MGT599 MoD 2 SLP Assignment External Environment Analysis Essay

MGT599 MoD 2 SLP Assignment External Environment Analysis - Essay Example Furthermore, Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulations are also introduced by the Food Standard Agency in order to safeguard the food products through proper analysis and evaluation of biological, chemical and physical risk arising at the time of developing or manufacturing it (Food Standard Agency, 2011a). This law is introduced in order to protect the food product from procurement of appropriate raw materials, handling, manufacturing and ultimately selling or consumption, by target customers. Therefore, by procuring proper raw materials, high quality of ingredients might be offered to the customers, so as to reduce the intensity of obesity or any other harmful disorder. This regulation acts as an opportunity for the Kraft food group as it might prove effective in attracting a wide range of customers towards the brand. By improvement in the range of customers, the profitability and brand value of the Kraft food group may get amplified in the market among other rival players. Economic: The economic factors such as consumer spending, disposable income, inflation, unemployment etc might offer significant impact over the organization offering food products. The recent economic downturn of 2007-2008 created considerable changes over the food retail industry. This crisis also offers negative impact over the buying behavior of the customer, due to lack of disposable income. As the rate of unemployment increases; the rate of per capita income of the customers decreases significantly and so their buying behavior also gets hindered significantly (Mintel Group Ltd, 2009). Therefore, due to reduction of the buying behavior, the rate of total sale and profitability of the organization reduces that hinders its total revenue and market share. Thus, such type of economic impacts acts as a threat for the Kraft food group as it decreased its total sale and profitability in the

Reflective Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Reflective Report - Essay Example This essay is basically an attempt to contemplate a few principally deteriorative issues with respect to these three factors. In order to better scrutinize each of the three factors and the associated paradoxes, appropriate OB theories will also be added and discussed to evaluate what literature has to say on multiple ramifications of different problematic OB issues. In case of poor leadership and management, one thing escalates another and soon stress and depression at workplace fosters the absenteeism rate also as in case of one private hardware store I worked at. Observations made by me while working at that hardware store identified three issues to be primarily responsible for worrisome OB issues thriving at the store and passive leadership and management was one among them. The leaders there appeared to be least dedicated with resolving myriad issues faced by the workforce and due to absence of a patent communication path, a lot of confusions prevailed at the store which plummet ed down the level of both employee motivation and customer satisfaction. ... When, such a strategy is maintained by employers, the employees begin to trust them which is a key element of sound OB. As more and amore employees are becoming less trusting of their domineering or passive employers, research proves that development of trust between leaders and employees is â€Å"necessary for the generation of competitive organisational advantage through support, cooperation and the improvement of co-ordination mechanisms† (Rocha 2001 cited in Connell, Cross & Parry 2002, p. 145). Leadership practices, employee motivation, and organizational structure interrelate with each other which is why the hardware store I worked at failed to compete with other firms in the market in addition to internal issues like poor management and job dissatisfaction. The managers at the store consistently refused to address the concerns of employees, which rapidly destroyed the structural framework of OB. OB is seriously at stake when the employees are unsatisfied with the leader ship style practices at the workplace which decreases the rate of motivation or when weak organizational designs are implemented. Decreased employee motivation means a depressed workforce which is proved to be lethal for OB while a satisfied workforce proves to be an asset for a company. A peaceful and collaborative OB assists organizations in grooming many talents of unproductive employees while a domineering boss, in contrast, fosters a rough workplace environment which increases the rate of job dissatisfaction and decreases the rate of organizational commitment. A large percentage of workplace issues originating from negative OB are laden with confusions, fear, and unhealthy criticism because the leaders do not invest

A leadership in healthcare

A leadership in healthcare Introduction Effective leadership is essential in health care organisations as in other organisations. It is necessary for driving innovation, effective patient care, patient safety, improving working within clinical teams, sorting out issues within emergency context and other aspects necessary for effective and efficient running of healthcare organisations. Transformational leadership has often been prescribed as the ‘gold standard of healthcare leadership(Gopee and Galloway 2009).This essay sets out to: briefly discuss the concept of leadership; highlight why leadership is important in healthcare; make a distinction between the closely-related concepts of leadership and management; briefly highlight how power relates to leadership; describe some leadership approaches applicable within the context of healthcare organisations; describe leadership styles visible in healthcare; present a case study set in a teaching hospital practice setting in Africa ; critically assess the leadership approaches operating within the setting and its effect on organisational performance ;and make recommendations on improving leadership