European Model Of Corporate Governance

European Model Of Corporate Governance Corporate governance comes into play in cases where the management of the organization has to be carried out by a manager or a group of managers who are not the owners of the organization. In essence, corporate governance is implemented by a business financers in order to monitor and regulate the organizations utilization of their investments (Becht, Chapelle Renneboog, 2000). In this case, the individuals hired to manage the business are paid employees and are responsible for the effective execution of the organizations processes. As a result of this arrangement, it is only natural for a separation to exist between the ownership of the organization and the management of the organization (Brickley, Coles Jarrell, 1997). While this may appear to be a simple concept, modern day business models have allowed corporate governance models to develop rapidly over the last few years and this has led to the development of differing corporate governance models. The implementation of these cor porate governance models generally varies in accordance with the region in which the organization is functioning and the nature of business of the organization. This paper will attempt to compare and contrast the Anglo-American model and the European Model of Corporate Governance. The paper will attempt to perform this comparison in order to ascertain which of the two models more accurately reflect emerging corporate trends. Furthermore, the discussion will make international comparisons based on a variety of different economies. Before moving on with the discussion, it is essential to come to terms with the role of the board of directors of the organization. The board of directors play a pivotal role in corporate governance models. This is because of the fact that they serve as the bridge between the stakeholders of the organization and the management team responsible for the organizations processes (Brickley, Coles Jarrell, 1997). The sensitivity of the role of the board of directors can be judged through the fact that an extensive degree of research has been performed on the functions and composition of the board of directors. Regardless of the corporate culture in the organization, the board of directors remains present as a critical connection between the organizations human capital and the organizations stakeholders. Another reason because of which the board of directors are given extensive relevance is the fact that almost all corporate governance models look towards the board of directors when it com es to the implementation of the corporate governance models (Becht, Chapelle Renneboog, 2000). The characteristics of the board of directors tend to vary with regard to the size of the organization, the region/regions in which the organization is functioning, the existence of the company as a listed or unlisted company and the industry/industries in which the organization is operating. A practical example of the implementation of the European model of corporate governance and the Anglo-American model of corporate governance can be observed in the case of the US and Europe respectively (Brickley, Coles Jarrell, 1997). In Europe, a small number of investors are capable of making pivotal investment decisions and these decisions are generally aligned with the interests of the selected investors responsible for the decisions. In comparison, the system generally followed and proffered in the US calls for the inclusion of multiple opinions and perspectives (Becht, Chapelle Renneboog, 2000). The corporate strategy that is developed and eventually implemented is not finalized until all the investors are and shareholders are in unanimous agreement. Managements role In the case of the Anglo-American countries, it is often considered that the Anglo-American system of corporate governance gives unquestioning support to the management (Becht, Chapelle Renneboog, 2000). This creates a scenario in which the management appears to have a role that is limited to the short run and does not encompass the long run. It can therefore be surmised that the management, in the case of the Anglo-American system of corporate governance, frequently communicates with the stakeholders. As a result, managers in the Anglo-American system of corporate governance try to implement strategies that will show outcomes within the span of a year or two (Brickley, Coles Jarrell, 1997). In comparison, when the management implements the European model of corporate governance, decisions are taken with outcomes expected around five years. In such cases, the shareholders generally hold more decision making authority than that which is given to the managers. Furthermore, controllin g and holding structures are significantly common in organizations making use of the European model of corporate governance. In such cases, the European model of corporate governance is also often referred to as the concentrated shareholder model because of the extensive authority that it gives to the shareholders. This concentration of ownership can often lead to the development of complications in cases where financial resources have to play their part (Becht, Chapelle Renneboog, 2000). The number of equity suppliers is generally deficient in the European model of corporate governance because of the concentration of ownership. Another characteristic of the European model of corporate governance that merits highlighting at this point is that which pertains to the role of the capital market. The capital market holds importance for corporate governance on account of the fact that the developments in the capital market have a direct influence on the corporate controls of the organization (Brickley, Coles Jarrell, 1997). While the Anglo-American model of corporate governance relies heavily on the capital market and seeks to takeover threats in the capital market, the European model of corporate governance gives primary relevance to the stakeholders. Internal Differences Labour motivation is a critically important factor when it comes to the organizations performance. Since labour in the European model of corporate governance is always a part of the decision making process, it is generally more motivated than the labour force in the Anglo-American model