Educational Article A Better Way to Understand Teams and Roles

Educational Article A Better Way to Understand Teams and Roles Read about what a team is, what Belbin team roles are and how to make the work in a team effective. Team interaction and management is a core discipline in HRM studies and is a critical area of competence for any manager. The success or failure of the entire organization is dependent on how effectively the people within it  can work together. Of course, any management task involving people can be a little confusing, even messy; people do not neatly fit â€Å"models† and prescribed solutions, and the challenges only grow as people are brought together into purposeful groups. In this article, some of the well-known important concepts of teams and the roles people play in them are presented to show how popular academic ideas are reflected in real life, and what approaches can be taken when people in teams – as they inevitably will, pretty much all the time – do not behave in quite the way our textbooks and lectures lead us to believe they should. Assigned to write a management essay? Learn what a management essay is: MANAGEMENT ESSAY What Is a Team? That sounds like a simple question with an answer that everyone should understand without a lot of mental exercises, but the â€Å"team† in â€Å"team management† is more often than not treated casually, or overlooked entirely. An effective team is not merely â€Å"a group of people working towards a common objective but a community of practice, which has three â€Å"crucial† characteristics domain, community, and practice. Dr. Etienne Wenger Domain.  The shared domain of interest – in a work team setting, this would usually be the â€Å"purpose† of the team – gives the group a distinct identity, which may or may not mean anything to anyone else. As an example, Wenger describes how a street gang’s identity as a unit is formed by the shared domain of its individual members, even though that is ultimately probably not in their best interests or those of civilization as a whole. The key to the idea of â€Å"domain† is learning: what starts out as just a common interest among individuals is refined and increased by learning through interaction. Community.  A community is characterized by joint activities and shared information, which contributes to the shared learning. The distinction between â€Å"community† in common sense – such as a neighborhood, or a group sharing a common topic of interest on a Facebook page – and community in the sense meant by Dr. Wenger is subtle and perhaps difficult to understand. It is easier to think of it in terms of where the intended benefits of the team interactions are focused by the team members; if the intention is an individual benefit, then the team is probably not a true community. For example, a neighborhood might not be a true â€Å"community† (although we may call it that), if whatever â€Å"neighborliness† practiced by the residents is primarily motivated out of self-interest for their own security and comfort. Practice.  What differentiates a â€Å"community† from a mere â€Å"group† is shared practice, or as Dr. Wenger describes it, a shared pool of intellectual resources – stories, tools, experiences, and ways to solve recurring problems. A group of truck drivers trading stories over coffee in a truck stop are not simply being friendly and entertaining themselves, but are actually building a knowledge base and learning from one another. See also:  Managing Problems in Groups Dr. Wenger, who is a social learning theorist with a background in Artificial Intelligence, implies that a â€Å"community of practice† is the most effective when it forms organically. This actually makes sense, because the motivation both in having an interest in the first place and then in pursuing it is largely intrinsic. Talk to any random truck driver, for instance – it’s nearly impossible to find one who doesn’t actually like being a â€Å"trucker†, in spite of whatever day-to-day annoyances might be encountered. But knowing how effective team works as a â€Å"community of practice† does make it possible to form the team purposefully, so long as the team members chosen individually have two basic traits: Commitment to a common interest or aspiration, as long as it is a specific interest or aspiration. If the goal for the team is to develop a world-beating software application, then the people chosen for the team should be passionate about developing software; enthusiasm for the vague aspirations expressed in the company’s Mission Statement or enjoying â€Å"working with others† is not enough, nor particularly relevant. Good communication skills, or specifically, the ability to coherently communicate the passion for the common interest in practical terms. This also applies to being able to interpret others’ ideas. Naturally, finding the passionate, communicative people to build a team is only part of the puzzle; they still won’t be able to accomplish anything if they do not have clear roles to play. Roles in Teams. Belbin Team Roles A popular – and to be fair, not altogether useless – theory that one will encounter at some point in management studies is the Team Role Theory of Dr. Meredith Belbin. Dr. Belbin’s research led him to develop a description of nine roles in teams, which should be represented in a balanced way for the team to be effective: According to Belbin’s website (the theory has become, not surprisingly, the basis for a multi-million dollar consulting business), the behavioral analysis that determines what individuals’ team roles should be â€Å"Can be used to build productive working relationships, select and develop high-performing teams, raise self-awareness and personal effectiveness, build mutual trust and understanding, and aid recruitment processes.† The theory is backed up by empirical research, and does, in fact, give insights into how people work in teams, but only after the team has been formed and interacts for a period of time  when roles and attitudes begin to emerge because Team Role Theory has two big flaws: 1. GENERALIZATION   some people are predictable, but most are not. The context of the team and the actual objectives the team is trying to achieve have a much greater part in determining how team members will act than the theory allows, because the roles themselves were developed from statistical results; results that furthermore did not allow for people to have aspects of more than one â€Å"role† in their personalities, which most people do. 2. OVER-THINKING   in any team, as a practical matter, there are only four roles that need to be filled: The Team Leader (organizes the team and keeps communication flowing smoothly) The Record-Keeper (keeps track of what the team is doing) The Worker (accomplishes the tasks the team needs to complete) The Progress-Chaser (conducts follow-up, testing, and monitors progress against the expected schedule) What Team Role Theory can do to help – and why it is important to study and understand it, though it is not as practically useful as advertised – is to give some insights into what roles, and to what degree of those roles, prospective team members are best suited to fill. At we have a team of professional writers and a friendly support team always ready to help you with any writing assignment. Place an order to inform the details of your assignment.

