Best Fit and Best Practice in HRM

Best Fit and Best Practice in HRM Today, many organizations are facing an increasingly competitive and hastily changing environment illustrated by various labor market, deregulation, globalization, improved information technologies, uninterrupted labor markets among other factors. For success in its operations, a company/firm should improve its performance through reduction of its operation costs, creation of new processes and products, increasing quality, productivity and speed market. Consequently, organizations have to center on their workforces capabilities. If a firm manages its human resources effectively, it will be able to generate and enhance commitment, synergy and motivation that will to a sustained competitive advantage. Studies have shown that human resource management is one of the avenues that an organization can use to shape her employees behavior and attitude. Human resource management practices form forums that ensure employees get highly involved in the activities of the organization and work hard to achieve her goals. The manner in which an organization manages her human resource institutes the conditions and tone that will govern the relationship between employers and employees. There are many ways of defining human resource management (HRM) practices. Bowman Swart (2007) looks at it as organizational activities directed at managing the pool of human resources and ensuring that they are directed towards fulfilling the goals of the organization. It has also been looked at as a set of internally consistent policies and practices that are developed and upon implementation, they will guarantee that the human capital of an organization add to the achievement of its business objectives. The approach to definition of human resource management practices may vary slightly but the bottom line of it all is organizing and managing the man power i n an organization. The connections between a firms performance and its human resource management practices are based on two approaches namely best fit (contingency) and best practice (universal) approaches. In best practice, a set of HRM practices are argued to be associated with improved firm performance in all types of organization and by allusion for al types of employees (Nahapiet Ghoshal, 1998). Conversely, the best fit approach argues that performance of a firm is maximized if the human resources policies are constant with the firms business strategies. Both the best fit and the best practice have an assumption that human resource policies take on will be implemented and as projected and have the same consequence on all employees that work in the firm. Researches on human resource management however show that that there is no consensus on which human resource management approach is looked at as suitable. Notwithstanding the inconsistence in both the best fit and best practice approaches, there is a momentous effect of human resource management practices on attitudes and behavior of employees based on the idea of social change. Studies reveal that employees of an organization infer organizational actions like human resource practices as indicators of how much an organization is committed to their welfare (Abraham et al., 2001). In response, the employees counter this gesture through improving their obligation to the organization. Particularly if the human resource practices of the an organization are professed as supportive, the employees will take it as their employer being committed to them through concern and high level of care , consequently they will work hard to and get very much engaged in the organization expressing their enthusiasm in hard work to achieve the goals of the organization. MANAGEMENT 4 The concepts of best fit and best practice are applied in strategic human resource management to the particular policy section of reward structures. Each of the approaches endeavors to explain the manner in which human resource policies generally and reward policies particularly can lead to better organizational efficiency (Zupan KaÃ… ¡e, 2007). Organizations can wok within the framework both the best fit and best practice. I agree with the best fit that suggests that a close alignment between organizational strategy and different systems that it employs like the rewards will go along way in improving the efficiency of the organization. The idea that pay should be linked strategy is not new but it got momentum from scholars in the 1990 talking about its merits as the â€Å"new pay†. It is evident tat all organizational systems have to start with a business strategy to achieve the goals it has set, failure to which it may face difficulties to carry on its operations. This is b ecause the strategy will clarify what the organization wants to achieve over a specified period of time. It will also set the conditions on the manner in which the organization will behave to achieve them; this means that the organization sets cope of standards on the way it is run (Boxall Purcell, 2008). Additionally the strategy will express the types of performance and the levels of performance it wants to employ to run in a organized and effective way. This is as a result of business strategy, organizational behavior and diving individuals being the benchmark for the reward strategy development. The contingent nature of a reward system should not be looked at as a set of compensation practices at all. Nonetheless, it should be treated as one way of thinking about role of a reward system in a complex organization setting. This goes against an assumption that is often made to mean that certain best practices have to be incorporated into an organizations  approach to pay (Simons, 2002). Having looked at best fit, the attention now is on best practice. This premise has been popular in human resource management over the last decade. Studies show that this model otherwise known as high commitment was initially stimulated by work of some United States