Promote communication in health and social care Essay

Communication is one of the most essential tools we have to help us interact with other people around us. We use it constantly in our everyday lives whether it be at work, with friends or at home with our families. The way we communicate reflects our personality and the way we come across to other people and build trust and relationships. Reasons why people communicate. †¢ Building relationships with the people around us †¢ Maintaining relationships †¢ Sharing ideas and thoughts †¢ Expressing feelings and needs †¢ Gaining reassurance and acknowledgement †¢ Gaining information and sharing information When we have a new child starting we have an â€Å"all about me† form that we ask the parent to complete. We do this to get to know the child and his/her likes and dislikes so that they can feel comfortable and to start building a relationship with that child and parent. We sit down with the parent to have a talk about this and also ask them if they would like a drink so that they feel welcome and at ease. As well as building relationships with the children and parents it is important to build relationships with the people we work with. Asking them questions about themselves and telling them about yourself. When a parent brings a child in in the morning we greet them and the child saying good morning and smiling. Likewise when the child is collected saying goodbye and taking time talking to the parent about the child’s day. This helps maintain the relationship with the parent and child. Letting them know that we have time to speak to them and to listen. Likewise talking to the other staff members about their interests or if they had a nice weekend. Greeting them when coming in also helps to maintain a good working relationship with them. It is important for adults as well as children that they feel listened to and feel like their ideas and thoughts are important. Listening to a child will not only help build a relationship with that child but also make the child feel valued and build their self esteem. Also listening to what they have to say and respecting their feelings is an important way to meet the child’s needs. When we meet new people one of the first things we do is to share and gain information with that person. This will help to establish a relationship with that person. This is also a vital part of working well with other people. When starting at the setting I first of all did this with the other staff by telling them about me and learning about them and also learning about the setting and how they do things there. With the children I asked them questions like their names and about the important people in their lives. This has helped me build relationships not just with the children at the setting bu t also the people that I work with. Especially with the children that I work with I am finding it very important in building a relationship with them to reassure them and acknowledge their achievements. Praising them and showing them with my body language that they are important. They respond well to doing â€Å"high 5’s† and keeping eye contact while they are talking to me. Likewise using some of the same tools with parents and colleagues help to acknowledge and reassure them that I am interested in what they have to say. It is very important to be able to communicate well with the people you work with. Not just to be happy yourself and to feel valued but also to provide the best care for the children in your setting. It is also important to be able to communicate well with the parents so that they feel that their needs are being met. They need to be able to leave the children in your care knowing that they will be safe and happy. When communicating with people we don’t just use our voices but also non-verbal communication like eye contact, touch and body language. The non-verbal communication can be more powerful than the verbal. At the setting where I work we have a little boy who isn’t using many words yet to communicate. He will come and take your hand and show you what it is he  wants. Using the information we have in the â€Å"all about me† form we know that he likes animals and to watch The Jungle Book on DVD. So we get the animals out and talk to him about them, asking him what noises those animals make and what they like to eat. Non-verbal communication is also very powerful when speaking to adults. Looking a the person you are speaking to can give you an idea of how they are feeling and also how they are reacting to what you are saying. The way you say some thing might be understood one way face to face with a person but will be understood differently over the telephone. Likewise listening skills are a very good tool to communicate well with the people around you. If you don’t take time to listen to the children you will not be able to build a relationship with them. Also being able to learn from the other staff at your setting is important and would be impossible without good listening skills. If the communication isn’t clear it can lead to misunderstanding. This can happen easily especially with children at a young age. It can also be a factor that a child, parent or colleague come from a different culture. As I am from Denmark but have lived in the UK for more than 13 years now I have felt this first hand. When I first moved here I worked with a man who used to speak to me as if I didn’t understand. That made me feel like I was inadequate whereas he probably thought he was helping me. On the other hand I have had people using long and difficult words that I didn’t understand and therefore making me feel less able to communicate with them. Feeling comfortable enough to ask questions and to say to the people you work with that you didn’t understand is very important so that misunderstandings don’t happen. Using different skills of communication would also be very helpful to make sure that the person you are talking to will be able to unde rstand you. You might have to simplify your language or use visual aids like pictures or in some cases have to use outside help like a translator or a speech therapist. To me good communication is all about building relationships with the people around you. This is even more important in the area of work that we do with children. Not only building the relationship with the parents, children and  colleagues but to teach the children from a young age to also communicate well and to help them to learn to build their own relationships with us, the children around them and everywhere else that they meet other people. Book used for information: Level 3 Diploma Children & Young people’s Workforce Early Learning and Childcare by Penny Tassoni, Kate Beith, Kath Bulman and Sue Griffin

