The Survey of Factors Influencing Kolej Asa Students

The survey of factors influencing Kolej Asa students in choosing Diploma in AccountancyCourse as their major 1 CHAPTER 1 1. 0 INTRODUCTION The introduction of this study, will discuss the background of the survey of factors influencingKolej Asa students in choosing Diploma in Accountancy Course as their major. The significant and objectives of the project, the limitation encountered during the investigation of this project. 1. 1 OVERVIEW OF STUDYAccountancy  is the process of communicating financial information about a  business entity  to users such as  shareholders  and  managers . The communication  is generally in the form of  financial statements  that show in money terms the  economic resources  under the control of management; the art lies in selecting the information that is relevant to the user and is reliable. The  principles  of accountancy are applied to business entities in three divisions of practical art, named accounting,  bookkeeping, andà ‚  auditing.The  American Institute of Certified Public Accountants  (AICPA) defines accountancy as â€Å"the art of recording, classifying, and summarizing in a significant manner and in terms of money, transactions and events which are, in part at least, of financial character, and interpreting the results thereof. † 2 Accounting is thousands of years old; the earliest accounting records, which date back more than 7,000 years, were found in  Mesopotamia  (Assyrians). The people of that time relied on primitive accounting methods to record the growth of crops and herds. Accounting evolved, improving over the years and advancing as business advanced.Early accounts served mainly to assist the memory of the  businessperson  and the audience for the account was the  proprietor  or record keeper alone. Cruder forms of accounting were inadequate for the problems created by a business entity involving multiple  investors, so  double-entry bookkeeping  first em erged in northern Italy in the 14th century, where trading ventures began to require more  capital  than a single individual was able to invest. The development of  joint stock companies  created wider audiences for accounts, as investors without firsthand knowledge of their  operations  relied on accounts to provide the requisite information.This development resulted in a split of accounting systems for internal (i. e. management accounting) and external (i. e. financial) purposes, and subsequently also in accounting and disclosure regulations and a growing need for independent attestation of external accounts by  auditors. 3 Today, accounting is called â€Å"the language of business† because it is the vehicle for reporting financial information about a business entity to many different groups of people. Accounting more concentrates on reporting to people inside the business entity is called  management accounting.It used to provide information to employees, managers,  owner-managers  and  auditors. Management accounting is concerned primarily with providing a basis for making management or operating decisions. Accounting that provides information to people outside the business entity is called  financial accounting  and provides information to present and potential shareholders,  creditors  such as  banks  or vendors,  financial analysts,  economists, and  government agencies. Because these users have different needs, the presentation of financial accounts is very structured and subject to many more rules than management accounting.The body of rules that governs financial accounting in a given jurisdiction is called  Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, or GAAP. 4 1. 2 BACKGROUND OF STUDY Accounting is a significant subject in the middle of students. Essentially accounting process involves record keeping—recording, classifying, reporting and interpreting economic events. However accountingat the mo ment is somuch more. Currently, the accountant is an even more precious member of the corporate strategic team with involvement in the corporation’s planning, evaluating and forecasting of the future.According to Malaysia Deputy Prime Minister, Dato’ Seri Najib b TunRazak (Speech on The Occasion of the ICAEW Malaysia Achievers’ Ball, 2004) by the year 2020 in line to achieved residential country status it has been predictable that Malaysia needs 60,000 accountants. The figure now stands at 21,000. All the way through Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales (ICAEW’s) hard work, and together with the Malaysian accountancy bodies, can show to students the charisma of an accounting profession and lend a hand to correct any misconceptions on the career. For the Diploma Accountancy course in Kolej Asa, students are being exposed to the importance of current situation of our country. Students require to completing 7semester in order to gain their D iploma in Accountancy. Understanding students’ perceptions of accounting is a very significant first step in the effort to attract the best to the accounting profession. This paper aims to study the factors such as personal factors, reference group and job related factors that may possiblymanipulate Kolej Asa students in choosing accounting course as their foremost. 1. PROBLEM STATEMENT Even though there are many opportunities created in the accounting profession, there are also many challenges the accounting profession has to contend with (Mladenovic, 2000; Parker, 2001). In today’s world accounting profession is facing one challenge that is rehabilitating the public perception of the accounting profession itself, especially in the aftermath of the many high-profile scandals in the United States involving corporate giants such as Enron, WorldCom and others. 