Brady Handgun Violence Protection Act Essay - 2679 Words

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:______________________________________________________ The Brady Handgun Violence Protection Act, in short: The Brady Act, was United States legislation that was passed by Congress in 1993. The Brady Act required a five-day waiting period and criminal background check, performed by state and local law enforcement, for the purchase of a handgun. The Brady Act was instituted to curtail handgun violence and decrease the probability of a handgun ending up in a criminal’s hands. The legislation was heavily pushed by Senator James Brady and his wife, Sarah Brady, after Sen. Brady was seriously injured by a gunshot wound during the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan in 1981. The five-day waiting period went into effect on February 28, 1994, and was strongly opposed by the National Rifle Association (NRA). The NRA indicated the Brady Act was unconstitutional and a violation of the 10th Amendment. Lawsuits in several states were heard, and finally the Brady Act was deemed unconstitutional in 1997 by the U.S. Supreme Court, in the case of Printz v. United States. At that time, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), instituted the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NCIS) which would allow for instant background checks of handgun purchasers, and provisions were made to the Brady Act to satisfy the court. The NCIS became operational on November 30, 1998. The Brady Campaign indicates over 2.6 million prohibited gun purchases haveShow MoreRelatedBrady Handgun Violence Protection Act Essay4860 Words   |  20 Pages_____ The Brady Handgun Violence Protection Act, in short: The Brady Act, was United States legislation that was passed by Congress in 1993. The Brady Act required a five-day waiting period and criminal background check, performed by state and local law enforcement, for the purchase of a handgun. The Brady Act was instituted to curtail handgun violence and decrease the probability of a handgun ending up in a criminal’s hands. The legislation was heavily pushed by Senator James Brady and his wifeRead MoreThe Gun Control Debate Continues Essay1762 Words   |  8 Pagesstated that in February 28, 1994, the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Law (the Brady Act) required a five-day waiting period for all handgun purchases from dealers. Whenever there is the sale of a handgun, shotgun, or long rifle to a prospective buyer, a background check must be performed on that person to decide whether that person is forbidden from owning a firearm due to past criminal actions. According to justfac ts.com between the implementation of the Brady Bill in March 1994 and year-end 1997Read MoreGun Control3838 Words   |  16 Pagesrather than regulations on guns. Guns don’t kill people, people kill people. Gun Control: Tragedies Throughout the years since guns have existed in the United States, there have been many mass killings. However, throughout recent years, gun violence has become much more prevalent in school settings. Three of the most well known massacres occurred in Colorado, Virginia, and Connecticut. These three horrific events have become synonymous with the word gun control. On April 20th of the yearRead MoreThe Free Range Of Interpretation Of The Constitution1648 Words   |  7 Pagesbetween citizen and state. The issue in the forefront of this is the Second amendment and the right that is described that a citizen under proper regulation can join a militia for the security of their free state as well have the right to bear arms (Brady). This amendment is open to interpretation as if much of the other Amendments has been the under controversy in to whether citizens should have the right to arm themselves with firearms. The branches of government whom are at the front of this issueRead MoreGun Control Research Paper2015 Words   |  9 PagesGuns In The United States In today’s society of political turmoil, violence, and economic tragedies, many gun control advocates are pushing for more gun regulations from the government. Guns have been a part of America’s way of life for centuries. However, it was not until the 20th century that the government enacted it’s first gun control act. The National Firearms Act was enacted in 1934, as stated in â€Å"Firearm Laws, Regulations, and Ordinances,† edited by Sandra Alters, in response to theRead MoreBackground Checks Are The Most Effective Way Of Preventing Gun Crimes1484 Words   |  6 Pagesmost effective way of preventing gun crimes. There are multiple cases of school and community shootings and how it could be prevented if there were some sort of system to catch perpetrators. Gun violence has been an issue since the 1970s and started to peak in the 1980s and 1990s. Gun Violence is violence committed with the use of a gun and recently there has been an increase in gun c rimes, but due to background checks they have decreased. A background check is the process of looking up and compilingRead MorePersuasive Essay On Gun Control1806 Words   |  8 Pagesthe National Firearms Act of 1938, the Gun Control Act of 1968, and the Arms Export Control Act of 1976. These three major legislations plus the rights given to the people by the constitution are the guidelines that the state governments follow and cannot contradict when they made state mandated gun regulations. One of the first major federal gun control related acts to be passed was the National Firearms Act was passed in 1934, which was followed by the Federal Firearms Act of 1938 (Vizzard, 2015Read MoreThe Issue Of Gun Control1199 Words   |  5 Pagesmany years. Several Supreme Court cases spoke about gun control during the late 1800s and first half of the 1900s, but were not a major issue until the 1960s. After the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Congress passed the 1968 gun control act which banned mail-order gun sales. Congress has debated gun control since the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan on March 30, 1981. At that time there was not enough support for stricter gun control. Throughout the 1990s the controversyRead MoreGun control1657 Words   |  7 Pagesto background checks have been heavily discussed by both emotion and logic, by both gun supporters and gun control activists, and it seems like there is no middle ground for both parties to agree on. Crime rates influence guns demanded for self-protection, and guns demanded by criminals depend upon guns held by law-abiding citizens. Comparative-static analysis is used to investigate the effects of crime and gun control policies. The results show that i ncreases in crime control policies may reduceRead MoreU.s. Gun Legislation On The Rights Of A Free State1253 Words   |  6 Pagesand Gen. George Wingate. 1934: The National Firearms Act passes in response to gangster culture during Prohibition. The law implements a tax on the making and transfer of automatic-fire guns, shotguns and rifles. 1939: Supreme Court upholds a federal ban on sawed-off shotguns, implying that the Founding Fathers adopted the amendment to ensure the then-new federal government could not disarm state militias. 1968: Congress passes the Gun Control Act. The law calls for better control of interstate traffic

The Therapy, Attachment Theory And Cognitive Theory

This eclectic plan will incorporate three theoretical approaches, which include the solution focused therapy, attachment theory and cognitive theory. The plan is going to be made up of four therapy sessions each will be an hour long. The four sessions are designed to help Andrew overcome his depressive state and to help him develop coping mechanisms for himself. †¢ In the first session, the therapist will be combining both attachment and cognitive theory. †¢ The session will begin with an intake and assessment where the therapist will gain insight on who the client is and what their situation is through the process of asking questions. †¢ From this, the therapist will use the attachment approach where the therapist will tie in the intake and assessment with the Adult Attachment Interview. It consists of a semi structured interview, which will consist of asking Andrew to describe his childhood relationships to his parents with examples of significant events (Textbook). The questions are geared toward possible experiences of rejection, being hurt, upset or any other experiences that may had a negative impact on Andrew (Textbook). By doing this, it will help Andrew understand how his relationship with his parents as a child might help explain his difficulty with expressing emotions. From gaining this understanding, it can help him move forward and start thinking about how he start to form more positive attachments. †¢ Before the end of the first session, the therapist will touchShow MoreRelatedMultiple Theories Influenced The Development Of My Personal Model And Therapeutic Approach For Couples And Families1668 Words   |  7 Pagesmultiple theories have influenced the development of my personal model and therapeutic approach to couples and families. Three theories in particular that I draw my therapeutic approach from includes: narrative therapy, emotionally focused couple’s therapy, and attachment theory. I will articulate the theoretical underpinnings of these three theories and integrate them in one cohesive personal model called Emotional Enhanced Attachment Narrative Therapy. This paper will discuss my approach in regardsRead MoreFamily Systems Therapy: Four Models1272 Words   |  5 PagesFamily Systems Therapy: Four Models The process of individual therapeutic treatment will often result in heavy invocation of intimate personal relationships, formative experiences and conflict management. These characteristics would ultimately lead to the evolution of family systems therapy, a mode of treatment which recognizes the inherency that familial patterns and inter-relations possess where counseling and treatment are concerned. The school of though revolving around the family systems ideologyRead MoreCanine Assisted Therapy And Mental Health1539 Words   |  7 PagesCanine Assisted Therapy and Mental Health The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) (2013) defines Schizophrenia as one of the most common serious mental health conditions affecting men and women equally. It is a chronic condition that causes a range of different psychological symptoms including hallucinations (hearing or seeing things that do not exist) and delusions (believing in things that are untrue). These symptoms are often referred to as ‘symptoms of psychosis’, whenRead MoreThe Theory Of Developmental Psychology1644 Words   |  7 Pagesdevelopmental psychology like Adolescence, Attachment, Cognitive development, Education, and Parenting that will be address. Developmental psychology also examines the nature and nurture of our human development change, by the studies done. Researchers like to see the difference between human personal characteristic. It shows there have been discussions over the essentials and dynamic development and the development of the stages and hypothesis. Be havioral and cognitive psychology studies how human functionsRead MoreLisa Is A Candidate For Interventions That Address Her1622 Words   |  7 Pagesaddress her traumatic past, her attachment disruptions, and the internalizing behaviors. She could possibly benefit from Attachment, Regulation, and Competency (ARC) treatment or CBT. Her internalizing behaviors may impart be associated with her insecure attachment that was a result of her not feeling safe and aforementioned disruptions with attachment figures. The attachment theory has been well researched and studies have made a correlation between disruptions in attachment and mental health issues.Read MoreBiographical Data Of Theorist : Interpersonal, Cognitive, And Family Perspectives985 Words   |  4 Pages1. Biographical data of theorist: Interpersonal therapy synthesizes interpersonal, cognitive, and family perspectives. Interpersonal therapy was first given attention by Harry Stack Sullivan. Sullivan’s theory was cr eated in reaction to Freud’s drive theory. Sullivan contended that what a child was currently experiencing interpersonally and behaviorally was more important than unconscious drives. Sullivan earned his MD and became interested in psychology after working and helping a schizophrenicRead MoreReactive Attachment Disorder Of Children1512 Words   |  7 PagesReactive Attachment Disorder in Children Introduction to the Diagnosis According to Bowlby, the founder of attachment theory, a dependable, safe, and caring relationship with a primary caregiver is vital to an infant’s psychological health (Bowlby, 1951). In particular, children lacking a secure attachment with their primary caregivers are at risk of developing emotional and behavioral issues (Blakely Dziadosz, 2015). Unfortunately, the human bonds normally formed in infancy are fractured in neglectedRead MoreReactive Attachment Disorder ( Rad ) Treatment1246 Words   |  5 PagesReactive attachment disorder (RAD) Treatment There are many treatments for RAD: inner child work, cognitive restructuring, insight oriented therapy, holding therapy, re-parenting, cognitive behavioral therapy, and theraplay to name a few. Nevertheless, some of them have proven to be more effective than others, while some are highly controversial such as holding therapy which consist of obligating the disordered child to hugged or force them to receive tokens of affection against their will. Re-parentingRead More To what extent and in what ways are people ?fixed? and ?open to change1567 Words   |  7 Pages Charles Darwin was not only a pioneer in evolutionary psychology, also today’s theories of modern lifespan development draw on and are influenced by Darwin’s ideas. His functionalist perspective primarily focused on the reason for development of specific human characteristics over many generations, and therefore an enormously long timescale. However, inspired by the observations in the development his own son, Darwin also acknowledged that â€Å"an individual is the result of a gradual sequence of priorRead MoreThe Ethics Of The Counseling Profession1371 Words   |  6 Pagesmay seek counseling are individuals who encountered marriage and family issues, stressful or traumatic events and drug and substance abuse. In this research assignment, I will discuss events the effects of traumatic events, addictions, family therapy theories, and optimal health and wellness. Crisis and Traumatic Events in life At some point, everyone had encountered a crisis or traumatic event in their lives, whether it was due to the death of a love one or becoming terminally ill. Some individuals

