Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Counselling, Caring and the Ambulance Service Essay Example for Free

Counselling, Caring and the Ambulance Service Essay Introduction In order to discus counselling and its meaning both generally, and in my workplace, it is necessary to come up with a definition. The dictionary describes it in terms of advice but this interpretation is a traditional one and carries an immediate implication of inequality for those involved. It is a narrow interpretation of the concept when compared to modern attitudes, which usually include a psychological aspect. Nevertheless, the traditional view still bears three of the fundamentals of counselling. These are: * That it involves at least two people, thus constitutes a relationship. * That there is agreement about the nature of the interaction, i.e. it is cooperative. * The aim is to help those involved. According to Stephen Murgatroyd (1990, P.5) counselling is not the sole prerogative of professional counsellors. It is a process that is widely used in within a community, which can take many forms. I have found this particularly true in my own profession. As a Paramedic within the NHS for ten years I have used techniques, which I now recognise as essentials of counselling practice, but have never considered myself a counsellor. Rather a professional who can learn much from the subject. In my workplace I find frequent examples of the more traditional model of counselling, as described by Murgatroyd (1990 P.7) as prescriptive or directive but also of other the facilitative or developmental forms, which seek to encourage patient centred self-actualisation. These I will seek to analyse. I hope to draw out some of the problems involved and discuss ways in which to improve. Counselling, Caring and the Ambulance Service Once upon a time ambulance staff had a clear job specification, or at least their managers liked to believe so. Crews were told their mission was to preserve life and transport to hospital with the minimum of deterioration in the patients well-being. In reality things are not that simple and ambulance staff deal with a myriad of human responses and emotions every day. In the past many of my colleagues thought of counselling as a nebulous concept, which had no place at the cutting age of ambulance work. More attention was paid to physical trauma than emotional. With hindsight we can see that the best ambulance staff were those that used the skills that we now identify and welcome, in a natural and confident way. Usually they were also those that had plenty of experience. Just as my job covers a range of human conditions, so counselling and guidance demands a range of approaches to those being counselled. In my job these can be patients, their friends, relatives, bystanders or other professionals. Also though, it includes my colleagues. I have discussed briefly the nature of counselling, now I would like to examine it in more detail. Nelson-Jones (1983) talks of a distinction between skills and specialism or counselling relationships, whereby counselling is the primary activity, and helping relationships in which counselling skills form part of the helpers relationship with another person. Clearly the latter applies to my own job as well as many others. Our primary role is not that of counsellors but we use some of those skills so as to be effective practitioners. Davis Fallowfield examine four models of psychological theory that have had a major impact on counselling. These are: * Behavioural * Cognitive Behavioural * Person Centred * Psychodynamic Each of these allows us a better understanding of the processes of helping by affording us a different view of the human psyche. In my work I can recognise elements of all the models in patients and colleagues. Rogers, (Person Centred), gives insight into the importance of the conditions necessary to create an effective relationship. Based on humanistic philosophy he espouses the belief that all people have the capacity to achieve self-actualisation, if the basic conditions can be created. Freud, (Psychodynamic) demonstrates the importance of the relationship, the unconscious processes which arise from them and the insight into them in dealing with problems The behaviourist theories espoused by Pavlov, Skinner, Ellis and others, deal with the nature of behaviours learned and observable, and how maladaptive thought processes can be unlearned by the use of cognitive processes. A fifth model, that of Gerard Egan, integrates many of the ideas of the former to create an eclectic model that I believe has particular relevance to my workplace. In The Skilled Helper (1994) Egan incorporates some of Rogers and Maslow`s humanistic ideas in a pragmatic way, to outline some of the counselling skills that we use so much as teachers or carers. As Egans model is concerned with problems other than just psychological it provides a more relevant ethical base for those in teaching or healthcare and has been increasingly embraced by those professions in recent years.