Self Directed Work Team (SDWT) Advantages and Disadvantages

Self Directed Work Team (SDWT) Advantages and Disadvantages A Briefing on Self Directed Work Team (SDWT) by Group 5 Self Directed Work Team is a powerful concept since the ancient Roman legion and today approximately 68% of fortune 1000 companies implement SDWT concept including Ford, GM, PG, FedEx, etc. (Lawler, Mohrman, Ledford ,1995). Definition Vecchio (2003, p.107) defined Self Directed Work Teams (SDWT) as â€Å"a highly trained group of six to eighteen employees that is fully responsible for creating a specific product†. And according to an article in Entrepreneur Connect   (Anon, 1995) â€Å"self -directed teams are small groups of employees who have responsibility for managing themselves and their work†. Success in todays challenging competitive environment is based on employee empowerment and team work (Boyett Boyett, 1998). This could be closely related to Herzbergs motivating factor which was later simply defined by Barbara (n.d.) as â€Å"what makes you work well†. Many companies are attracted to this innovation because of the prospect of flattening the organizational structure in these times when downsizing, flattening and work process reengineering are so crucial (Coates and Miller, 1995). SDWT leads to increased organizational effectiveness and employee satisfaction (Forsyth, 1999) which in todays business is being the competitive advantage (Ron Williams, n.d). Advantages of SDWT General Motors, Proctor Gamble Xerox by implementing SDWT resulted in approximately 30-40% improvement in productivity (Bruce,n.d.). In Kodak customer assistance centre SDWT resulted in 100% increase in profits (Anon, n.d.).FedEx improved their service by reducing the loss of packages and incorrect billing by 13%. Rubbermaid increased sales by 50% above projections Quality improvement. Increased productivity and reduced cost. Highly flexible. Simpler job classification and each member know every process through job rotation which will reduce dependency one person. Better innovation and creativity. Team members are motivated by job satisfaction, empowerment, trust, feel of ownership personal growth which in turn benefit the company as a whole. SDWT is being a vehicle for bringing in the Total Quality Management concept in an organization (Vecchio,2006,p.112) Following statistics based on a review of organization that transferred to SDWT (John Cotter, n.d.) well prove the positive impact. 93% reported improve productivity 86% reported decreased operating cost 86% reported improved quality 70% reported better employee attitudes Given the above advantages and success stories there are consequences and problems in challenging the success of SDWT and even driving to the opposite direction to failure. Consequences of SDWT Elimination of supervisory position. The need for shift from holding the decision making power to delegation and allowing autonomy. In other words supervisor should act as a facilitator and provide guidance to teams especially outside the teams areas of expertise. Supervisors should manage communication and monitor the effectiveness. Leaders promote team work and corporation (Brillhart, 1983). The key in supervisory role is to motivate â€Å"Self-Direction†. In an interview with Sterling Health USA, employees often quoted that â€Å"Before, the group leader made all the decisions. You didnt know why the decisions were madenow we do† (Peter, 1999). But is the team leader ready to accept the transition from holding the power to delegation? Is S/He ready to improve the skills to qualify as a facilitator? Requirement for heavy investment in training. Training needed for both supervisors and team members in building various skills. Cloke and Goldsmith ( 2002, pp 205-214 ) identified ten skills those are essential for members of the work teams to develop self management, communication, leadership, responsibility, supporting diversity, feedback and evaluation, strategic planning, shaping successful meeting, resolving conflicts and enjoyment. Williams (n.d.) mentioned â€Å"It is not uncommon for self-directed work teams to spend 20% of their time in ongoing training†. Organization willing to implement SDWT should have a clear training strategy including cross training opportunity and resources. Top management should design the training policy and budget for it. Need for more flatter and flexible organizational structure. The decision making authority is transformed to the team members to eliminate waste of time relying on approvals from managers. Self-direction, autonomy, empowerment are the key players in success of SDWT which is facilitated only on flat structures. Responsibilities assigned to workers in GM clearly indicate the need for flat structure.(William,1999,p.11) Responsibility for quality control. Responsibility for maintenance and small repairs. Responsibility for safety. Responsibility for capital budgeting and operational budgeting. Responsibility for staffing. SDWT to begin performing takes long period. As per William (1999) SDWTs cannot be created instantly; it can take 2 to 5 years to fully implement. Some companies might not have the time or resources to go through this process Stages of forming SDWT: Stage one: (Start-Up) Goal preparation, explanation of purpose, member selection and building trust (6-9months). Stage two: (State of confusion) Technical assistance, feedback, implementing procedures to support self direction, and training. (6-9months). Stage three: (Leader centered team) Encouraging leadership activity among team members. (6-12months). Stage four: (Tightly formed teams) Resolving conflicts, start managing on own, communicating resource requirement and goals.(6-12months). Stage five: (Self direction) Maintain self confidence and self esteem of others. Strong partnership with internal and external customers. Consequently, if you look at the time and training involved in SDWTs it might not be suitable for an environment with a high employee turnover. Need for greater leadership development. As the organization would no longer function in a traditional manner the leaders or managers need to build their ability to allow and encourage such a high level of empowerment, which can be tackled with specially created programs (Coates and Miller, 1995). Problems of SDWT Team members approached the saturation point of learning through job rotation and would have achieved the maximum level of earning i.e. plant rate where no more room for psychological or financial boosts (Vecchio, 2006, p.113). Again while talking about pay as a motivator does it really matter? Can rewarding and recognition be the motivator to ensure continuing performance of the employees (Vecchio, 2006, p.84).   