Fundamental concepts of resource management
Define wellbeing
The degree of satisfaction that an individual or group experiences when needs are met.
What are personal values and give an example of how past experience influence values
Personal values are the qualities that an individual or family believes to be desirable and important in life. E.g. independence that becomes cherished as a result of extensive overseas travel or creativity derived from skills developed through further education at university or TAFE.
Why is it important to analyse research results after an interview?
To look for statements or quotes that represent a thread of repeating ideas or themes.
Difference between individual and group wellbeing
Individual - wellbeing of one person
Group - wellbeing of two or more people
Describe why planning and organisation is important for all individuals
Planning and organisation are essential skills for an individual who wants to achieve their goals. These skills keep an individual focused on completing tasks, help set priorities, reduce stress and enable self-confidence to grow as the individual feels that they are on their own personal road to a chosen destination or goal.
Needs - things that are vital to sustain our life
Wants - preferences or desires
List two formal and informal support
Informal: relatives, neighbours, friends
Formal: Centrelink, PCYCs, childcare facilities, disability services
Before conducting an interview, what are three things a researcher should do?
- have undertaken some prior reading on the topic so that they have sufficient background information to be able to develop ideas for the focus of the interview.
- Choose the type of interview
- Prearrange your interview and be punctual.
- Check the environment is suitable, including seating and lighting and having somewhere quiet with few disruptions.
- If you are recording the interview, have equipment checked and ready to use.
- It is helpful to develop a preformatted ‘Interview profile’ sheet, which can be used for documenting the interview answers.
Explain interchangeability of resources and provide an example
Resources have a variety of uses and individuals must decide how to best use them. For example, a teacher earns a salary and may choose to use potential savings to employ a house cleaner. In this way, one person’s money buys someone else’s time and skills. The cleaner could use the money to meet basic needs or to save for a family vacation.
Define verbal and non verbal communication and give one example of each
Verbal communication occurs through the use of sounds and words – language that is oral or written. E.g. talking, singing, SMS, email, letters, faxes, signs and sign language.
Non-verbal communication includes physical actions and body language. E.g. through gestures, facial expressions, eye contact, posture, body movement and proximity to others.
Specific needs acronym and definitions
Safety and security - refers to the desire to feel protected and safe from threat
Health - is a holistic concept and is related to a person's perception of wellbeing. There are five dimensions of health: physical, social, emotional, mental and spiritual
Education - refers to the action or process of learning; of acquiring knowledge and skills.
Sense of identity - is an individual’s idea of who they are, and can influence confidence and self-esteem.
Employment - is an activity to which one devotes time and requires exerting energy towards a goal for payment, profit or commission.
Adequate Standard of Living - refers to primary needs: food, clothing and shelter that are required by all people.
Three characteristics of effective and ineffective communication
Effective Communication: sending clear and positive messages, having the ability to express thoughts and feelings, showing a genuine interest in others, being assertive, showing the other person you are listening using verbal and non-verbal cues, choosing words that are understood by other individuals, making sure that non-verbal communication complements the verbal message being sent, listening for the feelings behind the sender’s words – verbally and non-verbally, asking and answering questions as part of the feedback process, realising that gender may have an impact on how we communicate.
Ineffective communication: expressing the message in a hurry, using an inappropriate medium to transmit the information, being unclear about the message he or she wishes to communicate, not listening to feedback, withholding information that could help clarify the situation, deliberately or subconsciously not using shared meaning.
It may involve a receiver: constantly interrupting the sender, being evasive by not telling the sender that they do not understand, not contributing feedback when there are opportunities to do so.
Identify two advantages and two disadvantages of structured and unstructured interviews
Structured interview
Advantages:
- Questions are predetermined and planned to focus on a research area.
- Responses from multiple interviews are consistent due to the format and are therefore easier to collate.
- The length of time required for interview can be specified and limited.
Disadvantages:
- The formal structure may affect the responses from the interviewee.
- There is less flexibility.
Unstructured interview
Advantages:
- There is a more relaxed atmosphere, possibly due to the discussion format.
- There is greater flexibility, as questions can cover issues/points that are identified as important during the interview.
Disadvantages:
- The interviewer needs to be in control and knowledgeable to ensure success of research.
- Questions may become irrelevant and unrelated to research.
- The length of time required for the interview can be unknown.
- A wide variety of responses may be difficult to collate.
Wellbeing acronym and definition of each factor affecting wellbeing
Social - relates to interactions with other people
Physical - relates to physical health and safety
Emotional - relates to our feelings
Economic - relates to our finances
Cultural - focus on customs, beliefs, values and traditions
Spiritual - relates to moral or religious areas
List three strategies that can help with planning and organisation. You cannot list three organisational tools
What is Maslow's hierarchy and what are the five areas of Maslow's hierarchy
Abraham Maslow proposed a model to explain needs, behaviour and motivation. It proposes that if a person’s lower-order needs are not met, it is unlikely that he or she will be concerned about meeting higher-order needs.
- Self-actualisation
- Esteem needs
- Social needs
- Safety needs
- Physiological needs
Identify the steps in the problem-solving process
Step 1: Identify the problem
Step 2: Explore alternative solutions and their consequences
Step 3: Select an option
Step 4: Implement the solution
Step 5: Evaluate the situation
Identify four advantages and four disadvantages of interviews
Advantages:
- Respondents can have questions reworded for clarification or be prompted for more detail, providing some flexibility.
- An interviewer can judge if questions become too sensitive and adjust them accordingly.
- Respondents may enjoy the personal attention that an interview provides and are more willing to be involved.
- Verbal communication and prompting can account for variations in a respondent’s literacy level.
- A large amount of information may be generated due to the qualitative nature of method.
