Procurement and Contracting Process

Procurement and Contracting Process Introduction Due to economic related challenges or opportunities and need to establish strategic competencies, companies often resort to outsourcing. This report considers the outsourcing options to be explored to ensure Travel Magazine is up and running despite budgetary constraints. Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Procurement and Contracting Process specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Outsourcing involves subcontracting or giving third parties work that would otherwise be done within the organization (McIvor, 2005, p. 7). Many organizations especially in the developing world are tending towards outsourcing. Outsourcing is an easy option but it all depends on organizational characteristics. Considerations in Outsourcing There are many reasons why institutions choose to outsource their operations. However, at the core of the outsourcing decision is desire to develop a competitive advantage or edge. The competitive adva ntage is gained through being able to focus on core business, enjoying expertise that is not available in the organization, use of technology that would otherwise be expensive investing in, or benefiting from economies of scale enjoyed by the outsourcing partner. Travel Magazine plans to outsource so as to cut start up costs due to limited capital. Outsourcing will enable the company to share assets or use the assets of other companies thus it does not have to invest in the assets. Secondly, outsourcing will enable the company to produce high quality magazines by relying on already established expertise in another company. The company will seek out only vendors with prerequisite experience and expertise for each given outsourced service or activity. The outsourcing process will enable the company to invest the available capital in the core of the business. Outsourcing comes with a number of benefits but there are also numerous challenges or demerits that the company has to consider in making the outsourcing decisions (McIvor, 2005, p. 23). One key concern is the capability of the company to which Travel Magazine processes are outsourced to deliver quality. Unless considerable care is taken, outsourcing could compromise the final product i.e. quality of the magazine. Secondly, control of business of processes should be designed into the outsourcing contracts. This measure is taken into consideration because Travel Magazine as a company could easily loose control over the Magazine if all the core functions are outsourced. The outsourcing contract has to be designed in a way that it secures the company’s independence in the future. A magazine publishing company has to control its information sources.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Business Processes to Outsource The outsourcing process starts with analyzing organizational processes to determine which ones are worthy outsourcing. Travel Magazine as a company has a number of functions that it can outsource. The functions include accounting, editorial, photography, publishing, distribution, printing, layout, advertising, editing, articles, etc. due to budget constraints; the company has to outsource at least five functions. The guiding principle for outsourcing any of the processes or functions is its relative contribution to quality for customers, cost reduction and competitiveness of the magazine. The processes that should be outsourced include photography, advertising, printing, distribution and publishing. Printing a magazine requires heavy investment in printing machines. Fortunately, there are many organizations that specialize in printing; printing is their core business. By outsourcing the printing process, the organization will save money i.e. no need to invest in expensive printing machines. The money saved can be invested in core business of the organiza tion. Photography is also worthy outsourcing because it allows the organization to focus its efforts on core business. Although photography is an integral part of the magazine quality, there are a number of organizations that specialize in such services. Outsourcing to such institutions will mean that the organization gets best shots from wherever at relatively low costs. Secondly, taking good photographs, especially for a magazine, is dependent on many years of experience. Outsourcing such a function would ensure the company accesses experts in the field at lower costs when compared to hiring staff and developing own photography studios. Advertising is a tricky affair because marketing determines whether a brand resonance for the magazine is built in the long run or not. Given the organization is young and has a budgetary constraint, developing a marketing branch that is fully empowered to do effective advertising may not be cost effective. There are many marketing and advertisin g agencies in the market that can be used. These agencies have built the structures and mechanisms or ensuring correct and effective execution when it comes to market communication. They have the personnel with long experience of delivering on brand building and retail activations. Engaging them would mean riding on their long experience and thus following a proven track.