Also the performance measurement system should not create any competition within team members which will reduce co-operation and affect the success of SDWT. Another major challenge is getting people to remain committed to the improvement of the processes when they realize that they may be working themselves out of a job. The employees involved in self-directed work teams must have a great deal of trust so that employees are not concerned about their job security (Anon, 1995). Conflict management would be another critical and sensitive issue. Again each team member has different personalities and perceptions. Here comes the importance of required skills from facilitator. A culture of knowledge sharing has to be built in. Another question is that, are employees ready to be self directed? Whether they have capacity and skills? Of course proper training would be in place but still some employees prefer managers direction on what to do rather than deciding on their own. Here comes the need for selecting appropriate team members which is again depending on the talent of facilitator. Is the organization policies and culture is supportive in transferring power and authority to team members? Other problems would be signs of overconfidence which lead to members willing to take extra ordinary risk, members ignoring the ethical consequences, collective rationalization and underestimating capabilities of other groups which may lead to failure and financial losses.(Craig, 2005, p.219) Given the fact empowerment is a key to succeed in SDWT; will all the managers support this? Foegen (1999) stated on the loss of control: If one individual makes all the decisions in a given department, for example, his or her control is all-encompassing. Focus is obvious and unequivocal. But when authority is delegated, that focus becomes blurred, decision making is diffused, and responsibilitys locus is often less certain. He also stated delegation and empowerment can decrease the self image of the managers. The other pitfalls of empowerment would be lack of clarity, managements view as shared control / loss of control etc. Finally it would require numerous changes in processes and procedures and require a lot more time to make SDWTs successful in a unionized department. Conclusion Before a company can decide to implement self directed work teams, Coates and Miller (1995) point out certain situations or job fields in which this method may not work. These include: When there is a requirement for direction or supervision. This is often needed for jobs which may be unpleasant, arduous, fast paced or risky. When minimal team interaction is required. In jobs such as these employees may find it difficult to lead each other. When a lack of professional maturity exists among team members. An unwillingness to make the effort exists. The inability to meet regularly as a team. Work groups with any of these five characteristics would find it difficult to function effectively and may have to resort to the traditional method of management. Statistics shows that empowerment has about a 50% success rate and it is found that major reason for this is lack of management commitment to the change process. One of the companies failed by using SDWT is The Airline peoples Express. (Fisher, 2000, p.26). References: Anon. (1995) Taking the Mystery Out of Self -Directed Work Teams, Entrepreneur Connect [Online]. Available from:  http://www.entrepreneur.com/tradejournals/article/17227174.html   (Accessed: 21 August 2009). Anon (n.d.) Teams, the good, the bad and the ugly [Online] Available from: http://faculty.css.edu/dswenson/web/TDlearnCo/gains-lossesofteams.html (Accessed: 22 August 2009) Boyett, J. Boyett, J. (1998) The guru guide: The best of the top management thinkers. New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc. Brillhart, J.(1983) Effective group discussion. 5th ed. Dubuque, Iowa: William Brown Co. Bruce K.Bernard (n.d) Preparing for Self-Directed Work Teams [Online] Available from: http://209.85.229.132/search?q=cache:rEhTVduzfRMJ:www.ux1.eiu.edu/~bkbarnard/preparing2.ppt+self+directed+work+teams+pptcd=7hl=enct=clnkgl=ae (Accessed: 21 August 2009). Cloke, K and Goldsmith, J (2002) The End of Management and the Rise of Organizational Democracy. Questia Online Library [Online] Available from: http://www.questia.com/read/111621737?title=The%20End%20of%20Management%20and%20the%20Rise%20of%20Organizational%20Democracy (Accessed: 21 August 2009). Coates, D. Miller, M. (1995) ‘Self Directed Teams: Lessons Learned for Local Government, Public Management, 77 (12), p. 16, Questia Online Library [Online]. Available from: http://www.questia.com/read/5001654373?title=Self-Directed%20Teams%3a%20Lessons%20Learned%20for%20Local%20Government (Accessed: 21August 2009). Craig E. Johnson. (2005) Meeting the ethical challenges of leadership. 2nd ed. USA: Sage Publications Inc. Ed Rose Steve Buckley. (1999) Self Directed work Teams, A Trainers Role in the Transition. USA: Intersil Coporation. Foegen, J.H. (1999) Why not empowerment, Business and Economic Review, Apr-Jun 1999  Ã‚  [Online]. Available from: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa5313/is_199904/ai_n21437565/  (Accessed: 22 August 2009) Forsyth, D. (1999) Group dynamics. 3rd ed. New York: Brooks/Cole-Wadsworth. Jeffrey Christopher Bauer (2002) A Longitudinal Evaluation of The Impact of Organizational Structure on Role Ambiguity and Work Group Performance [Online] Available from: http://www.ucclermont.edu/~BAUERJ/JCBauerDissertationFinal.htm (Accessed: 21 August 2009). Kimball Fisher. (2000). Leading Self Directed Work Teams, A Guide to Developing New Team Leadership Skils. USA: McGraw-Hill. Peter B.Grazier (1999) Living with a self directed work team why self-direction works: A review of Herzbergs Concepts [Online] Available from: http://www.teambuildinginc.com/article_selfdirected.htm (Accessed: 21 August 2009). Robert P. Vecchio (2006) Organizational Behavior, 6th ed. Mason, OH, USA: Thomson Corporation South-Western. Robert T.Howell (2001) Fostering Self-Directed Team Members [Online] Available from: http://www.teambuildinginc.com/article_selfdirected.htm (Accessed: 21August 2009). Williams, R. (n.d.) Self-Directed Work Teams: A Competitive Advantage [online] Available from: http://www.qualitydigest.com/nov95/html/self-dir.html (Accessed: 20 August 2009).

Chinese nurse-client relationship Essay

The Chinese perspective of nursing Nursing is to understand the health status and concerns of a person, to devise interventions with appropriate health knowledge and skills. There are four Chinese characteristics of epistemic concerns. Qing (? ) is emotion. Li (? ) and zhi (? ) means knowing what is good and right in practice through scientific or systematic studies respectively. Xing (? ) is action. The chinese perspective of nurse To nurse, Chinese people generally argree that the role of the nurses is to report their conditions rapidly to doctors. A Confucian principle of hierarchical relationship between doctor and nurses shows that nurses should know their place, defer to their superiors anf know when to call doctors. Solution to chinese implication Some Chinese cultures like belief, value, attitudes and taboos may act as barriers of clients and nurses. It can be tackled by reminding the nurse to be cultural sensitive in caring process. For instances, nurses may consider characteristics of Chinese people. Chinese always avoid the word dead which is a symbol of unauspicious. They can tacit communication approach like euphemism which is indirect words using the end of life. Nurses may apply therapeutic communication strategies: -To be client-focused, problem-oriented and situational based -Classified as supportive-expressive, analytic and consultative -Directive and educationally focused The Chinese culture is conflicts between Chinese culture and health belief of western medicine. To solve it, we nurses acknowledge of culturally specific nature of problem. Another Chinese culture is the tradition perceive problem as family affairs. To solve it, we nurse can build up nurse-client relationship with strong bond of trust by more communication.

