Determine whether the organization’s strategic plan includes a performance management component (including employee evaluations, feedback cycles, or other reference to tracking or documenting individual or group performance), providing clear examples to support your conclusion.

/in /by

Assignment 3: Performance Management and Strategic Planning

You have studied strategic and general considerations of performance management in your course readings. Performance management is an important contributor to tracking and meeting organizational goals and should be a part of the organization’s strategic plan. Ideally, there is a clear link among an organization’s mission, vision, goals, strategies, and what is actually done at the departmental or employee level. For this assignment, you will apply these concepts to an organization and write a report in approximately 3–5 pages on the basis of your findings.

Directions:

First, select an organization (i.e., a current or past employer) and research it using the Argosy University online library resources, the Internet, or both. You may also include information gathered from interviews with experts from the organization:

  • Explain the relationship between the organization’s mission and vision statements and goals and strategies at the corporate level. Include how the mission, vision, goals, and strategies relate to the division or department levels.
  • Determine whether the organization’s strategic plan includes a performance management component (including employee evaluations, feedback cycles, or other reference to tracking or documenting individual or group performance), providing clear examples to support your conclusion.
  • Explain how and why a strategic plan should determine various choices regarding performance management system design.
  • Offer at least two suggestions for improvement or development of the performance management component of the organization’s strategic plan.

Your final product will be in a Microsoft Word document and be approximately 3–5 pages in length. Utilize at least two scholarly sources in your research. Your paper should be written in a clear, concise, and organized manner; demonstrate ethical scholarship in accurate representation and attribution of sources; and display accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

Debate the arguments supporting and opposing the use of projective and objective personality assessments with your identified client.

/in /by

 

Evaluating Objective and Projective Asessments

Prior to beginning work on this assignment, review Chapters 8 and 9 in your textbook.

In this assignment, you will compare projective and objective methods of personality assessment. Research a minimum of three peer-reviewed articles in the Ashford University Library that were published within the last 15 years on these techniques. In your paper, you will provide an evaluation of these techniques organized according to the outline provided below. Use information from your researched peer-reviewed articles and required sources to support your work in each section.

Section 1: Objective Personality Assesment

  • Define the term objective in objective methods of personality assessment.
  • Summarize the features of objective methods of personality assessment, and provide at least three examples of these types of measures.
  • Explain the assumptions on which objective methods are based, and provide an analysis of empirical research testing the validity of the assumptions you identified.
  • Appraise the research exploring the technical adequacy (i.e., reliability and validity) of objective tests.
  • Describe the impact of social and culture variability on the administration and interpretation of objective tests.

Section 2: Projective Personality Assesment

  • Define the term projective in projective methods of personality assessment.
  • Summarize the features of projective methods of personality assessment, and provide at least three examples of these types of measures.
  • Explain the assumptions on which projective methods are based, and provide an analysis of empirical research testing the validity of the assumptions you identified.
  • Appraise the research exploring the technical adequacy (i.e., reliability and validity) of projective tests.
  • Describe the impact of social and culture variability on the administration and interpretation of projective tests.

Section 3: Synthesis, Conclusions, and Recommendations

  • Write a brief one-paragraph scenario for a fictitious client. Include the following information: presenting concerns (reason for referral), age, gender, ethnicity, language(s), and any other significant information (e.g., military status, health issues, marital status, sexual orientation, etc.).
  • Debate the arguments supporting and opposing the use of projective and objective personality assessments with your identified client.
  • Select a minimum of one objective and one projective measure to use with your client. Compare the use of the selected projective and objective personality measures with your identified client.
  • Analyze the advantages and limitations of each assessment measure you selected.
  • Compose recommendations to improve the validity of personality assessment.

The Evaluation of Objective and Projective Measures of Personality

  • Must be four to six double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
  • Must include a separate title page with the following:
    • Title of paper
    • Student’s name
    • Course name and number
    • Instructor’s name
    • Date submitted
  • Must use at least three peer-reviewed sources published within the last 15 years in addition to the course text.
  • Must document all sources in APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
  • Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

Carefully review the Grading Rubric (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.

) Spend the second half of the paper criticizing the article.  Here you have to think hard about what, in your view, is wrong with the author’s argument, and articulate it in your paper as clearly as possible.  

