Advantages of Employing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy :: Psychology, Anxiety

Advantages of Employing CBT Fundamentally, CBT is a collaborative project between patient and therapist. In CBT, both patient and therapist are as active as each other. Patients are helped by the therapist to attain knowledge of their problem, in terms of the real experience of the problem and also the ways by which it interacts with and affects their lives. Therapist and patient both collaborate to find the best explanation for the situation and solution to the problem (Haaga & Beck, 1992). CBT therapists are actively engaged with their patients. It is believed that they may talk with their patients more than other therapeutic approaches (Graham, 2005). Another advantage of CBT is that it is a problem-oriented approach (Westbrook, Kennerley, & Kirk, 2007). In CBT, problems are addressed in a practical way and not in ambiguous or general terms. There is a focus on an achievable outcome and goal. Therapy is designed to tackle that specific problem rather than trying to solve all the problems at once. Goals should be ‘SMART’, i.e. be: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and have a Time farm (a date for completion) (Beck et al, 1979). Examples of the real life experience will clarify the situation. For example, if patient suffers from depression, the therapist would ask he/she to describe exactly how he/ she feels and how this problem has affected his/her life. It helps the patient identify the underlying reason to why certain behaviours occur or why the feelings are there. Compared to most psychological therapeutic approaches, CBT is more structured (Brewin, 1996).For example in the beginning of each session the therapist and patient would set an agenda for what they should do in the session and they would try to stick to it. Another benefit of employing CBT could be the fact that there is the relative lack of side effects which medications would cause (March et al, 2004). One of the main advantages of CBT is that this approach is time-limited and brief. It is usually between six to twenty sessions (Fairburn et al, 1987). Since CBT is time-limited, the patient is aware of this limitation and this may result in developing more motivation in the patient. On the other hand, by observing quick changes and progresses, the patient would be more encouraged and motivated and optimistic about the outcome of therapy. Because CBT is short term so it is more cost effective for both patient and therapist.

Abortion Essay -- essays research papers

Abortion, termination of pregnancy before the foetus is capable of independent life. When the expulsion from the uterus occurs after the foetus becomes viable (capable of independent life), usually at the end of six months of pregnancy, it is technically a premature birth. In the United Kingdom, when the foetus is not born alive after 24 weeks of pregnancy it is termed a still birth. II. Types of AbortionPrint section Abortion may be spontaneous or induced. Expelled foetuses weighing less than 0.5 kg (18 oz) or of less than 20 weeks' gestation are usually considered abortions. A. Spontaneous AbortionPrint section It is estimated that some 25 per cent of all human pregnancies terminate spontaneously in abortion, with three out of four abortions occurring during the first three months of pregnancy. Some women apparently have a tendency to abort, and recurrent abortion decreases the probability of subsequent successful childbirth. The causes of spontaneous abortions, or miscarriages, are not clearly established. Abnormal development of the embryo or placental tissue, or both, is found in about half the cases; these abnormalities may be due to inherent faults in the germ cells or may be secondary to faulty implantation of the developing ovum or to other characteristics of the maternal environment. Severe vitamin deficiencies have been shown to play a role in abortions in experimental animals. Hormone deficiencies have also been found in women who are subject to recurrent abortions. Spontaneous abortions may also be caused by such maternal abnormalities as acute infectious diseases, systemic diseases such as nephritis and diabetes, and severe trauma. Uterine malformations, including tumours, are responsible in some instances. The most common symptom of threatened abortion is vaginal bleeding, with or without intermittent pain. About a quarter of all pregnant women bleed at some time during early pregnancy, however, and up to 50 per cent of these women carry the foetus to full term. Treatment for threatened abortion usually consists of bed rest. Almost continuous bed rest throughout pregnancy is required in some cases of repeated abortion; vitamin and hormone therapy may also be given. Surgical correction of uterine abnormalities may be indicated in certain of these cases. Spontaneous abortion may result in expulsion of all or part of the contents of t... ...here abortion was permitted only to save a woman's life contained about 20 per cent of the world's population. Countries with moderately restrictive laws—abortions permitted to protect a woman's health, to end pregnancies resulting from rape or incest, to avoid genetic or congenital defects, or in response to social problems such as unmarried status or low income—contained some 40 per cent of the world's population. Abortions at the woman's request, usually with limits based on physical conditions such as duration of pregnancy, were allowed in countries with nearly 40 per cent of the world's population. In the United States, legislation followed the world trend. Abortion is illegal in many Roman Catholic and Islamic countries, although it may be carried out in cases where the mother's life is immediately at risk. It is legal in France and Italy, but illegal throughout Ireland. In England, Wales, and Scotland abortion has, since the 1967 Abortion Act, been free on demand and is available on the National Health Service. A woman seeking an abortion has to secure the agreement of two doctors rather than just one—the only medical procedure in the United Kingdom where this is required.

Declaration For War In 1917 Essay -- essays research papers

Declaration for War in 1917   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Welcome fellow Senators. We are here today to discuss what the United States should do following Germany’s announcement of unrestricted submarine warfare and the sinking of the three American merchant ships. A resolution is put forth in front of the senators. The first section of the resolution says that: The U.S. Government authorizes President Wilson to use the Armed Forces of the Unit6ed States to wage war against the Nation of Germany. The second section says that: The U.S. Congress supports the president’s request for a declaration of war against the Nation of Germany. I fully agree with this resolution 100%. I agree with war against Germany, as I have said ever since the sinking of the Lusitania.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  All this had started back in February of 1915 when Germany had stated its War Zone Policy. They said that neutral ships may enter the war zone at their own risk. President Wilson’s reaction to this was that the United States will take action if American lives or property are destroyed. In May of 1915, the Germans had torpedoed and sunk a British ship, The Lusitania. On that ship were 128 Americans, that had been killed. Instead of declaring war, which I had wanted, President Wilson sends out demands to the Germans. He demands a formal apology from Germany, money damages to the families of American victims that boarded the Lusitania, and he had made a remark that said, â€Å" The U.S. Government shall demand that the German Government pledge to follow international law with regard to the use of their submarines. Any future violation of international law shall be regarded as a deliberately unfriendly action against the United States.† After this, Presi dent Wilson asks for an increase in military spending, but the Congress had refused. The Germans abide by this for 10 months. After these 10 months, in March 1916, the Germans had sunk another ship, the French fairy boat, The Sussex. 5 Americans were killed in this sinking. Instead of declaring war, like I had wanted again, or even breaking diplomatic ties, President Wilson threatened to break diplomatic ties with Germany. The Germans issue the Sussex Pledge. In this, they promise not to sink passenger ships and merchant ships without warning and without saving human lives. They abide by this pledge for 10 months. After that, Ger... ...at he believes that the United States would be going to war for Wall Street. He says that American corporations want this war. They have sold over 300 million dollars worth of munitions to nations of war, and if the United States would enter the war, they would be in financial heaven. I do not believe, as an American citizen, that we would be going to war for Wall Street. We would be going to war for national pride, because the Germans had killed innocent civilian lives of neutral nations, and because the Germans had violated international law numerous times. I do not agree, at all, with Representative Lindberg.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My fellow Senators, I remind you again my reasons for going to war. For national pride, for the killing of innocent American lives, for the violation of international law, for the plot of war against the United States, and because of the increasing public opinion for war. We have given Germany 4 too many chances, which they had totally violated and taken advantage of. It is finally time to do something about these â€Å"unfriendly actions† taken against us. Again Senators, I urge you to vote â€Å"YES† to this resolution and declare war against Germany.

How Is Curley Presented by Steinbeck in of Mice and Men

Curley is one of ‘Of Mice and Men’s’ major characters. Although he does not appear to hold a central role, he is very important in other respects. The first of these is the way in which he treats George and Lennie, and the ranch workers in general on the ranch. Curley is the boss’ son. Therefore he acts like he is the boss himself. He orders the others around, and, although it is true that he does hold some power on the ranch, he does not hold any respect from the workers.He is nasty towards them, treating as though they are them below him, and often trying to pick fights. Curley is disliked by pretty much everyone on the ranch, and with good reason. George immediately dislikes his hostility, and shows the same attitude in return. He himself says â€Å"I hate that kind of a guy† as soon as he has and warns Lennie to â€Å"have nothing to do with him†. Even Curley’s own wife dislikes him, sarcastically saying â€Å"swell guy, ainâ€℠¢t he† when told to talk to him by Candy. Furthermore, Candy, although not directly airing his dislike mentions the he is â€Å"handy.God damn handy. † The way in which Candy says this hints towards his dislike for Candy being on account of his aggressive nature and hostility, rather than simply being due to his nastiness. His desire to fight with people all the time shows two things. Firstly, it shows inferiority complex: Curley is short, and therefore is constantly trying to be better than â€Å"big guys†. Secondly, it shows his aggression. Curley holds a fighting stance when he first encounters George and Lennie: â€Å"his arms gradually bent at the elbows and his hands closed into fists.He stiffened and went into a slight crouch. † According to Candy, Curley is an amateur boxer and is always picking fights, especially with guys who are bigger than he is. Ultimately, Curley is trying to prove his masculinity. Another way in which Curley can be seen as t rying to prove himself is by marrying a physically attractive woman. His wife is never given a name, but by calling her â€Å"Curley's wife,† Steinbeck indicates she is his possession. Curley refuses to let her talk to anyone on the ranch, isolating her from everyone and