Hofstede, Kolb and Raths Critiques - 698 Words

Critique Three critiques will be explored in this section of the paper including; †¢ Hofstede’s critique on the basis of cultural consideration †¢ Kolb’s critique on the basis of dynamic group effectiveness †¢ Rath’s critique on the basis of situational differences Hofstede’s critique is based on that the world is too diverse for followership theories to be applicable in different circumstances (Hofstede, 2001). Theories limited to their origin cultures are not effective, especially when it’s dealing with universally occurring issues, such as followership. In order for a theory to be effective, it must address various issues, including the society’s gender, virtue, identity, truth, and hierarchy (Hofstede Hofstede, 2005). Kelley addresses four of these areas, leaving out gender, which is a critical part of societal relations and ultimately, the nature of followership. There are cultures within which women will behave like passive followers regardless of the situation for fear of repercussions. In societies that have experienced prolonged periods of war in recent decades, the females may exhibit the traits of alienated followers owing to their experience s. Hofstede (2001) expresses that this type of exclusion leaves no room for culture and no sense of dimensionality. The critique gives a credible argument, since cultural differences are increasingly becoming an issue owing to different cultures coming into contact all over the world. While this happens, there are no

Divisional Performance Reporting - Evaluation And Ethics

Question : 1. Discuss the value of the annual performance report presented for the Bondi Division in evaluating the division and its management in terms of : (a) Accounting techniques employed in the measurement of divisional activities. (b) Manner of presentation. (c) Effectiveness with which it discloses differences and similarties between years. 2. Present specific recommendations for the management of Darwin Ltd that would improve its accounting and financial reporting system. 3. Suppose that Bondi Division's chief accountent, Jake Thompson , was approached on 28 December by the divisional general manager with the following request : Answer: 1. Value of Annual Performance Report (a) Accounting Techniques employed in measuring Divisional Activities In this particular context, the Economic Value Added or EVA can be considered as it is the effective method for analysing and measuring the performance of the divisional activities and managerial effectiveness. The reliability and effectiveness of this particular process is referred to the measurement of the financial performance displayed by the companies that are currently operating at a divisional basis. This particular process is suggested by many of the consultants. According to the literatures of management accounting and their performance in the different divisions, it is important to analyse and measure the financial performance of the individual divisions and their effectiveness. According to Emmanuel et al, (1995) and Keating (1997), there are different techniques of accounting are available in order to evaluate the economic performances of the divisions involved in the operating processes of the company. According to the instance of Darwin Ltd, by considering the evaluation of the performance report provided by the related case study of the company, it can be acknowledged that management accountant gave their focus on two areas and these areas can be considered for the measurement of the divisional performance of the company. The first of them is related to the improvement in the financial performance measurement and it is guided by the EVA. On the other hand, the second technique used by the management is related to the integration made to the financial and non-financial elements of the divisions operation. (b) Manner of Presentation According to the case study related to the company of Darwin Ltd, the financial performance report for the year ending 31st December has been published and the entire report is presented for its one of the two divisions, named as the Bondi Division. The department is classified and utilized by the company in order to process the smooth progress of manufacturing and assembling the raw material that can be used for the purpose of basic house components. Therefore, the entire report has been produced and presented to declare the different types of overhead cost involved in the manufacturing process and thus declaring the net income earned in that particular financial year by the division. The entire presentation of the different values and figures has been published by considering the comparative basis. The basic comparison is done on the basis of the financial performance of the same division in the previous financial year. Also, in the report, the percentages of net growth increases o r decreases have been displayed by conducting the comparison of performance. Also, on the basis of the different financial data extracted from the financial and non-financial activities of the Bondi Division, the particular representative values have been generated. Considering those values, the effective financial display of the major areas are being sorted out in the summarized portion. This particular method is the effective manner of presenting the divisional performance of the company at it helps the management and key decision makers to take the intended steps as necessary. (c) Effectiveness of disclosing