8 Fun SAT Test Facts to Give You a Break from Studying

8 Fun SAT Test Facts to Give You a Break from Studying SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Unfortunately, studying for the SAT isn’t much fun. There’s really no way to make reading passages or dissecting math problems super entertaining - and believe me, I’ve tried. But if you’re looking for a quick break from studying, check out these 8 random SAT test facts. You may even learn something helpful! Fact #1: SAT doesn’t actually stand for anything SAT originally stood for Scholastic Aptitude Test. But after the idea that the SAT tested "aptitude"became too controversial, the namewas changed to the Scholastic Assessment Test. Of course, "assessment" and "test" are spectacularly redundant, so in 1997 the College Board got fed up with the whole namingfiascoand decided that the SAT was now just the name of the test, not an abbreviation of something else. Fact #2: The College Board once canceledthe test for an entire country The College Board takes cheating veryseriously. In 2013, ETS, which administers the SAT, found out that tutoring companies in South Korea had conspired to obtain the test in advance, so theycanceledthe May test date entirely. Similarly, when a group of Long Island teens were caught paying college students to take the test for them they faced harsh consequences: criminal charges. Seoul, South Korea, where some unlucky students had their SAT canceled. Fact #3: There's a play about SAT tutoring Jenny Lyn Bader’s play None of the Above is all about the relationship between a trouble-makingteenager and her SAT tutor. I suspect the play issomewhat more dramatic than reality, soif you have questions about tutoring I'd recommendtaking a look at our guide instead. Fact #4: The scale on the original College Board test wasbrutal The College Board actually predates the SAT. It was founded in 1901 to administercollege specific tests, which were gradedas Excellent, Good, Doubtful, Poor, or Very Poor. That system may have beenless confusing than the current scale,but it also sounds kind ofharsh! Fact #5: Someone wrote an SAT vocabnovel about vampires There’s an entire genre of novels specifically designed to help you learn vocab words for the SAT, and they sound completely bizarre.Test of Time investigates what would happen if Mark Twain's manuscript forHuckleberry Finn was swapped with a modern day college student's laptop.Vampire Dreams is basicallyTwilight without the whole glittering in the sun thing. The reviews from students aren't kind, so I would recommend sticking to regularnovels with high level vocab words. You're probably better off just readingDracula.(Len "Doc" Radin/Flickr) Fact #6: Stanley H. Kaplan started the first SAT test prep company in 1938 When he startedtutoring college-bound students in his basement in Brooklyn, Kaplancharged $128 per student. Despite considerable demand, he didn'texpand outside of New York until the 1970s. Fact #7: The SAT started out asa military IQ test Before it was used for college admissions, an early version of the SAT wasused by the army to screen recruits during World War I. The first SAT, which was given in 1926, wasalso much, much more difficult than today’s version. Itincludedsections in which the test takerhad to translate sentences into a made-up language, judge whetherpropositions were perfectly logical,and complete baffling analogies. I don’t know about you, but I can’t make heads or tails of these analogies. Fact #8:George W. Bush used the SAT as part of his presidential campaign No, he didn't touthis own scores- those weren't particularly impressive. Instead, he bragged about the 100 point increase in Texas students’ SAT scores during his term as governor. Unfortunately, that increase had nothing to do with improvements in education: it was actually caused by the College Board rescaling the test in 1995. What's Next? If you're having trouble motivating, try reading about how a higher SAT score can help you get into the school of your dreams. Are you struggling to improve or have actually seen your scores go down? Try these strategies to turn it around. For tons of other free SAT prep resources, take a look at the right sidebar to find our posts sorted by topic. Disappointed with your scores? Want to improve your SAT score by 160points?We've written a guide about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: Have friends who also need help with test prep? Share this article! Tweet Alex Heimbach About the Author Alex is an experienced tutor and writer. Over the past five years, she has worked with almost a hundred students and written about pop culture for a wide range of publications. She graduated with honors from University of Chicago, receiving a BA in English and Anthropology, and then went on to earn an MA at NYU in Cultural Reporting and Criticism. In high school, she was a National Merit Scholar, took 12 AP tests and scored 99 percentile scores on the SAT and ACT. Get Free Guides to Boost Your SAT/ACT Get FREE EXCLUSIVE insider tips on how to ACE THE SAT/ACT. 100% Privacy. No spam ever. hbspt.forms.create({ portalId: '360031', formId: '2167ba30-e68e-4777-b88d-8bf3c84579af', formInstanceId: '2', submitButtonClass: 'btn-red-light btn', target: '#hubspot-container2', redirectUrl: 'http://ww2.prepscholar.com/blog-subscribe-thank-you', css: '.post-bottom .hs-form.stacked label {display:none;} .post-bottom .hs-form.stacked .field div.input {padding-top: 55px; padding-left: 300px;} .post-bottom .hs-input {width: 220px} .post-bottom .btn-primary, .hs-button.primary {margin-top:0px; padding-left:350px} .post-bottom .hs-form-field {margin-bottom:5px}' }); $(function(){ $(".exclusive-tip-form #hubspot-container2 label").hide(); }); function replace_tag(a, b){ $(a).each(function(index) { var thisTD = this; var newElement = $(""); $.each(this.attributes, function(index) { $(newElement).attr(thisTD.attributes[index].name, thisTD.attributes[index].value); }); $(this).after(newElement).remove(); }); } $(function(){ replace_tag($(".posts-by-topic h3"), "h2"); }) Ask a Question BelowHave any questions about this article or other topics? Ask below and we'll reply! Search the Blog Search jQuery(function(){ var $ = jQuery; var url = 'http://google.com/search?q=site:' + location.protocol + '//' + location.hostname + ' '; var $searchModule = $('.hs-search-module.058ada95-00ec-4252-b6ff-0a27d6c2c230'); var $input = $searchModule.find('input'); var $button = $searchModule.find('.hs-button.primary'); if (false) { $input.val(decodeURIComponent(location.pathname.split('/').join(' ').split('.').join(' ').split('-').join(' ').split('_').join(''))); } $button.click(function(){ var newUrl = url + $input.val(); var win = window.open(newUrl, '_blank'); if (win) { //Browser has allowed it to be opened win.focus(); } else { //Browser has blocked it location.href = newUrl; } }); $input.keypress(function(e){ if (e.keyCode !== 13) return; e.preventDefault(); $button.click(); }); }); Improve With Our Famous Guides SATPrep ACTPrep For All Students The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 160+ SAT Points How to Get a Perfect 1600, by a Perfect Scorer Series: How to Get 800 on Each SAT Section: Score 800 on SAT Math Score 800 on SAT Reading Score 800 on SAT Writing Series: How to Get to 600 on Each SAT Section: Score 600 on SAT Math Score 600 on SAT Reading Score 600 on SAT Writing Free Complete Official SAT Practice Tests What SAT Target Score Should You Be Aiming For? 15 Strategies to Improve Your SAT Essay The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 4+ ACT Points How to Get a Perfect 36 ACT, by a Perfect Scorer Series: How to Get 36 on Each ACT Section: 36 on ACT English 36 on ACT Math 36 on ACT Reading 36 on ACT Science Series: How to Get to 24 on Each ACT Section: 24 on ACT English 24 on ACT Math 24 on ACT Reading 24 on ACT Science What ACT target score should you be aiming for? ACT Vocabulary You Must Know ACT Writing: 15 Tips to Raise Your Essay Score How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League How to Get a Perfect 4.0 GPA How to Write an Amazing College Essay What Exactly Are Colleges Looking For? Is the ACT easier than the SAT? A Comprehensive Guide Should you retake your SAT or ACT? When should you take the SAT or ACT? Michael improved by 370 POINTS! Find Out How Stay Informed Get the latest articles and test prep tips! Looking for Graduate School Test Prep? Check out our top-rated graduate blogs here: GRE Online Prep Blog GMAT Online Prep Blog TOEFL Online Prep Blog

