Professional Skills: Emotional Intelligence Essay

This report, entitled â€Å"Professional Skills: Emotional Intelligence† was prepared as my 1B Work Report for PD2: Critical Reflection and Report Writing. This is my first work term report. The purpose of this report is to determine key emotional intelligence characteristics that define successful sales representatives at CIBC, as well as analysis on my emotional intelligence skills and how to improve them to better my academic, professional, and social performance. PD2 is designed to help students learn critical reflection and report writing. The activities of the course guide students through the process of  writing a formal report. Through the completion of the course assignments and the creation of this report, I have learned how to complete a report following a set of guidelines. I have also had the opportunity to reflect on my current skill set and to identify areas for improvement. This report was written entirely by me and has not received any previous academic credit at this or any other institution. I received no assistance. Table of Contents List of Figures and Tablesiii Summaryiv 1.0 Introduction1 2.0 My Emotional Intelligence Assessment2 2.1 Analysis2 2.2 Reflection4 3.0 Emotional Intelligence and performance at CIBC5 3.1 Analysis5 3.2 Reflection6 4.0 Conclusions7 5.0 Recommendations8 References10 Appendix A – PD2 Checklist11 List of Figures and Tables Figure 1. My Five Emotional Intelligence Areas of Interest 2 Figure 2. Emotional Intelligence Skill-sets and Scores6 Table 1. August 2012 Volunteer Schedule9 Summary This report is titled â€Å"Professional Skills: Emotional Intelligence†. The purpose of this report is to analyze key emotional intelligence characteristics that define successful sales associates at CIBC, as well as analysis on my emotional intelligence skills and how they affect my  academic, professional, and social performance. My assessment was done online through Emotional Quotient Inventory. The study done by CIBC consisted of data collected over a six-month period and emotional intelligence scores done through Emotional Quotient Inventory. In conclusion, many areas of emotional intelligence, such as interpersonal skills and self-actualization, contribute greatly to the performance of the sales representatives. Companies should start using emotional intelligence for selection of their sales representatives, and this way, they can successfully select higher performing sales representatives. From my assessment, it shows that my top three strengths are interpersonal relationship, emotional self-awareness, and happiness; and my two weaknesses are social responsibility and self-regard. I should volunteer at the local community centre to become more socially responsible, therefore become more successful in every aspect of my life. 1.0 Introduction Recently, emotional intelligence is being regarding more and more importantly by employers, parents, and teachers. Success in school, at work, and in life depends on social and emotional skills and, unlike IQ, emotional intelligence can be improved. There are numerous areas where emotional intelligence can directly affect performance. This report discusses my emotional intelligence scores, and explains how my emotional and social functioning impacts my academic, professional, and personal performance. It also discusses the results from the study done by CIBC that determined key emotional intelligence characteristics that define successful sales associates. Since recruiting and training can be costly, employers always try to lower the turnover rate and increase the success rate. This report provides useful information about emotional intelligence that could solve this problem. My assessment was done online through Emotional Quotient Inventory. The study done by CIBC consisted of data collected over a six-month period and emotional intelligence scores done through Emotional Quotient Inventory. 2.0 My Emotional Intelligence Assessment By using Emotional Quotient Inventory, it helped me to identify my perceived frequency of emotionally intelligent behaviours in terms of fifteen  established emotional intelligence skills. 2.1 Analysis Among the fifteen emotional intelligence skills, five of which have been identified as significant areas, including top three strengths and two areas offering the greatest opportunity for personal development. Figure 1. My Five Emotional Intelligence Areas of Interest My top three strengths are interpersonal relationship, emotional self-awareness, and happiness; and my two weaknesses are social responsibility and self-regard. The Interpersonal Relationship component is defined as the ability to develop and maintain mutually rewarding relationships that are characterized by intimacy and the exchange of affection (Multi-Health Systems Inc., 2012). I am generally able to establish mutually satisfying relationships through communication that includes a balance of listening, empathy, and sharing of information. My results for the emotional self-awareness scale indicate that I am generally in touch with my feelings and that I usually know what my are feeling and why. In addition, I usually feel comfortable expressing my feelings and ideas to friends, fellow students, and co-workers without feeling threatened. Individuals who find their lives personally, academically, and socially rewarding are generally more successful in what they do (Multi-Health Syst ems Inc., 2012). People with happy dispositions are likely to be more proactive, resilient to adverse conditions, and less prone to stress symptoms. I am this type of person. I feel satisfied with my life, genuinely enjoy the company of others, and am able to derive pleasure from my daily routine. For the weaknesses, my results from the Social Responsibility scale suggest that that I am fairly self-aspiring and may put my own desires and needs above those of others. In some cases, my results reflect recognition that I sometimes act without full consideration of the effects of my behaviors on others and further suggest a lack of regard for others or for social regulations. Furthermore, I appear to be lacking self-confidence in many, if not most situations. It is during these moments of uncertainty when my functioning may suffer. These areas should be considered an area for improvement. 