Saturday, December 28, 2019

Federal Efforts to Control Monopoly

Monopolies were among the first business entities the U.S. government attempted to regulate in the public interest. Consolidation of smaller companies into bigger ones enabled some very large corporations to escape market discipline by fixing prices or undercutting competitors. Reformers argued that these practices ultimately saddled consumers with higher prices or restricted choices. The Sherman Antitrust Act, passed in 1890, declared that no person or business could monopolize trade or could combine or conspire with someone else to restrict trade. In the early 1900s, the government used the act to break up John D. Rockefellers Standard Oil Company and several other large firms that it said had abused their economic power. In 1914, Congress passed two more laws designed to bolster the Sherman Antitrust Act: the Clayton Antitrust Act and the Federal Trade Commission Act. The Clayton Antitrust Act defined more clearly what constituted illegal restraint of trade. The act outlawed price discrimination that gave certain buyers an advantage over others; forbade agreements in which manufacturers sell only to dealers who agree not to sell a rival manufacturers products; and prohibited some types of mergers and other acts that could decrease competition. The Federal Trade Commission Act established a government commission aimed at preventing unfair and anti-competitive business practices. Critics believed that even these new anti-monopoly tools were not fully effective. In 1912, the United States Steel Corporation, which controlled more than half of all the steel production in the United States, was accused of being a monopoly. Legal action against the corporation dragged on until 1920 when, in a landmark decision, the Supreme Court ruled that U.S. Steel was not a monopoly because it did not engage in unreasonable restraint of trade. The court drew a careful distinction between bigness and monopoly and suggested that corporate bigness is not necessarily bad.​​ Experts Note: Â  Generally speaking, the federal government in the United States has a number of options at its disposal in order to regulate monopolies. (Remember, regulation of monopolies is economically justified since monopoly is a form of market failure that creates inefficiency- i.e. deadweight loss- for society.) In some cases, monopolies are regulated by breaking up the companies and, by doing so, restoring competition. In other cases, monopolies are identified as natural monopolies- i.e. companies where one big firm can produce at lower cost than a number of smaller firms- in which case they are subjected to price restrictions rather than being broken up. Legislation of either type is far more difficult than it sounds for a number of reasons, including the fact that whether a market is considered a monopoly depends crucially on how broadly or narrowly a market is defined.​

Friday, December 20, 2019

Converse We Love You, Chucks! Marketing Case - 1711 Words

| Converse: | We Love You, Chucks! | Molly Langan 3/25/2009 | Situation Analysis Converse was founded in 1908 and by 1917 the All Star shoes were introduced on the market as an American made product. In 1923 the shoes were renamed the Chuck Taylor, after the semiprofessional basketball player. By 1970, eighty percent of basketball players wore Converse shoes out on the court. In 1983 their revenue was $209 million. Converse faced a lot of competition, and in 1989 they only held five percent of the market share. In 2001 their revenue had dropped to $185 million. Nike bought Converse out in 2003 for $305 million and put more than four million dollars into advertising. Today, Converse has over 1,000 different types of Chucks, a men’s†¦show more content†¦Also, Converse also has the risk of cannibalizing Nike’s products. Nike and Converse have similar merchandise and if Converse puts out a hot product, it can back lash causing a similar Nike product not to sell. They also have to be conscious of current competition. Companies that target the sa me market as Converse are Adidas, Reebok, New Balance, Puma, Sketchers, and Vans. Problem / Opportunity Even though Converse is making a small profit for Nike, the problem is whether Nike should write off the $305 million spent on the company and discontinue production or if they should continue and make changes within Converse to make it more profitable. Identification of Alternatives There are several alternatives and options Nike can do with Converse, they include: 1. Kill the Converse Brand and write off the money. 2. Reduce Variations among similar products. 3. Cut the clothes line. 4. Target one type of market: fashion or sport. 5. Position products in more stores Criteria All of the alternatives listed above will help the company increase their sales, but based on the criteria the company is using to evaluate them will reflect which option will be the smartest move. Below is a list of criteria that was used to evaluate each of the five alternatives. 1. Sales 2. Profitability 3. Penetration of competitors 4. Market Share 5. Financial Risks The criteria was chosen inShow MoreRelatedEssay about Converse Case Study1803 Words   |  8 PagesConverse: Shaping the Customer Experience They dominated the basketball courts – both amateur and professional – for more than forty years. The first U.S. Olympic basketball team wore them, and Dr. J made them famous in the NBA. Punk rocker Joey Ramone made them standard issue for cult musicians; indeed, Kurt Cobain even donned a pair when he committed suicide. Today, a broad range of consumers, from the nerdiest of high school students to A-list celebrities, claim them as their own. What areRead MoreHistory of Converse3778 Words   |  16 PagesRaffles College of Design and Commerce Strategic Brand Management Born in Basketball, raised by Rock and Roll Converse – A case study Nailton Oliveira 114MDA3530 April, 2012 INTRODUCTION Branding is, in fact, in the spot these days. They are everywhere. Brands decide where economy or fashion goes. Brands gives names to new actions, make the world even more global and are synonym of power. Knowing how to create a reputation of the company with accurate strategies and acknowledgingRead MoreProduct Placement10682 Words   |  43 PagesProduct placement, or embedded marketing, is a form of advertisement, where branded goods or services are placed in a context usually devoid of ads, such as movies, the story line of television shows, or news programs. The product placement is often not disclosed at the time that the good or service is featured. Product placement became common in the 1980s. 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Thursday, December 12, 2019

Human Resource Management Practice Free-Samples for Students

Question: What is Human Resource Development (HRD)? How can Human Resource Managers ensure that Employee Development is beneficial to the Organisation? Answer: Human Resource Development Human resource in an organisation setting can be defined as the people or workforce of the organisation who help to achieve organisational goals. Two most common terms used with reference to the human resource are human resource management and human resource development. HRM is a fresh approach to personnel management and aims at commitment, flexibility and quality (Paauwe, 2009). Human resource management can be defined as how a manager can effectively utilise capabilities, knowledge, effort and committed behaviours that the people contribute to an organisation, that is authoritatively coordinated, as part of any employment contract, which enables the organisation to achieve its objectives (Armstrong and Taylor, 2014).Human resource development is a process of developing the skills of employees by supporting behavioural change and creating learning opportunities to achieve high performance (Richman, 2015).The further discussion would cover the difference between human resource plann ing and human resource development. It will also include the importance and ways to ensure HRD is beneficial to the organisation. Human resource development is a subset of human resource management. As the definition clarifies Human resource management is for applying policies and principals to manage people effectively whereas human resource development is not involved in managing, it is the development of people. Human resource development can be thought of a small segment of human resource development. The functions of human resource development can be categorised into 3 basic categories training and development, organisational development and career development. Organisation often faces the challenge when employees lack capabilities and intellectual abilities. This challenge can be overcome through the function of training and development. Training and is defined as series of activities that are designed to enhance the skills, abilities and knowledge of the employee to perform a particular task. Development can be defined as preparing a person for future responsibilities. Training and development not only f etches productivity it is important for developing personnel. Various methods can be used to provide training development like on the job, coaching, orientation, apprenticeship, demonstration, vestibule, understudy, job rotation and self-development (Olaniyan and Ojo, 2008). The next important function of the human resource manager is organisational development. Human resource development plays a vital role in organisational development by performing 4 functions which include maintenance of organisational standards, improves professionalism in the organisation, enhances the productivity and assures longevity of the organisation. Organisational standards are maintained by regular recruitments, enhanced diversity and better HR services. Professionalism can be developed by developing and delivering professional development programmes. Productivity can be increased by setting up realistic goals and HR manager should intimate and communicate about those goals to the employees. Organisat ional longevity will be the impact of human resource development and intellectual capital development (Kolachi and Akan, 2014). The third major role that is performed by human resource development is career development. Career development is composed of two terms career and development. Career means individual perspective of behaviours and attitudes that are associated with work related activities over the life span of a person. Development is the term related to growth. Career planning can be defined as the continuous process of empowering employees that are planning and directing actions until they achieve a personal level of lifes goals. HRD helps in career development through career planning and career management (Hite and McDonald, 2008). It is evident that human resource development performs various functions and therefore very essential for an organisation. In organisations, there is a set framework for implementing human resource development. This framework can also be regarded as the process of human resource development. It consists of 4 steps assessing HRD needs, designing effective HRD programmes, implementing the plan and evaluating the plan (Werner and DeSimone, 2011). The need analysis phase consists of analysing an individual, job environment and task requirements. Needs may arise due to present deficiency or any new challenge that is to be met. Need analysis can be done by deciding the priorities, deciding the objectives of specific training HRD and establishing the evaluation criteria. The next comes the designing phase. This phase is concerned with designing the training and development activities that can bring the desired intervention. This involves determining the objectives of the programme, develop ing a suitable lesson plan to achieve those objectives, assembling required material for the programme, selecting the person who has the capability to deliver the programme, the next step involves choosing the setting that is most suitable for delivering the programme. After all the aspects have been decided, there is the need for implementation. This is the main action phase. Implementation is not an easy task it involves various challenges such as executing every detail as per the plan, creating an environment that supports the plan and resolving issues that arise while implementing. After designing phase comes the evaluation phase, this is concerned with determining the effectiveness of the programme. This is the phase where decisions are taken regarding continue or stop using particular programme, budgeting and resources related decisions and finding any alternative HR approach if required (Vinaya, Mahatab, Sujoy). It is the key role of every human resource development manager to time to time evaluate the human resource development programme to ensure that the implemented programme is beneficial for the organisation or not. Human resource development plan can bring various benefits to the employee if evaluated effectively. For instance Google, the company takes various steps to develop its employees. Every employee at Google is offered with a specific course related to their job this helps them to learn better, Google tries to maximise productivity by ensuring employee satisfaction and paying attention to the concerns of employees, 20% of working time is given to employees to spend on their own projects and it is continuously engaged in taking small steps to build up great talent (Toscano, 2015). The example shows human resource development can make the Google market leader. It is proof that employee development is beneficial to the organisation. The managers can check if the HRD programme is e ffective by checking few key points. These key points include the questions that if the organisation is developing right people, the right stuff, in the right way, at the right time and with the right materials. Managers need to measure the actual results against the expected results. The mangers need to find out the reasons and make corrections according to the reasons identified. Time to time evaluations enables the manager to check the efficiency of the overall development programme. There are various benefits of employee development for the organisation. It enables and organisation to keep pace with the changes in the industry. It enables employees handling the latest technology; therefore organisation can make use of latest technology. It also enables the management to know about the weakness of employees and the skill gaps. It develops the individuals for more responsible positions in the organisation (Gill, 2014). It can be concluded that human resource development is an important and inseparable part of the organisation. Every organisation needs to develop the potential of its human resource to achieve better results. Major functions of human resource development include training and development, career development and organisational development. It is helpful both individual and organisation. The human resource development programme can be implemented in 4 steps in an organisation. The first step is determining the HRD needs, the second is designing the suitable HRD plan, third is implementing the designed HRD plan and the fourth step is implementing the plan. If HRD plan is successfully implemented it can prove fruitful for the organisation. Managers can ensure that programme is beneficial to the organisation by effective evaluation of the programme. Overall employee development provides numerous benefits and is a vital task. It develops the workforce for more challenging roles and helps to achieve the organisational goals. References Armstrong, M. and Taylor, S., 2014.Armstrong's handbook of human resource management practice. Kogan Page Publishers. Gill, A., 2014. The Top 10 Benefits Of Ongoing Staff Training And Development, viewed on 25 August 2017 from https://www.saxonsgroup.com.au/blog/human-resources/top-10-benefits-of-ongoing-staff-training-development/ Hite, L.M. and McDonald, K.S., 2008. A new era for career development and HRD.Advances in Developing Human Resources,10(1), pp.3-7. Kolachi, N. and Akan, O., 2014. HRD Role in Organizational Development (A Case of Corporate Thinking at ETISALAT, UAE).International Business Research,7(8), p.160. Olaniyan, D.A. and Ojo, L.B., 2008. Staff training and development: a vital tool for organisational effectiveness.European Journal of Scientific Research,24(3), pp.326-331. Paauwe, J., 2009. HRM and performance: Achievements, methodological issues and prospects.Journal of Management studies,46(1), pp.129-142. Richman, N., 2015. Human resource management and human resource development: Evolution and contributions.Creighton Journal of Interdisciplinary Leadership,1(2), pp.120-129. Toscano, N., 2015. How Google Develops Talent, viewed on 25 August 2017 from https://www.skilledup.com/insights/google-develops-talent Vinaya, H.M., Mahatab, K. M., and Sujoy, S. 2013. Framework for implementing human resource development programmes in higher educational institutions. International Journal of Engineering and Management Sciences, 4 (1), pp. 36-39. Werner, J.M. and DeSimone, R.L., 2011.Human resource development. Cengage Learning.