The Evolution of the Civil Society Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Evolution of the Civil Society - Term Paper Example Locke and Hobbes diverge on the notion of sovereignty. Locke argues that civil society precedes the state. For him, it is a society that provides the state its essential source of legitimacy. He contends that when the rulers fail to encourage interests, independence, and equality of individual humans, the social contract is breached and it is the responsibility of the members of society to oust that ruler. This is based on Locke’s assertion that the state of nature is based on equality and if people are equal, then the civil society is the state. The state is no greater than the society that made it: â€Å"A state also of equality, wherein all the power and jurisdiction is reciprocal, no one having more than another† and that â€Å"the lord and master of them all should, by any manifest declaration of his will, set one above another, and confer on him, by an evident and clear appointment, an undoubted right to dominion and sovereignty†. Hobbes believes the contra ry because it is the state that creates a civil society. Civil society is the product of civil society’s enforcement of the social contract, as he expresses in the Leviathan: â€Å"This is more than Consent or Concord; it is a real Unity of them all, in one and the same Person, made by Covenant of every man with every man† (Hobbes). For Hobbes, the people authorized the government to have the authority in directing civil society. I believe that Locke and Hobbes make good points. I agree with Locke that sovereignty is not only about the autonomy of the state.

Care Plan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Care Plan - Assignment Example The patient is currently receiving treatment on these and has suffered bouts of pain. The treatment received by the patient relates to hypercholesterolemia, hypertension and gout. Hypercholesterolemia according to research is a condition that comes because of autosomal recessive hypercholesterolemia gene attached to the chromosomes of a human being undergoing mutations (Ashton, 2012). The fact that the patient admits to alcoholism contributes to the factors that could complicate the medication process and the side effects of the medicines. Based on the above, the symptoms are being treated and the diagnosis received treated as per the earlier prescriptions made by the doctors. The diagnostic test carried out included the following specimen: comprehensive Metabolic Panel, Cardiac Enzymes, and urinalysis, CT scan around the abdomen, chest x-ray esophagastroduodenoscopy, serum, urea breath test and fecal antigen test. These aimed at analyzing the parent to identify the state of their health over the previous condition. According to the patient, some aspects required education to enlighten them on how to go about their condition to supplement treatment. The education aspects aim at improving the chances of successful treatment through compliance of the medication. The education will include the aspects of diet modification that would include reduced purine content in foods. Based on the nutritional studies present, the body produces its own purines and the addition of the content in foods could affect the patients treatment program (Zacas & Wolinsky, 2004). The reduction in these purine rich foods will help the patient with the control of gout symptoms and the blood pressure levels registered. The patient will also require training or education in the reduction or control of stress levels to avoid increasing the effects of stress on the medications and treatment plan. Other educational aspects encouraged

