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Group Process Observations

Sample Paper

Group #1: S.C.A.L.E.S. Group Meeting

Leader: Today’s group meeting will focus on sexual health, intimacy, and relationships. To start, we will be talking about the different types of things which people use in their intimate relationships, or with themselves. What are some of the things which could fall under this category?

Member 1: Well, condoms and lubricants seem pretty obvious. (gets cut off by member 2)

Member 2: Yeah, those are really obvious, but some other things that people may use to enhance their intimate relationships could be sextoys, or other aides. Like, handcuffs, rope, hot wax, a riding crop, or if it’s with yourself a dildo or vibrator.

Member 3: I don’t know about you guys, but my partner and I are pretty new to everything, and we’ve started experimenting with little things, like blindfolds, and handcuffs.(blushes)

Leader: Well, there’s nothing wrong with being new to something; we’re all here because we were interested in the discussion topic. Member 1, you mentioned using condoms and lubricants, does everyone understand the basics that condoms and lubricants?

Member 1: For condoms and lubricants, the basic rules are that latex condoms need to be used with water based lubricants. Silicone lubricants and latex condoms should never be used together, because it deteriorates the condoms. Also, it’s really important to note that flavored condoms aren’t meant for penetrative sex.

Member 4: I’ve used flavored condoms for sex. I don’t see the problem with this.

Member 1: But flavored condoms usually have a certain flavor and sweetness to them, can you imagine the havoc that that could wreak on ones vagina, it’d like throw off the PH levels and whatnot.

Member 5: It doesn’t seem like that big of a deal. At least you’re using condoms, which is the responsible thing to do.

Member 1: This is true, I guess member 4 is using condoms, but I think she may want to consider using other condoms if she is having sex with her partner, and they are available.

Leader: So, how do you guys feel about using lubricants?

Member 4: Well, obviously, lubricants are god’s gift to both women and men. I mean, like I don’t have problems getting wet… but if we’re going for a really long time, sometimes we end up using some. If we’re having unprotected sex, I’ll still use a water based lube with my partner, I think that silicone based lubes are more sticky.

Member 6: I’ve heard some pretty crazy stories about things that have been used as lube for my friends. One of my friends said that in a “jam” him and his partner used toothpaste, or lotion. Some people use KY jelly for anal sex. I don’t know, I feel like some people don’t know enough about sex before they actually start engaging in it, and that makes me sad. I was getting intimate with my partner for the first time downstairs, and he seemed to think that it was perfectly fine to use hand soap as lubricant. I quickly paused things so I could run upstairs and grab the lube.

Member 4: What’s wrong with that? (All other members, including the leader cringe).

Member 1: Haven’t you ever showered and possibly gotten soap up just a bit too far in your vagina? Ouch, no thank you. Consistent with the PH level it’s just a horrible idea.

Leader: I have to say that soap probably wasn’t meant for use as a lubricant. It sounds like Member 4 did the responsible thing in her decision to pause, and go grab a more suitable item. Ones vagina does seem to have a specific PH level.

Member 5: Okay, so I can stop cringing, lets get back to talking about lube, or something more pleasant.

Member 6: Like, okay. How about anal sex? Lubricant, that’s a must.

Member 4: Lube, yes, lots of lube. Lube usually is a must with anal plugs too.

Member 1: Yeah, honestly, I think that it’s easy to go wrong with sex toys. So many people buy them out of catalogs and stuff without actually having seen them. Personally, I want to physically see something that I’m going to be using intimately with myself or my partner. But back to anal plugs especially, I never buy them online; I always have to see them in person, because quite frankly, I’m really picky.

Leader: What does everyone else think? Would you want to physically see something that you’re going to be using with your partner or by yourself?

Member 4: Yes, I’d always want to see something before I buy it.I’m going to be using it… and well, frankly, things aren’t cheap.

Member 2: Damn right! Good toys aren’t cheap. I don’t even want to imagine tying my partner up with rope that I haven’t felt. It’d be wrong to use a riding crop I haven’t hit myself with any number of times in various places. I mean, yes it is possible that if you know the right person, you can trust them, and their ability to make things… but unless I know the maker in person, or trust their judgment, I’m not buying it.

Member 5: Yeah, if it’s going in me… even if it’s lubricant, I usually want to see what it feels like. I mean yeah, with a mask you can’t go wrong. But, if it’s something like nipple clamps, or a ball gag I want to actually see and feel them. I mean, I don’t ask to try on the nipple clamps, but you guys know what I mean.

Member 3: When we went to go buy handcuffs for the first time, my partner and I had both had a discussion before we went. Did we want the fuzzy ones, the metal ones, or the ones that are more comfortable and made out of fabric.

Member 6: Communication is important, especially if you’re trying out something new for the first time. Like, I have books about stuff, and I always show my partner things before I go get stuff for it, or before we try something new. We’re really open with each other.

Leader: I think you guys make very valid points. It is really important to talk to your partner, be open, and communicate.

Member 4: I bought the book “Tickle His Pickle”, and read it, and I learned a lot. But everything is with cartoon diagrams, which suffice, but it’s not the same as one would expect it to be. There are things in there… dear god. No. Just, it’d never happen. I was talking to my partner, and we looked over the book together. He was like, “yes”, “hell yes”, “please”, “no”, and “if you do that, be prepared to be hit”. Back to my point though. I think that it’s always important to discuss these things with your partner.

Member 1: Yeah, honestly, I think that people need to talk things over with their partners. It’s part of trust, it’s obviously part of good communication, it’s part of building that bond. Yes, you can just have a quick fuck, if that’s what you’re into and I’m not judging you if you are, but even then, I think it’s important to talk things over with your partner.

Member 6: Well, it’s obvious;at least it was for me, that hand soap is not a good idea for a lube. But my partner, he seemed okay with it. It was important that him and I had that bond, that I felt comfortable saying “no, let me go get this really quick”. Or, like for the first time, when he said that he wanted to tie me up, blindfold me, and do xyz… (pause). We had a talk about it, he trusted me enough to bring it up. He wanted us to try and work it out, I wanted to please him, but I had to figure out what I was comfortable with. We had to work within those confines of our relationship. We managed to find a happy medium though, and I’m glad that we talked about it, before he tried to surprise me and actually do xyz.

