To Choose a Career

To Choose a Career Every year thousands of school leavers start their new lives as grown-ups. The first serious and extremely important decision each of them makes in life is what a career to choose. It’s a well-known fact that many young people prefer to follow the advice of their parents and continue family careers, like doctors, teachers, etc. Personally I believe that it is a way out only for those school leavers, who really feel that it is their vocation. I think so because I’m sure that work should bring satisfaction. A person should always have an opportunity for self-improvement and development, but it is possible only when you are interested in what you are doing. To my mind, before you make your final decision, you need to think a lot and to weigh all pros and contras. You should clearly understand what you want to do and what you can do well. You can turn to special magazines for teenagers, which offer various questionnaires, career quizzes and surveys to help the youth define their abilities and interests clearly. And finally you will make the right decision not a hasty one, but deliberate and rational. Personally I want to be an interpreter. I like foreign languages and succeed in their learning. I’m a person, who needs to cope with challenging tasks and improve my skills constantly. I prefer to forge ahead all the time, acquire new knowledge, meet new people and achieve new targets. I’m sure that this career will provide me not only with stable salary, but also with self-satisfaction and opportunities for development. The only thing I want to add is that when choosing a career it’s better to listen to your heart, but not what other people say.

Essay on Main Stages of Child Development from Birth to 19...

Main stages of child development from birth to 19 years 1. From birth to 19 years of age, children and young people tend to follow a broad developmental plan. Although children and young people are different, the way they grow and develop is often quite similar. This means we can work out a pattern for development and from this we can pinpoint particular skills or milestones that most children can do at different age ranges. Milestones describe when particular skills are achieved, such as walking, usually achieved by 18 months. These milestones have been draw up by researchers looking at children’s development and working out an average from their recordings. However as children grow older the variations between individuals grow†¦show more content†¦Babies who are staring to relax at bath time or when their nappies are changed. Fleeting smiles when asleep (smiles of contentment begin from five or six weeks. Coos when content (from around five or six weeks) Babies at Three months Babies at three months have now grown in both height and weight. They are wearing new sets of clothes and have changed in many ways. Some babies have learned the difference between night and day and are able to sleep through the night, which is great help for parents. Babies are also crying less and most parents are getting better at knowing at what their cries mean. Babies are starting to sleep a little less and are far more alert. They may smile quite often and show that they know the sound of their parents’ voices and movements. Babies’ bodies are also developing. They are able to lift their heads up and look about when they are put on their tummies. These are things you may expect to observe in a baby at 3 months:- Physical Development Babies who lift and turn their heads Interest in play with fingers Communication and Intellectual Development Excitement when it is time to be fed Babies who are starting to notice mobiles and objects around them Social, Emotional and behaviouralShow MoreRelatedDescribe the Expected Pattern of Children and Young Peoples Development from Birth to 19714 Words   |  3 PagesTDA 2.1 Child and Young Person Development 1.1 Describe the expected pattern of children and young people’s development from birth to 19 years, to include: physical, social, emotional, behavioural, intellectual and communicational development. Through a young person’s development, from birth to 19 they are expected to follow a development pattern including physical, social, environmental, behavioural, intellectual and communicational. The expected pattern is seen as the average time period it wouldRead MoreThe Importance of Early Childhood Education1141 Words   |  5 PagesIt is crucial for a child to receive early education because it is the time for growing, forming, and brain development. Children between the ages of 0 to 6 go through stages of acquiring specific skills like, sensorial, language, math, social, and cognitive. In those stages children have the ability to soak up and retain information, some people say like a sponge. As parents it is our duty to make sure we are stimulating our children’s mind between the ages of birth and 6 years. Parents have the opportunityRead MoreChild and young person development1148 Words   |  5 PagesUnit 201 Child and Young Person Development Title Describe the main stages of a child and young person development from birth to 19 years old and the kind of influences that affect this process. Evidence Covered 1.1 Describe the expected pattern of children and young peoples development from birth to 19 years, to include: a) physical development b) communication and intellectual development c) social, emotional and behavioural development 1.2 Describe with examplesRead MoreDescribe the Expected Pattern of Children and Young People‚Äà ´s Development from Birth to 19.966 Words   |  4 PagesTheme 3 Stages of Child Development Child Development For this unit you will need to be able to describe the expected pattern of development of children and young people from birth to 19 years. In groups you must complete the attached table to address 2.1: 1.1 and 1.2 2.1: 1.1 Describe the expected pattern of children and young people’s development from birth to 19. Stage/Area of development | Physical development | Communication and intellectual development | SocialRead MoreSocial And Physical Developments : The Developmental Rules Of Child Development953 Words   |  4 PagesChildren’s development, growth and learning is a continous process from birth through to adulthood. There are three fundamental rules of human development that apply to everyone from birth. 1. Development starts form the head and works down the body. 2. It happens in the same order, but can occur at different rates. 3. All areas of development are linked together. Although children develop differently, the stages of development they go through are generally the same. It means that theyRead MoreExamples Of Piaget Theory Of Cognitive Development782 Words   |  4 PagesCognitive Development Jean Piaget sought to understand and explain to others how the brain changes from birth until the mid-teens. There are so many huge developments during those years and Piaget got them down to four stages. The four stages in Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development are the sensorimotor stage, preoperational stage, concrete operational stage, and formal operational stage. These stages cover things such as reflexes to adolescent egocentrism. (Santrock) The first stage, the sensorimotorRead MoreThe Importance Of Nutrition And Supportive Environment1526 Words   |  7 Pages1000 days of development- Global context The first 1000 days of life is defined as the duration starting from period of conception up to 2 years of child age.After several evidences have been found that nutrition plays an extremely important role in the early childhood development, to be specific, within 1000 days of period between conception to 2nd Birthday of child(1), the global movement of The First Thousand Days has started in 2010 in Washington DC. (2) The effect of receiving sufficient nutrientsRead MoreFreuds Psychoanalytic Theory and Method Essay1095 Words   |  5 PagesMethods of Investigation, Personality Development, Defence Mechanisms and The Psychosexual Stages of Development. Freud believed that because he could not find any physical cause for many of his patient’s symptoms, that they must be linked to unconscious psychological disturbances. Freud attempted to uncover the psychological problems using Psychoanalysis. Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory of Personality Development suggests that three componentsRead MoreThe Difference Between The Rate Of Development989 Words   |  4 PagesThe difference between the sequence of development, the rate of development and why and the difference between the two are important is that the rate of development is normally the ‘time frame’ in which development takes place and the sequence of development is when development follows the expected pattern but not at a particular time. Genetics, social and cultural factors all have an impact on when a child will develop their skills. Both terms are important to know, therefore you can establish theRead MoreThe Stages Of First Language Acquisition1381 Words   |  6 Pagesacquisition means the development of children language in natural environment. First language acquisition could be bilingual or monolingual. Bilingual first language acquisition means children from birth acquire two languages at the same time such as child who has parents from different nationality (Houwer,2009 ). In contract, monolingual means the development of single language. However, several studies have documented the development of first language acquisition into stages which each stage show how children

Constant At Wesfarmers Says Incoming Scott â€Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Constant At Wesfarmers Says Incoming Scott? Answer: Introduction Wesfarmers Limited is a conglomerate with presence in many business areas which include supermarkets, department stores, home improvement, office supplies, liquor, convenience stores, industrial safety products, chemicals, fertilisers and coal. It is an Australian company with its headquarters in Western Australia. The company has a shareholder base of 530000 and employs around 22000 employees (Wesfarmers, Who We Are: Wesfarmers - A Diversified Corporation). Wesfarmers was founded in 1914 as a Western Australias Cooperative. The first chairman of the company was Deane Hammond. The company became a publicly listed company in the year 1984 and acquired 100% share of CSBP in 1986. The company acquired 100% of Bunnings shares in 1994 and opened its first Bunnings store in the same year. In the 1990s and 2000s Wesfarmers made many acquisitions in the fertilizers and coal business. One of the most important acquisitions was in 2007 of Coles. The company has also undertaken divestments to focus on profitable businesses where it divested the Insurance broking business in 2014. The industrials division was formed in 2015 with the acquisition of 13.7% in Quadrant Energy. The department stores division was founded in 2016. Products / Services The company carries out its business activities through various brands in each business area. The details of its products and services are: a) Coles Coles operates supermarkets which provide fresh food, groceries, liquor, general merchandise and financial services. The company serves the people of Australia through a network of 780 supermarkets and is also present online. The different brands of Coles include Coles online, Coles Liquor, Coles Express, Coles Financial Services and Spirit Hotels. b) Home Improvement The home improvement is operated through Bunnings retails products for consumer and commercial use. The company provides home improvement and outdoor products and supplies its products to builders and the housing industry. The company has 357 trading centres out of which 248 are warehouses and the rest are small format stores and trading centres. The company has its centres in Australia and New Zealand. The company went international in 2016 by acquiring Homebase to make its presence in UK and Ireland. c) Department stores the company operates department stores through its major brands Kmart and Target based in Australia and New Zealand. Kmart offers general merchandise and apparel at low prices through its network of 200 stores. A division of Kmart known as Kmart Tyre and Auto Service provides automotive and repair service. Target offers general merchandise, apparel and home wares through 300 stores. d) Officeworks Office works is a supplier of office based products and offers solutions for home, business and education. The company has its stores in Australia and offers its services through stores and online. e) Industrials this segment includes three business areas which are chemicals, energy and fertilisers; Industrial safety products and Resources. Wesfarmers chemicals, energy and fertilisers business operates through its brand CSBP, Australian Vinyls, Australian Gold Reagents, Queensland Nitrates, Evol LNG,Kleenheat, Quadrant Energy, Blackwoods, NZ Safety Blackwoods, Greencap, Coregas and Workwear group. The resources division operates through Curragh, Bengalla. The segment provides its products both domestically and internationally. There are nine directors in the company. Michael Chaney AO is the Chairman of the company and its CEO is Richard Goyder AO. The other non- executive directors include Paul Bassat, James Graham, Tony Howarth, Wayne Osborn, Diane Smith, Vanessa Wallace, and Jennifer Westcott. All the directors have suitable experiences as per the profile they are handling. Dividend Policy The company pays dividends to its shareholders twice in a year. The first dividend is called the interim dividend and seconds the final dividend. The policy of the company is pay dividends to its shareholders as a return on their investment but the dividends are subject to earnings and cash flow of the company. The company has a Dividend investment plan according to which the dividends of participating will be invested in the ordinary shares at the dividend payment date. The company may issue new shares or transfer the existing shares depending on the directors discretion. Environmental impact and policy Wesfarmers believes in corporate governance and complies with ASX Corporate Governance Principles and Recommendation. The company addresses the climatic changes in two ways. It monitors its gas emissions and tries to reduce its effects wherever possible and also it analyses the risks associated with the climatic change for its various business and tries to minimise the risks. Some of the initiatives taken by the company to improve the environment include investment in solar energy by Bunnings and reduction in use of water by Resources. Market Performance Wesfarmers operates in the Consumer staples sector in the Food and Staples retailing industry. Wesfarmers and Woolworth hold 70% of the Australias fresh food and grocery market share out of which about 30% belongs to Wesfarmers (Akhtar Akhtar, 2016). Bunnings has a 20% market share in the home improvement market in Australia (Dagge, 2016). The companys share price as of September 2017 was $41.43 and it has a market capitalisation of $46.16 billion. The P/E ratio of the company is 16.29 and the companys beta is 1.02 (YahooFinance). Beta of 1.02 means that the volatility of the share price of Wesfarmers is almost the same as the market. Returns Analysis The daily closing price for Wesfarmers and All Ordinary Index for the period 1st August 2014 to 31st July 2017 and for the period 1st August 2011 to 31st July 2014 have been given in the excel provided in the annexure. On the basis of the above prices, the variance and standard deviation for the daily returns of Wesfarmers and Index for the period 1st August 2011 to 31st July 2014 have been calculated. Wesfarmers All Ordinary Index Variance 0.000113 0.000079 Standard deviation 0.011 0.009 (Detailed calculation in the annexure) The graph representing the share price history of the company and All Ordinary Index for the period 1st August 2011 to 31st July 2014 is given below: The share price of Wesfarmers has been in the range of $32 to $42 over the 5 years period. From the above graph we see that the shape of the line curve is similar for both Wesfarmers and the Index. This is because of the beta of Wesfarmers which is 1.02. It means when the index changes by 1%, the price of Wesfarmers share will also change by 1.02%. This relation can clearly been seen in the above graph. For the year 2014, both follow the same pattern with a rise in prices, then a fall, again a rise, then a fall and then an increase which has remained stable for some time. Of course the change in price of Wesfarmers is more frequent than the Index. Similar price change patterns can be seen for the year 2015 also. However, in 2016, the pattern has varied slightly with Wesfarmers price increasing more than the index in the months of March, April and May. The shares of Wesfarmers are not very risky because not much movement in the line curves can be seen for the five years period. The line curve is mostly straight with the curve going upwards during the period March to June 2017. The average return of Wesfarmers from August 2014 to July 2017 is 0.23% as compared to 0.084% in the 2011 to 2014 average returns. The average returns of the market for 2014 to 2017 are 0.01% as compared to 0.033% in the 2011 to 2014 average returns. We see that the average returns have fallen for both the market and Wesfarmers from 2014 to 2017. The change in average returns of the market and Wesfarmers is more than as predicted by the standard deviation. Wesfarmers has a standard of 1.1% in 2011-2014, the average returns have decreased by 72% which is much above the expected deviation. Similarly for the market, the standard deviation was 0.89% in 2011-14, the average returns have decreased by 70% which is again above the expected deviation. Thus, in this case standard deviation has not been a reliable predictor. This may be due to change in factors like government regulations, change in the nature of the industry etc. Such changes may bring about a sudden change in the share price and thus render the standard deviation measures meaningless. Current and Recent Developments The share price of the company has been in the range of $39 to $43 over the period from August 2016 to August 2017. The share price is impacted by many factors both internal and external. Internal factors relate to the company performance, change in company policies, management and other things. External is the change in the industry, economy or the market in which the company operates. Such changes will impact all the companies operating in the similar environment. The various internal and external factors which have impacted the share price of Wesfarmers recently have been discussed below. Competitive Pressures The retail industry has become very competitive with major competition coming from Woolworths and Aldi. Wesfarmers operates supermarkets through Coles which differentiates itself in providing low cost products. Woolworths was already a strong competitor but now a third competitor Aldi has entered the Australian market which is offering branded products at lower prices as compared to both Wesfarmers and Woolworths and thus it has been able to lure customers (Heffernan, 2016). Coles is one of the highest revenue generating segments of Wesfarmers. Legislative Changes There were several government level challenges faced by the company in the recent years. some of which include the increasing high corporate tax rate in Australia, difficulty in doing business across Australia due to lack of uniformity in different state legislations. Another issue relates to introduction of new amendment in competition and consumer act. The Australian government introduced the Competition and Consumer amendment in December 2016 to curb the anti-competitive conduct of firms with substantial market power (Taperell, 2017) International Events Wesfarmers forayed into the international markets with its major brand Bunnings acquiring hardware stores in Ireland and UK. The acquisition is of the second largest hardware company is UK which is Homebase. The company has acquired 265 Homebase stores and will run them with the name of Bunnings (Hatch Mitchell, 2016).This acquisition will increase its international presence and thus increase its revenue. Management and Ownership Changes There has been a major change in the companys management with the company announcing the appointment of new CEO and managing director Rob Scott who will replace Richard Goyder. Also Bunnings head John Gillam left the company in 2016 against the companys acquisition of the UK based hardware brand for $705 million(Low, 2017). Major Suppliers and Customers The company has only strengthened its relationship with its suppliers to bring efficiencies to business. The company entered into a 10 year contract with a farming company which will supply truss tomatoes all year round with an innovative technology to produce these tomatoes in a greenhouse using solar power and sea water (Wesfarmers, Sourcing) Investment Recommendation Based on the above analysis, it is recommended to buy or hold the shares of Wesfarmers. Wesfarmers is a successfully diversified company. Low earnings in one business segment are offset by high earnings in another segment. Like in 2016, Target and Curragh faced difficult trading conditions and there were huge impairment charges which decreased the net profit of the company. However, strong performance by Coles, Bunnings, Kmart Officeworks and Chemicals and fertilisers business more than offset the low earnings effect. The company has gone overseas with Bunnings and this promise to increase the company earnings further. As far as the share price history of the company is concerned, the share prices of Wesfarmers move in tandem with the market as seen above. The share prices increased at a faster rate between 2011 to 2014, giving average daily returns of 0.84% whereas the same has decreased to 0.23% for the period 2014 to 2017. This is because the company was developing at a fast pace during 2011 to 2014 and now the company has almost reached its saturation. However, now to further increase its earnings, the company has resorted to developing international markets to increase its scope. Thus, it is expected that the companys share price will move further upwards and hence, it is recommended to buy or hold the shares of