Organizational structure as a determinant of performance: Evidence from mutual funds Essay

Management Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Management is an important aspect of any organization. For an organization to be successful, it is important that there should solid management carried out by managers. All companies that are successful have often ensured that they have a sound and strong management system as well as capable managers that can help in achieving the objectives of companies. Task 1   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A manager can be described as an individual that has been placed in a position of authority to oversee the operations of an organization. Management is the art of overseeing the operations of an organization by ensuring that all operations are in line with the objectives of the company (Csaszar, 2012). An organization is any entity that is focused in achieving a collective objective. Managers as mentioned are persons in positions of authority within an organization that are tasked with the responsibility of overseeing the operations of a particular organization. Managers are the decision makers within an organization and every decision that they make is often implemented with an aim of meeting the objectives of the organization(Aquinas, 2010). The success of any organization greatly depends on the managers as they are the decisions makers that influence success. For example, when there are operational changes to be made such as the rate of production within an organization, a manager is deeply involved in providing the much needed guidance as well as making the final decision on what steps to undertake (Aghina, Smet,& Heywood, 2014). With the approval of the manager, the rate of production can be increased which can then help the company to attain more revenue.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Furthermore, managers are important within organizations since they perform the function of planning. It is the duty of the manager to plan how operations will be carried out and how each project within the organization will be undertaken. For example, if an organization has an objective of improving on its sales, the manager will be involved in the planning process by deciding the necessary steps that need to be taken for the project to be accomplished(Aquinas, 2010). Furthermore, it is important to note that managers are important in that they play the role of organizing. This involves formation of teams as well as providing the appropriate resources that can be used in completing tasks(Janićijević, 2013). Organizing also involves giving authority as well as assigning the staffs in the company respective duties. Managers are also important within organizations because they provide the staffing and make decisions on human resource s. After assessing the needs that certain operations within an organization require, a manager will take the responsibility of sourcing for the right employees, recruiting as well as ensuring that they are capable of handling the duties(Aghina, Smet, & Heywood, 2014). The human resource manager is often the person in charge of staffing and ensures that there are enough staffs that can carry out the operations for the success of an organization.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Apart from the above important roles of a manager, they are also important because they provide leadership. The success of an organization will greatly depend on the type of leadership that is offered within the company(Koontz, &Weihrich, 2007). Managers often motivate, guide, communicate as well as encourage the employees under their leadership to perform well within the company. The managers also are important towards the success of an organization since they help employees in solving problems that they may face in the course of carrying out their duties. Therefore, through the leadership qualities, managers are able to help a company or business become successful. Finally, managers are importance within an organization since they provide control within an organization(Janićijević, 2013). It is important that there must be frequent and continuous checks to ensure that operations of an organization are in line for the success of t he company. Therefore, to ensure that all things run as required and that there are no loopholes in the operations of an organization, a manager must be available. Task 2   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Organizational structure refers to the arrangement in a hierarchical order which depicts the lines of authority as they are supposed to be within an organization. Furthermore, organizational structure depicts the channels of communication, duties as well as the rights as they should flow within the organization from the top ranking officers to the lower or junior employees. Organizational structure is of great importance because it helps in outlining how an organization operates in terms of roles, responsibilities as well as the powers and how they are assigned to each person in the company (Koontz, &Weihrich, 2007). It helps in ensuring that there is proper coordination of operations within an organization and proper control is maintained to avoid conflicts. Furthermore, it is also to be noted that organizational structures within organizations are important in identifying how information flows within the organization. PRESIDENT/CEO Figure 1: Organizational chart VP-PRODUCTION VP-MARJKETING VP-SALES MANAGER1 MANAGER1 MANAGER1 MANAGER2 MANAGER2 MANAGER2   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The different levels of management, that is the top level, middle level, as well as the bottom level management often work closely with each other to ensure that the primary objectives of an organization are net both in the short run and in the long run. It is important to observe that the organizational structure of any given company will primarily depend on the objectives of the organization as well as its strategies (Krot, &Lewicka, 2012). When an organization has a centralized structure, it means that the overall decision making within the organization is made at the top level management of the company. Furthermore, under a centralized structure, the top management has great and tight control over all the divisions as well as the departments within the organization and often those departments have different levels of independence.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   An organizational structure is important in that it helps to outline what steps different stakeholders need to take when dealing with the organization. Furthermore, it is to be noted that organizational structure helps in maintaining accountability(Aquinas, 2010). Through an organizational structure, one is able to know who is supposed to be held responsible in case certain things happen in the company. Every person has their roles outlined in the structure hence high level of accountability is maintained. It is also important in the success of an organization because it helps in the maximization of resources (Rolà ­nek, Vrchota, Kubecovà ¡, &Ã…  varovà ¡, 2014). The organizational structure is important because the resources can be allocated properly by following the right channel of communication as outlined by the structure.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In an organizational structure, the different levels of management are involved in making different types of decisions for the benefit of the organization (Chisa, 2014). It is to be noted that the strategic decisions which are often long term decisions of an organization are made by the top level management. These are decisions which shape as well as direct the operations of an organization as a whole and therefore the senior managers are the ones that make such decisions. The top level management often make their decisions which affect the stakeholders of the organization such as the shareholders as well as the internal stakeholders. The impact of the strategic decisions can be said to be greater than the impact of the operational decisions since the strategic decisions influence the tactical and the operational decisions to be made by other managers. On the other hand, the tactical decisions within an organization are often made by the m iddle level management. These are decisions which are made and help in the implementation of the strategies of an organization(Aquinas, 2010). The middle level management work closely with the top level management so that the strategies formulated and the tactical decisions made by the middle level management can result in to positive results.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The tactical decisions will often rely on market research and data to ensure that the implementation of the strategies provide positive results in the long run. Finally, the operational decisions within an organization are often made by the middle or the junior management in an organization (Takahara, &Mesarovic, 2003). These decisions often involve the daily routine activities that are performed within the organization. For example the decision to change shift for employees from time to time is an operational decision made by a junior manager. Task 3   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Unilever Plcis one of the multinational corporations that deal in consumer products as well as services across the globe. The vision and mission of Unilever Plc is â€Å"helping people to look good, feel good and get more out of life.† The vision and mission of the company is to provide customer with consumer products that are of high quality and affordable (own website). The corporate strategy which Unilever has continued to use is that of providing products that meet the expectations of the consumers as well as ensuring that the prices are affordable hence attractive to customers. Packaging and branding is another corporate strategy the company has been using, ensuring that all its products are packaged in a unique way(own website).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   SWOT analysis refers to the analysis conducted on a company to check on its strengths, weaknesses, the various opportunities it has as well as the threats that it faces in the course of carrying out its operations (Unilever SWOT Analysis, 2012). This analysis helps in determining whether a company is in a better position as compared to its competitors and can help in making important decisions. It helps in identifying opportunities which a company can take on as well as the weaknesses which a company can build on to improve its performance. Unilever makes use of the SWOT analysis to help make major business decisions such as the pricing of its products as well as packaging and how to handle competition(Unilever SWOT Analysis, 2012). Under SWOT analysis, the strengths of the company include innovation and new products launching, a strong portfolio for its brands as well as it has made strategic acquisitions. The weakness of the company is r ecalling of its products which affects its revenue. The opportunities include growing new markets such as home and personal care(Unilever SWOT Analysis, 2012). However, it is faced with the threat of counterfeit products in the market. Organizational culture is also important in performance of a company. In the case of Unilever, the company can improve its performance if its changes its culture of having a wide range of products under one brand (Unilever SWOT Analysis, 2012). The company needs to rebrand and have different portfolios for its products categorized for each consumer group. References Aghina, W., De Smet, A., & Heywood, S. (2014).The past and future of global organizations. Mckinsey Quarterly, (3), 97-106. Aquinas, P. G. (2010).Organization structure and design: Applications and challenges. New Delhi: Excel Books. Chisa, E. (2014). Evolution of the Product Manager.Communications Of The ACM, 57(11), 48-52. doi:10.1145/2669480 Csaszar, F. A. (2012). Organizational structure as a determinant of performance: Evidence from mutual funds. Strategic Management Journal, 33(6), 611-632. doi:10.1002/smj.1969 Janićijević, N. (2013). THE MUTUAL IMPACT OF ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE AND STRUCTURE.EkonomskiAnali / Economic Annals, 58(198), 35-60. doi:10.2298/EKA1398035J Koontz, H., &Weihrich, H. (2007).Essentials of management: An international perspective. New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill. Krot, K., &Lewicka, D. (2012).THE IMPORTANCE OF TRUST IN MANAGER-EMPLOYEE RELATIONSHIPS.International Journal Of Electronic Business Management, 10(3), 224-233. Rolà ­nek, L., Vrchota, J., Kubecovà ¡, J., &Ã…  varovà ¡, M. (2014).THE LEVEL OF PROCESS MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES APPLICATION IN SMEs IN THE SELECTED REGION OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC.Serbian Journal Of Management, 9(2), 203-217. doi:10.5937/sjm9-6376 Takahara, Y., &Mesarovic, M. (2003).Organization structure: Cybernetic systems foundation. London: Kluwer Academic/Plenum. Unilever SWOT Analysis. (2012). Unilever SWOT Analysis, 1-10. Source document