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Procurement and Contracting Process specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Distribution is best outsourced so as to benefit from already established trade channels. If the company is to set up its own distribution channel or develop its own selling points; that would be an expensive venture. Secondly, that would mean creating competitors out of the established distributors. There are established distributors in the market who specialize in the distribution of various magazines. All the company needs to do is sign a contra ct with any of them and the distribution needs are catered for. The distributors would deliver the magazine to all corners through their channels. All the company has to do is identify the niche market and thus contract a distributor with wide penetration in the niche areas. Finally, publishing is also better off outsourced. Publishing is not a core function or process despite its importance. Once again, relying on established publishers would mean the company does not have to develop its publishing function. Developing such is an expensive venture that is capital intensive. In the information age we live in, much magazine sales sell online. Finding a reputable publisher to publish the magazine online will be a welcome move. This will mean that the company does not have to invest in IT requirements that would facilitate online publications. The company will maintain in-house business processes such as accounting, editorial, layout and article sourcing or development. Given the orga nization is going to outsource many processes; accounting has to be done in-house for proper monitoring of the different concerns. If accounting is outsourced, the organization looses total control over processes in the way. It would have to wait or rely on accounting reports from elsewhere to maker pertinent decisions. If the process is left in-house, a financial manager can closely monitor all processes and facilitate towards better decision making by management. Sales from a magazine and by extension profits are largely dependent on its perceived quality. Quality of a magazine is dependent on kind of information it contains, the magazine layout, language use (general look and feel matters a lot). Therefore, strategic positioning of a magazine largely depends on perceived value and import of articles contained in the machine. Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The perception is build basing on article content, positioning in the magazine and general structure. It is content, then look and feel that make customers irking for the next copy of a magazine. Therefore, keeping editorial, layout and article sourcing or development in-house is of great importance. Keeping those functions in-house helps maintain the company’s independence. As illustrated, the magazine sells based on articles and general look and feel. Therefore, if that comes from in-house, it means that the organization is actually in charge, it is the primary source of the magazine. If those processes are outsourced and a problem or misunderstanding happens, the other institution can easily paralyze the companies operations. However, if these core functions are maintained in-house, any breach of contract or misunderstanding by providers of the outsourced services can easily be dealt with. If it is a problem to do with distributors, the organization can easily engage some other distributor or a number of distributors. Preliminary Performance Targets/ Level of Service Expected from Vendors Once an organization is clear about what processes are worthy outsourcing, the next step is to be clear about performance expectations (Brown Scott, 2005, p. 25). Performance targets should guide the decision on what vendor is best suited to handle an organization’s processes. The performance levels in each outsourced process will be determined by the characteristic performance indicators in each process. When it comes to printing, the printing vendor would have to guarantee production of timely clean copies. The vendor must have capacity to do custom printing and be timely about deliveries. A vendor that is dealing with many clients and does not have enough capacity could easily end up affecting Travel Magazine’s operations. Therefore, the vendor must have capacity that will be specifically assigned to the magazine’s printing as per schedule. Performance in distribution is determined by level of penetration into designated niche markets. The distributor must have capacity to transport the magazines and assure protection i.e. no theft and no defacing. Timely delivery of the magazines into markets will also be of critical concern. The distributor has to have capacity to deliver the magazine to all parts of the niche market in a timely way. All people who know how to use a camera can take photographs. However, the photographer’s expertise and photo development technology determines final quality of a photograph. The photography vendor will need to have mechanisms of ensuring quality is guaranteed and photo shooting at all designate sites is facilitated. Quality will be guaranteed by professionals who know camera positioning and other aspects of photo shooting like depth and distance calculations. For a travel magazine, the vendor will also need illustrate capacity to avail relevant photos from all interesting sites as may be required. Performance on the advertising front is determined by the level of brand resonance achieved and sales volume increase over time. The advertising firm will have to demonstrate capacity to develop relevant market communication and design point of sale material that adhere the magazine to target population. Retail activations are also a critical aspect of trade development and thus the agency has to have capacity to instate awesome retail execution and brand performance measurement mechanisms. The service level expected on the publishing front has to do with acute capacity to drive internet sales of the magazine. Preferably, the organization will engage a publisher with capacity to drive internet sales volumes. Publishing online and related sales is the in-thing in the publication industry of late. Many people spend their time online and e-trade is the way to go. The publishing company has to have