/in /by

This an approx 4-5 pg essay on an attempt to refute the author’s argument in the article given by Don Marquis on why abortion is immoral. The first step is to fully explain, in detail, the author’s argument for his or her position.  Then you must  attempt to refute the author’s argument. ALL the CLEAR instructions are stated in a separate document on the do’s and dont’s and on PLAGIARISM as well. So I will provide two documents for this assignment, one on the article it should be written on and refuted, and the second one on the directions and HOW to write the paper. Please ask questions if needed! 🙂

 

Here is an additional summary on how to do the assignment:

Make sure you read the Paper Assignment in its entirely.  Basically – here’s what you have to do for the paper:

1) Choose one of the abortion articles to write your paper about (there are three: Warren, Marquis, and Thomson).

2) Spend the first half of the paper explaining the argument of the article. Be thorough and clear.

3) Spend the second half of the paper criticizing the article.  Here you have to think hard about what, in your view, is wrong with the author’s argument, and articulate it in your paper as clearly as possible.

CITING: This is not a research paper.  The only article you need be concerned with is the article you choose to write about. When you are explaining the argument, you should cite the article as you summarize and paraphrase, and you should include a direct quote here and there as you see fit. You can cite the article simply using the author’s name and page number in parentheses.  For example, here’s what this could look like in an actual:

Warren argues that there are two different senses to the word, ‘human’: the moral sense, and the genetic sense. The moral sense is the sense in which someone is a “full-fledged member of the moral community,” and the genetic sense is the sense in which someone is a member of the human species (Warren, 11).  

You use the links to the articles in D2L when listing the article(s) in your works cited page.

I have TurnItIn activated in the D2L dropbox.  TurnItIn generates what’s called a “similarity report”.  (I have it set up so that you can see it once you upload your paper.) Basically, it checks for plagiarism. Sometimes what it turns up is innocent, and I always take a close look to make sure. The important thing to me is that *the ideas in your paper are your own*.  The most egregious form of plagiarism is when someone takes someone else’s original thought and passes it off as his or her own. For example: finding some criticism of an author’s argument on Wikipedia, and then copying and pasting that material into your paper and trying to pass it off as if it were your ideas, is very egregious plagiarism. The consequences of such plagiarism is a 0 on the assignment. Do not take this risk.

Respect and dignity. For most cultures, particularly those that have been oppressed, being treated with respect and dignity is supremely important.

/in /by

Read: Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy, pages 43-45; and Addressing Diverse Populations in Intensive Outpatient Treatment I have attached additional reading material, I need this by Thursday,

Serving Special Populations

After completing the reading for this unit, what do you think is the greatest obstacle facing special populations in addiction treatment? What will you do as a counselor to ensure that all of your clients receive the best treatment possible?
Your paper is to be in APA format, 1-2 pages, and include sources. Please see paper guidelines for explanation of requirements.

Addressing Diverse Populations in Intensive Outpatient Treatment

1. Introduction
1. Introduction

Culture is important in substance abuse treatment because clients’ experiences of culture precede and influence their clinical experience. Treatment setting, coping styles, social supports, stigma attached to substance use disorders, even whether an individual seeks help–all are influenced by a client’s culture. Culture needs to be understood as a broad concept that refers to a shared set of beliefs, norms, and values among any group of people, whether based on ethnicity or on a shared affiliation and identity.

Retrieved from, Substance Abuse: Clinical Issues in Intensive Outpatient Treatment, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (2006).

2. What It Means To Be a Culturally Competent Clinician

It is agreed widely in the health care field that an individual’s culture is a critical factor to be considered in treatment. The Surgeon General’s report, Mental Health: Culture, Race, and Ethnicity, states, “Substantive data from consumer and family self-reports, ethnic match, and ethnic-specific services outcome studies suggest that tailoring services to the specific needs of these [ethnic] groups will improve utilization and outcomes” (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 2001, p. 36). The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) (American Psychiatric Association 1994) calls on clinicians to understand how their relationship with the client is affected by cultural differences and sets up a framework for reviewing the effects of culture on each client.

Because verbal communication and the therapeutic alliance are distinguishing features of treatment for both substance use and mental disorders, the issue of culture is significant for treatment in both fields. The therapeutic alliance should be informed by the clinician’s understanding of the client’s cultural identity, social supports, self-esteem, and reluctance about treatment resulting from social stigma. A common theme in culturally competent care is that the treatment provider–not the person seeking treatment–is responsible for ensuring that treatment is effective for diverse clients.

Meeting the needs of diverse clients involves two components: (1) understanding how to work with persons from different cultures and (2) understanding the specific culture of the person being served (Jezewski and Sotnik 2001). In this respect, being a culturally competent clinician differs little from being a responsible, caring clinician who looks past first impressions and stereotypes, treats clients with respect, expresses genuine interest in clients as individuals, keeps an open mind, asks questions of clients and other providers, and is willing to learn.