2.2 Reflection The results have been identified to help me maximize my social and emotional functioning by leveraging my strengths and by enhancing areas for development in order to achieve personal, academic, and professional success. Through the assessment, I have learned about my strengths as well as my weaknesses. What I should do to improve social responsibility is to take control of my emotions, since it is the most critical aspects of social responsibility. Also, to improve my self-regard, I should try to be optimistic and have confidence in myself. I also should try to be less critical towards my actions in order to increase my confidence level and self-regard. In the future, I will further apply what I have learned about myself, keep improving myself in areas such as self-regard and become more socially responsible. This way, by combining with the positive aspects of myself, I will be able to reach my potential and success in every aspect of my life. 3.0 Emotional Intelligence and performa nce at CIBC determined key emotional intelligence characteristics that define successful sales representatives. 3.1 Analysis The CIBC Global Private Banking and Trust team conducted a study where the emotional intelligence levels of the successful and unsuccessful sales representatives were assessed (Multi-Health Systems Inc., 2011). The results for this study were obtained over a six-month period. After the study, it turned out that many EI skill-sets are clearly conducive to higher performance. As shown in the chart below, the two key emotional intelligence skill-sets for success were interpersonal skills and self-actualization (Multi-Health Systems Inc., 2011). Interestingly, having a lower score in impulse control in combination with higher scores in other EI areas, translated into higher performance amongst sales representatives (Multi-Health Systems Inc., 2011). In addition, the difference in scores was very small for three areas: social responsibility, impulse control, and reality testing. Figure 2. Emotional Intelligence Skill-sets and Scores 3.2 Reflection Since I am working as a sales representative for the CIBC’s Petro Points Mastercard this co-op term, I have compared my results of the emotional intelligence assessment with the result from the study CIBC conducted. Also,  comparing my sales volume with the high and low performing sales representatives. Both successful sales representatives and I have high scores in areas of interpersonal relationship, happiness; and low score in social responsibility. In addition, my sales volume is in the top ten percent in the company. This shows that I am a high performing sales representative, and the emotional intelligence assessment accurately determines the factors affecting sales volume. Studies also have shown that emotional intelligence and leadership abilities are closely related. Emotional intelligence also determines the performance of debt collectors, insurance agents, and air force recruiters. 4.0 Conclusions From the study done by CIBC, it can be concluded that many areas of emotional intelligence, such as interpersonal skills and self-actualization, contribute greatly to the performance of the sales representatives. Interestingly, areas such as social responsibility, impulse control, and reality testing do not affect performance since the difference in scores between the high and low performing sales representatives were insignificant. My assessment closely matched the scores of high performing sales representatives, and my sales volume is considered high in my company. My EI scores and performance on the job are closely related. From my assessment of emotional intelligence, it can be concluded that my top three strengths are interpersonal relationship, emotional self-awareness, and happiness; and my two weaknesses are social responsibility and self-regard. By improving on my areas of weakness, I can be successful in every aspect of my life. 5.0 Recommendations Companies such as Royal Bank of Canada and Scotia Bank should start using emotional intelligence for selection of their sales representatives, this way, they can successfully select higher performing sales representatives. This method should be implemented by the end of 2013, since many companies such as CIBC already use this method for selection of employees. I should volunteer at the local community centre, Frank Mckechnie Community Centre, to improve my poor social responsibility score. I will do so from August 1st to August 31st, three hours a week, to help children and seniors who attend activities at the Centre. Below is the volunteer schedule I created. Since  the Centre is always in need of volunteers, I can easily obtain this opportunity to improve my emotional intelligence level. Table 1. August 2012 Volunteer Schedule References Champion, R., Paci, T. & Vardon, J. (2012). 1121t1125 PD 2: Critical Reflection and Report Writing. Retrieved 10 May, 2012, from https://learn.uwaterloo.ca/d2l/lp/homepage/home.d2l?ou=32500 Multi-Health Systems Inc. (2011). Emotional Intelligence and Return on Investment. Instrumental in Individual and Organizational Development. Retrieved 1 July, 2012, from http://www.qualifying.org/about/MHS_Brief_ROI.pdf Multi-Health Systems Inc. (2012). Student Summary Report. Emotional Quotient Inventory: Higher Education. Appendices Appendix A: PD 2 Report Checklist Your report must: [X] Include 4-6 pages of body content. Figures or tables that are included in the body are excluded in the 4-6 page count. (Example: 8 pages of content that includes a one-page figure and a half-page table counts as 6.5 pages of body content.) Adherence to the 3Cs (clarity, conciseness, and coherence) will allow you to meet this page limit. [X] Include at least one table (Place the table in the body of your report if you discuss it in detail; place the table in an appendix if your analysis refers to it only briefly.) [X] Include at least one figure (Place the figure in the body of your report if you discuss it in detail; place the figure in an appendix if your analysis refers to it only briefly.) [X] Use a 12-point serif font [X] Be double-spaced [X] Be written in formal, standard English, with no contractions [X] Be spellchecked and proofread [X] Include pages numbered according to the conventions described in the Report Resources tab. Your report must conform to the format and conventions described in the Report Resources page. You do not have to bind your report or include a front cover because you will submit your report to us online. Your report will include the following pages and sections: [X] Title page [X] Letter of submittal (addressed to the PD 2 course instructor) [X] Table of contents [X] List of figures and tables, if appropriate (Figures or tables in an appendix should not be listed on the List of figures and tables; figures or tables elsewhere in your report are required to be on this list.) [X] Summary [X] Introduction [X] Body (that includes both an objective analytical component and a reflective component) [X] Conclusions (the section is â€Å"conclusions† as in â€Å"findings†, not â€Å"conclusion†) [X] Recommendations (specific, measurable, and attainable) [X] References [X] Appendices (you need at least one appendix which includes this checklist)

