Designing a Wellness Program Essay Example for Free

Designing a Wellness Program Essay 1.When a health promotion specialist begins the task of designing a wellness program the first and most important step is performing a needs assessment. An important part of the needs assessment is collecting data. There are two main types of data. One is primary data. This is data that you obtain yourself from the population you intend to serve. Examples of primary data are: administer surveys by written or electronic questionnaires, telephone interviews, electronic interviews, face-to-face interviews, Delphi technique, community forums, focus groups, observation, and self assessments. This data is current and straight from the target population with specific information to answer planner’s questions. Negatives for this type of data mainly includes: cost, time, manpower. All of these methods of collecting primary data have their own unique advantages and disadvantages. However, one must examine the intangibles that are associated with each method on an individual program by program basis (McKenzie, Neiger, Thackeray, 2009). The second form of data one may obtain is termed secondary data. This is data that has already been obtained by someone else and is readily available. Sources include governmental agencies, nongovernmental agencies and organizations, and data available in the literature. Examples of governmental source data from the CDC, FDA, and others would be: census data, health and vital statistics, behavioral risk factors, and cancer statistics. Nongovernmental sources like the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, and others can offer information and statistics on topics such as: cancer, heart disease, lung disease, stroke, and many more. Data from literature sources that are peer-reviewed such as Medline and ETHXWeb can be valuable tools to help identify the needs of one’s specific population. This data is generally inexpensive, easier to obtain, usually summarized, and requires less resources to collect. The largest negative to this data is it is not specifically from the target population and therefore might not be applicable one’s target population. How the data was obtained, from whom it was obtained, and a number of other variables can change how valuable data may be for one’s specific target population. Secondary data can also be a great source to help one construct survey instruments to obtain similar data that is straight from your target population (McKenzie, Neiger, Thackeray, 2009). 2.After working for 16 years I’ve come to the conclusion that most of my colleagues and myself have fallen into two categories, overweight or obese. Unfortunately this is a statewide and a national problem. My solution is to start a walking campaign for TCC employees that will help fight obesity. The first step would be to perform a needs assessment to see if there is an actual obesity problem at my college. This would entail identifying types of information that might help me answer the question of obesity at TCC. My first action would be to contact the person in charge of employee health at TCC and see if there is any secondary data collected from the employees that would be useful for this endeavor or to see if anything similar has ever been attempted at TCC. I would also perform a literature search on walking programs and obesity. Another source of secondary data might include health screenings or other health information obtained from TCC employees. Of course this could be a problem in regards to Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA). Other secondary sources that could be utilized are: the Tarrant County Public Health, Texas Department of State Health Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Healthy People.gov. All secondary data would need to be reviewed for its usefulness and how current the information is that would be utilized. Primary data would allow me to collect current data from the target population. Primary data could be collected by internet surveys, mailing surveys, telephone surveys, and organizing focus groups (Fitzhugh, 2012). The next step would be how to collect the data for the assessment. My first action would to ask some colleagues for assistance. We would then break up the work of obtaining the secondary data via the internet and making some phone calls to key personnel to see what data was available. We would obtain all the data we could from the secondary data sources stated prior. In addition, with the college’s approval, I would send out at a Health Risk Appraisal (HRA) survey via e-mail through the college’s mailing system. If needed, I would use the intercampus mail system to send out the HRA survey. I would also organize focus groups to obtain more primary data. And most importantly I would obtain information from the leaders at TCC via surveys or interviews (Fitzhugh, 2012). The third step would be the actual collection of the data. This would take organization, effort, and time. I would first need to gain approval from my superiors at the college to get time off, obtain staff, and obtain funds to collect the data. Obtaining staff might be achieved through volunteerism. Volunteers would not only assist in collecting the data, but would aid in entering and managing data. Funds might be granted from the leaders at the college from various funding sources or even from the county or state levels (Fitzhugh, 2012). The fourth step would involve analyzing the data to profile the actual needs of the TCC employees. For my program the data would need to show that there is a weight problem and that lack of exercise is a key element that could help address this health issue. This would involve organizing the data and comparing our population to the region, state, and even national levels. This would also include both qualitative and quantitative analysis of the data obtained where reliability and validity would be assessed (Fitzhugh, 2012). The last step would be to prioritize and validate the needs of TCC employees. We could perform this by ranking the health issues in order of importance as reported. We could establish a Basic Priority Rating (BPR) which takes into account the size of the problem, seriousness of the problem, effectiveness of possible interventions, and lastly is the intervention doable. One additional method would be to take the data back to a focus group or advisory panel and prioritize by importance and potential for change. Through these processes we may find that there are other larger concerns for TCC employees. One could waste a lot of time, effort, and funds if a proper and thorough assessment is not completed prior to initiating a health promotion program (Fitzhugh, 2012). References Fitzhugh, E. C. (2012). mms://mediasrv1.ccs.ua.edu/CCS-AO2/HHE667-2/module4/667_Video_8.wmv McKenzie, J. F., Neiger, B. L., Thackeray, R. (2009). Planning, implementing, and evaluating health promotion programs: A primer (5th ed.). San Francisco: Benjamin Cummings.

The Preservation of Free

The Preservation of Freedom Essay This paper, using work from JP Sartre and Nikolai Berdyaev, will attempt a detailed explanation of existentialism relative to the formula, â€Å"existence before essence,† the defining creed, so to speak, of the existentialist movement. With Sartre, the central idea is freedom leads to torture and pain. For Berdyaev, creativity is the antidote to this pain. Creativity is to Berdyaev what Marxism became to Sartre, a way out. It seems only rational to treat these two famous existentialists as complimentary to each other. The purpose behind existentialism, in its widest meaning, is to preserve freedom in the 20th century, a century saturated with totalist movements that sought to make the human person a mere cog in a larger machine: capitalism, Leninism, Hitlerism and even globalism seek ends and goals outside the person, in the name of abstract historical forces that the individual person will help bring about (Flynn, 2006, 1-11ff). Existentialism is a rebellion against the 20th century for that reason. Philosophy should concern itself with the individual, not with â€Å"social forces† or â€Å"historical destiny. † 1. In the work of JP Sartre, freedom is not a destiny, but the fundamental fact of mankind. This fact cannot be denied. Ideology, theology, metaphysics and even psychology are means of denying this freedom, blaming other people, structures and social life or even history for the problems deriving from the choices that individuals make. This is the essence of Sartre: freedom is a curse, but a worse curse is denying that freedom in the name of some other end, some end dictated by â€Å"historical forces. † In the 21st century, such problems have not been solved, and the ego is as under siege as it has always been (Flynn, 2006, 67-69). For Sartre, freedom, ego and consciousness are one in the same object. What typifies all of these three is instability. What typifies bad faith is the desire to end this instability by attaching one’s ego to ideological objects that purport to â€Å"solve† the problem of human, historical existence. Instability and a lack of both satisfaction and community are the two hallmarks of freedom and the human condition. It is absurd precisely in that there is no solution. But if ego, consciousness and freedom are all one object, what does that mean for human behavior? It means that man is the choices he makes. Man is self created. But in this creation, man is fully responsible for what he has become in this struggle. There are no excuses. The specific argument from Sartre looks like this: a. Man is absolutely free. This means that consciousness can abstract from any object in space, or any object that exists in the consciousness of the individual itself. These are also one and the same thing. b. This means that objects exist only for consciousness. It matters not if some objects exist in themselves or not (a concept dealt with more below), but rather only that they exist for the person in question. Objects exist, then, only to the extent they are objects of consciousness, not whether or not they exist in themselves. But this further means that man creates himself, and that he creates the objects in consciousness. c. So if man is freedom, and objects exist only to the extent they