Member 3: I don’t know I mean, I’m pretty “vanilla” compared to everyone, but at the same time, I mean I’m growing, I’m learning. I’m realizing what I want, what I do want, and what I may want. Today I want this, tomorrow I want to try that, in the future, down the road, when I trust my partner enough maybe I will want to be tied to the bed posts, gagged, and well… completely at my partners mercy. But that dialogue has to happen first. I have to trust them enough. We have to develop that rapport. I don’t know how to do it, but I’ll figure it out eventually.

Member 2: I see where you’re coming from. The first time, when I began fantasizing about being my partners “slave”, or I wanted my partner to spank me (pauses)… I had to take a second, I had to test the waters. I was afraid of rejection, I was afraid of him thinking that I might be a freak, or that I had daddy issues, or something (pauses). I don’t know. We have boundaries, we had boundaries then. But we have less boundaries then than we have right now. It’s trust. You need to have that trust with your partner. I don’t know, we began by talking about the people running around campus with dog collars. I asked him what he thought about that first, it kinda opened the dialogue. I started finding porn that was a bit more tailored to what I was interested in, and we watched it, we discussed it. I think that was how we built this relationship. I know that we will have different interests. Sometimes one of us will want something, and the other person won’t be comfortable with it, but we talk about these things. I wish you good luck in going through this process with your partner Member 3. I wish everyone luck. It’s not easy, it’s stressful, it’s scary sometimes. But you learn a lot about yourself in the process.

Member 5: Give yourself some time. It’ll get there. Trust yourself. It’s a process. It takes time. I don’t know, my partner and I have a good relationship, but it takes time.

Member 4: I don’t know, do you guys have any opinions on anal sex? Have you guys done it? I’ve heard that anal sex doesn’t work the same for men as women, because our intestines are shaped differently, or our anal sphincter’s aren’t designed similarly.

Leader: Um, last I checked, our sphincter’s are similar. Our intestines are similar, we all… well, we have similar body parts. Men have a prostate though. Well, our opinions on anal sex aren’t necessarily relevant to you, but everyone should feel free to share.

Member 2: I think that there’s nothing wrong with anal sex, or butt plugs, but these things take time. They take communication. It’s not something that can be rushed the first handful of times. The body has to adjust, to become accustomed to everything; you have to be comfortable with it. Sometimes you have to go back to the drawing board and figure out where things went wrong. Sometimes you have to communicate with your partner, in the middle of what is going on. Sometimes it kills the mood. Sometimes you have to deal with feeling like you’ve let your partner down, when you really haven’t. It all comes back to the communication bit.

Member 1: I second that. Time, communication, trust. Don’t expect everything to come over night. You have to work for it, you have to push through that discomfort stage, and see if there really is that orgasmic reward at the end. Sometimes, you may need that extra stimulation somewhere to make everything work. Guys have the prostate, which may make receiving anal sex more physiologically compatible for them. They may enjoy it more for that reason. But that varies.

Member 5: Time. Communication. Trust, but these things have already been said. I’m not about to beat a dead horse, but you could always look up some educational resources on anal sex, if you need some help with it, I can help you.

Leader: If you guys had to give someone new to the lifestyle some sort of advice for their relationship with their partner, or personal wellbeing, what would it be?

Member 4: Keep an open mind. Know yourself, but know that it’s okay to feel however you feel at the time. You need to know what you actually need. You need a partner whose willing to respect your boundaries. My first couple of partners…. (pause) they didn’t necessarily fall into that category. I learned from it though.

Member 3: I honestly don’t know, I’m really new to all of this. But I’d say that you can’t be ashamed of your wants and needs.I know we’ve discussed the R.A.C.K. and safety stuff. I got a lot out of that.

Member 6: I know that it’s really important to respect boundaries, like Member 4 has said. But at the same time, it may be important to realize why you have those boundaries. Know those triggers, know those limits, and know what squicks yourself out. At the same time. Don’t be afraid to welcome the discomfort, and at times push past it. Some things may not be your kink, but respect people who have those things as kinks.

Member 1: Just be yourself. Don’t feel like you have anything to prove. Don’t move to fast, don’t feel like you have to be the biggest “pain slut”, or that you’re not “dom enough” or “sub enough”. Slow down. Enjoy it. Don’t feel afraid to tell your partner to stop, pause, or use a safe word.

Member 2: I agree with the communication. I guess I’d say that if you don’t know what is fun, do some research. If you’re going to it, you need education though. Don’t just jump into something; unless you’ve done a bit of research, you need to be safe.

Member 5: Guys, I’ve got to go. See you next week.

Everyone: Bye.

Leader: It looks like that’s about time to go guys. Not to rush everyone, but we need to leave soon. That’s probably a great place to wrap up. We’ll continue where we left off. If you need any resources for other topics, feel free to get in contact with me, and I’ll do my best to help you.

Group 2 Process Notes- Gamers Guild Meeting

Leader/Vice President:Okay, guys, I’m going to start the meeting. We have several orders of business. First, and most obviously, our president is not here, so I’m filling in. So, well behave and listen. This meetings topics are as follows.

The meeting with student government to learn about the new poster route thing. I still need two people to come to this, if I haven’t gotten people already.
Second, Gencon, if you’re coming, I need to see you after the meeting. Wait, well, I’ll just do that now. In the next couple of weeks, the President and I are going to go defend the proposal and allocation request for Gencon.We need the money for badges and hotels probably by the end of the month. We need to get his taken care of so that we can decide whose all going, sleeping arrangements, and cars etc. (after this statement, several members make smart ass comments about the necessity of using Facebook.)
Third, Black Ops tournament, we’re having one in mid-April. I’m hoping that we could possibly charge a small entrance fee, get Sodexo to cater, and then maybe donate that entry fee to a community organization, as well as use part of it to buy a prize. It would look really good for the organization if we could get something going. The last Black Ops tournament went fairly well, as most of you who attended remembered.
The lock in that was supposed to happen last week, and was cancelled due to the snow is going to be rescheduled, and they will probably ask us to help out again. I know some of you were looking forward to it.
We are currently looking into working on a Magic the Gathering competitive tournament, and we’ll need judges. Those of you who are interested in watching, not playing, and don’t want to feel guilty about doing so, contact me.
I’m going to talk to the university about the policy on lock ins. The president and I were discussing possibly having a lock in, somewhere in the MU, and I thought we could play games all night. This will probably take place at the end of March if all goes according to plan.
Membership requirements, you guys need to get those taken care of, so you can get some of the funding to go to Gencon.