Cultural distance assignment free essay sample

CDj is the cultural distance between the host country (j) and the home country (in this case Germany). It is calculated with a summation of 4 different variables indicating different cultural dimensions. These are uncertainty avoidance, power distance, individualism/collectivism and masculinity/femininity. is the country j’s score on one of the four cultural dimension is the score of the home country (in this case Germany) on this dimension. is the variance of this particular dimension. Firstly, the distance on each dimension between the host country j and the home country (in this case Germany). Secondly, this number is squared. After squaring minus each variable is divided by the variance of that variable. And finally, all these four variances are added together and divided by 4. 2. What is the difference between mean and variance? Can you explain the example given in the lecture in your own words? Mean and variance are both about distribution, but mean refers to one measure of the central value for a probability distribution. It is the average of a set of measurements. On the other hand, variance is a measure of how far a set of numbers is spread out. In a statistical probability graph the difference in variance is made visible in the height of the graph. A low variance indicates that the data points are close to the mean. This can be recognized in a normal distribution graph where the curve is either flatter or steeper. A flat curve indicates a high variance as data points are far away from the mean, whereas a steep curve indicates a small variance as the data points are close to the mean. 3. Calculate the distance on each dimension between Germany (our home country) and a specific host country using the Excel program.? Tip: you can use the formula editor in Excel to calculate the distance on e. g. power distance between Germany and Argentina, the first country in the sample. You can copy-paste the formula in the other rows/columns. Power distance: Argentina – Germany: 49-35 = 14 Uncertainty avoidance: Argentina – Germany: 86-64 = 21 Individualism / collectivism: Argentina – Germany: 46-67 = -21 ? 21 Masculinity / femininity: Argentina – Germany: 56-66 = -10 ? 10 4. The Kogut-Singh index of cultural distance also contains the variance of each dimension. Answer the following questions: a. In the bottom row of the columns you will find the variance for each culture ? dimension. What dimension has the highest variance? Individual collectivism b. What does a high variance mean Tip: to calculate the variance yourself, you can use the formula editor of Excel and search for â€Å"variance†. A high variance means that the date points are very spread out from the mean and from each other 5. Calculate the cultural distance using Kogut and Singh formula while using Germany as the home country. Tip: follow the different steps as explained in the main lecture, and first calculate the difference, ? the squared difference, the variance, and the overall cultural distance. Cultural distance = 0,547 ? [(14*14)/507,68 + (21*21)/559,42 + (-21*-21)/621,34 + (-10*-10)/329,58)]/4 6. Which four countries have the lowest cultural distance to Germany? Switzerland, Italy, South Africa and Luxembourg 7. Which country has the highest cultural distance? Guatemala 8. What is the average cultural distance between Germany and these 57 other countries? 1,6046894 9. Pick a host country and relate the cultural distance score between Germany and that ? host country to the 7 points of critique raised by Shenkar as discussed in the lecture. We picked Egypt, which has a cultural distance score of 1,748. 1. The illusion of symmetry: you cannot assume that the cultural distance from Germany and Egypt is similar to the cultural distance from Egypt to Germany. Because of recent conflicts in Egypt it is probably less attractive for other countries, including Germany, to do business or invest in Egypt, whereas for Egypt itself, it is not hard to do business in Germany. 2. The illusion of stability: Cultural distance is measured at a single point in time, but cultures may change over time and therefore, cultural differences may also change over time. Currently the conflict in Egypt is still ongoing which makes cultural difference between Germany and Egypt bigger. However, if this conflict ends, the cultural difference may shrink again. 3. The illusion of linearity: in case a German MNE already had an entity in Egypt and is considering a second one, the obstacle of starting a second entity is lower than it would have with the initial entity introduction. The effect on cultural distance therefore depends on the experience already gained and is not a linear process. 4. The illusion of causality: Kogut and Singh’s formula only focuses on cultural difference, but distance is a multidimensional construct and should be studied not in isolation but together with the other three dimensions of distance, namely; institutional/administrative distance, geographic distance and economic distance. For instance, the cultural difference between Germany and Egypt is 1,748 and the geographic distance between Germany and Egypt is 3208 kilometer. The cultural difference between Germany and Australia is 0,320 (a lot smaller than 1,748) and the geographic distance between these two countries is 14482 kilometers (a lot further than 3208 km). 5. The illusion of discordance: the assumption is that all cultural aspects of the cultural distance between home and host country matter equally, but depending on the country, some dimensions of a culture matter more than others. Take language and religion. Both cultural aspects, but when Germany does business with the Netherlands difference in language would matter a lot more than difference in religion, whereas when Germany does business with Egypt, the religion factor would weigh a lot heavier. 6. The assumption of corporate homogeneity: by using national cultural measures, the CD concept only incorporates variance in the national culture but does not consider possible variances on a corporate level. National culture vs. organizational culture is left out. In Egypt, a company which employs employees of many different nationalities will have less cultural differences with a German company in comparison to a company which only employs Egyptians. 7. The assumption of spatial homogeneity: when examining the cultural differences on the basis of national level scores, possible cultural variances within that same country are left out. In Egypt it would not be correct to look at the country as a whole, since within the country (city versus rural areas) there are different cultures and sentiments based on different takes on for example Muslim religion. This could affect the way different companies do business and therefore reduce or expand the cultural difference between Germany and Egypt. 10. Assess the strengths and weaknesses of the Kogut and Singh measure of cultural distance. Kogut and Singh have made an effort of creating an overview on the cultural distance between countries. The overview is quite meticulous and based on empirical research, taking four dimensions created by Hofstede of cultural distance into account. Although the measure of cultural distance should provide realistic information for organisations that seek new markets, it is not able to do so. The measure should be seen as an indicator of cultural distance rather than an absolute number. Supported by Shenkar’s seven points of critique1, the weaknesses of Kogut and Singh’s theory will be assessed. Supported by Kim and Gray’s article, its strengths will be assessed2. As Shenkar researched effectively, Kogut and Singh’s measure is quite ambiguous. It creates several illusions of cultural distance. Deriving from these seven points made by Shenkar, the measure cannot be used in practice. The differences between reality and theory are too large. For example, as Shenkar explained in point 5; â€Å"The implicit assumption that differences in cultures produce lack of fit and hence an obstacle to transaction is questionable. First, not every cultural gap is critical to performance. As Tallman and Shenkar (1994, p. 108) note, different aspects of firm culture may be more or less central, more or less difficult to transmit, and more or less critical to operations. Second, cultural differences may be complementary and hence have a positive synergetic effect on investment and performance. ’3 Companies are shown one CD number, but the importance of the various dimensions creating this number is different for each company. For example, a company involved in financial derivatives that seeks to create a subsidiary overseas may be less concerned about the individualism/collectivism-dimension than about the uncertainty avoidance-dimension, as these companies are inherently making money of uncertainty. Thus, the CD number does not suit the function implied by Kogut and Singh. Singh and Kogut create an illusion that this CD number helps companies finding a suitable strategy for expanding abroad. The CD number should provide hard data for finding this strategy. Due to the difference between theory and practice, this number cannot provide practical data. However, the measure is suitable for other goals. For one, the measure can explain corporate behaviour in new markets. Kim and Gray researched the applicability of the CD measure. They concluded that relationship between the CD measure and corporate behaviour has some plausible consistencies. 4 The ownership mode a company takes in a new market is indeed dependent on the cultural distance between the host and home country. Kogut and Singh’s measure is thus accurate, but not practical. In conclusion, the measure of Kogut and Sing is accurate enough to explain corporate behaviour in hindsight, but cannot be seen as a practical calculation for choosing a business strategy. A company may tend to get confused by the calculation method, as it equally takes all dimensions into account. However, in the end, a company will probably handle appropriately to the new market’s culture. This is shown in Kim and Gray’s research.