Respiration and Photosynthesis

â€Å"Respiration† and â€Å"Photosynthesis† All life depends on two chemical reactions â€Å"Respiration† and â€Å"Photosynthesis†. These two processes are quite crucial because they are a source to nearly all life on Earth. Both of these processes are quite similar yet differentiate vastly. In this essay I’ll be comparing and contrasting â€Å"Photosynthesis† and â€Å"Respiration†. I’ll start by discussing what actually happens in both these processes and how? Moving on to the energy transfers these processes go through and how these reactions relate to each other. Plants feed using a process called ‘Photosynthesis’. Photosynthesis is the chemical change which happens in the leaves of green plants. It’s the first step towards making food; not just for plants but ultimately every animal on the planet. During this reaction carbondioxide and water are converted into glucose and oxygen. For this reaction to occur both carbon and nitrogen are absorbed from the roots as nitrate and so is carbon as carbondioxide from the air and it also needs energy as the reaction is endothermic, therefore the energy is ‘light’ from the sun. This is absorbed by a green substance called chlorophyll in the leaf. Therefore, photosynthesis takes place in the chloroplasts which are present in the palisade cells (found near the top of the leaf. ) (fig: 1 ) As chloroplasts contain a green pigment called chlorophyll, which absorbs light energy needed to make photosynthesis happen. The equation for this reaction is: 6CO2 + 6H2O+ light energy —> C6H12O6 + 6O2 Sugars created in photosynthesis can be later converted by the plant to starch for storage, or it can be combined with other sugar molecules to form specialized carbohydrates such as cellulose, or it can be combined with other nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur, to build complex molecules such as proteins and nucleic acids. Moreover, ‘respiration’ is reversibly related to photosynthesis because it takes in light energy and respiration gives out energy, which is used by the body as the glucose is converted into starch or stored. Oxygen is consumed unlike in photosynthesis, although in respiration energy is released in a more controlled and manageable way. During photosynthesis water and carbondioxide are chemically combined to make glucose and oxygen. The equation as follows: C6H12O6 + 6O2 —> 6CO2 + 6H2O In addition, respiration and photosynthesis are both processes which depend on each other on a very wide scale. Fig: 2 explains this. (Fig: 2 ): Shows a cycle and how photosynthesis and respiration are dependent on each other. As the leaf produces oxygen through photosynthesis and then that oxygen is inhaled by an animal. Later, the animal breathes out carbondioxide, and that is then absorbed by the plants through leaves by the air, in order for respiration to happen; making this ongoing cycle continue. Though photosynthesis only takes place in leaves of plants (inside palisade cells) during the presence of light, respiration takes place in every living organism inside the mitochondria of the cell, with or without light being present or not. As all cells need energy through the sugar they made in their leaves; oxygen moves through diffusion through the plant from cell to cell. Any oxygen not used by the plant in respiration, leaves the plant through tiny holes under the leaf called stomata. That’s then part of the air we breathe, making the whole process start again. That’s how closely photosynthesis and respiration are linked to each other. Whilst, both respiration and photosynthesis are quite similar yet unlike at the same time. Respiration is a process by which energy is liberated. On the other hand photosynthesis is a procedure where energy is stored in carbohydrate molecules as in, photosynthesis is an anabolic (constructive) process, resulting in the building up of carbohydrate molecules. While in respiration a catabolic (destructive) process occurs, resulting in the breakdown of carbohydrate molecules. So, respiration results in a loss in dry mass where photosynthesis is totally the opposite, it results in a gain in ordinary mass. Furthermore, there are enzymes involved in the process of respiration. Enzymes are biological catalysts that speed up a reaction. The organic compounds that are broken down are substrates. Glucose is the most common substrate. The general equation for respiration is: C6H12O6 + 6O2 —> 6CO2 + 6H2O + 38ATP During respiration, glucose undergoes glycolysis forming pyruvic acid. Glycolysis consists of nine separate chemical reactions, each catalysed by a specific enzyme. The key players in glycolysis are the enzymes ‘dehydrogenase’ and a coenzyme (a non-protein helper). So, in photosynthesis is catalysed by chlorophyll. To summarize, photosynthesis takes the raw ingredients of water, carbondioxide and uses light to make glucose and oxygen. Despite, respiration uses glucose and oxygen to produce carbondioxide and water as waste products. Both these processes takes place in cells except respiration takes place in the mitochondria of a cell. Photosynthesis is catalysed by chlorophyll acting in concert with lipids or sugars, while in respiration ‘dehydrogenase’ is used. Nevertheless, photosynthesis and respiration both are a part of an ongoing cycle and work together in order for plants or animals to survive.