I now open the floor for new business, does anyone have any? (Leader notes silence…) Okay guys, I’m going to head out, then. Going once… going twice…. (Jack pipes up)

Jack: I am currently considering running a 40K Warhammer RPG if anyone would like to join. Let me know, asap. (Mark, Trevor, and Jerry all perk up).

Jeff: I am currently working with Math Club, and if anyone needs community service hours, we are having middle school girls come for a math event. We need people to help with math exploration. You can sign up for one, two, or three hour shifts. Let me know if you are interested (Member makes a smart ass comment.)

Leader: By the way guys, we all need community service hours as a requirement of being a member this would be an easy way to get some. Also, I forgot to mention something about the magic club. I contacted the President of the Magic Club, and I haven’t been able to get into contact with him. He’s probably not interested, or something. I don’t know what’s going on.

Trevor: I know the guy. He’s not so bad, he’s just a bit flakey. He hates technology, and he’s difficult to reach sometimes. If you need me to talk to him for you, I’m fine with that.

Leader: I’m not saying he’s a bad guy, just that I’d like to get in contact with him. Can you just ask him to check his email next time you see him.

Trevor: Will do.

Christian: I was wondering if everyone wanted to get together and have a warhammer tournament in SchillingerLounge. You guys usually haphazardly show up, and nobody knows what’s going on, or what the point buy is. Just, we could be more organized.

(Nate,Jack,andTrevor all perk up.)

Leader: I could always rent out a room for you guys to use to have the tournament. It’d be more tables, a nicer space, and possibly able to hold more people. (Christian interrupts leader.)

Christian: Just not on the floor guys. Really, that’s a pain in the butt, and I feel all hunched over, or like I’m five. Not again.

(Mark,Jack,Nate, Jerry, Christian, Nick and Trevor all talk at the same time for like five minutes. All others look around trying to listen to the one closest to them. Leader looks unamused and annoyed.)

Nate: You guys, we should just have the VP get us a room, that way we don’t have to worry about the floor or the tables, it’ll be nicer, we can stay longer, and we won’t get interrupted. It’s a win win.

Leader: that’s fine with me guys. Just, let’s move on, and we can get the fine details worked out later sometime.

(Mark,Jerry,Trevor,Derek, Christian and Nick all start talking simultaneously the leader looks unamused.)

Leader: Okay, when wouldn’t work for you guys?

Trevor: Not first Friday, I have drill. How about the second Saturday in March? That would be amazing.

Leader: Okay, I’ll see what I can get booked at such short notice, and then post it to facebook. Also, on facebook, we will be having a listing of a garage sale items amongst members.

(Everyone in the group starts talking… the leader gets up, as does his girlfriend who pushes in chair, is about to leave the room. Everyone notices this, and stops talking.)

Leader: Also, everyone, you need to get your hours in by the end of the semester. We will be having elections, here are your requirements. You must attend four meetings each semester, pay $5 in dues, do ten hours of community service, and actually participate. That is all.

(Leader leaves, everyone starts talking.)

Reflection:

For my group process observation, I chose two very different groups Gamers Guild and Safe Consensual Alternative Lifestyles Education and Support (SCALES). Gamers Guild met for a specific reason to discuss business, to get things done, to make sure the “community” knew what was going to transpire. It gave people an opportunity to meet afterwards and play, discuss, run, or brainstorm different games. The SCALES meeting I attended seemed to have more of a support group mentality. They had a leader whose goal is to provide education and support to its members. If I had to categorize this group into either a content or process group, I would probably choose a content group.

While I think that both types of groups are incredibly important resources for people on campus, and each has its specific purpose. Gamers Guild helps pull people together with a common interest and facilitates a social aspect of life, whereas SCALES focuses a lot on the educational and support aspect. I think that Gamer’s Guild was a very good example of a cohesive group. Everyone seemed comfortable with each other. Each member seemed fully there with the group, and unafraid to disclose. I think that the president of the group, who was also the “leader” who guided the discussion, did a wonderful job with guiding the conversation when necessary.

As far as group dynamics are concerned, I admittedly found that they were very different between the two groups. Gamers Guild seemed to have very different dynamics because there were probably 15-20 members present, but very few chose to speak up. The group dynamics appeared to have been “thrown off” because the president was not present. This placed the vice president in the position of being “in charge”, and I think he did a decent job. Honestly, having known both the President and the Vice President for a year, I think that it is interesting that the President is able to run through business without people talking to each other and “ruining the flow of the meeting”. The President rules with an “iron fist”, nobody speaks over him, nobody interrupts or cuts him off. The Vice President, amusingly enough is a pretty “alpha male” type, and it seems interesting that instead of responding with confusion and frustration when people spoke over him, he seemed relatively comfortable with it. Well yes, he was annoyed, but it didn’t seem to bother him as much as I personally would have expected.

Another contrasting factor between the two groups was the actual “makeup” of the groups. While the membership of Guild is predominantly male, with 20 males and 4 or 5 females, I admit that this influences the group mentality. Yes, while the guys occasionally make sexist remarks (which occurred after the meeting, while games were being played), the females seem to do a pretty good job on holding their own, and keeping the guys in their place. Being a member of this group, I think that there’s a mentality that “boys will be boys”, but none of the girls are harassed, made fun of, or left feeling uncomfortable. The guys seem to look after the girls, and the girls stick up for themselves. The membership of SCALES in comparison was predominantly female (four females, two males, and a female leader), the group seemed just as functional, and the males in the group seemed unabashed to this difference, and not as conscious to this fact as the girls in Gamers Guild.

I think that there was a more supportive atmosphere in SCALES, but that is to be expected. The way that conflict or disagreement was handled was rather democratically, in both instances the differences in opinion were respected, or in the case of SCALES used as opportunities for educative purposes. Overall, I think that this assignment made me more aware of specific group dynamics. The Gamers Guild seemed to have a wide variety of cliques, but these usually do not seem to cause conflict. After taking process notes, I realized the patterns of people talking, how different members usually speak together, and how the Vice President handles conflict.

