The company that I have been studying in this Task is ECsoft (European Community Soft).
R.1 Introduction R.1.1 Background of the company The company that I have been studying in this Task is ECsoft (European Community Soft). ECsoft is an independent IT consultancy and systems integrator that operates internationally. ECsoft is a PLC (public limited company), and they have shareholders. Therefore the owners of ECsoft are the shareholders. The managing director's name is Steve Leegood. ECsoft provides IT services and solutions for many of Europe's top 500 companies private and public sector organisations. ECsoft creates a project, when the company wants one, around an application for a company and implements solutions to improve the company's profitability. They basically do custom programming. Therefore the main aim, for the company is solving a problem to improve a company's profitability. The services that ECsoft provide are a range of business and technical skills in depth of the market area. The main markets are financial services, retail, media /publishing, public sector, telecommunications, travel and transportation and manufacturing. This is a general background of the company * ECsoft's principal operations are in the UK and Scandinavia. The company is based in Berkhamsted. * In July 1994 ECsoft started. * In December 1996 ECsoft floated on Nasdaq. * In June 1998 ECsoft floated at a valuation of £190.7m. ECsoft use IT for two main reasons,
In this essay I am going to contrast and compare three approaches in psychology which are behaviourist, cognitive, and humanist. I am going to show how these psychological approaches contribute to the understanding of the human mind and behaviour.
In this essay I am going to contrast and compare three approaches in psychology which are behaviourist, cognitive, and humanist. I am going to show how these psychological approaches contribute to the understanding of the human mind and behaviour. Human mind and behaviour are affected during moments of transition and change. These are moments in which there is an alteration in an individual's life. They can take a period of time to occur or can take place suddenly. Transitions happen during a period of time. The definition of the word transition confirms it. It is definite as 'the process or a period of changing from a state or condition to another' (Hornby, 2005: 1631). To illustrate, there is a period of changes when individuals leave adolescence and become adults. That period of changes is a transition. Changes are more sudden, and when they occur something is changed. The same dictionary gives the following definitions for change: 'to pass or make sb/sth pass from one state or form into another' (Hornby, 2005: 243) or 'to stop having one state, position or direction and start having another' (Hornby, 2005: 244). These definitions clearly show that a change is instantaneous, occurs in a very short period of time. For example, a sudden death of spouse or other person very close to a certain individual drastic changes the individual's behaviour and way of life; get married
M.E (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome)
M.E (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) M.E is a chronic illness that affects the body systems and their functioning. The changes seem to affect the nervous system, immune system and other body systems. The illness can also cause profound exhaustion, muscle pain, problems with mental functioning such as memory loss and poor concentration, malaise and other symptoms. The term M.E. originally stood for 'myalgic encephalomyelitis'. This literally means muscle pain (myalgic) and inflammation of the brain and spinal cord (encephalomyelitis). However, scientifically the term is inaccurate because there is no evidence of inflammation in the brain, also it is wrong as a description of the illness because not everyone has muscle pain. Some suggestions of a new names have been encountered, one being myalgic encephalopathy, meaning muscle pain and abnormality of brain function. Many people know the condition as M.E. but the formal term currently used by the medical profession is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). Some people consider M.E. to be distinct from CFS, or as a subgroup of it. M.E. can affect men, women and children of all ages and backgrounds. It is estimated that there are over 150 000 people in the U.K with M.E.; nearly two thirds of them are women. A study showed that 1 in 250 people in the community have symptoms of CFS. Most people develop the illness between their early
How might a holistic model help in explaining the experience of mental health?
[Type text] TMA 01 How might a holistic model help in explaining the experience of mental health? What is mental distress? Mental distress is when someone experiences changes in their thoughts and feelings. Their behaviour will be significantly different, both in themselves, and how they behave around others. This greatly interferes with their home life, work life, social life and their relationships they have with others. Examples of mental distress would be anxiety disorder, depression and schizophrenia. (Ethomed, 2003) What is holism? The dictionary definition of holism (from the Greek holos) states that nothing can be fully understood unless one sees the whole system of which it is part; that is the whole is always more than the sum of its parts. (Oxford Dictionary, 2013) What is a holistic approach with regards to health care? The holistic approach is a model, which is made up of 5 different dimensions, and would be perfectly suited to use in the treatment of mental illness. What this means is, that the illness (disease) is viewed as affecting a person’s mind, body and spirit, and each of those dimensions are equally as important as the other. Holism is a reaction to medical approaches. The holistic view acknowledges objective scientific explanations of physiology and accepts that people have inner experiences that are subjective, mystical, and spiritual or
Stress and Counselling in the Workplace
What is Workplace Stress and how can Counselling help to reduce it? Abstract Job-related stress has a detrimental effect on both organisations and employees. This article explores the extent of these outcomes and examines the possible causes of workplace stress. Methods for reducing stress are evaluated, including occupational redesign and Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs). This latter group is split into relaxation techniques, cognitive-behavioural approaches and multimodal interventions. Current research indicates that cognitive-behavioural approaches are the most effective form of counselling. It is suggested that combining this method with occupational redesign may help target the causes and consequences of Work-related stress. Key Words Stress, Work, Employee Assistance Programme, Counselling Introduction Stress in the workplace is a major concern, not just for organisations and employees, but also for the public in general (Health and Safety Commission, 1999). It is of such concern that in order to comply with UK law, the government's Health and Safety Executive (HSE) state that employers have a duty to assess the risk of work activities causing 'stress-related ill health' and to take appropriate control measures. In 2007/2008 approximately 13.5 million days absence were caused by work-related stress, depression or anxiety, an average of 30.6 days per
Discuss why attempts at stress management interventions appear to be concentrated disproportionately on reducing the effects, rather than reducing the presence of stressors at work.