The Princess Bride

The Princess Bride is a 1987 American film, based on the 1973 novel of the same name written by William Goldman, combining comedy, adventure, romance, and fantasy. The film was directed by Rob Reiner from a screenplay by Goldman also the book’s author. The story is presented in the movie as a book being read by a grandfather to his sick grandson, this technique effectively keeping intact this novel's narrative style. This movie is number 88 on The American Film Institute's (AFI) â€Å"AFI's 100 Years†¦ 100 Passions† listing the 100 greatest film love stories of all time. As said the movie’s novel like feels it done by a grandfather reading a book to his grandson, who would rather be playing his video game, then to listen to a story about love. The story takes place in a fictional world of Florin is about a beautiful woman named Buttercup who orders around a farm boy until the day when she realizes, that she loves him. She wants to live happily ever after with him, but then evil forces intervene. Buttercup learns that her one true love Westley her farm boy was killed. Five years later we find Buttercup ready to marry the Evil prince Humperdinck. She is kidnapped by a trio of bandits, who want to start war between Gilda and Florin. The trio is tallied by the Dread Pirate Roberts. Who is there to save the princess, who is this heroic man in black? This movie is witty and sassy without going too far over the top. Reiner manages a task of creating a movie that at the same time parodies a genre while also celebrating and participating in it. Despite the irony and the fantastic setting we come to care about the individuals even the trio of bandits. The instant the princess is kidnapped by agents of the evil Prince Humperdinck reveals itself as a spoof of sword and sorcery movies, yet the film somehow manages to appeal to all viewers. While the younger viewers will sit fascinated by the thrilling action scenes like the sword fight, and the adults, will be laughing with movie at one scene after another. This film is funny not only because they contain comedy, but because Reiner does justice to the underlying form of his story. And those who search films that can be enjoyed by all members of their family this movie is it. All of them will enjoy it family members ranging from grammar school kid, to teenagers, ,mom and dad, and even grandma and grandpa will have a few laughs. There may be nothing better than this motion picture, which celebrates fairy tales and true love. , The Princess Bride can still be enjoyed on the simple level of the story of a princess being rescued by her one true love. The average family film is targeted mainly at children, with a few elements thrown in to go over the young children’s heads that appeal to their parents. The crafting of The Princess Bride, however, is far finer. Nearly every aspect of the film delights all possible viewers. For example the sword fight between Inigo and Westly, offers equal thrills to the viewers of all ages even though the verbal banter that accompanies the struggle will resonate more with the older viewers. The choice of actors is only another plus for this movie for this already great movie , Robin Wright and Cary Elwes were selected as much for their good looks as for their acting ability, and they prove that. They have great chemistry that just beams off the screen. Wright, despite being California bred, delivers a perfect British accent. Elwes is equally at home with this comedic, action, and drama role. Mandy Patankin, playing Inigo, matches Elwes' athleticism and develops a character that is instantly sympathetic regardless of originally being a â€Å"bad guy†. Andre the Giant represents the mighty Fezzik as a lovable giant, and Wallace Shawn is hilarious as the narcissistic Vizzini, whose end is inconceivable. Chris Sarandon takes Humperdinck's arrogance to amazing levels. Since the release from over 20 years ago, The Princess Bride has often been copied, but never equaled. Perhaps the most successful movie to capture its spirit was the animated Shrek. The Princess Bride is an unparalleled achievement – a modern classic that will be enjoyed for generations to come. All in all the movie is a brilliant with the acting and comic wit is what makes the movie great. All though the movie is over twenty years old with makes the special effects nothing special. This movie has heart that is scene between Westly and his one true love Buttercup. All of the aspects add up to make one hreafelt comedy that will have you repeating lines in no time. This movie gets an inconceivable 4. 5 out of five stars.

American Myths and Mysteries

In the decades that existed in America, many interesting mysteries have not been solved yet, myths have been told. No one knows why these myths or reasons can not be solved, but it is a very interesting part of American history. From mysterious stories including serial killers to myths about mysterious living things, many have never heard of all sorts of unknown events except witnesses. Myth plays an important role in Native American religion. Creative Myth is one of the most famous traditions of the Native American tribe. Most of the nature is a mysterious mystery. When creating and sharing these myths, indigenous people can explain everyday natural phenomena such as weather related events and the beginnings of themselves. Each tribe seems to have its own creative myth - explain how their tribes have become the story of the world. These myths tell the importance of storytelling in the culture of Native Americans, and the tribal personality and their beliefs. These myths also show re spect for ancient wisdom, and how important and devout roles nature play. Western frontier myths and myths are one of the influential myths of American culture. Border is a concept that exists at the edge of civilization, especially during expansion. As the European Americans colonized and expanded in North America, the US border took place through the 17th and 20th centuries. This period became romantic, idealized in literature and art, formed myths. He is the most important scholar on the subject and the myth of the border defines America is an open land with infinite opportunities to make strong, ambitious and self-sustaining individuals. Be able to go to the top In the decades that existed in America, many interesting mysteries have not been solved yet, myths have been told. No one knows why these myths or reasons can not be solved, but it is a very interesting part of American history. - Queen Elizabeth and her explorer Princess Elizabeth, a slim and athletic, very intelligent young woman. As the second eldest son of Henry VIII, in the complex politics of this era, she has returned to third place in the throne, and she is also receiving a very practical education of political conspiracy

