Importance of ISO 9000

Importance of ISO 9000 Importance of ISO 9000. INTRODUCTION In this term paper we discussed about ISO 9000 and its importance. `ISO 9000 is usually used to refer to a set of intimately related standards. One standard is a roadmap for the others. These standards cover quality design, quality management, and quality assurance for different kinds of companies depending on the extent to which they design as well as manufacture products. ISO 9000 is important in the first instance because it gives organizations some guidance on how to manage for quality. Secondly, mechanisms exist by which an organization can be certified for conforming to ISO 9000 specifications. With this certification in hand, an organization can better sell its product or service to its customer. It can say that the product or service is the result of a process that continually tested for quality. The government of the European Union has mandated that some products will not be imported into Europe unless the exporting organization can demonstrate compliance to ISO 9000. What Is ISO 9000? ISO 9000 began in 1979 when the British Standards Institute Technical Committee 176 began the creation of a standard for generic quality principles for manufacturing. This led to the ISO 9000 standard that was finally issued in 1987. ISO 9000 is the most widely known, most widely adopted, and best selling standard of any that ISO has published. The language and apparent assumptions of ISO 9000 are targeted to the manufacturer. Nevertheless, ISO 9000 is being applied to quality systems of many organizations, whether they be manufacturing or not (Voehl et al, 1994). One theme of this column is that further ISO standards ought to be developed to support quality management. The term `ISO 9000 is usually used to refer to a set of intimately related standards. One standard is a roadmap for the others. These standards cover quality design, quality management, and quality assurance for different kinds of companies depending on the extent to which they design as well as manufacture products. Another one of the standards covers risks, costs and benefits, management responsibility, quality system principles, and other building blocks that help users customize quality standards to conform to real-life situations. In the rest of this column the term ISO 9000 will be used to refer to this set of quality-related standards. One way to model the coverage of ISO 9000 is to think of the organizations operating process, its quality records, and its quality control. The operating process creates the final product or service (see Figure 1). The quality records are maintained relative to this process, and the control system corrects for divergences from quality. Quality control is supported by a procedure manual that provides guidance for the implementation of the quality system on a day-to-day basis. The control system must include a means for identifying, collecting, indexing, storing, retrieving, and maintaining quality records. The quality system must help people work to quality. This requires both that the documentation is relevant to the standard and that the behavior of people is relevant to the standard (Huyink and Westover, 1994). The rectangle in the middle shows the basic process of the company. The quality records that are indicated in the right must reflect each step of the basic process. The quality control is indicated on the left and applies to the quality records relative to the ongoing company process. What are the ISO 9000 Principles? 1. A Customer Focus As stated before, the customer is the primary focus of a business. By understanding and responding to the needs of customers, an organization can correctly targeting key demographics and therefore increase revenue by delivering the products and services that the customer is looking for. With knowledge of customer needs, resources can be allocated appropriately and efficiently. Most importantly, a businesss dedication will be recognized by the customer, creating customer loyalty. And customer loyalty is return business. 2. Good Leadership A team of good leaders will establish unity and direction quickly in a business environment. Their goal is to motivate everyone working on the project, and successful leaders will minimize miscommunication within and between departments. Their role is intimately intertwined with the next ISO 9000 principle. 3. Involvement of people The inclusion of everyone on a business team is critical to its success. Involvement of substance will lead to a personal investment in a project and in turn create motivated, committed workers. These people will tend towards innovation and creativity, and utilize their full abilities to complete a project. If people have a vested interest in performance, they will be eager to participate in the continual improvement that ISO 900 facilitates. 4. Process approach to quality management The best results are achieved when activities and resources are managed together. This process approach to quality management can lower costs through the effective use of resources, personnel, and time. If a process is controlled as a whole, management can focus on goals that are important to the big picture, and prioritize objectives to maximize effectiveness. 5. Management system approach Combining management groups may seem like a dangerous clash of titans, but if done correctly can result in an efficient and effective management system. If leaders are dedicated to the goals of an organization, they will aid each other to achieve improved productivity. Some results include integration and alignment of key processes. Additionally, interested parties will recognize the consistency, effectiveness, and efficiency that come with a management system. Both suppliers and customers will gain confidence in a businesss abilities. 6. Continual Improvement The importance of this principle is paramount, and should a permanent objective of every organization. Through increased performance, a company can increase profits and gain an advantage over competitors. If a whole business is dedicated to continual improvement, improvement activities will be aligned, leading to faster and more efficient development.Ready for improvement and change, businesses will have the flexibility to react quickly to new opportunities. 7. Factual approach to decision making Effective decisions are based on the analysis and interpretation of information and data. By making informed decisions, an organization will be more likely to make the right decision. As companies make this a habit, they will be able to demonstrate the effectiveness of past decisions. This will put confidence in current and future decisions. 