of corporate governance. Since the labour is relatively highly motivated, they choose to contribute to the organizations development aggressively (Brickley, Coles Jarrell, 1997). This active participation on the labours part tends to place a limitation on the degree to which the supervisory board can exercise authority (Hanson Song, 2000). Influences of the labours active participation can generally be seen in the development of the organizations human resource management policies. The realist theory of codetermination understands co-determination as labour representation. Labour as the most important stakeholder group besides the shareholders should be represented and have a right to participate in the decision making on the level of the second board, i.e. the advisory board in the two-tier-board system (Hanson Song, 2000). Co-determination as representation does not aim at consent about all matters of corporate governance. It is rather geared towards the right to participate and to be included and heard in corporate governance for the sake of workers recognition as well as for the sake of other stakeholders of the firm because workers participation in decision-making enhances the quality of board decisions. If the shareholders prevent the shirking of the employees of the firm according to the theory of the firm introduced by Alchian and Demsetz (1996), codetermination by labour results analogously in the prevention of shirking by shareholders and managers th at causes damage to labour as shirking by employees causes damage to the shareholders. If the shareholders and/or managers do not perform optimally labour will prevent them from shirking, from not making their contractual contributions to the firm. Industrial relations are traditionally better in continental Europe than in the USA which leads to higher work place satisfaction and higher identification with the firm (Becht, Chapelle Renneboog, 2000). These, in turn, cause higher productivity rates. In the last two decades since 1988, the process of the globalization of capital markets seemed to support the shareholder principle, not the participation principle. In the context of globalization As globalization continues to influence the development of the global economy, corporate governance also becomes subjected to standardization based on the successful implementation of strategies by management teams around the world (Hanson Song, 2000). The case of General Motors and Ford presents an excellent example in this regard. General Motors and Ford have produced in Germany in huge production sites for over seventy years and did not find it unprofitable to adjust to codetermination legislation which is about 35 years old in 2008. In the European institutional setting, there is a greater complexity on the second board level that causes certain additional costs. There is, however, also the gain of additional information about the firm and of greater labour alignment with the aims of the firm as a result of labour representation in corporate governance on the level of the second board level. The participation or co-determination principle can increase corporate performance if it is understood as a principle of representation and not as a consensus principle and if it is instituted together with the control principle of hostile takeovers (Hanson Song, 2000). Codetermination as representation of the employees on the board increases the learning capacity of the organization and also fulfils a pacification function in conflict situations within the enterprise as long as the majority vote of the shareholders or owners is safeguarded. The synthesis between the Anglo-American principle of the capital market as the market for corporate control and the German principle of co-determination as employee representation in corporate governance on the second board level is possible, even under conditions of globalization (Becht, Chapelle Renneboog, 2000). The point to which the two systems of corporate governance, the USA and the Continental European, converge to is the strengthening of capital market control of management in Europe and the strengthening of labour repr esentation in corporate governance in the USA. The purpose of the firm Another difference between the Anglo-American and the Continental European theories of corporate governance concerns the idea of the purpose of the firm (Lipton Lorsch, 1992). The purpose of an institutional part or subsystem of a society is the major resource from which ethical analysis and decision-making draws from since the purpose of action is the most important and defining feature of an action. The purpose of any human action is the major criterion for the ethical assessment of an action or institution (Becht, Chapelle Renneboog, 2000). The reason is that the purpose or aim of an action or institution is the central cause of an action or institution and, therefore, the central criterion for its success and value in economic, cultural and ethical respect. Ethics gives the conditions under which value creation must take place as constraining and as enabling conditions (Hanson Song, 2000). Value creation can take place under the neglect of the personal right of the person or of human dignity if the market conditions cause such groups of individuals to have a weak competitive position. If there is an over-supply of labour its competitive position is weak. The law might have to protect human dignity against exploitation and abuse when competition in the market does not preserve the human rights of the market participants (Becht, Chapelle Renneboog, 2000). Situations of prisoners dilemma in which it is advantageous for the individual to behave opportunistically require the affirmation of ethical and legal rules independent of the utility calculus of the acting individual. Loyalty to contracts e.g. is a principle that cannot be derived from individual utility maximization for each act but must be asserted by the individual on its own meri t for ethical reasons (Thompson Wright, 1995). It can only be justified by rule utilitarianism for the general rule and not by act utilitarianism for each single act. This implies that one has the duty to be loyal to a contract even if a more advantageous contract is available instead. The non-conditional hyper-norm of the economy