Legal Structure of EC Law Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Legal Structure of EC Law - Case Study Example Christina runs a graphic design business based in Brighton and ordered a new computer system on 5th July 2007 from Avalon Computers Ltd., a mail-order firm specialising in computer equipment designed for professional graphics use and based in Reading. Christina paid 3,000 in full for the equipment and it was delivered to her studio a few days later. However, the next day she learned that she had lost an important order from clients in America for future design work, and reluctantly decided that she could not afford the new computer system at the present time. She immediately contacted Avalon by fax and asked the company to take back the computer (still boxed and unused) and refund the money paid. The company refused. 1. Advise her clearly and fully as to her rights under European Community Law (if any) to obtain a refund of the money she has paid for the goods from Avalon. If she is unsuccessful in doing so, can she obtain redress from any other person or body Ibanez (2004) studied the legal procedures against member states for breaches of EC law and the different aspects of the European Commission enforcement procedure under EC Treaty Articles 226 and 228. Ibanez discusses the policy and strategy in enforcement proceedings and the European model that is followed for enforcing and supervising EC law. The Commission can sue Member States before the European Court of Justice or ECJ under Article 228 if a member state breaches the laws as required to be followed by the states. The enforcement of Commission decisions would be related to new developments and procedural aspects at the European level. The general procedures of the EC law show that the EC Treaty grants the Commission the power to "ensure that the provisions of this Treaty and the measures taken by the institutions pursuant thereto are applied." This relates to the EC Treaty Article 211 that grants a general power to the Commission and the EU can use the provisions of the EC Treat y for fighting Member State noncompliance. For an imaginary directive adopted by the Council in May 2005, if any one member state fails to keep up to the directive of EU law or the EC Treaty, according to the Articles 211, 226 and 228, the European Commission can take legal action against any member state that fails to comply to EC Treaty requirements or as expected from a member state. Article 226 is in fact based on a legal model of integration between

Create a Balanced Scorecard and Strategy Map for the company (TESCO) Essay - 1

Create a Balanced Scorecard and Strategy Map for the company (TESCO) - Essay Example Strategy map has been prepared on the basis of analysis done while preparing the balance scorecard. The strategy map is drawn in order to show how strategic objectives identified through balance scorecard and KPIs will work together in helping Tesco Plc achieve its business objectives. In the final part, on the basis of analysis done in the report, suitable recommendations are given to enable Tesco to improve business performance in a comprehensive manner. For last 20 years, interest in performance measurement and management (PMM) has increased among scholars and companies at an exponential rate (Valmohammadi and Servati, 2011). In such context, Kaplan and Norton (1996) proposed the concept of Balance Scorecard (BSC) in order to formulate a performance management framework, which can measure performance of all important business activities. Haapasalo, Ingalsuo and Lenkkeri (2006) stated that companies use the balance scorecard in order to formulate strategy map, which in turn provides direction to strategic initiatives. It is evident from the theoretical argument that companies use balance scorecard and strategic map as composite unit in order to control performance outcome and shape business strategies. In similar context, balanced scorecard and strategy map can be applied to Tesco in order to understand dimensions of their business strategies. Before going further into the main discussion, the study will discuss business operations of Tesco Plc so as to develop a functional background. Tesco Plc is a renowned British multinational general merchandise and grocery retailer, which has established more than 6000 retail stores across the globe (Tesco Plc, 2014). In UK, Tesco Plc is regarded as the largest retail chain, while worth of the brand is above  £2.6 billion (Tesco Plc, 2014). The company was established in 1919 and is headquartered at Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, England (Tesco Plc,

Globalization Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6500 words