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Communication and Language free essay sample

Some children find it difficult to understand what has been said to them, form words and construct sentences, find the right words to express thoughts and feelings, and understand rules for social interaction and conversation. 2. Explain how speech, language, and communication skills support each of the following areas In children’s development. Learning, emotional, behaviour and social. Learning Children learn by listening, by example and by using there speech and language to ask questions. Hearing words extends there vocabulary, labelling things or people helps them learn to use there language appropriately. The earning process is being supported by speech and language. Emotional If a chid is able to use language to express their needs it will enable them to learn how to control and express their feelings and help there emotional development. Page 1 1. 2 Behaviour Once a child is able to use language there behaviour changes, it allows the child to think about things they are doing and express their needs verbally and be aware of the consequences of there actions. We will write a custom essay sample on Communication and Language or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page If a chid is unable to use speech to communicate and express there wants and needs, it can cause anxiety and frustration and this can have a profound affect on their behaviour. An Example of how the lack of speech can have a negative affect on behaviour: child A is playing with the playdough, child B with limited speech joins the activity, child B snatches the playdough cutters that A is using as b is unable to verbalise that they would like to play with the cutters therefore Creating unwanted behaviour in this case snatching. If B could of communicated with A that they would like to use the cutters the snatching could possibly have been avoided. Example 2 of how lack of speech can have a negative effect on behaviour. It is circle time the children are sitting on the floor child A and child B are sat next to each other. A is fidgety and keeps knocking into B, B has limited speech. B becomes frustrated and hits A as he cannot communicate to A that he is getting upset by being knocked. If B had been able to communicate to A or a member of staff perhaps A would have become aware being knocked was upsetting his friend and stopped or a member of staff could of intervened before the unwanted behaviour in this case hitting had occurred . Social Communication and language skills allow the child to be able to understand social codes and behave appropriately, by having speech and language playing children are able to talk through there games extending play, contributing and sharing experiences this all helps towards forming good relationships. Page 2 1. 3 Describe the potential impact of speech, language and communication difficulties on the overall development of a child both currently and in the long term. Speech, language and communication difficulties can have a profound and lasting effect on childrens lives. For a small percentage of children their disability cannot be prevented, but early intervention is just as vital for those with less severe difficulties to help give the child the best possible support that they will need. The impact of these difficulties will vary according to the severity of the problem, the support the child receives, the childs confidence and the demands of the childs environment. Short term effects can include: Frustration †¢ Anger †¢ Withdrawal †¢ Low levels of confidence †¢ Difficulties in making friends †¢ Difficulties learning and understanding new information †¢ Find it hard to communicate and make themselves understood †¢ Behavioural difficulties Long term affects could be: †¢ Lower self-esteem in adult life †¢ May find that they did not achieve their full potential in education †¢ Find it hard to make and maintain relationships †¢ Become isolated †¢ Do not reach a level of independence †¢ Develop anti-social behaviour

Thursday, November 28, 2019

Automotive Airbag History and Invention

Automotive Airbag History and Invention Like seatbelts, airbags are a type of  automobile safety restraint system designed to mitigate injury in the event of an accident. These gas-inflated cushions, built into the steering wheel, dashboard, door, roof, and/or seat of your car, use a crash sensor to trigger a rapid expansion of nitrogen gas contained inside a cushion that pops out on impact to put a protective barrier between passengers and hard surfaces. Types of Airbags The two main types of airbags are designed for front impact and side impact. Advanced frontal airbag systems automatically determine if and with what level of power the driver-side frontal airbag and the passenger-side frontal airbag will inflate. The appropriate level of power is based on the readings of sensor inputs that can typically detect occupant size, seat position, seat belt use of the occupant, and severity of the crash. Side-impact airbags (SABs) are inflatable devices designed to help protect the head and/or chest in the event of a serious crash involving impact with the side of a vehicle. There are three main types of SABs: chest (or torso) SABs, head SABs, and head/chest combination (or combo) SABs. The History of the Airbag At the dawn of the airbag industry, Allen Breed held the  patent (U.S. #5,071,161) to the only crash-sensing technology available at the time. Breed had invented a sensor and safety system in 1968. It was the worlds first electromechanical automotive airbag system. However, rudimentary patents for airbag predecessors date back to the 1950s. Patent applications were submitted by German Walter Linderer and American John Hetrick as early as 1951. Linderers airbag (German patent #896312) was based on a compressed air system, either released by bumper contact or by the driver. Hetrick received a patent in 1953 (U.S. #2,649,311) for what he called a safety cushion assembly for automotive vehicles, also based on compressed air. Later research during the 1960s proved that compressed air was not capable of inflating the airbags quickly enough to be effective. In 1964, Japanese automobile engineer Yasuzaburou Kobori  was developing an airbag safety net system that employed an explosive device to trigger airbag inflation, for which he was awarded patents in 14 countries. Sadly, Kobori  died in 1975 before seeing his ideas put into practical or widespread use. Airbags Are Introduced Commercially In 1971, the Ford Motor Company built an experimental airbag fleet. General Motors installed airbags in a fleet of 1973 Chevrolet Impalas- for government use only. The 1973 Oldsmobile Toronado was the first car with a passenger airbag sold to the public. General Motors later offered an option of driver-side airbags in full-sized Oldsmobiles and Buicks in 1975 and 1976, respectively. Cadillacs became available with driver and passenger airbags options during those years as well. General Motors, which had marketed its airbags as the Air Cushion Restraint System, discontinued the ACRS option for the 1977  model year, citing a lack of consumer interest. Ford and GM subsequently spent years  lobbying  against airbag requirements, arguing that the devices were simply not viable. Eventually, however, the automobile giants realized that the airbag was here to stay. Ford began offering them again as an option on their 1984 Tempo. While Chrysler made a driver-side airbag standard for its 1988–1989 models, it wasn’t until the early 1990s that airbags found their way into the majority of American cars. In 1994, TRW began production of the first gas-inflated airbag. Airbags have been mandatory in all new cars since 1998.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

A brief history of sport in Australia Essays - Free Essays

A brief history of sport in Australia Essays - Free Essays A brief history of sport in Australia Australias sporting culture is deeply affected by history as a British colony formed. Early colonizers from Britain and Ireland transported with them attitudes and views about sport, and they also transported with them the games which were popular in Britain. What is tennis? Tennis is a sport which played on a rectangular court by two players or two pairs of players armed with rackets, in which a ball is driven back and forth over a low net that divides the court in half. History of tennis Tennis became popular as a public game from its arrival in Australia in the late 1870s, and courts sprang up everywhere in community and private grounds. It was a game that was taken up enthusiastically by both men and women, both for fun and as an elite sport. Since 1900, Australian men and women tennis players have been classified as some of the world's best. Australia's first international champion was Norm Brookes who was the first Australian to win the Wimbledon Singles titles in 1907. In the same year Brookes was the first outsider to break the dominance of the UK and USA with his win in the Doubles of the Davis Cup, the international men's championship. Australia then hosted international championship events in 1908 and Brookes went on to dominate tennis administration in Australia for the next 50 years. Across the four major Open titles, known as Grand Slam tournaments the Australian, French and United States Open and Wimbledon, UK there have been five Australian Grand Slam winners. The first Grand Slam winners were Ken McGregor and Frank Sedgman for the Doubles in 1951. Rod Laver, who won it twice, in 1962 and 1969, is arguably the greatest tennis player in the world. Margaret Court also won all four tournaments in one year when she completed the Grand Slam in 1970, one of only three women in the world to achieve this. From its early days, tennis was extremely popular with women in Australia even though there was no financial support for them to travel to overseas tournaments. Never-the-less, with fund raising, made the finals of Wimbledon in 1928. In 1938, Nancy Bolton became the first Australian woman to play in a US Championship final when she was 22. Lesley Bowrey was the first Australian women to win two French Open singles titles in 1963 and 1964, and the Mixed Doubles at Wimbledon in 1961 and 1967. From the 1920s onwards, there was such an increased demand for tennis racquets, balls and equipment that an Australian industry began exporting to both the UK and USA in the 1930s. The images of well-known players were featured on Australian made racquets which made their way into overseas markets. This arrangement of sporting companies endorsing players helped support the amateur status of Australian players competing in the Davis Cup and Grand Slam tournaments until 1969. Australian players ruled the world amateur tournaments until the 1960s. In 1969 a wider group of players could contest when the Grand Slam tournaments consented to permit professionals and amateur players. Still, even after Australia's domination of world tennis was broken in the 1960s, tennis stayed popular as a sport for both contributors and audiences. Australian tennis troops hold their own world archives for watching single live tennis games. Tennis fashion a fashionable freedom The deficiency of an identified uniform in tennis has given players a fashionable freedom. In the 1800s, players generally dressed white clothing as it reversed the heat. Men would dress long trousers and a shirt which was long sleeved but could be rolled up to the elbow, and a hat or cricket cap would accompany the outfit. Women wore an everyday dress (ankle length) complete with petticoat, stockings, a corset, and a wide-brimmed hat. Ultimately fashions started to change and men dressed short sleeved shirts and shorts, with women wearing lighter cotton dresses without the stockings and corset. These changes however were not always met with encouragement. At Wimbledon in 1905, the US player May Sutton swapped the popular tight sleeved blouses for her father's button-up shirt and shocked the crowd when she rolled her sleeves up. Sutton went on to win the women's Singles. During the 1920s, the French champion

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Knowledge Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Knowledge Management - Essay Example In order to efficiently control people who comprise the desired tacit knowledge, it is fundamental to take into consideration their cultural and social values, likings and dislikings, feelings and eagerness’s for creating new knowledge (Asian Foundation, 2008). The paper includes the recognition and analysis of knowledge management as a crucial component in organisational progression and also the importance of managing the people who deal with managing knowledge in the organization as well as the effect of wrong culture on reducing the effectiveness of knowledge management. Significance of Knowledge Management in the Organisational Context Knowledge management is one of the most critical arguments in this world of globalization. It is famous both in the industry and the information research world. In reality, an individual deals with huge amount of data and information but these do not become knowledge unless certain value is found out of it. For this reason, knowledge managem ent is required. Knowledge management deals with the processes of acquiring, creating and sharing knowledge and cultural and technical justifications that can substantiate them. Knowledge management is the collection of numerous technologies of information that are used to simplify the gathering, organizing, alteration and transformation of knowledge among employees. Knowledge management has both benefits as well as limitations. The various advantages are focused in a brief way. In every organization, there is need to find the specific knowledge which can be utilized by individual’s for future requirements. This would rather help to gain more knowledge in a short time frame. Besides, the other crucial aspect is the ability of all individual employees to use the organization’s knowledge and... The intention of this study is knowledge management as one of the most critical arguments in this world of globalization. It is famous both in the industry and the information research world. In reality, an individual deals with huge amount of data and information but these do not become knowledge unless certain value is found out of it. For this reason, knowledge management is required. Knowledge management deals with the processes of acquiring, creating and sharing knowledge and cultural and technical justifications that can substantiate them. Knowledge management is the collection of numerous technologies of information that are used to simplify the gathering, organizing, alteration and transformation of knowledge among employees. Knowledge management has both benefits as well as limitations. The various advantages are focused in a brief way. In every organization, there is need to find the specific knowledge which can be utilized by individual’s for future requirements. Th is would rather help to gain more knowledge in a short time frame. Besides, the other crucial aspect is the ability of all individual employees to use the organization’s knowledge and experiences in their own way so that it can be helpful in the path of life. Moreover, another significant point of concern is availability of the knowledge, at exact time and in right manner so that it can be transmitted according to the needs. Thus, knowledge management enables an organisation to gather required information for reference in any point of time by any employee.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