(Burnard 1990 P.27) Egan mirrors modern healthcare by treating the patient in an holistic way. He proposes a need for empathy, respect, genuiness and mutual respect. All of these are very necessary to accomplished ambulance staff. The Three-Stage Model Egan uses a three-stage model to outline the helping process. The first stage concentrates on the social skills that I find so important to my job, setting the scene and allowing a warm relationship to flourish through showing genuine empathy. Skills such as body language active listening and attention giving are prerequisites. Communication is established and advanced. Stage two moves the process forward by drawing out themes to allow the subject a new perspective. The subject is gently challenged so as to recognise themes, feelings and experiences. . Building on the previous stages, the third seeks to encourage a creative ambience. Problem solving drawing on points raised, maybe seeking solutions and encouraging the subject to establish a plan of action. The establishment of communication is common to the whole process. This is a massively important. The process may also move backwards or forwards. It is not intended to be prescriptive but rather to draw out the empathetic human qualities that can help. I can recall so many instances where Egans ideas have been used in my workplace that it is hard to select examples. We are often called upon to assess our patients well being in a very short time. Once we have established that avenues of communication are possible, i.e that the patient is able to communicate in a rational way, we embark on a dialogue that seeks to put them at ease, allow them insight and hopefully afford them a feeling that they have some measure of control over the situation. Power thus becomes an important issue. In Davis Fallowfield (P.15) the patient/practitioner relationship is discussed. They state that one of the most common problems encountered is the need for medical staff to take on the role of expert in order to reach conclusive goals. Very often this leads to neglect of the patient as a whole. Sanders (1994) identifies two qualities that he describes as non-counselling. One of them, he describes as being distant and expert. Sometimes, in a medical emergency, this is a necessary quality but creates feelings of guilt. I have often left relatives at the scene of a cardiac arrest at home whilst taking the role of expert and wondered at the emotional carnage that we have just encountered as we speed towards hospital with their loved one. Many times I know that we have not even begun to address their needs. It is certainly easier not to shoulder that sort of emotional involvement, as mentioned by Burnard (P.148), when he talks of the possibility of burnout. But sometimes assuming the role of expert can be used as an excuse to avoid emotional involvement. I believe that in my workplace this is a very common problem and have many times taken issue with colleagues who have deliberately refused to move away from the expert mode and address the patient as a whole person. In one such incident a young female patient was brought by chair into the AE department by a crew. Wheeled into the centre of the busy department she sat hunched, clearly embarrassed, and hiding her face. One of the crew held a large collection of empty pill packets, making it obvious to those who could see that the patient had overdosed. Overdoses are a very common emergency and can bring out negative attitudes from all medical workers. Whilst the patient remained on public view the ambulance man walked up to the nursing station and ritualistically poured the packets onto the desk in an obviously condescending way. The patient began to cry quietly. The behaviour of this colleague incensed me. He had ritualistically humiliated his patient presumably because of his intolerance and judgmentalism and a refusal to see the patient as anything but a manipulator. I believe that the ability to extract necessary information and perform tasks in an empathetic way is not only achievable using Egans techniques, but also vital to patient well-being. During my time in the ambulance service time I have passed through stages that have been identified by Maynard Furlong (1998) as distinct points in development, from early idealism to realism and occasional disenchantment. I have found that after several years a degree of cynicism is a common occupational hazard and is probably to be expected. Staff have to come to terms with what is achievable within the constraints of the job and workplace stress is common. Very often in my workplace I witness a range of abilities in communication. Simple techniques such as positioning, eye contact and general body language can be taught but I am convinced that without a genuine love for ones fellow man these techniques are not convincing. The humanistic approach that I have discussed is not always easy. It is easy to dismiss, especially when staff are tired and demoralised. Judgmental attitudes are commonplace and to some extent inevitable. The ability to rise