Organizational Change in the US Department of Defence

One of the questions that comes to mind for many of those affected is the reason why the Department of Defence had to freeze the available vacancies, terminate jobs in the year 2013. More questions have come to be raised concerning why the first thought that comes to the administration of the Defence Department is to cut spending and minimize outgoing funds at the expense of its employees.  It has been found that from the beginning of the Furlough, rifts and vacancy freezes to satisfy the budget for the fiscal year has had a drastic impact on all of the people who have been directly affected by it. This has created a situation where the employees of the Defence Department have come to feel that they are no longer considered assets by their employer, and that they have instead become expendable. When one considers this situation as it takes place at the Defence Department, one would say that organisational change is having a radical impact within it. This organisation is undergoing diverse changes which are forcing it to cut jobs and to justify why it has to spend in a diverse number of areas in order to maintain its current funding as well as the number of employees it has. It is a fact that most of the employees in the Department are resisting the changes which are being imposed on them and the Department of Defence is working towards finding an amicable solution in the form of appeals, which are often delayed at the expense of the employees. Therefore, in this paper, the impact of organizational change in the form of rifts, employment freezes, employee release, contract closures, budget cuts and the affect it has on employee security within the Department of Defence shall be considered in detail.

The management of change is extremely important in the development of an understanding between employers and employees because it focuses on the people within the said organization and how they resist changes that are imposed on them (Rusaw, 2005, p.482). It also come to look at how, afterwards, these employees come to accept these changes as being part of their work environment. It has been found that the administration of the Department of Defence tend to aim at creating an environment which is highly receptive of change because they have come to realize that the acceptance of change is the key which determines whether the changes that they implement become either successes or failures. The strategy which is used by the Defence Department when making changes to the organisation has come to be found to be what makes the difference on how well these changes are received by its employees, and as such, it is what determines the level of success that newly implemented management strategies have not only on the employees but also on the department itself (Durant, 2008, p.282). It has been found that the best means that the Defence Department implements changes among its employees has been its recognition of the fact that it is normal human behaviour to resist change. With this realization, this Department has come to find strategies which are useful in the implementation of the changes that it wants to be implemented. One of the most pertinent issues that it has come to address when implementing changes has been the recognition that its employees will not automatically accept any of the new changes that it attempts to implement. It has instead come to realise that since it is its employees who tend to be the most affected by the changes, these employees have to have a complete understanding of the reasons why these changes are being implemented. With this understanding, the Defence Department has come to the realization the employees will not only be better in their work in their own best interests but also for those of the department (Tremaine & U.S.A.F, 2012, p.53).

In order to ensure that the operations within the department are successful, its administration has come to have tight control over all the changes that take place within it, and in fact, the department has created an environment where all changes that have not authorized by it have no place within the Defence Department because these changes might harm the intended working process that have been implemented (Heim, 2009, p.113). The Department of Defence has placed upon itself the responsibility of ensuring that it is the source of all the changes it wishes to have and that, once these changes have been introduced, then the Department has to have a tight grip on them so that they do not go out of control. In the Defence Department, it has been found that any changes that are put in place within it cannot be successful without the support of all its employees because without the latter’s support, then all the changes implemented would be counterproductive. Most of the changes that have been implemented by the Department in recent times have, for the most part, not been as successful as would have been thought and this has mainly been due to employee resistance (Durant, 2002, p.115). Since of the changes being implemented have been of adverse effect for many of the employees, the employees affected have tended to use the appeal mechanism that they have been provided to voice their opposition to such changes (Weyand, 2012, p.391). While this has taken place, the Department has often pre-empted their move by ensuring that the appeal process takes place as slowly as possible, thus providing it with the opportunity to implement the changes it wants.

In the current world, constant change has become a necessity for the Department of Defence and this has created a situation where change management has become an indispensable element of the procedure of running this organisation. It can however be said that while the implementation of changes is important, it cannot be successfully be done within this Department without the involvement of its human resource department. As most organisations all over the world have come to find to their benefit, the human resource department has a massive influence on the employees of any organization and the administration has to seek its support to ensure that the implementation of changes is successful. From the very beginning of planning and implementation of changes within the Department of Defence, its human resource department has to be involved to ensure that it is able to transmit to the Department’s employees an understanding of what the proposed changes entail and the benefits which are to be gained from them. It is the purpose of human resource to communicate any changes that are made to the employees and to ensure that the latter have a complete understanding of why these changes are being made so that very little resistance can be made against changes. However, it is also the responsibility of the Defence Department that it treats its employees fairly because they are its greatest asset who should not be taken for granted.

Most of the changes implemented in the Defence Department have created plenty of tension within the organization because it has not been carefully handled by its administration and this has often led to resistance from its employees. However, with the involvement of the human resource department, it the Defence Department would find it much easier to implement changes because it will be able to get employee support for any of the initiatives that it puts in place. The human resource department within the Department of Defence most likely have people with the necessary communication skills to ensure that employees are informed of proposed changes in a manner which is not only informed but also clear and constant, hence the realization of the latter’s support.