Modernization

Modernization in this contemporary world gives birth to emerging access to technologies that lead to the growth of social media platforms. The existence of present-day devices provides the creation of applications, programs and other networks that portrays an important role to every individual in terms of convenience. Social media platforms serve as interactive computer-mediated technologies that facilitate the emergence and sharing of information, ideas, career interests and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. It provides the ability to create a mere connection in the present society and to the functions of social media. However, social media platforms transmit messages and source of effective connectedness, there are factors that contribute to its negative impacts that affect every individual in the society. The social media platforms would formulate conclusions that want to give emphasis to the factors that cultivate the anxiety within a certain individual with the usage of the media that produces a certain condition of depression. While the Social Media platforms offer a lot of benefits, this will prove that there are instances that they have disadvantages that trigger to doubt, fear or uneasiness and literally to depression. There are studies that would link between spending extended time on social media and experiencing negative mental health outcomes. The benefits of the social media platforms will provide contrast to determine whether these media channels take advantage on the development of modern technologies in the virtual world and just simply produce the impact that would lead to the association of depression and anxiety. The traditional forms of communication are in the modes of television, radio, newspapers, magazines and other printed materials. As time goes by, developments sprouted that leads to the discovery of technology that brings life to modern devices. Advancements are very rampant until social media platforms are created. Different kinds of applications and functions are available to the people to give the easiest accessibility in the form of communication. People grab the opportunities that will lessen their difficulties especially to connect to all individuals in the world in just one click. The social media platforms continue to provide all the needed operations of the people on an everyday basis. In this certain situation, the forms of social media grow depends on the demand of the people. People are introduced to modern devices like cell phones, tablets, laptops, and computers. The growth of social media platforms formed a vital role in the lives of the people. Nowadays, people only think in reaching out to social media platforms in terms of challenges and difficulties because the mere fact that revolves around their mind is that everything can be found on the Internet. The Global Digital Report of 2018, provides a data that shows that there are 7.60 billion of people in the world and the number of internet users worldwide in 2018 is 4.02 billion up 7 percent year-on-year, social media users worldwide comes with 3.20 billion up 13 percent year-on-year and users of mobile phone is 5.14 billion up 4 percent year-on-year. This only exhibits almost half of the total population in the world are now swallowed by the means of the usage of social media. The total data continues to grow that would greatly conclude that social media platforms effectively influence and encourage the people to be updated and enjoy every feature that they can provide. The Delvalle organization classifies the social media platforms into; social networking, microblogging, blogging (publishing websites), photo sharing, video sharing, and crowdsourcing. The Social Networking includes; Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn, Microblogging is composed of; Twitter and Tumblr, Blogging includes; WordPress and Blogger, photo sharing composed of; Instagram, Flickr, Snapchat and Pinterest, Video Sharing includes; YouTube, Vimeo, and Periscope and Crowdsourcing are formed with Ushahidi, Inc. Among these categories, there are applications that made a name on the Internet especially on how they are adopted by the people. According to Digital Guide 1&1, Facebook is widely considered to be the mother of all social media platforms and its most basic functions consist of providing an outlet for its members to communicate with each other as well as with private companies. The power of social media platforms gives complex perspectives on the range of its usage and the extent of people they have reached out in order to portray interaction in social, economic and even political views. As social media continues to develop, the scope of the people that use its features does not limit however it increases and form a society of innovations and susceptibility. In today's generations, every individual is much thankful to acquire all the developments from their ancestors that contributes to the idea of transformation and development of new phase and era. People don't need a lot of effort and hard works to achieve their desires and necessities. Even if you are just sitting down with the presence of modern devices, anything can be access, there a lot of things you can, A lot of the parents told their children that in their times, they have to exert all their strength and perseverance to overcome every challenge in life, unlike in this current situation we are facing, everything can be controlled in your own hands. The situations in the past are the major causes of advancements because there are people who are willing to discover new things and ideas to produce a different kind of impact that would change the world for the better. Sahara Donnely as an entrepreneur in a private company states that â€Å"In every era, cultures go through numerous changes, and in recent years ours have been more impacted than anything else by social media†. The generation today cannot deny the fact that the most influential factor that brings influence and convenience to each and everyone is the discovery of social media platforms. The forms of communication have grown efficiently to unite the people and to make an impact on the progress of the country even in the world with the appearances of the platforms of social media. The website of Webmasterview of Crystal Briscode encloses a statement that â€Å"It is a fact that social media has tremendously changed the way people interact and carry on with their lives†. People are contented with the offerings of social media and they are afraid to offer themselves in the opportunities in the real world. The application of social media platforms serves as an avenue where you can communicate, purchase and even form transactions. The functions of social media help the people to be informed and updated to every activity that made up our environment. The modern technologies and also the products itself through social media platforms brought changes in the habitual practices of an individual and affects also their ability to adapt in terms of the resiliency of life. Social Media platforms have molded the life of every individual to have comfort and happiness. The Internet has its own attributes to enhance the connection within the people. As life continues to provide us with different challenges, we must not be contented with the benefits of social media platforms. It is important to find your own self with your own purpose on this earth. People must not be deprived of the advantages of social media platforms, however, we must acquire the value of learning is able to face every difficulty with confidence. Social media platforms as the major contributors to accessibility and effective communication, they provide risks also in this digital world. The children of this modern generation focus on the benefits of the modern technologies especially on discovery of new gadgets, they are not even expose to their environment. They are lost in their own world and let the social media conquers them. One Report by the Royal Society for Public Health in the UK surveyed 1500 young people, ages 14-24, to determine the effects of social media use on issues such as anxiety, depression, self-esteem, and body image. The findings show that YouTube had the most positive impact, while Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat all had negative effects on mental health. The social media platforms are used by the people to find connection, acceptance, and happiness that they could not find within their environment. Heavy use of these media channels contributes to other harmful actions and addiction that let every individual be swallowed by the chances of innovations. According to Kessler et al., 2010, Mathers and Loncar, 2006, Depression and Anxiety are associated with substantially increased morbidity and mortality and one of the victims are the young adults and youth who are engaged with social media. It may also be that using a wide variety of different social media platforms subsequently leads to depressive and anxiety symptoms. Participation in many different social media platforms may lead to multitasking between platforms, which is known to be related to poor cognitive and mental health outcomes. (Becker et al., 2013). Another assumption that would provide an explanation to the usage of social media platforms states that a study published online in Computers in Human Behavior on December 10, 2016, found that the use of multiple social media platforms is more strongly associated with depression and anxiety among young adults than time spent online. Every social media platform is a different kind of world, people cannot resist the factors that affect them and leads to mood disorders. The engagement on the Internet does not free an individual to compare and be jealous thus it triggers to a more complex disorder of anxiety and depression. In the book of David Amerland entitled â€Å"The Social Media Mind†, he states, â€Å"Social Media is addictive precisely because it gives us something which the real world lacks; it gives us immediacy, direction, and value as an individual†. The social media platforms serve as our pathway in this digital world, it gives us the enjoyment of accessibility, communication, and entrepreneurial transactions. Anything that we need in our everyday living can be made through the Internet. The current events and opportunities nowadays are driven mostly by social media platforms. Even the modern technologies produced already a platform in the industry, the people behind it must focus also on the negative impacts of these channels to control any disorders