practice within the specified setting. What is leadership? Leadership can be defined as â€Å"the ability of an individual to influence a group of people to achieve a goal(Bryman 1992).It is also noted that ‘leadership can have four possible meanings, namely: the activity of leading; the body of people who lead a group; the status of the leader; and the ability to lead'(Gopee and Galloway 2009). Kouzes and Posner (2007) suggest some characteristics of an effective leader namely to: be more effective in meeting job-related demands; be more successful in representing their units in upper management; create higher performing teams; foster renewed loyalty and commitment; increase motivational levels and willingness to work hard; and possess high degree of personal integrity. Why leadership in healthcare? Effective leadership and management has been found to contribute to efficiency of health care services, performance (McColl-Kennedy and Anderson 2002) and satisfaction of staff employed within them.(Bradley and Alimo-Metcalfe 2008) researched the causal relationship between leadership behaviours and the performance and productivity of staff and found that ‘engaging leadership improved employee engagement and performance. (Morrison, Jones et al. 1997) studied the relationship between leadership style, empowerment, and job satisfaction on nursing staff at a regional medical centre. They used Basss Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire to measure leadership style, items from Spreitzers Psychological Empowerment instrument to measure empowerment, and the Warr, Cook, and Walls job satisfaction questionnaire to measure job satisfaction. The authors found that both transformational and transactional leadership were positively associated with job satisfaction. Some other researchers reported that good leadership skills impacted on patient safety and quality of care (Corrigan, Lickey et al. 2000; Firth-Cozens and Mowbray 2001; Mohr, Abelson et al. 2002).Furthermore, leadership skills are essential in the world of public health policy and leadership is one of the core competencies required of public health trainees(Faculty of Public Health 2010). Leadership versus management Relevant to this discourse is making a distinction between leadership and management. They are two similar but distinct concepts. Management is seen as seeking order and maintaining stability while leadership is seen as seeking adaptive and constructive change. Leadership in the healthcare context aims to influence practitioners towards the achievement of the common goal of quality patient care. On the other hand, management as a process coordinates and directs the activities of an organisation to ensure it achieves its set objectives. Management ensures healthcare resources (human such as doctors, nurses and clerical staff and non-human resources like medical devices and consumables) are utilised in an efficient way whilst delivering effective healthcare service(Gopee and Galloway 2009). However, leadership is known to be complementary to management (Kotter 1999; Zaleznik 2004). Leadership theories and styles in healthcare A number of theoretical leadership approaches can be applied within healthcare. However, not all aspects fit in perfectly into healthcare, and thus some adaptation may be required. Transformational leadership Transformational leadership is a widely advocated approach for healthcare. Transformational leadership is one of the contemporary leadership approaches that are concerned with how an individual influences others in a group in other to achieve a common goal. Transformational leaders seek to accomplish greater pursuits within an organisation by inspiring other members of the group to share their vision for the organisation. Transformational leaders motivate and raise the morality of their followers and help them reach their fullest potential. Mohandas Gandhi Nelson Mandela have been cited as transformational leaders(Northouse 2007). In an organisational context, a transformational leader is one who attempts to change the organisations values in order to portray a standard of fairness and justice while in the process emerging with a better set of moral values. Transformational leadership is about the collective good of an organisation; it is expected to bring about organisational change. It aims to inspire commitment to the organisations vision and ideals. In healthcare, teams of health care professionals are inspired to achieve the highest quality of patient care irrespective of limiting situations (Gopee and Galloway 2009). The concept of transformational approach of leadership was popularised by the political sociologist, leadership expert, and presidential biographer- James Macgregor Burns in his seminal work Leadership written in 1978. In this book, he described the leadership styles of some political leaders. Bernard Bass widely cited in leadership literature built on the work of Burns and argued that leadership is an influence process which motivates followers to perform above their expected output by ‘raising the followers level of consciousness about the importance and values of the shared goals, operating beyond their self-interests and addressing higher level needs'(Bass 1985). He also suggested that transformational and transactional leadership models where a continuum rather than mutually exclusive entities. Four qualities or behavioural have been widely cited as the leadership factors which are an integral part of transformational leadership- the 4 IS(Bass 1985; Avolio, Waldman et al. 1991) namely: idealised influence-describes the ability of the leader to act as role model s whose followers emulate. This factor is sometimes mentioned as being the same as charisma; inspirational motivation-the ability to inspire the members of the group to become integrated with the vision of the organisation while transcending their own self-interest ; intellectual stimulation-the stimulation of creativity and innovation in the followers so that they are able to discover and develop new ways of sorting out issues within the organisation