of America academics, although it was recently developed by those in Britain (KaÃ… ¡e et al., 2009). Although both the models of best fit and best practice are assumed to be complimentary, the later is arguably seen as not having an element of discussion on the organizations strategy at all. Its fundamental benchmark is that all organizations who adopt the best practice strategy will attract super human resources, competencies and talent. According to the views of its proponents, the super human resources available has an effect of influencing the strategy that an organization adopts hence acting as the source of its viable advantage. Consequently for this approach, the organizations policy precedes its strategy. Coff (1997) asserts that there are mutually compatible bundles of human resource policies that sustain high standards of motivation of employees and also their commitment that has a positive impact on the performance of the organization. This is the approach that advocates of best practice say it stands for. However, there is no common ground on which these practices are, on a general scale they are composed of: extensive training, selective hiring, and structure to encourage employees participation, employment security and pay policies which lead in relation to industry competitors (Lengnick-Hall Lengnick-Hall, 2003). There is apparent point of disagreement between in the sector of pay linked to performance appraisal. Researchers have criticized merit pay in a number of ways as: there is subjectivity and unpredictability that reward political skills instead of performance, there is no concern for performance of the organization, it encourages short term focus, there is an emphasis on the individual success that undermines teamwork and lastly there is a tendency of such like a system to create fear at work place. Those who support either side of the human resource management approaches argue that both approaches, hest fit and best practice, will help an organization to achieve its goals and objectives. There are several ways that an organization employs when it comes to organizing its human resources that will help it achieve what it was set up for. The methods of achieving the objectives are: attracting and retaining employees, motivating the performance of employees, promotion of skills and culture in an organization, contribution to corporate culture of an organization among other things There are differences in which the two approaches handle attracting and retaining employees. The capability of an organizations reward systems in attracting and retaining its employees is of cardinal concern to many organizations (Cullinane Dundon, 2006). During economic expansions, times when the labor markets are tight and organizations are struggling to fill vacancies at the same time trying very to ho ld on to hold on to their qualified employees, this becomes a very crucial issue. This also happens during recessions as organizations sometimes become keen on getting the services of qualified employees. To cope with this, the best fit approach boasts of the composition of its reward package attracting many and various kinds of applicants. This argument holds water because drawing example, an organization offering a straight base salary and no chance for incentive earnings, naturally attracts and retains quite different individuals that as compared to one that gives big amounts of incentive pay. Organizations rewarding their employees with different performance related pay incentives have increased chances of attracting employees who are more problem solving and entrepreneurial compared to those offering a base salary. The best fit proponents basically assume that it is in organizations where good performance is recognized and rewarded that good performers tend to seek or employment. This is a correct observation because skilled personnel will take pleasure in working where they will be appreciated as good performers. Systems have a way of identifying poor and a good performer as not all employees turn over is harmful to performance of an organization. To this effect, a reward system has to promote the retention of good performers at the same time aiding the decision of poor performers leaving the organization. According to Dowling Welch (2006), there is also an emphasis on the importance of external competitiveness of an organization for attraction and retention of employees. According to best fit advocates, for effectiveness, a reward system must distribute rewards such that the most valuable employees of the organization will feel contended while relating their rewards with those of individuals performing same jobs in organizations of the same nature as theirs. However caution must be taken here because some studies have shown that in some organizations, it is more cost effective in keeping the wages low and accepting high employee turnover, particularly if the cost of replacing them is low as it is the in unskilled labor. Despite the fact labor markets are far from being perfectly efficient, it is evident that there is some relationship between the quality of a work force and organization attracts and how it pays its employees. This is quite true and it is convincing for the best fit a pproach as it gives the facts on the behavior of employees and pay. Looking in the manner in which the best practice deals with attracting and retaining the employees, it emphasizes on employees that will assist an organization in gaining and sustaining competitive advantage. It achieves this through externally competitive pay levels. According to this however, a combination of a number of a number policies that are interrelated are responsible for highly qualified individuals apply and remain in an organization. The recruiting procedures which provide a huge pool of qualified applicants, coupled with a dependable and valid routine has a significant influence on the quality and type of skills the new employees will have. The thorough