Ethics in Public Administration Essay

The national bicentennial in 1976 marked two important birthdays for public administration. It was the ninetieth anniversary of the appearance of the first fully developed essay on what was considered a â€Å"new† or at least a separately identified field — public administration. In that essay, the young political scientist Woodrow Wilson (1941) wrote the now famous words, â€Å"administration lies outside the proper sphere of politics. Administrative questions are not political questions; although politics sets the tasks for administration, it should not be suffered to manipulate its offices. â€Å" And it was exactly fifty years since the publication of Leonard White (1926) text, Introduction to the Study of Public Administration, the first in the field. White’s book was, for his time, an advanced and sophisticated attempt to marry the science of government and the science of administration. Whereas Wilson had argued that public administration is â€Å"a field of business† and should be separate from â€Å"politics,† White forty years later countered that public administration can be effective only if it constitutes an integration of the theory of government and the theory of administration. As fields or professions go, public administration is young. Its early impetus was very much connected with civil service reform, the city manager movement, the â€Å"good government† movement, and the professionalization of the administrative apparatus of government. It was in this era that â€Å"principles of administration† were developed and the first academic programs in the field were established at American universities. This was a heady era, during which the United States civil service was developed, an innovation adopted in many American states and municipalities. Formal systems of budgeting and purchasing were adopted, and other aspects of the science of management were applied to government affairs. Many of the early leaders in this reform movement also played out important political roles, most notably Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson. Public administration was new, a response to a rapidly changing government. The second â€Å"era† in public administration could be said to have begun with the Depression and the New Deal, followed by World War II. This era was characterized by the remarkably rapid growth of the government, particularly at the national level, the development of major American social programs, and ultimately the development of a huge defense program. At this time it became apparent that a large and centralized government can accomplish heroic tasks. Patterns were being developed and attitudes framed for the conduct of American government and the practices of public administration for the coming twenty years. This era also produced most of the major American scholars in public administration who were to dominate the scene from the 1940s into the 1970s. The period that followed was characterized by rapid growth in the public service and by extensive suburbanization and urbanization. But it was also a period of great questioning of the purposes and premises of public administration. A broad variety of social programs and services were developed, a cold war machine was maintained, and the public service continued both to grow and to professionalize. It seemed as if such expansion could go on endlessly. But by the mid-1960s several crises were developing simultaneously. In many ways, these crises seemed in part to result from the excesses of an earlier time. In other ways, they seemed to be an expression of old and unanswered problems built into our society and our system of government. The urban crisis resulted from relentless suburbanization — governmentally supported. The racial crisis is closely connected, resulting in part from the serious ghettoization of American minorities in the central sections of our great cities. As the central cities have deteriorated, so have their public services. We continue to have unacceptable levels of unemployment, especially among minorities. And our welfare system is badly overloaded. The rapid depletion of our fuel resources results in an energy crisis, which comes hard on the heels of the environmental crisis. And, of course, there is health care, transportation, and on and on. All of these crises have affected public administration. Three particular events or activities occurred between the mid-1960s and 1970s that indelibly marked the society and the government and, hence, public administration: the war in Vietnam, the urban riots and continued racial strife, and Watergate. These crises and events resulted in new government programs and changed ways of thinking about and practicing public administration. Frederick C. Mosher and John C. Honey studied the characteristics and composition of the public service in the mid-1960s. 3 Their basic finding was that most public servants feel little or no identity with the field of public administration. Few have ever had a course and fewer still hold a degree in the subject. Public administration at the time seemed to have a rather narrow definition of its purposes, centering primarily on budgeting, personnel, and organization and management problems. Most public servants, it was found, identify with some or another professional field, such as education, community planning, law, public health, or engineering. Even many of those who would be expected to identify with public administration are more particularly interested in some subset of the field, such as finance, personnel, policy analysis, and the like. There was very little policy emphasis in public administration — very little discussion of defense policy, environmental policy, economic policy, urban policy. There was, at the time, much talk of public administration as everyone’s â€Å"second profession. † Education for public administration in the mid-1960s hardly sparkled. The early furor of the reformers had died. The American Society for Public Administration was beginning to struggle. By the late 1970s, public administration had changed, both in its practice and its teaching. There are many indicators: the Intergovernmental Personnel Act; Title IX of the Higher Education Act; the Federal Executive Institute and the Federal Executive Seminars; the remarkable growth and vigor of education for public service; the President’s Management Intern Program; the Harry S. Truman Foundation; the size and quality of ASPA; the development of the Consortium on Education for the Public Service; several HUD grants to public administration-related activities; a much heavier policy emphasis; a renewed concern for ethics and morality in government service; and the continued professionalization of the public service coupled with refinement of management methods at all levels of government. To affix the label â€Å"new† to anything is risky business. The risk is doubled when newness is attributed to ideas, thoughts, concepts, paradigms, theories. Those who claim new thinking tend to regard previous thought as old or jejune or both. In response, the authors of previous thought are defensive and inclined to suggest that aside from having packaged earlier thinking in a new vocabulary there is little that is really new in so-called new thinking. Accept, therefore, this caveat: Parts of new public administration would be recognized by Plato, Hobbes, Machiavelli, Hamilton, and Jefferson as well as by many modern behavioral theorists. The newness is in the way the fabric is woven, not necessarily in the threads that are used. And the newness is in arguments as to the proper use of the fabric — however threadbare. The threads of the public administration fabric are well known. Herbert Kaufman describes them simply as the pursuit of these basic values: representativeness, politically neutral competence, and executive leadership (Kaufman, 1969). In different times, one or the other of these values receives the greatest emphasis. Representativeness was preeminent in the Jacksonian era. The eventual reaction was the reform movement emphasizing neutral competence and executive leadership. Now we are witnessing a revolt against these values accompanied by a search for new modes of representativeness. Others have argued that changes in public administration resemble a zero-sum game between administrative efficiency and political responsiveness. Any increase in efficiency results a priori in a decrease in responsiveness. We are simply entering a period during which political responsiveness is to be purchased at a cost in administrative efficiency. Clearly, the most interesting developments in modern public administration are not empirical but are philosophical, normative, and speculative. In public administration, the phrase â€Å"social equity† has emerged as a shorthand way of referring to the concerns and opinions of those who are challenging contemporary theory and practice. As yet, the phrase social equity, however, has little substance or precision. The problem of equity is as old as government. Dwight Waldo (1972) points out that â€Å"much governmental action in the United States has not been simply discriminatory but massively and harshly so. Much governmental action has also, however, been directed toward achieving equality; paradoxically, action to assure assimilation and uniformity also has sometimes been insensitive and coercive. â€Å"Equality,† he concludes, â€Å"is central to the understanding of much recent and contemporary public administration. † It has been seriously suggested that social equity be a standard by which public administrators, both in the bureau and the academy, assess and evaluate their behavior and decisions. Social equity, then, would be a criterion for effectiveness in public administration in the same way that efficiency, economy, productivity, and other criteria are used. Whenever an ethic or standard for behavior is described, it is essential to provide an accompanying caveat. In the present case, the social equity point of view will need to be buffered by recognition first that there is a high ethical content in most significant public decisions; public problems do not succumb simply to factual analysis. This being the case, if the public servant is to be an interpreter of events and an influencer, if not a maker of decisions, what, then, should be included in the standards of ethical behavior that guide the public servant? Surely the standards of ethics and morality that are applicable and sufficient to a citizen in private or in social relationships are not adequate for the public decisions of an administrator. And it is now increasingly clear that the decision problems faced by these administrators are seldom black or white in relation to their ethical content and consequences. There often is really no â€Å"one best way,† but rather a decision should be made that maximizes such results as are attainable given the resources available and minimizes negative side effects. And finally, one must accept the proposition that politics and administrative organizations are themselves the best protectors of administrative morality provided that they are open, public, and participatory. Within this context, then, we pursue the development of a social equity ethic for public administration. Modern public administration cannot assume these conditions away. Certainly pluralistic governments (practicing majority rule, coupled with powerful minorities with special forms of access) systematically discriminate in favor of established, stable bureaucracies and their specialized clientele — and against those minorities who lack political and economic resources. Thus widespread and deep inequity are perpetuated. The long-range continuation of widespread and deep inequities poses a threat to the continued existence of this or any political system. Continued deprivation amid plenty breeds hopelessness and her companions, anger and militancy. A public administration that fails to work for changes that try to address this deprivation will likely eventually be used to oppress the deprived. What new public administration is striving for, then, is equity. Black’s Law Dictionary (1957) defines equity in its broadest and most general signification: [Equity] denotes the spirit and the habit of fairness and justness and right dealing which would regulate the intercourse of men with men, — the rule of doing to all others, as we desire them to do to us; or, as it is expressed by Justinian, â€Å"to live honestly, to harm nobody, to render every man his due. † †¦ It is therefore, the synonym of natural right or justice. But in this sense its obligation is ethical rather than jural, and its discussion belongs to the sphere of morals. It is grounded in the precepts of the conscience not in any sanction of positive law. Equity, then, is an issue that we will find to be a question of ethics. We will also find it to be a question of law. The foremost theorist presently supporting a concept of equity in government is John Rawls (1971). In his book A Theory of Justice, he sets out a splendid framework for a fundamental equity ethic. When speaking of our government institutions, Rawls states: â€Å"For us the primary subject of justice is the basic structure of society, or more exactly, the way in which the major social institutions distribute fundamental rights and duties and determine the division of advantages from social cooperation. By major institutions I understand the political constitution and the principal economic and social arrangements. † Justice, then, is the basic principle and is dominant over other principles in Rawls’s form of ethics. Rawls begins his theory with a definition of the individual or citizen and states: Each person possesses an inviolability founded on justice that even the welfare of society as a whole cannot override. For this reason justice denies that the loss of freedom for some is made right by the greater good shared by others. It does not allow that the sacrifices imposed on a few are outweighed by the larger sum of advantages enjoyed by many. Therefore, in a just society the liberties of equal citizenship are taken as settled; the rights secured by justice are not subject to political bargaining or to the calculus of social interest. In developing his theory, Rawls suggests an intellectual device or technique by which the principles of equity can be set forth. The first and most important intellectual technique is the notion of original position. The original position constitutes an agreement upon the most basic principles of justice upon which all of the basic structures of society (social, economic, and political) will be predicated. The principles of justice that emerge are both final and binding on all: â€Å"Since the original agreement is final and made in perpetuity, there is no second chance. † To make this theory operative, Rawls then proposes two principles of justice: â€Å"The first principle is to have an equal right to the most extensive total system of equal basic liberties compatible with a similar system of liberty for all. The second principle is that social and economic inequalities are to be arranged so that they are both: (a) to the greatest benefit to the least advantaged, consistent with the just savings principle, and (b) attached to offices and positions open to all under conditions of fair equality and opportunity. † 11 These two principles, then, are to be a right of the same significance or order as the present rights as we understand them in government. Hart further states: According to Rawls, acceptance of the two principles of justice means that the collective efforts of society would be concentrated in behalf of its less advantaged members. This does not mean that all inequalities would disappear and all good will be equally distributed to achieve parity throughout the society. There would still be disparities in income and status. But there is an irreducible minimum of primary goods (such as self-respect, rights and liberties, power and opportunities, income and wealth) that are due every man, and the minimum must be met. 12 Rawls states that this is â€Å"a strongly egalitarian conception in the sense that unless there is a distribution that makes both persons better off (limiting ourselves to the two-person case for simplicity), an equal distribution is to be preferred. † 13 It is obvious that Rawls theory of justice is vastly different from other contemporary patterns of moral reasoning. Rawls does not argue it because it is good or right but rather because there is an increasing importance to the interdependence of persons that makes notions of advantages and disadvantages less and less acceptable. It is a pervasive sense of noblesse oblige or a sense of eternity among people. Rawls states that â€Å"in justice as fairness men agree to share one another’s fate. In designing institutions they undertake to avail themselves of the accidents of nature and social circumstances only when doing so is for the common benefit. † Because not all persons are genetically â€Å"equal,† the more advantaged have a moral duty to serve all others including the disadvantaged, not for altruistic reasons but because of the significance of human interdependence. As Hart (1974) says, â€Å"One serves because justice requires it and the result is the continuous enhancement of self-respect. Just actions, then, not only create the optimal condition for human life, they also are a major element in the rationalization of self. â€Å" Although all of this theory and definition is interesting, we live in a world of large and very complex organizations where the application of such concepts is difficult. This is also a world in which organizations tend to elevate their own needs over individual needs and goals. The problem is one of making complex organizations responsible to the needs of the individual. This requires rising above the rules and routines of organization to some concern for the self-respect and dignity of the individual citizen. Rawls’s theory is designed to instruct those who administer organizations that the rights of individuals would be everywhere protected. Hart summarizes this approach to social equity with the following: (1) The theory of justice would provide social equity with an ethical content. Acceptance of the theory of justice would provide the equitable public administrator with clear, well-developed ethical guidelines which would give social equity the force that it now lacks. (2) The theory of justice could provide the necessary ethical consensus -that the equitable public administrator has both the duty and the obligation to deploy his efforts on behalf of the less advantaged. (3) The theory of justice would impose constraints upon all complex public organizations since no organization would be allowed to infringe upon the basic liberties of individuals. (4) The theory of justice would provide a means to resolve ethical impasses (the original position). (5) The theory of justice would provide a professional code for public administration that would require a commitment to social equity (Hart, 1974).

