Good managers are born or made Essay

It is quite clear that effective management is a crucial part of any business’ organisational strategy and effective managers are the ones create an effective management system. The argument about â€Å"good managers are made or born† is continuing for decades since and the role of managers is concerned. But the idea is changing through time. Nowadays, technology and management skills have continued to develop; managers are required to be consistently followed up and updated themselves to fit in. With this perspective, I strongly believe that managers are well-trained through experience and training processes to really become â€Å"good† ones. That is why organisations spend millions of dollar on leadership training processes to create a good management system for their business. The purpose of this report is to support the idea that â€Å"good managers are made†, sale manager in here is used as a model to support my argument. Read more:  The person you admire essay To discuss further more about â€Å"born† or â€Å"made†, we should have a brief idea what are characteristics of a good manager. There are two points of view about an effective sale manager’s characteristics, one is from sale managers and one is from sale representatives. In a research of Deeter-Schmelz, Goebel, and Kennedy (2008), they found that nine over eleven attributes of an effective manager are agreed by both points of view: communication and listening skills, human relations skills, organisation and time management skills, knowledge possession, coaching skills, motivational skills, honest and ethical tendencies, selling skills, leadership skills, willingness to empower, and adaptability (Deeter-Schmelz, Goebel, and Kennedy, 2008). Those skills listed above are all required an amount of time to learn, to train and to adapt them. Good managers are not born with all those characteristics, they are the one who are able to improve themselves, who are able to change every day to â€Å"make† themselves better and better. It is suggested that managers should have their own training programs to really learning and developing their own skills (Vazzana and Jordan, 2012). For a long time, organisations only focus on training the front line employees and ignore managers’ learning processes. Managers have been through a lot of trainings of their team members but themselves are suffering on correcting and learning skills of a true leader (Vazzana and Jordan, 2012). That is why from managers’ perspective they believe that they are more participating in  front line staff’s activities rather than being supportive as their members need them to be (Deeter-Schmelz, Goebel, and Kennedy, 2008). So why do we waste all the time and money to find new managers when we can train them to be more effective and more supportive. There are specific skills that different levels of managers have to learn. As lower-level managers, there should be more training programs about company knowledge, company policies or time management, etc. (Deeter-Schmelz, Goebel, and Kennedy, 2008). That is not enough for a manager, coaching and mentoring are also very imp ortant part to put in training programs. But they are less effective when managers are to learn in an inactive way, in which they listen and remember, not actually acting it. So another useful way is discovered. Higher-level managers will share experiences and train the newer to develop skills. Managers will help their colleagues to improve and become better. With these interactions every day, every week, managers can see, learn and practice at the same time (Manikutty, 2005). This is a very effective way because those people interacts closely at work and they all have experience, it will enhance managers’ knowledge and skills quickly, and also enhance relationship among organisation. After learning all the values of the organisation and starting to adopt all the skills, managers can come to a higher position and learning more skills. In an organisation, there will be a higher-level leader/ manager that you admire and believe. That person will be the one who create a powerful atmosphere to people around them and also a very strong relief. That â€Å"charisma† mentioned above is very important for characteristics of a manager/ leader in the head office of an organisation. M. Ale xander Kuhn (2012) believed that â€Å"charisma was not a gift or innate ability, but a skill to be developed and refined as part of a leader’s repertoire†. Charismatic leaders are different from others in three areas. The first are is articulation. A great manager has to have a clear, understandable and powerful statement come together with a leader’s tone. Second is branding. Standing in the head office of an organisation, a high level manager has to create their own real reputation such as healthy lifestyle, consistent working attitude, etc. This will support manager’s statement to be more powerful and realistic that makes his staff to listen. Third area is affection. If a person is not really sure about what he believes, he cannot persuade other people to believe it like him. So a  charismatic leader really has a strong belief in the organisation’s value, in the direction that they make up to encourage their staff working hard toward it. It is also about caring others’ opinions. A manager affects his employee but there will be the time that he stops and listening to others’ perspective. Balance between that will lead to a successful way of management (Kuhn, 2012). A very practical example is Disney. In 2011, Walt Disney was ranked by CNN Money as the third most admired company in the world for people management. It is quite clear that the organisation had created a great base of effective managers to achieve that. The leaders must encourage their cast members (staff) to connect emotionally with customers whether they are on stage or back stage. Former Walt Disney CEO, Michael Eisner say that Walt Disney World is driven by an â€Å"emotional engine† rather than an â€Å"economic engine†. The current CEO, Bob Iger shared his opinion about being a leader â€Å"You’ve got to be an optimist. You can’t be a pessimist. When you come to work, you’ve got to show enthusiasm and spirit. You can’t let people see you brought down by the experience of failure. You don’t have that luxury. I believe in taking big risks creatively. If you fail, don’t do it with mediocrity—do it with something that was truly original, truly a risk†. All the methodology that are listed above is to gradually create a â€Å"good† manager. A normal person still can become a manager but to become a â€Å"good† one, he needs to put a lot of effort to study and to learn day by day. Organisations nowadays spend a lot of money on developing programs for managers to help them improve their skills. That is why I strongly believe that good managers are made. They are made from their effort of learning effectively. BIBLIOGRAPHY Ignatius, A & Iger, RA 2011, ‘Technology, tradition and the Mouse’, Harvard Business Review, vol. 89, no. 7, pp. 112-117. Deeter-Schmelz, Goebel, Kennedy, 2008, ‘what are the characteristics of an effective sales manager? An exploratory study comparing salesperson and sales manager perspectives’, Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, Vol.28, Issue 1, pp. 7-20. Vazzana, Jordan, Jun2012, ‘your guide to developing sales managers: how to effectively maximise neglected talent’, Vol. 66, Issue 6, p34-43. Manikutty, 2005, ‘manager as a trainer, a coach and a mentor’, vol.30, issue 2, p57-64. Kuhn, 2012, ‘charismatic leaders’, vol.29, issue7, p20-20.

