Global Financial Management & Summary Assignment

Global Financial Management & Summary - Assignment Example Increase in the price of oil is one of those major events. Oil is an important and essential raw material for running airline business service. Without it, the company will not be able to provide their airlines services to its domestic and international customers. In the last year 2013, increase in the high oil price also increased the operational costs of this company and as a result, price of flight ticket was comparatively higher than the normal situation and this price was not affordable to all income groups. As a result the company was starting to lose its competitive advantages in the global market. Again this is observed that salaries and bonuses paid to the senior level managers are more than the amount of dividends which the company distributed among its investors. This situation created some unsatisfactory issues among investors. The investors are now not interested for further investing their money in this business and they are moving to the other competitor companies whic h are existing in the same industry. So the company is going to lose its capital for further progress of its business activities. In the year 2014, El Al Airlines Ltd announced that it cannot provide security services to abroad as the Finance Ministry has approved less amount of budget than the required amount for the purpose of security. This will also decrease the amount of revenue in the business if competitors can provide the same facilities to the customers. As this company is doing business across the national borders so fluctuation of exchange rate and currencies in different countries will also affect the financial condition of this business. The recent Euro crisis is one of its examples which affect the activities of this business in a worst way (Madura, 2014). The competition of airline services is increasing in the global market and so many emerging and existing companies are providing more cost effective offers to the customers and through this

Letter of Advice... Interpersonal Communication Essay Example for Free

Letter of Advice Interpersonal Communication Essay This a great article with good advice on how to communicate with your husband, wife or partner for the future. Without Communication there will not be a happy and long lasting result in a marriage. Within reading this article I was able to relate the knowledge with my own marriage of 5 long years. Learning how to communicate within listen as well as my tone and other forms to communicate has been susceptible for us. There has been along hard battle to fight through my ordeal, but the lessons of reading and responding with the actions have been very tolerable. I have had a very bad problem beening lonely after my children went to college and after I closed my business. Drawing more to my husband, I felt he was pulling away from me. There was not a day went by that I feel deeper in a depression without communicating that with him, I just assumed he would have noticed. Now after talking the problem out and with quality time as well things are much better. Being able to relate to â€Å"Many couples think they are communicating with each other†, they are wrong at times, because I was that person. Within the statement, â€Å"Romantic relationships begin with a lot of sharing and excitement, (Terri Orbuch) I feel this is very true, because that’s why you get married. But, as time goes on other things take place within priorities before you mate. I blame this on life sometimes. Self-disclosure really is an important key to having satisfaction in a marriage even or a relationship, because it is an act of verbally or nonverbally revealing information about you to others. Within revealing your true thoughts and self you may allow other people to know the â€Å"real you† and not your public personality, which often leads to building the relationship to higher levels of communication. Self-disclosure is what your spouse will be entitled to that knowledge. When it comes to gender differences, there really is a level of expression that women and men have to different. When you make a connection and are able to understand how interpersonal communication works, you are better able to express and reveal information about the inner you. I have noticed that my husband keeps a lot of things bottled up on the inside and I really try to get him to talk about things. But within recognizing my husband’s stand on issues, I don’t push too hard. Gender roles are even greater over the years as men and women both have trouble in expressing their feelings, but if we learn to communicate better things will be easier. After all, we just want to be loved and cared for by our spouse. Unfortunately, I believe I have loved, lost, and lived to love again through our time together. I believe with time, exploring, and the use of self-disclosure that my husband and I will find our way back to an exciting new beginning to share with our extended family through generalization. I fit into the category because many relationships are typical. All arguments and issue seems to be the same, only to be in a different scenario. Communication plays a valuable role in our relationships one that leads to a long-lasting and healthy marriage. Some good advice is to make the best of every opportunity while having fun and loving the person you are with right now.