above these and retain an open mind is something that can be massively affected by peer pressure in a working situation where crews work in twos. Usually one crewmember is senior and the dynamic of the relationship is affected by experience, sex, strength, (psychological and physical), age etc. This can often create an imbalance of power, between crewmates. This particularly affects less experienced younger staff in a workplace where experience is such a valuable commodity. Sometimes staff suffer because of their role as unofficial counsellors. Burnard (1990) talks of the potentially painful relationship between the parties. I believe that prolonged exposure can lead to problems and in my workplace this had lead to the formation of a structure designed to aid the problem. Five years ago the ambulance service started an in-house Staff Support Scheme network, in order to create a pathway to help to reduce the impact of psychological problems. It was thought that staff who had been trained to identify some of the symptoms of psychological or emotional problems were in an excellent position to guide the subject to help in the form of professional counselling. Whilst I wholeheartedly supported the concept and became a member, I had doubts about some of conditions attached, particularly about the principles of confidentiality and supervision. We were trained in debriefing techniques (not as counsellors) by a very experienced professional counsellor. However the trust felt bound to encourage us to disclose not only health safety and legal confidences, but also those that may contravene trust rules. This I felt was unethical and impractical. They also had no formal supervision structure in place and no mechanism for further development. All these factors left the idea profoundly flawed. I continue to serve as a staff support member but refuse to create reports on individuals or to pass on confidences. This is a position that is supported by Nelson-Jones (P.143) who maintains that breaking confidences is a serious breech of ethics. Counselling and helping work colleagues outside the classroom can be a much more intimate affair. Crews routinely spend twelve hours in each others company, often on standby or on station, alone, un-chaperoned and unsupervised. Thus if there are emotional needs and issues the workplace can become extremely intense. Staff obviously have issues themselves, quite apart from the problems they may face with patients and support can be close at hand. But the operational ambulance environment can also become a minefield of ethical limits and the process of helping can be impaired as well as enhanced. Burnard (P.139) discusses the problems of transference and countertransference. In the above-mentioned situation where an inappropriate relationship develops he suggests the transfer of the client to a more senior counsellor. Although the obvious solution, this is not always possible and it is obvious that problems will continue to occur. Development The back of an ambulance is no respecter of class and ambulance work can be a great leveller. As a developing teacher of ambulance staff I am in the privileged position of teaching those who I believe are routinely placed in a position of power and privilege that can be used or abused. I believe a major part of my teaching role is to encourage the use of the humanistic approach, and to encourage students to reflect on their own attitudes and judgements in order to allow them to better use the skills described by Egan and the key aspects required as described by Carl Rogers in Kischenbaum Henderson, (1989). The humanistic approach is already practised in my workplace and has been by the more experienced staff for years. Even though they did not attach labels to their skills they were using the humanistic approach espoused by Egan, Rogers and others. In the emergency care setting they have honed these skills to bring benefit to their patients as quickly as possible. It remains a joy to watch I see my future role as that of a champion for the humanistic approach, by my actions and my teaching methods. As more demands continue to be heaped on staff this may become more difficult. We are in danger of becoming more concerned with the product than the process. Bibliography Murgatroyd. S (1985) Counselling and Helping. Haworth Press Nelson-Jones.R (1997) Practical Counselling and Helping Skills. Cassell Davis.H and Fallowfield.L (1993) Counselling and Communication in Health Care Wiley Sons Burnard.P (1990) Counselling Skills For Health Professionals Chapman Hall Borck.L and Fawcet. S (1982) Learning Counselling and Problem Solving Skills. Haworth Press Kirchenbaum Henderson (1989) The Carl Rogers Dialogues (From Course Handout)

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

The Pressure Brought On By College Essay -- University Stress Peer Pre