Example Solution Manual Essay

PESTEL analysis is a useful starting point for environmental analysis, encouraging students to think wide. Exhibit 2.2 provides an initial PESTEL analysis of the airline industry, giving students the general idea. The first question asks for additional elements in the analysis. For example, under Political, you might add subsidies for local airports; under Economic, you might add the rise of Asian economies; and under Legal, you could add the trend towards airline privatisation. A key danger to highlight is of long lists of forces or influences that are too unwieldy for practical action. So the second question challenges students to assess which of the forces are likely to be of most significance in driving industry change. Here students should justify their views in terms of the evidence from the past and the likely impact in the future of any particular influence. The end-chapter case example on the European brewing industry also asks students to do a PESTEL analysis. Illustration 2.2 Scenarios Scenarios help students think long term and very broadly: here the World Economic Forum and its members are looking a decade ahead, and thinking about geo-economics in general as well as just the market in a narrow sense. The question asks about whether companies have more influence over government policy or geo-economics. It then goes on to ask about how companies might influence government. This also obviously touches on issues of corporate social responsibility, pursued in Chapter 4. Companies probably do have more influence on policy coordination, but the issue is which governments they should be talking to (the United States, China?) and whether it is only governments that matter (United Nations, International Monetary Fund, World Trade Organisation?). They should also consider how they can best influence governments, individually or collectively through, for example, the World Economic Forum or the Business Roundtable, the group of CEOs of leading American corporations. To some extent, the power is likely to be exercised negatively: through lobbying against and criticism of  proposals for financial re-regulation. It is worthwhile also asking about the influence these corporations can have themselves on geo-economic shifts: some Western company headquarters are shifting away from their home-countries, for example, the global headquarters of American civil engineering conglomerate Halliburton moved to Dubai and Swiss/Swedish engineering company ABB moved its global robotics business headquarters to Shanghai. Illustration 2.3 The Steel Industry The steel industry provides a fairly easy-to-understand case of rapid structural change, and one led by industry actors. Understanding how the leading companies are making an impact helps to counter a risk of ‘determinism’ in Porterian analyses; in other words, a sense that structures are given rather than changeable. The first question particularly invites a comparative analysis using the radar-plot introduced in Exhibit 2.5. The radar-plot might look roughly like the following, with the continuous lines indicating rough positions in around 2000 (10 years earlier than the illustration) and the dotted lines indicating positions in 2010. The comparative positions highlight the increasing power of suppliers such as the iron ore producers (negative); the high power of sophisticated buyers, somewhat mitigated by the declining power of the Big Three (mildly positive perhaps); and the beginning of decreased rivalry (positive) as the larger steel companies such as Mittal try to consolidate the industry. It might be said that the new entry threat has stabilised and even reduced, though continued investment by Chinese players may increase rivalry especially if they turn to overseas markets. Overall, comparing the size of the two radar plots over time suggests only a marginal change in favour of the steel producers. With regard to the second question, the acquisition strategies seem driven by the desire to reduce rivalry by reducing the number of players and even capacity. You might ask students what is necessary to make this work: here you might highlight the importance for reduced rivalry of both simultaneous cuts in capacity investments by, for example, the Chinese and strong barriers to new entry. With regard to the third question, success in raising barriers to entry (e.g. through technological change) and in  reducing rivalry (through continued consolidation) would make the industry more attractive. Vertical integration strategies into sources of supply (e.g. iron ore) would help too. A potential negative is significant progress with substitute materials. This depends on technological progress, hence providing a useful link between the Porter 5 Forces and PESTEL. Illustration 2.4 Chugging in the Charity Sector The aim of this Illustration of course is to show that industry structure analysis is relevant to not-for-profits as well. Indeed, charities appear ruthlessly competitive – hence the High Street chuggings. The first question points to at least three of the Porterian forces as causing problems: (i) There are low barriers to entry, with ‘constant refreshment’ of the industry by new charities; (ii) there is strong buying power on the part of local authorities commissioning services; (iii) there is intense rivalry because of the number of competitors and tendency towards overlap and duplication of charitable services. In addition, they face substitutes in the form of local authorities and other agencies performing services in-house, but at this point the trend in that respect was in their favour. The suppliers of funds – donors – have many alternative charities to give to. The mergers and increasing concentration levels (the largest are growing fastest) imply growing industry consolidation. At the moment, the industry structure might be described as highly competitive, but there may be widespread advantages to it moving towards a more oligopolistic situation. Illustration 2.5 Cycles of Competition The ‘wisdom’ in strategy theory has been that competitiveness is about building up a long-term competitive advantage and then defending it against competitors. The idea of cycles of competition takes a more dynamic view as to how competition in an industry will work its way out over time. It also highlights the potentially destructive nature of competition (at least from the point of view of industry players) and the value of trying to avoid it. Indeed, a key point is that these competitive cycles are not inevitable. Signaling to competitors, and interpreting the signals of others’  competitive moves, can help avoid head-on competition. Retaliation (Section 2.3 under barriers to entry) is a key principle here, as are the basics of game theory (Chapter 3). With regard to question 1, Francotop might have slowed down or rebuffed entirely Deutschespitze’s invasion of the French market by retaliating hard against its initial move: even though the youth niche was not so important to Francotop, a determined response there would have signalled the likelihood that attacking the core French market would be so fiercely opposed that it might not be worth Deutschespitze’s while even to try. With regard to question 2, Francotop would have been hard-pressed to avoid escalating competition in the business market. However, one possibility might have been for Francotop to focus on a particular neglected niche (say the small firms segment). By signaling clearly through advertising or similar that this niche was the extent of their ambitions, Francotop might have encouraged Deutschespitze to concentrate on its best opportunities, leaving the French get on with their specialism in peace. Illustration 2.6 Key Debate: How Much Does Industry Matter? This debate addresses an enduring source of controversy in strategy research, and allows students to review the importance of the contents of Chapter 2 (particularly the ‘five forces’), at the same time as introducing the more internally focused issues of Chapter 3 that follows. For Porter, industry matters a lot. The sceptic might argue ‘he would say that, wouldn’t he’? After all, this is exactly what his training in industrial economics and the standard products of his consulting firm would favour. However, the important thing here is to recognise the extent of the research he (and collaborators such as Anita McGahan) draw upon to make their case. It is worth pointing out to students that strategy theories are more than ‘just theories’: there is solid empirical research involved too. When meeting a new theory, students should get used to asking: where is the research evidence? What the research seems to suggest is that an industry is no t the be-all and end-all, but that choosing an attractive industry is a very good starting point in strategy: industry accounts for about two-fifths of the explained variance in the Porter and McGahan study (leaving aside control variables etc.). Turning to the precise question, the kinds of industries  that influence members’ profitabilities more than others seem generally to be service industries (explaining the greater industry effects in the Porter and McGahan study than in Rumelt’s). But to go on from here, industry influences are most likely to be strongest in highly competitive and mature industries. In such industries, sources of firm-specific differentiation are likely to be few, easily imitated and easily competed away, so making it hard to earn above-normal profits. At the same time, standard recipes for competing would have been established, so only the incompetent would perform substantially below the norm (and competition should have eliminated most such incompetents by the industry maturity stage). These conditions would probably prevail in service industries such as hotels, restaurants and retail. Newer industries are likely to offer more scope for innovation and differentiation, and have fewer commodity competitors and suppliers, so allowing persistent variability in profitability. Video Questions Hiscox Hiscox is a specialist insurer in the Lloyds of London insurance market. The company specialises in niche areas such as property and casualty insurance for high net worth individuals and companies, as well as cover against such risks as hacking, kidnapping and satellite damage. The video case is quite complicated, so best viewed after a thorough working through of the chapter material. 