Hospitality Contract and Event Management Essay

Hospitality Contract and Event Management - Essay Example ........................... 12 References .................................................................................................. 13 The Scenario Events have become important in our lives. Events refer to a happening called for a specific objective which is planned and managed like a project. An event is ‘an organized occasion such as a meeting, convention, exhibition, special event, gala dinner, and so forth’ (CIC, 2003 as cited in Bowdin et al., 2006, p. 14). Business events are happenings designed for conferences, exhibitions, incentive travel, and corporate events. They are categorized and referred with an acronym MICE, representing meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions/events. Events lead to value creation process when organisations create interactions among employees and events provide a unique experience. External factors affecting planning and management in the event and contract sectors 1.1 Main characteristics of the contract and event ca tering sectors The meetings industry is a large contributor to the gross domestic product of the United States and the United Kingdom (Craven & Golabowski 2001, p. 3). Planning, organization and management of the event should be considered as a project and that the events planner and the team in charge of the implementation should adopt a project management approach to planning and delivering their event (Conway 2004). This must be accompanied with a business plan along with a written plan and report. Contract and event catering have become parts of a growing industry. It is young and maturing at a rapid rate. Conferences are at the forefront of modern communications, whether this is for internal communications or as a vehicle for communication with key audiences. Conference is a generic term to... Events have become important in our lives. Events refer to a happening called for a specific objective which is planned and managed like a project. An event is ‘an organized occasion such as a meeting, convention, exhibition, special event, gala dinner, and so forth’ (CIC, 2003 as cited in Bowdin et al., 2006, p. 14). Business events are happenings designed for conferences, exhibitions, incentive travel, and corporate events. They are categorized and referred with an acronym MICE, representing meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions/events. Events lead to value creation process when organisations create interactions among employees and events provide a unique experience. External factors affecting planning and management in the event and contract sectors 1.1Main characteristics of the contract and event catering sectors The meetings industry is a large contributor to the gross domestic product of the United States and the United Kingdom (Craven & Golabowski 2001, p. 3). Planning, organization and management of the event should be considered as a project and that the events planner and the team in charge of the implementation should adopt a project management approach to planning and delivering their event (Conway 2004). This must be accompanied with a business plan along with a written plan and report. Contract and event catering have become parts of a growing industry. It is young and maturing at a rapid rate. Conferences are at the forefront of modern communications, whether this is for internal communications or as a vehicle for communication with key audiences. Conference is a generic term to describe a diverse mix of communications events. (Rogers 2003, p. 45)

Abortion And The Right To Life Philosophy Essay

Abortion And The Right To Life Philosophy Essay As both Judith Thomson and Don Marquis accept, a fetus is believed to become a living human sometime before birth. While most anti-abortion and pro-choice advocates believe the morality of abortion depends largely on this issue, both Thomson and Marquis believe more moral reasoning must occur to reach a sound conclusion. Don Marquis, arguing against abortion, establishes a fetuss right to life through examining the wrongness behind killing adult humans and relating fetuses to adult humans. Judith Thomson, defending abortion, does note a fetuss right to life, but finds this right not compelling enough to forbid abortions by revealing ones lack of an obligation to provide a fetus with life. While both philosophers search deeper into human rights than the standard arguments for and against abortion do, Judith Thomson presents a more convincing argument defending abortion that exposes holes in Don Marquiss argument by revealing the dependency of fetuses and their need to be given life. To undermine the view that abortion is immoral even in cases involving rape, Thomson first suggests considering a situation where a man wakes up and finds himself kidnapped and in a hospital bed with a famous violinist. In addition to being kidnapped, the man is told that the violinist has a fatal kidney disorder and that his circulatory system was plugged into the circulatory system of the violinist. Lastly, the man is told by the hospital staff that all persons have a right to life, so although the man has a right to what happens to his body, he cannot disconnect himself from the violinist and kill the violinist. Since the man being morally required to remain plugged into the violinist for any period of time seems extremely unreasonable and unlikely, Thomson offers a legitimate challenge to the anti-abortion argument in cases of rape. Additionally, since, although the man was kidnapped, it would certainly not be immoral for the man to detach himself from the violinist, this example also has stronger implications for Thomson. As Thomson argues, the fact that ones right to