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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Managerial communications: Strategies and applications. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Kirby, D. Romine, J. (2009). Develop oral presentation skills through accounting curriculum design and course-embedded assessment. Journal of Education for Business, 85, 172-179. Lanier, P. , Tanner, J. , Zhu, Z. , Heady, R. (1997). Evaluating instructors perceptions of students preparation for management curricula. Journal of Education for Business, 73 (2), 77-84. Laster, N. Russ, T. (2010). Looking across the divide: Analyzing cross-disciplinary approaches for teaching business communication. Business Communication Quarterly, 73, 248-264 Maes, J. D. , Weldy, T. G. , Icenogle, M. L. (1997). A managerial perspective: Oral communication competency is most important for business students in the workplace. The Journal of Business Communication, 34, (1), 67-80. Murphy, H. , Hildebrandt, H. , Thomas, J. (1997). Effective business communications. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Murranka, P. 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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.

the truth :: essays research papers

Shona is an agglutinative language, employing both prefixes and suffixes. Nouns, verbs, and adjectives are all identifiable, as well as personal pronouns, demonstratives, positional prefixes, and various types of agreement markers. All agreement morphology in Shona is prefixal. Nouns are divisible into a number of classes, based both on the agreement morphology in the verb and on the morphology of the noun itself. Verbs: Finite Verbs The order of elements in the Shona finite verb is shown in (1). (1) (NEG)-SUBJ-(TMA)*-(OBJ)-Ãâ€"-(DERIV. SUFF.)*-(PASS.)-FV-(OBJ2) The asterisk is a convention adopted from syntactic phrase structure rules; however, whereas there it is used to indicate that an element may appear an indefinite number of times, we use it here to indicate that we are unsure of the maximum number of TMA elements and derivational suffixes allowed in a single verb. We are also unsure how stringently the TMA elements and derivational suffixes are ordered. "FV" is a convention borrowed from Bantuist notation. It stands for "final vowel". This vowel is /a/ in the positive indicative for almost all verbs. A few verbs (/ri/ "be", /si/ "not be", /ti/ "say") appear to have an intrinsic final /i/, while some others (/NÆ’ge/~/NÆ’gi/~/NÆ’ga/ [an auxiliary (perhaps a sort of copula)], /ne/~/na/ "have", /Ve/~/Va/ "be") alternate between /e/ and /a/ (and sometimes /i/) in ways we do not yet understand. In the negative indicative, the final vowel for all verbs except those just mentioned is /a/, except in the present habitual, where the final vowel is /e/~/i/ (our consultant indicated that these are in free variation). See the section on the imperative for more about the final vowel. The Shona personal agreement morphemes for the subject are given in Table 1. Person Singular Plural 1p nÆ’d"$- t"$Ãâ€" 2p u$- mu$- 3p a@- ~ wa@- Va@- Table 1: Personal subject prefixes Our consultant indicated that /waÃâ€"/ for the third-person singular conveys slightly more respect than /aÃâ€"/. Respect may also be shown by using second- and third-person plural forms for singular referents. First- and second-person subject prefixes appear to have low tone underlyingly, while third-person subject prefixes have underlying high tone. Subject agreement appears to be absolutely obligatory for all Shona verbs. The personal agreement morphemes for the object are given in Table 2. Person Singular Plural 1p -nÆ’di- -ti- 2p -ku- -ku-†¦-i 3p -mu- -Va- Table 2: Personal object prefixes. Note that the first-person singular and plural and the third-person plural are identical to the subject prefixes, while the rest differ. The second-person plural object marker consists of two parts, /ku/ immediately before the root and /i/ at the end of the verb, after the final vowel. the truth :: essays research papers Shona is an agglutinative language, employing both prefixes and suffixes. Nouns, verbs, and adjectives are all identifiable, as well as personal pronouns, demonstratives, positional prefixes, and various types of agreement markers. All agreement morphology in Shona is prefixal. Nouns are divisible into a number of classes, based both on the agreement morphology in the verb and on the morphology of the noun itself. Verbs: Finite Verbs The order of elements in the Shona finite verb is shown in (1). (1) (NEG)-SUBJ-(TMA)*-(OBJ)-Ãâ€"-(DERIV. SUFF.)*-(PASS.)-FV-(OBJ2) The asterisk is a convention adopted from syntactic phrase structure rules; however, whereas there it is used to indicate that an element may appear an indefinite number of times, we use it here to indicate that we are unsure of the maximum number of TMA elements and derivational suffixes allowed in a single verb. We are also unsure how stringently the TMA elements and derivational suffixes are ordered. "FV" is a convention borrowed from Bantuist notation. It stands for "final vowel". This vowel is /a/ in the positive indicative for almost all verbs. A few verbs (/ri/ "be", /si/ "not be", /ti/ "say") appear to have an intrinsic final /i/, while some others (/NÆ’ge/~/NÆ’gi/~/NÆ’ga/ [an auxiliary (perhaps a sort of copula)], /ne/~/na/ "have", /Ve/~/Va/ "be") alternate between /e/ and /a/ (and sometimes /i/) in ways we do not yet understand. In the negative indicative, the final vowel for all verbs except those just mentioned is /a/, except in the present habitual, where the final vowel is /e/~/i/ (our consultant indicated that these are in free variation). See the section on the imperative for more about the final vowel. The Shona personal agreement morphemes for the subject are given in Table 1. Person Singular Plural 1p nÆ’d"$- t"$Ãâ€" 2p u$- mu$- 3p a@- ~ wa@- Va@- Table 1: Personal subject prefixes Our consultant indicated that /waÃâ€"/ for the third-person singular conveys slightly more respect than /aÃâ€"/. Respect may also be shown by using second- and third-person plural forms for singular referents. First- and second-person subject prefixes appear to have low tone underlyingly, while third-person subject prefixes have underlying high tone. Subject agreement appears to be absolutely obligatory for all Shona verbs. The personal agreement morphemes for the object are given in Table 2. Person Singular Plural 1p -nÆ’di- -ti- 2p -ku- -ku-†¦-i 3p -mu- -Va- Table 2: Personal object prefixes. Note that the first-person singular and plural and the third-person plural are identical to the subject prefixes, while the rest differ. The second-person plural object marker consists of two parts, /ku/ immediately before the root and /i/ at the end of the verb, after the final vowel.

