pdf LaFey, M., 1999. Sacred Trees, Oghams and Celtic Symbolism. (Online). Available at: http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Shire/3951/dryadart.html (Accessed 14th January 2009). Green, M., 1992. Symbol and Image in Celtic Religious Art. London: Routledge. Green, M., 1996. The Celtic World. London: Routledge. Green, M., 1998. Animals in Celtic Life and Myth. New York: Routledge. Greer, M., 2003. The New Encyclopedia of the Occult. Llewellyn Worldwide. Heinz, S., 2008. Celtic Symbols. Sterling Publishing Company, Inc. Macbain, A., 2003. Celtic Mythology and Religion. New York: Kessinger. Matthews, C., 2001. Celtic Wisdom Sticks: An Ogam Oracle. London: Connections Book Publishing. Murray, L., and Card, V., 1998. The Celtic Tree Oracle: A System of Divination. London: Connections Book Publishing. Rosenfeld, N., 2005. Trees, Kings, and Muses: Robert Gravess Battle of the Trees and Jothams Parable of the Trees. Papers on Language Literature, 41(2), p. 196+. Squire, C., 2003. Celtic Myth and Legend. New York: Courier Dover Publications. Thiselton-Dyer, T.F., 2004. The Folk Lore of Plants. New York: Kessinger.

Critical Evaluation of Change Managed in Practice

Critical Evaluation of Change Managed in Practice The Government has clearly outlined the need for nurses to develop leadership skills at all levels within the workforce in order to deliver the NHS modernisation programme (DH  [1]  1998; DH 1999). The leadership role expected of community practitioners is evident in Shifting the Balance of Power (DH 2001a) and Liberating the Talents (DH 2002) with the expectation that health visitors will lead teams which will deliver family-centred public health within the communities they work (DH 2001b). The change I was to lead however was not initiated primarily to support clients, but instead to protect staff working in the community to ensure they were safe and supported in their public health work as a large proportion of the time is spent working alone. The issue of lone worker safety is particularly topical after the recent murder of a mental health support worker during a home visit (BBC News 2006). To support this proposal, Baulcomb (2003) asserts that any change management initiative should not only yield benefits for patients but also for staff and the wider organisation. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE 2005) reports that nurses and other health care workers are 2.8 times more at risk of an injury  [2]  than clerical workers and the vulnerability of health care workers increases significantly if they are working alone  [3]  (Chappell and Di Martino 2000). It was a particularly pertinent time to examine mechanisms for risk reduction as they had still not been reviewed despite a member of staff being off sick  [4]  due to an adverse incident involving lone work. As health visiting frequently requires lone work, it was clear that lone working practices needed reviewing to reduce the likelihood of a similar or more serious incident recurring. Further drivers for change were identified as a result of observations of workers in practice. I noted the following areas of concern: up-to-date whereabouts of staff not always provided (or out of date) and a lack of a reporting-in system which would identify whether staff had finished work safely for the day. I discussed these issues with the community nursing manager who wholly supported any attempts to introduce mechanisms that would improve lone worker safety. A further driver for change was the obligation to implement health and safety legislation. Due to limitations in report length, this information has been provided in Appendix One. If changes are to be implemented which lead to increased worker safety, this will have a positive (although indirect) effect on clients because if staff feel safer and more supported in their roles, they will be less likely to be off sick with stress or injuries (Mahony 2006) which would impact on the teams ability to deliver the public health agenda. As workers who contribute to the implementation of health and safety measures are known to be healthier and safer than those who do not (HSE 2005), it was felt that this would be an appropriate area for the team to examine and implement change. It was after consideration of these anteceding factors that the need for change was established and a vision created: To improve the safety of lone workers within the health visiting team. Implementing the change was a dynamic and multidimensional process with many facets too abundant to detail fully here, however pertinent examples will be selected and analysed. The following study will detail a reflective evaluation of my application of leadership and management theory to effect a change in practice. The successes and difficulties encountered will be given throughout with reference to the literature. Change management requires well-developed leadership and management skills (Marquis and Huston 2000). A combination of these skills is necessary to ensure that