must be distinguished from the second order positive norms of the institutional setting of business. Some of these positive norms are sometimes suggested to be ethical or normal rules of the first order although they are in fact norms or virtues of economic organization that imply some degree of freedom of specification although their organization touches on ethical virtues, or norms of the second order. The European model of the firm emphasizes that the firm is a multi-purpose institution in which shareholder value plays the central but not the only role (Becht RÃ ¶ell, 1999). The Anglo-American model of the firm emphasizes shareholder value as the onl y or last purpose of the firm to which the other (stakeholder) purposes are instrumental or, at least, functional. At this point, the development will go in the direction of the European model since it is more inclusive and interprets the stakeholders to be of more then instrumental value to the firm. The recent global recession has led to the development of a scenario in which it has become imperative for organizations to exercise corporate governance. It therefore comes as no surprise that the last few years have seen a significant increase in the volume of literature on corporate governance. Furthermore, the increasing trends in globalization and the rapid developments in international businesses have placed organizations in a position where it has become crucial for them to revisit their corporate governance methodologies (Becht RÃ ¶ell, 1999). These recent changes in corporate governance, and the processes of globalization that have induced them, are obviously of historic proportion, radically altering as they have economic, political and social structures. The stakes in these reforms are high and they may be literally life and death for the most vulnerable organizations. Conclusion In the literature of corporate governance, there has been an on-going debate about whether financial or banking models are more effective. As noted above, it is currently being argued that the key to effectiveness does not depend upon whether a country adopts one or the other model, but whether it has a well-functioning legal system which allows for the timely enforcement of contracts. If this position is correct, then the ability of developing countries to enforce a model of corporate governance may be ultimately tied to larger questions of democratic political reform a prospect which many critics feel is being undermined by the very forces of globalization promoting an Anglo American model of governance. An important question that the experience of developing countries raises but one which it was not possible to systematically investigate in this issue is whether individual countries acting alone will be able to effectively enforce an Anglo-American model of governance in a globa l economy. The above discussion attempted to present an in depth insight into the differences between the Anglo-American model of corporate governance and the European model of corporate governance. The discussion made it clear that the fundamental distinction between the two models lies in the fact that they are present in differing business contexts (Warner, Watts Wruck, 1988). These contexts are dictated by the shareholder identity, shareholder concentration, stock liquidity and interlocking ownership. It can be observed here that there is a difference between the two approaches in how they address the two issues of ownership and control. The strengthening of labour representation in the American firm can improve the firms ability to discover chances and weaknesses within the organization and to use this knowledge for increased performance. The strengthening of the market for corporate control through a more active capital market in Europe will improve the performance of management. Furthermore, globalization will move corporate governance in the direction of such a synthesis. It is likely that this model will radiate to the global market. The question of whether economies will converge towards a common corporate Anglo-American governance system, or sustain the present diversity of institutions is one of the key issues facing countries in Europe, the Asia Pacific and throughout the rest of the world (Malette Hogler, 1995). Lower economic growth and higher unemployment in Europe compared to the Anglo-American countries since the mid-1990s, undermined some of the confidence in Europes social model (though by 2005 Germany had returned to its former position as the worlds largest exporter). Despite the pressures towards adopting Anglo-Saxon modes of corporate governance, the divergences in both the policy and practice of corporate governance in Europe have thus far resisted any move towards European standards. However with greater market integration and the developing influence of Anglo-American institutional investors, it is possible the market will play a greater role. Yet debates on company law harmonization in the Eur opean Union have been held up by countries not wishing to see elements of their own systems of corporate governance disappear in the process. One explanation for this impasse is the institutional complementarily thesis which justifies the continuing diversity of systems, rejecting the one-best-way strategy adopted by the convergence thesis. Instead a plurality of models is assumed, each corresponding to local circumstances, supported by a cluster of social norms and regulation, enabling balanced economic development. It can also be argued that the Anglo-American models can serve as an effective method for breaking unhealthy state business relationships and imposing more discipline on domestic corporations (Yermack, 1996). The diversity of corporate models is valuable and is rooted in societal characteristics that together shape the competitiveness of the different models. Though shareholder value may be gaining ground due to the influence of Anglo-Saxon institutional investors, a stakeholder approach is closer to the reality of European social democracies, and the outcome of the confrontation between the two competing philosophies is highly uncertain. It is unlikely that imported Anglo-Saxon capital market related features of corporate governance will work well with Continental labor-related aspects of corporate