Wesfarmers. References Akhtar, S., Akhtar, F. (2016, March 17). Retail outlook: big retailers feel the pressure of new challengers. The Conversation. Dagge, J. (2016, September 29). Bunnings boss John Gillam bullish on British stores. Herald Sun. Hatch, P., Mitchell, S. (2016, January 18). Wesfarmers takes Bunnings to the UK. Retrieved September 22, 2017, from The Sydney Morning Herald: https://www.smh.com.au/business/retail/wesfarmers-buys-homebase-for-705-million-20160117-gm7xgv.html Heffernan, M. (2016, November 7). Woolworths, Coles, Aldi: which is cheapest for branded products? Retrieved September 22, 2017, from The Sydney Morning Herald: https://www.smh.com.au/business/retail/woolworths-coles-aldi-which-is-cheapest-for-branded-products-20161101-gsf9ov.html Low, C. (2017, February 15). Change the only constant at Wesfarmers says incoming boss Rob Scott. Retrieved September 22, 2017, from The Sydney Morning Herald: https://www.smh.com.au/business/retail/change-the-only-constant-at-wesfarmers-says-incoming-boss-rob-scott-20170214-gucuz5.html Taperell, G. (2017, February 14). Strengthening the section 46 misuse of market power provision. Retrieved September 22, 2017, from KPMG: https://home.kpmg.com/au/en/home/insights/2017/02/section-46-misuse-market-power-provision-14-february-2017.html Wesfarmers. (n.d.). Sourcing. Retrieved September 23, 2017, from Wesfarmers: https://sustainability.wesfarmers.com.au/our-principles/sourcing/suppliers/ Wesfarmers. (n.d.). Who We Are: Wesfarmers - A Diversified Corporation. Retrieved September 17, 2017, from Wesfarmers.com: https://www.wesfarmers.com.au/who-we-are/who-we-are YahooFinance. (n.d.). Wesfarmers Limited (WES.AX) : Summary. Retrieved September 17, 2017, from Finance.Yahoo: https://au.finance.yahoo.com/quote/wes.ax?ltr=1

The Itis Movie, the Tenth Episode of The Buddocks

The tenth episode of The Buddocks, the Itis, reflects on the contemporary American themes, such as race, class, ethnicity, and gender, in an artistic manner presented throughout the TV series. In terms of the race challenge facing America in a modern day setting, the producer shows a picture of a divided society.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Itis Movie, the Tenth Episode of The Buddocks specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Despite impressive steps by various classes of the American society to curb racism, the show demonstrates a high-level hypocrisy that cripples such efforts. Ordinary American lifestyle captured as the punch line in the film illustrates the authenticity of the American dream of equality of races, as practiced by a majority of Americans. The rap culture is predominantly African American, and the depiction of a gangster lifestyle equally shows the prominent perception that one race embraces bar baric culture. The scenes which contain violence, such as terrorism and use of disrespectful racial terminologies, affect the American population in the entire film (Bell, Kim and McGryder, 2006) Class dominion is the main theme of the show with frequent infusions of white imperialism casting an apparent class divide. The main character’s interaction with the class issue illustrates the lifestyle divide evident between various strata of the American society. Huey and Riley belong to a lower class, and their lifestyles clearly and accurately demonstrate class discord in the society. In the entire show, the illustration of the lifestyle in ghetto setting illuminates the actual standards of the lowest class as well as the challenges faced by those people. However, the film presents a section of a low class population grappling with the property-ownership related evictions. Corporate structure in the country demonstrates a powerful class of individuals that would stop at nothing until they achieved their profit intentions. Ethnicity, as a dominant theme in the show, highlights the prejudice and discrimination elements, which ethnic relations present to the contemporary Americans. Internal wrangles between ethnic divides in the film illustrate the possibility of an elevated tension that emerges on various platforms. Unique cultural traits arise from various ethnic categories presented in the episode, including soul food obsession that Huey blames for the demise of his grandmother. The role of Granddad as a community man with friends and family around him depicts the conditions that precipitate ethnicised tendencies. Granddad’s recipes used in the soul food tradition highlight the possible ethnic trademark, which other people like Huey easily use to mock in order to show emerging tension.Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Gender theme portrayal in the film captures a negative image of women in the society. Depiction of women in the ordinary American setting does not bring out the discord that the film highlights. In painting a negative image of gender biases in the American society, the film illustrates the females as opportunistic party animals. Ordinary American women would assign blame to a gender insensitive society for having presented them as partying species. Granddad’s business flocks with beautiful women shown as flirts who take the opportunity to reap from party-loving men. Negative eating habits emerge among the women in the film as the woman that attacks Granddad appears to be suffering from a nutrition condition. The woman fights against Granddad on grounds of causing her to put on weight; such a scene illustrates the challenges that feeding habits present to women. However, the women fighting for being equal reveal a gender struggle that still goes on in different ways in America today. Reference Barnes, R., McGryder, A. (Writers) Horne, J. (Director). (2006). The Itis. In Ash, B. Kim, S. E. The Boondocks. New York: Sony Pictures This essay on The Itis Movie, the Tenth Episode of The Buddocks was written and submitted by user Brynlee Vega to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

The Worth of Naysayers

The Worth of Naysayers I cleaned out some files last week and stopped cold at a ten-year-old  folder of agent rejections. Im not sure why I kept them all these years, especially once I landed a contract for my first series. Maybe it was to show them somehow downstream. Maybe it was to let each one know that I managed to write a book decent enough to publish. . . in spite of them. But my books havent sold a half million copies nor have they been made into movies, so Im not sure how much effect I would have on people who dont remember who I was nor recognize who Ive become today. Theres just too much noise in the world these days for agents to know all the great authors, much less the mid-list ones. So I threw the folder on a stack to shred, and again, stopped. These responses altered my life. Some spurned me. Some were nice. Some called me boring. Some said I had no zing. Some encouraged me. Did I want to close this door or keep it open as a constant reminder of how far Ive come? Then I stumbled across this quote while hunting for quotes to add to my newsletters. Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed To me, that meant  dont look behind you, wondering about that harbor you left behind. Instead, move forward, think future.  Explore. Dream. Discover.   I didnt need to waste energy thinking of my past failings. I shredded the letters. Now I have one more file to fill with acceptances, contracts, and congratulations from those who ride with me on my boat, heading forward.

