Organization behavoir Essay

Question No. 1 Does this case prove economic downturns and company layoffs fail to lead to workplace malfeasance? Why or why not? Answer: The case proves that economic downturns and company layoffs does not lead to workplace malfeasance. As the print media shows that violence has increased during recession. The Times of London reported that U.S. job losses were directly linked to 58 fatalities in eight incidents during one month in 2009. It was a single case and there may be other causes of this incident. Another example mentioned in the case is the survey from 400 employees asked in 2008 whether the recession has caused a recent rise in thefts of money among employees, 18 percent said yes, 41 percent said no and 41 percent were unsure. It shows a very little minority consider that theft is up. Question No. 2 Does the case prove we can learn nothing from the business press? Answer: No, the case does not prove that we can learn nothing from the business press. We can learn about the current issues from the business press but we have to analyze the situation carefully. We read different articles, but we do not confirm it either this information is accurate or not. This may be true but sometime not, we should focus on the source of this information which is most important thing. There would be many chance of manipulate the data to give some kind of favor to someone. We can learn so many things from the business press, it’s always valuable for us but we should need to focus on the source and ethnicity of data to spread it out to others. Question No. 3 Does this chapter provide any clues for how you can be an informed consumer of business news on OB issues? Answer Yes, this chapter gives a many type of clues first the systematic study, which means to make reasonably accurate predictions. When we talk about the systematic system, we mean looking at relationships, attempting to attribute cause and†¦

Hammurabi Reaction

Today’s laws are not as harsh as Hammurabi's. They are more civilized. For example, none of today’s laws include amputating other people’s body parts. Hammurabi thought it was necessary to amputate arms, breasts, digits, etc. I believe our laws are better, overall because they do not incorporate corporal punishment. I think Hammurabi’s Code of Law was an excellent deterrent against crime, and very few people would try to break the law. I think this is due to how harsh the laws were.There was zero tolerance. For example, the sixth law says, â€Å"If any one steal the property of a temple or of the court, he shall be put to death, and also the one who receives the stolen thing from him shall be put to death. † Also, because of the severity of some punishments (dismemberment, whippings, drowning, etc. ), I do not think people would want to test Hammurabi. I do not think Babylon was a safer society than the society that we currently live in.There should be no need for the extreme laws I learned about if people behaved. I also think that these laws would cause many deaths. I think many members of the Babylon civilization were killed, sometimes unnecessarily. â€Å"If any one ensnare another, putting a ban upon him, but he cannot prove it, then he that ensnared him shall be put to death. † This law would put people to death if they made a false accusation—in my opinion, this is too extreme and living under the Hammurabi laws would be like living under a dictatorship.

W3 DQs Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

W3 DQs - Assignment Example China has viewed Taiwan leaders as stubborn although this was not a difficult demand to fulfill, and had considered war on the region as a means of ending the crisis. Once war is accepted as the only solution with respect to this crisis, respect for the majority of citizens in both China and Taiwan are at risk and more so, laws on peace and human rights violations. Offensive trial missiles by both China and Taiwan are arguably among the key attempts to spur out war. This show of military and missile supremacy where each country does so close to the boarders of the other is considered provocative. It is obvious that there is a Despite the numerous suggestions of solutions to this problem, there is continued defiance from both parties. The disarmament law that was formulated after the First World War, which tries to discourage mass accumulation of arms and possibilities of occurrence of war, is at stake. Despite the efforts that the United States has put in to resolve the Taiwan status peacefully, there still exist the challenge posed by international events and political developments in Taipei and Beijing. Not only has these events and developments jeopardized US efforts, but also it has created fresh tension between the US and China as well as Taiwan and the mainland. With a strong economic bond, that joins Taiwan and the mainland, resolving the Taiwan status through war would be the last option for both parties. Romberg has reported increased economic interaction between mainland and Taiwan. Political development in Beijing is traced back in 1996, during the Chinese military exercises and missile tests (Miskel, 4). These tests proved to be unusually close to Taiwan. The tests also seemed to be a show of naval and air operations that China would presumably employ in an invasion of Taiwan. (Romberg, 5) On its part, Taipei is said to have made necessary preparation for possible attacks from the mainland.

Sustainability Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Sustainability - Essay Example Sustainability is the agenda of leading companies and it has gained recognition as a driver for strategic product as well as business innovation (Deloitte n.d, p.1). A business that considers the change as an opportunity and come up with innovative products as well as business models to thrive in a sustainable way have high likelihood of reaping advantage, be relevant to consumers, capture market share and operate efficiently in a quick transforming world. Firms face increased expectations from investors and consumers regarding their way of operations; therefore, companies are keen to be considered as accountable corporate citizens. It is expected in the future that consumers will place strong emphasis on convenience, price and quality in making decisions regarding their shopping. In the increasingly transparent world with high number of consumers digitally empowered since information on brands and products is regularly found on and discussed in blogs, forums and in social media site s. Companies that never respond to the development increase their likelihood of being in the spotlight for the wrong reasons since brands and businesses have little control over the internet (Berns et al 2009, pp.20-26). Business proactivity, involvement and the changing consumer attitudes to sustainability increase demand for products and services responsibly produced. Therefore, the organization has to respond to the changing patterns this can be achieved through integrating sustainability within the company’s supply chain and development products that enable consumers to buy ethically. Companies neglecting to embrace the changes face the risk of their products being less relevant to the sentiment of consumers and expensive. Social media platforms like twitter and facebook ensure corporate transparency; therefore, companies have increased pressure to meet the sophisticated corporate transparency and accountability standards. In the current’s information society, corp orate offences can no longer be ignored and bad behaviour has permanent reputational as well as financial repercussions for corporations. Young people are increasingly aware of the impact they have through their buying choices thus, they buy from companies that stand for more than profit (Deloitte n.d, pp.3). Sustainability has been one of the business’s urgent mandates thus stakeholder management perspective is essential since it requires managers to establish various groups or individuals with stakes in the firm as well as incorporating stakeholders concerns into the firm’s day-to-day operations and strategic plans. Sustainability mandate has attracted the attention of leaders in business since it is the goal of business ethics. With the challenge of globalization, considerable interest is directed toward development of ways for addressing the different impacts of companies in society (Crane, Dirk and Andrew 2007, p.254-263). Most of the impacts are far-reaching such as the environmental pollution resulting from transportation, production and use of products like refrigerators and cars. Whenever in society a corporation has to engage in the debate concerning its social role in order to ensure that it becomes a major contributor of sustainability instead of being a social and environmental predator that undermines the world. Therefore, the company has a huge opportunity of

The future of US military intervention Research Paper

The future of US military intervention - Research Paper Example Whereas the United States policy makers were quick to launch these interventions, the results of such moves have offered invaluable lessons regarding future military interventions. This research paper seeks to analyze the future of U.S. military interventions in regard to past interventions in countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan. The case in point is the Malian case where at least three terror organizations are suspected to be operational in this North American state. However, the United States has been cautious in its move to send its military to this nation. What are some of the probable reasons that have triggered such an attitude? Will United States consider intervention in future humanitarian crisis in Mali as even the extremist Islamic terrorist organizations continue propagating acts of terror on Malian citizens and neighboring states? These are some of the major question that this research paper seeks to analyze. Background The last decade has seen the United States milita ry engaged in two major wars- the Iraq war and the Afghanistan war. Thousands of army personnel each year are sent across the seas to eliminate illegal terror groups or regimes that threaten the national security of the U.S. and the world in general. It is worth noting that these interventions have been a matter of necessity rather than desire to exercise superiority complex. For instance, the U.S. intervention in Iraq was necessitated by the fact that the Iraq leader, Sadaam Hussein, propagated all sorts of human abuses against its citizens as well as threatened the U.S. homeland security. On the other hand, the choice for President Bush’s government to send military in Afghanistan was necessitated by the terrorist attacks in American soil in 2001. Al-Qaeda, which is a terrorist organization harbored in Afghanistan, claimed responsibility for the attack that killed approximately 3000 people and left a trail of massive destruction behind1. Nearly 12 years ever since the first troops made their way to Afghanistan in the wake of the September 11 attacks, American has been left counting its losses. Over seven thousand lives have been lost and approximately $3 trillion spent. U.S. policymakers are now faced with a far different strategic reality than it did before the commencement of the war. Currently, the U.S. economy is comparatively weaker and there is mounting pressure to cut down on the budget spent in the military. Also, the military forces have significantly been worn out following constant deployment of the forces. As a result, the idea of sending additional ground forces overseas appears almost unthinkable even in cases where the course pursued is significantly justifiable2. According to the recent polls conducted and released by Gallup and the Council on Foreign Relations, the United States domestic support for military action has hit its lowest mark ever since the years following the Vietnam War. As all this developments and considerations are t aking place, the reality on the ground is that unstable regions around the globe-North Africa, the Middle East, and Central America are in dire need for U.S. support in terms of expertise, technical aspect and advisory. In vein of the above developments, the biggest question that remains in the mind of many Americans is whether United States will be willing to carry out further military interventions in countries such as Mali. It is almost