process of selecting employees will make the selected candidates feel that they are joining privileged organization with elevated prospects. The best practice approach advocates for positively value low turnover with no cautions whatsoever as opposed to the best fit approach. This happens so as other related procedures a nd policies make sure that the employees chosen are the right ones for the job and are taken in at first instance (Galpin Skinner, 2004). The best practice takes into consideration todays global business employment to be of key importance in attraction and retention of employees as opposed to the other approach which that claims that employment security does not reflect the realities of todays competitive global business. This is due to employees being unlikely to make suggestions to increase the productivity whenever they fear that it will make them loose their job. Researchers assert that the cardinal concern in the design of a reward system is the plan works in employee motivation. There are various theories of employee motivation and there is no one particular that has been accepted universally. The different theories that exist handle different types of reward systems. The best fit approach believes that the payment system of an organization should reflect individual employee contributions (Fitz-Enz, 1993). Employees may at times cut down their efforts to look for employment in highly paying jobs in other organizations due to dissatisfaction originate from negative inequity and some other consequences. It is observed that highly dissatisfied companies are more strongly attracted towards an external market orientation. On the other hand, organizations that are based on a single industry or technology will naturally find themselves much calm with an internal-equity basis. Both types of inequity in an organization have serious consequence for an organization but the implications for external equity like absenteeism and turnover are more rigorous for a particular organization and should be given chief consideration (Lepak Snell, 199). This is clear evidence that the best fit approach in human resource practice has support for the contribution principle. It therefore has an implication that employees who remarkably contribute to the success of an organization ought to be able to compare themselves with significant others form both outside and inside the organization and still get contented with the pay they get. The best fit practice for that matter looks at it as an obligation of the design to promote development and make use of employee inputs that will promote the organization. The best fit approach also makes use of expectancy theory of behavior. The theory utters that individuals make choices depending on some factors like: there expectancy that th ere efforts will make them achieve certain standard of performance, believing that their performance will result significant upshots and the scale of value they place on those upshots (Intagliata, et al., 2004). It is line with best fit thinking as it gives a design framework for each element of a reward system to utilize to its best advantage. The best practice advocates depend on the content theories of motivation as the foundation of their system of reward. It is apparent that factors that get drawn in to produce job satisfaction and motivation are different from those ones that lead to job dissatisfaction. Motivators are the source of job satisfaction and are intrinsic to the particular encompassing recognition for the achievement, the work itself, responsibility and advancement or growth. The potential source of job dissatisfaction is extrinsic and is made up hygiene factors like salaries. The approach does not advocate for incentives for as it results to spiralling of wages and employees who search for the next pay increase. Research has shown that firms block the development of some behavior that front competitive advantage by picking on incentives. Looking at the above discussion, it is apparent the both the best fit and best practice approaches as employed in human resource management practices are all directed towards ensuring that an organization achieves its goals and objectives through organizing its strategies and man power. Through striking a balance between the contingent and universal approach, an ideal or more comprehensive model can be developed by looking at their limit ations and merits. The value of the universal (best practice) framework depends in the demonstration of the strategic significance of human resource management. High rates of significance in their tests were achieved by its proponents but it has limitations in both its methodological and theoretical domain. There is compatibility between the two approaches as the contingency approach comes in handy here to complement the universal model encompassing the external relationships

Macbeth: Choices :: Macbeth essays

Macbeth: Choices         Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare characters often could not escape the consequences of their choices. The choices that some characters made in the play put them in a position which they could not escape. In most of these cases the character feels remorse for the choice they had made. The characters that I will be concentrating on are Macbeth, Macduff, and Lady Macbeth. These characters are the best examples of how characters could not escape their choices in the play.         Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The actions of Macbeth during the play sometimes put him in a situation which he could not escape. An example of this is when Macbeth murders Duncan. After he does it he regrets it and is afraid to think about it. This is shown in the quote: I am afraid to think what I've done; look on't again I dare not./(50- 51, Scene 2, Act 2) Another example is after Macbeth had Banquo killed and he sees Banquo's ghost at the table. He goes crazy and starts yelling at the ghost and he realizes that he cannot change what he has done so he tries to ignore it. That same scene Lady Macbeth says: Things without all remedy should be without regard: what's done is done./(11-12, Scene 2, Act 3) These examples show how Macbeth cannot escape the choices he made.