Definitely One Of Most Important Factors †Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Definitely One Of Most Important Factors? Answer: Introducation Any organization, that intends to sustain itself in the long run, must ensure that it adopts effective strategies that help it to sustain in the highly competitive market. In the face of cut-throat competition, many companies adopt the low-price strategy, whereby it lowers the price of its products, in order to gain competitive edge over its rivals. The assumption underlying the strategy, is lower the price, the higher will be the demand, and increased sales will eventually lead to increased rate of revenue. However, although the traditional theory of demand states that higher the price, lower accounting demand will be, and vice versa, it is important to critically analyse if lower price will invariably lead to higher profit or not. Price is definitely one of the most important factors, and one of the most vial elements of the 4Ps of marketing, that determine the sales growth of a product. Often companies believe in selling products at highly competitive prices, as it helps them tap the attention of the consumers much easily, and achieve consumer loyalty as well. This is why, many companies lower their prices, allow lucrative discount rates and follow a low-price strategy for each of its products. However, lower price does not necessarily imply higher profit margins. For example, an emerging organization that is still at its growth phase will have to incur various start-up costs that in turn will increase the total overhead cost (Tisdell 2015). In such a situation, if the company decides to reduce its selling price, it will definitely not be able to make profit, as its revenue will be low, while its expenditure will nevertheless be incredibly high. Hence, lower price will not ensure higher profit in all circumst ances. Low price strategy cannot be a long-term plan of any organization, as it does not ensure sustenance in the long run. However, often organizations enjoying a large share of the market, manage to survive with higher profit margins, when they choose to cut their product prices. These large and well-established organizations can effectively employ the low-price strategy, as they can easily survive on low profit margins for the time-being, and thus lowering the product price makes it even tougher for its competitors to compete if they cannot make a profit at those lower prices.Thus, often organizations often lower their prices with the purpose of attracting consumers for a brief period of time, and gaining consumer loyalty, after which it raises its prices, once its competitors are totally knocked out. This form of pricing strategy, also known as predatory pricing strategy can be highly an effective strategy that can be profitable for the recognized organizations to gain consumer loyalty, and attain competitive advantage (Kapur et al. 2016). As more consumers will be attracted to the low-priced products, they will tend to buy greater number of the products that is likely to enhance the sales volume as well, and contribute to the higher profit margins as well. There is no gain stating the obvious fact that often an increase in the price leads to the reduction of sales volume, as in a highly competitive market, the consumers will tend to look out for cheaper alternatives. On the other hand, despite the decrease in sales volumes, it may increase the profit margins, simply because the product sold to a limited consumer base, is sold at a higher cost, and the perceived value they attach to a high-priced product is irreplaceable. In order to illustrate the point, one can refer to the pricing strategy and profit margins of Apple and Samsung. Apple has always maintained a high price point strategy, whereby it does not reduce its price in order to attract consumer attention. On the other hand, economics, a strong rival of Apple, nevertheless offers a very similar feature-set and design flairs, and offers it at a lower price (Armstrong et al. 2015). Yet the profitability of Apple is unsurpassably high. The reason behind the high profitability of Ap ple, is the hype it creates amongst its consumers regarding the quality of its premium-priced products. While lowering the price can definitely increase the consumer demand for a brief period of time, most of the consumers will tend to devalue the quality of the brand. This perceived value of the brand will determine the sales growth in the long run. No matter what, but there will always be cheaper alternatives available in the market, and hence there is always a chance for the consumers to switch to the even cheaper product selling companies. The lower price strategy often affects the consumer brand perception in a negative way. Research reports have suggested that lower price is associated with lower perceived brand quality that affects the sales growth of the company, in the long run (Nagle et al. 2016). It in an undeniable fact, that a company that offers products at a lower price than before, will tend to compromise with the quality of the product (Natenberg 2014). It should be remembered that lower price does not essentially imply higher profit margin. On the contrary, it can ensure higher profitability, if and only the sales number remains constant. A company reducing its price by lowering the quality of its products, will not be able to sustain in a competitive market, and will be led to net loss. It is important to note that lowering the product price can definitely entail higher profit, for a short span of time. This is especially profitable for companies that are still in the introductory stage of product life cycle, or for companies trying to penetrate a new, competitive market. This pricing technique is known as penetration pricing strategy, whereby an organization sets a comparatively low initial entry price, that s most often lower than the eventual market price, in order to attract potential customer base. The strategy is implemented with the belief that the consumers will be tempted to switch to the new brand because of the lower price.However, in the long run, the company will have to increase its price, so that its brand value does not get misinterpreted by the consumers, and it can improve product quality in the coming years. It should be noted that even if a consumer is asked to buy the same product offered by three brands at $20, $50 and $500, people will not sim ply buy the first brand, but will rather carefully research the unique qualities offered by the most expensive brand. Hence, price determines the customers perception of a brand, and hence low price can affect sales in a negative way. Hence, the company can offer high quality products, and employ a premium pricing strategy, to attain product differentiation, and still make huge profits. The key to success is just to prove to the consumers that the product quality justifies a premium price. Reference List: Armstrong, G., Kotler, P., Harker, M. and Brennan, R., 2015. Marketing: an introduction. Pearson Education. Kapur, P.K., Kumar, V. and Shrivastava, A.K., 2016. Strategic Price, Warranty and Profit Maximization Model of a Software Product Using Dynamic Optimization.International Journal of Reliability, Quality and Safety Engineering,23(01), p.1650002. McDonald, M. and Wilson, H., 2016.Marketing Plans: How to prepare them, how to profit from them. John Wiley Sons. Nagle, T.T., Hogan, J. and Zale, J., 2016.The Strategy management and Tactics of Pricing: New International Edition. Routledge. Natenberg, S., 2014.Option volatility and pricing: Advanced trading strategies and techniques. McGraw Hill Professional. Tisdell, C.A., 2015.The theory of price uncertainty, production, and profit. Princeton University Press.