Knowledge management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Knowledge management - Essay Example Most huge profit seeking companies and non-profit companies have dedicated their resources to efforts towards managing internal Knowledge as a business strategy. However, they usually seek consultancy services from companies specialized in providing knowledge management services. This companies focus on knowledge management and sharing as a business strategy in an effort towards achieving competitive advantage, high performance, continuous improvement, and innovation in the organization (Rollett 6). Knowledge management encompasses a number of perspectives such as techno centric, ecological, and organizational perspectives. Techno centric perspective focuses on technological practices that enhance creation and sharing of knowledge while organizational perspective focuses on organization structure that facilitates best knowledge processes. On the other hand, ecological perspectives focus on complex adaptive system through interaction of knowledge, people, and the environment with rega rds to the ecosystem. In general, terms, the core components of Knowledge management are the technological aspects, people, organization structure, and processes. Knowledge Management Dimensions Varying dimensions of Knowledge can be distinguished by different frameworks with regards to tacit and explicit knowledge. Explicit knowledge is the kind of knowledge that people hold in their minds consciously in a form where the individual can decide to communicate the knowledge to others. On the other hand, tacit knowledge is the knowledge that is internalized in an individual mind and the person holding the knowledge is not consciously aware about the application and sharing of the knowledge. Basically, the contextual perspective of knowledge refers to conditions where knowledge can be stored easily since it can be codified while on the other hand, knowledge aspects recognizes perspectives where knowledge sharing poses a difficulty and even an impossibility outside the particular site wh ere it was initially develop. However, there are possibilities of successfully converting tacit knowledge that is internalized into explicit knowledge that will enable easy sharing of the knowledge. The conversion processes needs to enable individuals to internalize the knowledge and come up with codified knowledge that is meaningful to third parties accessing the information. Conversion of tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge entails simplification of the complex knowledge and thus beats the logic of its complexity particularly in case of oversimplification. More to the tacit and explicit knowledge framework is the embedded verses embodied knowledge differentiation framework and new verses established knowledge framework. Embedded knowledge concerns knowledge embedded in an information system designed outside a human mind individual while embodied knowledge is kind of knowledge established in the human mind of an individual with learned capabilities in the endocrine and nervous system (Gottschalk 13). On the other hand, distinction framework exists between new knowledge exploratory creation and innovation verses the exploitation and transfer of knowledge that is already established in an

Economic Policy Recommendation Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Economic Policy Recommendation - Term Paper Example Frictional unemployment is regarded as the easiest type of employment. It takes workers to shift from one job to another since some workers lose their jobs before they have other jobs lined up. This period of unemployment lasts for a short period and is not problematic from an economist’s point of view. Cyclical unemployment is the type that occurs during periods of recession or depression and the rates lowers during periods of high economic growth. During recessions, the demand for goods and services in a given economy falls. Companies react by laying off some workers and cutting production instead of reducing wages and prices. Unemployment therefore results since there are more workers in the economy than the available jobs. Economists put focus on the root causes of the economic downturns that result in this problem (John 2010).Structural unemployment occurs when the labour market has more workers than the available jobs. This kind of unemployment also results when workers possess skills that are not in high demand in the market place, and lack those that are in demand. Structural unemployment is significant since it is long term as the employers’ requirements and workers’ skills don’t match. Seasonal unemployment is another type that occurs in fields where worker demands vary widely over the course of the year. It is regarded as less problematic compared to structural unemployment since it is short term.Unemployment does not only affect the unemployed person but the society in general. It forces people to live in a way they do not wish, bringing unhappiness, despair and anguish. Unemployment is related to mental health problems such as depression, low self esteem and feeling unworthy. Ill health may also result from malnutrition, drug addiction, poor prenatal care which occurs in cases of unemployment. Many studies link unemployment to family disruption. Tension increases at home due to the quarrels and argument which is reflecte d in the increase in divorces. Unemployment is associated with increase in crime and violence in the society (Hall, 2005). The unemployed people are faced with financial insecurity which results in poverty and indebtedness. Other social problems that results from unemployment include homelessness, ethnic antagonism and school dropouts. Unemployment worsens an individual’s situation since the longer a person is out of job, the more difficult it is to secure one. Employment gap is a negative aspect as no one is willing to employ a person who has been out of job for long. Long period of unemployment causes a potential worker to lose skills. The living standards of unemployed persons are low. Due to job competition, even the salaries of employed persons are reduced which lowers their living standards as well. Unemployment can result into political instability

Paper on international business Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Paper on international business - Assignment Example There are two main existing strategies that XYZ used and need to keep using to keep the business profitable. As we look at those strategies those they should not change and need to find a way to keep them in their operation plan: Price and shipment- By offering the cheaper price in their products and free shipment had help to attract their customers and get new ones through the word of mouth. XYZ will always succeed when the customers is looking for better products. Customer Service- Customer receives great customer service in the product that they buy and when they return product back to the company. The customers only have to deal with one company not other company that advertises the product in the web site. One of the important strategies to study is the feasibility study. Feasibility study is an important phase in the development process. It enables the developer to have an assessment of the product (like XYZ 's soaps, detergents, etc) being developed. It refers to the feasibility study of the product in terms of outcomes of the product, operational use and technical support required for implementing it. Feasibility study should be performed on the basis of various criteria and parameters. The various feasibility studies are (1) Economic Feasibility, (2) Operational Feasibility and (3) Technical Feasibility. It reEconomic Feasibility: It refers to the benefits or outcomes. We are deriving from the product as compared to the total cost we are spending for developing the product. If the benefits are more or less the same as the older system, then it is not feasible to develop the product. The development of the new product greatly enhances the accuracy of the system and cuts short the delay in the processing of the product. Operational Feasibility: It refers to the feasibility of the product to be operational. Some products may work very well at basic implementation but may fall in the real time environment. It includes the study of additional human resources required and their technical expertise. Technical Feasibility: It refers to whether the products available in the market fully support the present new one. It studies the pros and cons of using particular product for the development and it's feasibility. It also studies the additional training need to be given to the people to make the product work. FDI FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) is of great significance for production as well as consumption of goods. It is through trade that goods produced at particular places are equitably distributed among users. With the help of trade goods are made available to consumers at the time of their need. It removes the hindrance of persons by bringing together producers and consumers who are widely scattered. Advantages of FDI for XYZ are outlined below: It enables the company to concentrate on the production activities; otherwise they would have to go in search of consumers for goods they produce. Trade makes goods available to consumers who can concentrate on their own occupations. It results in specialization and large-scale production as the markets are now spread over wide territories. Sale of goods from one country and purchase of goods form other countries. It provides avenues of employment to various

Criminal law Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Criminal law - Assignment Example I believe that the wearing of the disguises added more intent to the crime. The use of violence also added necessitated the treatment of the crime as an adult offense. Section 8 of the Theft Act 1968 is primarily the law relevant to this case2. Robbery is considered an aggravated form of theft which involves force or the threat of force on a person. The robbery is further aggravated in this case by the wearing of disguises3. In general, the act of Alura includes the various elements of the crime of robbery, where an individual who steals, immediately before or at the time of stealing, uses force or threat of force, on any person, and uses such force or threat of force in order to steal4. The law is accurately portrayed in the article, as the elements of the crimes constituting robbery are presented in the article. What is downplayed however in the discussion is the age of the offender which is below the age of majority. In taking issue with discernment, the fact that the minor was ab le to plan out the crimes and having the foresight and skills to prepare disguises to conceal his identity indicates adequate discernment which should make him liable as an adult offender, therefore be treated and sentenced as such. 2. Graff Diamonds robber Aman Kassaye jailed for 23 years The issue discussed by the article refers to the crime of robbery, the sentence imposed by the courts, and the different aggravating elements which included the commission of the offense. The conspiracy to rob committed by the other conspirators to the crime was also indicated in the article5. I believe that the article covered the major elements pertinent to the robbery. As was discussed in the earlier article, the use of force or the threat or force or violence aggravates theft into robbery6. Moreover, impunity is added to the robbery with the use of disguises to the commission of the crime, hence the sentence of the offenders is in the higher ranges7. The cases of R v. Harding and R v. Eubank d emonstrate the increase in penalty for offenders carrying out armed robberies, with the use of firearms subject to a separate count. The kidnap of the shop assistant also constitutes another crime, which was also treated separately by the court in terms of sentence imposition8. All these elements of the crime combined led to the higher range of sentence imposed on the criminals. The law is more or less accurately portrayed in the article, especially in terms of the higher penalty imposed for the criminals, and the pertinent aggravating circumstances mentioned in the article. The fact that the crime is committed with firearms, with disguises, and with violence indicates elements which the courts would consider in order to establish the existence of the crime of robbery. The article however does not indicate why the sentences are different for the three offenders when they are all conspirators to the same offense. The article also does not mention the damages which were imposed on the different offenders considering that the property stolen amounts to substantial losses for the victims. 3. Gunmen grab diamonds worth ?32m in three minutes The article details the sophistication and the level of deception used by the offenders in order to perpetuate their offense. The article discusses the robbery itself, the use of automatic weapons, the value of the property stolen, and the use of disguises, including the impersonation of police officers in order to carry out the offense9. These details all contribute to the