as they arise; and individualised consideration-portrays the need for leaders to recognise the strength and weakness of each member of the group foster on the development of followers and help each in the achievement of goals through personal development. Transactional leadership, on the other hand, is one based on reward for performance. A transactional leader is described by (Bass 1985)as one who prefers a leader-member exchange relationship, in which the leader meets the needs of the followers in exchange for meeting basic expectations. In essence, a transactional leader has a penchant for avoiding risks and is able to build confidence in subordinates to allow them to achieve goals. The transactional leadership construct has three components: Contingent reward -clarifies what is expected from followers and what they will receive if they meet expectations. Active management by exception- focuses on monitoring tasks and arising problems and correcting these to maintain current performance. Passive -Avoidant Leadership-reacts only after problems become serious and often avoids decision-making(Avolio, Bass et al. 1999). Connective leadership is a theory based on the premise that establishing alliance with other organisations via networking is essential to the success of an organisation. Collaboration between different clinical teams within a hospital and with other health care organisations and service industry exemplifies this.(Klakovich 1994) suggests that ‘empowering staff at all levels facilitates the collaboration and synergism needed in the reformed health care environment of the future. Distributed leadership Clinical leadership Leading change in the University College Hospital Ibadan: a failed effort in transformation? Healthcare in Nigeria is faced with enormous challenges. The University College Hospital Ibadan was established in 1948 is the foremost tertiary hospital in Nigeria. It is basically organised as a public sector organisation whose primary goal is to provide the best available healthcare service in the western region and the country as a whole. Funding is from the Federal Government and its activities are regulated by the Federal Ministry of Health which is also responsible for the implementing healthcare policies. However, a private section of the hospital was established recently modelling the prevalence of internal markets currently prevailing within healthcare. Currently, the University College Hospital produces 1 in every 5 physician in the nation. It was initially commissioned with 500 bed spaces but has now grown to a 850 bed hospital. The current average bed occupancy ranges from 60-70%. The hospital board of management comprises: the Chairman the Chief Medical Director; the Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee; the Secretary of the Board; representatives of public interest; representative of the Nigerian Medical Association; representative of the State Government; representative of the University of Ibadan Senate; representative of the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan; and the Provost of the College of Medicine. The organisation has three principal officers but the day -to -day running of the hospital falls on the Chief Medical Director who demonstrates some attributes of transformational leadership in order to bring about change. Vision ‘To be the flagship tertiary health care institution in theWest Africasub-region, offering world-class training, research and services, and the first choice for seeking specialist health care in a conducive atmosphere, renowned for a culture of continuing and compassionate care'(University College Hospital Ibadan 2009). Mission Statement ‘Rendering excellent, prompt, affordable, and accessible health care in an environment that promotes hope and dignity, irrespective of status, and developing high quality health personnel in an atmosphere that stimulates excellent and relevant research. (University College Hospital Ibadan 2009). The Chief Medical Director is an assigned leader-one whose leadership is based on formal position and legitimate authority. His appointment by the Federal Government in 2003 was proposed to be vital contribute to the improvement of the hospital. A trained obstetrician, he participates actively in the care of pregnant women. With increasing satisfaction of healthcare staff, patient satisfaction rates began increase. A new magnetic resonance imaging, centre, cancer treatment and research centre.new innovationsthe bank to collect..Satellite pharmacies were established in order to reduce the time and effort spent by staff in getting patient medications.staff development through exchange programmes, establishment of day care centres.shows his entrepreneurial qualities. Despite it all, mortality rates remain high, medical errors are frequent, post operative patients developed infections frequently and physicians were verbally and physically abused by patient relatives. Private patients get more attention from the junior doctors and other specialist consultants. It has now been found wanting in serving the needs of the local population. Repeated nurses strike, junior workers strike.. Despite recognition that transformational leadership has some positive benefits, it is particularly difficult to act out within public services organizations Frederickson 1996 cited in (Currie 2005).Though with its own merits, the view that transformational leadership is the solution for healthcare leadership has been criticised. While there are advantages of using the transformational approach, it is not a universal panacea. Transformational leadership alone cannot account for effective outcomes in this health care organisation. Other aspects like of organisational behaviour such as management practices, knowledge management, and organisational culture are also key determinants. A US study of 370 hospitals explored the relationship between leadership, quality and knowledge management and found that transformational leadership is fully mediated by knowledge responsiveness in its effect on organisational performance (Gowen, Henagan et al. 2009). Effective knowledge management is thus strong confounder in the relationship between leadership and organisational performance. In relation to organisational culture, there is also a link between hospital and ward culture with patient outcomes. Research has shown that hospitals with a strong hand-washing policy and practice recorded fewer infections. Transformational leadership, while focusing on change, may not be in consonance with performance management needed for accountability in healthcare(Firth-Cozens and Mowbray 2001). The context in which a leadership style operates is also a key determinant on outcome irrespective of leadership style. Studies have shown the relationship physician working hours, stress, and burnout on quality of care and patient outcomes (Firth-Cozens and Cording 2004; Landrigan, Rothschild et al. 2004).Tackling job stress is thus a key avenue for improving quality of care. The Chief Medical Director needs to understand the complexity within which healthcare is delivered and translate it to his practice setting rather than trying to adopt a prescribed process. Conclusion This essay has highlighted a number of leadership theories, skills, style leadership in healthcare has been assessed. There is no perfect style or approach to leadership and healthcare organisations pose a complex setting. Several approaches may operate simultaneously. Context, political environment and social factors will affect leadership styles and approach. Clarifying the situation of a practise and flexibility is very important. Numerous challenges face healthcare organisations in Nigeria. The ability to deliver safe, effective, high quality care within organisations with the right cultures, the best systems, and the most highly skilled and motivated work forces will be the key to meeting this challenge. Conflicts still exist as to what constitutes good practice in leadership and there is no perfect set of prescriptions for effective leadership. All the existing theories merely provide a framework for which practise can be based. Healthcare organisations are a complex setting and to achieve efficiency and effectiveness, healthcare leaders need to be very flexible in their leadership. The University College Hospital should adopt an blend of different theories and styles in practice. Recommendations Leadership can be taught (Parks 2005)and improved through organising leadership development programme. It is also noted that leadership development programmes improved efficiency and quality in healthcare(McAlearney 2008). Top management and clinical staff can take these.(Kotter 1990) suggests that organisations can nurture and ‘grow their own leaders while adapting to constant changes(Parks 2005) There appears a need for leadership approaches that are sensitive to a context in which there are significant professional and moral concerns graeme. Avolio, B. J., B. M. Bass, et al. (1999). â€Å"Re-examining the components of transformational and transactional leadership using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire.† Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology 72: 441-462. Avolio, B. J., D. A. Waldman, et al. (1991). â€Å"Leading in the 1990s:The Four Is of Transformational Leadership.† Journal of European Industrial Training 15(4): 9-16. Bass, B. M. (1985). Leadership and performance beyond expectations. New York, The Free Press. Bradley, M. and B. Alimo-Metcalfe (2008). â€Å"Best actors in a supporting role: managers who are engaged with their staff create well-being and better care..† Health Service Journal. No 6105(8 May): pp28-29. Bryman, A. (1992). Charisma and leadership in organizations. Newbury Park, Sage Publications. Corrigan, P. W., S. E. Lickey, et al. (2000). â€Å"Mental Health Team Leadership and Consumers Satisfaction and Quality of Life.† Psychiatric Services 51(6): 781-785. Currie, G., Boyett, I., Suhomlinova, O. (2005). â€Å"Transformational leadership in the public sector: A panacea for organisational ills?.† Public Administration 83 265-96 Faculty of Public Health. (2010). â€Å"Key Area 4: Strategic leadership and collaborative working for health.† Retrieved 24 Jan, 2010, from http://www.fph.org.uk/training/curriculum/learning_outcomes_framework/KA4.asp. Firth-Cozens, J. and H. Cording (2004). â€Å"What matters more in patient care? Giving doctors shorter hours of work or a good nights sleep?† Quality and Safety in Health Care 13(3): 165-166. Firth-Cozens, J. and D. Mowbray (2001). â€Å"Leadership and the quality of care.† Quality in Health Care 10(suppl 2): ii3-ii7. Gopee, N. and J. Galloway (2009). Leadership and Management in Healthcare. London, Sage Publications Ltd. Gowen, C., S. Henagan, et al. (2009). â€Å"Knowledge management as a mediator for the efficacy of transformational leadership and quality management initiatives in U.S. health care † Health Care Management Review 34(2): 1. Klakovich, M. D. (1994). â€Å"Connective leadership for the 21st century: a historical perspective and future directions.† ANS. Advances in Nursing Science 16(4): 42-54. Kotter, J. P. (1990). ‘What leaders really do. Management and organisational behaviour L. J. Mullins, Financial Times Prentice Hall Kotter, J. P. (1999). John P. Kotter on What Leaders Really Do Boston, Harvard Business School Press. Landrigan, C. P., J. M. Rothschild, et al. (2004). â€Å"Effect of reducing interns work hours on serious medical errors in intensive care units.† New England Journal of Medicine 351(18): 1838-48. McAlearney, A. S. (2008). â€Å"Using leadership development programs to improve quality and efficiency in healthcare.† Journal of Healthcare Management(Sept-Oct.). McColl-Kennedy, J. R. and R. D. Anderson (2002). â€Å"Impact of leadership style and emotions on subordinate performance.† The Leadership quarterly 13(5): 545-559. Mohr, J. J., H. T. Abelson, et al. (2002). â€Å"Creating Effective Leadership for Improving Patient Safety.† Quality Management in Healthcare 11(1): 69-78. Morrison, R. S., L. Jones, et al. (1997). â€Å"The Relation Between Leadership Style and Empowerment on Job Satisfaction of Nurses.† Journal of Nursing Administration 27(5): 27-34. Northouse, P. G. (2007). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Thousand Oaks, Sage Publications Inc. Parks, S. D. (2005). Leadership can be taught: a bold approach for a complex world. University College Hospital Ibadan. (2009). â€Å"UCH Homepage.† Retrieved 16 Jan, 2009, from http://www.uch-ibadan.org/. Zaleznik, A. (2004). â€Å"Managers and leaders: are they different?† Clin Leadersh Manag Rev 18(3): 171-7.