the job is done not only efficiently, i.e. new mechanisms are put in place and embedded into the teams practice (the management dimension) (Stewart 1996) but that it is achieved in such a way that motivates and inspires staff to change their practice- the leadership dimension (Stewart 1996). To guide the changes, a change management model was selected. Deegan et al (2004) report that such models provide a theoretical sequence, which will be instrumental in helping the change manager to choose, develop, and order activities which are required during planned change episodes. As the change was planned (as opposed to emergent), a suitable model was Lewins three-stage model of planned change (Lewin 1951)  [5]  . The use of this model in the National Health Service (NHS) is widely documented and has underpinned the successful changes in many of the research papers read  [6]  . It is also a simple model which is not overly prescriptive and so does not restrict individual practitioner creativity (Cameron and Green 2005). The three stages of planned change according to this model are: unfreezing the existing equilibrium (Unfreezing); moving to a new point (Movement) and refreezing the changes into practice so that they become embedded in practice (Refreezing). My change management project is currently part way through the Movement stage as the change has not been fully implemented or evaluated yet I continue to lead this project  [7]  . Lewin (1951) suggests that in the changes preliminary stage, factors which will drive or resist the change should be identified. This process is known as Force Field Analysis (FFA) and will identify the change enthusiasts, the potential objectors and the undecided (Turner, 2001) (see Appendix Three for the FFA carried out at this stage). Lewin (1951) asserted that change occurs as a result of a shift in the equilibrium between the opposing forces (those which resist change) and the driving forces and is thought to be more likely to occur successfully if restraining forces are removed rather than by simply increasing the driving forces. Hussey (1998) exercises a word of caution at this juncture warning that an increase in the driving forces may lead to an increase in the restraining forces, however if the driving forces outweigh the restraining forces, there is a positive climate for change (Cameron and Green 2005). After analysing the force field I could see that the driving forces o utweighed the resisting forces and so confirmed that the change was needed and realistic. Leaders motivate their staff by inspiring vision and encouraging followers to share in that vision (Bennis 1997, Davidhizar 1993) and like in Kassean Jagoos study (2005), the unfreezing stage was initiated by facilitating peoples thoughts on the current situation (Greaves 1999)- stimulating ideas for how to change the current situation  [8]  . As people can only be empowered by a vision that they understand (Sheldon and Parker 1997), it is paramount that strategies are used to foster inclusion and participation so that all team members are fully aware of the impetus for change. For change to be successful and enduring, Kouzes and Posner (1987) say that it is imperative that the leader encourages team ownership of the vision by encouraging their participation in the project. Without participation failure is likely to result due to resistance from team members. It is vital to the success of the change that it is perceived to be needed by those that will be affected by the change ( Marquis and Huston 2000) and so to raise awareness of the issue and create dissatisfaction with the current state (Lewin 1951), I introduced my ideas at a team meeting. On reflection, I can identify aspects of transformational and situational leadership in how I shared my ideas and interacted with the team. Most team members agreed that risks to lone working needed to be reduced and willingly offered their ideas (see Appendix Four). Encouraging team input and facilitating problem solving are key features of the supportive behaviours exhibited by the situational leader (Northouse 2004). Situational leadership was developed by Hersey and Blanchard (1977) and assumes the leader adapts their style according to a given situation  [9]  . This style has two main types of intervention: those which are supportive and those which are directive. The effective situational leader is one that adjusts the directive and supportive dimensions of their leadership according to the needs of their subordinates (Northouse 2004). As most team members were highly motivated in the project, freely offering suggestions and ideas, a directive role was not needed. The supportive behaviours I employed encouraged a participative approach characterised by the use of finely tuned interpersonal skills such as active listening, giving feedback and praising (Marquis and Huston 2000) which can be likened to a Skinnerian approach of positive reinforcement. In retrospect I can identify my correct use of this leadership style by