Lifeboat Ethics and People

Garrett Hardin (b. 1915) is interested in natural science who publishes this to the people who does not know that much information. He graduated at the University of Chicago and at Stanford University where he received Ph.D. which help him in his passion of being a connector between society and an environment. The books he has written so far are for example, Lifeboat Ethics: The Case Against Helping the Poor (1974).Helping people that are less fortunate perpetuates the cycle of misfortune and has nothing to help them. In terms of studying an environment earth is called a â€Å"spaceship† to better develop the idea of world ethics where people live in societies with different rules and powers. Those who are seen as rich ones live on lifeboats and poor ones are in water swimming around them. People from not developed countries keep trying to board on the â€Å"lifeboat† in order to survive but â€Å"we must recognize the limited capacity of any lifeboat† (Hardin 47 8) because otherwise no one will survive. The reason for this is the significant difference between growth of population the poor and rich countries.The amount of increasing poor countries would in quarter of the  decade significantly damage the rich ones by consumption and after a decade they might sink them down completely. â€Å"The fundamental error of spaceship ethics, and the sharing it requires, is that it leads to what I call the tragedy of the commons† (480). The way how to help poor people to survive was to create a world food bank but â€Å"a wise and competent government saves out of the production of the good years in anticipation of bad years to come† (481), moreover the not advanced countries would take it all and not give back.The final decision goes from old Chinese adage: â€Å"Give a man a fish and he will east for a day; teach him how to fish and he will eat for rest of his days† which solves the situation. However, the environment, such as , forests or beaches at the expense of the rising population decreases for example, India and its increasing population every year by 15 million.The author seems that he know what he talks about in this article according to his evidence that he is deep focus in his passion for nature and received degrees in high status universities in a similar subject. He did not mention any sources of information he used which could prove his believes. He truly stated facts such as, the population growth is increasing with an example, of India or that rich countries drive the world principles and not economically advanced countries need a help from them and makes the article persuasive.The whole piece leads to conclusion where the author comes back to his first paragraph including information about ethics and control of people’s behavior. People sometimes do not always choose the right decisions based on their culture, location, and thinking. Author tries to explain how they should perceive the world around them and be aware of change in a future according to environmentalists. Even though that the article was written more than thirty years ago it apposite the people’s way of doing things and especially the population growth and the end of the text leads into overall successful summary.According to what is happening in the world in the 21st century this paper shows its true contain. He gives a real manner of how society should look like in order to establish the atmosphere which could consequently better associate people from different side of a boat. People without any rules will live with a status called Anarchy which has never accomplished any success. People’s ancestors for example, in Babylon used to have a social system where rich were in head of the town and  poor had to work hard for them. Although Babylon disappeared most likely because of natural disaster, the system brought them power and prosperity.