Dystopai Society :: essays research papers

The Government and Total Human Control   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Ray Bradbury’s novel Fahrenheit 451, in George Orwell’s 1984, and in Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World a unifying thread is present—the government must have total control of all aspects of society. It must control thought, it must control media, and it must control one’s usefulness to the totalitarian society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Fahrenheit 451, the government assumes total control by banning all books and other reading material. By banning and burning the contraband if necessary, the government can prevent philosophical thought. The government can also guarantee this by getting people to buy giant televisions, the size of walls, which play television sitcoms in which the family can star. Not only do the pointless programs discourage intellectual thought, but they also entertain the family enough so that the family has no reasons to read and/or think deeply about the meaning of the world around them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1984, the government is a bit more lenient as they will let everyone read, but they edit all reading material so that the materials favor the Party. For the party, revising old articles and other media will ensure that no one will revolt since the rewritten material always favors the Party. Even if a proletariat were to revolt, the Party could eliminate his existence from all forms of media. The Party vaporizes people’s existence to a point where most people do not even think about the vaporized person. By always making sure written history is pro-Party, the Party can ensure its totalitarian government.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In A Brave New World, the government not only controls how one thinks, but it also controls one’s physical usefulness to his society. By genetically engineering one’s body, the government can make it infinitely useful to itself. To make that one body feel no pain, to make the soul feel like it belongs to the society, and to make the mind open to any ideas is a vital asset for this government. The people are not always worried about death and can always relax in this utopian society since other people pleasure them, and with a society of happy people, the government never fears a revolt.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  By controlling what an individual thinks, does, or feels, the government always prospers.

Freud, Adler and Jung: Founders of Psychoanalytic Research Essay

Introduction: There are three well-known influential thinkers who are considered to be pioneers in the field of psychology. It could be argued that without †¦. , the emergence of psychology as we know it might not have ever happened, at least in its present form. Freud is considered by his modern-day counterparts to be the founding father of analytic psychology, as he is the first to have come up with an albeit rudimentary, but nevertheless valuable model of the human psyche. Prior to his groundbreaking work, the nature of human consciousness was largely debated and theorized by medical doctors and theologians. Then there is Adler, (who was the first to have suggested the societal impact on emotions and thought processes and vice-versa, arguing that consciousness and culture have what could be termed as a symbiotic relationship. He emphasized, too, the importance of self-esteem and was the first to say that without a healthy self-esteem, an individual would develop an inferiority/superiority complex which would in turn affect many aspects of life. Last but not least, Carl Jung, who was a respected colleague of Freud in his earlier years, focused on the spiritual aspects of consciousness and saw the value it played on thoughts and emotions. We will explore in this paper the commonalities between these founding fathers of psychology as well as their differences, and explore the strengths in their theories as well as the weaknesses. By understanding the founders of this very subjective field of scientific thought, we can gain a better picture of how psychology has evolved over the years and apply it to our own research and studies. Sigmund Freud:  According to Freudian theory, the consciousness is composed of three opposing forces: the id, the ego, and the superego. The id (Freud used the German term Das es) which consists of our instinct-driven behavior. Governed by what he termed the â€Å"Pleasure Principle†, It is largely pleasure-seeking: when we are hungry, we seek to obtain relief from these feelings by eating. Because the id is a self-gratifying drive, it can, according to Freud, cause problems if left unchecked, since the person would have absolutely no self-control and wouldn’t be able to exercise the self-discipline necessary to function in society. In accordance with what Freud calls â€Å"The Reality Principle†, The ego (das ich) copes with the limitations of reality by putting into place coping mechanisms when one’s basest needs cannot be fulfilled. For instance, it is the ego which represses the needs of the id by waking up early for work when the id tells us to sleep in late. The Superego (uber ich) tries to rule over the ego and id with moral principles which are both conscious and unconscious. It can be described as one’s religious convictions and moral principles. The Superego can override the ego and id when something must be done â€Å"for the greater good†, i. . for moral reasons. Another Fundamental element of Freudian theory is his stages of psychosexual development, which