How can we adapt the design & structure of a british mosque in order Essay

How can we adapt the design & structure of a british mosque in order for it to comply with the architectural development of the modern world (britain) - Essay Example But Minaret and/or dome is/are claimed to be divine properties of mosques and any rejection of them is seen as an opposition to Islam. Edwards Said in his 'Orientalism' says clearly that such symbols are truly needed as, "we all need some foundation on which to stand." (3) In many of the parts of Britain it has been seen that a different kind of religious structures of mosques are formed. Thus, excluding minarets and domes. The public face of mosques need greater attention according to traditionalists. They question that how such buildings of ever changing context in Britain can be associated with Islamic world. It should also be considered that 40-50 years ago the immigrants were quite happy to pray in a make shift house in a terrace house. And as the worship place seemed too small they also didn't mind in buying and converting the schools, bigger houses and warehouses into buildings of worship. This clearly indicates that the only important thing in Islam is to offer prayers to Allah without any external support needed as minarets and domes. Another contemporary leading mosque builder, Al- Sumaria is one of the new generations of Muslims who has much radical approach and states that, "There are four features you must have, first of all you must have a dome you must have a minaret, you must have a Mehrab (the equivalent to an alter) you must have a babul Sulum what we call a frontal entrance. Those 4 features are of paramount importance, without it really any place can be a mosque." (4) This is the basic generational issue where most of the elders do not accept the modern architecture, confiding into commission of building, still not understanding what good architecture is. The younger generation finds the traditional style mosques quite old fashioned and want something more exciting while containing the basic essence that is true worship. According to Al-Sumaria the traditional British Mosques are not doing what people who want the building to respond should. Today the purpose built buildings are a bit more established as people want to raise some money from these to procure the buildings and moving from the adhock alteration of a building. But is it fundamental. The question is serious only if the essential essence of Mosques will be forgotten i.e. converting a building only to make it useful for praying, for Muslim worship. Aim, Objectives and Hypothesis The central aim of the paper is to present the ideal structure and architecture of Mosques in Britain and if any of the modern contemporary changes are affecting the basic element of faith of Islam. The idea of the mosque ever since is that it is place of worship serving as a sacred and clean space for prayer and also providing counselling, education and other services associated with the benefit of a community. They only need is to provide a space for all these services without any direct relation with minarets and domes. K. Alavi highlights that, historically the mosque is an institution with four major roles: a place of worship, a centre of education, a judicial court and a centre for political and administrative

The Psychometrical Properties of the De-Sypher Personality Questionnaire Test Essay Example for Free

The Psychometrical Properties of the De-Sypher Personality Questionnaire Test Essay Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Psychometrical Psychology is concerned with the measurement of human behavior through tests. Psychometrists design and administer intelligence, aptitude, and personality tests and analyze statistical data derived from these tests.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Personality is a person’s characteristics behavior pattern. Many people think of personality as being made up observable traits such as shyness, friendliness, and initiative. However, such traits are only the outward expression of various inner conditions and processes such as intelligence, attitudes, interests, and motives. Many psychologists include these inner elements in their definitions of personality.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Normal persons develop relatively consistent personalities that are distinguished by certain dominant traits. Persons belonging to the same cultural group—such as family or nation—have many traits in common. But each person exhibits different traits under different circumstances, and each has unique traits as well as those he or she shares with others. It is also known that personalities develop throughout life, and may even undergo fundamental changes as a result of psychotherapy or other treatment (Moskowitz, 2005).   For these reasons, psychologists do not believe that personalities can be rigidly classified according to type. Background How Personality is formed   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Personality is produced by the interaction of heredity and environment. Inborn qualities affect the individual’s response to the outside world, and the environment influences the way in which inborn capacities develop. However, the precise reasons why one person develops certain personality traits, while another develops other traits, are not known.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Studies of personality origins are limited by the difficulty of making controlled experiments on human behavior. Except for identical twins, no two persons have exactly the same biological inheritance, and even identical twins do not share exactly the same biological inheritance, and even identical twins do not share exactly the same environment. Parents and others respond to each twin differently, providing each with a unique emotional setting. Inherited Traits   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Inherited traits such as structure, skin color, and type of hair—play a part in personality only if given a meaning by the environment. For example, an extremely tall boy may develop either shyness or self-confidence, according to whether he is teased because of his height or praised for using it to advantage in playing basketball.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The structure and function of the nervous and glandular systems are inherited qualities having a more direct effect upon personality. Intelligence, talents, and skills are largely dependent upon these systems. However, the effects of even these qualities can be modified by the environment (Dana, 1999). External Influences   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   External Influences include both physical environment (climate, geography) and social environment (other individuals, and human institutions). Social influences are considered to be a greater importance in personality formation. Most psychologists believe that basic personality traits are acquired in early childhood, and that the family is therefore of primary importance in forming an individual’s personality.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Wider cultural groups such as tribes and nations set up rules, values, and goals, and thus influence personality formation. Diversity within large groups is produced by subcultures such as social and economic classes and religious groups. III. Discussion Definition of personality   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Psychologists have approached these tasks using a wide variety of research methods (Craik, 2005). Knowledge about people’s personalities can be obtained from their everyday conduct, as is the case in field studies. People also reveal themselves through the products of their imaginations, and this technique is used when personality tests known as projective tests are given to people. A straightforward approach to gathering personality data is to ask people to fill out self-report inventories about their characteristics. With this method, two risks are apparent: People may not be fully aware of what they are like; and if they are, they may wish to cover up some of the flaws they perceive. We gain information of a different sort about personality when we ask others for their impressions of specific people. This technique is known as the use of observer reports in research. Life histories, such as those biographies and autobiographies, and archival material, such as Van Gogh’s letters, provide a rich source of data on particular individuals for the study of personality. Clinical case histories, on which many of the major theories are based, fall into this category. The most carefully controlled information is maximized in laboratory studies; it is sometimes at the expense of naturalistic experiences.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   No single source of information about personality is the ideal, correct source. All these methods are important for obtaining information about personality. Published research on personality, however, relies heavily on self-report inventories and laboratory studies with limited samples of people. Between 1990 and 2000, 85% of the research published in major journals used these two methods, and approximately two thirds of the research used undergraduate samples (Craik, 2005). However, there has been a trend in recent years toward greater use of biographical material, sometimes referred to as psychobiography, in the study of personality (Alexander, 2000). Assessment of personality   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Most people have implicit views of what personality is, just as they have implicit definitions of intelligence. Many different theories of personality exist. Different theories of personality have been based on different assumptions about human nature; on studies with diverse populations—clients seeking treatment, healthy, and happy adults, rats and pigeons; and on different focuses of analysis, such as emotions, behaviors, and cognitions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Assessment of personality characteristics therefore depends heavily upon which type of personality theory is selected as the focus of study.   Psychoanalytic theorists, for example, who subscribe to notions of the power they believe that major elements of personality are hidden even from the individual under study, only indirect methods of assessment are appropriate. Behaviorists, on the other hand, are likely to approach personality directly by observing characteristics behaviors. Psychoanalytic theorists are more likely to look for traits; behaviorists are more likely to look for situational measures for personality. The assessment of personality is, therefore, a complicated business. Indeed, the enterprise of assessing personality is big business. There are now hundreds of tests designed to measure aspects of human personality (Piotrowski, 2004). Self-Report Inventories   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The most frequent used instruments for assessing personality are self-report inventories, which require individuals to answer a series of questions about themselves. One assumption underlying self-report inventories is that people know themselves better than anyone else knows them, and that they are therefore in the best position to provide personality information. Self-report inventories often contain a very large number of items that can be grouped into various categories of personal functioning (Janis, 1999). The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The most widely used self-report inventory is the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, or MMPI, which we briefly described earlier. The MMPI consists of more than 500 statements the individuals must respond to as being either â€Å"true† or â€Å"false† with respect to themselves, or indicate that they â€Å"cannot say.† The items cover a very large territory, ranging from family and marital issues to psychosomatic symptoms and political attitudes. Three sample items are:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   At times I fell like swearing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I like to flirt.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I believe I am being plotted against.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The MMPI yields scores on the 10 subscales and 3 response-tendency subscales. The MMPI is described as an empirical scale, which means that the items actually differentiate among groups of people. The MMPI differentiates between those who have been diagnosed as abnormal and those who have not. The procedure for establishing an empirical scale is fairly straightforward. A group of clinical patients is selected to take the test. Their pattern of answers to the questions is compared to that of a group of normal individuals who also take the test. Items that differentiate between the two groups then form the basis for that subscale. With the MMPI, for example, paranoid patients are much more likely than normal people to answer true to the item â€Å"I believe I am being plotted against.† There is often some logic to the grouping of items, as in the preceding example; however, as long as they differentiate between the grouped empirically, items can be included on the subscale whether or not demonstrate any theoretical relevance (MacDonald, 2004).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The MMPI has proved to be an enormously popular test that has gone beyond its original purpose of differentiating between individuals. Today it is frequently used as a test of personality functioning for normal populations. The subscales consist of items grouped under misleading or even obsolete labels, however. Because of the purposes of the test have shifted, and because technical problems with the test and its standardization have arisen, the MMPI has undergone revision. Items have been updated and reworded to eliminate sexist language. The original item pool has been supplemented with about 150 new items, and the entire test is being standardized in two forms, one for adolescents and one for adults (Anastasi, 2000). New items on the adult form address areas of psychopathology that were not covered in the original, and the adolescent form covers specific problems of adolescence. Other Self-Report Inventories   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A host of other self-report inventories assess characteristics that are related to personality. These include personality inventories for use with normal individuals, such as the California Psychological Inventory; sex-role inventories, such as the Bem Sex-Role Inventory; values scales, such as the Allport-Vernon-Lindzey Study of Values; and even scales designed to assess the need for thrill seeking, such as Zuckerman’s Sensation Seeking Scale. All self-report inventories are similar in that individuals fill out the scales about themselves. They also share a common problem in that many of the characteristics can be faked (Korchin, 2001). It is usually obvious which answer is most socially desirable, so that an individual who is motivated to do so can choose only the desirable answers, in order to look good.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In some cases an individual might even want to pick the answers likely to make him or her look bad, as in the case of a person charged with a crime who wanted to be judged insane. Some self-report inventories, most notably the MMPI, contain a â€Å"lie scale,† several items that almost everyone who is telling the truth would answer as false. (Potential lie-scale items might be â€Å"I never tell a lie† or â€Å"I have never been angry with a close relative.†) A person who answers a large proportion of these items as true is assumed to be lying on the other parts of the test as well. The MMPI â€Å"correction score† is composed of a set of items that indicate attempts by the test taker to fake a good score (Morgan, 1999). Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Self-report inventories are easily administered and provide a quick assessment of some aspects of personality. Their very ease of use has led to a problem of overuse. Some employers, for example, require personality tests such as the MMPI before an employee can be hired. The test was never designed as a screening device for employment and should not be used for such purposes. The availability of computer-based scoring and interpretation of the MMPI increases the risks for such abuse, because interpretation is complex and should be done only by trained clinicians. Reference: Alexander, I. (2000). Personality, psychological assessment, and psychobiography.   Journal of Personality, 56, 265-294. Anastasi, A. (2000). Psychological testing (10th edition). Evolving concepts of test validation. Annual Review of Psychology, 37, 1-15. Craik, K. (2005). Personality research methods: An historical perspective. Journal of Personality, 54, 18-51. Dana, R.H. (1999).   The Rorschach. In O.K. Buros (Ed.). The eighth mental measurement yearbook (pp. 1040-1042). Highland Park, NJ: Gryphon press. Janis, I.L. (1999). Personality: Dynamics, development, and assessment. New York: Harcourt, Brace World. Korchin, S.J. (2001). The future of clinical assessment. American Psychologist, 36, 1147-1158. MacDonald, K. (2004). Bridging the gap: Parent-child play interaction and peer interactive competence. Child Development, 55, 1265-1277. Morgan, A.H. (1999). A method of investigating fantasies: The Thematic Apperception Test. Archives Neurological Psychiatry, 34, 289-306. Moskowitz, D. (2005). Comparison of self-reports, reports by knowledgeable informants, and behavioral observation data. Journal of Personality, 54, 294-317. Piotrowski, C. (2004). Pscyhodiagnostic testing in APA-approved clinical psychology programs. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 15, 450-456.

