Friday, January 24, 2020

Babe Ruth :: essays research papers

Babe Ruth Date Born: February 6, 1895  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Place: Baltimore, Maryland Date Died: August 16, 1948  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Place: New York, New York Early Family Background:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  George Herman Ruth Jr., aka Babe Ruth had eight other brothers and sisters, but only him and his sister Mamie survived. His parents names were Kate and George Herman Ruth. Ruth’s father was a bartender and his mother helped at their tavern. Ruth’s parents made no time for him so they sent him to St. Mary’s Industrial School for Boys. Adult Life:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Helen Woodford: married on October 17, 1914 in Ellicott City, Maryland. In 1921, they adopted a little girl named Dorothy. Jan 11, 1929, Helen died in a fire of suffocation. About 3 months later, on April 17, 1929, Babe married Claire Hodgson in New York. In 1930, Babe adopted Claire’s daughter Julia & Claire adopted Babe’s daughter Dorothy. Significant Accomplishments:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Babe’s record of 714 homers was only beaten by Hank Aaron in 1974. In 1932, Ruth did his famous â€Å"called shot,† where he pointed to the centerfield bleachers and hit his homerun in that same direction. When the Babe was with the Yankees they won a total of 7 pennants and 4 world championships from 1920 – 1933. Feb 2, 1936 Babe became Charter member of Baseball Hall of Fame. Other Points of Interest:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  *Babe Ruth got his name from when his new legal guardian Jack Dunn brought him to see the players, they said â€Å"Here’s Jack’s newest Babe!† The name stuck so throughout his life he was called Babe Ruth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  *Babe retired from baseball on June 2, 1935 from the Boston Braves *In 1946, Babe was diagnosed with throat cancer and he died on August 16, 1948.