The Pressure Brought On By College Socially, religiously, and scholastically, a person’s values are severely challenged as he enters college. A major university has many evil faces that can alter a person’s values if he or she is not careful. Fraternities and their counterpart, sororities, target freshmen mainly because they’re young, easily influenced, and lonesome. Religious organizations try their best to counter the fraternities by gathering these young scholars to spread their word. The University of Georgia itself causes turmoil in these students' beliefs by requiring classes that promote a change in merit. These are the main things that I have encountered as a student through the University, and all three intrude on my privacy. (in her essay "Keeping Close to Home,")bell hooks argues that a college campus is a place where people hide there true selves. At a time when someone’s values are constantly being tested they should show their true feelings in order to avoid conflicts l ater in life. Fraternities and sororities play a major role in the choices a person makes as he enters college. They target the young because they are simply the easiest to influence. Most of these students are away from home with no friends. They are hungry to belong to a group, and a Fraternity offers a sense of togetherness that these lambs away from the herd need. Once hooked and interested in becoming a member, recruits are constantly challenged to drink and perform embarrassing tasks to prove how dedicated they are to becoming a brother. These rushies can possibly be beaten, definitely made to clean non-stop, and constantly forced to run errands for the older brothers. Hazing, or abusing a recruit, has supposedly been abolis... ...he said that a university forces you to hide your background. She said this about the years she attended Stanford, "I lived alone, like the one Mormon student who kept to himself as he made a concentrated effort to remain true to his religious beliefs and values" (hooks 88 ). Yes, you can be highly influenced at a college to change, but I have never had to hide my beliefs. I guess it's different for me to attend UGA and for her to attend Stanford. She should not mask who she is, and she should be proud and teach these people not to stereotype. Overall, a University system is a great place and I love every second of being on campus. There are just some things that need to be fixed before I graduate. Works Cited hooks, bell. "Keeping Close to Home." The Presence of Others. Eds. Andrea Lunsford and John Ruszkiewicz. New York: St. Martins Press, 1997. 85-95. The Pressure Brought On By College Essay -- University Stress Peer Pre The Pressure Brought On By College Socially, religiously, and scholastically, a person’s values are severely challenged as he enters college. A major university has many evil faces that can alter a person’s values if he or she is not careful. Fraternities and their counterpart, sororities, target freshmen mainly because they’re young, easily influenced, and lonesome. Religious organizations try their best to counter the fraternities by gathering these young scholars to spread their word. The University of Georgia itself causes turmoil in these students' beliefs by requiring classes that promote a change in merit. These are the main things that I have encountered as a student through the University, and all three intrude on my privacy. (in her essay "Keeping Close to Home,")bell hooks argues that a college campus is a place where people hide there true selves. At a time when someone’s values are constantly being tested they should show their true feelings in order to avoid conflicts l ater in life. Fraternities and sororities play a major role in the choices a person makes as he enters college. They target the young because they are simply the easiest to influence. Most of these students are away from home with no friends. They are hungry to belong to a group, and a Fraternity offers a sense of togetherness that these lambs away from the herd need. Once hooked and interested in becoming a member, recruits are constantly challenged to drink and perform embarrassing tasks to prove how dedicated they are to becoming a brother. These rushies can possibly be beaten, definitely made to clean non-stop, and constantly forced to run errands for the older brothers. Hazing, or abusing a recruit, has supposedly been abolis... ...he said that a university forces you to hide your background. She said this about the years she attended Stanford, "I lived alone, like the one Mormon student who kept to himself as he made a concentrated effort to remain true to his religious beliefs and values" (hooks 88 ). Yes, you can be highly influenced at a college to change, but I have never had to hide my beliefs. I guess it's different for me to attend UGA and for her to attend Stanford. She should not mask who she is, and she should be proud and teach these people not to stereotype. Overall, a University system is a great place and I love every second of being on campus. There are just some things that need to be fixed before I graduate. Works Cited hooks, bell. "Keeping Close to Home." The Presence of Others. Eds. Andrea Lunsford and John Ruszkiewicz. New York: St. Martins Press, 1997. 85-95.