24 Business Communication Skills Attitudes of Human Resource Managers Versus Business Educators free essay sample

| ABSTRACT This study examined the perceptions of human resource managers and business school instructors regarding the importance of 24 specific business communication skills. Previous studies indicated broad agreement regarding the importance of student/employee communication abilities to achieve successful job performance. Yet the literature also suggested that different objectives may elicit dissimilar opinions regarding specific types of skills that constitute the ability to communicate effectively. In response to the need for more precise communication skills characterization, Conrad (2003) developed three skills sets based on the widely accepted communication constructs of organizational, leadership and interpersonal communication abilities. The results from this study show that business leaders and business instructors agree on the importance of overall student/employee communication ability; however, they vary significantly regarding the importance of individual skills. ____________________________________________________________ ________________________ David Conrad is Assistant Professor and Associate Director for the Augsburg College MBA program. Robert Newberry is Professor of Marketing at Winona State University. Send correspondence to David Conrad, Augsburg College, 3415 Chalet View Lane, Rochester, MN 55901, [emailprotected] We will write a custom essay sample on 24 Business Communication Skills: Attitudes of Human Resource Managers Versus Business Educators or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page edu. American Communication Journal 2011 SPRING (Volume 13, Issue1) 5 Business communication is the sending and receiving of verbal and non verbal messages within the organizational context (Roebuck, 2001; Ober, 2001; Murphy, Hildebrandt, Thomas, 1997). Hanna and Wilson (1998) expanded on this definition, indicating business communication is a process of generating, transmitting, receiving, and interpreting messages in interpersonal, group, public, and mass communication contexts through written and verbal formats. Hynes (2005) stated effective business communication is the key to planning, leading, organizing, and controlling the resources of the organizations to achieve objectives, and may be formal or informal in nature. Argenti (2007) discussed business communication functional aspects and found that over half of the heads of corporate communication departments oversee business communications functions that include media relations, online communications, marketing, special events, product/brand communications, crisis management, employee/internal communications, community relations, and product/brand advertising. The expanse and importance of business communication underscores the need for business education and business to collaborate in preparing business majors for the workplace. It is widely accepted that business management and business educators perceive communication skills as highly valuable to employees and organizations alike. In business organizations, numerous sources have reported that communication skills are critical to career success and a significant contributor to organizational success (Du-Babcock, 2006; Roebuck, 2001; Certo, 2000; Dilenschneider, 1992; Rushkoff, 1999). In academia, research has shown faculty and administrators perceive that communication skills are very important to students’ eventual career success (National Association of Colleges and Employers, 2001; Gray, 2010). Despite the agreement in business regarding the importance of communication skills, evidence exists that long-term employees and those just entering the work force from college still lack these skills. Pearce, Johnson, and Barker (1995) reported fair to poor (the lowest two categories on a 5- point scale) communication and listening skills of managers and employees. Fordham and Gabbin (1996) interviewed 84 business executives and concluded that business students with apprehension about communicating are less likely to practice the communication and, therefore, are less likely to develop communication skills. Academicians appear to agree with their business counterparts. Lanier, Tanner, Zhu, and Heady (1997) found that most management faculty believe students are deficient in writing and verbal skills. Their study also revealed that although remediation in these skills is at the forefront of educational needs, students may not be receiving adequate education in these skills. Young and Murphy (2003) noted that accreditation requirements, academic research, and consistent feedback from employers, college recruiters, and alumni certainly suggest that communication skills should be dentified as one of the key issues in marketing education. Brodowsky and Anderson (2003) found that even business students themselves perceive inadequacies in their communication education. So, despite agreement between business and academia regarding the importance of communication skills, a gap persist regarding desired versus acquired communication skills levels. Several studies reveal that business education sh ould be sensitive to, but may not understand, the communication skills needs of business employees (Roebuck, 2001: Tanyel, Mitchell, McAlum, 1999; Lanier, Tanner, Zhu Heady, 1997). Gray (2010) found graduates often begin their careers with inadequate oral communication skills, but there is a lack of well- 6 grounded empirical data concerning precisely what employers mean by â€Å"oral communication† and what specific skills they value most highly. Sapp and Zhang (2009) suggested business professors think they know about their students’ readiness for post-graduation employment, but the reality often is that professors know very little about how their students will perform professionally in relation to what industry expects. The authors argued that rarely do business faculty have the opportunity to incorporate feedback from industry insiders in order to facilitate their students’ transition to full-time employment; that occasionally, academicians conduct alumni surveys or obtain feedback in program reviews or accreditation reports; but that most of the time, the information available about their students’ communication skills performance outside the classroom is either anecdotal or based on a small sampling of student work. Thus, business faculty can only assume and hope that the career-oriented education they provide as business communication teachers will translate into successful job performance. Although there is general agreement on the importance of business communication skills and on the need to include them in the business curriculum, research continues to show inadequately prepared entry-level employees. As an example, The National Commission on Writing (NCW) (2004) found that a significant proportion of firms reported one- third or fewer of their employees, both current and new, possessed the writing skills that are valued. The NCW study also estimated that firms spend $3. 1 billion annually on remedial training in writing. Finally, the NCW study noted that a vast majority of firms assess writing skills when considering hiring or promoting, that writing skills of recent graduates are generally considered unsatisfactory, and that writing skills are the â€Å"gatekeeper† for individuals desiring to achieve higher level salaried positions. Although recent graduates’ writing skills are generally inadequate, these skills are very important to their organizations and their own personal success. Anderson and Bacon (2004) surveyed employers and found they consistently ranked communication skills, in particular writing ability, among the most important skills for undergraduate business students to possess. However, they found improving writing skills, especially with respect to punctuation, grammar, and word choice, often requires substantial teacher time and effort, which may be a rare resource considering the abundance of content that must be covered in most business courses. Regarding the other primary communication skill, oral communication, Maes, Weldy, and Icenogle (1997) found that oral communication was one of the top three competencies needed to succeed in a managerial position. Yet other studies over decades have demonstrated the unsatisfactory oral communication skills of recent graduates (Bolt-Lee Foster, 2003; Reinsch Shelby, 1997). Thus, it appears that preparing students’ oral communication skills for the managerial workplace has not been highly successful. In specialized fields of management, this same phenomenon appears as well. The accounting profession has taken a special interest in communication skills as accounting has evolved from a bookkeeping, number-crunching activity to an analysis, reporting, and advising profession (Siegel, 2000). In an extensive study of practitioners, Bolt-Lee and Foster (2003) found that communication skills are one of the key areas needing major improvement in the accounting profession. Stowers and White (1999), after their study showed minimal importance 7 ttached to communication skills instruction, called for a more comprehensive approach in undergraduate accounting programs. Other specialties demonstrating concern for communication skills deficiencies are information systems and public relations. In a study of information systems employers, Cappel (2002) found a significant gap between expected and actual communication skills. In fact, information systems employers rated the communication skills ga p as much greater than the technical skills gap. In the public relations field, one focused on communications, Wise (2005) noted that public relations professionals overwhelmingly described the writing of entry- level employees as â€Å"bad† or â€Å"poor,† and the most positive comments in his study included â€Å"very uneven,† â€Å"average,† and â€Å"fair,† not a ringing endorsement of progress in teaching business communications skills. Thus research and debate continue on what communication skills should be emphasized and how they should be taught (Pittenger, Miller Mott, 2004; Russ, 2009; Blasczynski, Haras, Katz, 2010). Numerous studies suggest that business educators must better understand and teach the communication skills business considers important. Tanyel, Mitchell and McAlum (1999) found significant differences between prospective employers’ and faculty members’ attitudes regarding the importance of expected communication skills among recent graduates. Ulinski and O’Callaghan (2002) found that MBA students and employers generally disagree on the order of importance of communication skills. Seshadri and Theye (2000) found that professionals judge writing on different criteria than do faculty. The NCW (2004) report stated that employers feel that the style taught in academics is often inappropriate for business writing. So, between academia and practitioners is some disconnect regarding the business communication skills new graduates need. Although there are many possible explanations for this disconnect, one may be academics’ emphasis on theories and models versus practitioners’ emphasis on skills and abilities that produce practical outcomes. In addressing this gap, several studies have suggested a lack of focus in business communication curriculum on skills that relate to practical outcomes. Pfeffer and Fong (2002) concluded that the focus should be practical use of skills, not theoretical understanding or abstract knowledge. Pittenger, Miller and Mott (2004) proposed teaching communications with an emphasis on real-world standards and operational skills outcomes. Business communication skill education instructional methods are widely discussed. Kerby and Romine (2009) promoted embedding communication assessment in course content, suggesting outcomes that are useful skills that employers want. Du-Babcock (2006) stated that teaching business communication theory and models without associated application materials is inadequate and will lead to students not being capable of applying communication skills in the future. As early as 1999, Murranka and Lynch demonstrated that a competency-based communication course focused on skills applications could be successful. Laster and Russ (2010) found pedagogical differences and similarities in how instructors from business and communication disciplines teach the introductory business communication course. By surveying 444 instructors teaching this course at colleges and universities across the United States, they found both complimentary and contradictory instructional approaches and called for more cross-disciplinary uniformity in contemporary business communication education. 8 Bennis and Townsend (1995), Rowley, Lujan, and Dolence (1997), and Rusk (1993) have argued that it is the responsibility of colleges and business to collaboratively understand what is important in education, identify if there is agreement on importance, and make attempts at remediation of these skills before the students graduate and seek employment . In this vein, research becomes necessary to identify if business and business education agree on the importance of specific skills in business to ensure that the skills business expects are those considered important in college business education. At the graduate level, Bogert and Butt (1996) studied 55 MBA programs and found almost all of these programs concentrated on enhancing communication skills; in fact, several instructors stated clearly on their syllabi the premise that their students do know how to speak and write effectively. In addition, no school required a communication course that focused solely on organizational communication. Cyphert, Worley, and Dyrud (2002) looked at the integration of communication across the master of business administration (MBA) curriculum at the University of Northern Iowa. They found that although students felt that the communication-focused courses were worthwhile, the University still sought to better integrate communication skills across the MBA curriculum. The authors noted that one-unit courses do not offer enough opportunity for students to become familiar with the processes and protocols of business communication, particularly for those with no professional experience in the U. S. Finally, Bhatia and Hynes (1996) surveyed graduate business students preferences for the business communication course curriculum. Of the 255 graduate business students who had taken a core course in managerial communication, 86% were employed. The most highly rated course topics were making presentations, writing memos and letters, listening and interpersonal communication, impromptu speaking, and business report formats. The topics rated least important were international business communication, using technology, and managing diversity. The most frequently suggested additional topics were job interviews, team building, and writing manuals/policies/procedures. Scholars and practitioners alike have long argued that professional effectiveness is concomitantly linked to communication competence. Consequently, business school faculty have come to realize that they must equip students with the communication skills employers demand if their programs are to succeed. A number of audits published over 30 years have examined the evolutionary pedagogical and programmatic developments of the undergraduate business communications course (Russ, 2009). These audits serve as reliable barometers, yielding valuable information for both internal and external stakeholders and allowing them to evaluate the health of the introductory course, track pedagogical and administrative trends, benchmark best practices, and identify pedagogical opportunities. Although periodic audits of the business communication course are necessary, the last one was conducted a decade ago, warranting a contemporary audit. Yu (2010) echoed these beliefs and stated the idea of learning from industry is not readily embraced; looking at industry to design assessment may thus be interpreted by some faculty as a degenerative slide into a vocational paradigm that replaces education with training. Yu concluded that if business faculty want to help students succeed in workplace communication, they must understand how employees and their performance are assessed and deemed successful in those institutions. In summary, Waner (1995) concluded that on a regular basis, business communication faculty should survey and collaborate with other business faculty and business professionals to determine which business communication competencies are most important in the business world and which ones should receive the most emphasis in the business communication classroom. Re search emphasizes the need for excellent communication skills in the workplace, but exactly which skills should receive the most emphasis in the business communication classroom must be based on information received from the customers. Purpose of the Study Several studies reveal that business needs communication skill competency and that business education must be sensitive to and understand the communication skill needs of business. Accordingly, ongoing research is needed to ascertain which specific communication skills business considers important and those college business educators consider important. Pressing beyond previous research, this study compares the communication skills business considered important and those business education considered important. The purpose is to determine if there is agreement or a gap between business and academic professionals regarding the relative importance of communication skills in business. Discrepancies in perceptions of the relative importance of communication skills between business and business education specifically may affect the ability of education to teach what is important for business. Such discrepancies also may affect the ability of business to understand, appreciate, and utilize the skills that business education may consider important. This study investigated perceptions of communication skill importance among business leaders and among college business teachers in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, to determine if there is agreement or a gap about the importance of communication skills for business. The Twin Cities are home to several colleges that grant 4-year business degrees as well as several large businesses. The study asks one foundational question: In Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, are the communication skills business organizations consider important also those college business educators consider important? Research Questions This study asks and addresses the following research questions: 1. What communication skills does the literature indicate are needed in business? 2. How do business leaders rank the importance of the communication skills cited in the research literature? 3. How do college business teachers rank the importance of the communication skills cited in the research literature? 4. How do the communication skill responses of the business leaders compare with the responses from the college business teachers? 10 Communication Constructs and Skills Identifying Business Communication Constructs In business communication research and curriculum content, the most common constructs utilized include reading, writing, oral presentations, and listening. This foundation, no doubt, is derived from the historical core skills required to be considered an educated person. One might even argue that these skills are the foundation for becoming educated. However, it appears these skills alone are not sufficient in themselves to satisfy business practitioners’ needs. Evidence to support this contention is embedded in the multitude of research suggesting that graduates still lack the communication skills necessary to be successful in business despite education’s emphasis on the basic skills mentioned above. Examination of over 200 articles and books, and numerous discussions with practitioners revealed that the skills business most sought from their employees should be defined by communication behavior outcomes, such as the ability to negotiate a solution between two conflicting parties. Research was conducted to determine if such a set of outcome- based skills existed in the business communications literature. A literature review sought to identify those communication skills management experts, leadership theorists, business education professionals, communication skills researchers, and business development writers identified as most needed in business organizations. During the review, it became obvious that a broad set of constructs was needed to frame the identification of the myriad individual skills that might be deemed necessary. Thus, the first step in identifying the skills set was to formulate broader constructs, thus forming the structure for identifying the individual critical skills. Ober (2001), Angell (2004), and Roebuck (2001) have authored college undergraduate business communication skills text books and have determined that business communication skills fall in to three basic categories: organizational communication skills, leadership communication skills, and interpersonal communication skills. Organizational communication skills are those skills an organization uses to effectively communicate with all internal and external stakeholders, permitting coordination among people and organized behavior. Leadership communication skills are those skills that allow business leadership to effectively communicate with employees and key external constituents employing communication methods including stories, informality, metaphors, openness, and strategic dialogue to create trusting and supportive relationsh ips among colleagues and staff. Interpersonal communication skills are those skills that allow business organization members to effectively communicate to internal and external constituents on a personal, intimate, and one-on-one basis, exchanging thoughts in face-to-face verbal and non verbal contexts by sharing information, providing feedback, or simply maintaining a social relationship. Identifying Business Communication Skills Sets Once established, each construct was researched independently to assure that the communication skills cited were only the skills that make up that particular construct. For this study, 217 publications were reviewed for the identification of business communication skills. In all, 98 organizational and managerial publications; 77 leadership publications; and 42 business 11 communication skills publications were reviewed to accumulate the most frequently-cited business communication skills needed in business. Writers contributing to the