Thursday, January 16, 2020

Summit Partners Fleetcor a

Private Equity and Investment Banking SPRING 2010 Summit Partners FleetCor A 1. Summarize the proposed transaction: Summit Partners proposes to FleetCor Technologies (later preferred as â€Å"FleetCor† or the â€Å"Company†) an investment into FleetCor for the total amount of $44. 9 million in return for a post transaction ownership of 54. 2% in the â€Å"Company† and coming down to 46% ownership in the company after newly created stock options for management equivalent to 15% ownership in the company has been completely executed and fully diluted. This investment is in the form of convertible preferred stock with an 8% accrued interest, compounding annually. As the transaction come through, Summit’s prefer stock will be treated equal-footing in liquidity with the other $37. 5 million of existing preferred stock. The proceeds from Summit’s investment will be used as followings: †¢ $9. 0 million will be used to redeem part of a $15 million subordinated debt held by current investors. The remaining $6 million of this debt will be converted by the current investors into the same strip of prefer stock which Summit proposes. †¢ About $16. 6 million will be used as an upfront cash to buy back FleetCor’s seven â€Å"Super Licensees† †¢ The remaining $19. 3 million will be used as a general working capital for FleetCor to fund its growing business and to buy back any other potential licensees. 2. Discuss five key investment strengths: FleetCor’s management team: very well-performed management team consisting of: †¢ Very high quality profile and experienced CEO, Ron Clarke, who has brought FleetCor back on track after just 18 months of working in the company. †¢ Other executives who have many experiences and a lot of knowledge in the industry including H. Steve Smith, Senior VP of Sales and Marketing; Tommy Andrews, Senior VP of Operation; and Scott Ruoff, Senior VP of Business Development. FleetCor has a highly differential busin ess strategy leading a very competitive business as followings: †¢ Middle Market Focus: big market for growing with very little potential competitors and high barriers to entry †¢ Local Market Distribution: FleetCor has created a network of local branches with a complete staff employees including a general manager †¢ â€Å"Semi-Exclusive† Merchant Acceptance Network: FleetCor limits the size of merchant network to provide greater traffic volume to participating retailers. Highly established market shares in the highly potential and continued growth market: FleetCor has 90,000 fleet customers across its entire system comprised especially of four large national accounts such as Sears, UPS, Aramark and National Line Service; and over 500,000 active cardholders. ? FleetCor provided its customers the cost-saving and customized information report to really please the customers and make them high reluctance to switch to new card network providers, leading to low custo mer churn. High gross profit margin (in case of gross revenue report): averagely 5%, double compared to other regular credit card issuing companies or its big competitors in high-end market, however, it has still gained highly growing market share because of its unique and differential business strategy. 3. Discuss five investment concerns: FleetCor is still missing a financial expert who not only has experiences and knowledge in the industry but also has ability to draw fully effective projection for a long-term growth by implementing a stable financial system ( Suggest: Hiring a highly effective and experienced CFO. ? High projected improvements after the acquisition. The company should be a little more conservative due to the fact that there are always some unexpected risks associating with the implication of a new centralized system. Suggest: the company should project in the more conservative way and should establish some preventive control procedures to eliminate these risks b efore really testing the centralized system to avoid any unexpected damages and losses. ? FleetCor has not yet settle the final agreements with the seven â€Å"Super Licensees† for acquiring them, creating some sources of unstable and going concern business ( Suggest: the company should be more specific and aggressive while dealing with the licenses to make the final agreements. Higher gas prices result in a larger A/R financing cost and also lead to a higher bad debt expense, even though the net revenue might still be the same ( Suggest: implement some forms of hedging strategies against the increases in gas prices such as going long on a call option at a specific gas price which might materially increase the A/R financing cost and bad debt expenses. ? FleetCor currently has weak managerial reporting system ( Suggest: bringing in some more IT consultants and programmers to create a more effective managerial and financial system while working along with a CFO who is a financi al expert. . Using Exhibit 4B evaluate the proposed acquisitions. Would you recommend purchasing all of the licenses? Why or why not? Explain Briefly Overall, the proposed acquisitions yield the company a combined entity with much better performance in term of profitability such as: †¢ New combined gross margin is 5% higher than the base only. †¢ EBIT margin is almost 3. 