Monday, January 13, 2020

My Essays Essay

The following is an organizational announcement for Staples Advantage Corporate associates and  global Vice Presidents and above from   Tom Heisroth, SVP Staples Advantage Sales, and Steve Bussberg, SVP, Staples Advantage. To support Staples’ Reinvention efforts to turbocharge product-related services, we are excited to announce changes within our Staples Advantage Print business  that will increase efficiencies and reduce customer confusion around our offerings. Staples has unrivaled Print assets and we believe this reorganization will allow us to strengthen our position in the industry and become a true market leader. Jeff Crump,  VP/GM, Staples Print Solutions, will be responsible for Print operations, all aspects of Print field support, and ownership of the total Staples Advantage Print P&L. Jeff will continue to report to Steve Bussberg. Geoff Eitland, Director, Procurement and Merchandising, will assume responsibility for all Print sourcing and vendor management. In addition, our customer implementation teams will now be centralized, with  Jamie Kapanka, Senior Manager, Sales Operations,  reporting into the Staples Advantage Print operations group. The following Associates will report to Jeff Crump: * Geoff Eitland, Director, Procurement and Merchandising * Jamie Kapanka, Senior Manager, Sales Operations * Gary Swanger, Director, Finance * Gretta Staskiewicz, Manager, Marketing * Jeffrey Holton, Director, Manufacturing * Lee Ann Holley,   Project Manager, New Business Development * Richard Campbell, Director, Integration Richard Martin, Director, Logistics * Robert Anderson-Ludrick, Director, PE Deployment Leader The Print sales teams led by  Millie Tarallo  and  Ralph Torres  will come together under the leadership of  Wayne Wilkinson, Vice President, Staples Advantage Sales, who is taking on a new role overseeing the Print and Vertical sales teams. Wayne will transition into his new role over the next few months and will con tinue to oversee the Central Region until further plans are announced. Wayne will continue to report to  Tom Heisroth, Senior Vice President, Staples Advantage Sales. Reporting to Wayne will be:   * Millie Tarallo, Area Vice President, Print * Ralph Torres, Area Vice President, Print * Susan Louis, Vice President, Healthcare * Judith Smith, Vice President, Federal Government * Jeremy Landis, Director, Vertical Markets Combining the Print sales teams under single leadership will increase sales productivity and uncover new sales and margin opportunities. At the same time, unifying the Vertical sales teams under Wayne will enable us to better focus on customers’ specialized needs in these segments. As previously announced, business development for Print has been unified under the leadership of  Kevin Moss, Vice President, Business Development and  Joe McDonald, Director, Business Development. This new structure and improved support capabilities will give our sales teams more time to sell, while providing our customers the seamless experience they expect. We look forward to transforming the Print business within Staples Advantage and driving meaningful growth for the company.

Sunday, January 5, 2020

Political Orientations and Its Impact on industrial relations - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 6 Words: 1877 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Politics Essay Type Argumentative essay Did you like this example? The following content will evaluate how and to what extent workplace representatives in the current era are important in trade unions. Trade unions are organisations that represent people at work and are principally concerned with protecting its members in the employment relationship. (Salamon. 1987. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Political Orientations and Its Impact on industrial relations" essay for you Create order 81). A trade union consists of a group of workers who come together to organise and represent their interests in order to be more conversant and powerful when it comes down to cooperating with their employers. The trade unions or labour unions originated when groups of workers came together to form an organisation that works towards their well being (Edwards, March, 2003). The significance of the trade unions lie in the fact that they can negotiate wages, rules of hiring, recruitment and firing, working conditions, workplace security and safety policies, employee benefits, compliant processes, promotion policies, retirement benefits, etc. with the employers and the government on behalf of their members (Dine, 2007). The trade unions gain their strength due to the numbers of members who join them. Thus, providing the unions with the power to sometimes dictate terms to employers, governments and other parties and may influence the political, economic and social climate within a coun try (Dine, 2007). The unions also by virtue of their positions exercise power and influence on their members as well as non-members (Edwards, March, 2003). The essay will look at Trade Unions in UK and USA: Political Orientations and Its Impact on the Industrial Relations aims to compare and contrast the