Artists transform what were originally oral and literary stories into Essay

Artists transform what were originally oral and literary stories into images - Essay Example example is that to consumers who were viable to be being swindled by different financial institution, the act required that they were to be given credit counseling before being asked to sign any document (American Law Institute-American Bar Association Committee on Continuing Professional Education., 2005). This prevents against such occurrences like surrendering homes because one is not capable to pay up his or her mortgage. The Act has created awareness and as such foolish decisions which were taken by the consumers in the past like loan problems and challenges in meeting credit card payments have been properly addresses as everything is now understand to consumers in a clearer language than it used to be in the past. The Act exists to ensure that there is a debt reaffirmation agreements between the debtor and creditor, limits the lien stripping and tightens the discharge rules on claims thus making the Act effective in the both the development and well being of both parties involved. American Law Institute-American Bar Association Committee on Continuing Professional Education. (2005). Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005: ALI-ABA course of study materials. Philadelphia, Pa: American Law Institute-American Bar Association Committee on Continuing Professional

Patient Care Plan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Patient Care Plan - Assignment Example Bumper migration to subcutaneous tissue was found to be one of the most common complications reported after PEG placement (Marks & Dunkin, 2013). Approximately 70% of 97 patients who have percutaneous endoscopic gastronomy (PEG) placement have hospital revisits with complications (Naik, Joshipura, Patel, Haribhakti, 2008). The purpose of this study is to explore the nursing treatment and management of a patient who has been diagnosed with the buried bumper syndrome in a clinical setting (Ramdass & Mann, 2013). It discusses the role of RN in managing the different needs of human beings as a consumer of health care in a patient-centered environment. The paper will base its in-depth exploration on previous healthcare literature and evidence from previous related cases. Currently, the patient has obesity, hypoventilation syndrome as well as obstructive sleep apnea. The woman has obstructive sleep apnea which is characterized by obesity. On 14th October 2014, the patient’s condition was critical because she had a respiratory failure that was requiring endotracheal intubation. Patient’s history revealed that the PEG tube was inserted. The placement of endotracheal tube was delayed leading to a bradycardia asystolic arrest. The respiratory failure that the patient experienced on 14th October 2014 required intubation. However, the CT scan shows signs indicating that the endotracheal tube was not correctly placed. This placement may be one of the causes of hospital revisits. The CT scan revealed a bumper migration to subcutaneous tissue. CT scan also showed purulent discharge at the site of PEG. No edema was found; the patient was alert and oriented. Although hospital policies and current nursing texts do not offer adequate recommendations for care of the patient with PEG tube (Simons & Remington, 2013), it is important not to neglect this area. It is important that care providers are aware of the complications that

Approaches To Implementing Appreciative Inquiry Cultural Studies Essay

Approaches To Implementing Appreciative Inquiry Cultural Studies Essay Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is an organizational development process or philosophy that engages individuals within an organizational system in its renewal, change and focused performance. Appreciative Inquiry was adopted from work done by earlier action research theorists and practitioners and further developed by David Cooperrider of Case Western Reserve University. It is now a commonly accepted practice in the evaluation of organizational development strategy and implementation of organizational effectiveness tactics. Appreciative Inquiry is a particular way of asking questions and envisioning the future that fosters positive relationships and builds on the basic goodness in a person, a situation, or an organization. In so doing, it enhances a systems capacity for collaboration and change.0#cite_note-0[1] Appreciative Inquiry utilizes a cycle of 4 processes focusing on: DISCOVER: The identification of organizational processes that work well. DREAM: The envisioning of processes that would work well in the future. DESIGN: Planning and prioritizing processes that would work well. DESTINY (or DELIVER): The implementation (execution) of the proposed design.1#cite_note-1[2] 2#cite_note-2[3] The basic idea is to build organizations around what works, rather than trying to fix what doesnt. It is the opposite of problem solving. Instead of focusing gaps and inadequacies to find blame and remediate skills or practices, AI focuses on how to create more of the occasional exceptional performance that is occurring because a core of strengths is aligned. The approach acknowledges the contribution of individuals, in order to increase trust and organizational alignment. The method aims to create meaning by drawing from stories of concrete successes and lends itself to cross-industrial social activities. It can be enjoyable and natural to many managers, who are often sociable people. There are a variety of approaches to implementing Appreciative Inquiry, including mass-mobilized interviews and a large, diverse gathering called an Appreciative Inquiry Summit (Ludema, Whitney, Mohr and Griffin, 2003). Both approaches involve bringing very large, diverse groups of people together to study and build upon the best in an organization or community. The basic philosophy of AI is also found in other positively oriented approaches to individual change as well as organizational change. As noted above, AI fosters positive relationships and builds on the basic goodness in a person, or a situation . The idea of building on strength, rather than just focusing on faults and weakness is a powerful idea in use in mentoring programs, and excellent performance evaluations. It is the basic idea behind teaching micro-affirmations as well as teaching about micro-inequities. (See Microinequity Rowe Micro-Affirmations and Micro-inequities in the Journal of the International Ombudsman Association, Volume 1, Number 1, March 2008.) AI has been used extensively to foster change in businesses (a variety of sectors), health care systems, social profit organizations, educational institutions, communities, local governments, and religious institutions. Appreciative inquiry (AI) is a major breakthrough in organization development, training and development and in problem solving, in general. AI is based on the assertion that problems are often the result of our own perspectives and perceptions of phenomena, eg, if we look at a certain priority as a problem, then we tend to constrain our ability to effectively address the priority and to continue to develop in our lives and work. AI is a philosophy so a variety of models, tools and techniques can be derived from that philosophy. For example, one AI-based approach to strategic planning includes identification of our best times during the best situations in the past in an organization, wishing and thinking about what worked best then, visioning what we want in the future, and building from what worked best in order to work toward our vision. The approach has revolutionized many practices, including strategic planning and organization development. Various Perspectives The following links are by no means a complete list of online resources about AI. Like any other topic in the Library, the following links are to resources that can help to get you started in learning more about this topic. Appreciative Inquiry Commons AI : the Quest Appreciative Inquiry Resources Appreciative Inquiry and Community Development Appreciative Inquiry 5D Spiral of Development Taos Institute on Appreciative Inquiry managementhelp.org/commskls/appr_inq/appr_inq.htm Appreciative Enquiry . . . it is through language that we create the world, because its nothing until we describe it.   