PSYOCMO23: Counselling and Personal Development Discuss why attempts at stress management interventions appear to be concentrated disproportionately on reducing the effects, rather than reducing the presence of stressors at work. Researchers concerned with occupational stress tend to share the same opinion that stress at work is an immense problem for many organizations around the world, (Cooper and Cartwright, 1994). Murphy (1995) argued that the increasing amount of evidence associating stress at work with negative outcomes for both the individual and the organization concerned has driven researchers to develop interventions which aim to avert, control and manage work stress and it’s outcomes. Stress Management Interventions (SMI’s) can be described as "any activity, program, or opportunity initiated by an organization, which focuses on reducing the presence of work-related stressors or on assisting individuals to minimize the negative outcomes of exposure to these stressors" (Ivancevitch, Matteson, Freedman & Phillips, 1990 p. 252). SMI’s tend to fall into three broad groups categorised by the level at which the interevntion occurs (Cooper, Dewe & O’Dricoll, 2001); Primary, Secondary and Tertiary. Primary interventions take a proactive approach and aim to reduce the presence and eliminate the causal factors of stressors by changing the
The effects of family violence and child abuse
The effects of family violence and child abuse Introduction A New Zealand study conducted by the National Collective of Independent Women's Refuges in 1991 suggested that, 90% of women received at the Refuge center had children in their care who were present and witnessed the violence while 50% of the children had also been physically abused. Family violence is defined in Connolly (2001) as an act that is carried out with the intention of causing physical harm to another person and encompasses physical, sexual, emotional or damage to property. However allowing a child to witness the abuse of another person is also deemed violence towards that child as laid out in the Domestic Violence Act (1995). Further to this Connolly (2001) postulates that the family violence field has shifted in its understanding of the impact of different abuse experiences with more attention being given to the witnessing of abuse and the repercussions thereof. According to McMaster in Connolly (2001) "working with violence has become a significant professional issue confronting many practitioners of social work. Further to this the issue of family violence has sprung into the limelight and become recognised as a major social problem in New Zealand and this is explained by a number of significant social changes in New Zealand such as changes to family life, where more women are employed outside the
Factors relating to Substance Abuse and Addicitve Behviours
Explain factors related to the development of substance abuse or addictive behaviour & examine prevention strategies and treatments for substance abuse and addictive behaviour (22 marks) A substance is anything that people can ingest to alter mood, cognition or behaviour: specifically to induce feelings of self-confidence, fun or relaxation. However, there is an issue with 'substances', in that they can often cause a dependence or addiction. An addiction can be described as the behavioural and other responses that include compulsion to certain substances continuously, in order to avoid psychological and physiological deficits in the absence of the substance: namely discomfort, anxiety etc. An addiction may relate to anything in one's life which may cause the process of uncontrollable usage. This essay shall seek to outline the key reasons for development of a substance abuse, whilst assessing the prevention strategies and treatment for the subsequent substance abuses and addictive behaviours - with key reference to smoking and addiction to nicotine. From a biological perspective, there are a number of factors which relate to the causation of substance abuse and addictive behaviours. Drugs often stimulate the release of hormones which are conducive with positive feelings. In the case of smoking, the drug is nicotine and hormone released is adrenaline. This increases the
Tuning In to Direct Contact with Service User
Introduction - Information specific to the service user D is a 27-year-old woman with a diagnosis of panic attacks. She has recently given birth to a baby girl. She also has a history of alcohol misuse though denies any alcohol intake since she found out she was pregnant. She is described as having frequent panic attacks since the birth of her daughter 10 weeks ago though she has a history of these since she was 18 years of age. There is a past history of sexual abuse and sexual assault. According to the referral from D's GP, she is suffering from insomnia, only managing to get 2 hours sleep per night. Phase of Work This is my first contact with D. I will be completing an initial assessment using the agency assessment tool. This is a general form covering a range of issues that may be problematic for D. Parker and Bradley (2005) suggest that the exchange model of assessment is likely to be the most successful. Although the agency tool does promote the exchange model of assessment, as it encourages open discussion, it also incorporates the questioning model, as quite often it is the worker asking questions and the user answering them. Smale, Tuson and Statham (2000) state the social worker should not act as expert, questioning service users and following agency procedures, they should be "collaborators, facilitating service users to identify their needs" (Parker and
Cognitive and Behavioural Psychotherapy for Distressing Thoughts in Work.
'Reputation is an idle and most false imposition; oft got without merit, and lost without deserving.' Othello Act 2, Scene 3 Case Study: Cognitive and Behavioural Psychotherapy for Distressing Thoughts in Work Introduction The Community Treatment Service (CTS) in Pwllheli is a team of 5 nurses and a social worker offering intensive support, therapies and can provide out-of-hours support for patients open to Care Managers from the Community Mental Health Team and the North West Wales NHS Trust GP Counselling Service. Her General Practitioner referred Ellen to the GP Counselling Service. A brief telephone call described Ellen as suffering from work related stress and anxiety. The only further information given was her telephone number and address so that an appointment could be made at the local GP Health Centre. This is indicative of the extent of pre-contact information given about patients referred and other information about her is obtained after initial assessment sessions. Ellen is 43 years old and lives in Pwllheli with her husband and daughter. She is currently employed part time by a well-known local supermarket, and also part time by a shoe store in town. Along with seven other people Ellen had been dismissed from her previous job as an assistant in a well-known national store for allegedly stealing sweets. This occurred two years ago and the incident