1.The industry is facing more buyer power, with the rise of online price comparison sites. On the other hand, there is a process of consolidation with the rise of ‘consolidators’ (companies such as Resolution), who are acquiring weaker companies in order to build position. This is likely in the long term to reduce rivalry. Major failures such as that of the American giant AIG (American Investment Group) are likely to reduce rivalry too. It is clear that general recessionary pressures are also influencing the market at the time of the video, reducing demand and likely to make it more price-sensitive. 2.Hiscox has a specialist position, aside from companies like AIG or the general insurers that Resolution is trying to buy, and its power in its niche is reinforced by its brand (well known in the United Kingdom). It also has the advantage of having both an underwriting (issue of insurance policies) and investment business, which mean that Hiscox is protected from short-term cycles or crises in one part  of the business, probably helping to buffer it from price competition in the short term too. Assignment 2.1 PESTEL Analysis PESTEL analysis is a useful starting point for environmental analysis. Illustration 2.1 provides a model. A ‘blank’ of the basic template of illustration 2.1 can be provided to students who can then be asked to complete it for the forces at work in a particular industry. The danger is that long lists of forces or influences can be generated by this device. So the second question challenges students to assess which of the forces are likely to be of most significance in driving industry change. Here students should justify their views in terms of the evidence from the past and the likely impact in the future of any particular influence. See the discussion of the PESTEL for the end-chapter case on the European brewing industry for an example. Assignment 2.2 Building Scenarios Assignment 2.2 requires students to focus on change in industry characteristics and competitive forces through the construction of scenarios. Guidelines for the construction of scenarios are given in Section 2.2.2 it is recommended that students follow these, building either two or four scenarios for a given industry. The work done in Assignment 2.1 should provide the bases of identifying the key industry forces or influences which will enable them to do this. Some of the problems of scenario building should be emphasised to students: Students may try to build in too many factors and, therefore, not be able to limit the number of scenarios. They may find difficulty in generating scenarios with a coherent and compatible set of factors. Some may be wary of having to exercise judgement; and others will confuse judgement with hunch. Try to encourage a realistic debate that tests out assumptions and projections against known facts and trends. A particularly useful exercise is to ask stude nts to build scenarios for an industry for which there is a company case (or for their own industry/company if possible) and then to assess the company’s strategic position in the light of the different scenarios (e.g. see the notes above on the brewing industry). One of the issues that might surface is the ease  or difficulty with which scenarios can be constructed. It usually emerges that scenarios are much easier to construct where the number of key forces at work in an industry is relatively few. They are less easy to construct if the number of important forces is high because the number of variables the student is trying to handle becomes too great. This, in turn, raises another issue. Scenarios are of particular use in uncertain environments as a means of helping managers to think through possible futures. However, uncertainty may arise for a number of reasons. If uncertainty arises because of the unpredictability of a few forces, then arguably scenarios may be very helpful, but what if uncertainty arises primarily because there are a large number of forces at work: to what extent are scenarios of use in such circumstances? There are a limited number of very important forces at work in the brewing industry: but what of fast-moving hi-t ech industries where there are many different forces at work? Assignment 2.3 Five Competitive Forces Five forces analysis is an absolutely fundamental technique in strategy. Section 2.3 should give students the ability to carry out a basic five forces analysis of any industry. They should be encouraged to consider all of the elements of each of the five forces: so for example, under barriers to entry, scale and experience effects, channels, retaliation and so on. The radar-plot technique of Exhibit 2.5 should only be used as a summary once the full analysis is complete; the danger is of it being used to short-circuit the analysis. Students should be expected to do more than simply list elements; they should clearly identify the implications (positive or negative) of each. The second question about conclusions for industry attractiveness should underline the importance of drawing out implications, rather than just listing. Assignment 2.4 Comparisons between Industries and Over Time This assignment allows students to build on Assignment 2.3 in order to consider the investment implications of differences between industries and change over time. The assignment is a substantial one if relying on students’ own research. However, time can be saved if two case studies are used (e.g. brewing, pharmaceuticals or hi-fi, perhaps looking backwards at  change over the past three to five years, rather than change in the future). Similarly, students may save time by using the radar-plot technique (Exhibit 2.5), as in the discussion of Illustration 2.3. It is important to note the two follow-up questions. Explicitly asking for justification helps students avoid the superficial analysis which is easy to do with five forces. Asking the question about investment helps students think about concrete implications, again something that five forces analyses often neglect. By looking over time, students will learn to be cautious about investing in industries with declining attractiveness. By comparing industries, students can also consider industry attractiveness in their diversification decisions, an issue picked up in Chapter 7. At the same time, it is worth countering the implications of five forces analysis with two thoughts: Industries that are highly attractive are likely to have high barriers to entry, so the costs of entry may outweigh the benefits of entering. An industry that is becoming relatively unattractive may be neglected by competitors, and, if you enjoy a strong competitive advantage in that industry, it may still be a source of profit to you. Assignment 2.5 Strategic Groups This assignment builds on the notion of strategic groups and strategic space outlined in Section 2.4.1 in the text. Figure 2.8 provides an example of how the exercise could be carried out. This could, for example, be applied to the European brewing industry: Key strategic dimensions might come under either of the scope or resource commitment characteristics in Section 2.4.1 – for example, product range or extent of vertical integration. Possible key strategic dimensions in the European brewing industry might include geographical coverage, strength of brands, diversification, size of firm, type of distribution, and so on. Students are encouraged to draw more than one strategic group map if they believe that more than two dimensions are important. It is useful to ask them to consider the extent to which different bases of such maps give rise to similar or different configurations. They might find, for example, that however the maps are drawn up, some companies always tend to end up in the same groups. In other words, some companies may have a very similar set of strategic characteristics along many dimensions. Students are asked to examine the  strategic group maps to see if there are any under-populated ‘white spaces’ in the industry. For example, in brewing, is there an opportunity for a giant specialist in making ‘own brand’ beer for the large retailers? However, students should assess carefully why there are few competitors in any such white spaces. White spaces can often turn out to be dangerous ‘black holes’ rather than attractive opportunities. Assignment 2.6 Critical Success Factors and the Strategy Canvas It is very likely that students will concentrate on success factors that are salient to them as consumers – for example, the product ranges of a clothing retailer. Less visible elements, such as ownership by a diversified parent company, may be neglected. However, for a short assignment, this need not matter too much: the essence is comparison in order to identify areas of (potential) competitive advantage. The key insight of a strategy canvas is to encourage competitors to compete where it is relatively easy to secure a significant advantage (Blue Ocean), and not necessarily to compete fiercely over the top-rated success factors if advantage can only be obtained at very considerable cost (Red Ocean). You can introduce less visible, but strategically significant elements after they have done their basic analysis. Integrative Assignment Full Analysis of an Industry or a Sector This assignment would be a demanding research project over a significant part of the course. It is however a very good test of students’ ability to apply tools to real data appropriately, as well as developing their research skills. Students will see it as practical and, if allowed a choice of sectors, relevant to their own interests. Good