Post Positivist Approach

Post positivist approach is a metatheoretical stance philosophically rooted in positivism. Whereas positivists believe in the existing reality apart from our own perception of it and the importance of empirical observation as well as rock-solid general laws, post positivists share some similarities with a softer, amended approach. Realist and the social constructionist are both taken as ontology by post positivist researchers in communication discipline.That is, it can be true that post positivist researchers believe that there is an empirical, unchallengeable reality independent of our perceptions, but limitations like the complexity of the reality and the biases of researchers still exist which causes our incomplete understanding of the reality. Even though, by applying the mutiple measures and observation, post positivist believe researchers can enhance the objectivity and attain a more and more fully apprehended reality.At the same time, post positivists also have faith in multip le realities which can be constructed by social collectives through communicative interaction in relatively patterned ways and its effects should be regular and predictable which in turn reified social constructions. Thus, post positivists study regularities and patterns. Post positivist researchers in communication base their assumptions largely on the so-termed modified objectivist which holds to the notion that causal relationships for regularities observed in the social world is the center of the search for knowledge. Textbook, chpt3) Nevertheless, post positivists largely reject the value-free inquiry and the absolute authority of scientific method. Instead, post positivists believe that with careful and systematic operations as well as awareness of values, scholars can strive to be as unbiased as possible â€Å"by using controls and statistical tests, insisting on replication, and so forth. † (Textbook, chpt3) Therefore, post positivism does not equal to qualitative app roach as many may assume. In fact, post positivists apply quantitative research methods largely to safeguard objectivity and to advance knowledge.Post positivist researchers consist that theories should try to reach beyond the observation level of individual events to attain the abstract quality with clear logical links to the empirical world. By operationally defining theoretical constructs, researchers can test the theoretical concepts with substitution of empirical indicators to verify or falsify the theory. Moreover, post positivists hold to the three interlinked functions of theories–explanation, prediction, and control. That is, theories should first of all explain behaviour in a causal relationship manner.In addition, theories should be able to predict future behaviour in a patterned way due to the abstraction of a certain phenomenon. At the end, good theories also provide information to control future events. Taking these functions into consideration, one can generate a set of criteria for evaluating and comparing theories from a post positivist stance. (* is explained at the end) I would like to explore more on the complex mental decision making processes involved in choosing to consume media (information-filtering-related theories) in this information age.I would imagine that selective exposure theory and active learner theory* would be two comparable choices to explain questions in this field and may provide reasonable predictions and relative control on future events. Selective exposure theory is accurate within its conceptual boundaries since many laboratory experiments have been conducted to test it so it is empirically testable. For example, in one study, when individual were placed in state of boredom, they selected arousing media messages and avoided relaxing fare to achieve an optimal level of arousal. ( Bryant, Zillmann, 1984).Selective exposure theory is consistent internally and externally because there is no contradictory propositi ons or widely held theories in the relevant domain. It is parsimonious because it mainly focuses on emotional states. However, because of this, researches have been conducted mostly upon mood management and selective exposure effects (first regulate emotion, then measure the media choice) which is not the real life situations. Thus, it is not in a very broad scope. In addition, in labs, participants only need to focus on limited choices but in the real world we face abundant media.In this case, selective exposure theory may have limited external validity. Nevertheless, this theory provide plausible explanations in media choosing and can somehow predict future behaviour (eg: people use media to alleviate boredom and other negative emotions) and also bring up future possible research questions (how about on positive mood other than negative?†¦ ). Therefore, in general, it is a better theory to choose other than the active learner theory because the latter one lack empirical tests and cannot rule out possible interventions.The active learner theory is a pseudo-theory I personally came up with rather than a really existing one. I can be totally/partially wrong or this can have been better explained by some mature theories. It is not even a theory but I still want to give it a try based on my understanding of this mental decision making process. I think the choice that one individual makes on media consumption can represent more than what it appears to be. It is not only a personal mood management process but also can involve social context and group judgment into it.As individual make choices, they can consciously or unconsciously go over the considerations of others' feedback judgments and possible consequences aftermath. For example, if one has the instinctive drive to watch porn to maximize pleasure, before making the final decision, (s)he may consider the possible feedback from roommates or parents or friends who may see his/her behaviour, therefore quick ly decide not to do so. People may gain this kind of thinking from previous learning from personal experience, peer talking or education.Or, imagine a group of girls surfing the Internet in the same room, one may want to log onto Angel and read some articles but others are more interested in gossip and entertainment. Even though this girl has her own laptop and can choose what she wants to read but she doesn't want to be â€Å"distinct† or â€Å"nerdy† so she conforms. Thus, I name people as active learner, that is, we can quickly adjust our behaviour and adapt to situations around us through more complex mental procedures besides mood management process consciously and automatically.

Animal rights and non-western views Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Animal rights and non-western views - Essay Example nimals rights have argued that these animals are totally different form humans, and therefore humans are superior and do not owe animals any moral obligations. Such an argument fails to recognize that even within the human species, there are obvious differences- skin colors, sex, and intelligence level among others (Singer, 1989). Yet, these differences do affect how human rights are enjoyed. Therefore, human beings out to respect other non-human animal species the same way they do for their fellow humans. Secondly, animals, just like humans, have interests since they suffer the same way human do. Unlike other non living things, animals have feelings similar to humans’ (Singer, 1989). It is then absurd to subject such animals to harsh and extreme treatments since this will amount to denying these animals their interests. Therefore, the treatment that appears harsh and unbearable to humans should not be extended to other animal species because they too have feelings. Finally, o pponents of animal rights have argued that human beings have intrinsic or natural dignity that needs to be protected all the time. As a result, humans cannot be treated like other animal species, and therefore, no human has a moral obligation towards animals (Singer, 1989). What such groups fail to show what characteristic makes humans earn this dignity and not other animal

International Trade Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

International Trade - Research Paper Example To properly project the significance of international trade, this essay therefore has three goals: 1) to examine the aims and rationale of international trade through the examples of China and India, and lastly, 2) to compare the effects of international trade on developed and developing countries. Developed and developing countries, however, have different goals for engaging in international trade. The former, in the negative sense, aims to further their own advantage or, positively, to help the economic struggles of the latter. For their part, developing countries aim to achieve the same level of development and prosperity as the developed ones. A change from status—developing to newly developed—may also change such trade goals. Generally though, trading is for survival or for the maintenance of countries’ economies. Countries exchange goods based on resources that are abundant in one and resources that are scarce in the other. This has also been called by David Ricardo as â€Å"comparative advantage† and is one of the rationales for the existence of trade. Nation-states export goods that are produced in large quantities within the national economy, while they import goods that are either scarce or produced in small quantities in domestic markets (Husted & Melvin, 2000, pp.60-61). Regardless of the nation’s capacity, â€Å"profitability of production† is still achievable so long as there is a "comparative advantage." Although absolute advantages in the goods they produce may be absent, all economies that are operated by competitive markets have comparative advantages. Ricardo further proposes that â€Å"no country can long import, unless it also exports, or can long export unless it also imports" (as cited in Blatt, 2004). He confirms that there are benefits to be had in the import-export of goods between and among trading nations. Hence, engaging in both is â€Å"equally essential† so as to