governance as represented in supervisory boards. It is likely any such European compromise would be more unstable than existing systems. The attractiveness of the Anglo-American finance and governance institutions permeated with inequality and subject to recurrent severe market cycles and financial crisis is open to question as a model for universal applicability. Indeed the damaging consequen ces of the 2008 financial crisis will impact severely upon the world economy, and could well dislodge the faith that the market based governance system is the only rational and efficient one for the future. It is more likely that solutions will be found to pressing problems of equity, sustainability and innovation in a diversity of finance and governance systems, responsive to deeper and wider concerns than the self-interest of the executives who control corporations, financial institutions and hedge funds. The paper served to clarify that while the Anglo-American model of corporate governance seeks to implement external discipline methodologies. This entails the concentration of the organizations resources and attention towards elements such as proxy fights in the competitive landscape, handling liability management claims and the sustenance of management reputation. The Anglo-American model of corporate governance is somewhat aggressive and appears to be a model that continuously demands the organization to function as a challenger in the competitive landscape. In comparison, the European model of corporate governance seeks to make use of extensive alignment between the organizations stakeholders. The external methodologies brought into use by the European model of corporate governance tend to increase coordination and communication across the organization in an attempt to streamline the organizations functions in accordance with the organizations objectives. In addition, the European model of corporate governance also seeks to ensure that the organizations objectives are understood and that the management, stakeholders and board of directors are in mutual agreement on the objectives of the organization. The comparison of the two corporate governance models has served to reveal that the Anglo-American model of corporate governance is an aggressive corporate governance model and in order to exercise the Anglo-American model of corporate governance the organization needs to have a strong foundation (Wolfenzon, 1998). This is because of the fact that the Anglo-American model of corporate governance often requires the managers to make decisions that are in favour of their own perspectives and require over-investment. In this case, the managers do not seek the approval of external stakeholders and proceed with the implementation of their decisions. In this regard, the European model of corporate governance comes forth as the preferred corporate governance model. This is because of the fact that the European model of corporate governance gives the organization the margin of deciding on an orientation that is best suited for the competitive landscape in which the organization is functioning (Wolfenzon, 1998). While the Anglo American model of corporate governance demands that the organization plays aggressively continuously, the European model of corporate governance gives the organization the margin it needs to adapt to changing needs. As a result, the organization can choose to function passively and steadily when it chooses; and functions aggressively when it chooses. In essence, the increased communication and coordination between the strategic, operational and tactical elements of the organization allows the organization to ensure that it does not get exposed to any high-risk scenarios. The recommendation of the European model of corporate governance is based on the pretext that recent global economic trends have proved that it is feasible for organizations to adopt an organization that minimizes their exposure to risk. Managerial reputation and status cannot be given importance over the organizations sustained growth because most organizations that have been successful in the last few decades have chosen to follow their expansion strategies with consistency; regardless of the speed at which they grew. While some organizations chose to grow rapidly by intentionally engaging in high-risk investments, others chose to implement the European model of corporate governance by reducing their risk exposure. Organizations such as these proceeded by studying internal and external scenarios closely before finalizing and implementing a strategy. It is because of this reason that such organizations were able to minimize the degree to which they were impacted by the recent global recession. It can be observed that the European model of corporate governance requires the management to engage in a level of coordination that the Anglo-American model of corporate governance does not call for. As a result, the European model of corporate governance places the management in a position where every decision that materializes into action is of a nature such that is supports the organization and is not influenced by a desire to drive up managerial reputation and status. Another key reason because of which the European model of corporate governance is recommended over the Anglo-American model of corporate governance is because the European model of corporate governance satisfies the need for the generation of shareholder profitability. The Anglo-American model of corporate governance does not give primary relevance to shareholder profitability because the authority to make investment decisions is placed and limited in the hands of a few individuals. In comparison to this, the European model of corporate governance places the organization in a position where the generation of shareholder profitability enables the organization to attract more investors. In this regard, it would be just to bring the paper to a concluding note with the statement that the European model of corporate governance accurately reflects emerging corporate trends. The examples and elaborations presented in the above discussion make it clear that the European model of corporate go vernance responds far more adequately to modern day business needs than the Anglo-American model of corporate governance.