Joint optimization of mean and standard

The author suggests that through the use of pacific algorithms, business can eliminate the DNS problems, and achieve a standardization of reporting. The findings of this study are not so much to introduce an overall fix for the DNS problem, but to inform the reader about a number of mathematician who are working to introduce a â€Å"one size fits all† solution to the global optimal solution in reporting the mean and the standard deviation targets (Mourn, Niece 2003).Reference: Kooky Mourn, Niece Diagonally. (2003). Journal of Quality Technology. Joint optimization of mean and standard deviation using response surface methods: http://search. Protest. Com. Explore. Bibliography. Mom/deceive/214494399 Joint optimization of mean and standard By affiliate entered wrong, or the deviation to large or small.The purpose of this article is to investigate the potential, and problems, with the dual response system (DRY), study, the author explores the use of each system and the inherent p roblems that deviation below a specified value. This one shot approach is acceptable, but this are using the DRY to obtain more flexible information access. One of the approaches is to use a nonlinear multiplicative programming technique that uses the NIMBUS software and Solver in an Excel spreadsheet to acquire simultaneous solutions to the

Financial Analysis of Yum Brands

A Financial Analysis of Yum! Brands, Inc Restaurants are, and will continue to be, an extremely profitable business. As a result, shareholders who have interest in brands such as McDonalds and Starbucks need not to worry about negative implications for the food giants compared to more risky industries. One company in particular, Yum! Brands (YUM), is another brand investors should become familiar with. Consumers may recognize the more specific stores the company owns such as Taco Bell and Pizza Hut, but investors should realize the sales and earnings growth associated with this organization.In addition, while there are many companies in the restaurant industry, Yum not only rings familiar with consumers like Starbucks, but Yum engenders excellent financial news at a level above its competitors. However, before trying to access these financial statements, it is important to understand more specifics about Yum's business model. According to Reuters, Yum â€Å"is a quick service restau rant (QSR) with over 34,000 units in more than 100 countries and territories. † These quick service restaurants include consumer favorites such as Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Long John Silver's, and KFC.Whether the operating segment sells pizza or chicken, â€Å"Yum develops, operates, franchises and licenses a worldwide system of restaurants, which prepare, package and sell a menu of food items. † As each of these fast-food places is obvious to most readers in America, it is also quite interesting that over 100 countries are familiar with these names as well. In fact, segments like KFC were actually introduced in many markets like China before more obvious competitors like McDonalds. Since fast food is generally considered an inelastic, or non-cyclical, good, even during times of economic uncertainty, Yum will prosper.While most of its food is relatively cheap compared to rivals such as Brinker and Darden, consumers will still flock to Yum restaurants in similar volume durin g any stage of the economic cycle. Therefore, revenue growth should continue to remain steady, but positive, year after year making Yum a great portfolio choice at any time. To justify this claim, during the past twelve months, Yum received a revenue figure, according to Reuters, of $9. 56 billion. This number was a 5. 05% increase compared to the previous year number.While this increase in margin was a bit below the average year-to-year increase of 6. 58%, the difference in growth decline was only a 23% difference. Other companies like Brinker saw a 43% deceleration during this same time period. In addition, while some investors may critique the industry 11. 31% growth in sales during the past to Yum's lower numbers, it is also important to realize that Yum supports the seconds highest sales figure in its industry, and appreciation of revenue growth will be much difficult than smaller-capitalization companies to come-by.This is in addition to the fact that many lower-revenue compan ies in this industry are actually seeing negative sales growth (not deceleration) during the same time frame as the aforementioned analysis. With these thoughts on sales at hand, these numbers can be used at the broadest of levels to illustrate that the steady increase and influx of money into Yum over its career has aided in the appreciation of its share price. Since 2003, not once has Yum seen a calendar year decrease in price. This comes with a 25% appreciation in 2006 and a 12% escalation so far in 2007–despite the recent economic turmoil.These sales and share price indications illustrate that Yum will fair very well during all types of economic activity. Nevertheless, revenue cannot be the only financial analysis required to find superior companies. It is vital to understand how efficient a company is in reducing costs and using capital and labor to actually produce the final good. These intangible-sounding comparisons can actually become tangible given the use of margin s. Starting from gross margins, investors should be happy to find out that over the past twelve months, growth at 25. 9% has been higher than the pervious five year average of 24. 82%. While the former is a bit below the industry's average of 29. 04%, it is important to stress that Yum's revenue is the second highest in a fairly large industry, making outstanding margins difficult to come by. Nevertheless, compared to close revenue competitors, Yum's gross margins are better than Starbucks's (23. 62%), Darden's (23. 50%), and Brinker's (16. 42%). In addition, Yum's operating margins of 13. 14% are not only higher than its five year average of 12. 84%, but is doing better than the industry's twelve month margin of only 11. 76%.Moreover, these operating figures for Yum are also better than the same-time period numbers of Starbucks (11. 18%), Darden (9. 53%), and Brinker (7. 87%). While these numbers all indicate growth for Yum, the biggest instrument (that will be justified later with valuation tactics) is earnings differences. Fortunately for Yum, a 16. 27% increase in earnings per share over the past year is 29. 74% higher that the company's five year average increase. Compared to competitors, all three of Brinker, Darden, and Starbucks saw a deceleration of earnings growth last year, and none of these yearly increases matched the top-revenue producer, Yum.While there is clear evidence that Yum is great growth story, some investors may wonder whether Yum is overvalued given its success. Fortunately for these investors, this is not the case. In fact, some potential shareholders may make the claim that Yum is undervalued. Currently the industry has a P/E multiple of 31. 88 and a price to sales ratio of 2. 10. However, if analyst expectations are correct or and underestimate actual results (5/5 and 4/5 correct or below last five quarters for EPS and sales respectively), Yum sees a forward price to sales ratio 1. 9 and price to earnings ratio of 20. 18. Now while these numbers are not extraordinarily undervalued, as companies like Darden have slightly lower figures, compared to the industry as a whole and competitors like Starbucks (2. 25 price to sales and 31. 48 price to earnings), Yum's valuation is far from being labeled as a negative characteristic. Therefore, given good growth reports and not too much speculation relative to share price, there is strong news from both further financial achievement and valuation.However, before reaching a final conclusion, there are some other indicators to look at. One of these criteria is management efficiency. According to Reuters, Yum had seen a 60. 80% ROE figure for the past twelve months. While a bit smaller than the five year average, the number easily obliterates the industrial average and all three aforementioned market-cap competitors. This figure illustrates that Yum is not only increasing its net profit year after year, but helping investors by purchasing back some of its stock. Although ca pital spending is a bit below industrial averages at -0. 0% over the past five years for Yum, the company still has a healthy balance sheet of cash, especially compared to its price (undervalued). In addition, efficiency also comes from the company's turnover ratios. Receivable turnover at 41. 62%, inventory turnover at 80. 93%, and asset turnover at 1. 61% are all quite above the industrial averages and many competitor averages as well. Solvency with a current ratio of 0. 59 is quite low, but inline relative to the rest of the industry, but fast food restaurants need not to worry too much about liquidating assets.In addition, 83. 13% of equity for Yum is owned by institutional investors. This number is above the industrial figure at 74. 07% and also above Darden's and Starbuck's respective numbers. While there are many intelligent retail investors, having the real experts in institutional investors carry the bulk of the company shows optimism for future performance. And in addition al to this control, another enticement in a 1. 81% dividend yield should also help investors relay this company into more hands at a higher share price.Looking at the business model and fundamental features, there is strong evidence to support that investing in this company will yield strong returns. Technically speaking, the share price of Yum just recently crossed both the 50 day SMA and EMA–a bullish signal, and while there is encouragement to invest any time to profit from this company, now would be an almost ideal situation. Therefore, with the above information provided to benefit long term investors, it is closely assured that investing in YUM! Brands will produce genteel capital gains for shareholders. Article Source: http://EzineArticles. com/712239