Globalization Law - Essay Example From this paper it is clear that  there is therefore the need to have international laws since in most cases different countries and states have laws that conflict each other. This means that a law banning a certain activity may happen to be legal in another country, and therefore there is a need to have an overall checker that keeps the system in balance.This study highlights that  the world is now a global village as a result of scientific and technological advancements.   Indeed, an occurrence in one region of the world can seriously affect the rest of the world. Hence, countries must strive to keep good relationships with others since no State can afford to lead an isolated life in the contemporary world. Globalization law encompasses a number of areas such as prevention of the use of force whereby states/countries are required to solve their problems amicably. International law also deals with protection of basic human rights. The law stipulates that each person can demand specific basic rights such as right to life, freedom of conscience as well as freedom from physical harm among other rights. International law tackles issues such as the protection of persons at the time wars or armed conflicts as highlighted by Gabriella. In this area, global law stipulates the rules of war and particularly those pertaining to the protection of civilians, the injured and prisoners of war.  ... International law tackles issues such as the protection of persons at the time wars or armed conflicts as highlighted by Gabriella (2001). In this area, global law stipulates the rules of war and particularly those pertaining to the protection of civilians, the injured and prisoners of war. Another area whereby the globalization law is involved is in the war against terrorism, crimes against humanity and crimes against peace and other serious crimes. This is due to the fact that efforts to tackle such crimes can only be successful if they are based on global law (Williams, 2009). International law also deals with environmental issues such as rules protecting climate and preserving natural resources, trade and development whereby it provides an international order which permits trade between States. The global law also deals with telecommunications and transport. Walsh (2006) explains that International agreements are important for ensuring the safety of global air and rail transporta tion. International crimes International crimes comprise of offences such as organized crimes, acts terrorism as well as crimes against humanity and peace. International crimes also include genocide, human trafficking, war crimes and drug trafficking. Crimes involving money laundering, massive corruption, piracy, computer crimes and child pornography are also classified as International crimes (Kouri, 2004). Crimes against humanity can be regarded as abhorrent acts that cause a serious harm to human dignity. In most cases, crimes against humanity lead to substantial loss of human lives and great suffering to mankind. Usually, crimes against humanity and

Time Value of Money Paper Essay Example for Free

Time Value of Money Paper Essay INTRODUCTION The concept of Time Value of Money Paper has sprung from the concept of the depreciation in the value of money paper with time. It is the concept of the reduction n the purchasing power of the same quantity of money in a future period. Put another way, it is the theory that a certain quantity of money held today will have a more purchasing power than the same quantity of money in a future period due to the depreciating value of money caused by the interest rate and inflation, There are various financial applications for TVM. In fact, financial calculations, assumptions and business is primarily based on the concept of TVM. Because it is this factor which has to be taken into account during long-term loans, annual borrowings and lending, in order for the business to recover the time costs it incurred for the period. [Ross E. (2006)]    APPLICATION 1 A football club is borrowing $1,000,000 from ABC Bank for the purchase of new training equipment. The entire loan is paid back in 4 semi-annual installments. The interest rate is 10% compounded semi-monthly. We want to investigate the â€Å"value† that this money will hold at the end of two years so that we can devise an appropriate interest rate to recover the â€Å"lost value† as well as get some markup. 1st payment: 250,000 * (1-0.05) = 237,500 2nd payment: 250,000 * (1-0.05)2 = 225,625 3rd payment: 250,000 * (1-0.05)3 = 214,343.8 4th payment: 250,000 * (1-0.05)4 = 203,626.6 Total Value; $881,095.3125 We can see that the flat $1 million paid back is not worth the ‘original† amount due to the changes in â€Å"value with time†. Thus the bank can levy a higher interest rate to recover the money lent as well as some markup. [http://www.executivecaliber.ws/sys-tmpl/timevalueofmoney/] APPLICATION 2 A mother is saving for her daughter’s college education for 10 years from now. She knows that it will costs her $500,000 for her daughters’ entire college expenses. She does not know how much she should save today in order to get $500,000 after 10 years, if the interest rate is 8% compounded annually. Using the formula: FV=PV(1 + r)t FV=500,000 r=0.08 t=10 PV=? Therefore, PV=FV(1+r)-t PV=500,000(1.05)-10 PV=$306956.6 Thus, she has only to deposit $306,956.6 in her account for a period of 10 years compounded annually at 8% to be sure that she will be able to have the amount necessary for her child’s education when required. APPLICATION 3: You want to purchase a new car and you are willing to pay $20,000. If you can invest at 10% compounded annually and you currently can invest $15,000, how long will it take you to generate enough cash to pay for the car?    