political orientation of trade unions of the United kingdom and the United States of America and evaluate their differential impact on the industrial relations systems in both the countries. In an attempt to achieve this aim, this essay looked at the trade unions in the UK and the Labour Unions in the USA and made a comparative analysis of the differences and similarities between the two with regard to their political orientations. And, tried to analyze how these similarities and differences in their political orientations impacted the systems of industrial relations that existed in both the countries. The essay thus aimed at providing explanatory insights into understanding the rel ations that existed between the political orientations of trade / labour unions and the industrial relations systems of a country. The trade unions originated in Europe and spread across of different countries around the world during the industrial revolution (Ebbinghaus and Visser, 2000). The trade unions in the United Kingdom were established as early as 1867 and aimed at improving the socio-economic situation of members of the working class (Ebbinghaus and Visser, 2000). It soon turned into a movement that resulted in the formation of the present day Labour Party in the UK (McIlroy, Fishman and Campbell, April, 2008). With changing times and governments in the country, trade unions saw an upheaval in their power orientation, membership trends and structure (Josselin, January, 2001). What began as a movement by the blue collared industrial workers, are now being supported and participated in by white collared shop workers and office workers in the UK (Poole, 2003). Some of the main trade unions in the UK include the National Union of Mineworkers, the National Union of Agricultural Workers, the Association of Cotton Spinners, the Operative Society of Bricklayers, the Amalgamated Society of Engineers, the National Union of Gasworkers General Labourers, the National Union of Railwaymen and the Transport and General Workers Union, etc (Ebbinghaus and Visser, 2000). These unions are members of larger bodies known as the Trades Union Congress (TUC), the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) (Reid, April, 2005). In the USA, the trade unions are known as the labour unions. These are similar to trade unions in the UK, however comparatively smaller in size of memberships. The Labour Unions in the United States exert its power or influence through its allegiance within the Democratic Party and other like minded organisations (Kochan, Katz and McKersie, 1994). The members belonging to the labour unions include public sector employees such as law-enforcements officers, educators, etc (Kochan, Katz and McKersie, 1994). These unions similar to the unions of the UK aim at improving the working conditions of their members along with negotiations for better wages, working conditions benefits, post retirement benefits, security and safety of workers, etc. Some of the examples of labour union organisations in the USA include the American Federation of Labor, the Workingmans Party, the Industrial Workers of the World, the Knights of Labor, the United Mine Workers, the Congress for Industrial Organisations, etc ((Kochan, Katz and McKersie, 1994). These unions fall under the umbrella of two major labour unions namely: the Change to Win Federation (CtW Federation) and the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organisations (AFL-CIO) (Kochan, Katz and McKersie, 1994). The aims or goals of the trade / labour unions in both the counties and in other parts of the world remain similar and ye t there are differences in the way these unions / organisations are organised, structured, functioned and negotiated their power of influence. Black had suggested that trade unions, however big or small, have the ability to change the politico-socio-economic environment of a country and this is the reason for their power (Black, July, 2005). With the advent of media and worldwide communication systems, these unions are gaining further strength and the ability to influence governments, private business enterprises and the masses (Yates, May, 2009). Hence it is interesting to understand how these organisations exert or apply its power if at all on the political climate of a country and influence the systems of industrial relations. Comparison of Political Orientations of the Trade / Labour Unions The trade unions in the UK and the Labour Unions of the USA share similarities and dissimilarities that impact their political orientations. In the UK, the trade unions find expression in the countrys politics through the Labour Party (Hyman, 2001). In the USA, on the other hand, the labour unions express themselves through the Democratic Party (Hyman, 2001). Weiss had suggested that the governments in countries are generally influenced and limited by the political, economic and welfare organisations with the countries (Weiss, 2004). Trade / labour unions are among the bodies that have the capability to influence the way a government makes policies on different subjects especially those which have the ability to directly or indirectly affect the workers of the country (Weiss, 