Critically Evaluation Of The View That During Times Of Recession And Economic Downturn, Employee Commitment Can Be Assured With A Steady Income The WritePass Journal

Critically Evaluation Of The View That During Times Of Recession And Economic Downturn, Employee Commitment Can Be Assured With A Steady Income Introduction Critically Evaluation Of The View That During Times Of Recession And Economic Downturn, Employee Commitment Can Be Assured With A Steady Income ). Whilst these strategies may be employed, our in interest in this paper is critically evaluating whether employee commitment can be assured with a steady income during such times of recession and economic downturn. A large number of studies have pointed out to the adverse impacts of cost cut measures that include pay cuts. According a Right Management Survey (2010) conducted on North American workers, 60% of the 900 respondents surveyed indicated their intent to leave their current employer as soon as there was an improvement and recovery of the economy. Similar conclusions have been reached upon by subsequent studies across the globe. A recent ORC International research on Australian companies showed a significant decline in employee engagement, with Australian organizations lagging behind other industrialized countries in employee engagement levels (Conrad 2012). The importance of maintaining a stable income to ensure a committed and motivated workforce is further evident in Britain where research has painted a worrying picture of a standstill Britain. In the UK, the level of employee engagement dropped significantly during the recession. According to a quarterly Employee Outlook survey report (2010), employee engagement levels reached an all-time low in the UK, with job satisfaction falling to 35 in 2010, down from 48. These findings have been confirmed by another Global Workforce Study (GWS) by Towers Watson which surveyed 2,628 workers in the UK. The study found 26% of the workers feeling stuck in their role, 40% wanting to leave their current jobs, and a vast majority of 77% arguing that their ability to adva nce their careers had worsened (Towers Watson, 2012). Adding to these concerns, only a third of the workers surveyed thought of their organization as providing good pay and opportunities for career development. Worryingly, 66% felt that there was no clear link between performance and pay, indicating the lack of incentive for motivating the workers (Towers Watson 2012). As pointed out by Yves Duhaldeborde, the head of surveys at Towers Watson, the research paints a worrying picture as workers and businesses reach a standstill with creativity and ambition taking a back seat. The post recession reality is that many of the workers have hit ambition ceiling and are choosing a steady income over creativity and career advancement. Several other studies have shown pay to be the most effective motivator. In their meta-analysis, Locke et al (1980) concluded that money was the most crucial incentive and effective motivator than other incentives. This finding has received support from subsequent researches. However, research on this topic has produced mixed results. Studies arguing against stable income as an effective motivator Contrary to the popular view, some studies have shown that pay is not necessarily an essential motivator. For example, in a survey by Towers Perrin (2005) which identified some of the top ten motivational factors, pay was not listed among the list. Among the top five motivators identified by the survey were: managers interest in the well being of its workforce, challenging work, customer focus and decision-making authority (Rynes et al. 2004). moreover, whilst a large number of studies have shown that recession impacted negatively on employee engagement with most of the workforce worried about layoffs and decreases in their income, new research from Gallup has shown that the fear may not have been as dramatic as publicly pronounced. The Gallup study found that, despite the intense recessionary pressures, employee engagement stayed fairly even and that employees remain confident of a trusting environment during this period (Cabtree 2011). Further, a similar study by Kelly International (2010) found that, contrary to the popular view, employee loyalty increased during the recession period with 52% of the North American work force remaining totally committed to their company. Most of these respondents argued that recession itself were responsible for heightening their loyalty. With the market slowly rebounding, businesses are on track to increase the salaries of their employees in order to retain their top talent. Although the prime focuses of engagement efforts seem to be based on financial rewards, it is not always the case that employee commitment can be assured with a steady income. Most of the organizations today still do not understand how to effectively engage their employees. As reported in a 2009 work survey by Deloitte Company, employees of today value meaningful work, more open communication and connection to the organization more than high salaries. Employees who feel valued and connected to their organization are far more likely to remain actively engaged than slightly higher-paid employees. Whereas the income effect has an impact on employee engagement, its effect tends to wear off over months of discontent. This is further evident in a recent employee engagement survey conducted by WorldatWork in collaboration with the Hay Group and Loyola University Chicago. The survey found a weak relationship between base pay and employee engagement and commitment; compared to intangible rewards, incentives and leadership quality. The study concluded that non-financial rewards had a greater impact on employee engagement compared to financial rewards. Nonetheless, voluminous evidence obtained from several hundreds of studies have found a strong positive correlation between the two. Hence, it can be inferred that during times of recession and economic downturn, employee commitment can be assured with a stable income. Whereas pay on its own may not be sufficient in effectively engaging employees, assuring employees about stability of their income would support the emotional commitment of the workforce. Conclusion Many businesses have often succumbed to the pressures of maintaining the workforce amidst diminishing revenues especially when under intense recessionary pressure. Most companies have often ignored the critical need to ensure that cost cuts are done in ways that support the emotional commitment of the workforce. Such cost cutting measures certainly impact negatively on the workforce, often leading to decreased levels of employee engagement and loss of top talents. Businesses have to take a strategic approach to employee relations in order to retain their top talent and emerge as winners of the talent wars. Cost reduction should thus be done in ways that reinforces company culture and integrates emotional commitment of the workforce with the business imperatives. Before implementing any cost reduction strategies, executives have consider whether such strategies would damage their value proposition to employees, thereby affecting their motivation and commitment which eventually results in disengaged employees. Although some studies have shown that pay is not necessarily an essential motivator and that employees tend to value meaningful work, more open communication and connection to the organization more than high salaries, voluminous evidence obtained from several hundreds of studies have found a strong positive correlation between the two. Based on this analysis, we conclude that maintaining a stable income during such hard times of recession and economic downturn would certainly help to keep engagement levels relatively high. Reference Aon Hewitt, 2013. 