8. Supplier relationships It is important to establish a mutually beneficial supplier relationship; such a relationship creates value for both parties. A supplier that recognizes a mutually beneficial relationship will be quick to react when a business needs to respond to customer needs or market changes. Through close contact and interaction with a supplier, both organizations will be able to optimize resources and costs. Why is ISO 9000 Important? ISO 9000 is important in the first instance because it gives organizations some guidance on how to manage for quality. Secondly, mechanisms exist by which an organization can be certified for conforming to ISO 9000 specifications. With this certification in hand, an organization can better sell its product or service to its customer. It can say that the product or service is the result of a process that continually tested for quality. The government of the European Union has mandated that some products will not be imported into Europe unless the exporting organization can demonstrate compliance to ISO 9000. Organizations, such as the military, which have traditionally implemented costly reviews of quality in their suppliers can instead require that their suppliers demonstrate conformance to ISO 9000. The International Organization of Standardization (ISO) does not itself test for conformance to ISO 9000. Conformance to ISO 9000 may, in general, be checked by * the organization which claims to follow the standard and wants certification (1st party certification), * the organization which is buying product or service from the company that claims ISO 9000 compliance (2nd party certification), or * an organization which specializes in such certification and is neither the 1st or 2nd party (3rd party certification). Rules exist for how such certification should be done, and organizations exist which certify other organizations as performing reliable ISO 9000 certifications. In the United Kingdom and Australia 3rd party audits of ISO 9000 compliance involves a system audit every three years and five mini-audits within each three year span. To receive certification a company must show that its documentation follows the quality standard and that its people follow the documentation. How does ISO 9000 work? ISO 9000 is set up as a collection of guidelines that help a company establish, maintain, and improve a quality management system. It is important to stress that ISO 9000 is not a rigid set of requirements, and that organizations have flexibility in how they implement their quality management system. This freedom allows the ISO 9000 standard to be used in a wide range of organizations, and in businesses large and small. One important aspect of ISO 9000 is its process-oriented approach. Instead of looking at a companys departments and individual processes, ISO 9000 requires that a company look at the big picture. How do processes interact? Can they be integrated with one another? What are the important aspects of products and services? Once this process-oriented approach is implemented, various audits can be done as a check of the effectiveness of your quality management system. There are three main types of audits 1st, 2nd, and 3rd party audits. An internal audit is a 1st party audit. ISO 9000 encourages (and requires) this type of audit so that an organization can get feedback quickly from those who know the company best. However, this audit process cannot be viewed as impartial. Therefore, 2nd party audits allow for a consumer to evaluate the performance on an organization. As an alternative to a 2nd party audit, many companies choose to become certified with ISO 9000 through a 3rd party audit. In this case, an independent certification body comes into an organization and evaluates it in terms of the ISO 9000 guidelines. If an organization meets the requirements of the standard, it becomes certified in ISO 9000 and carries a seal of quality recognized throughout the world. Developing Standards:-A standard is a specification that is recognized within an organization. A product or process can be measured against a specification to establish whether it meets the standard. The organization could be a group of 10 people, a small company of 100 people, an industry of 1 million, a country of millions, or a world of billions. The most important standards for any organization are those which it develops to coordinate itself.ISO 9000 provides a meta-standard. Each organization that wants to be recognized for the quality of its processes and products creates and maintains that standard internally. The way in which the international meta-standard was developed is similar in principle to the way that instances of it are developed within an organization. Universities typically work to the quality of standards created by groups of professors and certified by groups of professors. Universities have not been striving to be explicitly ISO 9000 compliant. However, their intent is at times comparable to that of organizations that demonstrate ISO 9000 compliance. How does the university develop internal standards? The university may create a task force with extensive representation of influential people. This task force proposes standards. After the task force completes its work, the normal apparatus of the university is invoked to ratify or amend the recommendations of the task force. Subsequent implementation of the ratified recommendations requires the support of existing and perhaps new groups within the organization. The development of the quality standard within the university parallels the development of ISO 9000 itself. A group of business and government people in England were concerned about quality management. They organized a group within the British Standards Institute (BSI) to develop a specification. Other groups within BSI then discussed and ultimately ratified the proposed specification. The BSI result already reflected the direction for a large country. The successful effort to persuade the world through ISO of the importance of this standard represented another level of the same kind of process that had already occurred through BSI. The implementation of the standard has been supported by numerous other organizations, such as the earlier described American Society for Quality Control. The trend in higher education can be used to illustrate ramifications of ISO 9000. New private organizations are entering into the higher education marketplace. These private organizations feel that they can compete where state-funded universities have typically held control because these new private organizations exploit to the maximum the information superhighway and quality management. One barrier to the success of these new universities is the traditional certification processes that are biased in favor of the existing universities. A university degree is certified by associations of professors from like-universities. If a new, private company wants to offer a radically new kind of curriculum, then will it get certification from its traditional competitors? Might these new universities instead seek ISO 9000 certification? In the health care industry standards have become increasingly important. The explosive growth of health care costs is being contained by setting standards for quality care that are monitored across extensive information networks. One part of this approach has been to define categories of illness and to fix reimbursements for managing patients in certain illness categories. The Committee for European Normalization has a very active health care information technology standardization groups within it. They are developing many standards for health care information including some which provide models for the quality management of the entire health care industry information infrastructure. Environmental protection has been a major political theme of the current quarter-century. The Rio Conference on the Environment held in 1992 helped