How To Resolve The Conflict Through The Executive's Intervention Essay

How To Resolve The Conflict Through The Executive's Intervention - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that hostile environment in a workplace is inevitable and it naturally happens in any business enterprise all over the world. Employees should not veer away from these dilemmas but instead, they should be able to determine the origin of the conflicts, identify the effects, and pinpoint the typology. Learning how to manage the interaction accordingly will be critical for the improvement of the working environment inside the enterprise. According to Bergman and Moore, a deposition can normally consist of a lawyer or a self-representing individual that asks the deponent with questions. It may seem informal in its sense since it is conducted within the premises of the enterprise, such as conference rooms with the absence of a judge. However, the deposition should be considered with an equal amount of importance as a testimony in court since it shares several characteristics with it. It is through the nature of a deposition that lawyers, as well as individuals that prepare the letter, give utmost care on how they write as it could result to a major impact when taken to court. Conversely, the deponent must also be extra careful in attaining accurate deposition testimony as it may have great repercussion on the ruling of the case. Enterprise policies should ensure that complaints of illegal or unethical conducts are investigated and addressed as quickly and as effectively as possible. In addition, â€Å"whistleblowers† should also be given protection against reprisals for the complaints that they make that are in good faith. The enterprise should also support and follow reporting conditions which are mandatory and in accordance with government institutions. Policies such as The Code of

Monday, November 18, 2019

MOVEO folding electric scooter Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

MOVEO folding electric scooter - Assignment Example The company in 2013 unveiled a new product the MOVEO the folding electric scooter which they intend to begin distributing by June 2014. The company was founded by Zsolt HegedÃ… ±s and Gà ©za Hivessy in 2001. The company’s headquarter is based in Ã… riszentpà ©ter, in the western corner of Hungary (Antro Group). The vision of the company is to lead in the innovation of prototypes making use of environmental friendly technologies and materials that decrease the weight of the locomotives in order to reduce the consumption of energy. Their mission is to establish an environmentally friendly quality mode of transport that offers a cheap and comfortable alternative to the existing transport means. The market target for the MOVEO foldable electric scooter is individuals mainly residing in urban areas. The foldable electric scooter was created with the intention of regulating commuting by car which in turn reduces the emissions that pollute the environment. This follows the growth of awareness among the consumers who are now beginning to welcome two wheeled vehicles as a new mode of transport (Hurst & Gartner 2012). The market for electric scooters has also been boosted by the introduction of electric cars since there are charging spots that are easily accessible within the city which is attracting the interest of both new and existing consumers (Pinson, Jinnett & Pinson 1996). The major primary market for the MOVEO foldable scooter is the Asia Pacific region. This is because there is a high rate of urbanisation which continues to grow every day. Due to this, it leads to congestion in traffic coupled with emissions that pollute the environment. Following these reasons, the governments in the region have all come together to promote the use of electric scooters in order to manage pollution. The electric scooter market is expected to grow tremendously

Friday, November 15, 2019

Mental Health Professionals Risk Assessment Health And Social Care Essay

Mental Health Professionals Risk Assessment Health And Social Care Essay This assessment item requires students to compare and contrast traditional risk assessment approaches that offer static predictions of risk versus risk assessment approaches that offer dynamic holistic predictions of risk. Students are expected to research theoretical and empirical literature. This assignment emphasizes academic writing skills. Since the 1980s there has been increased pressure on mental health professionals to improve their ability to predict and better manage the level of risk associated with forensic mental health patients, and offenders being dealt with in the justice system (Holloway, 2004). This increased pressure has also increased interest within a wider spectrum of researchers and forensic clinicians working within the justice system to improve the accuracy and reliability of their analysis of whether recidivism is a high possibility. The overall value of this research is that it enable the improvement in the assessment, supervision, planning and management of offenders, in conjunction with a more reliable base line for follow up evaluations (Beech et al., 2003). However there continues to be an increasing interest and expectation on professionals from the public and the criminal justice system in regards to the potential danger posed by serious offenders being released back into the community and the need for the offenders to be better managed, in order to adequately protect the public from dangerous individuals (Doyle et el, 2002). As the assessment of risk is made at various stages in the management process of the violent offender it is extremely important that mental health professionals have a structured and consistent approach to risk assessment and evaluation of violence. (Doyle et el, 2002). This paper will examine three models of risk assessment that are used currently in an attempt to reduce potential danger to others when integrating violent offenders back into the community. These three approaches are unstructured clinical judgement, structured clinical judgement and actuarial assessment. It is not intended in this paper to explore the various instruments used in the assessment process for the respective actuarial and structured clinical approaches. Unstructured Clinical Judgement Unstructured clinical judgement is a process involving no specific guidelines but relies on the individual clinicians evaluation having regard to the clinicians experience and qualifications (Douglas et al, 2002). Doyle et el(2002, p650) refers to clinical judgement as first generation, and sees clinical judgement as allowing the clinician complete discretion in relation to what information the clinician will or will not take notice of in their final determination of risk level. The unstructured clinical interview has been widely criticised because it is seen as inconsistent and inherently lacks structure and a uniform approach that does not allow for test, retest reliability over time and between clinicians (Lamont et al, 2009). It has been argued that this inconsistency in assessment can lead to incorrect assessment of offenders, as either high or low risk due to the subjective opinion inherent in the unstructured clinical assessment approach (Prentky et al, 2000). Even with these limitations discussed above the unstructured clinical interview is still likely to be the most widely used approach in relation to the offenders violence risk assessment (Kropp, 2008). Kropp (2008) postulates that the continued use of the unstructured clinical interview is that it allows for idiographic analysis of the offenders behaviour (Kropp, 2008, p205). Doyle et al (2002) postulates, that past clinical studies have shown that clinicians using the risk analysis method of unstructured interview, is not as inaccurate as generally believed. Perhaps this is due largely to the level of experience and clinical qualifications of those conducting the assessment. The unstructured clinical assessment method relies heavily on verbal and non verbal cues and this has the potential of influencing individual clinicians assessment of risk, and thus in turn has a high probability of over reliance in the assessment on the exhibited cues (Lamont et al, 2009). A major flaw with the unstructured clinical interview is the apparent lack of structured standardized methodology being used to enable a test retest reliability measure previously mentioned. However the lack of consistency in the assessment approach is a major disadvantage in the use of the unstructured clinical interview. The need for a more structured process allowing for predictable test retest reliability would appear to be a necessary component of any risk assessment in relation to violence. Actuarial Assessment Actuarial assessment was developed as a way to assess various risk factors that would improve on the probability of an offenders recidivism. However Douglas et al (2002, p 625) cautions that the Actuarial approach is not conducive to violence prevention. The Actuarial approach relies heavily on standardized instruments to assist the clinician in predicting violence, and the majority of these instruments have been developed to predict future probability of violence amongst offenders who have a past history of mental illness and or criminal offending behaviours. (Grant et al, 2004) The use of actuarial assessment has increased in recent years as risk assessment due to the fact that more non clinicians are tasked with the responsibility of management of violent offenders such as community corrections, correctional officers and probation officers. Actuarial risk assessment methods enable staff that do not have the experience, background or necessary clinical qualifications to conduct a standardised clinical assessment of offender risk. This actuarial assessment method has been found to be extremely helpful when having to risk assess offenders with mental health, substance abuse and violent offenders. (Byrne et al, 2006). However Actuarial assessments have limitations in the inability of the instruments to provide any information in relation to the management of the offender, and strategies to prevent violence (Lamont et al, 2009). Whilst such instruments may provide transferable test retest reliability there is a need for caution when the instruments are used wit hin differing samples of the test population that were used as the validation sample in developing the test (Lamont et al, 2009). Inexperienced and untrained staff may not be aware of the limitations of the test instruments they are using. The majority of actuarial tools were validated in North America (Maden, 2003). This has significant implications when actuarial instruments are used in the Australian context, especially when indigenous cultural complexities are not taken into account. Doyle et al (2002) postulates that the actuarial approach is focused on prediction and that risk assessment in mental health has a much broader function and has to be link closely with management and prevention (Doyle et al, 2002, p 652). Actuarial instruments rely on measures of static risk factors e.g. history of violence, gender, psychopathy and recorded social variables. Therefore static risk factors are taken as remaining constant. Hanson et al (2000) argues that where the results of unstructur ed clinical opinion are open to questions, the empirically based risk assessment method can significantly predict the risk of re offending. To rely totally on static factors that are measured in Actuarial instruments and not incorporate dynamic risk factors has lead to what Doyle et al (2002) has referred to as Third Generation, or as more commonly acknowledged as structured professional judgement. Structured Professional Judgment Progression toward a structured professional model would appear to have followed a process of evolution since the 1990s. This progression has developed through acceptance of the complexity of what risk assessment entails, and the pressures of the courts and public in developing an expectation of increased predictive accuracy (Borum, 1996). Structured professional judgement therefore brings together empirically validated risk factors, professional experience and contemporary knowledge of the patient (Lamont et al, 2009, p27). Structured professional judgement approach requires a broad assessment criteria covering both static and dynamic factors and attempts to bridge the gap between the other approaches of unstructured clinical judgement and actuarial approach (Kropp, 2008). The incorporation of dynamic risk factors that is to say taking account of variable factors such as current emotional level (anger, depression, stress), social supports or lack of and willingness to participate in the treatment rehabilitation process. The structured professional approach incorporates dynamic factors which have been found to be also significant in analysing risk of violence (Mandeville-Nordon, 2006). Campbell et al (2009) postulates that instruments that examine dynamic risk factors are more sensitive to recent changes that may influence an increase or decrease in risk potential. Kropp (2008) reports that research has found that Structured Professional Judgement measures also correlate substantially with actuarial measures. Conclusion Kroop (2008) postulates that either a structured professional judgement approach or an actuarial approach presents the most viable options for risk assessment of violence. The unstructured clinical approach has been widely criticised by researchers for lacking reliability, validity and accountability (Douglas et al, 2002). Kroop (2008) also cautions that risk assessment requires the assessor to have an appropriate level of specialized knowledge and experience. This experience should be not only of offenders but also with victims. There would appear to be a valid argument that unless there is consistency in training of those conducting risk assessments the validity and reliability of any measure either actuarial or structured professional judgement will fail to give the level of predictability of violence that is sought. Risk analysis of violence will always be burdened by the limitation which lies in the fact that exact analyses are not possible, and risk will never be completely era dicated (Lamont et al, 2009, p 31.). Doyle et al (2002) postulates that a combination of structured clinical and actuarial approaches is warranted to assist in risk assessment of violence. Further research appears to be warranted to improve the methodology of risk management and increase the effectiveness of risk management. References Beech, A.R., Fisher D., Thornton D, 2003. Risk Assessment of sex offender. Professional Psychology, Research and Practice 34: 339-352. Borum, R. (1996). Improving the clinical practice of violence risk assessment. American Psychologist, Vol 51, No 9, 945-956. Byrne, J.M., Pattaviana, A. 2006. Assessing the role of Clinical and Actuarial Risk Assessment in an Evidence-Based Community Corrections System: Issues to Consider. Journal of Federal Probation, Vol 70, No 2 p64-66. Douglas, K.S., Kropp, P.R., 2002, A prevention-based paradigm for violence risk assessment: Clinical and Research Applications. Criminal Justice and Behaviour, Vol. 29, 5, 617-658. Doyle, M., Dolan, M. 2002. Violence risk assessment: combining actuarial and clinical information to structure clinical judgements for the formulating and management of risk. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing. 9: 649-657. Grant, T.H., Rice, M.E., Camilleri, J.A., 2004. Applying a Forensic Actuarial Assessment (the Violence Risk Appraisal Guide) to Nonforensic Patients. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, Vol 19, p 1063-1064. Hanson, R. Karl, Thornton, David, 2000. Improving Risk Assessments for Sex Offenders: A Comparison of Three Actuarial Scales. Law and Human Behaviour, Vol 24, No 1. Holloway, F. 2004. Risk: More questions than answers. Invited comment on Psychodynamic methods in risk assessment and management. Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, 10: 273-274. Kropp, P.R., 2008, Intimate Partner Violence Risk Assessment and Management. Violence and Victims, Vol 23, No 2. Lamont, S., Brunero, S.,2009. Risk analysis: An integrated approach to the assessment management of aggression violence in mental health. Journal of Psychiatric Intensive Care, Vol.5, 25-32. Maden, A., 2003. Standardised risk assessment: Why all the fuss? Psychiatric Bulletin, Vol 27: 201-204. Mandeville-Norden, R., 2006. Risk Assessment of Sex Offenders: The Current Position in the UK. Child Abuse Review, Vol 15, 257-272. Prentky, R.A., Burgess, A.W., 2000. Forensic Management of Sexual Offenders. Kluwer Academic/Plenum Press: London. Introduction Since the 1980s there  has been increased  pressure on mental health professionals to improve their ability to  predict  and better manage the level of risk associated with forensic mental health patients, and offenders  being dealt  with in the justice system (Holloway, 2004).  This increased  pressure  has also increased interest within a wider range of researchers and forensic clinicians,  working in the justice system to improve the accuracy and reliability of their analysis of whether recidivism is a strong possibility.  The overall value of this research is that it allows the improvement in the assessment, supervision, planning and management of offenders, in conjunction with a more reliable base line for follow up evaluations (Beech et al., 2003). However, there continues to be an increasing  interest  and  expectation  on professionals from the public and the criminal justice system in regards to the potential  danger  posed by  serious  offenders  being released  back into the community and the need for the offenders to be better managed, in order  to adequately protect  the public from dangerous individuals (Doyle et el, 2002). As the assessment of risk  is made  at various stages in the management process of the violent offender,  it is  extremely  crucial that mental health professionals have a structured and consistent approach to risk assessment and evaluation of violence. (Doyle et el, 2002). This paper will examine three models of risk assessment that  are used  currentlyto  reduce  potential danger to others when integrating violent offenders back into the community.  These three approaches are unstructured clinical judgement, structured clinical  judgement  and actuarial  assessment. It is not intended, in this paper, to explore the various instruments used in the assessment process for the  respective  actuarial and structured clinical approaches. Unstructured Clinical Judgement Unstructured clinical judgement is a process involving no specific guidelines,  but relies on the individual clinicians  evaluation  having regard to the clinicians experience and qualifications (Douglas et al, 2002).  Doyle et el(2002, p650) refers to  clinical  judgement as first generation, and sees clinical judgement as allowing the clinician  complete  discretion in relation to what information the clinician will or will not take notice of in their final determination of risk level. The unstructured clinical  interview  has been widely criticised because it  is seen  as inconsistent and inherently lacks structure and a  uniform  approach  that does not allow for  test, retest reliability over time and between clinicians (Lamont et al, 2009). It  has been argued  that this inconsistency in  assessment  can lead to  incorrect  assessment of offenders, as either high or low risk due to the subjective opinion inherent in the unstructured c linical assessment  approach  (Prentky et al, 2000). Even with these limitations discussed above the unstructured clinical  interview  is still likely to be the most widely used  approach  in relation to the offenders violence risk assessment (Kropp, 2008). Kropp (2008), postulates that the continued use of the unstructured clinical  interview  allows for idiographic analysis of the offenders  behaviour (Kropp, 2008, p205).  Doyle et al (2002) postulates, that  clinical studies have shown,  that clinicians using the risk analysis  method  of unstructured interview, is not as  inaccurate  as  generally  believed.  Perhaps this is due, largely to the level of experience and  clinical  qualifications of those conducting the assessment. The unstructured clinical  assessment  method  relies heavily on verbal and non verbal cues and this has the potential of influencing individual clinicians assessment of risk, and thus in turn has a high probability of over reliance in the assessment on the exhibited cues (Lamont et al, 2009).  A major flaw with the unstructured clinical  interview,  is the apparent lack of structured standardized methodology  being used  to  enable  a  test  retest relia bility  measure  previously mentioned.  However, the lack of consistency in the assessment approach is a  substantial  disadvantage in the use of the unstructured clinical interview.   The need for a more structured  process  allowing for  predictable  test retest reliability would  appear  to be a  necessary  component of any risk assessment in relation to violence. Actuarial Assessment Actuarial  assessment  was developed  to  assess  various risk factors that would improve on the probability of an offenders recidivism. However, Douglas et al (2002, p 625) cautions that the Actuarial  approach  is not conducive to violence prevention. The Actuarial approach relies heavily on standardized instruments to assist the clinician in predicting violence, and the majority of these instruments  has  been developed  to predict future  probability  of violence amongst offenders who have a history of mental illness and or criminal offending behaviours. (Grant et al, 2004) The use of actuarial  assessment  has increased in recent years as risk assessment due to the fact that more non clinicians  are tasked  with the responsibility of management of violent offenders such as community corrections, correctional officers and probation officers.  Actuarial risk assessment methods enable staff that do not have the experience,  background  or necessary  clinical  qualifications to  conduct  a standardised clinical  assessment  of offender risk. This actuarial  assessment  method  has been found  to be extremely  helpful  when having risk assessing offenders with mental health, substance abuse and violent offenders. (Byrne et al, 2006). However, Actuarial assessments have limitations in the inability of the instruments to provide any information in relation to the management of the offender, and strategies to prevent violence (Lamont et al, 2009).  Whilst such instruments may provide transferable  test  retest reliab ility, there is a need for caution when the instruments  are used  within differing samples of the  test  population that  were used  as the validation  sample  in developing the  test  (Lamont et al, 2009).  Inexperienced and  untrained  staff  may not be aware of the limitations of the  test  instruments they are using. The majority of actuarial tools  were validated  in North America (Maden, 2003). This has  significant  implications when actuarial instruments  are used  in the Australian context, especially when indigenous cultural complexities are not taken into account. Doyle et al (2002) postulates that the actuarial  approach  are  focused  on prediction and that risk assessment in mental health has a much broader  function  and has to be  link  closely with management and prevention (Doyle et al, 2002, p 652). Actuarial instruments rely on measures of static risk factors e.g. history of violence, gender, psychopath y and recorded social variables.  Therefore, static risk factors  are taken  as remaining constant.  Hanson et al (2000) argues that where the results of unstructured  clinical  opinion  are  open  to questions, the empirically based risk assessment  method  can significantly predict the risk of re offending. To rely  totally  on  static  factors that  are measured  in Actuarial instruments,  and not incorporate dynamic risk factors has  lead  to what Doyle et al (2002) has referred to as, Third Generation, or as more commonly acknowledged as structured professional judgement. Structured Professional Judgment Progression toward a structured professional  model  would  appear  to have followed a process of evolution since the 1990s.  This  progression  has developed through  acceptance  of the complexity of what risk assessment entails, and the pressures of the courts and  public  in developing an expectation of increased predictive accuracy (Borum, 1996).  Structured professional judgement  Ã‚  brings together empirically validated risk factors, professional experience and contemporary knowledge of the patient (Lamont et al, 2009, p27).  Structured professional judgement approach requires a  broad  assessment  criteria covering both static and dynamic factors, and attempts to bridge the gap between the other approaches of unstructured clinical judgement and actuarial  approach  (Kropp, 2008).  The incorporation of dynamic risk factors that are  taking account of variable factors such as current emotional  level  (anger, depression, stress), so cial supports or lack of and willingness to participate in the treatment rehabilitation process.  The structured professional approach incorporates  dynamic  factors, which  have been found, to be also crucial in analysing  risk  of violence (Mandeville-Nordon, 2006).  Campbell et al (2009) postulates that instruments that  examine  dynamic risk factors are more  sensitive  to  recent  changes that may  influence  an increase or decrease in risk potential. Kropp (2008) reports that research has found that Structured Professional Judgement measures also  correlate  substantially  with actuarial measures. Conclusion Kroop (2008) postulates that either a structured professional judgement approach, or an actuarial approach presents the most viable options for risk assessment of violence.  The unstructured  clinical  approach  has been widely criticised by researchers for lacking reliability, validity and accountability (Douglas et al, 2002). Kroop (2008) also cautions that risk assessment requires the assessor to have an appropriate level of specialized knowledge and experience. This experience should be not only of offenders but also with victims.  There would  appear  to be a valid argument that unless there is consistency in  training  of those conducting risk assessments the validity and reliability of any  measure  either actuarial or structured professional judgement will fail to  give  the  level  of predictability of violence that  is sought.  Risk analysis of violence will always be burdened by the  limitation  which lies in the fact that  exact   analyses are not  possible, and  risk  will never be totally eradicated (Lamont et al, 2009, p 31.). Doyle et al (2002) postulates that a combination of structured clinical and actuarial approaches  is warranted  to assist in risk assessment of violence. Further research appears to be warranted to improve the methodology of risk management and increase the effectiveness of risk management.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