For Academic Purpose †Ceo Speech to Prospective Investors Essay

It is my utmost pleasure to be able to welcome you here today in Tek Comfort Zone (ITZ) General Investors and Prospective Investors Quarterly meeting. Tek Comfort Zone is the Caribbean premier producer of ostentatious â€Å"State of the Art Furniture† with electronic built-in and plug-ins accessories that provides superior comfort and quality solutions through custom design, manufacturing, installation and support. Our fast growing clients include Five Stars Hotels, business tycoons, celebrities and a host of others in the SHOW BIZZ. TCZ does not only strive to maintain its leading position as Caribbean â€Å"N ° 1† State of the Art Furniture† Producer, but also to expand in novelty and quality that steers a higher level of customer satisfaction alongside profit maximization. This whole process has involved an integration of mission, objectives, implementation and evaluation; a proper time, cost, quality and human resources management: and a critical maintenance of all forms of motivations. The company is made up of 45 staff members. Briefly, it is headed by a CEO, with two Directors (Director of Production and Director of Budget) answerable to him. They direct the two sectors of the company (Production and Budget). The Budget sector has two managers (Purchase Manager and Sales Manager) answerable to the Director of Budget. Immediately under the Purchase Manager is the Accounting Supervisor, and directly under the Sales Manager is the Sales Supervisor. The Sales Supervisor oversees six employers while the Account Supervisor has five employees under his control. Meanwhile in the Production Sector only one manager (Manufacturing Manager) is answerable to the Director of Productions. Directly under the Manufacturing Manager are the Inventory Supervisor and Operations Supervisor. The Inventory Supervisor oversees 10 employees while the Operations Supervisor supervises 14 employees. This well structured organizational flow is mindful of effective communications, job duplications, conflict and other factors that can affect a team spirit and job dexterity. Dear investors as a result of this strategy, TCZ has grown substantially faster than the global â€Å"State Of The Arts Furniture† market. While the global market as a whole grew just 5%, ours increased by 13%. An important source of revenue, the delivery of unrivalled bed, mattress and electronics charges, increased 18%, although the market saw a 1% decrease. Our pro-forma operating margin improved to 28. 3%, an increase of half a percentage point. We took additional market share away from our direct competitors in the ‘State of Arts Furniture’ market, gaining one percentage point year-on-year, which takes us to a market share of approximately 21%. We thus sell approximately two and a half times more unrivaled electronic beds and, mattress than our nearest competitor, who had been the leading producer for 18 years, before we ever dominated the market Our main competitor is the ABC State of Arts Furniture Ltd. They are the longest in the market and have dominated the premier role for 18 years. They are known for quantity and timely delivery. Unlike our competitors we added other important ingredients such as quality, novelty and frequent customer satisfaction research. This accounted for why we have emerged as the leading company in the market for the past five years. Our few years of existence in the market would have attracted fear and false judgements from prospective investors against our maturity, stability and long-term success and survival. Without any doubt I can assure you that we are on the right path. How? Before our company could even kick off, we had carefully learned from the errors of others who have been in business many years before us. We carefully analysed their strengths and weaknesses. For example we learned never to preach what we cannot live by (meaning our quality must match our propaganda). This is the root of loss of public confidence. We also learned that a strategy should not be considered only because of its promises in the short-term goals, but also because of its sustainability and expansions in the long-term. Importantly, we quickly learned the art of satisfying the consumer with quality and quantity goods and services with a maximisation of profit. And finally we also learned to provide investors with a consistent report of accountability and transparency on every level of attainment of the business. This gives our investors a true sense of ownership in the business. Dear prospective investor, without your investment, ICZ would have just been another brilliant idea. Your choice to invest in into this company is what has made the idea a reality. We not encourage you to maintain your investments, but also to expand them. To our prospective investors, TCZ is the fertile ground for your investment. Grab this opportunity heartily. Your fears should not ponder about the success of the company. Rather the fear should be whether the investment recruiting conditions presently would be stricter since many investors show interest to our company’s philosophy and operations. The investors screening process may become more critical as many investors would Finally to the entire TCZ, may we together applaud our selfless and one-minded efforts that have brought us thus far.