that people can acquire because of different factors. Social media platforms serve as an awareness to limit oneself with the benefits they provide and most especially with the conflicts they produce in different circumstances. People in this world must learn how to make an impact on society and not focus on how to impress other people. Anything that can be found in social media platforms that can build anger and boastfulness must be prevented instead people must focus on the positivity in life that would implant the value of happiness and contentedness within themselves so that depression can be control and mitigates its unexpected effects. Modernization Modernization in this contemporary world gives birth to emerging access to technologies that lead to the growth of social media platforms. The existence of present-day devices provides the creation of applications, programs and other networks that portrays an important role to every individual in terms of convenience. Social media platforms serve as interactive computer-mediated technologies that facilitate the emergence and sharing of information, ideas, career interests and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. It provides the ability to create a mere connection in the present society and to the functions of social media. However, social media platforms transmit messages and source of effective connectedness, there are factors that contribute to its negative impacts that affect every individual in the society. The social media platforms would formulate conclusions that want to give emphasis to the factors that cultivate the anxiety within a certain individual with the usage of the media that produces a certain condition of depression. While the Social Media platforms offer a lot of benefits, this will prove that there are instances that they have disadvantages that trigger to doubt, fear or uneasiness and literally to depression. There are studies that would link between spending extended time on social media and experiencing negative mental health outcomes. The benefits of the social media platforms will provide contrast to determine whether these media channels take advantage on the development of modern technologies in the virtual world and just simply produce the impact that would lead to the association of depression and anxiety. The traditional forms of communication are in the modes of television, radio, newspapers, magazines and other printed materials. As time goes by, developments sprouted that leads to the discovery of technology that brings life to modern devices. Advancements are very rampant until social media platforms are created. Different kinds of applications and functions are available to the people to give the easiest accessibility in the form of communication. People grab the opportunities that will lessen their difficulties especially to connect to all individuals in the world in just one click. The social media platforms continue to provide all the needed operations of the people on an everyday basis. In this certain situation, the forms of social media grow depends on the demand of the people. People are introduced to modern devices like cell phones, tablets, laptops, and computers. The growth of social media platforms formed a vital role in the lives of the people. Nowadays, people only think in reaching out to social media platforms in terms of challenges and difficulties because the mere fact that revolves around their mind is that everything can be found on the Internet. The Global Digital Report of 2018, provides a data that shows that there are 7.60 billion of people in the world and the number of internet users worldwide in 2018 is 4.02 billion up 7 percent year-on-year, social media users worldwide comes with 3.20 billion up 13 percent year-on-year and users of mobile phone is 5.14 billion up 4 percent year-on-year. This only exhibits almost half of the total population in the world are now swallowed by the means of the usage of social media. The total data continues to grow that would greatly conclude that social media platforms effectively influence and encourage the people to be updated and enjoy every feature that they can provide. The Delvalle organization classifies the social media platforms into; social networking, microblogging, blogging (publishing websites), photo sharing, video sharing, and crowdsourcing. The Social Networking includes; Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn, Microblogging is composed of; Twitter and Tumblr, Blogging includes; WordPress and Blogger, photo sharing composed of; Instagram, Flickr, Snapchat and Pinterest, Video Sharing includes; YouTube, Vimeo, and Periscope and Crowdsourcing are formed with Ushahidi, Inc. Among these categories, there are applications that made a name on the Internet especially on how they are adopted by the people. According to Digital Guide 1&1, Facebook is widely considered to be the mother of all social media platforms and its most basic functions consist of providing an outlet for its members to communicate with each other as well as with private companies. The power of social media platforms gives complex perspectives on the range of its usage and the extent of people they have reached out in order to portray interaction in social, economic and even political views. As social media continues to develop, the scope of the people that use its features does not limit however it increases and form a society of innovations and susceptibility. In today's generations, every individual is much thankful to acquire all the developments from their ancestors that contributes to the idea of transformation and development of new phase and era. People don't need a lot of effort and hard works to achieve their desires and necessities. Even if you are just sitting down with the presence of modern devices, anything can be access, there a lot of things you can, A lot of the parents told their children that in their times, they have to exert all their strength and perseverance to overcome every challenge in life, unlike in this current situation we are facing, everything can be controlled in your own hands. The situations in the past are the major causes of advancements because there are people who are willing to discover new things and ideas to produce a different kind of impact that would change the world for the better. Sahara Donnely as an entrepreneur in a private company states that â€Å"In every era, cultures go through numerous changes, and in recent years ours have been more impacted than anything else by social media†. The generation today cannot deny the fact that the most influential factor that brings influence and convenience to each and everyone is the discovery of social media platforms. The forms of communication have grown efficiently to unite the people and to make an impact on the progress of the country even in the world with the appearances of the platforms of social media. The website of Webmasterview of Crystal Briscode encloses a statement that â€Å"It is a fact that social media has tremendously changed the way people interact and carry on with their lives†. People are contented with the offerings of social media and they are afraid to offer themselves in the opportunities in the real world. The application of social media platforms serves as an avenue where you can communicate, purchase and even form transactions. The functions of social media help the people to be informed and updated to every activity that made up our environment. The modern technologies and also the products itself through social media platforms brought changes in the habitual practices of an individual and affects also their ability to adapt in terms of the resiliency of life. Social Media platforms have molded the life of every individual to have comfort and happiness. The Internet has its own attributes to enhance the connection within the people. As life continues to provide us with different challenges, we must not be contented with the benefits of social media platforms. It is important to find your own self with your own purpose on this earth. People must not be deprived of the advantages of social media platforms, however, we must acquire the value of learning is able to face every difficulty with confidence. Social media platforms as the major contributors to accessibility and effective communication, they provide risks also in this digital world. The children of this modern generation focus on the benefits of the modern technologies especially on discovery of new gadgets, they are not even expose to their environment. They are lost in their own world and let the social media conquers them. One Report by the Royal Society for Public Health in the UK surveyed 1500 young people, ages 14-24, to determine the effects of social media use on issues such as anxiety, depression, self-esteem, and body image. The findings show that YouTube had the most positive impact, while Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat all had negative effects on mental health. The social media platforms are used by the people to find connection, acceptance, and happiness that they could not find within their environment. Heavy use of these media channels contributes to other harmful actions and addiction that let every individual be swallowed by the chances of innovations. According to Kessler et al., 2010, Mathers and Loncar, 2006, Depression and Anxiety are associated with substantially increased morbidity and mortality and one of the victims are the young adults and youth who are engaged with social media. It may also be that using a wide variety of different social media platforms subsequently leads to depressive and anxiety symptoms. Participation in many different social media platforms may lead to multitasking between platforms, which is known to be related to poor cognitive and mental health outcomes. (Becker et al., 2013). Another assumption that would provide an explanation to the usage of social media platforms states that a study published online in Computers in Human Behavior on December 10, 2016, found that the use of multiple social media platforms is more strongly associated with depression and anxiety among young adults than time spent online. Every social media platform is a different kind of world, people cannot resist the factors that affect them and leads to mood disorders. The engagement on the Internet does not free an individual to compare and be jealous thus it triggers to a more complex disorder of anxiety and depression. In the book of David Amerland entitled â€Å"The Social Media Mind†, he states, â€Å"Social Media is addictive precisely because it gives us something which the real world lacks; it gives us immediacy, direction, and value as an individual†. The social media platforms serve as our pathway in this digital world, it gives us the enjoyment of accessibility, communication, and entrepreneurial transactions. Anything that we need in our everyday living can be made through the Internet. The current events and opportunities nowadays are driven mostly by social media platforms. Even the modern technologies produced already a platform in the industry, the people behind it must focus also on the negative impacts of these channels to control any disorders that people can acquire because of different factors. Social media platforms serve as an awareness to limit oneself with the benefits they provide and most especially with the conflicts they produce in different circumstances. People in this world must learn how to make an impact on society and not focus on how to impress other people. Anything that can be found in social media platforms that can build anger and boastfulness must be prevented instead people must focus on the positivity in life that would implant the value of happiness and contentedness within themselves so that depression can be control and mitigates its unexpected effects.