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Macduff's allegiance to the country of Scotland leads to consequences which he cannot change. Macduff's allegiance is shown when he left Scotland and his family to go to England. There he met with Malcolm and started raising a army to overthrow Macbeth.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The result of this is the slaughtering of Macduff's wife and children by Macbeth's men.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   He blames himself for their death and he knows he can do nothing to change it. This is seen in the qoute: Sinful Macduff, They were all struck for thee! Naught that I am, Not for their own demerits but for mine fell slaughter on their souls. Heaven rest them now!/(224-226, Scene 3, Act 4)      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Lady Macbeth cannot escape the consequences of her choices either. She pressured Macbeth into killing Duncan when he did not want to. She also smeared the blood all over the guards and put the daggers in their hands. She went along with the murdering of Banquo and tried to tell Macbeth that he could not change what he had done in the second quote of my second paragraph. All of the choices she made had a huge impact on her life and we see what she has become in the

Ethics in Counseling Essay

This paper analyses social, ethical and legal issues within a complaint initiated by the NSW Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) against a psychologist, Steven Kreft (HCCC v Kreft, 2011). The HCCC investigated a complaint by a client of Kreft of personal and sexual disclosures, as well as unprofessional treatment in the solicitation of a photograph of the client in which the client was dressed in underwear. Kreft’s actions are assessed in light of professional and ethical standards as well as potential breaches of the law. Steven Kreft, was an experienced psychologist narrowly specialising in the treatment of men with anxiety conditions using cognitive-behavioural therapy (HCCC v Kreft, 2011). The client, a 19-year-old married woman, was referred to Kreft because of anxiety and possibly panic attacks, but during the initial stages of counselling, she raised relationship problems, her appearance and sexual needs and practices with him and these became the focus of their se ssions. Kreft conveyed to the client that he was not experienced or skilled in the treatment of relationship problems or sexual disorders, however, the client stated that she wished to continue working with him and he did not insist on referring her elsewhere. The client ultimately accused Kreft of failing to observe proper professional boundaries and engaging in inappropriate discussions of a personal nature in which he: Complimented her on her appearance referring to her petite size, short height and thin build, and likened her to his girlfriend; Commented on her wearing Bonds underwear like his girlfriend wore; Asked the client to comment on his physical appearance; Disclosed details of his personal life including the number of sexual partners he had had, that his girlfriend would share a bed with other girlfriends when they slept over, that he had been in love numerous times, and that he had thought about homosexuality during his youth (HCCC v Kreft, 2011). In addition, Kreft was accused of failing to follow or observe appropriate therapeutic practice and/or failing to observe proper professional boundaries when he asked the client for photographs for a study in which other people would rate the client’s appearance. One of these photographs pictured the client dressed in underwear. Kreft copied these photographs onto his own computer for later presentation to unnamed others. This exercise was not recorded in the client’s clinical notes (HCCC v Kreft, 2011). The HCCC investigated the client’s complaints and took disciplinary action against him. There are numerous social, ethical and legal issues in this case. Although Kreft was in fact a psychologist, for the purpose of this paper, his conduct will be assessed against the Australian Counselling Association’s Code of Ethics and Practice (2012). This paper will explore the power imbalance between Kreft and his client, the effect of his behaviour on the therapeutic relationship and whether Kreft’s behaviour might have breached sexual harassment laws. Ethical and legal guidelines exist to offer protection to people who may experience harm as a result of the actions of another person. According to Welfel (2013, p.3), professional ethics in counselling encompasses five dimensions of behaviour including having sufficient knowledge, skill and judgement; respecting the client’s h uman dignity and freedom; using a counsellor’s inherent power responsibly; and, acting to promote public confidence in the counselling profession. This provides a useful framework for assessing Kreft’s conduct in this case. Beginning with Kreft’s expertise, Kreft usually used a strict cognitive-behavioural protocol for the management of anxiety and panic disorders. Kreft is described by his own treating psychiatrist as a skilled practitioner in a narrow field, having been trained to think rationally and logically. Kreft’s practice â€Å"involved administering protocols, carrying out logic-based interventions and requires his patients to occupy a mindset where they share a common objective and commitment to the treatment and its proposed outcome† (HCCC v Kreft, 2011 at 227). Although referred to Kreft because of his relevant expertise, the treatment interaction became sexualised when the client began talking about her sexual experiences and practices. There was further exploration of her concerns about her personal appearance, low