David Emil Durkheim and the Social Causes of Suicide Essay -- Suicide

David Emil Durkheim is a renowned sociologist and also France’s first professor of sociology. Born on 15th, April in France, he successfully advocated for sociology to be recognized as an academic discipline. He did his first recognizable work titled ‘The division of labor in society’ in 1893 and then started the first European department sociology in a university in his homeland of France. David Durkheim's main concern was to try and understand how communities could maintain their integrity and coherence in the modern era where common religions and ethnic backgrounds were stumbling blocks. He went ahead and developed many other sociology theories and arguments until his death in 1917. Some of his famous published work includes social stratification, sociology of knowledge, deviance and religion. But one of the most outstanding and fascinating of his work is suicide which was published in 1897 (Calhoun, 2002). How Durkheim was able to show the social causes of suicide. Durkheim compares the suicide rates among different categories of people both in individual levels and in the community at large. He treats suicide as a social fact explaining its occurrence by the use of social facts like; lack of group attachment and lack of behavior regulation. In personal perspective he argued that suicide is a personal act that involves personal psychology and purely individual thoughts. His explanations on suicide were partly hindered by unavailability of very precise or complete statistical data. He went ahead and described suicide as caused by factors like climate, race, mental illness, hereditary and imitation (Sociology 250, 1999). Durkheim was able to show the social cause of suicide by observing and studying on varying socia... ...ciologytwynham/suicide-presentation-927179 Durkheim Emile. Emile Durkheim on suicide. Retrieved from: http://www2.uvawise.edu/pww8y/Soc/-Theorists/Durkheim/Suicide.html Eskenazi Karin, (2009). Largest ever study of suicide in the military. Retrieved from: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/157916.php Evans, (2011). Suicide causes and motivations. Retrieved from: http://www.crimescenecleanup.com/Suicide_Causes_and_Motivations.html Hassan Riaz, (1996). Social factors in suicide in Australia. Retrieved from: http://www.aic.gov.au/documents/4/9/0/%7B490EDFD9-212E-414F-B4E5-F3DA8A6D0413%7Dti52.pdf Kushner Howard I & Sterk Claire E, (2005). The limit of social capital. Retrieved from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1449331/ Sociology 250, (1999). Social facts and suicide. Retrieved from: http://uregina.ca/~gingrich/o26f99.htm