Bbva case study analysis Essay

1. Introduction It has been claimed that BBVA has implemented an open innovation, â€Å"a paradigm that assumes that firms can and should use external ideas as well as internal ideas, and internal and external paths to market, as the firms look to advance their technology† says Chesbrough (2003)1. BBVA is seeing itself positioned right and succeeded for innovations. It is suspected that whether the innovation at BBVA is successful and highly recognized open innovation approach. This essay will examine how BBVA build their capabilities to embed an open innovation approach in their organisation and outline some challenges when BBVA moving forward to more open innovation in the near future. 1.1 BBVA’s Key Characteristics BBVA (Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria) is a multinational Spanish banking group, providing a wide range of financial services for both businesses and consumers. BBVA is ranked as the second largest bank in Spain. As it’s headquartered in Madrid, BBVA mainly resides on Latin American countries. It also has a strong presence in southern Europe, and has expanded into the United States and some countries in Asia. In 2012, BBVA employed more than 115,000 people and served over 53 million customers in 32 countries with around 8,000 branches2. BBVA implements customercentric approach as its core business and positioning of the BBVA brand3. Not only BBVA focus on a strong customer orientation but also a dedicated innovation. 2. Innovation at BBVA 2.1 Core activities and principles Over the last decade, BBVA has inclined more customer-centric and gave a lot of attention to innovation. In 2007, the BBVA innovation centre was established in Madrid, where many different innovative projects were born and passed through an experiment procedure, beginning from prototype phrase to testing process. Following this, the 1 Chesbrough, H. 2003. Open Innovation: The New Imperative for Creating and Profiting from Technology. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Business School Press. 2 BBVA Group Highlights [online], BBVA, Available from: < http://shareholdersandinvestors.bbva.com/TLBB/micros/bbva2012/en/Highlights/BBVAGroupHighlights.html> [2 October 2013] 3  BBVA Annual Report 2012 [online], BBVA, Available from: [2 October 2013] 2 Innovation at BBVA Operations Management outcomes are analyzed and valued before launching the innovation projects, which are formed under BBVA’s innovation and customer orientation approaches. It has been claimed that the following three main principles are extremely helpful to BBVA in the successful development of new services. (Ramis-Pujol and Drà ¶ege, 2011)4 1) Continuous customer orientation and expertise †¢ Start with the analysis of the customers (customer insight) 2) Proactive outward-looking †¢ Look for and welcome the ideas from the outside to the company †¢ Start-up fairs and sponsor ideas competition 3) Teamwork and concurrent feedback loops for fast decisions on innovation project progress †¢ Good communication within team †¢ Each innovation project is reviewed and questioned weekly However, it is doubted that with these underlying principles how BBVA ensure that their lead from innovation is maintained. 2.2 Innovative Projects According to BBVA innovation center, there are a number of continuous successions of innovations offering to their customers’ needs. Most of BBVA innovative projects were idea-led and technology-enabled. When BBVA considered its projects, it is apparent that those projects were driven from the unmet needs or customers’ needs that are not available on the market, which Von Hippel E. defined as â€Å"user-driven innovation†5 As Ramis-Pujol and  Drà ¶ege (2011) studied innovation at BBVA, they found that BBVA developed a large number of new banking services within only two years. They also examined some projects relevant to innovation practice (see table 1) that described how BBVA identified the market and developed these projects before launching to the market. After implementing, some projects were highly successful but some were not. Despite a lack of achievement in some projects, BBVA is still able to exploit the experience made within the projects and to share valuable knowledge to other innovative projects. 4 Ramis-Pujol J. and Drà ¶ege H., 2011. Case study of Innovation at BBVA. ESADE University. Von Hippel E. (20 August 2013), User-driven innovation [online], BBVA Innovation Center, Available from: [1 October 2013] 5 3 Innovation at BBVA Operations Management Table 1: Some of the innovative projects in BBVA6 Projects Type of Project tu ceuntas Online personal finance management service Partner Strands.com (24% acquisition) TV casting show Small IT firm Partner operate separately Searching and networking web for SMEs Swendish design company N/A POK tpresento econta Accounting service for SMEs Virtual Doc ATM Stored Document Online Study on customers’ use of technology ATM software and hardware developments econta & external expert (70% acquisition) Virtual Doc (70% acquisition) IDEO (Signed contract) ATM Manufacture Involvement Joint project team Actively involved Partner operate separately Internal expert get involved Instead of doing all processed itself, BBVA seeks partners or external experts such as the technologists outside of BBVA, who had experienced in this area, to help it embed the technology around its innovative ideas that BBVA wants to deliver to the markets. Although it has the partnering companies in their innovation, it has been argued that some of the BBVA innovative projects may seem to be outsourcing than open innovation. According to Belcourt M. (2006)7, â€Å"outsourcing refers to a contractual relationship for the provision of business services by an external provider†. The followings are the example for this argument: 1) â€Å"POK† – once BBVA had the idea to introduce TV casting show in order to get closer to younger target groups, BBVA hired a small IT firm to independently develop the social media technology and marketing for â€Å"POK† project. 2) ATM – the service was built in partnership with IDEO, the best-known product and service Design Company, by signed the contract. IDEO provided the detailed study of customer’s needs and observation of how people behaved at ATMs. 3) Tpresento, the yellow pages website for SMEs, BBVA selected the Swedish design company to provide a website design for this project.8. 6 Summarized from Ramis-Pujol J. and Drà ¶ege H., 2011. Case study of Innovation at BBVA. ESADE University. p.7-16. Belcourt M., 2006. Outsourcing – The Benefits and the Risks. Journal of Human Resource Management Review, 16(2), 269-279. 8 Ramis-Pujol J. and Drà ¶ege H., 2011. Case study of Innovation at BBVA. ESADE University. 7 4 Innovation at BBVA Operations Management According that the small IT firm, IDEO and Swedish Design Company were paid to work for BBVA, it was probably evaluated that BBVA externalized those companies and these BBVA’s innovative projects look more like outsourcing than open innovation. Moreover, regarding a service differentiation that â€Å"provides prioritized service qualities to multiple classes of client requests† says Zhu H. et al., 2001)9, it can be seen that BBVA tried to differentiate their services related to innovation to serve their multiple customers (innovation shoppers). Although BBVA tried to make them look very different, the service itself is exactly the same. The example for this is the ATMs, BBVA differentiates the ways customer access to the bank but still provides core banking service to the customers. 2.3 Open innovation at BBVA BBVA has embedded an open innovation as described above in their organization. They were aware that good ideas and expertise did not always reside inside the organization but the collaboration side by side with internal and external expertise. Chesbrough H. et al. (2006)10 founded that this practices â€Å"will extend to suppliers, customers, partners, third parties, and general community as a whole.† It is considered important that open innovation would relate to a degree of engagement between internal knowledge and external partners. Chesbrough (2012)11 points out that there are two important kinds of an open innovation. The first one is â€Å"outside-in† open innovation, opening up the process of company’s innovation to many external inputs and contributions. In case of BBVA, it seeks out potential partners, who already had experience have experienced in new technologies, and then form a productive relationship with them. The example for this is Tu cuentas project, a unique service concept providing online money management. BBVA invested 24% acquisition in Strands.com (the innovative IT Company), relying on this company in order to develop and maintain an application of the personal finance analyzer. 9 Zhu H. et al., 2001. Demand-driven service differentiation in cluster-based network servers. In: INFOCOM 2001, ed. 20th Annual Joint Conference of the IEEE Computer and Communications Societies. Anchorage 22-26 April 2001. IEEE, 679 – 688, vol.2. 10 Chesbrough H et al. 2006. Open Innovation, Researching a New Paradigm. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1-12. 11 Chesbrough, H. 2012. Open Innovation. Research-Technology Management, July-August 2012, 20-27. 5 Innovation at BBVA Operations Management The second kind of an open innovation is â€Å"inside-out†, which organisations are required to allow the unused ideas to flow outside the organisations for others to apply in their businesses. Chesbrough (2012) discovered while doing his research that Xerox traded their misfit or unsuccessful projects into the market. It also found that those â€Å"false negative† projects that did not provide benefit to the Xerox’s core business model might have essentially more value if they could be commercialized through a different business model. Unlike Xerox, BBVA actively absorb external technology but they do not transfer unused projects to external partners. The example of the organization that applied both outside-in and inside-out open innovation is Procter & Gamble, not only they embrace outside-in open innovation via its Connect+Develop approach12(the practice of tapping external intellectual property development to accelerate internal innovation) but also share their internal asset development and know-how to help others outside the company. On the other hand, the antithesis of the open innovation is a close innovation, which â€Å"internal innovation activities lead to internally developed products and services that are then distributed by the firm.† (Chesbrough 2006, p.20). Some researchers (Lichtenthaler U, et al., 2011)13 mention about employee attitudes that a close innovation is characterized by high level of employee attitudes that would not like to acquire technology from external sources, and instead would like to emphasize on internal development of new technological knowledge. They also would not like to transfer company’s technologies. The company that embedded with those attitudes would not pay particular attention to open innovation initiatives. Therefore, the negative attitude of acquiring external knowledge might impede the open innovation approach. In order to weight which approaches between the open and the close innovation applied to BBVA, how BBVA implemented implementation whether pure open or close innovation is needed to be considered thoroughly as follows. Regarding the BBVA’s innovative projects, it does not exactly acquire new technological knowledge from the 12 P&G Open Innovation (2013) What is Connect+Develop? [online], P&G, Available from: < http://www.pgconnectdevelop.com/home/pg_open_innovation.html> [7 October 2013] 13 Lichtenthealer U. et al., 2011. Is your company ready for open innovation?. Journal of MIT Sloan Management Review, 53 (1), 4548. 