life most likely does not depend on whether one is the product of rape shows that some other right must exist that either allows or neglects ones right to life. This example introduces Thomsons main defense for abortion by suggesting that merely having the right to life may not necessarily mean that the killing of that person would be immoral. Thomson demonstrates the moral gap between showing ones right to life and then concluding that killing that person is immoral by exploring what the right to life actually entails. Thomson offers two perspectives on the right to life and reveals this gap in each. In the first perspective, Thomson claims the right to life includes having a right to be given at least the bare minimum one needs for continued life (Thomson 55). To disprove this claim, Thomson creates a new situation where the only way to save someone from death would be to have Henry Fonda touch the persons forehead. Since Henry Fonda does not have any moral obligation to touch the persons forehead and save him, though the person does have a right to life, Thomson refutes an assumption important to the anti-abortion argument: that the right to life includes the right to be given life. Thomson proves a similar point in disputing a more narrow definition of the right to life. In disputing that the right to life includes the right not to be killed by anybody, Thomson returns to the violinist example. Using the claim that the violinist has a right not to be killed by anybody since the violinist has a right to life, Thomson concludes that the violinist then has a right against everybody to prevent the man from detaching himself and killing the violinist. Since it seems difficult to find any moral reasoning that obligates the man to remain attached to the violinist, Thomson here offers evidence against a more general claim that happens to underlie almost all arguments against abortion: the claim that right to life guarantees the right not to be killed by anybody. Offering an opposing argument to Judith Thomson, Don Marquis attempts to challenge Thomsons argument by relying on a fetuss right to life. To demonstrate this right and what it means, Marquis evaluates the reasons behind the wrongness of killing adult humans. In conclusion, Marquis claims the wrongness of killing an adult human is the loss of all the activities, projects, and experiences that would have comprised the adults personal life. Marquis shows the validity of this claim by ensuring that this idea supports our natural inclinations, such as that killing is one of the worst crimes and that killing animals is also wrong, and by considering and then discrediting other theories. Although Judith Thomson would seemingly agree with this sound theory regarding the immorality of killing adults, she would certainly find fault with the premises and the ultimate conclusion Marquis draws: that abortion is prima facie an immoral act. To come to this conclusion, Marquis presents the idea that the future of a standard fetus includes a set of experiences, projects, activities, and such which are identical with the futures of adult human being and are identical with the futures of young children (Marquis 31). He continues the reason that is sufficient to explain why it is wrong to kill human beings after the time of birth is a reason that also applies to fetuses, and this leads to his conclusion. As Thomson notes in her article, a key distinction between both the futures and the actual lives of adults and fetuses lies in the fetuss dependence on the mother for its livelihood. As Thomson proves through her violinist example and Henry Fonda example, any persons right to lif e, interpreted by Marquis to mean the right for a human not to have the value of his future taken from him and interpreted by Thomson either to be given the basic means to live or the right not to be killed, does not obligate anyone to provide life to that person according to any of these meanings. Since fetuses are not capable of having any type of livelihood without someone giving them the basic necessities to live, it follows that a mother may morally be allowed to abort her fetus if she does not desire to give the fetus life. While Thomson and Marquis may seemingly agree that ones right to life, regardless of its interpretation, ensures that one has the right to be allowed to live, Thomson proves that this right does not include the right to be given life, which is so essential for a fetus to live. Since Marquis focuses on the right to life of adults, who usually do not need a right to be given life, his argument lacks the distinction Thomson makes between a right to life and a right to be given life. Since Marquiss argument holds that the fetuss right to life obligates the mother to provide her fetus with life, Marquis would seemingly believe the man connected to the violinist in Thomsons example would be equally obligated to provide the violinist with life. Marquis may argue that the relationship between the man and the violinist is different than the relationship between a mother and fetus, but, as Marquis argues in his own work, he would then need to justify how the purely biological characteristics of motherhood is morally relevant. In presenting arguments for and against abortion, Judith Thomson and Don Marquis both acknowledge humans right to life, but ultimately interpret this right differently. While Marquis connects a fetuss possession of the properties that make killing adult humans wrong to abortion being immoral, Thomson focuses on a fetuss dependence on someone else and ones lack of an obligation to provide for others. As Thomson implies, one does not have an obligation to provide for another unless one chooses to, and only after that point is ending the provisions immoral.