Sunday, November 10, 2019

The Hunters: Phantom Chapter 21

When she opened her eyes, Elena found herself in someone's attic. Its wide wooden floorboards and low rafters were thick with dust, and the long room was crowded with objects: a hammock, sleds, skis, boxes with words like Xmas or toddler toys or B's winter clothes scribbled on them in black marker. Oilcloths were draped over larger objects that might be furniture, chairs and tables, by their shapes. At the far end of the room an old mattress lay on the floor, with an oilcloth crumpled at one end, as if someone sleeping there had been using it as a makeshift blanket and had shoved it off when they rose. Faint traces of pale light showed around the edges of a smal shuttered window at the nearer end of the attic. There was a soft rustling, as if mice were going about their private business behind the shelter of the stored furniture. It was al weirdly familiar. She looked back toward the far end of the attic and saw, without the faintest sense of surprise, that Damon was now sitting on the old mattress, his long black-clad legs drawn up, his elbows resting on his knees. He was managing to give the appearance of lounging graceful y despite his awkward position. â€Å"The places where we meet are getting less and less elegant,† she told him dryly. Damon laughed and held up his hands in denial. â€Å"You pick the locations, princess,† he said. â€Å"This is your show. I'm just along for the ride.† He paused thoughtful y. â€Å"Okay, that's not entirely true,† he confessed. â€Å"But you do pick the locations. Where are we, anyway?† â€Å"You don't know?† Elena said with mock indignation. â€Å"This is a very special place for us, Damon! Ful of memories! You brought me here right after I became a vampire, remember?† He looked around. â€Å"Oh, yes. The attic of the house where the teacher was staying. Convenient at the time, but you're right – an elegant setting suits us both much better. May I suggest a nice palace next time?† He patted the mattress next to him. Elena, crossing the floor toward him, took a moment to marvel at how realistic and detailed her dream was. Each step she took sent tiny puffs of dust up from the floor. There was a slight scent of mildew: She couldn't remember ever having smel ed anything in a dream before these visions of Damon. When she sat down, the mildew smel got stronger. She nestled close to Damon anyway, resting her head on his shoulder, and his leather jacket creaked as he put his arm around her. Elena closed her eyes and sighed. She felt safe and secure within his embrace, feelings she had never associated with Damon, but they were good ones. â€Å"I miss you, Damon,† she said. â€Å"Please come back to me.† Damon leaned his cheek against her head, and she breathed in the smel of him. Leather and soap and the strange but pleasant woodsy scent that was Damon's own. â€Å"I'm right here,† he said. â€Å"Not real y,† Elena said, and her eyes fil ed with tears again. She wiped them roughly away with the backs of her hands. â€Å"It feels like I've been doing nothing but crying lately,† she said. â€Å"When I'm here with you I feel safer, though. But it's just a dream. It won't last, this feeling.† Damon stiffened. â€Å"Safer?† he said, and there was a strained note in his voice. â€Å"You aren't safe when you're not with me? Isn't my little brother looking after you properly?† â€Å"Oh, Damon, you can't imagine,† Elena said. â€Å"Stefan†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She took a deep breath, put her head in her hands, and began to sob. â€Å"What is it? What's happened?† asked Damon sharply. When Elena didn't answer, just continued to cry, he took her hands and tugged them gently but firmly away from her face. â€Å"Elena,† he said. â€Å"Look at me. Has something happened to Stefan?† â€Å"No,† said Elena through her tears. â€Å"Wel , yes, sort of†¦ I don't real y know what's happened to him, but he's changed.† Damon was looking at her intently, his nightblack eyes fixed on hers, and Elena made an effort to pul herself together. She hated acting like this, so weak and pathetic, sobbing on someone's shoulder instead of cool y formulating a solution to the problem at hand. She didn't want Damon, even a dream Damon who was just part of her subconscious, seeing her like this. She sniffled and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. Damon delved into an inner pocket of his leather jacket and handed her a neatly folded white handkerchief. Elena stared at it, then at him, and he shrugged. â€Å"I'm an oldfashioned gentleman, sometimes,† he said, straight-faced. â€Å"Hundreds of years of linen handkerchiefs. Some habits are hard to break.† Elena blew her nose and wiped her cheeks. She didn't quite know what to do with the soggy handkerchief – it seemed gross to hand it back to Damon – so she just held on to it, twisting it between her hands as she thought. â€Å"Now tel me about what's going on. What's wrong with Stefan? What happened to him?† Damon commanded. â€Å"Wel†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Elena said slowly, â€Å"I don't know what's wrong with Stefan, and I don't know if anything happened to change him that you don't already know about. Maybe he's just reacting to your†¦ you know.† It suddenly seemed weird to refer to Damon's death when he was sitting next to her – impolite somehow – but Damon nodded at her to go on. â€Å"It's been hard on him. And he's been even more tense and weird for the last couple of days. Then, earlier this evening, I was visiting my parents in the cemetery†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She told Damon about Stefan's attack on Caleb. â€Å"The worst part is that I never suspected this side of Stefan existed,† she finished. â€Å"I can't think of any real reason he had to attack Caleb – he just claimed that Caleb wanted me, and that he was dangerous, but Caleb hadn't done anything – and Stefan seemed so irrational, and so violent. He was like another person.† Elena's eyes were fil ing with tears again, and Damon pul ed her closer, stroking her hair and gently peppering her face with soft kisses. Elena closed her eyes and gradual y relaxed into his arms. Damon held her more firmly, and his kisses got slower and deeper. Then he was cradling her head with his strong, gentle hands and kissing her mouth. â€Å"Oh, Damon,† she murmured. This was more vivid than any dream she'd ever had. His lips were soft and warm, with just a little roughness to them, and it felt like she was fal ing into him. â€Å"Wait.† He kissed her more insistently but, when she pul ed away, let her go. â€Å"Wait,† Elena repeated, sitting up straight. Somehow she had lain back until she was half reclining across the musty old mattress with Damon, her legs entangled with his. She moved away from him, toward the edge of the mattress. â€Å"Damon, whatever's going on with Stefan scares me. But that doesn't mean†¦ Damon, I'm stil in love with Stefan.† â€Å"You love me, too, you know,† Damon said lightly. His dark eyes narrowed. â€Å"You're not getting rid of me that easily, princess.† â€Å"I do love you,† Elena said. Her eyes were dry now. She thought she might be al cried out, at least for the moment. Her voice was quite steady as she added, â€Å"I'l always love you, I guess. But you're dead.† And Stefan is my true love, if I had to choose between you, she thought, but did not say. What was the point? â€Å"I'm sorry, Damon,† she went on, â€Å"but you're gone. And I'l always love Stefan, but suddenly I'm afraid of him, of what he might do. I don't know what's going to happen to us. I thought things would be easy now that we're home again, but awful things are stil happening.† Damon sighed and lay back on the mattress. He stared up at the ceiling in silence for a moment. â€Å"Listen,† he said final y, lacing his fingers across his chest. â€Å"You've always underestimated Stefan's potential for violence.† â€Å"He's not violent,† Elena said hotly. â€Å"He doesn't even drink human blood.† â€Å"He doesn't drink human blood because he doesn't want to be violent. He doesn't want to hurt anyone. But Elena† – Damon reached out and took her hand – â€Å"my little brother's got a temper. I know that if anyone does.† Elena shivered. She knew that, back when they were humans, Stefan and Damon had kil ed each other in a fit of rage over what they thought was Katherine's death. Katherine's blood had been in both their systems, and they had risen again as vampires that night. Their anger and jealousy over a lost love had destroyed them both. â€Å"However,† Damon continued, â€Å"much as it pains me to admit it, Stefan would never hurt you, and wouldn't hurt anyone else without a real reason. Not without the kind of reason you would approve of. Not these days. He might have a temper, but he's also got a conscience.† He smirked a little and added, â€Å"An annoying, self-righteous kind of conscience, of course, but it's there. And he loves you, Elena. You're the whole world to him.† â€Å"Maybe you're right,† Elena said. â€Å"I'm scared, though. And I wish you were there with me.† She looked at him, as sleepy and confiding as a tired child now. â€Å"Damon, I wish you weren't dead. I miss you. Please come back to me.† Damon smiled and kissed her softly. But then he pul ed away and Elena could feel the dream changing. She tried to cling to the moment, but it faded and Damon was lost to her again. â€Å"Please be careful, Damon,† said Sage, worry lines marring his bronzed forehead. It wasn't often that the muscular Keeper of the Gates looked worried – or spoke only one language at a time – but ever since Damon had staggered back from death and out of the ashes, Sage had spoken softly and clearly to him in English, treating the vampire as if he were likely to shatter at any minute. â€Å"I usual y am careful,† said Damon, leaning against the wal of what they cal ed, for want of a better term, the mystical elevator. â€Å"Unless I'm being heart-stoppingly brave, of course.† The words were right, but to Damon's own ears, his voice sounded off: hoarse and hesitant. Sage seemed to hear the wrongness there, too, and his handsome face furrowed in a frown. â€Å"You can stay longer if you want.† Damon leaned back against the plain white wal . â€Å"I have to go,† he said wearily, for what felt like the mil ionth time. â€Å"She's in danger. But thank you for everything, Sage.† He wouldn't be here now without Sage. The powerful vampire had cleaned Damon up, given him clothes – stylish black clothes in the right size – and fed him blood and rich Black Magic wine until Damon had been hauled back from the edge of death and realized who he was again. But†¦ Damon didn't feel like himself. There was a strange empty ache inside him, as if he'd left something behind, buried deep under the ash. Sage was stil frowning, staring at him with grave concern. Damon pul ed himself together and gave Sage a sudden bril iant smile. â€Å"Wish me luck,† he said. The smile helped: The other vampire's face relaxed. â€Å"Bonne chance, mon ami,† he said. â€Å"I wish you the very best of luck.† Bilingual again, Damon thought. I must be looking better. â€Å"Fel ‘s Church,† he said into the empty air. â€Å"The United States, the mortal realm. Somewhere I can hide.† He raised a hand in solemn salute to Sage and pushed the elevator's single button. Elena woke up in darkness. She ran a quick and automatic mental check: smooth, fabric-softener-scented cotton sheets, dim light from the window past the foot of her bed on the right, the faint sound of Robert snoring in his and Aunt Judith's bedroom at the other end of the hal . Her own old familiar room. Home again. She heaved a deep sigh. She didn't feel quite as mired in despair as she had when she climbed into bed; things were dark, but she could admit there was a possibility they might someday get better again. But her eyes and throat felt raw from crying. She missed Damon so much. A floorboard creaked. Elena stiffened. She knew that creak. It was the high, complaining whine the floorboard over near her window gave if you stepped right in the middle of it. Someone was in her room. Elena lay very stil , running through the possibilities. Stefan would have announced himself as soon as he heard her sigh. Was it Margaret, quietly wandering in to crawl into bed with Elena? â€Å"Margaret?† she asked softly. There was no answer. Her ears straining, Elena thought she could make out the sound of slow, heavy breathing. Suddenly the lamp on her desk was switched on, and Elena was temporarily dazzled by the bright light. She could see only the silhouette of a dark figure. Then her vision cleared. And at the foot of her bed, a half smile on his chiseled face, dark eyes wary, as if he was unsure of his welcome, stood a figure dressed al in black. Damon.

Friday, November 8, 2019

1 Page On A Case Study About Fostering Better Relationships Coursework

1 Page On A Case Study About Fostering Better Relationships Coursework 1 Page On A Case Study About Fostering Better Relationships – Coursework Example Fostering better relationships Case study: fostering better relationships From the case study, it is clear that Fitzgerald helped his team to win the BMW account which is an important achievement for the team and the business. He has a strong ego and aggressive personality. He also has a truck record of success, and he is quite ambitious. However, he does not show respect for differing opinions in the team and does not appreciate collaboration of ideas. In order to bring Fitzgerald into the team more and foster a better relationship among team members, I should understand that people have differing opinions about team work. Some people hate teamwork, and Fitzgerald is one of them. Others love it. An important way of bringing back Fitzgerald into the team and fostering relationships in the team is by building cohesiveness in the team by using team interaction. This involves increasing contact between members. This can be done through social forums, seminars, workshops, etc. Another wa y of fostering better relationship in the team is by building a shared value (Martin, 2005). I would encourage team members including Fitzgerald to work within shared values and mission, and not individual achievement. In order for Fitzgerald to join the team, he should understand team norms and values that will enable the team to accomplish its vision and mission. Therefore, as a team leader I would explain to him about the shared purpose and values of the company, and the importance of having them for the team. Another way of fostering relationships in the team is building consensus and making Fitzgerald to admit his mistakes. Even if he is effective and efficient in his work but does not appreciate teamwork, he cannot accomplish the shared vision and mission of the team without collaborating with other team members. A good vision for the team will pull teammates together.References listDaft. Chapter 10: Leading Teams.Martin, H. (2005). Smaller Teams – Better Teamwork: How to Keep Project Teams Small. Business Horizons, 48, 209–214.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Biography of Henry Ford, Industrialist and Inventor