communication skills inventory included recognized communication skills writers such as leadership experts Warren Bennis, Stephan Covey, Jim Kouzes, and Barry Posner; management theorists Peter Drucker, Richard Daft, and Peter Senge; and business communication skills writers Deborah Roebuck, Scot Ober, and Pamela Angell. The communication skills found in the review of literature were examined, categorized, and tabulated for frequency of citation. A vast array of communication skills emerged from this review process. Only those skills cited by a majority of the authors were included in the final inventory. Thus, a cutoff point was determined when additional skills were cited by fewer than half the authors. The inventory includes 24 skills that emerged from this mapping process: nine organizational communication skills, eight leadership communication skills, and seven interpersonal communication skills. The skills covered a range of business communication competencies in several business disciplines such as human resources, management and leadership, stakeholder relations, information management, communication technology, and specific verbal and ritten skills. Communication skills most frequently cited in the literature are these: Organizational Communication Skills 1. Initiating open discussion 2. Resolving conflict 3. Creating information networks 4. Teaching important skills 5. Using information technology 6. Providing performance feedback 7. Negotiating 8. Writing business correspondence 9. Ma king convincing presentations. Leadership Communication Skills 1. Arousing enthusiasm 2. Being a change catalyst 3. Creating group synergy 4. Building team bonds 5. Expressing encouragement 6. Providing motivation 7. Being persuasive 8. Building optimism. Interpersonal Communication Skills 1. Active listening 2. Building rapport 3. Demonstrating emotion self control 4. Building trust 5. Relating to people of diverse backgrounds 12 6. Demonstrating respect 7. Building relationships Methodology This study used a cross-sectional survey design to collect information from subjects who were randomly sampled from two distinct populations. The 24 communication skills provided by the review of literature formed the basis of the 24 questions included in the survey. The survey listed all 24 communication skills in one column and for each one, provided check spaces for rating that communication skill to be either â€Å"trivial,† â€Å"elective,† â€Å"useful,† or â€Å"essential. † The target populations were comprised of 180 business organizations and 3ll business teachers from nine business degree granting colleges in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota. Within the businesses, the human resource managers led the human resources departments for their organizations and helped establish the selection criteria for job candidates, helped screen and select employees, and directed the education and training functions of their organizations. The business teachers were full-time professors who teach management, marketing, law, leadership, business communications, ethics, and other non quantitative courses. A random sample of 45 managers and 45 professors was selected from the subject populations. Sample size was determined based on desired effect. Due to the population’s inherent interest in the topic and the nature of the participants, a response rate well above 50% was anticipated. Business leaders and business professors received identical surveys. A response rate of 71% (32) of the managers and 78% (35) of the professors was achieved. Validity and Reliability To ensure content validity, the constructs of organizational communication, leadership communication, and interpersonal communication were researched independently and thoroughly to determine what communication skills constituted the domain of each construct. To ensure that the questions were representative and covered the business communication skills within the three communication constructs, academic professionals familiar with communication skills reviewed and approved them. To establish construct validity, the review of literature provided the communication skills business needed within the distinct constructs of organizational, leadership, and interpersonal communication skills. This study sampled the actual population under study and used the data collected from selected business leaders and college business teachers. The subjects in this study were selected randomly, and the study obtained completed surveys from 32 of the business leaders and 35 of the business teachers, which exceeds the minimal number of 26 subjects needed from each group to make inferences concerning the population. The results are to be inferred only of the population defined in this study. Reliability of the survey instrument used in this study was established by using the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. The coefficient value for the business leader surveys was . 8891 and for business teachers was . 7634, both indicating above . 70 reliability coefficient values. 3 Results The results from this research study indicate that most of the communication skills included in the survey may be considered of importance by a majority in both subject groups. Between business leaders and business teachers, there were many similarities in responses because the two groups lacked statistically significant differences in perception in a majority of the skills. However, the study did uncover some statistically significant differences between business and business education in perceptions of communication skill importance on some skills, detailed in the following section. Comparison of Business Leaders’ and Business Teachers’ Perceptions In summary, this research study showed no statistically significant differences between the subject groups on a majority of the communication skills, indicating that business leaders and business teachers agree on the importance of the communication. Despite few differences in the two groups’ perceptions of communication skill importance, any discrepancies are important. Twenty skills showed no significant differences in business leaders’ and business teachers’ perceptions of communication skill importance with p values greater than . 5. Only using information technology (. 004), writing business correspondence (. 048), creating group synergy (. 008), and demonstrating respect (. 019) had p values less than . 05, reflecting a statistically significant difference between the subject groups, with business leaders placing greater importance on these skills than did teachers. Appendix A reports the communication skill frequency of subject responses for business leaders and business teachers and the chi-square values measuring the relationships in communication skill responses between the business leaders and business teachers. The following table shows the skills reflecting a statistically significant difference. For question number 5, the ability to use information technology, 2(2, N = 67) = 10. 950, p = . 004. The probability of a statistically significant difference between the subject groups was p . 05. , indicating a significant discrepancy with business leaders perceiving the skill to be more important for business than did business teachers. Perhaps intense global business competition and communication demands of customers have created a greater need to communicate more efficiently and effectively as business seeks to align itself with information technology that increases the speed and availability of information and data to all key stakeholders. In contrast, this study shows business education believes information technology is important, but not to the extent that business does in believing this communication skill will enhance business effectiveness. For question number 8, the ability to write business correspondence,2 (1, N = 67) = 7. 764, p = . 005. The probability of a statistically significant difference between the subject groups was p . 05. This indicates a statistically significant difference in responses between the subject groups with business leaders placing greater importance on the communication skill and reflects the possibility that business leaders in this study value the ability to effectively write business documents and correspondence to a greater extent than does business education. 4 Possibly intense business competition has created a greater need to communicate more efficiently and effectively as business seeks to align itself with all key stakeholders by assuring that all written correspondence is clear, error-free, and explanatory. Although this study shows business education believes the ability to write business correspondence is important, it is not to the extent that business does in believing this com munication skill will enhance business effectiveness. Comparison of Communication Skill Importance Between Subject Groups N = 67 Communication skills Trivial Elective Useful Essential B T B T B T B T 2 Organizational communication skills 5. Ability to use information technology 0 0 1 3 8 21 23 11 10. 950* 8. Ability to write business correspondence 0 0 0 0 6 18 26 17 7. 764* Leadership communication skills 12. Ability to create group synergy 0 0 1 4 12 23 19 8 9. 623* Interpersonal communication skills 23. Ability to demonstrate respect 0 0 0 1 1 9 31 25 7. 924* B = Business Leaders T = Business Teachers *p . 05 For question number 12, the ability to create group synergy,2(2, N = 67) = 9. 623, p = . 008. The probability of a statistically significant difference between the subject groups was p . 05. This indicates a statistically significant difference in responses and thus perceptions between the subject groups with business leaders placing greater importance on the communication skill. This reflects the possibility that business leaders in this study value creating group synergy to a greater extent than does business education. Possibly, intense business competition has created a greater need to have work groups and teams work in close collaboration for producing more as a solidified unit than they would as independent members. The results may reflect that business seeks to align itself with the creation of synergistic teams to increase productivity and build cohesive organizational relationships. This study shows business education believes creating group synergy is important, but not to the extent that business does for obtaining and maintaining a synergistic team work environment that fulfills strategic goals and objectives. 15 For question number 23, the ability to demonstrate respect, 2(2, N = 67) = 7. 924, p = . 019. The probability of a statistically significant difference between the subject groups was p . 5. This indicates a statistically significant difference in responses between the subject groups and provides very strong evidence of business leaders placing greater importance on the communication skill of showing respect than educators perceived. Possibly, intense global business competition has created a greater need to communicate more effectively so business seeks to align itself with the s kill of communicating respect for all stakeholders to create and maintain a collaborative closeness based on mutual respect. Business leaders may see the need to show respect more often to various stakeholders, such as international customers and suppliers, because their cultures and societies place great importance on this interpersonal communication aspect and expect it to be a part of normal business communication. This study shows business education believes showing respect is important, but not to the extent that business does in believing this skill will help obtain and maintain customer and key stakeholder closeness. Discussion of Results Implications from the results of this study are made regarding only the population of business leaders and college business teachers found in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota. The results from this study indicate that both subject groups generally rated the communication skills as important. For all communication skills, both subject groups rated the skills as either useful or essential in a vast majority of the responses, although the communication skill, teach skills, did receive relatively high elective ratings from 19% of the business leaders and 38% of the business teachers. This may mean that in most cases, both business leaders and business teachers perceive the communication skills to be useful or essential for business. The skills of using information technology, writing business correspondence, creating group synergy, and demonstrating respect did reflect statistically significant differences in the perceptions between business leaders and business teachers with business leaders perceiving these skills to be of greater importance. Possibly, intense global competition has increased businesses’ awareness of the need to use these skills to increase productivity, profitability, and organizational relationships than is sensed by business education. Findings such as this may assist business education for preparing courses and curriculum that could enhance the ability of students to learn and use these skills. Comparisons of the responses from the two subject groups reveal agreement on the importance of a vast majority of the communication skills. Finding no statistical difference in agreement on the importance of the surveyed communication skills is significant for indicating that the communication skills considered important in business are also those considered important in business education. Similarly, the results from this study indicate an overall consistency between business leaders and business teachers in their perceptions that none of the communication skills are trivial; no communication skills received ratings of trivial from either subject group. Results indicate that both business leaders and business teachers perceive he communication skills to possess some importance for business and to be possible core elements of a business communication skills course. Despite substantial evidence that human resource managers and business instructors highly value communication abilities as discussed in broad terms, human resource managers value certain specific communication skills to a greater degree than do business profes sors. Of 16 the three primary constructs, leadership communication skills and interpersonal communication skills showed the greatest differences between managers and instructors. Human resource managers viewed these skills as more critical to employee performance. The two groups’ perceptions converged regarding organizational communication skills, those that might be considered more public in nature (versus one-on-one). In contrast, the groups’ perceptions diverged in the importance of leadership and interpersonal communication skills. The findings suggest that human resource managers perceived one-on-one leadership and interpersonal communication skills as more critical to personal and organizational success than did business instructors. The agreement between the human resource managers and instructors suggests that there is much common ground on which to build strong communication skills in educational experiences. Human resource managers and instructors valued very highly all types of communication skills and abilities. The importance of communications skills to career achievement and organizational success is undisputed. It cannot be overstated that between business and academia, a bridge of understanding must be constructed for assessing and addressing the communication skills business employees need. Business must reach out to education and identify the specific communication skills they require. Conversely, education must constantly explore and analyze the specific communication skills businesses need. Thus, working together on improving performance through commitment to more effective communication skill teaching pedagogy should be feasible. The review of literature suggests that through a communication audit, organizations must constantly assess their communication competence and examine how existing communication systems are either advantageous or detrimental to an organization’s strategy and performance. Such an audit is the internal assessment of all communication systems, practices, and devices to realize effectiveness or understand possible voids, inefficiencies, and deficiencies in internal and external communications. In practical terms, audits will explain how communication systems support initiatives aimed at improving information flow or how they may create an overabundance of information that becomes confusing and harmfully complex (Hargie, 2002). Communication is seen as an integral part of every organizational action and cannot be seen as an isolated function; most, if not all staff members, must have communication competence. An organization is reasonably clear about its audiences as they do not change a great deal over time. If an organization is purposeful in its communications practices, education efforts must be integrated as an important function throughout the organization. However, communication education rarely makes it into the budget as a separate line item, and when it does, it is one of the first areas to be cut when the budget needs to be reduced (Du-Babcock, 2006). Communications dollars tend to appear when surplus funds are left over and need to be spent down quickly. An organization must also develop a communications strategy for the overall organization rather than only for specific projects. In doing that, more attention will be paid to goals and outcome (Ober, 2001). 17 Further Study This study found that business leaders and business teachers often agree on the importance of communication skills in business, suggesting the merit of further research in communication skills in business and business education. The following research should be considered for further study to advance knowledge in the field: 1. Survey business alumni to find their views of communication skill importance and their perceived levels of competence. Their insight might add a dimension that can be used to design communication skill educational programs and courses. 2. Research perceptions from business leaders and business teachers regarding how communication skills can be developed in undergraduate business curriculum and other required college course offerings, or outside of the college environment such as through continuing education, training consultants, or on-line educational methods. Educational design for communication skills may benefit from this knowledge. . Research business and business education to discover which communication skills are emerging as the most critical skills business organizations or specific organizational members must possess. Results may benefit adaptation to the changing communication skill needs of business and business education and the development of education that addresses th e changing needs and priorities. 4. Research college business curriculum and course syllabuses for the types and degree of communication skill education incorporated into the various business courses and programs. Results may indicate the actual importance colleges and business instructors place on business communication skills in curriculum and course design and delivery. 5. 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Professionals and professors: Substance or style? Business Communication Quarterly, 63 (3), 9-23. Siegel, G. (2000), Management accounts: The great communicators. Strategic Finance, 82, 6. Stowers, R. H. White, T. (1999). Connecting accounting and communication: A survey of public accounting firms. Business Communication Quarterly, 62 (2), 23 40. Tanyel, F. , Mitchell, M. , McAlum, H. (1999). The skill set for success of new business school graduates: Do prospective employers and university faculty agree? Journal of Education for Business, 75(1), 33-37. Ulinski, M. O’Callaghan, S. (2002). A comparison of MBA students’ and 21 employers’ perceptions of the value of oral communication skills for employment. Journal of Education for Business, 77 (4), 193-197. Waner, K. (1995). Business communication competencies needed by employees as perceived by business faculty and business professionals. Business Communication Quarterly, 58 (4), 51-56. Wise, K. (2005). The importance of writing skills. Public Relations Quarterly, 50, 37- 38. Young, M. Murphy, W. (2003). Integrating communications skills into the marketing curriculum: A case study. Journal of Marketing Education, 25 (1), 57-70. Yu, H. (2010). Bring workplace assessment into business communication classrooms: A proposal to better prepare students for professional workplaces. Business Communication Quarterly, 73 (1), 21-3. 22 APPENDIX Comparison of Communication Skill Importance Between Subject Groups Communication skills Trivial Elective Useful Essential B T B T B T B T df Power 2 N = 67 Organizational communication skills 1. Ability to initiate open discussion 0 0 1 1 14 13 17 21 2 . 075 . 324 2. Ability to resolve conflict 0 0 0 1 5 7 27 27 2 . 150 1. 201 3. Ability to create information networks 0 0 4 5 18 21 10 9 2 . 070 . 260 4. Ability to teach skills 0 0 6 13 16 15 10 7 2 . 322 3. 012 5. Ability to use information technology 0 0 1 3 8 21 23 11 2 . 850 10. 950* 6. Ability to give performance feedback 0 0 3 3 8 14 21 18 2 . 200 1. 736 7. Ability to negotiate 0 0 3 0 10 17 19 18 2 . 479 4. 716 8. Ability to write business correspondence 0 0 0 0 6 18 26 17 1 . 795 7. 764* 9. Ability to make convincing presentations 0 0 2 1 14 13 16 21 1 . 25 . 913 Leadership communication skills 10. Ability to arouse enthusiasm 0 0 1 5 14 16 17 14 2 . 317 2. 916 11. Ability to build optimism 0 0 2 5 13 19 17 11 2 . 375 3. 569 12. Ability to create group synergy 0 0 1 4 12 23 19 8 2 . 799 9. 623* 13. Ability to build team bonds 0 0 1 4 13 20 18 11 2 . 490 4. 849 14. Ability to express encouragement 0 0 1 1 9 17 22 17 2 . 319 2. 974 23 15. Ability to provide motivation 0 0 1 2 6 12 25 21 2 . 278 2. 551 16. Ability to be persuasive 0 0 2 1 12 19 18 15 2 . 230 2. 056 17. Ability to be a change catalyst 0 0 3 4 14 19 15 12 2 . 41 1. 101 Interpersonal communication skills 18. Ability to listen actively 0 0 0 0 5 6 27 29 1 . 053 . 028 19. Ability to build rapport 0 0 0 1 10 17 22 17 2 . 352 3. 328 20. Ability to express emotional self-control 0 0 0 2 10 17 22 16 2 . 472 4. 637 21. Ability to build trust 0 0 0 0 5 7 27 28 1 . 075 . 217 22. Ability to relate to diverse people 0 0 0 1 7 14 25 20 2 . 393 3. 762 23. Ability to demonstrate respect 0 0 0 1 1 9 31 25 2 . 713 7. 924* 24. Ability to build relationships 0 0 0 3 5 11 27 21 2 . 574 5. 877 B = Business Leaders T = Business Teachers *p . 05 |