2004). The free economy of the USA makes it difficult for the policy makers of the country to balance between the demands of the labour unions and those of the corporate enterprises (Frege and Kelly, Novemb er, 2004). In the light of the recent economic recession that hit the country in 2008, the political circles found it difficult to find a mid way between governmental regulations on worker benefits and corporate losses to meet those regulations. In the UK however, trade unions have had a significant influence on the way the economic and social development policies were laid out by the government (Clark, April, 2009). It is only in recent years, when the UK government has started to open up its economy to make it more liberal, have the political orientations of the trade unions lost their strong hold (Armingeon, March, 2006). It is interesting to understand here is that the Labour Party, which has strong ties with the trade unions, is the ruling party in the UK. The social orientation of the trade unions in the UK has resulted in the centre-left orientation of the present ruling party in the country. In the USA on the other hand, the Democratic Party, the ruling party adopts a libera l approach. It however is similarly oriented (centre-left) as the Labour Party of the UK. The question that can be asked at this point is whether the orientations of the ruling parties in the two countries can be attributed to the political orientations of the trade / labour unions in both the countries. With changing times, the memberships of the trade / labour unions have taken a hit (Croucher and Cotton, January, 2009). This has not only impacted their ability to influence but also their own organisational strength (Kubicek, 2004). Both the countries, UK and USA, have liberal economies, making it difficult for the unions in the present day context to completely influence the rules, policies and strategies that govern the markets and consequently the political scenario (Jose, 2002). Thus it can be stated that the political orientations of the trade / labour unions in the two countries have definite influence over the way in which the rules and policies are made by the governments in the two countries and that these impact the industrial relations systems. Impact on the Industrial Relations Systems The strength of the labour / trade unions lay in their ability to negotiate better working terms with the employers and get the governments in different countries to form labour laws that were labour oriented (Kelly and Willman, 2004). In the face of the changing times and the post communist era, the role of the labour / trade unions has started to dwindle (Clark, Delaney and Frost, March, 2003; Wahl, 2004). The question that remains is whether the labour / trade unions and their political orientations still have the ability to impact and influence the industrial relations systems in different countries. In UK, over the recent years, there have been fall in the membership of the trade unions (Crowley and Ost, 2001). One of the most commonly cited reason for this is the inability of these unions to use their political orientations and negotiating powers to benefit the workers (Frege and Kelly, 2003). Similar issues have been identified in the US as well. Studies have shown that t he trade / labour unions are not being able to offer the collective bargaining coverage to all jobs in a country (Kubicek, 2004). This is not only reducing the faith that workers had on the labour / trade unions but also the influence that these unions had on the systems of industrial relations. There have been different causes cited for the diminishing influence and impact of the labour / trade unions in the UK and the USA. Kubicek had found that the labour / trade unions were lacking in a definite labour agenda and resources (Kubicek, 2004). Crowley and Ost had suggested that the trade / labour unions are now merely regarded as the reflection of the former socialist endeavours and thought to no longer function as agents of the worker welfare (Crolwey and Ost, 2001). However, there have been instances where the political orientations of the unions have helped in preventing the government in turning completely capitalistic in its approach in the present day (The Trade Union Movement , New Labour, and Working-Class Politics. Workers Liberty). The economy of the UK and the changing economy of the USA (post the economic debacle) are changing the way the labour / trade unions and their political orientations are impacting the industrial relations systems in both the countries. Thus in conclusion, it can be said that the uncertainties created by the economic conditions in the USA and the UK are impacting the political systems and thereby changing the influence of trade / labour unions and their political orientations. These changes and impacts are being felt in the formal organisational conditions as well as the power of the employers, collective bargaining and industrial relations systems. The final outcomes being exhibited are in the form of democracy and / or oligarchy through competition, opposition, internal bargaining and finally, decentralisation of the decision-making power.