capacity to complement the efforts of our editorial team by ensuring the right content is carried in the magazine and it is well structured in the layout. Type of Contract for Outsourced Processes The contract between company and service providers will have to be flexible enough to cater for future changes in market structure (Brown Scott, 2005, p. 27). For example, the company was forced to outsource over five processes due to economic down turn. However, the economic fortunes are likely to change. When it comes to distribution and publishers, the company will seek a distributor and publisher that can accept a revenue sharing kind of contract. This means that the distributor will be getting a given percentage of total revenues they help generate for the company. This kind of contract is good because it means the distributor earns of own efforts. Such an arrangement, normally, motivates distributors to drive sales highly. The contract with printers will be a fixed price contract. A fixed price will be set for every batch of printing work done. Som ehow batch estimates are predetermined; therefore, fixed contracts will work just fine. The photography work is not like the printing work due to inability to reach exact estimates of involved costs. Therefore, the company will pursue a cost plus margin kind of contract with the photography service provider. The advertising agency will have different actions or levels of activity to drive sales. Therefore, a hybrid system consisting of cost plus mark up and fixed pricing will be used. When it comes to retail execution, cost plus mark up will be used because different costs are involved depending on geographical dispersion. Fixed pricing will be used when it comes to above the line market communications. Criteria for Selecting Preferred Vendor Cost reduction is the major drive towards outsourcing of business processes. However, pricing will not be the only criterion for choosing a vendor. This is so because tender prices do not often reflect quality guarantee. For each of the process es, we shall be keen on service provider capacity and characteristics. A concern for quality and competitive edge will drive the vendor selection. Some of the required characteristics have been described under expected service levels. Each vendor will have to meet stipulated service levels at a competitive price to be awarded the tender. Number of Vendors per Process Some processes are better handled by a multiple vendors while some are best handled by a single vendor. In advertising, at least two vendors will be welcome. One vendor will deal with market communication especially above the line communication. Another vendor will deal with retail execution e.g. sensitization and promotion awareness activities. In printing and publishing, a single vendors will work just fine to benefit from economies of scale due to consolidated service sourcing. More than one distributor will be used for the distribution of the magazine. Using different distributors ensures wide coverage and diffuse s distributor bargaining power. Finally, a single vendor will be sourced for the photography contract. This is important for consistency plus there is little service variation needed. Time Line for Contracting Process Time Activity 1st and 2nd Month Prepare the Service Level Requirement based on research 3rd and 4Th Month Open Tendering (RFP) 5th Month Outsourcing Contract Negotiations 6th Month Refining Contracts as per negotiations 6th Month Contract signing and Post tendering negotiations 7th and 8th Month Implementation preparations 9th month Magazine Roll out Reference List Brown, D. Scott, W. (2005). The Black Book of Outsourcing: How to Manage the Changes, Challenges, and Opportunities. New York: John Wiley and Sons McIvor, R. (2005). The Outsourcing Process: Strategies for Evaluation and Management. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

CF&F in Light of the Aforementioned Areas Research Paper

CF&F in Light of the Aforementioned Areas - Research Paper Example A need arose to change management of the organization. The following are some of the problems: Training for the hourly employees and the management – after the promotion of the frontline supervisors, none of them received any managerial development training. The management of the company has been promising the hourly employees that they will get training and promotion but this has never happened. They are now afraid that the management is not adhering to the company policies. Communication – there is lack of communication in the organization. The absence of communication is felt all over the organization, that is, between the managerial positions and between the management and the employees. Teamwork – teamwork lacks in the organization. This can be ascertained by the allegations raised by both the frontline supervisors and the employees. The employees allege that the frontline supervisors do not offer them enough training. On the other hand, the frontline supervisors allege that the upper management does not support and respond to the concerns raised. There are a number of causes of the mentioned problems. These causes stem from the past management, for example, the frontline supervisors were promoted within the company and the once promoted, they did not receive any management development training, the management has been promising the hourly employees that they will get training and promotion but this has never been fulfilled, the management of the company has not been adhering to the company policies and they are forcing the employees to follow the policies, this has made the employees feel resentment, the lack of training among the employees is attributed to the fact that the frontline supervisors are overwhelmed by the production schedule.