Biography of Henry Ford, Industrialist and Inventor Henry Ford was an American  industrialist, the founder of the  Ford Motor Company, and the sponsor of the development of the  assembly line  technique of  mass production. Fast Facts: Henry Ford Known For: American industrialist, founder of the Ford Motor Company.Born: July 30, 1863, Dearborn, Michigan.Parents: Mary Litogot Ahern Ford (1839–1876) and William Ford (1826- 1905) (m. April 21, 1861).Died: April 7, 1947, Dearborn, Michigan.Education: Scotch Settlement School in Dearborn to the 6th grade, apprentice in a machine shop, and general business studies at Bryant Stratton Business University in Detroit.  Published Works: My Life and Work.  Spouse: Clara Jane Bryant (m. 1888–1947).Children: Edsel (November 6, 1893–May 26, 1943). Early Life Henry Ford was born on July 30, 1863, one of eight and the oldest of five that survived to adulthood, of Mary Litogot Ahern and William Ford. William (1826–1905) was an Irish immigrant, born in Clonakilty in County Cork, who fled the Irish potato famine with two borrowed pounds and  a set of carpentry tools. He settled in Detroit where a number of his uncles lived, and quickly accrued land. At three years of age, Mary Litogot Ahern (1839–1876) and her three brothers were orphaned; Mary was adopted by a couple named Margaret and Patrick Ahern. She and William married on April 21, 1861: Marys dowry included 90 acres and after they were married, their sizable farm totaled 250 acres. By the time Henry was born, they were among the most important and wealthy families in Dearborn.   Education Henry was educated in two one-room schoolhouses, the Scottish Settlement School and the Miller School, finishing six grades. The building was eventually moved to Fords Greenfield village and opened to tourists. From his graduation in 1876 Henry worked on his fathers farm but after harvest 1878, he abruptly left, walking off without permission to Detroit where he stayed with his fathers sister Rebecca. He took a job at the streetcar manufacturer Michigan Car Company Works, but was fired after six days and had to return home. In 1879, William got Henry an apprenticeship at the James Flower and Brothers Machine shop in Detroit where he lasted 9 months, leaving for the Detroit Dry Dock Company, pioneers in iron ships and Bessemer steel. Neither job paid him enough to cover his rent, so he took a night job with a jeweler, cleaning and repairing watches.   Henry Ford returned to the farm in 1882, where he operated a small portable steam threshing machine, the Westinghouse Agricultural Engine, for a neighbor. He was very good at it, and over the summers of 1883–1884, he was hired by the company to operate and repair engines made and sold in Michigan and northern Ohio.   Marriage and Future Plans In December of 1885, Ford met Clara Jane Bryant (1866–1950) at a New Years Eve party and they married on April 11, 1888. Ford continued to work the farm- his father gave him an acreage- but his heart was in tinkering and and he clearly had business in mind. Over the winters of 1888-1890, Henry Ford enrolled in Goldsmith, Bryant Stratton Business University in Detroit, where he likely took penmanship, bookkeeping, mechanical drawing, and general business practices. By the early 1890s, Ford was convinced that he could construct a horseless carriage: but he didnt know enough about electricity, so in September 1891, he took a job with the Edison Illuminating Company in Detroit. After his first and only son Edsel was born on November 6, 1893, Ford was promoted to Chief Engineer. By 1896, Edison had built his first working horseless carriage, which he named a quadricyle. He sold it in order to finance work on an improved model- a delivery wagon. On April 17, 1897, Ford applied for a patent for a carburetor, and on August 5, 1899, the Detroit Automobile Company was formed. Ten days later, Ford quit the Edison Illuminating Company.  And on January 12, 1900, the Detroit Automobile Company released the delivery wagon as its first commercial automobile, designed by Henry Ford. Ford Motors Ford incorporated the Ford Motor Company in 1903, proclaiming, I will build a car for the great multitude. In October 1908, he did so, the Model T- Ford numbered his models by the letters of the alphabet, although not all of them made it to manufacture. First priced at $950, over the Model Ts nineteen years of production, its price dipped as low as $280. Nearly 15,000,000 were sold in the United States alone. The Model T heralds the beginning of the Motor Age; Fords innovation was a car evolved from luxury item for the well-to-do to an essential form of transportation for the ordinary man, that that ordinary man could repair and maintain by himself Although contrary to some reports he didnt invent the assembly line, Ford did use it to revolutionize manufacturing processes in the United States. By 1914, his Highland Park, Michigan plant used innovative production techniques to turn out a complete chassis every 93 minutes. This was a stunning improvement over the earlier production time of 728 minutes. Using a constantly-moving assembly line, subdivision of labor, and careful coordination of operations, Ford realized huge gains in productivity, and personal wealth. In 1914, Ford began paying his employees five dollars a day, nearly doubling the wages offered by other manufacturers. He cut the workday from nine to eight hours in order to convert the factory to a three-shift workday. Fords mass-production techniques would eventually allow for the manufacture of a Model T every 24 seconds. His innovations made him an international celebrity. On May 27, 1927, production ended for the Ford Model T. Legacy and Death Ford was a shrewd businessman and very much of a showman, with a fairly thin skin. In 1919 he sued the Chicago Tribune for libel for writing an editorial in which the  Tribune  called him an anarchist and ignorant idealist.  He wrote and rewrote his biography multiple times beginning in 1922, and he sponsored the restoration of an idyllic rural town called Greenfield Village which was built in part to act as a tourist destination celebrating his life and work. Yet, Ford continued to innovate. In 1932, Henry Ford introduced his last engineering triumph: his en block, or one piece, V-8 engine; and on January 13, 1942, he patented a plastic-bodied automobile- a car 30 percent lighter than metal cars. Fords affordable Model T irrevocably altered American society. As more Americans owned cars, urbanization patterns changed. The United States saw the growth of suburbia, the creation of a national highway system, and a population entranced with the possibility of going anywhere anytime. Ford witnessed many of these changes during his lifetime, all the while personally longing for the agrarian lifestyle of his youth. The last few years, Henry Ford visibly slowed down, and on April 7, 1947, he died in his home in Dearborn. Controversy There is unfortunately ample evidence that Ford was a bigot, whose writings include several statements referring to white supremacy. According to a recent article in Quartz, even though he hired black employees and paid them the same as white ones, he was concerned that they and his other workers would be infected by the evil of jazz music, so he suggested that square dancing could be put forward as an alternative place where white people could hang out.   Sources Bryan, Ford R. Clara: Mrs. Henry Ford. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 2013.Ford, Henry. My Life and Work. Fords memoir was published several times and with numerous editions, the book was first written, in association with Samuel Crowther, in 1922.Lewis, David L. The Public Image of Henry Ford: An American Folk Hero and His Company. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1976.Pennacchia, Robyn. America’s wholesome square dancing tradition is a tool of white supremacy. Quartz, December 12, 2017.Swigger, Jessica. History Is Bunk: Historical Memories at Henry Fords Greenfield Village. University of Texas, 2008.Wik, Reynold M. Henry Ford and Grass-roots America. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press, 1973.Wood, John Cunningham and Michael C. Wood (eds). Henry Ford: Critical Evaluations in Business and Management, Volume 1. London: Routledge, 2003.

Monday, November 4, 2019

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

Question - Essay Example gs about [her] own life, and that is the part that made [her] feel violated,† (contrasting with other arts that are iterative of her work, such as episodes of Law and Order or CSI, which just use her professional discoveries). Essentially, Lewis is saying that though someone has a right to use her professional discoveries, publications and so on in whatever way they like (these being public documents that she puts out as part of her job) there is something special about the circumstance of her life that belong to her alone, and no one should be able to use them without her permission. This is an argument that makes a good deal of sense. Surely the person who wrote the play wanted to be accurate about the life of someone like Lewis, but that does not mean they needed to actually steal instances from her own life. This speaks to lazy, derivative work on the part of the playwright – it would be as if someone who wrote a new play could not think of a new villain so simply wrote in Lord Voldemort or Darth Vader. Part of the magic of art is that it takes something that is creative and makes it feel real and authentic, and small personal details are an important part of making a character real. To simply steal those details from a living person is not doing your job as an artist. This play is not

Friday, November 1, 2019

Analysis of Juicy Couture and a Review of Their Strategic Decision Essay

Analysis of Juicy Couture and a Review of Their Strategic Decision Process in the Changing Market Environment - Essay Example Understand and evaluate the reasons for changes in strategic decisions of Juicy Couture Company Compare the strategies of Juicy Couture Company with other companies Evaluate future strategic directions for the company. Initial Review of Relevant Literature Literature review is an important element of a research study. It is often considered as the foundation of a study. The literature review for this study will be carried out with the help of data from different sources. It will involve in-depth review of the theories on the importance of strategic decisions, which is portrayed by the scholars, in a competitive market environment. The literature review will discuss the origin of strategic decision making and its evolution with changing business environment. The study will also discuss why strategic decision making is important for the success of product innovation. Actions and decisions make the core of the strategic decision-making as well as implementation process. Strategic decisi ons can be considered as rational knowledge application to a problem. It includes finding answers to critical business questions such as different alternatives and consequences of the same. It also analyses the desirability of these consequences and applied criteria for the evaluation of various alternatives. In case of structured problems, a rational solution may be sufficient. But highly unstructured problems require specific solutions brought in only by strategic decisions. Porter (1996) has rightly emphasized that operational effectiveness cannot be considered as strategy. In other words, strategic priority is important for every organisation. According to Prahalad and Hamel (1990), realisation of core competencies can be one of the strategic priorities. According to... As the report declares literature review is an important element of a research study. It is often considered as the foundation of a study. The literature review for this study will be carried out with the help of data from different sources. It will involve in-depth review of the theories on the importance of strategic decisions, which is portrayed by the scholars, in a competitive market environment. The literature review will discuss the origin of strategic decision making and its evolution with changing business environment. The study will also discuss why strategic decision making is important for the success of product innovation. This paper stresses that actions and decisions make the core of the strategic decision-making as well as implementation process. Strategic decisions can be considered as rational knowledge application to a problem. It includes finding answers to critical business questions such as different alternatives and consequences of the same. It also analyses the desirability of these consequences and applied criteria for the evaluation of various alternatives. In case of structured problems, a rational solution may be sufficient. But highly unstructured problems require specific solutions brought in only by strategic decisions. Several studies have confirmed that innovation is the forward step for the companies in order to survive in the market place for a longer period of time. The review on literature will also help in analysing the future scope for the company their effective use of strategies for making their innovations successful.

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Airline Revenue Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Airline Revenue Management - Essay Example The company blames the strike action of cabin crew and planned winter capacity reduction as a major cause of decline in revenues, capacity and traffic.1 The reported loss of British Airways in 2010 was  £531 million as compared to  £401 million loss in 2009 (Table I).2 On the other hand, according to information taken from official website of Ryanair, the low cost airline Ryanair reports increase in its passengers’ traffic by 14% (from 58.6m on March 31, 2009 to 66.5m on March 31, 2010), increase in revenues by 2% (from â‚ ¬2,942m in 2009 to â‚ ¬2,988m in 2010) and increase in Earnings per Share by 204% (from 7.10 in 2009 to 21.59 in 2010). Furthermore, the company started its services on 284 new routes and now it is providing services on 940 total routes.3 Moreover, the number of passengers of Ryanair is also increasing rapidly for example, in June 2009; the number of travellers served by the company was 5,836,355 as compared to 6,713,559 travellers served in 2010 (Table II).4 The price structure of Ryanair is very simple and company only charges ticket price and for using other facilities customers have to pay extra charges. On the other hand, British Airways includes everything such as food, toilet etc in the ticket prices which enhances the cost of ticket. Since the competition among airlines is increasing, therefore, airlines are coming up with distinct strategies for example, Ryanair is seeking to reduce its costs and lower its profit margin to offer lowest possible prices to customers. On the other hand, British Airways has kept her prices high because of the slowing down of global travelling demand, increasing fuel costs, high insurance costs and increasing airport taxes (Ivythesis, 2009). Being a legacy carrier, British Airways is only serving the primary and major airports whereas, being a low cost carrier, Ryanair is serving secondary airports. Ryanair has been given the award of lowest cost airline by Budgies