6 Innovation at BBVA Operations Management outsiders or the outsiders only partly transferred the knowledge to them. BBVA builds relationship with external partners in order to strengthen and speed up their internal innovation process but they do not really gain the new knowledge and know-how from them. In some projects such as POK and tpresento, BBVA just paid money and assigned their partners to work for them. This leads to a low level of engagement between BBVA and partnering companies. In addition, there is a small evidence of the customer engagement in the innovation process be seen as another indication of the open innovation. As mentioned earlier, BBVA intends to move forward to the open innovation and it has embedded the environment of the open innovation through their organization. It is likely that what BBVA has being done go beyond the close innovation. Therefore, it can be concluded that the innovation at BBVA has been a â€Å"slightly open innovation† approach but how could BBVA think about a system that was more open is still questionable. 3. Challenges in moving towards to an open innovation Uncertainty in the future might lead to a number of managerial challenges. The followings are some potential dangers that BBVA might be aware of when keep moving towards to more open innovation approach. 3.1 Potential Dangers in the future Centralising innovation According to the innovation centre in Madrid, the customer insight department and all innovation projects are centrally manage within this centre. Although the centralisation brings BBVA the effectiveness of authority control and uniformity in action, BBVA should be aware of localised control of customer service and customer satisfaction. Successful launching new services in Madrid do not mean the success in anywhere else of the world. For better customer satisfaction, having localised innovation centres and synergies between customer insight and innovative department would enable better understanding of local customer needs. However, localisation might  bring a higher cost to support their needs. 7 Innovation at BBVA Operations Management High costs of investment Although the more collaboration with external partners would be able to strengthen an open innovation, it also raises the costs of idea generation and expenses of more employee involvement. Increased investments are required to create a number of innovative projects. BBVA should consider implementing mechanisms for reducing the investment costs. Intellectual property (IP) As BBVA has launched many innovative projects, it is crucial that it has to focus on strategy that prevents the imitation from its competitors. BBVA may attempt to protect its innovations through patents, trademarks, copyrights or trade secrets. However, creating a barrier dependent on its unique skills should also be considered. The company’s belief in literatures regarding the open innovation framework This is a big danger of the company that believes in innovation literatures or theories. Some academics are still publishing the success cases of the innovation, sending the message that the implementation of the open innovation will be beneficial and bring more customers. Then the company will be able to provide better services. It is suspected that those literatures might base on the research conducted via interviewing the existing customers by leading questions. Carlsson C. and Walden P.(2007)14 discovered that although the research on TV mobile showed the evidence that there would be a higher demand, the situation went wrong when the product was launched into the market and found that the demand was not actually there. So, it is important to consider the reliable of the literatures. Employee’s attitudes Since the management team has embedded open innovation environment in BBVA, it may seem that its employee’s attitudes would concur with both outside-in and inside-out open innovation approaches. However, there is a lack of an evidence to prove that most 14 Carlsson C. and Walden P., 2007. Mobile TV – To Live or Die by Content. In: HICSS 2007, ed. 40th Annual Hawaii International Conference, Waikoloa January 2007. Finland: System Science 2007, 1-9. 8 Innovation at BBVA Operations Management or all of BBVA’s employees agree with those approaches, or they would have to accept it because they have to follow the management’s policy. They might not be willing to support the company approach. It is therefore important that the BBVA’s management needs to encourage all employees to be continuously innovative and to get involved in the open innovation, not only the innovation centre but all sections in the organisation. 3.2 More open innovation at BBVA Launching a number of innovative projects, BBVA builds an international innovation network with many leading technology companies, academic institutions, and commercial organisations15. BBVA has to ensure that each of their partners is a bridge towards the inside and outside of the organisation. Moreover, in order to develop and speed up the pace of the open innovation in BBVA’s core business banking, BBVA may let the outsiders offer new technological knowledge or new innovation. Then, do business with those innovation suppliers and acquire that knowledge into BBVA’s innovation processes. Both BBVA and the suppliers would more directly engage with their core business that they set off parallel with banking innovation. BBVA’s Mobile banking service called â€Å"Compass† 16. is best described as the high level of partnership engagement between BBVA and many mobile phone  companies. BBVA does not know about technology on mobile phone. Likewise, mobile phone companies do not know how doing banking service, but the intellectual afford defined the project and linked them to work together. This is the open innovation because they try to learn more details and understand each core business. This new service might be a differentiation but it does not change in fundamental of banking business service. 15 Ensor B. (9 November 2012), Innovation Lessons from BBVA [online], BENJAMIN ENSOR’s BLOG, Available from: http://blogs.forrester.com/benjamin_ensor/12-11-09-innovation_lessons_from_bbva [1 October 2013] 16 PRNewswire (7 August 2013), Mobile banking update allows BBVA Compass customers to pay people using text, email [online], Yahoo Finance , Available from: < http://finance.yahoo.com/news/mobile-banking-allows-bbva-compass-152200662.html> [7 October 2013] 9 Innovation at BBVA Operations Management 4. Conclusion Although BBVA is claimed that it does not implement a fully open innovation, what BBVA has done by launching a number of innovative projects and increasing level of engagement of both outside-in and inside-out partners, might be proven that BBVA is ready to move forwards to a truly open innovation. However, outsourcing and service differentiation issues have been argued among the BBVA’s innovative projects. This might be led to a conclusion that BBVA has implemented a â€Å"slightly open innovation† approach. In addition, it is not to say that managing an open innovation approach is  without challenges. BBVA should have to prepare possible strategies to cope with potentials risks that might stem from both internal and external factors. 10 Innovation at BBVA Operations Management 5. References BBVA, 2012. BBVA Annual Report 2012 [online], BBVA, Available from: [2 October 2013] BBVA, 2012. BBVA Group Highlights [online], BBVA, Available from: < http://shareholdersandinvestors.bbva.com/TLBB/micros/bbva2012/en/Highlights/BBVAGroupHighlight s.html> [2 October 2013] Belcourt M., 2006. Outsourcing – The Benefits and the Risks. Journal of Human Resource Management Review, 16(2), 269-279. Carlsson C. and Walden P., 2007. Mobile TV – To Live or Die by Content. In: HICSS 2007, ed. 40th Annual Hawaii International Conference, Waikoloa January 2007. Finland: System Science 2007, 1-9. Chesbrough, H. 2003. Open Innovation: The New Imperative for Creating and Profiting from Technology. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Business School Press. Chesbrough, H. 2012. Open Innovation. Journal of Research-Technology Management, July-August 2012, 20-27. Chesbrough H et al. 2006. Open Innovation, Researching a New Paradigm. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1-12. Cloyd G. and Euchner J., 2012. Building Open Innovation at P&G. Journal of Journal of ResearchTechnology Management, July-August 2012, 14-19. Ensor B. (9 November 2012), Innovation Lessons from BBVA [online], BENJAMIN ENSOR’s BLOG, Available from: http://blogs.forrester.com/benjamin_ensor/12-11-09-innovation_lessons_from_bbva [1 October 2013] Lichtenthealer U. et al., 2011. Is your company ready for open innovation?. Journal of MIT Sloan Management Review, 53 (1), 45-48. PRNewswire (7 August 2013), Mobile banking update allows BBVA Compass customers to pay people using text, email [online], Yahoo Finance , Available from: < http://finance.yahoo.com/news/mobile-banking-allows-bbva-compass-152200662.html> [7 October 2013] Von Hippel E. (20 August 2013), User-driven innovation [online], BBVA Innovation Center, Available from:< http://www.centrodeinnovacionbbva.com/en/news/26230-user-driven-innovation > [1 October 2013] Ramis-Pujol J. and Drà ¶ege H., 2011. Case study of Innovation at BBVA. ESADE University. P&G Open Innovation (2013) What is Connect+Develop? [online], P&G, Available from: < http://www.pgconnectdevelop.com/home/pg_open_innovation.html> [7 October 2013] Zhu H. et al., 2001. Demand-driven service differentiation in cluster-based network servers. In: INFOCOM 2001, ed. 20th Annual Joint Conference of the IEEE Computer and Communications Societies. Anchorage 22-26 April 2001. IEEE, 679 – 688, vol.2. 11