self-esteem, need for validation by men via her sexual activities and descriptions of her specific sexual behaviour. Here, Kreft was out of his professional depth. Specifically on this matter, the Australian Counselling Association’s (ACA) Code of Ethics and Practice states that counsellors must â€Å"endeavour to make suitable referral where competent service cannot be provided† (p.3) and â€Å"undertake regular supervision and debriefing to develop skills, monitor performance and sustain professional accountability† (p.3). Although Kreft recognised that  the client’s relationship and sexual issues were beyond his expertise and conveyed as much to the client, he could have insisted on referral, despite the client’s preference for continued sessions with him. The ACA further states that competence includes being able to recognise when it is appropriate to refer a client elsewhere (p.12). The rationale for this professional expectation is that counsellors are required to â€Å"take all reasonable steps to ensure that the client does not suffer physical, emotional or psychological harm during counselling sessions †(p.4). Sexualisation of the therapeutic relationship can be harmful to clients, and in this case, it is difficult to see how it served the client. According to the ACA Code of Ethics and Practice, â€Å"the helping relationship constitutes the effective and appropriate use of helper’s skills that are for the benefit and safety of the client in his or her circumstanc es† (2012, p.3), and â€Å"counsellors must take all reasonable steps to ensure that the client does not suffer physical, emotional or psychological harm during counselling sessions† (2012, p.4). In relation to the disclosures, for whose benefit where they? It is unclear what led Kreft to make sexualised self-disclosures and what purpose he thought they served. Perhaps it was a response to the client’s exploration of her relationships and sexual activities. Such client self-disclosure can sexualise the therapeutic relationship (Gurtheil & Brodsky, 2011, p. 183). Counsellor disclosures are inevitable and sometimes useful, but self-disclosure can become burdensome to the client and therefore detrimental. Gurtheil and Brodsky (2011) state that in cases of sexual misconduct, â€Å"a key turning point often occurs when the relationship shifts from a therapeutic exchange to one of sharing personal confidences and feelings† (p.114). They further state that even therapists whose practice deliberately includes open self-disclosure, it is rarely useful and usually burdensome for clients to hear details of the therapist’s emotional, sexual, personal or family life. â€Å"Such disclosures, especially when they involve sexual feelings, are nearly always considered boundary violations† (p.115). It seems that Kreft may have been meeting some personal need by making the disclosures. Without having observed the interaction, it is difficult to judge, however, perhaps in an attempt to normalise the client’s experience or keep her engaged, Kreft seems to also be almost boasting of his own sexual prowess. This amounts to an exploitation of the client for  his own needs. The APA states that, â€Å"counsellors must not exploit their clients financially, sexually, emotionally or in any other way (pp.4-5). If poorly handled, the power imbalance inherent in the therapeutic relationship can lead to exploitation of clients (Barnett, Lazarus, Vasquez, Moorehead-Slaughter & Johnson, 2007, p.402). A young female client, is less likely to challenge the appropriateness of such comments. In addition to the sexualised disclosures, Kreft devised an exercise based on his narrow focus on CBT, which he believed would help the client. He requested and obtained a photo of his client wearing a bra and underpants for the purpose of an exercise aimed at ‘challenging’ the client’s maladaptive or negative beliefs about her appearance. The photo was to be shown to a number of unnamed people in order for them to rate her appearance. Kreft claimed in his testimony that he created the exercise based on his expertise and training. He did not state that he researched current effective practice or discussed the client’s needs in supervision. It would seem prudent to educate oneself about an unfamiliar field of practice or client. In fact, the ACA’s ethical expectations include counsellors committing to ongoing personal and professional development, as well as undertake regular supervision and debriefing (p.3). A cursory investigation of recognised treatments for body image problems Butters and Cash (1987) research into effective cognitive-behavioural treatment of women with body-image dissatisfaction found that a combination of methods produced improved affective body image, reduced maladaptive body-image cognitions and enhanced social self-esteem about fitness and sexuality. The methods included providing clients with information about body-image dissatisfaction, having clients construct a personalised hierarchy of body areas, desensitisation to automatic thoughts and developing counterarguments for irrational thoughts. Butters and Cash (1987) did use observer ratings of client physical attractiveness as part of the series of exercises, but there is no suggestion that clients were to be barely dressed in the photographs used. Kreft seemed to exercise poor judgment in his selection of a photograph in which the client was so scantily clothed. Kreft seemed unaware of his power in the relationship. Power within the therapeutic relationship can take numerous forms. Proctor (2002, p.8) states that one basic form is societal power which is expressed in the imbalances between the genders and between the old and young. In this  case, Kreft was an older male with a teenage female client. According to testimony in his case, Kreft was accustomed to working with male clients, so he may have been unaccustomed to working with a young female. He may have been unaware of the subconscious power he held in the relationship simply by virtue of his stronger position in society. Pope and Vasquez (2007, pp41-42) describ e other forms of power that therapists have in relation to clients. These include the power of expectation–clients expects that the therapist’s interventions will be able to induce beneficial change. Related to this is the power to choose the approach to therapy. Kreft chose to make personal disclosures and chose the therapeutic exercise involving the client’s photograph. She complied with the activity, although she stated in her complaint that she was very uncomfortable about it. Kreft failed to recognise this in her delayed provision of the photo, but also failed to recognise that any young woman might be uncomfortable with such an exercise, yet reluctant to refuse. He did not make this psychologically safe for her. Under the Victorian Equal Opportunity Act 2010, both the disclosures and the request for photographs could be deemed sexual harassment and therefore unlawful. A person sexually harasses another person if he or she engages in unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature in relation to another person in circumstances in which a reasonable person, having regard to all the circumstances, would have anticipated that the other person would be offended, humiliated or intimi dated. Conduct of a sexual nature includes making orally, any remark or statement with sexual connotations to a person or about a person in his or her presence, and, making any comment of a sexual nature in a person’s presence (Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission, 2013a, p.79). There are therefore three characteristics of behaviour that would have it constitute sexual harassment – being unwelcome; being conduct of a sexual nature; and being conduct that a reasonable person would consider likely to offend, humiliate or intimidate in the circumstances. There seems little doubt that Kreft’s disclosures about his sexual activities fit this definition of conduct of a sexual nature. In relation to whether the comments were unwelcome to the client, it certainly appears so, as she has complained of as much. For conduct to be unwelcome, it must be unsolicited or uninvited by the client, and regarded as undesirable or offensive by the client. Kreft does not suggest that the  client invited the comments. Even if a client does not speak up or complain at the time, the conduct might still be considered unwelcome (Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission, 2013b, p.6). The client’s age is a factor recognised as causing someone to tolerate behaviour even if unwelcome. Numerous sexual harassment cases have recognised how a power imbalance between the parties can contribute to a person remaining silent about how unwelcome the behaviour is (VEOHRC, 2013a, p.85). The final element in sexual harassment is whether the conduct occurred in circumstances in which it could reasonably have been expected that the conduct would offend, humiliate or intimidate the person. Again, given the client’s age in relation to Kreft, and the highly sexual nature of the disclosures, within a relationship that should be focusing on the client’s concerns, it seems that this third criterion of sexual harassment would be met. In conclusion, it seems that Steven Kreft’s behaviour in this case fell far short of recognised ethical, legal and social expectations. He took on a client with issues outside his narrow expertise and attempted to work with her i n relation to the highly sexualised disclosures she made about her relationships with men. Kreft’s own highly sexualised personal disclosures were unethical according to professional guidelines and potentially unlawful, under sexual harassment laws. Kreft’s attempts to help the client change her negative beliefs about her body were devised without reference to existing knowledge in the treatment of such problems and again became sexualised when Kreft chose a photo of the client dressed only in underwear. Ultimately, Kreft was required to update his training, engage in regular supervision, and undergo a suspension of practice for six months. Kreft’s case provides a number of warnings for other practitioners about the dangers of a narrow knowledge and experience base, as well as the importance of understanding the various dimensions of therapeutic relationships. Counsellors would do well to have a sound understanding of ethical boundaries and how they might appropriately respond to a client’s disclosures of sexual behaviour. Having regular supervision is crucial for assisting counsellors in all of these areas. References Australian Counselling Association. (2012). Code of ethics and practice. QLD: Author. Barnett, J., Lazarus, A., Vasquez, M., Moorehead-Slaughter, O., & Johnson, W. (2007). Boundary issues and multiple relationships: Fantasy and reality. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 38(4), 401–410. Butters, J. W. & Cash, T. F. (1987) Cognitive-behavioral treatment of women’s body-image dissatisfaction. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 55, 6. Gurtheil, T. G. & Brodsky, A. (2011). Preventing boundary violations in clinical practice. London: Guilford Press. HCCC v Kreft (No. 1) (2011) NSWPST 2. HCCC v Kreft (No. 2) (2012) NSWPST 1. Pope, K. S. & Vasquez, M. J. (2011). Ethics in psychotherapy and counselling: A practical guide. New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons. Proctor, G. (2002). The dynamics of power in counseling and psychotherapy: ethics, politics and practice. Ross-on-wye, Herefordshire: PCCS Books. Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission. (2013a). Victorian discrimination law. Melbourne, Australia: Author. Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission. (2013b). Guideline: Sexual harassment. Complying with the Equal Opportunity Act 2010. Melbourne, Australia: Author. Welfel, E. R. (2013). Ethics in counseling and psychotherapy. (5th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.