stimulate the development of new standards that extend ISO 9000 into a particular concern for the environment. These new developments are leading towards the ISO 14000 standards which are expected to be issued in 1996 and which will prescribe requirements for environmental quality management. The ISO 14000 standards will include specifications for the implementation of environmental quality management systems, environmental audits, and environmental performance evaluations. ISO 14000 principles will be in many ways similar to ISO 9000 principles but with a different application. While ISO 9000 itself is being updated, new standards are also appearing that are closely related to ISO 9000. This column has argued that such standards are important and that we should lend support to the further development of such standards in important application areas. Importance of ISO 9000 There has been so much written about the benefits of having ISO-9000 registration, there isnt enough space on this website to repeat it all. We will attempt to list some of the basic benefits here. 1. ISO-9000 forces an organization to focus on how they do business. Each procedure and work instruction must be documented and thus, becomes the springboard for Continuous Improvement. 2. Documented processes are the basis for repetition and help eliminate variation within the process. As variation is eliminated, efficiency improves. As efficiency improves, the cost of quality is reduced. 3. With the development of solid Corrective and Preventative measures, permanent, company-wide solutions to quality problems are found. 4. Employee morale is increased as they are asked to take control of their processes and document their work processes. 5. Customer satisfaction, and more importantly customer loyalty, grows. As a company transforms from a reactive organization to a pro-active, preventative organization, it becomes a company people want to do business with. 6. Reduced problems resulting from increased employee participation, involvement, awareness and systematic employee training. 7. Better products and services result from Continuous Improvement processes. 8. Fosters the understanding that quality, in and of itself, is not limited to a quality department but is everyones responsibility. 9. Improved profit levels result as productivity improves and rework costs are reduced. 10. Improved communications both internally and externally which improves quality, efficiency, on time delivery and customer/supplier relations. Gauging the importance of ISO 9000 The International Standards Organizations (ISO) quality management standard, ISO 9000, is rapidly becoming the standard of choice for businesses throughout the world, and worldwide registration totals almost 100,000 companies. In the US, NASA and the Dept of Defense, as well as the three major automakers, have adopted it and in the UK, registration of companies using the standard has been quickly increasing. Meanwhile, US computer industry leaders are trying to implement a system of self-certification, arguing that many business benefits are to be obtained from so doing. Why is root cause analysis and systemic corrective action so important in management system standards, such as ISO 9001? When problem solving, it is important to find the cause of problem in order to develop a solution. Sometimes, the most obvious cause is not the right one. This is why ISO 9000 stresses the importance of finding the root cause(s) of a problem. There may be multiple, subtle reasons why a process isnt working correctly, and finding the actual causes will lead a company one step closer to a solution and implementation of corrective actions. The goal of finding root causes is to improve the way problems are managed. Becoming adept in recognizing the root causes of a problem will lead to a reduced impact, a containment of error, and the prevention of recurrence. Identifying and correcting root causes will also lead to the reduction of unnecessary efforts which in turn will lower the cost of maintaining quality. As more and more corrective actions are taken, processes will become more stable, and continual improvement will face less interruptions. How does ISO 9000 interact with other standards? ISO 9000 is the standard for a quality management system that closely resembles many other management systems. These other systems, based on health, safety, the environment, and business continuity, can be integrated into an overarching business management system. Benefits of this system include aligned interests, reduced costs, and improved efficiency. With one of these systems in place, it is easier to implement any of the others; many documents required for a different standard are already prepared, and personnel are already accustomed to the audit process. Using multiple standards will not only increase the efficiency of an organization, but increase the integrity of its operations. What does ISO 9000 mean to me and my company? ISO 9000 is a standard created to make the attainment of quality, consistent products easier by providing specific steps for development of an organizations quality management system. This quality management system is meant to monitor the progress of a product or service as it goes through each stage of production, from development to testing to assembly to customer feedback. One cornerstone of ISO 9000 is continual improvement. No company should ever be satisfied with the conditions of a process at the given moment; they should always be looking for ways to make these processes more efficient and effective. ISO 9000 was written with the business worlds insatiable desire for excellence in mind. This is why continual improvement is a requirement of the standard to inspire progress and the pursuit of perfection. ISO 9000 is an internationally recognized standard, and that may seem daunting for some smaller businesses. How are they going to implement the same standard adopted by multi-national corporations? Quite easily, actually. ISO 9000 is a flexible standard that lays down requirements for an organization to follow, but allows the organization to fulfill these requirements any way they choose. This increases ISO 9000s scope of effectiveness, allowing a wide range of companies to create quality management systems that match their needs. ISO 9000 is seen in every sector of the business world, and its success is a testament to its worth. With a focus on customer satisfaction, products and services improve and flourish under ISO 9000s quality management system. With a combination of continual improvement and corrective actions tenets of ISO 9000 a business will create processes that run smoothly and efficiently. CONCLUSION Finally the conclusion is that, ISO 9000 are not confined to the business sector alone, but benefit society as a whole, including customers, governments, trade officials, developing countries, consumers, and the environment. Standardization allows businesses the opportunity to compete in markets around the world. This enables more competition, which results in more choices for customers. Standards also help developing countries compete in international markets without investing scarce resources on research and development. Consumers benefit from products or services consistently manufactured to agreed-upon levels of safety and quality.