The Changing Face of TV essays

The Changing Face of TV essays African American are living better they were twenty years ago and so our television shows need to reflect that. We now see real people along with the portrayals of African Americans who are lawyers, doctors, and successful entertainers who also, earn major roles where the plots revolve exclusively around them. The quantity of programming devoted to African American culture today, provides us with unlimited choices from which to choose. After careful study, Steinhorn and Diggs-Brown concluded, During the hours when only one show depicts an African American character, we find that the media consistently depicts African Americans as good hard working people in positions of authority. We also see the familiar faces of celebrities selling various products (590-591). While the depiction of African Americans in the media has made great strides in recent years, many of the shows that we know and love today are still infused with negative stereotypes. On the surface, they seem to be sayi ng positive things about African Americans, but underneath they still illustrate the slanted view typical of American TV. When we examine two popular shows, Frasier and Girlfriends we see how the depiction of race has changed and how it has stayed the same, helping prevent an honest depiction of African American culture. We have already established that negative images persist, but they do not represent the African American community as a whole. We now know that class structures within the African American community decide what type of life you will live. Frasier and Girlfriends display different views of African American life and how we communicate. Both shows depict the lives of the upper-middle class, so they are somewhat similar in that respect, but each choose to use different races which is ironic because both are produced by the same person. Change the race of the characters and it c...

Online Masters Degree Programs California Essays

Online Masters Degree Programs California Essays Online Masters Degree Programs California Essay Online Masters Degree Programs California Essay Rating  Online Masters Degree Programs California  should be near the top of the list. While many professionals pursue online course studies while working, so do students who have conflicting schedules and busy lives.   A degree gives leverage to increasing earning potential, breaking into new fields, or to specialize in a particular area. Many of the finest universities in California have compiled detailed lists of their online classes so students can peruse the course options open to them.   They started a website called, California Virtual Campus to aid students in their quest for online graduate school programs within the state of California. The Rossier School of Education at theUniversityofSouthern Californiais one of the leaders in online graduate degrees. They offer online graduate degrees focusing on developing future leaders.   The California online masters programs focus on teaching students the necessary skills in whatever educational setting works best for the student. No matter what degree you are pursuing, accounting, finance, or business management, the online master’s programs of California utilize the latest in educational technology to prepare advanced learning.   State of the art learning management systems ensure a free flowing avenue of communication between instructors and students. Click the Banner below for the Official: Online Masters Degree Programs California

