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Major issues in US foreign policies, factors that influence factors that influence foreign policies and critiques to the US

Major issues in US foreign policies, factors that influence factors that influence foreign policies and critiques to the US foreign policies.

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Foreign policies of United States of America government are set up by the governments to how they relate with foreign countries. The government sets standards that also guide how it relates with her citizens and also the organizations in the countries. Different regimes come up with different foreign policy strategies depending on the issues that arise or occur at that time. (James M. McCormick 2009)

First in reference to President Bush administration, the foreign policy of his government policy changed after the terrorist attack on November 11th 2001.

The focus of his government was to shield the Europe country from attack of missiles by North Korea and Iran. This was not to be the case after the terrorist attack. Bush made a speech and vowed that United States of America would use all resources including Intelligence and financial resources at her disposal to fight global terror. He further stated that his government would work to fight against any foreign nation that offered financial aid or was home to the terrorist groups. This action by the Bush Administration came to be known as the ‘Bush Doctrine’ in which the government vowed to work on preventive measures to secure its citizens. It became clear that the change in any of the government policy focused more on preventive action rather than preemptive action.

The other issue on US foreign policy was the on the humanitarian assistance that it offered to different people across the world. Non Governmental organization have also developed whose aim is to give humanitarian aid to different sensitive regions but this has also failed due to government policy which demands that the said organizations comply with anti terrorism policy in the country.

Even with these foreign policies in Bush administration, there were questions on the seriousness of his government to fight terrorism. The critiques had the idea that some of US allies had questionable characters as how they could help the country fight terrorism. Pakistan was such a country. President Bush developed a cordial relationship with President Pervez Musharraf. This was in order to have the support of his government which was a neighbor to Afghanistan which was seen to be the home to the Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Questions arose as to the commitment of the Pakistan government to help fight war against terror as it was reported that the country had in different occasions been a home to the Osama bin Laden.

Obama Administration on the other hand had to invent more strategies in order to complete the Afghanistan war. He ordered 30,000 troops to be Afghanistan. This tripled the number of troops that he inherited from the previous administration. This policy was not welcomed with majority of the citizens but he insisted that the mission of his government was to deny the Al Qaeda group any safe heaven. Most argued that the previous government had used a lot of money in funding the fight and increasing the number of troops would increase the cost of fight too

References

James M. McCormick, American Foreign Policy and Process (2009) ch 7-8

usforeignpolicy.about.com › … › US Foreign Policywww.huffingtonpost.com/…/obamas-afghanistan-plan-o_n_374995.html‎

Major Issues in the HR Department and Proposed Solutions

Major Issues in the HR Department and Proposed Solutions

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The human resource (HR) department deals with a wide range of activities related to hiring and management of employees within the organization. Some of the responsibilities of the HR include job designs which involves job description, strategic prioritization as well as recruitment ads (Stone, Cox & Gavin, 2020). Other major functions include performance management, compensation and benefits management, maintaining health and safety of the employees, training and development of the existing employees, and navigating legal requirements in regard to the employees’ issues. The HR department faces numerous problems as they try to comply with their tasks including employee retention as well as ensuring workplace diversity. The significance of retaining employees in an organization is that saves the time and other resources that are used to train new employees. On the other hand, recruiting diversity helps in improving the image of the organization, allowing the society feel represented in the organization. However, keeping up with these two tasks is a major challenge for the HR.

Employee retention is one of the major challenges that face the human resource department (Irabor & Okolie, 2019). Losing an employee whether through resignation or termination can be a great loss to an organization as the cost of rehiring another employee are so high. For example, it is estimated that an organization has to spend more than 4,000 dollars to hire a new employee and this can be attributed to the associated costs including recruiting, hiring and training of new employees. Besides, the costs continue to escalate especially when the organization has to pay workers for overtime which they have to cover after one of the employees has left the organization. In addition, there are costs that can add to the high cost of hiring a new employee including hidden costs to turnover, and this impacts to the overall budgeting of the organization. As a result of this, the overall employee morale as well the brand image of the organization can suffer. Resignation or the termination of the employees’ contract may result to resentment within the workforce, with the remaining employees becoming disengaged and may began to seek new employment elsewhere, especially if they fell that they are not valued or motivated in the current place of work.

There are various solutions that can be used to solve the employee retention problem in an organization. One of the solutions include starting the employees with a strong onboard process upon hiring. Many employees often feel that they are not properly welcomed in their place of work, and this might encourage early resentment to the job position. According to statistics, only 12% of the employees feel that their organization does a great job of onboarding after hiring; this is a very low number, and this may be one of the major reasons why many employees resign or terminate their contracts (Anton & Ryan Cox, 2019). An effective onboarding process for the employees can be one of the best tools that an organization can use to increase employee retention in the organization, as it helps to get the employees on the job quickly and efficiently, encouraging employer-employee engagement right from the beginning. Due to effective engagement, the employees are already made aware of what they are expected to do and the organization is aware of what to expect from the employees in regard to performance and productivity. Based on this, an effective onboarding process is one that outlines the jo requirements, goals as well as the organization polices and procedures.

Another solution to improving the retention rates among the employees include offering a competitive pay (Zaharee et al., 2018). Many employees resign from their work because they feel that they are underpaid, while people from other organizations working under the same job description have a higher and better remuneration. Based on this, an employee will quit working from their current organization and seek new employment opportunity from the competitive organization. It is important for organizations to research what their competitors pay their employees and make an increment to their current workforce as this will play a major role in improving the relationship between the employer and the employees. Salary increment can help reduce the number of employees seeking better employment opportunities from well-paying organizations, and this will eventually work in reducing the extra cost incurred from hiring and training new employees.

Another solution to improve the retention rate among the employees include holding regular performance reviews (Khayinga & Muathe, 2018). The HR is responsible in evaluating the performance of the employees and rewarding them through various rewards including promotion and recognition. Lack of employee performance reduces the HR’s ability to recognize areas in the employees that require to be improved to help improve their performance and the overall productivity. Performance evaluation and reviews can be conducted quarterly, semi-annually and even annually to help provide the managers with information regarding the performance of the employees, and this will work to help improve areas that show weakness. Employee performance reviews helps the employee to set goals, understand what is expected of them in the organization, and help the managers in offering rewards for better performance for meeting the set organizational goals. Based on this, the HR department can set a performance system that will help in simplifying the process of evaluating the performance of the employees and provide valuable feedback that will help the employees improve their productivity.

Workplace diversity is another major problem that face the HR department; this is a common problem in many organizations across the globe (Cletus et al., 2018). Every organization requires to have a workforce that is representative of their society. However, this is not the case in many organizations as they tend to hire the same type of employees with the same ideas; this way of hiring is not only bad for the organization, but it is illegal, especially if the organization has no varied reason for rejecting candidates from other races or gender. Equality is one of the major issues in the contemporary society and this means that every organization need to employ at least a specific number of people from various ethnicities and gender to be termed as representative of the society in which the organization is build. Besides, lack of diversity may impact negatively to the organization through stifled creativity and innovativeness.

A major solution to improving workplace diversity includes training the HR managers on diversity and inclusion (Kang & Kaplan, 2019). Most recruiting managers are not aware of the benefits of diverse recruitment, which means that the organizations become the losing side. Training the managers to become race and gender tolerant can be a major step towards increased diversity in the organization, as the managers are able to identify and address diversity issues in the organization and act immediately. With diverse knowledge on diversity and inclusion in the workplace, the HR will begin looking in new places to find a more diverse pool of candidates. They can also engage in referral programs to help attract more diverse workforce.

In conclusion, the HR department has one of the most challenging roles in the organizations which includes managing employees and hiring talents that will help achieve the set goals. As a result, they face major challenges including employee retention and lack of diversity in the workforce. These two challenges have proven to be costly to the organization as they help in building the organization’s image to the consumers. Lack of diverse recruiting in an organization is illegal, and this may open the organization to a possibility of law suits, and this can damage the image of the organization.

