Sample Letter Professors Recommendation of a Student

In the sample letter below, a college professor recommends a student for a place in a graduate program. Note some of the key characteristics of this letter: Opening Paragraph The opening and closing paragraphs of the recommendation letter are shorter than the body paragraphs and more general in their observations.In the first sentence, the recommending professor (Dr. Nerdelbaum) identifies the student (Ms. Terri Student) and the particular program shes applying for (the Mental Health Counseling program at Grand Lakes University).In the second sentence of the opening paragraph, the professor gives an overview of the students academic strengths. Body Paragraphs The two body paragraphs are organized chronologically.In the first sentence of the first body paragraph, the professor describes his supervisory relationship with the student and specifies how long he served in that role.The first body paragraph provides specific examples of how the student generously assisted others.The first body paragraph includes a positive evaluation of the students communication skills.In the second body paragraph, the professor focuses on the students work in the masters program that he directs.The second paragraph notes the students ability to conduct independent research and complete projects in record time. Concluding Paragraph The short conclusion highlights the students sense of commitment and determination.In the final sentence, the professor clearly and firmly delivers his overall recommendation. Sample Letter of Recommendation Dear  Professor Terguson: I welcome this opportunity to recommend Ms. Terri Student for a place in the Mental Health Counseling program at Grand Lakes University. She is an extraordinary student and an exceptional individual—extremely bright, energetic, articulate, and ambitious. For more than two years Ms. Student worked for me as an assistant in the Office of Liberal Studies, managing routine office duties, helping to organize student workshops and forums, and interacting daily with faculty members, staff, and students. During this time I grew increasingly impressed by her academic and personal achievements. In addition to her outstanding work in a challenging undergraduate psychology program, Terri generously assisted others both on and off campus. She provided tutoring for other students, was actively involved in HOLF (Hispanic Outreach and Leadership at Faber), and served as a lab assistant in the psychology department. An accomplished writer and a gifted presenter (in both English and Spanish), she was recognized by her professors as one of our most promising graduates. Later, while working as an assistant to the director of the colleges residence halls, Terri continued her studies at the graduate level in our Masters of Liberal and Professional Studies degree program. I think I can speak for all her professors when I say that she was a model student, effectively augmenting her course work in leadership and international studies with independent research in psychology. Terris overall graduate GPA of 4.0 was hard earned and richly deserved. In addition, she completed all required course work in record time so that she could accept an internship at the Coolidge Center in Arizona. I assure you that Ms. Student will serve your program exceedingly well: she sets the highest standards for herself and does not rest until she accomplishes all that she sets out to do. I recommend Ms. Terri Student most highly and without reservation. Sincerely, Dr. John Nerdelbaum,Director of Liberal Studies at Faber College

Analysis Of The Poem A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

Enriched Illustrations Many authors thrive to illustrate an image inside a reader s head. Allowing an individual to explore and understand the significance beyond a person, object, or event past its literal meaning (Meyer 265). There is more meaning behind every object and the importance it holds is what focuses to make it more understandable for a reader. Symbols help signify what the author is attempting to communicate to the audience. The term a picture is worth a thousand words is an ideal phrase that can best describe a symbol. A simple picture or image that has been provided through words can convey a message, enhancing the reader s comprehension to where a story s main focus is leading. Author s like Robert Frost, William Faulkner, and Susan Glaspell all enrich literary genres through the use of symbolism to reveal the theme to their reader(s); Mending Wall, Barn Burning, and Trifles articulate the central meaning of these works with symbols. Symbolism provides depth b eyond anything presented from its primary implication. Blending symbolic structures to support the centralized focus presents the reader with mindful clues that all come together as the reader gradually draws toward the conclusion. Some people include friends and the occasional neighbor as a part of their family. And though one may not agree with that family member, one still continues to build walls that maintain pleasant understandings. Though the speaker of Mending WallShow MoreRelatedDulce Et Decorum Est and Ninety Years Ago952 Words   |  4 PagesPoetry Analysis Rupert McCall and Wilfred Owens are two very different poets, from two very different times, with two very different poems. The two poems give very different messages about the poet’s opinion of war and conflict. Ninety Years Ago is a poem written by Rupert McCall in 2005 about the legend of the ANZACs. The poem was written to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the Gallipoli campaign. Dulce Est Decorum Et was written by Owen Wilfred in 1917 about Owens experiences in WW1. Owen wroteRead MoreStylistic Analysis10009 Words   |  41 Pagespoetry†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.7 1.1. The use of polysemanticism of the word in combination with repetition in poems by D.H. Lawrence and H.W. Longfellow†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..7-12 1.2. Lingvo-stylistic potential of D.H. Lawrence’s â€Å"Don’ts†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.12-14 1.3. The main stylistic-semantic features of H.W. Longfellow’s poem â€Å"The Song of Hiawatha† (Introduction)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Read More The Poetry of e.e. cummings Essay3340 Words   |  14 PagesThe Poetry of e.e. cummings The poems to come are for you and for me and are not for most people. --its no use trying to pretend that mostpeople and ourselves are alike. 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The higher the English learningRead MoreWalts Whitmans Vision of America in Leaves of Grass17685 Words   |  71 PagesWalt†©Whitman’s†©vision†©of†©America†©in†©Leaves†©of†©Grass†© †© Contents†© I. †© Introduction†©Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†©4†© Starting†©point†©Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦.†©4†© Short†©biography†©Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†©5†© Historical†©context†©Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†©7†© Thematic†©analysis†©of†©poems†© a. Beauty†©of†©the†©country†©Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†©8†© b. Democracy†©Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†©17†© c. War†©Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦.†©25†© d. Future†©generations†©Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†©34†© †© II. †© III. †© IV. †© V. VI. †© Overview†©Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Read MoreAmerican Dream in a Raisin in the Sun4319 Words   |  18 Pagesconsider her to be who she is not, they will expect or even compel her to behave as the one they mistake her for 2. One’s Own Conception on Identity The poem â€Å"Harlem† captures the tension between the need for black expression and the impossibility of that expression because of American society’s oppression of its black population. In the poem, Hughes asks whether a â€Å"dream deferred† withers up â€Å"like a raisin in the sun.† His lines confront the racist, dehumanizing attitude prevalent in American societyRead MoreThe Greek Way Chapter Summaries4049 Words   |  17 Pagesportrayed the perfect human or the perfect animal. They could be characterized as the first true realists. This realism recognized the profound beauty of the natural world and of the human form. 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The lord shall give his people the blessings of peace. -Ps. 29 †¢ â€Å"Let usRead MoreEmersons Self Reliance5249 Words   |  21 Pagesis what is after my constitution, the only wrong what is against it. In other words, it is better to be true to an evil nature than to behave correctly because of societys demands or conventions. The non-conformist in Emerson rejects many of societys moral sentiments. For example, he claims that an abolitionist should worry more about his or her own family and community at home than about black folk a thousand miles off, and he chides people who give money to the poor. Are they my poor?