3. Treatment Principles

Members of racial and ethnic groups are not uniform. Each group is highly heterogeneous and includes a diverse mix of immigrants, refugees, and multigenerational Americans who have vastly different histories, languages, spiritual practices, demographic patterns, and cultures (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 2001).

For example, the cultural traits attributed to Hispanics/Latinos are at best generalizations that could lead to stereotyping and alienation of an individual client. Hispanics/Latinos are not a homogeneous group. For example, distinct Hispanic/Latino cultural groups–Cuban Americans, Puerto Rican Americans, Mexican Americans, and Central and South Americans–do not think and act alike on every issue. How recently immigration occurred, the country of origin, current place of residence, upbringing, education, religion, and income level shape the experiences and outlook of every individual who can be described as Hispanic/Latino.

Many people also have overlapping identities, with ties to multiple cultural and social groups in addition to their racial or ethnic group. For example, a Chinese American also may be Catholic, an older adult, and a Californian. This individual may identify more closely with other Catholics than with other Chinese Americans. Treatment providers need to be careful not to make facile assumptions about clients’ culture and values based on race or ethnicity.

To avoid stereotyping, clinicians must remember that each client is an individual. Because culture is complex and not easily reduced to a simple description or formula, generalizing about a client’s culture is a paradoxical practice. An observation that is accurate and helpful when applied to a large group of people may be misleading and harmful if applied to an individual. It is hoped that the utility of offering broad descriptions of cultural groups outweighs the potential misunderstandings. When using the information in this chapter, counselors need to find a balance between understanding clients in the context of their culture and seeing clients as merely an extension of their culture. Culture is only a starting point for exploring an individual’s perceptions, values, and wishes. How strongly individuals share the dominant values of their culture varies and depends on numerous factors, including their education, socioeconomic status, and level of acculturation to U.S. society.

4. Differences in Worldview

A first step in mediating among various cultures in treatment is to understand the Anglo-American culture of the United States. When compared with much of the rest of the world, this culture is materialistic and competitive and places great value on individual achievement and on being oriented to the future. For many people in U.S. society, life is fast paced, compartmentalized, and organized around some combination of family and work, with spirituality and community assuming less importance.

Some examples of this worldview that differ from that of other cultures include:

  • Holistic worldview. Many cultures, such as Native-American and Asian cultures, view the world in a holistic sense; that is, they see all of nature, the animal world, the spiritual world, and the heavens as an intertwined whole. Becoming healthy involves more than just the individual and his or her family; it entails reconnecting with this larger universe.
  • Spirituality. Spiritual beliefs and ceremonies often are central to clients from some cultural groups, including Hispanics/Latinos and American Indians. This spirituality should be recognized and considered during treatment. In programs for Native Americans, for example, integrating spiritual customs and rituals may enhance the relevance and acceptability of services.
  • Community orientation. The Anglo-American culture assumes that treatment focuses on the individual and the individual’s welfare. Many other cultures instead are oriented to the collective good of the group. For example, individual identity may be tied to one’s forebears and descendants, with their welfare considered in making decisions. Asian-American and Native-American clients may care more about how the substance use disorder harms their family group than how they are affected as individuals.
  • Extended families. The U.S. nuclear family consisting of parents and children is not what most other cultures mean by family. For many groups, family often means an extended family of relatives, including even close family friends. IOT programs need a flexible definition of family, accepting the family system as it is defined by the client.
  • Communication styles. Cultural misunderstandings and communication problems between clients and clinicians may prevent clients from minority groups from using services and receiving appropriate care (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 2001). Understanding manifest differences in culture, such as clothing, lifestyle, and food, is not crucial (with the exception of religious restrictions on dress and diet) to treating clients. It often is the invisible differences in expectations, values, goals, and communication styles that cause cultural differences to be misinterpreted as personal violations of trust or respect. However, one cannot know an individual’s communication style or values based on that person’s group affiliation (see appendix 10-A for more information and resources on cross-cultural communication).
  • Multidimensional learning styles. The Anglo-American culture emphasizes learning through reading and teaching. This method sometimes is described as linear learning that focuses on reasoned facts. Other cultures, especially those with an oral tradition, do not believe that written information is more reliable, valid, and substantial than oral information. Instead, learning often comes through parables and stories that interweave emotion and narrative to communicate on several levels at once. The authority of the speaker may be more important than that of the message. Expressive, creative, and nonverbal interventions that are characteristic of a specific cultural group can be helpful in treatment. Cultures with this kind of rich oral tradition and learning pattern include Hispanics/Latinos, African-Americans, American Indians, and Pacific Islanders.

Common issues affecting the counselor-client relationship include the following: