New job!

I am very proud and happy to say that I have been offered a new job this week; as a therapy assistant working with the NHS. It is a massive deal for me as I have wanted to escape from the retail environment for a while now, and I really feel that this new opportunity I am embarking on will be incredibly beneficial to me and is something I can relate to. Finally no weekends or late nights!! I am hoping the more structured shift patterns will allow me more breathing time whilst working through module 2. My past dancing career and my new job role are all interlinked and I am so happy I've got to this point as it's been a long time coming.

:)

Katrina x

New year new start

Ahhhhh so now it is time to get my thinking cap back on again! I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas break?! I had a peaceful and quiet Christmas and had a lot of time on my hands to reflect and really think about what I would like to talk about in my professional inquiry. I was so snowed under in November and I felt ridiculously under pressure to pull something out of the bag for module 2, so I decided to defer the module until the new year, and I'm so glad I did. I have delved into a completely new topic but a topic I feel I can relate to and it could expand into something really interesting and relevant to my future practice.
If there are any other BAPP's that have deferred module 2 please comment on my blog! It would be great to hear from you :)

Here's to a happy and successful new year!

x
 

Task 5c: Thoughts on Reader 5; Professional ethics in relation to my inquiry

ETHIC
Noun. Plural noun: Ethics.

A set of moral principles, especially ones relating to or affirming a specified group, field, or form of conduct.

I have always been brought up on strong ethical morals and values and I have inevitably taken these into my personal and professional life. However, I found reader 5 very compelling to read as it unveiled several new aspects of ethics that I have never considered before.
For example, I discovered that there are contrasting theories to ethics that sway the outcome of a situation.

Consequentialism means that where an act is morally right, and only if, that act maximizes the good. With regards to whether an action is morally right depends on the outcomes ( consequences).
JS Mill(1861) developed this theory of moral obligation to produce the greatest good for the greatest number (reader 5 page 9).
This theory can be deemed as imperative in large organisations as they strive to create the greatest outcome. However, it can be portrayed as unethical if your intentions are morally wrong.
 A good example of this is the case study in reader 5 of the 'Ethics in Photography',(reader 5 page 11) the story of photographer Kevin Carter. It states that his lack of intervention on the girl's behalf was justified ( he and the other photographers were instructed not to touch anyone for fear of epidemics), but I believe ethical morals should over ride rules in this situation. He didn't help the little girl to find water, he followed 'the rules', and maximised his outcome by then winning a prize for the photograph. In a professional workplace such as teaching, the students are your number one priority. Consequences occur that may question rules and regulations but I believe that if the outcome is of a greater good then it should over ride the deontology ethical rule.

Deontology is where Immanuel Kant (1779) believed that moral rules are absolute and argued that only absolutely good thing is a good will. He stated that you should help people no matter what your desires are. For Kant, lying is always wrong no matter what the circumstances are.
Of course rules and regulations should be abided by in your professional workplace and community as it keeps the system working efficiently and smoothly. However in reference to the case study of the photographer in reader 5, the motives of his actions were morally wrong even though he was abiding by the rules. I believe in following deontology in the workplace to a certain extent, but if the rules question your ethical morals I would certainly go against them to ensure the outcome would always be morally right and that of a greater good.

Virtue ethics is a theory that focuses on the moral behaviour and character of a person rather than the importance of the action. But if the consequences and rules of the action are thrown out the window, how does that determine if it is morally right or wrong based on the person's character? In my opinion, if someone's actions are ethically unjust then that relates to that person's character. Your actions reflect on your personality, undoubtedly.

To pursue my professional inquiry there are many factors I must consider to ensure all information and research I convey is true and unbiased. Ultimately I want to establish that the people I am interviewing feel comfortable and safe with the questions I put forward to them. I intend to interview professionals in the field of Dance Movement Psychotherapy, so all interviewees will be over the age of 18 and will not need consent from a parent or guardian.
However, if I were to interview participant's of a dance movement therapy session who suffers with for instance, Parkinson's, would I need consent from a spouse or family member as well as themselves?
I will definitely use The British Educational Research Association (BERA) to conduct my ethics checklist when composing my inquiry plan.

https://www.bera.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Ethics-and-Educational-Research.pdf?noredirect=1

"As a researcher - as a professor who teaches research ethics - I am obligated to ensure accuracy, to uphold confidentiality, to secure informed consent...and to promote beneficence." (Tillman 2010 p.1).

 It has occurred to me that I will likely interview an elderly person at some stage in the inquiry process and I have to acknowledge what impact this will have on them, and I will be compelled to ensure that the interview is beneficial to them, and not just for me.
Ethical laws in professional practice need to be contemplated when piecing together my plan for my professional inquiry. Some of these are:

Data Protection Act http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1998/29/contents
Human Rights Act http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1998/42/contents
Equality Act http://equalities.gov.uk/equality_act_2010.aspx

I intend to scour these sources and determine that my findings in my research comply with these laws respectively.