Employee Selection the Role of Hrm Finding the Right Candidate Free Essays

Denise L. Thomas Dr. Courtney Bibby Human Resource Management MBA 605 March 2, 2013 Employer Selection the Role of HRM finding the Right Candidate The role of Human Resources Management, here in after referred to as HRM has many faces; the most important role that HRM assumes is in the staffing of human resources. We will write a custom essay sample on Employee Selection the Role of Hrm Finding the Right Candidate or any similar topic only for you Order Now This paper will explore the methods and strategies that are used in the selection for Mr. or Ms. Right. Do HRMs handle this important role with expertise? Employment selection impacts many levels, as it delivers an important net result. Companies are as good and productive as the employees that represent them. Employee selection has a vital role in the success of all companies. Most would agree the reason we return to a favorite restaurant, retailer or business establishment is largely due to the personnel. A new product launch, operational production requirements, an aging workforce and seasonal demands, are all reasons management will turn to the HRM manager for support in addressing their staffing needs. HRMs will conduct a needs assessment for reaching the hiring goals and objectives. Hiring the right person the first time doesn’t happen by accident; it happens by design. Always be clear about the position you want to fill-long before interviewing. Define the Thomas page 2 position based on what your business needs. Identify the standards, skills and knowledge that the perfect hire would have†. (Cameron Keis, 2003). Now, with a firm understanding of the expectations needed for hiring. The HRM manag er needs to enlist potential candidates to meet these objectives. Recruiting in todays’ world of the internet is much more efficient than methods of the past. There are numerous job boards to begin your recruiting rocess. Job boards like Career Builder and Monster service many employer’s with various hiring needs, they have proven creditability for attracting quality job seekers. A consultant will assist the HRM manager to achieve the visibility and positioning to attract candidates to their web page. Although the internet provides a great resource for pooling talent, there are other tried and true methods for recruiting. Internal job postings are a great opportunity for current employees to consider advancement; this also gives management an idea of personnel seeking to move forward within the company. In many cases word of mouth will yield good results for networking and recruiting for career openings. Current employees may have knowledge of someone whom they feel would be great for a position. It’s a good idea to include different types of recruiting to gain a broader reach for talent. The most time consuming part of recruiting is the first round of interviews. It is common for HRMs to schedule phone interviews with applicants. The phone interview allows the ability to gage the potential of a candidate before bringing them in for a face to face Thomas page 3 interview. Phone interviews will able HRM to address any question you may have about items on a job application or resume. The phone interview may incorporate questions that are behavioral and those that are situational. This type of inquiry will be helpful in examining the ways an applicant handles conflicts and problem solving. This may also illustrate the applicant’s ability to lead and persuade other towards a preferred outcome. Another important aspect included as part of the pre- interview is testing. â€Å"Testing and assessments are a must for your short-list interview process. † (Cameron Keis, 2003). The analysis of behaviors prior to the face to face interview should not be overestimated. Currently these exams are provided during face to face interview or most often inclusive with the online applications. Upon completion of the pre- interview screenings, the best candidates of this process should be selected for in person interviews. Mangers that will be involved with the interview and decision making need to be prepared and skilled in their interview technique for this final process. â€Å"As with most managerial skills, the skills required to make a better hiring decision can be learned and can be developed with practice. Along with examining skills, the astute manager considers an applicant’s fit with the organization’s culture. If the culture is open and loose in an organic structure, a bureaucratic personality would make a poor fit. â€Å" (Buhler, 1992). So now the fun begins. Hiring managers have a shared responsibility during this phase of the staffing process. The environment should be one that is conducive for the meeting. Thomas page 5 Applicants are also reviewing the work place to visualize if they could envision themselves working in the location. It may be a good idea to alert the office staff that interviews will be taking place, all staff needs to exhibit best practice office etiquette during this open house of prespective new hires. I feel this aspect is often overlooked. I recall on many occasions I observed the work culture of an office during my visit, and determined I wasn’t a good fit for the group. Additionally, managers who have not familiarized themselves with the resumes and or applications do a disservice to the process of interviewing. I have been frustrated during an interview when I find myself becoming redundant to an issue. All applicants understand that HRMs and managers are busy, however, we are discussing future employment and what contribution I can make to your organization! Moreover, when we consider the cost investment for hiring and training of new employees this matter requires a serious commitment from all involved. â€Å"The setting of the interview is extremely important to get it off to the right start. This is an opportunity for the applicant to â€Å"interview† and judge the organization. † (Buhler, 1992). HRMs in many corporations have a structured interview format that they are required to adhere to, in maintaining the integrity of the hiring process. The interviewer will let you know prior to the start of the questioning, if they will be taking notes of your answers. I have participated in a number of these types of interviews and most of the questions are behavioral or situational. A candidate that has done their homework will be prepared to answer this line of questioning. In some situations a face to face meeting will be conducted by a HRM manager. They will conduct the interview and make referrals to the manager. Thomas page 6 â€Å"Hiring is more than merely selecting a â€Å"nice person. † It requires carefully selecting the best person for the position. A new skill being sought in new hires is innovation. Organizations without innovation will become stagnant and perish in time. Survival means thinking creatively. The best infusion of creativity comes from outside the organization—from new hires. † (Buhler, 1992). â€Å"Traditional interviews don’t accomplish a lot. In selection interviews they ask the wrong questions, ask the questions the wrong way, violate laws, fail to take adequate notes and ignore body language†. (Smart, 1987) . I can attest that I have participated in interviews that made me want to exchange places with the person behind the desk. Some managers are very uncomfortable with the responsibility needed to become a skillful interviewer. Situations where it is detected that the interviewer seems displaced allows the applicant to take the interview over, the hiring manager is no longer in charge. This scenario is a disservice in search for the perfect candidate, or is it? One could say that if an applicant has this type of skill set they represent someone who is not afraid to take the lead and shows initiative. These skills are most desirable to most employers. â€Å"A high- quality selection interview requires more than just a sufficient amount of time. A matrix format is much more comprehensive. The interviewer begins by asking candidates about chronological history-beginning with education and progressing through job 1, job2, job3 and up to the present position. â€Å" (Smart, 1987). Thomas page 7 After a series of selected candidates have been interviewed and the final contenders are selected. HRMs will ask candidates to return for a second or final interview. This allows recruits to have a final opportunity to offer evidence of why they should be selected for the current opportunity. If managers are undecided this review should assist in the finalization before making a job offer. â€Å"Check references after the interview, to confirm consistency between the candidate’s comments and the opinion of his previous employers†. (Cameron Keis, 2003). Making the job offer to the final recruit is the last step in the recruiting. Verbal offers will need to be followed with written documentation outlining the specifics of the job offer. â€Å"Hiring the right person the first time takes planning, systems, tools, and structure. Customize and document your process to fit your organization; you will create own internal marketing plan to attract just the right people†. (Cameron Keis, 2003) Strategies and resources assist with the selection to find the right candidate for a job. Significant time and effort goes into the preparation of selecting human resources on both sides of the spectrum. The final decision in choosing the best candidate is narrowed down to who has the â€Å"it†. The â€Å"it† factor is made up of many things, it is perhaps best described as something special that shines and stands out greatly. Go forth and let your brilliance shine. Works Cited Buhler, Patricia. â€Å"Managing in the 90s: Hiring the Right Person for the Job. † SuperVision 53. 7 (1992): 21-. ProQuest Central. Web. 2 Mar. 2013. Cameron, Gordon, and Ken Keis. â€Å"Hire the Right Person the First Time! : Hiring the â€Å"Wrong† People Costs You Money! † S S G M, Service Station Garage Management 33. 7 (2003): 0,n/a. ProQuest Central. Web. 2 Mar. 2013. Smart, Bradford D. â€Å"Progressive Approaches for Hiring the Best People. † Training and development journal 41. 9 (1987): 46-. ProQuest Central. Web. 2 Mar. 2013. 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Alchemy of Qualitative Management Research †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Alchemy of Qualitative Management Research. Answer: Introduction Today, teen pregnancy remains a global concern due to the public health concern of the issue. Early pregnancy or teenage pregnancy refers to pregnancy among females aged below 20 years. The consequences of early pregnancy extend further from health risks to consequences such as poverty, welfare dependence, domestic violence and academic failure among other consequences as described by (New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH), 2005). According to Sedgh et al (2014, p. 225), The United States has the highest number of early pregnancies for teenagers aged between 15-19 years with 57 pregnancies per 1000 women. Bishop (2013, p.1) States that teen pregnancy in Australia rated at 16 births per 1000 women in 2010. Various research relating to teen pregnancy have been conducted in different locations. This essay will critically analyse, compare and evaluate individual article on its method of research, data analysis and collection, purpose of the study and find. The essay will also find the weakness, strength, and rigor of the research article. The appraisal will be done on three articles researching on teen pregnancy in East Devon- England, New Mexico-USA, and Melbourne- Australia. The goal of the study was to investigate the experience of teenage mothers and their expectations about their future, a study carried out in East Devon, England. The research used purposive sampling to pick a homogeneous group of women who had a pregnancy at their teenage ages. The research used purposive sampling to gather a sample of the population for the study. Purposive sampling technique is one of the most reliable sampling techniques for qualitative studies needing information-rich cases as well as ensuring maximum use of limited resources (Palinkas et al, 2013, p.2). The sampling technique entails identifying and selecting groups or individuals who have experienced or have adequate knowledge about a certain phenomenon of interest. Bernard (2002) adds that apart from experience and knowledge, the sampling technique identifies individuals who are also willing and available to participate and communicate their opinions and experiences in an expressive, articulative and reflectiv e manner. Seamark and Lings used interviews as the method for the research. Interviews are some of the most reliable qualitative study research methods which employ semi-structured techniques to seek the beliefs, perceptions, attitudes, and opinions of people based on their experience and knowledge (Edwards Holland, 2013, p.53). The researchers have also considered ethical guidelines throughout their research as they sought approval from the local research ethics committee in Exeter. The researchers also asked the interviewees for permission before interviewing them and promised them assurance of confidentiality. There are several flaws in this study. The study was only limited to one city (East Devon) the city is a holiday destination for the rich according to a publishing by Meades (2016). The researchers ignored the rest of the regions in England and based the conclusion of their study from findings from a single city. The choice of the area to collect the sample population questions the rigor of the research. According to Watts et al (2015, P.2), the majority of early motherhood happen in countries which are developing and amongst teenagers who live in socio-economically disadvantaged settings if they live in first wolrd countries. These characteristics do not fit the description of East Devon. The researchers could have done more research in wider geographical areas to cover a larger population in order to make the outcome of the research generalizable. In addition, the outcomes of the study might have lacked significant information as around 47% of the informants declined to be intervie wed. While the study might have done well in some parts like ethical considerations and use of semi-structured interviews, the demonstration of rigor was challenging. The study fails to provide the sufficient data sources across different regions as well as the limited participation of the target population as seen with the high rejection rate of interviewees (Liamputtong, 2013). The aim of the study was to determine the encounters that young African Australian who are refugees in Australia face during their early motherhood (Watts et al, 2015). The study employed interviews to seek the encounters of the young African-Australian refugees drawing upon the use of cultural competence and phenomenology frameworks. The use of Phenomenology was significant for this type of study as the framework is concerned with the elaboration of what is sensed, perceived and known from ones experience (Yksel Y?ld?r?m, 2015, p.2). The use of the phenomenology framework was critical in giving the researchers the ability to discover some aspects about a personal life which cannot be revealed through normal conversations or those which would not otherwise be revealed judging from individual cultural or social circles. The choice of using interviews was good as the methodology allows the respondent to narrate her experiences in a conscience way according to Roberts and Taylor (2002, p.388). The choice of the data collection area for the research was good based on the issue under investigation. As Watts et al (2015, P.2) state, the majority of cases of early motherhood are prevalent nonaligned nations and amongst youths who live in challenging socio-economical disadvantaged environment than if they live in first world nations. The researchers chose to conduct their study in Melbourne. Being one of the most populated cities in Australia the city is home to people from both economic divide (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2016). Melbourne is geographically a huge city with the diverse population. The choice to base the research on the city increases the reliability of the generalizations of the study. The researchers also paid attention to ethical considerations as pseudonyms were used for interviewees to ensure confidentiality. The researchers also sought the recognition of the Victoria University Human Research Ethics Committee. The article several has some flaws as it lacks some strategies which are meant to improve the rigor of the research through ensuring utility and trustworthiness which are implemented after termination of a study. According to Morse et al (2002, p. 17) argue that different strategies for ensuring rigor must be developed with the qualitative process per se. the research does not employ some of the strategies required like methodological coherence, investigator responsiveness, saturation and active analytic stance would have improved the rigor of the research. The goal of the research was to describe and discover behaviours and attitudes pertaining teen pregnancy as well as parenting among teenage Hispanic females emanating from long-term families in New Mexico. The chosen teens were those English was their primary language and had experienced motherhood and pregnancy in the 12 months before participation. The researchers used adopted the ethnography research methodology in sourcing specific information regarding complex interweaved and socially created behaviours. The use of the methodology was essential for the study as using a limited population enables collection of huge information as well as generating sufficient knowledge regarding a certain issue of interest according to Patton (2002). The research employed ethical considerations by securing the approval of institutional review Board from a major South-western University. Before the collection of data, informed consent was made to the teen, guardian or parent. The research analysis was conducted inductively by crystallization and immersion. According to Stewart (2017, P.9), the use of crystallization as a step towards inductive research is a move towards attaining truthfulness and trustworthiness. Truthfulness can be compared to trustworthiness as it strives for authenticity which improves quality within the crystallization process. The researchers employed different comparison methods and developed different evidence which reinforced credibility and trustworthiness as demonstrated by Yin (2011). Though the researchers made a good choice of using the ethnography research methodology, they do not give a justification to use the method since the research methodology is used for studies with limited time hence need to cover a small geographical area. Sanchez et al (2012, p.228) state that the researchers had sufficient time of the study with the over two years were spent in observation alone and one year in the analysis. The triangulation method used by the research according to Sanchez et al (2012, p. 228) was critical in ensuring dependability, credibility, and conformability of the study which ensures prevalence of rigor within the article. Conclusion All the issues relating to the purpose of each study was answered, incorporating studies from different countries like the USA, Australia, and England. The studies had different strengths especially in ethical considerations, provision of theoretical framework, and well-stated objective of the study as well as well-defined research findings. Other strengths entailed the use of different reliable data collection techniques which improved the reliability and rigor of the studies. Amongst the three articles, the Watts, Liamputtong, and McMichael (2015) research can be considered the best qualitative research. The article covered a wide region carefully analysing the target population which was selected from a different ethnicity, social setting and from the different economic background. The study by Seamark and Lings (2004) was well structured though it lacked reliability as the sample size was limited, the area of study was not suitable for conducting that type of study hence it lacke d reliable and valid generalization. Sanchez et al (2012) research was well conducted, used reliable methodologies and data analyses techniques. The adoption of triangulation method in the research improved the rigor of the research. With different flaws and strengths, the three articles provide sufficient information regarding the issue of early motherhood or teen pregnancy. References Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2016). Regional Population Growth, Australia. Melbourne: Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved April 12, 2018, from https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/mf/3218.0 Bishop, D. (2013). Teenage Pregnancy An Adolescent Health Issue in Australia. Nuritinga Issue, 1(1), 1-10. Retrieved April 11, 2018, from https://eprints.utas.edu.au/3875/1/3875.pdf Edwards, R., Holland , A. (2013, July 5). What is qualitative interviewing? . (G. Crow, Ed.) Qualitative Research Methods, 1(2), 1-124. Retrieved April 11, 2018, from https://eprints.ncrm.ac.uk/3276/1/complete_proofs.pdf Meades, S. (2016, June 3). The ten most expensive seaside towns in the UK. Retrieved April 12, 2018, from Express: https://www.express.co.uk/travel/articles/676655/ten-most-expensive-seaside-towns-uk Morse, J., Barrett, M., Olson, K., Mayan, M. (2002, June 1). Verification Strategies for Establishing Reliability and Validity in Qualitative Research. International Journal of Qualitative Methods , 1(2), 13-22. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/160940690200100202 New Mexico Department of Health (2005) the State of Health in New Mexico 2005. Santa Fe, NM: New Mexico Department of Health. Osuchowski-Sanchez, M., Tigges, B., Mendelson, C., Lobo, M., Clark, L. (2012). Teen pregnancy and parenting: a qualitative study into attitudes and behaviours of teenaged long-term Hispanics in New Mexico. Journal of Research in Nursing, 18(3), 218-232. doi:DOI: 10.1177/1744987112455422 Palinkas, L., Green, C., Wisdom, J., Hoagwood, K. (2013, November). Purposeful Sampling for Qualitative Data Collection and Analysis in Mixed Method Implementation Research. Adm Policy Ment Health, 45(5), 1-13. doi:DOI: 10.1007/s10488-013-0528-y Patton M (2002) Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methods, 3rd edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Roberts K, Taylor B. (2002). Nursing research process an Australian perspective 2nd Ed. Southbank, Victoria: Thomson; Seamark, C., Lings, P. (2004, November). Positive experiences of teenage motherhood: a qualitative study. British Journal of General Practice, 813-818. Retrieved April 11, 2018 Sedgh, G., Finer, L., Bankole, A., Eilers, M., Singh, S. (2014, September 24). Adolescent Pregnancy, Birth, and Abortion Rates Across Countries:Levels and Recent Trends. Journal of Adolescent Health, 56, 223e230. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2014.09.007 Stewart, H. (2017, February 1). Exploring the Alchemy of Qualitative Management Research: Seeking Trustworthiness, Credibility and Rigor Through Crystallization. The Qualitative Report, 22(1), 1-21. Retrieved April 13, 2018, from https://nsuworks.nova.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/httpsredir=1article=2604context=tqr Watts, M. C., Liamputtong, P., Mcmichael, C. (2015). Early motherhood: a qualitative study exploring the experiences of African Australian teenage mothers in greater Melbourne, Australia. BMC Public Health, 15(873), 1-11. doi:DOI 10.1186/s12889-015-2215-2 Yin, R. K. (2011). Qualitative research from start to finish. New York, NY: Guildford Press. Yksel, P., Soner, Y. (2015, January). Theoretical Frameworks, Methods, and Procedures for Conducting Phenomenological Studies in Educational Settings. Turkish Online Journal of Qualitative Inquiry, 6(1), 1-20. Retrieved April 12, 2018, from https://dergipark.gov.tr/download/article-file/199867