Applying Organizational Psychology 1

Applying Organizational Psychology Scientific methodology is used in the field of organizational psychology. When people are happier in their work environment a company is more successful than having unhappy and less fulfilled employees. The objective of this paper is to achieve a better understanding of what organizational psychology is. It will discuss the issues and methods involved in the recruitment process for an organizational and applicant perspective. Finally, it will describe the concept of organizational socialization and how the principles of organizational psychology can be applied to organizational socialization. Organizational Psychology The formal meaning of organizational psychology is â€Å"the scientific study of individual and group behavior in formal organizational settings† (Jex, 2002, p. 2). There are two types of organizational formal and informal. Formal organizations exhibit continuity overtime and often exist longer than the founding members (Jex, 2002). When the purpose is less explicit than for a formal organization it is considered to be an informal organization (Jex, 2002). In informal organization having goals in writing or even stated is doubtful (Jex, 2002). In an informal organization if members were to move on the group would not continue to exist (Jex, 2002). When looking at the definition of organizational psychology it is important to note that first, it uses methods of scientific inquiry to study and intervene in organizations (Jex, 2002). This means that the data-based approach is used. The data used comes from survey, interviews, observation, and sometimes organizational records (Jex, 2002). Second, it is intellectually rooted in psychology which focuses on individual behavior (Jex, 2002). This means that individual behavior is the most important mediating factor (Jex, 2002). â€Å"Groups and organizations don’t behave; people do† (Jex, 2002, p. 8). Organizational psychology is also a part of a broader field of industrial/organizational psychology also referred to as I/O psychology. The industrial side deals with recruitment, selection, classification, compensation, performance appraisal, and training (Jex & Britt, 2008). The organizational side deals with socialization, motivation, occupational stress, leadership, group performance, and organizational development (Jex & Britt, 2008). The industrial side is linked to management of human resources while the organizational side is linked to understanding and predicting behavior within the organization (Jex & Britt, 2008). There is a lot involved in the field of organizational psychology from enhanced organizational effectiveness to the economic well-being of society as a whole (Jex & Britt, 2008). Issues and Methods Involved in the Recruitment Process from an Organizational and Applicant Perspective. There are several important steps in the recruitment and selection process. These steps include strategic planning, sourcing candidates, preliminary screening, selection interviewing, and the selection. Strategic planning is the key in making hiring decisions that work with the organizational employment goals (Mayhew, 2011). A budget, evaluating resources, and the workforce needs assessment are included in the strategy (Mayhew, 2011). For sourcing candidates recruiters use methods such as cold calling and job fairs to find qualified applicants (Mayhew, 2011). Some of the sources that are used by organizations include some of the following: advertising, employment agencies, labor unions, career fairs, walk-ins, write-ins, and employer referrals (Jex & Britt, 2008). High-level positions focus on searching for candidates who have specialized skills or professional expertise (Mayhew, 2011). Internal promotion is based on performance, achievements and succession planning (Mayhew, 2011). The preliminary screening of applicants can be done by telephone to glean essential information, such as work history and the applicant’s professional background (Mayhew, 2011). These kind of interviews save the organization money while streamlining the field of candidates (Mayhew, 2011). Selection interviewing is a way to further define the selection of candidates by the recruiters and hiring managers (Mayhew, 2011). The use of behavioral interview questions helps predict how the candidate will perform in the job (Mayhew, 2011). To test the technical and functional expertise the use of situational and competency-based questions is used (Mayhew, 2011). During the interview process it can be a one-on-one interview or a panel of interviewers (Mayhew, 2011). The last part of the process is the selection. The person doing the hiring will use his or her notes, and personal observations to make what he or she feels is the best candidate for the job. Organizational Perspective. The hiring process through the eyes of organizational psychologist is to select, perfect, and persuade. The select process uses cognitive measures, personality profiles, interviews, and skills testing to find a fit between the candidate and the job (Crosby, 2011). Perfect is the duty of the psychologist to perfect the talent pool through training, coaching, and leadership development (Crosby, 2011). Finally, the psychologist uses persuasion to help organizations design programs that take into consideration the idiosyncrasies of human behavior (Crosby, 2011). People are the heartbeat of any business, neglect this fact and the business will not last long enough to talk about it (Crosby, 2011). For the organization the recruitment process is trying to attract potential employees by making the organization look its best (Jex & Britt, 2008). Applicant’s Perspective. Applicants may make judgments about an organization based in whether or not he or she feels they fit in with the organization (Jex & Britt, 2008). The applicant will judge his or her own skills and abilities to see if they match that of the job (Jex & Britt, 2008). Once this is determined he or she may check out the organizational culture to see if this is compatible with his or her personality (Jex & Britt, 2008). This information may come from second hand information such as the organizations website, recruiting brochures, or may be his or her experiences as a consumer of the organization (Jex & Britt, 2008). Another area an applicant may judge if his or her perceived values match that of the organization. Values represent things, ideas, or goals that are important to people† (Jex & Britt, 2008, p. 66). if an organization is progressive regarding work-family initiatives this may attract the applicant or more ideological reasons such as joining the armed services due to the feelings of patriotism (Jex & Britt, 2008). Organizational Socialization Organizational socialization is a process where people learn about an organi zations culture and makes the transition from outsider to member (s. w. learning, 2011). This process affects an individual’s behavior and helps shape and maintain the organizations culture (s. . learning, 2011). Organizational socialization occurs in three stages. The first is anticipatory socialization that happens before joining the organization or taking a new job (s. w. learning, 2011). This stage prepares the applicant to enter the new job, give him or her first look at the culture of the organization, and develops the applicant’s expectations about the organization (s. w. learning, 2011). Two issues at this stage include the realism of self and organization and the congruence of self and organization (s. w. learning, 2011). Realism is the responsibility of both (s. w. learning, 2011). For the organization it is the positive and negative side of working for the company and for the potential employee it is to present an accurate picture of self (s. w. learning, 2011). Congruence knows that his or her skills and abilities are congruent with that of the company and do they satisfy his or her needs (s. w. learning, 2011). If there is a lack of these it could result in a high turnover, low satisfaction, low organizational commitment and poor job performance. The second stage is that of entry/encounter which occurs after entering the organization (s. w. learning, 2011). This is the breaking in stage. The new employee brings in expectations from the first stage, compares them to the reality of the organization, and is the time to learn the ropes (s. w. learning, 2011). The purpose of this stage is role clarification and to teach tasks, duties, and responsibilities, teach immediate workgroup norms such as social status, bases of power, informal leaders, and the performance norms (s. w. earning, 2011). The last stage is change or metamorphosis (s. w. learning, 2011). This is the settling in stage. It is a clear separation from stage two to stage three with rites and rituals. A successful metamorphosis includes being comfortable in the new role, some mastery of job requirements, acceptance of values, adjustment to group norms, and self-confidence is up (s. w. learning, 2011). Conclusion Organizational psychology is defined as the scientific s tudy of individual and group behavior in formal organizational settings. The steps involved in the recruitment and selection process include strategic planning, sourcing candidates, preliminary screening, selection interviewing and the selection. The organizational perspective is to look good to the potential employee. The applicant perspective is to find the right fit. Organizational socialization occurs in three stages: anticipatory, entry/encounter, and change or metamorphosis. References Crosby, D. (2011). What is Organizational Psychology. Retrieved from http://www. monsterthinking. com/2011/07/14/what-is-organizational-psychology/ Jex, S. M. (2002). Organizational Psychology: A Scientist-Practitioner Approach. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Jex, S. M. & Britt, T. W. (2008). Organizational psychology: A scientist-practitioner approach  (2nd ed. ). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Mayhew, R. (2011). What is Involved in the Recruitment & Selection Process in HR? Retrieved from http://www. ehow. com/print/info_8163778_involved-recruitment-selection-process-hr. html S. W. Learning (2011). Organizational Socialization. Retrieved from www. swlearning. com/management/champoux/powerpoint/ch06. ppt

Financial Compensations for Olympic Medalists

Since time immemorial winning an Olympic medal was perceived as the pinnacle of the attainments of any athlete's career. In our times it has become a commonplace for those winning to receive monetary rewards and life-long forms of compensation for their endeavors. However,these practices have been at the forefront of numerous debates as they are considered to be undermining the true Olympic spirit.Many embrace the idea of financial incentives. One reason for this is the fact that Olympic athletes devote their lives to their sport in hopes of being the best in the world. No matter how talented or driven an athlete,however,they must train for many hours day to day to perfect their skills and be in a phenomenal physical shape,consequently they neglect other fundamental aspects of their ordinary lives.Furthermore,those who aspire to acquire an Olympic medal have a multitude of running living and sport related expenses without having a steady income from their profession. What is more,som e people share the notion that financial rewards significantly impact their motivation to reach the Olympic podium. On the other hand,there are those who oppose to such compensations. They claim that athletes should compete for pride and desire for glory and prestige a medal will bring to their nation.Additionally since the elimination of amateurism in the Olympic Games,athletes are often funded to train through corporate sponsors and endorsement deals,hence,they receive considerable sums of money and in return the company receives publicity. It is often seen even whole teams competing while wearing a company's logo in exchange for financial support,closely resembling and employer-employee relationship. Last but not least they point out some unfortunate events that most us have witnessed,the use of performance enhancing drugs.Having seen many Olympic medalists being stripped of their medals after doping scandal outbreak they believe that monetary rewards undermine the nature of Olym pic Games which ought to be governed by fair play,ethics and morality. By and large,it seems that people have a good reason to be dismissive of the notion of athletes receiving financial aid by their governments since it is obvious that it poses motive for malpractice for some. On a personal level I feel that we should enliven the original Olympic spirit and let the rewards be symbolic and not materialistic.