References

Mill, JS (1987) Utilitarianism and Other Essays. London: Penguin.
Kant, I (2007) Critique of Pure Reason. London: Penguin Classics.
Tillman, L.M. (2010) Deadline: Ethics and the Ethnographic Divorce, Qualitative Inquiry, 10 (10) p1-3.



 

Task 5b: The codes of practice/ regulations which steer the ethical framework in my professional workplace

As I am not officially employed by John Lewis, I do not have a partner handbook regarding the codes of conduct in the business, so I looked at the company website online:

http://www.johnlewispartnership.co.uk/about/our-principles.html

Integrity, respect, courtesy and equality are all words which are evident in this link, which I mentioned in task 5a.

My Clinique contract briefly states my annual salary, how many days a week I work, my entitled holiday and so on and so forth. However, found the Estee Lauder Companies retail employee handbook from when I signed my contract, and it gives an enhanced account of what the codes of conduct or 'principles' are when working for Estee Lauder Companies. I've never really skimmed through this handbook page by page before, as when you sign a contract you generally just read the terms and conditions and double check that everything is correct beforehand. It was very interesting to read the handbook as it states clearly the do's and don'ts of the business, and also what you should do if you were ever in a situation where an appeal should be made for disciplinary action against them.
As I stated in task 5a, there is a policy on social media in the employee handbook:

" Many of us are already active participants in online social media. Some of us engage as part of our jobs. Many of us participate as a way of connecting with a community on our personal time. When you engage in social media the best advice is to approach the online world in the same way you do the physical one: by using sound judgement and common sense, by adhering to the Company's values, and by following the Company's Code of Corporate Conduct and all other applicable policies.......Statements made in postings can give rise to legal liabilities for you and the company. Company employees may be personally responsible for the content they publish on any internet forums during business and non-business hours. Remember that violations of Company policies could subject you to discipline up to and including termination."

I think the same policy goes for the BAPP course. Although the online blogs are an informal way of portraying your ideas with your colleagues and peers, you still have to be very vigilant and consider what is ethical in what you are saying.
Here are the Estee Lauder codes of conduct which comply with some of the ethical regulations I addressed in task 5a:

OUR COMMITMENTS

• Provide customers with innovative cosmetic products of the highest quality
• Deliver outstanding service by treating each individual as we ourselves would like to be treated.
• Create an environment that fosters personal growth and well-being.
• Build partnerships with our suppliers, retailers and colleagues based on fairness and trust.
• Enhance our reputation of image, style and prestige
• Pursue profit- but never at the expense of quality, service and reputation.
• Eliminate waste and reduce inefficiencies in order to provide maximum value to our customers.
• Be responsible citizens in every community we serve.
• Most of all, we are committed to working together with uncompromising ethics and integrity.

OUR PRINCIPLES

• Strive for excellence- deliver your best.
• Put your customer first. Know your customers, understand their needs and surpass their expectations.
• Be passionate about what you do! Enthusiasm and energy are contagious
• Never stop caring. Show concern and respect for every individual, regardless of position title.
• Understand your role in the big picture. We're all part of a larger whole.
• Look for new and better ways to do things to continually raise our standards.
• Communicate! voice your ideas, share your concerns, pass on what you know and be honest.
• Be a team player. We're stronger when we work together.
• Listen when others speak. Good ideas can come from anywhere.
• Be flexible. Success depends upon a willingness to adapt when situations change.
• Pay attention to the details- little things do make a difference.
• Solve the real problem, don't treat the symptom.
• Spread the good news. Let others know when they've done a good job.
• Smile...and have fun!

 

Task 5a: Considering Ethics that apply to my professional work and community

In my professional work community, I work within a John Lewis department store, and I am employed by the brand Clinique. In essence I am apart of two different communities in my professional practice. Both communities share similar ideas on ethical values and codes of practice which you must abide by in the workplace.
However, as I work within a John lewis store, I am considered as a concession, as I work for Clinique, rather than a Partner of the John Lewis business.  John Lewis Partners share the profit of the company between one another, where concessions don't.

As a benefit of working within John Lewis I am entitled to a 25% discount, and the same value is shared with Clinique where I receive an online discount of 55%. These discounts are both considered as a prestigious allowance, and if they are used against the terms and conditions a sanction would occur. Integrity is valued in this business and using your discount honestly is considered ethical in my professional work and community.
In both communities confidentiality is imperative in securing customer's credible details. For example, in Clinique we have an online system where customer's details are recorded to determine what products they have previously purchased. In no circumstance can the customer stand next to the till to view any client's details, they have to stand in front of the till so they are obscured from any information. The same applies for John Lewis; each new employee with the company attends training sessions where multiple choice questions are required on the importance of confidentiality to a client, and also the business.
It goes without saying that personal ethics cannot become involved with professional ethics and employer expectations. It can open a can of worms if you withhold a strong personal view that disagrees with what the customer is saying. It can be perceived as very unprofessional and can lead to a dismissal (which I have witnessed with a former colleague). The majority of the time in this particular working environment, the 'customer is always right', however damning that may be. So you just have to bite your tongue and keep your moral and ethical values to yourself. This type of scenario is in relation to behavioural ethics that apply to my professional community.