The American Family Association :: Exploratory Essays

The American Family Association A simple observation of television commercials between segments of a sitcom can find many aspects of life that our founding fathers worked to eliminate. Those who laid the building blocks for this country built it with trust in God. They wanted to build a country based on the Bible. In today’s society, that goal is no longer a priority, and violence and sex are seen each and every day. However, there is one group that is working to re-establish these morals in today’s society. The American Family Association, or AFA as it is referred to, believes that the entertainment industry has played a significant role in the deterioration of the values on which our country was founded and which keep our families and society as a whole strong. As stated on the homepage, the American Family Association, founded in 1977 by Don Wildmon, is a non-profit organization that represents and stands for traditional family values, focusing primarily on the influence of television and other media on our society. The mission statement of the AFA gives a summation of their purpose: â€Å"The American Family Association exists to motivate and equip citizens in the culture to reflect Biblical truth (AFA Online).† The AFA believes that God has communicated the absolute truth to man through the Bible and that each person is subject to God’s authority at all times. The AFA trusts that a society based on Biblical truth best aids the well-being of a culture, and reflects the vision of our country’s founding fathers. The group believes in holding companies accountable for attacks on traditional family values, as well as approving companies who are responsible for the programs which they support. The American Family Association was organized in an indirect manner. As stated in the AFA homepage, President Don Wildmon tells about the group’s formation in his own words: One evening in 1977 I sat down with my family to watch TV. On one channel was adultery, on another cursing, on another a man beating another over the head with a hammer.