categorizes each stage as follows: The oral stage where a child seeks comfort from suckling, the anal stage where the child is toilet-trained, the phallic stage where a child’s awareness of a penis (or lack thereof) plays a crucial role in early development, the latent period, and finally the genital stage. In each of these stages (aside from the latent stage where it is believed no crucial psychosexual development takes place) if there is a disturbance in normal development, a â€Å"fixation† can occur. For instance, if a child is weaned from breastfeeding too early, he or she can have an â€Å"oral fixation† which would manifest itself as nail-biting or smoking later in life. Last but not least, Freud was the first to propose that when we face situations we cannot emotionally handle, we have certain defense mechanisms such as repression, suppression, denial, displacement, sublimation, intellectualization, and rationalization, regression, and reaction formation. These mechanisms can be considered normal, especially during grieving periods. Much later, Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross made shock and denial one of the first stages of the grieving process, and it has been well-documented that denial can be very common if not normal as long as it doesn’t become permanent. Defense mechanisms can become very unhealthy if they don’t eventually give way to directly coping with the emotions which are being denied or repressed. These defense mechanisms, in their most extreme forms can be very difficult to understand for those who haven’t shared the same experience. For example, it is very possible for a woman to be so deep in denial of a pregnancy that she will continue to menstruate up until the time of delivery. She could also attribute the normal symptoms of pregnancy with other possible explanations, i. e. morning sickness being stomach flu and the baby’s kicks being gas. A typical example of displacement can be seen with people who abuse animals or children. If a person feels they cannot express anger or aggression to a parent or significant other for fear of repercussions, they will channel the anger and direct it to the family pet or their child, who cannot fight back. Regression can be another common defense mechanism, and it usually happens when an individual is overwhelmed with anxiety and feels they cannot directly face the source of their emotions. A very common scenario is for an adult to remain in bed all day and sleep to avoid painful feelings shortly after a loved-one dies. Another example is when a child is afraid to attend school because of a bully, and becomes extremely clingy with the parent when he or she was very independent prior to the problem. Carl Jung  Jung and Freud became friends in 1906, after Freud had read some of Jung’s writings and invited him for a meeting in Zurich. Their first conversation was said to have lasted for 13 hours, with the two men exchanging ideas and elaborating on their theories. Freud saw Jung as somewhat of a protege, referring to Jung as his â€Å"crown prince and successor†. Their correspondence and friendship lasted six years, but Jung eventually expressed dissent with Freud over the role the unconscious mind played in human behavior. While Freud saw the unconscious as somewhat of a repository of repressed memories which could be manifested unbeknownst to the conscious mind, Jung believed that the ability to tap into the unconscious mind was possible and could contribute to emotional well-being. And while he agreed that it was important to understand past trauma and its influence on present behavior, he also believed that the future didn’t necessarily need to be determined by such things. The role spirituality played in his psychoanalytic theories also made him a pioneer in his own rite, though it was never something he and Freud could agree upon. Alfred Adler Alfred Adler was also a contemporary of Dr. Freud and even joined his analytic society in 1902. By 1911 however, he too expressed dissent with many of Freud’s opinions and left to form his own society, the ‘Society for Free Psychoanalytic Research’. It can be reiterated that while he agreed with Freud that psycho-social development could be affected by influential factors beginning early in life, he came up with theories of his own which contrasted with those of his colleague. For instance, he believed that a child feels inherently weak around his or her elders, and strives to become superior to them throughout the course of early life. This term, known as â€Å"striving for superiority†, states that if the need for personal accomplishment and success is not met, an inferiority complex can develop, causing many other problems later on. He also proposed the theory that birth order plays a crucial role in emotional development. For example, he stated that an oldest child has it the worst, as he or she starts off having both parents’ unlimited attention and time. Later on after other siblings are born, an oldest child isn’t given the same amount of attention and is left to wonder why. Childhood neglect and abuse also have a profound impact on psychosocial development according to Adler, and numerous case studies continue to arise which prove his theory to be valid even today. Conclusion While many of the theories of Freud, Adler and Jung have been either dispelled or refined by case studies and discoveries in the field of neuroscientific research, there is no doubt they were pioneers in the field of psychology. Freud’s concepts of defense mechanisms have withstood the test of time even though his theories of psychosexual development have been outmoded, and Jungian psychoanalysis is still relevant today. Adler’s views on self-esteem and childhood development have been verified by clinical research, even if some of the finer points of his research had been discarded. While there is continued debate and new findings which will always create dissent and result in new discoveries related to psychology, it is certain that the work of these three early founders will remain significant for decades to come.