exist for consciousness (and hence derive from the person, not from the outside world), then man not only creates himself, but also the world outside the self. What this leads to is torture. This is because, as man is responsible for what she becomes, and can make no excuses for this, there are no real guides, and hence, there is 100% responsibility with 0% knowledge of what is right and wrong. This is another reason life is absurd (McCulloch, 1994, 17. ) But the human person is aware that there are objects that come into consciousness, but sometimes, objects appear to be â€Å"outside† the ego’s control. In other words, that objects seem to be â€Å"brute givens,† objects in space that harm the person’s freedom in that they seem to control themselves. This is another form of torture, in that the ego is aware of its complete freedom, and yet is confronted with other objects (especially other egos) that seem to resist our control. But, like Hegel, this slowly begins to develop into some inchoate idea of community, but this is far into the future. In our case, this confrontation only really has two choices, neither of which is really pleasant: first, love. Love is unpleasant in that it is the appropriation of the other, the absorption of the other into one’s world. This is similar to Hegel’s slave/master dialectic that eventually leads to the consciousness of some form of primitive community. But for Sartre, while community is possible, it can only be reached through pain and torture. But the second way of dealing with other egos is sadism: domination, the master/slave dialectic of Hegel. In this latter option, the other ego is not seen as manifesting pure freedom, but rather being a mere object. But given the epistemology above, the object is space is what consciousness/freedom makes it, and hence, objectification or love has no moral basis, it is merely two ways of dealing with â€Å"facticity. † Both are consistent with existentialism and the idea that freedom exists prior to objects. This is another and more accurate way of saying â€Å"existence before essence. † (Sartre, 2007, 22) But the phrase â€Å"existence before essence,† by now, should be clear that both words of this couplet are misnomers. There is really no stable existence in that existence is pure freedom. The ego is free in a radical sense of being determined by nothing (including internal reasons), but, given this, there is no essence either. Freedom is not a thing that can be analyzed. It is a state, the state of all human existence (or at least, of mine). From this, one can conclude that there is no â€Å"creation,† no real external world, and hence, no god to create it (Jones, 1980, 235-236). What I am confronted by in the world are objects that seem to restrict my freedom, and I am to dominate them one way or another, either through love or though objectification. It seems that both of these are one and the same thing: both are objectified, the beloved object and the objectified object. Both of these options are about objectification and absorption: the beloved is taken into the world of the lover without regard to the beloved’s ideas of the matter, and the victim of the sadist is also an object, an object through which the ego expresses its domination over all objects presented to it. Putting it more directly, man has only an adversarial and alien existence on earth. There is no intrinsic purpose to human life and what is worse, that postulating kinds of purposes are always the best examples of bad faith and intellectual dishonesty (Levy, 2003, 166ff).

The Value Of Marks And Spencers

The Value Of Marks And Spencers Marks and Spencer the giant in UKs high street history started its journey in 1884 which leads the retailers in Uk who has the number of visiting customers over 21 million per week with over 70,000 employees working in around 900 stores all over the world with 600 stores in uk and above 300 in over 40 countries ( Marks and Spencer , 2010) since the origination of marks and spencers had grown as a global retailer and increased its strength to strength by increasing the stores all over , and getting closer to the customers , since 1920, Marks and Spencers has bought its goods directly through the manufacturer using the trademark name as StMichael and became a public company in 1926 with its first store opening in 1930 in London , from then the organisation has grown step by step fulfilling the needs of public, From then MS has become the Brittans leading organisation providing wide range of products and services to the customers worldwide. Marks Spencers has wide range of products li ke clothing,footwear,gifts,bakery,houseappliances,electricals etc.Where 17% of the clothing market in Uk is in hold of Marks and Spencers .Softgoods such as clothing and household appliances account about 58% of the companys sales and almost 42% of the sales come from Food and Wine .The reputation of marks and spencers increased day by day due to its customer friendly techniques.The goods that are sold by marks spencers have excellent value and quality which increased the reputation and brand value which made Marks and Spencers as the best retailer in Uk. The headoffice of Marks and Spencers is located in Paddington station, London, UK. The Marks and Spencers store that is located in Marble Arch, London holds the Guinness record for having the highest revenue per square foot considering any stores all over the world. Britain called as home of shopkeepers and for sure Marks and Spencer can be called as the leader of the shop keepers in UK. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: This research is aimed to show how Marks and Spencers could be by 2030, and what are the strategies Marks and Spencers need to follow to attain a sustainable position in the market and the ways it need to save its reputation , and the role of Human recourses Management for the sustainable growth . This researchs objective is to interlink the role of HRM and Scenario Planning on Marks and Spencers and show the picture how Marks and Spencers would grow when both scenario planning and HRM work effectively, and even to show the other side of Marks and Spencers by 2030 when the management doesnt have a specific strategy with a normal team of HRM. This research even shows how marks and Spencers can increase its range in different business fields in different countries, and how it can be the leading shopkeeper in the world by 2030. LITERATURE REVIEW: Scenario planning is defined by many authors in different ways, Ringland defined scenario planning as the part of strategy planning that relates to tools and technologies for managing the uncertainties of the future (Ringland, 1998) Scenario planning is defined by Schwartz as tool for ordering ones perceptions about alternative future environments in which ones decision might be played out- (Schwartz,1991). According to shoemaker (1995), scenario planning is a disciplined process for imaging good future in which organisations outcome is calculated. Scenario planning for the years has been proven that the technique to overcome the uncertainties and identifying the critical future and investing the loop holes in the organisation-(Kahane, 1999). The changes in the environment and the financial crisis may lead to degrade the market situation. Fleming believes that this type of situation cannot be overcome easily and the public policy should concentrate on transformation of the political economy- (David Fleming, 2001). According to Deming, a change is necessary when the economy is in a down-hill-slide and he even argued that we can elevate our economy with specialized services and products. This change will require knowledge .in other words, our problem is education and development of a culture that puts value on learning (Deming, 1994). According to Edgar da Cruz Souto Gomes, modern companies pay attention towards their human resources. The one who is able to enable them, coordinate them and take in to their expectations are able to gain market share. According to Thompson the main aim behind PEST analysis is generally economic conditions affect both on cost and demand even they effect on the success and profits-(Thompson, 2002) In an organisation such as Marks and Spencers training for the employees should be carried out in a highly specific way in such a situation the role of HRM is crucial. The designed programmes for the employees should be in such a way that it should satisfy both the organisation and the employees. According to McGhee and Thayer in 1961trainingmust be identified and performing different level of analysis such as organizational, operational and individual analysis. In training needs analysis (TNA) method and technique are often used in the journals by the authors such as Chiu, et al, 1999, Ford, 2002. According to R.R.Yeleti manager in Marks and Spencer the Human Resources was well established and the way it approaches is simple as the role of line manager to customer service assistant is to improve the quality of Marks and Spencer. And for the growth of the organisation Marks and Spencer need to follow SMART. In general SMART is used as the goal setting tool for the organisation. And R.R.Yeleti also discussed about Plan-Do-Review-Revise which is being followed by the organisation. According to him it is a tool that can be used in many ways and in many situations for setting a plan for the implementation of project and process of simplifying the problems. RESEARCH QUESTIONS: 1) What are the scenarios that Marks and Spencer need to follow by 2030 to attain a sustainable position? 2) What is the role of HRM in Marks and Spencer for the growth of the organisation by 2030? SMART: the goal setting tool for Marks and Spencer. Goal setting of Marks and Spencer is achievable only when they had the vision. The research analyses the need for developing its HR team by 2030 and developing some strategies for overcoming the competition which they are facing now and the need for changing its brand value which willt be goals for the organisation. Some areas where Marks and Spencer need to consider before setting the goals FROM THE MARKS AND SPENCER PRESPECTIVE: Explore what you need to set as target through the heart of Marks and Spencer keeping in mind the trusted customer base. How to function the leadership? The line managers and senior managers should have discussions on the needs that they are to be achieved? Need to maintain the database regarding the feedback from the customers and even from the staff regarding the performance measurement. Direct and indirect feedback within Marks and Spencer What is the best way to demonstrate and add value to the organisation? PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS WITHIN MARKS AND SPENCER Considering the past feedback from colleagues and other databases which will give a chance to look the future. Marks and Spencer need to review on own strengths and areas of development. Marks and Spencer need to finalise the results for various questionnaires and what does the results show? What feedback did Marks and Spenser receive from its suppliers regarding its retail business and what are the ways it can develop. PLAN TO ACHIEVE THE TARGETS: Considering the targets and after setting new goals then Marks and Spencer need to put up a plan together by the management. I recommend the following goal setting plans in this research. Make a detailed Plan: For achieving the goal the process should not slip or advance from the time limit. Marks and Spencer should tell its customers only when they are sure that they can help to achieve the goal. Dead Line: Marks and Spenser should have a dead line to track the status for example if they had a goal of opening 100 new stores all over the world they should have a dead line for achieving that, the dead line should particularly specify the year when Marks and Spencer are going to achieve the target so that they will be able to track the path they are in. Visualise the goal: Marks and Spencer should visualise the goal as if they are creating the future history. Marks and Spencer should be able to feel the change they are going to show in the future to the public so that the target can be achieved easily. Marks and Spenser should be able to feel and sense the taste, smell and should be able to experience the outcome. Direct / Indirect support: Marks and Spencer should be able to keep a note of people or groups who could support Marks and Spencer to achieve the goal. What does the supporter need from the organisation to support Marks and Spencer? The supporters might be supporting the organisation directly or indirectly. And the organisation should be able to help the supporters which will indirectly help Marks and Spencer. Overcoming Obstacles: Even they follow the actions according to fixed targets and goals they may have some obstacles such as political and economical issues. To overcome such obstacles Marks and Spencer should be able to face with a never give up attitude which will make the organisations dreams come true PLANS DO REVIEW REVISE IMPROVE (PDRRI): The plan do review revise improve is generally opted by the organisations for the continuous development. Marks and Spencers can use this tool in creating a path to fulfil the goals. Planning a project by Marks and Spencer Reviewing the effectiveness during the implementation and completion Revising the adopted changes Making changes to improve The success of the assigned goal of Marks and Spencer come true only when the staff feel responsible for the implementation with a plan , making use of the direct and indirect help from the stake holders in all stages to improve the quality. PLAN: Marks and Spencers should be clear about the plan DO: Implementing the strategic planning for carrying out the plan REVIEW: Marks and Spencer should be able to draw the conclusion from the implementation of strategic planning IMPROVE: How can Marks and Spencer improve? Improving the assigned plans for the better outcome. A goal without any specific plan just remains as goal .Marks and Spencer has vision , intentions, ideas, dreams which will make the goals come true by 2030 if they are SMART. SMART is in general Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time bound. SPECIFIC: A specific goal has a much difference when compared to a general goal, a general goal for Marks and Spencer would be internalization. A specific goal would be different from internalization and the specific goal would say setting up a team to calculate the business levels in particular countries where the business is planned. MEASURABLE: Marks and Spencer need to concentrate on measuring the progress towards attaining the goal , Marks and Spencer need to measure the progress, whether they are on track, and reaching the target dates, and experience the effort to reach the organisations goal, and asking questions themselves such as how much? How many? ACHIEVABLE: It is important to Marks and Spencer to ensure that the goal they set is achievable not impossible. It would be a wrong assumption if they set a goal to attain profits of 50% in a recession which is impossible .instead they can have achievable goals such as market segmentation expanding the market opening new stores and being a tough competitor to its competitors. REALISTIC: Marks and Spencer should be realistic in the goal they choose and they should be able to represent their goal in highly realistic way that it is achievable and they would be only one who can decide whether the goal they set is high, realistic and achievable. TIME BOUND: Marks and Spencer goals should be grounded within a time frame. With no time frame there is no sense of urgency. If Marks and Spencer has a goal of opening 100 new stores, when do Marks and Spenser want to open new stores by? In next 10 years wont work. But if you have a time frame that is by 2030. Then it is clear that Marks and Spencer set a clear time bound which will start to work on the goal. S W O T ANALYSIS: SWOT analysis shows the internal business in terms of strengths and weakness of an organisation, opportunities and threats of the external business. SWOT analysis is meant to spark the strategic ray and to calculate the facts and figures which help for the strategic planning (Mintzberg 1994).This research shows the SWOT analysis of the Marks and Spencers to analyze the current situation and to implement the strategies to give a tough competition to its competitors by 2030. STRENGTHS: Marks and Spencer has many strengths but this research focuses mainly on the brand value of the organisation and wide range of products and different outlets which help to grow the business and the range it delivered to the public. High recognition of the brand: Marks and Spencers is the giant of the UKs high street is known by everyone in the market for the quality it is providing in the past years. The brand value is high as the customers who go to the high street prefer to go to Marks and Spencers as they can finish the whole shopping in a go. Wide variety of products: Marks and Spencers had a variety of products in every store which helps the customers to choose the best, for example if we take vegetables , Marks and Spencers began to sell the vegetables and fruits over 40 years ago, they started selling fruits and vegetables such as Canary tomatoes , avocados and English apples , carrots . and Marks and spencers always relied on the farmers with good relationship from where they are able to increase the variety of products. Back in 1970s Marks and Spencers persuaded small growers of strawberries to drive their crop straight to local marks and Spencers stores. To find the perfect taste of the customers Marks and Spencers spend more than three years on testing and tasting the strawberries before launching marks and Spencers jubilee Strawberry in summer 2003. At the moment Marks and Spencers has more than 1200 suppliers with over 400 different varieties, as well as 500 different types of pre prepared fruits, vegetables and salads.( Marks and Spencer 2010) Where the other super markets fail to produce wide variety of products , which indirectly helps Marks and Spencers . Large number of stores and outlets: Marks and Spencer the giant in the uks high street history has about 900 stores all over the world with 600 stores in the Uk and above 300 in over 40 countries (Marks and Spencer, 2010). The numbers clearly say that large number of stores and outlets make the business wider and the sales even increase due to the wide range of products that Marks and Spencer has. If the stores and outlets increases the strength of Marks and Spencer goes high day by day, as it can be available to all the commodities of the people for reasonable cost and good quality. Popular designer brands: Marks and Spencer has wide range of brands which really help the organisation. For example mens wear has wide range of brands such as autograph, Bigtall, Blue harbour, Collezione, North coast etc (Marks and Spencer, 2010). Coming to women brands Marks and Spencer has different brands such as Autograph, Classic, Indigo collection, Limited collection, Per Una, Portfolio, etc( marks and Spencer 2010). Due to the wide range of brands the business of the organisation goes strength by strength WEAKNESS: Marks and Spencer even had some weakness as the other organisations had; this research mainly focuses on weaknesses of Marks and Spencer and the strategies the organisation need to follow to overcome the situation. Bad publicity as non trendy store: Marks and Spencer has a draw back in the market as the organisation is out fashioned and non trendy. Even though Marks and Spencer has wide range of products and different brands the general people has a wrong assumption that mens wear and womens wear are only for the aged people not for the teenagers and young people. These wrong assumptions are making the business low. The management should develop new strategies to focus on the sales for the young people. Even the management failed in the past years to attract the new customers, the people who had trust on Marks and Spencer from the past years still shop but the new generations are not at all interested. Some people say that Marks and Spencer is a shop for sixties and seventies but not for twenties and thirties. To overcome this management of Marks and Spencers need to come with a new strategy to attract all the age limits not losing its reputation with the present followers and they even need to develop a strategy to overcome from the bad publicity and to give great competition to its competitors such as Primark, Next, River