FV=20,000 PV=15,000 r=0.01 t=? Rearranging the basic formula [FV={PV(1+r)t] t = ;n (FV/PV) / (1+r) t = ln(20,000 / 15,000) / ln(1.1) = 3.02 years So, it will take approximately 3 years for this amount to be able to pay for the car through compounding.    COMPONENTS OF DISCOUNT/INTEREST RATE As we saw in the previous applications that the value of money depreciates as time progresses forwards, financial lenders and institutions are always looking to earn back the exact â€Å"value† of the money that they lent over the period of lending plus a service charge, which will be the actual profit for the lender. Therefore, there are two components in the interest rate: The actual capital recovery factor The profit factor    EXAMPLE A Man borrows $1,000 from a bank. He pays it back in 10 monthly installments.   What interest rate will the bank charge if the bank wants to make a net real 10% profit on the lent amount? The inflation rate is 5%. Payment 1: 100 * (1-0.05/12)1=99.58 Payment 2: 100 * (1-0.05/12)2=99.17 Payment 3: 100 * (1-0.05/12)3=98.76 Payment 4: 100 * (1-0.05/12)4=98.34 Payment 5: 100 * (1-0.05/12)5=97.93 Payment 6: 100 * (1-0.05/12)6=97.53 Payment 7: 100 * (1-0.05/12)7=97.52 Payment 8: 100 * (1-0.05/12)8=96.72 Payment 9: 100 * (1-0.05/12)9=96.31 Payment 10: 100 * (1-0.05/12)10=95.91 Total = $977.37 There is a difference of $22.63 between the lent amount and the value of the recovered amount. To make the â€Å"value† equal, the bank has to adjust the interest rate so that they earn $22.63 more to break-even. Further they have to earn an additional $100 as profit. They need a net $1100. So, the difference is $123.63 which has to be adjusted into the monthly installment to result in the desired figures. Therefore, with an effective interest rate of 13% compounded annually, this amount can be generated sufficiently. There are various methods for determining this interest rate: Implicit Rate Return on Investment Method Weighted Capital Opportunity Cost [Block, Hirt (2005)]                            REFERENCES: Block, Hirt (2005). Foundations of Financial Management (11th ed.) New York: McGraw-Hill.   Chapters 9 and 14.    Ross, E. (2006). Fundamentals of Corporate Finance (6th ed.) New York: Westerfield and Jordan.   Chapter 5. Time Value of Money. Retrieved April 20, 2008, from Leasing and Time Value of Money Web site: http://www.executivecaliber.ws/sys-tmpl/timevalueofmoney/

Performance Management in Human Resource Management

Performance Management in Human Resource Management The following essay critically evaluates the relative importance of Performance Management and the role it plays in effective Human Resource Management in organisations today, whilst referring to relevant HRM theories, models and tools. The importance of PM in relation to other HRM functions will also be discussed, including the need for integration across HRM practices and management of the organisation as a whole. People are undoubtedly the most important, valuable and costly resource for an organisation and how this resource is managed can have a direct impact on an individuals performance and the organisation as a whole. Many organisations have set up a Performance Management Process. In its simplest form, it is based on the concept of, in order to be the best; everyone needs to continually improve their performance. A PM process supports this and all people managers are responsible for ensuring that the process is effectively carried out. In their study, Armstrong and Baron (2009) define PM as a process which contributes to the effective management of individuals and teams in order to achieve high levels of organisational performance. As such, it establishes shared understanding about what is to be achieved and an approach to leading and developing people which will ensure that it is achieved. They stress that PM is a strategy which relates to every activity of the organisation set in the c ontext of its human resource policies, culture, style and communications systems. The nature of the strategy depends on the organisational context and can vary from organisation to organisation. Michael Armstrong states that Performance Management is a process which is designed to improve organisational, team and individual performance and which is owned and driven by line managers. In order to drive effective PM, line managers are required to set clear objectives for performance and communicate these to individuals in their team. They are required to provide timely and appropriate feedback on performance levels, including regular one to one discussions and to develop each individuals ability to perform at their best. In their article, Sally Selden and Jessica E. Sowa (2011), state that in exploring PM, one must start with an explanation of the process of managing individual employee performance. Typically, the process starts at the top of the organization with management developing a performance management policy. Managers generally control performance by influencing inputs and by feedback provided by outputs. They state that the ultimate objective of a PM process is to align individual performance with organisational performance. An organisations PM process, however, is subject to interpretation by individual employees who may not necessarily react to signals in the same way. David Guest (1997) in particular suggests that the impact of HRM practices, such as PM