Acclimate vs. Acclimatise

Acclimate vs. Acclimatise Acclimate vs. Acclimatise Acclimate vs. Acclimatise By Maeve Maddox In my line of work, I’m used to comments that blame American speakers for usage that British speakers find annoying. For example: How is it possible for Americans to create acclimate from acclimatise? The effect on me is far worse than hearing math or off of. I share the commenter’s feelings regarding the redundant and ugly â€Å"off of,† as in â€Å"He fell off of the wagon† but fail to understand why math should bother him. In the case of maths vs math, both are clippings of the â€Å"real† word mathematics. Unlike the ridiculous â€Å"open-mic,† which is presumably intended to be pronounced â€Å"open-mike,† both math and maths conform to English spelling conventions. As for acclimate, the form is not an American creation. The earliest citation of acclimate in the Oxford English Dictionary- from a British printed source- is dated 1792. The earliest OED citation for acclimatize (not acclimatise) is dated 1802. Although acclimate is now labeled â€Å"chiefly US usage,† both forms have a long history in British English. The Ngram Viewer set to â€Å"American English† indicates that acclimatize and acclimate were in about equal use until the 1970s, when acclimate began its rise. Set to â€Å"British English,† the Ngram Viewer shows the two forms in equal use until the period of the American Civil War (1860s), when acclimatize gains ascendancy in British printed books. Set to â€Å"English,† the Viewer shows acclimatize as the dominant form until the 1950s, when it begins to decline. The form acclimate overtakes acclimatize and surpasses it in frequency in the 1980s. Of the spellings acclimatize and acclimatise, the former is more frequent, no matter which Ngram setting- â€Å"English,† â€Å"British English† or â€Å"American English†- is used. The OED entry for the word is not treated like analyze, for example, with British analyse placed first and American analyze second. The only word in red for the entry in the OED is acclimatize. Oxford Dictionaries online acknowledges the s spelling with the note, â€Å"also acclimatise.† The Cambridge online dictionary headword is acclimatize, with a note in parentheses: (UK  usually  acclimatise). A Google search brings up the following results: â€Å"acclimate† 857,000 â€Å"acclimatize† 500,000 â€Å"acclimatise† 424,000 I am not advocating the use of acclimate over acclimatize. Although I am an American speaker, I rather think that acclimatize is the form I would use to talk about something or someone having to become accustomed to new conditions. My intention is simply to point out that this so-called â€Å"Americanism† isn’t one. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How to Format a US Business LetterWriting the CenturyOne "L" or Two?