island, oasis, Oxygen, New look, HM etc. Manual working increases the costs: Marks and Spencers had a backdrop of following old techniques rather than following the new techniques which increase the different aspects such as money, time etc. But in general the big organisations are keeping a focus on the new technologies for the efficiency of the work done. Now a days the organisations are preferring for both mechanized and automated material handling alternatives for various types of logistic operations. Most of these technologies help to increase the productivity in less span of time but the main drawback of Marks and Spencer is not utilising the technology for effective use the manual work increases the cost and reduces the work efficiency it is recommended to Marks and Spencer to use the new techniques instead of increasing the manual hours and manual costs for trading. Its just matter of time and planning to overcome this obstacle. There is no doubt that manual working increases cost. OPPORTUNITIES: INTERNALIZATION-increasing the global presence: Marks and Spencer was stabilized in UK and even it started number of stores all over the world in the 1940s.the company started trading most of its services using St.Michael brands. Using St.Michael brand the company started exported about $1,146,000 worth of merchandise. Marks and Spencers early internalisation was mostly due to domestic factors. After some dramatic changes it is clear that the expansion of the market have to come from the overseas. Labour party members were suggesting nationalising for the leading domestic retailers ( De Nardicole 1998). Internationalization was therefore seen as a tool that diverts everything from the market on the local basis. Due to the export business only few international franchising relationships are made. Importers of the St. Michael brand , who were familiar with the success of the brand in their countries started investing in the business of Marks and Spencer . In the early 90s St Michael fr anchises were operating a good business in 14 different economies. By 1996 Marks and Spencers has 645 outlets worldwide, among these 645 outlets 58% of the shares were in UK, Europe and Canada.(De Nardi-cole 1998) . The picture has changed since then at the moment Marks and Spencer has about 70,000 employees in 900 stores all over the world with above 300 stores worldwide and 600 stores in the UK. Marks and Spencer has above 21 million visiting customers per week (Marks and Spencer, 2010). In general Retailers take relatively less risk to enter the global market, Instead they start exporting and franchising their products globally. Marks and Spencer did the same thing back in 1950s but due to the significant raise in the demand by the consumers marks and Spencer can go ahead by increasing globally as it has significant purchasing power. Marks and Spencer can utilize various types of modes of entry around the world. Marks and Spencer can open its own stores around the world or throug h expanding the business through franchise agreements. Marks and Spencer has its own stores in Canada, France, Belgium, Germany, Hong-Kong, Ireland, Spain and Netherlands. Marks and Spencer have the Franchise agreement with developing countries such as Bermuda, Canary Islands, The Bahamas, The Czech republic and Israel (De Naridi cole , 1998) the company started franchising in the countries who have smaller per capita income . Marks and Spencer started growing in south Asia from 2000 . Marks and Spencer had a franchise deal with a company called planet sport. According to the market basis it started the clothing and bath items only, the franchise owner VP.Sharma said to BBC that most of the goods in India are imported from Europe so The brand name of Marks and Spencer would help the business to grow rapidly. It is a good idea to increase the Franchise as Marks and Spencer has a good reputation all over the world and it origins from the land of costly brands. By taking Planet Sport a s example Marks and Spencers has the chance of growing globally as it is recognised globally, The management need to take necessary steps to increase globally keeping in mind all the factors . The chance of growing increases only when Marks and Spencers is activated globally. A specific strategy need to be implemented by the management for the raise in the branches all over the world which will be a good sign for the organisation. MARKET SEGMENTATION: Market Segmentation is defined as the process of splitting customers in a market into different groups within which customers share similar level of interests in the same or comparable set of needs satisfied by a distinct marketing proposition. Marks and Spencer has the opportunity to increase the technique of market segmentation by increasing its branches all over the places which will increase the business, in general marks and Spencer mainly have the mega stores all over the places but they dint concentrate on splitting the customers according to the area of interest. Sainsbury on other hand divided the customers by opening new stores called Sainsbury Locals which increased the business. In the same way Marks and Spencer has the opportunity by dividing the customers by establishing small shops which will reduce the maintenance cost and increase the profits as the manual power will gradually decrease when compared to mega stores and even the investment on the p ublicity will be less , keeping in mind all the features it has the opportunity of spreading the business by market segmentation. THREATS: Increased competition in all areas of business: Marks and Spencer has the threat of losing its scope in the business due to the competition, the increased competition in the retailer sector is a big worry as the other retail competitors such as Asda, Sainsbury and Tesco are expanding themselves such as Sainsburys local and Tesco Express where as Marks and Spencer is still relaying on the mega stores, if the same thing goes on there is a risk of losing its reputation among the customers so it is recommended to increase the stores where they can increase the profits so the Management need to come with a new scenario to develop the risk management by increasing the stores. Marks and Spencer need to come with a strategy to overcome all the obstacles PEST ANALYSIS: PEST analysis can be defined as the Political, Environmental, Social and Technological analysis that describes the frame work of the macro-environmental factors used in the environmental scanning components of strategic management(Brenner ,1998). Figure http://www.dreamstime.com/royalty-free-stock-image-pest-analysis-image14771406 SCENARIO PLANNING: As the world progresses further into developing stage, organisations are looking for different types of new techniques which would drive the organisation; uncertainty is becoming a factor to concentrate on for the business leaders. The changes are external to the organisation but to overcome these uncertainties there should be designed solution assuming the future. The well known technique for overcoming uncertainties is strategic planning; the strategy planning alone cannot overcome Political, Economical, Social and Technological factors. Another school of strategy planning has emerged as scenario planning. Rather than predicting the future scenario planning gives the different type of stories that organisation need to follow in the critical situation. It is clear that the participation in scenario planning can have direct impact on business and the decision making techniques are directly related to the business results (Schwartz, 1991). Scenario planning was first developed by RAND corporation in the early 1940s by Kahn and he titled it as Future-now (Kahn, 1940). The intent of this approach was to produce a script which would analyze the future and produce the report regarding the business by the business professionals. Around in 1960s Kahn adopted a name called scenario 1. Lean Economy 2. Political nightmare 3. Marks and Spencer forms as a conglomerate ( low competition and trend changes in the environment) 4. High competition and trend changes 5. Hr to Hr.2 for Marks and Spencer LEAN ECONOMY: Expected global recession to hit UK in 2030 If this situation occurs Marks and Spencers should be Developing the funds necessary to overcome the situation Having a focused team with knowledge on political issues Marks and Spencers should be active politically for best result to know the policies of the government which are going to be affecting the retailers. If the recession by 2030 occurs Marks and Spencers should be able to Compare the market situation and try to be cheaper than its competitors such as Primark, Next, Oasis in the clothing segment and retailers such as Sainsburys, Tesco and Asda etc. UK: 2030, if X party which does not support the retailers is in power and if there is another recession hits UK. The X government does not have any interest to support the retailers. The X party dont have any idea of injecting money into the market even the situation is so tight which will make the situation too worse , Marks and Spencer wont be in a situation to help itself from the crisis even the organisation will find difficult to run the business effectively. Even in this situation Marks and Spencer dont want to lose its reputation in the market by showing the situation to employees and the customers. POLITICAL NIGHTMARE: Uk:2030 expected change in the politicians policies towards the retailers which make the business sink If this change occurs Marks and Spencer need to focus on the political issues Role of HRM should be active in Marks and Spencer to overcome the critical situation Marks and Spencer should be able to Change the policies according to the political issues Marks and Spencer would be comfortable with the situation only when the organisation had a specific planning. MARKS AND SPENCER FORMS AS A CONGLOMERATE (LOW COMPETITION AND TREND CHANGES IN THE ENVIRONMENT) Expected that the situation in the global market changed by 2030 and there is low competition and also trend changes in the environment then Marks and Spencers need to follow different approach to the customers. If the situation goes then Marks and Spencer should focus on how to get closer to the customers and to retain the customers by