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The Skeletal System Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Skeletal System - Assignment Example The appendicular skeleton, on the other hand, as the name implies, consists of the appendages, which include the upper limbs and the lower limbs. The upper limbs include the humerus, the radius and ulna, and the carpals and metacarpals. The lower limbs include the femur, the tibia, the fibula, the tarsals, and the metatarsals. Other components of the appendicular skeleton include the shoulder girdles, consisting of the scapulae and the collar bones, or clavicles, and the pelvic girdle, made up of the coxal or hip bones, which include the ilium, ischium and pubis. The appendicular skeleton functions for helping the various joints of the body perform better and make the body run in a smoother fashion. The appendicular skeleton too functions for movement, locomotion and the performance of any tasks done by the arms, hands, legs and feet (â€Å"Axial and Appendicular Skeleton†). Detailed Functions of the Skeleton The functions of the skeleton include providing support for soft tissues, production of red blood cells, storage of minerals and lipids, and coordination of the muscular system to effect movement and support for the body, in order to carry out the will of the individual concerning any activity that requires physical movements (â€Å"The Skeletal System† 2013). As for support and physical movement, the structure of the bone in the form of a tubular shape with a hard and dense circumference and a hollow center is the one that efficiently and effectively affords maximum support for the body. ... As for support and physical movement, the structure of the bone in the form of a tubular shape with a hard and dense circumference and a hollow center is the one that efficiently and effectively affords maximum support for the body. Moreover, in terms of the protective support that it gives the soft organs, the skull protects the brain; the rib cage and sternum protect the lungs and the heart; and the pelvis and the pelvic girdle provide protection for the reproductive system. In terms of movement, the bones provide anchorage for the muscles. The origin is where the muscle is fixed to a bone, and the insertion is the moving point of attachment. Finally, still in terms of the movement function, bones meet other bones at joints in order to allow varying degrees of movement (â€Å"The Skeletal System – Introduction† 2013). Another function of the skeletal system, particularly the bone marrow, is to carry out hematopoiesis, or the process by which a single type of stem cell gives rise to all types of mature red blood cells in the body. In the adult human being, this is carried out by the bone marrows of the skull, and those of the ribs, sternum, vertebra, pelvis, and the proximal ends of the thigh bones or femurs (Ownby 2002). In terms of the storage of minerals and lipids, the bone is where several metabolically active minerals are stored, especially calcium, which is the most abundant mineral in the human body. Calcium is essential in regulating the intracellular activities of muscle cells and neurons. Moreover, lipids are stored in the yellow marrow of the bone. These lipids are essential in the regulation of body heat, for providing heat, and as a structural component of cell membranes (â€Å"Osseous Tissue and Bone Structure† 2013). 1.3 Structure of Bone Tissue

National Health Service Essay Example for Free

National Health Service Essay The NHS stands for the National Health Service, which provides healthcare for all UK citizens based on their need for healthcare rather than their ability to pay for it. It is fully funded by full-time workers taxes. The aim of the health service is to ensure that anyone can receive the medical care they need, regardless of their age, circumstances or financial situation. Advantages * To meet the needs of everyone * To be free at the point of delivery * The NHS provides care free of charge to most UK residents * Depending on the nature of your problem you may be treated by a doctor, dentist or optician * There are is a range of healthcare services offered by the NHS, covering every concern from flu to vaccinations, mental illness to ectopic pregnancy care. * When you seek help because you feel unwell, the medical practitioner you visit will be able to inform you of the care options available to you. * Every person in England having access to his or her own confidential medical records. * Helpdesk service available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Disadvantages * Long waiting lists * Your situation of needing care may not be as important as others * They may use low quality equipment on you because you are not paying for the treatment, therefore your health issue may not be resolved as quickly or properly with incorrect equipment. * People will abuse the system by using is too much when it is not necessary or they have not paid taxes sufficiently.- The United States is now the only remaining MEDC country without some form of free access to a medical service, Partly because policy debates are driven by false, self defeating beliefs. One thought of this is that the United States cannot afford to cover the uninsured, when in fact a coordinated financing system is the key tool for holding costs down, and there are affordable ways to do it. Also many believe that the United States is so large and diverse that any lessons one might benefit from a smaller and less diverse countries do not apply here. Universal health care system would mean low salaries, rundown facilities, poor quality, and endless waits to see a doctor, as a good example of this is with the NHS. The current/ new NHS * The plan for the new NHS by the present government is even more ambitious than the transformation by Margaret Thatcher. * The NHS was widely discussed as no longer sustainable or no longer affordable. Therefor the rate of Tax has been increased largely. * Demands are rising, as are costs. And this is all happening at a time when money is tighter than ever. * Two thirds of hospital beds are now estimated to be occupied by the over 65s at any one time. * Nurses have been given a lot more responsibility. * IVF treatment is helping thousands of couples conceive each year. * Organ transplants are now saving over 3,000 lives a year. * Obesity, drinking and smoking. All three cause disease and death, adding billions of pounds to the NHS bill.

Pleasantville Essay Example for Free

Pleasantville Essay The movie â€Å"Pleasantville† (Produced and directed by Gary Ross in 1988) is more than just your ordinary film. Pleasantville sends a message within a message. Not only is it a great film, (made popular by New Line Cinema) it contains numerous biblical references. Some of the biblical references in this film may be easier to see and understand than others. But when asked to analyze this film and critique the biblical references you will understand just how many there are. To me the most obvious relation to the bible is in a scene where the main character David (Tobey Maguire) is the first to see a fire that breaks out in a tree in his front yard. Ironically enough, the tree is on fire, but is not consumed by the flames, it’s burning but not disintegrating. David then ran to the fire and distinguished it while commanding the fire fighters on what to do. How does that relate to the bible? In Exodus 3: 1-15 is the story of the burning bush. The burning bush was also on fire and not consumed by the flames, this was when God appointed Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Much like how David was then appointed a leader of Pleasantville. The only real difference is that the biblical story says that the burning bush talks to David. (The burning bush being God). Another obvious biblical relation in the film goes along with the story of Adam and Eve. The biblical version of the Adam and Eve (Genesis 2 and 3). story says that God created man (Adam) and placed him in the Garden of Eden to work and watch over it. God allows Adam to eat from all trees except from the â€Å"tree of knowledge of good and evil†. God tells Adam â€Å" for on the day you eat from it, you will surely die†. Later on in Genesis 2, Adam needs a help mate to look over the garden, but none of the animals in the garden are to Adam’s satisfaction, so God then makes a woman (Eve) out of Adam’s rib while he is asleep. On a side note, Adam and Eve are both naked and neither one of them are ashamed of themselves. Finally the serpent is introduced in Genesis 3, the serpent is said to be â€Å" slier then every beast on the fieldâ€Å". The serpent eventually persuades Eve to eat from the â€Å"Tree of Knowledge†. After she eats from it, she has Adam eat from it. Shortly after, they finally notice they are naked and become self conscious and cover up. God then asks about what they have done and Eve blames Adam, while Adam blames the Serpent. God curses them, and makes Eve suffer through labor and banishes both of them from the Garden of Eden. The relation in the movies comes from a scene in the end involving David and another girl from his school. Color starts to fill Pleasantville, and the girl he is sitting with in the lawn gets up and grabs a fruit of off the tree, and then she hands the fruit to David to eat, much like Eve did with Adam. As soon as they ate the fruit, it started to rain in Pleasantville for the first time ever, symbolizing God’s anger, and color now completely filled Pleasantville. The discovery in books also reminds me of the â€Å"Tree of Knowledge of good and evil†, the books being good, and the reading of them being evil because it made people curious to as what else was out in the real world. Therefore there is an effect in both cases, the biblical one, and also the movie. Pleasantville, (before David and Jennifer) is a â€Å"dream world† if you will, everyone is always happy and there are never any conflicts with anyone. Once the two of them arrive however, everything changes. In Pleasantville everything is black and white, but after Jennifer has sex with someone in Pleasantville, the first sighting of color comes out. To me, this symbolizes sin. The more people sin in the movie, the more color there is. So this biblical reference doesn’t necessarily correspond with any specific part of the bible, just sin in general. The people that sinned were turned into color, and at first if you were colored, you were frowned upon. But as more and more people â€Å"sinned† it became the â€Å" new norm†. So at first sinners were looked at in a negative way, but as more and more people sinned it became okay, and there was a neutral outlook on them. If I had to match a few characters in the movie to people in the bible I would say that Betty Parker (housewife) is most life Eve. I say this because at first she is so innocent and has no idea what sinning (or having sex) is. Then when she finally did sin she didn’t even understand or realize what she was doing was wrong. Jennifer ( Mary-Sue) to me, is most closely related with Satan. I say this because she was the one that first had sex (sinned), and she also spreads the knowledge of evil (sex). For example, in the movie Jennifer teaches her mother how to please herself, and she was also the first one to bring sex to Pleasantville. I would also say that David reminds me most of a Prophet because he is sent to Pleasantville and all in all he â€Å"delivers a message† to say the least. Another biblical allusion in the film that most people do not catch, would be the scene where David, and the soda shop owner paint a mural on the wall. They are expressing themselves, but, after doing research and seeing a picture of the mural that they made, I noticed something. On the left side of the mural there is a picture of a snake wrapped around an apple that is half eaten. This reminds me of the Garden of Eden and the serpent persuading Adam and Eve to eat the apple. At first glance you may not notice this, but after looking at the picture you can. The snake comes off us a very sneaky creature, much like the Serpent and how he tricked Even into eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. I don’t think that the film maker (Gary Ross) necessarily had an agenda when making this film, I think he just put in all these biblical allusions in the film to make people think. If I were to watch this film without trying to draw a connection with the bible, I wouldn’t have noticed any reference to it at all.