REGULATIONS

Explain the relationship between ISO 14000 and American national legislative and regulatory agencies. Use at least two examples to illustrate your answer.

Physical Education ” Health and Wellness

PHED 1111: Physical Education

Assignment

Health and Wellness

(25%=Individual Written Report)

Purpose of Assignment

Each student has to write a report about the importance of health and wellness,
This assignment strives to have students gain a greater understanding of the issue of health and wellness and how it impacts on their everyday lives

Objectives

To help students identify different definitions of health and wellness
To help students understand the importance of being healthy and well
To help students understand the value of having health and wellness

Instructional Media: Tools and Resources

Students will be provided with chapters from the textbook to develop their background knowledge in the relevant areas

Requirements

Written Report

The report must use your own language. You cannot use quotes.

The report must:

First page=have a cover page?
Second page=have the assessment rubric in the hard copy(if not, one point deducted)
Third page=your report
Use Times New Romans or Arial, font size: 12
Have a space of 1.5 between lines
Start each paragraph with a topic sentence
Use your own words (no cut and pasting from the textbook)
Be written in the first person (use “I” or “my” or “our” or “we”)
Be 2 full pages in length (not including the reference list)
Be your own work (if you copy another student’s work you will receive 0%)

The report must use the following headings:

Introduction

Include a clear thesis statement, justify the importance of the assignment topic, give a reference to justify the assignment, outline what topics the report will cover.

Health and Wellness

Include a description of health and wellness.

Dimensions of health and wellness

Describe the dimensions of health, and wellness

Factors Influencing health and wellness

Describe the multiple factors of health and wellness

The value of being healthy and well and how to achieve health and wellness

Discuss the importance of being healthy, well and

Discuss the ways to maintain your health, wellness and fitness

Conclusion

Restate the thesis statement, include a summary of the key points from the body paragraphs, and say how these key points answer the assignment.

Reference

Write the reference using APA style

Assessment Criteria

Criteria	Assessment Rubric for Individual Written Report	SCORES
Introduction	Contains thesis statement, states why assignment is important. Outline the report content	3
Health and Wellness	Description of health and wellness	3
Dimensions of health and wellness	Description of the dimensions of health and wellness	3
Factors affecting health and wellness	Description of the factors influencing health and wellness	3
The value of being healthy and well, and how to achieve health and wellness	Discuss the importance of being healthy and well, the ways to achieve health and wellness	3
Conclusion	Restate the thesis statement, include a summary of the key points from the body paragraphs, and say how these key points answer the assignment	3
Reference	Write the reference using APA style	3
Mechanics	Punctuation and spelling and capitalization are correct, words are well chosen, writer uses own words, topic sentences, full sentences, first person, no bullet points, correct line spacing and font	4
TOTAL		25

Late Assignments

Late assignments will be deducted 10% on every day late in the submission of the soft copy on Blackboard. After 10 days late assignments will receive 0% marks.

Your assignment must be on BlackBoard on the due date before the start of class.
Also, a hard copy of your assignment must be given to me in class on the due date.
There are NO exceptions to these rules.

Writing proposal

COMM 1312: Writing and Research

Course Assignments

ASSIGNMENT 1: Writing the Research Proposal

Due Date: Week 4

Late assignments will not be accepted.

Objective:

The objective of the research proposal is to provide background information and the reason for conducting your study.

Learning Outcome:

Students will be able to write a research proposal as per accepted professional standards. For this course, it will be APA format.

Tools and Resources:

Writing Research Papers by Lester & Lester Chapter 2
Course Documents (including power point presentations and sample papers)
Blackboard
Microsoft Office

Requirements:

Cover Page
Abstract
Purpose Statement & Rationale
Statement of Qualification
Literature Review
Methodology
Expected Findings and Implications
Bibliography

Requirement Details

Write a cover page. It must include a header, running head, the title of the project, your name, and the institution to whom you are submitting the proposal. (See Lester p.323)

Write a paragraph of 50 to 120 words. It must be a summary of your project.
1. Write a sentence stating the topic
2. Write 1-2 sentences stating the purpose of the project
3. Write 1- 2 sentences explaining your methodology.
4. Write 2-3 sentences stating your expected conclusions and implications. (See Lester pp. 322-323)

Write a paragraph of 4- 6 sentences stating your rationale, i.e. your reason for doing the project and identify a minimum ONE topic you plan to include in your project. (*SO, YOU ONLY NEED TO WRITE ONE PARAGRAPH HERE)

(Optional) Write a paragraph of 4 – 6 sentences stating your experience, if any, and any other qualification you may have .

Write a minimum of ONE paragraphs (5 -7 sentences each) reflecting on books, articles, etc. you have examined in preparation for your project. *please just cite your sources using name and date (year or day/month/year) of the publication**

Write a paragraph of 5 – 10 sentences describing your research methods. One or more methods.

Write a paragraph of 4 – 6 sentences stating what you expect to find out and possible implications.

Assessment:

This assignment is 10% of the final grade.

See rubrics attached.

	Criteria	Points	Points Awarded	Comments
1	Cover Page	1
	Header & Page number
	Running Head
	Title
	Byline
	Affiliation
2	Abstract	2
	Say what project is about
	Rationale
	Method
	Findings
3	Rationale	2
4	Qualification Statement (optional)	(.50)		Extra credit
5	Literature Review	2
6	Methodology	1
7	Expected Findings /Implications	1
8	References	1
	Total	10	0

Writing & Research

COMM 1312

Marking Criteria for the Research Proposal

	Criteria	Points	Points Awarded	Comments
1	Cover Page	1
2	Abstract	2
3	Rationale	2
4	Qualification Statement (optional)			Extra credit (.050)
5	Literature Review	2
6	Methodology	1
7	Expected Findings /Implications	1
8	References	1
	Total	10	0

Introduction to International Business; Global Marketing 2

Throughout this course you will be looking at how easy it is do to business in countries.

The World Bank has being doing an extensive study of this subject for many years. Please visit http://doingbusiness.org .

Select a country at this site.

Write a 2 page paper about this country:

Identify the country and summarize its profile.

Describe how easy it is to do business in this country according to the information at this site.

What factors make it easy to do business? What factors make it difficult to do business? Are there explicit factors that deal with marketing? Explain why.