offering incentives to remain with them. Due to the low competition Marks and Spencer can opt to spend more on Loyalty schemes rather than investing the money on advertising. Marks and Spencer need to look for cost saving techniques and then pass the savings for the lower prices to the customers. Marks and Spencer should merge as a conglomerate because of the potential benefits that might be provided to the organisation. Due to the less flow of the money in the market customers and business people show the value for money Keeping in mind the present situation Marks and Spencer could form as conglomerate will lead the business of Marks and Spencer remain both profitable and efficient. Marks and Spencer should concentrate on buying the shares of the smaller businesses who are facing tougher financial stages due to the present situation, as Marks and Spencers would be capable of investing their business under the franchise would be even helpful as they can expand the business even in tougher situation like this. MARKS AND SPENCER WITH DYNAMIC APPROACH (HIGH COMPETITION AND TREND CHANGES IN A GOOD ECONOMY): If this is the situation by 2030 consumers are with high income and they prefer to have better services rather than a normal service. Marks and Spencer should be in a situation to implement new technology for the fast growing customer needs. Marks and Spencers should be able to research its competitors potential at home and abroad, and it should be able to turn the customers to its side with dynamic approach as there is a chance of high competition and trend changes in a good economy. Marks and Spencers should have the ability to purchase the products due to high demand of products as consumers demand for the innovative technologies. Marks and Spencers is in a situation where there is high competition and tremendous changes in the trend in a good economy by 2030, the organisation should be able to have the purchasing power for the innovative technologies which will help the organisation to attract new customers with high potential so that the sales increase gradually even the competition in the market is high. Marks and Spencers should even concentrate on internalization as the economy is expected to be in raise which will increase the consumers needs , Marks and Spencers even need to have a check on its own potential with its competitors due to high competition. HRM SCENARIO: HR to HR 2.0 Expect the need. Strong work force planning must be conducted. Specify the job. Make sure that right job is assigned for the right employee; jobs must be built around the people. Developing the pool Concentrate on choosing the right assessors than concentrating on the assessment technique. Measure the candidates. Receiving the new comer. Helping him to acquire the organisation culture. Examine and review. MS should be able to foresee the need of recruiting the staff for some special occasions like Christmas and New Year. As the flow of customers will be high on these occasions, more employees must be recruited. To control the situations, MS should have a strong work force planning. The right job must be assigned to the right employees to achieve the best outputs. If the HR department fails to assign the right jobs, it will be of no use even if they best employees. The jobs must be built around the employees. It is very much important to develop the pool to easily filter the better workforce. The HR department should concentrate on choosing the best assessors rather than concentrating on the techniques they use to assess the employees. If they can assess the employees, then they

Ferris Bueller: Possible or Not? :: essays research papers

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off Possible or Not?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ferris, Sloane, and Cameron spend one amazing day ditching school, exploring the great city of Chicago and take time to visit many landmarks and take part in many exciting activities. The day depicted in the movie would be a great and exciting day for anyone, but is it possible for them to have done all of the things they did in one day? I believe it is reasonable to believe that Ferris and company may have been able to do all the things they did in the movie in one day.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first thing that needs to be looked at is where Ferris lives. Ferris most likely lives within 10 minutes of his school considering he lives in the Chicago area and there are many high schools, he wouldn’t live too far from his high school. That is all just logic. Ferris’ school was shot at Glenbrook North High School which is at 2300 Shermer Road Northbrook, IL 60062. Using this site and assuming Ferris’ house is ten minutes away the journey begins. It is assumed that Ferris and Cameron pick up Sloane at 10 a.m. from school so this is when the timing starts. From school they head to downtown Chicago in Cameron dad’s 1961 Ferrari GT California, which has a top speed of 155 mph . Despite this we can assume that with Ferris driving, and him being a very daring and confident teenager, he was likely driving between 80 and 90 mph on the open freeways to downtown. Ferris had to travel about 22 miles to the parking garage in downtown Chicag o, 18 of which were on a freeway. Assuming Ferris drives about 80 mph it would take him less then 15 minutes on the freeway and probably another 10 minutes on surface streets to get to the parking garage. The parking garage was located on the corner of Madison and Wells in downtown Chicago. This would make the time about 10:25 a.m. when they reached the parking garage to drop off the Ferrari.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  From the parking garage Ferris and his friends go to the top of Sears Tower and look down. It is approximately a half of a mile from the parking garage to Sears Tower. Walking briskly because they are excited about ditching school it can be assumed it took them about 10 minutes to walk that half mile.

Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel :: essays papers

Like Water for Chocolate Some stories are meant for movies, but then again, there are times when I wish some stories remained stories, unless we had a French film director do them. Laura Ezquivel' s novel is a treat. It stays with you as a fine dessert, or a fine food, and she knows it so well, and revels in it. In the film version, this gets lost because it cannot translate. The twelve recipes for each month get reduced to an occasional side story. In the novel, it is the food that brings about the results, and Tita has learned to make the most of the secrets of the culinary delights. The movie couldn't possibly show us how Tita and her mentor ever decided the reasons why such and such a dish were done for whatever occasion. This loss reduces the richness of the story into a film that is missing a third dimension, but never the less, it is still good. Sometimes the food is sad.... the whole table has a tremendous cry upon eating such a magnificent dessert. Other times the food is so hot that the older sister has to leave to cool off, which is not enough even after a cold shower. And trot off she does in the hands of a military opposite to what the mother stands for. Tita's revenge is working. I, personally, love the writing of Laura Ezquivel, much better than I do the movie version. But I think that much of this problem may have been because I saw a version that was DUBBED and the voices were repetitive, unemotional, and so glaringly bland, that it ruined what looks like a good film. It also appears to have taken away the food part of the whole story, which is as tasty as anything else.... it matches the desires in all the film, but then, that must have not been the reason to make a film, or to distribute it to other nations. Superb performances, if you can get by the lousy translations and often screwy sub-titles. Read the novel first, and then watch the film without the voices. But a great novel, nonetheless... see it and read it afterwards.More and more I see less and less in American releases ... the fineness and rhythm of language are just not there . Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel :: essays papers Like Water for Chocolate Some stories are meant for movies, but then again, there are times when I wish some stories remained stories, unless we had a French film director do them. Laura Ezquivel' s novel is a treat. It stays with you as a fine dessert, or a fine food, and she knows it so well, and revels in it. In the film version, this gets lost because it cannot translate. The twelve recipes for each month get reduced to an occasional side story. In the novel, it is the food that brings about the results, and Tita has learned to make the most of the secrets of the culinary delights. The movie couldn't possibly show us how Tita and her mentor ever decided the reasons why such and such a dish were done for whatever occasion. This loss reduces the richness of the story into a film that is missing a third dimension, but never the less, it is still good. Sometimes the food is sad.... the whole table has a tremendous cry upon eating such a magnificent dessert. Other times the food is so hot that the older sister has to leave to cool off, which is not enough even after a cold shower. And trot off she does in the hands of a military opposite to what the mother stands for. Tita's revenge is working. I, personally, love the writing of Laura Ezquivel, much better than I do the movie version. But I think that much of this problem may have been because I saw a version that was DUBBED and the voices were repetitive, unemotional, and so glaringly bland, that it ruined what looks like a good film. It also appears to have taken away the food part of the whole story, which is as tasty as anything else.... it matches the desires in all the film, but then, that must have not been the reason to make a film, or to distribute it to other nations. Superb performances, if you can get by the lousy translations and often screwy sub-titles. Read the novel first, and then watch the film without the voices. But a great novel, nonetheless... see it and read it afterwards.More and more I see less and less in American releases ... the fineness and rhythm of language are just not there .