Veterans and Ptsd

Veterans and PTSD Toni L. Enemy Hunter Psychiatric Rehabilitation/REHA 425 Professor McDermott October 29, 2011 Abstract The United States is seeing an increasing number of Veterans coming back from Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) being diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). PTSD is affecting the lives of men and women, their family and those closest to them. The goal of this paper is to give some general information for women and their families experiencing PTSD. It will give symptoms and treatment options available to women veterans.Women Vets and PTSD According to the 2009 and 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), nearly 600,000 veterans aged 18 or older experienced a co-occurring substance use disorder and mental illness in the past 12 months. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is now becoming more prevalent with men and women in the military. How can th e families of the veteran better understand what to expect and how to deal with their loved ones suffering from PTSD? DefinitionAccording to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR; APA, 2000) the diagnostic criteria for PTSD include a history of exposure to a traumatic event meeting two criteria and symptoms from each of three symptom clusters: intrusive recollections, avoidant/numbing symptoms, and hyper-arousal symptoms (Appendix 2). Challenges The British Medical Journal reported that veterans do not experience trauma or disabling symptoms until they return from the war (Gabriel & Neal, 2002).Friedman said PTSD symptoms appear when they return home trying to readjust to civilian life. When a person is on active duty in the military, if one does not have a physical injury then psychological symptoms are seen as a weakness and being a coward (Friedman, 2004). Those that did seek help found it difficult to be diagnosed bec ause they were not exposed to direct combat (i. e. hostile fire, returning fire, or seeing others injured). The veterans that do have PTSD from military trauma are from non-combative events such as sexual trauma.They may feel alone and worry about their families. PTDS is comorbid with traumatic brain injuries and other psychiatric disorders such as depression, social phobia, panic disorder, substance abuse, and mood and anxiety disorders (Feczer, 2009). [W]e deny that war changes its participants forever- †¦America claims innocence and goodness as fundamental traits. We believe that our young men and women should be able to go to war, get the job done, and return home blameless and well. (Tick, 2005) InterventionThe Readjustment Counseling Service is available for veterans who served in war zones, Vietnam Era Veterans, veterans that experienced sexual trauma while in the military, and for family members that have lost loved ones while on duty. At a Veteran Center, the services that are provided are: individual counseling, group counseling, marital and family counseling, addiction counseling, benefits assistance and referral, employment referral and counseling, community education, liaison with VA facilities, referral to community agencies, contracts with area counselors and Mobile Vet Center Outreach.The client first has to go through assessments to figure out the best therapeutic approach. They need to be screened for victimization, suicidal potential, addictive behaviors, differential diagnosis, comorbidity, and family assessment (Meichenbaum, 1995). Medications, along with therapy, have been the most helpful types of treatment for PTSD. The medications used are antidepressant medications, anti-anxiety medications, mood stabilizing medications, and other medications to ease nightmares, irritability, sleeplessness, depression, and anxiety (Feczer, 2009). It is important when interviewing the client to find out their childhood history.Many times trauma du ring childhood will not come out until later in life and it can be the underlying issue to their problems (Feczer, 2009). Therapy Modalities PET After a traumatic event, many individuals experience distress and signs of PTSD. The veteran may experience suffering when dealing with the recollections related to the trauma. This type of therapy helps by approaching those thoughts, feelings, and events that the client has been avoiding because of the stress they cause. By repeated exposure to the emotions it helps the veteran reduce the power thoughts have over the client.However, during the assessment, it is important to discuss with the veteran the main event(s) that causes the stress. By doing this at a comfortable pace, the exposure to that trauma can be dealt with accordingly (Creamer & Forbes, 2004). The first part of the therapy is education. The counselor will explain the treatment, the common trauma reactions and symptoms of PTSD. PET helps the veteran understand what the go als are for the treatment and what to expect for the duration of the upcoming sessions. Teaching methods of breathing techniques will help the veteran to relax.Breathing changes when a person becomes anxious or fearful. This is a short-term technique to assist in managing sudden distress. The third aspect of PET is in vivo exposure where the client has exposure to real world situations or events that may be anxiety-producing. This is safely done by approaching the situation that has been avoided because of the stress it causes. PET uses imaginal exposure where the veteran talks through the trauma(s) with the counselor. By talking, it helps the client to gain control over the traumatic events and realize that he or she does not have to be afraid of his or her memories.The overall goal is to work through the events from least to most traumatic events and what is comfortable for the client. This type of therapy is usually eight to fifteen sessions that last about ninety minutes (Resick , Nishith, Weaver, Astin,& Feuer, 2002). CPT Many times those with PTSD have problems dealing with their thoughts and memories of the trauma they have been though. They may get â€Å"stuck† in their thoughts and have a hard time making sense of what has happened or is happening to them. CPT helps in giving clients a new way of dealing with their thoughts and to gain an understanding of the events that haunt them.There are four parts to CPT: learning about PTSD symptoms, becoming aware of thoughts and feelings, learning skills and understanding changes in beliefs. CPT requires educating the client about PTSD and what to expect from the disorder. The veterans can ask questions and find out how the skills are going to help them. In this modality, the client needs to become aware of their thoughts and feelings. When bad things happen we want to know why they happen. Clients can get stuck in their thought process and not be able to let it go.However, with CPT a person learns t o pay attention to these thoughts that the trauma has caused and discuss how they make one feel. Then he or she can take a step back and see how it affects the person now. This will hopefully help the veteran think of the trauma in a different way. This can be done by writing about it or talking to the counselor. Next, the veterans need to begin learning the skills to help challenge their thoughts and question them as well. This is done by doing worksheets (appendix 1). These worksheets will help veterans decide the way they want to think and feel about their traumatic situations.These skills will eventually help in dealing with every day issues. Finally, there is trying to understand the changes in beliefs. There are common changes that happen after going through a trauma. There are going to be changes in the way a person thinks about safety, trust, control, self-esteem, other people and relationships. By talking about these beliefs, hopefully they can find a balance with the belie fs before and after the trauma. The approximate time for this type of therapy is twelve sessions. EMDR The final type of therapy is Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing or EMDR.Clients that are involved in EMDR use imaginal exposure of their trauma and at the same time the counselor uses their index finger for them to follow back and forth. EMDR therapy seems to directly affect the brain by unlocking the traumatic memories, allowing clients to resolve them. Veterans work through the upsetting memory, beliefs, feelings, sensations until they are able to think about the event without reliving it. The memory is still there, but not as upsetting. It is like detaching oneself and watching a movie but relieving the trauma at the same time (Barton, Smith, Corcoran, 2011).Case Management, Employment and Vocational Rehabilitation According to the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Program that Congress prepared, case managers work closely with Vocational Rehabilitation Counsel ors (VRC) to create a rehabilitation plan. This plan consists of evaluation and planning for the future goals of the veteran. The veteran is evaluated to see if he or she is capable of independent living or will need rehabilitation services. The VRC is responsible to see that referrals for medical, eye care and dental are taken care of for the client.The vocational-education counselor will be able to assist the veteran in acquiring education, training, equipment, and financial aid if the client needs to develop new skills for employment. The President of the United States is also giving great tax breaks to employees for hiring veterans. The Counselor and Support Systems The downfall to helping veterans with PTSD is that there are not many counselors have the experience with this type of client. Counselors in this field are few, especially in the rural and underserved geographic areas.The VA resources are overwhelmed with clients so there is a backlog, which creates frustration with veterans. There are many that have contemplated or have committed suicide because they did not receive the help they needed. According to the National Center for PTSD, some may have had past mental health issues and may not have good support systems in addition to what was mentioned earlier. So that is why it is important to have a good support system and education is essential for the families when the veteran returns home. They will more than likely not be the same person as they were before they were deployed.Conclusion Veterans do so much for the United States citizens and we need to be thankful for the job they do for our freedom. The veterans put their lives in danger so we can live the life as Americans. Veterans deserve the respect and assistance when they return home to us. So it is my opinion that we do our best to ensure they can become productive citizens once again. I would like to be part of that team to assist in helping veterans adjust back into civilian life. I woul d like to see more citizens do the same by helping the veterans any way possible.Where would the United States be if we did not have such a great military team? References American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (Revised 4th ed. ). Washington, DC: Author. Feczer, D. A. (2009). Forever changed: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in female military veterans, A Case Report. Perspectives in Psychiatric Care. Friedman, M. (2004). Acknowledging the psychiatric cost of war. New England Journal of Medicine, pp 351, 75-77. Gabriel, R. A. (2002). Post-traumatic stress disorder or somatic dysfunction after military conflict may hide posttraumatic disorder.British Medical Journal, pp 324, 340-342. Tick, E. (2005). War and the soul: Healing our nation's veterans from post-traumatic stress disorder. Wheaton, IL: Quest Books. Masson, N. (2010). Mindful Cognitive Processing Worksheet. Retrieved from http://drnataliemasson. com/images/Mindful%20Cogn itive%20Processing%20Worksheet. pdf Creamer, M. , Forbes D. (2004). Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Military and Veteran Populations, Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, (Vol. 41, pp. 388-398). Resick, P. , Nishith, P. , Weaver, T. , Astin, M. , Feuer, C. 2002). A comparison of cognitive-processing therapy with prolonged exposure and a waiting condition for the treatment of chronic posttraumatic stress disorder in female rape victims. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, (Vol. 70, pp. 867-879). Bartson, S. , Smith. , M. , Corcoran, C. (2011). Help Guide. EMDR Therapy. Retrieved from http://www. helpguide. org/mental/pdf/emdr. pdf Meichenbaum, D. (1995). A clinical handbook/practical therapist manual for assessing and treating adults with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) book. Florida: Institute Press. Appendix 1Mindful Cognitive Processing Worksheet 1. Describe situation briefly 2. List emotions (single words) and rate the intensity (0-1 00%) 3. List automatic thoughts. Circle â€Å"hot thought†. (For deeper work, identify the â€Å"core belief. †) 4. Observe breathing and body sensations. Describe these briefly. 5. Practice acceptance and validation. List thoughts that promote acceptance, non-judgment, validation. Take a few moments to practice breathing in an attitude of allowing things to be as they are without judging or trying to change/fix things. 6. List objective evidence that supports your automatic thoughts. . List objective evidence that counters your automatic thoughts. 8. Identify any distortions involved in your automatic thoughts. 9. Consider a more balanced thought. 10. Describe the outcome. List emotions, rate intensity. List any other reactions, observations. Bonus†¦ 11. Identify any core beliefs that could use revising†¦. and a more adaptive belief. 12. Consider behavioral experiments to disprove the core beliefs and support a new belief. Summary of some common cognitive di stortions: 1. Probability overestimations – overestimating the likelihood of a negative event 2.Mind reading – assuming what others will think about you Appendix 1 Cont. 3. Personalization – taking too much responsibility for a negative situation 4. Should statements – incorrect/exaggerated statements about how things should be 5. Catastrophic thinking – assuming that a negative event would be catastrophic 6. All-or-nothing thinking (Black ; White Thinking) 7. Selective attention and memory –attend to negative information, discount positive 8. Overgeneralization – a single event is taken as a sign of a global pattern 9. Fortune telling – predicting the future with absolute certainty 10.Negative core beliefs – negative assumptions about oneself. Taking an event and turning it into a core characteristic. (â€Å"I made a mistake† vs. â€Å"I am a loser†) 11. Emotional reasoning – believing that if you f eel as if something is true, that makes it true (Masson, 2010) Appendix 2 DSM-IV-TR criteria for PTSD In 2000, the American Psychiatric Association revised the PTSD diagnostic criteria in the fourth edition of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) (1). The diagnostic criteria (A-F) are specified below.Diagnostic criteria for PTSD include a history of exposure to a traumatic event meeting two criteria and symptoms from each of three symptom clusters: intrusive recollections, avoidant/numbing symptoms, and hyper-arousal symptoms. A fifth criterion concerns duration of symptoms and a sixth assesses functioning. Criterion A: stressor The person has been exposed to a traumatic event in which both of the following have been present: 1. The person has experienced, witnessed, or been confronted with an event or events that involve actual or threatened death or serious injury, or a threat to the physical integrity of oneself or others. . The person's response involved intense fear, helplessness, or horror. Note: in children, it may be expressed instead by disorganized or agitated behavior. Criterion B: intrusive recollection The traumatic event is persistently re-experienced in at least one of the following ways: 1. Recurrent and intrusive distressing recollections of the event, including images, thoughts, or perceptions. Note: in young children, repetitive play may occur in which themes or aspects of the trauma are expressed. 2. Recurrent distressing dreams of the event.Note: in children, there may be frightening dreams without recognizable content 3. Acting or feeling as if the traumatic event were recurring (includes a sense of reliving the experience, illusions, hallucinations, and dissociative flashback episodes, including those that occur upon awakening or when intoxicated). Note: in children, trauma-specific reenactment may occur. 4. Intense psychological distress at exposure to internal or external cues that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic event. 5.Physiologic reactivity upon exposure to internal or external cues that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic event Criterion C: avoidant/numbing Persistent avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma and numbing of general responsiveness (not present before the trauma), as indicated by at least three of the following: 1. Efforts to avoid thoughts, feelings, or conversations associated with the trauma 2. Efforts to avoid activities, places, or people that arouse recollections of the trauma 3. Inability to recall an important aspect of the trauma 4.Markedly diminished interest or participation in significant activities 5. Feeling of detachment or estrangement from others 6. Restricted range of affect (e. g. , unable to have loving feelings) 7. Sense of foreshortened future (e. g. , does not expect to have a career, marriage, children, or a normal life span) Criterion D: hyper-arousal Persistent symptoms of increasing arousal (not pre sent before the trauma), indicated by at least two of the following: 1. Difficulty falling or staying asleep 2. Irritability or outbursts of anger 3. Difficulty concentrating 4.Hyper-vigilance 5. Exaggerated startle response Criterion E: duration Duration of the disturbance (symptoms in B, C, and D) is more than one month. Criterion F: functional significance The disturbance causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning. Specify if: Acute: if duration of symptoms is less than three months Chronic: if duration of symptoms is three months or more Specify if: With or without delay onset: Onset of symptoms at least six months after the stressor (American Psychiatric Association, 2000)