Recommendation lettter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Recommendation lettter - Essay Example I would also recommend him because he has excellent emotional intelligence in dealing with learners of diverse races and ethnicities. It is a phenomenon that was apparent particularly in graduate project where he conducted some research on African-Americans and Latinos and discovered that they excel on sciences than arts. Amongst my graduate students, he was the best and his presentation during one of the education conference organized by the university equally revealed his analytical skills and vast knowledge on educational policies. It means if accepted in the field of education, he shall bring immense wealth of knowledge, skills, and professional acumen to improve education standards in the country. I am, therefore, requesting your office to accept this student because his past experiences in the education field is an invaluable addition that cannot be ignored. In case of further inquiries, please correspond with me promptly in the given

The Impact of NAFTA on Mexico Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Impact of NAFTA on Mexico - Essay Example NAFTA was established as a free trade agreement between Mexico, Canada and America and it has become one of the most debated free trade agreements in the world. While the Mexican economy has suffered when it comes to agricultural sector, it has made tremendous gains in other sectors which have made the overall affect of the agreement to be positive for Mexico. As more studies are made into the topic, the picture is likely to get clearer for all concerned parties but as of now, the NAFTA has been a blessing for the Mexican economy rather than a curse. The North American Free Trade Agreement is commonly known as NAFTA and it is an agreement to promote free trade amongst the countries of America, Canada and Mexico. The agreement was signed into effect on the first of January in 1994 and it now has remained in effect for more than thirteen years ro date (World Bank Group, 2001). An understanding of the economic effects and the benefits of this agreement is important for all students of economics, sociology and business since it affects all those fields of study. As an agreement between a developing country and two countries which are considered economically developed, the first beneficiary of the agreement seem to be large American corporations that choose to deploy a part of their operations in Mexico or Canada (Hill, 2006). This benefit comes from the economic advantage of lowered recruitment and Human Resource Cost for skilled and unskilled labor as compared to the uneconomical labor market in America (Sayre & Morris, 2004). Additionally, American operations managers and executives of companies working in Mexico have the advantage of a higher standard of living in Mexico since the cost of living is lower.

Compliance of Businesses with the Principles of United Nations Global Essay - 1

Compliance of Businesses with the Principles of United Nations Global Compact - Essay Example Alcoa Inc., being an international organization with 31 headquarters all over the world and working in all the major aspects of its industry (developing technology, performing mining, refining, smelting, fabricating, and recycling of aluminum), believes it has enough expertise and experience for making recommendations to the Australasian Local Network. Furthermore, these particular principles are a basis of our Vision & Values statement, which makes us responsible for protecting and promoting â€Å"the health and well-being of the individual and the environment† (Vision & Values 2011). Alcoa Foundation, one of the largest corporate foundations in the U.S., is an outstanding project of our company, the activities of which are aimed at supporting our host communities worldwide (Alcoa Foundation 2011). The organization works as an independent foundation for addressing both global and local challenges of the communities. These activities are consistent with the vision and mission of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in terms of supporting â€Å"economic and social well-being of people around the world† (OECD 2011), and of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in regards to â€Å"promoting social justice and internationally recognized human and labour rights† (ILO 2011). Therefore, on the basis of our experience working towards the outlined above principles, we would like to propose the following recommendations: 1. Design, implement and control the fulfillment of a statement of protecting human rights in all the communities the company operates in (Global Compact Principle One 2011). Benefits & Implications: The company’s vision regarding human rights protection is clearly outlined and, thus, it is easier to develop corresponding structures and policies Communities differ and, therefore, some general and universal principles should be outlined in the statement instead of those to which a particular l ocal community is accustomed. A unified statement, being fulfilled, will not only promote human rights protection within the community but will also help to educated communities on what they should claim from organizations in terms of respecting and supporting people’s rights. Lessons Learnt The statement of protecting human rights of Alcoa Inc. now includes only the points regarding paying employees guaranteed minimum wages and prohibiting slavery (Health 2011), and we are working on improving this aspect. This shortcoming of ours has caused many problems in the past – we have even been blamed for putting corporate interests above the interests of people, governments or the planet. There, however, already exist good examples: the Human Rights Policy Statement of Continental Airlines, for instance, deals with such issues as ethical business conduct, as well as protection of the rights of co-workers and children (Continental Airlines, Inc. 2011).