Following in the Ways of Zen Buddhism Essay -- Essays Papers

Following in the Ways of Zen Buddhism I fell in love with the first Buddhist I ever met. That is to say I fell in love with a man who is a Buddhist. I, however, am not a Buddhist. I have faith in what I find to be right rather than committing to a religion that I would not wholeheartedly believe in. It would seem that a difference in our spiritual practices may be a strain on our relationship, but in truth our faith lies in similar areas. The biggest difference between us is that I lack the knowledge and self discipline to be a practicing Buddhist. In loving Matthew I also want to gain understanding in what it is he believes. I have read through several texts in passing and find Buddhism more appealing as I continue to research it. In seeking to know more of Buddhism, I am promoting Buddhism as a beneficial practice. There are so many different kinds of Buddhism that it would be rather hard to write a definitive work on all of them. The type of Buddhism that Matt chooses to follow the most closely is Zen Buddhism, though there are also Tantric practices he engages in. Information from an affiliate of the University of Virginia named Jennifer Gruia states that Zen Buddhism is founded upon the enlightenment of Siddhartha Gautama . Achieving enlightenment at the age of thirty-five, he gained the status of Buddha (â€Å"One who is awake†) and came to the realization that everything is subject to change and that suffering and discontentment are the result of the attachment to circumstances and things which, by their nature, are not permanent. That is how Zen Buddhism found its beginning, but some say that Bodhidharma is its founder since he spread the teachings across India and China . ( Gruia ) ... ...oduce great deeds, great art and culture, and greater still, great men.†(Humphreys 98) I believe my fiancà © Matthew to be one of those great men, and I attribute at least part of that to his faith and following in the ways of Zen Buddhism. Works Cited â€Å"Essentials of Buddhism: Core Concepts.† Buddhaweb . 10 October 2004. Gruia , Jennifer. New Religious Movements: Zen Buddhism. U of Virginia . 10 October 2004. Humphreys, Christmas. Zen Buddhism . London : Novello & Co. Ltd., 1957. Kabik , Matthew. Personal interview. 17 October 2004 . â€Å"Meditation for Health: Home.† Meditation for Health. 17 October 2004 Suzuki, Daisetz T. The Essential of Zen Buddhism. New York : E.P. Dutton & Co. 1962.

Bowen Family Systems Therapy Essay

Abstract This paper was designed to fully describe Bowen’s Theory of Family Systems Therapy. The eight concepts that illustrate this theory will be thoroughly discussed and explained. References of professionals who have worked with and studied Bowen theory will be implemented and relied on in order to adequately understand and depict this theory. And finally, the second portion of this essay will include a case study. The case study will present a family profile, a treatment plan and goals, interventions and a projected outcome for the family’s recovery. Through this case study the reader will be able to identify Bowen techniques and get a more kinesthetic look on how Bowen’s Family System Therapy is applied. Introduction Bowen’s Family System Theory is based on the family as an emotional unit. The theory is based on the idea that the family is so emotionally integrated that the effect each member has on the other members can be overwhelming. Bowen’s Theory focuses on that emotional connectedness and assumes that the family can either promote cohesiveness and cooperation or tension and anxiety. Therefore, according to this theory, a change in one person’s attitude or actions will be followed by a reciprocal change in the functioning of the other members. When anxiety levels rise within the family unit the stress levels will also heighten. Therefore, when this happens one or members will end up feeling overwhelmed, isolated or out of control and then the family unit will be shaken as a whole. During this time of distress, the members who feel most out of control or  stressed will work extra hard to accommodate the other members. This is part of the reciprocal interaction. This member who absorbs most of the tension is most likely the member who will end up most susceptible to problems such as illness, alcoholism and affairs. Eight Concepts In order to implement this theory into a therapy session Bowen created eight interlocking concepts to assist the therapist in working with families. The concepts include triangles, differentiation of self, nuclear family emotional system, family projection process, multigenerational transmission process, sibling position, emotional cutoff and societal emotional process. However, it is important for any therapist to keep in mind that, according to Mike Nichols (1988), the core goal underlying the Bowenian model is differentiation of self, more specifically, the â€Å"ability to remain oneself in the face of group influences, especially the intense influence of family life†(p.2). Triangles The eight interlocking concepts are key to understanding Bowenian Family Therapy. To begin, triangles are a three person relationship system. Triangles are considered the building blocks of the larger emotional system. The reason being that the triangle is the smallest stable relationship system. Three people can take on much more tension than two people. Additionally, a triangle can contain a large amount of stress without bringing in a fourth person because the tension can shift around to all three relationships. However, just because a triangle can bear more tension does not make it healthier. Someone is almost always left out and nothing gets resolved in a triangle formation. Triangles and their undesirable effects on the family unit contribute greatly to the development of clinical problems. Within triangles, members are pushed from outsider to insider positions of conflict. Within this inside/ outside drama members will begin maneuvering and manipulating their positions within the group, thus causing fights and with that heavy strain on the relationships. Getting pushed from inside to outside positions can trigger depression and even a physical illness. For example, two parents focusing on what is wrong with a child can trigger serious rebellion within that child. While triangles may seem  comfortable and stable, they end up being a huge problem within the family unit. Differentiation of Self In opposition of triangles is Bowen’s idea of differentiation of self. According to Fritzland (1991, p. 1), the degree to which a differentiation of self occurs in an individual reflects the extent to which that person is able to distinguish between the intellectual process and the feeling process he or she is experiencing. Thus differentiation of self is related to the degree to which one is able to choose between having his or her actions, relationships and life guided by feelings or thoughts. Individuals with the most fusion between their emotions and thoughts and relationships are the lowest functioning people. These people get to a point where they cannot even tell what feelings and thoughts are their own and which are those of other people. Undifferentiated Family Ego Mass Bowen introduced the concept of the undifferentiated family ego mass. Undifferentiated family ego mass is the idea that there is a syndicated emotional oneness that exists in all levels of intensity. Goldenberg and Goldenberg (1991, p. 171) give a great example of this in the relationship between mother and child and child and father. They write, â€Å"The symbiotic relationship of interdependency between mother and child may represent the most intense version of this concept; a father’s detachment may be the least intense. The degree to which any one member is involved in the family from moment to moment depends on that person’s basic level of involvement in the family ego mass.† When the emotional closeness is too intense and possibly overbearing this may lead to an uncomfortable closeness within the family, closeness that will lead to mutual rejection between members. It may lead to fights that include intense yelling, slamming of doors and phone hang ups. Bowen insists that maturity and self-actualization demand that an individual become free of unresolved emotional attachments to his or her family of origin. Fritzlan (1991, p.4) notes that Bowen’s theory assumes that every human has an instinctive force inside them that propels the developing child to grow up to be an emotionally separate person, able to think, feel, and act as an individual. At the same time, Bowen proposes that a similar life force, also instinctively ingrained, thrusts the child and family to remain  emotionally connected. As a result of these counterbalancing forces, argues Bowen, no one ever achieves complete emotional separation from the family of origin. However, there are considerable differences in the amount of separation each of us accomplishes, as well as differences in the degree to which children from the same set of parents, emotionally separate from the family. Nuclear Family Emotional System The third concept builds on the idea of differentiation of self and is called nuclear family emotional system. The concept of the nuclear family emotional system describes four basic relationship patterns that govern where problems may develop in a family. Marital conflict, dysfunction in one spouse, impairment of one or more children and emotional distance are the patterns which will govern where problems will probably develop within the family. The more anxiety one person or one relationship sucks in, the less other people must absorb. This means that some family members maintain their functioning at the expense of others, which ends up causing a strenuous amount of tension on the people who must accommodate. People do not want to hurt each other, but when anxiety chronically dictates behavior, someone usually suffers because of it. The next concept that Bowen introduces gives the concept of the nuclear family emotional system more reason to it’s’ rhyme. Family Projection Process The family projection process touches on the different type of relationships that parents have with each of their children. When one child is focused on more than another child, the focused on child will typically be more fused with his or her parents than the unfocused on child. Goldenberg and Goldenberg (1990) say that â€Å"differences in parental behavior make for significant differences in how each child functions† (p.221). Furthermore, the child who is most focused on is most sensitive