research resources are essential. As well as free web-based resources such as company reports, trade association statistics and some government or supra-governmental (EU, UN) reports and statistics, students would likely need limited-access resources such as the business press and journals available through BusinessSource Premier, Factiva or Proquest, and reports from organisations such as Euromonitor, Key Notes and Mintel. Your institution’s librarian will advise you on what is available to students and how proficient they are likely to be in using such sources. You would also want to guide students  on which industries or sectors to choose. Very broad industries – for example, the world airline industry – are likely to overwhelm students with data. It might be helpful to encourage focus – for example, the airline industry in India, or similar. Industry focus also reduces the risk of plagiarism. There are many student assignments of a similar nature available for a fee on the web, and it would definitely be wise to avoid allowing students to research the same industries in successive years. Requiring a specific focus on particular themes (e.g. internationalisation) or some less common concepts (e.g. the strategy canvas, cycles of competition etc.) can also reduce plagiarism. Insisting on precisely citing sources for key data and points (through an end-note system or similar) makes simple plagiarism harder too, as well as being good practice. If allowed, students will find very helpful a couple of example assignments from previous years to guide them roughly on what they are supposed to do. A report length limit of around 2000–2500 words would encourage students to focus on what is really important. Requiring an ‘executive summary’ would also force students to consider what is really important and what are the key implications. Over a two semester course, this assignment could be stage one of a two-part assessment regime; the second semester could have as an assignment asking students to consider implications of the first part for the strategy of a particular company in the original industry or sector. Case Example The European Brewing Industry This case focuses on the key techniques of PESTEL and five forces analysis that are central to this chapter. Full cases such as the pharmaceutical industry can be used develop students’ skills in seeing trends in industry data and drawing conclusions as to the likely impact of those trends on particular companies in an industry. PESTEL Here it would be helpful to ask the students to draw on wider knowledge or research (you may have beer drinkers from many countries in your class). Depending on how extensive students’ additional research and thinking are, a wide-range of issues may be raised. To highlight some for the purposes of illustration: Political: government campaigns against drink driving Economic: the rise of the Asian economies Social: rise of beer consumption in southern Europe Technological: few clear in the case, but innovations around products such as ice-cold lager might be raised Environmental: few clear in the case, but packaging issues are likely to be important Legal: few clear in the case, but changes in licensing laws and permitted alcohol limits for driving are relevant. PESTELs can often seem somewhat inconclusive, so it is important to pull out key issues and conclusions. The increasing hostility to drinking (under P and L) and the rise of Asian economies and southern Europe (under E & S) seem particularly important trends. One way of drawing some simple conclusions is to assess the overall balance (positive or negative) under each of the PESTEL headings: in the case of the European brewing industry, most of the headings are likely to be negative. The Five Forces There has traditionally been a wide variation of industry structures across Europe. The United Kingdom is fairly competitive. Denmark, Holland, Italy, Belgium and France, on the other hand, have been in near monopoly situations. However, with increasing exports and imports and cross-border acquisitions, national markets are becoming less protected. An interesting issue, then, is at what level to conduct industry structure analysis. If at a European level, the broad issues to consider under each of the five forces are as follows: Buyers: With more than one fifth of beer sold through supermarkets, and increasing resort to ‘own-label’, these buyers are increasingly powerful (underline that buyers are not the ultimate consumers). Suppliers: The high concentration of the packagers suggests that these are becoming increasingly powerful. Substitutes: Wine is clearly a dangerous substitute. New entrants: Internationalisation through M&A and increased trade is introducing new entrants into previously protected markets: most countries see increasing imports (Table 2). Anheuser-Busch and SABMiller are two obvious new entrants into Europe. Students might be alerted to the potential threat of TsingTao and the other Chinese brewers. Although not prominent in the case, there is still the potential of small new brewers entering using micro-breweries or contract brewers (e.g. Cobra). Rivalry: falling demand,  international entrants and over-capacity obviously increase the scope for rivalry. However, note that sales values are rising, that innovation and branding can mitigate price-competition, that there has been a history of price-fixing cartels, and that leading players are attempting consolidation through M&A. It might be useful to ask the students to compare industry concentration ratios in 2000 and 2009: that is, the share accounted for the top three or five players (Tabl e 3). As ever, it is important to draw conclusions. On balance, the European brewing industry does not seem attractive, and unlikely to become more so until the current round of consolidation is completed and brewers achieve greater leverage against their buyers and suppliers. Impact on Particular Brewing Companies The three companies are chosen to represent different types of ‘player’. A–B InBev is the largest player, after a succession of spectacular mergers. It is remarkable how the company is withdrawing from fast-growing China and Eastern Europe, however. Greene King is tiny in comparison to A–B InBev, with just one key domestic market, the United Kingdom. However, domestic focus and its own pubs may be giving it a strongly defended local position. You might ask whether there are competitors who might be tempted to buy such a company. Tsing Tao is the wild-card here. It is strong in its booming home market, but it is also interested in moving overseas. But would it make Europe a priority region for expansion, or choose another market?

My Autobiography Using Hardships as Stepping Stones to Future Success by Mukaila Adegoke Free Essay Example, 3750 words

My name is Mukaila Adegoke, born on 15th February 1962 in Iwo, Osun State of Nigeria- an era when President John F Kennedy established his office as 35th president of the USA and gave a major input in the history of civil rights. President John F Kennedy pressurized the government authorities and organizations to provide work for African Americans equivalent to Britain Civil Service. In his time, more African Americans were appointed to federal government posts. The year 1962, when I was born, was the time when a black student registered very first time at the University of Mississippi. In 1963, the organization of African Unity (OAU) was also formed in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia near Nigeria. I was born at home to a poor family in a village with no medical assistance. At that time, Nigeria was very poor country as a whole divided into different geopolitical regions; The Western parts, Eastern, and Northern parts. My father, late Mr. Adegoke Atanda, was a farmer from Iwo in Osun State while my mother- late Mrs. Munirat Adegoke, was a trader from Ibadan, Oyo State Nigeria. We will write a custom essay sample on My Autobiography: Using Hardships as Stepping Stones to Future Success by Mukaila Adegoke or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now As a child, I spent most of my childhood living without basic amenities like piped-borne water and electricity. In 1967, I was enrolled into District Primary School, Iwo. That year, the Nigerian Civil War started as a result of military coup and counter-coup which proved to be a great human tragedy in the history of Nigeria (This Day in History 1967). This war proved to be a great setback for all those living there. In 1968, I got enrolled in District Primary School. During these days, I had to travel long distance on foot with many other students. Daily, we covered four miles to and from school because there was no transport available nearby. For me, learning and socializing with friends were new experiences and absolutely fun. However, I did not find myself as confident as I could have been in the beginning of my school career.

The Caste System Of India Essay - 1500 Words