looking at a later development of this model which introduced a further dimension to the leadership style: the developmental level of the participants. This is ascertained by assessing workers competence and commitment to completing the task. The member of staff that appeared to take little interest and was not able to offer ideas displayed a lower developmental level compared to other team members and hence I directed her more using the coaching behaviours advocated by Hersey and Blanchard (1977). This coaching promoted inclusion and participation by: giving encouragement, soliciting input and questioning the participant on what they thought of the proposals and the changes they would like to see. This was done to increase levels of commitment and motivation (Northouse 2004) and thus integrate that team member into the change process. On reflection this can also be identified as an example of reducing the resist ing factors to the change within the force field as by adapting to the needs of that team member, she was encouraged to take part and share ideas rather than hinder progress and potentially thwart the change. A model which places great importance on the needs, values and morals of others is transformational leadership (Northouse 2004; RCN 2005) and elements of this could be identified in my leadership. The needs of staff could be regarded as the need to stay safe, and values may be their desire to get home to their families at the end of the day. I was aware that on face value, looking at improving safety for lone workers would perhaps not appear to be an issue that would provoke much excitement, or according to Kotter (1999) light a fire. However, I articulated my vision in terms of getting people to consider the impact of what the consequences could be if we were to be a victim of an adverse incident. When discussing the impact of this with staff and getting them to consider the impact of not changing practice, of how their lives and their families lives could potentially be affected, I created motivation within the team to examine working practices. This was confirmed to me as many of the staff showed their interest by their offering of ideas to meet this challenge. By tapping into the moral dimension of a proposed change i.e. promoting the need to contribute in order to protect the safety of not just themselves but also the wider team, the transformational leader further inspires staff to change by motivating followers to transcend their own self-interest for the sake of the team and organization (Bass 1985). Once the vision had been shared and accepted by the team, several strategies were discussed that could contribute to risk reduction (Appendix Four). At this stage it was realistic to focus on a single change. A reason for this was because McIntosh (2000) highlights that many changes focus on the needs of the organisation (e.g. to provide certain services or to implement Government policy) and often overlook the needs of the employees. Applied to this case, there was an organisational need to manage risk but this had to be balanced with not overwhelming the team with too many changes at once  [10]  . At the meeting it was decided by the team members present  [11]  that the simplest intervention to implement would be to phone into the clinic base administrators when finishing their shift to notify that they had finished work for the day and were safe  [12]  . Although the proposed change would not eliminate the risk of an adverse incident occurring, it would ensure that should an incident occur, it would be identified and acted upon as swiftly as possible and thus the risk would be managed more effectively. Vroom and Yetton (1973) propose five types of considered decision-making ranging from that which may be expected of an autocratic manager i.e. a decision is made by the leader entirely alone, through to a democratic approach whereby the matter is discussed with the whole team and a consensus decision is made. When analysing my own management stance it was clear that my style had been distinctly democratic as I had sought to include everyone and promote consensus decision-making. I demonstrated sensitivity and appreciation of the pressures that others were under by ensuring that those not present at the meeting were included in the decision-making process as open consultation with key stake holders often leads to the successful introduction and adoption of change (Phair and Good 1998, cited in Deegan et al 2004). This contributed to creating a climate of a learning organisation. A learning organisation is one where all members are encouraged to increase their capacity to produce resul ts they care about (Karesh 1994) and one which promotes the exchange of information between members in order to create a knowledgeable workforce. I was determined that those who could not attend the meetings still be part of the decision making process. However there were difficulties with this as due to being in practice just two days a week meant that it was