Week 3 #2 Example

Week 3 #2 Example Week 3 #2 – Coursework Example Human resource Wal mart has unique model, whose adoption aims to train their employees’ three items that include service for the customer, striving to achieve excellence, and the respect for other employees. From a Wal mart perspective, it is the people they offer their services that matters the most, therefore, employees must strive to attain customer satisfaction to achieve the difference. The Kirkpartrick’s four levels of program for evaluating the training of employees has immense application especially for organisations that has structural models that seeks to invest in the service provision through enhancement of capacity building. The first level is reaction, which aims at measuring the customer satisfaction. The situation at Wal mart can adopt the Kirkpartrick’s approach by developing acceptable standards that aims to measure the satisfaction of the customer based on the reaction towards these standards and taking appropriate actions (Serial solution, 201 1). The second level is learning, which aims to help Wal mart employees acquire knowledge and skills to improve the services and attitude of the customers.The third level is behaviour, which aims to assist employees change their desires, what they must know, and the right environment for interaction (Dreher and Dougherty, 2002). Evaluation of changes before and after the training based on observable traits would help the immediate supervisors at Wal mart attain their training target. The most important part of the training is the result level, which aims to measure the final goals related to the improvement of work quality, increased productivity, and low turnover (Dreher and Dougherty, 2002). The Wal mart can use Kirkpartrick’s approach of evaluating the training by using control groups and allowing enough time until the results can be attained. ReferencesDreher,G., & Dougherty, T. (2002). Human Resource strategy: A behavioural perspective for the general manager manager Bo ston, MA: McGraw-Hill/IrwinSerial Solution (2011). Streamlining workflow and improving e-resource management, retrieved from http://media2.proquest.com/documents/Case_Study_- _American_University.pdf

International Marketing Management Assignment Essay

International Marketing Management Assignment - Essay Example Mainly there are three types of marketing .They are Domestic marketing, International marketing, Global marketing. The International marketing means is the application of marketing principles to more than one country. There are some marketing mix to get a desired outcomes of the marketing. The term marketing mix described the combination of marketing elements used in a given situation. Approximate mixture varies depending on the firm and industry. Major element of the marketing mix can be listed under four heeding. A firms marketing mix normally have to be adapted for international marketing in consequence of the many national differences that exist in relation to stages of economic development, social system, technological environment, legal framework. The marketing mix known as four Ps. That is product, price, place and promotion. "The four Ps--product, price, place, and promotion--found in the marketing toolbox are the independent variables used to influence the desired out comes of the target markets, the dependent variables." (Kotler and Lee 2007, p. 12+). Another definition of the international marketing is the use of marketing mix in to more than one country. ... keting research is a continuing and interacting structure of people, equipment and procedures to gather, sort, analyze, evaluate, and distribute pertinent, timely and accurate information for use by marketing decision makers to improve their marketing planning, implementation, and control. The international marketing research is very essential to any type of company to plan a new project and international expansion of existing company. The international marketing research defines as systematic method of data collection. It includes information about customer, their needs and wants, and market etc "international marketing research is the systematic and objective collection of information concerning international markets. It helps management to reach sound decisions concerning the selection and implementation of their international marketing." (Mccall and Stone 2004, P. 83). The main purpose of the international marketing research is to collect information for make a solution to solve marketing problem when a company plan to international marketing." the essential purpose of marketing research is to provide the necessary information or knowledge on which to base sound decisions in the solution of marketing problems when - readily available information is insufficient or completely lacking" (Davidson and Beckman 1967, p. 597). There are many methods to collect information for international marketing researcher. These methods include conducting program by marketing researcher and conducting the program by someone else. According to these methods there are two types of research that is primary research and secondary research. "There are two basic types of research: primary and secondary. Primary research is the type you conduct yourself and secondary research is the type

Logistics in Context Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Logistics in Context - Essay Example Ports are a major part of the Humber region. The Seafood industry in the Humber region began as far back as the 18th century when the Grimsby Port was opened. Most of the materials that were imported through this port included iron, timber, wheat, hemp and flax. Coal was the main export material from the port. Even before the port was built, there had been a deep-rooted fishing heritage in the Humber area. Another important port in the Humber region is the Immingham Port which was formally opened in 1913 by King George (Green and Randles, 2006). The port at Hull is another important port that was built in the 12th century for the sole purpose of wool exportation to Belgium and Holland. Products such as wine, iron, wood, wax, pitch and furs were imported through this port. A dock was later built to help decongest the busy port in 1778. Another important port in the Humber region is the Goole Port which was built for the exportation of coal from Leeds to other cities (Ellis and Crowther, 1990). Other important infrastructure in the Humber region includes a Tram way that was built in 1928 to connect Immingham and Grimsby. The First RoRo berth was built in 1966. There is also the Gas jetty that focuses on the imports of butane. The jetty was built in 1985. The opening of the Humber International Terminal in 2000 greatly helped ease transport logistics between Humber and other cities in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world. The Humberside Airport, which was previously a RAF base, was opened in 1974 under the name Kirmington Airport. After its re-development in the early 90s, it became the second busiest heliport in the United Kingdom (Green and Randles, 2006). The Humber region also boasts a vast railway network which has gone a long way to make transport easier in the region. The railway network was first introduced to Grimsby in 1848 and in 1912 in Immingham. Hull’s

Weathering Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Weathering - Research Paper Example The rate of weathering is also affected by various factors such as climate, geology, relief, soil or vegetation cover, as well as human activity. Research studies regarding the causes and effects of weathering continues and play a vital role in understanding the history of earth movement and development. Weathering is defined as group of slow processes by which surface rocks are broken into smaller pieces or dissolve into water as caused by the impact of the atmosphere and hydrosphere. It is considered as the primary stage in the denudation of the landscape since rocks are loosened by the weathering process. The length of time that rocks and minerals have been exposed at the surface of the earth will dictate the degree to which they have weathered. Pushkar (799) explained the process of weathering: Soils are derived from the parent rocks by the process called weathering. Formation of soil is initiated by disintegration or weathering of parent rocks by certain physical, chemical or bi ological agents. As a result, soil-forming rocks are broken down into small particles called regoliths, which finally develop into mature soil by pedogenesis. After the loosened rock particle moves due to flowing agents specifically air, water or ice, erosion or mass wasting occurs. Erosion refers to the â€Å"movement down slope due to gravity† (US Geological Survey National Park Service). Physical weathering or mechanical weathering is a type of weathering in which the breakdown of rock relies solely through mechanical forces such as freeze thaw, pressure release, thermal expansion, salt crystallization, sand blast, and glaciation, which do not alter the chemical composition of the rock. Freeze thaw refers to the breakdown of rocks as a result of the expansion of water during freezing which is common in places where temperature often fluctuates around zero degrees Celsius like in upland Britain. This procedure is most effective in jointed rocks particularly granite. Pressur e release or dilation happens when weathering and erosion removes overlying rocks. The released pressure expands the rocks, making it to have fractures which weaken the rocks as they become susceptible to weathering agents. Sheeting of rock follows when cracks develop parallel to the surface. Thermal expansion, also called as insolation weathering, results from large diurnal temperature ranges that influences heating and cooling of the rock. The rock expands when heated and contracts when cooled. The changes caused by differing temperature results in stresses in the rock layers. Salt crystallization takes place when saline water passes through crevasses and joints in rocks, evaporates, and salt crystals are formed as the dissolved salts crystallize. The crystals can cause granular disintegration or the gradual breaking off grains of rock. Sand blast occurs in arid and desert conditions when wind and sand disrupts rocks. Lastly, glaciation or ice formation corrodes and breakdown rock s into sand particles as the melting of ice during summer season move downwardly on the slopes and produces glacier movement (Codrington 252). On the other hand, chemical weathering is defined as â€Å"the decomposition of a rock by alteration of its chemical composition† (Codrington 252). The processes of chemical weathering are solution, hydrolysis, chelation, hydration, carbonation and oxidation-reduction. Solution involves the removal of certain mobile components of rocks for instance, calcium sulphates and chlorides, making the rocks porous and easy to disintegrate. Hydrolysis breaks down or washes out components of rocks such as alumina silicates and silicon which leads to simpler mineral matter like

What is team work?