Social media can be a grey area when you are employed by John Lewis. If you mention the John Lewis partnership on any social media site it immediately flags up to the company, and would be detrimental to your own career and that of the business. Again it is common sense, if it isn't positive, don't post it!

English National Ballet

Whilst researching for my potential line of inquiry, I came across the recent results from English National Ballet's "Dance for Parkinson's", where findings were released on the 27th October of the three-year study into the effects of dance on people with Parkinson's.
An interesting read, and it really is food for thought in relation to my inquiry!

Katrina x

English National Ballet

Escaping from Parkinson's

" Dancing like this is helping me to get Mr Parkinson out of the driving seat of my life."

English National Ballet
Dance for Parkinson's

An investigative Study

by Dr. Sara Houston and Ashley McGill
Roehampton University
May 2011

I was intrigued to start reading this study by Houston and McGill as I knew it would give me more insight into my potential line of inquiry. Can dance really help people diagnosed with Parkinson's disease?

(Taken from the literature, a brief summary of what the project entailed:)
English National Ballet's department of learning joins a number of dance practitioners delivering dance for people with parkinson's in the UK. English National Ballet set up a pilot project for people with Parkinson's from October 2010 to February 2011. With two film cameras in the studio there were 12 dance sessions, given once a week for between an hour and 15 minutes and an hour and a half, with time after for refreshments. They were run in two blocks of six consecutive weeks with a break of four weeks for the christmas holidays. The sessions took place at the English national Ballet Headquarters. Not only were the participants led through a normal ballet 'barre' and class, they were taught various steps accompanied by live musicians throughout the sessions to the reportoire of Rudolf Nureyev's Romeo and Juliet, danced to Prokofiev's music.

The beginning of the study concludes a brief summary of the material they discovered. These were:

• Does not help with physical development, but it can help with mobility in the short term, particularly with musical accompaniment
• Provides tools to help with activities in everyday life
• Can loosen up the spinal area- improves posture and stability
• Precipitates feelings of well-being, determination and achievement

....and the statement that really stood out for me was:

• Provides an event for people with Parkinson's that is about Art, rather than about the disease.

What an incredible observation- that is undoubtedly the essence of ballet within the arts; it has the ability to completely remove you from your everyday life and transport you to another world. Due to the nature of the disease they may be limited in verbal or physical communication, but in these surroundings they have the freedom of expression, and a voice.

Several aims in relation to the study were to examine how the dancing affects participants, their careers and other stakeholders

• To assess the value of community within the group of participants
• To assess the creative and aesthetic value of dancing with music for the participants
• To evaluate the physiological impact of dancing on participants, specifically on the areas of postural alignment, balance and stability and motor control

It stated that Parkinson's is a degenerative disease with no known cure. Depression is common with sufferers and lack of co-ordination is apparent.

"Many people with Parkinson's lose balance because their response times are slower and because their bodily stance is compromised. More awareness of what their bodies are doing at any given moment may prevent falls."

Many people with Parkinson's disease lose their balance easily and find multitasking very difficult- so it would seem a dance class is the logical solution? Not only does the physical factors of dancing improve their general health, mobility and co-ordination, the physiological changes to the participant's well being really fascinated me.

 Housten and McGill required diary entries from the participants examining their daily life and what their thoughts and views were on the sessions. Interviews and informal conversations were also formed to create a greater perspective of the participant's lives. Throughout the study, many (anonymous) quotes are displayed from the participants, either from diary entries or interviews, and it portrays so clearly why this programme is such a positive community for so many to be apart of. 

"Handicapped though I am, I value the freedom of expression and for this I am deeply grateful. I realise how difficult it must be to include me in the class and how small my contribution is. However, to me it is a breath of fresh air for which I am most appreciative."

It reaffirms how imperative freedom and expression are to sufferers and they can get lost in their creative imagination through this class. The debilitating realness of the disease makes everyday life a challenge in itself, but by attending ENB's Dance for Parkinson's many of the participants noticed positive changes to their health.

"...Another example (of an extended range of movement) would be putting on a jacket which is more difficult for me than it was before I had Parkinson's and is a bit easier for a while after the classes. Basically the classes act like an athlete's warm up exercises to make the limbs more supple, increase their span of movement, and improve one's control over them. Nothing dramatic but a positive change can be felt."

I particularly liked how participants felt that they weren't labelled by their disease during these sessions. It enabled them to grow in confidence and share the experience with like minded people and in an environment they felt comfortable in. The impact of this project implemented massively on the professional dancers in ENB also. One dancer states that you should never take movement for granted and it has provided her with a larger, more positive perspective on life. As a dancer I entirely agree with one company member in the study - you can become so consumed in your own self when training or in a company that you sometimes forget how lucky you are to be able to walk and talk with ease, as well as dance.

Reading this study has been such an eye opener for me; full of positivity and it's wonderful to see what effect this programme has had on not only people with Parkinson's, but those without too. I am very interested in dance movement therapy, even more so with the mental developments that occur through therapy sessions and I'll definitely be looking into this in more detail.