setting the stage for trouble.This trouble happens in Section 3, where he accuses Slim of being with his wife and is completely wrong. He is ganged up on by the ranch workers, and picks on Lennie in order to vent his anger at being picked on. This turns out to be a mistake. Lennie quickly crushes his hand, and Curley has to be taken to the hospital. Luckily for George and Lennie, Slim comes to there aid, telling Curley â€Å"your hand got caught in a machine†. He makes a big show of keeping his hand soft to caress her, yet also visits the local whorehouse on Saturday night.While he may strut around the ranch because of his position as the boss' son, he obviously cannot satisfy his wife and is mean, or perhaps simply detached from her. Curley beats up any man who dares to talk to her, but ironically, he rarely talks to her himself, and they spend the majority of the book looking for each other. When Curley’s wife dies, Curley, rather than showing the reaction that would be expected of a man whose wife has just been killed. He does not appear to grieve at all in any way, barely looking at the body, or regarding the her death into his immediate future plans.Instead, his first thought is towards seeking revenge and hunting down Lennie. It is perhaps this moment in the novel which epitomises the way in which Curley is aggressive, nasty, and shows no concern for anyone else apart from himself. All of this seems to be negative however. Surely Steinbeck didn’t present Curley in a poor light? Well, there may some positive aspects to Curley, or perhaps those which are not entirely bad. Firstly, he does appear to show some care for his wife. He is constantly looking for her, a nd appears to try and protect her.Although she is more of a possession to him than a person, he is clearly proud of her, but perhaps for the wrong reasons. Also, Curley is a good worker. He is one of the best on the ranch, having grown up there, and this shows in his care for his work. Unlike most of the other characters, Curley doesn’t develop much over the course of the book, but he stands out as a character with whom Steinbeck does not sympathise. Whilst everyone else is struggling, Curley’s busy picking fights and trying to throw his weight around on his dad’s ranch. He seems to be outside of the economic struggle and even the personal struggle of the Depression.Curley’s the kind of person that is needed in contrast to the mild peacefulness of the other characters. Also, someone is needed to be the source of trouble among the men of the ranch who mostly want to get along. In conclusion, if Steinbeck wrote ‘Of Mice and Men' as being a microcosm o f American society, then Curley represents one clear type of person. This is all the men in the country at the time who are petty and embittered, who wish to appear better than all of the others. He acts as a sort of control variable, whose actions and reactions can almost always be predicted, because he is such a simple shallow person.

Supply Chain of Adidas

The adidas Group has outsourced most of its production. We work with more than 1,200 independent factories from around the world that manufacture our products in 63 countries. The most dominant sourcing locations are: China, India, Indonesia and Vietnam. Our supply chain is global and multi-layered, with many different types of business partners, some of who are directly contracted factories, and others who are not. In 2011, the top five countries per region by number of supplier sites were: * The Americas: United States, Brazil, Canada, Argentina and Mexico * Asia: China, India, Indonesia, Vietnam and Japan EMEA: Germany, Italy, United Kingdom, Turkey and Spain Our influence in terms of social and environmental compliance is linked to the strength of our partnerships, and is often proportional to the scale and stability of the orders placed with our suppliers. DIFFERENT SOURCING RELATIONSHIPS Direct sourcing model The adidas Group holds direct contractual relationships with its core suppliers who are centrally supervised by Global Operations.Global Operations manages product development, commercialisation, distribution, and supervision of the manufacture of apparel, footwear and accessories for the adidas, Reebok and TaylorMade-adidas Golf segments. These suppliers produce the predominant share of the total sourcing volume of the Group. Indirect sourcing model The other part of our product volume is sourced by agents or is made under licence. Agents place orders with their preferred suppliers. Licensees may either place orders directly with their suppliers or use agents as intermediaries.Our indirect supply chain complements our direct sourcing by meeting specific requirements that cannot be serviced through Global Operations. Local market production In order to quickly seize short-term opportunities in their local markets, to satisfy a niche market requirement, or in some cases to react to certain trade regulations, adidas Group subsidiaries may also source f rom local suppliers that are not overseen by Global Operations; these suppliers do require our authorisation for production.The adidas Group is one of the very few companies in the industry that has fully disclosed its global supplier list, and that list can be downloaded from this website. TYPES OF SUPPLIERS Our suppliers fall into five broad categories: * Main suppliers. They have a direct contractual relationship with the adidas Group for the supply of products, whether for export or domestic market consumption. * Subcontractors. These are factories that have been subcontracted by our suppliers to perform manufacturing operations the main suppliers are not capable of doing in their own facility. * Material and other service providers.These suppliers may not have a direct business relationship with the adidas Group, but supply goods and services to our main suppliers. * Licensees. Independent companies which manage the design, production and distribution of specific products, unde r licence to the adidas Group. In 2011, the adidas Group worked with 44 licensees whose suppliers sourced products from 269 factories in 45 countries. * Agents. Independent companies that act as intermediaries to source product manufacturing, manage the manufacturing processes, and sell finished products to the Group. * Adidas Supply Chain * Threat of Substitute Products or Services

Organizational Behaviour Assignment †Management Essay

A manager is a person who supervises one or more subordinates (Bailey et al., 1991, p. 14) by using the management functions of planning, organizing, leading and controlling. Managers can make a group of individuals more efficient to achieve (Reid) an organization’s goals. In addition to the functions, managers have roles to play in an organization and skills which make easier for them to do so. The management functions of planning, organizing, leading and controlling is a way for managers to mold individuals into ideal employees. With planning, managers can define the goals of the organization, and then establish an approach to achieve it (Gibson et al., 1997, p. 16) by developing a plan. Inputs from subordinates concerning about the plan are very much encouraged; as they’re the ones that make a plan work and by asking for their thoughts, subordinates would feel valued. After a plan is designed, organizing it will be the next step. Everything should be on stand by and everyone should understand the significance of their role (Gibson et al., 1997, p. 16). Next comes leading, where managers are seen motivating the employees and resolving conflicts. When the plan is being implemented, managers can control activities to ensure everything goes accordingly. A back-up plan should be developed in case of a crisis (Reid). Being aware of all these functions, managers can effectively assist an organization to attain its goals. In Henry Mintzberg’s study, he concluded that a manager’s roles falls into three categories; interpersonal, informational and decisional roles (Robbins & Coulter 2002, p. 9). In the category of interpersonal roles, a manager is a figurehead, a leader and a liaison of which he is a person who to gets closer to other individuals in the organization by developing a more personal connection with them. To accomplish this, managers should recognize that individuals have life to lead outside their office. Within the informational roles category, managers are the organization’s monitor, disseminator and spokesperson. Information is used here as an advantage for subordinates; managers facilitate by seeking receiving and transmitting information to them. In the decisional category, managers are seen as an entrepreneur, disturbance handler and resource allocator. Managers make important decisions that can influence individuals’ work environment. By assuming these rol es, an effective manager can be born in oneself. An effective manager needs certain skills as well. Skill is an ability to transform knowledge into act that ends in a desired performance (Bailey et al, 1991, p. 22). The vital managerial skills are sorted out into three categories; technical, conceptual and human skills (Robbins & Coulter 2002, p. 11). A technical skill is a specialized knowledge, which can be learned through experience or basis education. Conceptual skills are the potential to analyze, identify and correct problems. Human skills are the capability to work well with others by using motivation and understanding human behaviors. Organizational Behaviour is a knowledge which helps managers who deals closely with human resources to understand their subordinates as an individual, a group or as a whole organization (Robbins, S. P. et al., 1998, p. 10). Organizational Behaviour offers several concepts in helping managers to understand individuals better. The concepts are globalization, workforce diversity, improving quality and productivity, empowerment, improving people skill, ‘temporariness’, simulating innovation and changes, balancing family with work and ethics (Robbins, S. P. et al., 1998, pp. 13-18). Globalization is interdependency of transportation, distribution, communication and economic networks across global boundaries (Gibson, Ivancevich & Donnelly 1997, p. 54). This influences a manager’s people skills by two ways; he’ll likely be transferred to a foreign country or having to deal with individuals from difference countries (Robbins, S. P. et al., 1998, p. 17). To adapt, managers should think globally and being aware of the process of globalization. Managers should sensitise themselves while dealing with a global organization (Gibson, Ivancevich & Donnelly 1997, pp. 57-58). A clear code of conduct for the workplace can be developed so that employees have respect for difference cultures. To benefit from globalization, managers should equip employees with information about cultures in a country that they wish to penetrate its market (Gibson, Ivancevich & Donnelly 1997, p. 58). Procter & Gamble’s introduction of liquid detergent failed in Europe because European washing machines weren’t equipped for it so modifications had to be made to their product (Gibson, Ivancevich & Donnelly 1997, p. 56). This is an example in which Procter & Gamble had to suffer the loss of profits because they were ignorant in finding out about the pros and cons of launching their product. Managers will have to give pleasure to local as well as international needs so that global success can be attained. A diverse workforce will help managers to appreciate the intricacy of globalization. Workforce diversity occurs when an organization becomes more distinct in terms of gender, race, ethnicity and minority (Robbins & Coulter 2002, p. 41). Managers will have to mingle with the diverse workforce. Cultural awareness training for the current workforce (http://www.pwcglobal.com/us/eng/careers/diversity/index.html, 2001) can help employees and managers to learn about each other’s background. At PricewaterhouseCoopers, a Diversity and Workforce Champions are appointed in each department to find solutions concerning diversity problems; in hope of enhancing work performance. Jim Schiro, the CEO there, said that; â€Å"When you make a genuine commitment to diversity, you bring a greater diversity of ideas, approaches, experiences and abilities that can be applied to client problems. After all, six people with different perspective have a better shot at solving complex problems than sixty people who all think alike.