Influencing factors of consumer complaint behaviour in Malaysia

Influencing factors of consumer complaint behaviour in Malaysia INTRODUCTION If consumers experience dissatisfaction with products or services and are unable to obtain satisfaction from sellers or manufacturers, they may turn for help to a variety of consumer complaint agencies. Therefore, a third party can be the next step for consumers to improve their satisfaction if they still dissatisfied with the companys response. Few consumers actually complain directly to the manufacturer or service provider, so businesses may be unaware of consumer complaint actions (Day, Grabicke, Schaetzel, and Stauchbach, 1981; Stephens and Gwinner 1998). Franklin (1992) believes that consumer complaints is correlated with demands for more government regulation and intervention in the market place. From a managerial perspective, complaints represent potentially valuable information in guiding marketing strategy. Further, from a public policy perspective, complaints may aid the development and targeting of consumer protection and market regulatory programmes (Fornell and Westbrook , 1979). Hence, complaints can provide an alert to the distribution channel of the government regulation that needs correction in the business, and gives the company an opportunity to convince the customer to continue patronising their stores and buying their products. Thus, in the market place, effective complaint management must be a priority for every business, as the complaining behaviour provides companies with a chance to remedy the dissatisfaction and, ultimately, to retain loyal customers (Franklin, 1992; Davidow and Dacin, 1997). Balasubramaniam (1984) suggests that consumer protection may comprise polices and actions involving government intervention to ensure that all consumers obtain what they really want. The increasing demand for consumer protection is a modern phenomenon, and efforts are being made by governments to obtain greater enforcement from laws, however, these laws are not considered as particularly helpful to consumers for matters pertaining to trade descriptions (Financial services, housing, food, etc), door-to-door sales, distance selling, and safety of particular product; consumers should be provided more protection by statutes (Rachagan, 1998). Thus, several Asian countries, including Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Papua-New Guinea, have enacted statutes specifically titled as Consumer Protection Acts/Codes for consumers to solve specific problems. Most research on consumer complaint behaviour is conducted in the U.S. (e.g. Bearden and Mason, 1984; Day, 198 4; Davidow and Dacin, 1997), Canada (e.g. Barnes and Kelloway, 1980; Lau and Ng, 2001), and European countries such as Norway (e.g. Gronhaug and Arndt, 1980), the Netherlands (Morel, Poiesz and Wilke, 1997) and the U.K. (Crosier and Erdogan, 2001). Based on the different cultural settings, complaint issues in Asian countries are insufficient (e.g. Phau and Sari, 2004; Keng, Richmond and Han, 1995; Lau and Ng, 2001). Thus, to understand complaint behaviour and consumer orientation in the marketing system of Asian consumers is extremely important for their survival. Based on previous studies, this report provides a basic framework for seeking redress to show the main determinant factors that influence the ultimate decision to complain to the firms, third party agencies and take court action through the intention variable. The purpose of this study is to investigate the motivation for seeking redress from the firms and the third party complaint process, especially from the Malaysian consumers perspective. LITERATURE REVIEW In fact, the intention can change over time based on the individuals provisional nature. Human behaviour can be considered under volitional control since the individual is prepared to exert maximum effort. Thus, intention can affect human actions, and the relation between intention and action can be seen as the goals and plans that guide behaviour (Ajzen, 1985). Singh (1988) proposes a two-stage strategy explaining that consumers usually engage in multiple complaint behaviour. The first step is consumer complaint intentions. He reports the unique dimensions that support consumer complaint behaviour responses due to the relative intensity of the different consumer complaint behaviour options (i.e. intentions). It should not simply be based on the behaviour that they did/did not engage in. In the second step, consumer complaint behaviour is explained as consumers taking action for their dissatisfaction for an independent situation. Kim, Kim, Im and Shin (2003) also argue that consumer complaint intention is an outcome of the consumers attitude perspectives, rather than complaint behaviour, as they noted that intention is much better predicted and explained by attitude than behaviour. Thus, complaint intention plays the mediating role to explain the consumers attitude and complaint action in this study. According to the previous studies, the current study attempts to investigate how the variables, such as the knowledge of consumer rights and consumer agencies, perception of business practices and responsiveness to complaints and the importance of the product, influence the complaint intention and complaint action. Knowledge of Consumer Rights and Consumer Agencies Referring to social behaviour, Ajzen (1985) suggests that information that is recognized by the individuals will ultimately influence their further behaviour; Ormrod (1999) proposes that reinforcement responses only increase while the learner is aware of the connection. Singh and Wilkes (1996) suggest that an individuals learning about mechanisms and options of complaining affect consumer complaint behaviour, such as knowledge of unfair practices, consumer rights, and complaint channels. Agbonifoh and Edoreh (1986) argue that market imperfections are one of the market factors that make consumers feel helpless when they face discontent. Hence, consumer protection is one of the reactions to change the consumers helplessness. Guiding the consumers to enjoy their rights and the awareness of the existence of regulations and provisions becomes important when they encounter frustration or depression about the dissatisfied products or services (Agbonfoh and Edoreh, 1986). Thus, awareness of consumers rights and consumer protection agencies is important for consumers making the decision to redress their dissatisfaction to firms or third party. Moyer (1985) found that complainers with relatively good information concerning their consumer rights and who are more aware of possible help from third parties are more active in seeking information and more likely to express their dissatisfaction to sellers. Day (1984) suggests that consumers knowledge about where to complain affects the consumers complaint behaviour. Based on Haefner and Leckenby (1975), and Tipper (1997), in the current study, knowledge of consumer rights and consumer agencies is defined as the individual awareness and understanding of consumer rights and consumer protection agencies in Malaysia. An individuals knowledge or information is the basis for influence on human behaviour (Ajzen, 1985). Day and Landon (1976) suggest that consumers who are less knowledgeable will rarely seek redress for their discontent with products or services. Moyer (1985) found that complainers who seek more information and have more interest in the consumer protection laws are more active in expressing their dissatisfaction to sellers. Tipper (1997) found that knowledge of consumer rights has a significant positive influence on third party redress. It can be viewed that American consumers with more knowledge about consumer rights are more inclined to utilize federal agencies and legal action as their third party redress options than other consumers. Ajzen (1985, 1991) suggests that intention can be used as a mediating variable between the information variable and specific action. Referring to the limited previous literature, the hypotheses on knowledge of consumer rights and consumer agencies wit h complaint behaviour can be stated as follows: Hypothesis 1a: Consumers with more knowledge of consumer rights and consumer agencies are more likely to have high complaint intention. Hypothesis 1b: Consumers with more knowledge of consumer rights and consumer agencies are more likely to take complaint action. Hypothesis 1c: Complaint intention will mediate the relationship between knowledge of consumer rights and consumer agencies and complaint action. Perception of Business Practices and Responsiveness to Complaint Keng, Richmond and Han (1995) determine that market factors should influence consumer complaint behaviour, such as a businesss reputation for quality and service, and the responsiveness of the business to complaints. Moyer (1985) found that complainers hold negative expectations concerning an organizations responsiveness to their complaints, they feel that third party actions are on behalf of the consumer. Granbois, Summers and Frazier (1977) delineate that consumers perception about a firms willingness to provide redress has the most significant correlation with complaint behaviour. Jacoby and Jaccard (1981) discuss that marketing channel factors affect consumer complaint behaviour. Richins (1982) points out that the efficacy of complaining and the retailers willingness to solve complaints can be a major factor in consumers complaint behaviour. If the customer responsiveness or firm-related failure from firms or business causes the individual dissatisfaction, consumers are more like ly to tell others about their unhappiness since they tend to perceive the firm to be at fault, and consumers may feel angry and desire to hurt the firms business (Lau and Ng, 2001). Crie (2003) suggests that buyers and sellers interaction frequency plays a part in the preference for verbal complaint action. Based on the previous literature review, the reputation of the business practice and the retailers willingness to address complaints causes consumers dissatisfaction and may influence the consumers