The Great Depression Essay †The Worst of Times - BestEssay.education

The Great Depression Essay – The Worst of Times The Great Depression Essay If your grandparents are still alive, they probably lived through the Great Depression – that really dark period in American history, between 1929 and 1941, when life was really horrible for a whole bunch of people. If you have read about it, then you have the basic facts. If you haven’t yet, then you may be asking yourself, â€Å"What is the Great Depression?† Simply put, it was a time in our history when we experienced the worst economic circumstances in all of our history – bank failures, terribly high unemployment, wages that could not support families, and high rate of home foreclosures. Does this sound familiar? It should. A Look at the Causes of the Great Depression The 1920’s came in like a tornado. World War I was over, and people were happy about that. Prohibition was also in effect, and people were not very happy about that. Jazz and the Charleston dance were the rage. Women cut their hair and raised their skirt lengths; men drove flashy convertibles. Life was good. But the warning signs were there. Banks were lending money wildly – to startup businesses, to real estate developers, and to individuals who wanted to buy homes and cars; stock brokerage firms were loaning money to people so they could invest in the Stock Market, and companies that were selling that stock were selling more than their companies were worth. Lots of risks were being taken with no government regulations to curtail them. It was a time of â€Å"do whatever you want.† Unfortunately, that behavior cannot last forever and the cracks began to appear in the summer of 1929. They soon became trenches and, in October of that year, the Stock Market crashed. That was followed by â€Å"runs† on the banks, as people tried to get their money out. The banks did not have the money – they had lent it all out. Banks failed. Companies went bankrupt, and people lost their jobs. So, if you need to write an essay on any of these causes, you can easily compare them t o the â€Å"crash† of 2008 and then explain why were able to avert a depression this time around. The Effects of the Great Depression Many of the effects were outlined for you above – high unemployment, loss of life savings, home foreclosures, and so on. Enter Franklin Roosevelt The short-term effects of the Great Depression were devastating, and in 1932 the country changed course and elected a Democrat to the White House, giving control of Congress to the Democrats as well. Thus began a series of programs, new laws and regulations, and controls on lending institutions that were designed to prevent this from every happening again. And most of those regulations and laws are still in effect today. But monied people and financial institutions have a way of finding methods to â€Å"skirt† the regs, and that is why it all came crashing down again. Essay Topics There are so many possibilities. You can look at a single cause, a single effect; you can look at how society coped; you can look at the fights in Congress as each new relief bill or program was introduced. And, even more interesting, you can compare the causes and effects of the Great Depression with the financial crisis of 2008. The Great Depression was a â€Å"dark† but fascinating piece of American history. We need to study it a bit more as we still seek solutions.