Environmental Science IP 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Environmental Science IP 1 - Essay Example One of the classical examples of this type of the ecosystem is the Amazon basin of South America. It has four distinctive layers; firstly it has forest floor. This is the bottom strata or layer that is highly obscured from receiving sunlight. Only plants that are adapted to low temperatures can survive here. Besides the layer of plants, it has a decaying plant and animal matter. Notably, the rate of decaying is high because of the humid and warm conditions. The second layer is made up of understory layer; this is found between the forest floor and canopy layers. Small animals and birds find suitable habitat within it because it consists of shade-tolerant shrubs, large woody vines, and herbs. Up to 5% of the sunlight reaches this zone (Lewis, 2009). Canopy layer makes the primary area of this ecosystem. It has largest trees of 35-45 meters high which are broad-leafed and dominant. It has the highly dense flora including the epiphytes, bromeliads, mosses and lichen. Most of these epiphytic plants are attached to the branches and trunks of trees.it has diverse fauna, then the emergent layer. Besides the majority of avian species including the spider monkey, hornbill, African parrot among others are found within this layer. Lastly, the emergent layer forms the last part of this ecosystem. Unlike the canopy, this region is made up of a small number of huge trees that reaches above 45-55 meters. Hence, this part rise just above the canopy layer. Tropical rainforest is often dynamic, their structure keeping changing. Like other ecosystems, both biotic and abiotic factors affects its existence. Biotic factors include organism that ensures decomposition of the animal and plants. These fungi, bacteria, and other microscopic organisms help to provide balanced carbon cycle. Also, autotrophs and consumers such as heterotrophs such as antelope and gazelles feed on plants and herbs and thus their lives are dependent on producers. Abiotic

A Concept Analysis of Anxiety Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

A Concept Analysis of Anxiety - Essay Example The objective of the study undertaken is to present various perspectives of the different disciplines regarding the concept of anxiety. The perspectives include medical and non-medical fields. Anxiety is distinguished from fear as anxiety is the reaction to an unexpected, possible harmless scenario. On the other hand, fear pertains is the reaction to a verified danger. Anxiety and fear are related but they are two different kinds of emotions especially when behavioral response is used as a basis. From an evolutionary point of view, possible hazard is detected and behavioral, cognitive and emotional reactions occur to save the human being and escape the possible danger through the functioning of anxiety as a logical and functional effect (Sartori, Landgraf and Singewald, 2011). Some people avoid anxiety and develop phobia towards anxiety. The phobia towards anxiety is known as anxiety sensitivity and it pertains to fear of anxiety symptoms that lead to beliefs about the negative effec ts of the symptoms in terms of psychological, physiological, and social point-of-view. Anxiety sensitivity leads to panic disorder and other anxiety diseases according to the studies conducted on adults and have increasingly become the reason for the onset of anxiety in the early stages of life like in childhood and adolescence. Studies showed that anxiety sensitivity is identified as an indicator to predict the panic attacks among preteens. It is related to fears, anxiety, panic-like symptoms, and anxiety diseases based on the experiments done on children and adolescents in communities. Anxiety sensitivity has the possibility to be connected to anxiety symptoms above and it is not only a trait since it influences the lives of children and adolescents (Mc Laughlin and Hatzenbuehler, 2009). As the above explanations showed, childhood and adolescence are the main life stages where the onset of anxiety symptoms occurs. Symptoms may involve mild symptoms or the whole anxiety disorders. The reliable clinical validity of assessment in the perspective of research is needed to determine the prevalence and patterns of the onset of panic and anxiety. Deeper understanding of characteristics as solid symptoms for more malignant disorders is needed as it may have some relations to self-limiting patterns of course and outcome. Early detection is an advantage so people can recognize anxiety and make full preparations and preventions or treatment for the young people (Beesdo, Knappe and Pine, 2009). Previous studies showed the effect of unrelated emotions to tasks on a goal-oriented cognitive processing occurring simultaneously is connected to unlike patterns of activation in emotions and perceptions versus cognitive executive brain regions. Although little is known about the use of individual variations in the responses, a present study investigated deeper into the influence of anxiety on the neural responses controlling: †¦the effect of transient anxiety-inducing task- irrelevant distraction on cognitive performance, and on the neural correlates of coping with such distraction. We investigated whether activity in the brain regions sensitive to emotional distraction would show dissociable patterns of co-variation with measures indexing individual variations in trait anxiety and cognitive performance (Denkova et. al., 2010). Past studies on stress and anxiety disorders has considered factors like genetic, physiological, or behavioral phenomena in isolation. Separate studies had been conducted and results were not integrated. Recent studies changed the tradition since more comprehensive developmental studies have been done that are very important for their inclusion of discoveries from adult social and genetic

Manage recruitment, selection & induction Assignment - 1

Manage recruitment, selection & induction - Assignment Example ruitment of employees at STAR Industries seems to be at logger heads with the legal expectations, a factor that is manifested in the reaction of job applicants as well as some members of the HR department at STAR. According to the email received from Gus Tinsdale reveals much of the practises from the department. The email suggests a number of non compliance cases that depict the reason why his denial for the opportunity as a shift supervisor is not subject to further discussion. For instance, the HR department at STAR could be involved in a possible age discrimination, in which the company makes preference for younger ages, regardless of other qualifications (Baras, Barberà  , Barrio & Rodrà ­guez, 2009). However, there are legal procedures that the company would comply to ensure maximum compliance with the legal provisions. It involves the incorporation of an induction program to the entire HR department on the modern legal recruitment provisions, especially at times when the company requires new employees for various positions. Official communication is made to the members concerned for such training programs, and adherence to the rules of recruitment form part of the new commitments among the members of the HR department. For instance, the HR should adhere to these methods to acquire the right candidates, other than discrimination based on age. After the advertisement of the available vacancies, it is important that the HR department consider a merit based selection, unlike other criteria such as age, in which STAR industry considers ‘youthful’ qualifications. For instance, merit based selection takes into account the following; Communication of new policies forms the backbone on which effective implementation of these policies lies and any breakdown in such results in confusion, wrongdoings and eventual stalling of organizational processes Hughes et al (1999). Choosing the right channel using which to communicate also plays a big part on new policy

FL (R) HB 111 Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

FL (R) HB 111 - Term Paper Example These policies, therefore, clearly defines the terms and conditions that must be fulfilled by the Transitional Living Facilities before they begin their operations. The policies are in place to govern the day to day running of these Transitional Living Facilities. The Magar Marylynn sponsored bill also seeks to redefine the prerequisites for the admission of individuals in the Transitional Living Facilities in an attempt to curb the spread of diseases in these facilities. #1.However, the bill has a few policies issues. This bill prohibits the admission of a patient who is at risk of infection to other patients and the facility personnel. By setting this strict prerequisite for the admission of individuals, the very detailed Florida Senate House Bill 111 somehow delays the interventions of individuals with brain and spinal cord injuries. The strict guidelines and conditions that have to be met by patients may take a lot of time to be screened and ascertained before they are eventually admitted. Some Transitional Living Facilities may lack the very sophisticated equipment to screen the individuals for admission. The legislation of this bill will also prohibit other patients with related health problems from being admitted in the transitional living facilities. #3.Brain and spinal injuries usually lead to incapacitation of an individual. In most cases, the injured fails to move the whole or some parts of the body. The causes of brain and spinal injuries are accidents, diseases and disorders. Motor vehicle accidents accounts for most spinal injuries. According to National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, as many as 40,000 people in America have suffered spinal and brain injuries. #5.Brain and spinal injuries always have severe implications. Economically, the victim may be forced to quit job, a move that terminates salary. The cost of health care for spinal and brain injury is also

Is there global convergence in corporate governance and why Essay

Is there global convergence in corporate governance and why - Essay Example This research paper is focused on convergence corporate governance practices among business firms and tries to determine the primary reason behind it. Paul (2005) mentioned in his study that firms belonging to different cultural background follow different organizational practices. The cross cultural difference in organizational behaviour has been studies by Hofstede, Wedel and Steenkamp (2002), where he stated that people belonging to different cultural background possesses different psychological profile, which is the key determinant behind variance in governance structures in the organizations. However, Chan and Cheung (2012) contrasted that despite of the presence of cultural differences among the firms, there exists a uniformity among the corporate laws, which compels all the business firms to work under the same roof. Porta et al (1999) further added that the firms that operate in a multinational level deals with the financial standards and regulations of different countries. Therefore, it becomes a big hassle for them if different countries follow different standards. This as a result forced the multinational firms to agree upon a commonly used regulations and standards that eased the business activities of the firms. Coffee-Jr (1999) mentioned that the importance of protecting shareholder’s interests is also a vital determinant of the growing convergence of the corporate governance structures. This is mostly because the outside investors often face the risk of uncertainty in some countries where the expropriation of the minority shareholders by the controlling shareholders is extensive. Paul (2005) opined that the advent of globalization has created an open global business market where all the firms from different avenues perform their respective business activities. Therefore it is imperative that the firms