unrealistic to consult each absent worker individually and so I emailed out meeting minutes from the meeting and invited feedback  [13]  . Although the use of email to communicate ideas is one of the least popular ways to receive information, it was one of only a few methods available to me and hence justified its use. Without using this medium, communication with the team would have been compromised and could have led to some team members feeling they had been excluded from the decision-making process. Further analysis of this point reveals my own concern that all the follow up and meetings needed to be done by myself whe n perhaps this could have been delegated to someone else. With regard to situational leadership, if team members are motivated and committed to the change, the leader can assume a more passive role where they let team members take responsibility for doing the job and refrain from giving unnecessary support (Northouse 2004). This perhaps reveals Theory X management style traits (McGregor 1960) whereby the manager feels the need to keep a tight grip on staff perceiving them to need coercion to achieve tasks, deeming them to possess little capacity to explore and solve problems spontaneously without direction. This approach may convey distrust of the team (McGregor 1960) and was therefore not an ideal management style in the actual situation I was in. Rather than viewing this as a weakness however, it must be viewed as an opportunity to explore my assumptions of the team, assessing whether my assumptions had any grounding in reality or whether this style was assumed due to my inexperie nce leading and hence insecurities about the role. Reaching a consensus on the change to implement was an example of how in situational leadership, decision-making can be shared between the leader and motivated followers (Hersey and Blanchard 1977). From a management point of view, this participative approach facilitates the process of completing the task but it is also an example of how leaders empower their teams by transferring some of their power to the follower to enable them to be active participants in the decision-making process. After confirming the change intervention, the safety plan was devised (see Appendix Six). This was a contingency plan detailing the steps to take should a team member fail to report in. The team agreed that I should draw this up due to my previous experience of using one. As the manager is responsible for ensuring a task is completed on time and is done efficiently (Stewart 1996) there was no reason for this task to be delegated elsewhere as this would have taken up time and hence been an inappropria te use of resources. During the movement stage, I positively reinforced the importance of the change by acting as a role model. Role modelling is a key feature of transformational leadership whereby the leader demonstrates specific types of behaviours that they want their followers to adopt (Northouse 2004). Stewart (1996) also reports that the greatest power as a leader is the example that you set (p.25) and so I did this by ensuring that I implemented the proposed changes i.e. I always reported into base on finishing work even before the agreed implementation date. The change is currently in the latter stages of the Movement phase with implementation and evaluation still required to complete the phase  [14]  . Refreezing is the final stage of Lewins model and involves the change agent (myself) supporting staff to integrate the change into practice so that it becomes part of the status quo (Marquis and Huston 2000) ensuring that over a period of time everyones practice changes and there is no chance of reversion to former ways. A strategy for the future development of the change and to conclude the refreezing stage would be to carry out an evaluation to determine the changes effectiveness. A summative (or outcome evaluation) could be conducted to investigate: whether the intervention is effective in reaching planned goals; what happens to the participants as a result of the change and whether it is worth continuing with the change intervention (Robson 2003). The first question could be assessed by carrying out a risk assessment of the hazards faced by lone workers including strategies in place to reduce risk. The HSE (2005) detail a five-step risk assessment guide that can be carried out to assess the extent of risk post-intervention. Ideally a risk assessment should have been carried out in the unfreezing stage and thus provide a baseline to compare against. Another strategy to obtain objective data would be to keep a copy of all reporting-in records which should identify those failing to report in  [15]  . Although this appears to be a policing measure which may imply distrust for staff (typical of a Theory X manager, McGregor 1960), it may be the only way of conclusively being able to tell if people are actually putting the new change into practice. If an audit of these records revealed certain team members were not engaging in