The Importance of Logistics in Providing

Logistics involves controlling and managing the movement of goods and services, information and products from the point where they are produced up to the market place.   In other words, it deals with the information and physical flows of the raw materials to the final distribution of finished products.   Logistics also involves the management of information and storage of materials, parts of the finished goods in the chains of supply, through procurement stages, work-in-progress to the final distribution. According to cooper (1994), the goal of logistics is to maximize future and current profitability in order to acquire customer satisfaction and also satisfying their orders through the cost effective analysis (Rushton, Oxley & Croucher, 2000). Customer service and Logistics Majority of today’s companies consider customer service as a very crucial phenomenon in their businesses.   In the past customer service was mainly based on the needs of the customer without taking in consideration what real requirements or even the perceptions of these customers.   It is therefore necessary to comprehend the customer requirements and service will always differ not only between industries and companies but also between the market segments that a business might seem to have (Rushton, Oxley & Croucher, 2000). Complexity of the provision of customer service is also another important requirement that needs to be noted and understood clearly.   This is because customer service links the processes of logistics and distribution and many influences relevant to customer service may evolve within these processes; such as the range from ease of ordering stock that is available to the reliability of delivery. It is also important to balance the cost of provision with the level of service provided.   High costs of providing customer service that is even greater than what a customer actually requires has resulted in the downfall of many service offerings in companies. Therefore, the key to attaining quality and successful customer service policy is through the development of appropriate policies and objectives which involves liaison with these customers.   It is also important to monitor, control and measure all the set up procedures (Rushton, Oxley & Croucher, 2000). The components of the logistics customer service may be identified as a transaction –related elements with emphasis being placed on specific service that is provided for instance on time delivery.   It may also be viewed as functional attributes related to the entire aspects consisting of the order fulfillment such as taking of orders. In order to reflect the timing and nature of particular service requirements transaction elements are usually put into three categories: Pre-transaction elements, transaction elements and post-transaction elements. Pre-transaction elements consist of customer service factors brought about as a result of the actual transaction that takes place. They involve: accessibility of order personnel, method of ordering, system flexibility, written customer service policy single order contact point, transaction elements organizational structure and order size constraints. Transaction elements on the other hand are the elements that are related to those other elements mostly concerned with logistics and distribution.   These elements include: delivery of complete order, delivery time, order preparation, delivery reliability, order cycle time, availability of inventory, condition of goods, order status information and delivery alternatives. The post-transaction elements consist of those elements that arise after the process of delivery has been fulfilled.   These elements include: call-out time, returns policy, availability of spares, product tracing, involving procedures, customer complaints and procedures, claims procedures and involving accuracy. Another classification of customer service elements is that one of multifunctional dimensions.   This classification has the objective of assessing the various components of customer service available across a range of the whole functions of the company so as to strive to gain a seamless service provision.   For instance, time is made up of a single requirement which covers the whole range of span from the placement of order to the delivery of the order – the order cycle. This approach has the impact of enabling the delivery of some very relevant measures of logistics.   The multifunctional dimensions include: dependability which means the guaranteed accurate and fixed delivery time, flexibility which is the logistics customer services ability to identify and respond to the changing needs of customers’ time that is usually order cycle time and communication which helps in the easy of order taking processes (Rushton, Oxley & Croucher, 2000). There elements of customer service differ and their significance will also vary according to the company, concerned market and the product.   Therefore, it is important that a customer service policy exists which will help in the undertaking of the various segments of the market that exists. The customer service policy also involve the awareness of the needs of customers or those of the segmentation; identification of clearly defined quantifiable standards available for customer service, understanding any trade – off that may exist between the levels of customer service and that of the costs, measuring the service that is provided and lastly liaison with customers so as to enhance an appreciated and understanding of the provided service (Rushton, Oxley & Croucher, 2000). How logistics customer service affect a company’s sales and customer loyalty Customer service involves ways in which an organization deals with its customers and it is mostly seen in sales and after-sale service.   