He also mentioned that for a long time ago, there has been a caste system which organized the social structure in India. There were four major castes: Brahmans, who have spiritual wisdom or act like a priest, Kshatriyas, who are a ruler or an organization, the Vaisya, farmers and traders, and the Sudras, the follower or servants. However, he argued that the stratification is now becoming not so relevant because people can access education and reach a better condition. This information similar to Hodge (2004) explanation about the caste system and the structure now is transformed by the modernization (Fuller, 2009). There are many ethnic groups in India and he said that they differ themselves by their local languages and the territory where they live. Historically, he considered himself a Sanskrit. On the other hand, he said that his family was originally from south India because it could be seen by his dark skin. He explained that southern Indian origins have darker skin, while northern origins have a white skin and the origins of the eastern part of India have a look like Chinese. There are several values that he holds the most as he learned from his traditions and beliefs. The first one is togetherness. As a family member, he lives together with a big family that consist not just his nuclear family but also with his grandfather or grandmother and other two nuclear families from his father’s side. Although they live as a big family, some members could live separately. InShow MoreRelatedThe Caste System Of India2339 Words   |  10 PagesThe Caste System As children grow up in the United States, they are often told they can do whatever they want when they are an adult. They are often told to reach for the stars and to chase their dreams. In India however, this was not the case. India followed what is known as a caste system. A caste system does not allow young children the fantasy of becoming whoever they want to become, but instead their future is born when they are. The word â€Å"caste† was first coined by Portuguese traders in theRead MoreIndia Caste System1441 Words   |  6 PagesAttitude to hierarchy A) The Indias caste system India has a hierarchical caste system in the society. Within Indian culture, Hindu or Muslim, urban or village, virtually all things, people, and groups of people are ranked according to various essential qualities. The social Hierarchy is present everywhere in India. Although India is a political democracy, in daily life there is a little adherence to notions of equality. Castes systems in India and caste like groups, classified in five groupsRead MoreCaste System in India1489 Words   |  6 Pageshelp govern its people. Within these communities, these rules create a social hierarchy developed through a ranked system based on either economic value or religious beliefs. A type of ranked system that most people are familiar with is the Caste System in India, which is a system of classification in a society based on birth. This complex social structure is most prevalent in India, where social hierarchy is in affiliation with Hinduism. It recognizes two concepts known as Varna and Jati. VarnaRead MoreIndia s Caste System Of India1709 Words   |  7 PagesIndia’s Caste System The Caste system has aroused much controversy than any other feature of India’s society. Every day, Dalits are butchered, assaulted, abused, raped, lynched, shot or openly mutilated without considering any consequences of the offenders. The deaths of pregnant women who are not able to pay the bribes at government hospitals, some boys with eyes raised completely out for falling in love with a girl of a superior caste, and horrid stories of employees boiled to death because ofRead MoreIndia s Indian Caste System2031 Words   |  9 PagesIndia has pioneered many different civilizations and empires each presenting new social, religious, and cultural dynamics. Through the development of India in the past 100+ years, they were colonized by Great Britain and societies began to form caste systems. However, different hierarchal statuses were instituted long before the establishment of caste systems officially. Sociologists agree that the British didn’t create the caste system, however the British used their dominance to further endorseRead MoreThe Caste System: Effects on Poverty in India4175 Words   |  17 Pages2010), pp. 97-106 The Caste System: Effects on Poverty in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka Jasmine Rao Abstract Though mostly outlawed, the caste system continues to be one of the key drivers of poverty and inequality in South Asia. This article reviews the linkage between poverty and the caste system in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. It also discusses the situation of the so-called Dalits (untouchables), which are typically considered to fall outside of the caste system. In addition to secondaryRead MoreAsian India s Caste System2369 Words   |  10 Pages Asian India s Caste System Robin Bettasso SOC 308 Melissa Willis July 4, 2016 Asian India s Caste System For thousands of years the caste members was well known how they lived, class, region, gender, tribe, and language. They ate, married, and worked with their own group and if that person was born they rarely changed caste or even mixed with other castes. Social rules defined how to behave within a caste and when in the presence people from other castes. In a caste system was well known inRead MoreAncient India And China s Caste System Essay1020 Words   |  5 PagesAncient India and China’s Caste System In ancient India and China a social system was developed to separate the society into levels. This social system is called a caste system. Which caste level you belong to was determined by your occupation and family origin. If you were born the son of a king your life was grand. But, if you were born to a farmer you are a farmer for life. Your birth determines where you fall in the caste system, and you live according to the rules. Both ancient India and ChinaRead MoreIndia s Caste System : How Were They Alike?1640 Words   |  7 Pages Table of Contents Harappa and Mohenjo Daro: How were they alike†¦.pg 2 India’s caste system†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦pg 3-4 Linking to today†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.pg 5 Buddhism/Hinduism: Compare and Contrast†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..pg 6-7 The Great Emperor: Asoka...†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.pg 8-9 Harappa and Mohenjo Daro civilizations: How were they alike? Two civilizations grew along the Indus River about 3000BCE and existed for around 1500 years. These two Indian civilizations were called theRead MoreEssay on INDIA: THE BEST FOREIGN MARKET852 Words   |  4 Pagesdiscussed and prove that India is a great market to expand into for Business Processing Outsourcing (BPO) services. CULTURE India, as we know it today, is a relatively young nation. The Republic of India gained independence from Great Britain on August 15, 1947, but has had a continuous civilization since 2500 BCE. (Background note: India, 2009) Over the years the Roman Empire, the Turks, and the Afghans have influenced the culture of India. The caste system in India valued people based

Dennis Rader Serial Killer Essay - 1868 Words

Have you ever wondered why some people love art and music, and some love science and math? These individuals love math or art because they get a sense of relaxation and excitement from these activities. Serial killers are the same way they love to kill people and have lots of different motives for why they kill them. A serial killer is a person who kills repeatedly. The one motive that drove Dennis Rader, to kill his victims was to gain power and control over them. In order to identify serial killers before they kill repeatedly, a person needs to study the characteristics that makes up this type of criminals. Most serial killers have been abandoned, by one or both parents, they are emotionally, physically, and even†¦show more content†¦Than at that time Dennis worked for a gear company.(Article 3). No one ever suspected anything suspicious things about him. He was a young normal average human with jobs the same as everyone else in the community. He served in the U.S air force from the mid to late 1960s.(3). Dennis is one of the evil known serial killers in history. He was known as the Btk killer which stood for Bind,Torture and kill. Dennis Rader completely given himself a name so that he was recognized by the people. He wanted them to know that he is the reasons why these people are dying. By Giving himself a name to let the public know that he was out there it was giving him a sense of having power over the situation. On January 15,1974 Dennis Rader killed Four members of the Otero family. This was his first kill. He waited long for the him to recognize his self with the family He has watched them enough to know what he is going to be dealing with. Than he came in their back door and strangled the family one by one. When he was finished he left through the front door. Later that night their 15 year old son from the otero family came home and discovered the bodies.(3). By killing these people he gained a sense of pleasure feeling and power and control over what he was doing. â€Å"Left semen at the scene and later said he derived sexual pleasure from killing†(3). According to this article Rader not only feeling sexual pleasure from this but he feltShow MoreRelatedThe Relationship Between Sadism And Its Effects On Children1398 Words   |  6 Pages2009). Major sexual sadism, on other other hand, is usually not consensual and involves injury or death to the victim. The stimuli in major sexual sadism is having complete control over the victim and instilling the element of fear in their victims. Serial murders satisfy distinctive twisted perversions as they kill. For some, it is a sexual gratification linked to missing feelings of endearment and desire. Others minds are preoccupied with the human body, killing as a way to explore it in sadisticRead MoreEssay The Making of a Serial Killer, An Annotated Bibliography1410 Words   |  6 PagesAnnotated Bibliography: Brogaard, Berit. The Making of a Serial Killer. Psychology Today. Sussex Directories, Inc., 7 Dec. 2012. Web. 03 May 2014. Berit Brogaard, D.M.Sci., Ph.D., is a Professor of Philosophy and the Director of the Brogaard Lab for Multisensory Research at the University of Miami. She earned a medical degree in neuroscience and a doctorate in philosophy. This article explained the traits of a psychopath, such as their callous, manipulative, and cunning behavior, along withRead MoreThe Btk Killer By Dennis Lynn Rader1027 Words   |  5 PagesDennis Lynn Rader was born on March 9, 1945 in Pittsburgh, Kansas. His mother, Dorothea Mae Cook, and father, William Elvin Rader, had three sons in addition to Dennis. In 1975, he married Paula Dietz, and they had one son and one daughter. Throughout his childhood, Dennis displayed signs of what he would become later in life. In reports, as well as his own confession, he tortured animals and had a fetish with women s underwear. Dennis, also known as the BTK killer, had at least ten victimsRead MoreBTK Story1188 Words   |  5 PagesStory Abstract Dennis Lynn Rader was born to Dorothea Mae and William Elvin Rader on March 9, 1945. Otero was found murdered in his home alongside three of his family members. Joseph Otero s wife was beaten, choked and bound before Rader killed her. Rader s next BTK victim was a 21-year-old named Kathryn Bright.†¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¨Similarly to Rader s first set of victims, she had been bound with a cord, somewhat clothed and had been choked and stabbed numerous times.†¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¨Rader s last two victims wereRead MoreWho Is The Serial Killer?1564 Words   |  7 Pageson the individuals described which one is the serial killer? There is one close by. Could it be the ice cream vendor? Alternatively, maybe the father, possibly even the elderly woman next to you. Most people would automatically assume that the serial killer is the man that is antisocial; walking briskly; head down bundled up on such a warm day. While yes, this is odd it does not necessarily mean that he is capable of killing. Actually, the serial killer in your midst is the man on crutches asking forRead MoreThe Crime Of Serial Murder And Mass Murder1289 Words   |  6 PagesRotten Apples The act of Serial murder and mass murder have similar characteristics, however they are not the same. Before they can be defined, it is necessary to first understand what exactly constitutes murder. According to the United States Code-section 1111, murder is defined as the unlawful killing of a human being with malice aforethought (FindLaw, 2014). With that said, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, â€Å"the term serial murder implies that there are at least three differentRead MoreSerial Killer - Original Writing1425 Words   |  6 Pages When you hear the words serial killer, you instantly think about people like Jeffrey Dahmer, Ed Gein, Ted Bundy, or Charles Manson. You don t think about a family man with a wife and two children, county board member, President of the church congregation council, or a Cub Scout leader. Dennis Rader possessed all of these shining attributes. He also possessed a dark secret. This secret had festered in him from an early age and gr ew as he got older. Dennis Rader had fantasies about bondage, controlRead MoreDennis Rader - BTK3114 Words   |  13 Pagesresearch paper is about Dennis Lynn Rader, also known as the BTK Killer. He haunted the city of Wichita, Kansas for nearly thirty years, from his first killing of the Otero family in 1974 until his arrest in February of 2005. Ten people became his victims and throughout his â€Å"career† as serial killer he taunted the police with letters. You will learn about his upbringing, his methods to kill, his modus operandi, his victims and how he eventually got arrested. Dennis L. Rader, BTK This paper isRead MoreThe Btk Killers Reign Of Terror1435 Words   |  6 PagesOn January 15th 1974 began Dennis Rader, the BTK killers reign of terror. The first victims of Dennis Rader were four members of the Ortero family, Joseph, wife Julie, son Joseph, and daughter Josephine were murdered in their home in the early morning hours between 7:00 am and 7:30 am, Three children of the Ortero family survived because they were already at school. Rader armed with a pistol entered the home and forced the family to go into one of the bedrooms, there he tied the family members upRead MoreCausation of Serial Killers Essay2039 Words   |  9 Pagesactually think its demons within me† (Wenzl et al. 308). Dennis Rader, infamously known as BTK, commented about what he called his â€Å"factor X† above, which he claimed was his motive for killing. The demons within Rader supposedly caused him to murder four members from the Otero Family leaving the youngest daughter hanging in the basement nearly naked and gagged (Wenzl et al. 10). We now know that these demons within and â€Å"factor X† that Rader was referring to was his psychopathology, but we cannot ignore

Personality Theory free essay sample

Personality Theory Abstract In the past few weeks we have explored human personality development as theorized by some of the world’s most recognized, respected and celebrated psychologists in the field of psychoanalysis. People exists in a culture dependant on social interactions whether it be in their immediate family structure or outside in a community basis, individual personality and behavior reflects who we are as a person. This paper will attempt to analyze and apply the personality theories of Adler, Kelly, and Maslow that best describe the 1986 fictional film character, Forrest Gump. A man who through most of his life was ridiculed because of his slow learning disability and was made to feel inferior by everyone he came in contact with except for his mom, childhood sweetheart and the best friend he had when he was in the military. The film itself is based on his unique personality and his own ambiguous perception of the world around him as he reflects on his life’s challenges, quoting anecdotes from his â€Å"mama† that instilled the honesty, integrity and shear simplicity of mind of Forrest Gump. Unacceptable to the public who viewed children as being innocent and not involved with sexuality. Freud then proposed his libido theory (theory of lust); revised later Freud became aware of the importance of his patients dreams, which provided evidence regarding the conflicts and revealed the secrets of the unconscious mind. 1 900 list b Ned The Interpret t TA ion to Dreams 1902, Freud started the Wednesday night meetings including scholars who discussed their works they published and many other books published between 1908 and 1906. Frauds books considered shocking by the public and became unpopular; a person obsessed with sexuality. Wednesday night meetings changed to Vienna Psychoanalytic Society. In 1910 some of his students began to leave him for many reasons. Alfred Adler and Carl Jung were the most important ones. Disagreed on the importance of sexuality in determining behaviors. Jung departure was extremely painful to Freud Frauds thinking was influenced by World War l, the mass killing and suffering. Proposed his death instinct, opposing the life instinct. Wrote many other books and continued his practice in Vienna until the Nazis came to power in the sass. Hitler and anti-Semitism forced many Jews to immigrate to the United States and leave Austria. 938, Germany invaded Austria, Freud reluctantly left his home and went to England. He died in London in 1939. During the last years of his life, Freud suffered from cancer of the Jaw and mouth. L. Concepts and Principles The Role of Conscious, Preconscious and Unconscious Forces in Personality According to Freud, the human mental apparatus was divided into three parts: Conscious refers to present awareness of what happens ar ound us. Preconscious contains experiences that are almost unconscious, but can be readily accessible. Unconscious is the deepest level of personality, consisting of all childhood memories, which are not readily accessible. Instincts: The Driving Forces in Personality Our instincts (unlearned, inherited behaviors) are placed in our unconscious mind, governing our behavior. Instincts, according to Freud, have four basic characteristics: The source: physiological functions of the body of the instinct The impetus: the force of the instinct The aim: gratification The object: through which the instinct achieves its aim Life instinct (Eros) motivates us towards achievement of gratifying goals in life. The energy of life instinct is called libido. Freud had originally related libido to sexual instinct, but later changed his views and related it to all pleasurable feelings associated with life instinct. Death instinct (thanes) according to Freud the goal of all life is death, where there is no painful struggle to satisfy biological needs. Aggression is related to death instinct Structural Theory of Personality Freud proposed three personality structures: old rooted in the biology and operates on the theory of instincts. Everyone is born with id manifested in various instincts. Major instincts include sex and aggression. old follows neither moral code nor any social or religious rules. old follows the pleasure principle maximizing pleasure and minimizing pain Ego as the infant develops, s/he relates to the environment and a part of id begins to change to form ego. Gradually, ego differentiates from id and provides realistic direction for the persons impulses. Ego keeps the impulses in check and follows the reality principle; it is the rational part of our personality. Superego the child develops within the family environment. The parents or caregivers tell the child what to do and what not to do. The dos and dont of parents form what is called by Freud as the childs superego which is completely formed by the age of seven. Superego is the initialization of societal aloes Freud believed superego had two major parts, the conscience and the ego ideal. The first is developed through the use of punishment by the parents and the second, through the use of reward. The main function of superego is to inhibit and control the demands of id and persuade ego to substitute moralistic goals instead of realistic goals. The superego may have negative sides, by being too harsh or demanding, causing anxiety and guilt Defense Mechanism According to Freud, the ego tries to serve both the desires of id and the demands of the superego by creating a balance in the personality structure. Such a lance creates normal personality functions If the balance is disturbed either by id wanting more gratifications of its instincts or by superego demanding moral and ethical principles, ego needs to engage in certain activities to bring about the balance. The conflict between id and superego is very unpleasant, since