to disturbances and initial signs of instability within the family. Simply put, when the parents select the most infantile child of the family as the object of their attention, Bowen calls this the family projection process. Multigenerational Transmission Process The next key concept that Murray Bowen developed is multigenerational  transmission process. Multigenerational transmission processing describes how the entire family joins in the family projection process that was previously discussed. Bowen wrote that multigenerational transmission process provides a base from which to make predictions in the present generation and gives an overview of what to expect in coming generations. This process entails the way family emotional processes are transferred and maintained over the generations. In this theory Bowen contends that people choose mates with equivalent levels of differentiation to their own. Thus, the highly undifferentiated person will choose a mate that is similarly undifferentiated from their family and the differentiated person will find a mate who is also differentiated from their family of origin. Goldenberg and Goldenberg (1990, p. 198) say that it is probable that these poorly differentiated people, now a marital couple, will themselves become highly fused and will produce a family with the same characteristics. Furthermore, Bowen believes that the resulting nuclear family emotional system will be unstable and will seek various ways to reduce tension and maintain stability by over indulging in such things as alcohol, drugs, and getting involved in codependent relationship. This can affect a child psychologically as well and it can then perpetuate and become a cycle within the family. Goldenberg and Goldenberg (1990, p. 199) say that psychological impairment in a child is enabling to the parents as they will simply focus attention on the child and ignore or deny their own lack of differentiation. This will only further inhibit the child’s development of self as well as support the already dysfunctional marital relationship. Sibling Position Sibling position is a concept that Bowen stressed. He believes that each child has a place in the family hierarchy and therefore was more or less likely to fit certain projections. For example, the oldest sibling is more likely to be the mature, responsible one. Whereas the youngest child will more likely be the class clown, irresponsible and immature one. While this concept is well known and maybe even intrinsic to most people, Bowen believes this to be key when understanding differentiation and working within the family emotional system. Emotional Cutoff The seventh concept that Bowen developed for his theory is called emotional cutoff. Most people have experienced this concept or have at least heard of it. Goldenberg and Goldenberg (1990) write that emotional cutoff is a flight from unresolved emotional ties, and is not true emancipation from the family (p. 225). Emotional cutoffs do several things; they reflect a problem, such as underlying fusion between generations. They solve the problem by reducing the anxiety in the cutoff relationship. And finally, they create a problem by isolating people who might benefit from closer contact. Fritzlan (1991) notes that cutoffs most often occur in families where there is a high level of anxiety and emotional dependence. Bowen has suggested that when emotional cutoffs exist between parents and grandparents, then a cutoff between parents and children of the following generation increases in likelihood. It is easy to see how cutoffs can occur and how the other key concepts if not understood or resolved can cause an emotional cutoff in a family relationship. Societal Emotional Process Finally, the eighth key concept is societal emotional process. This process is in a way like the family projection process except scaled to a societal level. Families that deal with discrimination, prejudice and persecution will pass on to their children coping methods and ways to which they survived these factors. Basically, these are social expectations about racial and class groups, the behaviors or each gender and their effects on the family. Andreas Viklund (2009) noted that the family unit and society as a whole have the task of promoting the long term interest of individual members and the society as an entirety. Evaluation and Validity of Bowen’s Theory While Bowen is considered to be one of the most effective theorists in marriage and family arena of therapy, there are both strengths and weaknesses to his ideas. His eight key concepts are great tools for therapists to use as a guide for therapy, but it is important to note the validity of his theory and to review his theory in a more critical way. The main concept that Bowen teaches is differentiation of self. This is the founding idea for all of his concepts. Differentiation of self is very important, however Bowen did not leave a sufficient tool as a means to measure clients’ differentiation of self. Richard et al (2004) note that Bowen suggested that clinicians could use a differentiation-of-self scale ranging from 0 to 100; however, he provided few guidelines to help clinicians reliably and accurately assign an appropriate score. Indeed, he claimed that the concept was not quantifiable for researchers. Consequently, Bowen’s scale has been useful only as a theoretical tool. In the last decade there have been two scales, Haber’s Level of Differentiation of Self Scale and Kowron’s Differentiation of Self Inventory, that were developed as a means to measure differentiation. Richard et al (2004) researched the validity of these two scales with Bowen’s theory by having two experts in Bowen theory rate the relevance of the items in these scales. The first scale significantly correlated with chronic anxiety and psychological distress, which is consistent with Bowen theory and, thereby, demonstrates sufficient validity. The second scale was also consistent with Bowen theory, the Differentiation of Self Inventory correlated significantly with chronic anxiety, psychological distress, and marital satisfaction. In addition, confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated psychometric support for the four subscales. Bowen theorized that people marry according to their same level of differentiation, this is called the multigenerational transmission process. Bowen simply stated, â€Å"People who marry have the same level of differentiation of self (Kerr & Bowen, 1988, p. 225). This is because each spouse has the â€Å"same need for emotional reinforcement from the relationship† (Kerr & Bowen, 1988, p. 171). This concept is probably one of Bowen’s weakest. There have been numerous studies, Richter (1998), Richards (1988) and Skowron (2000) just to name a few, that totally refute this idea of Bowen’s. While this does not necessarily knock down his entire theory it does poke some holes in it and force the common therapist to rethink their approach to working with married couples and their families. While the above concept is a fairly weak one, there is another aspect of multigenerational transmission process that proves to be stronger. There is a vast amount of research supporting a specific aspect of Bowen’s concept of multigenerational transmission process. The aspect that parents’ and children’s values and beliefs are highly correlated seems to have strong validity according to studies. Many of these studies were conducted in the field of social gerontology and date back to the early 1970s when research about the â€Å"generation gap† was conducted to examine continuity between generations (Troll & Bengtson, 1979). These studies have consistently found that parents’ and children’s values and beliefs are highly correlated, as assumed by Bowen. There is also a substantial amount of literature that gives evidence that levels of individual and relationship functioning are passed on from one generation to another. For example, Richard et al (2004) write that studies have revealed that there is a multigenerational transmission process for violence (Alexander, Moore, & Alexander, 1991), divorce (Amato, 1996), and marital quality (Feng, Giarrusso, Bengtson, & Frye, 1999). Richard at al (2004) also remarks that â€Å"research has also shown that eating disorders (Whitehouse & Harris, 1998), depressed affect (Whitbeck et al., 1992), and alcoholism (Sher, Gershuny, Peterson, & Raskin, 1997) are transmitted inter-generationally† (p. 9). Through many studies testing different aspects of Bowen’s theory there are and will continue to be weak points exposed. However, there proves to be a vast amount of validity to his theory as well. The weakest suggestion is definitely that people marry according to their own differentiation. In my own life Bowen’s idea proves to be untrue and while looking at different marriages around me I do not see any sort of pattern in this regard. If anything, I have observed people marrying opposite of their own differentiation level rather than finding a spouse who matches their level of differentiation. Even still, differentiation of self as a whole demonstrates to be the most valid and prominent idea in Bowen theory, both Biblically and psychologically. Biblical Integration and Evaluation I believe God was first to introduce the idea of differentiation of self, especially differentiation of self when entering into marriage. Genesis 2:24 says, â€Å"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.