2013 Trends in global employee engagement. [viewed on 17th October 2013} available from www.onhewitt.com Aon Hewitt, 2010. 2010 employee engagement survey. Aon Hewitt Firm Bewley, T.F., 1998. why not cut pay? European Economic Review 42, pp.459 490 Bromfield, P., 2008. Energizing employees in recessionary times try motivating, not mandating. Booz Company Cataldo, P., 2011. Focusing on employee engagement: how to measure it and improve it. UNC Executive Development Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), 2006. How engaged are British employees. London: CIPD. Conrad, S., 2012. Driving employee engagement post-recession: best practices for Australian companies. [viewed on 14th October} available from http://blog.halogensoftware.com/driving-employee-engagement-post-recession-best-practices-for-australian-companies Crabtree, S., 2011. The recessions impact on US employees. Gallup Business Journal Harter, J. K., Schmidt, F.L., Hayes, T.L., 2002. Business-Unit Level Relationship Between Employee Satisfaction, Employee Engagement and Business Outcomes: a Meta Analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology. 86(2): 286-279. Hay Group, 2010.The loyalty deficit: the impact of recession on engagement. Hay Group Kelly International, 2010. Employee loyalty rises during global economic recession. [viewed on 18th October 2013} available from http://ir.kellyservices.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=450036 Kumar, P. and Swetha, G., 2011. A prognostic examination of employee engagement from its historical roots. International Journal of Trade, Economics and Finance, vol.2 (3) pp.232-238 Locke, E.A., Ferren, D.B., McCaleb, V.M., Shaw, K.N. and Denny, A.T., 1980. The relative effectiveness of four methods of motivating employee performance. In: Duncan, K.D., Gruenberg, M.M. Wallis (Eds), changes in working life, New York: Wiley publishers. Macey, W.H and B. Schneider. 2008. The Meaning of Employee Engagement. Industrial and Organizational Psychology. 1: 3-30. Maslow, A.H., 1943. A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50, pp.370-396 Peacock, L., 2010. Recession over but employee engagement hits all-time low, CIPD warns. [Viewed on 14th October 2013] available from personneltoday.com/articles/26/01/2010/53802/recession-over-but-employee-engagement-hits-all-time-low-cipd-warns.htm Quantum workplace report, 2012. Employee engagement trends report. Quantum Workplace Quarterly Survey report, 2010. Employee outlook: emerging from the downturn? CIPD Reem, Y., 2011. Motivating public sector employees. Working papers no. 60 Rehan, M.F. and Islam, T., 2013. Relationship between organizational commitment and citizenship behaviours. World Journal of Management and Behavioural studies 1 (1), pp.24-32 Schroeder-Saulnier, D., 2010. Reengaging Employees in a Post-Recession World, Best Practices in HR, Robinson, D., S. P. Perryman and S. Hayday. (2004). The Drivers of Employee Engagement. IES Report 408. {Viewed on 16th October 2013} Retrieved from employment-studies.co.uk/summary/ Roche, W.K., Teague, P., Coughlan, A., Fahy, M., 2006. Human resources in the recession: managing and representing people at work in Ireland. Oxford: Routledge Rousseau, D. M. and Tijoriwala, S. A., 1998. Assessing psychological contracts: Issues, alternatives, and measures. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 19, 679-695 Rynes, S.L., Gerhart, B., Minette, K.A., 2004. The importance of pay in employee motivation: discrepancies between what people say and what they do. Human Resource Management, vol.43, pp.381-394 Schneider, B., W.H. Macey, K.M. Barbera and N. Martin. 2009. Driving Customer Satisfaction and Financial Success through Employee Engagement. People and Strategy. 32(2): 22-27 Scott, D., McMullen, T., Royal, M. and Stark, M., 2010. The impact of rewards programs on employee engagement. WorldatWork Tesvich, L.K. And Morrow, C., 2010. HRs challenge: engaging employees post-recession. The Linkage Leader. LKT Consulting, Inc. and Sage Assessments. Tower Watson, 2012. Global study warns of standstill Britain as workers and businesses hit ambition ceiling. {viewed on 14th October 2013} available from towerswatson.com/en-GB/Press/2012/07/global-study-warns-of-standstill-britain-as-workers-and-businesses-hit-ambition-ceiling TOWERS PERRIN, 2005. Reconnecting with employees: quantifying the value of engaging your workforce. London: Towers Perrin Towers Perrin, 2009. closing the engagement gap: a road map for driving superior business performance: Tower Perrin Global Workforce Study 2007-2008 Towers Watson, 2012. Global workforce study: engagement at risk: driving strong performance in a volatile global environment. Wellins, R.S., Bernthal, P., Phelps, M., 2007. Employee engagement: the key to realizing competitive advantage. Development Dimensions International, Inc. Truss, C., Soane, E., Edwards, C., Wisdom, K., Croll, A. and Burnett, J. (2006) Working Life: Employee Attitudes and Engagement 2006. London, CIPD. Critically Evaluation Of The View That During Times Of Recession And Economic Downturn, Employee Commitment Can Be Assured With A Steady Income Introduction Critically Evaluation Of The View That During Times Of Recession And Economic Downturn, Employee Commitment Can Be Assured With A Steady Income ). Whilst these strategies may be employed, our in interest in this paper is critically evaluating whether employee commitment can be assured with a steady income during such times of recession and economic downturn. A large number of studies have pointed out to the adverse impacts of cost cut measures that include pay cuts. According a Right Management Survey (2010) conducted on North American workers, 60% of the 900 respondents surveyed indicated their intent to leave their current employer as soon as there was an improvement and recovery of the economy. Similar conclusions have been reached upon by subsequent studies across the globe. A