Please make sure to use APA style and to use an Introduction, Main Body, and Conclusions. Use Headings and Titles. Click here for Tips for Good Writing.

Remember, this is NOT a term paper due at the end of the course. Rather, this is done module by module.

SLP 1 Assignment Expectations

Select a country for your SLPs for BUS401 and write 2 pages about how easy or not it is to do business.
Use appropriate writing style (organization, grammar, & spelling- see Writing Guidelines).
Required Background Reading:

Ball, D., Geringer, J., McNett, J., Minor, M. (2013)Chapter 1: Challenging World of International Business, International Business: The Challenge of Global Competition, 13th Edition, McGraw Hill, http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/dl/free/0078029376/889427/Chapter01.pdf

Rao, P. (2010) Chapter 1: International Business: Nature, Theories and Competitive Advantages, Introduction to International Business, Himalaya Publishing House [available in Ebrary]

Rao, P. (2010) Unit 2: International Business Environment, International Business Environment, Global Media [available in Ebrary]

Required Case Assignment Reading:

Roberts, M. (October 24, 2013). Walmart China Expansion Aims to Tap Urbanization, Business Week, http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-10-24/walmarts-china-expansion-aims-to-tap-urbanization

Yao, K., Blanchard, B. (November 15, 2013) China unveils boldest reforms in decades, shows Xi in command, Reuters, http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/15/us-china-reform-idUSBRE9AE0BL20131115

Ethics in Research and Writing in Human Services

Part 1

This part provides a timeline that show the steps I will take to complete each assignment. The tasks in RA will evaluate the research methodologies used in a particular study. Basically, RA 1 will be completed within 3 weeks while RA 2 within 5 weeks. The

RA 1: Research methodologies used

Time (3 weeks	Activity	Resources and Information required	Strategy used to collect information
Week 1	Evaluate the research methodologies used. Examine the theoretical framework used in the study and access its appropriateness for the selected research question. Evaluate how the literature review portion of the article informed and supported the research	Gather facts and Information from journal articles and books about various research methodologies that researchers use. A book and a paper to document whether the research questions were answered.	Ensure that the research utilized the appropriate research methodologies. Evaluate the appropriateness of the framework is discussed in detail. Ensure specific examples are provided to support the discussion.
Week 2	Analyze the instruments used in data collection and discuss how they were an appropriate selection to achieved the intended outcomes	Literature review about instruments used in data collection	Ensure that the right instruments were used in data collection.
Week 3	Evaluate the results and conclusion drawn and discuss the extent to which they supported the research question. Evaluate the ethical considerations kept in mind regarding multicultural diversity in data collection, analysis, and interpretation.	Information on the ethical consideration kept. A legal consent form that approved that the research was worth studying.	Ensure that the conclusion is clear, complete and accurate. Specific examples from the articles are used to highlight the multicultural emphasis of the study.

RA 2: Research Question and Literature

Time (5 weeks)	Activity	Resources and Information required	Strategy used to collect information
Week 1	Evaluate the research question	Gather facts and Information from journal articles and books on how to represent research questions	Ensure the research question are clear, specific, measurable, and appropriate to the current field.
Week 2	Comprise all the elements necessary for literature review	All important materials and incredible research sources within the past 5 years	Ensure the literature review includes all important materials including credible research sources and current sources within the past 5 years.
Week 3	Synthesize the research and provide a summary of how the selected literature support the research question	Research questions in the study.	Highlight whether the importance of the research question is justified and answered. Key elements of research questions are supported by multiple and incredible sources.
Week 4	Discuss common themes found in the literature related to the topic.	Literature related to the topic	Ensure that the identified common themes are accurate and clearly presented.
Week 5	Compare and contrast the typical research methodologies-qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods Demonstrate ethical scholarship in accurate representation.	Research methodologies	Ensure that the research was written in a clear, clear, and organized manner. Evaluate whether the research demonstrated ethical scholarship in accurate representation.

Part 2

Research Background

In the 21^st century, Human service is a core discipline that encourages and promotes unique norms, characteristics, and values in the business realm. Human service professionals cannot be underestimated in that; they create a positive working environment. In essence, they uphold ethics and integrity of an organization. Additionally, they promote community and client well-being and enhance their professional growth. There are a number of standards that help this professional to function effectively. As Ferrari, Coenen & Grunwald (2012) put it, human service promotes the welfare and integrity of the organization at all times and protects employees or clients’ confidentiality. Through these standards, many business entities can communicate effectively with clients and function effectively in their performance. Of all the benefits that organizations accrue from ethics in research and writing in human service is the, greatest advantage of respecting human rights. It is important to note that, human service professional provides services without preference based on race, disability, religion, culture, social economic status, or sexual orientation. Many people struggle to understand the ethics in human service. In this regard, this paper presents a research that discusses the ethics and implementation strategies in research and writing in human services.

Research Questions and Objectives

The intended research focused in answering a number of questions that further laid a strong foundation for the literature review. These questions include; which are the main principles or ethics in research and writing in Human services, and what strategies have been employed by human service professionals to adhere to the mentioned ethics? This study was conducted on the fact that, most companies utilize ethics in research and writing in human service. Most human service professionals have sufficient knowledge about the ethics and implementation strategies in the area. With such, the goal of the study was to evaluate various ethics in research and writing in human service.

Methodology

This research utilized specific methods to get intended findings or results. Basically, the sample in this research involved two different research and writing companies; Vision Critical and Anderson Analytics. To qualify as participants, each of the company was required to have adequate knowledge on the ethics in human service. This requirement was only met if the selected organizations outlined the ethics that have made them succeed in the business realm.

After qualifying for the study, data on which principles and ethics that each company uses was collected. Basically, the data collection tools included practical observation, interviews, and analysis of website of the companies in relation to ethics in human service. It is crucial to note that, interviews on the selected company were only conducted to top managers since they have adequate knowledge on how the firm operates. The interviews were either conducted via email or phone calls. Top managers were required to outline a number of ethics they have observed in human services. Thereafter, this research analyzed the collected data and compared it to previous studies conducted. With this, the research achieved an in-depth understanding of the ethics in research and writing in human services.