Monday, October 28, 2019

Multiculturalism in Counseling Essay Example for Free

Multiculturalism in Counseling Essay ABSTRACT Stemming from the uprising in the 1960s, multiculturalism has presented serious challenges to the society, especially to the academic sector. Criticized by social groups, schools were inclined to adopt programs in recognition of the multicultural population, and later structured their systems to cater to the needs of the growing population. Today, multiculturalism has become an important consideration in designing school programs, facilities, and hiring policies. Particularly, school counseling was one area that went through a notable change. The introduction of this paper gives a brief historical background of multiculturalism in school counseling. It discusses how multiculturalism was incorporated into the school curriculum, and was adopted in school counseling. The main part of this paper discusses the competencies every school counselor must possess to address the needs of multicultural students. Anchoring on the three core competencies set by the AMCD, this paper presents ways on how one can be knowledgeable of clients’ worldviews in order to serve them best. In addition, it suggests other devices or strategies counselors may consider when dealing with multicultural students.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The conclusion of the paper summarizes the ideal characteristics of a counselor, and presents further considerations school administrators and counselors can make to ensure effective counseling strategies which adhere to the demands of multiculturalism. Introduction Multiculturalism as Rosado (1997) defines, is a system of values and behaviors which recognizes and respects the presence of all diverse groups in society—their identities, values and socio-cultural differences. In addition, multiculturalism supports continued contribution of the culture in the society. Based on this definition, we can view multiculturalism as the harmonious coexistence of different cultures in the society. In the author’s view, culture is not limited to bases of origin. Culture may arise from similar beliefs, attitudes, or feelings of a certain group of people. Thus, it also encompasses those who have the same subcultures based on values, economic status, socio-political status, or gender. Particularly, those who have the same subculture based on gender include women, gays, lesbians and transgender individuals. In the same manner, people belonging to the same economic status or religion share a similar subculture that establishes their diversity from others. In this study, we refer to multicultural people as those who embody a different set of cultures and subcultures, other than the native culture or the majority. As such, we may define multiculturalism as an approach that recognizes diversity in culture among different ethnic, gender, economic, socio-political, and religious backgrounds. Multiculturalism has also become a prevalent topic in school counseling. It has prompted psychologists and educators around the world to review school practices that hamper culturally diverse students from performing well in school. Now that the growing population of multiculturally diverse students seems to be taking over the White population, the challenges that go with implementing multiculturalism in counseling would probably be more relevant in the next decades.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Multiculturalism in Counseling In the field of education, authors claim that multiculturalism rooted out from the social action of African Americans and other â€Å"people of color† back in the 1960s (Banks, Davidson Davidson, as cited in Gorski, 1999). The common feeling that schools had the most hostile and oppressive treatment of other cultures aroused them to protest and fight for reforms. In those days, African Americans and other cultures suffered from racism and discrimination from the White population who occupied professorship or management statuses. Colored people were treated as second class citizens, if not as outcasts. However, through the efforts of African American activists, schools were compelled to review their policies and hiring process in consideration of the non-Whites. In the 1970s, other groups such as the elderly, gays, lesbians, and people with disabilities also contested that institutions should pay equal respect to all peoples on matters of employment, educational opportunities, and work pay. Following this, a number of programs and policies emerged, including additional courses on prominent women or famous people of color. Despite this effort, social activists were not satisfied, for schools only celebrated women of greatness, and not women in general. For instance, James Banks (1981;1989), one of the pioneers of multicultural education argued that to adhere to the idea of â€Å"multicultural environment,† all aspects of the school had to be reviewed. According to him, policies, teacher’s attitude, assessment programs, and counseling should be transformed accordingly. This concept of multicultural education coincided with the idea of social equality among diverse cultures. By 1980s, following the path of Banks, K-12 teachers, namely, Carl Grant, Christine Sleeter, Geneva Gay, and Sonia Nieto exposed and criticized oppressive teaching approaches, standardized tests, classroom climate, and discriminatory hiring practices. Relevantly, this created in every academic professional the challenge to recognize diversity or as later coined, multiculturalism, and make it their mission to â€Å"manage† and â€Å"live diversity† (Rosado, 1997 ). Being multicultural does not only mean having a student population composed of various cultures, though this is often the contention of many schools. Rosado points out that for a school to claim they are multicultural, they must at least adhere to four standards. These include reflecting heterogeneity, demonstrating sensitivity, realigning the school’s mission, and creating an ambiance that empowers all groups in the school. With clear and careful intention, Rosado argues that schools should adopt change geared towards multiculturalism on individual as well as institutional levels. On the one hand, by saying individual level, we mean that schools should aim at urging administration, teachers and students to transcend beyond their own racial, gender, cultural and socio-political identity to recognize other identities. On the other hand, as Rosado contends, institutional level means focusing on empowering diversity. This goes beyond merely admitting people of color, but also taking into consideration in the school’s mission, vision, values, and structure how it can empower each individual. Although motivated by good intention, empowering people of diversity, as pointed out by Rosado may sometimes lead to a utilitarian view of giving a person his needs in exchange of what he can offer his society. We say that this is very utilitarian in that it sees the individual as a utility, more than an entity with values, attitudes, and affection. In contrast, we should be inclined to think that it is the school’s responsibility to provide the different needs of individuals in recognition of their diversity and nothing else. No conditions should apply as to whether the society can profit from his acts or not. Relevantly, whether the person is worthy of rewards of multiculturalism should not be an issue. Four intentions have motivated the adoption of multiculturalism in education. These include the â€Å"need to remedy ethnocentrism, rebuild understanding and appreciation of different cultures, defuse tension and conflicts among ethnic groups, and make the school curricula relevant to experiences and traditions† (Webb, 1990). In the next part, we will discuss how well these motivations relate to school counseling.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Many research works confirm the positive effects of multicultural education on students. For example, Hale (1986) shows that children in a preschool program achieved higher cognitive levels upon integrating African American culture in the curriculum.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the same way, Zaslavsky (1988) demonstrates how elements of other cultures can help in teaching complex math concepts to students of an inner-city school. Fulton-Scott (1983) confirms benefits of integrating multicultural education in elementary programs for Hispanic students. The study reveals that students’ scores in Math, Reading, and Language were significantly superior over those of students enrolled in programs without multicultural integration.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Benefits of multiculturalism are likewise recognized in the field of Psychology, particularly in school counseling. However, research in this area has focused more on counselors’ multicultural competence rather than on the effect of counseling founded on multiculturalism.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In 1991, the Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development (AMCD) identified the need and rationale for multicultural counseling. This led to the approval of 31 multicultural counseling competencies as proposed by Sue et al. (1992) in 1991. Following this, in 2002, the APA Council of Representatives approved the Guidelines on Multicultural Education, Training, Research, Practice and Organization Change, which was, in fact, based on the work of Sue et al.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The need to adopt multiculturalism in counseling, especially in schools, is truly urgent and necessary for ethical reasons. In relation to this, AMCD identifies three characteristics counselors must possess. First is counselor awareness of own assumptions, values, and biases. Second is understanding the worldview of the culturally different client; and third, developing appropriate intervention strategies and techniques   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Primarily, culturally skilled counselors can be identified as those who have awareness of other people’s culture other than their own. They are aware of how their cultural background, experience, attitude, biases, and values influence the counseling process of a client. Moreover, these counselors recognize their limits when it comes to tolerating other values, behaviors, or norms. To add, culturally skilled counselors are also comfortable with differences between them and the clients in terms of race, gender identity, ethnicity, culture, and beliefs. To illustrate, the first measure of competency requires a counselor to mirror whether his own values and beliefs would personally or professionally affect the process of counseling. For example, a Christian counselor may have biases towards a Muslim student, for they have truly different belief systems. In this situation, if the counselor has no knowledge of ethical limitations, he might insist that his beliefs are better or are morally upright, and those of the student’s are the opposite. However, such case may be prevented if the counselor is fully aware of conflicting values he has with the student. In our own view, a school counselor should be open to all values of every student. This is different from the counselor in the private sector. In school counseling, the counselor who cannot accept views of some students is not fit for school counseling. A school counselor should have readiness to counsel every student, and there should be no instance when he would not accept a student for counseling.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To ensure that the counselor meets the first requirement mentioned above, he should reflect on his values and find out if he has beliefs against any culture, including students with different gender identities, cultural or religious practices, and other moral practices that their culture has taught them. For instance, taking into consideration the case of students with gender identity problem, the counselor must be careful not to insist that the student sticks to his biological gender. Rather, he should exercise care in handling this case. After all, the whole life of the student may depend on the decision he makes at the time of counseling. Culturally skilled counselors possess knowledge and understanding about how gender stereotyping affects them personally and professionally. Considering the sensitivity of the issue of gender identity disorder, the school counselor must be careful not to affect the decision and values of the individual, for he is going to suffer later on should he take the wrong decision.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Moreover, as Sue et al. contend, culturally skilled counselors possess knowledge about their social impact on others. These include one’s awareness of own communication style, and how this style may hinder or facilitate the counseling process. Recognizing limits of their competencies, school counselors may confer with their colleagues how to overcome these weaknesses. Aside from this, they should seek further training or education on other cultures as a way to do away with biases. The process of balancing one’s view of other cultures may take a lifetime as new concepts may arise everyday. For example, the term transgender individuality appeared only in our modern times, but the concept of transforming from one gender to another has been known as early as the time of Sophocles or even earlier. In this regard, counselors should not grow tired of finding ways for self-actualization. Also, on the second characteristic, it is the responsibility of the culturally skilled counselor to gather resources to learn about the identity of other cultures. In the case of homosexuality among students, the counselor should know the different sides of the coin in being a homosexual. In particular, counselors who deal with this issue should have a good understanding of the process of being a homosexual (Adams, Boatwright, Gilbert, Forrest Ketzenberger, Cass, Chung Katayama, Croghan, Driscoll, Kelley Fassinger, Dunkle, and Pope, as cited in Sanabria, 2004). With this knowledge, he must let the student decide on his own whether to retain his gender identity or move to the phase of ‘coming out†. Coming out or in other words, admitting to the society that one belongs to a specific gender type is in itself a dilemma among teenagers with identity confusion. The specific role of the counselor in this situation is to help the youth consider advantages and disadvantages of coming out (Adams, Belz, Brown, Croteau Hedstrom, Elliott, Hetherington, Morgan Brown, Morrow, Pope, Rodriguez Chang, Pope Schecter, Savin-Williams, as cited in Sanabria, 2004). Additionally, the counselor should guide the student in the stage of coming-out by training him/her how to deal with people’s inquiry about his identity. For example, the counselor could give real-life scenarios, and ask the student to react on them in order to ensure that he would be prepared for particular instances when he would experience doubt. If the counselor feels affirmative or senses tolerance toward gays and lesbians but lacks the knowledge to handle cases of these individuals, he could improve his familiarity with them through a lot of ways. One source of invaluable information is reading literatures regarding gay/lesbian culture. At present, explorations on gender-specific cases are improving in terms of number and depth. These readings can guide a counselor to discover gay/lesbian cultural identity. Likewise, attending conferences or symposia, gathering insights from past clients and friends who belong to the same gender type will also contribute a lot (Sanabria, 2004). Also, as Sanabria expresses, if the counselor feels that he is not qualified to handle the case, it is only ethical to refer the student to someone who could offer him the right counseling. Furthermore, counselors who cannot be affirmative of gay and lesbian culture are probably misinformed and should look into themselves again if they are fit for being a school counselor. The issue regarding sexual minorities is only one of the issues a school counselor must be able to handle. If the counselor cannot help sexual minorities, he should reconsider if he should continue practicing in the academic setting. Suffice to mention, the National Career Development Association, American Counseling Association, and American Psychological Association have well-defined ethical codes that offer guidance for individuals who work with sexual orientation issues. Included in these ethical codes is the knowledge about students’ behavioral identity. Importantly, culturally skilled counselors should be aware of life experiences, cultural heritage, and historical background of their multicultural students. For instance, an Asian American student has different historical and cultural background from a Latino counterpart, or an African American. When counseling an Asian American, for example, a Chinese girl who cannot relate well with her classmates, a counselor must be informed of the conservative values Chinese families have. Actually, the attitude of keeping one’s silence may be in conformity with Confucian values. In this regard, the counselor cannot expect the girl to be as outgoing as he r classmates are, for the behavior she presents embodies a cultural heritage among the Chinese. Furthermore, culturally skilled counselors understand the consequences arising from one’s exercise of cultural traditions and rites. In some parts of Asia, for instance, there is still the custom of prearranged marriage. Thus, a counselor who encounters a high school student in this situation should suspend judgment of the custom, but rather honor it, and perhaps counsel the child to make her own choice, after laying down the consequences of abiding by the culture. In considering choices, the counselor may enumerate possible circumstances the child would face if she relents to her parents’ decision, or vice versa. Under no circumstances should the counselor dictate to the child what she should do as this may result in confusion or family conflict. Likewise, the counselor may also opt to explain the issue to the parents, but before doing so, the counselor must take precautions so as not to offend them. At all times, respect should form part of every counseling situation. Aside from obtaining a rich background of their students, a competent counselor, according to Sue et al. should also be kept updated with the latest trends and occurrences that concern his clients. In the case of a school counselor, it would be of great help if he engages in research and other activities to keep him updated with the students’ lingo, hobbies, behavioral patterns, etc. They should actively seek out opportunities—personal and professional experiences that enrich their knowledge, understanding, and cross-cultural skills. Moreover, as some schools implement nowadays, counselors can engage in outside school activities such as outreach programs, educational trips, camps, and other activities which would help gain a more vivid profile of the counselees. They should also be actively involved with minority individuals outside the school setting. Community events, celebrations, and other gatherings may help provide a wider perspective of minorities which relate with the academic scenario. Considering the dynamic role that the school counselor plays in society, the responsibility of ensuring that they possess the relevant qualities expected of a counselor should be borne by colleges offering the course or training. Based on the literature gathered, schools have positively become fully concerned about the issue of multiculturalism. Many schools and universities nowadays adhere to the demands of the culturally diverse society. However, the way to attaining competency of some