recent ORC International research on Australian companies showed a significant decline in employee engagement, with Australian organizations lagging behind other industrialized countries in employee engagement levels (Conrad 2012). The importance of maintaining a stable income to ensure a committed and motivated workforce is further evident in Britain where research has painted a worrying picture of a standstill Britain. In the UK, the level of employee engagement dropped significantly during the recession. According to a quarterly Employee Outlook survey report (2010), employee engagement levels reached an all-time low in the UK, with job satisfaction falling to 35 in 2010, down from 48. These findings have been confirmed by another Global Workforce Study (GWS) by Towers Watson which surveyed 2,628 workers in the UK. The study found 26% of the workers feeling stuck in their role, 40% wanting to leave their current jobs, and a vast majority of 77% arguing that their ability to adva nce their careers had worsened (Towers Watson, 2012). Adding to these concerns, only a third of the workers surveyed thought of their organization as providing good pay and opportunities for career development. Worryingly, 66% felt that there was no clear link between performance and pay, indicating the lack of incentive for motivating the workers (Towers Watson 2012). As pointed out by Yves Duhaldeborde, the head of surveys at Towers Watson, the research paints a worrying picture as workers and businesses reach a standstill with creativity and ambition taking a back seat. The post recession reality is that many of the workers have hit ambition ceiling and are choosing a steady income over creativity and career advancement. Several other studies have shown pay to be the most effective motivator. In their meta-analysis, Locke et al (1980) concluded that money was the most crucial incentive and effective motivator than other incentives. This finding has received support from subsequent researches. However, research on this topic has produced mixed results. Studies arguing against stable income as an effective motivator Contrary to the popular view, some studies have shown that pay is not necessarily an essential motivator. For example, in a survey by Towers Perrin (2005) which identified some of the top ten motivational factors, pay was not listed among the list. Among the top five motivators identified by the survey were: managers interest in the well being of its workforce, challenging work, customer focus and decision-making authority (Rynes et al. 2004). moreover, whilst a large number of studies have shown that recession impacted negatively on employee engagement with most of the workforce worried about layoffs and decreases in their income, new research from Gallup has shown that the fear may not have been as dramatic as publicly pronounced. The Gallup study found that, despite the intense recessionary pressures, employee engagement stayed fairly even and that employees remain confident of a trusting environment during this period (Cabtree 2011). Further, a similar study by Kelly International (2010) found that, contrary to the popular view, employee loyalty increased during the recession period with 52% of the North American work force remaining totally committed to their company. Most of these respondents argued that recession itself were responsible for heightening their loyalty. With the market slowly rebounding, businesses are on track to increase the salaries of their employees in order to retain their top talent. Although the prime focuses of engagement efforts seem to be based on financial rewards, it is not always the case that employee commitment can be assured with a steady income. Most of the organizations today still do not understand how to effectively engage their employees. As reported in a 2009 work survey by Deloitte Company, employees of today value meaningful work, more open communication and connection to the organization more than high salaries. Employees who feel valued and connected to their organization are far more likely to remain actively engaged than slightly higher-paid employees. Whereas the income effect has an impact on employee engagement, its effect tends to wear off over months of discontent. This is further evident in a recent employee engagement survey conducted by WorldatWork in collaboration with the Hay Group and Loyola University Chicago. The survey found a weak relationship between base pay and employee engagement and commitment; compared to intangible rewards, incentives and leadership quality. The study concluded that non-financial rewards had a greater impact on employee engagement compared to financial rewards. Nonetheless, voluminous evidence obtained from several hundreds of studies have found a strong positive correlation between the two. Hence, it can be inferred that during times of recession and economic downturn, employee commitment can be assured with a stable income. Whereas pay on its own may not be sufficient in effectively engaging employees, assuring employees about stability of their income would support the emotional commitment of the workforce. Conclusion Many businesses have often succumbed to the pressures of maintaining the workforce amidst diminishing revenues especially when under intense recessionary pressure. Most companies have often ignored the critical need to ensure that cost cuts are done in ways that support the emotional commitment of the workforce. Such cost cutting measures certainly impact negatively on the workforce, often leading to decreased levels of employee engagement and loss of top talents. Businesses have to take a strategic approach to employee relations in order to retain their top talent and emerge as winners of the talent wars. Cost reduction should thus be done in ways that reinforces company culture and integrates emotional commitment of the workforce with the business imperatives. Before implementing any cost reduction strategies, executives have consider whether such strategies would damage their value proposition to employees, thereby affecting their motivation and commitment which eventually results in disengaged employees. Although some studies have shown that pay is not necessarily an essential motivator and that employees tend to value meaningful work, more open communication and connection to the organization more than high salaries, voluminous evidence obtained from several hundreds of studies have found a strong positive correlation between the two. Based on this analysis, we conclude that maintaining a stable income during such hard times of recession and economic downturn would certainly help to keep engagement levels relatively high. Reference Aon Hewitt, 2013. 2013 Trends in global employee engagement. [viewed on 17th October 2013} available from www.onhewitt.com Aon Hewitt, 2010. 