Findings

Both Vision Critical and Anderson Analytics firms explore the major ethical concepts and principles applicable to their organizations. These ethics include privacy and confidentiality, competence, informed consent, and avoiding human exploitation and harm. Each top manager outlined how the mentioned ethics are applied and how these standards promote dignity and integrity in the business realm. Based on Nagy (2011) analysis, this research outlined that human service professional’s work hard to protect the client’s confidentiality. The top managers affirmed that, their organization protect the client’s privacy except in few cases when the confidentiality would harm the government, client, or the organization. According to Byrne (2011), human service professionals are expected to respect and promote the welfare and integrity of the client all times. Also, they should protect the safety, security, and integrity of client records. Top managers work hard to ensure that their organizations are abiding to the ethics in human service.

Discussion

To adequately prepare myself with this research population, I had to research on the major ethics in research and writing in human service. This laid a strong ground to understand the topic in depth and further evaluate how some companies are utilizing the code of ethics. In developing an informed consent form of participation in research, there are basic elements I could include in the form. An informed consent form is an important plan of this research. I could assure the participants that they could understand the subject in depth, ask the participants whether they can voluntarily decide to participate, explain why the participants are important for the study, explain how the research will protect confidentiality, and how the research will reward the participant population. I would also provide a legal consent form that approves that the research is worth studying. An Institutional Review Board (IRB) is a board that review, monitor, and approve research involving human participants (Byrne, 2011). Other elements include how the study is worth studying and how it contributes to the field of human services (Nagy, 2011).

Overwhelmingly, this research is important since it enhance a significant growth in the field of human services. Particularly, it lays a strong ground for many people to understand the ethics in research and writing in human service. The research benefits the society in that; many organizations will understand the importance of protecting human dignity and integrity. This study would not have benefited from any kind of deception because it could have contradicted the actual findings.

References

Byrne, E. F. (2011). Business ethics should study illicit businesses: To advance respect for human rights. Journal of Business Ethics, 103(4), 497-509. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10551-011-0885-y

Ferrari, A., Coenen, C., & Grunwald, A. (2012). Visions and ethics in current discourse on human enhancement. Nanoethics,6(3), 215-229. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11569-012-0155-1

Nagy, T. F. (2011). Ethics in research and publication. In Essential ethics in
psychology: A primer for understanding and mastering core issues
(pp. 199–216). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Meditations IV: Truth and Falsehood

In meditations, Rene Descartes seeks to prove the existence of God, the clear distinction between the key philosophical concepts of the body, mind, and soul. However, by employing the power of logic, he demonstrates the existence of God. This is upon recognition of the fact that all perfections originates from the perfect being, God (Philosophy Index 1). Thus, upon proving the idea of God, logic dictates that other ideas like free will and understanding, truth and falsehood follows necessarily. This paper seeks to address the idea of God, free will, understanding, truth, and falsehood in the light of meditations.

Differences between Free Will and understanding

Meditations assert that it is impossible for the senses to perceive, with accuracy, all aspects of objects in the immediate environment. However, the capacity of the mind seems to surpass that of the senses. There are several distinctions between free will and understanding. Firstly, both understanding and free will comes from God (Maaarten 1). Nevertheless, free will is exercisable where there is sufficient understanding. Thus, sufficient understanding, logically, precedes the discharge of free will. Secondly, free will is boundless and covers ideas beyond the sensations, unlike the limited nature of the understanding that relies on the sensations.

Sources of Human Errors

The ability to accept or reject, pursue or withhold marks the key ideas in the free will. However, such ideas are only applicable in the presence of things presented by understanding. God is of immense power and so are the creations (Maarten 4). Human beings have perfect, though limited powers. However, of these powers, free will is wider in nature compared to understanding. Thus, the limited human understanding presents very limited facts about things in existence for the effective discharge of the free will (Philosophy Index 1). The poor discharge of the will arising from the limited facts from understanding leads to acceptance of falsehood for truth and evil for good and thus error and sin arises.

Important Conclusion from the Account of Error

Free will and understanding are perfect endowments from God. There is no injustice or deprivation regarding these (Maarten 5). However, free will is wider than understanding; it is the duty of human beings to limit the exercise of free will to the scope of understanding. Errors results from exercising free will on matters that are obscure. Thus, the only acceptable method towards avoiding error and sin is by passing judgment on matters that are clear and distinct as presented by human understanding.

Importance of the Conclusions regarding the Account of Error to meditations

The conclusion reaffirms the main objective of the meditation and outcome. Meditations seek the true source of knowledge and the possibility of acquiring that knowledge devoid of errors (Philosophy Index 2). God exits as the essence of being. Errors results from the misuse of free will (Maarten 4). With proof of God as the creator- the source of knowledge, and a method of keeping free will within the confines of understanding, the ground is set for determining truth, falsehood, good, and evil in the meditations.

Relevance of God to Meditations

The idea of God is important to the entire scheme of meditations. Without God the human existence and their rational faculty ceases to be meaningful. All human faculties come from God. He alone endows human beings with understanding, free will, and comprehension among others. Human beings cannot exist without God (Maarten 1). True essence of human beings and the rational faculty are derivatives of God’s perfection. Meditations are about human beings and perfect knowledge. These only come from God.

Works Cited

Maarten, Maartensz. Meditations IV: on the true and the false. Meditations on First Philosophy, 2014. Web. 12 February 2014.

Philosophy Index. Meditations on first philosophy: meditation IV; of truth and error. Philosophy index, 2014. Web. 12 May 2014.

Multicultural Counseling and Advocacy Competencies

As a counselor, understanding different cultural contexts would promote development of cultural self-awareness from different perspectives. Therefore, counseling knowledge and skills can be advanced through learning multicultural counseling and advocacy competencies which would result to self-awareness (Hays, 2014). At individual level, counselors gain understanding of their own cultural heritage in addition to attaining respect and value for other cultures. At group level, counselors become aware of their own cultural differences with respect to their clients different cultures, which enables them understand the effects which might arise from the differences. Prior to this cultural understanding, counselors get contented with the differences making them universal when dealing with race or gender issues (Pedersen et al, 2002).

In becoming familiar with the characteristics and concerns of diverse populations and integrating culturally supported behaviors that promote optimal wellness and growth of the human spirit, mind, and body, counselors have to integrate culturally supported behaviors into your counseling practice. Behavioral therapy is one of the culturally accepted behaviors which are widely used by psychotherapists in delivering mental illness (Robinson, 2009). For councilors to promote cultural social justice, advocacy, and conflict resolution, volunteering for individual counseling as well as introducing learning programs in schools would increase understanding and reduce cultural differences. Extending the programs to the diverse communities would promote cultural respect worldwide.