depends upon the employees perception and evaluation, prompting the need for scholars studying PM to recognise the crucial role of employee perceptions and to incorporate them into the analysis and construction of PM in organisations. An analysis of a typical Performance planning in organisations today would involve the creating of a Performance Development Plan (PDP) for an individual. A PDP may consist of the following sections: 1. what am I going to achieve? (My objectives) linked to the organisations strategy and possibly mission statement 2. How am I doing? used to track progress against objectives 3. How I will achieve my objectives? (my competencies) and 4. My PDP, which would include areas for the individuals development, actions to take, support needed and from whom and how the individual will know they have been successful Most organisations today use SMART objective setting (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound). The PDP would also record a review of discussions and include career aspirations and time frames. Santander (2012) state that the PDP is a living document; it should be amended as and when required. It is recommended that monthly reviews are held to make sure any issues or changes to the PDP can be discussed. In addition, they state that Formal Reviews of an individual take place twice a year mid year and end of year. During these informal and formal review meetings, the following elements should be considered : assessing performance against agreed targets and objectives, providing feedback, positive reinforcement ( emphasising what has been done well and making only constructive criticism about what might be improved ), two-way conversation an open exchange of views about what has happened and agreement jointly coming to an understanding about what needs to be done to improve performance generally and overcome any issues raised in the course of the discussion. Managing staff performance should be managing for the individual to succeed not fail. The centrepiece of a PM system is typically the performance appraisal. A Performance Appraisal (Review) is an opportunity for individual employees and line managers to engage in a dialogue about the individuals performance and development, as well as support required from the manager (CIPD, 2011). A performance appraisal has many purposes such as clarifying expectations, reviewing past performance, motivating employees and assessing potential/promotability. There are many benefits of appraisal but equally there are potential problems such as the over reliance on outcomes rather than performance and the interviews themselves can cause anxiety. So, does a performance appraisal constitute a PM? While performance appraisal is an important part of PM, in itself it is not PM, rather it is one of the range of tools that can be used to manage performance. The performance appraisal is often the central pillar of PM. Our 2009 PM survey found that a large majority of organisations use individual appraisals as part of PM programmes. However, it is a common mistake to assume that if organisations implement performance appraisals, they have PM. This is not the case. PM is a holistic process bringing together many activities that collectively contribute to the effective management of individuals and teams in order to achieve high levels of organisational performance. The process is strategic, in that it is about broader issues and long-term goals, and integrated in that it links various aspects of the business, people management, individuals and teams. Performance appraisal on the other hand is operational, short-to-medium-term and conc erned only with individual employees and their performance and development. While it is one of the tools of PM, and the data produced can feed into other elements of PM, appraisal by itself does not constitute PM. Bratton and Gold (2012) state that ideally an organisation should have a variety of techniques to encourage appraisal and PM culture including downward appraisal immediate manager, self appraisal, peer/team appraisal, upward appraisal, multisource and 360 degree appraisal. The latter is where feedback is gathered from a wide range of commentators typically including the individuals direct reports, customers and colleagues, as well as the line manager. Its supporters claim that this gives managers and individuals better information about skills and performance, as well as working relationships, compared with more traditional appraisal arrangements based on line managers assessments. With 360 degree feedback, typically eight to ten people complete questionnaires describing the individuals performance (including themselves). The questionnaire usually consists of a number of statements rated on a scale. The ensuing report should summarise the answers given. It often shows the actual ra tings given for each question, as well as averages for each question and for each competency, and any written comments. Ideally the feedback from the whole process should be made anonymous and presented to the recipient by a skilled coach. Like other forms of appraisals, the 360 degree feedback should not bring any great surprises to individuals. Its focus, rather, should be on helping them to understand how their behaviour is perceived by others and