Principles of communication in adult and social care settings Essay

Ai Identify four different reasons why people communicate Making and developing relationships People communicate to make new relationships. The way I first speak and listen to a newcomer can make them feel welcome or overlooked. As I speak or comment, listen and watch, take an interest, smile and nod, whether to a service user, a member of their family, a colleague or a visiting practitioner I am building and developing my relationship with them. Communication will continue to be the main way I nurture and develop my relationships at work. Read more: Identify different reasons why we communicate  essay Giving and receiving information At work I will be expected to give and receive different types of information. Perhaps a service user confides in me, or a member of their family asks me a question. A colleague could give me instructions a visiting practitioner might make an observation. The information I give, receive and pass on will help me to carry out my work effectively. Expressing needs and feelings Expressing needs and feelings is part of being human and these are communicated through behaviour as well as speech. Most people need to share needs and feelings with each other and in this way build up a sense of trust with the person they confide in. Sharing thoughts and ideas Human process many of their thoughts by discussing them. If I have ideas, questions and opinions about my work, sharing them with colleagues helps to clarify, develop and even change the way I think and act. The way in which I respond to the thought processes of service users could encourage or discourage their sharing with me. Affirming one another Affirmation is about acknowledging and encouraging each other and reassuring individuals of their worth and value. Affirmation is communicated through positive words, praise and gestures. Some care settings use support groups, staff meetings and appraisals as ways of affirming practitioners about their work performance. Aii Describe two ways how communication can affect relationships in an adult social care setting between individuals using the service, their carers, colleagues and other practitioners. The ability to communicate well is a key skill that enables me to work effectively with others. Communication process is much about listening and receiving messages as it is about talking and giving messages. As a care worker I need to be skilled in both aspects. My communication skills will develop and become more effective as I gain experience in my work role, learning from observing more experienced colleagues. Learning from others, seeking for advice and using support are all part of this process. During my work with service users there will be specific situations where good communication skills are particularly necessary. Sharing information In a care setting it is vital that information is shared appropriately between workers to enable each member of team to carry out his or her role effectively. I will also need to share information with service users and their relatives. Sometimes the information might be of a sensitive nature, such as when breaking bad news or dealing with private information, and I will need to be especially sensitive. In the course of my work I will need to find out information, pass on information and listen information. Providing support Communication is the main way in which I continue to sustain relationships and build this up. As a health and social care worker I will need to offer support to service users and their families and this is enabled through both verbal and nonverbal communication. I will need to listen, as much as I  speak and the use of appropriate and non intrusive touch can add to sense of being supportive. Aiii Using the table below, identify three ways of finding out the communication and language needs of an individual. For each method, describe how effective it is at establishing the needs of the individual. Asking/Observing the Individual. Asking/Observing is probably the best way of establishing the individual’s communication and language needs as this would immediately allow me to establish their usual language, if they are visually or hearing impaired etc. Check the Care plan for the individuals communication needs. The Care plan can be a good source of information on the needs of the resident, but if documented incorrectly due to human error this method becomes ineffective. If the first two don’t provide me with the needed information I could ask resident’s family, friends, doctor or other professionals who have worked with the individual. This is another effective method, only to be used if the first two fail. Aiv Describe three factors to consider when promoting effective communication Proximity. Physical distance: the better you know a person the closer I am likely to be physically. Closeness can encourage sharing. Positioning chairs at an angle rather than side by side makes it physically easier to talk to another person. Sitting directly opposite is more formal and can feel confrontational. Sometimes a table between me helps a person feel protected. Yelling from one room to another doesn’t aid communication. Orientation. Body position: leaning forward can communicate that you are interested, but too close might invade â€Å"body space†. Turning away can show lack of interest , but standing directly opposite a person can be too direct, where being at  an angle can provide a helpful space. Posture. Behaviour: folded arms can look defensive and discourage communication. Friends and family without realising, often mirror the other person’s posture during conversation, which is thought to increase a sense of familiarity. Standing over a person who is seated might feel patronising or threatening. Av Describe three verbal and three non verbal communication methods and styles that a social care worker may use in an adult care setting. Communication is a complex process made up of many different elements to do with verbal and non verbal language. These are reflected in a range of communication styles and methods. Communication is also a two-way process that must take into consideration the reactions of others and respond appropriately. To be a skilled communicator and interpreter of communication I must pay close attention to my words and actions, as well as the words and actions of others. Verbal communication. It’s about the choice of words being spoken, but also the way the words are said. Vocabulary. Choosing words that are appropriate to the service user’s level of understanding is important. Perhaps English is not their first language, or they have communication difficulties associated with a physical condition. At the same time, I need to be aware of not being too simplistic and coming across as patronising. Tone of voice. Tone of voice concerns the emotional message being conveyed alongside the spoken words. When these don’t match, people can become aware of my emotions and will pick up whether I am irritated or anxious, for example. Pitch of voice. Pitch of voice concerns how low or high my voice sounds. Speaking in a low voice can be calming and soothing, but too low and I can sound boring. In contrast, a high pitch can sound shrill and be unpleasant to listen to. Non verbal communication Non-verbal communication is a form of communication that take place almost subconsciously, that is, without being aware of thinking. It