A Guide to Buying Firewood at Reasonable Prices

A Guide to Buying Firewood at Reasonable Prices When it comes to fueling your fireplace or wood-burning stove, you can either purchase a rack or two of wood a time, cut it yourself, or buy it by the truckload. The problem with buying it a rack at a time is that its not cost-effective. The other option, cutting it yourself, is less expensive, but it takes a lot of time and effort. Which is why so many people who use fireplaces and wood-burning stoves as their primary source of heat choose to buy pre-cut wood in a large volume. By learning just a little bit about how to make the right purchase, you can save yourself money, time, and muscle pain- and stay cozy all winter. What the Law States Many states have enacted firewood transaction laws to ensure that consumers are getting the correct amount of wood for their money. Its important to understand how a seller might measure wood compared to the state standards of measurement before trying to evaluate how much the wood should cost per unit of measurement. Cords and fractions of a cord are the only two legal units of measurement accepted in most states. Any other unit term- pile, rick, rank, pickup load, etc.- is more of a regional or local preference and therefore can be prone to price-gouging. Understanding Measurements of Wood On average, a cord of wood as defined by most states is equal to the amount of cut and tightly stacked roundwood that can fit inside a container that measures four feet by four feet by eight feet or 128 cubic feet. Be aware that wood received in different lengths can mean you get a different amount of wood. For instance, a cord of wood split and tightly stacked in 16-foot lengths contains considerably more energy (less air space) than a cord of wood stacked and racked in eight-foot lengths. If the firewood is cut to fit a stove or fireplace and is split and tightly stacked, there is less room for air and more room for wood. If the wood is haphazardly piled, on the other hand, the air-to-wood volume ratio is increased and you have less energy per cord. You should, of course, insist on neat and tight stacking, but remember that every processing step adds to the cost of the wood. Also know that a truckload, while not a legal definition, is often the one most used by sellers. In these instances, a truckload can mean anything from a loaded light-weight short-bed pickup (which usually holds about a fifth of a cord) to a large pulpwood truck (which usually holds four cords). Tips for Getting Firewood at the Right Price There are a number of ways to mitigate price gouging and ensure that youre paying the right amount of money for the right amount of energy per unit of wood: Try to avoid buying firewood that is not sold in cords or fractions of a cord, since, again, these other measurements arent standardized and make it almost impossible to compare prices to the market value.In order to avoid wasted space, insist that the  wood is cut to burning length, split, and uniformly stacked in a pile. Although this may increase the cost of the wood for handling, it will ensure a better volume of energy estimation and will make stacking for storage that much easier.Because truckload measurements can vary so greatly, always determine the hauling capacity in cubic feet of any truck used to hold the wood youve ordered and ensure that the stacking is relatively tight and orderly. You can, and should, measure your or the sellers transport bed to determine its volume, which will then determine the cord or fraction-of-a-cord price you can expect to pay.You can determine this price by multiplying the bed length by the bed width by the bed height. Then divide that gross cubic feet volume by 128. Take that number, which will probably be a fraction, and then multiply it by the price per cord to get your woods value. For instance, say you plan to go to a wood lot and stack and haul your own truckload. Your truck bed measures two by four by eight feet. Multiply those numbers together and you get 64. Divide by 128 and you get .5, or the capacity to hold half a cord of wood. If the seller advertises $200 per cord, you should expect to pay $100 to stack and haul your truckload yourself. What Youll Pay Firewood costs are driven by location and availability, so prices for a cord of mixed hardwood can range from $50 to more than $100 a cord, depending on location. If you want to have the seller stack and deliver, know that the cost of transporting that wood to your front door will add more money to that price. Again, depending on the region, you can pay anywhere from $100 to $150 more for processing, transport, and handling.