And when we describe it, we create distinctions that govern our actions.   To put it another way, we do not describe the world we see, but we see the world we describe.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Joseph Jaworski As it has evolved, there are a number of ways in which to conduct an Appreciative Inquiry (AI)Team Building but the processes all tend to follow a common path of four phases: Discovery (conducting appreciative interviews and identifying the themes and life-giving forces), Dream (developing provocative propositions for the future), Design (integrating wishes for the future with plans for needed changes to structure, systems and processes) and Destiny (making it happen and making it sustainable over time Appreciative enquiry is a new way of approaching problem solving, team-building and solution development. Appreciative Inquiry works from a set of assumptions. 1. In every society, organisation or group, something works well. 2. What we focus on, becomes our reality. 3. Reality is created in the moment, and there are multiple realities. 4. The act of asking questions of a person, or group influences the group/person in some way. 5. People have more confidence to journey to the future (the unknown) when they carry forward parts of the past (the known). 6. If we carry forward parts of the past, they should be what is best about our past. 7. It is important to value differences. 8. The language we use creates our reality and experience. The Appreciativer Inquiry Way While these may seem obvious, we know from our own experience that we can look at what isnt working and start problem solving. This pulls us backwards/downwards rather than forwards.   If we focus on difficulties in the past, people become self defensive and feel that life is hopeless.   When we ask them about their successes, they become enthusiastic and start to hope again and explore possibility. Appreciative Inquiry 5-D Cycle Discovery: The Appreciative Inquiry approach to personal, or organisational, change is to begin by looking for what is working -APPRECIATING the best of our experience. Dream: This is to consider what might be ENVISIONING RESULTS Design: What should be the ideal? CO-CONSTRUCTING Destiny: How to empower, learn adjust or improvise    SUSTAINING Do-It: Action towards achievement Commitment, response, action The tangible result of the Appreciative Inquiry process is a series of statements that describe where the person or organisation wants to be, based on the best moments of where they have been. Because these statements are based in real experience and history, people know how to repeat their success. They have created before, they can create once again. The purpose is to reconnect with the life giving forces-what is working, and then go beyond that to, what could be if we expanded our paradigm of possibility. What is Appreciative Inquiry? from A Positive Revolution in Change: Appreciative Inquiry by David L. Cooperrider and Diana Whitney. Ap-preci-ate, v., 1. valuing; the act of recognizing the best in people or the world around us; affirming past and present strengths, successes, and potentials; to perceive those things that give life (health, vitality, excellence) to living systems 2. to increase in value, e.g. the economy has appreciated in value. Synonyms: VALUING, PRIZING, ESTEEMING, and HONORING. In-quire (kwir), v., 1. the act of exploration and discovery. 2. To ask questions; to be open to seeing new potentials and possibilities. Synonyms: DISCOVERY, SEARCH, and SYSTEMATIC EXPLORATION, STUDY. Appreciative Inquiry is about the coevolutionary search for the best in people, their organizations, and the relevant world around them. In its broadest focus, it involves systematic discovery of what gives life to a living system when it is most alive, most effective, and most constructively capable in economic, ecological, and human terms. AI involves, in a central way, the art and practice of asking questions that strengthen a systems capacity to apprehend, anticipate, and heighten positive potential. It centrally involves the mobilization of inquiry through the crafting of the unconditional positive question often-involving hundreds or sometimes thousands of people. In AI the arduous task of intervention gives way to the speed of imagination and innovation; instead of negation, criticism, and spiraling diagnosis, there is discovery, dream, and design. AI seeks, fundamentally, to build a constructive union between a whole people and the massive entirety of what people talk about a s past and present capacities: achievements, assets, unexplored potentials, innovations, strengths, elevated thoughts, opportunities, benchmarks, high point moments, lived values, traditions, strategic competencies, stories, expressions of wisdom, insights into the deeper corporate spirit or soul and visions of valued and possible futures. Taking all of these together as a gestalt, AI deliberately, in everything it does, seeks to work from accounts of this positive change core-and it assumes that every living system has many untapped and rich and inspiring accounts of the positive. Link the energy of this core directly to any change agenda and changes never thought possible are suddenly and democratically mobilized. appreciativeinquiry.case.edu/intro/whatisai.cfm What is Appreciative Inquiry? Appreciative Inquiry is the study and exploration of what gives life to human systems when they are at their best. It is an organization development methodology based on the assumption that inquiry into and dialogue about strengths, successes, values, hopes and dreams is itself transformational. It is founded on the following set of beliefs about human nature and human organizing: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ People individually and collectively have unique gifts, skills and contributions to bring to life. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Organizations are human social systems, sources of unlimited relational capacity, created and lived in language. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The images we hold of the future are socially created and, once articulated, serve to guide individual and collective actions. Through human communication (inquiry and dialogue) people can shift their attention and action away from problem analysis to lift up worthy ideals and productive possibilities for the future. In short, Appreciative Inquiry suggests that human organizing and change, at its best, is a relational process of inquiry, grounded in affirmation and appreciation. One way to understand Appreciative Inquiry is to consider the meaning of its two words. Each word alone has implications for the practice of organization change. The power of Appreciative Inquiry, however, is the by-product of the two words working together. Like hydrogen and oxygen that combine to make water the most nurturing substance on earth appreciation and inquiry combined produce a powerful, vital approach to leadership and organization change. Appreciation: Recognition and Value Added Appreciation has to do with recognition, with valuing and with gratitude. The word appreciate is a verb that carries a double meaning. It refers to both the act of recognition and the act of enhancing value. Definitions include: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ to recognize the best in people and the world around us; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ to perceive those things which give life, health, vitality and excellence to living human systems; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ to affirm past and present strengths, successes, assets and potentials; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ to increase in value (e.g., the investment has appreciated in value). Indeed, organizations, businesses and communities can benefit by greater appreciation. Around the global, people hunger for recognition. They want to work from their strengths on tasks they find of value. Executives and managers long to lead from their values. They seek ways to integrate their greatest passions into their daily work. And organizations strive regularly to enhance their value to shareholders, employees and the world at large. Inquiry: Exploration and Discovery Appreciative Inquiry is about more than appreciation, recognition, and enhancement of value. Its also about inquiry. Inquiry refers to the acts of exploration and discovery. It implies a quest for new possibilities, being in a state of unknowing, wonder and a willingness to learn. It implies an openness to change. The word inquire also a verb means: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ to ask questions; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ to study; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ to search, explore, delve into or investigate Inquiry is a learning process for organizations as well as for individuals. Seldom do we search, explore or study what we already know with certainty. We ask questions about and query into areas unfamiliar to us. The act of inquiry requires sincere curiosity and openness to new possibilities, new directions and new understandings. We cannot have all the answers, know what is right, or be certain when we are engaged in inquiry. The spirit of inquiry is the spirit of learning. How Does Appreciative Inquiry Work? The process used to generate the power of Appreciative Inquiry is the 4-D Cycle. Based on the notion that human systems people, teams, organizations and communities grow and change in the direction of what they study, Appreciative Inquiry works by focusing the attention of an organization on its most positive potential its positive core. The positive core is the essential nature of the organization at its best peoples collective wisdom about the organizations tangible and intangible strengths, capabilities, resources, potentials and assets. The Appreciative Inquiry 4-D cycle unleashes the energy of the positive core for transformation and sustainable success. Affirmative Topic Choice: The 4-D Cycle begins with the thoughtful identification of what is to be studied affirmative topics. Since human systems move in the direction of what they study, the choice of what to study what to focus organizational attention on is both essential and strategic. The topics that are selected provide a framework for collecting stories, discovering and sharing best practices, and creating a knowledge-rich work environment. They become the organizations agenda for learning and innovation. Once selected, affirmative topics such as inspired leadership, optimal margins, or culture as competitive advantage guide the 4-D Cycle of Discovery, Dream, Design and Destiny. Discovery: The Discovery phase is a diligent and extensive search to understand the best of what is and what has been. It begins with the collaborative act of crafting appreciative interview questions and constructing an appreciative interview guide. Appreciative Inquiry questions are written as affirmative probes into an organizations positive core, in the topic areas selected. They are written to generate stories, to enrich the images and inner dialogue within the organization, and to bring the positive core more fully into focus. The results of Discovery include: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The formation of new relationships and alliances, that bridge across traditional barriers. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ A rich description or mapping of the organization s positive core. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Organization-wide sharing and learning from stories of best practices, golden innovations and exemplary actions. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Greatly enhanced organizational knowledge and collective wisdom. These results, in turn, inspire the emergence of organic, unplanned changes well before implementation of the more planful phases of the 4-D cycle. Dream: The Dream phase is an energizing exploration of what might be: a time for people to explore their hopes and dreams for their work, their working relationships, their organization, and the world at large. It is a time for groups of people to engage in thinking big, thinking out of the box, and thinking out of the boundaries of what has been in the past. The intent of the Dream phase is to identify and spread generative, affirmative, and hopeful images of the future. Typically this is accomplished in large group forums, where unusual combinations of stakeholders explore: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Creative images of the organization s most positive potentials à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Innovative strategic visions à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ An elevated sense of purpose. Design: The Design phase involves making choices about what should be within an organization or system. It is a conscious re-creation or transformation, through which such things as systems, structures, strategies, processes and images will become more fully aligned with the organizations positive past (Discovery) and highest potential (Dream). Destiny: The Destiny phase initiates a series of inspired actions that support ongoing learning and innovation or what will be. Since the entire 4-D Cycle provides an open forum for employees to contribute and step forward in the service of the organization, change occurs in all phases of an Appreciative Inquiry process. The Destiny phase, however, focuses specifically on personal and organizational commitments and paths forward. The result of destiny is generally an extensive array of changes throughout the organization in areas such as: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Management practices à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ HR processes Measurement systems à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Customer service systems à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Work processes and structures In many cases, the 4-D Cycle provides the framework for ongoing activities. Thus, the cycle begins again . . . and again . . . and again. Why Does Appreciative Inquiry Work? Appreciative Inquiry works because it treats people like people, and not like machines. People are social. We create our identities and our knowledge in relation to one another. We are curious. We like to tell stories and listen to stories. We pass on our values, beliefs and wisdom in stories. We like to learn and to use what we learn to be our best. And we delight in doing well in the eyes of those we care about and respect. Appreciative Inquiry enables leaders to create natural human organizations knowledge rich, strength based, adaptable, learning organizations. www.positivechange.org/appreciative-inquiry.html Appreciative Inquiry Consulting AI Consulting, LLC offers a collaborative, strength-based approach to strategic change and transformation. At the heart of our practice is Appreciative Inquiry (AI), an approach that draws on the strengths and values of an organization in order to implement its change agenda and achieve its highest goals. AI Consulting has the greatest concentration of AI expertise and our consultants span the globe. Among them are the thought leaders, authors, and founders of AI. Our whole-systems approach, global reach, and collaborative partnerships are reflected in our success stories. AI Consulting combines features of a large consulting firm, a knowledge web, an alliance of change agents, and a socially responsible business entity. We are a principle-driven organization, valuing integrity, learning, generosity, and the common good. Our leading-edge design makes us highly flexible and responsive to client needs. We always seek to enhance the core strengths that give life to an organization while growing its economic vitality, ecological integrity and organizational health.   www.aiconsulting.org/ Appreciative Inquiry Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is a process for catalyzing positive change developed at Case Western Reserve University by David Cooperrider, a professor of Organizational Behavior at their Weatherhead School of Management. As a graduate student, Cooperrider noticed that most organizational change was driven by consultants going into an organization and looking for problems and then attempting to fix them. He decided to see what happened if he took the opposite approach. During his graduate thesis work, Cooperrider went into the Cleveland Clinic and, rather than seek out what needed fixing, he sought out what was working well. He then developed a structured process to concentrate information about these success factors in what is called the positive core and to then amplify that positive core throughout the organization. The experiment was a great success and Cooperrider went on to establish the process as Appreciative Inquiry. Appreciative Inquiry is both a specific methodology and a perspective and has been defined as the study of what gives life to human systems when they are at their best. As such it ties deeply into fields such as Positive Psychology and Flow which, like AI, stand in contrast to our cultures typical problem-based or deficit-based mindset. To understand the phrase more deeply, we need simply look at the two words that make it up. Appreciate has two meanings: to look for the best in something and to increase something in value, such as when a stock or real estate appreciates. Inquiry means to seek understanding using a process based on provocative questions. So the idea is that provocative questions are used to draw out powerful success stories and identify the factors that are already working well within a human system. We can then use this understanding to help bring about what people want more of (as opposed to the usual cultural focus on reducing what they want less of). The specific methodology of Appreciative Inquiry gives us the tools to do this, while involving both left and right brains, and exploring the past, present and future. It consists of five main phases: Affirmative Topic Choice An interview is carried out using several provocative questions and, from the clients responses, several themes are chosen as the focal points for the rest of the inquiry process. Discovery Further provocative questions are explored regarding each of the Affirmative Topics and, from the clients responses, several themes are again chosen. These themes, a virtual DNA sample of the system at its best, reflect its central success factors its best strengths, talents, assets, values and ideals and are known as its positive core. Dream Creative processes are used to verbally and/or experientially explore what the future might be like if the positive core were more thoroughly enacted throughout the system and to examine, looking back from that vantage point, what must have happened in order for it to have reached such an optimal state. Design The system is organized into an architecture, and preferences chosen for each element of that structure, that will enable further enactment of the positive core and lessons from the Dream phase throughout the system. Provocative Propositions, in which clients put in writing broad goals or ideas that will help encourage the organization to move in the direction of optimization, may also be developed. Destiny Concrete plans are made and supporting resources put in place for enacting the chosen preferences in the service of amplifying the positive core and making the clients dreams a reality. Notice how these phases, in many ways, mimic the evolutionary process. That which is working best in a system is selected for and then those successful elements of the system become the raw material for its next stages of development. Thus, I like to consider Apprecative Inquiry a process for facilitating and accelerating evolutionary processes. Appreciative Inquiry has now been used to aid optimization in many large companies such as British Airways and Verizon, in schools such as at UC Berkeley, and even in whole cities such as in the Imagine Chicago project. It has also been adapted for use with families, individuals, and in many other settings. In developing my company, Emergent Associates, we synthesized a number of other tools and methods within a framework deeply based in Appreciative Inquiry to create our unique coaching and consulting process. Though a simple and enjoyable process for clients to experience, Appreciative Inquiry ties into fields as diverse as evolution, chaos theory, Systems Thinking, and other systems sciences. A quote from 3creativeASIN=1576752267creative=373489camp=211189The Power of Appreciative Inquiry: A Practical Guide to Positive Change sums up the mindset of this field well. We are not saying to deny or ignore problems. What we are saying is that if you want to transform a situation, a relationship, an organization, or community, focusing on strengths is much more effective than focusing on problems. www.systemsthinker.com/interests/appreciativeinquiry/    APPRECIATIVE APPROACH The Challenge The underlying belief of todays paradigm is that there is one best way to do things; one perfect way for an organization to be formed; one preferred way for employees to perform; one acceptable way for people to behave. We have been trained and educated from an early age to look for things in our human organizations that are not the best, perfect or preferred so that we can to fix them. We are a world of problem solvers. Our basic assumption of problem solving seems to be that organizations are problems to be solved. The process traditionally involves: (1) identifying the key problems; (2) analyzing the causes; (3) locating logical solutions; and, (4) developing an action plan. The result, change happens through a linear process that assumes we can repair human beings and organizations much as we might repair our car or computer. If we fix the problems, the organization will succeed. While this problem solving mentality has dominated business for years and led to some success, we are starting to see the limitations of this approach. The problem-solving approach directs attention to the worst of what is, constantly examining what is wrong with the organization. This continuous focus can have some very limiting and unintended consequences: We assume that because we know the problem, we must know the solution. No innovation. The organization creates no visions/images of the future. Breakthrough changes happens slowly, if at all, because we put attention on yesterdays causes. Visionless voice leading to organizational fatigue. Not another problem to deal with! Weakened fabric of relationships, defensiveness blameà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the creation of a negative culture. However, recent advances in the sciences and other related fields of study are causing a shift in how we understand the world. This new research and experience is leading us to an entirely new way of thinking about our organizations and how we improve them. There is a BETTER way! A Positive Change Model The fact is that our organizations are not predictable machines, but rather human constructions that are molded and changed by the images that human beings have of them. If we think that our organization is dysfunctional, unhealthy, and a bad place to work, most of what we see will be the behaviors, attitudes, and values that prove us right. If, on the other hand, we look for those things in our organizations that are healthy, creative, and supportive, we will begin to see an entirely different organization. We actually have a choice on what we focus on and Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is a method that can help us see the true potential or our organization. In contrast to the problem solving approach, the underlying assumption of Appreciative Inquiry is that organizations are solutions to be embraced. AI Definition To appreciate means to value to understand those things that are worth valuing. To inquire means to study, to ask questions, to search. AI is, therefore, a capacity building approach that selectively seeks to locate, highlight, and illuminate the life-giving forces within an organization or community. AI seeks out the best of what is to help ignite the collective imagination of what might be.   The aim is to generate new knowledge that expands the realm of the possible and helps people envision a collectively desired future and to carry forth that vision in ways which successfully translates images of possibility into reality, and belief into practice. AI is not a methodology. It is a philosophy, an orientation to change, and a way of seeing and being in the world!   AI 4-D Model Tirawa Consulting uses a change process, called the 4-D Model (see below), that: (1) Discovers what gives life to an organization; what is happening when the organization is at its best; (2) Dreams about what might be; what the world is calling the organization to be; (3) Designs ways to create the ideal as articulated by the whole organization; and, (4) Delivers through an on-going and iterative processes. This is not a static solution but rather a dynamic process of continuous change. The 4-D Model has been used successfully in multiple cultures, in all sizes of organizations, working in every sector of relief and development, at every level of the organization. The 4-D Model has also produced tremendous results in the governmental and business sectors as well.   Tirawa Consulting can help integrate AI into your strategic change agenda and work with you to design a solution that will involve your people, identify your strengths, and chart a course for unbelievable transformation! Here are just a few examples of how AI can be used to drive your organization to higher levels of performance: Culture transformation Vision building Team building development Feedback performance management Organization redesign Partnership creation / relationship building Strategic Many other applications

Suicide Bombers: What makes them tick? Essay -- Psychological Traum

Has anyone ever wondered how one individual could kill thousands of individuals, and not feel bad about it? Thousands of people die each year due to suicide bombing, but not too many people know why they do it. Also, no one really wonders about the past and how suicide bombing started. Someone did not just wake up, and decide to strap bombs to themselves, then detonate them inside a building full of people. This essay will discuss the history of suicide bombing, the training of a bomber, the personality of a suicide bomber, the different motivations behind his or her action, and the way culture impacts the bombing and the bomber. In order to understand the motivations behind suicide bombing, society needs to grasp the history of it. Suicide bombing was not really thought of until the 1980’s when one boy named Hossein Fahmiden died with a grenade in his hand during a battle. This incident started to change the way society viewed what the Qur’an said about killing yourself. People of this time, thought that it was bad, but then their views started to change after Fahmiden died. They thought it would help them and their families get into their version of heaven, called paradise. In 1983 suicide bombing became part of their cultural beliefs. Society, before it supported suicide bombing, had a huge debate on whether or not it was religiously supported. The Qur’an says that Muslims cannot kill themselves because they will not go to paradise. However, fighting and dying for one’s country makes them a hero. Suicide bombers of that time, and still today justify their actions using the e xcuse that they are fighting for their country (MacEoin 15-24). One may wonder how you become a suicide bomber. Many people think that these men ... ...culture is completely unhealthy for anyone, and will only breed future problems. Suicide bombers deal with a lot. They suicide bombers in the Muslim society have a expectation to live up to, and struggle to deal with it every day. The history of suicide bombing is very real, along with the debate on whether or not the Qur’an approves of suicide bombing. Suicide bombers are smart people who society would not take a second glance at. They do have certain personality characteristics, but so do non-suicide bombers. Many people believe that they only bomb because of anger or because they are crazy. This may be the case for some, but majority of them honestly believe that they are helping society out. Their culture does not help them in this matter and actually encourages suicide bombing. A combination of all these things is what makes suicide bombers tick.

Investment and Risk Tolerance Essay

Question 1: How do the concepts of behavioral finance create opportunities for HelloWallet? The current financial advising sites such as HelloWallet as well as its competitors, such as Mint.com and Yodlee, provide budget and virtual financial advising service based purely on user bank transactions and spending category. The HelloWallet system allows the user to create and track customized budget plan. What is more important is that the system can automatically provide financial advice and saving tips by using data mining techniques. However, HelloWallet and its competitors do not provide any financial analysis and evaluation based on user behavior and their psychographic characteristics, such as user personality, values, attitudes, interests and risk tolerance in terms of willingness. These psychographic classifications are extremely relevant with regards to individual strategy and risk tolerance. Even with the similar bank transactions data and spending category, an investor background, past experience, personality and attitudes can make investment process unique for each individual. With the help of behavior finance theory, HelloWallet can build system to fit psychographic profiles to specific behavioral investor profile. As a result, a better understanding of user behavioral tendencies of spending and investment will help to provide better financial advice. An easy and quick way is to build online questionnaire to fit each individual into different behavioral investor types. There are several models we can use, Barnewall Two-way model, Bailard, Biehl, and Kariser Five model and Pompian model. We use Pompian models as an example. The major reason for promoting Pompian is because it is less time-consuming and less complex. Therefore, it will be easy to be implemented on an online system and require less time spent on filling out the survey (as we pointed out in challenge, it is not an easy task to ask online user to fill out survey with a lot of details). Pompian model identifies four behavioral investor types based on risk tolerance and active/passive scale: passive preserver, friendly follower, independent individualist and active accumulator. It is a top down approach which is more efficient and simple by categorizing users into passive and active, then further break down into four types based on their risk tolerance. With these information, the user of HelloWallet will be categorized based on their investment/spending behavior type. Based on these different types, the system can easily provide more tailored investment tips and products to users. For example, once a user behavior type is identified, the system can provide saving and investment tips accordingly. For example, when a user is identified to be a passive preserver whose risk tolerance is low and emotional, the system provides low risk financial products (excluding high risk ones), e.g., 2-year GICs. In addition, the system can try to persuade the soundness of these financial by focusing on elaborate the goal of these investment (what the terminate value will be and what type of investors these investments for). If investor specify a long term income need, the system can provide financial products on bond index fit their spending goal (contrary to the current systems which spam non-relevant financial products to all the users without differentiate their needs and risk). With the introduce of the behavior investor/user types into the systems, HelloWallet can extend their financial advising service from purely creating budget plan and providing saving tips to a more sophisticated investment approach that fits each individual unique needs and background. For example, HelloWallet is currently able to recommend a customer to apply for a visa with $500 cash points per year because excessive spending on grocery and large cash deposit 10,000 in the checking account. With the new behavior investor model, it can recommend the same individual to invest short term money markets products if his risk tolerance is low and require short term liquidity (with a list of the products from different dealer) or it can recommend user to buy equity income mutual fund if their risk tolerance is high and has no need for the cash for the near term. Another advantage and opportunity for the HelloWallet is that behavior finance is a relatively new concept and traditional financial advisor feel uncomfortable to ask customer these psychological questions face to face. It is much easier for the user to interact with a computer to fill out the questionnaire. This will help to collect more accurate information to build solid virtual financial advisor-client relations which also benefit the HelloWallet business in the long term as clients are tend to stick to the same â€Å"advisor†(in our case a virtual financial advisor – HelloWallet) if she/he understands clients’ needs better. Question 2: How do the concepts of behavioral finance create challenges for HelloWallet? HelloWallet’s system creates customized budget