the process and were having to be chased by administrators to ascertain whether they had finished work safely, I would use responsive leadership skills incorporating effective interpersonal communication to work with these staff members to identify what the problems and issues were. It is vital that this is done as if ignored these resisting factors could impede the change and failure could result (Hussey 1998). A key goal of refreezing is supporting those involved so that the change remains in place (Marqui s and Huston 2000) and so this audit may reveal those who need further support  [16]  . The change detailed in this case study has first and foremost considered the needs of the employees (i.e. to be safe in their lone work) yet has many benefits for the wider organisation and staff: potentially decreased litigation due to decreased adverse incidences affecting staff, increased recruitment and retention due to the organisations increasing attractiveness as a supportive employer and many more. This highlights effective use of a combination of leadership skills to inspire and motivate staff coupled with the ability to function in a management capacity by directing changes necessary in order to meet the organisations requirements (Marquis and Huston 2000). Change management requires well-developed leadership and managerial skills (Marquis and Huston 2000). However as a student health visitor many of these skills were far from being well developed and rather than use and manipulate models as I went along, elements of models such as transformational and situational were recognised retrospectively. However in doing so my knowledge of the theoretical underpinning has been developed and consolidated arming me with a plethora of skills to draw on in future. Northouse (2004) states that leadership style refers to the behaviours shown by an individual who attempts to influence others. I felt this was a daunting task as in my student role I felt very much the subordinate as opposed to the leader. However, Government papers such as Making a Difference (DH 1999) stress for the need to develop leadership at all levels meaning it is not an activity reserved for the upper echelons of an organisation (Garvin 1996). I found it hard at times to reconcile the requirement to develop leadership skills with the need to embrace evidence-based practice as the two often clashed due to the fact that there is little empirical evidence of the effectiveness of many leadership models (Northouse 2004) including those I used. To further illustrate this point Wright and Doyle (2005) conclude it is impossible to say how effective transformational leadership is with any degree of certainty and it is not possible to say here that another approach would have been more effective without trying it. Northouse (2004) also criticises other models of leadership including situational leadership, and questions their validity commenting that they are under-researched and with few published research findings. I had not viewed myself as a born leader and coupled with my student status, I felt nervous embracing a leadership role. Marriner-Tomey (1996) however asserts that leadership skills can be developed over time, indicating that skills can indeed be learnt, dispelling the myth that leaders are born not made. This provides me with reassurance that with further experience of leading in practice, along with a deeper knowledge of leadership theory, I may become a more effective and inspiring leader. References Bass, B. M. (1985) Leadership and Performance Beyond Expectation. New York, Free Press. Baulcomb, J. (2003) Management of change through force field analysis. Journal of Nursing Management. 11. pp. 275-80. BBC News (2006) Man held as charity worker killed. News item [Internet], BBC. Available from: [Accessed 20th May 2006]. Bennis, W. (1994) On becoming a leader. NY, Perseus Press. Burns, J.M. (1978) Leadership. New York, Harper Row. Cameron, E. and Green, M. (2005) Making sense of change management: a complete guide to the models, tools and techniques or organisational change. London, Kogan Page. Chappell, D. and Di Martino, V. (2000) Violence at work. 2nd ed. Geneva, ILO. Davidhizar, R. (1993) Leading with charisma. Journal of Advanced Nursing. 18. pp. 675-9. Deegan, C., Watson, A., Nestor, G., Conlon, C. and Connaughton, F. (2004) Managing change initiatives in clinical areas. Nursing Management. 12 (4), pp. 24-29. Department of Health (1999) Making a Difference: strengthening the contribution of nursing, midwifery and health visiting. London, HMSO. Department of Health (2001a) Shifting the balance of power: securing delivery. London, HMSO. Department of Health (2001b) Health visitor practice development resource pack. London, DH. Department of Health (2002) Liberating the talents: helping PCTs and nurses deliver the NHS Plan. London, HMSO. Elkan, R., Kendrick, D., Hewitt, M., Robinson, JJA., Tolley, K. and Blair, M. (2000) The effectiveness of domiciliary health visiting: a systematic review of international studies and a selective review of the British literature. Health Technology Assessment. 