75 times higher than the base only. †¢ EBITDA margin is over 1. 5 times higher than the base only. I recommend FleetCor only acquire 5 effectively operated Licensees out of the seven ones including the ones in the areas of Houston, Carolina, Mississippi, Baton Rouge, and Atlanta because the other two which are locating in Chicago and Tampa are inefficient in term of profitability. Licensee in Chicago will yield a loss of EBITDA and the one in Tampa yield only $83,000 of EBITDA which is very small compare to the cost of acquiring this licensee. 5. Look at the Transaction Multiples Analysis in Exhibit 5d and 6. Analyze the comparables (Exhibit 6): a. Would you recommend using all the comparables listed? Would you exclude any of the comparables? Explain your answers. I would not recommend using all the comparables listed. I would exclude all of the comparables from group of credit card issuers because FleetCor has been operating its business as a merchant card processor which is different from the credit card industry. Basic principle for valuation using industry comparables is that we have to use comparables for the group of companies in the same industry with the valued company. I might want to keep the comparables for the group of other transaction processors. Through my observation, I find that Ceridian which is in the same industry with FleetCor has the most similar Enterprise Value/Revenue Ratio and Enterprise Value/EBITDA with the company (leading to that Ceridian would be a good indicator for valuation of FleetCor b. Based on the comparables how would you value the proposed acquisitions of the licensees? What do you think of the multiples proposed in exhibit 5d? Basing on comparables data of Ceridian, I would value the proposed acquisitions of the licensees at 13. 1xEBITDA. I think the multiples proposed 3. 9x in 2001 and 3. 3x in 2002 in exhibit 5d are way below the multiple of Ceridian, and even much lower when compare to the industry average 16. 9x and 15x accordingly. In general, if the final transaction is completed as proposed, the company will be much better off, and even better if the company exclude the acquisition of the two licensees in Chicago and Tampa. In addition, if all of the big seven licensees do not accept the acquisitions at this proposed multiples, Summit might suggest the FleetCor’s management to raise these multiples and deal specific case to case with each of the licensee. 6. Assume the acquisitions take place on December, 31, 2001. Value Fleet or using the DCF methodology. Use Exhibit 5a, 5b and 5c to complete the valuation. Make assumptions as needed. Assume a market premium of 4. 5%. Make sure you state and explain your assumptions. I will use the equity beta of Ceridian (? =0. 9) to calculate cost of equity for FleetCor because the two companies are considered comparables. Assume the market has been operating efficiency, and according to CAPM: RE = RF + ? *MRP (whereas MRP: market risk premium= 4. 5%, and RF = 4. 27%, 5-year Treasury interest rate). So, RE = 4. 27% + 0. 79*4. 5% = 7. 825%. Another point of view, the company has projected to have very high growth 15%,18%,19%,19%,16% in consecutive five years so that Summit Partners may have to require more return on equity compensating for more risks if this projection failed. I assume that discount rate to be reasonably 18%. The below is my valuation: | |Fiscal Year Ending December 31, | | | |2001 CY |2002P |2003P |2004P |2005P | EBITDA in 2006 | |52,349 | | | | | | |Exit Multiple | |8 | | | | | | |Terminal Value (Firm Value at Exit) | |418,792 | | | | | | |Discounted Terminal Value | |183,058 | | | | | | |Total Present Value to Summit | |226,602 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Discount Rate using | |18% | | | | | | | 7. Look at Exhibit 7. What do you think of the multiples used? What do you think of the Irr’s? Explain and support your analysis. I think the multiples used are reasonable , even though, these multiples might be much below the average and the median of the industry overall, Summit should be conservative for an exit multiple of 8 in case there are some unexpected outcomes happened after the acquisitions and from them make the projection failed. The IRR’s are considered high profitable. Even in the worst case scenario, the EBITDA exit multiple is equal 6, Summit still make 23. 8 % in IRR which is over three times compares to the market at 7. 825%. 8. At this time would you support this transaction? Why or Why not explain. I would fully support this transaction because of the following reasons: 1) FleetCor’s management teams with high profile, experienced, and knowledge executives will make the company’s high projection come true. ) The proposed acquisitions of the big seven licensees has been settled in basis, and soon become a very good deal for the beginning of this investment. 3) Base on my valuation given using the data in Summit’s projections, the NPV (Net Present Value) is way off the positive number showing that this is a very good project. 4) Even though, Summit might approach a conservative way to evaluate the EBITDA exit multiple of 8, the investment still yield a 31. 8% in IRR over the period of five years.