provides clues about the meaning of spoken language. Body language. Body language relates to the way my body reflects my thoughts and feelings. This can add emphasis to my words, but if I don’t really mean what I am saying it can also reveal a truer and contradictory message beneath my words. For example, exclaiming, â€Å"how fascinating† might sound as though I am interested, but body language of tapping fingers, poor eye contact and stifled yawns betrays I am actually bored. Gestures. Gestures are signs made with the hands and arms to illustrate or emphasise my words or to stand in place of words. People often gesticulate during conversations without really thinking about it. I might see someone gesticulating while talking on the phone, even though the person receiving the call cannot see their gestures. Some gestures are understood across many different countries of the world, such as thumbs up, meaning â€Å"good news†, but not all the gesture are universal and instead of clarifying a message, could create a confusion. Eye contact. Eye contact is very important and sometimes it is difficult to know if a person is telling the truth unless I can look into their eyes. Holding someone gaze is a sign of intimacy, but to do so with a person I don’t know well can feel uncomfortable, even threatening. During most conversations it is normal for my gaze to flit to and from another’s face. When working with service users who have communication difficulties it can help to exaggerate elements of non-verbal communication to provide more clues about my spoken message. Avi Explain why it is important to respond to an individual’s reactions  during communication. The following qualities will help to respond appropriately to the communication of others. Awareness of how my communication is being received. Look for nonverbal cues that indicates the recipient’s interest and understanding and equally those that indicate misunderstanding or boredom. Sensitivity to tune into my recipient’s emotional responses to my words. Flexibility to change the way I am saying something in order to clarify my meaning and increase understanding. Communication techniques. Some communication techniques assist with the process of responding to the reactions of others. Echoing. Echoing is a technique where I repeat back what a person has said in a way that both checks my understanding of their words and also affirms the underlying feeling being expressed. For example, if a distressed resident of a care home tells me she thinks someone has stolen items from her room, I might say, â€Å"It must be upsetting for you to think someone has been interfering with your personal belongings.† Mirroring. Mirroring is a communication technique used to improve rapport with another person. In many cases it happens naturally, where one person reflects the other person’s physical positions and mannerisms, their tone of voice, word use and communication style. Asking questions. If I want a person to express their ideas and feelings I am best to ask open questions which invite broader responses. ‘How are you feeling today’ Is and example, where a service user is free to respond in a way they choose. If I ask a closed question the answer is usually reduced to one word, for example ‘Are you feeling better today?’ Invites a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’ Avii Explain how an individual’s background can influence the way they  communicate. Communication is all about sharing with one another and yet each person communicates slightly differently according to their different background and experience. The impact of differences. Diversity is something to be celebrated and enjoyed, but our differences can also lead to misunderstanding and different interpretations of the same communication Cultural background. Cultural differences refer to a variety of different influences, such as family background, peer group, religion, and ethnicity. These all play a part in shaping the way a person views the world and spin dot it. Cultural differences are revealed by particulars attitudes, values and practices, all of which have bearing on how a person communicates and understands the communication of others. For example, if an individual comes from a family where it is usual to make decisions through noisy and heated discussions, this person might find it difficult to accept an order without question. Individual personality. Although individuals share personality traits in common with others, the unique make-up of these and the way they operate together is individual to that person. One individual might be quiet and reserved, another enthusiastic and bubbly and this will affect the way each communicates and responds to communication. Levels of confidence. All communication requires a certain amount of confidence to speak up, make a statement, or share with others through spoken or written words. Sometimes a person has had their confidence undermined by a previous experience of communication, such as being misunderstood, or laughed at for mispronouncing a word, or perhaps an experience from childhood, such as failing their English exams. Confidence builds up over time but can be knocked down in seconds by a thoughtless or unkind response. Competence in communication skills Literacy skills refer to a person’s competence in reading, writing and speaking in a particular language. The service users I work with may be a different levels of competence in literacy and need to be communicated with a level they can cope with. Some adults struggle with literacy and may feel embarrassed by their difficulties. As well as literacy skills, some individuals will have better access to and be more competent using information and computer technology (ICT) than others. I should not assume that everyone I have dealings with at work has access to the internet and email, or mobile phones, or that they are competent in using such technology. Aviii Identify three examples of barriers to communication and explain how you could overcome each barrier. Barrier: sender speaks different language. Overcome: to have a translator or a dictionary Barrier: poor or incomplete information selection. Overcome: to give as many details possible Barrier: hearing difficulties, visual difficulties. Overcome: to seek for medical advice and find a way of communication Barrier: sender cannot express message clearly, I speech or writing. Overcome: to use body language and sign language Barrier: distraction. Overcome: to change the environment, to focus Aix Describe two strategies that you could use to clarify misunderstanding Communication is a complex process and Health and social care is a complex area, so it is inevitable that misunderstandings will arise from time to time. When a. Is understanding happens it is important to have a range if methods to clarify the situation and improve communication. Adapt my message: Sometimes the message needs to be said or written in a different way. Perhaps the tone need to change, or the message style. The language I have used might need to be simplified. Maybe a phone conversation has been unsatisfactory in some way, but a face to face meeting would help establish better communication. Change the environment: It might be necessary to make changes to the environment to enable better communication. For example, if I am conducting a meeting in an office where people are constantly coming in and out, or the phone keeps ringing, I