Differences and Similarities The particular style that is applied in order to present the financial performance of the Bondi Division as specified earlier is done on the basis of the Comparative Statement for Financial Analysis. According to this case, the management accountants of the head office of Darwin Ltd prepare the financial performance report at the end of each financial time period. It declares the vital financial information about the company which is considered helpful and important for the managers of the company. In this case, if the financial performance is analysed by the way of making the comparison related to the last year performance of the division, it helps the management as well as the company to identify different types of issues and constraints. The comparative performance similarities and differences help the management and the head office to identify the measures that can be taken in order match the desired level of criteria and to achieve the company objectives. Therefore, the disclosing differences and similarities by the way of comparative analysis give the company the clearer picture and information that are not present in the different financial reports. 2. Recommendation on Improving the Accounting and Financial Reporting System The accounting systems and the financial reporting systems inside an organization are the major part that report and forecast the different types of vital information related to the company. Financial reporting system plays a vital role in determining the financial position of the company in the market. The financial reporting helps to provide a clear and precise idea about the condition of the market with the help of the balance sheet, income statement and cash flow statement of the company, the financial statement are produced on the basis of the information and activities carried out by the company for the given fiscal year. Therefore it is evident that the accounting and financial reporting system are improved which eventually help the company to determine and identify the loopholes which defer the company overall profit for the given fiscal year. In this portion, the management and the company of Darwin Ltd will be given with the recommendation to improve their overall accountin g system and enhance the process of financial reporting system. In case of accounting system, it is more than tracking the cash inflows and outflows of the business. The effectiveness of the accounting system stands as identifying and eliminating the ways at which money is wasting and losing by the organizational processes and thus improving the overall profitability of the firm. Therefore, making the additional and recommended changes in the computerized or manual accounting system will let the company to save more time and money and also improve the quality of the financial statements. First of all, improving the accounts receivables is a major part of the accounting system and it includes the streamlining of the collection efforts made. In this context, each and every department of Darwin Ltd should need to record all the invoices in the system at an appropriate basis, so that, the late payments or unpaid invoices can be alerted and the company can start the process of debt collection procedures. Another effective recommendation can be given by the way of changes made to the account payable. If the changes are made effectively, it will certainly allow the company to avail all the discounts as offered by the vendors. In this case, the departments or divisions of Darwin Ltd should need to enter the invoice numbers at an appropriate basis into the accounts payable system. The establishment and the arrangement of the system need to be done on such a way that can notify the divisional heads of the company before crossing the deadlines of the payments. This will help the company to save the irrelevant and unnecessary late fine or penalties due to the late payments and the Darwin Ltd can save more money by the process. In case of Bondi Department of Darwin Ltd, the effective inventory management system needs to be carried out as it will reduces the chances of facing the money lost due to the damages, spoilages and obsolescence of the raw material used for the manufacturing process. In this case, the inventory accounting programme must be prepared and set up by the company in order to track and record the raw materials brought to the firm and the assembled kits transferred to the Bronte Department. As there is the absence of the finished goods in the inventory, the First-in First-out method should be applied so that the damages or obsolescence can be eliminated. Another useful recommendation is to provide the staffs and employees the proper training which will help them to understand adapt to the changes done in the entire accounting systems. It will ensure that their responsibilities can be maintained at a constant basis, at the same time the implementation process cannot be hampered. The above practices in order to build the effective accounting system in Darwin Ltd also help the company to improve the financial reporting system. Additionally, the companys management should need to review the peer organizations financial statement for maintaining the best practices and also examine the different financial statement and divisional financial performance reports at a regular basis to serve towards the organizational objectives of the company. 