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

The Boy Who Dared By Susan Campbell Bartoletti - 1426 Words

The powerful and gripping novel The Boy Who Dared, written by Susan Campbell Bartoletti, is a Newbery Honor book. The novel is based on Helmuth Hubener who lived during the Holocaust when the Nazis were rising to power in 1933. Helmuth was one of the very few young boys who tried to expose Hitler to the people of Germany. Hitler was torturing the Jews and declaring wars on countries just because he wanted war. He also ruined Jewish shops and destroyed their futures. The Boy Who Dared shows historical accuracy in many ways, especially as it focuses on Helmuth’s life, the persecution of Jewish people in Germany and Poland, and Hitler and the Nazi Party. One of the major events in history that happened in my book is Adolf Hitler rising to power. Nazi leader Adolf Hitler was one of the most powerful and infamous dictators of the 20th century. After World War One, Hitler rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, taking control of the German government in 1933. He established concentration camps to kill Jews and other groups he believed would be a threat to Germany which resulted in the death of more than 6 million people in the Holocaust. Hitler killed so many Jews because he blamed them for Germany losing World War One. He called them less than human and wanted Germany to have a race of perfect people. Hitler had racial discrimination against Jews and other religions. He made laws that stated Jewish people have no rights. In the Boy Who Dared,Show MoreRelatedThe Boy Who Dared By Susan Campbell Bartoletti946 Words   |  4 PagesI read The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti. The Boy Who Dared has 192 pages and was publish ed in 2008. Susan Campbell Bartoletti writes a lot of historical fiction book for younger audiences. She has also written book about the KKK, The Great Irish Famine, the Holocaust, Child labor, the Civil War, the Great Depression, and much more. Susan also writes young children s books such as, Nobody’s Diggier Than a Dog and Nobody’s Nosier Than a Cat. I chose The Boy Who Dared because I reallyRead MoreThe Boy Who Dared By Susan Campbell Bartoletti1426 Words   |  6 Pagespowerful and gripping novel The Boy Who Dared, written by Susan Campbell Bartoletti, is a Newbery Honor book. The novel is based on Helmuth Hubener who lived during the Holocaust when the Nazis were rising to power in 1933. Helmuth was one of the very few young boys who tried to expose Hitler to the people of Germany. Hitler was torturing the Jews and declaring wars on countries just because he wanted war. He also ruined Jewish shops and destroyed their futures. The Boy Who Dared shows historical accuracyRead MoreAll Quiet On The Western Front By Erich Maria Remarque Essay2406 Words   |  10 Pagesexperiences the ‘real’ war in the trenches and feels disillusioned with war. He bitterly comes to terms that what exactly an enemy is. Paul and his friends become aware that the armies on the other side of the front are not their real enemies but are men who control the nations and ‘abandoned’ the young men to the war simply for their own good (to increase their glory, power, status and money). They come to the conclusion that the humanity s need of war solely lies on humanity’s greed. One incident that

Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Women Governors Women Who Headed State Governments

The first three women governors of any American states replaced their husbands. Many later women governors have been elected in their own right or have succeeded an incumbent. Heres a list of the women governors in the United States, in chronological order: Nellie Tayloe RossWyoming, Democrat, 1925 - 1927Replaced late husband, winning special electionMiriam Ma FergusonTexas, Democrat, 1925 - 1927, 1933 - 1935Surrogate for her husband, who was prohibited by law from succeeding himselfLurleen WallaceAlabama, Democrat, 1967 - 1968Surrogate for her husband, who was prohibited by law from succeeding himselfElla GrassoConnecticut, Democrat, 1975 - 1980First woman governor who did not succeed her husband; resigned for health reasonsDixy Lee RayWashington, Democrat, 1977 - 1981Defeated in the primary when she was running for a second termVesta RoyNew Hampshire, Republican, 1982 - 1983Served seven days after death of incumbentMartha Layne CollinsKentucky, Democrat, 1984 - 1987Chairperson of the 1984 Democratic National ConventionMadeleine KuninVermont, Democrat, 1985 - 1991Later Ambassador to SwitzerlandKay OrrNebraska, Republican, 1987 - 1991First Republican woman elected governor; first woman governor elected by defeating another womanRose Mof fordArizona, Democrat, 1988 - 1991Succeeded an incumbent who was impeached and then convictedJoan FinneyKansas, Democrat, 1991 - 1995First woman governor who won election against an incumbentAnn RichardsTexas, Democrat, 1991 - 1995Defeated by George W. BushBarbara RobertsOregon, Democrat, 1991 - 1995Did not seek reelection in 1994Christine Todd WhitmanNew Jersey, Republican, 1994 - 2001Resigned for appointment as commissioner, Environmental Protection AgencyJane Dee HullArizona, Republican, 1997 - 2003Succeeded incumbent who resigned; subsequently elected to a full termJeanne ShaheenNew Hampshire, Democrat, 1997 - 2003Ran unsuccessfully for US Senate in 2002, successfully in 2008Nancy HollisterOhio, Republican, 1998 - 1999Served 11 days when predecessor moved to US Senate and before an appointment was madeJane SwiftMassachusetts, Republican, 2001 - 2003Succeeded incumbent who resigned to become an ambassadorJudy MartzMontana, Republican, 2001 - 2005Member of the 1964 US Olympic Spee d Skating TeamSila Maria CalderonPuerto Rico, Popular Democratic Party, 2001 - 2005Former mayor of San JuanRuth Ann MinnerDelaware, Democrat, 2001 - 2009Served two terms as lieutenant governorLinda LingleHawaii, Republican, 2002 - 2010Former mayor of Maui CountyJennifer M. GranholmMichigan, Democrat, 2003 - 2011Former prosecutorJanet NapolitanoArizona, Democrat, 2003 - 2009First Arizona woman governor to win reelection; became Secretary of Homeland Security under President ObamaKathleen SebeliusKansas, Democrat, 2003 - 2009Daughter of an Ohio governor (male)Oline WalkerUtah, Republican, 2003 - 2005Succeeded incumbent who took federal positionKathleen BlancoLouisiana, Democrat, 2004 - 2008Was governor at the time of Hurricane KatrinaM. Jodi RellConnecticut, Republican, 2004 - 2011Succeeded incumbent who resignedChristine GregoireWashington, Democrat, 2004 - 2013Former director of the Washington Department of EcologySarah PalinAlaska, Republican, 2006 - 2009Former mayor of Wasilla; fi rst female governor of Alaska; first female governor to run for vice president as the candidate of a major party (2008); resigned in 2009 to pursue other goalsBeverly PerdueNorth Carolina, Democrat, 2009 - 2013Former lieutenant governor; first woman governor of North CarolinaJan BrewerArizona, Republican, 2009 -Arizona Secretary of State when she succeeded Gov. Janet Napolitano, who became Secretary of Homeland Security; third consecutive woman to serve as Arizona governorSusana MartinezNew Mexico, Republican, 2011 -First female Hispanic American governor of any of the 50 states, first woman governor of New MexicoMary FallinOklahoma, Republican, 2011 -Oklahomas first woman governorNikki HaleySouth Carolina, Republican, 2011 - 2017South Carolinas first woman governor, first female of Indian or Asian descent to serve as governor of any state; resigned after appointment as US Ambassador to the United NationsMaggie HassanNew Hampshire, Democrat, 2013 - 2017Second woman to hold the offic e, after Jeanne Shaheen (above); resigned in 2017 when she became the US Senator from her stateGina RaimondoRhode Island, Democrat, 2015 -Â  First woman governor of the state of Rhode IslandKate BrownOregon, Democrat, 2015 -Was Secretary of State of Oregon, became Governor when John Kitzhaber resigned, then won election in 2016.