† (http://www.pwcglobal.com/us/eng/careers/diversity/index.html, 2001) From the statement above, it shows that a diverse workforce is well appreciated because it can improve an organization’s quality and productivity. To improve quality and productivity, this is where Total Quality Management (TQM) comes in. TQM is a philosophy of management that is driven by constant attainment of customer satisfaction through continuous improvement of organization (Robbins & Coulter 2002, p. 46). Managers can use the approach of reengineering (Gibson, Ivancevich & Donnelly 1997, pp. 349-50) which is to reconsider how work would be done if it was from scratch. This can be done if a manager’s conceptual skills are used. Managers will have to come out with an arrangement that can improve organization’s productivity and quality so that customer satisfaction could be maximised. The organization should be completely change for the better; not only the final product but also the small things like how quickly is the employees’ response to complaints, how polite are they and so on. Citigroup’s employees are promoted based on their work performance (http://www.citigroup.com/citigroup/corporate/values/index.htm, 2003). At Hewlett-Packard Corporation, customers’ respect and loyalty is earned by providing high-quality services (http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/abouthp/corpobj.html, 2001). This can be done by putting employees in direct contact with customers. By doing so, employees can personally identify customer needs, so better choices can be made to satisfy the customers. Managers can empower employees to achieve customers’ approval. Empowerment means putting employees in charge of what they’re doing. It eases employees because when there’s no managers breathing down their necks during their work. At Nokia, employees are rewarded for the overall success based on their performance so it generates an environment for employees to optimize to their full potential; which managers can provide by giving employees all the information they need to succeed (http://www.nokia.com/nokia/0,8764,5452,00.html, 2003). Motivation is the best means for managers. In the Lesson of the Red Horse, it stated that employees tend to work more competent when employees are able to think on their own (Reid). Managers should treat employees as individuals and show that their contribution to the organization count. Meetings across departments; as a whole should be held regularly to help employees recognize the organization’s objectives better. In those meetings, ‘brainstorming’ (Robbins, S. P. et al., 1998, p. 741) can be done so new ideas from employees can be considered. Susan M. Heathfield wrote that: â€Å"†¦I attended a meeting led by a young manager. I watched †¦ as she provided [information] and led a discussion. The most striking feature of the interaction was that she talked to the group as if they were all colleagues working on the same goal.† (Heathfield, 2003) This exhibits that a manager isn’t more or less important than other individuals in the organization. Organization’s goals can be achieved when its managers’ people skill enhances. Employees should have a sense of importance and thrill, exhibit openness, insight and originality, and flourish on change, challenge and competition. A manager can make an employee have that sense by making them know that mistakes are tolerable as long as it’s being dealt with as soon as possible. Citigroup encourages an ‘open-door’ management style where doors in the office aren’t close at any given time to make the working environment more laid-back and giving the employees an opportunity to converse as well as interaction with their co-workers and managers alike without fear of rejection (http://www.citigroup.com/citigroup/corporate/values/data/index.htm, 2003). Communication is the key to bring individuals closer. At Nokia, a culture of internal and external communication is valued. Its range of communication channels that helps employees to use corporate information that they receive and by doing so knowledge is pooled and a sense of openness in Nokia is supreme (http://www.nokia.com/nokia/0,8764,321,00.html, 2003). Managers can take cue from people at Nokia as there is a Nokia People magazine which is published in 4 languages, a Nokia News Service which offers daily organizational news online, and an Intranet that contains Nokia’s company information. The reason why Nokia was focused is because of their commitment in bringing the Nokia employees throughout worldwide closer to one another (http://www.nokia.com/nokia/0,8764,5450,00.html, 2003). Managers should familiarize themselves with employees to can create a sense of family bond in the workplace. At HalfPrice books, its founder made the working environment enjoyable by encouraging a sense of play at work and enlivening employees so that they feel they’re a part of something brilliant (Heathfield, 2003). Managers have to simulate employee’s creativity and tolerance for change. The business world today is a global one with the introduction of the Internet. It offers plenty of opportunities for organizations to discover in. Hallmark, a greeting card company recognised this and developed their own website. Managers can nurture innovation by making information accessible to its employees and selecting creative people who are trained to