2010 employee engagement survey. Aon Hewitt Firm Bewley, T.F., 1998. why not cut pay? European Economic Review 42, pp.459 490 Bromfield, P., 2008. Energizing employees in recessionary times try motivating, not mandating. Booz Company Cataldo, P., 2011. Focusing on employee engagement: how to measure it and improve it. UNC Executive Development Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), 2006. How engaged are British employees. London: CIPD. Conrad, S., 2012. Driving employee engagement post-recession: best practices for Australian companies. [viewed on 14th October} available from http://blog.halogensoftware.com/driving-employee-engagement-post-recession-best-practices-for-australian-companies Crabtree, S., 2011. The recessions impact on US employees. Gallup Business Journal Harter, J. K., Schmidt, F.L., Hayes, T.L., 2002. Business-Unit Level Relationship Between Employee Satisfaction, Employee Engagement and Business Outcomes: a Meta Analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology. 86(2): 286-279. Hay Group, 2010.The loyalty deficit: the impact of recession on engagement. Hay Group Kelly International, 2010. Employee loyalty rises during global economic recession. [viewed on 18th October 2013} available from http://ir.kellyservices.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=450036 Kumar, P. and Swetha, G., 2011. A prognostic examination of employee engagement from its historical roots. International Journal of Trade, Economics and Finance, vol.2 (3) pp.232-238 Locke, E.A., Ferren, D.B., McCaleb, V.M., Shaw, K.N. and Denny, A.T., 1980. The relative effectiveness of four methods of motivating employee performance. In: Duncan, K.D., Gruenberg, M.M. Wallis (Eds), changes in working life, New York: Wiley publishers. Macey, W.H and B. Schneider. 2008. The Meaning of Employee Engagement. Industrial and Organizational Psychology. 1: 3-30. Maslow, A.H., 1943. A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50, pp.370-396 Peacock, L., 2010. Recession over but employee engagement hits all-time low, CIPD warns. [Viewed on 14th October 2013] available from personneltoday.com/articles/26/01/2010/53802/recession-over-but-employee-engagement-hits-all-time-low-cipd-warns.htm Quantum workplace report, 2012. Employee engagement trends report. Quantum Workplace Quarterly Survey report, 2010. Employee outlook: emerging from the downturn? CIPD Reem, Y., 2011. Motivating public sector employees. Working papers no. 60 Rehan, M.F. and Islam, T., 2013. Relationship between organizational commitment and citizenship behaviours. World Journal of Management and Behavioural studies 1 (1), pp.24-32 Schroeder-Saulnier, D., 2010. Reengaging Employees in a Post-Recession World, Best Practices in HR, Robinson, D., S. P. Perryman and S. Hayday. (2004). The Drivers of Employee Engagement. IES Report 408. {Viewed on 16th October 2013} Retrieved from employment-studies.co.uk/summary/ Roche, W.K., Teague, P., Coughlan, A., Fahy, M., 2006. Human resources in the recession: managing and representing people at work in Ireland. Oxford: Routledge Rousseau, D. M. and Tijoriwala, S. A., 1998. Assessing psychological contracts: Issues, alternatives, and measures. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 19, 679-695 Rynes, S.L., Gerhart, B., Minette, K.A., 2004. The importance of pay in employee motivation: discrepancies between what people say and what they do. Human Resource Management, vol.43, pp.381-394 Schneider, B., W.H. Macey, K.M. Barbera and N. Martin. 2009. Driving Customer Satisfaction and Financial Success through Employee Engagement. People and Strategy. 32(2): 22-27 Scott, D., McMullen, T., Royal, M. and Stark, M., 2010. The impact of rewards programs on employee engagement. WorldatWork Tesvich, L.K. And Morrow, C., 2010. HRs challenge: engaging employees post-recession. The Linkage Leader. LKT Consulting, Inc. and Sage Assessments. Tower Watson, 2012. Global study warns of standstill Britain as workers and businesses hit ambition ceiling. {viewed on 14th October 2013} available from towerswatson.com/en-GB/Press/2012/07/global-study-warns-of-standstill-britain-as-workers-and-businesses-hit-ambition-ceiling TOWERS PERRIN, 2005. Reconnecting with employees: quantifying the value of engaging your workforce. London: Towers Perrin Towers Perrin, 2009. closing the engagement gap: a road map for driving superior business performance: Tower Perrin Global Workforce Study 2007-2008 Towers Watson, 2012. Global workforce study: engagement at risk: driving strong performance in a volatile global environment. Wellins, R.S., Bernthal, P., Phelps, M., 2007. Employee engagement: the key to realizing competitive advantage. Development Dimensions International, Inc. Truss, C., Soane, E., Edwards, C., Wisdom, K., Croll, A. and Burnett, J. (2006) Working Life: Employee Attitudes and Engagement 2006. London, CIPD.

Personal Statement Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Personal Statement - Assignment Example A few years ago, my dad developed Parkinsons disease. Despite the fact that I am currently pursuing my studies in chiropractic school in Los Angeles, I am the only person in my family with the ability and position to assist him and provide care. Due to the severity of my dads disease, I am forced to drive everyday from San Diego, my home town, to Los Angeles to attend classes on a daily basis. It is in this regard that I am applying for a care giver scholarship in order to learn the various element of care giving. According to a definition explicated by Mayo Clinic, Parkinsons disease is a "Progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects movement" (para.1). It is important to note that Parkinsons disease develops steadily, and having a close relative or family member with the disease elevates the risk of its development in other family members. The comprehension that development of Parkinsons disease is correlated to genetics and my role as a care giver partly influenced my decision to major in Chiropractics. This has been geared towards gaining knowledge to help my dad cope with the effects of Parkinsons disease and also to learn and understand how to reduce the risk of developing the disease owing to my elevated risks in relation to hereditary factors. In essence, chiropractic is a career path that spotlights on disorders of the musculoskeletal system, nervous system, and related consequences. As reiterated by American Chiropractic Association (para.1), chiropractic deals with cure and management of neuromuscular and cardiovascular problems such as back and neck pains. Having witnessed my father struggling with the effects of the disease particularly difficulties in walking and back pains, I believed that a chiropractic course would help gain relevant knowledge, skills, and abilities that I could apply in helping my dad cope with the effects of Parkinsons disease. This scholarship will be helpful to me in my