it creates anxiety, which is a very unpleasant emotion. Ego has to deal with anxiety and adopt measures to reduce it. Other sources of threat from the environment such as unemployment, death or divorce, accidents create anxiety as well. In order to deal with various types of anxieties, ego mobiles defense exchanges, ways of dealing with unpleasant situations. At first, these defenses are conscious, then gradually become unconscious and their use will cause more problems for the person Repression is an attempt by the ego to keep undesirable impulses from reaching the conscious level; pushing away such impulses into the unconscious mind; forgetting. Results in creating complexes in the unconscious mind which later demonstrates various symptoms of illness Suppression is similar to repression, except that the person knows s/ wish to remember a painful event en does not Denial is to refuse to accept a painful reality. It is similar to lying. Displacement is when there is an unconscious shift of emotions, affect, or desires from the original object to a more acceptable or immediate substitute Sublimation is modifying the natural expression of an impulse or instinct (especially a sexual one) to one that is socially acceptable. Regression is to go back to an earlier or less mature pattern of feeling or behavior Projection is the attribution of ones own attitudes, feelings, or desires to someone or something, blaming others for their shortcomings. Reaction formation is when an objectionable impulse is expressed in an opposite or contrasting behavior. For example, showing love instead of hate. Rationalization is when your true motivation is concealed by bringing irrational excuses. Undoing is the act of reversing something unacceptable to superego. Compromise formation two contradictory statements or behaviors are related together Intellectualized is an unconscious meaner of protecting oneself from the emotional stress and anxiety associated with confronting painful personal fears or problems by excessive reasoning. Ill. Personality Development 1 The Theory of Psychosocial Development Normal development, according to Freud involves a series to stages trot the moment of birth to about age eighteen, during which libido demonstrates its effects in various stages. Libido relates to sexual impulses, and the stages are called the psychosocial stages. Freud warns us about over-indulgence (giving too much) and under- indulgence (giving too little) to the child during the various psychosocial stages of development, especially in the first seven years. Over-indulgence results in fixation of personality in a specific stage Under-indulgence results in regression of personality to an earlier stage Both are unhealthy for normal personality development Stage of Narcissism birth to six months The infants ego has not yet developed and the infant is completely governed by id impulse. Over-indulgence in this stage results in the development of narcissistic personality (character) demonstrating self-love and narcissistic needs Oral stage six months to two years Gradually, ego differentiates from id. However, libido is focused in the mouth cavity (an erogenous zone). Pleasurable sensations occur when the infant takes food or water. Fixation in the oral stage results in oral personality (character) marked by sire to satisfy oral needs such as over-eating or talking too much. Anal Stage two years to four years In western cultures, this is the period to toilet training . Libido is now touched in the anal cavity (an erogenous zone), which brings about pleasurable sensations. Cleanliness is emphasized with emphasis on regulating bathroom needs. Too much emphasis on toilet training or cleanliness results in anal personality (character) showing obsessive-compulsive behavior. Fixation in this stage results in frugality and obstinate behavior. Phallic Stage four years to six years Libido now focuses in the erogenous zone related to sexual organs. The child enjoys touching his/her genitals, or showing them to others. This is the beginning of exhibitionists tendencies. Fixation in this stage results in phallic character marked by concerns regarding sexuality with exhibitionists or voyeuristic tendencies. At the end of this period, about age six, the child has to solve two major complexes. The boy solves the Oedipus Complex (his abnormal love for the mother figure) by identification with the father figure The girl solves the Electra Complex (her abnormal love for the father) by identification tit the mother figure. The results of such identification pave the way for future healthy development Latency Stage six years to twelve years Latency stage is the period of colonization. Apparently there is no preoccupation with sexuality in this period. The child attends school and makes friends and develops social relationships until puberty. Genital Stage twelve years to eighteen years During adolescent period, the adolescent boy or girl becomes interested in the opposite sex and gradually mature, adult, heterosexual relationships develop, which according to Freud are completed about age eighteen. Normal person, according to Freud makes adjustments in two major areas: love and work. The genital character (personality) is the ideal type. These people are sexually mature; they nave taunt their love objects (the opposite sex). They can love and be loved, which is the key to happiness. Genital characters can also sublimate their id impulses by expressing them in the form of productive and creative work. V. Assessment Techniques Free Association The technique of free association used by Freud in treating his patients involved the patients self-reports of whatever came to his/her mind no matter how rival or unimportant or irrelevant it seemed to appear. The patient was instructed to place no sensors on what came to his/her mind and report them faithfully. Freud called free association the fundamental rule of psychoanalysis. To facilitate free association, the patient usually reclined on a couch while the therapist would place himself/herself behind the patient Sometimes patients do not free associate due to resistance, or they may find it difficult to continue with free association. As the therapy sessions continue, both the resistance and inability to free associate disappear. Free association is the best teeth of making unconscious thoughts conscious; unconscious repressed materials are gradually revealed in the contents of free association Dream Analysis Freud placed great emphasis on dream analysis. Dreams are the royal road to unconscious Each dream is composed of two parts: Manifest content: what we see in our dreams Latent content: what the symbols in our dreams actually represent All psycho-dynamically oriented therapists use dream analysis while treating their patients. Freud believed the symbols in our dreams have universal meanings; symbols sometimes have multiple meanings. Freud also believed that dreams are mimed towards wish fulfillment. These wishes are usually unconscious and not acceptable to the person and are erotic in nature. These erotic wishes express themselves in our dreams in disguised manner, since even their expression during sleep is not allowed. Therefore, they indirectly express themselves in the forms of symbols. The task of the psychoanalyst is to discover the manifest content and reveal the latent content of the dream which leads to the repressed wish Transference Freud placed much emphasis on the process of transference. During the course of the treatment, the patient develops positive or negative linings for the therapist, which are called transference. This is because patients see the therapist as the important figures in their past life, targeting love and hate towards him/her. Freud felt the transference process was characterized by ambivalence (love/hate relationship). Patients often show both positive and negative feelings towards their therapist. In positive transference the patient develops affectionate feelings towards the therapist. Frauds female patients expressed much love and affection toward him. It is highly possible that the therapist also develops feelings of positive or negative auteur towards his/her patients counter-transference. Too much positive or negative counter-transference interferes with the treatment of the patient. The therapist should always remember his ethical and moral obligations to the patient. They should not act on their feelings of counter-transference (unless they ask for a law suit). Self analysis or asking for help from a colleague can help reduce counter-transference Positive transference is effective for treatment. In many instances, however, positive transference is followed by negative transference when patients begin to demonstrate intense hostility and anger awards the therapist. Using interpretation, Freud would point out to the patient that their negative feelings stemmed from childhood and past life events and were displaced on him during the therapy sessions. Gradually, the patients developed insight regarding their feelings towards the therapist and negative transference disappeared V. Some Important Terminology Psychopathology The study of the origin, development, and manifestations of mental or behavioral disorders. Neurosis Any of various mental or emotional disorders, such as hypochondria or neurasthenia, arising from no apparent physical cause involving symptoms such s insecurity, anxiety, depression, and irrational fears, but without psychotic symptoms such as delusions or hallucinations. Psychosis Severe mental disorder, with or without physical damage, characterized by loss of contact with reality and causing deterioration of normal social functioning. Psychoanalysis The method of psychological therapy originated by Sigmund Freud in which free association, dream interpretation, and analysis of resistance and transference are used to explore repressed or unconscious impulses, anxieties, and internal conflicts, in order to free psychic energy for mature love and work.