Counselor Interviews

Ethics in the field of marital and family psychology is a very sensitive subject to both the clientele treated and the counselors. The issue of ethics as it pertains to marital and family counseling can create barriers and obstacles preventing clients from being able to fully trust the counselor.Other ethical concerns vary from whether or not to inform a parent of their child’s admitted illegal drug use to that of having a client who divulges having a life-threatening sexually transmitted disease but does not wish to have their spouse informed. Different accredited psychiatric associations have developed and implemented a defined code of ethics upon which each participating member is responsible in upholding (ACA, 2005; Leong, 2008)). Education and training for licensed counselors serve as a platform to provide answers to ethical dilemmas, however; it is up to the individual counselor as to how he or she chooses to respond.Chase and Gina provide marital and family counseling t o a variety of individuals. Chase works for a private mental health group and has been practicing for the last eight years. Gina is a licensed counselor working for a public mental health services organization. She has been employed at the same office for the last fourteen years. As professional counselors, both Chase and Gina indicate that the defined code of ethics outlined by the American Counseling Association (ACA) serves as a major tool of ethical reference (personal communication, May 18, 2010; ACA, 2005).Ethical Dilemmas I. Chase He was providing marital counseling for a very troubled couple (personal communication, May 18, 2010). The couple had entered into marital counseling because of issues of trust, mistrust, and possible infidelity. The wife was asserting that her husband had PSYCHOLOGY 3 been unfaithful. One evening after work, Chase stopped by the local grocery store. After pulling in he noticed a couple engaged in a very passionate kiss.Much to his surprise, he disc overed that the female involved in the kiss was in fact the accusing wife whom he was currently counseling. She immediately disengaged from kissing her male companion after she recognized her counselor. At the next counseling session, the married couple indicated that the wife had admitted to her infidelities. The husband asserted that he had already filed for divorce, but he wanted to inform the counselor in person and request that his counseling continue on an individual basis. The wife asserted that she, too, wished to continue with individual therapy.As a result, Chase declined to provide the requested individual therapy, but did provide them each with referrals. His decision to do so was based on the probability of being called as a potential witness in the pending divorce proceedings (Hecker & Wetchler, 2003). II. Gina A memorable case of ethics for Gina involved a mother and her three teenage children. The family had been referred for services via the local family court follo wing a very difficult divorce and custody battle in which the husband, and father to the children, had just left.The mother had been diagnosed with Bipolar I over three years ago, but she had great difficulty in getting her manic episodes under control. As a result, her children had to be placed into foster care in order to protect their safety and well-being. After much therapy and many medication changes, the mother was deemed well enough to be a fit parent and was awarded custody. At a family session, the counselor noticed that the mother was acting out of sorts. She was extremely talkative but was not making much sense.She rambled from one subject to the next and was unable to sit down, all the while walking and pacing around the room. The counselor excused PSYCHOLOGY 4 herself from the room citing that she had to check on something, and she went and retrieved one of her supervising colleagues. He re-entered the session and was properly introduced. Gina felt it best if the child ren were not present at this particular juncture, so she invited the children to wait in an adjoining office where they could watch television.The oldest child indicated that his mom was doing it again; referencing the manic episode. Gina and her supervisor asked the mother if she was still taking her medications. The mother responded that she had discontinued her medications because they made her feel too tired and too groggy which interfered with her being able to take care of her children. The mother then questioned the counselors as to why there were so many bugs crawling on the walls. Gina then asked the mother if she would be willing to go to the hospital for a day or two in order to get her medications regulated. The mother refused.Gina