Central Venous Cather technique in small children Research Paper

Central Venous Cather technique in small children - Research Paper Example In our retrospective cohort paper we theorize a systematic approach aimed at identifying the most suitable vein performing a pre procedural scan of all the possible site for vein cannulation and thereafter choosing the most appropriate in term of size and other factors such as collapsibility during respiratory cycle or anatomical anomalies. This systematic approach allowed identifying the brachiocephalic vein as the more suitable for central line placement, and along with in plane approach we were able to be successful in 100% of cases without complication. As published by The Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children’s publications in 2007, the central venous catheter is usually inserted into a neck vein to gain access to the right atrium. It is required to gain an ease of access for taking regular blood samples, for administration of medicines in patients undergoing chemotherapy or for giving total parenteral nutrition. It may also be required for administration of anesthetics, peri operative management or long term management of chronic illness. It is also indicated for measurement of central venous pressure. The success of this procedure depends upon a number of factors including the general condition of the child as described by Grebenik (Grebenik 2004). These include an experienced hand performing the procedure, the site of insertion of cannula, the presence of vascular anomaly, clotting problems or any previous cannulation procedure performed in the past. Because of these all factors, an ultrasound guided technique of central venous catheterization is rapidly becoming a preferable procedure for a central line placement in infants, neonates and children. Ultrasound guided technique has an advantage over the blind procedure for gaining the safest venous access and ensuring a flawless approach. There are certain risk factors associated with this procedure like the risk of infection or thrombosis, which may lead to various complications

Php Login Script with Remember Me Feature Essay Example for Free

Php Login Script with Remember Me Feature Essay I wanted to include the popular Remember Me feature seen on a lot of websites that basically keeps users logged into the website, even after theyve closed the browser so that the next time they come, they wont have to login again manually. I found this tutorial Creating a PHP Login Script to be very helpful in writing this script, in fact, a lot of the code presented here is very similar to the code presented in that tutorial. The differences are seen with the new Remember Me feature, the use of cookies in addition to sessions, and with slight modifications in the design. Goals The ultimate goal is to create a PHP login script with the capability of remembering logged-in users. I also hope this tutorial will serve as a way to introduce people to user sessions and cookies in PHP. Notes Although this tutorial uses a MySQL database for storing user information, it has been written so that the data accessing code is separated from the main code through specific functions, so it would be easy to instead use a flat file database system, simply by changing the code in those specific functions, without messing with the rest. This tutorial uses the latest and greatest of PHP 4, which means super globals are used, such as $_POST, $_SESSION, etc.. This tutorial will aim to teach you about sessions and cookies through example, however if you need to know more information, go to the official website . Database For those of you planning on using a flat file system, you can skip this section. For the rest of us, we want to create a MySQL database table that holds user information, here it is: CREATE TABLE users ( sername varchar(30), password varchar(32)); Of course this table can be modified according to your needs, however the password field must not be less than 32 because it has to store the md5 encrypted versions of passwords which are 32 bytes. database. php This file will contain the code that connects you to your MySQL database and the functions that access user information, you need to modify this to show your MySQL username, password and database. Allow Users to Sign-Up Before we can login users, we need users. Here we will focus on the code that allows users to sign-up, registering their username and password. register. php Registered! Thank you , your information has been added to the database, you may now log in. Registration Failed Were sorry, but an error has occurred and your registration for the username , could not be completed. Please try again at a later time. Registration Page Registration Page Register Login Username: Password: Remember me next time Join