3. The Ethical Obligations Ethics is considered as the code of behaviour that is governed by the combination of moral, personal. Social and legal standards of what are appropriate and what is right for the entire community of working together. The appropriateness of the behaviour is varied by the way of changing situations and different types of conditions. Based on the factor, there are some number of ethical guiding principles that should need to be agreed by the different organizations and work cultures. In every business including Darwin Ltd should have the presence of the proper ethics program that helps the owners, managers, agents and employee to work together for the common purpose of the organization. It will also support the organization to achieve goals by considering various dimensions. In this particular case, the Chief Accountant of the Bondi Division, Jake Thompson was approached in the last time period of the financial year by the divisional general manger to book the sale that is destined to be happened later the specific financial year. Though, this particular function will represent the better picture for the companys stability and financial performance, but still it is considered as the unethical practice for the organization. Displaying the information that is relatively happened later the financial year is not the part of the process of that former operating year. Therefore, certainly it will represent a false value of the company and thus this factor should be con sidered as the ethical obligation faced by Thompson. References Berry, L. (2011).Financial accounting demystified. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. D'Angela, D. (2008).A study of the market's reaction to superior sustainability reporting as demonstrated by the financial performance of publicly traded companies. Delahanty, L. (2005).Accounting trends techniques, employee benefit plans. New York, NY: American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Edwards, D. (2014).The Link Between Company Environmental and Financial Performance (Routledge Revivals). Hoboken: Taylor and Francis. Friedlob, G., Plewa, F. (2006).Financial and business statements. Hauppauge, NY: Barron's Educational Series. Goldman, S. (2008).Temptations in the office. Westport, Conn.: Praeger. Gregoriou, G., Finch, N. (2012).Best practices in management accounting. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Mintz, S., Morris, R. (2008).Ethical obligations and decision making in accounting. Boston: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Schmidt, A. (2011).Financial markets and trading. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley. Tarantino, A., Cernauskas, D. (2009).Risk management in finance. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley. Vataliya, K. (2009).Practical financial accounting. Jaipur: Paradise Publishers. Warren, C., Reeve, J., Fess, P. (2005).Financial managerial accounting. Mason, Ohio: Thomson/South-Western.

The Second Coming

SWOT, Porter and PESTEL analysis of HSBC Holdings Plc The WritePass Journal

SWOT, Porter and PESTEL analysis of HSBC Holdings Plc SWOT, Porter and PESTEL analysis of HSBC Holdings Plc IntroductionProfile of companyMacro-Environment AnalysisPOLITICAL ANALYSISECONOMIC ANALYSISSOCIAL ANALYSISTECHNOLOGICAL ANALYSISMicro-Environmental AnalysisThreat of substitutes:Bargaining power of suppliers:Rivalry among current competitors:SWOT AnalysisSTRENGTHS WEAKNESSESOPPORTUNITIESTHREATSCONCLUSIONREFERENCESRelated Introduction The most important intention of the report is to investigate the business environment of HSBC Holdings PLC. HSBC Holdings also is one of the market leaders in today’s banking world. HSBC head office it can be found at London’s Canary Wharf on the HSBC tower. HSBC stands for Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, which was established by a man from Scotland, named Thomas Sutherland, in 1865. The report presents information about the company’s activities, financial performance and market environment. Going through few major topics will provide investors with reasonable overview. The first part of the main body will primarily focus on the Company’s Profile and Activities, afterwards the analysis of macro-environment and the micro-environment of the company, evidence of an audit of key competences within the company followed with the recommendations and conclusion. Profile of company HSBC has got over 7.500 offices in 87 countries. It is very widespread and has around 220.000 shareholders in 124 countries and territories. HSBC provides a full range of financial services being Personal Financial Services, Commercial Banking, Corporate Investment Banking and Markets Private Banking. HSBC is mainly operating in Europe, Hong Kong, Asia-pacific region, Australia and America. HSBC is interested in the emerging markets of Asia-Pacific region and is continuously heavily investing in these regions. The major top UK competitors of HSBC are Barclays and Royal Bank of Scotland. Those are the corporations operation of which HSBC carefully investigates and tracks at all times. However HSBC is not a bank that follows the ideas and the management manners of its competitors. HSBC Holdings PLC has shown steady growth in share price over the last five years. This is a clear indicator that a company is worth investing in. HSBC Group also demonstrates constant growth and is a very reliable corporation. These enable us to recommend investing in HSBC because of its growth opportunities and bright profitable prospects. The HSBC banking corporation