What is team work? Introductions What is a team work? Team work can be defined as when actions of individuals are brought together for the purpose of a common goal. Each person in a team puts his efforts to achieve the objectives of large group. Teams make efforts to achieve the success but not necessarily the success is achieved every time. Within a team every member plays a role to achieve the teams objectives. These roles add new and important dimensions to interactions of team members. Bruce Tuckmans team development theory provides a way to tackle the tasks of making a team through the completion of the project. On the part of the team every member played an important role to achieve the success at the end of semester. Our planning (or worrying about) whats happening next gives us little opportunity or inclination to examine what has just passed (Wallace, 2005). Writing from the angle of teacher student and team member relationships, it was appropriate to look then above quote. I believe that many students in a team hesitate to step further for their next action during the proceeding of project. I need to be reflective in my action for the future performance in a team. Groups of employees who have at least some collective tasks and where the team members are authorised to regulate mutually the execution of these collective tasks (Delarue, 2003). Group work is defined by a common task requiring interdependent work and successive or integrative action (Hacker, 1998). Belbin (1981) developed a model on team roles which was extended in Belbins (1993) publication. On the basis of the Belbins model the team performance can be observed when a winning or losing task is set for the team. Each member with assigned role balances the team role in a group and strong representation of all roles is predicted with high performance. I have experienced the same the role of every member in my team. Belbin makes a difference between two terms team role and functional role. It is necessary for a team to keep the optimum balance both in functional roles and team roles. On the other hands the Tuckmans theory describes the four stages of small group development as forming, storming, norming and performing. However a fifth stage of adjourning was added which involves the completion of tasks, termination of roles and dissolution of groups. Belbins theory is helpful to identify the different types of the teams; the characteristics define the work of the four categories. This model explains that during the team developments conflicts and interpersonal issues are found there and team development is dependent on the quality communication and relationship maturity with better performance. In traditional setting this model is useful for many practitioners and team leaders. According to this model all members work at the same place and are engaged in predefined work. This model works at the micro level of teams when new tasks are introduced and people involved have worked together not for long time. Belbin (1981) saying that not a single individual may have all the qualities to accomplish the total corporate role is totally right. An individual in a team is assigned his role of his choice and is avoided to perform the roles which are not in his abilities. Belbin also formulated the concept of roles in a team and their contribution of characteristic personalities and abilities in a team. The success of a team is the result of combination of team roles in it. The roles identified by the Belbin are lesser or greater extent shape the individual roles in a team. I am agreed with these nine roles explained by Belbin; all the nine roles are not necessary to achieve the success. I think that five roles are sufficient to achieve the success as some roles are doubled up for example a specialist role can be performed by a Plants role included in nine roles of Belbin. A project in beginning needs the ideas, concept and contacts so the roles of Plants and Resource are more valued at that oc casion. When the project is completed the roles of implementers and completer have their own place in a team. The Belbin theory allows every role to play a secondary role in a team. The secondary role possesses the second higher skills in results. In this way a role can perform more than one function to become a secondary role player in a team. In this work I want to reflect the situation taken place during the last semester to develop and utilize my personal skills needed to maintain the relationships with other team members. Gibbs (1988) Reflective cycle is used to reflect in an effective way. I am using this model because it is a recognized framework for my reflection. Gibbs (1988) contains six stages to complete the cycle which improves my personal skills continuously and learning for the best practices in future. As Gibbs cycle moves forward the first stage describes the situation where the team members work together, next stage looks the feelings of members about the work and third stage involves the analysis of the feelings of team members. The fourth stage is the analysis to make the sense of experience, 5th stage includes the outcome of team work and the final stage involves the action plan for the situation if it arose again. This kind of reflection generated the practice knowledge which assisted me to work with m y team members and adapt the new situation during the work. The team work generated a sense of satisfaction and developed professional practices. My team work encouraged me to learn from the mistakes and behavior and looked at the perspectives of other members in team. It was important for me to build the team member relationship with other team fellows. I established a mutual understanding and trust with other team members. Bound (1996) has stated that reflection is prompted by its positive states. He gives examples of a completion of a task which was thought impossible previously. I think that I have showed this sort of reflection during my last semester. Team work faces many challenges as the Watson (1995) says that teamwork is not a smooth path individualistic behavior, competitive, personality imbalances and cultural, philosophical, gender differences are all risks. I have seen these negative aspects of teamwork provided me learning opportunities when I was asked to do a differ ently next time. There existed the cultural and language differences among the team members. Therefore many learning activities were organized as a group but the challenges of language and cultural differences resisted producing the expected results. Students in a group varied due to academic levels and many of them were unable to embrace the other cultures. Language differences also impacted our teamwork due to language handling conflicts. The positive points of teamwork are enormous as being a team member I have shared the resources, success glory and burden failure. We have talked on various topics relevant to our project during the last session. I have respected my team members, their ideas and feelings. At the start of the project,t team members agreed upon the team objectives and enabled us to make consensus on the aims, and minimized distraction from other issues. An agenda was prepared before every meeting and circulated to every member of the team during the session. It inc luded the venue, time and duration of the meeting and discussed the supporting materials at the meeting. It was impossible to solve the problems lonely. I inter-acted my team members which was vital for the team success. Our team leader addressed the team dynamics and created a culture of the creativity. I was a big part of my team to remove the barriers to generate the new ideas and encouraged all members and also supported them. Conclusions In this reflective paper the pros and cons of a team member are discussed with perspectives of Belbin and Gibbs theories. One very positive spin-off from this reflective essay is that now I am able to get further insights into processes and deliberations of each team. Overall it has been very learning experience for me and I have welcomed every my team members with different cultures and languages. A comparison of Belbins theory and Tuckmans theory is part of this paper. Belbins model is based upon the team roles while Tuckmans model tells us about team development process. Gibbs Reflective cycle is a role model to work within team and is described with its stages to improve my personal skills for the future work in a team. To keep the team more effective I must provide more opportunities and challenges and help my team members to plan their careers based on the projected organizational needs. By creating an organizational environment, openness and energies I can expect to attract th e vital team members which are major part of the keys to my future. Teamwork allows me to be involved and participate in equal ways, sharing equal ideas. This helps to broaden my thinking to achieve the best outcomes.(Griffith Graduate, 2003). Psycho-Spiritual: Nature of Imagination and Dreams Psycho-Spiritual: Nature of Imagination and Dreams PSYCHO-SPIRITUAL THERAPY: DREAMS THE IMAGINATION with dreams and the imagination? Consider the nature of the imagination and dreams,   and illustrate with examples from clinical literature. ‘The dream is a little hidden door in the innermost and most secret  recesses of the psyche, opening into that cosmic night which was  psyche long before there was any ego-consciousness, and which  will remain psyche no matter how far our ego-consciousness may  extend †¦ in dreams we put on the likeness of that more universal,  truer, more eternal man dwelling in the darkness of primordial  night. †¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Carl Jung, 1964) These words represent Carl Jung’s famous definition of the nature and significance of the dream. Other definitions possible: for instance, if one is a materialist, then he understands dreams to be little more than the secretions of chemicals from glands in the brain and so simply a collection of worthless memory fragments. But leaving these prejudices aside, this essay is concerned with the psycho-spiritual interpretation of dreams, and here Jung’s definition supplies us with an excellent starting-point for understanding. For Jung and other psychotherapists, the dream is a gate and a passage, a ‘hidden door’, into the personal and collective unconscious, which is the basic substrata of our psychic life. Freud spoke similarly of the dream as ‘the royal road to the unconscious’ (Freud, 1999). The collective unconscious is inhabited by the archetypes – for instance, archetypes of the mother, wise old man, child, and trickster – which are‘†¦ irrepresentable, unconscious, pre-existent forms that seem to be part of the inherited structure of the psyche and can therefore manifest themselves spontaneously anywhere, anytime’ (Jung, 1974). In other words, the archetypes are pre-existent typical situations, stored in the collective unconscious, that have occurred innumerable times in man’s history and which appear to modern man in symbolic form in his dreams. These symbols are full of knowledge and restorative power for patients and therapists alik e. Dreams are messages and compensating agents that give the dreamer advice about how to balance or re-adjust his thoughts, emotions, and attitudes to life. Moreover, they contain a numinous aspect that can transform the spiritual life of the dreamer. By consulting and heeding the advice of our dreams and our imaginations therapists and patients can learn profound and vital knowledge about themselves and about the causes and possible methods of treatment for psychological distress (Hillman, 1980). Scientists and psychologists identify four basic states of consciousness: the state of waking consciousness, the state of dream consciousness, the state of deep sleep consciousness and the state of awakened consciousness (See: Allen, 1995). Two further dream states are also identified. Lucid Dreaming is where the dreamer is aware that he is dreaming and actively controls the images in the dream. Lucid dreaming can be of two types: ‘low’ state or ‘high’ state. ‘Low’ state lucid dreaming allows the dreamer to manipulate the images in the dream for his own amusement, pleasure, entertainment and so on. ‘High’ state lucid dreaming also allows the dreamer to be aware of the images and symbols of the dream, but this freedom is used by the dreamer to request spiritual help, advice or guidance. Non-Lucid Dreaming is the state where the dreamer is unaware that he is dreaming. Non-lucid dreaming may also be divided into ‘low’ and ‘high’ states. ‘Low’ state non-lucid dreams arise from the personal unconscious and so are personally conditioned, being composed of fragments of memories from that day or proceeding days or of anxiety, panic, excitement or other emotional states. ‘High’ state non-lucid dreams arise from the collective unconscious and are heavily laden and impregnated with images and symbols of religious, mythological or archetypal character. The images and symbols in these dreams are impersonal: that is, they are drawn from the collective fund of images that are stored in the collective unconscious; they appear to the dreamer however in a particular symbolic form that is