plans for the users based on traditional finance and on trend analysis. This poses a challenge to HelloWallet because they do not incorporate the behavioral aspects of their clients. This will lead to creating recommendations that are not suitable to all their clients. Many models have been developed over the years to incorporate behavioral finance traits in the client’s portfolios. There are four different models that attempt to explain the behavior of individuals and their implications on portfolio construction: The Consumption and Savings Model, the Behavioral Asset Pricing Model, the Behavioral Portfolio Theory and finally the Adaptive Markets Hypothesis. Empirical studies show that some investors exhibit mental accounting where they separate their investments in different accounts in their heads and assign them to different expenses, forgetting to look at them as one portfolio. In this instance this will cause a part of HelloWallet’s target market to refrain from using their software due to this behavioral trait. Clients that have regret aversion and have been suffering from mental accounting will be too scared to adopt HelloWallet’s service out of fear of realizing that they are in financial distress. Those clients do not have a serious desire and readiness to engage in an assessment of their personal financial health; therefore it will limit HelloWallet’s penetration of this market. This intertwines with cognitive dissonance, where people avoid facing financial reality. Statistics show that a vast majority of people suffers from that. People feel discomfort from receiving information that contradicts beliefs th at are entrenched in their personalities. Therefore, not wanting to face the idea that â€Å"things may not be ok† is a huge barrier for the adoption of HelloWallet by customers. Naturally humans are prone to resistance to change. They are programmed to stay in their comfort zone and stick to what they are familiar with. Having to take advice from a computer might not be something easily accepted. Moreover, regard to HelloWallet model, clients should incorporate all of their accounts including their assets and liabilities and update them if needed. This process could be a barrier for people suffering for status quo bias. In fact, this bias is an emotional bias in which people tend to do nothing instead of making change. This will affect Hellowallet in two ways. Firstly it will prevent people from registering, as they will prefer sticking with their old traditional way of managing their finance. Secondly, it will reduce the efficiency of the company model, as people will update their data less frequently making inaccurate any outcome from model of HelloWallet. The way HelloWallet collects clients’ information is via its software online. Users input their answers to HelloWallet’s questionnaire after which they will be categorized and given a budget plan. However individual circumstances change over time, and sometimes change abruptly. As the client moves across his life stages his information should be updated and changed accordingly, but this is not the case. Therefore HelloWallet might suffer from information processing bias known as Anchoring & Adjustment Bias. This will lead to the clients’ results being anchored to assumptions and information that does not hold true anymore. In fact, the Adaptive Market Hypothesis states that adapting is actually necessary for survival; thus, changes need to be applied to the software occasionally to improve chances of meeting clients’ goals. Anchoring and adjustment bias will make it more difficult for clients to adapt. If the users have a bad experience due to this bias, HelloWallet will start losing business to its competitors. Similarly the lack of personal interaction with customers will result in uncomfortable clients that will not understand the effects of short-term deprivation in relation to the overall long-term savings outcome. The lack of personal interaction will also destroy value. The company will not be able to build and maintain a consistent approach with its clients, if they are dealing with a computer. If there is no relationship building, the client will move to the competitor or just do his budget by himself after the first negative experience. It might not be sustainable, and might prove hard to retain customer value using this approach. In addition to that, research showed that people tend to behave impatiently today but plan to act patiently in the future. This is known as self-control bias. The all point of financial planning is to be able to help client to better allocate their financial resources to meet their short-term liabilities and goals while saving for future or long terms needs. The efficiency of HelloWallet advice on personal financial planning depends on how responsive client will be to their advice. In this case, this bias could be an issue, as clients will tend to choose what they prefer (short term satisfaction) instead of what suit best to their financial situation and neglect the long term.