chose to have the mother involuntarily committed as her mania and delusions provided that she could be of harm not only to herself but to her minor children as well (Corey, Corey, & Callanan, 2007). While issues involving ethics often seems to center around the function and professional abilities of the counselor, they also come from the client (Pope & Vasquez, 2007). Some clients are very concerned over the issues of confidentiality. This can lead both the counselor and the client to a dead end if the client does not trust the counselor enough to support his or her privacy.Some clients will test the ethical boundaries of the counselor as a means for determining the level of trust to be bestowed on the counselor. This is especially true in the ethical dilemma faced by Chase. In Gina’s case, she was faced with the issue of protecting the physical and mental well-being of her clients, the entire family. Involuntary commitment is usually a last PSYCHOLOGY 5 resort for counselors who are trying to help their clients.In rare instances, some clients will hinder the counselor with unwelcomed sexual advances. Counselors like Gina and Chase received much training from their respected secondary educational institutions of l earning. This training and education was furthered during their graduate studies. Both counselors, however, explain that face-to-face experience is sometimes the best educator. It has been suggested that when an ethical dilemma is difficult to resolve, the best and most absolute measure to take is to consult with a supervising colleague.Other professional colleagues in the field may have already encountered a similar situation or know of someone that was involved in a similar dilemma (Kottler & Shepard, 2007). Ethical dilemmas will continue to plague and confuse psychiatric professionals. Clients will invariably continue raising ethical questions whether deliberately or unknowingly. Organizations like the American Counseling Association have attempted to define and outline a specific list of possible problems with possible solutions.Experience combined with education and training offer recourse to counselors whose dilemma may be more difficult to resolve than referring to the curren tly endorsed code of ethics. In the meantime, counselors will dutifully stand by their clientele and support their mental well-being, which is ultimately the most important ethic of all. References American Counseling Association (ACA). (2005). Ethics. Retrieved from http://www. counseling. org/Resources/CodeOfEthics/TP/Home/CT2. aspx Corey, G. , Corey, M. , & Callanan, P. (2007).Issues and ethics in the helping profession (7th ed. ). Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning. Hecker, L. , & Wetchler, J. (2003). An introduction to marriage and family therapy. Binghamton, NY: Haworth Clinical Practice Press. Kottler, J. , & Shepard, D. (2007). Introduction to counseling: voices from the field (6th ed. ). Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning. Leong, F. (2008). Encyclopedia of counseling. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc. Pope, K. , & Vasquez, M. (2007). Ethics in psychotherapy and counseling: a practical guide (3rd ed. ). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Theseus, Great Hero of Greek Mythology

Theseus is one of the great heroes of Greek mythology, a prince of Athens who battled numerous foes including the Minotaur, the Amazons, and the Crommyon Sow, and traveled to Hades, where he had to be rescued by Hercules. As the legendary king of Athens, he is credited with inventing a constitutional government, limiting his own powers in the process.   Fast Facts: Theseus, Great Hero of Greek Mythology Culture/Country: Ancient GreeceRealms and Powers: King of AthensParents: Son of Aegeus (or possibly of Poseidon) and AethraSpouses: Ariadne, Antiope, and PhaedraChildren: Hippolytus (or Demophoon)Primary Sources: Plutarch Theseus; Odes 17 and 18 written by Bacchylides in the first half of 5th c BCE, Apollodorus, many other classic sources   Theseus in Greek Mythology The King of Athens, Aegeus (also spelled Aigeus), had two wives, but neither produced an heir. He goes to the Oracle of Delphi who tells him not to untie the mouth of the wineskin until he arrived at the heights of Athens. Confused by the purposefully-confusing oracle, Aegeus visits Pittheus, the King of Troezen (or Troizen), who figures out that the oracle means dont sleep with anyone until you return to Athens. Pittheus wants his kingdom to unite with Athens, so he gets Aegeus drunk and slips his willing daughter Aethra into Aegeus bed.   