develop first-class products (Robbins, S. P. et al., 1998, p. 18). Even if the company is the first to develop something new, it’s time to move on to the next best thing when their competitors reached the same product level. At Citigroup, management are willingly to invest in infrastructure and focus more on technological innovation because they want employees to give the very best service to their customers (http://www.citigroup.com/citigroup/about/index.htm, 2003). A change in an organization is inevitable therefore managers and employees face the concept of ‘temporariness’ (Robbins, S. P. et al., 1998, p. 18). They have to learn flexibility, spontaneity and unpredictability in the workforce today, by constantly updating themselves to better perform. Employees tend to defy changes because fear of getting fired, getting a lower pay or just fear of the unknown (Robbins & Coulter 2001, pp. 345-47). Resistance to changes can be avoided if the changes are planned well and there is clear communication between management and employees. Explaining the need for changes to employees and getting their views can diminish the resistance. Companies like Ford or JVC had to deal with changes when computerised assembly lines were introduced. All these changes happened due to new innovations being made everyday. Change creates stress for employees. Managers have to realise that employees have another part of life outside the workplace (Robbins & Coulter 2001, p. 351). Balancing work and family add more stress to employees that it disturbs their working potential. Work and family relates to one another. Organizations realized family concerns jeopardize business results. Managers should be aware of this as employees are afraid to voice out their concerns in fear of appearing less dedicated to their jobs. At Motorola, a work-life vision statement is made and a â€Å"Special Delivery† program gives expectant parents a 24-hours nurse hotline in hope of comforting and calming employees (Hammonds 1997). Satisfying employees’ personal needs can encourage more effective workers with less constant worry. Companies that recognise the need to adapt work to peoples’ life will win employees’ loyalty which gains them an edge in the business. Managers might find themselves dealing with ethical dilemma where they’re required to define right or wrong conducts. Managers need to create an ethically healthy working climate at the workplace for employees. Levis Strauss became the first global company to establish a broad ethical code of conduct in 1991 (http://www.levistrauss.com/responsibility, 2003). Values of the organization can be seen through its employees. For example, Malcolm Walker who heads a retail food chain called Iceland is also a member of an environmental awareness group called Greenpeace (Robbins & Coulter 2001, p. 130). His company showed ethical behaviour when they decided to sell products which are free of chemicals that can harm Earth. Managers should hire ethical individuals, establishing a code of ethics at workplace (Robbins & Coulter 2001, p. 131) and of course, be a good role model by making the right choices in managing the organization. Managers can either make or break an organization as they can influence and control the employees into doing anything they want. Managing individuals isn’t easy; however, it can be done effectively with the aid of organizational behaviour concepts and knowledge. It is something that a manager can improve on with practice and experience throughout their working profession. Reference List ‘About HP: Hewlett Packard Corporate Objectives’, [online] 2002, Available from: , [2003, October 10]. Bailey, J., Schermerhorn, J., Hunt, J., Osborn, R., 1991, ‘Chapter 1 Organisational Behaviour and the Manager’. In: Managing Organisational Behaviour. London: Jacaranda Wiley Ltd. p. 14. – – -. p. 22. ‘Citigroup – Our Values’, [online], 2003. Available from: , [2003, October 9] ‘Citigroup – About Us’, [online], 2003. Available from: , [2003, October 9]. Gibson, J. L., Ivancevich, J. M., Donnelly, J. H. Jr., 1997, ‘Chapter 1: The Study of Organization’. In: Organizations Behavior Structure Processes. ed. Biernat, J. E., Rob Zwettler. United States of America. p. 16. – – -. ‘Chapter 3: Globalization’. p. 54. – – -. ‘Chapter 3: Globalization’. pp. 56-58. – – -. ‘Chapter 13: Organization Structure’. pp. 349-50. Hammonds, K. H. 1997, ‘Balancing work and Family: Business Week’, [online], Available from:, [2003, October 15]. Heathfield, S. M.,2003. ‘Help People Thrive at Work’. [online]. Available from:, [2003, October 9]. – – -. ‘Make Learning Matter: Become A Learning Organization’. [online]. Available from: , [2003, October 1]. ‘Levi Strauss Co. | Social Responsibility’, 2003. [online], Available from: , [2003, October 4]. ‘Nokia – Internal Communications. [online], 2003, Available from: , [2003, October 4]. ‘Nokia – Nokia as an Employer’. [online], 2003, Available from: , [2003, October 7] ‘Nokia – Performance Based Rewarding’. [online], 2003, Available from: , [2003, October 10]. ‘PricewaterhouseCoopers:US:Careers:Diversity’, [online], 2001. Available from: , [2003, October 10]. Reid, J., 2003. ‘Lesson of the Red Horse’. [online]. Available from: [2003, September 18]. – – -.2003. Management 101. [online]. Available from: [2003, September 18]. Robbins, S. P. & Coulter M. 2001. ‘Chapter One: Introduction to Management and Organizations. In: ‘Management’. Prentice-Hall International Inc. p. 9. – – -. p. 11. – – -. ‘Chapter Two: Management Yesterday and Today’. p. 41. – – -. p. 46. – – -. ‘Chapter Five: Social Responsibility and Managerial Ethics. Pp. 130-31. – – -. ‘Chapter Thirteen: Managing Change and Innovation’. pp. 345-47. – – -. p. 351. Robbins, S. P., Millett, R., Cacioppe, R., Marsh-Waters, T., 1998. ‘What is Organisational Behaviour?’. In: ‘Organisational Behaviour: Leading and Managing in Australia and New Zealand’. French’s Forest NSW: Prentice Hall. p. 10.