confirming the behaviour that is most likely to get results. If implemented correctly, those supporting 360 feedback feel it can achieve certain key objectives 1) identifying differences between the way individuals see themselves and how they are perceived by others, 2) establishing differences between the perceptions of different groups of respondents and 3) in doing so, helping to make PM a more objective and fair process. Numerous studies of PM have been conducted over the years, one of which is the Fine Intentions article by Duncan Brown and Wendy Hirsh (2011). Their article questions whether PM is a worthy successor to appraisals, PM systems are seen by HR as a route to fulfilling many complex requirements beyond simply linking people to organisational success but is that too tall an order, they question? There are many studies showing powerful links between people management practices and organisational performance, and appraisal usually comes out as a key practice in this regard. The key conclusion, they state, to be drawn from their work is that PM is indeed a vitally important process for employers. But it is also extremely difficult to implement effectively. They lost count of the number of times that the process was described to them in their studies as a turgid exercise in box ticking or form filling something you do to keep HR quiet. In their article, they site two case studies to illustr ate the current trends and improvements that can be made to PM processes 1. BT Operate a sharp focus on getting personal objectives aligned throughout the organisation, clarity about performance standards, and a clear line of sight between individual, team and business performance. There has also been significant support and training for people managers to enable them to deliver great performance practice. 2. Oxfam GB presents both opportunities and challenges for PM. Staff here are highly motivated by the mission, but that can tempt them to set unrealistic work goals and to be reluctant to take time away from immediate tasks in order to focus on their own performance and development. Following the case studies, Brown Hirsh highlight the following 4 areas that HR could adopt to build more effective PM Get strategic (HR thinking less about PM as a process and more about how it can support all employees to achieve individual goals in support of organisations strategy); Keep it sim ple (simplify and clarify their processes); Focus on the feedback; and Equip the managers (training tailored to needs). Another study of PM and Appraisal in Human Organizations: Management and Staff Perspectives (Seldon Sowa, 2011) states that PM systems have been studied extensively in the public and for-profit sectors but not adequately explored in the non-profit sector. Their study addresses this gap and identifies gaps in the perception of management and staff concerning PM, and then identifying five different models of PM systems, concluding with lessons for practice. Organisations typically develop PM processes to motivate employees. The process can motivate employees by establishing expectations and providing feedback on achievement of those expectations. Ideally, the organisation can then target training to address the weaknesses identified or areas of potential growth. In addition, they can adopt compensation systems to reward the achievement of goals. Managing individual performance should result in higher employee satisfaction and morale and lower employee turnover, a process that has been demonstrated in research on public organisations. Their findings conclude that the non-profit organisations in their study do not rely on performance-based monetary rewards and incentives as critical components of their PM systems. Therefore, they state, it is important to focus on the possibility of other rewards tied to the PM system, such as job enrichment and job enlargement. They conclude that the preferable model of PM is the multi-feedback PM system for non-profit organisations and present three lessons to drive future research and practice: 1. Management to ensure that employees understand the PM system; 2. PM tools are underutilized in this sector; 3. PM is associated with positive employee outcomes, such as turnover, job satisfaction, enjoyment of job and commitment to the job. Many organisations today conduct regular employee opinion surveys to assess staff engagement. As Ben Willmott, senior policy adviser at the CIPD says: In the current environment, there is evidence that people are under increasing pressure in the workplace, that theres a growing trust deficit between people at the bottom and the top of organisations. Youve also got the squeeze on incomes, with people either having their pay frozen or receiving pay rises that are less than the rate of inflation. Against that backdrop, its difficult to build engagement. (Willmott, 2007). The Guest model of human resource management reflected the view that a core set of integrated HRM practices can achieve superior individual and organisational performance. According to Guest (1997), HRM differs from personnel management, and he attempts to identify the major assumptions or stereotypes underpinning each approach to employment management. He analyses HRM practices from selection, training, appraisal, rewards, job