Imagery in Sports

Athletes are always on the look out for techniques that will allow them to get better at their game. Whether it is a golfer who is looking to break his best score or a hockey goalie who is trying to get a shutout in the next game he plays, amateur and professional athletes are constantly trying to find ways of improving their performance. One performance enhancing technique that has been the subject of many empirical studies and theoretical speculation is the practice of imagery. Defined in its most general sense, imagery is â€Å"an experience that mimics real experience. We can be aware of ‘seeing' an image, feeling movements as an image, or experiencing an image of smell, tastes, or sounds without actually experiencing the real thing†¦ it differs from dreams in that we are awake and conscious when we form an image. † (Munroe-Chandler & Hall, 2011, p. 370) Applied to the basic problem of improving athletic performance, imagery exercises might consist of visualizing a hole in one for a golfer, or imagining what it feels like to play the net in the next game for a goalie. Imagery is connected to but distinct from the technique known as ‘mental practice,' where an athlete rehearses his or her strategy in competition. There are many various kinds of imagery techniques that exist, but the question of whether imagery really helps athletes to improve is still a matter of some debate, as is the question of how imagery works. The following paper will look at the research that exists on imagery as a technique athletes can use to program their minds. It will conclude, on the basis of this research, that imagery can indeed help people's athletic performance, but that it should be considered as a complement rather than a substitute for practice and training. In order to rigorously understand the various ways that imagery can interact with and potentially improve athletic performance, some kind of standard benchmark is required. It was for this reason that the Sport Imagery Questionnaire (SIQ) was designed. The SIQ is an analytic tool that allows sports psychologists to make fine distinctions between the various functions of imagery as it is employed by athletes (i. . motivation versus concentration) and the levels at which imagery works (i. e. specific versus general). (Hall, Mack, Paivio, & Hausenblas, 1998, p. 74) This analytical framework is used by many other researchers in the field to quantify and make predictive claims about the effects of various kinds of imagery on athletic performance. Weinberg (2008) defines imagery as â€Å"using all the senses (or at least all the senses that are appropriate) to create or re-create an experience in the mind. (p. 2) Weinberg is careful to distinguish between earlier techniques of ‘mental practice’ that involved the review of particular strategies and thinking about performance and current techniques of mental imagery, writing that â€Å"it is very different, for example, if a tennis player simply went over his strategy for how he would like to play an upcoming opponent versus actually imagining himself performing certain skills and strategies against a specific opponent. † (Weinberg, p. ) In essence, mental practice is a ‘3rd person’ technique in which an athlete verbally rehearses to himself how he is going to perform and what he is going to do if his opponent does a particular action, while imagery is a ‘1st person’ technique where an athlete lets go of words and tries instead to place himself in the performance situation mentally. Needless to say, the hard and fast division between the two is difficult to observe or even practice in reality. Most people in their daily thoughts entertain both images and talk in their minds, and the same applies to athletes using various imagery or mental practice techniques. Using mental practice, an athlete ‘talks himself through’ a performance scenario, proposing various courses of action based on an opponents previous history. Using imagery, an athlete rehearses the various body movements that are to be used in successfully performing the sport they are training for in their minds eye. A tennis player using mental imagery might imagine how the court will feel under his feet and how the ball will bounce. He will envision himself running up to or away from the net to return the various volleys of his opponent. Both mental practice and imagery, according to Weinberg, did in fact prove successful for athletes in improving their performance, but many of the gains that athletes experienced were solely anecdotal; in other words, their performance was not subject to detailed empirical scrutiny, nor was the technique of mental practice developed to a very great degree. As Weinberg notes, â€Å"the effectiveness of imagery, per se, is†¦ difficult to tease out, because the meta-analyses typically combined effects from studies that used various forms of mental practice to arrive at one overall effect size. † (p. 2-3) Weinberg also notes that the field of mental imagery in sports has become more rigorous in the past decade or so, noting that â€Å"current imagery research (as well as the practice of imagery in the field) often involves detailed scripts that focus on achieving particular outcomes†¦ arlier mental practice research was generally not this rigorous in this regard or simply was not interested in this type of mental preparation. † (Weinberg, 2008, p. 3) Post, Wrisberg, and Mullins (2010) describe the results of a study on imagery where basketball players on a girls’ highschool team were asked to participate in a guided imagery exercise before half of the games the girls played during their season. The authors collected data on both the victories that the girls’ team had won and also the number of made versus missed free throw shots. Subjecting the data to a 2 by 2 chi-square analysis, these authors concluded that the imagery technique used by the girls before their games significantly improved their chances of winning and improved their chances of making free throw shots. With respect to their results, Post, Wrisburg, & Mullins (2010) write that â€Å"imagery alone or in combination with other psychological skills (e. g. , relaxation) can enhance the competition-related thoughts and emotions of athletes. The documented effects of imagery include improved self-confidence, increased motivation, improved selective attention, and reduced or more effectively managed pre-competitive anxiety. † (p. 2) Why this is the case is still a matter of much controversy, with explanations of the effects of mental imagery on athletic performance ranging from imagery as a rehearsal that prepares the body to imagery as a kind of attention focusing tool that makes athletes concentrate better. In the study these authors describe, 16 female varsity basketball players were asked to run through an imagery script created by the coach (Mullins). The script was based on several recommendations from sports psychology literature, beginning â€Å"with a brief centering phase that involved deep breathing†¦ followed by a stimulus proposition phase where players were instructed to re-create possible game situations surrounding the free throw shot and a response proposition phase that consisted of the actions of the entire shot from the time the player began her pre-shot routine until she saw and heard the ball swish through the net. † (p. 6) Results reported by Callow and Hardy (2001) come to a similar conclusion with respect to the efficacy of mental imagery in improving athletic performance. In their study, they apply Martin, Moritz, and Hall’s (1999) model to a sample of 123 female netball players in Wales. In their analysis of the positive results they found in using imagery in netball, Callow and Hardy distinguish between two kinds of confidence: sport confidence and self-efficacy. The first â€Å"refers to the belief that an athlete possesses about his or her ability to be successful in sport in general† whereas the second â€Å"refers to an individual’s belief in his or her capabilities to be successful in executing specific tasks and skills in specific situations†¦ (Callow & Hardy, 2001, p. 2) They propose that the mechanism by which imagery works to improve performance is directly related to the increase in the feeling of self-efficacy that athletes achieve through using directed imagery exercises. Using the SIQ framework designed by Hall et al. (1998), Callow & Hardy (2001) distinguish between five kinds of imagery: Cognitive General (CG; e. g. , I imagine executing entire plays/programs sections just the way I want them to happen in an event/game), Cognitive Specific (CS; e. g. I can easilty change an image of a skill), Motivational General-Mastery (MG-M; e. g. , I imagine myself working successfully through tough situations), Motivational General-Arousal (MG-A; e. g. , I imagine the excitement associated with competing), and Motivational Specific (MS; e. g. , I imagine myself winning a medal). (p. 2-3) These five types of imagery correspond to those employed by the Sport Imagery Questionnaire (SIQ) that Callow and Hardy used to monitor the effectiveness of imagery exer cises amongst the study’s sample of female netball players. The authors found not only that the use of different kinds of imagery contributed to greater athletic success, but also that different types of imagery were used by players of differing skills; in other words, lower skilled netballers tended to employ MG-M and CG more often than MG-A, while higher skilled netballers used MS. This indicates that different kinds of imagery possess differing levels of â€Å"pertinence† to an athlete. (p. 12) For instance, a higher skilled netball player will have been in a situation where they are close to winning a championship or medal, so this kind of imagery is something they can easily access. Novice netballers, on the other hand, will be more concerned with the execution of basic moves and strategies, and will focus their mental resources on this aspect of the game. Similar findings of the positive effect of imagery on athletic performance are reported by MacIntyre & Moran (2007), who define the process of mental imagery as â€Å"a cognitive performance-enhancement technique that is used extensively by athletes, coaches and psychologists to facilitate skill learning and performance. (p. 1) The authors go on to state that imagery techniques in enhancing athletic performance have become so prevalent that they are now considered to be a â€Å"central pillar† of psychology in sports. (MacIntyre & Moran, 2007, p. 1) They divide the history of imagery research into two ‘waves,' one wave consisting of empirical research into the success of ‘mental practice,' defined as â€Å"the systematic use of mental imagery in order to rehearse physical actions. † (p. ) While this first wave went far in demonstrating a connection between using mental practice and athletic success, it was weakened by the fact that it had no theory to guide its findings. In response to this lack of theory, the second wave MacIntyre and Moran describe attempts to connect the success of mental practice with a larger model or taxonomy that categorizes different types of imagery and different imagery methods. Despite this new trend in sports psychology research, findings in imagery studies continue to suffer from some significant drawbacks that undermine their conclusiveness. One drawback MacIntyre and Moran (2007) point out is that most of the imagery studies that exist have used beginner athletes rather than professional or ‘elite' athletes. This is a problem because it is difficult to generalize about the success of mental imagery in creating better performance in athletes in general from only a particular set. Beginning athletes, simply by virtue of their novice status, might demonstrate significant athletic performance gains with or without imagery. Another weakness of most studies these authors point out is that they do not take into account beliefs athlete's have about their own imagery processes. In other words, many imagery studies do not take into account the ‘meta-imagery' that athletes might engage in concerning how successful their imagery techniques will be in improving their performance. This is clearly a drawback with respect to drawing conclusions about the ultimate efficacy of imagery, because it might not be the activity of imagery per se that helps an athlete succeed, but rather their belief that their imagery techniques will help them. Findings presented in Kim and Giacobbi (2009) suggest that beliefs about the efficacy of imagery as a technique are just as, if not more important in predicted better athletic success than the technique itself. 16 middle-aged participants between 35 and 65 were asked specific questions about the use of imagery in connection with exercise. Questions concerned â€Å"where, when, what (content), and why (function)†¦ [participants used] exercise imagery. † (Kim & Giacobbi, 2009, p. 5) In addition to these questions about imagery content, participants were also asked about their own feelings concerning the impact imagery had on their exercise routines. On the whole, imagery was believed to be an activity that improved participants' concentration and performance. (p. 18) The foregoing studies suggest a number of conclusions about the use and effectiveness of imagery for athletes who are looking for techniques to improve their game. One of the most obvious conclusions is that imagery does appear to enhance athletic performance, but the degree to which it does so depends in large part upon the pre-existing skill level of the person being considered. For beginners or novices at a particular sport, imagery can have a dramatic effect on performance, while for athletes who are more advanced and at a higher skill level, the effects of imagery in performance are less pronounced. A second conclusion concerning the use of imagery in sports is that the effect imagery has on performance depends to a large degree upon the beliefs of the individual with regard to the technique's effectiveness – a person who believes that imaging a performance will help them creates, in a sense, a self-fulfilling prophecy of their own success. This is somewhat equivalent to the ‘placebo effect' that is common in the use of drugs. Third, various studies have shown that different kinds of imagery are used by athletes at different skill levels. Beginning athletes will use imagery to create scenes of successfully blocking a shot, or making a basket, whereas advanced athletes image instead the winning of a competition or event. One aspect of imagery in sports psychology that remains an issue of contention is the precise mechanism by which imagery is able to assist athletes perform better. As discussed above, different studies have proposed different ways in which imagery is effective, but none of these proposed mechanisms have been demonstrated unequivocally as being the only correct one. Most likely, the mechanism by which imagery operates is a complex one that involves not only the inner rehearsal of actions, thereby amounting to a kind of ‘practice without practice,' but also involves the heightening of concentration for the athlete. Regardless of its mechanism of action, it is clear that imagery is a technique (or rather, family of techniques) that promises much for athletes' performance. Needless to say, imagery cannot ever be used as a full substitute for physical training and practice. Imagine how a football team would perform if, instead of practicing, they merely ‘imagined' practicing for the week before their big game! However, used in conjunction with rigourous training programs, imagery is an excellent psychological complement that can help athletes improve.

Public Authority Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Public Authority - Essay Example The paper intends to discuss the steps that can or should be taken by the Local Authority in both the short and the long run.  In response to the case mentioned above, it is the responsibility of the Local Authority to know what the real story behind the problems is. The Local Authority should discuss the matter with both the family members to resolve the problems and advise them to a lead a healthy life. As the Barnett family is staying in a rented house, it is obligatory for the landlord to look into the matter and try to resolve the problems. An option of mediation service can be substantiated in case the issue is not resolved. Another step that can be taken by the Local Authority for resolving the issue is to take both the family members to the court. This essay discusses that  the issue of domestic violence needs to be also looked into by the Local Authority which requires to be addressed immediately for safeguarding especially the children of Barrett family The Local authority needs to make the Barrett family aware of the rules and laws prevalent for such detrimental activities to bring back a peaceful environment within the community. Understanding and trust between the members residing in a community i.e. neighbours are equally important in maintaining healthy relations.  The landlord also can play an important role in the matter and can provide his/her view regarding the behaviour of the tenant as well as the particular neighbour.... In this regard, it was decided that the Local Authority is to be informed for revealing the facts appropriately. The paper intends to discuss the steps that can or should be taken by the Local Authority in both the short and the long run. What Steps the Local Authority Can and Should Take In response to the case mentioned above, it is the responsibility of the Local Authority to know what the real story behind the problems is. The Local Authority should discuss the matter with both the family members to resolve the problems and advise them to a lead a healthy life. As the Barnett family is staying in a rented house, it is obligatory for the landlord to look into the matter and try to resolve the problems. An option of mediation service can be substantiated in case the issue is not resolved. Another step that can be taken by the Local Authority for resolving the issue is to take both the family members to the court1. In the case, it was observed that the Barrett family showed anti-soc ial behaviour towards Mrs. Smith, their neighbour, by shutting the door while she came to invite their children for a birthday party. Moreover, the issue of domestic violence needs to be also looked into by the Local Authority which requires to be addressed immediately for safeguarding especially the children of Barrett family The Local authority needs to make the Barrett family aware of the rules and laws prevalent for such detrimental activities to bring back a peaceful environment within the community. Understanding and trust between the members residing in a community i.e. neighbours are equally important in maintaining healthy relations. Moreover, the Local Authority in order to judge the matter and its possible outcomes can involve the other neighbours in the locality

Interaction between Police, Prosecutors, and the Courts Research Paper

Interaction between Police, Prosecutors, and the Courts - Research Paper Example The smooth and well orchestrated interaction between police, prosecutors, and the courts is necessary to keep the peace and economic viability of the community. The police officers keep the criminals and persons under trial in jail while they are processed for trial. When convicted by the courts of law, the police officers will jail the convicted person in jail the serve the jail sentence handed down by the courts of law. The prosecutors present evidences to the courts to prove the guilt of the persons charged. The courts determine whether the person charged is guilty or innocent of the crime charged. The police officers must ensure that they will implement a high quality investigation to feret out the criminals from the innocent persons as the officers roam the streets of the United States community. The police officers should take extra care of the evidences gathered in order to ensure that the court’s verdict will be correct. The police officers’ presentation of fals ified evidences may result to the court’s erroneous verdict. The erroneous verdict may be to convict an innocent person because of circumstantial evidence. Another erroneous verdict is to declare innocence a person of a crime due to some legal technicalities. One such legal technically is the police officer’s gathering of evidences by using force on a person, against the person’s will. ... The prosecutor must ensure that the court will receive case evidences as a basis for issuing a guilty verdict as well as issue court ruling using legal doctrines. For example, the prosecutor must use the proper section or law references to back up one’s thesis. The court is challenged to prioritize cases. For example, the court must prioritize cases where the person accused is being held under lock and key by the police officers. The court must ensure that the police officers and the prosecutors do not violate the basic rights of the accused persons during their incarceration. For example, Samuel Walker (1993) emphasized â€Å"The videotaped beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles police officers on March 3, 1991--an event that electrified the country—dramatized the problem of police discretion. The officers involved acted out their worst impulses, obviously believing they would never be caught or punished. The fact that a sergeant was present and that the officers later discussed the incident over the police radio is the most damning evidence of their sense of immunity†. The above Rodney King case shows an extreme of the American justice system. The police officers took the law into their own hands. They manhandled the victim, Rodney King of Los Angeles, California. Consequently, the prosecutors must put into motion its duty to gather enough evidences to prosecute the abusive Los Angeles police officers. The police officers must do their best to reduce the crime rate in the community. In their frustration over the unabated crime incidents, some police officers may be triggered to act irrationally. The police officers must uphold the rights of the accused. One of the