International Marketing Research Challenges Essay

INTRODUCTION Due to global financial issues in the recent months, consumer confidence is low in the more developed markets such as Japan, the US and Europe (AFP, 2012). Therefore developing markets, such as the Australian market, are looking towards emerging markets where the markets have remained dynamic and rich in growth opportunities. This is because emerging markets â€Å"have reached a minimum level of GDP and are in the growth phase of the development cycle† (Pearson Education, 2012), however due to this growth phase these markets are still vulnerable to both internal and external forces. With many companies world-wide seeking global growth opportunities, it has never been more important for international marketing research to be conducted in order to fully understand the consumers of these markets (Greenland, 2011). This growth of emerging markets has presented a number of challenges for international marketing researchers including differences in research costs and also environmen tal differences such as differences in culture and even difficulties in communication and technology. CHALLENGE 1 – RESEARCH COST VARIATIONS Conducting research in a different country, especially one that is classified as an emerging market, can create many issues for international market researchers. For example, Greenland (2011) talked about how the expense of conducting research in emerging markets, such as Africa, is usually much higher than when compared to projects conducted in developed countries. Even though some of these issues may be catered for at the planning stage, many of these issues are unpredictable and can occur at any stage throughout the research project, creating a high chance of the project going over budget. Many factors including travel costs, currency fluctuation and availability of technology can affect the price of market research. However due to the fact that creative research approaches are needed in emerging markets, these higher prices may not be able to be overcome without a lot of research and understanding of the cultural and economic norms of the emerging market country (Craig and Dougla s 2005). As well as culture and economics being a factor in the high cost variations associated with research on emerging markets, the fact that infrastructure and technology is significantly limited also creating many issues to market researchers. This is because limited technology significantly limits the number of options the international market researchers have access to in order to conduct their research. No or limited technology means that most market research will need to be conducted face-to-face. Having to conduct research face-to-face in emerging markets can introduce extra expenses in the form of travel and extra staff when compared to virtual interactions such as online surveys. This is because in many of these emerging markets, for example Africa, â€Å"poor road networks, lack of direct flights, and the vast distances involved† (Greenland 2011) make it extremely difficult to reach these rural areas. As well as being time consuming, this is also a costly process with both transportation and accommodation needed to be taken into account. With these face-to-face interactions comes the problem of being able to communicate with participants who are likely to speak a different language. On suggestion to overcoming this problem is to train local people within the emerging market to conduct the research on behalf of the international market researchers. However, this approach is only a viable option if there are no time constraints due to the fact that it is likely to take a lot of time to train these new people and make them understand what the researcher is trying to find out. International market research can cost a lot more than when conducting research in a developed market, however businesses that are wanting to invest in emerging markets must plan for these extra costs if they want their new venture to succeed. CHALLENGE 2 – CULTURAL DIFFERENCES Every country has their own distinct cultural rules which can cause great confusion and problems when trying to conduct market research in a country that differs so greatly to your own country. For example, in Middle Eastern societies where women have very different roles to those women living in more western societies. This is why â€Å"the marketing research process should be modified so that it does not conflict with the cultural values† (Malhotra 2010) of the country in question. In countries such as the Middle East, women are more likely to experience lower education and literacy rates than their western society counterparts. For this reason and many others, face-to-face interviewing seems to be the most viable option for conducting marketing research in these countries (Greenland, 2011). However, even with face-to-face interviews this illiteracy can lead to the respondents not able to formulate their own opinions and all information gained could be biased or non-existent (Malhotra 2010). Furthermore, the cultural differences in these countries can extend further than just lower education rates, with many other factors affecting the way research must be conducted in these emerging countries to be effective. For example, many Arab cultures prohibit their women to have contact with non-family males, which can cause problems with allowing male researchers to conduct face-to-face interviews (Greenland 2011). A solution to this problem could be training female