design, involvement and status and security. Most organisations today offer a comprehensive Rewards and Benefits package which can be used to both attract and retain employees. Reward Management, as part of HRM, incorporates rewarding people in relation to their value to the organisation as measured by their actual and potential contribution, and matching rewards and incentives to peoples needs and goals. In defining their Reward packages, organisations must consider external competitiveness and internal equity, aim to maintain or improve levels of employee performance and comply with employment legislation and regulations. Packages can include benefits such as (14) reduced rates on Apple products, all employee car scheme, partnership shares, retirement plan, childcare vouchers, performance related pay, incentive schemes linked to role and numerous others. Pay progression within companies usually depends on individual performance linked to PM, market rate and competency. According to CIPD (2012), 66% of organisations use a co mbination approach to pay progression e.g. individual performance and length of service. Employers need to align the rewards desired by employees with the needs of business. There are various elements to reward and it is important that they choose the appropriate mix of base to variable pay, fixed to flexible packages and pay to non-pay rewards. They should be aware of the various organizational risks that are involved when making decisions on how they reward and recognize individual and collective contribution. It is important that an appropriate communications strategy is adopted to explain to staff what behaviours, values and performances the organisation is rewarding, how and why (CIPD, 2012). Within HRM, organisations have a sickness absence policy which clearly sets out their policy statement and both employer and employee responsibilities. In the Annual Report 2011 CIPD (2012) assessed their conclusions on absence management and, giving line managers primary responsibility for managing absence remains one of the most commonly used approaches for managing absence. Serious commitment to flexible working practices within HRM may help reduce absence due to stress, home/family responsibilities and illegitimate reasons, all of which remain common causes of absence for a sizeable proportion of organizations. Their findings conclude that investment in promoting employee well-being and managing stress at work is worthwhile. A focus on these issues and employee engagement, they state, will promote attendance and organizational performance. To conclude, Performance Management is a crucial and fundamental function of human resource management. It focuses on setting a clear process for managers to follow in order to get the best from their people. The total rewards system and 360degree feedback performance analysiss seem very appropriate to be used by all organizations, to enhance employee performances and involvement. Writing this essay has taught me a great deal about the pressure involved in being a line manager and the standards required to do so effectively.

Nazi Play :: essays research papers

Brandon-Hi, my brother Frank and I are about to tell you, about the walk home from school that ended our lives. Chris- Fivel and I were upset with each other the day of October 15, 1939. We pouted at each other the whole way to school. We usually got along. But that day we weren't. The school day was fine until the princeable interrupted our class and turned on the radio. It was one of Hitlers ridiculous speeches. We didn't really know what Hitler was up to this time. Brandon- So we ignored it. Little did we know it was about the invasion of our town to round up all the jews. That morning was the last we saw of our parents. They had their own steel mill, and that was the first target for the NAZI's. Besides this we attended Tillberg private school and grew up in Fankvurg Germany. We where pretty wealthy. Chris- Fivel quite babaling on lets get to the story. We started home from school that evening.We saw big green trucks next to the steel-mill so we stopped walking. We thought it was the supply truck until we saw soldiers with guns in hand. We took a look around and then Fivel through me into the woods. I remember him saying Oh god its the NAZI's. Brandon- We saw genocide right before our eyes. Houses were burnt down and people were killed. IT was terrible. We couldn't go any where or if the NAZI's saw us we would be killed. We slept in the ditch culvert in the woods.We woke up to see body piled up. The town was destroyed. The Nazis where still there. Chris- The only thing we ate was dry leaves, grass, and bark. We knew we couldn't live for much longer. Fivel lost all feelings in his legs. Brandon- With feelings in my legs gone I couldn't do much. Then reality hit. We saw the SS coming up the street with search dogs. They must have been fifty feet away when they saw us. We knew we were dead. Chris- The dog bit Fivel once and I got beat by the soldier. He cussed at us many times. We where drug to a lieutenant. And we where in pure shock. My nose was crushed and bleeding non stop. Fivel's leg was torn apart like he was a dogs chew toy. Brandon- The lieutenant looked at us lying there and one word came from his mouth: Trash.