4(13). Garvin, J. (1996) Leadership and nursing: traditional attitudes and socialisation. Nursing Management. 3 (3). pp. 20-22. Greaves, C. (1999) Patients perceptions of bedside handover. Nursing Standard. 14 (12). pp. 32-5. Health and Safety Executive (1974) The Health and Safety at Work Act. London, HMSO. Health and Safety Executive (2005) Work related violence: lone workers. [Internet], HSE. Available from: [Accessed 26th April 2006]. Hersey, P. and Blanchard, K. H. (1977) The Management of Organizational Behaviour. 3rd ed. New Jersey, Prentice Hall. Hussey, D. (1998) How to be better at managing change. London, Kogan Page. Karash, R. (1994) Learning-Org Dialog on Learning Organizations. [Internet]. Available from [Accessed 22nd May 2006] Kassean, H. and Jagoo, Z. (2005) Managing change in the nursing handover from traditional to bedside handover- a case study from Mauritius. [Internet], BMC Nursing. Available from: [Accessed on 2nd April 2006]. Kotter, J. (1999) John P. Kotter on what leaders really do. Boston, Harvard Business School. Lewin, K. (1951) Field Theory in Social Science. New York, Harper Row. Mahony, C. (2006) Risk reduction. [Internet], Nursing Times. Available from: [Accessed 14th May 2006]. Marquis, B. and Huston, C. (2000) Leadership roles and management functions in nursing: theory and application. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, Lippincott. McGregor, D. (1960) The human side of enterprise. New York, McGraw-Hill. McIntosh, N.D. (2000) Implementing clinical education for phlebotomists.Nursing Standard. 15 (1). pp. 43-6 National Audit Office (2003) A safer place to work: Improving the management of health and safety risks to staff in NHS Trusts. [Internet], NAO. Available from: [Accessed 26th April 2006.] NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement (2005) Working with groups: improvement leaders guide. Coventry, NHS. Northouse, P.G. (2004) Leadership theory and practice. 3rd ed. London, Sage. Peters, T and Waterman, R. (1998) Re: planned change. [Internet], Shropshire and Staffordshire Workforce Development Confederation. Available from: [Accessed 15th April 2006.] RCN (2005) Transformational leadership processes. [Internet], RCN Practice Development Institute. Available from: [Accessed 1st May 2006]. Robson, C. (2003) Real world research. 2nd ed. Oxford, Blackwell. Selby York Primary Care Trust. (2004) Lone worker policy. York, SYPCT. Sheldon, L and Parker, P. (1997) Leadership and team building. Nursing Management. 4 (2). pp. 24-5 Stewart, R. (1996) Leading in the NHS: a practical guide. 2nd ed. Wiltshire, Macmillan Business. The Suzy Lamplugh Trust. (2005) Personal safety at work: guidance for all employees in the workplace, working off-site and travelling for work. UK, SLT. Turner, L. (2001) Introducing a medical emergency team. [Internet], Nursing Times 97 (40). Available from: [Accessed 14th May 2006.] Vroom, V. and Yetton, P. (1973) Leadership and decision-making. Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Press. Wright, M and Doyle, M (2005) Classical leadership. [Internet]. Available from: [Accessed 26th April 2006]. Bibliography: Alexis, O. (2005) Managing change: cultural diversity in the NHS workforce. Nursing Management. 11 (10), pp. 28-30. Handy, C. (1999) Understanding organizations. 4th ed. London, Penguin. Home Office. (2005) Research development statistics: violence at work. [Internet], Home Office. Available from: [Accessed 26th April 2006]. Maslow, A.H. (1954) Motivation and personality. New York, Harper Row. Mayhew, C. (2003) Occupational violence: a neglected occupational safety and health issue? Policy and Practice in Health and Safety. 1 (1) pp. 31-58. NMC (2004) Standards of Proficiency for Specialist Community Public Health Nurses. London, NMC. Percival, J. (2005) Inspire the team. Nursing Standard. 19 (34), p. 71. Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurences Regulation (RIDDOR) website. [Internet]. Available from: Appendices APPENDIX ONE Health and Safety Legislation in Practice. The Lone Worker Policy (SYPCT 2006) in my practice area is heavily influenced by the Health and Safety at Work Act (HSE 1974) and the Health and Safety at Work Regulations Act (HSE 1999 cited in SYPCT 2006) which stipulate the duties of the employer  [17]  and the employee  [18]  . The more recent legislation requires employers to assess the nature and scale of any workplace risks to health and ensure there are proper control measures to reduce or eliminate risk. Although the policy encompasses the relevant legislation and raises awareness, its aims are particularly broad and apart from indicating particular training, there are few suggestions of good practice to help staff understand exactly how they can take reasonable care. It was also evident that although Lone Worker safety training was mandatory, fewer than half of the members of the team had accessed this within the l