Construction And Understanding Of Childhood Social Work Essay

Construction And Understanding Of Childhood Social Work Essay In order to consider how child protection policy and practice has been shaped, a definition of child protection and significant harm and abuse is required. The Department for Education (DFE, 2011) defines child protection as the action that is carried out to safeguard children who are suffering, or are likely to suffer, significant harm. Furthermore the Children Act (1989) defines harm as ill-treatment including neglect, emotional, sexual and physical abuse. Interestingly, Parton et al (2012) suggested that determinations of what should be considered child abuse are socially constructed, and are therefore reflective of the culture and values at a specific moment in time. To begin, childhood is a status that is documented worldwide and throughout history, which sometimes sees the child as innocent ,vulnerable, a consumer, a worker alongside other household earners, a threat to society and it is a construction that changes over time and place (Prout, 2005). Historians of childhood have argued over the meaning, such as Aries (1960) cited by Veerman (1992, p5) stated the concept of childhood didnt exist before the seventeenth century; therefore children were mini adults with the same rights, duties and skills. This idea was supported by the poor law (1601) which was a formalised system of training children in trades to contribute to society when they grew up (Bloy, 2002). Another example came from Locke (1632-1734) and the Tabula Rasa model. This proposes that children were morally neutral and were the products of their parents (Horner, 2012). The nineteenth century showed it was the parents responsibility to offer love and pertinent correction, to bring out the good in their nature thus helping them to become contributing members of society. This could easily lead to blaming the parents as good or bad based on the behaviours of their child, since the child was not considered as his own agent. The 1834 Poor Law Reform Act would support Lockes idea and children who were sent to workhouses, would participate in schooling to imprint knowledge. Although this incurred a number of scandals, for example inmates eating the rotting flesh from bones, the governments responded by introducing sterner rules for those operating workhouses, along with regular inspections (cited by Berry 1999, p29). Fox Harding (1997) described this era as laissez faire which was bas ed on family privacy and minimal state intervention that allowed families lives to remain private and behind closed doors. An alternative concept from Rousseau (1712) suggested the idea of innocence; a child was born angelic until the world influenced them. This was significant in terms of child protection with the implementation childrens charities such as Save the Children (founded in 1919). They portrayed children in a variety of adult situations and as poor victims worthy of being rescued (Macek, 2006) using contemporary ideas of childhood. Interestingly the Children and Young Persons Act (1933) was introduced to protect the welfare of the child, including any person legally liable to have neglected them in a manner likely to cause injury to his health. Nonetheless it could be argued that the cause of injury may not have been fully understood considering caning in schools was common until 1987. However some may argue this was legalised abuse, and in direct contradiction to legislation put in place to protect children. Moving into the twentieth century took a wide shift from the laissez faire approach and along with the concept of childhood, became the notion of state paternalism. Child protection practice was based on extensive state intervention to protect children from poor parental care (Fox Harding, 1997). These changes led to a sharing of blame with their parents for children becoming anti-social (a demon) or a great achiever (an angel) in society. The demonic model illustrated by Pifer (2000) was already seen in childhood construction but blamed society, not the child, when as Rousseau noted is the romantic discourse that becomes tainted with the corrupt outside world. These historical concepts still dictated that children should be seen and not heard and every aspect of the childs life should be determined by their parents or guardians. Although the shift is evident, it could be argued that the laissez faire and paternalist perspective shared a common view of children having limited capacit y for independence and decision making. Pollock (1983) would argue that children were not miniature adults as Aries (1960) claimed, but actually were at a significantly a lower level of development and so had distinctive needs from adults. This suggests as immature people they could make mistakes and be excused from full responsibility for their actions. Given the current high profile debates on children, it is public outrage and moral panics in the media that frequently changes the way things are seen. The research into child deaths has prompted changes in legislation (Parton et al, 2012). Key events such as the death of Maria Coldwell (1974), led to specialist workers instead of generic workers who dealt with the elderly. They were specific to the child and encompassed the needs of the whole family. Serious case reviews in to a childs death was undertaken as a way of discovering how the tragedy occurred, who was responsible, what professionals were involved, rationalising individual actions and learning lessons for future practice (Rose and Barnes, 2008). The publics perception of social workers placed more pressure on the notion of identifying risk before the child died which developed many theories and models for the professional to practice. In contrast to the numerous child deaths, the Cleveland case in 1988 evidenced the over enthusiasm of state intervention. Children were removed from their families based on an anal reflex test to diagnose sexual abuse. The inquiry recommended greater rights for parents and children and suggests the separation from families was seen as abuse itself (Ashden, 2004). This, and proceeding enquires into the deaths of children, offered dilemmas for social workers representing the most visible agencies within the child protection system, in terms of whether a child should be removed or not. This event was a major policy driver and is reflected in the Children Act 1989, where parents rights have been replaced with responsibility in ensuring children turn out to be good citizens of society. However it could be argued that in practice today the Cleveland event still carries stigma with parents believing their children are going to be taken into care. Given the models of childhood outlined in previous paragraphs it is quite predictable that children appear to fit within a particular construct. However children such the murderers of Jamie Bulger in 1993 were children carrying out unthinkable, far from innocent acts. These children had a dual status; they committed a crime as an adult yet still a child in need of protection. Society wanted to look at their background to decide if watching horror movies or having divorced parents or poor discipline made them kill a little boy. The thought in the media flowed from born bad, to being made bad which is the nature nurture debate. Moral panic through media fed into this case and although historically the view had been to protect children, society shifted to the concept of demonising children, newspaper headlines branding them as wicked and evil (Bracchi, 2010). It is interesting that throughout history, legislation was implemented to protect children yet it conflicts with criminal law, as it does not recognise them as children over ten years of age (Molan, 2008). It could be argued that criminal law agrees with Aries and children are mini adults, yet social workers guidance refers to children up to the age of seventeen. One could question how professionals can work in a multiagency way when conflicting legislation cannot agree what age a child is. Further spotlight cases such as Victoria Climbie (2003) highlighted failings of multi-agency workers (Lamming 2003) and facilitated to shape the next change in legislation. The Every Child Matters green paper which outlined five outcomes to be achieved by all children was enshrined in law as part of The Childrens Act (2004). These were defined as, stay safe, be healthy, enjoy and achieve, achieve economic wellbeing, and make a positive contribution (Knowles, 2006) which gave professionals direction on the minimum requirements for every child, and allowed social workers to intervene to meet these needs in child protection practice. Nonetheless, the coalition government in 2010 abolished this agenda (McDermid, 2012) suggesting that families are not as important, even though it has underpinned social work practice for a number of years. Nevertheless child deaths continued to be a growing problem, the Baby Peter case (2008) indicated that individuals are failing children and again multi-agency communication is poor in assessing risk. Another case that followed approximately a year later was the Edlington boys (2009) who tortured two young boys. Society then blamed foster placements and care systems suggesting they do not work and foster placements are as bad as the families they were removed from. Cases such as these developed blame culture, where children were perceived as being failed by the government workers; usually the social workers less often the police and the politicians (Community Care, 2012). The public outcry and criticisms of social services which followed high profile cases of child abuse make social workers practice to err on the side of caution. This suggests the romantic concept of childhood (i.e. protection of innocence), came to the forefront and children were seen as vulnerable and in need of pro tection. It appears that each disaster that happens the social construct of children changes. Indeed, researchers into twenty-first century childhood such as Sue Palmer (2006) refers to