Law - Affirmative Action Policies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Law - Affirmative Action Policies - Essay Example iduals with no consideration of race, sex, color, national origin, religious creed, ancestry, marital status, mental disability, sexual orientation, age, physical disability or learning disability (Schmidt, 2008). Therefore, organizations will not demand for genetic information from its employees or job applicants. The demand for such information leads to discrimination against the person on the foundation of hereditary information in an employment situation (Schmidt, 2008). Furthermore, anyone with a previous criminal conviction will not be discriminated or aligned with the crime in employment conditions. It is therefore, the goal and purpose of action policies to ensure equal opportunities to all. Organizational policies, which entail employment applications, job specifications, job structuring, job qualifications, recruitment practices, counseling, grievances procedures, layoffs and terminations should be undertaken without discrimination of any form (Sander, 2004). In order to ensure that there is no discrimination; affirmative action policies will help monitor the whole process. The hiring difficulties that are experienced by the older persons and those who are physically disabled are recognized by these policies through establishment of a plan of action that eliminates employment obstacles and actively recruit members from the discriminated minority group (Sander, 2004). This is aimed at protecting such group of persons and achieving their full participation in the workplace and therefore, such policies are still needed. Affirmative action policies give favored treatments to the minorities in the society and should be retained because of the desirability of diversity in the society (Sander, 2004). Such diversity will be completely lost if it is left to probability. Through these policies, the disadvantaged in the society will get a boost and thus be able to stand on their own. Furthermore, affirmative action policies represent people at areas of learning

International Joint Ventures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

International Joint Ventures - Essay Example Reasons for shifting to wholly owned subsidiaries rather than joint ventures Wholly owned subsidiaries and joint ventures Subsidiaries are those companies which are controlled by larger organizations like an MNC. It guarantees full operational ownership in the host country. A wholly owned subsidiary is one where the parent company owns 100% stocks of the subsidiary company. These are the expensive and complicated form of market entry. To establish a wholly owned subsidiary, a company can either enter into ventures with a local company or can establish a new venture on its own in the host country (Charles & Jones, 2007, p.290). A joint venture is a strategic move adopted by countries while setting up a business outside their home countries. In joint ventures a group of companies come together to conduct a specific business objective (Gutterman, 2002, p.1). Basically wholly owned subsidiaries and joint ventures differ on the aspect of ownership. While joint venture companies may be own ed by two or more companies wholly owned subsidiaries are owned by a single company which maintains complete control over it. In the light of the trade reforms and practices introduced by WTO, it becomes easy for a country to establish its subsidiary company in a foreign country where it would have its complete control over the daily activities. Many companies avoid in establishing joint ventures due to the complexities involved in the coordinating policies, decisions and execution with a different company. Let us take the example of the Chinese economy. The trade reforms have changed the Chinese economy drastically. China which previously had its monopoly over almost all of its trading activities by the state owned companies (Siyuan, 2007, p.22) has now adopted the WTO policies by becoming one of its member countries (International Joint Ventures in China after WTO Accession: Will Trust Relations Change?, 2005, p.5). It has opened its markets in agriculture to the world. With the e stablishment of WTO trade rules, baking industry in China underwent a sea change. Foreign banks that were not allowed to operate freely in the Chinese market found the opportunity to establish international wholly owned subsidiaries in the country that would be controlled by the foreign national companies. This was beneficial for the Chinese economy too as the foreign banks introduced new technology and which helped to increase the economic growth (Foreign banks develop in China after WTO entry, 2011). The relative advantages and disadvantages of the JVC versus the wholly-owned subsidiary as a means of market entry Trade reforms introduced by WTO- an idea After the establishment of WTO in 1995, many trade reforms were introduced across countries. This has extended to the Asian countries too like China and India. WTO introduced several reforms in the trading system. WTO has lowered trade barriers across nations through negotiation. This has resulted in reduced costs of production as the import cost gets lowered and the cost of the resources which became cheaper. This directly leads to the reduction in the cost of the consumer articles which reduces the cost of living for the people (World Trade Organization, 2008, p.6). Reducing trade barriers have also increased the income levels of the companies both at a personal level and also from its business perspective. This also contributes in increasing the world