Employee Participation in Decision Making Essay

Employee Participation in Decision Making - Essay Example This paper will deeply discuss the concept of employee participation in decision making by giving a specific focus on current issues associated with this management approach. Definition, elements of employee participation As a modern approach to creative human resources management applications, corporations encourage employee participation in response to their quality movement needs within the organisational framework. Employee participation can be simply defined as the â€Å"part of a process of empowerment in the workplace whereby employees are involved in decision-making processes, rather than simply acting on orders† (Singh & Kumar, 2011, p.381). There are numerous employee participation programmes to make sure that every employee gets the opportunity to take part in decision making process. According to Parasuraman (2007), Quality circles, suggestions schemes, consultation exercises and meetings, delegation of responsibility, and multi-channel decision making process are the major approaches designed to promote employee participation. ... gements provide their employees with effective communication channels whereby they (employees) are able to suggest innovative ideas to the top level management. Often, managements motivate their employees with financial and other forms of reward for making potential and promising suggestions. In addition, some organisations conduct consultation exercises and meetings to empower their employees and thereby contribute to operational efficiency. Through such practices, managements arrange a common platform for their employees to join together and share work/growth improvement ideas. Top executives listen to those employees suggestions and accept potential improvement ideas. Delegation of responsibility among employees is another potential element of employee participation. Since ground level employees need to directly interact with customers, they are given the power to make decisions for themselves and for the organisation. Finally, the multi-channel decision making process assists the organisation to ensure that its decisions are not made in a downward direction. In other words, a series of upward and downward communications are made before forming a business decision under this approach. Significance of employee participation According to modern management practitioners, the concept of employee participation is a key tool to ensure business success. In the words of Moorhead and Griffin (2009, p. 127), this approach would assist the organisation to effectively promote employee motivation. When employees are trusted and involved in the firm’s decision making process, they feel that they are an integral part of the organisation; and this positive feeling itself would motivate employees to contribute their best to the company’s growth (ibid). In other words, the

Teaching Assistant Diploma Course Essay Example for Free

Teaching Assistant Diploma Course Essay Questions On Assignment One 1.Describe how you might contribute to a lesson given to a group of seven year old children learning to play percussion instruments. I would contribute to the lesson by firstly conversing with the teacher for guidance in which areas that they would like me to assist them. By working together we could make the whole learning process a fun and educational experience. With me being there to help, it would take the pressure off the teacher and enable them to have more free quality time for teaching. I would make sure the environment was safe hazard free in advance so that when the children came for their lesson all health safety measures would be in place and adhered to. The instruments would be ready for the children to use and I would be there for any additional assistance that was required by the teacher or the children. I would also prepare posters or handouts of the instruments that the children were going to be using so that they would know the names of the instruments, the groups that they belonged to and any other additional information that suited that age group about the lesson. My role overall in the lesson would be to contribute by assisting, maintaining the classroom, supporting both the teacher and children, encouraging the children in their activities, making sure the environment was safe and secure, ensuring any work that the children produced was mounted and displayed and that the classroom was clean and tidy before and after the lesson. 2.What might your role be in organising, using and maintaining the learning resources, material and equipment for this percussion lesson? My job is to make sure that the resources, materials and equipment that is needed for the lesson is ready and available. I would ensure this by firstly liaising with the teacher to check the materials, resources and equipment that would be required for the lesson. This would be done in advance, at least a few days before the lesson to ensure sufficient time to acquire them if they were not available at that time. I would then check to see if we had everything we needed and that it was in good working order, not broken, ripped, pages missing or parts missing. The classroom would also be checked to see that it reached health and safety standards. I would count and check all the resources so that at the end of the lesson I could account for any missing or damaged. Also, so that it would make it easier if I needed to report any losses or breakages to the teacher. Once I had checked through it all, the learning resources would then be ready for the children to use in their lesson. I would set them out or distribute them in accordance with the teachers instructions. I would be on hand to assist the children in their activities and to help them with their instruments should they not be sure of how they were played or used. This would be in accordance with the manufacturers instructions. The children would be made aware of the health and safety guidelines for their own sake and the schools when using the instruments. When the lesson was finished, the children would then be encouraged to return the instruments and any additional learning resources that they needed to a set point in the class or myself. Once this had been completed, I would then count and check each individual resource for damage and cleanliness. When that had been done, they would then be placed back where they had been stored along with the inventory for them and secured. My last job would be to ensure the classroom was clean and hazard free ready for use again. 