References

Anton Shufutinsky PhD, D., & Ryan Cox, M. B. A. (2019). Losing talent on day one: Onboarding millennial employees in health care organizations. Organization Development Journal, 37(4), 33-51.

Cletus, H. E., Mahmood, N. A., Umar, A., & Ibrahim, A. D. (2018). Prospects and challenges of workplace diversity in modern day organizations: A critical review. HOLISTICA–Journal of Business and Public Administration, 9(2), 35-52.

Irabor, I. E., & Okolie, U. C. (2019). A review of employees’ job satisfaction and its affect on their retention. Annals of Spiru Haret University. Economic Series, 19(2), 93-114.

Kang, S. K., & Kaplan, S. (2019). Working toward gender diversity and inclusion in medicine: myths and solutions. The Lancet, 393(10171), 579-586.

Khayinga, C. M., & Muathe, S. (2018). Human Capital Development and organizational performance: review & critique of literature and A research agenda. International journal for innovation education and research, 6(2), 144-153.

Stone, R. J., Cox, A., & Gavin, M. (2020). Human resource management. John Wiley & Sons.

Zaharee, M., Lipkie, T., Mehlman, S. K., & Neylon, S. K. (2018). Recruitment and Retention of Early-Career Technical Talent: What Young Employees Want from Employers A study of the workplace attributes that attract early-career workers suggests that Millennials may not be so different from earlier generations. Research-Technology Management, 61(5), 51-61.

Major Individual Assessment 1

Major Individual Assessment 1

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Case Study 1

Question 1:

The contribution of the lower-level employees to the strategic direction of the business is beneficial to the business since it encourages innovation through the inclusion of the ideas of everyone in the organization. The contribution of lower-level employees is contrary to the usual functioning dynamics in an organization where the highest-paid person makes the decisions. Allowing lower-level employees to contribute to decisions on the strategic direction of the business overturns the strict organizational format for the potential to strike gold through innovative ideas presented by lower-level employees (Spreitzer & Mishra, 1999). An organization is dependent on the human personnel working therein; therefore, every person in the organization is responsible for steering it towards its goals. A company that allows lower-level employees to have a say in its strategic direction can essentially tap into all parts of the organization through the opinions of lower-level employees and make appropriate strategic decisions. Since lower-level employees are more involved with the circumstances of the day to day functions of the organization, they are in a better position to understand a situation and provide a suitable solution (Hamdan & Alheet, 2020). Therefore, the potential for innovation is one benefit of allowing lower-level employees to make decisions about the strategic direction of the organization.

Additionally, allowing lower-level employees to contribute to strategic decisions breeds inclusivity and belonging among the lower-level employees. Once a business shows all employees that their ideas are all considered with the same weight, it gives everyone a sense of importance and value. When all the employees feel valued, they are more loyal and work harder towards the attainment of the business’s strategic goals. Inclusivity allows the employees to feel part and parcel of the business and hence increases the potential for success (Spreitzer & Mishra, 1999). Lower-level employees may also help the top-level management in considering ideas that may not be apparent due to different interactions in the company and different positions of observation. A lower-level employee understands the day-to-day challenges experienced in the business, which may not be the case with the senior employees.

However, including the contribution of lower-level employees to a company’s strategic direction is time-consuming. Decision making is a complex process that, in some cases, demands the leader to make urgent choices (Park, 2015). Suppose the organization would have to include or listen to the contribution of all employees with proposed solutions in the event of an emergency. In that case, the organization will miss the small window of opportunity for making that decision. Such a time-consuming decision-making process is likely to cause losses to the organization, although it breeds inclusivity and teamwork. Additionally, an organizational culture that allows for the inclusion of employees’ contribution demands that all employees be treated equally (Hamdan & Alheet, 2020). This form of equality does not work well in the contemporary bureaucratic employment environment since it either brings about insubordination or creates cracks in the system. Some type of employee discrimination is justified. For instance, some confidential information about the company should not be availed to all employees due to the notion of equality. Therefore, such an organizational culture places the company at risk of exposing confidential data to the public.

Question 2:

The innovative strategy employed by Shutterstock’s executives exposes the company to reputation and compliance risks. Reputational risk is a threat to the goodwill of a business, and it can occur either as the direct result of a company’s actions or as the result of the action of an employee (Hillson, 2006). Shutterstock’s collaborative experimentation encourages the involvement of lower-level employees in decision making. This strategy is contrary to the strict and organized bureaucracy of modern organizations. The bureaucracy in place has the capacity to streamline the company’s objectives to ensure that the entity portrays a suitable image to the rest of the world (Hillson, 2006). Therefore, a strict and structured organizational culture plays a crucial role in creating and enforcing the company’s reputation. Shutterstock collaborative experimentation poses a reputational risk since it intends to try out innovative and experimental ideas.

Although some of the company’s innovative ideas may prove profitable, some ideas are likely to generate losses and additionally damage the company’s reputation. This reputational risk can be minimized by a functional and critical assessment of all innovative initiatives (Nielsen & Randall, 2012). Additionally, when the initiative is assessed, and the company decides to move on with it, Shutterstock should roll a test initiative or program out to a select group of individuals to receive feedback before extending the initiative to the general market. This test launch will allow the company to obtain as much feedback and reaction as it needs to make sure that the initiative does not threaten the reputation of the company (Hillson, 2006). Shutterstock’s collaborative experimentation also poses a compliance risk. Since the company intends to set itself apart from the rest of the competition innovatively, it will most likely venture into industries or sectors that are regulated by specific laws. Therefore, Shutterstock should ensure that they are not fined or locked down for failure to comply with the legal regulations of the sector to which the initiative belongs. Shutterstock should either have a competent legal department or hire competent lawyers to ensure compliance and avoid compliance risk.

Case Study 2

Question 1:

After WWII, Coles experienced rapid expansion and adopted a more advanced horizontal organizational structure. With the rapid expansion of Coles into a series of self-service stores, some additional activities became the company’s concern. For instance, logistics, warehousing and distribution became increasingly critical to the success of the business. Therefore, these activities required more of the business focus.

The horizontal organizational structure is a simple organizational format with two or three layers of command. The top position in this structure is occupied by George Coles, the owner of Coles; the second layer is occupied by different managers, while the third layer is occupied by the employees who report to the second layer managers. The horizontal organizational structure is a simple structure that is exceptionally functional in small startups and is usually maintained by these businesses even as they expand until when it becomes necessary to switch to a different organizational structure (Lunenburg, 2012). Coles used a horizontal organizational structure from its inception due to its simplicity, and since it was a small startup, the structure was functionally efficient. The middle layer level of the organization had fewer managers since food retailing was Coles’ central function. After WWII, Coles experienced rapid expansion, transforming it into a self-service grocery store. Therefore, the organization necessarily developed new functions such as logistics, warehousing and distribution. Coles increased the number of managers to include a logistics, warehousing, and logistics manager to cater to these functions.

Although they experienced rapid expansion, Coles retained the horizontal organizational structure since the requisite functions had not yet exceeded the structure’s capacity. Additionally, this structure eliminates the need for a middle man and hence was the cheaper option for the expanding Coles. The horizontal organizational structure is appropriately flexible and can be adapted to suit any situation that the organization faces (Lunenburg, 2012). In this case, Coles only had to adjust the number and functions of managers to maintain a functional organization after expansion. Finally, the horizontal structure is employee-focused and hence contributes to a sense of belonging in the employees, which nurtures the attitude of collaboration in the organization. This attitude contributed to the further success of Coles.

Question 2:

The product organizational structure best describes Coles structure following the incorporation of the internet and the eventual diversification into Coles service stations. Coles had expanded beyond a specific region and could access a significantly larger market than before these significant advancements. Expanding into a different venture increased the complexity of Coles organization and, therefore, justifies Coles use of a product organizational structure (Lunenburg, 2012). A product organizational structure is similar to a functional organization culture; however, it is more suitable to organizations with multiple differentiated products.

Coles operates grocery stores and service stations; therefore, these form the two divisions into which its product organizational structure is divided. Under these two divisions are separate and distinct functional departments such as sales, marketing and such departments as are necessary to operate Coles adequately (Cabrera et al. 2003). Coles is likely to have selected the product organizational structure model since it allows the business to operate as a single entity while its grocery and petrol station services are differentiated. This differentiation shields the organization from complete failure in case one division fails. Failure in the Coles service station does not affect Coles grocers. Therefore, this structure assists in minimizing the risk of failure.

In addition, a product based organizational structure facilitates the flexibility of the organization. Although Coles activities and operations are becoming increasingly complex, the selected organizational structure allows the company to exercise flexibility. By dividing Coles into two major divisions, the grocery stores and the service stations, these divisions can function as separate entities in their day to day functions since they will all have departments responsible for the core functions of each division. Every division is responsible for its success; hence this facilitates the overall success of Coles. Product organizational structure is essential since it allows employees to specialize in one product hence increases the employees’ experience and expertise to serve the company. Therefore, Coles is likely to select the product organizational structure due to the numerous benefits guaranteed by this organizational structure. Coles is likely to merge the technological innovations with the product organizational structure in place. Since the internet is essential in marketing and advertising, Coles marketing departments in each division will have a social media marketing sub-department to exploit the potential of the internet.

References:

Cabrera, E. F., Ortega, J., & Cabrera, Á. (2003). An exploration of the factors that influence employee participation in Europe. Journal of world business, 38(1), 43-54.

Hamdan, Y., & Alheet, A. F. (2020). Influence of organisational culture on pro-activeness, innovativeness and risk taking behaviour of SMEs. Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Issues, 8(1), 203.

Hillson, D. (2006). Integrated risk management as a framework for organisational success. In Proceedings of the PMI Global Congress.

Lunenburg, F. C. (2012). Organizational structure: Mintzberg’s framework. International journal of scholarly, academic, intellectual diversity, 14(1), 1-8.

Nielsen, K., & Randall, R. (2012). The importance of employee participation and perceptions of changes in procedures in a teamworking intervention. Work & Stress, 26(2), 91-111.

Park, R. (2015). Employee participation and outcomes: Organizational strategy does matter. Employee Relations.

Spreitzer, G. M., & Mishra, A. K. (1999). Giving up control without losing control: Trust and its substitutes’ effects on managers’ involving employees in decision making. Group & organization management, 24(2), 155-187.

Major Depressive Disorder (2)

Major Depressive Disorder

Kendall Vreeland

Rasmussen College

COURSE#: PRN1555 Psychosocial Nursing Section 02

Kendall Vreeland

May 17th, 2020

Introduction

Major depressive disorder (MDD), also referred to as clinical depression, is a mental disorder that is characterized by at least two weeks of low mood that is manifested across most of the situations. Depression is often characterized by low energy, loss of interest in things and activities that were previously enjoyed, pain without a clear cause as well as low self-esteem (Ready et al., 2016). Besides, individuals who might have been affected by depression may occasionally experience false beliefs, or they may hear or see things that others cannot see or hear. Depression varies depending on the individual affected, as there are individuals who may have periods of depression, which are separated by years in which they are normal, while in others, they always experience the symptoms at all times. Major depressive disorder can adversely affect an individual’s personal life, education, work, and even normal daily activities such as eating, sleeping, and general health. According to statistics, about 2 to 8 percent of adults with major depressive disorder succumb by suicide. About 50 percent of the individuals who die by suicide had depression or any other mood disorder. The depressive syndrome can be caused by a variety of current factors that include a combination of genetic, environmental, and psychological factors.     

Types of Depression

There are various types of depression that include major, persistent, manic, or bipolar and postpartum depression.

Major Depression

Major depression is also known as major depressive disorder, unipolar or classic depression (Herane-Vives et al., 2020). In the United States, this kind of depression is relatively common, with about 16.2 million adults having experienced at least one major depressive episode. Individuals with the major depressive disorder do experience the symptoms most of the day, daily. Major depression, just like many of the mental health conditions, has very little to do with what is happening around an individual as a person can have tons of friends, a loving family, as well as the dream job and still be diagnosed with major depressive disorder. However, even if there is no obvious reason to point out the reason for this type of depression, it doesn’t mean that depression isn’t real.

Major depression in its severe form manifests with such symptoms as despondency, difficulty sleeping, loss of appetite, unexplained pains and aches, and loss of interest in formerly pleasurable activities. Besides, the major depressive disorder can manifest with a lack of concentration, feelings of worthlessness, constant worry and anxiety and thoughts of death, self-harm, or suicide. The symptoms of major depression can last for weeks and even months, with some of the individuals having a single episode of major depression. In contrast, others experience it throughout their life. Regardless of how long the symptoms last, major depression can result in problems in a person’s activities and even in their daily activities.

Persistent Depression

A persistent depressive disorder is a type of depression that lasts for more than two years. The persistent disorder is also referred to as chronic depression or dysthymia and is not as intense as a major depressive disorder (Liebherz et al., 2017). However, it can still negatively impact relationships and also make it difficult to perform daily tasks. Persistent depression is manifested by symptoms such as deep sadness or hopelessness, low self-esteem, appetite changes, and the lack of interest in things that were previously enjoyed. Besides, persistent depression may present with changes in sleep patterns, concentration and memory problems, social withdrawal, difficulty in functioning at school, and the inability to feel joy even at happy occasions. Persistent depression is a long-term type of depression, but despite this, the condition manifests its severity after several months after onset. Some individuals have an onset of major depression before experiencing persistent depression, a situation often referred to as a double depression. However, persistent depression may last for years after onset. Therefore, individuals with this kind of depression may begin to feel like their symptoms are part of their normal outlook on life.

Manic Depression or Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder is a mental health condition that consists of periods of hypomania or mania, such feelings of extreme happiness on some occasions and episodes of depression at other times. Manic depression is characterized by episodes of mania that lasts for more than seven days or less if the individual requires hospitalization (Carmassi et a., 2020). A depressive episode may occur before or after the manic episodes. Symptoms of depressive episodes manifest in the form of feelings of sadness or emptiness, lack of energy, trouble in concentration, sleep problems, and fatigue. Other symptoms include decreased activity, suicidal thoughts, as well as a loss of interest in previously enjoyable activities. Manic episodes manifest with such symptoms as irritability, high energy, racing thoughts and speech, reduced sleep, feeling elated, increased self-esteem, grandiose thinking, and unusual, risky and self-destructive behavior. In the severe cases of manic depression, an individual can experience episodes of hallucinations and delusions.

Postpartum Depression

Postpartum depression is a mental condition that occurs after pregnancy, and this is attributed to the shifts in hormonal balance, thus affecting the woman’s mood (Okun, 2016). Depression might onset during pregnancy or after the birth of the child. After giving birth, mood changes, irritability, and anxiety are common symptoms associated with giving birth and often last up to two weeks. However, postpartum depression symptoms tend to be more severe and long-lasting. Postpartum depression manifests with such symptoms as low moods and feelings of sadness, severe mood swings, social withdrawal appetite changes, and trouble bonding with the newborn. Other symptoms of postpartum depression include feeling helpless and hopeless, anxiety and panic attacks, and thoughts of suicide and self-hurting, as well as the loss of interest in things the individual previously used to enjoy. Postpartum depression can range from persistent lethargy and sadness that require medical treatment to postpartum psychosis, which are mood episodes accompanied by hallucinations, confusion, and delusions. If postpartum depression is left untreated, it can last up to a year, affecting individual relationships as well as the ability to carry on with their daily life activities.

Causes of Depression

There are three major causes of depression and which include biochemistry, genetics, and environmental factors.

Biochemistry

Depression is a medical condition that is involved with mood, thoughts, and body. As a result, it tends to affect how an individual eats, sleeps as well as how they feel about themselves. One of the major causes of depression is the biochemical causes (de Castro Chaves et al., 2019). Depression can be triggered by traumatic events, blood sugar imbalances, genetic conditions, poor diet, hormonal imbalances, medical illnesses, digestive problems as well as drug and substance abuse. However, a combination of all these results to neurotransmitter imbalances in the body of an individual. According to evidence, brain chemistry plays a significant role in depressive disorders. Neurotransmitters are the chemicals in the brain that are responsible for the carrying signals to the brain and nerves. If the message is not relayed correctly, depression, along with other mental and physical problems do occur. A single neurotransmitter imbalance can result in multiple symptoms of depression. Therefore, it is significant to run neurotransmitter tests to check whether the brain’s biochemistry is functioning to the optimum.

Genetics

Mental conditions are more common among individuals whose blood relatives also depict issues of mental illness. Clinical depression is one of the most common forms of depression, as according to research by the Stanford School of Medicine, about 10% of the Americans experience clinical depression at some points in their lives. Clinical depression is also more likely to be transferred to siblings and children, and this means that a person whose relative suffers from depression is more likely, almost five times to get depression as well. The reason behind this is that there is a gene behind family susceptibility to depression. According to research, a gene postulated to be prevalent in multiple family members with depression have been isolated. The chromosome 3p25-26 was found in more than 800 families with recurrent episodes of depression. According to scientists, more than 40% of depressed individuals can trace their cause back to genetic links (Van Hecke et al., 2017). However, only 60% of the depression cases result from environmental and other factors.     

Environmental Factors

Depression is not only triggered by genetic and biochemistry factors, but it can also result from environmental predisposition. Depression, therefore, can be triggered by stressful life events (Kendler & Gardner, 2016). The death of a loved one is the common environmental causation of depression as it leads to trauma. Other factors such as divorce, job loss, or financial difficulties can be considered as stressful life events that may increase an individual’s susceptibility to depression. Another environmental factor that can lead to depression is social isolation. Most of the individuals who tend to isolate themselves from the general population have poor coping mechanisms as they have no one to share their problems with, and this increases the chances of depression becoming severe. Demanding work or a stressful workplace can, on the other hand, be attributed to trigger the onset of depression as an individual may get frustrated as they try to fulfill the demands of the job. The inability to satisfy the job requirements may be stressful as it puts the employee at risk of being fired. Finally, health issues, especially when an individual is suffering from chronic health problems, can be stressful may impact on the family as well as the patient increasing their chances of getting depression.

Diagnosis of Depression

Every condition requires to be diagnosed so that the right treatment can be administered. Depression can be diagnosed in for main ways. One way to diagnose depression is through physical exams. The doctor conducts a physical exam and asks questions regarding the individual’s health. In some cases, depression may be linked to an underlying physical health problem, and this provides a basis for physical diagnosis. Another way to diagnose depression is through lab tests. A doctor or health professional may conduct a blood test referred to as a complete blood count. Besides, the health professional may perform thyroid tests to make sure that it is functioning properly. Psychiatric evaluation is another way to diagnose depression. A mental health professional may ask questions regarding the symptoms, feelings, thoughts, and behavioral patterns, and this may either be done through an oral interview or through answering a questionnaire. Assessing behavioral patterns helps in identifying whether an individual is suffering from depression.

Demographics of Depression

The onset of depression can occur at any age and can affect people of all races. Besides, individuals from all socioeconomic statuses as well are susceptible to depression. According to statistics, the median age of the onset of depression is 32.5 years old. However, the prevalence of adults with a major depressive episode tends to be high among individuals aged between 18 years and 25 years. About 11.3% of the adults of mixed races report having experienced a major depressive episode in the past year. Besides, 8.7% of women in the United States suffer from depression, while about 5.3% of men are diagnosed with depression. A survey conducted by the CDC found that the prevalence of depression decreases with an increase in family income levels. The reason behind it is that it can be inferred that high-income results in less money-related stress as well as improved access to mental health services. Statistics also have it that the prevalence rates among men and women have been fairly consistent over the past decades. Demographic data depicts that women experience depression at a higher rate, roughly twice the rate as men.

Effects of Depression on the Brain  

Three parts of the brain play a vital role in the development of major depressive disorder, and that is the amygdala, hippocampus, and the prefrontal context. During the incidence of mental and physical stress, such as depression, the body releases cortisol to try and contain the situation. However, excessive production of cortisol results in a chemical imbalance in the brain. Long term exposure to high levels of cortisol slows down the production of new neurons and, as a result, causes the neurons in the hippocampus to shrink, leading to memory problems (Olson, 2018). The prefrontal context is involved with the regulation of emotions, forming memories as well as making decisions. High amounts of cortisol in the brain results in shrinking of the prefrontal context. The amygdala facilitates emotional responses such as fear and pleasure. Exposure to a more elevated amount of cortisol makes it enlarged, leading to disturbances in sleep and activity patterns.

Treatment of Depression

Depression, if left untreated, can be fatal, and therefore, there is a need for diagnosis and treatment. There are various treatment options for depression. Psychotherapy is one of the treatment methods and involves talk therapy. Three main types of therapies can be used in the treatment of depression, and they include cognitive behavioral therapy, psychodynamic therapy, and interpersonal therapy (Lorenzo-Luaces et al., 2017). All three are combined in a blended approach to ensure an effective treatment of depression. Another treatment option for depression includes medication. Depression medication helps in restoring the chemical balance in the brain and also helps in relieving some of the symptoms of moderate and severe depression. Most commonly administered medications include antidepressants to reduce depression. Finally, brain stimulation therapies, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), is also an effective depression treatment method. TMS involves directing recurring magnetic energy pulses to the regions of the brain that are involved in mood regulation.

Conclusion

Depression is one of the common issues that have been prevalent not only in the United States but also to the rest of the world. There are various types of depression, with the major depressive disorder being the most prevalent. A large number of people, especially adults, have at one time in their lives suffered from depression, which has affected their relationships and daily activities. Depression can be triggered by various factors such as environmental factors, genetic as well as the biochemistry of a person. If left untreated, depression can be fatal, and therefore, diagnosis and treatment through therapy and medication are necessary.             

                                                                  

References

Carmassi, C., Shear, K. M., Corsi, M., Bertelloni, C. A., Dell’Oste, V., & Dell’Osso, L. (2020). Mania Following Bereavement: State of the Art and Clinical Evidence. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 11.

de Castro Chaves, R., Mallmann, A. S. V., Oliveira, N. F., Oliveira, I. C. M., Capibaribe, V. C. C., da Silva, D. M. A., … & Vasconcelos, S. M. M. (2019). Reversal effect of Riparin IV in depression and anxiety caused by corticosterone chronic administration in mice. Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior, 180, 44-51.

Herane-Vives, A., Arnone, D., de Angel, V., Papadopoulos, A., Wise, T., Alameda, L., … & Cleare, A. J. (2020). Cortisol levels in unmedicated patients with unipolar and bipolar major depression using hair and saliva specimens. International Journal of Bipolar Disorders, 8(1), 1-9.

Kendler, K. S., & Gardner, C. O. (2016). Depressive vulnerability, stressful life events and episode onset of major depression: a longitudinal model. Psychological medicine, 46(9), 1865-1874.

Liebherz, S., Machmutow, K., Jansen, A., Meister, R., Watzke, B., Härter, M. C., & Kriston, L. (2017). Continuation and maintenance treatments for persistent depressive disorder. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (11).

Lorenzo-Luaces, L., Driessen, E., DeRubeis, R. J., Van, H. L., Keefe, J. R., Hendriksen, M., & Dekker, J. (2017). Moderation of the alliance-outcome association by prior depressive episodes: Differential effects in cognitive-behavioral therapy and short-term psychodynamic supportive psychotherapy. Behavior Therapy, 48(5), 581-595.

Okun, M. L. (2016). Disturbed sleep and postpartum depression. Current psychiatry reports, 18(7), 66.

Olson, E. (2018). Effects on the Hippocampal Volume and Function: Stress and Depression Versus Physical Exercise.

Ready, R. E., Mather, M. A., Santorelli, G. D., & Santospago, B. P. (2016). Apathy, alexithymia, and depressive symptoms: Points of convergence and divergence. Psychiatry research, 244, 306-311.

Van Hecke, O., Hocking, L. J., Torrance, N., Campbell, A., Padmanabhan, S., Porteous, D. J., … & Smith, B. H. (2017). Chronic pain, depression and cardiovascular disease linked through a shared genetic predisposition: Analysis of a family-based cohort and twin study. PloS one, 12(2).

Major Depressive Disorder

Major Depressive Disorder

Kendall Vreeland

Rasmussen College

COURSE#: PRN1555 Psychosocial Nursing Section 02

Kendall Vreeland

May 17th, 2020

 

 

Title: Major Depressive Disorder  

Thesis: Depressive syndrome can be caused by many current factors.

 

            

  I.     What exactly is Depression?

A.    Depression, or (major depressive disorder), is quite common and is a very serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you behave.

B.    History of depression

            II.     Depression has many faces

A.    Types of depression

1)    Major Depression

2)    Persistent Depression

3) Manic depression, or bipolar disorder

4) Postpartum Depression

B.    Factors that cause depression

1) Biochemistry

2) Genetics

3) Environmental factors

III.   Effects of depression on the brain

A.     The hippocampus

B.    Amygdala

C. The prefrontal cortex

IV. How is depression diagnosed?

Physical exam

Lab tests

Psychiatric evaluation

          V.     Treating depression

A.    Psychotherapy

B.    Medications

C.    Brain stimulation therapies

D.Untreated depression

         VI.     Demographics of depression

A.    Men

B.    Woman

C.    Teens

D.    Older adults

           VI.     Conclusion

A.    Summarize.

 

References:

American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological

American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), Fifth edition. 2013.

Goldman, L. (2019). Depression: What it is, symptoms, causes, treatment, types, and more. Retrieved from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/8933

The National Institute of Mental Health. (2018). Depression. Retrieved from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/depression/index.shtml

Morrison-Valfre, M. (2017) Foundations of Mental Health Care. [Bookshelf Ambassadored]. Retrieved from https://ambassadored.vitalsource.com/#/books/9780323354929/

Major Changes at Netflix A Success Story of Transformation on an International Level

Major Changes at Netflix: A Success Story of Transformation on an International Level

Student’s Name

Course

Instructor’s Name

Date

Major Changes at Netflix: A Success Story of Transformation on an International Level

Introduction

Change in an organization refers to business transformation in which a corporation modifies its business tools, including its business policies and strategies as well as its processes, structure, architecture, and culture (Sartori et al., 2018). The most common causes for change management are technological advancements, globalization, changes in market conditions, bad performance, and the demands of customers. The institutional adjustments make it possible for the corporation to adapt to the digital economy. As a result, several firms have implemented technology advancements in order to keep pace with the digital age. Organizational transformation supports a corporation in substituting outdated processes with more effective techniques in order to get a competitive advantage in a given market. Netflix is one of the most successful examples of corporate transformation as it embraces the modifications that are necessary to adapt to the new environment.

Organizational Change at Netflix: Major Changes that Redefined the Movie Industry

Technology has altered numerous aspects of the universe, encompassing schooling, commerce, sports, and entertainment, among others. As a result of modern technology like computers the internet, smartphones, and social media, several well-known enterprises have gone out of business (McCord, 2014). Some people have been able to adapt with the pressure of transition by using complex techniques and embracing organizational change, while others have struggled. Netflix is among the best illustration of an organization that has had to adapt its business model and strategic planning so as to stay in business. It has successfully dealt with the impacts of institutional change in to gain a competitive advantage.

Netflix was established in 1997 in the state of California, United States. Nevertheless, the organization began operations in 1998, when it began selling DVDs and renting out DVDs over the mail. The commodity was a DVD which was basically rented out through the mail, while the payment scheme was a pay-per-rental strategy (Hughes, 2015). Netflix debuted its new subscription service the next year, in 1999, allowing consumers to rent DVDs on a monthly basis. Subscribers were able to take advantage of unlimited DVD renting with monthly payments through this service. As a result, the pay-per-use approach has been replaced with a monthly subscription model. Netflix users select the movies and videos they want to watch from the company’s official website. Following that, the programmes are distributed to subscribers in the format of DVDs by the distributors (Bariso, 2015). Netflix launched a new video streaming service for movies and television programs in 2007, which has since become widely popular. The effective utilization of the change force has contributed significantly to the success of the movie streaming giant. Netflix, on the flip side, is widely considered to be among the major platforms for streaming latest movies, series, television shows, and other entertainment content.

Since its founding in 1997 as a DVD rental service, Netflix has grown into an international streaming organization with more than 75 million consumers in more than 190 nations (Netflix Inc, 2016). The firm’s award-winning original programming is available to clients now, and they may watch television shows, documentaries, and feature films, among other things. In accordance with the organizational profile of Netflix, one of the advantages of watching films in this format contrary to conventional, linear television programming is that consumers get the opportunity of playing, pausing, and resuming their favourite shows (Company Profile, n.d.). Netflix is committed to ensuring that its content can be accessed on as many Internet-connected displays as possible in order to maintain its position as a leader in the streaming programming market, according to the company.

As per the corporation’s 2018 Annual Report, Netflix has adopted a fundamental strategic plan that to grow the streaming membership business internationally, and they are persisting to enhance the services offered to their members by expanding the streaming content focusing on a variety of genres and meeting the needs of consumers. Netflix is also constantly improving its user interface and expanding the reach of its streaming services to include additional screens for increased viewership (Netflix Inc, 2016). Figure 1 below shows the average weekly consumption of Netflix per major regions in hours. It shows that with immediate satisfaction and hectic schedules as the norm in today’s society, Netflix adds value to its consumers’ lives by making content available at any given moment on various devices, and by allowing each consumer convenience to choose what to watch and for infinite number of times depending on choice.

Figure 1: Weekly Netflix video consumption in major regions in hours (source: businessmodelanalyst.com, 2018)

With relation to comprehensive e-engineering, quality management, innovation, and restructuring, Netflix has been the most actively involved in the transition process. The firm’s domination of the market necessitated the implementation of these reforms (Fairchild, 2016). The organization has had to change on a continuous basis as a result of the use of TQM to assess consumer trends. Licensing is expensive, and the company needs to keep corporate costs under control while making continuous attempts to enhance the variety of movies, television shows, and series offered. E-engineering has served a role in making sure that Netflix’s infrastructure has been enhanced in order to handle the large number of requests from members. Restructuring has proven to be critical in maintaining the talent required for e-engineering projects.

Innovation, Intrapreneurship, and Creativity

Innovation, intrapreneurship, and creativity has been the main competencies that keep Netflix afloat in the ever-changing business environment. Intrapreneurship has a vital role to play in the attainment of innovation and creativity. These elements are mentioned by Blanka (2019) to be key ingredients in enabling sustainable competitive advantage. Individuals with entrepreneurial skills create an innovative environment in existing business activities and attempt to achieve sustainable growth.

Netflix started out as a DVD rental service, and it was in this part of the entertainment business that the corporation first began to cause havoc with the status quo (Dawson, 2016). Netflix, which entered the market by offering DVD rentals through the mail, has since surpassed the dominance of video retail establishments such as Blockbuster. Consumers were able to rent films from the comfort of their own homes, thanks to this one-of-a-kind service (The Economist, 2016). The institutional shift at Netflix provides a real-life illustration of Lewin’s change management approach. Every organizational change has a number of steps that must be completed in order for the change to be successful. The most important variables that influence an organization’s willingness to accept change are technology, culture, and the environment in which it operates, which Netflix leverages through innovation, creativity, and intrapreneurship.