The journey to cultural competence would require three steps. The first step would be awareness of one’s culture with respect to other cultures around, which promotes competence and accuracy in making the right cultural assumptions. The second step would be comprehension, which would require sufficient acquiring of facts, information and even appropriate knowledge to analyze the clients’ behaviors and the cultural context involved. The third step would be developing of the skills to enable implementation of a positive change in the cultural context available. These three steps require coordination such that awareness would enable understanding of important information acquired for the appropriate skills to be applied in promoting multicultural counseling programs for positive impacts (Bradley & Ladany, 2001).

References

Bradley, L. J., & Ladany, N. (2001). Counselor supervision: principles, process, and practice (3^rd ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Brunner-Routledge.

Hays, D. G. (2014). Developing multicultural counseling competence: a systems approach (2^nd ed.). Boston: Pearson.

Pedersen, P.B., Draguns J.G., Lonner W. J. & Trimble J. E. (2002). Counseling across cultures (5^th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

Robinson, T. L. (2009). The convergence of race, ethnicity, and gender: multiple identities in counseling (3^rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson.

Sports Marketing Campaign

Executive Summary

The competitive nature of markets requires companies to develop and implement appropriate marketing plans that can help them maintain competitive advantage in the market place (Dvir et al, 2003). New companies should develop intense marketing strategies so as to attract customers and gain significant market share. This report provides a marketing plan for Adult Energy which is a company involved in the production of sports recovery and energy beverages. The company is located in Oklahoma State in the United States. The report starts by giving the environmental analysis of the Adult Energy Company. In the assessment of the environmental analysis, various factors that affect the operation of the company are analyzed. The environmental analysis of the Adult Energy considers both internal and external environmental factors. Several external environmental factors such as political, economic, social, environmental, technological, legal and competitive environment are evaluated in attempt to determine the appropriateness of the business location. The analysis of the internal environment on the other hand evaluated the strengths and weaknesses of the company.

The report further provides various marketing strategies that are used by the firm in order to gain significant market share. Adult Energy has been able to use various marketing strategies to position itself in the market. To achieve the marketing objectives of the company, different market segments of the company’s products are identified. An in depth analysis of the target market, customers, market size, market share and marketing objectives of the company are also discussed.

Various marketing strategies that Adult Energy needs to implement in order to prosper in a new market are also provided. Under this section the report provides different traditional marketing strategies that are important for Adult Energy. The traditional marketing strategies that were found to be suitable for the company include market expansion plans through acquisition of new customers, development of affordable products, product development and product diversification. It is also important for the company to ensure that it develops a strong brand in the market so as to attract customers’ loyalty and trust. It is also necessary for Adult Energy to create a strong brand position in the market place so as to become distinctive from the products of the rival firms. Other forms of marketing strategies that are ideal for Adult Energy include relationship marketing and tribal marketing.

After identification of the marketing strategies, it is necessary for Adult Energy to identify appropriate tools that can be used in the implementation of the marketing strategies. The implementation of the marketing plan for Adult Energy should incorporate the use of marketing mix that consist of product, price, place, promotion, public relation and people. Marketing mix is therefore important for determining the company’s products variety, suitable pricing strategy, the promotional plans, accessibility, public relation and the people (Dvir et al, 2003).

Finally the report gives the process that the company should take during project implementation. Under this section a detailed process to be followed during project implementation are discussed. In the implementation of the marketing plan various aspects are considered such as commitment of the implementation team, knowledge of the marketing strategies, making appropriate schedules of implementation and budget forecast. These issues will ensure that there is proper management of the project. After the implementation of the project, an evaluation of the project, marketing strategies and the product market should be undertaken. The evaluation of projects ensures that the project is in the correct path and makes appropriate adjustment when necessary.

Introduction

Adult Energy is company that is located in the Oklahoma in the United States. The company manufactures sports recovery and energy beverages, shakes, pills and powders. The company also manufactures other products that include PM Booster and Quick Gel. Adult Energy products are designed in such so as to provide energy, rejuvenate and maintain health to various sports personalities. The company is still young and upcoming hence operates only in Oklahoma but intends to expand to other states in the United States within a period of three years. The company has been using an elaborate marketing plan so as to ensure that it gain significant market share as well as expand in other neighboring States in United States (Juin, 2000).

Adult Energy targets different individuals with its products. The products of the company are mainly consumed by adults especially during and after participating in a sporting event or fitness activities. The target market for the company is increasing due to a growth in market for the company’s products as the young populations enters the workforce and are becoming aware of the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle through exercise and fitness activities. Currently the company main customers are within the states of Oklahoma in United States and intend to expand to other neighboring states in United States within duration of three years.

Main Products of the Company

Adult energy is specialized mainly in manufacturing of goods and services that are used by fitness minded consumers. The company offers both tangible and intangible products that help satisfy their customers’ needs. The products of Adult Energy help individuals with the ability to perform certain fitness activities in order to become healthy as well as achieve the desired shape. The company has two main product lines that include afterhours and recharge. The Afterhours product lines are targeted for consumers who are looking for quick energy so as to be able to participate in some fitness activities, run or workout after their regular work schedules. Some of the Afterhours product line that are offered by the company include pill, powder packets, the Green energy shake, PM Booster and Fitnutz.

On the other hand the Recharge product lines are meant to be given to customers two hours after completion of a fitness activity, workout or run. The main aim of the Recharge product line is to enable an individual to rehydrate the body, replenish the essential body nutrients as well as replenish the glycogen. Some of the examples of Recharge product line that the company offers to customers include the Revitalize Shake, the Recover bar and the Quick gel. Apart from the Afterhours and Recharge product line, Adult Energy also provides customers with additional products that are in terms of meal plans and personal recipes as well as a specified list of grocery that are in accordance to the meal and recipe plans.