Direct to Consumer Drug Marketing

Direct to consumer drug marketing is one of the most influential developments of the modern world mainly because it affects the lives of almost everybody in the world. It is fast becoming a major source of information concerning the various drugs which can be put into use with many people relying on it to get news about the latest drugs in the market and their use. Direct to consumer drug marketing has developed in very unexpected ways and it has become big business for those who run drug companies since many individuals have come to be influenced by this type of drug advertising. It is a fact that among the fastest growing markets today as a result of direct to consumer marketing are those that deal with pharmaceuticals and as a result, the companies involved have come to be seen a threat to the health safety of the American public. This has been because the new form of advertising that pharmaceutical companies have adopted to promote their products have served to undermine the recommendations made by doctors concerning the use of such drugs, especially prescription drugs. In fact, it can be said that this form of advertising has come to revolutionise the way individuals in the society view the consumption of drugs, tending to look at them as quick fixes for their medical problems without any need of looking at the various side effects of the drugs that they consume.

This type of marketing, while being very effective in the provision of information concerning new drugs to the public, also has the negative effect of making individuals disregard their doctor’s advice concerning the use of this drugs and this is likely to create a future crisis in the healthcare sector. Because of the disregard of the advice of their doctors concerning the use of prescription drugs, many individuals in the United States tend not to investigate the side effects of the drugs that they intend to use. This creates a situation where it becomes difficult to judge how certain drugs may end up affecting the individuals who use them since proper precautions are not taken by their consumers. Direct to consumer drug marketing tends to create a positive perception concerning all the products that are advertised because of the fact that they only show the benefits of the drugs and not the adverse side effects that these drugs may have on those individuals who consume them. While this has been the case and despite doctors’ being opposed to the use of such marketing tactics by pharmaceutical companies, it has come to be found that the use of direct to consumer marketing of drugs is a factor that is here to stay and that it is in the best interests of the general public that these companies as well as medical practitioners cooperate to ensure the safety of these drugs to the consumers. While this is the case, it should also be recognised that this form of drug marketing is not as responsible to the consumers as it should be and because of this, it has to be heavily regulated to ensure that there is accountability from the drug companies towards the consumers of their products.

In conclusion, it can be said that direct to consumer drug marketing helps individuals to have an increased understanding of the usage of the various drugs in the market that deal with various ailments. This form of advertising seems to empower consumers in making their own decisions concerning the types of drugs they should consume to treat the various ailments affecting them and it creates an avenue for them to be more informed concerning the drugs that are currently in the market. Direct to consumer drug marketing is essential for the continued well being of those patients who would like to have more information concerning the drugs that are in the market and when seeking medical advice, they are able to discuss the various drugs that have been advertised with their doctors to ensure a wise choice is made concerning the drugs that they should use. It can therefore be said that while direct to consumer advertising of drugs has had the effect of providing more information to consumers concerning drugs that can be used in the treatment of various diseases and other medical conditions, there is also concern that this form of marketing does not show the adverse effects that these drugs may have when used. This is the reason why regulations on this form of drug advertising should be put in place to ensure that the public is protected from those drugs which may be harmful.

The Values within Social Work

All child safety officers follow a code of ethics which is essential for their day to day work and without whose guidance it would be difficult for them to conduct their duties to a satisfactory level. The code of ethics that is followed is a document crafted by the social workers of Australia to act as a guide as well as a means of assisting them to achieve their professional goals. This document works towards identifying the core values and ethics whose purpose is to ensure that there is proper guidance for the social workers in this country to function in an ethical and accountable manner. In this document, there are three core values which function as the foundation upon which all the other functions of the social workers are based and these serve as a general guideline for them when conducting the major responsibilities which have been placed on their shoulders (Tomlinson, 2006). The first of these values is that all the social workers have to ensure that they have respect for all the individuals with whom they come into contact because they have to assume a neutral stance when dealing with the general public. There has to be a realisation that each and every human being is not only of importance but also only one of its kinds and that all the people that the social workers deal with have a right to self determination and to have their well being protected.

The second core value of the social workers of Australia is that they have the duty of ensuring the promotion of fairness and social justice in the societies within which they work and that have to make special provisions for those people who have been marginalised by the mainstream society. These social workers have the duty of encouraging and being advocates for societal change and by doing so, they will be able to eliminate the oppression of the marginalised in society since it is the latter that tend to be mostly vulnerable. The third, and final, core value is that these social workers have the responsibility of displaying integrity in their profession (Australian Association of Social Workers, 2010). This requires that they display such values as truthfulness, precision, dependability, empathy, sensitivity, competence and dedication. The development of this core value by the social workers is aimed at helping them display professional conduct, so that they can be able to act with dignity and commitment not only for their own development as professionals but also for the development of their own communities for the better.