will need to find a quieter place to speak. Ask for feedback: In most situations it is acceptable to stop the flow of conversation with the person I am speaking with to check that I have understood correctly what is being spoken about. Equally, I can check that the person I am communicating with can hear me or understand me. Ax A social care worker wants to enable more effective communication with individuals using the service. Explain how they could access extra support or service that they may be helpful. There is a range of support available to enable effective communication with the service users I work with and members of their family. Importantly, individuals need to be informed about these services and be able to access them. For example: – support available via local authorities and services, such as NHS and adult social services departments. Help is also available from national charities, such as ICAN, for speech and language needs and the national Autistic society for those with autism. – The Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) is another source for advice and assistance on advocacy, translation and interpretation. – in addition there may be projects operating in local areas and these are likely to be advertised at a local library or community centre, or in a health centre. Communication support tends to include these categories: – speech and language services – translation and interpreting services – language service professionals (LSP) – advocacy services. Task B case study You are a social worker and a service user, Hannah, tells you she is unhappy  taking her medication. She thinks she does not need it and so she is throwing it away. You know from her care plan that Hannah does not need to take the medication regularly and gets confused. Hannah begs you to keep this confidential and not to tell anyone especially her daughter, who she sees regularly, as her daughter will be very angry. Bi How would you explain the term ‘confidentiality to Hannah’ I would say to Hannah that confidentiality refers to the need to handle personal information in ways that are appropriate, safe and professional and meet legal requirements. And it is my duty of care to look after her and to inform the appropriate people about possible situations when she might be at risk. In this case, not taking medication could be a risk for her mental health and I need to report to my managers in first instance and to seek for medical advice or other professional advice if need it and to explain all this to Hannah. And also that might need to involve family if necessary or if it specified in Care plan. Bii Describe the possible tensions that may arise between telling others or Hannah’s decisions and keeping this information totally confidential. The relationship I built with service users and their families are central to my care role. If I share their personal information with others who have no need or right to know I risk breaking their trust in me. Hannah also needs to know thee are secure systems and procedures operating in the care stating to protect confidential information. Some information must be kept confidential for safety reasons. For example, some service users as categorised as vulnerable adults, such as a person with special needs whose wearer outs might need to be protected from a relative who abused them in some way in the past. Biii Describe ways to maintain confidentiality in day to day communication A great deal of information will pass around at my work placement through conversations, hand-over reports, letters, written reports and emails. Some  of it will be confidential and I need to know how to manage this appropriately in a care setting. If I am unsure whether information is confidential, ask a senior member of staff. Spoken information: Oral information can be transferred via face to face conversations, or over the phone. These might take place during meetings, or in less formal settings. If I need to discuss a confidential matter with a service user, family member, or with a colleague or visiting practitioner, I have to make sure I find somewhere private where I will not be interrupted or overheard. In care settings it is not generally the policy to discuss confidential matters over the telephone, unless I can verify the person is who they claim to be. Never leave confidential messages on an answering machine. Do not at any time be tempted to gossip about confidential work matters. Paper information: Personal records including notes, reports and letters concerning individual service and their families should be kept together in a file which is locked in a safe place. A lockable filing cabinet is inky safe if keys are not left lying around. Equally, rooms with keypads are not secure if the door has been propped open. To be aware of leaving documents around such as diaries, telephone messages and faxes if these contains confidential information. Many organisations have a policy that personal records must not be removed from their workplace, because could be lost, seen by others, damaged, or the information could be taken and used wrongly. Electronic information: These days great deal of information is stored and transferred electronically, via computer. Computer files should be protected using passwords which are only shared with authorised individuals. Care must be taken to close private documents after use, to prevent individuals who are passing from catching sight of the screen. To be vigilant when transporting information between computers via memory pens or discs. To make sure the memory pen doesn’t get lost and that the information doesn’t remain on the hard drive of the computer it was played on. Biv Explain when and how a social care worker should get advice about  confidentiality Anytime need it. We can always ask our superiors for advice, read policies and procedures and talk with appropriate bodies. When we are not sure about a situation or a person we should always double check first with our manager and to go to their files or documents and find out more information. We can always ask HR department as well.

Mary Prince Essay

1. To what extent does the autobiography of Mary Prince tell her own story?. The following essay shall asses to what extent Mary Prince’s story was published in her own words after being recorded down by Susanna Strickland and then edited by Thomas Pringle for publication. With the passing of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act by the British parliament in 1807, the attention of the campaigners against the slave trade switched to the issue of slavery itself. Although the trading in slaves itself had been banned , nothing had been done to free those already enslaved within the British Empire. In 1823 several religious groups, politicians and abolitionist supporters came together to form the Anti- Slavery Society who campaigned on behalf of those enslaved to the right of freedom. It wasn’t until august 1833 that the Slave Emancipation Act was finally passed, giving all slaves currently living in bondage within the British Empire their freedom after a set period of years. The 1833 Act did not actually come into force until the 1st of August 1834 and although the many enslaved people in the British West Indies were no longer legally slaves, they were still exploited, inhumanly treated and often forced to work for low wages and inadequate housing by former masters. The text ‘The History of Mary Prince, a West Indian slave. Related by herself. ’ was one of many slave narratives used by religious abolitionist 2. groups such as the Quakers to promote their campaign and rally public interest and support. It was also the first slave narrative by a black female from the British Caribbean. Mary Prince was a Bermudan woman that was born into slavery through her parents who where also slaves. She was sold away from her mother and siblings when she was 12 years of age. After many years in slavery with different masters and in various locations she finally arrived in England where she was technically classed as a free woman and left her then owners Mr and Mrs Woods after being threatened with being thrown out into the streets. With nowhere to go Mary took shelter with a couple from the Moravian church she had been attending and within a short period of time was introduced to Thomas Pringle an active abolitionist writer, a poet and the secretary of the Anti-Slavery Society within whose household she was then employed. A request was made to Pringle by Prince to have her story recorded so that ‘good people in England might hear from a slave what a slave had felt and suffered‘. Pringle agreed to this request and asked Susanna Strickland to recorded Princes narrative so that he may edit and publish it. Pringle makes it clear in the preface of the text that Mary requested this herself by stating ‘The idea of writing Mary Prince’s history was first suggested by herself. ’ he states this as he felt it important that the reader was absolutely clear that Prince was not in anyway coerced into telling her story, possibly knowing that he would receive heavy criticism from pro-slavery groups declaring he had taken advantage of Prince being in his 3. employment and in a venerable position and convinced her into helping him create a religious propaganda pamphlet serving only to guilt Christians into supporting his campaign. Throughout the text Prince continuously challenges the ideals of enslaved woman. Prince shows us that she was not as typically submissive as most people in England may have thought, and, that she has an assertive nature and a sense of agency giving us exact examples of the times she had confronted masters and stood up to them ‘I then took courage and said that I could stand the floggings no longer; that I was weary of my life’ it could be said these examples were put in to show Prince clearly has enough agency to put her in a position to ask for her story to be published by an employer . The problem is would a Slave after running away for several days and being brought home by her father to her master, dare speak to her master in this way. Prince even goes onto say ‘He did not flog me that day. ’ this seems highly unusual as most runaways were harshly punished by their masters as an example to other slaves, of the consequences, of running away. We could take into consideration the use of language as Prince states she was not flogged ‘that day’ perhaps meaning the punishment came later but in order to keep the momentum of the story moving along the memory was cut short upon editing. Something that is quiet unusual about Princes narrative is the lack of content of the issues surrounding sexual abuse. This is peculiar as sex abuse 4. of slaves seemed to be a distinctive feature of West Indian life for slaves in the 18th and 19th century. Sandra Paquet argues that ’social and religious prohibitions surrounding sexually explicit material in nineteenth century Britain and legal liabilities attached to the publication of such tracts placed further constraints on Mary Prince’s individual voice. Thomas Pringle being part of the Evangelical movement was fully aware that middle aged white Christian housewives would not want to read about sexual abuse as this would have been distasteful and black slave women already had a reputation for being sexually promiscuous so this would have discredited Prince as a witness. That said, Mary carefully gives details of incidents that have a rather sexual overtone, speaking of her old master Mr D_ she says; He had an ugly fashion of stripping himself quiet naked and ordering me to then wash him in a tub of water. This was worse to me than all the licks. Sometimes when he called me to wash him I would not come, my eyes were full of shame. But it does not end there, prince goes on to inform the reader ‘for he was a very indecent man -very spiteful, and too indecent; with no shame for his servants, no shame for his own flesh. , here Prince has managed to keep this part of her story in the text by either knowing to tread carefully or by Pringle helping to prune it. Whilst Prince does not state that she has been sexually abused she hints an alludes to the idea that there was something very sexual in nature about the relationship between Mr D_ and the slaves he 5. owned. The preface of the text written by Thomas Pringle testifies to the truthfulness and authenticity of the narrative by saying ‘The narrative was taken down from Mary’s own lips’ also he states ‘ No fact of importance has been omitted, and not a single circumstance or sentiment has been added. this is a rather bold statement when put into the context that the narrative is being told by someone heavily reliant on memory. Sometimes things are remembered differently in hindsight. It is clear from the evidence of scars on Princes body (something Strickland claims to have seen with her own eyes) that she has been through a somewhat traumatic experience of slavery, so we have to question how that may have affected her memory and how much did Pringle fill in the blanks with his own input. An example is Princes memory of being sold off at the slave auction by her mother ‘I was then put up for sale. The bidding commenced at a few pounds, and gradually rose to fifty-seven,’ how can a girl of 12 years old, amongst the chaos of a thriving slave market, with the grief of being ripped apart from her mother and siblings heavy on her heart and after 30+ years of traumatising abuse, whilst being held in bondage, in all honesty remember the exact amount she was sold for. For it may seem a small detail but it does lead the reader to question the authenticity of the small details within Princes narrative. It could have been added later by Pringle to help the narrative read more flowingly as a story to help keep the reader interested. Pringle being a writer himself knew that 6. people were not interested in reading patchy stories that lacked sentiment and that are hard to follow ,so, he had to make it appealing to his audience. Drawing to conclusion the evidence that has been examined shows that the narrative does include Princes own voice, even though there is at times evidence to suggest that it could have been heavily edited and pruned. Despite this, between Prince’s voice and Pringles clever editorial skills the goal for Mary to tell her story and make it public knowledge in order to gain freedom for all slaves was a successful one. So damning and full of sentiment was her narrative that it helped push forward the Slave Emancipation Act, which in turn earned thousands of enslaved people their freedom and changed the shape of industry forever. The fact that that Mary Princes story is still studied, analysed and used as an example by writers, teachers and students alike adds testament to the authenticity of her voice and the fact that her narrative reflects the self made herione that she was.

Financial Performance Analysis - 1727 Words

REVIEW OF LITERATURE Financial statement analysis is the process of examining relationships among financial statement elements and making comparisons with relevant information. It is a tool in decision-making processes related to stocks, bonds, and other financial instruments. Analysis of financial statements provides valuable information for managerial decision. Financial analysis is commonly called analysis and interpretation offinancial statement. Analysis of financial statements means establishing relationship between the items in financial statements for determining the financial strength and weakness of business. It is the process of scanning of the financial statements to judge profitability solvency, stability,†¦show more content†¦Other factors should also be considered such as a companys products, management, competitors, and vision for the future. (Fieldsend, Longford and McLeay, 1987). Following are the cautions while doing financial analysis. First, a single rat io does not generally provide sufficient information from which to judge the overall performance and status of the firm. Only when a group of ratios is used can reasonable judgments be made. If an analysis is concerned only with certain specific aspects of a firm’s financial position, one or two ratios may be sufficient. Second, It is preferable to use audited financial statements for ratio analysis. If the statements have not been audited, there may be no reason to believe that the data contained in them reflect the firm’s true financial condition. Third, the financial data being compared should have been developed in the same way. The use of differing accounting treatments, especially relative to inventory and depreciation can distort the results. (Whitis and Keith, 1993). Time-series analysis is applied when a financial analysts evaluates performance over time. Comparison of current to past performance, using ratio analysis, allows the firm to determine whether it is progressing as planned. Using multiyear comparisons can see developing trends, and knowledge of these trends should assist the firm in planning future operations. As in cross-sectional analysis, anyShow MoreRelatedAnalysis of a Financial Performance of an Organization6927 Words   |  28 PagesAnalysis of a Financial Performance of an Organization | | Table of Contents Executive Summary....................................................................................................4 Introduction................................................................................................................5 Company Background...............................................................................................5 Financial Report Analysis....................Read MoreFinancial Analysis of Sainsburys Performance2960 Words   |  12 Pagescompetitor. Share Analysis Sainsbury Annual report from 2010 shows that authorized share capital remained the same as the previous year. However the figures also show that there was an increase in the amount of issued ordinary shares between March 2009 and March 2010, which also occurred between March 2008 and March 2009. This illustrates that the company used shares to create more capital. Although the authorized share capital has remained the same for the two financial periods, as of 2010 SainsburyRead MoreFinancial Performance Analysis of McCormick (U.S) and1000 Words   |  4 Pages Financial Performance Analysis of McCormick (U.S) and Kerry Group (Ireland) Individual Assignment Executive summary This assignment outlines the financial performance of two companies McCormick (U.S) and Kerry Group (Ireland).To analyse I took recent financial statements of both the companies (2010-2013). The performance of the company is determined by finding the following answers to the questions. A. AreRead MoreAnalysis Of The Financial Performance Of Chester Inc. Essay930 Words   |  4 Pagesprepares the financial statements and financial analysis for Chester Inc. This report will detail several key items including the accounting effects of international expansion as it relates to differences between Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), the United States standards, and the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), the standards that would govern a portion of the financial reporting with an international expansion. This report will also review the financial performanceRead MoreFinancial Analysis For A Company s Performance1203 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"people perform financial analysis for different reasons, Supplier want to see if a customer can afford a price hike, Customers want to know if a company will still be around in a year to honor a warranty, Managers, creditors, investors, and the CEO’s all have their reasons for reading the stat ements, regardless of your interest in the company. Financial statement analysis involves using financial data to assess some aspect of a company’s performance† Horngren added †Although many analysis methods existRead MoreAnalysis Of The Financial Performance Of Chester Inc.1800 Words   |  8 Pagesthe financial statements and financial analysis for Chester Inc. This report will detail several key items including the accounting effects of international expansion as it relates to differences between Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), the United States standards, and the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), the standards that would govern a portion of the financial reporting with an international expansion. This report will also review the financial performance ofRead MoreGrameenphone Ltd. Financial Performance Analysis3504 Words   |  15 Pagesreport on the assigned organization, Grameenphone ltd. The report focuses on financial per formance evaluation of Grameenphone ltd and compares GP with the only other telecommunication company listed in the stock market, which is Bangladesh Submarine Cables Company ltd. (BSCCL). The report, titled Financial Performance Evaluation of Grameenphone Ltd has been prepared for the completion of the course Introduction to Financial Management. In writing this case, we have followed your instructions for reportRead MoreStudy on Financial Performance Analysis of Milma11997 Words   |  48 Pages EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Project entitled â€Å"A Project on Financial Performance Analysis at Milma ERCMPU Edappally† is conducted to analyze the financial performance of Milma. It helped in knowing the financial efficiency and weakness of the concern and also to draw inference about the present position of the company. Kerala – Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (KCMMF), popularly called Milma was established in April 1980 with its head office at Thiruvananthapuram for the successful implementation ofRead MoreA Study On Financial Performance Using Ratio Analysis Essay1163 Words   |  5 PagesA Study on Financial Performance Using Ratio Analysis of Hindalco Aluminium Company Ltd Pritesh C.Panchal Assist. Professor Smt. Jayaben B. Patel College of Commerce Studies and Research, Anand. Email: Priteshpanchal6017@gmail.com Mukesh B.Tagariya Assist. Professor Smt. Jayaben B. Patel College of Commerce Studies and Research, Anand. Email: mbtagariya@gmail.com ABSTRACT The present study of the research entitled â€Å"A STUDY ON FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE USING RATIO ANALYSIS OF HINDALCO ALUMINIUM COMPANYRead MoreAnalysis And Evaluation Of The Business And Financial Performance Of An Organization1365 Words   |  6 Pagesinformation pack from OBU and in that they offered wide variety of topics to choose from evaluation and analysis of organisation to critical review of key factors affecting organisation or brands. But topic no. 8 made most sense to me which is â€Å"Analysis and evaluation of the business and financial performance of an organisation over a three year period†. Reason is my incline towards handling financial data and number crunching. Personally I feel comfortable dealing with numbers, even during my studies