Leadership Must Be Empowerment To Empower Its Teams Management Essay

Leadership Must Be Empowerment To Empower Its Teams Management Essay Goleman (1998) argued that during the last decade interpersonal skills have focused on effective leadership. Where the leaders controlled, planned and inspected the organizations operation, in recent more service oriented industries, leaderships responsibilities include motivate employees, promote positive attitudes in workplace, and make a sense of participation among employees (Hogan et al., 1994). Most researchers analyze leadership effectiveness regarding to the result of the leaders performance for employees and companys stakeholders, but the consequence variables of each researchers have been different from the others. The principals of these variables are depend on how immediate they are and whether they have subjective or objective measures. These consequences which are negatively correlated, are very difficult because of the complex trade-offs among them. In order to analyze the effectiveness of leadership many criteria should be taken in to the account to handle these complexities and variation between stakeholders preferences (Yuki, 1998). Researchers have stressed that the relationship between managers and employees has an important role in effective leadership. Qualified relationship and open interaction motivate and empower employees (Boyd and Taylor, 1998; Brower, Schoorman, and Tan, 2000). Drinks (1995) and Nonaka (1988) believed that the type of leaders interaction may lead them to take advantage from their difference and learn from each other. Ensley et al. (2003) argued that conventional view of a single leadership is based on the concept that leadership is a specialized role that cannot be shared with group. This perspective is stood for more hierarchical leadership in which the leaders supervise and control all activities. In the other hand, in shared leadership all members of the team are empowered to share the tasks and responsibilities of leadership. Yuki (1998, p.3) who view leadership as shared process cited that important decisions about what to do and how to do it are made through the use of an interac tive process that involves many different people who influence each other, not by a single person. Managers have different relationships with their employees and as Boyd and Taylor (1998) argued the quality of these relations may have influence on their success. When they improve the quality of their relationship, employees can be more productive on their task and more encouraged to contribute in organizational activities. Argyris and Schon (1978, 1996) have claimed that supportive interaction is the basis of effective leadership. Such interaction can be a strong motivation for organizational learning (Drinks, 1995; Nonakd, 1998). Bandura (1974) emphasized that successful leaders have capacity to motivate, encourage and empower their employees. Empowerment improves employees task innovation and continuation. Empowered employees make more contributions, they accept more difficult situations, and perform more confidently. They make more effort on their given task. According to Hofstede (2001) in organizations, such as any other social units, it may be found some inequality of employees capacities and powers, or unequal distribution of power over the employees. Cotta (1976) believes that power inequality is necessary in organization, and Hofstede (2001) claimed that the distribution of power in most organizations is formed in hierarchies, and the foundation of these hierarchies is the relationship between the managers and employees. Power distance is a measure of the interpersonal power or influence (P.83) between managers and employees. The acceptance and supporting of power distance by social environment is strongly related to the national culture. The culture determines the level of correlation among managers and employees. He expressed that the effect of employees participation on the outcome variables of organizational contribution, job satisfaction and efficacy was altered by particular level of power distance. Employee empowerment or participative decision making is not a simple or new concept of management. More than 50 years of research has approved that employee contribution is a complex management tool, that if apply properly, it can improve the performance, productivity and job satisfaction (Nykodym, Simonetti, Nielsen and Welling, 1994). Cohen, Chang and Ledford (1997) argued that employee must be engaged if they comprehend the necessity of creativity and if they are interested in changing their behaviors in work in improved way. He believes that the most significant concept of organizational effectiveness and positive employee perceptions is the employees involvement. One type of employees involvement in workplace is their participation in decision making (PDM). Nykodym, Simonetti and Welling (1994) have presented four areas for employees participation. The first area is goal setting. Employees can participate in setting up a goal for their task, planning a job and the appropriate time for job execution. In the second area employees can contribute in making choice between alternative series of tasks such as: working hours, placement of supplies or options among alternatives to perform an ordinary task. Next, employees can participate in problems solving that include clarifying the subject and determining the alternative series of activities. Finally, participation may include organizational changes, such as setting company policies that may involve hiring, layoffs, profit sharing or investments. Companies can take part in any or all of these areas in any time. The first three methods of participation can be used for all areas of contribution. Employees can participate individually to make decision and determine their own target, or they may get together with a manager to make decision making team. All employees may take part in decision making group with their coworkers or managers. This participation may be formal as in quality circle or informal as a group of employees declaring their opinions to gain the general agreement. Employees contribution in decision making can be directly or indirectly through a representative elected to express the groups ideas. There are some conditions that influence the success of participative leadership, and if these conditions do not manage properly, the efforts for participative management will fail. One of the most important set of these conditions is include the values, attitudes and expectations of an organizations employees. If employees do not want to take part in decision making, any attempt to force them would fail. For successful participation an organization must have a corporate culture that express the participative leadership. Another condition is the design of current task that must be done. If the workers task depends on each other to be complete, it can encourage the independent individual participation. If employees do not trust their managers, the participation in group decision making of employees and managers may not be successful. The last set of conditions is related to the environment. According to the rapidly changing technology, governmental laws, and strong competition, employ ees participation in decision making cannot be effective unless the members have the essential technical skills. These groups must also be capable to work with each other effectively in order to make a proper decision (Nykodym, Simonetti, Nielsen and Welling, 1994). Yuki (1998) believes that shared leadership is expected to occur self-managed teams, because of the employees are independent in developing group processes. In self-managed teams employees have more authority and responsibility to make decisions which related to their tasks (Katzenbach Smith, 1993; S.G Cohen, 1991). Self-managed teams are able to make decisions, determine goals, assign work, set schedule, and so on (Yuki, 1998). However the necessity of leadership in not questioning as the team is self-managed. Barry (1991) stressed that the role of leadership in self-managed teams is more important than traditional teams. He declared that in addition to needing task-based leadership such as project definition, scheduling, and resource gathering; self-managed teams require leadership around group development processes (developing cohesiveness, establishing effective communication patterns, and so forth) (p.32). Braford (1976) suggested that the teams members with shared leadership a re more satisfied with their teams, and Katzenbach and Smith (1993) claimed that teams involved in shared leadership are more effective and productive in regard to performance. In addition Perry, Pearce and Sims (1999) argued that shared leadership improves the interpretation of teams requirements. Recently many researchers have become interested in the concept of self-managed group (Stewart and Manz,1995; Cohen and Ledford, 1994; Mohrman et al., 1995; Manz, 1986, 1992; Manz and Sims, 1980,1990). According to the idea of socio-technical systems developed by Emery and Trist (1969), during the recent years, the self-managed work groups are used as a form of work system, specifically as pressures of high educated workforce for more responsibility and empowerment through group based shared management are exerted on organizations (Pearce and Manz, 2005). Also, there is another pressure that applied for organization to become more responsive to the recent competitive environment and global economy (Wriston, 1991; Druskat and Wheeler, 2003). Self-managed teams are independent to make important decision that related to their team