school counselors may still be too far. In one study Holcom-McCo y (2000) conducted, the author identified five underlying factors influencing school counselors’ perception of themselves as competent professionals. These factors included understanding of racial identity development, ability to comprehend multicultural terminology, multicultural awareness, knowledge, and skills. Among which, counselors perceived lack of knowledge of racial identity development as the problem that hindered them from being fully competent in multiculturalism. To address this problem, Schwallie-Giddis et al. (as cited in Sanabria, 2004) suggest that future school counselors should undergo multicultural training on racial identity development, and multicultural knowledge development. In a study conducted, school counselors assessed the effectiveness of a nine-month multicultural professional development program. The study involved 13 school counselors in a multicultural professional development program held from school year 2001-2002. Applying three dimensions of multicultural competencies, the participants assessed their own competencies. Resources included a videotape of a case study to which participants reacted, in order to discover assumptions, values and biases. To assess understanding of the clients’ worldviews, the study made use of case studies of linguistically and culturally diverse (LCD) students. The participants were asked to apply a framework to the cases to examine aspects school counselors should consider when handling diverse students. The participants had a lengthy discussion on the provided cases, and at the end of the session, they expressed the advantage of having discussions with peers. Another session comprised of a panel interview with three mothers of different cultures. Each of the women talked about her child’s experiences in school, all of which related to the inefficiency of the school officials to handle multicultural students. In all the issues raised, lack of communication surfaced as the most recurrent problem. In relation to this, participants commented that had there been proper communication between parents and school officials, issues would have been resolved more easily. Moreover, the study also included a session that dealt with developing appropriate interventions to cases of LCD students. Through this, participants were able to exchange views and experiences which could help build up a resource for interventions to cases of LCD students. Based on this session, counselors noted that most of them found it difficult to deal with LCD student mainly because of the language barrier. Furthermore, insecurities due to lack of knowledge of other cultures affected the competencies of the participants. In sum, the school counselors agreed that having enough facility to understand the student and overcoming language barriers is one major key to providing adequate help to students. Similarly, Chandras et al. (2006) suggest counseling strategies and techniques in handling multicultural students. One skill they emphasized to be critical in every counseling situation is effective listening. Effective listening, as Neuknug (2002) defines, includes allowing students to talk, concentrating on what is being said, giving minimal advice, empathizing, asking for clarifications, and limiting questions. When handling multicultural students, it is important for the counselor to be fully sensitive to verbal cues that relate to culture. For instance, a student who is often bullied in class may not admit why he is being bullied due to his insecurity. There are some students who would rather keep the truth to themselves or resolve their own conflicts instead of asking help from school officials. Despite this attitude, a good school counselor could still unlock verbal cues that could make the student open up. For example, a child who claims he is not interested in making friends with his classmates could likewise mean that his classmates are cruel to him and not totally uninteresting. As such, clarifying responses and not directly giving advice may help the child reflect on his own situation. To maintain effective counseling strategy, a constructive and emphatic relationship is very important (Chandras et al., 2006). In this respect, the counselor’s role is first to build up trust and optimism. On the one hand, gaining trust of a student is paramount to establishing a good relationship. Without trust, there can be no revelations, no life experiences told. On the other hand, developing optimism facilitates finding a solution to the problem. Also, when a student perceives that there is a solution to the dilemma, he becomes more willing to cooperate in the counseling process. Secondary to the abovementioned is discussing stages of the counseling process. It is important to inform the counselee how the counseling would go, what can be achieved during counseling stages, and how long they will take. Together with this, the counselor should set guidelines both he and the student will follow, such as time schedule, behavior rules, and limitations. Chakras et al. determine other responsibilities of a counselor. These include preparing the student for counseling session. As a counselor, one has to establish the reason why the student should undergo counseling. Asking the student what he feels is wrong, or eliciting experiences that seem difficult for him are ways to prepare the student. In addition, the counselor must assert that the problem can be worked out if the counselee cooperates in resolving it. Also, some situations that lead to the attention are considered for school counseling. These include breaking school rules, misbehaving, or underachievement. As such, the class adviser and the school counselor should work hand in hand regarding record of students’ behavior and progress. One of the misconceptions about counseling is that students are referred to it only for disciplinary purposes. Students tend to think that if they are called for counseling, they have been noted to misbehave in school. Thus, some students create a wrong view that counselors are disciplinarians. Importantly, this issue should be addressed during school orientation, letting the students know and feel that counseling is a helping process, and not a disciplinary one. Furthermore, what the counselor can do to avoid this misconception is to call each student one by one, get to know them, and allow a time for them to be acquainted with her and her work, so that fears regarding counseling could be avoided. Importantly, not only those who have reports of misbehavior should be called for counseling, but every student handled by each counselor. During counseling session, one good characteristic the counselor should exhibit is to remain focused on the specific problem. If the student’s problem concerns only his classmates, the counselor should identify ways to resolve it at the said level, and not delve on the students’ family background, as such may give the student an impression that his problem is huge. For example, if the student identifies that he is having problems with classmates bullying him, the counselor must call the attention of the said classmates and allow the said parties to explain the issue (i.e., tell them of the situation to find out if they are aware of the problem they cause their classmate). Furthermore, it is the counselor’s role to sustain interest of the counselee during the counseling process. To attain this, the counselor should ask questions relevant to the situation, and involve the counselee in arriving at the best workable solution. Asking irrelevant questions and monopolizing the discussion may distract the concentration of the counselee. In addition, the counselor may give assignments or home work so that the student would feel responsible and be prepared for the next counseling session. As regards developing appropriate intervention strategies and techniques to help multicultural students, counselors should also be effectively involved in non-academic and out-of-school activities. As the core of the student’s personality, the counselor should focus first on building family relationships. Activities involving the students’ family would be an effective strategy to (1) know students well, (2) gain knowledge of family structure of students, whether parents are separated, and where students stay, (3) provide a venue for family bonding, and (4) inform parents of their children’s progress/problems. Parent involvement in counseling is inevitable. Some studies confirm student improvement in â€Å"academic performance, attitudes and behavior, attendance, school adjustment and engagement, and graduation rates† (Barnard, Epstein, Simons-Morton Crump, as cited in Sanabria). In Jevnes (as cited in Sanabria), a recent meta-analysis of 41 studies shows a significant relationship between parent’s involvement in school and academic achievement of urban students.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Parent involvement in school can include activities designed to inform them of their children’s progress, workshops or conferences to help them cope with the difficulties of parenting, marriage, etc. However, some parents lack the initiative to get involved in their child’s school affairs. As Lareau (as cited in Sanabria, 2004) posits, parents perceptions of racism and their own negative school experiences tend to create the distance between them and the schools. One study conducted by McKay, Atkins, Hawkins, Brown (as cited in Sanabria, 2004) found that the racism awareness of low-income African American parents was positively related to at-home parental involvement, and inversely related to at-school involvement. In this case, the counselor should coordinate closely with class advisers and other school officials to help convince these parents to give priority to their children. One source of motivation could be research dat a establishing correlation between children’s progress and parental involvement. One activity the counselor could organize is a â€Å"Day with Parents.† This could be a panel discussion involving model parents (probably of outstanding students) to act as the panel, and discuss relevant issues with students and co-parents. In this activity, the panel discusses ways on how they get involved with the affairs of their children, and how these measures create positive output to them. After the pane interview/discussion, the parents may exchange ideas in a forum to discuss proper ways to bring up children. Specifically, student problems, whether academic or personal, may also be brought up. Another activity the counselor could organize is a family day in which the whole family will come to the school to enjoy rides, games, or dining together. This event may be school-wide and would need the participation of every school personnel and students. Aside from organizing events for the family, the school counselor could also incorporate in the program field trips, camping, games, and other fun activities for the students. This will help students, especially with multicultural background, to get to know their classmates well. This way, they would also find time to have more friends. Aside from this, fun activities would also make them realize that school is not just for learning academics but also for having fun.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Moreover, other activities school counselors could provide include workshops or performing arts activities. These activities are very ideal to cultivate the talents of students. Examples of which include art, theater arts, dance, and singing workshops. After the workshops, counselors could also have a culminating activity in which students show what they have learned from the workshop. For arts, students will have an art exhibit, for dance, theater arts, and singing, the counselor could propose to school administration to allow a concert or show, in which students will be the performers. This particular activity could also serve as a fund raising campaign aside from showcasing the talent of students.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Other activities to make students realize their potentials include sports activities/intramurals. This would allow sports-minded students to show their capabilities in their field. Also, this could serve as the school’s campaign against drug use among students.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Further to the given interventions, counselors could also conduct career orientation, especially for graduating students. In this activity, the counselor would invite some professionals to talk about their career to inspire students to follow a similar path. At the end of the session, the counselor would elicit from students, which career aroused their interest, and what made them interested to it. Importantly, students should be given many options to choose from, and career professionals to be invited should likewise have multicultural identity, so that students can easily relate with them. Evaluation sessions should also follow to allow room for improvement.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Counselors also have a part in the school’s community outreach. By giving orientation to students regarding the activity and motivating them to help other people, students will realize that the helping profession is not limited within the four corners of the school. The participation of the counselor is very important as this will strengthen the role of the counseling profession and the school’s mission of helping other people.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Other interventions the counselor could incorporate in the counseling program include achievement tests, personality tests, and other assessments to gauge the students’ academic and personal progress. These could help identify the needs of the students or their inclinations to serve as guide in choosing their future career. There are a lot of ways a school counselor can adopt to help in the holistic development of students. In adopting each intervention, what is important is to bear in mind its applicability to the multicultural students. As each student comes from a different background, it is imperative to learn about them individually, and not just by names or culture affiliation. As long been practiced by other counseling professionals, one strategy the counselor could employ is to do home visits. By visiting students in their home, the counselor will gain a clear and accurate picture of the students’ background. Similarly, this would also create for him a first-hand experience of the students’ cultural background.   Conclusion As we continue to live in the Information Age, we are driven to realize the many impacts of multiculturalism on people, educational institutions, and society in general. In particular, we see how it changed history in the 1960s with the civil protest of Black Americans, and how it restructured school policies on employment of faculty, and treatment of students. Similarly, we see how it inspired minority groups to express their views and contribute to the rich and modern culture. Moreover, we see the important role of multiculturalism in the counseling programs of schools and the community, not to mention the challenges it continues to bring counselors in providing care and assistance. Although discrimination based on race, ethnic origin, gender, religion, disability, socio-political, and economic status are still evident in our society, the progress attained by forerunners and supporters of multiculturalism make us look forward to a better nation in the next decades. As time unfolds, we may take pride as we watch Americans embrace Africans, Asians, and other people of color. This view will continue to unveil as school administrators continue to uphold and cultivate the gifts of diversity in their orientation of students and communities. Much to the efforts made by school activists, we may look forward to more reforms in the counseling scene, either in schools or communities. The standards set by the AMCD or APA would continue to lead counselors to realize the importance of their roles in the society. The role played by counselors is not an easy task. However, by being conscious of their own tendency toward biases, counselors would avoid disserving their clients, and in the long run, the attitude of people especially schoolchildren toward counseling would further be affirmative. Moreover, adhering to the second characteristic, counselors would maintain a sensitive attitude toward cultures of other people. As such, they will feel the importance of bridging gaps among multicultural individuals, thus becoming proponents of unity and peace in the long run. Also part of the competency requirements of counselors is to devise or organize strategies to provide relevant counseling and helping services to the people. In this respect, their role is not limited to the school setting they serve, but it is likewise relevant to the community they work with. By fulfilling their part as community helpers, counselors would have a richer cultural experience which could help in their field. Recognizing the difficult task expected of counselors, we may develop the doubt regarding the capability of school counselors of today in taking on the said challenges. In this regard, counselors would need all the assistance it could get from school officials such as teachers, principal, and other staff. Through the collaboration between counselors and school officials, multicultural students will realize the important contribution they can make in the society, not only in their group but also in the lives of other people, in the fields of technology, manpower, innovation, and care for the environment. The nature of helping students does not end in counseling them or providing moral support. Rather, it extends to making them feel their importance as people, providing them choices in life, and cultivating their talents. The counseling program of every school should be the most active program among all, as it involves not only the students and counselors, but also other school officials, including the teachers, librarian, and support staff. If every one in the school system shares in the goal of achieving multicultural counseling, we can hope for the success of multicultural students. As such, everyone should his/her own part and responsibilities in promoting the welfare of the students—that is, giving respect to people of other cultures, helping them realize their life goals, and making them co-creators of society. Despite all the efforts exerted by counselors and other individuals to make up a better society, we can still note some people, even students who would resist multiculturalism. The harsh picture of some students exhibiting exclusivist attitude toward their peers should not be overlooked. Rather, it should be the concern of everyone in the school, especially its officials. In line with this, more studies should be conducted on how to incorporate multicultural views into the counseling program of every school, beginning from pre-schools to post-graduate schools. It would also help if psychological groups or associations would set standards particularly for multicultural school counseling. These rules would serve as guide for school administrators in choosing the right school counselor. While it is the role of school counselors to provide counseling to multicultural students, it would also help if schools would implement a procedure to evaluate if other aspects of the school adhere to promoting cultural diversity. Particularly, school administrators should realize that the issue of multiculturalism should not be addressed by the counseling program alone, but also by all aspects of the school, including the physical structure of the school. 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