When Aegeus wakes up, he hides his sword and sandals under a large rock and tells Aethra that should she bear a son, if that son is able to roll away the stone, he should bring his sandals and swords to Athens so that Aegeus can recognize him. Some versions of the tale say that she has a dream from Athena saying to cross over to the island of Sphairia to pour a libation, and there she is impregnated by Poseidon.   Theseus is born, and when he comes of age, he is able to roll away the rock and take the armor to Athens, where he is recognized as heir and eventually becomes king. 19th century drawing of Theseus and Aegeus, Edmund Ollier 1890. Print Collector / Getty Images Appearance and Reputation   By all the various accounts, Theseus is steadfast in the din of battle, a handsome, dark-eyed man who is adventurous, romantic, excellent with the spear, a faithful friend but spotty lover.  Later Athenians credit Theseus as a wise and just ruler, who invented their form of government, after the true origins were lost to time. Theseus in Myth One myth is set in his childhood: Hercules (Herakles) comes to visit Theseus grandfather Pittheus and drops his lion skin cloak on the ground. The children of the palace all run away thinking it is a lion, but the brave Theseus whacks it with an ax. When Theseus decides to make his way to Athens, he chooses to go by land rather than sea because a land journey would be more open to adventure. On his way to Athens, he slays several robbers and monsters—Periphetes in Epidaurus (a lame, one-eyed club-wielding thief); the Corinthian bandits Sinis and Sciron; Phaea (the Crommyonion Sow, a giant pig and its mistress who were terrorizing the Krommyon countryside); Cercyon (a mighty wrestler and bandit in Eleusis); and Procrustes (a rogue blacksmith and bandit in Attica). Theseus, Prince of Athens When he arrives in Athens, Medea—then the wife of Aegeus and mother of his son Medus—is the first to recognize Theseus as Aegeus heir and attempts to poison him. Aegeus eventually does recognize him and stops Theseus from drinking the poison. Medea sends Theseus on an impossible errand to capture the Marathonian Bull, but Theseus completes the errand and returns to Athens alive.   As the prince, Theseus takes on the Minotaur, a half-man, half-bull monster owned by King Minos and to whom Athenian maidens and youths were sacrificed. With the help of the princess Ariadne, he slays the Minotaur and rescues the young people, but fails to provide a signal to his father that all is well—to change the black sails to white ones. Aegeas leaps to his death and Theseus becomes king. King Theseus   Becoming a king does not suppress the young man, and his adventures while king include an attack on the Amazons, after which he carries off their queen Antiope. The Amazons, led by Hippolyta, in turn invade Attica and penetrate into Athens, where they fight a losing battle. Theseus has a son named Hippolytus (or Demophoon) by Antiope (or Hippolyta) before she dies, after which he marries Ariadnes sister Phaedra. Battle between Theseus and Hippolyta of the Amazons. Miniature from La Teseida, by Giovanni Boccaccio, artist Barthelemy dEyck, 14th century. Leemage / Getty Images Theseus joins Jasons Argonauts and participates in the Calydonian boar hunt. As a close friend of Pirithous, the king of Larissa, Theseus helps him in the battle of the Lapithae against the centaurs.   Pirithous develops a passion for Persephone, the Queen of the Underworld, and he and Theseus travel to Hades to abduct her. But Pirithous dies there, and Theseus is trapped and must be rescued by Hercules.   Theseus as Mythical Politician As king of Athens, Theseus is said to have broken up the 12 separate precincts in Athens and united them in a single commonwealth. He is said to have established a constitutional government, limited his own powers, and distributed the citizens into three classes: Eupatridae (nobles), Geomori (peasant farmers), and Demiurgi (craft artisans). Downfall   Theseus and Pirithous carry off the legendary beauty Helen of Sparta, and he and Pirithous take her away from Sparta and leave her at Aphidnae under Aethras care, where she is rescued by her brothers the Dioscuri (Castor and Pollux).   The Dioscuri set up Menestheus as Theseus successor—Menestheus would go on to lead Athens into battle over Helen in the Trojan Wars. He incites the people of Athens against Theseus, who retires to the island Scryos where he is tricked by King Lycomedes and, like his father before him, falls into the sea.   Sources   Hard, Robin. The Routledge Handbook of Greek Mythology. London: Routledge, 2003. Print.Leeming, David. The Oxford Companion to World Mythology. Oxford UK: Oxford University Press, 2005. Print.Smith, William, and G.E. Marindon, eds. Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. London: John Murray, 1904. Print