researchers to conduct the research when female interviewees are needed. However as well as this being possibly dangerous and deadly to the female, in many developing countries females are the bottom class and are seen to only do household duties, therefore a job would be against cultural beliefs. The extent of the products currently available in the emerging markets is another cultural issue that researchers must face when wanting to introduce a product. Malhotra (2010) suggests researchers need to look at the public’s attitude towards advertising, the government’s control of the media and the behaviour of consumers when conducting research. All of the previous factors change within different cultures which furthers heightens the need for specific research methods and ideas for different emerging markets. CHALLENGE 3 – COMMUNICATION AND TECHNOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES Communication challenges in emerging markets not only relate to language barriers but also differences in technology and cultures. Market researchers may find it very difficult to communicate the more complex ideas of their business to research participants in emerging markets where the language barrier is high. There has been a lot of research been into trying to find a way to overcome this problem. Greenland (2009), looked into using visual cues, such as photographs, to aid the research participants in obtaining a greater understanding of what the researcher was trying to convey. Craig and Douglas (2001), suggest the idea of videotaping people and analysing the behaviour observed to try and identify consumer buying habits. This however can pose many issues from whether it is legal or ethical to tape people without their knowledge and even whether cultural differences change what we would think a particular behaviour conveys. Greenland (2009), also talks about the language barrier when it comes to translating information from English to Swahili in the form of a questionnaire. The Swahili version of the questionnaire was notably longer than that of the English version which impacts the time taken to conduct the research. While Malhotra (2010) talks about translation from English to German and how the particular meaning of questions were altered when translated, which confused the final results. This is a problem that the researchers tried and failed to overcome at the time of the research being conducted. Also tying into communication issues is the challenge of conducting research without the technology that developed markets rely so heavily on. According to Malhotra (2010) the lives of everyday citizens, particularly those in rural areas, of countries such as India, South Korea and many Latin American countries, are yet to be impacted by advances in science and technology.† This, therefore, has an impact on how information is collected and stored and can also have an impact on the type of information a market researcher can collect. These non-existent advances in science and technology not only eliminate internet surveys or discussions but in many countries also eliminate the ability to conduct telephone interviews, with researchers unable to find complete telephone directories if the households have access to the telephone at all (Malhotra 2010). With the amount of challenges facing researchers regarding technology, it is often much more efficient to conduct face-to-face interviews. CONCLUSION â€Å"With the accelerating pace of market globalisation† (Craig and Douglas 2005), emerging markets are gradually becoming of greater interest to larger businesses all around the world. To efficiently sell products in these emerging markets a lot of research needs to be done to fully understand the consumers in these emerging markets in order to effectively market and sell their product. There are many factors that make emerging markets different to sell products in when compared to developed markets including, political differences and even variations in currency. This is why it is so important to understand how to efficiently conduct research in these countries prior to selling goods. However, there are many challenges that face researchers in these emerging markets, including the different costs of research, cultural differences and communication difficulties. These challenges can cause the research to take a lot longer and cost a lot more money than researchers would be used to. However, much research is being done to come up with solutions to combat these challenges which will hopefully make it increasingly easier for businesses to invest in emerging markets in the future. REFERENCES AFP 2012, Nestle sweet on emerging markets, The West Australian, viewed on 22nd June 2012, Craig, C. S. and Douglas, S. P 2005, Future Directions in International Marketing Research, Chapter 15 in International Marketing Research, 3rd Edition, John Wiley & Sons, viewed 22nd June Craig, CS and Douglas, SP 2001, Conducting international marketing research in the twenty-first century, International Marketing Review, Vol. 18 Iss: 1, pp.80 – 90 Greenland, S. J 2011, Challenges of researching consumers in emerging markets. Marketing in the age of consumerism: Jekyll or Hyde?, Australian and New Zealand Marketing Academy Greenland, SJ 2009, Visual Research for Segmenting Emerging Markets, Proceedings of ‘Sustainable Management and Marketing’, Australian and New Zealand Marketing Academy Conference (ANZMAC), Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 30 November – 02 December 2009, viewed 19th June 2012