processes (Katzenbach Smith, 1993; S.G. Cohen, 1991; Yuki, 1998). Murry et al. (2002) emphasized that leadership is a key in team process, without leadership team members may not be able to identify with team goals. Self-managed teams as Barry (1991) argued need more leadership than traditional teams in both task-related and team development problems. There are some attributes for self-managed work teams. Under the Wall and Clegg (1986) presentation, self-managed team build of a small group of individuals who are responsible for making the unit of task, executing a variety of works and using various skills that the group possesses. Job feedback is important for work team so the difference from goal achievement can be supervised by group member in specified task area boundary. Several case studies proved the advantages of the implementation of self-managed work teams such as increased employee satisfaction, heightened socialization in the work place, increased autonomy, opportunity to learn new skills, and some other benefits include reduced absenteeism and increased performance and motivation (Cohen and Ledford, 1994; Wall and Clegg, 1986; Pearce and Ravlin, 1987). However some researchers believes that self-managed work teams have some disadvantages in actual work (Versepey, 1990; Mohrman et al., 1995). Some case study in the USA has demonstrated that one of the most important factors in self-managed work teams failure is the reluctance of the manager to transfer the power and control to the team member (Hackman, 1989; Manz and Sims, 1987). So the role of leadership in self-managed work teams is critical. Elloy (n.d.) argued that the leadership in self-managed work team has an important role that has received little attention during past years for they often they supposed that role of external leader is redundant. There are few researches on external leader and its influence on groups operations. The fundamental opinion of self-managed work teams declares that the group members have control over their work environment and responsibility for all their duties in the team. However, research by Manz and Sims (1984, 1986, 1987, and 1990) revealed that leadership exit from traditional form of supervision and control to highly facilitative form of management, less direct but necessary for the productivity and effectiveness of the group. Many authors cited Kanter (1979) as the source of knowledge about the efficacy of employee empowerment. Kanter (1979) believes that shared management and empowered employee can increase the organizational power. The power of the leader in such situation not only reduces but also may enhance especially if the organization performs better. He also mentioned that employees, who are equipped with tools, information, and support, can make better decision. Bowen and Lawler (1995) declared that empowerment lead to more satisfied customers and employees. They also provided additional evidence, considerable research unpracticed such as gain sharing, communication programs, work teams, job enrichment, skill based pay, and so on, has shown the results of these practices are consistence and positive (p.75). Randolph (1995) indicates that employee empowerment can is improved trust in the organization. In such organization employee respond positively and they will set challenging goals which when they achieve those goals they will define the goals at higher level. In the other hand managing participation does not come without potential problems in the case of initiation, structure and management, choice of issue, team work, and evaluation. When organizations begin the participation program, the managements who are at higher level direct employees to contribute in establishing task forces and teams. In addition, managers who are handled to accomplish this activity will be assessed on the success of their teams. Another problem of participation is how the organization declares the program to the employees. Managers sometime present contribution in decision-making as a luxury rather than a result oriented tool. Furthermore, if management explains clearly what they want to obtain from concept of participation, employees can accept it more rapidly. The next problem is concern with employees who are involved in participation practices. If participation depends on volunteers, it is not representative, if it does not; it is compelling (Nykodym, Simone tti, Nielsen and Welling, 1994). Fox (1998) believes the most important problem in empowerment program as that may affect profitability of the organization is managements fear of letting employees make decisions. Even Kanter (1979) who is cited as providing evidence of the effectiveness of empowerment indicates: One might wonder why more organizations do not adopt such empowering strategies. These are standard answers, that giving up control is threatening to people who have fought for every shred of it; that managers fear losing their own place and special privileges in the system, and so on forth. But I would also pot skepticism about employee abilities high on the list. (p.74) In addition, Nykodym et al. (1994) mentioned that some problems in participations are related to the structure and management. An effective empowerment needs an obvious structure. It is essential to establish all basis rules and limitation boundaries from the beginning of the program. In the other word, empowerment program requires an effective leader who can motivate the employee and set constraints. Another problem with structure and management is that managers must engage to arrange activities, support employees and reconsider the consequences. A manager cannot assign the tasks to a team without monitoring them. They must also find and manage the time needed for participation. Middle managers often oppose to employee empowerment as they think that the program will remove their power, which Blanchard and Bowles (1998) called it hazing theory of management. He believes that managers must modify the control over the employees. The reason that initiation programs and hazing are still a part of fraternal companies is that the employees want the chance to act as was acted to them. These changes are performed through training. Managers must understand that they still have a position even the authority being shared with employees. Their new role includes mentoring, coaching, and facilitating. Proper training improves managers skill of coaching and mentoring, because empower employee are often leaded in to self-managing teams need someone to facilitate their discussion until their skills are improved. This facilitating is the role of manager in self-managed team. Many managers need training in order to increase their capacity for facilitating discussions (Fox, 1998 ). Next dilemma that Nykodym, Simonetti, Nielsen and Welling (1994) referred is the issue of choice that is concerned which issue is included in participative decision making. Researchers have demonstrated that employees prefer to take part in problems that are related to their primary job operation, or their quotidian problems. But it is important not to make presumption about what problems are most significant to employees, they should be asked. As the participation has passed its experimental stage, employees may request compensation or recognition for their time and ideas. Employees must feel that they profit from participation in the effectiveness of the company. Bowen and Lawler (1992) note some management objections such as: higher required investment in selection and training, greater labor costs, incompatible service deliveries which are resulted by these changes. Other management objections mentioned by Conger and Kanungo (1988) are empowerment may lead to overconfidence and misjudgment on the followers. Appropriate training may defeat some of these objections, but not all of them. However, Fox (1998) believes that the advantage of employee empowerment exceed the disadvantages. In the other hand, employees are often opposed to empowerment program. Aeppel (1997) argued that one of the objections by Eaton employees is the responsibility of the group for each employee. He believes that when everyone mentoring everyone else it seems that having a hundred bosses. Another employee complaint that declared by Fox (1998), is that they dont want extra task than their ordinary responsibilities. He considers that employee with such objection is not motivated and he/she is not aware of the benefit of his/her task for the organization. Eurotec Company is a subsidiary of the Schott Group which is a large German glass manufacturer. According to the rapid production expansion, the company faced a number of problems, and in order to moderate these issues, the company decided to implement empowerment program. The references revealed the successful use of empowered autonomous work team to remove the problems (Sykes et al., 1997). As argued in the article, the staffs are now motivated to come along with challenges. Employees are trained to increase their technical and communication skills and they feel more involved. In conclusion, although the implementation empowerment is the biggest challenge of any organization in terms of its initiation, structure, and evaluation and so on, it is profitable for team progress, because there are more leaders to mentor teams performance, and employees motivate each other. In such environment employees are more satisfied about their job and as a result the productivity, performance and task innovation will be improved. For achieving these goals, managers have a key role to lead the organizations effectively and motivate employees to participate in decision making.