Palliative Care for Aboriginal People Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Palliative Care for Aboriginal People - Essay Example The core purpose of palliative care is to alleviate physical, psychological and social distress so that improves the quality of life of individuals and their families facing the problems associated with life-limiting illness. In addition, it involves the family and in most cases extends to the involvement of the community. This aspect of palliative care raises the question of cultural influences to the effectiveness or defectiveness of the whole process in this multicultural country(Elliott, Aitken & Chaboyer, 2011). It is, therefore, imperative that nurses provide spiritual and cultural care for individuals and their family receiving palliative care through the application of spiritual and cultural competent nursing care principles (Elliott, Aitken & Chaboyer, 2011). The discussion will focus on Aboriginal and Torres Islander people spiritual and cultural care in relation to palliation. To grasp the sensitivity of palliative care to the Aboriginal people, one has to understand the u nderlying factors that precipitated their alienation from the rest of the Australian populations. Over 20% of the Aboriginal population lives in very remote areas (100 kilometres from a health centre). This Aboriginal population has the highest death rate in Australia especially for people between the ages of 25-45. What is worse if the fact that the current health system does not recognize most of the ailments this population faces as fatal. With the arrival of the Europeans came the arrival of chronic illnesses such as Hypertension, diabetes, stroke and a myriad of heart diseases (Austin Health, 2006). In addition, the past experience of Aboriginal people, especially the experience of the Stolen Generations result in the fact that most Aboriginal people do not trust government institutions and this creates a barrier between them and healthcare givers (Austin Health, 2006). The vulnerability of these populations makes it very imperative that they receive spiritually and culturally appropriate care. Cultural beliefs and traditions relating to death and dying in Aboriginal Communities: The Dreamtime is the ultimate spiritual and cultural guide to these people. It influences social systems, myths, punishment and reward, life, death and health. Specific to palliative care, Dreamtime makes the people view death as an ominous mythical secret. Furthermore, Dreamtime influences communication style, decision making and consenting, gender and kinship relations and role of elders in the community that are very crucial factors in palliative care for the Indigenous people. The Indigenous population favours a â€Å"homely demise† this is to say that they prefer to die in the confines of their community. Aside from the fact that the Indigenous population favours a â€Å"homely demise†, there is the issue of ceremonies that are very important to them, even those who predominantly practice Christianity. According to a study done by McGrath and Phillips (2008) th e most popular and dominantly held practices include: The smoking ceremony; an elder smokes the house, room or car where the individual frequented to helps the spirit of the dead person pass on to the other side. The second one is marking the house of the deceased with red ochre that also releases the spirit of the dead person and releases it into the other world (spirit world). There is also dancing, singing and decorating of the house using flowers to ensure that the spirit of dead person gets a heartfelt send

Creative Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Creative Accounting - Essay Example Among the various stakeholders, investors and potential investors constitute the primary group for whom financial statements are basically intended. Investors put their hard earned money with a firm on the basis of the financial information exhibited by statements and their scrutiny. Therefore, accountants are bound to oblige the rules and regulations of accounting practices in the preparation and presentation of financial statements. These rules are framed by accounting bodies of a country in line with international accounting standards. Nevertheless, some accounting standards are violated by accounting professionals/firms for their personal gain. Such practices are illegal and against the ethics of accounting professionalism. Many such practices have been observed from different parts of the world. Such a practice is known as creative accounting. Creative accounting is a sort of accounting scam, which does not follow the accounting rules and principles as such or finds the loop hol es in the accounting rules for the benefit of the preparers and those at the helm of the organization. This essay is meant to detail the basics of creative accounting and the reasons thereof. ... It is the act of using the skill and knowledge of accounting professionals to make advantage of the loopholes of accounting rules so as to manipulate the financial information and thereby deceive the users of such statements. This term is also coined as aggressive accounting since it involves the destruction of current accounting rules and specifications with the intention of deceiving someone. Though, the ultimate intentions of creative accounting are manifold, the fundamental aim is to give unfair and incorrect information about the company and its operational results. Numerous interpretations have been developed on the term 'creative accounting' by eminent authors. In the words of John Blake and Jack Dowds, creative accounting may be defined as a "process whereby accountants use their knowledge of accounting rules to manipulate the figures reported in the accounts of a business" (Blake). Metcalf, L. (US Senate) in his work (The Accounting Establishment, 1977, p.188), interprets " creative accounting is recognized as a synonym for deceptive accounting. Creative accounting methods are noteworthy because they remain in use as generally accepted accounting principles, even though they have been shown to be deceptive in many cases" (Robb, 2007, sl.3). According to Charles W. Mulford, Eugene E. Comiskey in their famous book entitled 'The Financial Numbers Game: Detecting Creative Accounting Practices', "creative accounting practices --a termthe authorschose to encompass any and all steps used to play the financial numbers game -- may be employed in exch ange for a variety of expected rewards. These rewards may include a favorable effect on share prices, lower corporate borrowing costs due to animproved credit rating,

HEALTH LAW AND ETHICS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 6

HEALTH LAW AND ETHICS - Essay Example In essence, the policies that healthcare organizations are supposed to follow are derived from healthcare legislation. Healthcare laws or regulations operationalize the healthcare industry in which healthcare organizations function. Additionally, the healthcare laws or regulations, aim at protecting patients from being exploited by healthcare organizations (Hammaker & Tomlinson 23). Firstly, through healthcare laws or regulations, healthcare organizations observe patient confidentiality, and avoid disclosing a patient’s treatment information without the patient’s consent. If laws and regulations governing patient confidentiality were non-existent, then healthcare organizations would disclose patient records without consent. Secondly, the laws or regulations force healthcare organization to prioritize a patient’s health instead of focusing on profit making. Thirdly, the laws or regulations affect healthcare organizations in that organizations are obliged to follow ethical procedures when conducting research on new drugs. The absences of the laws would result in healthcare organizations unethically trying out new drugs whose side effects are unclearly on human beings, which can turn out to be detrimental (Hammaker & Tomlinson 33). In conclusion, various healthcare laws and regulations affect how healthcare organizations function within the healthcare sector. Ultimately, the laws and regulations gear towards ensuring that healthcare organizations are honest, ethical and professional when bringing health to the

Design a system to pay the credit card bills via handset Essay

Design a system to pay the credit card bills via handset - Essay Example The application allows the task to be carried out through a text message. Credit card bill payments can be stressful from a cardholder’s perspective. A visit to a bank or pay point may not be convenient to a busy person. Besides this, the time consuming queues can make a person avoid the payment exercise completely. An individual facing a low liquidity situation is more likely to avoid making the payment in the face of the added difficulty of the payment process. Cardholders are often wary of accessing the net and carrying out banking transactions due to the confidential information that they have to share. Security is a major concern for electronic transactions. WAP-enabled communication devices like mobile phones and PDA can be used for information access and banking transactions. This system allows the use of phones to pay credit card bills regardless of time and location. The success of this payment options is that the user is not expected to go out of his way to access this feature. The technology is flexible and adapts to the habits of the user. It provides an additional channel for transacting at no extra cost to the user. If the issue of security is well managed, this mode of transacting will be widely used. â€Å"M-Commerce reflects a change in distribution technology innovations in the card payment industry. Mobile banking functions as a phone channel, meaning banks no longer have to depend on the branch network to reach the customer frontier. As competition increases, banks realise the importance of providing integrated delivery channels; branch, phone, Internet, digital television and hand-held computers all add value to the traditional card-based services.† (93) Mobile Commerce is clearly this decades biggest growth opportunity. The Web and its features can be accessed within constraints of time and location. There are a few other restrictions such as power failures or disasters like fires. Wireless communication paves the

Transport Techniques and Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Transport Techniques and Management - Essay Example Fossil fuels are considered as non renewable sources of energy (Lawson, 2001, p.38). The reserves are getting depleted away at a much faster rate in comparison to its formation. However the production process and its use increase the chances of environmental pollution. Therefore a global footstep towards the formation of non-renewable resources is under process in order to meet the needs. However there are also environmental effects which take place for its usage. USA only holds 5 % of the world’s total population, but due to its high usage of private cars, it consumes a lot of petroleum products. USA uses more than 25% of the total fossil flues of the world. Moreover 90% emission of green house gasses is mainly due to the process of fossil fuel combustion. Combustion of fossil fuels also gives rise to the different air pollutants the pollutants include nitrogen oxide, volatile organic compounds and sulphur oxide (Chowdhury, 2007, p.2). Coal, natural gasses and oil are made fr om fossil fuels (U.S department of energy, n.d.). Oil is also considered as the primary source of transportation. Petroleum products include diesel, petrol and other natural gasses. Due to the heavy increase of transportation there is a huge increase in the use of petrol and diesel. Also the products are non renewable sources thus usage should be controlled. Therefore it is necessary to find an alternate source by which the non renewable sources can be consumed for future uses. Also if the non renewable sources are used to a certain level the future generation capability may also get highly weakened. Hence the alternative means of flues or any other technology must be renewable. In other words there should be use of alternatives which can be further generated and also remain economically friendly. Therefore in the context of the project the three alternative means of technology or fuel in underlined below:- Alternative 1- The first alternative is about using solar energy for the pro cess of transportation: The use of solar panel in car can hugely save energy and is also an eco friendly medium. Solar panels are mainly made up of different individual components such as Photo voltaic cells. These cells are capable of generating high amount of amount of energy in order to run a carriage. Solar panels can be attached to the roof tops of the cars, the solar panels are mainly used for running the peripheral devices within the engine and not rolling the wheels. The only difference between the other cars and a solar car is the fuel that is used for running the car. The energy from sun also known as solar energy is used to charge the cells. The power that has been generated from the solar panels is used to charge the 11 Nickel Metal-Hydride batteries, which makes it capable to run even a bus. For example a bus named ‘Tin-do’ is capable of carrying passengers up 27 numbers. The car is also capable to run at a speed of 76 km / hr. The biggest advantages of usi ng solar panels are that it gets recharged very quickly. The quicker recharge system allows the battery to get recharged 1km capacity, which makes the technology to be very competitive. The advantages of Solar energy cars are as follows:- The energy is practically inexhaustible. The energy is derived from sun light and hence there are no concerns over its existence (Chauhan,