3.Describe how you act in class in order to be an effective role model for the standards of behaviour expected in pupils? I would ensure that my behaviour and demeanour reflected the policies set by the school at all times to show the pupils consistency. Both me and the teacher should work together on how to interpret the rules, so that we both had clear guidelines on how to deal with all situations that may arise. All the staff would be expected to set a certain standard of behaviour which we all should be made aware of. This should help to promote positivity and a feeling of security. I would always make clear to the pupils what was expected of them from the school and myself as an individual. For good behaviour that they would receive rewards and for bad behaviour sanctions. The school policies would be in a prominent position so that all pupils had a constant reminder of the manner in which they are expected to conduct themselves. This gives boundaries, which I believe is a very important and effective practice, not only at school but in all areas of life. These rules would continually be repeated to the pupils so that they didnt forget and that would in turn reinforce our expectations of them. By making high quality relationships with the pupils, showing positivity and achieving successful learning, this should all lead to my ability to help any pupil gain their full potential in all areas of their school lives. Also by giving respect and listening to one another, would help develop a good rapport between the teacher and pupils. Children learn behaviour from those around them and being a child the majority of your time is spent between school and home. Therefore the greatest influences on a childs life lays between those two areas. So generally, but not always if the child has a good balance between both, then the behavioural outcome would be good. So to sum up my actions on how I would be an effective role model, I would be fair, polite, attentive, respectful, helpful, consistent, follow all rules given by the school in all areas and enforce them where necessary. 4.What strategies might you employ to encourage pupils to behave appropriately? Describe how you might react to incidents of bullying and violence. Any strategies that I may use would be in line with school policies and would be to teach and promote positive behaviour. Â ·Praise and encouragement at relevant times. Â ·Ensuring the schools behaviour policy is followed by enforcing the schools guidelines on expected behaviour. Â ·Encouraging concentration and attention in class on school work tasks. Â ·Helping and supporting the pupils to follow instructions and routines given by the school. Â ·Encouraging pupils behaviour to be of a good standard at all times. Â ·Showing respect and listening to one another. Again alongside these, the school behaviour policy that would be displayed in the classroom would be consistently referred to, to encourage the correct behaviour. Any strategies that I may use would be discussed first with the teacher/teaching staff in school to ensure that we all followed the same procedure and intrepretation of the policies. That way all pupils would expect the same approach towards behaviour from all members of staff. Bullying is an awful form of behaviour and can have a lasting effect on some people when the cases are severe. Firstly, I would liase with the teacher about how the matter should be dealt with. There are policies in every school about bullying and there should be a zero tolerance programme designed to deal with matters that may arise concerning this. It would be made clear to the party involved that this form of behaviour would not be tolerated in any way, shape or form. They would be informed that due to their actions consequences would ensue. Bullying is a serious matter and should be treated as such. The situaton would be dealt with age appropriately and according to the particular pupils understanding. I would do the following; Â ·Each incident would be dealt with indivdually and the pupils involved assessed separately. Â ·There would be made available to the pupils a safe place where they could discuss any incidents privately. Â ·Make sure all pupils were aware that bullying is always a serious matter. Â ·Respond to all incidents in the same consistent, calm manner. Â ·Inform the pupils that the individuals involved would be safe and supported by the school whilst the matter was looked into trying to be resolved. Â ·Provide programmes to help deal with underlying issues or problems that the individuals may have. Â ·Make sure all incidents are recorded and dealt with quickly and efficiently to help lessen the stress of the matter. Violence again is another damaging behaviour but more importantly a learned one. The school would have plans and strategies in place for all staff to use should violence occur so that the matter could be dealt with quickly and calmly. Â ·I should try to calm the situation between the parties involved and immediately get help to assist should it be required. Â ·I should remain calm and composed as not to aggrevate the situation further. Low voice, direct eye contact and distance between you and them. Â ·Direct any other students to leave the area for their safety and to not cause any more aggrevation to the people involved. If required for them to fetch help to assist the situation. Â ·I should talk to the party involved and inform them that their actions were unacceptable and that they needed to calm themselves. I should then suggest to continue the conversation in somewhere more private such as the Head Masters office. Â ·Once assistance had arrived, I should keep trying to diffuse the situation and motion them towards the Head Masters office to discuss matters further. These type of situations must be handled carefully and brought to a conclusion in the fastest way possible. Reports and notes should be made for future reference and to bring things to a satisfactory conclusion. Any witnesses must be spoken to so that their account of the incident may be reported and held as additional evidence. 5. Describe how you might appropriately observe the physical abilities and skills of a nine year old boy. To begin with I should discuss with the teacher which format that they would suggest would be more suitable to the task in hand and we could come to the best solution. In order to do this, firstly I would plan how I wished to perform the observations, such as times that are best and in the best circumstances that would answer the question. I would do my best to ensure that the pupil being observed wasnt directly aware of being observed, as this may cause him to behave in an unnatural manner, which would deem the observation void. My personal choice of observations to complete the task would be a combination of Time Sampling and Participative observation. The reasons I would choose these two in particular are because of the following. Time sampling because I could choose particular times to concentrate on the physical abilities and skills the boy had by observing him at break time or in a physical education lesson. My notes would consist of what the boy was doing/trying to do and any help they seemed to need. Participative observation because I could do a task along side the boy or watch him do a task such as playing a game, reading a story or joining in role play. Obviously playing a game and joining in role play would give me more of an insight into the boys physical ablities and skills. I would need to make notes consisting of what the boy was doing or achieving, what he could almost do or needed help with, what he was saying and how he interacted with the other pupils or myself. I believe these would be the best observational methods to carry out to assess this boys physical abilities and skills.