is on third position in the world in regard to assets ownership. Almost 22% of HSBC’s profits have been derived from Hong Kong, which is a well known operational centre. Known as the world’s local bank, HSBC has a history of helping millions of customers globally in order to achieve their financial aspirations. They understand the importance and functioning of different markets through their experience in international trade. As a result, HSBC has grown into a company or banking institution that has the deepest respect for different cultures and people connected to these cultures. Their motto is to look at their customers as individuals and strive towards providing them with a personalised service and credit card products that will fit each of their specific needs. Simultaneously, HSBC Group has been trying to build up a good reputation in the US and conquer the markets of HSBC – North America, proudly stands one of the top 10 financial services companies in the United States. Its combined team reached more than 53,000 employees works with the common goal of meeting the needs for about 100 million customers. After achieving the goals in US, the company focused on developing countries and is more interested in the emerging markets of Asia-Pacific region and is continuously heavily investing in these regions. Furthermore HSBC is considering moving its head office from London to Hong Kong. Britains greatest bank, warned key shareholders that this was unsatisfying full-year results have made arguments for shifting HSBCs domicile to Hong Kong unsatisfying†. The investors have been shocked by the swift gear-change in HSBCs review of its domicile but some others have already told the HSBC that they would sponsor the move. Some other investors said that they understood the move and that the bank had been a change of tone as HSBC reviews its domicile. UKs capital terms for the main banks, now is one of the greatest in the world and according to the Basel terms, is expected to go even higher. Although HSBC refine to the investors that if the terms in Hong Kong is more relaxed requirements, that can cost less and develop more profit by making it the best use of its balance sheet. The loss of HSBCs head office in London, despite the fact that abused for months because of the raise in financia l arrangements, would be a severe blow to the Coalition which, admitting some of its banker criticism is relying on a private-sector-led recovery. However, HSBC supported that it elects to stay in UK and told that an approaching change in its position was entirely hypothetical. Macro-Environment Analysis PEST ANALYSIS    POLITICAL    Government is responsible for protecting the public interest. Political stability affects business decision. Consumer protection. Regulations of business activities. ECONOMIC    Competitor activity. Competition for resources. Savings. Unemployment numbers. SOCIAL Work life balance. Trends in consumer behaviours. Leisure. Lifestyle. TECHNOLOGY Technological arrange is speeding up. Technology develops now products (internet). Improved communication. Internet business. POLITICAL ANALYSIS HSBC banking has been sheltered by the regulations and policies made by different governments  Ã‚   in the countries where they are working. The company has been able to remain to the policies agreed by each government to make sure that the company will be able to accomplish business operation successfully and effectively. HSBC Company also formulates their own defence strategies besides any governmental restrictions and limitations. ECONOMIC ANALYSIS Being one of the world’s leading and completive businesses in conditions of banking and finance HSBC said to have a secure and successful economic strength. In spite of lots of dangers that they meet in many parts of the world, the management of HSBC make what they need to be able to go beyond such struggles and to have a better economic condition and create a shield against unemployment. SOCIAL ANALYSIS HSBC is being affected by the circumstances of the society in which they are in use. By the side of this HSBC tries harder to make sure that each society is given the same chances to take the benefit of the resources given by the organization. The company adhere to having good name and relations in the society that belong to secure that everything will be customary and under control. TECHNOLOGICAL ANALYSIS The urgent situation of information technology, internet and generally the improvement of technology effects how HSBC has been working in the past years. The company search for different systems and used internet to get to their costumer all over the world and also help them know the latest trends in the global business. Except from these, the company also uses special facilities which help then to advance their productions and operations and also make them to achieve their goal. Technological breakthroughs can create new industries which might prove a danger to presented organizations. To summarise PEST analysis looks at the business strategies to understand the environment that the company is working and also to take the advantages and benefits to minimize the threats and the dangers for the business. Micro-Environmental Analysis Porter’s Five Forces Potential entrants HSBC has many threats from Tesco, Sainsbury’s and a large number of other markets consider to enter into banking industry as a result of high profits that the specific kind of industry offers. Large super-markets in UK seek to enter without considering that those threats sometimes breakdown organisations such as HSBC. Although, HSBC received several threats from the market, they were still able to create high standards for the competition. Strong branding images are used from HSBC, so the company will not result in loss of customers. Bargaining power of customers An organisation created a value which has affected the occupation from one of the two important forces customers’ power. The role of this force contains the customers concentration along with the size. In other words, HSBC managed their customers as a result of allowing the company to gain customer loyalty. The strategy that was used by HSBC allows them to have a chance becoming a world leader in banking industry. Threat of substitutes: Another significant threat that HSBC faces is that competitors provide new products and services. This threat gives the opportunity to the company to work hard as a result of being sustain to its position. HSBC’s strategy focuses on the four different customers’ sections. Bargaining power of suppliers: Customer power mirrors to supplier power. This force focus on two important points. The first one is the significant size and concentration of suppliers and the second one the differentiation in the materials being supplied. HSBC use the strategy of charging markets with different prices according to differences of the price of each buyer. Rivalry among current competitors: There have many rivals in the banking and financial sectors. HSBC used efficient strategies to ensure its leadership position in the market among rivalries. Moreover, due to the capabilities of other rival companies, HSBC develops strategic plans to confirm that they are permanently being the first choice of their customers in banking industries. Nowadays, as we cross the mountain of financial crisis, a number of banks went to liquidation SWOT Analysis STRENGTHS    International Finance. Record Profits. Listed in London. China. WEAKNESSES Poor Performance. Brand Name. OPPORTUNITIES Growth on emerging economies. Biggest Bank in Middle East. Low mortgages interest rates. THREATS Moving back to China. New Regulations. Fewer Revenues from the integration of financial markets. STRENGTHS International Finance Since HSBC is a global company  itself  is well qualified  to advise other companies on aspects of international business. With offices  around the world, for the international client HSBC  often cannot be defeated in this area. HSBC knows how to succeed in Mergers and Acquisitions (M  Ã‚  E) and  the  organic  and the effective development. Record Profits Last year, HSBC experienced the most profits ever for a UK high street bank. HSBC have revealed their profits more than doubled in 2010 to  £10 billion with every region in the black for the first time since 2006. Listed in London HSBC is listed primarily in London and Hong Kong stock exchanges, which saves the company a lot of grief in complying with new U.S. legislation Sarbanes-Oxley law. Many companies have chosen to list on foreign stock exchanges, except America, because of expensive new regulations. China HSBC has 140 years of experience in China. Since China is the place to be today for companies and banks, HSBC benefits for being so old Chinese company and accepted by the Chinese people. The best news for HSBC is that, like other companies grow in China, it does too. The reason this happens is that it wins new customers and new global opportunities with each passing day. The HSBC has the largest network of any foreign bank in China and deeply understands the Chinese market and the customer. In a world that is increasingly going the way of China, this is quite a boon to HSBC. WEAKNESSES Poor Performance There is a poor  performance in the section of  personal finance services. HSBC try to fix these problem years ago. But the problem is there every year. Brand Name While it is certainly a global company, HSBC came late in the game to decide to execute a comprehensive marketing strategy and take advantage of the global brand. Because he had created so many different banks in different countries at different times over a period of one hundred years, which set them up with different names Hong Kong Bank of Canada, the British Bank of the Middle East, etc. Not even all of these banks prior to 1998, bore the logo of HSBC. In 1998, they were all branded together, but the previous lack of branding and name changes can damage the HSBC brand recognition. Customers may have thought that HSBC was responsible local bank and did not realize that HSBC had already serving for decades. OPPORTUNITIES Growth on emerging economies Apart from the growing Chinese middle class Brazilians and Indians have begun to appear as consumer culture, and thus increases wasteful consumers. Some residents of those countries in the past does not even own a bank account, but companies such as HSBC is ready to move in and benefit from the growing middle class in these areas. In places like Argentina and Turkey, HSBC experienced pre-tax profits by 50% in the past years. This is where it grows more. Biggest Bank in the Middle East The other banks are removed from the Middle East. However, HSBC has been running regional activities at the local level and have been rewarded for his efforts with numerous awards and honours for the Middle East market. HSBC is a trusted name there, and the company benefited from new democracy in Iraq by establishing a presence in the country. HSBC is the largest international bank in the Middle East. Low Mortgages Interest Rates The low mortgage interest rate increases the revenues and market’s shares. HSBC has made some records on this. THREATS Moving Back to China The banking colossal HSBC has been most explicit threat yet that it might move its headquarters from London because of the narrowing regulatory noose. New Regulations The investors of HSBC have been warned that future profitability will be affected by the new global policies designed to make the sector of financial more secure, but smoothed the blow with the promise of increasing dividends. CONCLUSION To conclude we would like to state that HSBC Group is in constant search of further development and its key data of latest year’s financial performance proved that they are succeeding in their aims, as the company is showing increase in almost all aspects of its business. It has shown steady growth in total profits in all most important regions of operation. It has also achieved large earnings per share increase over the last five years. The company has recently made a successful growth in the Middle-East region and expects continuous growth in profits from that region. In Asia all business segments exceeded and also contributed to overall function of the HSBC Group. From our point of view, in a company that has reached such huge size and success, there is not much that can be improved, considering their financial performance. It is worth mentioning, that HSBC Group should give more attention to the rapidly developing internet banking system. The information presented in this report is enough to make the final decision and as far as we are concerned it is good and reliable company to invest in. Immediate huge profits should not be expected, but it is a perfect long-term investment. HSBC Group has around 220.000 shareholders in over 124 countries and this only adds to its reputation and proves its trustworthiness. REFERENCES HSBC (2011) ‘About HSBC’, HSBC website, hsbc.com/1/2/about [10/03/11] BBC (2011) ‘News Business’, BBC website, bbc.co.uk/news/business-12658880 [12/03/11] Thomson Reuters (2011) ‘UPDATE 1-HSBC considering move to Hong Kong report’, Thomson Reuters website, reuters.com/article/2011/03/06/hsbc-move-idUSLDE7250F820110306 [13/03/11] Louise Armitstead (2011), ‘HSBC reveals plans to quit London for Hong Kong’, Telegraph website, telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/banksandfinance/8363584/HSBC-reveals-plans-to-quit-London-for-Hong-Kong.html [13/03/11] Hoovers (2011), ‘HSBC Holdings Plc‘, Hoovers website, hoovers.com/globaluk/sample/co/competitors.xhtml?ID=ffffcrksftxxchrftc [18/03/11] HSBC (2011), ‘Newsroom’, HSBC website, hsbc.com/1/2/newsroom/news [17/03/11] HSBC (2011), ‘Group Members’, HSBC website, hsbc.com/1/2/about/group-members [18/03/11] Thomson Reuters (2011), ‘HSBC Holdings PLC (HBC) Company Profile’, Thomson Reuters website, reuters.com/finance/stocks/companyProfile?rpc=66symbol=HBC [19/03/11] Alex Morales (2011), ‘News’, Bloomberg website,   bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-27/hsbc-set-to-announce-20-billion-pre-tax-profit-times-reports.html [20/03/11]

Marketing of Service- R Cubed Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Marketing of Service- R Cubed Case Study - Essay Example Through internal marketing R Cubed has made promises with its service providers and encouraged them to offer best services to the clients. Human resource strategies provide the best way to the company to show concerns of the company towards employees. Theoretical human resource strategies which increase service quality by people include hiring the right people, developing the people, providing people needed support systems and retaining the best people. The underline belief based on which recruitment strategy of R Cubed was defined was to recruit people who knew what they were doing and had experience to achieve personal and company goals. Senior consultants from the market were hired and to reduce authoritative culture no ‘junior’ positions were defined. Moreover, the people who R Cubed hired to deal with the customers were not the researchers but they were the experienced managers who could better guide the customers by providing them excellent information. Various human resource strategies were introduced at R Cubed to keep the people motivated and to enhance their continuous development. The four months planning cycle was introduced in which all employees used to go off-site for review planning and discussion. Another aim of this strategy was to enhance employee participation and training them. R Cubed also conducted Ops meetings on weekly basis so that all employees could understand the operations of various departments Actually it was the belief of R Cubed’s owners that learning environment and organization structure allow individuals to flexibly set their own pace. Education budget for each employee from support staff to director level equivalent to 10 percent of their gross salary was set. At the same time to achieve company objectives, the education budget was given on â€Å"use it or lose it† basis. Moreover, with the exception of sales staff,

HCM387-0802A-01 Management Principles in Health Care - Phase 1 Essay