Marketing Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Marketing Management - Essay Example Such criticism has hindered the growth of Manga Cafe which has the potential to expand across the international markets. In this report, the marketing plan for Manga Cafe in London has been outlined. The Cafe will be started as a private brand in Shad Thames and it will target the Japanese nationals in London, students, tourists and travellers and people interested in Japanese culture. The primary target market of Cafe will fall between the age group of 15 and 44. The situation analysis predict that a huge number of Japanese nationals reside in London for many years. The competition in the cafe industry is tough however; the other cafes are primarily competition on quality and prices. In this report, the marketing mix has been developed based on the objectives of the company. The impact of technology and new media developments on Manga Cafe has also been discussed. Finally, the sustainability of the company in regard to its marketing strategy has been analysed. SITUATION ANALYSIS The situation analysis of Manga Cafe has been done by using the 4C framework. Customers The total population of London was 6,061,000 in 2009. The total population of Japanese in London in 2004 was 17,000 which have grown to 18,000 in 2009 (Table II). The significant number of Japanese nationals in London actually predicts a considerably large number of customers of Manga Cafe in Japan. Competitors A number of cafes are present in London and three largest Cafe operators in the city include Costa Coffee, Starbucks and Nero. The following positioning map shows the position of potential customers of Manga Cafe in London. The figure shows that Starbucks has been positioned as the brand with average quality of product and services for relatively high prices. Starbucks aims to launch more stores in West London because the company aims to maintain its position as the number of coffee chain in Britain (Neate, 2009). Costa Cafe has been positioned as a brand with good quality product and service s available at relatively average prices. Nero is the brand which is offering high quality product and services at very reasonable costs. Figure: Positioning Map Company Manga Cafe is a Japanese Cafe which provides a place to the people who have interest in reading Japanese comics. This company attracts a huge Japanese audience because this Cafe demonstrates the Japanese culture. Manga Cafe has also expanded internationally by establishing cafe in Paris. Context Demand of cultural cafes is increasing in London because of the increasing number of immigrants in London. The immigrants from Italy and Spain have introduced cultural cafes in London. Moreover, the Japanese community is expanding in London because of the increasing number of Japanese students are moving to London for higher studies. Objectives Manga Cafe will operate with an objective to attract 18,000 Japanese nationals living in London in its first year of operations. The Cafe will have an objective to have at least 100 v isitors on an average day. MARKETING STRATEGY Target Market Five customer segments have been identified as the major target market for the Manga Cafe. These target segments include a specific age

Royal Thai Airways Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Royal Thai Airways - Case Study Example s of Thai culture, its customs, and traditions.' The goal of the research study is to examine the extent and nature of Thailand's reach as a tourist economy within the global market. Focused on RTA's Royal Orchid Plus (ROP) market segment, the project proposes to engage the topic of globalization through inquiry into ROP passenger membership, and in particular high wealth, male customers from cosmopolitan hubs in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and United Kingdom (UK). At the global level, RTA and by extension the Thai tourist economy has at present, a significant share of the available demand. Well known for its personal service tourism (i.e. sex tourism) economy, Thailand's beauty and tropical surroundings are compliment the dream world of male fantasies attained through association with luxury market advertising of those services. Nevertheless, Thailand's sex tourism industry has an alternative image, which is predicated upon the policy concerns of human rights activism against such activities. AIDs and interrelated discourses o n 'health' utilized by medical, public health and 'spa' businesses are also considered. A full service provider of commercial airline service to customers around the globe, RTA faces a challenge in identity management that is perhaps unparalleled elsewhere in terms of market analysis and communication. Business development, then is fostered through negotiation of gender terms, and precisely so; RTA employs Thailand's 'Spa Culture' as a benefit to ROP members, yet retracts from association with anything pertaining to 'sex.' The royal orchid carrier is in the last instance, 'traditional.' How this impacts investment underscores the nature of this study. Participation in the Star Alliance was the result of various changes in the world's economic situation, RTA claims, as single carriers 'cannot sustain and respond to these changes effectively and sufficiently.' The 2008 'Open Skies Agreement' between the EU and US set the pace for a radical restriction on nations that did not follow suit in regard to free-trade at international airports. Marketing 'paradise' has now become more expensive. Revenues generated by RTA's frequent flier customers more important to the airline than ever. To this end, the project focuses on the high wealth, male ROP client, and in particular those of the UAE and UK, working together in the heavily sanctioned social environments (i.e. dictating prohibition on sexual relations) of the Gulf States. The theoretical prospectus on the project is focused on globalization and identity, and specifically addresses critical marketing theories dedicated to activist

Trifles and A Jury of Her Peers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Trifles and A Jury of Her Peers - Essay Example The latter can be regarded as an adaptation of the former. After exploring the two works, the reader can evidently realize that there are certain differences, as well as similarities that exist in the works (Gainor 42). In this regard, this paper will compare and contrast the two works, giving similarities and differences that are existent in the works. Similarities and differences between Trifles and A jury of her peers While â€Å"Trifles† is the original play written by the author, â€Å"A jury of Her Peers† can be regarded as a short story, which is a rewriting of the play. The story can be classified as narrative when compared to the play. Although the two works have the similar characters, the story gives the reader a chance to know the feelings, emotions, as well as thoughts of the characters. This means that the play describes the characters narrowly while the story goes in depth in the description of the characters (Gainor 42). The other way in which the two wo rks can be contrasted is with regard to the way males and females tend to be characterized. There are differences in the author’s depiction of both male and female characters in the play and the story. In the story, men can be said to have more depth than in the play. This emanates from the fact that there is in depth explanation of the male characters in the story as compared to the play. Actors had to decide how they will depict gender in the play; on the other hand, depiction of gender in the short story is based on the author’s interpretation of the play. In this regard, therefore, it can be argued that there is more detailed explanation of characters (especially with regard to aspects of gender) in the story than in the play. The other difference between the short story and the play is that the story gives a clearer and in depth discussion of how the main characters relate to each other; this is not evident from the play. For example, the short story depicts the r elationship that exists between Mr. and Mrs. Hale with a lot of clarity. From the story, it becomes possible to get how the characters feel towards each other and their reaction towards one another’s behaviour. However, this is not evident in the play. The play does not give the reader any room for interpreting the behaviour of the characters. Thus, it is not possible to come to the realization why characters behave in certain ways (Gainor 43). The other difference between the two works is that the story brings out the issue of male dominance with a lot of clarity than the play. In the story, it is possible to gain an understanding of the various ways in which men dominate women and exercise authority towards them. This is not so in the play; as â€Å"Trifles† does not go deeply into the heart of the matter. The short story also explains the reactions and response of females towards domination by men; on the contrary, it is not possible to know how women react towards women from the play. There also exists a difference between the play and the short story in that the play involves a performance, which can be regarded as live. This means that the audience has little control regarding what happens. On the other hand, there are lots of interruptions in the short story since ambiguity enables the reader to think outside the box (Gainor 44). Apart from the differences that exist between these two works, there are also some similarities