Sunday, December 22, 2019

Serial Killer And Serial Killers - 1644 Words

Serial Killer A serial killer is someone who has killed three or more people on separate occasions with enough time between, allowing them to calm down or reflect on what they did. There are separate categories for serial killers. The types of serial killers are organized killers, unorganized killers, and medical killers (Crime museum, 2015, para. 1, 2, 3). Beverley Allitt was considered to be under the medical killer category. Allitt killed a total of 4 children in less than a year span (McCrystal, para. 1). The goal of this essay is to explain Beverley’s early life, motive for murdering, her victims, and how she did it. Medical killer is a category of serial killers who murder while preforming in the medical field. These people could include: doctors, nurses, assistants, or anyone in the medical field who is able to practice on people. This type of serial killer is rare, yet is fairly simple method for serial killers to choose. If someone is under medical care, they are more than likely not in good health. If they died of â€Å"natural causes† people would not be as quick to assume it was the act of a serial killer versus murdering someone using a traditional method. Beverly Allitt, a nurse who worked in the children s area at Grantham and Kesteven Hospital, in Lincolnshire, England is considered a medical serial killer. In her early years as a child, Beverley was somewhat of an attention seeker (Biography, para. 1). According to Biography.com a source for trueShow MoreRelatedSerial Killers And The Serial Killer1101 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"The serial killer ‘is an entirely different criminal,’ †The term serial killer is misleading on the ground that each murder is intended to be the last.† We see them as a figure of â€Å"the dark side of human potential,† but they believe they’re â€Å"on a heroic quest for the biggest score possible† They believe they are â€Å"the archetypal figure of impurity, the representative of a world which needs cleansing.† However, society knows that serial killers are not heroes, and they’re not cleansing the worldRead MoreSerial Killer And Serial Killers Essay1171 Words   |  5 PagesAmerica has some of the most infamous serial killers who marked history, serial killers who once didn’t even think to harm any human being. Many people grow up differently from others, some people grow up in a safe environment surrounded with caring people and others grow up in a completely different environment being missed treated by others, therefore are serial killers made or born? A serial killer is defined as â€Å"a person who commits more than three murders over a period that spans more thanRead MoreSerial Killer : Serial Killers939 Words   |  4 PagesWhat is a serial killer? Serial killers are very sick and distraught compared to others. As indicated by the Vancouver Sun, a serial killer is characterized as somebody who is responsible for more than three killings over a period that than traverses over one month.In 2005 the fbi changed it to at least two killings with no reference to intention or time span. Generally, serial killers murder for some kind of mental benefit. Serial Killers can come in all shapes and sizes: don t be tricked byRead MoreSerial Killers And The Serial Killer2026 Words   |  9 Pagesneurological differences and biological disparities contribute to them becoming a serial killer, such as whether a person is a male or female. Also, people who suffer from neurological disabilities such as psychopathy are at more of a risk. People who live in the United States of America (USA) are statistically more likely to become a serial killer. There are many factors that can drive a person to become a serial killer and not everyone turns into one.. It takes a specific type of person to commitRead MoreSerial Killers : A Serial Killer1820 Words   |  8 Pagesunderstand a serial killers background to get an understanding of how childhood trauma could lead to their need to kill. Although there are no exact factors that would absolutely cause a child to grow up into a serial killer, research found by Laurence Miller in â€Å"Serial killers: II. Development, Dynamics, and Forensics,† suggest that there are several common factors found in multiple serial killers’ childhoods. For example, some of the leading childhood characteristics found among serial killers includeRead MoreSerial Killer : Serial Killers909 Words   |  4 PagesAccording to an FBI study, â€Å"there have been approximately 400 serial killers in the United States in the past century, with anywhere from 2,526 to 3,860 victims (Hickey). No one really understands serial killers. It is actually quite difficult to comprehend how the mind of a serial killer works. Some believe that a serial killer feels strongly attracted by a specific physical characteristic in the victim. It could be his or her appearance: facial features, clothes, or even personality. On the otherRead MoreSerial Killers And The Serial Killer1080 Words   |  5 Pageshelp? This was the technique one of the most infamous serial killer Ted Bundy used to approach his victims and ultimately murder them. B. Background and Audience Relevance: Today, I will be speaking to you about serial killers. C. Speaker Credibility: I decided to do my topic on serial killers because, criminology is something I’m genuinely interested in and would like to learn more about it myself. D. Thesis: By learning about serial killers, hopefully in the future they can be captured fasterRead MoreSerial Killers : A Serial Killer Essay1003 Words   |  5 PagesCrimes and criminals define not only places, but certain time periods. Serial killers are usually the ones that individuals tend to remember the most. An individual is considered a serial killer when they murder three or more individuals during a period of time with a cooling off period between each crime (Frailing Harper, 2016). The purpose of this paper is to discuss one of the most controversial and yet famous serial killer, Theodore Robert Bundy. Something interesting that attracts the attentionRead MoreSerial Killers : The Serial Killer Essay2076 Words   |  9 PagesThis serial killer was chosen because this serial killing pair is the most infamous English serial killers duo in the 1990s. Fred and Rosemary West were not convicted of all the murders they participated in; however, they were sentenced to life im prisonment. Also, this case is interesting because Rosemary West, to this day, does not claim to know anything about the murders even though she has victims that survived her attacks and have spoken against her in court. These serial killers have been coveredRead MoreFemale Serial Killers : A Serial Killer Essay1190 Words   |  5 PagesFemale Serial Killers For the most part the domain of serial homicide is ruled by men. There is however some females that has and can be serial killers. According to Bartol Bartol (2005) there have been at thirty six female serial killers throughout the United States. In general society we do not like to believe that women are capable of committing such acts, but as we continue to alter our views, moral, and beliefs of women’s equality and feminism there is room for women to be just as likely