meaningful for their psychic situation (Leuner, 1969). Let us look then at a clinical example of dream therapy taken from Jung’s Memories, Dreams, Reflections. In the chapter ‘Psychiatric Activities’ (Jung, 1973) Jung tells of an eighteen year old catatonic patient who had been sexually abused by her family as a teenager and who was now mute and schizophrenic. This girl had particularly strange dreams. She describes how she lived on the moon and was a member of a community who were forced to live underground because they were terrorised by a beautiful vampire who killed their women and children. The girl decides one day to save the moon people by killing the vampire; she takes a sacrificial knife and awaits the vampire on a tower. But when the vampire swoops upon her he is so exquisitely beautiful that she is enchanted by him and can no longer kill him. Jung tells how after these dream confessions the patient began to speak again. The girl explained that by this confession of her secret ‘moon’ life Jung a s her doctor had prevented her from leaving the ugly and painful Earth that she detested and escaping to the moon which was for her full of meaning. Though the patient returned into her catatonic state for several months after this analysis, eventually Jung was able, by explaining the symbols in these dreams, to lead the girl back to sanity. Jung explains the dreams like this. The patient having suffered so much abuse in real life compensates for her tragedy by escaping to the moon where everything is beautiful; she is in Jung’s phrase ‘humiliated in the eyes of the world, but elevated in the realm of fantasy’ (Jung, 1973). The patient transforms the incest she suffered in real life, into a mythical and spiritual experience in the realm of fantasy; she is assailed by a beautiful and mythical creature (the vampire) who is the complete opposite of the father who abused her in real life. By explaining these images to the patient, and by telling her that these images meant that she had to return to Earth to confront her difficulties there, the girl was after a short while fully recovered and able to lead an entirely normal life. This is one example of how the interpretation and explanation of symbols and images in a dream can bring about profound psychological healing for patients. The curious student will find many other such examples in Memories, Dreams, Reflections as well as in James Hillman (1980) and Martha Crampton (1979). * * * * * * Our imagination is the centre of all human creative activity and is intimately connected to our dreams and to the world of the unconscious. Imagination defined strictly in a philosophical or dictionary sense means ‘the mental faculty of forming images of external objects not present to the senses’ (OED). That is, we use our imaginations to form pictures or images of events or scenes that are idealistic or fantastic. And it is dreams and their symbols and motifs – such as the mandala (circle), Nazi swastika, phallus, quaternity (square) – that supply the basic materials for our imaginations. This is why throughout history great artists from Beethoven and Wagner, to Shakespeare and Coleridge have produced some their finest work when their imaginations have been inspired by images that they have seen in their dreams. Technically the imagination is one of five basic levels of mental faculty; the others include: the abstract mind, intuition, the concrete mind and thinking. So too, imagination is the deepest lying level of mental faculty: it sub-ducts beneath consciousness to enter into the deepest levels of the unconscious: the collective unconscious, and its inhabitants, the archetypes. The imagination is thus effectively a bridge between consciousness and the unconscious. When we use our imagination we dwell upon images that we have seen in our unconscious in the form of dreams and we re-arrange this material in forms that are fantastic or creative. We imagine how we would like the world to be. Applied to clinical therapy, the use of imaginative techniques can engender profound improvements in the state of minds of patients. Carl Jung advocated a technique called ‘active imagination’, where whilst in a waking state a patient focuses intensely upon images that appeared in recent dream s and so tries to enhance the features of such images and symbols and so contemplate their significance. By this concentration upon dream images, the patient is able to discover and then integrate the symbols that are being produced by his unconscious. This integration named ‘individuation’ (Jung, 1973) – produces for the patient a state of psychic and spiritual equilibrium: that is, the unconscious and conscious halves of his personality are balanced against each other. * * * * * * In the final analysis, it must be said, that from a psycho-therapeutic viewpoint, dreams and imagination are of the utmost importance for clinical psychology. Dreams are a door to a vast and immense reservoir of age-old images and wisdom which when revealed to a patient in archetypal and symbolic form can transform his psychological attitudes and guide him out of psychic distress. The imagination is vital too as the bridge to this world of the unconscious, forming a link between this world and that. BIBLIOGRAPHY Crampton, M. (1984). Dialogic Imaginable Integration. Institute of Psychosynthesis. Crampton, M. (1979). ‘The Use of Mental Imagery in Psychosynthesis’, Psychosynthesis  Research Foundation. Freud, S. (1999 Ed.). The Interpretation of Dreams. Oxford University Press, Oxford. Hobson, A. (1995). ‘Working With Dreams’ from Sleep, Scientific American Library. Hillman, J. (1980). Dreams and the Underworld. Harper and Row, New York. Jung, C. G. (1973). Memories, Dreams, Reflections. Pantheon Books, London. Jung, C. G. (1964). Civilization in Transition. Bollingen, Princeton. Jung, C.G. (1959). The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious. Bollingen, Princeton. Jung, C.G. (1960). The Structure and Dynamics of the Psyche. Bollingen, Princeton. Leuner, H. (1969). ‘Guided Affected Imagery’. American Journal of Psychotherapy. Vol.23,  No.1. The Oxford English Dictionary. (1989). Oxford University Press, Oxford. Spanish Communist Party, 1936 | Poster Analysis Spanish Communist Party, 1936 | Poster Analysis Poster: Central Committee of the Spanish Communist Party, 1936 I. State what the document is The document is a political rallying call inspired by the proclamation of the Central Committee of the Spanish Communist Party (PCE). It was part of a broader recruitment initiative by the Communist Party to enlist soldiers to fight in the Spanish Civil War, which officially commenced on 17 July 1936. Unlike their fascist opponents who could rely upon funding, weapons and personnel from Germany, Italy and Portugal, the Communist Party had little choice but to recruit fighters from the civilian population of Spain and, afterwards, of any democratic European countries that wished to curb the spread of right wing extremism across the continent. Documents such as this were placed in town halls and meeting venues throughout Spain to encourage all opponents of fascism to continue with the ‘national revolution’ regardless of whether these opponents were communist or not. As a result, socialists, anarchists, liberals, republicans and nationalists from the Basque and Catalan regions of Spain were targeted to join the Communist Party in order to increase the number of fighters that the Left had at its disposal. In the event, the forces that eventually made up the defenders of the Spanish Republic (the ‘Loyalists’) were similar in composition to the Popular Front coalition government that collapsed in February 1936, largely due to an inability to achieve a lasting political consensus. II. Place the document in its historical context As a primary source document of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), the poster should be seen within the historical context of the rapid descent into World War Two as the fighting in Spain afforded the German military machine the opportunity to test out their blitzkrieg offensive with devastating effects on Spanish towns such as Guernica. This war, like the wider world conflict that would follow in September 1939, was also a war that was fought along ideological lines between, on the one side, fascists and, on the other, a combination of socialist and democratic forces. This was an important break from the past and, in particular, the First World War, which was fought over imperial ambition rather than two opposing visions of political ideology. The historical context was therefore influenced by the ongoing struggle between the political Left and Right with the Spanish Communist Party holding the key to the hopes of the international socialist movement that had been starved of any kin d of tangible success since the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. III. Explain and comment upon specific important points, references or allusions in the text The most prominent symbolic feature of the document is the hammer and sickle which dominates the background of the textual content of the poster. Although most famous for its association with the Soviet Union, the hammer and sickle was, and remains, a trans‑national symbol of communism that exists far beyond the borders of Russia. Communist China, for instance, also adopted the hammer and sickle as did the Spanish Communist Party where the twin elements of the hammer and the sickle were seen to represent the tools of the industrial proletariat and the agrarian peasantry respectively. This would have been one of the major attractions of the poster to potential recruits from these two important economic sectors; indeed, the document must have met with some degree of success as the faction loyal to the Spanish Republic drew many soldiers from industrial regions such as Asturias and Catalonia as well as agricultural regions such as Andalucà ­a and Galicia. However, whereas the imagery evokes a strong association with communism and the USSR, the text itself is more intent upon reducing the divide that existed between the various socio ­-political sectors of the Loyalists. The document takes care to appeal to â€Å"all those dreamers or those who are irresponsible, who want to forcibly impose their own province or people experiments of ‘socialism’ or’ libertarian communism’ or of another kind† in order to â€Å"make them understand that all those experiments will crumble to the ground like imaginary castles if the war is not won.† This passage is a clear indication of the gravity of the threat facing the Spanish Republic as ideological zealots such as communists have historically sought to distance themselves from any political movement that does not practice pure Marxist doctrine. IV. Comment upon the reliability of the document as a historical source Clearly the document cannot be relied upon as an unbiased primary historical source. Any form of blatant advertisement for a political ideology cannot be considered to be a reliable source because it can only ever provide the views of one side of the conflict. History and historical evaluation is all about analysing the evidence from all sides of the argument; never from one side alone. The reasons for this are obvious. The document in question cannot, for instance, offer the historian anything approaching an impartial description of the opposing fascist enemy due to the aforementioned ideological nature of the struggle. Thus, the document uses words such as â€Å"monstrous†, â€Å"tormenter† and â€Å"criminal†, which negatively alter the reader’s opinion of Franco’s fascist army, regardless of what we now know about the Generalissimo’s military regime. The fascists are likewise termed as the â€Å"invading troops† despite the Spanish Communist Part’s overt drive to recruit soldiers of its own from abroad. The usefulness of the document therefore resides in the insight that it provides with regards to the application of propaganda methods in a war context. The poster shows how rudimentary the PCE recruitment techniques were at the start of the war yet also how effective this propaganda campaign must have been for the largely illiterate peasantry who would have been drawn into the symbolic pretext of the poster every bit as much as the aggressive use of words within the text. Ultimately, the document is reliable in so far as it paints an accurate portrait of the turbulent condition of Spain in the late summer of 1936 – before the country slipped into forty years of economic depravity and authoritarian rule. V. Summarise the document’s relevance and value to the student of the history of twentieth century Europe There is little doubt that the document is very relevant to the student of twentieth century European history. The poster provides key information about one of the bloodiest civilian wars in recorded history with up to a million casualties on both sides by the official cessation of the conflict on 1 April 1939. The document is especially relevant in the contemporary twenty first century era as the poster provides a prism through which the student can view the ideological nature of the Second World War. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 this kind of conflict is never likely to happen again. The Spanish Communist Party’s recruitment poster is consequently an artefact as much as a primary source historical document. Its value is also without question, in spite of the unquestioned bias at the heart of the document. When we think of the lack of first hand, written evidence available for a large portion of, for example, medieval European history, it would be foolish to devalue any primary source document that can help to shed light on the past. By applying analytical historical knowledge to the document, the student can see beyond the propagandist element of the poster. In fact, even this is useful because, through its attempts to paint the ‘revolution’ in a favourable light, the poster shows how non‑democratic, despotic regimes are able to maintain power over a population for a protracted period of time. Can Agencies Collaborate with Children and Families? Can Agencies Collaborate with Children and Families? Collaboration between agencies working together with children and their families will never work. Discuss. Multi-agency working is not a new development for years its importance has been recognised for professionals from inter-agencies to collaborate, even as early as the mid nineteenth centaury health and social workers, worked in partnership to help reduce poverty in England. (Cheminais 2009; 1) Many changes have occurred over the years, which have stressed the importance of collaboration between agencies working together who are closely involved in the services working with children and families. (Waller 2009; 152) However, in spite of the beneficial outcome collaborative working has achieved for patients, clients and for the professionals themselves. (Leathard et al 2003; 131) Many children are still ‘being failed by the absence of collaboration between agencies to meet their needs; and this was epitomised by the circumstances surrounding the death of Victoria Climbià ©. Wilson et al (2008; 519) This essay will discuss the collaboration between agencies looking at legislation and policies that the government has put into place to drive multi-agency working, the essay will also cover the benefits of Multi-agency working as well as the challenges and barriers between professionals working in health, social services and education. Furthermore, the essay will focus on private, independent and voluntary sectors discussing multi-agency working between them. Throughout the essay a placement of a medical centre (see Appendix) will be referred to where a Health Visitor (here after HV) will be discussed as to whether collaboration in childrens services is beneficial to children and families or if as literature suggests is failing. Throughout this essay a variety of terminology will be used, according to Lumsden in Waller (2009; 156) ‘In practice, the terms partnership, collaboration, interagency work and working together are often used interchangeably and different professionals can have different interpretations of what they mean. In this essay the following definitions will be used all to refer to agencies and professionals working together with families and children, these are defined below: ‘Collaboration‘ Interdisciplinary process of problem solving, shared responsibility for decision making and the ability to carry out a plan of care while working towards a common goal. (Mckay et al. 2008; 110) ‘Multi-agency working More than one agency working with a young person, with a family on a project (but not necessarily jointly). It may be concurrent sometimes as a result of joint planning or it may be sequential. (Lloyd et al. 2001) ‘Partnership Working ‘A collaborative professional working relationship with other in both the professional and para-professional world of all agencies who work jointly to deliver services to local children and families. (Gasper 2010; 24) ‘Interagency working ‘This involves two or more agencies working together in a formal and planned way, but each agency will maintain its own identity as it works alongside other agencies. (Fitzgerald 2007) When referring to the above terms the agencies that will be addressed within the subject of collaboration will be social care, health care, and education. The above services are a fundamental role for both children and families, who may need the help of these agencies, helping families and children to have a positive outlook. For many years the government have released legislation and policies to highlight the importance of agencies collaboratively working together, to help children and families, especially safeguarding children. More recent legislation has imposed agencies such as health, social care and education working jointly together. As frost proposes ‘the concept of joint working in safeguarding children and family support services is central to the governments approach, which acknowledges the inter-relatedness of family needs in the fields of health, social services, law enforcement, child welfare, housing and education, and aims to make the delivery of services more efficient and effective. Frost et al. (2007; 185) However as much of the literature suggests there are many restrictions between agencies working together. The Implementation of the Children Act 1989 highlighted the importance of collaboration between agencies, ‘the act clearly confirmed that multi-agency approaches were seen as the most effective way of protecting children from abuse. Fitzgerald (2008; 35) The Act (1989) defines in section 47 how agencies from ‘any local authority; any local education authority; any local housing authority; any health authority; and any person authorised by the Secretary of State for the purposes of this section has the right to join together and protect the child from harm by providing and sharing information. Childrens Act 1989 HM Government (Section 47; 11) Cheminais (2009) concurs with Fitzgerald (2008) stating ‘The Children Act 1989 established the statutory requirement for inter-agency collaboration and joint working in relation to children and young people, requiring professionals to ‘work better together. Cheminais (2009;1) The government have produced many legislative documents on collaboration between agencies ‘working together. The Working Together to Safeguard Children document (DfES 2006) was first published in 1999, but a more recent adaptation was produced in 2006, which shows how agencies and practitioners should be working together to promote and safeguard the wellbeing of children. The more recent version of the paper reflects the new developments which have happened through policies, legislation and practice. (Wilson 2006; 4) The paper was formed for anyone who works with children and families, it expresses how agencies and professionals should be working together to meet the legal requests of both the Childrens Acts 1989 and 2004. (Barker 2007; 4) ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children describes comprehensively how agencies should work together and gives guidance on investigations and conduct of case conferences. Brammer (2006; 249) The guidance in the document sets out a nation al policy to help safeguard children which are based on the green paper ‘Every Child Matters outcomes. ‘Be Healthy; Stay Safe; Enjoy and Achieve; Make a Positive Contribution and Achieve Economic Well-being Every Child Matters (2003:1) ‘In achieving these outcomes working together stresses the importance of an integrated multi-professional approach by all organisations and agencies to the assessment, planning, intervention and review processes for all vulnerable children. Barker (2007;5) The Working Together to Safeguard Children (2006) document underpins many important government legislations from the Childrens Act 1989, Childrens Act 2004 and the Green Paper Every Child Matters (DfES 2004) In 2003, the Laming Report was made public and brought 108 recommendations for changes to childrens services at a national and local level, and within and between the different agencies and professionals. The Laming report led to the Green paper ‘Every Child Matters which set out five main outcomes for children to achieve there wellbeing, the legislation was aimed at children from birth to nineteen years. It was the tragic death of Victoria Climbe in 2000 which was one of the main contributions to the Green Paper Every Child Matters (DfES 2003) ‘The legacy of Victoria Climbie is that her death provided both the government and professionals with the permission to refocus on the importance of working together, thus integrated services are at the heart of the government initiative Every Child Matters, and the Children Act 2004 provides the legal framework to facilitate the programme of change, Lumsden et al. in Waller (2009; 153)Victorias death was a result of horrifying abu se which was caused by her great aunt and her boyfriend. However Victoria was seen by many agencies ‘during her time in the UK Victoria was seen for health and welfare reasons, by a wide range of representatives from different social services departments, health services and hospitals as well as the police, but all failed to intervene appropriately to protect her. Barker (2009; 9) Every Child Matters tried to build on existing plans put together by the government to strengthen preventative services, social exclusion and tackle poverty for children and families by focusing on four key themes; ‘Supporting parents and carers; Early Intervention and effective protection; Accountability and integration of services; and Workforce reforms. (Baldock et al (2007; p70) In 2004 Every Child Matters ‘Change for children was launched alongside the Childrens Act 2004, ‘providing the legislative spine for the wider strategy improving childrens lives. Tunstill (2007; 26) ‘The United Kingdom have witnessed 30 years of fatal child abuse inquiries or serious case reviews. Reader et al. (2004; 96) ‘During that time there have been about 40 public inquiries overall and between 50 and 90 local case reviews under part 8 of the ‘working together guidance each year. Reader et al (2004; 96; Department of Health 1999) These terrible consequences of past inquires have influenced the services provided to children and families through changes to policies and in practice, however public inquiries have also seen similarities. It is over 30 years since the publication report was released looking into the inquiry of the death of seven year old Maria Colwell who tragically died from abuse of her step-father. This tragic death caused shock in society and there was ‘utter determination that such tragedies like this would never happen again Lonne (2008;18) However despite the governments backing of policies and produced reports there have still tra gically been other victims. The inquiries of Victoria Climbe and Maria Colwell have identified a number of common themes; as Parton (2004; 82) describes ‘considerable confusion and a failure to communicate key information, so that as a consequence both children fell through the elaborate welfare net. ‘Nevertheless failures of agencies to co-ordinate their efforts continued to be seen as a significant contributing factor in the death of children through abuse. Maynard (2004; 182) When yet another tragedy occurred in 2007 the death of ‘Baby Peter or ‘Baby P, who suffered abuse from his mothers boyfriend a very similar case review to Victoria Climbe. ‘Canning et al (2010; 70) states ‘both childrens names will be a constant reminder to professionals of the shortfalls and failings that can occur in relation to the protection of the welfare of children. Therefore working collaboratively continues to be a child protection theme, both in terms of government guidance and in primary legislation. Maynard (2004; 182) As we have seen the consequences which can occur when mistakes are made in multi-agency collaboration, are often disastrous. Therefore preventative methods needed to be put into place, as part of the ‘governments strategy for more integrated childrens services in 2003 the development of the ‘Common Assessment Framework (CAF) and lead professional (LP) was established. Brandon et al (2006; 397) The CAF aims to ‘deliver frontline services that are integrated and are focused around the needs of children and young people. (ECM 2009) The Framework ‘helps practitioners from a variety of agencies (health, education, social services, youth offending ect) to access childrens services earlier and more effectively, develop a common understanding of those needs and agree a process for working together to meet them. Hall et al (2009; 81) Through developing the use of CAF different agencies can use the same assessment for families and children without overlapping or having multiple assessments for the child. An important role in CAF is the Lead Professional which is an ‘important part of the strategy, the Lead Professional is a single point of contact for children, young people and their families. Hall et al. (2009; 82) The Common Assessment Framework aims to: ‘Reduce the number of assessments for children with additional needs to reduce stress on the chid and family Ensure that services delivered by multi-agencies to the same child/ family are appropriately coordinate to reduce overlap and gaps in service provision To ensure professionals are aware other agencies are involved to share