- Both qualitative and quantitative data can be generated depending on the questions asked.
- Information can be used to develop a more focused questionnaire.
Disadvantages
- It is time-consuming to plan, conduct and collate data.
- Some subjects may find an interview threatening and feel less able to answer honestly because of face-to-face contact.
- There is less anonymity for respondents due to the personal nature of the interview.
- Communication difficulties might arise if there is a language barrier.
- Too much information may be difficult to analyse and compare.
- Bias may occur due to personal appearance or body language (from interviewer and/or interviewee).
- Equipment for recording may be required.
Define and list three human and non-human resources
Human resources: the skills, abilities or talents of people.
Energy, knowledge, intelligence, sight, language, skills and abilities, motivation, initiative, cooperation, creativity and compassion
Non-human resources: tangible or touchable objects.
Food, clothing, money, electricity, shelter, parks, cars, computers and musical instruments
Identify the three communication styles, characteristics and outcomes
Aggressive - Aggressive communication occurs when a person’s feelings are expressed in an intimidating manner, sometimes denying the listener an opportunity to participate in the discussion.
Characteristics
Stand up for their own rights, make decisions that may not consider the rights of others, dominate and do not listen to others, can be hostile and defensive.
Outcomes
May lose the respect of others, can achieve goals, as needs may be met, demonstrate power, can cause conflict because others feel threatened.
Assertive - Assertive communication occurs when individuals express their feelings in an acceptable, non-aggressive, positive manner, and state their rights, opinions, knowledge, requests or desires without hurting or depreciating others.
Characteristics:
Stand up for their own rights and recognise the rights of others, are ready to listen to one another, as there is mutual respect, recognise the feelings of others and the context in which conversations occur.
Outcomes:
Achieve mutual respect, may help achieve goals as needs, may be met, minimise hurting others, are honest with themselves and others.
Passive - Passive communication occurs when individuals fail to express their feelings, needs and ideas.
Characteristics:
ignore their own rights and allow others to infringe on their rights, do not state their own needs, ideas or feelings, are emotionally dishonest with themselves to be seen as polite.
Outcomes:
Fear losing the approval of others, fear the reaction of others, avoid conflict, may manipulate others, may have pent up feelings that will erupt later in an aggressive outburst.
List the goal setting acronym, types of goals and give a reason on how it enhances wellbeing.
Acronym: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound
Types of goals: Short-term, medium-term and long-term goals
Reason:
When individuals and families make progress on achieving goals, there is an intrinsic reward and sense of
satisfaction. These positive emotions have the potential to motivate further goal-directed behaviours and actions, which can continue to increase wellbeing levels. The identification and accomplishment of short-term goals thus become the motivational stepping stones for achieving medium- and long-term goals that will satisfy needs and wants.
Definition and acronym of factors influencing availability of and access to resources
Gender - All laws support equal opportunity and therefore provide access, resources and support for males and females.
However, gender may affect
the knowledge and perceived suitability of resources available and accessible to males and females. Traditional values and stereotyping related to masculinity (for example, the male being the breadwinner and protector) can limit the willingness of males to access resources such as men’s health services and unemployment benefits.
Age - influences what resources are available to and accessible for specific age groups. E.g. applying for a driver's licence.
Socioeconomic status - refers to the employment status, income level and disposable income of individuals and families.
Culture - increase an individual’s or family’s knowledge of available resources because there are many formal resources that exist and are widely publicised to assist specific cultural communities. E.g. health services and migrant learning centres.
Disability - may affect physical, social, intellectual, economic and emotional opportunities in terms of accessing and making resources available. Many individuals and groups have increased access to government assistance, support networks and legal assistance through disability discrimination laws.
Using interchangeable resources: Resources can have alternative uses, so individuals must make decisions about the best use of resources.
Adopting sustainable behaviours: Some non-human resources can be partially or wholly consumed through use and are therefore considered non-renewable. Careful management of non-renewable resources is needed to ensure that they are used to their best potential and not wasted.
Accessing support: Being able to access support from family, friends or more formal government agencies or community organisations can be a valuable resource and impact positively upon wellbeing, in ways both small and large.
Developing personal management skills: In order for an individual to manage their resources effectively, one must develop personal management skills in planning and organising, decision-making, communication and problem-solving.
Engaging in education or training: education and training as key strategies for effective resource management and significant contributors to individual, family and community wellbeing.
Explain the importance of resource sustainability and provide an example
Some non-human resources can be partially or wholly consumed through use and are therefore considered non-renewable. Non-renewable resources need to be managed carefully to ensure that they are used to their best potential and not wasted.
Effective resource management relies on people and governments to make carefully considered decisions on how, why and at what rate resources (especially non-human resources) can be used so that they can be sustained for prolonged use. This can ultimately affect the availability and quality of resources for future use. E.g. Recycling paper or ink jet cartridges and sending electronic instead of printed financial statements are examples of environmentally sustainable practices.
Impulsive style
An impulsive decision is a hasty decision usually made spontaneously, without considering the alternatives or outcomes.
Intuitive style
An intuitive decision is based on instinct: the ‘inner feeling or knowledge’ that it is the right decision to make at the time. While there may not be extensive time given to considering the alternatives, an individual’s values and standards often play a significant role in the decision.
Hesitant style
A hesitant decision is made with caution. An individual may have trouble making the decision due to a lack of confidence or knowledge of what the alternatives or outcomes related to the decision will be.
Confident style
A confident decision is made with certainty and trust. Alternatives have been identified and outcomes wisely evaluated to ensure that the best decision has been made.
Rational style
A rational decision is logical and sensible. A commonsense approach to the decision-making process is undertaken – information is gathered, alternatives carefully considered, and outcomes and consequences evaluated prior to an individual making their final choice.