Mission and Vision Statement

The mission statement of the company states as “To best serve our customers by providing quality sports recovery and energy beverages, services and information as well as continuing to adapt and innovate with the changing industry” The mission statement of Adult Energy also acts as the main purpose of the company. The purpose for the establishment of Adult Energy makes it to be differentiated from other companies due to its products that targets specific market segments. The company understands that after long days of work, it can become difficult for individuals to acquire motivation and energy required for work out or physical fitness activities. The company therefore provides nutritional supplements that help boots energy of individuals after work so as to perform their regular work outs and fitness activities.

The company was started so as to capitalize on the market opportunities that existed as a result of the popularity and importance of health awareness and fitness among individuals. The vision of the company is to be the largest manufacturer of sports recovery and energy beverages around the world. Adult Energy wants to achieve its vision through expansion plans so as to be able to serve other markets a part from the current Oklahoma. To meet this objective, Adult Energy has put an expansion plan that will enable it to operate in the neighboring states that include Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico, and Texas within the next three years.

The company values it customers and is working towards ensuring that the customer’s needs are satisfied. It constantly engages customers in various discussion and forums that are aimed at identifying various needs of the customers. The response and feedbacks received from the customers are then used to improve the products of the company so as to satisfy customer’s needs appropriately (Shank, 1999). The company is also aware of the importance of its employees hence ensures that there is a conducive environment for its employees.

Marketing Objectives

The company has a number of marketing objectives that it needs to accomplish so as to be able to realize its goals. The following are the marketing objectives of the company.

To increase the overall sales of its products by 40 % among men and women who are working as full time employees.
To increase the overall sales by at least 25% among men and women who are working as part-time employees.
To increase the overall sales of pre-workout shakes, powders, and pills by 20% among its target market.
To increase the market share by 15% over the next three years in the Oklahoma and the neighboring states of Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico, and Texas.
To ensure that the Adult Energy Brand is recognizable throughout the entire South through intense advertising in newspapers such as Oklahoman, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Houston Chronicle, St. Louis Dispatch, Wichita Eagle, and the Albuquerque Journal.
To increase the traffic to the Adult Energy’s online website by establishing Adult Energy in local search and through visibility on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram among other social network.

The Current Marketing and Geographic Markets

Adult Energy is still new and young in the market hence it has developed various marketing strategies to help in the creation of its product awareness among customers (Zahra et al, 2000). The company currently uses personal selling and advertisements as the main marketing techniques. Through personal selling the company coordinates with various fitness centers and gyms within its area of operation. This is made possible as the company is located at a place that is surrounded by a number of fitness centers and gyms. The company has also been contracted by a number of fitness centers in its surrounding that include Four Star Fitness, Stages Health and Fitness and Fit for Her so as to sell its products to their fitness centers. Adult energy has also plans to expand and acquire contracts with more fitness centers within duration of one year. The company currently values relationship marketing as major marketing strategies for its products. It employs and trains its staff on its core businesses and activities. Its staffs are also available in various fitness centers so as to be able to offer customers with the necessary help required during their work out and fitness activities.

The current marketing of the company is being conducted on its main geographical markets of the company. The main current geographical market of the company is the state of Oklahoman. However the company has started to develop marketing campaigns that will help it cover other geographical areas within United States such as Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico, and Texas.

References

Dvir, D., Raz, T., & Shenhar, A. J. (2003). An empirical analysis of the relationship between

project planning and project success, International Journal of Project Management, 21(2), 89-95

Juin, S. С. (2000). Marketing planning & strategy, Thompson Learning

Shank, M. D. (1999). Sports marketing: A strategic perspective (Vol. 341). Upper Saddle River,

NJ: Prentice Hall.

Zahra, S. A., Ireland, R. D., & Hitt, M. A. (2000). International expansion by new venture firms:

International diversity, mode of market entry, technological learning, and performance. Academy of Management journal, 43(5), 925-950.

Modification

identify the practice or policy you will describe and work with this term as you begin to examine learning theories and see how they manifest themselves in a variety of ways, (5/5 pts)

The policy that I will describe and work with this term is the school’s attendance policy.

Explain what the policy or practice is, (4/5 pts)-What are the consequences for absenteeism? If students have unexcused absences, what happens? What happens if students do not have notes from parents and guardians? What happens if students miss too much school?

The school’s attendance policy is a crucial policy that will allow students to succeed in their academic. The school management will work hard to ensure that students adhere to the rules and regulations set in the policy. When students are absent, the school will require them to bring a note from their guardian or doctor indicating the reasons for absenteeism. However, students will not be punished if the absenteeism was due to illness or injury, death of the family, educational opportunity, medical appointment, and religious observances. If students do not have notes from parents and guardians, they should be punished by the teacher. If students miss too many classes, they can be excluded from school and thus, cannot come back.

Identify the stakeholders the policy or practice impacts and explain how, (3/5 pts), more elaboration on how the practice impacts the stakeholders. Who else is impacted and how? What about the absent student? What about the class when students are absent? What more can you say about how an attendance policy impacts parents and families?

The most affected stakeholders by the policy are students. Students have a chance to attend classes and acquire knowledge, and failure causes them to be punished by the school. Other stakeholders affected by the policy are parents in that; they hold their children accountable of arriving early in schools. Lastly, schools also benefit from this policy in that they encourage students to participate in classes thus acquiring knowledge. The policy impacts absent students because, they have to punished or excluded from the school. The class may not perform well when students are absent. Lastly, an attendance policy impacts parents and families because; they have to provide notes or explanation to the school for absenteeism of their children.

Explain how this practice or policy relates to you. (4/5 pts), additional connections and explanations to the attendance policy are desired. How else as a teacher does an attendance policy impact you, your class, the learning environment, your relationship with students and parents?

The attendance relates to me in that, I personally believe that a student has to attend classes to perform well in academics. A student who attends classes often is more likely to succeed in her/his academics that a student who misses their classes. The school should punish students who miss classes as this affect their academic performance. Parents have a role to play in ensuring that their children abide to the roles and regulations of the attendance policy. Attending classes helps one to gather adequate facts and information assessed in exams. By attending classes, a student has chance to understand the subject in a more comprehensive way. A teacher is more likely to plan his work well when student are present. He may access the progress made in a lesson. As a teacher, an attendance policy impacts the learning environment in that it enhances a strong environment where teachers interact with students effectively. The policy also enhances a strong relationship between parents and teachers. The policy creates a strong ground for parents to understand when their children miss classes.