What is Technology Green Architecture and Green Electricity Essay

What is Technology Green Architecture and Green Electricity - Essay Example Wheel is considered to be the basis of technological advancement and is still considered to be one of the most influential technological development that mankind has seen. It was during 1760 to 1850 that there was a spurt of developments in technology (Ashton, 1969). This period is often referred to as industrial revolution (Ashton, 1969). Technology was introduced initially in the agriculture industry to facilitate food production. This intensified food production and food processing. However, these technological innovations brought forth massive changes in the life styles and life processes of people. The operational pattern of textile, metal, transportation and some of the other industries were the first ones to get influenced by technology(Ashton, 1969). Later technology was introduces in all spheres of life and was exported across nations. However, technological advancements also resulted in the inappropriate and over exploitation of resources. For example, technological advance ments in oil mining have resulted in overexploitation of fossil fuels. Technology in aviation and transportation in general has caused emissions causing detrimental effects in climate and environment.This indiscriminate advancement of technology has made the scientific fraternity think about technologies like Green Architecture and Green Electricity. Green Architecture Green Architecture refers to a school of thought in the field of architecture which involves minimal use of non-renewable resources and also results in minimal pollution of the environment Vohra S (2007). The facilities created by green architects will ensure optimal utilization of resources like energy, water etc. A sustainable approach is followed in the technologies employed in green architecture. It has been reported that the first green office was built in 1985 in the US (McDonough, 2006). Examples of technologies which go into a green building are water recycling units, traditional roof tops using indigenous mat erials ensuring absorption of heat, indoor greenery, natural light management using sunlight oriented construction, weather proof building skin, solar power, social spaces and waste management technologies(McDonough, 2006). Corporate companies are ensuring that their offices are constructed using green technologies. Green Electricity Green electricity is another technology developed by the industry which is oriented on a sustainability approach. This includes processes to harness energy with least environmental pollution. Some examples of green electricity are wind power, solar energy, geothermal power, anaerobic digestion, biomass power, tidal power and some forms of nuclear power (McDonough, 2006). As many of the technologies which produce green electricity depend on decomposition of waste, this has a mutually beneficial effect. The Benefits The primary benefit of green architecture is that it provides low cost housing. The various green technologies incorporated in a green buildi ng will ensure considerable reduction in green gas emissions (Sunday, O, Suneetha S & , Ademola B K ,2010). It must be noted here that buildings, especially urban architecture is a major contributor to green gas emissions (Sunday, O, Suneetha S & , Ademola B K ,2010). An example to this is the air conditioners, which produces a large quantum of carbon emissions. Green building technologies incorporates changes in roofing which absorbs heat. Moreover Green Technology has come up with evaporative cooling systems which reduce emission (Vohra ,2007). Along with it, it has been reported that a large quantum of energy consumption is caused by buildings. Thus Green Architecture will help in the reduction of global energy consumption. The case of

Literature Review ''stress on international students''

''stress on international students'' - Literature review Example A mentally affected individual may become confused, indecisive or negative thinker while an emotionally stressed person can appear frustrated, irritated, panic-stricken, impatient, sadist or depressed (Stress Management, n.d.). It has become a common practise in the UK to take time off from work and apply for stress leave by the acute sufferers of stress (Cunningham, 2000:19). In the Terri Landon case, Terri who was a training in a government office, felt unwanted in her workplace and claimed for stress leave and remained on reduced time at work for more than a year without compromising her full remuneration (Cunningham, 2000:19). The effect of stress is not only faced by an individual but by the entire nation too (Stress: The Effects, 2001). As per the BBC report on 25th June, 2001, almost 270,000 people take time off from their regular work due to illness driven by stress giving way to absenteeism which cost the UK an amount not less than ?10.2bn in the year 2000 (Stress: The Effec ts, 2001). Effects of Stress: A Costly Affair The long term consequences of stress can be overtly expensive. From giving birth to stomach ulcers and rise in high blood pressure to encouraging heart diseases and strokes, the results of stress can be costly (Stress: The Effects, 2001). It has a high potential of developing over-indulgencing habits such as overeating, limitless drinking and smoking, all of which are well known for their evil effects on the body (Stress: The Effects, 2001). Moreover, illness like insomnia or depression, nervous breakdown and reduced work performance are mostly driven by stress (Stress: The Effects, 2001). Further, stress is also considered to be responsible for a woman’s complete stoppage or severe irregularity of stress or even her capacity to conceive (Stress: The Effects, 2001). As per the BBC reports, â€Å"In the NHS, the government has had to introduce a â€Å"zero tolerance† campaign to try to reduce the number of attacks, and amou nt of verbal abuse heaped on staff† (Stress: The Effects, 2001). In the ISMA Conference 2009, Dame Carole Black revealed that workplace stress is as expensive as ?100bn (ISMA). Moreover, as per the Labour Force Survey, â€Å"Estimates indicate that self-reported work-related stress, depression or anxiety accounted for an estimated 13.5 million lost working days in Britain in 2007/08 (ISMA). The three best ways of fighting out stress as suggested by Cunningham include the lessening of stress forces, the increasing of one’s capacity to resist damage and the understanding of the early signs of stress thereby being alert in advance to combat it (Cunningham, 2000:8). Role of Stress on International Students Both local and international students face a lot of complex situations such as examinations, deadlines, poor time management, uncontrollable debts and other cases which lead to undue stress (Stress Management, n.d.). International stude

Operations Management - Aggregate Planning Assignment

Operations Management - Aggregate Planning - Assignment Example Disaggregation refers to the process of breaking down the contents of the aggregate plan into particular product requirements to determine the inventory requirements, labor requirement, and materials (Reid, 2002). The inputs of the master schedule are forecast demand; inventory costs, production costs, inventory levels, lot size, customer orders, capacity, supply, and production lead time. On the other hand, the outputs of the master schedule are projected available balance, staffing levels, amounts to be produced and quantity available that is promised (Reid, 2002). 2 MRP, which is the acronym for Materials Requirements Planning is regarded as an inventory control and production planning system that is mainly used to manage the manufacturing processes. It acts as a bridge between both production and master planning. The MRP inputs are a single or a multi-level bill of materials as well as the quantity of all the final products to be produced, which are derived from the sales orders or the sales projections. The outputs for MRP are the recommended production schedule and the recommended purchasing schedule (Reid, 2002). The MRP process is quite extensive and it passes through a number of stages in order to manage the manufacturing processes via the inventory control and production planning system. Starting with the end items, the first step is to establish all the gross requirements needed. Secondly, the net requirements are determined by subtracting both the receipts as well as the projected hand inventory from gross requirements. The third step is to time phase all the net requirements. Finally, the last step is to determine the order releases that are planned (Reid, 2002). Below is an example of a table illustrating the MRP process 3 The main goals of JIT are to have a balance rapid flow. The supporting goals are to make the system to be flexible, to eliminate waste particularly the excess inventory and to eliminate disruptions.

Inland freight exam qns Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Inland freight exam qns - Assignment Example If any two shops require the stocks and if they are located nearby to each other in the adjacent sectors (east and south), then one vehicle will be sufficient to replenish the stocks to the two shops. The same can be extended to two, three, etc., number of shops considering the distance and the load. Another most important factor to be considered is the traffic in the city which will delay the delivery resulting in the dissatisfaction of the customers with the factory. The distance of the shop outlet to be recorded in the sheet must be the shortest distance with free of heavy traffic. A delivery to a shop outlet can have various traveling path but while locating the path for the delivery, it should be taken care that a traffic free path is chosen which will be better than getting into traffic path. In case, there are many shop outlets located in a single sector (any one region), then the number of vehicles to complete the delivery will be reduced. From the above points, it is very cl ear that the delivery plan depends on four factors namely location of the shop outlets, number of shop outlets in a location, various travel paths and distance of the shop outlet from the factory. 2. Explain the techniques used to retain firm control of transport costs The transport costs can be controlled by efficiently planning the deliveries with respect to the shop location, number of outlets in a location, travel distance, travel path, availability of vehicle and availability of vehicle drivers. Each time when a delivery is initiated, it can be made a regular task of recording the start time, distance in kilometers traveled acknowledged by the shop outlet to the factory so as to be aware among few drivers who will simply record more distance for higher pay. A cost benefit analysis can be made with these details on periodical basis which will be useful to track the cost controlling. The recording of kilometers will help to minimize the diesel fuel cost and also avoid being cheated by the drivers. The pay to the drivers for delivering the stocks should be reasonable. At the same time, it should not be the case of committing a unreliable driver who is ready to accept low pay. The pay should be made in such a way that driver is reliable all the t ime. The vehicles should undergo periodical maintenance to reduce the cost on repairs. Even if the vehicle is operating for a long time (beyond one year) without any problem, the maintenance on the particular stipulated date should be done and reported since it might result in accumulated repairs which will result in increase of the maintenance cost per year. The training cost for the drivers should be the least one and for that drivers who are well trained and aware of the routes in the city can be selected. This may include some cost of testing the driver. The temporary use of staff will be affecting the costs more since the drivers demand more pay when they are asked to make an immediate delivery. At that time of demand, it becomes essential to use them so as to satisfy the customers and to retain their

Media Advertising Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Media Advertising - Essay Example This paper delves into how media advertisement can be used to promote sales for software products. When marketing for software products I would engage in the process of developing the marketing plan required to sell the software. Research on how to market the product would cover market needs, market trends and the best mode of advertising. Since the identified marketing medium is through online selling on Facebook, the best tactic to use would be to display unique features about the product using creativity that is difficult to copy (Feltenstein, 2010).   Legal implications – when using the online advertisement, any breach of law can always be traced back and used as evidence of the case. Due to ignorance of law, many businesses suffer from this risk. Security breach – there are hackers or internet criminals who target the operations of the companies that undertake online marketing. This involves track on financial information and account details or company profile to create havoc (Smith, 2011).   Advertising on the internet serves as a good strategy to increase profits for the company or the business. Social media advertisement targets a large group of people who act as customers of such products and they lead to increased sales of the product. Many customers who deal with online products get more satisfaction because they can make the transactions using online system and they are able to get the specific product without going for window shopping. Since the customer satisfaction is high through social media due to factors like integrated marketing communication, there are more customers in social media which leads to increased sales and thus profitability (Funk, 2013).   Social media advertisement also leads to profits through reduced cost of operation. Through online advertisement, the business applies integrated marketing communication (IMC) which involves combining all aspects of marketing such as sales promotion, public

Performance in Sme in Malaysia Essay Example for Free

Performance in Sme in Malaysia Essay The Auto Industry and the Environment The industry is committed to contributing to an integrated approach, with other stakeholders, to a cleaner environment and reduced carbon emissions. Automakers are constantly developing more ef? cient engines and drive-trains to reduce fuel consumption, and a wide range of sophisticated emissions-control technology is putting cleaner automobiles on the road everywhere. With more and more new vehicles with modern exhaust emissions performance on the road, clear improvements in air quality can be seen. Automakers have invested hugely in reaching these air quality improvements and in developing diverse automobiles that run on alternative fuels including those from sustainable sources or that use hybrid technology using both gasoline or diesel engines and electric power. Because consumers, as well as different regions of the world, favour different technologies, automakers are developing a range of automobiles that run on different fuels. Argentina Australia Austria Belgium Brazil Canada China Czech Rep.

Social Media Essay Example for Free

Social Media Essay Even though what credibility issues can arise from information found on the internet, advantages and disadvantages of social media because advantages and disadvantages of obtaining information though social media and how might these advantages and disadvantages alter how a person might use social media. Advantages And Disadvantages Of Social Media Some advantages of social media are that it is a unlimited ways of keeping up with what is going on in today culture. For example a person can be living under a rock all there life and stay on the internet and can know what is going on in the world though social media, weather it is the latest music, movies, clothing trend, news etc. Though social media a person can have a best friend that they never even met before. Social networking can provide opportunities for new relationships as well as strengthening existing relationships whether your friends are close to home or across the world. It is good to have positive relationships through various ways that include the internet. Read more:Â  Advantages and disadvantages of social media essay Some disadvantages of social media can stem from anything like cyber bulling, child predators, false information about something or someone. Although that internet can be very positive it can also be very negative. For example I remember back in about 2007 in my home town of Baltimore Md. there was a big thing all over the news about a man that was called The Myspace Killer. This man met a woman over a social media network and got the woman to meet him and end up killing her and leaving her on the side of the road. So again I say the social media can also be very dangerous. To all the parents out there please know what your kids are doing or into when they are on the internet. Advantages And Disadvantages Of Obtaining Information Some advantages of easily obtaining information on the internet is that, anything a person needs to know is just a click away. In other words if there is anything a person needs to know about anything all the person has to do is type it in the computer and everything about that subject will come up. Some disadvantages of easily obtaining information on the internet is just what it is easy. In other words it is a disadvantage to be able to just type a subject in the computer and get the answer for anything. That word make it to easy for a student needing to really learn something, the internet is doing everything for that person. I feel like that is a big disadvantage for the up and coming youth of today, things are to easily obtainable. Knowing these advantages and disadvantages might alter a person using the social media by making that person more cautious on what actions that person is taking while using the internet and also if that person have kids it would make that parent more cautious about what there kids are learning and seeing on the internet. An example of a creditable issue that can arise from information found on the internet is that approximately 104 million American adults have access to the internet. Of these, there are slightly more females(51%) on the internet than males(49%), of both high and low socioeconomic status (Matthew S. Eastin, School of Journalism, Ohio State University). Conclusion In conclusion while what credibility issues can arise from information found on the internet there are many advantages and disadvantages of social media. This paper just touched on some of them. References Stephen, Andrew T.; Galak, Jeff. Journal of Marketing Research (JMR). Oct2012, Vol. 49 Issue 5, p624-639. 16p. 7 Charts, 2 Graphs. Agnihotri, Raj; Kothandaraman, Prabakar; Kashyap, Rajiv; Singh, Ramendra. Journal of Personal Selling Sales Management. Summer2012, Vol. 32 Issue 2, p333-348. 16p. 1 Diagram, 1 Chart Andzulis, James Mick; Panagopoulos, Nikolaos G.; Rapp, Adam. Journal of Personal Selling Sales Management. Summer2012, Vol. 32 Issue 2, p305-316. 12p. 1 Diagram, 1 Chart. .