Reproductive Health Among Adolescent Girls Health And Social Care Essay

Reproductive Health Among Adolescent Girls Health And Social Care Essay Review of literature is a systemic search of a published work to gain information about a research topic (Polit and Hungler, 2011). Conducting a review of literature is challenging and an enlightening experience. The review of literature was based on extensive survey of books, journals, and international nursing indicates. A review of literature relevant to the study was under taken which helped the investigator to develop deep into the problem and gain information on what has been in the past. An extensive review of literature was done by the investigator to lay a broad foundation for the study. For the purpose of logical sequence the chapter was divided in two parts. 2.1 PART I: Reviews related to reproductive health among adolescent girls. 2.2 PART II: Reviews related to effectiveness of adolescent to adolescent approach on reproductive health. 2.1 PART I : Reviews related to reproductive health among adolescent girls. Mc Call-hosenfeld JS et al., (2012) conducted an experimental study in Pennsylvania; they investigated the impact of individual on womens are receipt of a comprehensive panel of preventive services in a region that includes both urban and rural communities. Outcome variables were a screening and vaccination index blood pressure , lipid panel, sexually transmitted infections or individual level variables includes predisposing factors, enabling and need based measures. The investigator found that overall use of preventive services, were low individual variability in womens receipt of counseling services is largely explained by psychological factors and seeing an gynecologist. . Fengy et al., (2012) conducted a cross sectional survey of 17,016 adolescent girls and young aged 15-24 yrs old in both rural and urban Asian cites, China, through interview and computer assisted self interview for sensitive questions. To identify the predictors perception of homosexuality. The 40% of adolescent and young adults who hold a positive view of homosexuality for both males and females. Preferred origin of movies, videos, self identified sexual orientation, sexual and reproductive health knowledge, family values, gender role and attitude towards premarital sex. The most common and important predictors for a respondents perception of homosexuality were his/her knowledge of sexual and reproductive health. Shelia G et al., (2012) conducted a experimental study regarding features of physical and sexual development of reproductive behavior among adolescent girls at Russia. In this assessment the adolescent reproductive behavior identification and the factors affecting was made in female adolescents age 14-19yr [randomly formed via continuous selection] information of the state of their health their attitudes towards child bearing and their risky habits have been evaluated. High frequency of menstrual irregularities, 24.7% delayed formation of the bone pelvis, 25.2% the prevalence of chronic external genital diseases were found. Iliyasuz et al., (2012) conducted a qualitative study regarding sexual and reproductive health communication between mothers and their adolescent daughters in North India Assam. The investigator employed structured interviews and groups to investigate reproductive health communication practices among 108 mothers and daughters transcript were analyzed using the grounded theory approach .A total of 136 mother reported discussing reproductive issues with their daughters. The majority of daughters acquire reproductive health education from their mothers; parents were more likely to discuss marriage, menstruation, premarital sex, STI infections and sex education need to be empowered with knowledge and skills to improve the scope and quality of home -based reproductive health education. Palke VD et al., (2011) conducted a study regarding impact of sex education on knowledge and attitude of adolescent school children in Bihar. Reproductive capability is now in earlier age, but the subject of adolescent sexuality in most societies, there is a wide spread ignorance about risks are unprotected sex problems among adolescent girls. Unfortunately need of sex education is not perceived and fulfilled in India especially in rural areas. The present study was conducted to assess the need and demonstrate the impact of sex education among adolescent school children, by analyzing pre and post intervention questionnaire and there was a significant increase in knowledge about sexuality , menstrual hygiene. Sexually transmitted disease, it has significant impact on knowledge of adolescent school children. Ezekwere et al., (2011) conducted a study regarding sex education, sex information, sex practices, among adolescent girls in Nigeria. A total 304 girls selected by multi-stage sampling technique studied primary and subsequent sources of sexuality information, mainly the by the media, peers, families and schools, found that mostly they were not involved in provision of early sexual initiation and un protected sex was common among them. The study highlights the need to create a awareness at earlier stage of adolescent period sexual education of adolescent girls through parents and teachers had to be initiated. Wong LP et al., (2011) conducted a large cross sectional study regarding attitude towards dysmenorrheal impact and treatment seeking, among 1,295 adolescent girls (13-19 yrs) from 16 public secondary schools in rural districts of Malaysia. Dysmenorrhea was reported in 76.0% of the participants multivariate analysis shows that being in upper secondary levels was the strongest predictor for poor concentration, absenteeism and poor school grade due to dysmenorrheal is a normal cycle and only 14.8% sought medical treatment , education should be extended to parents and school peer leaders to address the reproductive health needs of adolescents. Lazarus JV et al., (2011) conducted a quasi experimental study regarding reproductive health awareness programme to assess the knowledge, attitude and behavior. Reproductive health data was collected from the students aged (11 16 yrs) by using a picture and group discussion. In total 313 questionnaire has distributed, and the mean score in the pretest knowledge was 5.9 and 6.8 in post test score was p (0.003), which increased significantly t=4.5, p=0.000. The attitude mean score in pre test was 4.3 in post test was 6.8 which shows the increased significant. The mean behavior pretest score which showed a significant p =0.019. Hence the intervention significantly improved the adolescent reproductive health knowledge attitude. BiscoFreudenthal J et al., (2011) conducted a study regarding creating community awareness of reproductive tract infections including STD infections. The aim of this study was thus to explore people perception treatment seeking behavior and understanding of information about RTI/STD. Qualitative contact analysis was employed for the data analysis. The major findings was that the most common treatment seeking behavior was taking self medication. Shyness of genital examination, negative attitudes towards dirty diseases. The main media sources of RTI/STI information were radio, TV and other access to health information was more difficult. Health education messages should be more accessible in rural areas. Van Rossem et al., (2011) conducted the survey to evaluate the reach and impact of social marketing and reproductive health communication campaigns (selected radio and television programs) regarding family planning and HIV/AIDS in Zambia. The results evidenced that the reproductive health and social marketing Campaigns in Zambia reached a large portion of the population and had a significant impact. The results suggested that future reproductive health communication campaigns that invest in radio programming may be more effective than those investing in television programming and future campaigns should seek to increase their impact among women. Portillo et al., (2011) conducted a cross sectional study regarding sexual and reproductive health among adolescent girls at High school in Spanish. The study focused to determine the extent of information about preventing sexually transmitted diseases, knowledge and use of contraceptive methods. It includes 641 students who agreed to complete the questionnaire by school. 84.5% students know at least one contraceptive method 84%, It is necessary to establish or strengthen information programme on sexual health for adolescent. Fehr KR et al., (2011) conducted a study to assess the knowledge and use of Folic acid in women of reproductive age Folic acid reduces the risk of neural tube defects 50%, women of reproductive age group should be aware of the importance of the folic acid and neural tube defects. They used terms such as Folic acid knowledge and Folic acid awareness to search articles published, women were although knowledge levels were associated with education and health care professionals magazines and news papers, radio, TV, as common sources of information, and this knowledge will allow them to make informed decisions about Folic acid among women. Mc Call JS et al., (2011) conducted a study regarding preventive counseling among reproductive aged women. Preventive health intervention often occur less frequently among rural women compared to urban is an important feature of comprehensive preventive health care provisions .Data were collected by telephone survey during 2004-2005 participants aged 18-45 yrs in the central Pennsylvanias. The study assessed the independent contribution of counseling for smoking ,alcohol, drug use, birth control ,nutrition, physical activity. Most women do not receive recommended preventive counseling, while rural women are less likely than urban women to receive counseling educating rural health care providers about the need for preventive counseling. Jousha et al., (2011) narrated on condom negotiation and experience among sexually active young women in New south wales, Austraila by using feminist narrative approach. Ten womens stories were collected via online interviews. The findings revealed that none of the women initiated or negotiated use of the male condom promotion relies on the r4coginition of the gender factors that impede young womens condom negotiation and use. Strategies that overcome gender dynamics and empower women to negotiate condom use have the ability to promote condom use among this group. Lawan et al., (2010) conducted a study regarding menstruation and menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls in Gujarat .This study examined the knowledge and practices of adolescent school in around menstruation and menstrual hygiene .Data was collected quantitatively and analyzed using pre experimental study, the study findings showed that majority had fair knowledge of menstruation, although deficient in specific knowledge areas, most of them used sanitary pads as absorbent during their last menses, changed menstrual dressings about 1-5 times per day and improving access of the adolescent to reproductive health needs. Sivagami, et al., (2010) conducted a qualitative study on community perception and treatment seeking behaviour regarding reproductive tract infections including sexually transmitted infections in Lao by using fourteen focus group discussion and 20 in depth interviews. It held among 76 women and 56 men. The major finding was that both male and female participants had a variety of misconceptions about the causes and symptoms of RTI/STIs and their cure and a reluctance to seek health care. The main reasons for not going to health facilities were fear of social discrimination or shyness. They suggested strengthening health education and promotion through interventions at the community level to improve the quality of RTI/STI management. Minto et al., (2010) reviewed the efficacy of HIV/STI behavioral intervention and identified factors associated with intervention efficacy for American African females in the United states by using meta- analysis from 37 relevant studies. The results showed that behavioral intervention had a significant impact on reduction in HIV/STI risk sex behavioral. They concluded as behavioral interventions were efficacious in preventing HIV and STIs among African American females. They suggested that conducting more research to examine the potential contribution of prevention strategies that attend to community level and to improve communication between RTI/STI patients and clinicians. Thakor HG et al., (2010) conducted a STIs prevalence study on knowledge and practices related to STIs and HIV among 125 sex workers in an urban area of Gujarat, India. 85-90% were aware about various symptoms / diseases transmitted by unsafe sexual practice in male and female. 23.4% took treatment from health worker for such problems; 87.9% were aware that consistent use of condom could protect them from HIV infections and 2.6% reported for non treatment of STD.58% were not aware about behavoural changes needed to reduce the risk. 2.2 PART II: Review related to effectiveness of adolescent to adolescent approach on reproductive health. Denison JA et al.,(2012) conducted a quasi experimental study on peer education make a difference an evaluation of HIV prevention in youth-led model trained volunteer peer educators age (18-25 yrs) in school, to teach HIV prevention and Reproductive health. This evaluation programme effects on students HIV knowledge, attitude and behaviors of adolescent girls by using a non randomized quasi experimental design among 2133 students had significantly higher levels of knowledge regarding HIV p 0kanlawon FA et al., (2011) conducted a study to assess the effectiveness of peer education in a secondary school regarding reproductive health among adolescent girls in Karnataka. The study employed pre and post test intervention quasi experimental design, The experimental group was the adolescence girls to give peer education programme for 6 months pre and post test data in the experimental and control groups were compared and analyzed. The knowledge of reproductive health issues was p Drummond P et al., (2011) conducted a study by using peer education to increase the sexual health knowledge among West African refugees in Western Australia. Ten bilingual west African peer educators conducted a 3 hours workshop on sexual health for small groups of western African refugees (n = 58) who recently settled in Perth , western Australia .There were significant increases in the participants knowledge on sexually transmitted infections and HIV , their spread and the measures to protect against infection. They Concluded that the peer education approach was successful in assisting new and emerging community to work effectively on sexual health topics generally considered as taboos or too sensitive to discuss. Stephenson. J et al., (2010) assessed the effectiveness of school-based peer-led sex education among 9,000 pupils aged 13-14 years at England. Schools were randomized to either peer-led sex education (intervention) or to continue their usual teacher-led sex education (control). Peer educators, aged 16-17 years, were trained to deliver three 1-hour classroom sessions of sex education to 13- to 14 years old pupils from the same schools. The study findings concluded that compared with conventional school sex education at age 13-14 years, this form of peer-led sex education was very effective associated with change in teenage STDs, it merits consideration within broader teenage STDs prevention strategies.