Communtiy service assignement Essay

In your own words, answer the following questions. 1. What does the term ‘risk of significant harm’ mean? Answer q1. If the circumstances that are causing concerns for the safety welfare and wellbeing are present to significant extent. 2. What are the types of child abuse? Answer for q2. 1.physical 2.sexual 3.neglect 4.phychological 3. Identify three possible indicators or signs for each type of child abuse/neglect. Answers q3 1 physical > bruising behaviour problems depression anxiety 2 sexual > bed wetting ,nightmares , scared of people touching them 3 neglect >can be unbathed dirty, little to no food ,too big or small clothing thats dirty 4. What does the term ‘mandatory reporter’ mean? Answer q4 a mandatory reporter is a person that delivers health care education or children services to a child/ren under 16 and authorise by the department community services and required to make reports 5. Why is it important to adopt an ‘interagency approach’? Answer q5 1,promoting a partnership approach to child protection Task 2 Read the case studies below and answer the questions that follow. Jamele You are a worker in a family support agency. Your service offers facilitated playgroups each week to young and isolated mothers. Jamelle is a 1year old and attends each week with her mother. Jamelle is a very timid and does not interact with other children during play time. On a few occasions Jamelle has arrived with several large bruises which Jamelle’s mother has explained as accidents that had occurred whilst Jamelle was attempting to walk by  herself. Jamelle often arrives smelling strongly of stale urine and appearing dirty and unwashed. When they arrived today for the playgroup Jamelle had bloodshot eyes and was very drowsy. Jamelle’s mother reported that Jamelle had not slept well that night and would probably need a lot of sleep today. During the session Jamelle began to vomit. 1. What are the indicators of risk? Answer q1. 1.neglect 2.abuse 3.suspected risk of significant harm 2. How you would respond to this situation? Answer q2 1.document and report to supervisor 2.investigate or possible involvement of police and DOCS 3.call ambulance to protect the health and safety of the child 3. How would you prepare to make a report? Answer q3 1. time and date sign all documented 2.follow all policy and procedures in your work place 3.details of child ,dob name , address phone number, parent or carer if child has disability any back ground if known 4.document what the mother has stated 4. Who would you notify and when? Answer q4 1.immediately discuss situation with your supervisor after you suspect the abuse to the child 5. What actions/work practices you would take as a follow up from the report. Answer q5 1.offer support and help for family 2.services for family eg counselling parental courses 3.comply with your work place policy and procedures Taj You are case worker in a local service that supports families where one of the parents has a mental illness. Your service offers a range of support services, one of which is a weekly support group for children aimed at  reducing isolation and developing coping skills for dealing with a parent with mental illness. Taj is a 10 year old boy who attends the service weekly. Taj is popular with both the staff and his peers and likes to participate in most activities. After the last school holidays, Taj returned to the service a changed child, he has become aggressive and picks fights with his peers. He has also become aggressive towards the other male worker and is isolating himself. Taj has started wearing jumpers and long pants, even on warmer days and refuses to remove any clothing when he shows clear signs of being overheated. During an activity, Taj’s jumper became caught on the table and pulled up revealing a mass of red welts and recent burn scarring on his stomach and back area. Over the last few weeks Taj has drawn some explicit sexual pictures during art activities and has been using very sexualised language. 1. What are the indicators of risk? Answers q1 Aggressive behaviour, picks fights, red welts, bur ns 1.physical 2.sexual 3.neglect 2. How you would respond to this situation? Answer q2 1.ask taj whats happening while on school holidays also contact the family 2. report and document speak to principal and report to your supervisor 3.make a child proctection report to DOCS and police 3. How would you prepare to make a report? Answer q3 names and addresses of the child and his parents or responsible caregiver(s) child’s age and gender nature and extent of injury, maltreatment or neglect   approximate date and time the injury, maltreatment or neglect occurred the circumstances in which the injuries, became known to case worker previous injury, abuse/ neglect of the child or siblings  name of the person suspected to have caused the injury, sexual abuse/ neglect any action taken to treat or help the child and sign   any other information the caseworker believes would be helpful What actions/work practices you would take as a follow up from the report. 1 your repsonsibilty regarding the safety welfare or wellbeing of the child does not cease once report has been made docs it is still your responsibilty to use professional resources to provide support appropriate to your role and identify and respond to any concerns for the young childs welfare Karli Karli is a 16 year old resident in a youth refuge. She is quite precocious and outgoing with all the residents. After the first few days, you noticed that she was flirting with one of the male youth workers. This is not an unusual situation and generally does not create major issues. Expectations that staff not engage in any relationship other than a professional helping relationship are clearly outlined in the agency code of conduct, staff recruitment and ongoing professional development and training. You have noticed over the last few weeks that the worker Jackson appears to be flirting back. You have noticed that there is a lot of incidental touching between them and while you have seen no touching that is clearly inappropriate you can â€Å"feel† a lot of sexual energy between them when they are interacting. You have tried to raise it in discussion but Jackson is dismissive and will not engage on the topic. 1. How you would respond to this situation? Answer q1 1.follow your work place policy and procedures 2.report incidents of your observation to your supervisor 3.discuss your concerns with jackson and karli 2. What ethical issues may arise when responding to these situations? Answer q2 1.breaching the client and workers code of ethics 2.client history and vulnerability and mental status 3.disscussion of sexual or romatic relationship have occurred 4.conflict of interest 5.mandatory and disciplinary action for the case worker Task 3 Read the scenario below and answer the questions that follow. Joseph Personal Information about Joseph Date of Birth: 31/10/04 Full Name: Joseph Timothy Drake Address: 13 Short St, Parker Languages spoken: Chinese and English Nationality: Chinese Other children: Only child Mother: Lis’s (09) 7476 9435 & Partner: Jake (no number provided) You are a community worker in a multicultural resource centre. Your service runs a range of programs to support and assist people from culturally diverse backgrounds. Many of your clients have limited social resources and one of the programs that is offered is a women’s friendship group which aims to reduce the isolation of women. Lis attends the friendship group each week. Lis lives with her son, Joseph who is 5 years old. She has had a series of failed relationships and is currently seeing Jake who you have never met. Lis has engaged you in a number of conversations over several weeks, where she often breaks down and discloses details about fights she has had with her partner. Last week, Lis recounted the events of the previous weekend, when she forgot to leave the key under the door mat and so her boyfriend broke the front door and came in yelling at Lis. Joseph was still up with her at this time, and Lis continued to say that she was worried Joseph had seen her get hit several times by Jake. Lis appears increasingly concerned that he might do something to Joseph as he keeps threatening her and arriving late at night after drinking. This week Lis turns up to the group with Joseph, although children are not part of the group. Lis mentions she is very upset as Jake had come home late again and there had been some trouble. During the group you notice that Joseph is aggressive with Lis and does not engage with other people. At one point Joseph wets his pants and you organise for a change of clothes. While Lis is changing Joseph you notice a large impact bruise on his back. When you approach Joseph lashes out. 1. Where would you find information on how your service responds to Child Protection issues? Answer q1 1. document and report to supervisor the worries and fears mother has for herself and joseph 2.ask mother consent to fill out incident report 3.mandatory reporting guide 4.multicultural services,internet/google 5.child protection helpline 2. List the legislative acts that govern Child Protection Services in your state/territory. Answer q2 1.family law act 1975 2.law reform act 1995 3.family law amended act 2006 4.national quality standards 5.onbudsman amendment act 1998 6.children and young person (care and protection) act 1998 7.children legislation amendment act 2009

Critically assess the arguments for and against adopting a stakeholder Essay

Critically assess the arguments for and against adopting a stakeholder perspective - Essay Example While the proponents of the shareholder perspective have their views so do the proponents of stakeholder perspective. In light of these two approaches, this paper will critically analyze the stakeholder perspective. First, the shareholder approach focused primarily on the owners or individuals holding the shares in the company with little regard of the rest. That is to say, all decisions were taken with the concerns of the owners first then others’ later. Conversely, the stakeholder perspective advocates for recognition of other organs in the business whose influence is also vital. These include the customers, employees, suppliers, governmental bodies and now the owners. According to the contents in Freeman’s book, the traditional shareholder was not only unhelpful to the owners but also to the business as well since it failed to address the customer needs (Miles 2012). Analysing this notion seems to reveal some truths in it though it also has some demerits, which could lead to negative impacts on the society. Lately, many companies have adopted stakeholder theory as a way of increasing profitability. The approach seeks to place the people seen as important to a business in a higher position (Miles 2012). That is to say, all actions taken by a corporate are focused on benefitting these people first. In this approach, the major people regarded highly include the owners, shareholders, customers, suppliers and in some case even competitors. Since this approach focuses on the most important stakeholder in the business- the customer to be precise- a number of benefits are evident. Freeman suggested that whenever a business applies the stakeholders even the shareholders’ interests are safeguarded. Additionally, when this approach is adopted, the business will last longer and even exhibit performance (Miles 2012). This is because businesses are able to analyze the needs by various stakeholders

The Effects of High Heat Index on Workplace Productivity and Employee Research Paper

The Effects of High Heat Index on Workplace Productivity and Employee Health - Research Paper Example This is coupled with minimal additions from urban development that comes through absorption of heat in concrete buildings. Scientists refer to this effect as the urban heat island effect. Increase in ambient temperature humanity to more heat especially during heat seasons. This is a direct cause of unhealthy working environments. It has profound effects to people who cannot afford protective devices (Bridger 2003). This also means that companies need to incur extra costs in installing cooling gadgets including air conditioners. Effects on the working environment influence the economic and health conditions of workers. The latter causes the former effect because the human body maintains a temperature of 37 degree Celsius. However, physical activities generate metabolic heat that the body transfers through homeostasis to the external environment. The body automatically carries homeostasis functions to avoid increasing the core body temperature. Various factors maintain the balance of heat in the body including humidity, air temperature, air movement, metabolic heat, radiant temperature, and clothing. Increasing physical activities in hot working environment increases the chances of increasing the core body temperature going above 38 degrees Celsius. Other risks in such circumstances include reduced physical working ability, reduced mental task ability, dehydration, and heat exhaustion. The human body looses four liters of fluid during daily usual operations. Lost fluids are replenished by drinking of water and eating liquid food. The case is different when the body is under different condition that include sweating, diarrhea, exercising, in a different climatic temperature, and when in a different altitude. The body requires high amount of fluid to sustain normal body temperature under such circumstances. The leading causes of loss of body fluid are sweating and exercise. When the body constantly sweats, the body efficiently cools. Organs of homeostasis

Personal code of ethics for the IT Professional Research Paper

Personal code of ethics for the IT Professional - Research Paper Example This code of ethics should guide one as a professional in the field to do the right thing and deliver quality services. Ethics is a term used to refer to a standard of telling apart right from wrong and applying the result, or the distinction consciously and unconsciously. In information technology, the issue of privacy is crucial to the provision of service, where one needs to ensure utmost discretion (Mingers and Walsham, 2010). This is concerning the relationship between the professional and the client, where the privacy of the client should be preserved at great lengths as is the case done with transactions in banks. In banks, information technology experts ensure privacy by encrypting the data transacted by the banks’ clients to servers and do not leak the information they may have access to. As a result, clients can rest assured that there is no cause for concern in their details on personal information getting out to the world. This is in addition to having their inform ation used for personal gain by the professionals as they have access to all the information that the bank has. As a result, of this, it is important to inculcate privacy concerns in ethics, where as a professional one should not poke their noses where they do not belong. Another moral to consider and include in the code of ethics is involvement in cybercrime, which works hand in hand with the privacy concerns. This is such that cybercrime works towards violating privacy rights of clients, where one can easily use the information to which they have access for fraudulent means such as hacking of accounts. With the penetration rates of information technology, protecting the needs of clients and clients themselves from cybercrime is an important thing that a professional should do. As such, a professional should not use his or her skills for personal gain through fraudulent means, which cybercrime entails. This is as seen in cases of stealing intellectual property using one’s kn owledge and skills in the field; thus, leading to loss of revenue to the actual owners. With this in mind, cybercrime involves hacking and plagiarizing intellectual property, which an information technologist should stay away from. In addition, following the use of information technology to bring down other people’s abilities and services should not be done, as it is also malicious use of skills and knowledge. For this reason, it is only ethical to combat cybercrime with relevant authorities and refraining from engaging from such activities. Cybercrime also covers spread of illegal and inappropriate content over networks and through digital media, which IT professionals are prone and vulnerable to doing. Taking responsibility in these issues should be a high order priority to prevent such occurrences, especially in unintentional spreads of infections through network infrastructure (Taddeo and Vaccaro, 2011). With this in mind, responsibility for one’s actions duties sh ould be practiced as it ensures reliability and accountability on the side of clients towards professionals. Therefore, being responsible should, be included amongst one of the contents in the code of ethics. Accountability as part of ethics also ensures that quality work is done for clients and that the professional is satisfied with what he or she has done; thus deserves the pay received. It is because of this that development in the field is achieved and quality is assured provided accountability is

PERSONAL ETHICAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE Assignment - 1

PERSONAL ETHICAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE - Assignment Example A leader in my own rights, I shall feel responsible in relieving tension in the environment I am living in. Life with its fast pace causes humankind to be continuously circulating in surroundings which are full of stressful conditions. My mind and body will be aware of this strain while communicating with my fellow humans. The daily issues which harass me and my friends will be solved with patience and togetherness. I would like to be in the role of mentor. The issues of ill health due to obesity and related illnesses ranging from diabetes mellitus to cardiac illness are snuffing out the lives of even young people in this fast- paced age. Sedentary lives are more common with the advent of computers. All this points to one main solution of exercising. I would set an example by jogging every morning and encouraging my friends to accompany me. If I have a say, I would motivate the other students and together we would formally request for a gymnasium for our college where all the staff and their families can work out. Physical well-being is extremely essential. My family of four members is very close to me. My father, a religious and strict personality has been my role model. He believes in keeping family ties intact. His instructions and exemplary behavior have kept this family cozy and happy. Mother insists on all of us sharing the breakfast and evening meals together. Sometimes we find it hard to reach in time. However when we remember that no one would eat without our presence, we manage to do so. We talk freely during our meals and family issues are discussed here as these are the few occasions when all are together. Paying attention to each other is another habit that we have thoroughly enjoyed. I would gladly pass on tips from my experience to my friends and acquaintances. Studying for engineering, I am lucky to have many bosom friends who have given me many wonderful

Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Literature review Example The Chinese government has legalised informal financing with the conditions that the money must not be raised from the general public and the maximum rate of interest must not exceed quadruple of the interest charged by formal institutions. Since ROSCAs typically fix the interest through bidding among the potential loan receivers, they exceed the interest limit of the government and are thus considered illegal and operate under cover (Chen, 2003; OECD Publishing,  2005; Li and Hsu, 2009). Informal lending institutions are officially allowed to charge much higher than formal lending institutions, which is why the cost of borrowing from such sources becomes very expensive. Judging by their resources and capabilities, this puts additional financial burden on private businesses. However, most of the loan applications by private businesses to banks and financial institutions get rejected primarily on grounds of absence of a previous credit history, sufficient collaterals and guarantee o f repayment. Thus, whereas formal lending institutions shy away from granting loans to private businesses, the credit crunch created due to non-availability of finance is being increasingly tended to by informal lenders. The article tries to get an insight into the financial system of China and analyses the dynamics of formal and informal financial institutions (Tanaka and Molnar, 2008). Research and Analysis The literature primarily wants to estimate the sizes of formal and informal lending markets, the criteria based on which loans are granted in each of these markets and the propensity of private businesses to borrow from the formal and informal lending institutions. To fulfil its objectives, the authors Kensuke Tanaka and Margit Molnar primarily use data from modified copy of a 2002 survey, conducted on 2500 private enterprises in China by the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, modified by Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2004 (Chinese University of Hong Kong, 200 4). Using the data, the authors have drawn a perspective of the finance industry of China as given below: Business size by sales (million ?) upto 1 1 to 3 3 to 10 10 to 20 20 to 50 more than 50 Businesses with borrowed funds 46% 57% 61% 64% 71% 58% Borrowings from formal lenders 14% 23% 28% 35% 44% 36% Borrowings from informal lenders 20% 18% 15% 12% 10% 8% Informal borrowings in products sector 23% 24% 20% 26% 9% 4% Informal borrowings in services sector 44% 35% 9% 12% 12% 9% The authors find that informal lenders are a significant source of finance for small private businesses, since formal lenders find them the riskiest due to unavailability of past credit history. Moreover, borrowing from informal lenders is more rampant in services sector than the products sector, chiefly because they have less tangible goods to keep as collateral. The authors compare the calculations with the findings of a survey conducted by Central Finance University that stated that the least developed area s of China (which coincidentally host the smallest private businesses) have the highest share of credit from informal lenders (Central Finance University of China, 2005). Next, the authors try to understand the

Line Management, Culture, Resoursce based view Case Study

Line Management, Culture, Resoursce based view - Case Study Example Line management is crucial in recruitments that are done in organizations. Procedure that are applied in line management have enabled following of norms in recruitment from analysis of jobs, advertisement of vacancies available based on job specifications and job requirements, resumes collection, conduction of written and verbal interviews and selection methods used in choosing the best recruits (Roy, 2007). Human resource management and function is much important aspect that has been applied in line management to achieve goals of organizations. Strategy that has been applied in human resource involves systematically linking of employees with activities of the organization. This has enabled working of employees with focus of achieving organization’s objectives. Analysis that line managers have done in organizations has enabled solving of strategic issues that relates to management of human resources in organizations (Bedward, 2007). Line management have been also used in focusing the integration between management of human resources and objectives and strategies that organizations have. This has contributed to effective management of resources leading to improvements in performance of organizations. Line managers have come to realize that they play an important role in peoples and employees that they manage. Issues that have come out in line management have been fast responded to enabling lack of diversion in objectives and strategies in organization (Lewis, 2006). Line management has enabled proper handling of costs in organization in achieving objectives in the organizations. Organizational cultures in human resource involve behaviors in hiring, training and orienting of employees in an organization. Culture in organizations has been crucial in strong alignment of organizations towards their achievement of goals (Bedward, 2007).

Principles of Marketing Communications Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Principles of Marketing Communications - Essay Example The current marketing communication campaign of IKEA can be regarded as an effective strategy for building long-term loyalty and relationship among its customers. Though marketing communication is an age-old concept, its strategies and implementation techniques are evolving as customer demands and preferences are changing. It is no doubt that the marketer has shifted from product marketing to customer marketing and ultimately to relationship marketing (Kitchen and Li, 2005). In order to create long lasting relationship with customers, it is important to send messages which are creative and offer more than just products or service. As a result, organisations are increasingly trying to attract customer attention offering service which helps them to improve their overall quality of life. Creating advertisements and campaigns with a social propaganda has become one of the major trends among big and successful firms (Balmer and Gray, 2003). The same concept has been implemented by IKEA in its current brand campaign where the objective is to encourage children and adults to spend more time together. It can be at home doing activities such as, baking, cleaning or simple relaxing, apart from playing and making merry. As a result, the organisation upheld a three minute documentary of a particular family created by the mother. The idea was to send customers the message that IKEA understands how individuals stay at home and various challenges that they face especially when it comes to working at home.

Case Study about 32 employees Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Case Study about 32 employees - Research Paper Example Moreover, the interview method indicates the qualitativeness of the data that the consultant is gathering. In conducting a Descriptive Research, the consultant will simply be able to provide a description of the prevalent behavior of the employees in the workplace (Creswell, 2003). Question Two: How would you categorize the type of research conducted in Phase Two? Answer: The type of research conducted in Phase Two is Quantitative research. The Quantitative Research design makes use of numeric data in order to make inferences about a certain group. In this case, the consultant gathered numeric or quantitative data from the company employment records in the hope of finding significant differences in the data contained in the records (Creswell, 2003). Data: 1. During Phase One, the consultant determined that 50% of the employees were PhDs involved in new product research, the other 50% were laborers involved in distributing the product lines to customers. All of the PhDs were male, and all of the laborers were female. For all of the females, the employee’s income was a secondary income for the family; all were married and the majority had children. For the PhDs, the employee’s income was the family’s primary income; the majority was married with children. When asked, the managers noted that none of the employees ever violated the company’s absenteeism or tardiness policies. The majority of the employees expressed satisfaction with the company’s attendance policies. Several employees (all laborers) noted that the policy afforded them a good deal of flexibility to handle family matters as needed. The company awarded 20 days (160 hours) per year of vacation time that could accrue to a total of 40 days; they also provided 20 days (160 hours) of sick leave that could accrue to 180 days at which time long term disability took over paying the person’s salary. Sick leave and vacation could be taken on an hourly basis with manager approval. 2. The table below contains the numerical data collected by the consultant. Vac. Time Sick Leave Employee Gender Class. (hours) (hours) 1 M R 250 1000 2 M R 300 1250 3 F L 5 10 4 F L 4 25 5 M R 200 900 6 F L 100 24 7 M R 110 875 8 F L 75 150 9 F L 65 140 10 F L 120 250 11 M R 250 1225 12 M R 243 1210 13 F L 25 100 14 F L 10 50 15 M R 200 1100 16 M R 210 1098 17 F L 24 45 18 F L 15 23 19 F L 10 15 20 M R 220 1200 21 M R 250 1245 22 F L 25 54 23 M R 300 1300 24 F L 70 80 25 F L 80 100 26 M R 320 1440 27 M R 320 1440 28 F L 45 100 29 F L 34 100 30 M R 190 1000 31 M R 200 1100 32 M R 210 1200 Question Three: Calculate the average amount of vacation and sick leave for the two groups of employees (i.e., PhDs and laborers). Please show your work. Answer: In calculating the average amount of vacation and sick leave for the two groups of employees, the table was inputted to Excel and the data was sorted so that all researchers were grouped together and all laborers were grouped to gether. Afterwhich, the â€Å"AVERAGE† function was used to find the needed values. The following results were found: Table 1. Average Vacation and Sick Leave for Laborers and Researchers.    Vacation Time (in hours) Sick Leave (in hours) Laborers 44.2 79.1 Researchers 235.8 1161.4 Question Four: Calculate the standard deviation for the amount of vacati