Continuous Professional Development Project

Continuous Professional Development Project The purpose of written this paper on continuous professional development was as per the requirement of the Executive Development Project module. In addition to that it was a thirst to know how to improve and broaden my knowledge and skills in order to develop a respectful quality personality in my personal and professional lives. This report will exhibit and define the conscious updating of my professional knowledge and personal characterises. Limitation of the Report The following are some of the limitation faced while doing my Continuous professional Development project. The fact some of my friends, relatives and workmate are working on rotational bases, therefore it took me a lot of time to arranging face-to-face interview. Some of the Questionnaire feedback were received late. Emotional embedded feedback from others. Methodology/Approach Sample The samples represented in this study were gathered during the period between April and September, 2007. Questionnaires, Interviews, visits, Electronic Mail and SMS were used to obtain the required information from a mixture of Family members, relatives, friends, classmates, and workmate. Fifty completed questionnaires were returned out of fifty, 10 SMS were received, forty face-to-face interviews, ten phone interviews were conducted in addition to 7 home visits. Interviews An interview is an intentional interaction between persons in which one person seeks information from another person. Interviews can take place face-to-face or by other modes of personal interaction (York, 1998). As mentioned previously forty face-to-face interviews and ten phone interviews were conducted. Usually when I needed to obtain information from managers, supervisor and people whom I do not know very well I used to do Face-to-face interviews. As well as there sometimes could be non-common question, that you can not ask everyone. The fact that I would be on the opposite rotation (field employee) with others colleagues I used to call them and carry on the interview via the phone. I did interviews, because some of my friends, relatives and family do not speak or read English. Questionnaire English and Arabic questionnaire were used due to the reasons presented earlier. Close-ended questions were used as this provided cooperation and more likely to get responses rather then the open-ended structures. Even though answer choices were made available, respondent had the option of offering their own responses at the end of the questionnaire as there were some of the open-ended questions. SMS Well you my wonder how did I used this method to gather the necessary information. Speaking the fact, samples I illustrated above you can not get all data that you need or they may have thought of at that moment or by filling questionnaire. There could be missed points, so what I thought of is that whenever someone remembers or something pup up in his mind S/he would send me SMS, well indeed it worked. Electronic Mail As it being an easy way of distribution, I used E-mail for the purpose of distributing and gathering the questionnaires feedback. About Myself The below lines are not an evaluation of my personal, academic or professional career, it is just a background or an overview of myself as per the requirements by the module. Personal Due to the crises occurred in Oman, prior Sultan Qaboos bin Said crowned as a Sultan of Sultanate of Oman, many Omani travels around the world (India, Pakistan, Iran and East-Africa) for the sake of living a good life and business as well. My father and my grand father (mother side) were one of the people, who moved to Tanzania and got married there. There I was born; I am Saud Ali Saleh Al-Omairi, born in 28th August, 1978 in East Africa- Tanzania in a small village called Sikonge one of the six districts of the Tabora Region. My mother says that, I was named Nasser, but unfortunately everyday I was a non-stop crying machine, so they thought of changing my name to Saud due to that! Well its their myth, and I cant argue with that, because indeed I stopped crying. Another story that I could remember been told is that, when I was born I was so fat, that there was a competition, where I got the second fattest babe award. I get two sisters and I got four brothers, where I am the youngest of all. The fact of being the youngest of all, I been called Mother spoiled boy where everything I wanted it I could get it. We stayed in Tanzania till I was five years old, when my father decided, that its the time to get back to Muscat in the year of 1983. Well we leaved in Athaibah-Muscat, in a rental wooden house for a couple of years, and then we moved to Maabelah-Muscat in 1985. One of the things I could remember, that is there used to be only one school, where my sister used to study in the morning and I used to go to school in the afternoon. Well that was only for a couple of years, and the government built another school just near by our house. Considering the school was near by, at break time I used to jump the school walls and get back home for a fast meal and get back to school again. One thing made me stop doing that, is that one day I was wearing light shoes, so on my jump, underneath there was a broken bottle of coca cola or red wine I dont recall, what I do remember is that I was at the hospital and my foot was stitched and a slap. Prior 1990 my father slipped in the toilet and felled on his back and got paralysed, and died in 1990. By that time I was eleven years old, just four years later my eldest brother got an accident, just 2km away from home and died due to internal bleeding. So now I get three brothers and two sisters. I graduated from college in 1999 and directly started my first career with National Bank of Oman. One year later, in 2000 I got married to my classmate; well my eyes were spotted on her since the first day she walked into the classroom. For the time being I get one daughter, she is four years old and a son who is one year and half. Well our first child was a boy, but he died on the delivery. Academic I finished my secondary school grade in 1996, but my grade was not sufficient enough for my to go in university, so I entered Muscat Technical Industrial College (High Technical College (Now)) in Information Technology major, where I met my lovely wife. When I entered the college my first ambition was to graduate with high grade and join the university as the first ten in all college over Oman (5 colleges) were given opportunities to complete their study at the university. Well I did what I was into it I graduated with distinction and got the second place. Looking to the fact where my family needed help I stopped dreaming about university and joined the work force in 1999. Well the opportunity came back again to join the University as a part time study, so in 1999 I entered the university and graduated in 2000. Now am doing my MBA program at university of Bedfordshire. Professional Talking about my professional career, I have joined several companies during my professional career. First during my study at the college I worked at a Shell petrol Station as a petrol station man and the next year I worked at Burger King, where my duties were preparing sandwiched, cleaning and customer services. When I graduated I joined the National Bank of Oman in 1999 as a programmer. Two years later I joined Schlumberger Oilfield Company, where I challenge myself and professions as being an IT graduate to work in a totally different discipline and became an oilfield specialist. Well the plan did not go well, I had an argument with our manager due to our contract agreement, and so two years later I resigned and stayed jobless for three month. After that as part time job I worked for a Forex Trade Market, where we used to trade on currency in the international market, another professions change for me. Well two month later I joined a public sector (public authority for Social Assurance) as a Computer Technician. Things did not go well too as my approach was a private sector relation, where in Oman it is totally different in public sector it is all about who is in control and commend. I did not like the situation over there, so I got another opportunity at Gulf business Machine (IBM Distributor-Gulf region). Now am working at Occidental Oil and Gas (Oman) Ltd. is wholly-owned subsidiaries of Occidental Petroleum Corporation an international oil and gas exploration and production company based in the United States and headquartered in Los Angeles, California. Critical Events, Activities and Experiences Prior commencing analysing my characteristic, behaviour, previous and current career position and planning my career development, first I thought to underline some of the facts and most significant event happened in my life in my opinion, that altered my career and life. Professional Looking for better opportunities Resigning from Schlumberger, where I did not have another job Personal Religious Believes. Getting married at earlier age, 21. Choosing between joining universities and joining the work force. Joining the Karate Club. Academic Working while studying, Studying while working. Doing the MBA program. Analyse of Critical Event and Personality A continuous professional development log consists of a list of issues in my point of view that is related to my progression in development. This log later is used to create a development agenda. Therefore in order to create my CPD log I followed steps as suggested by Megginson and Whitaker, 2007, which I founded convenient for me to analyse some of the facts, my characterises, personality, professions and my personal life. Limitation There is always constraint in everyones career progression and life; there could be some rear cases, where the path is widely opened. Skills deficits Being short in skills was not a wall which stood against my development progression, am a self confident and I do believe in my skills capability. Fixing fuzziness A good example illustrated by Megginson and Whitaker, 2007 in Big Rock Story, its about the order I put the things into my life, put the big things first, so the little ones can fit later. When I was studying in school I did not have a proper plan for myself the only things that were on my agenda were as follow: Joining University Join Work Force Getting Married/Kids Build a house Now my Agenda is: Build a house Completing My Study PHD Professional Development Management Professional Development Supervision Completing My Study MBA Attitude Our attitude towards life has a great impact on our professional progress. We can change through choosing our attitude, attitude are learned and can be changed over time. ( Megginson and Whitaker, 2007). 100% of the responses indicated that am an arguer in most of the discussions especially non-work related issues. This attitude always drives me toward a defensive communication habits in most of the times. Priorities first and Preventing procrastination Our religion encouraged us to do changes in our self first then others, how you can change someone else if you dont change yours first. Going back on my career development I did delay my university study to join the work force that was due to family needs. Well somehow I managed to carry on my studies while working, because I committed my self and still toward a target that is planned. Succeeding for self I do not usually seek for someone opinion to know if am successful or not, or look what someone has achieved. I do consider my self successful if I do what is supposed to do frankly and in proper way, as well if I meet my plan agenda. My parents did not draw my path so I would be a pilot, doctor or an engineer. They gave me the choice to do what I believe in, I achieve my definition of success not someone elses definition. Well in seeking the opinion on the above, 70% responded that am rarely influenced by others, 20% always, 30% not at all. Living the presents In interviews I wanted to know how often I talked about the happy and bad moments in my life. Without been surprised by the answers, 95% replied that I always mentioned the happy moments and hated discussing on bad ones. 5% replied that I talked about it equally. I do believe in one thing, letting go bad moments we can give full attention to the present. If our time is spent on regrets and we are focused on the past, we have less attention and energy to explore our future development and to ask what can I do today that will enhance my future career? solutions-focused approaches to development help us to get away from a deficit-oriented approach to the past and are increasingly used in coachng ( Berg and Szabo, 2005) and in change management (Jackson and McKergow, 2002). Developing An Extraordinarily Realistic Self-Image The priority that we give to any issue depends on how relevant that subject is to us. In order for me to identify where I need to put energy into my own development, its necessary to develop what (Inglis, 1994) calls an ERSI. The output of this consideration of where I stand now will be my development needs to be addressed. As defined by (Megginson and Whitaker, 2007) colleting data to create ERSI will need my attention to the following sources: Work itself Reflection by self Feedback from others Individual psychometric and self-diagnostic measures Organizational metrics Professional metrics the CPD scanner. Work Itself This will assist me to assess how much I enjoy my current role and to explore how I see my career at the moment. Pinch points at work Viewing the current position where am I now, I can underline some of the issues that are faced. It is very rear for me to get feedback or guidance from my superior, unless there is critical situation needed to be resolved. Sometime I would spend the whole weeks at my office desk without a visit by my superior or a call. Our assessment is usually done ones a year and it is a very short amount of time I spend it with my superior and discuses issues as well as my development plan, which is unfortunately just words in paper. Since my last assessment which was on February, 2007 till now nothing was discussed between me and my superior about my development which was plan in my assessment sheet in year 2007. Utilizing my knowledge and skills is another aspect where it is missed. I could say in my current position am only utilizing 50% of my skills and knowledge. Can these be resolved? Well speaking the fact it is the fact that am being living it for two years now, and other employees as well. In my opinion most of the above issues is related to management line, and changes could be done I do not mean by changing management, but enhancing the way things are carried out is the most convenient way to solve issues. Fizzing in the stretch zone Exercising activity on fizzing in the stretch zone by (Megginson and Whitaker, 2007) to identify my career plateau. My score was 18, which indicated that am in need to identify what can I do differently to increase my work self-esteem. Am