Saturday, December 14, 2019

The Cognitive Behavioral Approach Free Essays

The Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is one of the models of the Cognitive Behavioral Approach for group psychotherapy. The thrust of the Cognitive Behavioral Approach applied to group psychotherapy is to understand cognitive and behavioral patterns in order to determine how to modify them. The modification of cognitive and behavioral patterns is instrumental in changing dysfunctional and maladaptive behaviors. We will write a custom essay sample on The Cognitive Behavioral Approach or any similar topic only for you Order Now   (Young, 2005) Moreover, CBT considers the cognitive schema and the ruling beliefs, which dictate how people lead their daily lives. This shall be the secondary basis for conducting group psychotherapy. (Beck, Freeman, Davis, 2004) The REBT is a likely model patterned after Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) because it supports the objectives of CBT. The REBT is considered a model of Cognitive Behavioral Approach in group psychotherapy because it focuses on understanding cognitive and behavioral patterns by teaching the concepts of REBT to group members and learning how to apply it to themselves and other members of the group. The model works such that there are three factors (ABC model) that influence the understanding of an individual’s way of thinking and behavioral patterns. These three factors include determining a particular event or scenario (A), identifying the feelings or way of thinking of the individual regarding the particular event or scenario (B), and evaluating the manifestation of the individual’s way of thinking in his behavior (C). (Jacobs, Mason Harvill, 2006, Ellis, 2002) The application of REBT to group psychotherapy is conducted by informing participants of the group about the theories and concepts underlying REBT. The ABC model is then applied to the personal experiences of the participants. Using personal examples is instrumental in having them understand the true meaning of REBT. If they get to apply the ABC model of REBT to their personal experiences and the experiences of other members of the group, then they get to understand the concept that way of thinking has something to do with how they act. Therefore, they get the idea that their maladaptive behaviors are caused by how they think about certain things and situations and not by other people or other external factors. From this, they are able to understand that in order to behave accordingly, they should be able to think correspondingly. (Jacobs, Mason Harvill, 2006) In a research study, the CBT was applied to young children with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Before exploring the employment of CBT to OCD in young children, the influence of REBT to the particular situation shall be studied. OCD is diagnosed in children as young as 3 years of age. Applying REBT in group psychotherapy for early childhood OCD, the concept of REBT is taught to the members of the group, such that the way of thinking has something to do with how individuals behave. This shall be accomplished by teaching the ABC model. In this case, OCD surfaces when individuals think of extreme fears and anxieties regarding a particular thing or event. Once the group understands the ABC model, the leader asks a volunteer from the group to share a particular situation wherein OCD manifests. For instance, one member will share his fear of holding other people’s things, and this is because he is afraid of contracting bacteria or diseases from touching unclean objects. From this way of thinking, he washes his hands too often and excessively. From this experience, other members of the group are able to think about how OCD manifests in their behavior and thinks about what they think when it does. Moreover, they are able to understand that OCD surfaces because of how they think. From the example aforementioned, perhaps, the individual is able to understand that it is his way of thinking that hinders him from becoming more open to other people and his surroundings, and not the other way around. He observes that other people who do what he fears do not experience what he thinks will happen. Through continued therapy, they are able to conquer their fears and anxieties. The group involved in psychotherapy is developed in such a way that it will affect positive outcomes to the behavior of the group members. Therefore, leaders that are assigned to particular groups should have in depth knowledge about counseling, the issues behind counseling, and the knowledge regarding the characteristics of a specific group. Group psychotherapy is done simultaneously with each member of the group. (Jacobs, Mason Harvill, 2006) References Beck, A. T., Freeman, A., Davis. D. D. (2004). â€Å"Cognitive Therapy of Personality Disorders.† Retrieved April 21, 2008, from Questia Media America. Website: https://www.questia.com/read/119384443/cognitive-therapy-of-personality-disorders Ellis, A. (2002). â€Å"Overcoming Resistance: A Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy Integrated Approach.† Retrieved April 21, 2008, from Questia Media America. Website: https://www.questia.com/read/111729203 Jacobs, E. E., Mason, R. L., Harvill, R. L. (2006) â€Å"Counseling.† Belmont: Thomson Brooks  Cole. Young, B. H. (2005). â€Å"Intentional Behavioral Change: A Cognitive-Behavioral Model.† How to cite The Cognitive Behavioral Approach, Essay examples