Nature of Changes at Netflix and its Success

Netflix managed to provide a new, differentiated service that consumers valued, forcing existing competitors to either evolve or go out of business as a result. Blockbuster, for instance, failed to respond to the changing business and went bankrupt as a result of their failure. Technological advancements, shifting consumer preferences, severe rivalry, and the emergence of a worldwide marketplace, as demonstrated by Netflix’s disruption of the DVD rental industry, are driving transformation in the entertaining video industry today. Figure 2 below shows its success following this strategy by 2018. Market players must be creative and responsive in order to remain relevant; otherwise, they risk becoming obsolete. “The entertainment video industry is fiercely competitive and vulnerable to quick change,” says the author (Netflix, Inc. 10-K, 2015). Netflix used the term quantum technological transition (Jones, 2013, p. 367) for the first time when they debuted their mail order DVD business. With the help of modern internet technologies, this service was able to develop a whole new service offering that people rapidly discovered they enjoyed. As a result of this significant innovation, there is more unpredictability in the marketplace, and the competitive environment has shifted. Netflix caused competitors to alter their business models as a result of the company’s success.

Figure 2: Netflix as the video consumption platform of choice in America (Source: Statista.com, 2018)

Reasons for Organizational Change at Netflix

With regards to Corfield (2017), the organization is growing more and more well-known with each passing day for its ease of use, high-quality content, and improved functionalities. After all, the incorporation and adaptation of technological advancements is an unavoidable part of meeting and exceeding client expectations. Consumers in the 21st century would never want to spend additional time traveling to and from the cinema. Consumers would go to the theatre to watch new releases before watching films at home on Netflix. This is no longer the case. People can easily be entertained by technological advances, such as a desktop, a laptop, and a smartphone, thanks to the availability of internet access.

Lessons Learnt from Netflix’s Successful Transformation

A major lesson is that one must continuously keep changing and evolving with regard to the global changes. Another observation is that one must tailor their organizational changes with the objectives and goals of the shareholders. The decision to change its business model made Netflix one of the most successful organizations of the 21st century. The company basically has a huge market share of the film industry. The majority of people throughout the world utilize social media in a variety of contexts, including education, entertainment, and marketing. Netflix’s decision-makers had anticipated an increase in market demand. Consequently, the firm has shifted its business strategy to enable individuals to view films as well as television shows on computers and handheld devices. Netflix’s executives discovered that customers did not want to store video, so they adjusted the company’s business model. Furthermore, Netflix is continuously on the lookout for new strategies from competitors, making it stand out in the US and globally as shown in figure 3 below.

Figure 3: Dominance of Netflix in the US compared to other subscription service providers (Statista.com, 2019)

Apart from the above, another major lesson gained from Netflix’s successful transformation is a critical response to the external environment that is always changing. From the external influencers that have shaped Netflix’s path, it is increasingly clear that political, economic, social, cultural, technological, and legal issues will always be changing (Tallman, Luo, & Buckley, 2018). These agents of the external environment are important for growth because they push an organization to remain adaptable and flexible to changes. According to Vladoc and Chatzinikolaou (2019), being aware of the external environment and making the required changes and transformations is a revelation of growth. Netflix’s transformation helps to create an understanding of what is expected of a successful firm in relation to the future.

Netflix has shown great innovation and creativity when it comes to strategy formulation. This is one of the greatest lessons that can be derived from the organization’s success in its environment and industry. Sartori et al. (2018) identify an innovation strategy to be a key way for an organization to clarify its objectives and priorities. Innovation and related strategies are an important element of the success of an organization, particularly in the current overly competitive business environment. Innovation allows an organization to outline its goals including all of the activities that will aid in focusing efforts on the attainment of said goals. For example, Netflix’s innovative strategy was pegged on improvements to the DVD rental service, attempting to give customers a more flawless experience. With this innovative strategy, the company was able to align its goals and priorities in a way that enables success in the long term.

How Netflix Deals with the Forces that come with Organizational Change 

As stated earlier, organizational change relates to the procedure of adjusting and transforming the way a corporation conducts its business. The organization implements a little or large adjustment in order to increase productivity and adapt to the new circumstances. When it comes to change in a firm, there are two primary components to consider: external factors and internal factors. Technological advances, globalization, political and social transition, and the management of ethical behaviours are examples of external factors. Changing technology conditions and globalization, for instance, are the key external pressures that prompted Netflix to modify one of its features.

Similarly, internal changes within an organization are meant to expose the organization to the inner strengths and weaknesses, thus propelling an organization to progress. Combined, internal and external changes, from the case of Netflix, will provide the drive and experience to push beyond the constraints of an industry. Internal factors such as human resources, current technology, and financial power are all important for Netflix in its quest to succeed in its industry. Additionally, Netflix has to deal with a corporate culture of success, one that sets the bar on performance and expectations from all stakeholders.

Further Developments and Change at Netflix

Expectations and behaviours are altered as a result of new technology, which alters the characteristics, tools, and patterns of an organization’s product or service offered. Netflix was able to successfully navigate the forces of change in order to achieve success and wealth for the corporation, giving it an edge in the international market as shown in figure 4 below. Internal forces, such as changes in managerial people, work climate, efficiency, employee expectations, and crises, can also affect an organization’s decision to modify management practices. Netflix, for instance, recognized that viewing a movie at home would cut the entertainment expense and alleviate the transport problems in the area. As a result, Netflix agreed to the organizational restructuring.

Figure 4: Netflix United States versus international audience 2007-2016 (Source: statista.com, 2017)

Conclusion

Netflix took its first steps as a typical corporation; however, it has gained a competitive edge by adapting its business model to meet the needs of its customers. The firm’s top management modified its structure in order to keep up with emerging technology. It has had two revisions, in 1999 and 2007. Nevertheless, since its introduction in 2007, the video streaming service has gained enormous popularity and generated significant revenue for the corporation. The discussion identifies some essential insights that can be applied to every business. One major observation is that it is always necessary to alter the characteristics of an organization in order to meet client expectations. Furthermore, digital adaptation and acceptance must be welcomed in order to provide satisfaction to both employees and customers. For the organization to work optimally, advanced features as well as tools must be introduced. For example, Netflix began its online video streaming feature in 2007 and has since expanded its capabilities.

References

Bariso, J. (2015, December 04). What your business can learn from Netflix. Retrieved from

http://www.inc.com/justin-bariso/the-secrets-behind-the-extraordinary-success-ofnetflix.html

Blanka, C. (2019). An individual-level perspective on intrapreneurship: a review and ways

forward. Review of Managerial Science, 13(5), 919-961.

Corfield, J. (2017). Network vs. Netflix: a comparative content analysis of demographics

across prime-time television and Netflix Original Programming.

Dawson, J. (2016, August 12). More people are cutting the cable cord than you think.

Retrieved from http://www.marketwatch.com/story/more-people-are-cutting-thecable-cord-than-you-think-2016-08-1

Fairchild, C. (2016, June 20). Netflix redefined American company culture. Will it do the

same abroad? Retrieved from http://www.cnbc.com/2016/06/20/netflix-redefined-americancompany-culture-will-it-do-the-same-abroad.html

Hughes, M. (2015, March 21). The millennial trends that are killing cable. Retrieved from

http://www.forbes.com/sites/markhughes/2015/03/21/the-millennial-trends-that-arekilling-cable/#50aa34604f8f

Jones, G. R. (2013). Organizational theory, design, and change. Upper Saddle River, NJ:

Pearson.

McCord, P. (2014, January). How Netflix Reinvented HR. Harvard Business Review.

Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2014/01/how-netflix-reinvented-hr

Netflix, Inc. (2016, January 28). Form 10-K 2016. Retrieved from

http://files.shareholder.com/downloads/NFLX/2792316489x0x905148/A368EB08- AAAC-40BB-9F64-84F277F99ADE/2015_Annual_Report.pdf

Sartori, R., Costantini, A., Ceschi, A., & Tommasi, F. (2018). How do you manage change in

organizations? Training, development, innovation, and their relationships. Frontiers in psychology, 9, 313.

Tallman, S., Luo, Y., & Buckley, P. J. (2018). Business models in global competition. Global

Strategy Journal, 8(4), 517-535.

The Economist. (2016, August 20). Streaming on screens near you. Retrieved from

http://www.economist.com/news/business/21705353-can-netflix-stay-atop-newbroadband-based-television-ecosystem-it-helped-create-streaming

Vlados, C., & Chatzinikolaou, D. (2019). Methodological redirections for an evolutionary

approach of the external business environment. J. Mgmt. & Sustainability, 9, 25.

Major Challenges Modern Society Places On Police And Policing

Major Challenges Modern Society Places On Police And Policing?

Introduction

Effectiveness of traditional law enforcement approaches has declined in the modern society. The modern highly globalized society brings people from different ethnic backgrounds together. This in turn has led to new forms of conflicts. In addition, people’s trust in police organization has declined significantly necessitating new strategies like community policing to reduce tension and fight crime and insecurity in the community. Accordingly, police structure have changed from the traditional paramilitary to shorter command chain and the role of police has changed from a law enforcer to leaders who bring together the correct people in order to resolve problems on law enforcement. All over the world the police in this 21st century face completely new challenges.

Main Body

Police in the 21st century have access to education, information, training, and ability to exchange both experiences and training globally. However, they also experience daunting challenges that their predecessors never encountered. Globalization poses serious challenges to police in the modern society. Under globalization different nations have increased the need for standardized practices, regulation and laws. There is need for more cooperation as events in one region have an impact on other parts of the world. This makes frequent consultation and collaborated action a must. Globalization also results in higher rates of migration that can bring people from different culture and races in one country. On one side this is a big challenge particular because of the conflict in value system of the different cultures. The police being the closest arm of government in contact with the community will have to deal with this growing challenge on a regular basis. This means police will require training and knowledge to make them aware about the cultural differences. Police organizations will also have to be more representative by recruiting people from minority groups. In addition, globalization is also pushing for international police. This will require harmonization of practices and standards, thus necessitating collective training and joint procedure s and polices (Murray, 2000).

Policing has also developed as reaction to evolving social changes in the society. Police systems have changed in significant ways within very short terms. Following September 11, 2001 terrorist attack for instance, in U.S, practitioners and politicians called for paradigm shifts in policing to deal with this new menace. There was a call for police to be more active in combating terrorism. There was an emphasis for policing that pays greater details to intelligence gathering, information sharing, covert investigation, and immigration enforcement (Ortiz, Hendris & Suge, 2007). Terrorism has therefore, led to changes in police structure and training in the 21st century. Today there are more specialized police organizations to combat this menace.

The terrorist attacks and others modern crimes have also increased the need for citizens or community participation in combating crime. To some this a new practice in crime prevention, but to others it is a repeat of history that has been necessitated by increased crime rate in the last century. Crime control models that emerged in the past led to increased use of technology in fighting crime, which removed police from the community. This made it difficult for police to gather intelligence at grass root level. Police increasingly became unpopular among the people and were seen as merely law enforcers. The new model of community policing has thus come about to restore community confidence with the people. This new model of policing aims to reduce the challenges of the previous crime model by devising new strategies to handle problems. For example police are patrolling areas inhabited by immigrant on foot to restore this trust and encourage locals to report crimes. They are also working together with these immigrants to devise strategies for cutting down the crime rates in these areas. Recruitment of police from the same cultural backgrounds as these immigrants is also helping to solve their problems. Successful governments today are increasingly calling for citizens’ cooperation with agents mandated to prevent crime. These activities have called for citizen police participation in previously police reserved activities like watching neighborhood, community safety initiatives and citizens patrols. Citizens today are being invited to be active participants as opposed to inactive beneficiaries of state services (Zedner, 2006).

Conclusion

Indeed the modern society poses new challenges to police and policing. Today states are more interconnected than in previous times. This has led to emergence of new police organizations catalyzed by the need for joint actions and cooperation in keeping security at global level. Globalization has also led to massive migration of people from different countries. This poses major challenges to police in certain countries. Pooling of people from different cultural backgrounds is a major threat to a country security due to their difference in value system. Police as the immediate government representatives experience the challenge of dealing with these immigrants and require special training to handle the new threats to national security. Terrorism is also another challenge in the 21st century that police have had to deal with. This has led to frequent campaigns for changes in policing like community policing, which also requires high level of interpersonal skills to handle these 21st century challenges.

References

Murray, T. (2000). Police and the Challenge of the 21st Century: managing Change in Police organizations. Retrieved on June 19, 2013 from http://www.afp.gov.au/media-centre/publications/platypus/previous-editions/2000/september-2000/2-21century.aspx

Ortiz, C. W., Hendricks, N. J., Sugie, N. F. (2007). Policing Terrorism: the Response of Local Police Agencies to Homeland Security Concerns. Criminal Justice Studies, 20(2), p 91-109.

Zedner, l. (2006). Policing before and After the Police. The Historical Antecedents of Contemporay Crime Control. British Journal of Criminology, 46, p 78-96.

Top 5 Value Speech

Major Banks, Jr

Oral Communication

Mr. Banks

Date: 9/9/16

Outline

Top 5 Value Speech

I. Attention Getter: Invictus by William Henley

1. Out of the night that covers me black as a pit from pole to

I thank whatever God my be for my unconquerable soul. In the

Fail clutch of circumstance my head is bloody but unbowed.

II. Listener Relevance:

2. This speech will show how values have impacted my life.

III. Topic:

3. My life defined in values

IV. Preview:

4. Faith is my most important value. Faith in my God as seen me through

some of the most trying times of my life. The death of both of my

parents, the death of my nephew and the cancer diagnosis my son was

handed last year

V. Thesis Statement:

5. Values are defined as standards or principals.

Because of the nature of values this can lead to a great debate as to

which is the most important. Value can also be emotional, subjectable

and arguable. This speech will detail how the values of Faith,

Courage, Discretion, Obedience , and Perseverance have impacted my life.

IV. This speech discussed the value system that made me the person I am today.

With the exception of faith, the values are in no particular order.

Each person must find their own value system and learn to trust it.

Top Five Values

Major Banks, Jr.

Organizational Behavior

Albert J. Baker

June 12, 2006

Top Five Values

Values are described in the dictionary as standards or principals. According to Dr. Albert Baker, they are also personal, individual, emotional, arguable, and subjectable. Because of the nature of values this can lead to great debate as to which is the most important. This paper will list my five top values and how they have impacted my life, they are faith, discretion, courage, integrity and endurance.

Faith is my most important value. Faith is the foundation that my life is built on. Faith in my God has seen me through some of my most trying times in life, death of both parents, death of a nephew, and the news my son has a chronic illness. Without knowing that there is a Supreme Being who I could turn to, I do not know where I would be today. Faith is also central to my everyday life, whether it is at work, play or the advising of my twenty-one year son; faith is a very important part of my life.

Discretion is a value that was taught at a very early age in my home. My parents believed that maintaining what you saw or heard to yourself was essential to a happy life. This value served me very well when I pledged a fraternity in college, the rituals and practices of the fraternity must be kept and maintained within the organization, and this can only be accomplished through discretion. On my job this value also becomes quite useful. I have access to customer telephone records, and therefore I must exercise discretion to make sure the information is keep confidential. Discretion can best be summed up in the Las Vegas commercial, “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas”.

Courage is the next value on my list. This value not only requires bravery in the face of danger, but also in difficult situations. Courage in my life has been demonstrated numerous times; when new equipment or procedures are implemented at work, facing the challenges of the birth of a child, and most importantly the difficulties of a new marriage. Courage for me was also evident when at the age of forty-five I decided to go back to college and finish my Bachelors of Arts. It also took great courage for me to strive to obtain my Master’s degree.

As I have grown older obedience is a value that I have come to place great emphasis on. When we are younger obedience is one of the values we tend to overlook, but as an adult I have come to understand that obedience is one my most important values. Being able to follow codes of behavior, business practices, and work instructions has allowed me to stay on my job for over twenty-seven years. Obedience is one of the values I desperately strive to pass on to my children.

The last of my top five values is Integrity. Integrity is a value that is very personal to me; this is one of the values that I have had to re-learn in my adult years. My job as a service representative requires a sales quota. In the competitive environment of today’s business, it would be very easy to add products to customers account in order to gain a competitive sales edge. Integrity in raising my children has also been very important; because they have to see you practicing what you preach for them to buy into the message.

These five values outside of faith are not listed in any particular order. Faith is my most important value, because it sets the foundation for the rest of values I live by. All are highly personal and could be debated for years.

Major Assumption and Goal of Positive Psychology

Major Assumption and Goal of Positive Psychology

Name

Course

Date

Major Assumption and Goal of Positive Psychology

Social problem solving is considered to be the major assumption and goal of positive psychology. To begin with, social problem solving can be defined as the attempt to come out with recommendations that are considered as the remedy to a particular task or conflict within a social set up. (D’Zurilla & Goldfried, 1971) defines a problem as a particular scenario that requires a response for adaptive functioning with an aim of creating solutions amongst the aggrieved parties. In general view the idea of problem solving is considered as creating solutions to existing social situations at hand.

Illustrations from (D’Zurilla & Nezu, 1982) consider problem solving as the process of creating solutions on an existing problematic situation as it occurs in a natural environment. The two scholars further explain the essence of problem solving by identifying it in the context of impersonal problems which include aspects like shortage of resources as well as possessing illegally acquired items or an individual losing his or her legally acquired item illegally. They also identify problem solving at personal capacity which covers individual behavior in terms of emotions, social feelings and also psychosocial wellbeing. Problem solving is also viewed in the context of interpersonal relationship and in this case emphasis is put on institutional conflicts for example religion conflicts, family wrangles amongst others. Social problem solving is also looked at in form of larger societal problems. In this situation, problem solving process is covers the broader scope of heterogonous communities in terms of diversity in race, religion, social class as well as the hierarchical considerations within the society.

For example religious conflicts that has led deterioration of security due to terrorism, racial discrimination as well as discrimination due to social status in the society. This has created a scenario where there is element of inequality thus unforeseeable tension exists leading to conflict

Problem solving therefore is aimed at creating harmony where there exists discord and the major objective is pegged at reaching a rationalized conclusion that will help in lowering emotional strains that might have been created by the problem situation.

It is evident to argue that problem solving is the quickest strategy to prevent an impending discomfort within the society.

Basing my illustrations as argued by D’Zurilla, Nezu, and Maydeu-Olivares (2002; D’Zurilla, 1986; D’Zurilla & Nezu, 1982, 1990, 1999; Maydeu- Olivares & D’Zurilla, 1995, 1996; Nezu & D’Zurilla, 1989). It is clear that for one to achieve remedy to a particular problem, considerations of appropriate solution is considered whereby a solution is viewed as an end in itself if it depicts a response pattern that comes out as the end result problem solving process when it is correlated to that particular problem situation. D’Zurilla et al., 2002) a proper solution is only considered to be so if it attempts to achieve the problem solving objective. This involves transformation of a problem situation into a better situation thus leading to decline in the stains that produced it. On the same note, candid solution to a problem situation leads to improvement of positive outcomes while limiting the negative impacts. Positive solution to a problem situation results into easing of tension between the aggrieved parties thus results into mutual agreement and consensus that are taken positively by both parties and this is only achieved if the interests of the parties are catered for.

Therefore, productive solution is one that creates consensus through incorporation of interests of the two parties. For this situation to be realized there must exist an element of compromise such that the hard stands taken by the two parties can be in a position to be harmonized to accommodate the two. In addition to that, consensus becomes relevant only if the gravity of the problem situation is addressed in a manner that is considered fair and impartial by the parties.

The attainability of positive problem solving process is determined by several factors as described Maydeu-Olivares and D’Zurilla (1996). The scholars explain the problem solving skills through models. In their illustrations, a five factored model was found to be prudent in attaining positive problem solution. The model is composed of two different but closely related problem oriented dimension as well as other three problem solving styles. The first two orientations are divided into positive and negative problem solving dimensions while the styles are classified as rational problem solving, impulsive carelessness and avoidance styles. Referring to the above stated, the outcome of positive problem orientation and rational problem solving has resulted into positive existence thus achieved the meaning of creating consensus and mutual harmony. It is in this regard that the scholars advocated for it since it led to affirmative results. Rational problem solving is a style that attempts to employ proper reasoning, keen consideration of the cause of the problem as well as proper checking of circumstances that led to the occurrence of the problem.

On the other hand negative problem orientation, avoidance and impulsive carelessness styles created negative impact in comparison to the former two. Objective comparison between the two categories can be pegged to the fact that there exists direct relationship between constructive dimensions being positively related while negatively related with the dysfunctional dimension. In brief the two sets are opposite of each other.

Further illustrations point out that Positive problem orientation starts from considering the problem as a challenge. When a problem is viewed as a challenge, it gives chance for a wider scope of view in that it gives room for proper positive results. In this criterion, the problem is perceived as a balance propability of a success or benefit. There is an element of optimism in the manner that no matter the intensity of the problem there exists a solution that is positive and that the problem is going to be solved with success. It further explains that successful problem solving technique is time consuming and requires commitment. On the other hand negative problems Orientation is a dysfunctional and tends to offer pessimistic view on successful solving problem dimension. It looks at a problem in the context of conflict thus threatens social coexistence and harmony. Negative problem orientation does not offer optimistic perception on an individual’s ability to solve the problem. It tends to limit the individual’s worldview hence being myopic to reality. This situation therefore results into inability of an individual to solve problems competently due to lack of rationalized reasoning. The ability of an individual to competently solve a problem is also detailed in the Maydeu-Olivares and D’Zurilla (1997).One’s ability to solve a problem is primarily dependent on the knowledge on positive problem orientation.

Problem solving involves procedures that are employed to realize the success of a problem solution. A means-ends procedure (MEPS; Platt & Spivack, 1975; Spivack et al., 1985) is one of the evident procedures used in attempt to solve a problem or components. First is the ability to identify the order through which a particular goal is achieved. The order need to be sequential in nature. Once that is achieved, the next step is predictability of impediments that might prevent you from achieving the goal which is subsequently followed by reality that an individual must appreciate the concept of time.

However there exist complexities and a number of challenges in current problem solving processes. One of the most common factors is shortage of support for one’s construct validity. Marsiske and Willis (1995) after conducting a confirmatory factor analysis, the outcome indicated that the tests were not related to each other.

Their deductions indicated that the three tests measured differently and their findings were justified based on the fact theory. It is therefore evident that in an attempt to reach a problem solving consensus, there is need for clarity in definition of three major components of problem solving process, that is, solution, problem solving and the problem itself. Putting considerations in all these, it is evident to understand that to achieve effective problem solving practice elaborate definitions of the three terms need to be considered. On the other hand, incase proper definition is not put in place while constructing test it will be considered to be vague.

In summary, the social problem solving theory creates the difference between problem solving and solution implementation.

The processes are different and therefore needs varied skills. Problem solving in itself is considered to be the process of seeking solutions to particular problems, while on the other hand solution implementation involves the practical carrying out remedies of the actual problem. Another dichotomy is that problem-solving skills are considered to be general in nature while solution implementation tends to be diverse depending on the problem.

In conclusion positive social problem solving process is the basic way through which social problems can be solved. Whether at individual capacity, intrapersonal or at the broader community level, positive problem solving has proved appropriate as the major way through which conflict can be prevented thus preventing further conflict escalation. At the societal level, problem solving process has aided the existence of mutual peace thus limited chances of wrangles.

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