at the comfort zone, where I am on daily work routine nothing is exciting. Its been long time since I been in the stretch zone where I felt work excitement, thus a need for a change will be significant. A weekly review progress will be helpful. Career metaphor The best Metaphor that could describe my career is Nomad or Bedouin or what we call them in Middle East Badu. Bedouin travel by camel from oasis to oasis, following a traditional way of life. This metaphor represent they way my career was, I tend to frequently change my professional career from one position to another, that in my opinion helped me in gaining more skills and experience. Changing professions always excite me, where I tend to do what I was not doing before. As previously mention in my life background I had a series of highs and lows in my career. I used to be a programmer then a Field technician, where I used to be in higher position and earn much higher then when I was in the public sector. Although that is the cause of changing professions where you tend to try new things, but my rewards are the experience I have gained, which lead me to better earning. Now I feel that am in need of a steady career development in upward progression. Development issues emerging from reflection Johari Window Johari window is a psychological tool created by Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham in 1955, used to help people better understands their interpersonal communication and relationships. It is used primarily in self-help groups and corporate settings (wikipedia). In 2006 I attended a course on Leadership; one of the things was as an exercise for us to work on Johari Window. The following were on the blind area: Team Contributor Short Temper written 3 times Defensive attitude Helpful Being Magnificent? Whats stopping me from being magnificent? I believe the following are the constraints that limit me performance, that stop me from being magnificent. Not being able to utilize all my skills and experience Not being able to show my capabilities. Working environment Mural is Zero No Opportunities. Short vision of my current position by the management. Purpose and values and Self-actualisation My main purpose and value are distinguished between home and work the progression toward superior or line management path is my work purpose. Establishing a respectful and friendly family relationship is my home value. They are my principle points along my development all the way. It is unclear where am I heading toward my development career. There is nothing excite me that indicate a progression. Currently in my position am a Sr. technical engineering assistant, where I have reached the maximum allowable grade in this position, therefore my intentions would stop over here if I continued my career at the same position. Am spending time doing what is expected for me to do achieving one task after another. (Maslow, 1943) came with the notion of self-actualisation the state at the top of his hierarchy of needs where a person is so engaged in an activity that they lose all track of time. Now I feel like am losing my purpose, which lead to work stress. Reflection Reflection is an opportunity to check out our personal and professional congruence ( Megginson and Whitaker, 2007). Through out my career time, I have experienced moments (mention previously), that turns the way I used to think. It made think twice and wisely before I could make a decision, thats why the habit of hesitation in making decision is always in me. Reflection had an impact in my life as well as my career the following summarize this: Professional Looking for better opportunities Frequently Career Change ( Job Change ) through out where I have gained more skills and experience, that allowed me be capabilities of handling various organizational positions and tasks. Resigning from Schlumberger, where I did not have another job Here I learned how to take responsibilities and make well thought-out of my decisions. Learned to judge the consequences of my actions , that could affect my career and life as well. Personal Religious Believes kept me away from being enrolled into gangsters and drugs issues, as of I lived in a very corrupted area (Maabelah), where two of my friends died as they were involved in drug business. Getting married at earlier age lead me to be more accountable in my actions, decision making, and responsibilities. Choosing between joining university and joining the work force Achieving my goals is not always should be someones else goals, although I did joined the work force to help my family, but that was my choice not a family request, as I believed that I there would be another opportunity to join the university. Joining the Karate Club taught me self discipline, order, self confidence, and team work. Academic Working while studying, Studying while working guided me to be more self commitment toward my tasks and responsibilities. Feedback This mirror fulfilment with personal feedback, especially information workers receive about their performance and how they are being judged. Gaining appropriate feedback In our organization feedback on our career development and performance is a paper-based employment formal procedure called the annual appraisal Enhancement Organizational Performance (EOP), no certain study has been carried out by the organization to verify if its work or no, or is it really applied as per the requirement. I dont feel like am getting the right feedback on my development from my superior, its like a Christmas only happens once a year. That was about my professions feedback, regarding my life and personal feedback I intended to interview and questioning people who know me well, and have experienced lot of things with me, like colleagues, friends, family and relatives. Questionnaire and Interview Feedback Its really surprised my how sometime you dont know about yourself, people may see things on you thats you arent aware of. I think I would continue explore my self through this techniques as it get some of the facts and reality am missing. The following summarized the collected feedback from questionnaire and interviews Arguer, defensive attitude and Hard to be convinced Sensitive, emotional and short temper Self confident Hardly decision maker Adventurous Open mind and Out going Friendly, kind, helpful and Cheerful Social Man Hard worker, Team Player, Clever and Talent person. Great Karate Player Care about others more than himself Never say No if he can do something Punctual Self-Assessment Metrics Metrics can enable us to know more about ourselves, to understand others better and to a limited extent can help us set an agenda for personal change in building a realistic picture of my self, metrics can be useful. Personality Frameworks Personality frameworks, however, do not present a direct agenda for change. Additionally, it is very difficult and largely fruitless to strive to change our personality. Therefore to analyse my personality I shall need to get feedback from others, to do so I will give you some of the feedback from my family, relatives, friends, colleagues, workmate and managers. In addition to that I have done a well know Dr.Phill Test as well as another test called Jung Typology Test ENFJ ( Extraverted, Intuitive, Feeling, Judging), the results were as below: Dr. Phil Test My result was 38 and as per analyse of the results indicate that others see me as sensible, cautious, careful practical. They see me as clever, gifted, or talented, but modest. Not a person who makes friends too quickly or easily, but someone whos extremely loyal to friends you do make and who expect the same loyalty in return. Those who really get to know me realize it takes a lot to shake your trust in your friends, but equally that it takes me a long time to get over if that trust is ever broken. Mostly I do agree with Dr.Phil, this really describe my characteristic and my personality analyse, but some how there is something I dont feel like applies to me which is the way I do make friends, well in my opinion I feel I get very quickly or easily with people. Going back to my questionnaire and interviews I did ask about how do they think about the way a get along with people. Responses were 95% responded that am a social man, 3% solitary and 2% not sure!. 100% responded easily can get along with me, 0% hardly. Jung Typology Test This test is based on Carl Jung and Isabel Myers-Briggs typological approach to personality. The results showed that my personality type is slightly expressed extravert 22% , moderately expressed intuitive personality 25%, distinctively expressed feeling personality 62%, which is same is Dr.Phil analyse as well as my findings. And last am slightly expressed judging personality 1%. Personality theorists suggest, to come to terms with how we are and to recognize what our type can bring to our chosen work. Organisational Metrics This is where we assess our own needs and aspirations in terms of professional standards and organizational expectations Organisational Goals The core capabilities required and which defined in EOP- Enhancemnet Organizational Performance are as follow: Understanding the organizational objectives and goals In terms of Production (Oil, Gas, Water) Enhancing the overall performance using business operational tool and techniques Our personal Agenda as predefined for us: Continuous Improvement. Accountability Learning: Challenges New operational tools introduced to the field. Awareness of the available resources and their capabilities. Development Training is required. Leadership Competence Leadership is the achievement of a goal through the course of human assistants. The man who successfully gather together his human team-mate to achieve particular ends is a leader. A great leader is one who can do so day after day, and year after year, in a wide variety of circumstances.( Harvard Business Review, 2004). Most leaders believe in short terms about own leadership style. To develop your leadership ability, however, you need to be more aware of how you lead. A leader is someone who influence others. We all have an image of a leader. you may have heard the myth that Leaders are Born, Not Made! However, numerous leadership studies and programs have shown that individuals with a desire to do so, can take steps to learn, practice and improve their leadership capabilities and develop into leaders. The following highlights on my leadership competences, through out the leadership style test I did. Test 1. Leadership Leadership Style Questionnaire can be found at (www.exsel.mtu.edu). A Well representative test on leadership style, the test is divided into section Leadership Questionnaire My score were 12 P: Concern for people and 4 T: Concern for Task. By drawing a straight line to illustrate an intersection where my shared leadership style is. The point was 8 where it indicate as of being an autocratic and Laissez-Faire leadership style, by mean a high morale and productivity leadership. What Kind of Animal am I? (Lion, Otter, Golden Retriever or Beaver) My highest visual point was 29 Otter and 29 Golden Retriever that concluded: Understing the Key O (Otter) and I (Golden Retriever) Influencing and steadiness style My basic Motivation: recognition, approval, relationships and appreciation this really reflect the need which am missing. Desires situations allow: opportunity to help others, opportunity to motivate people, platform to verbalize ideas, having clearly defined goals and the steps to reach them and being part of a team. Responds best to other who: allows them to work at their own pace, provide personal support, democratic and friendly and provide recognition of abilities. Needs to learn that: time control helps, deadlines are important, change can provide opportunity, you can be :best friends with everybody and listening to others is great, but sharing their own needs and feelings is important. Behavioural Tendencies: Optimistic and people oriented Socially oriented, emotionally energetic Motivated by: loyalty, social recognition: need companionship and group support. Basic Fear: rejection, disapproval in relationships, task criticism( I often interpret this as personal rejection), and loss of stability Limitation: unorganized in accomplishing tasks, possessiveness and adherence to code of order and desire for tranquillity limits my ability to act decisively or face difficult situations. I do strongly agree with the test as it really reflect my leadership behaviour and personality Test 2. Leadership Leadership Style Questionnaire can be found at (http://ocha.unog.ch); http://ochaonline.un.org/ ; United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. This test illustrate the way I do apply my leadership style (directive, democratic, and non-directive/Delegative) which reflect my trend in a specific situation. As pervious test illustrated its seems like I am keen to democratic concern for people in my leadership style, beside to non-directive/ Delegative style Here I found out that I am mostly democratic or emergent, this is an indication for me to work harder on developing my other side of style Directive Style. SWOT Analyses Considering previous analyses pointing on SWOT analysis, this will spotlight on my strengths and weaknesses as well as the opportunities and threats. (S)trengths My positives aspects in being Experienced and Educated Team work, good technical (computer, oil field) and administrative skills. Talented, good contact network. (W)eaknesses My negative aspects in being Short temper and arguer Fear of rejection. Lack of directive leadership skills (O)pportunities In process of enhancing my academic education and profession skills (opportunity for progression) (T)hreats Lack of training provide by my employer. No further grade in my current position unless I change the post. Prioritising needs and Selection World class me World class me is the consideration of all aspects of life including work-related and personal-related areas as well. Things outside work can influence indirection or directly to our work and the other way around too. My world class is not perfect, as my direction is toward accomplishing things only, I need to progress my profession. In addition I need to settle my family at our own house not rental, where there is always a chance of movement from one place to another, by which my family got fed up. There is mess somehow, need for focus is required (profession and personal). Interview Myself My ideal job is working for an organization which cares more about staff development, ideal working environment(recreation, social activity, entertainment). These are simple needs a field employee requires as of being working in desert away from the family. Goals and Plans Some people love plans and other hate it, some people are planners and other emergent. By exercising the activity Planned or Emergent Learning my scores were Planned:23 and Emergent:25. This placed me at Sage, that illustrate my ability to find my own development. My CPD Log By the informati