Sociology Investigation

The Sociological Investigation ~ These notes are taken and adapted from Macionis, John J. (2012). Sociology (14th Edition). Boston: Pearson Education Inc. There are two basic requirements for sociological investigation:Know how to apply the sociological perspective or paradigms or what C. Wright Mills termed as the â€Å"sociological imagination. †Be curious and ready to ask questions about the world around you. There are three ways to do Sociology. These three ways are considered as research orientations:A. Positivist Sociology Positivist sociology studies society by systematically observing social behaviour.Also known as scientific sociology.It includes introducing terms like independent variable, dependent variables, correlation, spurious correlation, control, replication, measurement, cause and effect, as well as operationalizing a variable1.Positivist sociology requires that researcher carefully operationalize variables and ensuring that measurement is both reliable and valid.It observes how variables are related and tries to establish cause-and-effect relationships. It sees an objective reality â€Å"out there. †Favours quantitative data (e. g. data in numbers; data from surveys).Positivist sociology is well-suited to research in a laboratory.It demands that researchers be objective2 and suspend their personal values and biases as they conduct research.There are at least FOUR limitations to scientific / positivist sociology.Positivist sociology is loosely linked to the structural-functional appr oach / paradigm / perspective.B. Critical Sociology Critical sociology uses research to bring about social change. It asks moral and political questions.It focuses on inequality.Specifying exactly what is to be measured before assigning a value to a variable (Macionis: 2012, p. 50).Personal neutrality in conducting research (Macionis: 2012, p. 50)It rejects the principle of objectivity, claiming that ALL researches are political. Critical sociology corresponds to the social-conflict approach / paradigm / perspective.C. Interpretive Sociology Interpretive sociology focuses on the meanings that people attach to their behaviour. It sees reality as constructed by people in the course of their everyday lives.It favours qualitative data (e. g. data acquired through interviews).It is well-suited to research in a natural setting.Interpretive sociology is related to the symbolic-interaction approach / paradigm / perspective. Gender and Research Gender3, involving both researcher and subjects , can affect research in five ways:Androcentricity (literally, â€Å"focus on the male†)OvergeneralisingGender blindnessDouble standardsInterference Research EthicsResearchers must consider and do the following things when conducting research:Protect the privacy of subjects / respondents.Obtain the informed consent of subjects / respondents.Indicate all sources of funding.Submit research to an institutional review board to ensure it does NOT violate ethical standards.There are global dimensions to research ethics.Before beginning research in another country, an investigator must become familiar enough with that society to understand what people there are likely to regard as a violation of privacy or a source of personal danger.Research and the Hawthorne Effect Researchers need to be aware that subjects’ or respondents’ behaviour may change simply because they are getting special attention, as one classic experiment revealed. Refer to Elton Mayo’s investig ation into worker productivity in a factory in Hawthorne, near Chicago. 3 The personal traits and social positions that members of a society attach to being female or male (Macionis: 2012, p. 50).The term Hawthorne Effect is defined as a change in a subject’s behaviour caused simply by the awareness that s/he is being studied. Methods: Strategies for Doing Sociological ResearchThere are the basic FOUR methods:A. Experiment This research method allows researchers to study cause-and-effect relationships between two or more variables in a controlled setting.Researchers conduct an experiment to test a hypothesis, a statement of a possible relationship between two (or more variables).This research method collects mostly quantitative data.Example of an experiment: Philip Zimbardo’s â€Å"Stanford County Prison. †o Advantages Provides the greatest opportunity to specify cause-and-effect relationships. Replication of research is relatively / quite easy. Limitations Labo ratory settings have an artificial quality to it. Unless the lab environment is carefully controlled, results may be biased too.B. Survey and/or Interview This research method uses questionnaires or interviews to gather subjects’ / respondents’ responses to a series of questions.Surveys usually yield or produce descriptive findings, painting a picture of people’s views on some issues.This research method collects mostly qualitative data.Example of a survey: Lois Benjamin’s research on the effects of racism on African American men and women.She chose to interview subjects / respondents rather than distribute a questionnaire. o Advantages Sampling, using questionnaires, allows researchers to conduct surveys of large populations or a large number of people. Interviews provide in-depth responses. o Limitations Questionnaires must be carefully prepared so that the questions and instructions are clear and not confusing. Questionnaires may yield low response / r eturn rate from the target respondents. Interviews are expensive and time-consuming.C. Participant observation Through participant observation, researchers join with people in a social setting for an extended period of time.Researchers also play two roles, as a participant (overt role) and as an observer (covert role).This method allows researchers an â€Å"inside look† at a social setting.This research method is also called fieldwork.Since researchers are not attempting to test a specific hypothesis, their research is exploratory and descriptive.This participant observation research method collects qualitative data.Example of participant observation: William Foote Whyte’s â€Å"Street Corner Society. o Advantages It allows for the study of â€Å"natural† behaviour. Usually inexpensive. o Limitations Time-consuming. Replication of research is difficult. Researcher must balance role of participant and observer.D. Existing or Secondary sources Researchers analyse existing sources, data which had been collected by others.This research method is also called library research or archive research.By using existing or secondary sources, especially the widely available data by government agencies, researchers can save time and money.Existing sources are the basis of historical research. Example of using existing sources:E. Digby Baltzell’s award-winning study â€Å"Puritan Boston and Quaker Philadelphia. † How could it be, Baltzell wondered, during a chance visit to Bowdein College in Maine, USA, that this small college had graduated more famous people in a single year than his own, much bigger University of Pennsylvania had graduated in its entire history? o Advantages Saves time, money and effort of data collection. Makes historical research possible. o Limitations Researcher has no control over possible biases in data. Data may only partially fit current research needs.

Which Essential Office Support Staffer Are You

Which Essential Office Support Staffer Are You Are you a secretary or an executive assistant? According to CEO and founder of Office Dynamics International, Joan Burge, secretaries are assistants who develop a routine and get comfortable with a set list of tasks. A secretarys role is static support- they may be crucial in the office, but their position is not as conducive to same amount of growth and opportunity as a dynamic executive assistants gig.An executive assistant may have the same responsibilities- phones, scheduling, paperwork, correspondence- but their perspective is more adaptive. Their function requires reflecting on past experience and developing strategies to improve future outcomes. Its right there in the name- you need executive  functions.If youre an executive assistant and want to up your game, check out Burges training videos! Featuring lessons on time management, adminology, and frank feedback from executive and office professionals, theyre free on her website:  http://officedynamics.com/educational-video s/A Secretary vs An Executive AssistantRead More at officedynamics.com