HCM387-0802A-01 Management Principles in Health Care - Phase 1 Discussion Board - Essay Example t a diverse group of people fosters an environment conducive to creativity, productivity and high performance that affords each individual the opportunity to reach their fullest potential. Proper facilitation and administration provides leverage to the diversity of a healthcare organizations as a competitive advantage in the global aspect that they face and to make the country a better place to live and prosper for immigrants such as the Irish. Healthcare organizations want to promote the development of growth and diversity by strengthening our existing relationships and building new collaborative relationships between the existing immigrant workforce and the diverse community that they serve. These relationships between immigrants and nationals will position their country as a country of choice as they continuously expand their business and industries and foster an environment where the indifferences of the people are appreciated and utilized to the advantage of the nation as a whole. Valuing diversity is implicit in some healthcare organizations’ reputation as an advocate of democracy to the extent that they live up to this advocacy and treat each individual fairly, progressively, responsively, and respectfully. Americans help their nation become the country of choice. There are so many dimensions to diversity, both visible and invisible, that makes some companies fundamentally unique, and yet alike, and the employees are different in age, education, ethnicity, family status, gender, gender identity, physical abilities, religion, sexual orientation or veteran status. These are just few examples of the dimensions that Americans differ. Just as many threads create a fabric, many dimensions create diversity. The fabric of diversity in healthcare organizations has many threads- many dimensions. At the same time, they carry within themselves certain cultural or artistic traditions, experiences, family customs and life lessons that contribute to who they are,

Comparison of Cognitive Development Theories

Comparison of Cognitive Development Theories Cognitive development is defined as the areas of neuroscience and psychology studies, concentrating on adolescent development with special focusing on information processing, language learning, conceptual resources, perceptual skill, and brain development. Jean Piaget and Lev Semyonovich Vygotsky were two pioneers in the field of cognitive development. With this essay I will compare and contrast each theorists views on the nature or development of intelligence. I shall also compare their views on the stages of development from birth through adolescence. And finally I will incorporate possible classroom applications of each theorists views. Similarities in Cognitive Development Piaget believed that all children are born with a tendency to interact with and make sense of their environment and that they need little instructor intervention. He referred to the basic ways of organizing and processing information as cognitive structures. He defined the mental patterns that guide behavior as schemes, and he theorized that we use schemes to find out about and interact with the world around us. Piagets theory consisted of steps in the development of new schemes of cognitive development referred to as adaptation of adjusting schemes in response to a new object being introduced in our environment. The first step in adaptation if called assimilation, or trying to understand the new object or event in our environment from known scheme, and if the new object does not fit into an existing scheme, the individual will move into accommodation where they modify an existing scheme to fit the new situation. Finally the person will reach an understanding of the new object, this process of restoring a balance between current schemes and the integration of the new schemes is known as equilibration. Piaget theory of intellectual development is a constructivism view, where individuals build systems of understanding through their experiences and interaction with in their environment, suggesting that development came before learning, that specific cognitive structures need to be developed before certain types of learning can take place. Like Piaget, Lev Vygotsky believed that cognitive development takes place in steps that are the same for all individuals. Vygotsky theorized the first step in intellectual development is learning that action and sounds have meaning. Second, that step in cognitive development was practicing the new action or sound. And finally, using the actions and sounds to think and solve problems without the help of others, referred to by Vygotsky as self-regulation. Differences in Cognitive Development While Piaget believed that intellectual development was highly personal, and that individuals learned from experiences rather than the teaching of concepts and thought processes, Vygotsky believed that learning development was a social process directly linked to the teaching of information, and that learning proceeded development. Vygotsky theorized that language was the key to cognitive development, and learning was influenced by the culture of the individual. He believed that a child first incorporated the speech on others into their personal knowledge and practices it, known as private speech, and later they used this private speech in efforts to solve tasks. Vygotsky redefined this theory into what we now know as The Zone of Proximal Development. (ZDP) defines intellectual development as the ability to use thought to control our own actions, but first we must master cultural communication systems, and then use these to systems to regulate our thought processes. Children learning with in