complaint behaviour (Richins, 1982; Keng, et al., 1995; Phau and Sari, 2004; Lau and Ng, 2001; Crie, 2003; Liu and McClure, 2001; Weiser, 1995). In the current study, perception of business practices and responsiveness to complaints can be defined as the consumers perception about firms practices and firms responsiveness to their complaint (Keng, et al., 1995). To examine the complaint intention, Richins (1982) found that if consumers perceive that a business is willing to remedy the complaint they are more likely to make a complaint, they feel that complaining is worth the effort. Regarding predicting complaint action from business practices and responsiveness to complaints, Richins (1982) found that if complainers believe that business responsiveness is low, they are more likely to take complaint action. Phau and Sari (2004) found that Indonesian complainers have a negative perception concerning business practice and responsiveness to complaint. Referring to third party complaint actions, Tipper (1997) found that American consumers with a negative feeling about business practice and responsiveness to complaint are more likely to address their complaint to the Better Business Bureau, Consumer Agency, State Attorney Generals Office, Federal Agency and take legal action. Ajzen (1985, 1991) suggests that intention can be used as a mediating v ariable between the attitudinal (perceivable) variable and specific action. Thus, the hypothesis in this study proposes that: Hypothesis 2a: Consumers with a positive perception of business practice and responsiveness to complaint will be more likely to have high complaint intention. Hypothesis 2b: Consumers with a negative perception of business practice and responsiveness to complaint will be more likely to take complaint action. Hypothesis 2c: Complaint intention will mediate the relationship between the perception of business practice and responsiveness to complaint and complaint action. Importance of Product Generally, consumers tend to perceive that high quality products or services have a high price and if the quality of the product or service is below their expectation they will be discontent. Day (1977) suggests that the higher the price of the products or services, the higher the expectation will be performed, and luxury products can influence the consumers status. Keng, et al. (1995) define the consumers perception of the importance of the product as the price of the product, how socially visible the product is, and the durability and frequency of using the product, all of which may influence complaint behaviour. Therefore, the importance of the product can affect consumer complaint behaviour (Keng, et al., 1995; Phau and Sari, 2004). In the present study, the importance of the product can be defined as the price of product, used frequently, socially visible and used for a long period. Day (1977) found that if the actual performance of the product or service dilutes the consumers status, they will be more likely to make a complaint. Jacoby and Jaccard (1981) argue that consumers with higher information regarding their dissatisfaction are more likely to take complaint action. Phau and Sari (2004) found that products that reflect the consumers status, or are used frequently, or over a long period of time, and expensive unsatisfactory products, affect the consumers complaint action for Indonesian consumers. Keng, et al. (1995) found that if the price of the product is high, the more socially visible the product, or the quality of the product is defective, consumers are more likely to take complaint action. Ajzen (1985, 1991) suggests that intention can be used as a mediating variable between the attitudinal (perceivable) variable and specific action. Thus, the hypothesis is stated as the following in the current study: Hypothesis 3a: Consumers with a perception that the unsatisfactory product is expensive, is used frequently, seen by others and is used for a long period of time, are more likely to have high complaint intention. Hypothesis 3b: Consumers with a perception that the product is expensive, is used frequently, seen by others and is used for a long period of time, are more likely to take complaint action. Hypothesis 3c: Complaint intention will mediate the relationship between the importance of the product and complaint action. Complaint Intention and Complaint Action In both the TRA (Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975) and TPB (Ajzen, 1991) models, the intention construct is considered as the mediation role between the beliefs and the behaviour. Godin and Kok (1996) define the intention as the expressed motivation to perform some behaviour or achieve some goal (p. 94). Ajzen (1991) suggests that intention can be referred to the amount of effort a person exerts to engage in actual behaviour. Ajzen and Driver (1992) argue that intention can be assumed to capture the motivational factors that influence behaviour, it is indications of how hard people are willing to try, of how much of an effort they are planning to exert, in order to perform the behaviour (p. 208). Hence, the more an individual intends to carry out, the more likely he or she will do. Ajzen (2001) suggests that intention plays an important role in guiding human action and it can perform a goal-directed behaviour in a specific context (p. 47). Ajzen and Driver, (1992) suggest strong intentions of individuals to engage in behaviour or to achieve their behavioural goals. Hurbes and Ajzen (2001) found that intention contributes significantly and gives a positive prediction of hunting behaviour. Singh (1988) found that consumers with private and third party complaint intention are actually more engaged in private and third party actions. Richins (1982) also suggests that a propensity to complain is significantly related with actual behaviour. Therefore, the stronger intentions from consumers to engage in complaint actions, the more successful they are predicted. The proposition between complaint intention and complaint actions shows as following: Hypothesis 4: Consumers with a higher intention of seeking redress for complaining are more likely to take action on their complaints. In accordance with previous studies, this study prefers to treat each factor as separate concepts that can influence the consumers intention and actions in the research framework (see Figure 1). H3b H2b H1b H3a H2a H1a H4 H1c / H2c / H3c Importance Of Product Complaint Intention Complaint Action Perception on Business Practices and Responsiveness to complaint Knowledge of Consumer Rights and Consumer AgenciesFigure 1: The Research Framework METHODS OF THE STUDY The data in this research was collected by a survey involving self-administered questionnaires. The population and sample were Malaysian citizens residing in Kuala Lumpur, Peninsular Malaysia. To provide an adequate level of confidence, this present research used 700 as the target sample size. In order to capture this targeted sample size of respondents, 1,200 respondents in three shopping malls, the Tribunal for Consumer Claims in Kuala Lumpur and the National Consumer Complaints Centre were intercepted and requested to participate in the study from February 2007 to the end of April 2007. Finally, a total of 834 survey questionnaires were found to be usable in this study. The constructs used in the questionnaire were derived from previous research based on the literature review. The questionnaires were produced in three languages English, Chinese and Malay. The final research questionnaire consisted of four parts. The first part included 7 statements to measure the knowledge of consumer rights and consumer agencies variables, which were adapted from Haefner and Leckenby (1975), and Tipper (1997). A 7 point Likert-scale from 1 = very poor to 7 = excellent were used in this section. The next section concerned 10 statements on the respondents perception of business practice and responsiveness to the complaint variable, which were adopted from Kim, et al. (2003) and 4 statements on the importance of product variable, which were adopted from Phau and Sari (2004). Seven point Likert-scales from 1 = strongly disagree to 7 = strongly agree were used in the second part. Another 10 statements of the complaint actions that consumers intended to take were adopte d from Singh (1988). Seven point Likert-scales from 1 = very unlikely to 7 = very likely were used to measure the complaint intention variable in part three. The last part included 5 statements which measured the complaint actions that consumers had taken (Yes/No) by using the Guttman scale, this variable was adopted from Singh (1988). FINDINGS OF THE STUDY As discussed in the study of Garver and Mentzer (1999), the Structural Equation Model (SEM) is a powerful technique that combines the measurement model (confirmatory factor analysis) and the structural model (path analysis) into a simultaneous statistical test and provides a measurement theory and a structural theory (Hair, et al., 2006). In this report, the SEM was used as the main statistical analysis tool to purify the measurement items and AMOS 5.0 was used for testing the hypothesis relationship. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) According to Anderson and Gerbing (1988), and Hair, et al. (2006), the first assessment should be any structural model that exists with an acceptable goodness-of-fit. Thus, it could begin by fitting a CFA model that includes covariance between all pairs of latent factors. In this paper, the overall fit for the base measurement model were poor GFI=0.886, AGFI=0.861, TLI=0.873, CFI=0.884, RMSEA=0.057 and CMIN/DF=2.693. In order to improve the model fit indices, items PBR4, PBR7, KNLEG2, KNLEG3, and KNLEG4 were deleted from the base model due to the lower factor loading and high modification indices. After deletion, the overall fit for final the measurement model in the calibration sample was excellent, with GFI=0.928, AGFI=0.913, TLI=0.917, CFI=0.927, RMSEA=0.045 and CMIN/DF=2.693. Testing the Hypotheses Once an acceptable measurement model is available, the structural model evaluation should be able to start. The results of the structural model show that the model achieved a good level of fit, à Ã¢â‚¬ ¡2 = 902.067, à Ã¢â‚¬ ¡ 2 / df = 2.693, GFI = 0.928, AGFI = 0.913, TLI = 0.917, CFI = 0.927, RMSEA = 0.045. The result also reported that 13.6 per cent of the variance associated with complaint intention was accounted for by its three predictors: knowledge of consumer rights and consumer agencies, perception on business practices and responsiveness to complaint and importance of product. Accordingly, it was determined that 35.3 percent of the variation in complaint action was accounted for by its four predictors including complaint intention. Testing the Hypotheses on the Complaint Intention Examining the relationship between the independent variables and the complaint intention, Hypothesis 1a, (see Table 1) regarding the knowledge of consumer rights and consumer agencies on the complaint intention, was supported (P = 0.000, ÃŽÂ ² = 0.295). It explained that if consumers with more knowledge of consumer rights and consumer agencies, they would be more likely to make complaints. This result approved the suggestion from Day and Landon (1976). The result did not support Hypothesis 2a (see Table 1) about the perception on business practices and responsiveness to complaint (p = 0.370, ÃŽÂ ² = 0.039). This means that consumers perception on business practices and responsiveness to complaints has no significant relationship with the complaint intention. This result was consistent with the study of Halstead and Droge (1991). Referring to Hypothesis 3a (see Table 1), the results show that the importance of product significantly influences the complaint intention (p = 0.000; ÃŽÂ ² = 0.219). This result indicates that if consumers perceive that the product is expensive, is used frequently, is seen by others and is used for a long period of time, they are more likely to intend to make a complaint. This result is proved in the study of Day (1977). Table 1: Hypotheses Test on Complaint Intention ÃŽÂ ² S.E C.R. P Support H1a CI KNLEG 0.295 0.018 5.715 0.000* Yes H2a CI PBR 0.039 0.071 0.897 0.370 No H3a CI IP 0.219 0.032 3.429 0.000* Yes *: p Testing the Hypotheses on the Complaint Action To test the hypotheses on the complaint action, Hypothesis 1b (see Table 2), regarding the knowledge of consumer rights and consumer agencies on the complaint actions, was supported (p = 0.000, ÃŽÂ ² = 125). It could be explained that consumers with more knowledge of consumer rights and consumer agencies are more likely to take complaint action. Referring to hypothesis 2b (see Table 2), the perception on business practices and responsiveness to complaint showed a negative marginally influence on the complaint action due to p = 0.000, ÃŽÂ ² = -0.063. This result is consistent with the findings from Richins (1982) and Tipper (1997). It could be explained that Malaysian consumers with a negative feeling about business practice and responsiveness to complaint are more likely to take complaint action against the firms or the third party. Testing hypothesis 3b (see Table 2), the importance of product showed a negative significant relationship with complaint action to the firms or the third parties (p = 0.000, ÃŽÂ ² = -0.211). This result does not support the hypothesis due to the negative relationship between the importance of product and the complaint action. Regarding the relationship between complaint intention and complaint action, the results (see Table 2) support hypothesis 4 (p = 0.000; ÃŽÂ ² = 0.552). This means that once the complainers have a strong intention to seek redress, they will definitely take action to get further satisfaction on their dissatisfied products or services from the third parties or the businesses. These results confirm the suggestion of Ajzen (1985, 1991) and Singh (1988). Table 2: Hypothesis Test on Complaint Action ÃŽÂ ² S.E. C.R. P Support H1b CA KNLEG 0.125 0.008 2.980 0.003* Yes H2b CA PBR -0.063 0.029 -1.829 0.067m Yes H3b CA IP -0.211 0.012 -4.575 0.000* No H4 CA CI 0.552 0.041 6.883 0.000* Yes *: p m: marginally significant Testing Hypotheses on Mediating Effect A mediating effect is created when a third variable/construct intervenes between two other related constructs that explain how or why each predictor variable influences the criterion. Testing the mediation effects, Hair et al. (2006) suggest that if the indirect effect of the variable is higher than 0.08, it indicates a mediating effect. If the p-value of the independent variable and mediating variable, mediating variable and dependent variable, independent variable and dependent variable, are significant, partial mediation will be proved; if the p-values of the independent variable and mediating variable, mediating variable and dependent variable, are significant, full mediation will be proved. Table 3 shows the hypotheses on the mediation effect in this study. Regarding Hypothesis 1c, the finding in Table 3 shows that the indirect effect of the knowledge of consumer rights and complaint agencies on the complaint actions was 0.163, which was higher than 0.08, and the p-value for knowledge of consumer rights and consumer agencies and complaint intention, complaint intention and complaint action, knowledge of consumer rights and consumer agencies and complaint action were all significant. Thus, complaint intention fully mediated the relationship between the knowledge of consumer rights and consumer agencies and the complaint action. Following the same procedure, the indirect effect of the perception on business practices and responsiveness to complaint showed 0.022 ( Table 3: Direct and Indirect Effect on the Mediation Variable Direct Effect Indirect Effect Total Effect Hypothesis Supported Type of Mediation H1c: KNLEGà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢CA 0.125 0.163 0.288 Yes Partial Mediation H2c: PBRà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢CA -0.063 0.022 -0.041 No H3c: IPà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢CA -0.211 0.121 -0.090 Yes Full Mediation DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS Most previous studies in the consumer complaint behaviour have focused on the two-group typology, which consists of complainers and non-complainers (Kim, Kim, Im and Shin, 2003, Keng, et al., 1995; Phau and Sari, 2004). This study offers a broader classification, which is consumers making complaints to the firms and third parties. The framework in the present paper has provided valuable information concerning the consumers motivation for seeking redress based on the consumers understanding of consumer rights and consumer protection, market factor and importance of product or services and level of dissatisfaction. Hopefully, the development of this model provides a basis for future research on exploring consumer complaint behaviour. Although a third party complaint agency is one approach to assist organizations handling the dissatisfaction with consumers together, it is unfortunate that many organizations never realize the importance of complaint handling. Consequently, for improving a complaint handling management programme, business, policy makers in governments and consumer organizations must understand how these factors influence complaint behaviour, and develop strategies for influencing variables and complaint behaviour as follows. According to the knowledge of consumer rights and consumer agencies, it contributed an important value to predict consumer complaint behaviour. The practical implication for policy makers in governments or consumer organisations is that they should provide more approaches to educate consumers about their rights and responsibilities as consumer education concerns the necessary skills, attitudes, knowledge and understanding to become an effective consumer (Brennan and Ritters, 2004). This education can help consumers to obtain the skills and knowledge needed to make adjustments to their choices and improve the consumers confidence to take action in their life. Thus, consumer education along with effective regulations and access to good quality advice and information from government or consumer organisations are essential components against the irresponsibility or unethical business in the marketplace. Referring to the market factor, the results show that consumers perception of business practice and responsiveness to complaints is not an important factor in examining the complaint action. Thus, as business managers and executives, they should realize the importance of complaint handling. Organizations can educate consumers by focusing the complaint process on removing the fear of confrontation and intimidation factors. Firms can offer some compensation to the disgruntled consumer and should not complain about the extra effort or cost involved, and consider each customer as a prospective buyer when they make a complaint. For consumers who perceive a higher cost of complaining when they are unable to contact the organization, the company can offer a generic booklet that is distributed to consumers explaining how to effectively get in touch with the organizations to increase consumer confidence and purchase intention (TARP, 1986). Businesses may encourage consumers to make a complain t by adopting strategies that shift the blame away from the consumers, such as by replacing the product or service with which they are dissatisfied for free. Therefore, the way of complaint handling can develop a good image for the firms and help enhance marketing effectiveness in the long run. Keng, Richmond and Han (1995) found that complainers are more likely to resort to complaint action if the price of the product is high or the quality of the product is defective than the non-complainers. This research found that consumers intended to making complaints if they feel dissatisfied with the product or the product was expensive, was used frequently, seen by others and was used for a long period of time. Thus, the firms should pay special attention to complaints concerning expensive durable products; the seller should be trained to handle complaints well, and the firm should not raise consumers