† According to this verse it seems that differentiation is shown by one’s ability to leave their parents before they can rightly cleave to their spouse. Since Bowen emphasizes the need for a person to be emotionally differentiated from parents in order to maintain healthy balances of individuality and togetherness in ensuing relationships, this seems to be paralleled with the command presented in Genesis. According to Bowen and Kerr (1988), only a differentiated person can be securely attached. Furthermore, this seems to be God’s stance on differentiation as well. It seems that God, being omnipotent and all knowing, designed marriages to work out best when spouses are healthily differentiated from their families of origin. In my opinion, differentiation of self is very important and seeing how the Bible supports this idea I feel even stronger about its’ significance. This is the main reason I chose to write about Bowen’s Theory to begin with. I appreciate Bowen’s eight concepts, as I believe they are great tools for therapists. The concepts help the therapist to work within this theory without feeling lost or overwhelmed by the new ideas or different facets they are implementing into the therapy session. Even more personally, I think that my own differentiation of self has been weak until the last year or so. This is another reason I chose to work with Bowen’s Theory. When I first got married I was very attached to my family and often chose them over my husband or even over myself. I know that this not only hurt my husband’s feelings, but also the quality of our marriage. When I finally understood that I was spending too much time with my parents and choosing their events over quality time with Elden (my husband), things drastically changed between us. Many problems we were having fixed themselves and he became significantly happier. Elden emphasized to me that he felt much more respected by me when I began deferring to him rather than my parents regarding issues. And in turn, I began to feel much more loved by him because he became mindful of the way he was treating me since it was  obvious I was making conscience decisions to be more attached to him and to my own independence than my family. While I still spend a good amount of time with my family, Elden is much more willing to spend time with them along with me because he knows and feels that he always comes first. Also, I take much more time for myself and the things I enjoy, which makes everyone happier. Looking back I wish that I would have truly understood differentiation of self before getting married, but I am so grateful that I did learn it early on as it will only help us for the rest of our lives together. Seeing how this very small aspect of a lack of self-differentiation played out on my own life drew me to Bowen’s Theory. I wanted to understand how great of a role this theory could play in everyday life. I see now that differentiation of self has a much larger role in familial success than I had thought. And I believe Bowen’s eight aspects only further make the point of this theory’s significance in family systems therapy. Case Study Looking at my own life would be a perfect case study for Bowen Theory. However, since Elden and I did not get any therapy for our issues it would be difficult to use. Keeping my previous story in mind, here is the profile of the case I have chosen to illustrate: The client family consists of three boys and a mother and father. Stan, the father, called in to make an appointment because his wife, Jen who is in her late 40’s, is having anxiety attacks and is overwhelmed by her three sons. She tends to yell at the boys and feels like she has not patience for them anymore. Stan says he has been out of a job for three years and Jen ‘s parents have been supporting their family for the last 6 months. The boys, Joel, Derek and Steve range in ages from pre adolescent to late teens, the eldest being Steve who is graduating from high school soon. Stan reports that they are very high energy, but well behaved and successful in their school and sports activities. Stan emphasizes that h e is most worried about â€Å"mom†, Jen, and thinks the boys are handling things just fine, as is he. After seeing the family as a whole once it is obvious that Jen is not the main problem, it is Stan. However, since Stan is out of work Jen is taking  on the stress of the family and it is more than she can bear. The three boys are very close to their parents and the youngest one, Joel, is totally fused with Jen. Joel sat on Jen’s lap during the session and acted very much like a baby when she was not able gives him her full attention. Stan seems to have come to terms with not having a job and the fact that Jen’s parents are supporting them, however he continues to call Jen â€Å"mom† and talk about how sensitive and delicate she is. There seems to be a lack of intimacy between Stan and Jen along with a lack of respect for one another. And finally, the only one of the children who does not call Jen â€Å"mommy† is Derek, the middle child. Goals, Treatment Plan and Interventions Before presenting the family’s treatment plan and prognosis it is important to understand what the goal of Bowen family systems therapy is. The goal is to increase the capacity of one or more members to adapt to and deal with the constant change and evolution of family life. Graefe (1955) describes the differentiation effort by using a metaphor from sailing: â€Å"you cannot change the velocity of the winds, but you can change the direction of the sales† (p.2). It is with this goal in mind that the treatment plan can be created. To begin, this family’s treatment plan will be to complete a genogram so that I can fully understand their families of origin. It is easy to see that in this family there is a lot of triangulation, mostly between the parents and Steve, the oldest son. At times Derek takes Steve’s place in the triangulation between Stan and Jen. However, he is mostly in an alliance with Stan and has picked up much of his father’s sexist attitudes. The genogram will allow me to see if there was any domestic violence or abuse in the family’s history and will also allow me to get a better idea of the attitudes men had towards women in Stan’s family of origin. Furthermore, the genogram will help indicate how differentiated Stan and Jen are from their own parents and how self-differentiation looks in their family’s past. The genogram will reveal many aspects of Jen and Stan’s family history, some more important than others, but all useful in understanding this couple. Once the genogram is completed I will be able to focus on generational issues. However, in order to help the family more immediately, decreasing the anxiety that Jen is feeling will be absolutely necessary. When anxiety  is decreased presenting symptoms will begin tomodify or decrease. Nevertheless, this will mean that Stan, Steve and Joel will need to learn to be more differentiated from Jen. Stan is interesting, because he has a very sexist attitude toward Jen, but totally relies on her and her parents for most things in life. He needs to recognize this in order to help Jen lessen her anxiety. One way in which I will help the boys become more differentiated from Jen is by, first of all, asking Stan to stop calling Jen â€Å"mom†. Since Stan sets the tone and attitude for his children, having him break this habit will be helpful. It might also create a more intimate attitude toward the couple. Furthermore, Joel will need to sit at least two chairs away from Jen for all futu re sessions. And finally, Jen will be asked to allow Joel to speak for himself so that he can find his own voice. Part of this family’s treatment plan will rely on my use of interventions. It will be very important that I am able to model to them what healthy parenting relationships may look like. I also will need to develop a functioning healthy triangle between Stan, Jen and myself. I believe that once the parent’s relationship is put into a more healthful place, the children will begin to differentiate themselves from their parents. A component of working on Jen and Stan’s relationship will include Stan having more communication with his own mother and with Jen’s parents. It will also include Jen and Stan taking some time out to research their own family history which will hopefully enlighten both of them on a few different levels. Finally, Jen’s major homework will be to take an hour out of each day where she is not available to her family in any capacity and she must journal about this process three times a week. This â€Å"homework† will expectantly allow her family to learn to differentiate themselves from her and reduce some anxiety in her immediate stage of life. Also, I believe this exercise will be very eye opening for Stan to see how much he actually relies on Jen. Stan and Jen’s family should continue therapy for a minimum of one year, as Bowen believes four years is a more reasonable prognosis schedule. If the children do not continue, Stan and Jen should follow through with couple therapy. I would imagine that couple therapy will be more beneficial in the  long run and that their sons will only need to be in family therapy initially. In fact, if I have done my job properly the children will want to discontinue therapy on their own accord. This will be a great indication of the differentiation they are achieving. However, once Joel, Derek and Steve terminate their role in therapy the reason why Stan and Jen will need to continue is so they can fully appreciate the generational transmission process and understand how their emotional projection onto their children is prohibiting growth and differentiation in their circle of five. Conclusion Bowen Family Systems Therapy is a therapy that focuses on emotional process rather than content. Murray Bowen’s eight concepts outline this idea of emotional process very clearly and make following a system and intervention plan easier for a therapist. While some of Bowen’s Theory and concepts are based on his own secular viewpoint, God shines through this theory in His own way. Biblically, many facets of Bowen’s theory are sound which only make a better case for the knowledge that the Bible has to offer the world. Since God is the Ultimate Counselor, it makes sense that differentiation would be mentioned in His Word first. In conclusion, looking at the case study, along with the treatment plan, interventions and prognosis one can get a much better idea of how Bowen Theory can be implemented into family therapy. The family depicted in the case study thought that the problem was the mother, Jen. But it turned out that she was not the only problem. In the treatment plan it was important to focus on the family’s emotional process rather than â€Å"fixing† Jen. All of the members of the family needed to learn to think on their own two feet and live parts of their lives without Jen’s approval. Once this happens, Jen should feel substantially less anxious and angry. Thus, this case was classic for employing Bowenian Therapy. However, Bowen Family Systems Therapy can be applied to any case and will always achieve satisfactory results as Bowen is a master at family therapy. References Fritzlan, L. (1991). How to Get Your Own Life and Not Get Overwhelmed by Your Family. Pacific Grove. Brooks/Cole Publishing Company. Goldenberg, I., Goldenberg, H.(1990). Family Therapy: An Overview. Pacific Grove, CA. Brooks/Cole Publishing Company Kerr, M., Bowen, M. (1988). Family Evaluation: An Approach Based on Bowen Theory. New York, NY. W.W. Norton & Company. Miller, Richard B., et al. (2004). Journal of Marital and Family Therapy. Family Systems Therapy: Is Bowen Theory Valid? A Review of Basic Research. Blackwell Publishing. http://www.interventions.net/BowenTheoryUpdated.pdf