the (ZPD) work on tasks that they could not complete alone, but were able to finish with the help of and competent instructor. These teachable moments demonstrate Vygotsky theory that learning proceeded development, and that cooperative learning promotes advance learning. His theory defined language as a way to pass on cultural values and that teaching language was the medium needed to develop cognitive thought processes. Similarities of the Stages of Development Both Piaget and Vygotsky were stage theorist, meaning they both believe that development takes place in observable stages. Piagets theory was that development took place in four stages. -The first stage for Piagets theory was the sensorimotor stage (from birth age 2) where the child explores the world using their 5 senses and motor skills. Children are born with what is described as reflex motor skills, suck, grasp, ect. During early development, the child uses these skills to manipulate the world and develops schemes from these experiences in a progression toward goal-directed behavior nearing the end of this stage of development. -Piagets second stage is Preoperational stage (2yrs-7yrs) He believed that children in this stage of development wouldnt have mastered the ability of more complex mental operations; children do not have the ability to reason through their actions. They are considered egocentric, and assume others agree with their points of view. During this stage children lack conservation skills; they do not understand that the amount of something remains the same when the appearance has been rearranged. And they have not developed reversible thinking or taking a problem back to its starting point. -Developmental stage three is the Concrete Operational Stage (7-11) In this stage the child is beginning to achieve comprehension of abstract concepts. The child is starting to understand conservation, perspective and reverse thinking. The child is capable of systematic ordering and able to group objects accordingly. The child is starting to multitask in their thought processes. -And Finally, The Formal Operational stage Age (11 to early-adult) By this stage the person has accomplished abstract think processes. They have developed hypothetical and deductive reasoning. They have the ability to imagine situations and reason best solution principles. They are now capable of meta-cognition or able to think about thinking. Vygotskys stage theory of development was known as Scaffolding. In Scaffolding, First a mentor starts with providing the child with a high level of support, such as one-on-one instruction, allowing the child time to develop an understanding of the concepts being presented. Next the mentor starts to scale back the support allowing the child to take on more of the responsibility of the task. And finally, when the child understands the objective of the task the mentor steps aside allowing the child to perform the task on their own, demonstrating the comprehension of the knowledge set gained. Differences in Stages of Development Piagets theory of the stages of development, focus on development is necessary before learning can take place, and that interaction with ones environment is more important to development than mentored instruction. This view is very age oriented and ridged in its outline and expatiations of child development. Where Vygotsky views learning as the processor to development. That language, culture and mentoring are all important aspects of the learning process that will help the individual develop successfully. Similarities in Classroom Application Piagets and Vygotsky theories have similar applications for the classroom setting; first Piaget wants the instructor must focus on the process of child thinking trying to understand how the child can up with the answer, and not just the product or solution to the problem, deemphasize practices aimed at making children make adult like decisions, and have the instructor acknowledge the differences in individual developmental progress. Vygotskys theory in a similar fashion, places emphasis on the childs thinking process, with the instructor understanding the childrens individual developmental progress. As a teacher I can use these theories to develop class room techniques that focus on the students as individuals, and Ill try to understand their level of development so that I do not force the student to meet standards that are not reasonable given their state of understanding and cognitive development. Differences In classroom Application Piagets theory wants the instructor to encourage the students into self-initiation and active learning activities which take the emphasis off structured knowledge and encourages the student to explore and build on current levels on cognitive knowledge. This differs from Vygotsky theory, which advises the teacher to provide planned activities, and encourage students to participate in planned group activities, which encourage them to learn in structure environments which encourage high levels of mentored instruction. With an option of the two theories, I think Ill stick to a more Vygotsky form of lesson planning. I believe that students can do well with hand on actives, yet I believe that if the Instructor does not provide the student with structure the students do not develop at a rate that allow them to control themselves in a classroom setting, and that structure gives the student guidance and sets expectations for the students, that give the students goals to strive for.