Decriminalization and Legalizing Marijuana in America Essay -- Illicit

Marijuana prohibition in the American criminal laws is quite exceptional. There are no other laws that are both enforced so widely and severely across the country, but yet considered unnecessary by such an overwhelming portion of the country’s populace. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, â€Å"Marijuana is the most commonly abused illicit drug in the United States.† The advocacy group National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws claims that marijuana is the third-most popular recreational drug in America, behind only alcohol and tobacco. In the early 1900’s, marijuana was viewed by prohibitionists to be the worst narcotic known to man and the effects of use created insanity, murder, and death. And without any public debate, scientific inquiries, or political objection the Marijuana Tax Act was signed by then President Roosevelt in 1937. But after numerous years of research, scientists have proven repeatedly that marijuana is not the same as the harsher drugs such as heroin and cocaine and should not be classified as a dangerous, evil, killer narcotic. The Institute of Medicine and other bodies of research have concluded that there is no evidence supporting marijuana is a â€Å"gate-way† drug, certainly no more than either tobacco or alcohol is. Although, some people use marijuana in excess, most who smoke marijuana never become dependent. No one has ever died from an overdose of marijuana, unlike alcohol, and marijuana has not been associated with violent behavior either. People who have used marijuana describe the effects of the drug to be calming, enhancing their creativeness, increasing their appetite and making them sleepy. Dr. Daniele Piomelli at the University of California, Irvine is at the forefront ... ... the use and possession of marijuana has been ever-increasing over the past several years, rising to over 50% today – that is an all time record high. If the current trend continues, the pressure will definitely encourage the nation’s laws into compliance with the people’s desires. Works Cited (1) Drum, Kevin. â€Å"The Patriot’s Guide to Legalization.† Mother Jones Vol. 34, No. 4 31 Jul 2009: pg. 49. SIRS issues Researcher. Web. 27 Oct 2011. (2) Nadleman and Piper. â€Å"Should the U.S. Decriminalize Marijuana?† The Washington Times. Sunday read. 26 April 2009. LexisNexis News. Researcher. Web 27 Oct 2011 (3) Newport, Frank. â€Å"Record –High 50% of Americans Favor Legalizing Marijuana Use.† Princeton, NJ. 17 Oct 2011: pg. 1-3. Gallup. Researcher. Web. 27 Oct 2011 (4) NGC. â€Å"Drugged: High on Marijuana.† Documentary 2011 Vesta, Solomon. â€Å"Grass.† Documentary 1999.

Journal Article Critique of ‘an Empirical Analysis of Trends in Psychology’ Essay

I.Research Question or Problem The journal article question is clearly stated. The question asks whether the behaviourist, the psychoanalytic, the cognitive, or the neuroscientific perspective is most intellectually significant and most prominent in psychology today (Robins, Goling, & Craik, 1999, p. 117). II. Introduction The introduction presents differing contentions regarding which school of psychology is most prominent. Five references have been cited in the introduction. It is believed by some that the cognitive perspective reigns over psychoanalysis and behaviourism (Baars, 1986; Gardner, 1985; Hunt, 1993; Sperry, 1988, as cited in Robins, Gosling, & Craik, 1999, p. 117). An opposing conviction, however, states that this belief is merely a representation of cognitive psychologists’ opinion of their own field rather than an accurate statement based on facts (Friman, Allen, Kerwin, & Larzelere, 1993, p. 662, as cited in Robins, Gosling, & Craik, 1999, p. 117). Furthermore, it is argued that the belief in a â€Å"cognitive perspective revolution† is simply a method for scientists to justify their practice (Leahey, 1991, p.362, as cited in Robins, Gosling, & Craik, 1999, p. 117). Other theories have indicated, without empirical evidence however, that behaviourism continues to flourish despite the loss of â€Å"mentor B.F Skinner† (Salzinger, 1994, p. 816; p. 461, as cited in Robins, Gosling, & Craik, 1999, p. 117). Lastly, it is contented by some that the neuroscientific perspective continues to prosper (Churchland, 1998, as cited in Robins, Gosling, & Craik, 1999, p. 117), and that the entire field of psychology will eventually become a subfield of neuroscience (Bechtel, 1988, as cited in Robins, Gosling, & Craik, 1999, p. 117). III.Methods The authors employed three indexes to conduct their study; the subject-matter index of psychology’s Flagship publications, the subject-matter index of psychology dissertations and the citation index of Flagship publications. For the psychology’s Flagship publications, authors selected several word stems in a database called psychINFO, including: psychoanal#, cognit#, neurosci#, reinforce#, and conditioning#. At that time, they calculated the percentage of articles published in the Flagship publications between 1950 to 1997 and charted their findings over time (Robins, Gosling, & Craik, 1999, p. 118). For the psychology dissertations, authors once again employed psychINFO, this time, to analyze the topics presented in doctoral dissertations between 1967 to 1994. Then, they calculated the percentage of dissertations for each of the four