Customer service in logistics should also include all the processes that are involved in the value chain.   To acquire customer focus, there is need to obtain a good customer service.   Poor customer relations on the other hand are as a result of the availability of poor customer service (Peck & Christopher, 2003). Increasing levels of competitive pressure and difficulty with the aim of maintaining and increasing profitability is what most of today’s companies face.   The management of these companies are being faced with the challenges of innovating and seeking strategies that could help in the advancement of the competitive advantage and profitability of their awareness of the significance of logistics in their organizations hence the need for a specialist. Logistics customer service plays a very crucial role in the overall outcome of a company’s sales and customer loyalty.   The outcome could be negative or positive depending on the quality of the customer service that is being provided by an organization.   Poor customer service in logistics could result in poor customer loyal.   The poor services include high costs, poor delivery time, and poor goods that the company could be offering, lack of enough inventory among other things.   This not only affects customer relations and loyalty but also the sales of the company (Peck & Christopher, 2003). The earlier on discussed elements of logistics customer service play a very crucial role to the buyers of the products in the company.   Lack of adherence to these elements by an organization often leads to the fall in the overall company’s sales and customer loyalty.   Profitability of the firm depends on how a company handles carriers out these elements. An organization is bound to gain loyalty from its customers when it strives to strengthen the relationship between them as this will enhance the company’s sales hence profitability is increased.   This relationship involves good communication and honesty from the logistics customer care service loyalty can only be enhanced through good customer service provision.   Customer loyalty is bound to deteriorate if they are offered with poor services or the company’s sales are such that they are too high as compared to their expectations of the goods and services that a company provides (Peck & Christopher, 2003). Customer service plays a vital role in logistics hence its major concern.   The level and quality of logistic customer service provided will directly impact on the company’s cost and implication, its profitability and the market share.   Poor logistic customer service will result in the company’s lose of customer hence losing their loyalty as well.   The end result therefore means that the company will have to incur high costs in trying to shape its image and also in the recruitment of other personnel. The company has also got to strive in order to increase its market share.   On the other hand effective logistic customer care will result in the improved market share, profitability and low cost incurred by an organization (Peck & Christopher, 2003). Customer service in logistics and be viewed as an activity which means what a company actually provides for its customer service department that mostly handles special orders, billing, complaints among other things.   Similarly the provision of customer service can also be viewed as a measure of a company’s performance.   For instance if a company can deliver completed orders at least 24 hours of the receipt and 95% on time, this means that this company provides good customer service. It is therefore, important that the logistics customer service provides quality service in the manner in which they handle customer’s complaints, handling their orders and the speed of delivery.   This will have a positive impact on the company’s sale and customer loyalty (Gourdin, 2006). In addition, if the logistics customer service system is managed in a way that it can provide the customers the level and standard of services that they require, this will   result into customer satisfaction hence accompany is able to reap maximum benefits and at the same time retain the loyalty of its customers. Another factor that determines how logistic customer service impacts on company’s sales and customer loyalty is honesty.   Honesty means that an organization should be able to fulfill its promises to its customers.   If a company pledges more than what it can guarantee, it means that the customers will get dissatisfied.   This as a result, will lead to the fall of the number of customers that a company has hence, losing the customer’s loyalty and this eventually leads to a fall in the company’s sales.   It is therefore important that manager do not overstate the services they intend to offer their customers (Gourdin, 2006) To conclude, in today’s market, competition is stiff and customers are more demanding with regards to goods and services that are offered by companies.   The expectations concerning service provisions and this therefore calls for the understanding of what is valued by the customers and also a company needs to focus on the processes so that this value is delivery consistently. References Gourdin, K., (2006) Glogal Logistics Management: A Competitive Advantage for the 21st Century. Blackwell Publishing, ISBN 1405127139. Peak, H. & Christopher, M. (2003) Marketing Logistics. Elsevier. ISBN 0750652241. Rushton, A., Oxley, J., & Croucher, P., (2000).   The Handbook of Logistics and Distribution Manage.   Kogan Page. ISBN 0749433655.