Definition of assessment

Definition of assessment Assessment is the foundation of the social work process with service users (Walker and Beckett, 2003:6). Why is assessment a crucial aspect of the social work process and what makes an effective social work assessment? What might be some of the barriers to an affective assessment and how can the worker overcome these? In your answer, you will be expected to refer to relevant research regarding social work assessment. Social workers are expected to carry out an initial assessment of situations they encounter before taking action. These are important because they provide the foundation for any plans to support, protect, manage or provide aid for a client. In a nutshell, an assessment is simply gathering information about people, their situation, factors deemed relative to that situation, and integrating this into a formal report, which will be used to look back on when carrying out a review. This will not only provide a helpful way for the social worker to quickly reacquaint themselves when looking back on a family, but it will also allow other work staff to get a gist of the situation if they are coming into it for the first time. For an effective assessment it takes someone with an organised, rational and open minded knowledge base, using these to compliment a number of unique skills they will hold, enabling them to come to grasps with the varied number of situations they will face and an ability to be sensitive to those involved. It is expected of social work graduates to understand all the legal documentations issued by work bodies (such as the Department of Health), for these will include necessary guidelines on assessment and how and when to act. However, simply knowing these will not cut it, and those who are inexperienced will simply be able to regurgitate back what they have learnt without knowing the true art of carrying out their work. An assessment is more than simply making notes on ones observations, for it includes the workers opinions, beliefs and ideas, which will be essential when carrying out interventions. They are not to be confused with evaluations, although they do contain evaluative sectors, for example determining a clients needs. Unlike evaluations however, assessments are open to more probing and study, which make them more effective tools for making a decision. For the social worker to be able to make their assessment successful, they will need to ensure they can fully appreciate a) all factors that affect the client and b) which of the clients needs are not being met. To do this they will need to establish the type of person their client is, for example how they communicate with others, how they react to stress, how they deal with problems etc. It is important for the social worker to know which bits of information are relevant, and rather than find out everything they can (scatter gun method) they pick out those bits which will serve to help them later. If they ask too many questions it will lead to general misinterpretations, often a common mistake in those just starting social work practice. One must understand that views will be different, and that other work forces, agencies or even individuals will draw out their own conclusions for a case. This makes it difficult to assume any kind of truth in an assessment, since what one sees depends on where one looks. (Jones 1983) Another problem assessors face is that there is often the case of clients scapegoating or stigmatising based on a negative assessment. Social workers are aware that they are held accountable for any action they make, and so if they make an error in the assessment that could prove costly to a families support, then they may be faced with court proceedings. In actuality, assessments are by no means a quick process. It is often the case that work staff are met with the stress of having to cope with busy offices, numerous phone calls and masses of paper work. Stress can affect workers in any number of ways, but the biggest concern is that it can lead to negligence such as making quick, inaccurate assessments because there is no time to meet the demands of the office. There is, however, a way of preventing these difficulties and that is to employ a method referred to as triangulation. This is done by drawing comparisons from other groups to find similarities between information gathered. In addition to this, it may prove helpful to discuss the assessment with clients themselves, for this will not only improve the accuracy of the assessment but will also create a sense of trust and warmth between client and worker. In spite of triangulation mistakes are still inevitable. Possibly the most common mistake would be to apply a one sided attitude towards people and/or situations. An example would be of a social worker looking at an argumentative couple; seeing things only from either the controlling wife point of view, or the unfaithful husband point of view. For this reason it is essential for the social worker to bring in other colleagues so as to form a multidisciplinary assessment. Rather than relying on one mans opinion, by working as a team, members may gain further insight into the task at hand and observations may be brought to the table that otherwise would have gone unnoticed. However, the use of multiple assessments is problematic in that the social worker will have to deal with multiple theories. This may lead to conflicts and confusions over the correct path to follow. Because of the time constraints on social work practice, alternative methods have been introduced to take away some of the pressures. Self assessments for example are often carried out when dealing with younger children. It is seen as a fun learning experience and will tell staff workers much about that child. Self assessments will compose of numerous exercises, such as multiple choice questionnaires, rating scales, producing stories, drawings of themselves, and/or their families. Adults often prefer this method as it allows them to use their own words rather than being misinterpreted. Another alternative is computer aided assessments. These have long been used in other fields such as medicine in order to make quick diagnoses. They are helpful in that they save time, and unlike humans do not forget or make errors. It is as simple as loading in all the variables, and allowing the computer to calculate the most likely outcome and therefore the best form of action. However, computers are unable to process social, emotional, or psychological factors and so can often fail to spot key issues. The use of computers is therefore limited. Recently, there have been movements in practice theory, the most important of which is a larger emphasis on the influences of powerlessness, prejudicial views, discriminatory acts and oppression. In addition, workers are starting to develop a more constructionist way of thinking. This includes seeing beliefs and ideas not as relying on the influence of the environment around those who hold said beliefs and ideas, rather them being constructed by individual people whilst they converse and respond to one anothers presence. It is this constructionist way of thinking where many theories on assessment begin. In the past 3 years it was found, through reviews from service users, that many were unsatisfied with the assessment process. One rising concern was that a large number of social workers were failing to conduct reassessments. It seems that they only look at certain information in order to confirm their theories and therefore neglect many important items. This is a critical point because assessments are the basis for all further work. An error here would be damaging for the whole investigation. Even when a reassessment is made, there still remains the problem of prioritising key areas of importance. If this is done shoddily then there is risk of the assessment giving off misrepresentations when conducting an evaluation. To prevent this, there are three areas that it is suggested the social worker start by looking at. These are: Starting where the client is, focussing on meeting the clients needs; legal considerations, which should be made known to the client; and health or safety concerns, for if there are any risks to the client then they must be informed. (Hepworth and Dean 2006) Another important issue relates to the production of a culturally competent assessment. The social worker must therefore demonstrate knowledge of cultural norms, acculturation, and language differences, the ability to differentiate between individual and culturally linked attributes, the initiative to seek out needed information so that evaluations are not biased and services are culturally appropriate; and an understanding of the ways that cultural differences may reveal themselves in the assessment process. (Hepworth and Dean 2006) There are numerous differences between cultures when it comes to forms of, for example; disciplining younger family members, selecting the most dominant group member, aiding those unable to manage for themselves, how to address one another, and many others. And because of these differences, the social worker must be wary when considering things such as; what is seen as normal behaviour in children with autism? What is seen as a healthy amount of sex in afro Caribbean tribe members? At what age is a child believed to reach maturity in China, Africa, Asia etc? The list is endless. Patterns of behaviour which may appear dysfunctional in one culture may be considered normal to another. It is important that social workers have knowledge of their clients background and if not then research it. For an error made may aggravate or offend them. It can be hard to define exactly what an assessment is, who it is intended for, and the reason it needs to be carried out. Pincus and Minaham (1973) therefore developed a model framework with the specific aim being to help social workers recognise; the reasons for their involvement, the expected goals and outcomes, which persons fit the role of agent and which fit the role of client, what needs to be maintained and what needs to be managed. Pincus and Minaham labelled three kinds of resource system which people will have contact with during their lives and four mapping systems which summarise what is occurring. The advantages of a systems approach are many. Firstly, it helps the social worker to understand a situation in such a way it gives clear definitions of those involved and how they are linked to one another. Secondly, aims and goals are clearly established early on, which helps them create a formal plan with their client and also helps both parties follow any progress made. Thirdly, it removes some of the burden of work off of the social workers back, knowing that not everything depends on their selves. It also helps them to see which areas may take the most work, and which may be met with more conflict. This will help them plan their time and resources irrespectively, know when and where they should be, and how much of their attention is required at any time. By doing this, the social worker is less likely to exclude important responsibilities, or focus too much on only one aspect. Upon evaluation of the system, if for any reason another worker sees something they wish to add, remov e or change, then this can be easily done with little time consumption. It is not unlikely that things may change at a later date, for example new clients may need to be added to the system, or new targets to be met. Peoples needs are not immutable and are always changing. The social worker must recognise this and be able to identify any changes, and adjust so as to fit them into the system. There are also certain disadvantages of a systems approach. Firstly, although it helps to maintain the flow of activities, it will not provide enough understanding of a persons life without the addition of other approaches. Alone, the model is too general, and does not include a great deal of information about the relevant difficulties being assessed. Secondly, despite all its hype about ordering data, the systems approach does not maintain that data should be collected to begin with. Furthermore, it fails to recognise the importance of existing beliefs about human behaviour, so is basically starting from scratch each time. Thirdly, the natural urge to focus primarily on the clients illness, with little attention being paid on their wellness can often lower their sprits and remove their hopes of ever finding a solution to their problem. As a social worker making an assessment, it helps to understand that, since external problems become internal, and the internal affects the external, looking at just the social aspects will prove inadequate, just as looking at just the psychological aspects is inadequate.