psychological perspectives (Robins, Gosling, & Craik, 1999, p. 119). Finally, for the citation index of Flagship publications, authors su rveyed trends regarding the number of citations found concerning each perspective in the Flagship publications. Then, they selected the top four journals in each perspective using a rating system operated by prominent neuroscientists (Robins, Gosling, & Craik, 1999, p. 119). Applying these findings, authors calculated the â€Å"total number of times per year the flagship publications cited articles published in each sub-disciplinary journal† (Robins, Gosling, & Craik, 1999, p. 119). IV. Results The results undoubtedly provided answers to the question/hypothesis. The findings indicated that articles regarding the cognitive perspective appeared most frequently in all three indexes, followed by the behavioural perspective. Articles regarding the psychoanalytic and neuroscientific perspective, however, were essentially non-existent throughout the studied period. Authors provided graphs and tables in order to demonstrate their findings over time for each index (Robins, Gosling, & Craik, 1999, p.121-126). V.Discussion/Conclusions Due to their compelling findings, the authors were able to construct several conclusions. Firstly, psychoanalytic journals, dissertations, and flagship articles have not been in the spotlight of mainstream psychology for the past several decades (Robins, Gosling, & Craik, 1999, p.123, 124). Secondly, with the focus currently on cognitive psychology, behavioural psychology has and continues to subside in scientific psychology (Robins, Gosling, & Craik, 1999, p.124). Moreover, the authors’ state that one reason cognitive psychology is transcending behavioural psychology is due to the immeasurable role of computers in modern society. For example, thanks to computers, considerable changes have taken place in regards to scientists’ understanding of memory, information processing, etc (Robins, Gosling, & Craik, 1999, p.124). Lastly, mainstream psychology does not yet recognize neuropsychology; however, there is an obvious increase in popularity that is underway. Authors recom mend further research to explore the growing prominence of neuropsychology (Robins, Gosling, & Craik, 1999, p.125). VI.References Authors used a clear and consistent citation format, and each of the references was properly cited within the article. The authors used a variety of sources ranging from the 1930’s to the year prior to the study. The older references were used to demonstrate variations of theories over time. VII.Personal Reaction I consider this article to be rather thought-provoking. From the beginning, I agreed with the theorists who believed that cognitive psychology was the leading school of psychology. Although this article was written fourteen years ago, I believe it continues to be true today. I was not aware of the serious decline of the behavioural perspective; however, after reading about the impact computers have had on science and scientists, it became clear (Robins, Gosling, & Craik, 1999, p.124). One limitation that I feel could have affected the results was the manner in which they selected the top four journals. I wonder if the results would have varied had different journals been chosen. In my opinion, the sample size of four journals seems somewhat confining to the research. Even so, this was a very interesting article. I would be rather intrigued to read a current study of the same topic and see if the results are equivalent.

Workplace Violence And The Workplace - 1145 Words

Workplace violence definition OSHA Fact Sheet (2012) states â€Å" workplace violence is a violence or the threat of violence against workers† (p.1). Workplace violence causes serious harm to employees or homicide that can lead to deaths. Act in any kind of shapes and forms such as: physical threat, threatening behavior, intention of assault and battery, verbal abuse, beating, stabbing, rape, shooting, being followed, psychological trauma, suicide, treat or obscene phone call/text, intimidation. Workplace violence can happen to anyone, anywhere at or outside the workplace location either during from/to work or from/to client’s traveling temporary or permanent where any work-related duty performances. It is not limited to just employees, but also customers, clients, and invitees. Workplace violence is one of the most concerns for not just employers, but worldwide workers. Who is at risk? Nearly 2 million records of American workers have been victims of workplace violation each year. However, many more cases go unreported. The truth is, workplace violence can strike anytime, anywhere, and no one is immune. Workplace violence categories are violence by strangers, co-workers, personal relations, and by customers or clients. Some workers, notwithstanding, are at increased risk at certain worksites. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries that there are a total of 4,405 fatal work injuries in 2013, 4,628 fatal work injuries in 2012.Show MoreRelatedWorkplace Violence And The Workplace1396 Words   |  6 PagesWorkplace violence Workplace violence can be any act of physical violence, threats of physical violence, harassment, intimidation, or other threatening, disruptive behavior that occurs at the work site. Workplace violence can affect or involve employees, visitors, contractors, and other non-Federal employees. A number of different actions in the work environment can trigger or cause workplace violence. It may even be the result of non-work-related situations such as domestic violence or â€Å"road rageRead MoreWorkplace Violence In The Workplace1071 Words   |  5 Pages INTRODUCTION: Violence in the workplace has become a major safety and health issue. Workplace violence is not limited to homicide. This type of violence includes behaviors and circumstances that threaten an employee s physical safety; such as: verbal threats, sexual or physical harassment, coercion, behavior changes, intimidation, stalking, telephone/email harassment, and history of aggression. â€Å"Workplace violence incidents have tripled in the last decade, and it is now the fastest-growing categoryRead MoreWorkplace Violence And The Workplace1274 Words   |  6 Pageshave worked at? If you didn’t know this is a crime and you could be charged with workplace violence. Workplace violence is any act of physical abuse or threats made in the workplace of any sort to any employee or multiple employees. It can take place anywhere around the workplace and has become a very big concern around the country. According to research, there are 2 million cases a year involving workplace violence. Man y people are becoming victims of this and you should be aware when it comes yourRead MoreWorkplace Violence And The Workplace1298 Words   |  6 PagesWe do not normally go to work expecting something bad to happen, but workplace-related violence can occur any time. When we interact at work there is always a risk of violence at the workplace. We can witness acts of violence, and even become a victim of aggressor. Usually people think that violence involves only physical assault. In reality, workplace violence is a much bigger problem. Workplace violence is defined by OHSA as any action, conduct, threat or gesture of a person towards an employeeRead MoreWorkplace Violence And The Workplace2844 Words   |  12 PagesWorkplace Violence statics across the United States of America have been on a steady rise each year since the early 1990’s. Reports have consistently shown in recent years that than an average of 500 homicides and 1.5 million assaults occur each year in America, in the workplace. With those types of statics on the rise in America it’s clear that a Workplace Violence Program is essential to the health, welfare, safety, and security of our employees in the workplace. When enacting a Workplace ViolenceRead MoreThe Effects Of Workplace Violence On The Workplace1235 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction Violence in the workplace has been around for centuries. Everything from verbal abuse and harassments to physical abuse and murders have been known to happen in a business. During the 1980’s several violent attacks happened in the Postal Service, public awareness of workplace violence began in August of 1986 when a postal employee shot and killed fourteen people before killing himself. Prior to these killings, violence in the workplace was only referred to as getting injured on theRead MoreThe Effects Of Workplace Violence On The Workplace1676 Words   |  7 PagesWorkplace violence (WPV) is defined as â€Å"any act or threat of physical violence, harassment, intimidation, or other threatening disruptive behavior that occurs at the work site† (OSHA, n.d., para. 1). For the nursing profession these threats include the following sources: nurse to nurse, patient to nurse, relatives to nurse, other health professionals to nurse. WPV happens in all healthcare settings, however some units are known to have higher incidences than others. One healthcare setting that isRead MoreThe Effects Of Workplace Violence On The Workplace1799 Words   |  8 PagesViolence in the workplace can happen to anyone at anytime, anywhere that is possible. Everyone is not safe from workplace violence, which is why we need to identify and prevent this from happening. Violence can cause a significant amount of fatalities and injuries throughout the entire United Sates. Nearly 2 million Americans are affected by assaults and violent acts by people in the workplace. Workplace Violence could also damage someone’s trust and the sense of security while working with othersRead MoreThe Effects Of Workplace Violence On The Workplace1501 Words   |  7 Pagesin the rate of workplace violence in private-sector hospitals by 110% (2016). Workplace violence, which consists of physical and psychological abuse during work or on duty, has been an increasing problem in the healthc are industry. Workplace violence occurs in all types of healthcare settings such as hospitals and nursing homes and includes violence from patients, visitors, invaders, and coworkers. Although many states, including California, have laws preventing workplace violence, there is no federalRead MoreThe Effects Of Workplace Violence On The Workplace1154 Words   |  5 Pages Introduction Workplace violence is defined in the OHSA as the exercise or attempted exercise of physical force by a person against a worker, in a workplace, that causes or could cause physical injury to the worker, or a statement or behavior that it is reasonable for a worker to interpret as a threat to exercise physical force against the worker, in a workplace, that could cause physical injury to the worker(ecentennial reading). ). It can happen at or outside the working environment