My Values, Beliefs, Clinical Gestalt with Individuals and Systems Essay

Becoming a successful clinician is like a work in progress, a clinician should never consider it completed. There is always room to learn, to grow, and develop while working in the Human Services field. The knowledge that a clinician learns comes not only from education but also from experiences and time working in the field. Overtime, a clinician can expect to look at his or her own beliefs, values, and experiences as well as family, cultural dynamics, and background. The main reason a person continues to learn and obtain knowledge, is because of the array of clients a clinician sees. In the textbook, I had to complete exercises that discussed our values and beliefs and how they will affect and interact with our professional lives. The values that are in my life affect and make me whom I am. Several values that bounce between my professional and personal life and some that do not. There are also some values that I need to improve on which will help me in both my professional and personal lives My most important values and beliefs are: -Be respectful -Be open-minded -Be trustworthy -Always do my best -Have a big heart -Work hard -Enjoy life However, the most important thing is to make my values and beliefs flexible so that I can view the clients and better assist them. This is not always an easy task to do, but because of my experiences and my education, I continue to make progress. A clinician takes the ability to adapt and be flexible with your own personal beliefs and values. My experiences in life have always revolved around helping things, whether it was people or animals. My parents use to tell me, and showed by old family videos that I was the biggest tomboy and helper around our family farm. From a very young age, I was often found helping my parents on the farm rather than playing with Barbie Dolls. I would do all types of work on the farm such as feed animal, clean the barn, and milk the cows. These items helped either animals or people. Being raised on a dairy farm, encouraged me to work hard. Once I started high school my hard work did not stop at the farm, I got my first job away from working on the dairy farm. I am still employed at the job and once again because of my hard work I have had several promotional experiences within the company. I have always been a hard worker at everything I do and have learned many of my values and beliefs. Another textbook exercise that I completed discussed how my own family and my culture background will affect my ability to respond and connect with clients. I have learned that how I view others and makes me comfortable when working with clients has to do with how and where I was raised. My cultural background can include my education, social behaviors, ideas, and viewpoints. For example, in one of the exercises I was asked how I would feel working with a client who was African American or a client who was gay. All these items are affected by how I was raised, and my cultural background. Society also influences the lives we live and how we view other individuals. Textbook exercises were also completed concerning this. I have learned that society we live in shape, who we are, just like cultural backgrounds, beliefs, and values. Society can be described as the world, and community we live in. One example of society affecting our beliefs is with same sex marriages. This is a very controversial topic of society. For a very long time, society said same sex marriages are not okay, and recently they are becoming accepted. Because society is saying that it is now acceptable, the people in the communities are affected by this and their viewpoints may be altered. While working with clients a clinician needs to keep their cultural backgrounds and society out of their mind. Clinicians will experience working with clients of all types. It is important to remember that each client seen is different even if diagnoses, traits, characteristics, or anything else is similar. No two cases are alike. Clinicians will work with individuals with physical, mental, psychological, emotional, and verbal, and many other types of individuals. My job as a clinician is important. I need to remember that everything that shapes whom I am is important but private and should not be â€Å"worn on my sleeve. † Everything I do in life affects how I am shaped and how I view others. My values, beliefs, experiences, and the society also affect me. Keeping an open mind, and be understanding toward my clients is an important role and I will continue to devolve this in my experiences.