Impact of Standardized Testing Essay Example for Free

Impact of Standardized Testing Essay There is a vast literature available concerning African American male student accomplishment and its relation to the accomplishment gap occurrence (Perry, Stelle, Hilliard, 2003; Thernstrom Thernstrom, 2003; Hrabrowksi, 1998; Ogbu, 1998; Patterson, 2006; Polite Davis, 2001; Duncan, 1999; Freeman, 1999). Researchers and media channels explain the causes of African Americans continuously staying behind their White partners. Several provide limited allegations concerning African American male student accomplishment from either a past, sociological, or monetary view when deciding school achievement or failure. On the contrary, sufficient notice has not been granted to experiential and mixed methodological styles for assisting in advancing the debate concerning the provision of efficient resolutions toward narrowing the achievement gap that exists between African American male learners and counteracting deficit-model styles. In â€Å"Educating African American Males: Voices from the Fields†, the author Fashola (2008) and some other important academician researchers tackle this matter. The book is segmented in eight chapters, locating itself in many thematic areas that include social, ethnic, and past matters; school reform; primary, middle and high school experiences; structural analysis of manliness; institutional types of prejudice; and extra-curricular activities which assist in the promotion of affirmative self-confidence and analytical skills for African American males. Altogether, the providers enunciate the requirement of novel styles by demanding the educational commune to shift beyond conventional means of accomplishment and to comprehend the importance of social, past, ethnic, behavioral, emotional, cognitive, and educational styles that add to the broadening of the achievement gap between African American males and their white partners. Cooper and Jordan (2003) tackle the issues of African American male student achievement and they do this by locating and investigating the past as well as the methodical impacts of prejudice and also by displaying the way institutionalized domination have a part to play in the broadening of the achievement gap. The authors assess the elements such as uncontrolled unemployment, poverty, and insufficient accessibility to health care as the possible elements of African American males not being franchised in the circumstance of school and community. The authors imply that an â€Å"intergenerational poverty† (p. 2) exists which disseminates a self-fulfilling prediction for several of African American males. Ogbu’s (1998) research allows for the contextualizing of such past injustices. It is implied that â€Å"the treatment of minorities in the wider society is reflected in their treatment in education† (p. 159). In his book Noguera (2003) assists in the contextualizing of few of the practical attitudes which are required for the comprehension of certain of the behavioral trends of African American males which have an impact on them in school. The author offers information and research which record the way they were marginalized and wronged by the schooling experiences in the capitalist educational frameworks. Text offers a qualitative study which looks for determining the part that educators have in the motivation of students; teachers can utilize this information to reassess and modify their educational and instructional practices and also to fulfill the requirements of African American males and at the same time provide with suitable scaffolding so as to assist the learners in meeting the academic standards. Along with this, Noguera also debates that the learners are to be taught and habituated so as to see that the academic institutions are advantageous to them and also that the anticipations for them are high. Noguera writes about the schooling experiences of African American males by assessing their accomplishment trends in public schools and tackling with their consequent detachment. He writes that Black males underperform on standardized tests and that they undergo much higher drop-out rates. Although Black males achieve much and their performance is good in the primary grades, they tend to underperform by the age of nine (Garibaldi, 1992). His recommendation is that the educators should be placing literary and language enrichment at the head of their instructional concerns. This is particularly important during their primary school times; supplementing with the talents allows for African American males to become self-sufficient, analytical thinking is principal for their general intellectual achievement or failure. Development of Problem An operational attitude to the tradition of schooling also offers a valuable contextual structure for the investigation of student â€Å"oppositionality† and â€Å"resistance† (Ogbu, 1998) as minor traditional features displayed by particular minority learners in reaction to their communal marginalization. The idea of identity and the way it is written either by a person or the community is made pertinent by the reactions of these marginalized learners and is a vital part of a sufficient hypothetical viewpoint on tradition. The academic achievement gap which is present between African American and White learners is a very urgent contest for the urban education in the United States in the present times. Generally, the rank and academic achievement of minority groups in science have been issues of concern in various areas (National Science Foundation, 1994; Atwater, 2000). In a wide-ranging assessment of the issues, Jencks and Phillips (1998) suggest that there should be an application of methodical and preserved research attempts targeted at investigating the causes for the low performance of particular minority groups. When discussing the achievement gap and displaying it as a challenge for the urban education, there has to be an emphasis placed on certain aspects of the urban schools which are responsible for the existent gap. In the United States, the fact that the majority of the Black students study in urban or inner city institutions is correct, and on the other hand White students normally study at suburban schools. It is possible that this factor is responsible for the achievement gap between the Blacks and the Whites and it provides with an urban/suburban aspect. Urban academic institutions are also different from the suburban ones in the accessibility of the study material and commune sources. Even though the fact that the suburban schools normally have much better sources in contrast to the urban schools is true, an exploration can be made in whether the resources that are accessible for the urban schools are utilized most advantageously so as to improve the student involvement and intellectual accomplishment. Even though standardized testing traditionally has been slackly connected to responsibility and student education, the association had been weak. The association between student education and high-stakes standardized testing became more distinct, and a rise in the utilization of the tests has reached classic magnitude following the introduction of the No Child Left Behind. The argument behind such a connection is that raised pressure to perform well on standardized tests, and also a series of incentives and penalties, will raise the student education and accomplishment. Impacts of such testing standards have broad results, not just on the current generation but also on the next generations of youth. Purpose of the Study The purpose of this study is to assess the impact that standardized testing has on African American male students. The study aims to display the issues connected with the impact of standardized testing on African American males. African American males face discrimination and due to that they do not perform as they should in their academics. Innumerable researches have been conducted to examine African American youths’ academic results. There is relative concentration with a stress on the achievement gap between African American youths generally and also that of other ethnic categories, like the Europeans and Asian Americans. Several conceptual structures have been offered which propose the achievement gap in educational results is the outcome of societal-level discrimination which afflicts African Americans (for example, Fordham Ogbu, 1986; Ogbu, 1987, 1994; Steele, 1997). In reality, several of the studies record the negative impacts of such macro system-level elements on the encouragement and intellectual accomplishment of African American learners (Howard Hammond, 1985; Ponterotto Pedersen, 1993; Steele Aronson, 1995). Nature of the Study Social research can be deductive or inductive and each is applied according to the research type. Deductive approach refers to particular information that has been gained from a general theory. Through the theory the researcher gets the foresights concerning the happening. Deductive research is termed as theory testing. In the case when a research initiates with a theory and is following the hypotheses that the researcher has set to test, the approach is deductive. Deductive reasoning sets to work moving from the more universal to the more precise. Induction is usually described as moving from the specific to the general. Observations are used for inductive approaches. Inductive reasoning moves from the more specific to a broader generalization and theory. In this case there is quite some uncertainty involved and the conclusions are based on theories.

Strategic Planning: Sony Corporation

Strategic Planning: Sony Corporation Strategy planning concern the future it is the process of obtaining the goals set by the management for the company in for the future and how they can be achieve. Strategic planning process its a wide process which looks at the wider picture and usually its flexible when it comes to achievement of goals for the organization the process developed some goals for middle level and lover level management to achieved and works on the strategic plans for the future based on the achievement of the goals set for the middle and lover management in short it can be say that strategic planning is the planning of the future for the company. Based on the above definition the company of Sony will be look with regards to its strategic planning in the past, current and future. Sony:- Sony its a Japanese company which has its headquarter based in Minato. It is one of the largest electronic product manufacturers in the world. The company Sony has many products in the market from electronic appliances for home to mobile phones and play stations which is used by many people around the world, the company has established itself in the markets of all continents whether is America or Asia, Sonys products are used by many consumers with a confidence in them. For the purpose of this assignment the strategies of Sony will be discussed which were used by the company in the past and with regards to that the current strategies will be look and based on the analysis of past and current strategies the future strategies will be identified. 1990 to 2000:- Sony always tries to differentiate its products from the competitors and provide its customers with latest technology from CD players to mobile phones the strategy at this stage of Sony was to provide its customers with over the top technologies . The company use many strategies to make success some of them were successful and some were not the company was also subject to some restructuring as a part of its strategy by looking at the company restructuring processes over the years in this period it can be seen that the company Sony was not to the mark when choosing its strategies the company has to change the strategies quite number of times at the time in 90s the strategy of Sony seems like working with different strategies and see which one is working for them. In 1993 Sony introduced its customers with Mini Disc format which was an alternative to Philips Digital Compact Cassette after this introduction the company adopt the strategy to promote its own audio compression technologies under the brand name of ATRAC it was an attempt to go against the widely used format of MP3 at that time and beside that Sony also try to challenge the industry standard Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound format with its newer and more advance sound format called SDDS (Sony Dynamite Digital Sound) while the Dolby Digital was proving six audio channels at that time Sony Dynamite Digital Sound provide its customers with 8 channels of audio. This new format of Sony also had the feature of providing the users of the system a backup system using having mirrors arrays of bit on both side of the film which provide reliability to the users if the film get damage on one side it became an instant hit among the customers but after a few years it was not in that much demand due to being overshadowed by the home theatre system of Dolby Digital 5.1 system which reduces the sale of Sony systems but at that time Sony did nothing to compete with the system with its own home theatre system which was design to sale in the motion picture industry. In 1998 Sony introduce its memory stick format flesh memory cards to be use in Sonys digital cameras and portable music players which was on the format on SD card format which was adopt many competitors in the industry, it provide the users an opportunity to save their data on those memory sticks and can save up to 1000 pictures and songs on that small device it grow popular among the people at that time and its still widely used in many products this was the result of Sony strategic planning which always focuses on providing the customers latest technologies so the customers preferred the company more than the competitors, Sony also work with other manufacturer such as Philips in developing or working on new products and by doing this the company was able to grow in the industry. Despite the success in Sony planning the company was subject to many restructuring due to change in policy and some of the strategies not working and resulting in a loss the problem can be seen that at that time the planning of Sony was very aggressive and the company was trying to grow its market share fast which result in some plan getting failed inconsistency can be another reason in the planning of Sony because the world of music and electronics devices change rapidly everyday and every other month new products come into the market making the old one unwanted, while the competitors were developing new technologies whether its in MPÂ £ player or home theatre systems Sony did not tried to compete with them with updating their current product at that time. 2000 to 2010:- Over the years from 2000 to 2010 Sony developed many products which can be widely seen in the market and most of them are dominating the market now some of the products are Blue Ray Discs:- The blue ray discs by Sony are a popular product and it is now widely used by many people whether it is in movies or games the introduction of blue ray DVDS allowed the users to enjoyed the movies in better qualities and it has more data storage capacity than normal DVDs . The introduction of blue ray discs help Sony to captured the market from Toshiba HD TVS and due to that the company Sony was able to have increased its market share compare to the competitor Toshiba. Sony Vaio:- Sony introduces its range of laptops under the name of Sony Vaio which is a stylish laptop and come under many colours, Sony spend lots of its money on the marketing of the laptop which like all the other products of Sony became an instant hit and even today many people like to prefer Sony Vaio over the laptops of its competitors such as Toshiba and Acer due to the features it provides and also due to its stylish looks. In August 2006 Sony and Dell had to recall many batteries due to being sued by a couple in April over exploding laptop batteries which were result to overheating and overpower. Sony admitted the batteries had some flaws which could result in batteries overheating and catching fire it affected the reputation of Sony badly and many of the other laptop manufacturers such as Acer and Toshiba had to send back the batteries they bought from Sony and also considered to ask for compensation as it was also claimed by a Japanese newspaper that Sony was aware of the flaw in battery and did not do anything to prevent it or to study the problem fully. Play Station:- The first play station was release by Sony in 1994 to compete against other gaming console in the market and it provide the gamers an opportunity to enjoy the games at better quality and better sound and the gamer enjoyed it. In 2006 Sony release play station 2 which was more updated and has many better feature than play station 1 it was an attempt to compete with other competitors in the market which were Microsofts Xbox live and Nintendos WII later on the Sony introduced play station 3 with much more graphics and better gaming experience for the gamers Sony also has developed the play station 3 can be used to access internet and to play blue ray movies and just like Nintendo WII it provide the gamers an interactive experience when playing the games and this has been a huge part of the console success. Mobile Phones:- Sony also has its own brand of mobile phones which were used widely mainly in Asia and the company also introduced the first mobile phone with 12 mega pixel camera in it beside that Sony also introduce one of its famous walkman mobile phone lines which were W11i and W880i in 2007 and 2008 and they had a music system build in it and were also provide the customers a chance to connect to the internet while listening to their favourite music the product was an instant hit and Sony also spend well plan time on its marketing campaign and use celebrities in their adverts which attract many customers and the Sony Ericson phones were used by many music lovers. Current Strategies Of Sony:- After discussing the past strategies of Sony it can be seen that the company emphasis on providing the customers with best technologies and marketing its products efficiently but they did had some fail strategy in the past as well it effects its reputation. Besides, in order to regain Sonys competitive advantages, they appoint the first foreign chairman, Howard Stringer to head the company with the aim to secure Sonys main ground and hope that an outsider will assist Sony to think outside the box. As Hamel Prahalad (1994) suggest, intellectual leadership are essential to develop industry foresight, anticipating which trends are likely to emerge, so it is important to build Sonys new core competence to shape the industry. However, Priem and Butler (2001) have shown that the Resources Based View, as currently constituted, contains a theory of sustainability but not a theory of competitive advantage (i.e., value creation).They argue that simply advising practitioners to obtain rare and valuable resources in order to achieve competitive advantages and, further that those resources should be hard to imitate and non-substitutable is not very helpful in providing practical help (Johnson et al, 2005: p155). After all the fail strategies and their affects on Sonys reputation the company now working on developing the reputation for that purpose Sony employed chairman from their own country Japan and also a foreigner chairman to make their strategies work. In the current weaknesses of Sony it can be seen that they had problems with their management and leadership styles which were more concern about getting the tasks done instead of defining the ways for the teams to how to obtain the tasks and what resources should be used. In order to understand the current business strategy of Sony it will be wise to look at their corporate statement which state Our companies are known for creating products that enrich peoples lives. Through Sony Corporation of America and its operating companies Sony Electronics Inc., Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. and Sony Music Entertainment we are also dedicated to improving peoples lives. Our commitment extends to helping local communities, fostering better educational systems, funding research to cure devastating diseases, supporting the arts and culture, helping disadvantaged youth, protecting and improving the environment and actively encouraging employee volunteerism.(http://www.sony.com/SCA/philanthropy.shtml) After looking at the statement it can be seen that Sony Current strategies are not only based on providing the customers with best products but also it include building the reputation back which was affected in the past due to the poor strategic choices made by them. Sony is also working on working on the green environment and providing the customers not only equipments which provide them best musical or gaming experience but also which are environmental friendly to play it part in making the world a green world and being giving the customers the image of the social responsibility of the company and building its reputation back which has been damage due to all the bad strategic choices made by the company management in the past. Sony Future Strategies:- Upon looking at the past of Sony it can be seen that the reason of the failure of strategies was that they were not properly planned and implement the resources were not fully utilized by Sony up to their full capacity as for any company it is very important for its efficiency that the resources should be utlizied up to maximum capacity as Priem and Butler (2001) have shown that the Resources Based View, as currently constituted, contains a theory of sustainability but not a theory of competitive advantage (i.e., value creation).They argue that simply advising practitioners to obtain rare and valuable resources in order to achieve competitive advantages and, further that those resources should be hard to imitate and non-substitutable is not very helpful in providing practical help (Johnson et al, 2005: p155). The strategies that should be utilized in the future by Sony should be of following: Competitive Positioning:- Sony has a establish brand name in the market which cannot be denied and everyone knows about the brand and products of Sony but the company did not utilized their brand name fully due to miss planning for example when the home theatre system was introduce and became popular many people were using Sonys products but they switch to the new system because Sony did not do anything to develop their own home theatre system for their customers which lead the customers to switch to another company therefore the main priority involve is to update their systems and products up to the expectations of the customers and they should work on the strategy to develop the products with competitive advantage in their mind the product should be of the nature that provide better features to the customers than the competitors just like Sony did with their mobile phones when Samsung introduce a 8 mega pixel camera Sony Ericson introduce a mobile phone with 12 mega pixel camera and also it has introduce sm art phones for the customers as well which are widely used all over the world this strategy should be continued by Sony. Build Better Market:- Sony needs to understand that it has to not only maintain its current position in the market but also expand its share in the market as Finlay (2000; p11) suggest that organization alter itself and the products and services it offers in order to match the needs of customers in its chosen marketplace which is a market-based approach, so called because the organization looks to the marketplace to see how it should act and how it should evolve. Besides, based on the environmental factors, Mintzberg et al (1998) developed the environmental school which argue people in strategic management must consider the range of decisional powers available, given the forces and demands of the external context. Sony insufficient in responding to the external market had caused them to lost ground in key growing areas and their strategy must be able to cope with the external environment. SWOT Analysis:- Swot analysis provide and wider picture to the company about its current strengths and weakness which relates to the internal environment of the company and give a better understanding that what is required to be done and with the analysis of the external environment of the company it helps in indentify what are the opportunities and threats available to the company and how they can be use for the betterment of the company. By using swot analysis the following have been identified. Strengths:- Sony has the following strengths, Sony has a strong brand name which is globally recognisable. Sony develop the products which are future base which attract more customers to buy the products thus increase in sale. Sony has strong customers based who use Sonys products all the time from music systems to mobile phones. They have top level management and expert chairman now which can guide the company towards success in the future. Sony has always been consider the leader in technology and present the products in the past which have attract many customers to the company. They have motivated staff which works for them all the time to develop new products and improve the current one the company is offering. Weaknesses:- Just like the strengths Sony has the following weaknesses which needs to be overcome to made the company more profitable, Sony has shown in the past the company is inconsistent in its planning and do not do anything to tackle the competitors products. The company has been subject to many capitals structuring in the past. The industry is rapid in nature and can change at any moment. The management has been inconsistent as well. Opportunities:- Its a rapidly growing industry which means Sony has changes to grow much further in the industry. Sony has the team to develop new products and update their existing ones as well to capture more share of the market. They have a strong customer based all over the world which means Sony can increase it sell in all over the world if they overcome their weaknesses. Threats:- Just like Sony the competitors in the market are also well establish and have strong customer based in order to get the customers from them Sony has to improve its product much more. With the losses the company suffer for the last few years may cause the investors think twice before investing into Sonys new projects. The world of technology is always changing which means Sony has to work on developing futuristic products and keep on updating the old one to meet the customers demand and to survive in the market. Recommendations for Sony:- As it can be seen from the past and present of Sonys that the company emphasis more on developing the products and not on going head to head with the competition which result in the competition getting the most of the market while Sony has the technology the company lack of strategic planning and more over lack of control over the activities result in the company losing its customers due to the controversies from the sue on batteries to customers blaming Sony to promoting spam mails using the play station website. All this effected the reputation of the company now Sony needs to rebuild the reputation by not only doing what they do best which is providing the customers the best products in term of technology but also they need to build a strategic plan to overcome all the obstacles the company face in the past. Sony now needs to employ a team of managers who can look after their business well and also needs to monitor and control their performances as it was the bad management decision which affected the company and the company should made all their plan with keeping the future in mind in short the company needs to work with consistency in their operation and should also need to have a backup plan just in case the first plan fail for example when the company was sued for the batteries fault Sony should have tested the batteries fully and as it was reported that the company was aware of the fault in batteries than Sony should have tested the batteries properly and should have look for ways to overcome that fault same goes with the home theatre system Sony should have come up with a way to compete with it instead of just leaving the way it was, this were the faults or mistake which result in Sonys strategic failure and in order to build the company position more strong this faults should not be repeated and all the plan should be made after going through with every details about them and any fault should be identified and ratify at the initial stage and in the same manner every move of the competitors should be though about and a counter plan should be ready for it by doing this Sony can not only captured more market but can also be the market leader. 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