Analysis of Management and Leadership in Barclays Bank

Analysis of Management and Leadership in Barclays Bank Barclays Bank  has an extensive presence in Europe, the United States, Africa and Asia, providing a wide range of services for both individuals and businesses. Barclays has a long history that extends over three hundred years, and from its central office in London, it oversees operations that extend to fifty countries and more than 155,000 employees. Barclays Bank  lends, invests and moves money for more than 48 million people all over the world. The earliest roots of Barclays go back to 1690, when Thomas Gould and John Freame started operating as Goldsmith Bankers in central London. Seventy years later, Goldsmith Bankers moved into a large banking house, and subsequently joined up with nineteen other private banking concerns under the name Barclays and Company Limited, which provided the bank with a combination of 182 branches as well as deposits amounting a massive  £26 million. At this point in time, Barclays and Company was well connected to the community through family and religious links; hence Barclays and Company was often called the Quaker Bank. At the turn of the twentieth century, the Barclays and Company started expanding rapidly, taking over notable banks such as the Bolithos Bank in the South west of England and the United Counties Bank in the Midlands. By 1918, Barclays and Company had combined with London Bank South Western Bank and Provincial Bank to become one of the UKs five biggest banks. By 1925 Barclays had become a truly international organisation with the merger of the Colonial Bank, the Anglo Egyptian Bank and the National Bank of South Africa. This led to a great deal of business through the Middle East, Africa, and the West Indies. Barclays Bank has always been an innovative company. In 1966 Barclays became the first bank to offer a UK Credit card. The following year it was the first bank in the world to offer cash machines to its customers and by 1972, it had become the first bank to try TV advertising. Barclays Bank became the first UK bank to have shares listed on the Tokyo and New York Stock Exchanges in the late twentieth century, and consequently it moved into a high paced exchange whereby in 2006 a full 50% of its profits were being made outside of the UK. Recent developments Reuters  later reported that the  British government  would inject  £40 billion ($69 billion) into three banks including Barclays, which might seek over  £7 billion.  Barclays later confirmed that it rejected the Governments offer and would instead raise  £6.5 billion of new capital ( £2 billion by cancellation of dividend and  £4.5 billion from private investors). In January 2009 the press reported that further capital may be required and that while the government might be willing to fund this, it may be unable to do so because the previous capital investment from the Qatari state was subject to a proviso that no third party might put in further money without the  Qataris  receiving compensation at the value the shares had commanded in October 2008. In March 2009 it was reported that in 2008, Barclays received billions of dollars from its insurance arrangements with  AIG, including $8.5bn from funds provided by the United States to bail out AIG. On 12 June 2009, Barclays sold its Global Investors unit, which includes its exchange traded fund business,  iShares, to  BlackRock  for $13.5bn. Standard Life sold Standard Life Bank plc to Barclays plc in October 2009. The sale completed on 1 January 2010. On 11 November 2009, Barclays and First Data, a global technology provider of information commerce, have entered into a agreement according to which Barclays will migrate a range of card portfolios to First Datas issuing and consumer finance platform. On February 13, 2010 Barclays announced it would pay more than  £2 billion in bonuses. INTRODUCTION OF LEADERSHIP Leadership is all about harnessing people power for the attainment of a desired goal and thus the concept of leadership cannot be restricted to the Organizational context. It pervades through all realms of society, whether it be in politics, religion or the corporate world. DEFINITION OF LEADERSHIP We can define leadership as: â‚ ¬Ã‚  The activity of influencing people to strive willingly for group objectives.George R. Terry. â‚ ¬Ã‚  It is interpersonal influence exercised in a situation and directed through the communication process towards the attainment of specialized goals. Robert Tannenbaum. â‚ ¬Ã‚  Leadership is influencing people to follow in the achievement of a common goal Koontz ODonnell. â‚ ¬Ã‚  Leadership is the process whereby one individual influences other group members towards the attainment of defined group or organizational goals. Baron Greenberg The above definitions as is evident all pertain to the Western views. This is because leadership as a formalized field of study and analysis with a structured syllabus has not yet been established in India as it is in the West. LEADERSHIP THEORIES GREAT MAN THEORY Great Man theories assume that the capacity for leadership is inherent that great leaders are born not made. These theories often portray great leaders as heroic, mythic and destined to rise to leadership when needed. The term Great Man was used because, at the time, leadership was thought of primarily as a male quality, especially in terms of military leadership. TRAIT THEORY Similar in some ways to Great Man theories, trait theory assumes that people inherit certain qualities and traits that make them better suited to leadership. Trait theories often identify particular personality or behavioral characteristics shared by leaders. But if particular traits are key features of leadership, how do we explain people who possess those qualities but are not leaders? This question is one of the difficulties in using trait theories to explain leadership. Several researchers have demonstrated that such traits of leadership do not always ensure successful leadership but they do place the possessor in higher esteem. It is also seen that hardly10% of the listed traits in over 100 such researchers appeared in 5 or more study. The trait approach has lead to selection procedure by written tests or preference tests. The Greatest defect of this theory is that we cannot have common or universal traits of leadership. CONTINGENCY THEORIES Contingency theories of leadership focus on particular variables related to the environment that might determine which particular style of leadership is best suited for the situation. According to this theory, no leadership style is best in all situations. Success depends upon a number of variables, including the leadership style, qualities of the followers and aspects of the situation. Contingency theory is a class of behavioral theory that claims that there is no best way to organize a corporation, to lead a company, or to make decisions. Instead, the optimal course of action is contingent (dependent) upon the internal and external situation. Several contingency approaches were developed concurrently in the late 1960s. They suggested that previous theories such as Webers bureaucracy and Taylors management had failed because they neglected that management style and organizational structure were influenced by various aspects of the environment: the contingency factors. There could no t be one best way for leadership or organization. Historically, contingency theory has sought to formulate broad generalizations about the formal structures that are typically associated with or best fit the use of different technologies. The perspective originated with the work of Joan Woodward (1958), who argued that technologies directly determine differences in such organizational attributes as span of control, centralization of authority, and the formalization of rules and procedures. SITUATIONAL THEORIES Situational theories propose that leaders choose the best course of action based upon situational variables. Different styles of leadership may be more appropriate for certain types of decision-making. These approach places more emphasis on the characteristics of the specific situation or environment in which the leader is operating. Qualities for leadership vary with the situation or circumstances and that any traits or skill can become a quality of leadership in the right situation. BEHAVIORAL THEORIES Behavioral theories of leadership are based upon the belief that great leaders are made, not born. Rooted in behaviorism, this leadership theory focuses on the actions of leaders not on mental qualities or internal states. According to this theory, people can learn to become leaders through teaching and observation. PARTICIPATIVE THEORIES Participative leadership theories suggest that the ideal leadership style is one that takes the input of others into account. These leaders encourage participation and contributions from group members and help group members feel more relevant and committed to the decision-making process. In participative theories, however, the leader retains the right to allow the input of others MANAGEMENT THEORIES Management theories (also known as Transactional theories) focus on the role of supervision, organization and group performance. These theories base leadership on a system of rewards and punishments. Managerial theories are often used in business; when employees are successful, they are rewarded; when they fail, they are reprimanded or punished. RELATIONSHIP THEORIES Relationship theories (also known as Transformational theories) focus upon the connections formed between leaders and followers. Transformational leaders motivate and inspire people by helping group members see the importance and higher good of the task. These leaders are focused on the performance of group members, but also want each person to fulfill his or her potential Leaders with this style often have high ethical and moral standards. LEADERSHIP STYLE Leadership style is the manner and approach of providing direction, implementing plans, and motivating people. The U.S. Army Handbook, 1973 identifies three styles of leadership: AUTHORITARIAN OR AUTOCRATIC PARTICIPATIVE OR DEMOCRATIC DELEGATIVE OR FREE REIGN Although good leaders use all three styles, with one of them normally dominate, bad leaders tend to stick with one style. Barclays bank is using all these three leadership styles. AUTHORITARIAN OR AUTICRATIC This style is used when the leader tells his employees what he wants done and how he wants it done, without getting the advice of his followers. Some of the appropriate conditions to use it are when you have all the information to solve the problem, you are short on time, and your employees are well motivated. Some people tend to think of this style as a vehicle for yelling, using demeaning language, and leading by threats and abusing their power. This is not the authoritarian style rather, it is an abusive, unprofessional style called bossing people around. It has no place in a leaders repertoire. The authoritarian style should normally only be used on rare occasions. If you have the time and want to gain more commitment and motivation from your employees, then you should use the participative style. PARTICIPATIVE OR DEMOCRATIC This type of style involves the leader including one or more employees in on the decision making process (determining what to do and how to do it). However, the leader maintains the final decision making authority. Using this style is not a sign of weakness; rather its a sign of strength that your employees will respect. This is normally used when you have part of the information, and your employees have other parts. A leader is not expected to know everything this is why you employ knowledgeable and skillful employees. Using this style is of mutual benefit it allows the employees to become part of the team and allows you to make better decisions. DELEGATIVE OR FREE REIGN Also known as laissez faire, which is the non interference in the affairs of others. In this style, the leader allows the employees to make the decision. However, the leader is still responsible for the decisions that are made. This is used when employees are able to analyze the situation and determine what needs to be done and how to do it. You cannot do everything! You must set priorities and delegate certain tasks. This is not a style to use so that you can blame others when things go wrong; rather this is a style to be used when you have the full trust and confidence in the people below you. One should not be afraid to use it, however, to be effective, it must be used wisely! There are a number of different approaches, or styles to leadership and management that are based on different assumptions and theories. The style that individuals use will be based on a combination of their beliefs, values and preferences, as well as the organizational culture and norms, which will encourage some, and discourage others. In this context, the various approaches could also be classified under the following heads. CHRISMATIC LEADERSHIP PARTICIPATIVE LEADERSHIP SITUATIONAL LEADERSHIP TRANSACTIONAL LEADERSHIP TRANFOMATIONAL LEADERSHIP THE QUIET LEADERSHIP SERVANT LEADERSHIP CIRCUMSTANCES UNDER WHICH THE ORGANIZATION DECIDE TO IMPLEMNT THE CHANGE Organizations have to face different challenges in this changing environment like Absence of group skills The most important this in any organization is to set skills that would enhance its effectiveness. Todays business environment keeps on changing and in this changing environment the one who is skilled would survive. Its the responsibility of manager to motivate others for positive change and would build the team that work according to the change. In this rapid changing environment its not easy for manager to prepare other members accepts the need for change. He helps them to understand the new techniques and methods. You may get lot of good ideas but the real thing is to translate those ideas into the accepted ways. The success of any change depends on the acceptance of the ways. Lack of motivation and morale To maximize motivation among employees, manager needs to think in terms of flexibility. He needs to recognize what motivate his employees. A diverse array of rewards in needed to motivate employees. Managers most important goal is to help their employees developing their potential and they can do so by offering them developmental work assignments that provide a variety of learning experiences in different organizational areas. In 1980 Hackman point out the core dimensions of the job which include skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback A job requires a variety of activities so that an employee could use a number of different skills and talents. It requires completion of whole and identifiable piece of work and it has substantial impact on the lives or work of other people. If these things exist in a job then the person will view his or her job as being important, valuable, and worthwhile. Job that possess autonomy give the job incumbent a feeling of personal responsibility for the results, and that if a job provides feedback, the employee will know how effectively he or she is performing. From a motivational point of view, these core dimensions suggests that internal rewards are obtained when an employee learns that he or she personally has performed well on a task that he or she cares about. The more these conditions characterize a job, the grater the employees motivation, performance and satisfaction and the lower his or her absenteeism and likelihood or resigning. Individual with a high growth need are more like ly to experience the critical psychological states and respond positively when their jobs include the core dimensions than are low growth need individuals. Conflict management In an organization sometimes conflict arises among members. This conflict is not always bad sometimes its good because, with conflict the team member would get more information, they can deeply understand the problems and would give the most appropriate solutions as well. In the era of globalization teams identify conflicts and made the successful strategic decision without sacrificing the speed of task accomplishment. But most times conflict results in slowing down the task accomplishment speed and it would reduce the effectiveness of adopted strategy. One should identify what are main reasons of conflict? Few of them are personal differences with respect to perception and expectations, lack of information, uncertainty about roles. Following are few points that help to overcome conflict Always work with plenty of information. Facts should be mainly focused. Multiple alternatives should be developed. Everyone should have same goal. Inject humor into decision making process. Solve problems without forcing consensus. Maintain balanced power structure. Power and politics Power is the ability to control the environment. If the person has power he can decide and act. If an employee is empowered he can act without any directions. Sometimes empowerment becomes very much important for the organization. In any organization, where employees are empowered they are responsible for observing one another, correcting improper procedures. Managers are increasingly leading by empowering their employees. It involves increasing decision making discretion of employees. Millions of employees are making the key operating decisions that directly affect their work. They are engaged in activities that until very recently were viewed exclusively as a part of managers job. The reason why more companies empowering employees is the need for quick decisions by those people who are most knowledgeable about the issues. If organizations are to successfully compete in a dynamic global economy, they have to be able to make decisions and implement changes quickly. In order to cope w ith increased work demands managers has to empower their people. When employees have the skills, knowledge and experiences to do their jobs competently and when they seek autonomy and possess internal locus of control, it can be beneficial. Rapid changes Organizations are changing due to change in internal and external environment. In order to adjust to these changes organization has to be flexible. Diverse workforce Another issue faced by the organization is coordinating work efforts of diverse organizational members in accomplishing organizational goals. Todays organization are characterized by diverse workforce i.e. more heterogeneous in terms of gender, race, ethnicity, age and other characteristics that reflect differences. Organizations will require larger workforce to meet the demand of high potential market. Employees dont set aside their cultural values and lifestyle preferences when they come to work. The challenge for managers, therefore, is to make their organization more accommodating to diverse groups of people by addressing different lifestyles, family needs, and work styles. Smart managers recognize that diversity can be an asset because it brings a broad range of viewpoints and problem solving skills to a company, and additionally helps organizations better understand a diverse customer base. Globalization Management is no longer constrained by national borders. There is significant importance from globalization, and the world has definitely become the global village. Managers in organization of all sizes and types around the world have to confront the challenges of operating in the global market. Managers face challenges due to an array of environmental factor while doing business. He must effectively plan, organize, lead, control and manage cultural difference to be globally successfully. General obstacles in an organization Organization needs a wide variety of skills but sometimes it happens that the organization got skills but still it wont work as it supposed to. In many cases management is not sensitive to change. They are not creative enough to put the skills of employees at the best use. Lack of vision is one of the main obstacles that prevent organization to use its resource to the full. One should have the ability to identify the problems and find solutions. If the manager doesnt have the ability to identify the opportunities to success then this would be a barrier to growth. If the management is not able to identify the creative solutions then it will be a problem for the organization in the long run. Another problem that hinders the organizational growth is that not all members are able to cope with the changing environment. Every organization has certain norms and values and its members have to follow those norms and values. All members should be sensitive to change if the business is continuo usly changing every member should accommodate according to that change. EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT Effective management is about: Filling vacant positions with the knowledgeable and productive candidates. To increase productivity, high potentials should be promoted. To increase the efficiency of staff in their current role develop the staff. Retain the best employees to increase performance consistently. Employee empowerment is very much popular term now, it is important for the development and change of any organization. Empowering employees leads to the best results for the organization. Professional generally agrees that empowering employees will increase the productivity of organization and employees are committed and loyal to the organization. Empowered employees provide better products and services When employee is empowered he feels strong and becomes more confident. This confidence then leads to better products and services. For the development of organization and cope up with the changing nature of programs empowerment is critical. This would improve the performance and employees would take ownership of their jobs and the delivery of products and services to their clients. They serve customers at the level of organization where the customer interface exists. Empowered employees are committed and loyal Whatever the situation is, employers dont like high employee turnover, selection, and training is very expensive. During organizational change if employee empowered become the foundation of organizational development activities this would ensure the commitment and loyalty of employees. Empowered employees take pride and ownership in their jobs when they know that they can exercise independent judgment when needed. Empowered employees are productive When employees feel that they are valued and their decision are considered and management would listen to their ideas, they work harder to prove themselves right. Implementing organizational development program calls for incorporating ways to help employees. And this would increase productivity. Empowered employees generate good ideas Every employee got some ideas with himself. They might have different skills. If they are empowered they share their ideas and this can provide important insight into management development and change management decisions. They can generate different products by using innovative methods on regular basis. Organizations who really are interested in effective organizational development and change programs, they acknowledge and reward their employees and give feedback on regular basis. Empowered employees spread the word Employees pride would boost if they are empowered in organizational development and change program. The more empowered employees the more they are satisfied and they would more likely to spread the word how well the company is to others. We will further discuss this statement further by Barclays and Lehman Brothers Integration. Barclays and Lehman Brothers Integration Barclays the global financial services provider acquired the US Lehman Brothers in 2008 for the enhancement of its market. The critical issues occurred while the integration was the business disruption minimizing the clients transfer to other banks Different culture of both the businesses Motivation of the staff of Lehman brothers AS A CAHNGE AGENT Effective dealing of problems The first step to solve the problem is to identify the cause of problem. Sometimes problem can be solved by simple talking with employees such as minor attitude problems or occasional tardiness etc. In coaching manager has to deal one by one with the problem or he direct other employee to work with the employee to solve the issue between the two. It is the responsibility of leader to provide employee with feedback in order to improve their performance. Coaching requires time and patience and this will result in employees modified behavior. Poor performance Sometimes employee has skills but still he doesnt perform well. This is may be because he is disturbed or unsystematic or careless. These habits can be removed through proper guidance. But, if lack of skill is the reason of poor performance than this can be corrected through additional training. Job incompatibility Sometimes it so happens that the reason of employees poor performance is that they didnt get the job according to their skills. Their skills are not compatible or are not compatible with the task assigned to them. This problem can be solved through additional training or assigning them a different task. Sloppy work Whenever you notice that employee has made some mistakes, point out those mistakes and monitor their work closely. It still they made mistake, talk to them and try to know the reason of being careless or why they are not doing their work or properly. But in all this one has to be positive and should know that how much important is employee to the company. Create an effective message Consider the needs of everyone in the organization and design your message according to that so they can understand what you are trying to say. The performance of employees is very much dependent on your message. An effective message would have good impact over employees performance. A face to face interaction would be more suitable and can help employees to adapt the change. Listen to your employees For the change management employee feedback is very important. You can encourage your employees to provide feedback through email or the intranet. Communication is the foundation stone to successful management of change. You need to communicate with your employees early and often to make them understand your message. STAKE HOLDERS INVOLVE INTO THAT CHANGE PROCESS Investors and Business partners and suppliers Investors influenced in this change management process because they invest their asset to get profit, but with the old policy they didnt get much profit. So they involve in the favor of change management process for achieving their goals. Bank employees Bank employees involved in the change management process and they goes against to the change process because they are habitual to work on through the old policy. Customers Customers also involve in the change process and go into the favor of change process because they want quick results and want innovation in organization so they also influenced with the change process. Government and NGOs Government and NGOs influenced in the way the Government expect more taxes and other duties from the organizations and if an organization is not going in profit then how they get the more taxes and duties. On the other hand Ngos want support from the organizations. If they are not in good position they will also influenced with this so these departments also want change process for improvement of the organization. KOTTERs 8 STEP CHANGE MODEL Change is the only constant. Heraclitus, Greek philosopher What was true more than two thousand years ago is just as true today. We live in a world where business as usual IS change. New initiatives, project-based working, technology improvements, staying ahead of the competition these things come together to drive ongoing changes to the way we work. Whether youre considering a small change to one or two processes, or a systemwide change to an organization, its common to feel uneasy and intimidated by the scale of the challenge. You know that the change needs to happen, but you dont really know how to go about doing delivering it. Where do you start? Whom do you involve? How do you see it through to the end? There are many theories about how to do change. Many originate with leadership and change management guru, John Kotter. A professor at Harvard Business School and world-renowned change expert, Kotter introduced his eight-step change process in his 1995 book, Leading Change. We look at his eight steps for leading change below. Step One: Create Urgency For change to happen, it helps if the whole company really wants it. Develop a sense of urgency around the need for change. This may help you spark the initial motivation to get things moving. This isnt simply a matter of showing people poor sales statistics or talking about increased competition. Open an honest and convincing dialogue about whats happening in the marketplace and with your competition. If many people start talking about the change you propose, the urgency can build and feed on itself. What you can do: Identify potential threats, and develop scenarios showing what could happen in the future. Examine opportunities that should be, or could be, exploited. Start honest discussions, and give dynamic and convincing reasons to get people talking and thinking. Request support from customers, outside stakeholders and industry people to strengthen your argument. Step Two: Form a Powerful Coalition Convince people that change is necessary. This often takes strong leadership and visible support from key people within your organization. Managing change isnt enough you have to lead it. You can find effective change leaders throughout your organization they dont necessarily follow the traditional company hierarchy. To lead change, you need to bring together a coalition, or team, of influential people whose power comes from a variety of sources, including job title, status, expertise, and political importance. Once formed, your change coalition needs to work as a team, continuing to build urgency and momentum around the need for change. What you can do: Identify the true leaders in your organization. Ask for an emotional commitment from these key people. Work on team building within your change coalition. Check your team for weak areas, and ensure that you have a good mix of people from different departments and different levels within your company Step Three: Create a Vision for Change When you first start thinking about change, there will probably be many great ideas and solutions floating around.

Roy Wilkins and the NAACP: A Life Dedicated to the Civil Rights Movemen

The life of Roy Wilkins is a story of one of the greatest civil rights leaders the United States has ever known. He was an underdog that came from poor beginnings to become a leader of the NAACP, for twenty-two years. A true example of what someone can do if they put their minds to it, no matter what color they are. To begin the journey through Roy Wilkins life, we will start with a little biographical information. Roy was born in St. Louis, Mo. On August 30, 1901, as the grandson of a slave. His mother died when he was three years old, so he and his sister were sent to live with their Aunt and Uncle in St. Paul, Mn. There they raised him in a low-income, integrated community. Although he was poor, he did attend integrated public schools in the city. After graduating high school, Roy worked his way through the University of Minnesota, where he majored in sociology and minored in journalism. He had various jobs to put himself through college. He worked as a redcap (a baggage porter), waiter, stockyard laborer, and a night editor. While in college he worked as the night editor (to help pay his way through) of the Minnesota Daily, the school paper and a black weekly, the St. Paul Appeal. After working all these odd jobs he managed to put himself through college. After graduation, he took a position as a journalist for the Kansas City Call, a black weekly paper. He stayed there for seven years, acting as managing editor from 1923 until 1931. Although the job at the Call was good, he left it in 1931 to join the NAACP as Assistant Executive Secretary, under Walter White, who was Executive Secretary at the time. In his new job, his first assignment was to investigate discrimination on a federally funded flood project in Mississippi, in 1932. Due to his findings of discrimination at that project, he was successful in getting Congress to take action to stop its practices there. After a couple of years as Whites assistant, in 1934 Wilkins seceded W. E. B. DuBois as editor of the NAACPï€ ½s magazine, the Crisis. In that same year, he suffered the first arrest of his civil rights career. During a protest at the Attorney Generalï€ ½s office in Washington, D.C., they were there protesting to get the National Conference of Crime to add ï   Lynching ï â‚¬ to their agenda of topics. He served as a consultant to the ... ...eir career after his. In a turbulent world, his non-violent means of gaining rights for blacks was a calming one. Works Cited: African-American History. ï  Roy Wilkins (1901-1981).ï â‚¬ [http://www.triadntr.net/~rdavis/wilkins.htm](Mar. 27, 2000). Altman, Susan. The Encyclopedia of African-American Heritage. New York: Facts on File, Inc.,, 1997. Collierï€ ½s Encyclopedia. New York: P. F. Collier, 1996. Encyclopedia Americana, International Version. Danbury, Conn.: Grolier Inc., 1999. Encyclopedia of Black America. ed., W. Agustus Low, ass. ed., Virgil A. Clift. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1981. Hornsby, Alton, Jr. Chronology of African American History, 2nd edition. From 1492 to the Present. Detroit: Gale Research, Inc., 1997. Ploski, Henry A. and Williams, James. editors, The Negro Almanac, A Reference work on the African American, 5th edition. Detroit: Gale Research, Inc., 1989. The African American Almanac, 7th edition. ed., L. Mpho Mabanda. Detroit: Gale Research, Inc., 1997. The McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of World Biography. New York: McGraw-Hill Inc., 1973. The World Book Encyclopedia. Chicago: World Book, Inc., 2000.

Literature Review on Autism Spectrum Disorders Essay

Abstract Autism has become an increasing subject of interest, especially to researchers and medical professionals. This increase in interest is most likely due to the fact that autism is becoming an increasing problem in children, with the number of diagnoses doubling in just a four year period. In order to discover what may cause this disorder as well as finding effective ways to treat it, people must be informed and knowledgeable about autism. The current study discusses what ASD is, symptoms of this disorder, possible causes and risk factors, and methods of treatments and therapy, such as early intervention and sensory integration therapy. This study hypothesizes that sensory integration therapy will significantly improve grades and school performance in children with autism. Recently, it seems as if autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been receiving a great deal of attention by those who work in the medical field, researchers, education providers, and parents as well. This is due to the fact that the number of diagnoses has increased significantly. In just a four year period, the number of recorded diagnoses for these types of disorders has doubled (Keen & Ward, 2004). This substantial increase in the diagnoses of ASDs could be due to the fact that doctors and other health professionals are becoming more aware of the criteria for these disorders, and are beginning to have greater recognition of ASD in more able, high functioning children. In the past, there have been several cases where high functioning children were first diagnosed with ADHD, and later received an ASD diagnoses (Keen & Ward, 2004). With the recent awareness of autism spectrum disorders, a more clear criteria has developed for the diagnoses of these disorders. In broad terms, autism spectrum disorders is a group of developmental brain disorders, collectively called ASD. It is called autism spectrum disorder because the symptoms and levels of impairment for these disorders ranges  widely in each individual with an ASD. (National Institute of Mental Health [NIMH], 2011). In fact, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH, 2011), some higher functioning children may only be mildly impaired by his or hers symptoms, while other children who are low functioning may have more severely impaired by his or hers symptoms, causing them to be severely disabled. To diagnose an individual with ASD, one must meet the criteria listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition – Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR). Currently, there are five defined disorders that fall under the category of ASD. These disorders include autistic disorder (classic autism), Asperger’s disorder (Asperger’s syndrome), pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), Rett’s disorder (Rett’s syndrome), and childhood disintegrative disorder (CDD) (NIMH, 2011). However, this review will focus mostly on the more common disorders, classic autism and Asperger’s syndrome. The NIMH (2011) has identified some key symptoms seen in individuals with ASD. While symptoms do vary from one child to the next, the symptoms tend to fall into three main areas. These three areas include social impairment, communication difficulties, and repetitive and stereotyped behaviors. Children with autism have trouble with social interactions and find it difficult to engage in everyday social interactions. Some of these problems with social interactions may include having trouble with making eye contact, have trouble listening to and responding to other people in their environment, and having trouble picking up on social cues and reading peoples emotions. Children with ASD may respond unusually or inappropriately when others show feelings of anger, sadness, distress, or affection (Kamps, Leonard, Vernon, Dugan, & Delquadri, 1992). Children with autism also suffer from several communication issues, such as failing or being slow to respond to verbal attempts to get their attention, developing language at a slower pace than others, repeating words or phrases that they hear, and using words that are strange or out of place, that do not really make sense to people other than the child and those close to the child whom are familiar with the child’s communication style. The last important symptom seen in children  with ASD is repetitive and stereotyped behavior. Many children with ASD tend to have odd, repetitive actions and behaviors that may be referred to as stereotyped behaviors. An example of a stereotyped behavior might be a simple gesture of the arm that is repeatedly done by the child. Children with autism often have one subject or interest that they tend to overly focus on. They tend to become obsessed with one particular subject, and will learn everything they can about the subject of interest. Because autistic children seem to display several repetitive behaviors and thoughts, a set routine is usually the best environment for a child with ASD (NIMH, 2011). While there have been many theories and suggestions of what may cause autism spectrum disorders, there is not one particular known cause of these disorders. A great deal of research has been done to examine possible causes of and risk factors for this disorder. Recently, there has been research on the hypotheses that maternal early life factors associated with hormone levels may have some correlation with being at risk of having a child with ASD. Ascherio, Lyall, Pauls, Santangelo, and Spiegelman (2011) conducted a study to see if they could find any relationships between certain maternal early life factors associated with hormone levels and the risk of having a child with an ASD. This study focuses on maternal early life factors, and how some of these reproductive and hormonal factors of mothers could put them at risk of having a child with ASD (Ascherio, Lyall, Pauls, Santangelo, & Spiegelman, 2011). The methods of this study included a cohort study with 61,596 women. Data was collected from these women, which included age of menarche (first menstrual cycle), characteristics of menstrual cycle during adolescence, use of birth control, specifically oral contraceptives, prior to have given birth, body shape, and body mass index (BMI). The results of this study showed relationships between higher BMI’s at age 18, early age at menarche, and longer use of oral contraceptives prior to first birth, and being at risk for having a child with ASD (Ascherio et al., 2011). Other risk factors for having a child with an ASD that have been studied include prenatal, or the period of time before the child is born, perinatal, or the period of delivery and immediately before and after delivery, and parental, or characteristics of the parents, factors. In a study done by  Hertz-Piccottio et al. (2010), the authors examine possible parental, prenatal and perinatal factors associated with ASD. The methods of this study was a case-control study, using a cohort of children in China. Cases came from six special education schools and two Preschool Autistic Children Special Education Institutions in Tianjin, China (Hertz-Piccottio et al., 2010). The parental risk factors that were studied included parental ages at delivery, ethnicity, occupation, education, marriage of a close relative, exposure to toxins, personality, and family medical history of different illnesses (Hertz-Piccottio et al., 2010, p. 1313). The prenatal risk factors that were examined in this study included maternal characteristics and behaviors during pregnancy, alcohol consumption, smoking and second hand smoke exposure, exposure to X-rays, attempt to terminate pregnancy, contact with toxins, emotional state, disease history, and medication history (Hertz-Piccottio et al., 2010, p. 1313). Some perinatal factors that were examined include infant gestational age at birth, fetal nuchal chord (umbilical chord wrapped around neck), cesarean delivery, and breech birth. Also included were newborn complications such as birth weight, delayed crying, and abnormal skin color due to an array of conditions such a hypoxia, apnoea, neonatal jaundice, and several other conditions (Hertz-Piccottio et al., 2010, p. 1313). The results of this study showed relationships between several of the factors examined and the risk of having a child with ASD. In relation to the prenatal risk factors studied, seven conditions during gestation were significantly associated with the risk of having a child with ASD, four of which showed the strongest relationship. The four prenatal risk factors that showed the strongest relationship included frequent maternal second-hand smoke exposure, chronic and acute medical conditions unrelated to pregnancy, maternal unhappy emotional state, and one or more gestational complications (Hertz-Piccottio et al., 2010, p. 1314). For the perinatal risk factors that were studied, seven characteristics at the time of delivery were significantly associated with autism. These characteristics include abnormal gestational age, including preterm and post-term, nuchal chord, cesarean delivery, delayed crying, newborn complications, apnoea, and neonatal jaundice (Hertz-Piccottio et al., 2010, p. 1314). For the parental characteristics studied, results showed that gravidity > 1 and advanced paternal age at delivery were  significantly associated with autism (Hertz-Piccottio et al., 2010, p. 1314). Other studies have also done research on possible perinatal, prenatal, and parental risk factors for autism. In a study done by Agerbo et al. (2005), the authors created a study in Denmark of children with ASD. This study focused on possible perinatal risk factors for autism, as well as the associations between parental psychiatric history and socioeconomic status and the risk of having a child with autism. The following perinatal factors were investigated in this study: birth weight, gestational at birth, weight for gestational age, birth weight, Apgar score at 5 minutes, fetal presentation, mode of delivery, pregnancy characteristics such as multiple gestation, and parental characteristics such as maternal smoking, maternal and paternal ages, maternal citizenship, and number of previous pregnancies. Other factors considered were parental psychiatric history, that is, if the parent had been diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder prior to the date the child was diagnosed with autism, and socioeconomic factors, including maternal education and parental wealth (Agerbo et al., 2005). As we begin to understand more about what exactly autism spectrum disorders are, what may cause these disorders, and how to diagnose children more accurately and sooner, the next step in being proactive with ASD is studying different treatment methods and developing new methods of treatment that may be more effective. The biggest impairment for most children with ASD is the social impairments caused by these disorders. Developing treatments that may help children with an ASD learn how to better interact in social situations could possibly be the most useful type of treatment for these children. Researchers have been working on several different treatment methods for children with autism, especially treatments to help develop and improve social skills. In a study done by Koegel, Koegel, Hurley, and Frea (1992), the authors seek out to find a treatment to improve social skills in children with an ASD. This study assessed whether self-management could be used as a technique to improve extended responsiveness to verbal initiations from others, without the presence of a treatment provider. The methods of this study included four children, all of whom were diagnosed with autism.  The results of the study showed that children with autism who displayed severe deficits in social skills could learn to self-manage responsivity to others in multiple community settings (Koegel, Koegel, Hurley, & Frea, 1992). Another method of treatment that is being explored is the use of social robots for the therapy of children with ASD. In a study done by Werry, Dautenhahn, Ogden, and Harwin (2001) , the researchers developed a robotic agent that could help with therapy in children with autism. This study was called the AURORA project, which started in 1998. The results so far have been quite promising, and the social robot has proven to be a very useful tool for children with autism. It gives them the opportunity to practice social interactions and serves as a social mediator (Werry, Dautenhan, Ogden, & Harwin, 2001). The treatment of autism is not a simple process. There is no single therapy or method of treatment that can completely cure an individual with autism. However, there are an assortment of treatments and therapies that have proven to be effective in treating children with autism. Quite often, children with autism combine different treatment methods and therapies to improve different skills. Some of the more common approaches at treating autism in children include behavioral procedures, such as early intervention and discrete trial trainings, speech therapy, dietary approaches, and occupational therapy ( Watling, Deitz, Kanny, & McLaughlin, 1999). Early intervention, a behavioral analytic treatment for autism, is an intensive behavioral therapy that is started as soon as a child is diagnosed with autism, usually before age 5. This type of therapy is based on the principles of operant conditioning. In this type of treatment, therapists simplify children’s environment in order to maximize successes and minimize failures. For example, the therapist might break a behavior down into smaller units and teach each unit individually, eventually linking all of the units together, which may also be called chaining. Another method of simplification that a therapist may use is discrete trial format. Discrete trial format involves a one on one interaction with a therapist that is carefully planned out, in which the child receives short and clear instructions from the therapist, and is immediately reinforced for every  correct response. Another type of treatment for children with autism that is becoming more popular is occupational therapy. Occupational therapists are trained in teaching every day skills to help the individual being treated live as independently as possible. These skills can be very helpful to children with an ASD. One of the most well-known types of therapy occupational therapists use to help treat autism is sensory integration therapy. Those who practice this type of therapy hypothesize that the primary symptoms of autism are disturbances in sensory modulation. Consequently, children with autism have difficulties in social relating, communication, and language. Because children with autism have these disturbances in regulating sensory input appropriately, they suffer from several social and communication problems (Case-Smith & Bryan, 1999). The sensory integration approach attempts to stimulate and challenge the senses of the individual being treated (Cohn, 2001). A common symptom in individuals w ith autism is being either over stimulated under-stimulated by their environment. They often have trouble learning to combine and integrating their different senses. These sensory difficulties may be a cause of communication problems and social interaction problems in children with autism. Because they have such difficulty regulating their sensory systems, they tend to have trouble socializing and interacting with others. Some individuals with autism practice certain stereotyped behaviors, such as lining up toys or moving a toy back and forth on a table. This may be an attempt to try and regulate their sensory systems. The sensory integration approach aims to help children with autism improve their sensory processing and modulation. There are three elements typically included in this approach: helping parents better understand their child’s behavior, helping parents/teachers modify the child’s environment in order to meet his or hers sensory needs, and helping children organize responses to sensory input. However, each sensory integration therapy session is unique to the individual being treated. Occupational therapists must conside r different individuals’ unique needs and goals (Case-Smith & Bryan, 1999). Sensory integration therapy is the most used technique in occupational  therapy for the treatment of children with autism, with 95% of occupational therapists using this approach at least some of the time. The reason for its popularity in the treatment of autism is because of its proven efficacy in helping improve social interactions and communications. In a study done by Case-Smith and Bryan (1999) the authors found that sensory integration therapy can significantly increase mastery play, or the child’s interactions with the physical environment. They also found that sensory integration therapy significantly decreases non-engaged behaviors, or behaviors where the child is not interacting or minimally interacting with their environment. Examples of these behaviors include unfocused staring or aimless wandering. In a study by Cohn (2001), the author is concerned with parents’ perspectives of the sensory integration approach used in the treatment of their children. In t his study, the author found that sensory integration was successful in helping parents understand their children’s problems. While there is a great deal of research that has been done on the sensory integration approach as a treatment for children with autism and the efficacy of this treatment in improving certain social behaviors, there is not much literature on the effects of sensory integration therapy on grades and school performance of children with autism. In consideration to prior research in relation to autism and the treatment methods, the current study hypothesizes that sensory integration therapy will significantly improves grades and school performance in children with autism. Methods Participants Participants of this study will consist of young children with autism or another type of ASD, attending some type of day care or school for children with disabilities. Participants will be in the age group of 3 years old to 7 years old. There will be about 10-15 total participants. Materials This study will be a single-subject design, where each participant serves as his or hers own control group. The study will be conducted right after a break in school, such as winter break or summer break. When the students return from the break in school, they will attend school for three to four weeks without receiving any therapy or treatment. At the end of this period, grades will be assessed as well as general school performance such has  participation and behavior. After the three week period of no therapy, intervention will be initiated and children will all receive sensory integration therapy. Children will receive this therapy within the school for six to eight weeks. At the end of this intervention period, grades and school performance will be assessed again. Procedure The therapy sessions will take place in the day care or school building. Observations of the participants will be made in the classroom, both before the intervention period and during the intervention period. These observations will assess each child’s individual school performance, including things such as participation and class behaviors. Grades will also be assessed both before the intervention and during the intervention period. Students will return to school after their break and will not receive any therapy for three weeks. After the first three weeks, the intervention will be initiated and the children will each participate individually in a form of sensory integration therapy under the supervision of a trained occupational therapist. Each therapy session will be unique to the individual and his or hers unique needs or goals. At the end of the intervention period, grades will be assessed again. The grades and school performance of each child before the therapy was star ted will be compared with the grades and school performance assessed during and at the end of the therapy, using SPSS or some sort of statistical analysis program, to determine whether or not sensory integration therapy significantly improves grades and school performance in children with autism. References Agerbo, E., Eaton, W. W., Larsson, H. J., Madsen, K. M., Mortensen, P. B., Oleson, A. V., †¦Vestergaard, M. (2005). Risk factors for autism: Perinatal factors, parental psychiatric history, and socioeconomic status. American Journal of Epidemiology. 161(10), 916-925. doi:10.1093/aje/kwi123 Ascherio, A., Lyall, K., Pauls, D. L., Santangelo, S., & Spiegelman, D. (2011). Maternal early life factors associated with hormone levels and the risk of having a child with an autism spectrum disorder in the nurses health study II. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders,41, 618- 627. doi:10.1007/s10803-010-1079-7 Case – Smith, J., & Bryan, T. (1999). The effects of occupational therapy with sensory integration emphasis on preschool-age children with autism. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 53, 489 – 497. Cohn, E. S. (2001). Parent perspectives of occupational therapy using a sensory integration approach. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 55, 285-294. Hertz- Picciotto, I., Lv, C. C., Miao, R. J., Qi, L., Tian, J., Xi, W., & Zhang, X. (2010) Prenatal and perinatal risk factors for autism in china. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 40, 1311-1321. doi: 10.1007/s10803-010-0992-0 Kamps, D. M., Leonard, B. R., Vernon, S., Dugan, E. P., Delquadri, J. C., Gershon, B.,†¦Folk, L. (1992). Journal of Applied and Behavior Analysis, 25 (2), 281-288. Keen, D. & Ward, S. (2004). Autistic spectrum disorder a child population profile. The National Autistic Society, 8 (1), 39-48. Koegel, L. K., Koegel, R. L., Hurley, C., & Frea, W. (1992). Improving social skills and disruptive behavior in children with autism through self-management. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 25, 341-353. Smith, Tristram. (1999). Outcome of early intervention for children with autism. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice,6, (1), 33-49. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Mental Health. (2011). A parent’s guide to autism spectrum disorder (NIH Publication No. 11-5511). Retrieved from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/a-parents-guide-to-autism-spectrum-disorder/complete-index.shtml#pub6 Watling, R., Deitz, J., Kanny, E. M., & McLaughlin, J. F. (1999). Current practice of occupational therapy for children with autism. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 53, 498–505. Werry, I., Dautenhahn, K., Ogden, B., & Harwin, W. (2001). Can social interaction skills be taught by a social agent? The role of a robotic mediator in autism therapy.

Net Present Value method Essay

1. Net Present Value method is one of the methods used in capital budgeting. The NPV is based on the discontinued cash flow. A company that has a proposal for a new project or an investment uses the NPV method to decide if they should accept it or move on with a different investment. This method provides valuable information to the management about the cash outflows related to the investment and cash inflows from the investment with the consideration of the time value of money. The time value of money has been considered in this method because the money invested today will have a different value in the future. The cost capital is the minimum rate of  return that the proposed investment needs to reach in order to be accepted. When computing the Net Present Value the future cash outflows and inflows are discounted at present value at the rate of the cost of capital. If the required rate of return is lower than the cost of capital, then the company should reject the project and should not engage with it any further. On the other hand, if the required rate of return is even or higher, then the investment will be able to bring the profit that will provide founds to pay liabilities to company’s creditor and shareholders. 2. Under Internal Rate of Return the investment is evaluated based on the expected rate of return. The IRR for a cash flow is an interest rate that results in a NPV equal to zero. In this method the cost of capital is used and also known as hurdle rate. Hurdle rate is the minimum rate that the investment needs to reach in order to be accepted by the management. After computing the IRR, the decision making body compares the IRR results to the cost of capital rate. If the IRR is equal or higher that hurdle rate, the investment can be accepted, if lower – project should be rejected.

Sexual Content on TV Has a Negative Impact on Teenagers

Sexual Content on TV Has a Negative Impact on Teenagers TV Is Bad for Sex-Driven Teens – But There’s More to It People Like To See Sex One thing a person learns as they begin to mature is, things are never black and white, more like robins-egg blue and dark purple, all at once, mixed with little green and black dots in there. It’s a little bit of this, a little bit of that, rarely how we pictured it. The same applies to arguments and points made about certain things – especially when it comes to sex. No one argues there is quite a bit of sexual content on TV, but it is certainly not the only component negatively affecting today’s teens: content on the Internet and films also leave quite a negative impression on teens in terms of how popular culture affects one’s use and understanding of sexuality. TV May Encourage Teens To Embrace a Hyper-Sexualized Lifestyle For one, it’s true: TV is ravaged with sex. Sex sells. Accept it. But the secret is out – people like and like to see sex. It’s on television for sure. Even if it’s not hazy sex scenes, there is a lot of low cleavage and big bosoms – like in the hit show Modern Family. It’s a fantastic show without the sex appeal, but its ample shots of a woman’s low-cut top emphasizing her large chest are just sickening. Young people, especially impressionable teens, see this and it gives them the idea that they are only valued for their sexual offerings. That is not the case. This is clearly the wrong message we want to send to our vulnerable, near-sighted teens. People, biologically, yes, are meant to copulate and spread the species. But the sex on TV clearly negatively impacts teens, and it may encourage them to embrace a hyper-sexualized lifestyle. We don’t want our future voters growing up believing this to be the standard. Sex Is Overtaking Our Culture There is another factor negatively impacting teens today – it’s not just TV that is sexualizing our youth, it’s also the Internet. MTV used to sensor music videos; now you can hear any song with explicit lyrics played as recorded in the studio – bad language and adult content in all. YouTube and other social media play and shares millions of videos with its users, and you can’t discuss sexual content on the Internet without saying how easy you write in Google some description like â€Å"girls in bikinis† and get slammed my pornographic images. And unless a parent enacts a Google adult-supervision app, any impressionable teen can scan the Internet and see despicable images of sex, some entirely too graphic for young eyes to see. On top of that, Porn is so easy to find. Just a quick search and boom: there are porn websites much like that of YouTube. It’s disgusting how sex is overtaking our culture and brainwashing our teens into believi ng promiscuity is a normal, respectable way to live one’s life. On top of TV and the Internet, films also comprise a crucial element in conditioning the over-sexualized youth of our country. Porn is everywhere, especially where it started to become a mainstream part of our culture: film. The film most certainly is another mode of pornography, which has a negative impact on teenagers if viewed at too young an age; this may often be the case, however. Many of our young people are having sex at 14-17 years old, thinking it’s the norm to engage in sex-only relationships and one-nighters. But it’s not okay. That’s how people get sick with disease or get pregnant too young. And one factor to blame for the mentality is the sexual content of film and video as well, not just on TV. In conclusion, sexual content on TV does have a negative impact on teenagers. But there is more to the picture, the overall recipe: images and pornographic content on the Internet and in Film certainly also play a major role in the story. But we have to ask ourselves about the consequences of this overload of sexuality – could we see a country, a world of, perverts and sex addicts, a disease-ridden place with too many abortions and Plan-B encounters and one-night stands? We have to encourage people to seek responsible, considerate, meaningful relationships – of course, these do not go without sexual intercourse. Sex is a part of life as it is, and it’s in the classroom in many school districts, and though sex is one of the most natural activities we do in life, many abuse it and don’t revere it is as  something special.

The effect of performance management systems on employee engagement The WritePass Journal

The effect of performance management systems on employee engagement Introduction The effect of performance management systems on employee engagement IntroductionBackgroundThe research question Literature reviewEmployee engagementTheoretical context for employee engagementPerformance managementTheoretical context for performance managementIntervening variablesMethodologyDesign and procedureParticipantsModel specificationOperationalisation of variablesAnalysis LimitationsReferencesRelated Introduction Background Prior research has established the positive effects of employee engagement in the workplace, not only for the organisation in its entirety but also for the wellbeing and productivity of individual employees (Kahn, 1990). It is therefore of paramount importance that research correctly identifies the factors which give rise to increased employee engagement and investment in their job. Rich, Lepine and Crawford (2010) found in a study of 245 fire fighters that engagement, conceptualised as the investment of one’s complete self into a job role (the degree to which a job role is integrated into a personal construct) was a significant mediator in the relationship between value congruence, perceived organisational support, core self-evaluations and the dependent variable: job performance dimensions. Aside from the obvious benefits, including increased productivity and employee initiative, this also suggests that there are psychological perks for employees with higher rates of engagem ent. Increased self-efficacy, job satisfaction, self-esteem and morale have been found to be direct consequences of higher rates of employee engagement (Bakker and Schaufeli, 2008; Harter, Schmidt and Hayes, 2002). Employee wellbeing in the workplace is known to correlate with positive business outcomes (Harter, Schmidt and Keyes, 2003). Overall, engaged employees are more likely to view their job as meaningful, their management and leadership as above average, have better perceptions of their own ability to perform their duties and are more likely to be satisfied with their jobs, leading to a greater work ethic and better performance (May, Gilson and Harter, 2004). The research question The research problem we are facing is to determine the antecedents of employee engagement in the workplace. The questions that will be used to investigate this will query the relationship between management policy and employee engagement. The objective of this study will be to determine whether performance management strategies used by companies affects in any capacity the tendency of employees to fully engage themselves in the workplace. The experimental hypothesis will be that increased use of performance management strategies in the workplace increases rates of employee engagement. Performance management is the independent variable and employee engagement will be the dependent variable. This will establish whether one significant facet of management policy affects employee engagement; an important factor in predicting effectiveness in the workplace. However there are other factors which could potentially influence the dependent variable (employee engagement) which are beyond the scope of this study. There may be many aspects of the individual and their chosen career which affect how engaged they are regardless of management policy. In addition, Saks (2006) found that multiple facets of how an organisation handles employees work ethic determines how engaged they are in the workplace, including how much training is provided and perceived effectiveness of procedural justice at work. Isolating performance management will be one step in building a framework to more fully predict employee engagement. If the anticipated effects are discovered, this would be valuable information for businesses wishing to enhance employee productivity and satisfaction using the medium of employee engagement. By establishing the antecedents of employee engagement it will be possible to fill in another gap in the overall model presented by research to predict positive business outcomes. It has been vehemently established that employee engagement can indirectly affect this outcome, but the influences resulting in greater engagement have received relatively little attention. Performance management in particular was chosen since it encapsulates something that is under the direct control of businesses, and will therefore potentially offer an immediate and practical means for businesses to affect employee engagement. Literature review This section will incorporate definitions of the variables involved and the theoretical context of employee engagement and its antecedents. It will also cover some of the research into other factors besides the independent variable for this study which could reasonably affect the independent variable. Employee engagement The definition of employee engagement is surprisingly ambiguous in the literature, which led Macey and Schneider (2008) to gather and categorise the various definitions found in research. They found that authors generally referred to engagement in one of three broad domains; psychological state engagement, behavioural engagement and trait engagement. The effect of management, leadership, company policy and any performance management strategies employed by the business are of course effective only at the behavioural and psychological state level; trait level engagement is innate and relatively constant in each individual, and arises from various psychometric variables. The conceptualisation we shall settle on for this study will therefore involve only the psychological state and behavioural levels, since the primary independent variables of interest involve factors the business can influence to increase employee engagement. Theoretical context for employee engagement Within a theoretical context, employee engagement fits well into the explanatory remit of self-determination theory (Deci and Ryan, 1985). This theory postulates that different forms of motivation exist; autonomous regulation refers to all volition which originates from genuine internal desires, as opposed to controlled regulation in which the source of the impetus to act is external. In terms of engagement at work, autonomous regulation is desirable, as it results in greater initiative and productivity at a task. According to Meyer and Gagne (2008), who explored the underlying psychological mechanisms of autonomous regulation in the workplace, the key lies in satisfying basic psychological needs for competency, autonomy and relatedness. Performance management systems are likely to be a part of building the work environment which successfully cultivates these feelings in employees; giving them a sense that their needs have been met. Although of course there is certainly more involved in determining the extent to which employees are personally involved in their work than need satisfaction. Intervening factors are likely to include employee personal circumstances and the current economic climate. Performance management For the purposes of this study, the definition of performance management shall be the degree to which intervention by the business occurs to ensure recognition of above average performance, and involvement with offering incentives for increased productivity and work ethic. All other variables listed above which have been identified as causal antecedents of engagement will be considered as confounding variables in this study, and will be controlled for as far as possible. According to Roberts (2001), performance management involves the setting of objectives, the use of appraisal systems, reward strategies, training and feedback. This is a definition that can be more easily operationalized as the components are clearly divided which will make development of measurement scales for each subset simpler. Therefore these are the components that shall be measured as the independent variable in this study to make up performance management. Theoretical context for performance management Performance management affects employee perceptions and attitudes, which subsequently affect performance (Hartog, Boselie and Paauwe, 2004). This fits in with the theoretical framework which places employee engagement as reflecting attitudes and the meaning ascribed to job roles. It is therefore logical to expect that higher levels of implementation of performance management strategies would be significantly related to employee engagement. Although this theoretical framework does not leave much room for the inclusion of the position individual employees ascribe to their jobs in their lives. It is relatively simplistic in terms of modelling the expected effects, and there are likely to be confounding variables. Intervening variables Research has uncovered some general factors which contribute in various magnitudes to the level of employee engagement. Job characteristics (van der Broeck, Vansteenkiste, de Witte and Lens, 2008) perceived organisational support (including leadership), procedural justice, learning and training opportunities and performance management strategies (including rewards and recognition management) are all important in predicting the level of engagement an employee is likely to exhibit (Saks, 2006). This study will address one aspect of the bigger research question then; the explanatory power of performance management over employee engagement will be established. The issue will require further research to account for other possible influences on engagement, and potential interaction effects between independent variables. The originality of this study then lies in the examination of a relatively newly recognised concept (employee engagement) and shedding light on the specific relationship it has with performance management strategies, independent of other influences. Methodology This section will describe the proposed method of examining the experimental hypothesis, including how data will be gathered, what will be measured, and how the data will be analysed. Design and procedure Since the sample is limited to one business many confounding variables such as differing job demands and organisational structure can be eliminated. The samples will be taken from historical data, from employees working within a business with relatively low levels of performance management compared to similar organisations. The business under study will have to be one which has at some point implemented a new, more involved performance management strategy; this is how the independent variable will be manipulated. Both levels of employee engagement and performance management will be measured before the implementation of the new performance management strategy to serve as the control data. After the new strategy has been imposed and levels of performance management have increased in the business, the independent and dependent variable will be measured again, and this data will serve as the experimental condition. To establish the persistence over time of any significant differences in the dependent variable found to result from the change in performance management strategy, three samples will be taken at six month intervals after the implementation of the new strategy. If there is any initial difference in employee engagement between the samples immediately before and after the new strategy comes into for ce, the subsequent samples taken after the strategy has been present for some time will tell us about the long term effects of increasing performance management, otherwise the possibility remains that any effects are merely short term and fade when employees become accustomed to the new system. This will therefore be a repeated measures design. The rates of employee engagement will be compared between temporally differing samples, which will determine if changing levels of performance management alone were sufficient to affect a change in engagement, and how any effects persist, weaken, or strengthen with time. Participants Data will be gathered from secondary sources extant in the literature. The ratings of employee engagement and performance management strategies will be gathered from employees and managers working within the same business. Model specification The model we have to test (based on prior research in the area) places employee engagement as dependent in part on performance management. An a priori power analysis will be conducted on previous studies examining employee engagement to determine the expected effect size. Operationalisation of variables Performance management will be defined as the number of rewards and punishments handed out by senior management, the amount of time employees spend in training, and how often employees are appraised. Employee engagement will be measured with subjective rating scales and peer ratings. Analysis Statistical analysis of this data would include one-way analysis of variance. First performance management would be measured in each group to ensure that in reality there was a change due to the implementation of the new strategy. Then the degree of variability in engagement can be examined between conditions. The relative impact of increasing performance management can be examined in the short and long term, which could help in our theoretical understanding of the psychological underpinnings of any effects observed; if the effects change over time, this will provide clues for future research to investigate, and give use evidence to speculate further on why the change took place. This method of statistical analysis will allow for simple comparisons between control and experimental groups, and for different levels of the experimental condition, in this case the amount of time elapsed after the implementation of the new strategy. Limitations Since the data will all be gathered from the same business, many confounding variables will remain constant between groups, however this means the findings may be less applicable to other business contexts. There is also the fact that a substantial time will have passed between conditions, meaning there may have been other changes other than the independent variable under study, which could confound the results. All other pertinent factors will be investigated and accounted for in the final report to ensure they remain as consistent as possible. It is also essential to recognise the fact that different individuals harbouring different internal traits and psychological dispositions will be motivated to engage in their workplace by different factors which are meaningful to them personally. This is especially true between individuals with radically differing job characteristics and duties since they are likely to have different expectations of their job, and view their relationship to their job role differently. However the influences on engagement cited here have been shown to be generally applicable despite differing job roles. Psychological factors of unique individuals may also play a role in shaping how well specific employees fit into their job role. May, Gilson and Harter (2004) found that perceived meaningfulness of job role, perceived safety at work (including co-worker relations and perceived job security) and availability of psychological resources relevant to job demands are all positively correlated with employee engagement. Such factors may be positively influenced directly by effective performance management but are otherwise outside the scope of this study. The fact that different employees are likely to have been used between conditions (due to the time elapsed) could also pose a problem due to their potential to have very different opinions, experiences and traits relevant to their work life which could influence employee engagement. Limitations include the fact that not all influences on the outcome variable have possibly been considered in the analysis, although there are good theoretical grounds for including the variables that are present. There is likely a myriad of intervening factors affecting how much employees engage at work, but focusing on ones that are immediately under the control of the business administrators and relatively logistically sound to implement makes the most sense as a starting point for this line of research. References Bakker, A. B., Schaufeli, W. B. (2008) Positive organizational behavior: Engaged employees in flourishing organizations.  Journal of Organizational Behavior,  29(2), 147-154 Den Hartog, D. N., Boselie, P. and Paauwe, J. (2004) Performance management: a model and research agenda.  Applied psychology,  53(4), 556-569 Harter, J. K., Schmidt, F. L. and Hayes, T. L. (2002) Business-unit-level relationship between employee satisfaction, employee engagement, and business outcomes: a meta-analysis.  Journal of applied psychology,  87(2), 268 Harter, J. K., Schmidt, F. L. and Keyes, C. L. (2003) Well-being in the workplace and its relationship to business outcomes: A review of the Gallup studies.  Flourishing: Positive psychology and the life well-lived,  2, 205-224 Kahn, W. A. (1990) Psychological conditions of personal engagement and disengagement at work.  Academy of management journal,  33(4), 692-724 Macey, W. H. and Schneider, B. (2008) The meaning of employee engagement. Industrial and Organisational Psychology, 1, 3-30 May, D. R., Gilson, R. L. and Harter, L. M. (2004) The psychological conditions of meaningfulness, safety and availability and the engagement of the human spirit at work.  Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology,  77(1), 11-37 Meyer, J. P. and Gagnà ©, M. (2008) Employee engagement from a self-determination theory perspective.  Industrial and Organizational Psychology,  1(1), 60-62 Rich, B. L., Lepine, J. A. and Crawford, E. R. (2010) Job engagement: Antecedents and effects on job performance. Academic Management Journal, 53(3), 617-635 Roberts, I. (2001) Reward and performance management.  Human resource management: A contemporary approach,  3, 506-558 Saks, A. M. (2006) Antecedents and consequences of employee engagement.Journal of Managerial Psychology,  21(7), 600-619 Van den Broeck, A., Vansteenkiste, M., De Witte, H. and Lens, W. (2008) Explaining the relationships between job characteristics, burnout, and engagement: The role of basic psychological need satisfaction.  Work Stress,22(3), 277-294

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