(Milner and OByrne 1998) We need to look at both, and use various approaches to complement one another. Assessments need to draw in help from psychiatrists and psychologists, those skilled at exploring the unconscious. For it may be the case that the client has certain unresolved issues that may be of relevance. A problem workers face is that the id is like a cavern, in that it is made up of large numbers of interrelated passages. Some will affect others, while others will come to a dead end. And everything inside that cavern is hidden away from the outside world and is immune to any happenings beyond its entrance. Applying a psychodynamic approach as it were is advantageous because it is able to explain away what appears to be irrational behaviour. As I explained, many of a persons difficulties may not be explicit and observable. Many individuals use defence mechanisms as a way of hiding their emotions. And so by combining aspects of psychology (cognitive, psychoanalytic, humanistic etc.) it will allow the worker to delve deep into their clients personality and learn more about their associations with the world around them. This approach has imposed a caring, considering, communicative attitude amongst assessment workers and gets them to gain more of an emphatic relationship with their clients. Rather than applying a tick box assessment and using the same set of questions for each person, the worker now has a set of guideline questions allowing them to go off on a tangent basing each new question on the previous answer. The psychodynamic approach does indeed contribute greatly to the advances in social work assessment; however it has a number of issues of concern. First and foremost, the main interest is on the individual and so social factors are often neglected or disregarded. Secondly, abnormal human behaviour or behaviour that does not fit with the norms of society is grounds for a referral. Homosexuality for example is put down to Oedipal conflicts, homosexuals are not treated as a typical male and this causes much oppression and discrimination. Furthermore, the guidelines for communication are based on a middle class Caucasian male. Although certain groups will see equal gain from this method of practice there are many from other cultures that will react differently. And so to make an effective assessment the social worker must be able to relate their skills across cultures. Thirdly, when dealing with children, psychoanalysis may prove ineffective or even destructive. For example in cases of child abuse the sexual wants of an adult are transferred into the childs want for their parents. The child becomes the culprit and the blame is put towards the mother for being neglectful. When it comes to the ideas of Freud, the population of workers is split, half of them opposing entirely and half of them supporting entirely. As with all other approaches, the psychodynamic approach works best when in conjunction with others. An assessment which includes a descriptive evaluation of client behaviours will prove more effective than one without because the worker is then able to look at how those behaviours have come to be part of their clients being and why they continue to exist. Behavioural assessments see behaviours as being learned, and therefore can be unlearnt through training. All behaviours have an underlying cause; the point of the assessment is to therefore find the route of the problem and find ways to negate its effects. There are often however misinterpretations. For example, what is a negative reinforcer? (strengthening a particular behaviour by removal of something undesirable). Punishment is not a negative reinforcer although it is associated with something undesirable. But rather than extinguish the problematic behaviour, it is often the case that it causes resistance. And so the behaviour has become strengthened. The problem is that there are no clear definitions of positive and negative reinforcers, seeing as what is considered desirable or aversive will vary between people. What may be pain to one man may be seen as a challenge to another who will welcome it. To work around this social workers must ensure they work with their client to determine what they perceive as basically good or bad. It is important the worker be consistent when making visits (reassessments), for example if they always turn up at a foster home when they get a call the child is misbehaving, yet they rarely turn up when the child is behaving reasonably they may inadvertently be making their misbehaviour more appealing. Many behaviours, be they positive or negative, helpful or hindering, are learned during the course of life and are influenced by our life experiences. Behaviourists believe that when conducting an assessment it is important for the worker to understand where problem behaviours have come from and what reasons there are for their manifestation. Once the underlying routes have been established the worker then helps the client to unlearn those behaviours and get back on track to healthy living. An effective assessment is therefore one that considers the ABCs; the antecedents, behaviours and the consequences. Anything that causes the unwanted behaviour should be removed, whereas anything that promotes desired behaviours should be encouraged. The client should then learn to associate these positive behaviours with pleasant experiences; this way they will want to repeat them. Assessments should look at a clients history thoroughly. It is easy to miss parts out, yet everything needs to be ex amined for even something seemingly irrelevant may hold the key to a persons problem. Of course it is unrealistic to look at absolutely every aspect of a persons life, especially the elderly who have an extremely long history to cover. And so it has been argued that behavioural approaches lack validity and are unattainable. This aside the behavioural approach is still useful because it provides clear definitions of; the aims, goals and the plans for intervention. Furthermore, the approach, more so than other approaches motivates the client to have a say in the overall structure of the assessment. Sheldon (1982) believes there is the advantage that it does not manipulate the data in any way so that the client can be placed in a particular category or theory. People are seen as individuals, individual factors are considered, and client perspectives are used to shape the approach. Task centred theory makes a good starting point for new workers because it is possibly the simplest approach. Assessments can at times be overcomplicated and so it may do workers good to sometimes go back to basics and look at the most obvious action to take. Actions should depend upon ones values rather than any policy one is obligated to follow. Previous experience should be used to improve practice, even the negative ones. Difficulties are inevitable but they will only get worse if the worker continues to make the same mistakes again and again. When there is time pressure to get a job done, rather than crumble the worker should use the pressure as motivation to get things done efficiently. That way they will have to make fewer reassessments. The first task is to determine their clients needs (what it is they want). The next step is convincing the client to accept ones help, firstly recognising they have needs and secondly wanting to do something about it. Epstein (1988) calls this the Start up phase, as it gets the ball rolling so to speak. Next, the wants require their own assessment, to determine what should to be done to meet them, how long it will take and who should be involved. The assessment process is a time to give order to the persons needs, generally up to three of them. It would be helpful to consider not only what changes need to be made, but also what might get in the way of these and what further changes could be done to make the initial changes possible. It would also be helpful to find out how individual problems relate to one another, if at all. If they are then able to tackle the main problem, others may follow suit accordingly with little/no effort on the social workers account. A useful strategy for social workers is to get their clients to firstly write down their problems and secondly assign them a score ranging from no problem at all to highly serious. It is vital that needs are set out from the start and fully understood by both worker and client. Failure at this stage will lead to difficulties come the evaluation. When conducting an assessment on two or more people (such as two partners in a relationship) the worker would be advised to look toward the Want Sheet for support (Masson and OByrne 1984). This gives detailed descriptions of different wants and can be used to help service users explain what they feel. So far, no approach has come up with a solution to this problem, making the task centred approach unique. The Want Sheet can be administered to couples/groups and this way can be used to compare different ideas. Through this stage alone, it is possible for a group to resolve any issues without any need for an intervention scheme. This is most unlike other approaches , which see the social worker as an agent coming in to help the needy, an approach not unlike the medical model of mental health. It is important when assessing individuals, not to mistake the clients as abnormal people just because their behaviour may suggest so, or because they appear difficult or un-cooperative. Doel and Marsh (1992) call this shooting the reflective parrot for what they are doing is making false judgements based on observation, without getting down deep to the underlying issue. Before any interventions, it is important for any decisions to be met together, all other options have been considered, and the client is satisfied with how things are being dealt with. Once a decision is reached, there is still time for one final review. This is a useful step because at this late stage, it is still possible to change ones mind; nothing is yet set in stone. If no changes need be made, the review is still beneficial as it helps to reduce any doubts or anxieties before progression. The task centred approach to assessment seems full proof. Reid (1978) commented that it holds particular value in situations whereby the service user is able to contribute to a moderate degree. It holds the advantage over other approaches because it considers not only the client, but their interactions with the outside world. They get a fair hearing, and communication between them and the social worker is mutual, leading towards a more accurate evaluation. There have been arguments that giving too much leeway can leave the worker vulnerable to misinformation. More so with children, there are cases where the client is not responsible or trustworthy enough to be given a shared role in the assessment. In conclusion, there are numerous positives and negatives of any approach to assessment. Every worker will have a preference on how they will deal with a situation; however it need be emphasised that no two situations are alike. And so workers must be able to think on their feet if they are to become competent social workers. Those who are open minded will reap the most success, for the key lies within managing all the different approaches, integrating them into a whole. Care should still be taken, for within the approaches lie numerous contradictions. There will always be a degree of uncertainty, but what makes the difference between good and average work, is the confidence to give an opinion, whilst at the same time welcoming the views of others. In conclusion, why is the assessment process vital? Because it forms the foundation for understanding ones client, and gets the ball rolling when planning actions for change. It forms a record which can be referred to when evaluating said changes, and can also be used as evidence in court. What makes an effective assessment? One which investigates all relevant factors rather than stick to anything specific, which matches with individuals aims and goals, which is centred on the tasks at hand, which draws from multidisciplinary agencies, which forms a partnership between agent and client, and which is anti oppressive or discriminatory. What barriers do workers face? They can be time consuming, workers are under pressure to get through their work load and may be unable to spend time getting to know their client, groups who are often the target of oppression may seem uncooperative and resistant to change, and all assessments are in some part vulnerable to bias. How can these be overcome? It is imperative that when conducting an assessment one shares thoughts and ideas with not only other workers, other agencies and welfare authorities, but also with the client themselves, thus spreading out the work load, and reducing the likelihood of any errors going unnoticed. Furthermore it helps to be self aware. This way one picks up on any fool hardy assumptions they may be making. One should not be afraid to challenge higher authorities and understand that personal values and the law will often conflict. And finally, every assessment should be instigated with care and precision, frequently asking why one has come to that conclusion and what other alternatives are there. References Ahmad, A. Practice with Care, London, Race Equality Unit/National Institute for Social Work, 1990 Challis, D., Chessum. R., and Chesterman, J., Luckett, R. and Traske, K. Case Managementin Social and Health Care , Cantebury, Personal Social Services Research Unit, 1990. Department of Health. Protecting Children: A Guide for Social Workers Undertaking a Comprehensive Assessment, London, HSMO, 1988. Doel, M. and Marsh, P. Task Centred Social Work. London: Ashgate, 1992. Epstein, L. Helping People; The Task Centred Approach. Olumbus, OH: Merrill, 1988 Forder, A. Concepts in Social Administration: a Framework for Analysis, London Routledge Kegan Paul, 1974. Hepworth and Dean, H. Direct Social Work Practice: Theory and Skills, p. 179-205, London: Thomson/Brooks Cole, 2006 Jones, C. State Social Work and the Working Class, London , Macmillan, 1983 Masson, H and OByrne, P. The Family Systems Approach: A Help or a Hindrance, in Violence Against Children Study Group. Taking Child Abuse Seriously. London: Unwin Hyman, 1990. Milner, J., OByrne, P. Assessment in Social Work: Chap 7; Psychodynamic Approaches, Macmillan Press LTD, 1998 Pincus, A. and Minahan, A. Social Work Practice: Model and Method. Itasca, Il: Peacock, 1973. Reid, W. J. The Task Centred System. New York: Columbia University Press, 1978. Sheldon, B. Behaviour Modification, Theory, Practice and Philosophy. London: Tavistock, 1982. Thoburn, J. Child Placement: Principles and Practice, Aldershot, Wildwood House, 1988