Friday, December 6, 2019

Introduction to Cross-Cultural Psychology free essay sample

Introduction to Cross-cultural Psychology What is culture? Culture is a particular society at a particular time and the knowledge and values shared by that society and psychology is the science of mental life. Therefore, it goes without saying that cultural psychology is the science of mental life in a particular society at a particular time. According to the text cross-cultural psychology is the critical and comparative study of cultural effects on human psychology and cultural psychology seeks to discover meaningful links between a culture and the psychology of individuals living in this culture (Shiraev Levy, 2010). Because there is a need for understanding of cultural psychology, cultural and cross- cultural psychologies are closely related yet have many differences as well. Cross- cultural psychology is all about the comparisons of societies and due to these comparisons critical thinking plays a critical role. The methods of cross-cultural research are used to assist in the understanding of why cross-cultural psychology is so important to society today and the understanding of it. Cultural vs. Cross-cultural The main implication of the difference between individualism and collectivism oncerns the relationship between an individual and a group (Lu and Kao, 2002). Cultural psychology deals with a single society and all of the elements that make the society what it is. Cultural psychology studies the factors of culture, society, race, and ethnicity and understands the no culture is strictly homogeneous. Each culture has been researched down to the beginning of the culture including evolution, biology, neurology, motivations, emotions, and cognitive foundations (Berry, 2004). In cross- cultural psychology, the researcher takes these elements of two or more of these ultures and attempts to examine their similarities and differences to determine the fundamentals of a society in general. Cross-cultural psychology studies more of the development of the persons in a society based on their behaviors and the views of these behaviors. In the earliest cross-cultural psychology the development of a person was used as a base model for how that society would later develop. The societies were viewed based on the individuals within them and noticing which behaviors were accepted thus determining the future of the ever-changing culture (Berry, 2004). The biggest difference in cultural and cross-cultural psychologies is cultural psychology distinguishes the relationship between the psychology of individuals and the society they are a part of and cross-cultural psychology defines the differences and similarities as well as defining universal aspects of culture by comparing two or more. Critical Thinking With societies and cultures being compared in cross-cultural psychology, the importance of critical thinking becomes apparent. Critical thinking skills are sophisticated methods of assessing beliefs, opinions, and assertions using science, logic, and reliable information. Some researchers define culture emically as the blueprint for human activity and develop their information from the viewpoint of the subjects being studied (Luna and Gupta, 2001). Psychologist must use critical thinking and be sensitive, understanding and respectful of cultural knowledge including specifically: scientific, popular or folk, ideological or value based and legal comparing cultures and take into account the required changes in methods in gathering data. For example, different cultures speak different languages; therefore the questions asked must be translated. Many times when changing to a different anguage it is easy to become lost in translation, the researcher must attempt to come as close as possible to the dialog as the original language. There are many guidelines for psychologist in using critical thinking in cross-cultural psychology. Psychologist must learn to appreciate the range of differences among their clients, it is important to identify and control their own biases to respectfully collaborate with their clients, and (the research) is a lifelong process toward a goal that can never be fully attained (Stuart, 2005). Unfortunately no matter how unbiased a researcher or sychologist may claim to be there is always a certain degree of personal input, whether consciously or unconsciously, placed into the end result of any study thus the necessity for critical and sound thinking is paramount. Methodology In order to determine the methodology that is associated with cross-cultural research you must first determine the goals of resear ch. Researchers must describe the two cultures, explain different factors, predict the factors that make each culture successful, and in some cases researchers can determine similar factors as controls for comparison. Psychologists must be careful however as to not over generalize the society because it may lead to incorrect controls which are not true to a particular society or culture and therefore be very misleading. Cross-cultural psychologists use all the typical psychological methods of investigation: observation, survey, experiment, content-analysis, psychobiography, meta-analysis, focus-group methods, and other procedures. The methodology can be divided into quantitative and qualitative approaches. Quantitative approaches mainly consider the evaluations of cultures based on their own inside views of their society. The most common type of quantitative method is the statistical method of correlation which examines the relationship between two variables. Qualitative is a less invasive approach in which the society is observed and compared more in a natural setting. When the experiences and priorities of the individuals being researched are weighed into the outcome of the research qualitative is the method of choice (Shiraev Levy, 2010). Conclusion Cultural psychology is the science of mental life in a particular society at a particular time, comparing two or more of these cultures is called cross-cultural psychology. When psychologists begin to research the differences and similarities in society they must first decide the methodology in which they will research. Choosing a quantitative or qualitative method to reach desired information is almost as important as the research itself. After wisely choosing the method in which the data is collected, the psychologists then begin to assess the information gathered. Psychologist must be sensitive, understanding, and respectful of the knowledge they are comparing as to not include or induce research bias by using critical thinking throughout the process of comparison.