Advertising & Alcohol Products Essay Example for Free

Advertising Alcohol Products Essay People’s life are built and protected by both us and society. We make our life happiness by enjoy as much as possible qualified products and society which is represented by government ensured the life quality by regulation requesting the obligation from all people towards product’s usage. Nevertheless, in some cases, government has to control and put the enforcement on consumer even if people like to use that product. Alcohol can be seen as a very popular example. People feel excited when use it, but, what will happen if the alcohol consumption increases year by year. As cited by Hall in his research this year, there was 25% increase in liver deaths which is caused by alcohol in last ten years. Not only alcohol beverages but alcohol advertising is interesting as well in attracting people. Therefore, alcohol advertising is now controlled strictly to prevent its bad impact. Government is allowed and able to do this for a better life to UK people. See more: Is the Importance of being earnest a satirical play essay Binge-drinking can be listed as a trouble for middle-aged, middle-class and out-of-control youth in UK. It is worth noting that UK people are one of groups consuming alcohol most in Europe (British Medical Association, 2009). Since, UK government has to consider and find solution for this problem. It can be known that the effect of alcohol is similar to drug as well as tobacco although it depends on the quantities of usage. However, according to BMA board of science, it can be denied that not only drinker but also their relatives are affected by harmful consequences from alcohol such as contributory factor and violence at home. At first, advertising is same as other marketing tools with the aim to persuade people use product as much as possible. In the situation of alcohol, Advertisement increases consumer’s conceptions about alcohol which can promote them buy more. The journal of British Medical Association in 2009 cited the research conducted by Anderson and other researcher s that â€Å"alcohol marketing and promotion relate to the likelihood that adolescents will begin to use alcohol and drink more if they are already using alcohol†. Jernigan (2010) suggested that a mix of unmeasured activities relating to cultural, religious and regulatory context is used by alcohol companies. Advertising approach consumer, especially the Youth in many ways: marketing on Television, newspaper, sponsorship for sports, music, and cinema. The image of alcohol impresses people day by day encouraging them use it naturally. As a result, these activities impacts making decision of the youth in alcohol purchasing because culture, religion and regulation contribute strongly to the growth process of young people. Moreover, The high rate of alcohol beverages advertising’s appearance in public encourage people use it regularly for entertainment and daily usage which will result in bad effect on people life and society. This present can make people see wine, beer as a daily product. The greater availability of alcohol advertising is the reason why people under 23 years old continue to raise their drinking behavior (Jernigan, 2010). The high alcohol consumption of much means their health will have problem as well as the ability of causing violence or crime can be increased in society. Therefore, alcohol advertising should be limited like tobacco so that people will realize that the former also has bad effects as the latter. Although alcohol is still a product and beverage companies have right to advertise, this is sensitive one so that government should control for a safety of people life. The limitation of alcohol advertising will help government protect people’s health and social security. There will be no more crime which is relevant to alcohol. The health of people will be ensured. Let’s take Denmark as an example, this country only accepted broadcast advertising on low alcohol-content products and the rates of alcohol intoxication was reported highest rates at that time among European countries (International Center for Alcohol Policies) Wilby (2008) proposed that people are heavily impacted by advertising due to they are freely to accept information provided by other agents. Therefore, governments should be allowed to control advertising and able to manage the advertising of alcohol beverages companies by using advertising regulation, sign agreement with alcohol beverage companies and advertising agency or control newspaper and broadcasting agencies. He also suggested that governments can put enforcement on the advertising of cars, alcohol, junk food and other potentially dangerous products as the same way they used to work towards tobacco advertising. For example, as established in Advertising Standard Authority, in UK, â€Å"alcohol marketing is required that ads not link alcohol with sex, social success, youth culture or juvenile behavior.† (Hall, 2012) Enjoy the life as well as using entertaining product freely is demand of all most every people. On the other hand, alcohol beverage companies are also absolutely right when they want to provide as much as possible good alcoholic beverages for their consumer. Nevertheless, it is necessary to have a third party which is governments of countries in general and U. K government to put alcohol advertising under the control. They can set regulation and request that alcohol companies follow it strictly.

Importance of Quality Assurance in Forensic Science

Importance of Quality Assurance in Forensic Science Introduction How important is ‘Quality’ in Forensic Science? Some may say ‘Quality’ is very important and others may disagree. The purpose of this essay is to outline the importance ‘Quality’ has in Forensic Science and whether ‘Quality’ is practiced in all Forensic settings. What is Quality assurance? Quality assurance is the basic maintenance of a specific level of Quality within a working practice, designed to ensure attention to detail is achieved and products are free of faults (5). In this case Quality assurance has become an essential element of modern forensic science (8), it is guarantying that a consistent set of standard and integrity and the level of maintenance is achieved and sustained throughout Forensic science establishments. This means ensuring that reliable and accurate testing are undertaken at all times (6). Quality assurance involves Quality control checks to be done to confirm that test results obtained are accurate and re liable (6) which guarantees that the standard of Quality is being maintained. Forensic Science has an important part to play in criminal investigations when a case is taken to court. Forensic science involves the search for and examination of evidence which can be useful in securing convictions (1). It is a very important aspect as it relies on science testimonies rather than witness statements. In order for Forensic Science to be fully relied on within a case, the Quality of the Laboratory where the evidence is examined should be an appropriate operating working standard (Quality assurance). Main Why is Quality deemed to be important? Well if Quality assurance and control are not programmed within an establishment such as a Laboratory, many companies will end up customising their own policies. This will only result in random testing being done and different interpretations being met that will not coincide with each other. But why is this important in Forensic Science? It is important in the Forensic science setting because if every laboratory adopted their own policies, for example how evidence is tested and what conditions they are tested in, when evidence is presented in court there could be questions on ‘how do we know what conditions evidence is tested in (could there b contamination) and if protocol and procedures used by this company is right’. In order for standard of procedure to be maintained, I believe it is important that all Laboratories that handle evidence are accredited and use the same procedures and policies throughout to ensure all results are c o-insistent with each other. Andrew Rennison the Forensic Science Regulator from 2008-2014, main job was to ensure that all Forensic Science services had the appropriate regime of scientific quality standards (2). Over the years he improved or made new standards of quality to ensure Forensic science services such as Laboratories underwent accreditation. He wanted to ensure that all crime scene evidence were being tested in the best (accredited) Laboratories there were. However under the time Andrew Rennison was the Forensic Science Regulator there were many Laboratories that were handling criminal evidence without being officially accredited. Could these results of evidence pieces be fully relied on? Why weren’t these Laboratories accredited? Accreditation is the means of assessing the reliability and integrity of an organisation such as a Laboratory ensuring it meets the specific requirements in order to reduce risks under the international accreditation standards (3). The organisations which appoint accreditation are called ‘accreditation bodies’ (4). There are many steps that are taken for a company to gain accreditation. One of the first steps requires registry, this involves money. Could this be the reason why many Laboratories are not accredited? Well in 2013 many companies lost accreditation, not because they were dirty and seen as unreliable with evidence testing but due to a failure of not paying the fees. Accreditation seems to be a voluntary process, but how does one know if the level of Quality is being maintained in a company were accreditation has not be achieved? Surely it should be compulsory, especially for Laboratories that are handling evidence that may be presented to court. Are accredited Laboratories better to use than the non accredited ones? Well that is a personal opinion. Put yourself in this situation, evidence presented against you. Would you want it to be tested in a Laboratory, where the standard of quality is high as they have passed inspections and gained an accreditation certificate or in a Laboratory where the quality of the Laboratory is unknown and they have not gained accreditation, due to not paying fees or some other reason? In London right now there are many Laboratories that are in the process of gaining accreditation, but are still undergoing evidence testing. Although accreditation has a big part to play with the maintenance of quality, there are other factors that affect quality standards. For example the closure of the Forensic Science Service (FSS) had an effect on quality in the Forensic science industry. This was because many small companies had the pressure placed on them and were given a heavier workload which lead to many mistakes occurring, questioning their standard of quality (7). What happens if Quality is not maintained? Well there are many cases where poor quality standards in a Laboratory have caused cases to be reviewed or collapse, this is due to the Forensic evidence being examined and tested inappropriately or with possible contamination. There are also cases where good standard of quality has lead to evidence being tested correctly and lead to convictions. For example the convictions made in the Stephen Lawrence case was due to the extensive work and excellent standard of quality both in the Laboratory and the scientists work. Analysis was done on a jacket and sweatshirt worn by the suspects in the case, twice in 1993 and 1995. Both times scientists found no conclusive evidence. Could this have been due to the way in which quality was controlled in Forensics? Well in 2006 all evidence items in the case was submitted to LGC Forensics (9), at this time the Laboratories used were all accredited and so were deemed to comply with the standard of quality (1 0). Not only did the Laboratory and the scientists find DNA particles, they also found hair and 7 fibres from the sweatshirt, where 6 matched the victim’s trouser and a lone fibre which matched the victim’s polo shirt (11). Another 16 fibres were found on the jacket of the second suspect which was also a definite match to the victim (9). Surely the two failed attempts of not finding any evidence could have seen the suspects get away with murder if the LGC Forensics an accredited Laboratory had not got involved. However although LGC Forensics were credited for the great work they undertook in the Stephen Lawrence case, this company was put under scrutiny in 2011 when a suspect was wrongly convicted of rape. The evidence submitted to the Laboratory was later shown to have an error of contamination during the time the evidence was tested (12). This shows that although a Laboratory is accredited and is believed to have a high standard of quality, there can be many situations where the standard of quality can be flawed. Conclusion In this essay the importance of quality in Forensic science has been explored. How accredited Laboratories have had good standard of quality and also how accredited Laboratories have failed in maintaining their quality has been discussed. When quality within a Forensic setting falls below a certain standard mistakes such as contamination in the rape case seen above can occur. If quality is to be maintained throughout, more routinely checks should be done by both the Accreditation bodies and owners of companies. This will ensure the level of maintenance needed is maintained always, all standard procedures are being followed for testing done by new and existing scientists and equipment is thoroughly checked and cleaned to prevent contamination. The standard of quality may have dropped when the FSS was closed, as they received heavier workloads which lead to them making many mistakes but also because many experienced and knowledgeable scientists in specific areas were left without a job . Although the standard of quality may have dropped, I believe the standard of quality has risen in the Forensic world as cases such as Stephen Lawrence, would not have had the breakthrough it did if the standard of quality in the Laboratory was low and if the quality undertaken by the scientist‘s did not reach the levels needed in today’s Forensic science services. Hopefully in the future there will be a rise in the number of accredited Forensic Laboratories so maintenance of quality can be somewhat controlled as I believe quality has a significance importance within Forensic science.

A Problem Question on Company Law

A Problem Question on Company Law Issue The case is about a large flower shop where the conflict between a manager and the two workers arose. The employer of the manager, James, pays him a salary of $100,000 per year to manage the business, which includes some 15 employees, including 2 cleaners and 6 flower arrangers. Two flower arrangers, Dan and Sam, have been pestering the manager for weeks about getting an increase in their hourly rate. The manager has repeatedly explained to Dan and Sam that he cannot agree to a pay rise without first speaking to James, and that as he is overseas, that will not happen until the end of the month. Dan and Sam are becoming increasingly frustrated with his refusal to consider their request. One Wednesday morning(the busiest day), Dan and Sam confront the manager and tell him that unless he agrees to increase their hourly rate by $5 per hour, they are going to walk out with the 4 other flower arrangers, leaving the manager to fulfil the orders on his own. The manager has no choice but to agree to their request, as there are four wedding orders that must be done today. The manager prom ­ises to adjust their pay as requested. Once the day is finished, you sit down and consider the ramifications. This essay argues that: Is the manager legally obliged to keep his promise? What are the legal remedies? If the manager did not agree to their terms, and they walked out, what would he has been able to do if the orders weren’t fulfilled and the business lost $10,000/-? Law Stilk v Myrick [1809] [1] is a contract law case of the English High Court on the subject of consideration. In his verdict, the judge, decided that in cases where an individual was bound to do a duty under an existing contract, that duty could not be considered valid consideration for a new contract. According to the Law of Employment [2] Eachcontract[[3]] of employment contains terms and conditions by which the parties of the contract i.e. empoyer and employee regulate their relationship. These terms may be in black white or spoken. More often, the appointment letters, job descriptions, policy manuals, workplace rules practicesare considered to be the part of terms of the contract. Such terms impose a legal binding on both of the parties of contract to perform their consideration in adequate manner. These terms can also include restrictions such as period of employment, amount of wage, serving of notice periods, etc Application According to the aforemetioned case, Stilk v Myrick [1809] and keeping in view the principle of precedent, the manager is not legally obliged to keep his promise, because there was no additional consideration, fulfilled by the workers who remained at the flower shop against the additional pay which they claimed. Before they start pestering the manager for the salary increase they had undertaken to do all that they could under all the circumstances at the workplace. They had sold all their services at the previous wage rate. Therefore, without looking to the policy of this agreement, it is void for want of extra pay for the same consideration which they committed before, and that the plaintiff can only recover the same, without making any claim for legal remedies. As discussed above, if the terms of agreement carries any binding of serving a fixed employment period or a notice period before leaving the employment then the employees could not blackmail the manager by saying that they will quite immediately, if no arise of pay is made by the manager. In this scenario, the employees will be liable to pay for the damages resulted by their breach of employment contract. Such damages can be calculated by two ways: The Expectation Interest [4] and The Reliance Interest [5]. Conclusion In view of above and the principle of precedent [6], it can be concluded that due to no offereing of any additional consideration from the end of flower arrangers and trying to blackmail the manager for promising them to pay extra wage, the promise made by the manager becomes null and void and has no legal value. Thus, the manager is not legally obliged to keep his promise and for any of the legal remedies. Bibliography Books Contract Law, 7th Edition by Poole, Jill Contract Law, 7th Edition by McKendrick, Ewan Black Law Dictionary, 5th Edition Articles Legal Studies by P Luther, ‘Campbell, Espinasse and the Sailors’ [1999] ‘Consideration: Practical Benefit and the Emperor’s New Clothes’ by M Chen-Wishart, in Good Faith and Fault in Contract Law[1995] by J Beatson and D Friedmann Weblinks The Law Handbook [http://www.lawhandbook.org.au/handbook/] [1] Stilk was contracted to work on a ship owned by Myrick for  £5 a month, promising to do anything needed in the voyage regardless of emergencies. After the ship docked at Cronstadt two men deserted, and after failing to find replacements the captain promised the crew the wages of those two men divided between them if they fulfilled the duties of the missing crewmen as well as their own. After arriving at their home port the captain refused to pay the crew the money he had promised to them. When the matter was brought in front of the court the decision was made by the Judge, that since the crew members made no extra performance as consideration of the contract, thus they are not entitled to receive any extra wage for that. [2] Thetype of lawthatgovernstheemployer and employeerelationship, which includesemploymentcontracts of individuals. [3] An oral or written agreement, such as relating to employment, sales, etc, that has ability of enforceablity by law. [4] The court aim to put the plaintiff in the position which he would have been in, if the contract had been performed. [5] The court aim to put the plaintiff in the position which he would have been in, if the contract had not formed [6] A precedent is a principle or rule established in a previouslegal casethat is either binding on or persuasive for acourtor other tribunal when deciding subsequent cases with similar issues orfacts.

The Nature of Humanity in the Work of Sherwood Anderson Essay -- Human

The Nature of Humanity in the Work of Sherwood Anderson A common staple of horror stories—in film and on the page—is the scene of the frightened and indignant villagers chasing the monster who has been terrorizing the townsfolk. In Sherwood Anderson’s â€Å"Hands,† the protagonist, Adolph Myers (Wing Biddlebaum) is a well-intentioned individual whose actions the people around him contort so that he becomes more fiend than friend. In Wing Biddlebaum, the very aspects of his character that make him human are those that society distorts to make him into a maladapted monster: first, the mystery that surrounds him causes the townspeople to misunderstand him; second, because of the accusations of his pedophilic homosexuality stemming from this misunderstanding, they demonized him into a pariah; and, third, the guilt that the â€Å"mob† forces him to feel ultimately confines him to his own prison of anguish. Approaching the story from this perspective demonstrates that Wing’s destiny is almost beyond his control, a destiny significantly manufactured by his society’s judgments. Wing is an extremely intricate person; however, most of the people among whom he lived in Pennsylvania before his current residence in Ohio failed to recognize this, as do his fellow citizens in the town of Winesburg. Anderson describes him as â€Å"one of those rare, little-understood men who rule by a power so gentle that it passes as a lovable weakness† (13). Just as his previous neighbors were unable to understand Wing fully, so are those among whom he currently lives: â€Å"the depth and complexity of [his] suffering† baffles them (Elledge 11). The very profundity of Wing’s situation explains why he â€Å"for twenty years had been the town mystery,† although osten... ...While he is obviously no monster, ironically, his weakness and frailty as a limited mortal prolong his fall from grace, making a rise from such a fall seem insurmountable, tragically preserving the inaccurate image of his soul as that of a mere depraved, malevolent, and corrupting offense to human decency. Works Cited Anderson, Sherwood. â€Å"Hands.† Winesburg, Ohio. New York: Bantam, 1995. 8-15. Brown, Lynda. â€Å"Anderson’s Wing Biddlebaum and Freeman’s Louisa Ellis.† Studies in Short Fiction 27.3 (1990): 413-414. Elledge, Jim. â€Å"Dante’s Lovers in Sherwood Anderson’s ‘Hands.’† Studies in Short Fiction 21.1 (1984): 11-15. Morgan, Gwendolyn. â€Å"Anderson’s ‘Hands.’† The Explicator 48.1 (1989): 46-47. Updike, John. â€Å"Twisted Apples: On Winesburg, Ohio.† The American Short Story and Its Writer. Ed. Ann Charters. Boston: Bedford, 2000. 1464-1468.

Best Friends :: Friendship Essay Personal Narrative

Best Friends Steam hung heavily in the air as Ashli Jacobson stood with her head bowed, letting the streams of hot water beat against her back. The radio by the sink blared a heavy bass line and undecipherable words. Reluctantly, she turned the shower off, wiped the water from her eyes and stepped from the dripping shower stall. A sudden pounding on the door jerked her out of her reverie. What was I just thinking about? Blast- "Ashli? Are you going to be out soon?" Ashli sighed, suppressing the urge to yell, No! I'm staying in here forever! "I'll be out in a minute," she called instead, wiping vapor from the mirror. "Hurry up, would you?" Ashli turned off the radio and secured a pink, fluffy towel around herself. Her bare feet making tiny puddles on the cool tile floor, she went to the door and opened it. Chilly air from the hallway hit her sharply and she shivered, clutching the towel closer. Jenny waited in the hall. Her blue eyes flashed with impatience. "I have to put my face on before my date." She brushed past Ashli and planted herself in front of the mirror. "What time is it?" Ashli asked, aware she was dripping on the floor. She raked a hand through her sopping wet hair. "Almost seven," Jenny answered, searching for her mascara. Joshua will be here soon." Ashli's brain began to make a list of all the things she had to do before her best friend arrived for their Saturday night ritual of popcorn, television, and conversation. Jenny looked at Ashli doubtfully. "Are you sure? He hasn't called." Ashli impatiently swiped away a lock of wet hair before answering. "He never calls. He'll be here. It's Saturday night. We never miss a Saturday together." "I noticed." Jenny began to apply blush to her cheeks. "You two are awfully close, " she commented. Ashli rolled her green eyes and sighed. "That's why he's my best friend, as opposed to just a friend. "How did his doctor's appointment go?" The question caught Ashli off guard. Not only did it come out of nowhere, but Ashli never shared important information like that with Jenny. "Well, since you apparently listened to our telephone conversation, you know the doctors are satisfied that there isn't any trace of leukemia left. He has a clean bill of health," Ashli answered through clenched teeth. Best Friends :: Friendship Essay Personal Narrative Best Friends Steam hung heavily in the air as Ashli Jacobson stood with her head bowed, letting the streams of hot water beat against her back. The radio by the sink blared a heavy bass line and undecipherable words. Reluctantly, she turned the shower off, wiped the water from her eyes and stepped from the dripping shower stall. A sudden pounding on the door jerked her out of her reverie. What was I just thinking about? Blast- "Ashli? Are you going to be out soon?" Ashli sighed, suppressing the urge to yell, No! I'm staying in here forever! "I'll be out in a minute," she called instead, wiping vapor from the mirror. "Hurry up, would you?" Ashli turned off the radio and secured a pink, fluffy towel around herself. Her bare feet making tiny puddles on the cool tile floor, she went to the door and opened it. Chilly air from the hallway hit her sharply and she shivered, clutching the towel closer. Jenny waited in the hall. Her blue eyes flashed with impatience. "I have to put my face on before my date." She brushed past Ashli and planted herself in front of the mirror. "What time is it?" Ashli asked, aware she was dripping on the floor. She raked a hand through her sopping wet hair. "Almost seven," Jenny answered, searching for her mascara. Joshua will be here soon." Ashli's brain began to make a list of all the things she had to do before her best friend arrived for their Saturday night ritual of popcorn, television, and conversation. Jenny looked at Ashli doubtfully. "Are you sure? He hasn't called." Ashli impatiently swiped away a lock of wet hair before answering. "He never calls. He'll be here. It's Saturday night. We never miss a Saturday together." "I noticed." Jenny began to apply blush to her cheeks. "You two are awfully close, " she commented. Ashli rolled her green eyes and sighed. "That's why he's my best friend, as opposed to just a friend. "How did his doctor's appointment go?" The question caught Ashli off guard. Not only did it come out of nowhere, but Ashli never shared important information like that with Jenny. "Well, since you apparently listened to our telephone conversation, you know the doctors are satisfied that there isn't any trace of leukemia left. He has a clean bill of health," Ashli answered through clenched teeth.

Korea Essay -- essays research papers

The Korean Religious Heritage Korea's religious heritage has contributed to the teaching of the Unification Church. Since it first appeared on Korean soil and was nourished by the Korean philosophy of life, the new movement was naturally influenced to some extent by its environment. Just as Eastern Orthodoxy cannot be understood apart from Christian Hellenism, and Roman Catholicism is a product of Latin civilization, so the Unification Church greatly profited from the religious development of its homeland. Korea's indigenous religion, like that of most early cultures, was a form of shamanism. This original faith has never completely disappeared and still exerts considerable influence. Ancient Koreans believed in a variety of supernatural spirits, both good and evil. But more important was the one supreme Spirit, Hananim, the creator and beneficent ruler over creation. This high God was worshipped at mountain shrines; and to win his favor animal sacrifices were offered at appropriate times. Springtime and harvest festivals were particularly important. For more details, one can look at my book entitled Faiths of the Far East. 1 For our purposes, it is merely necessary to point out that from time immemorial Koreans believed in the existence of one Lord of heaven and earth as well as numerous lesser spirits. From earliest times Koreans have experienced direct contact with supernatural powers. Furthermore, shamanism emphasized Korea's unique role in history. Traditionally, Koreans dressed in white, because this symbolized their faith that they were children of the divine light. For centuries the shamans taught that Koreans had been chosen for a special purpose in God's plan for mankind. One should therefore not overlook the religious dimension of Korean nationalism. Then, as Buddhism spread from India across East Asia, it was planted in Korea. For a thousand years, Mahayana Buddhism, which came via China, was the court religion and popular faith of the Korean monarchy. Numerous Buddhist temples were erected at government expense. Monks and nuns became a normal feature of Korean society. Education and the fine arts were inspired by Buddhist teachings. Powerful abbots were advisors to the king as well as being the teachers of conventional morality. It would be impossible to exaggerate the religious, ethical and cultural effect which a millennium of Buddhist life a... ...s case came to trial several months later, he was completely exonerated. In spite of persecution, the Unification Church continued to grow. In 1958 a missionary was sent to Japan and the following year I came to Eugene, Oregon, as the first missionary to the United States. By 1975 missionary teams had been sent to one hundred and twenty countries. In 1960 Reverend Moon married Hak Ja Han. He and his wife moved to America in 1972, where he had begun nation-wide speaking tours. These culminated in the Madison Square Garden rally. As a result of this American publicity, the foundation was laid for an immense World Rally for Korean Freedom in Seoul at which Reverend Moon spoke to more than one million people on June 7, 1975. His Yankee Stadium appearance took place on June 1, 1976, and the Washington Monument Rally on September 18, 1976, provided an appropriate finale to Reverend Moon's public speaking campaigns in the United States. Throughout his life, his motto has been: To restore the world, Let us go forth With the heart of the Father In the shoes of a servant, Shedding sweat for the earth, Tears for man And blood for heaven. 9 Hyo-Won Eu. The Apostolic Herald, November, 1956.

An Evaluation of the Performance of Three Different Mutual Funds Essay

Asset Allocation: Up to 95% of the Fund’s NAV will be invested in equities. Minimum of 5% of the Fund’s NAV will be invested in sukuk, Islamic debt instruments, Islamic money market instruments and/or liquid assets acceptable under Shariah principle Investment Strategy And Policy RHB Islamic Growth Fund is geared towards investors who look for Shariah compliant instruments that provide long term capital appreciation. The Fund will be mainly investing in public listed companies with growth potential,  sukuk, Islamic debt securities and other securities acceptable under the Shariah principles. Selection of equity investments of the Fund will be in line with those in the SC’s Shariah list which is updated and published twice a year. The External Investment Manager utilises a strategy that seeks attractively priced companies in undervalued sectors, or in sectors that have strong upward stock price momentum by seeking businesses that demonstrate strong increase in earnings per share and continue to strengthen their fundamental capabilities and competitive positions, amongst others. The Fund may invest in fixed income securities to preserve the value of the Fund under volatile market conditions. For fixed income securities, the Fund seeks investments amongst the Shariah compliant fixed income papers that are of investment grades. As such, the equities holding may be reduced. Performance Benchmark: FTSE Bursa Malaysia Emas Shariah Index. Securities may decline in value due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries represented in the securities markets. The value of a security may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates or adverse investors’ sentiment generally. They may also decline due to factors that affect a particular industry or industries, such as labour shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than The performance of each individual stock that a unit trust fund invests is dependent upon the management quality of the particular company and its growth potential. Hence, this would have an impact on the unit trust fund’s prices and its dividend income. RHBIAM aims to reduce all these risks by using diversification that is expected to reduce the volatility as well as the risk for the Fund’s portfolio. In addition, RHBIM will also perform continuous fundamental research and analysis to aid its active asset allocation management especially in its stock selection process. This risk is associated with investments that are quoted in foreign currency denomination. When an underlying fund is denominated in a foreign currency  which fluctuates unfavourably against the Ringgit, the investment in the Fund may face currency loss in addition to the capital gains/losses. This will lead to a lower NAV of the Fund. Currency risks could be mitigated on a two-pronged approach. Firstly by spreading the investable assets across differing currencies and secondly by utilising forward contracts to hedge the currencies if it is deemed as necessary to do so. Bond issuers may default or reschedule their repayment. When this occurs the value of the defaulted bond would fall and cause the NAV of the underlying fund to decline in a similar proportion. This risk can be mitigated by careful selection of bond funds and in any case this Fund only invests in bond funds that invest in investment grade bonds. The performance of equities and money market instruments held by the underlying funds are also dependent on company specific factors like the issuer’s business situation. If the company-specific factors deteriorate, the price of the specific security may drop significantly and permanently, possibly even regardless of an otherwise generally positive stock market trend. Risks include but are not limited to competitive operating environments, changing industry conditions and poor management. Since the Fund invests into funds managed by other fund houses, the Manager has no control over the respective fund houses’ investment technique, knowledge or management expertise. In the event of mismanagement, the NAV of the Fund which invests into the Target Funds would be affected negatively. Although the probability of such occurrences is far fetched, should the situation arise the Manager reserves the right to seek an alternative fund manager and/or other collective investment scheme that is consistent with the objective of the Fund. Any changes in national policies and regulations may have an effect on the capital markets in which the Target Funds are investing. If this occurs there is a possibility that the unit price of the Fund may be adversely affected. Since a large portion of the Fund’s NAV is invested in the Target Fund, investment into the Fund assumes the risks inherent in the respective Target Funds. The specific risks to investors when investing in the Fund include the following: Investment manager risk As this Fund invests at least 95% of its NAV in the Target Fund, it is subject to the risk associated with the investment manager of the Target  Fund. This is the risk associated with the following:- (i) The risk that the investment manager may under-perform the target or the benchmark of the Target Fund due to the investment manager making poor forecasts of the performances of securities, asset classes or markets; (ii) The risk of non-adherence to the investment objectives, strategy and policies of the Target Fund, which may occur due to system failure or the inadvertence of the investment manager; and  (iii) The risk of direct or indirect losses resulting from inadequate or failed operational and administrative processes, systems and people. RHBIM has no control over the investment manager’s investment strategy, techniques and capabilities, operational controls and management of the Target Fund. Any mismanagement of the Target Fund may negatively affect the NAV of the Fund. In the event of such occurrence, RHBIM would seek an alternative investment manager and/or other target fund that is consistent with the objective of the Fund. Market risk: The value of the instruments in which the Target Fund invests, may go up or down in response to the prospects of individual companies and/or prevailing economic conditions. Movement of overseas markets may also have an impact on the local markets. Currency risk: The Fund invests up to 95% of its NAV in the Target Fund denominated in USD. Fluctuation in foreign exchange rates will affect the value of the Fund’s foreign investments when converted into local currency and subsequently the value of Unit Holders’ investments. When USD moves unfavourably against the Ringgit, these investments will suffer currency losses. This is in addition to any capital gains or losses in the investment (please note that capital gains or losses in the Feeder Fund’s investment in the Target Fund is also exposed to currency gains or losses resulting from fluctuations in the foreign exchange rates between USD and the other currencies which the Target Fund may be e exposed to. RHBIM may utilise the hedging of currencies to mitigate this risk. Liquidity risk: The liquidity risk that exists at the Fund level is associated with the inability of the Target Fund to meet large redemption in a timely manner. In the event of large redemption request that would result in the total redemption shares in the Target Fund to be more than 10% of the shares in the Target Fund or a particular share class of the Target Fund, part or all of such requests for redemption may be deferred for a period typically not exceeding ten Target Fund Business Days. Regulatory risk: Any changes in national policies and regulations may have an effect on the capital markets in which the Target Fund is investing. If this occurs, there is a possibility that the unit price of the Fund may be adversely affected. Risk of Substantial Redemptions Substantial redemptions of shares within a limited period of time could require the Target Fund to liquidate positions more rapidly than would otherwise be desirable, which could adversely affect the value of the shares of the Target Fund. This risk may be exacerbated where an investment with a fixed life or where investments utilizing hedging techniques is made by the Target Fund. Suspension of NAV Calculation / Limitation of Redemption Payments The Umbrella Fund may in certain circumstances temporarily suspend the determination of the net asset value per share of the Target Fund or a specific share class of the Target Fund and the issue, redemption or exchange of shares or a particular share class in the Target Fund. As further described in the Target Fund Prospectus, if on any given date requests for redemption of shares relate to more than 10% of the shares in the Target Fund or a particular share class of the Target Fund, part or all of such requests for redemption may be deferr ed for a period typically not exceeding ten (10) Target Fund Business Days. CIMB Principal Equity fund Investment objective To provide investors with an opportunity to gain consistent and stable income by investing in a diversified portfolio of dividend yielding equities and fixed income securities. The Fund may also provide moderate capital growth potential over the medium to long term period. Any material changes to the investment objective of the Fund would require Unit holders’ approval. Benchmark As this Fund is an equity fund with up to 30% of its NAV in foreign equities, the benchmark of the Fund is a composite comprising 70% KLCI + 30% MSCI AC Asia ex Japan. The information on KLCI can be obtained from http://www.bursamalaysia.com and local national newspapers. The information on MSCI AC Asia ex Japan can be obtained from http://www.msci.com/overview/index.html and Bloomberg L.P. Investment policy and principal investment strategy The Fund may invest up to a maximum of 98% of its NAV in equities in order to gain long-term capital growth. The Fund may opt to invest in foreign equities up to a maximum of 30% of its NAV. In line with its objective, the investment policy and strategy of the Fund will be to invest in a diversified portfolio of high dividend yielding stocks and/or fixed income securities aimed at providing a stable income stream in the form of distributions to investors. The asset allocation strategy for this Fund is as follows:  up to 98% of the Fund’s NAV in a diversified portfolio of dividend yielding equities and/or fixed income securities; and at least 2% in liquid assets. The asset allocation will be reviewed periodically depending on the country’s economic and stock market outlook. The Manager will underweight/overweight equities and/or fixed income securities when necessary. CIMB-Principal combines a top-down asset and sector allocation process with a bottom-up stock selection process. The asset allocation decision is made after a  review of macroeconomic trends in Malaysia and other global economies. In particular, CIMB Principal analyzes the direction of GDP growth, interest rates, inflation, currencies and government policies. CIMB-Principal will then assess their impact on corporate earnings and determine if there are any predictable trends. These trends form the basis for sector selection. The criteria for stock selection would include stocks that have a medium term (2 to 5 years) dividend record or a yearly distribution policy. The Manager will also actively search for under-valued high dividend yielding stocks that may also offer promising long term capital appreciation. Stock valuation fundamentals considered are earnings per share growth rate, return on equity, price earnings ratio and net tangible assets multiples. As part of its risk management strategy, the Fund is constructed and managed within pre-determined guidelines. CIMB-Principal employs an active asset allocation strategy depending upon the equity market expectations. Where appropriate, the Manager will also employ an active trading strategy in managing the Fund. As this Fund is defensive in nature and designed to cater for the needs of more risk-averse equity investors, this Fund will serve well in bear market conditions. However, in bull market the Fund will underperform the market as the Manager will not take on more risk to divert into highly volatile aggressive stocks. Further, in times of adversity in equity markets and as part of its risk management strategy, CIMB-Principal may from time to time reduce its proportion of higher risk assets, such as equities and increase its asset allocation to lower risk assets, such as debentures and liquid assets, to safeguard the investment portfolio of the Fund provided that such investments are within the investment objective of the Fund. When deemed necessary, the Manager may also utilize derivative instruments, subject to the SC Guidelines, for purposes such as hedging. The Manager has appointed CIMB-Principal (S), as the Sub-Manager for the foreign investments of this Fund with the approval of the SC and the Trustee. CIMB-Principal (S) will be responsible for investing and managing these foreign investments in accordance with the investment objective and within the investment restrictions. All costs of this appointment will be borne by the Manager to ensure no additional fee is levied on the Unit holders of this Fund. The Fund may invest in foreign markets where the regulatory authorities are members of the International Organisation of Securities Commissions (IOSCO). The Fund’s investments in foreign markets will be subject to the limit set by BNM and any conditions imposed by the SC from time to time. Currently, the Fund’s holding in foreign investments will not exceed 30% of its NAV. The Sub-Manager may invest beyond this limit provided the approvals are obtained from the relevant authorities (where necessary) and any increase will be reflected in a supplementary prospectus (if deemed necessary). Notwithstanding the aforesaid, the Sub-Manager may decide not to invest in foreign securities as may be agreed upon by the Manager from time to time. Balanced fund Investment objective: To grow the value of investment over the long term through a diversified portfolio with equity and fixed income securities. Any material changes to the investment objective of the Fund would require Unit holders’ approval. Benchmark: As this Fund may invest up to 60% of it NAV in equities with the balance in fixed income securities, the benchmark of the Fund is a composite comprising 60% KLCI + 40% CIMB Bank 1-month Fixed Deposit Rate. The information on KLCI can be obtained from http://www.bursamalaysia.com and local national newspapers. The information on CIMB Bank 1-month Fixed Deposit Rate can be obtained from CIMB Bank website (www.cimbbank.com.my). Investment policy and principal investment strategy The Fund aims to invest in a diversified portfolio of equities and fixed income investments. In line with its objective, the investment policy and strategy of the Fund will be to maintain a balanced portfolio between equities and fixed income investments in the ratio of 60:40. The fixed income portion of the Fund is to provide some capital stability to the Fund whilst the equity portion will provide the added return in a rising market. The investments by the Fund in equity securities shall not exceed 60% of the NAV of the Fund and investments in fixed income securities and liquid assets shall not be less than 40% of the NAV of the Fund with a minimum rating of â€Å"BBB3† or â€Å"P3† by RAM or equivalent rating by MARC, Moody’s, S&P or Fitch. The asset allocation strategy for this Fund is as follows: the equity securities will not exceed 60% of the Net Asset Value of the Fund; investments in fixed income securities and liquid assets shall not be less than 40% of the NAV of the Fund; and at all times, at least 2% of the NAV of the Fund must be maintained in liquid assets. The asset allocation will be reviewed periodically depending on the country’s economic and stock market outlook. In a rising market, the 60% limit may be breached. However, the Manager will seek to adjust this within a time frame approved by the Trustee. CIMB-Principal will adopt an active trading strategy and is therefore especially selective in the buying and selling of securities for the Fund. For the fixed income portion, CIMB-Principal formulates the interest rate outlook by considering factors such as the Malaysian inflation rate, monetary policies and economic growth. With an interest rate outlook and yield curve analysis, CIMB-Principal identifies the weighting of the investment tenor and credit fo r the Fund. In the unlikely event of a credit rating downgrade, the investment manager reserves the right to deal with the security in the best interest of the Unit holders. As active fund managers, CIMB-Principal has in place flexible tolerance limits to cater to such situations. CIMB-Principal can for example, continue to hold the downgraded security if the immediate disposal of the security would not be in the best interest of the Unit holders. For the equities portion, CIMB-Principal combines a top-down asset and sector allocation process with a bottom-up stock selection process. The asset allocation decision is made after a review of macroeconomic trends in Malaysia and other global economies. In particular, CIMB-Principal analyzes the direction of GDP growth, interest rates, inflation, currencies and government policies. CIMB Principal will then assess their impact on corporate earnings and determine if there are any predictable trends. These trends form the basis for sector selection. Sto ck selection is based on the growth style of equity investing. As such, the criteria for stock selection would include improving fundamentals and growth at reasonable valuations. Stock valuation fundamentals considered are earnings per share growth rate, return on equity, price earnings ratio and net tangible assets multiples. As part of its risk management strategy, the Fund is constructed and managed within pre-determined guidelines. Essentially, CIMB Principal employs an active asset allocation strategy  depending upon the equity market expectations, and at the same time monitors the bond portfolio according to three (3) parameters: tenor, credit ratings and sector. The duration of the bond portfolio is also monitored and modified according to the Manager’s interest rate outlook (i.e. the sensitivity of the portfolio to interest rate changes). In response to adverse conditions and as part of its risk management strategy, CIMB-Principal may from time to time reduce its proportion of higher risk assets, such as equities and increase its asset allocation to lower risk assets, such as debentures and liquid assets, to safeguard the investment portfolio of the Fund provided that such investments are within the investment objective of the Fund. Additionally, for investments in debt markets, the Manager may reduce holdings in longer tenured assets and channel these monies into shorter-term interest bearing deposits. When deemed necessary, the Manager may also utilize derivative instruments, subject to the SC Guidelines, for purposes such as hedging. Bond fund Investment objective: The objective of CIMB-Principal Bond Fund is to provide regular income as well as to achieve medium to long term capital appreciation through investments primarily in Malaysian bonds. Any material changes to the investment objective of the Fund would require Unit holders’ approval. Benchmark: The benchmark of the Fund is the RAM Quant shop MGS Bond Index (Medium Sub-Index). Information on the benchmark can be obtained from http://www.quantshop.com Investment policy and principal investment strategy Up to 98% of the Fund’s NAV may be invested in debentures carrying at least an â€Å"A3† or â€Å"P2† rating by RAM or equivalent rating by MARC, Moody’s, S&P or Fitch. The rest of the Fund is maintained in the form of liquid assets to meet any redemption payments to Unit holders. In line with its objective, the investment strategy and policy of the Fund is to invest in a diversified portfolio of approved fixed income securities consisting primarily of bonds, aimed to provide a steady stream of income. The asset allocation for the  Fund is as follows: †¢ up to 98% in debentures and other permissible investments; and †¢ at least 2% in liquid assets. The asset allocation strategy will be reviewed periodically depending on the country’s economic and bond market outlook. CIMB Principal will adopt an active trading strategy and will be especially selective in the buying and selling of securities for the Fund. CIMB-Principal formulates an interest rate outlook through examining factors such as the Malaysian inflation rate, monetary policies and economic growth. With an interest rate outlook and yield curve analysis, CIMB-Principal identifies the weighting of the investment tenor and credit for the Fund. In the unlikely event of a credit rating downgrade, the Manager reserves the right to deal with the security in the best interest of the unit holders. As active fund managers, CIMB-Principal has in place flexible tolerance limits to cater to such situations. CIMB Principal can for example, continue to hold the downgraded security if the immediate disposal of the security would not be in the best interest of the unit holders. As part of its risk management strategy, the Fund is constructed and managed within pre-determined guidelines. Essentially, CIMB Principal monitors the bond portfolio according to three (3) parameters: tenor, credit ratings and sector. The duration of the bond portfolio is also monitored and modified according to the Manager’s interest rate outlook (i.e. the sensitivity of the portfolio to interest rate changes). In response to adverse conditions and as part of its risk management strategy, CIMB-Principal may reduce holdings in longer tenured assets and channel these monies into shorter-term interest bearing deposits. The Manager may also from time to time invest in liquid assets to safeguard the investment portfolio of the Fund provided that such investments are within the investment objective of the Fund. When deemed necessary, the Manager may also utilize derivative instruments, subject to the SC Guidelines for purposes such as hedging. Invesco Asia Infrastructure Fund (â€Å"the Target Fund†) is a sub-fund of Invesco Funds (the â€Å"SICAV†). The SICAV is incorporated as a socià ©tà © anonyme under the laws of the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg and qualifies as an open-ended socià ©tà © d’investissement à   capital variable. The SICAV is authorized as an undertaking for collective  investment in transferable securities under the law of 20th December, 2002. The SICAV was incorporated in Luxembourg on 31st July, 1990. The Directors of the SICAV are responsible for the management and administration of the SICAV and for its overall investment policy. The Directors of the SICAV have appointed Invesco Management S.A. as management company to be responsible on a day to day basis under the supervision of the Directors, for providing administration, marketing, investment management and advice services in respect of all Invesco Funds. Invesco Management S.A. has delegated the investment management services to Invesco Hong Kong Limited (â€Å"Invesco Hong Kong†), who has discretionary investment management powers in respect of the Target Fund. Invesco Management S.A. was incorporated as a â€Å"socià ©tà © anonyme† under the laws of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg on 19th September 1991 and its articles of incorporation are deposited with the Luxembourg Registre de Commerce et des Socià ©tà ©s. Invesco Management S.A. is approved as a management company regulated by chapter 13 of the 2002 Law. As at December 2007, its capital amounts to USD 3,840,000 and the Directors of the SICAV are also composing the board of director s of Invesco Management S.A. Invesco Management S.A. shall ensure compliance of the SICAV with the investment restrictions and oversee the implementation of the SICAV’s strategies and investment policy. Invesco Management S.A. shall send reports to the Directors of the SICAV on a quarterly basis and inform each board member without delay of any noncompliance of the Company with the investment restrictions. J.P. Morgan Bank Luxembourg S.A. (â€Å"JPMorgan†) has been appointed as the Custodian of the assets of the SICAV which will be held either directly by JPMorgan or through correspondents, nominees, agents or delegates of JPMorgan. J.P. Morgan was incorporated as a socià ©tà © anonyme incorporated on 16th May, 1973 and has its registered office at 6, route de Trà ¨ves, L-2633 Senningerberg, Grand- Duchy of Luxembourg. Investment objective and policy The Target Fund aims to achieve long term capital growth from investments in a diversified portfolio of Asian securities of issuers which are predominantly engaged in infrastructure activities. At least 70% of the total assets of the Target Fund (without taking into account ancillary  liquid assets) shall be invested in equity and debt securities denominated in any convertible currency issued by Asian companies predominantly active in the infrastructure sector. â€Å"Asian companies† shall mean companies listed in an Asian stock market and having their registered office in an Asian country or established in other countries but carrying out their business activities predominantly in Asia or holding companies investing predominantly in equity of companies having their registered office in an Asian country. Up to 30% of the total assets of the Target Fund may be invested in aggregate in cash and cash equivalents, money market instruments, equity and equity related instruments o r debt securities (including convertible debt) issued by companies or other entities not meeting the above requirement. Invesco Hong Kong is an active manager combining bottom-up and top-down multi-factor analysis, although they have a strong focus on bottom-up stock selection where they believe it can add value. The investment universe mainly includes companies in the Asia Pacific ex-Japan region that are principally engaged in infrastructure-related activities, including companies that are involved in providing the foundation of basic services, facilities and institutions upon which the growth and development of a community depends. In addition, ‘soft’ infrastructure that includes financial support (e.g. project financing from investment banks) and maintenance support (e.g. management of communication networks) also fall into this definition. Broadly speaking, infrastructure can be classified as but is not limited to: Economic Infrastructure – to support the long term growth of the economy. These assets have a long operating life and strong monopoly position. Examples: roads, airports and ports. Utilities – to provide essential services for the community. Examples: gas/ energy/ electricity generation, distribution and retailing, water distribution and waste treatment. Social Infrastructure – to provide public sector facilities for the society. This sector has emerged as governments have embraced the public private partnership concept in order to encourage operation efficiency. Examples: train stations, hospitals, schools and stadiums. Commercial infrastructure – private sector initiatives to cater for technology advancement. Examples: satellites, cable networks and renewable power plants. For the purpose of this Fund, the Manager will be investing in Class C of the Target Fund. As at LPD, only Accumulation Shares  are available for this share class. Investors holding Accumulation Shares will not receive any distributions. Instead, the income due to them will be rolled up to enhance the value of the Accumulation Shares.