A child safety officer tends to have many responsibilities especially towards those children who are within what can be considered to be their jurisdiction. Social workers have to perform their tasks in the most professional way that they can so that they can achieve efficiency in their work. When dealing with children, they have to provide counselling and any means of support that they can when these children are going through a crisis that may have come about because of such instances as death, an illness, or when there has been a breakdown in the relationship of their parents (Hewitt, 2010). It is the responsibility of a child safety officer to ensure that the members of society are aware of the services that can assist them when dealing with their children or when they observe that a child is undergoing a problem which may need intervention (Zmora, 2012). When dealing with their clients, child protection officers have been mandated with the responsibility of ensuring that they have provided letters of referral or reports that will help these clients obtain services such as crisis accommodation or social security benefits that are open to them (Barker & Hodes, 2007). One of the means through which a child protection officer can be able to gain success when dealing with problems that affect a number of children is through his getting them into small groups and guiding them in sharing their experiences, and this is likely to enable these children to support each other and to learn the social skills that will help them function positively in the society ("Social Work; Findings from Deakin University in Social Work Reported", 2012). Among the most fundamental duties that have been assigned to child safety officers in Australia is ensuring that they assist community groups to plan and carry out programs to help their children, especially those newly arrived immigrants, to adjust themselves into Australian society which is essential for their eventual integration (Cameron, G., Frydenberg & Jackson, 2011). It is essential for the child officer to ensure that he or she conducts research on those community problems which might, both directly, or indirectly, affect children and attempt to come up with solutions for them through contacting their clients as well as looking at the records of welfare and healthcare agencies.

It is a requirement by the laws of Australia for child officers to be vigilant in ensuring that all the children in the country are safe from abuse, neglect and harm within their homes. This is the reason why when the children security department gets any information concerning any harm or risk to a child of any age; it acts on such information as swiftly as possible to ensure the safety of the child involved (Harrison, Ungerer, Smith, Zubrick, Wise, Press & Waniganayake, 2010). If, for example, an officer believes that a child may need protection, then he has to conduct a thorough investigation and evaluation to ascertain the continued safety of this child. While this is the duty of the children’s department to ensure that children are kept from harm, it is also the responsibility of anyone in the public to ensure that he or she contacts the department if there is concern about any children they believe to have been or is at risk of being harmed (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2013). While this is the case, the child officer has to be ethical in his conduct by ensuring that he does not disclose the identity of the person who provided information concerning the child or children in question. This ensures that the child officer has the ability and discretion needed when conduction his investigations and if he find that the information that he has received is credible, then he can be able to take the necessary action to ensure that the welfare of the child is protected from harm.

There are times when child safety officers, during the cause of their investigations, have to visit the homes of those children whose cases are being investigated. It is the responsibility of these officers to show their identity and declare the reason why they are visiting. In certain circumstances, especially where it is suspected that there might be some resistance, these officers may have to work with the police to ensure that they their priorities, which is to guarantee the safety of the children involved (Tilbury, Osmond, Wilson & Clark, 2007). When dealing with children who are of Aboriginal descent, it may be necessary for the child officer to work with a Recognised Entity to ensure that these marginalized people do not feel any more marginalized than they are already (Potito, Day, Carson & O'Leary, 2009). The officer has to be sensitive to the concerns expressed by the individuals whose home he is visiting and must clearly state why he is visiting so that he can be more conclusive in his assessment (Lonne, Parton, Thomson & Harries, 2008). The child officer has to make the individual being interviewed that he or she has the right to either talk to him one on one or to have a legal representative for support. Finally, the child officer has the responsibility of talking to all the children in the home concerning the issues which have brought him to their home.

The child officer has to appreciate the diverse cultural backgrounds of the Australian people because this appreciation plays significant role in the formation of the bonds of work and friendship that make their efforts in the protection of the children in the society a success. Among the benefits which a child officer is able to reap from being appreciative of the diverse cultures in the society is that he will develop the confidence in his ability to do all the tasks that are his responsibility and this will also encourage him to go the extra mile to ensure that he does his best when conducting his duties (Gillingham, 2006). In addition, when working with people from such diverse backgrounds as the Aborigines, he will be able to perform his duties in the best possible way that he knows how and his conduct will be that which promotes the noble principles and practices that are espoused by the Child Safety Department.

The new confidence in the child safety officer will enable him to think of a greater role for himself in taking care of the interests of the children within the society and through working with people of diverse backgrounds, he will be able to attain the skills which are necessary for dealing with prospective issues that may arise in the society or community. This is perhaps the only way through which a child officer can hope to be successful in the community which he is working and it may help in helping the community develop any interest in ensuring that the welfare of its children is protected.