Aphra Behn essays

Aphra Behn essays [...] a Devil on't the Woman damns the Poet. Aphra Behn, Preface to The Lucky Chance Aphra Behn (1640-1689) was not the first woman writer; neither was she the only woman writer of her day. But Aphra Behn holds the singular distinction of being the first professional woman writer in the English language. That's right, ladies Aphra Behn was the first woman writer who did it for money. It was a natural choice for this young woman, a recent spy for the crown and a widow at the age of 26, to turn to selling herself (in a manner of speaking) in order to survive.Many other women of the period did so; but instead of novels and plays, they sold something much more fundamental and far more common. Single women, whether spinsters or widows, often allowed themselves to be kept by rich men of the commons and nobility alike. Mrs. Behn chose not to sell herself but her wits and words, and was branded a whore for her efforts. Not much is known of her origins. Most biographers seem to agree she was born Aphra Johnson in or around 1640, and that she acquired her education and her connections at court through a noble childhood friend for whom her mother acted as a wet-nurse. She very likely traveled with her family to Surinam in her early 20s; at the age of 26, after having been briefly married to a Mr. Behn (of which nothing is known), she went to Antwerp as a spy for the crown. The mission was singularly unsuccessful, and she returned to England a debtor (very likely serving a short term in prison). When she got out, she began to write, at first "for bread," but soon she made it clear that she was writing not only for money but for fame and also to fulfill what she called "my masculine part, the poet in me" clearly asserting her rights as an artist despite her gender. She ...

Identify on a local or national level how terrorism is financed Research Paper

Identify on a local or national level how terrorism is financed - Research Paper Example Since contemporary age has witnessed large scale terrorism particularly in the wake of cold war between the USA and the former USSR and the advent of purported New World Order, which has divided the globe into different groups on the basis of religion, economic condition and geographical location. The 9/11 catastrophe has determined new dimensions of international relations, where different nations and societies declared their opponents as terrorists in the light of the attacks on WTC, New York. Though the intellectuals view the catastrophe as a nefarious act designed by the US intelligentsia to capture the resources existing in the Islamic world, the western world found the hand of Osama Ben Laden and his companions in the entire catastrophe, which looked for taking revenge of the American and Israeli atrocities on the Muslim population of various countries. Tarpley (2004) observes that 9/11 was an example of state-sponsored, false-flag, synthetic terrorism, and hereinafter called s ynthetic terrorism. Consequently, the Gulf based Al Qaeda was unanimously declared as the most notorious terrorist organization busy in challenging the very peace of the world. ... Somehow, it is also is a reality beyond suspicion that no corporate firm or organization intentionally provides any terrorist group with the financial support; rather, the planning cell of terrorist organizations manages to receive the same in the sacred name of religious institutions, humanity, health, education and other humanistic purposes; the same is applied on the anti US reactionary militant group Al Qaeda. Financial Action Task Force (2008) is of the view that terrorist financing requirements fall into two general areas: (1) funding specific terrorist operations, such as direct costs associated with specific operations and (2) broader organizational costs to develop and maintain an infrastructure of organizational support and to promote the ideology of a terrorist organization. Like all other militant groups, the organization under investigation also requires financing to run its administrative or structural as well as operational activities. The administrative activities inc lude the expenditures spent on the establishment of offices, staff recruitment, co-ordination with media, communication and propaganda activities and payments and salaries of staff members. They also include the payments of utility bills, sharing and exchanging of information and recruitment and hiring of the militants. Moreover, arrangement of residence, health and medical facilities related to the top leadership is also the part of administrative expenditures. While discussing the operational activities, allocation, appointment and placement of the militants is one of the most significant operational activities of the terrorist organization. Since Al Qaeda has to

Sustainability as a source of competitive advantage in the hospitality Literature review - 1

Sustainability as a source of competitive advantage in the hospitality industry - Literature review Example While sustainability is engineered into large hotels, simpler processes are associated with environmental friendliness in small hotels. The differences between them should be noted in order to better appreciate the scope of sustainability issues in large hotels. For small hotels, a significant solid-waste management (SWM) program becomes the principal concern. Small hotels generate wastes that usually end up in landfills, due to the relatively smaller quantities of various types of waste that defy more economical large-scale waste management. It is not true, however, that effective waste management cannot be conducted in small hotels. There are still methods and techniques by which waste can be segregated, recycled, and reduced to minimize and even eliminate contribution to landfills (Radwan, Jones & Minoli, 2010). Empirical studies have come to explore the consumer dynamics relating to sustainable hotels. Lee, Hsu, Han & Kim (2010) sought to determine the view of consumers concernin g green hotels, and how the hotel’s green image can impact on their behavioural intentions. The diagram following provides a graphic presentation of the factors considered in the conduct of the study. The study takes into account among its assumptions the growing concern among the public about environmental issues in general, and how this affects their viewpoint of the hotel industry. Green technology is viewed herein as a strategic tool that can enhance the hotel’s competitive advantage.