information about any concerns about a child. (Baldock 2009; 84) However there are also limitations to using the ‘Common Assessment Framework, as it is a new form of assessment it will mean more of a workload for professionals and Lead professionals therefore it may hinder collaboration and children may slip through the net as professionals may be too busy filling in paper work, to visit the family and child. (Fitzgerald 2007; 63) Other limitations include agencies not working together, as Brandon (2006; 405) states ‘some areas identified problems in getting particular agencies and sectors to sign up for these multi-agency processes. Another restriction is implementing it into the workforce, and getting all agencies involved in using CAF as soon as possible. Every Child Matters (2009; Online) states ‘AllLocal Authorityareaswere expected to implement the CAF, along with the lead professional role and information sharing, between April 2006 and March 2008. However when in placement setting in 2009 with a local Health Visitor they w ere still in the process of putting CAF into practice, (see Appendix) therefore we cannot yet prove that it is going to be successful, to help agencies work jointly together. However as a result of the CAF not being implemented throughout agencies there were gaps, and children still slipped through the net as a result, Gasper (2010; 126) states, ‘All agencies responded in unison following Lord Lamings report into the death of Victoria Climbe and there was a surge in the momentum to work more closely together across agencies and professions. The common assessment framework has been the outcome, but even that has not prevented continuing tragedies such as the case of ‘Baby P in 2007. To help meet the governments strategy of multi-agency collaboration, alongside the Every Child Matter agenda, the Common Core of Skills and Knowledge was introduced. (HM Government 2006) As part of the skills there are six areas of expertise that all practitioners including volunteers across disciplinary background will be expected to put in to practice when working with children and families: ‘Effective communication and engagement Child and young person development Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child Supporting transitions Multi-agency working Sharing information Fitzgerald (2007; 125) ‘Inter-agency and multi-agency work is an essential feature of all training in safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. Working together to safeguard children (DfES 2006; 94) As part of the Multi-agency strategy Local Safeguarding Childrens Boards (LSCBs) have been established to replace Area Child Protection Committees. ‘LSCBs were established through the children Act 2004 there main remit is to develop policies and procedures for ‘Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children in the area of the authority. Fitzgerald (2007; 62) LSCBs ‘put in place legislative arrangements for implementing the proposals in the 2003 Green Paper ‘Every Child Matters placing working together on a statutory footing for both the statutory and voluntary agencies and the community. Robotham et al. (2005; 177) Through producing strategies like CAF and LSCBs the government are working towards closer integration between services, where all agencies understand and w ork from the same documents then this should help agencies as they both share the same understanding. Agencies working collaboratively together from private, independent voluntary sectors shall now be discussed, in relation to multi-agency working. When out on placement an issue that occurred in one particular family was domestic violence, (see appendix) the HV collaborated with multiple agencies from different sectors to help keep the welfare of the mother and child safe. The Health Visitor helped the mother to get in contact with a voluntary agency WAVES (womens centre against domestic violent events), the mother was able to contact them through using the Childrens Centre which is a statutory sector and was also given advice about counselling which is private sector. This involved the use of multi-agency working which for this particular case was a successful collaboration between agencies involved. Through the HV being in contact with the childrens centre, the voluntary and private run group, it assured that the needs of the children and family in this case were being met. Working Together to Safeguard Children (DfES 2006;94) document states; ‘Training and development for inter-agency and multi-agency wok should be targeted at the following practitioner groups from voluntary, statutory and independent agencies, for those who are in regular contact with children and young people. Multi agency working should include services provided by use of Private, independent and voluntary sectors (Maynard 2004; 189) for overall colla boration between different agencies, and the strategies in place to work together. The effectiveness of agencies working collaboratively together will now be discussed. There are many benefits for multi-agency collaborative working in social care, health care, and education settings. However ‘There appears to be limited positive evidence on outcomes from integrated working with much of the current work focusing on the process of integrated working and perception from professionals about the impact of such services. Brown et al (2006; 16) One positive aspect is it ‘leads to enhanced and improved outcomes for children and young people, through a range of joined-up services advice and support being readily available and easily accessible. Cheminais (2009; 26) When observing the collaboration of agencies within the placement setting, it was clear that there was good partnerships between the agencies, this especially was shown between the health visitor and the local Childrens centre (see appendix) as part of the drive for greater collaboration Sure Start Ce ntres were also brought in to enhance multi-agency working by providing many professionals in the same centre, therefore all families have access. Another positive outcome to agencies collaboratively working together is improved cost efficiency, when all services work together they have to use less individual resources. (Johnson et al 2003) Another positive outcome to multi agency working is when services work together they share information therefore this makes it less stressful for families, but also helps agencies to not overlap, as Fitzgerald et al (2008; 28) States; ‘The main strands of childrens services -education, health and social services have in the past developed separately within differently established services. This separate development ultimately led to a fragmented pattern of services for children, with gaps and overlap in service provision and a work force divided by different professional cultures, different remits and goals and ultimately different views of children and childhood. Therefore when agencies to work together collaboratively great successes came become of this for both children and families, however there are also many barriers to different agencies working together. Although there is much legislation, policies and documents on how to have successful collaborative agencies working together, there are also many barriers that can occur when these different agencies come together. One of many problems which has been highlighted in case reviews of working together is lack of communication and information sharing between agencies and professionals. Gasper (2010; 126) describes what can happen if agencies fail to communicate effectively; ‘More than one tragedy has been shown to be the direct result of failures of professionals to communicate and to take responsibility for seeing through concerns raised by one or more person or agency. As this has been the main issue in the Laming reports, the government produced an ‘Information sharing Index or ‘Contact point to help overcome this barrier for professionals. ‘The purpose of contact point is for professionals involved with a child and family to be aware of other agencies and profe ssionals who are also working with them. Buldock (2009; 88) When in the placement setting the HV (see appendix) was in contact with many other agencies, about particular children and families. Even though contact point was only just being set up in the setting, through using contact point the HV is able to establish if the child has a CAF, agencies involved with the families, and contact details of the agencies this makes the process of information sharing much more simple and accessible to practitioners. This is aimed at aiding rapid and effective inter-professional co-operation and ensuring better information sharing than previously. Buldock (2009; 88) Another barrier in the challenges of multi-agency working is funding, ‘concerns in relation to sustainability, for example conflicts over funding within and between agencies; a general lack of funding for multi-agency training and development work and to cover accommodation and on-costs for services delivery. Cheminais (2009; 27) Sloper (2004; 578) discusses how funding can be a barrier to collaboration between agencies, through having different and short-term budgets. ‘Financial uncertainties, short term funding and lack of joint and equitable budget between partners are barriers, it is often suggested that coordinated working will produce cost savings by cutting down duplication of assessment and provision and providing a more appropriate and timely service to meet needs. ‘Many studies stress that time is the essence in setting up projects and developing relationships and it is difficult to maximize collaborative advantage when funding is short term. Gannon-Leary (2006; 669) However, Hudson (2002) argues that when agencies work together through sharing funding it can help to have a positive effect on collaboration between agencies. ‘Formal sharing of financial resources appears to have a number of benefits, promoting collaboration and cutting down on duplication Hudson et al (2002) in Sloper (2004; 578) Another important barrier, which often occurs in agencies working together, is the cultural issues, roles, and responsibilities. ‘The management of different professional and multi-agency service cultures, for example, staff recruitment and retention, disparities in status, pay, conditions of service working hours and working conditions. Cheminais (2009; 27) This can all make it very difficult for professionals from different agencies to work together, although when out on placement this did not occur other professional may feel they are more important in status and power than other professionals from different agencies. Foley (2008; 109) states ‘On the one hand, they want to be seen as being professional in terms of their specialised knowledge about children and their skills, on the other hand, its obvious that elitism and professional language can act as a powerful barrier. When working together the language barrier and the use of jargon between different agencies can o ften cause conflict. Fitzgerald (2007; 55) states ‘terminology attitudes to information sharing and professional principle can cause tension between agencies and poor integration of service delivery. Sloper (2004; 578) states how overcoming the barrier to working together can be very difficult between professionals who may not work together, ‘Findings on the barriers to multi-agency collaboration indicate the difficulties to be overcome. There is now some evidence that shared learning and inter-agency/ inter-professional training especially as part of continuing professional education, is one way of promoting better multi-agency collaboration. Sloper (2004; 578) However if this barrier is over come then the services provided to children and families should be a positive experience; where agencies are using the same focus and goals to deliver services. ‘All childrens services are working towards achieving the five outcomes of Every Child Matters, therefore developing a common vision at operational level and strategic level is of utmost importance. Canning et al. (2010; 70) This showing that in order for successful collaboration between agencies on of the key themes is training and updating knowledge. The government are recognising the importance for further training for the professionals, who will be working with the future children, and have designed the Early Years Professional Status; ‘the government wishes to have EYPs in all childrens centres by 2010. CWDC (2006). In Conclusion it has shown that there are many positives to collaborative working between agencies, and we have witnessed in first hand experience (see appendix) with the Riley Family. It has shown that agencies are able to collaborate with each other to provide services to help children and families, however it has also revealed the consequences which can happen if agencies are not prepared to work together to safeguard children, in cases such as ‘Baby P. Therefore with current legislation, and policies like Every Child Matters, Working Together to Safeguard Children, CAF, Contact Point, and Common Core Skills, agencies are guided into collaboratively working together and overcoming the barriers, to provide successful services to children and families.