a Toxic Childhood which is the harm society is causing to children through a competitive, consumer driven, screen-based lifestyle. The media and internet evidence how much it has made it possible for children to consider adult ideas and behaviours, alcohol, sexual activity, drug use and teenage violence that show that distinctions between adulthood and childhood are fading. Nevertheless it could be debated that contradictory attitudes remain commonplace with children being constructed as innocent little angels and little devils, innately capable of the most awful types of crime until the adults in society influenced them. Despite these criticisms the families that children live in are also judged to be secretive and deliberate abusers. As a result children may grow into poor citizens due to not being protected from their families. There is a notion of good families and bad families and very often poor families are classed as poor parents and certain constructions take place without the family even being assessed. To exemplify Tucks (2002) identified a connection between all forms of abuse and social deprivation, but a possible explanation for this is that perpetrators target vulnerable children or women to secure access to children; socially deprived neighbourhoods are characterised by relatively large numbers of lone parents. Through the pressures of their circumstances and in family crisis, parents had become caught up in a child protection system that was more attuned to assessing risk than to bringing out the best in parents struggling in adversity (DoH, 1995). Moreover Owen and Pritchard (1993) identified the difficulties in classifying at risk in terms of the criteria for assessing the levels of risk and what constitutes abuse. The role of professionals holding varying opinions and attitudes towards what constitutes abuse and risk could be argued that this in itself reduces the identification of risk to a child. Nonetheless professionals are still expected to protect children by the Children Act 1989 which outlines significant harm, but is very ambiguous and there is broad scope for authorities to further define what constitutes a child in need (Brandon et al 1999). The Munro report (2011) on Child Protection agrees that social work involves working with this uncertainty and not able to see what goes on in families which suggests little shift . The defensive practice comes from workers who are expected to manage this uncertainty and the issue is that evidence of abuse and neglect is not clearly labelled. Since the implementation of the Children Act 1989 more emphasis was placed on the childs rights but has become very controversial. The idea of protecting children and giving them rights may become problematic for adults in terms of taking childrens rights seriously. This could be that children have been under-represented in social theory and policy for many years). It could also be, that adults may be reluctant to relinquish power to the children because they still assume they know what is best for children as the early historians suggest. Franklin (2002) suggests a conflict between adults rights and childrens rights could offer explanations for demonization of children. Another idea could be that giving children rights takes away a childs childhood. This may have been viewed from the idealistic construction of childhood as a time of innocence where they consider that children should not be concerned with important decision-making and responsibility. To further support childrens rights, the children Act 2004 updated the legislation to include the abolishment of physical punishment (NSPCC, 2012). However, Owen and Pritchards (1983) idea of cultural relativism whereby specific behaviours in some families is attributed to cultural practice, question the concept of what how significant harm can actually be measured. In cases of child abuse, black and ethnic minority children are therefore at a higher risk because warning signs that would otherwise have been picked up are ignored and accepted to cultural practices and norms. For instance Rogers, Hevey and Ash (1989) state that the beating of West Indian children can be viewed as traditional use of chastisement within that culture, rather than observed as physical abuse of children. Owen and Pritchard (1983) propose this aspect to racist beliefs and stereotyping, where culture is considered deviant rather than the actions of a caregiver. Conversely Munro (2008) considers Effective Child Protection and points out the significance on the value of relationships between families and the worker and suggests this leads to better outcomes by understanding the families and cultures. An effective assessment and intervention in child protection draws from having good interactions and in turn aids parents to disclose information and collaborate with authorities. It could be argued if a worker does not believe in certain cultural practices that children could become at risk when maybe they are not. Another point to consider is the risk posed by professionals that work with children; previously society has created an assumption that the rich, social workers, teachers and other professionals that work in child focused roles follow the legislation on protecting our children from significant harm. Yet through the power of trust professionals appear to abuse safe spaces designed for children. For example the police report in to the murder of Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells by the school caretaker in 2002, identified significant failings with regard to police vetting procedures (HMIC, 2004). The Sexual Offences Act 2003 which included offences of grooming and abusing positions of trust was incorporated with a vetting and barring system to adults working with children and introduced into the safeguarding vulnerable groups Act 2006 (NSPCC, 2012). Equally Nursery manager Vanessa George in 2009 abused children in her setting. The review found a systemic failure in communication throughout and highlighted a common theme of assumption provided a fruitful environment in which to abuse, a point that has been proficiently highlighted by the mainstream press. The child protection policies and procedures were inadequate and rarely followed, as she feared children would be moved to other settings. The report highlighted how culture had within the nursery preventing staff from challenging Georges inappropriate behaviour. Cases such as this called for a review of vetting adults who work with children and formed a piece of legislation, the protection of freedoms Act (2012) which focuses on roles working closely with vulnerable groups. Some children related posts such as governors and school inspectors were being removed from the lists although they require having contact with children (Kelly, 2012). Additionally supervised volunteers will no longer be classed as working in regulated activity. Therefore, individuals barred from working in regulated activity can still volunteer at your school, as long as they are supervised. It could be argued that although the government is keen to scale back the cost of vetting, it does not take into account the risk of grooming which is not negated by supervision. Furthermore, the new process does not allow schools to check the barred list when recruiting volunteers which suggests it is providing a false sense of security for all. A further report into child protection by Munro A child centred practice in 2011, established that a universal approach to child protection is preventing the main focus of the child. Munro recommended that the Government and local authorities should continually learn from what has happened in the past, however this could be difficult when cases such as Jamie Buglers that buried the hatchet to protect the boys. One could question what professionals can learn from such secretive cases. Additionally, it could be argued that Munros child centred approach offers a potential negative impact on children and professionals. For instance, if the government removes the prescriptive practice that professionals may be using as guidance, this could create the potential to miss the signs of a child being abused based on judgement alone. Having considered this idea, future risks assessment needs to change a theoretical and practical model for possible state intervention in cases where a caregivers ability to care for a child is questioned. The British government will be pivotal to play a major role in reforming existing legislation and constructing new strong legislation to allow involvement by care services in the most high risk cases of child abuse. This request upon the government is an outcome of the philosophy of risk now prevalent in the UK, where it is assumed that the government has the ability to foresee and prevent abuse and maltreatment which holds the government when this does not happen. In conclusion, the historical views of childhood can be seen throughout the numerous ideological discourses and demonstrate how societys constructions of childhood can, has and will carry on to influence laws and legislation regarding the ways in which child protection is shaped. Although it is recognised that childhood warrants some degree of protective status, socioeconomic and cultural circumstances do affect young childrens behaviour and the way professionals practice. Those changed conditions also influence adult beliefs about rearing children and how protecting children should be. The emphasis on risk and assessing risk has changed over time, what was a risk in the 1980s is very different to what is a risk today. As outlined there are some recurrent issues such as the recognition of significant harm, taking appropriate action, effective communication and achieving an appropriate balance between supporting families and disruptive intervention to safeguard and promote childrens welfare. Nevertheless child protection has been around for a number of years and indicates that there is a correlation between legislation, society and the construct of childhood which continually mirrors each other.