6 Choosing a course to study after â€Å"Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia† (SPM) is not easy.On the one hand, it can be quite confusing due to the plethora of courses and institutions available to the student to choose from. On the other hand there are many pitfalls that a student should avoid in order to make the right choice (Loke, 2008). Several programs and marketing material are design by The American Institute of Certified PublicAccountants (AICPA) and some state societies to attract students to accounting. According to AICPA research conducted in 2002, the number of graduates of accounting programs, undergraduate and graduate, declined by 21. 3%, from 59,140 in 1990/1991 to 46,555 in 2000/2001.In Canada, the UK and the US the decline in quantity and or quality of students majoring in accounting and entering the profession has been an issue of concern for several decades, (Adams et al. , 1994; Stice and Swain, 1997). Recent evidence from The USA, the UK, New Zealand, Australia and Canada indicates that professional accountancy practice is becoming less attractive to accounting graduates and trainees from universities and colleges, and that professional accountancy firms are concerned about losing bright accounting candidates to other professions (Ahmed et al. 1997; Albrecht and Sack, 2000; Felton et al. , 1994; Marriot and Marriot, 2003). 7 This research intends to find the relationship regarding the factors that influence student’s choice in accounting course. According to Carolyn, Susan and Brian (2005) understanding students’ perceptions of accounting is an important first step in the effort to attract the best to the accounting profession. Many studies have been done at universities on the universities level for example research by Cohen and Hanon (1993), Ahmed et al. (1994) and Saeman et al. (1999). 1. RESEARCH QUESTIONS Based on the previous discussion, research question is to help out the researcher to respond and clarify the problem statement. The research questions are: i. Is there any significant relationship between â€Å"personal factorsà ¢â‚¬  and student’s choice of accounting course? ii. Is there any significant relationship between â€Å"reference group† and students choice of accounting course? iii. Is there any significant relationship between â€Å"job related factors† and students choice of accounting course? 8 1. 5 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES The objectives of this research are: i.To investigate the relationship between personal factors and the choice of the Kolej Asa students’ in accounting course. ii. To investigate the relationship between reference group and the choice of the Kolej Asa students’ in accounting course. iii. To investigate the relationship between jobs related factors and the choice of the Kolej Asa students’ in accounting course. 9 1. 6 SIGNIFICANT OF THE STUDY Accounting profession is becoming less attractive to accounting graduates and trainees from universities and colleges, and that professional accountancy firms are concerned about losing bright acco unting candidates to other professions.The misinformation about accounting effects students’ decisions in choosing accounting as a potential career or major. However, when students are exposed to more information about accounting, there is a significant increase in their interest in accounting (Saudagaran, 1996). The AICPA and some state societies have introduced several programs and marketing materials designed to attract students to accounting. Employers and universities also have a stake in attracting students to accounting careers (Hardin al. , 2000).Recruiting efforts should begin early and should emphasize the challenging nature of accounting work and provide specific information about starting salaries. Rather than avoiding discussion of the recent accounting scandals e. g. Enron, recruiters should considering using them as an illustration of the critical role accounting plays in our capital markets. 10 1. 6. 1 STUDENTS A good starting place is to listen to high school students’ perceptions of theaccounting profession. In Malaysia, students have to make a decision in choosing a course to study afterSPM.Business studies has become one of the main courses offered in many tertiaryinstitutions be it public or private universities or colleges. Students choosing a businesscourse will have to major in one the fields such as accountancy, finance, marketing,human resources or business administration. While there has been increasing effortsamong the universities and colleges in offering the courses that matches the students’qualifications and needs, very little research has been conducted on the factors thatactually influences the students’ choice. 1. 6. KOLEJ ASA This research will subsequently help those producers to know more about the opinion of accounting students on influences on accounting course provided in Kolej Asa. 11 1. 6. 3 FUTURE RESEARCHER This research will also benefit future researcher sources of in information if the y are in fasted to do the topic related with this study. They also can extend to the other factors that studied in this research. 1. 7 SCOPE OF THE STUDY 1. 7. 1 SUBJECT This research is focus on the student’s influences factors on accountancy course in Kolej Asa. 1. 7. LOCATION Kolej Asa in Rawang town has been chosen. The reason of choosing is, Rawang town area has more students compare to rural area. 12 1. 7. 3 RESPONDENTS The student consists of accountancy course provided in Kolej Asa. The specific chosen sample for this survey is in Kolej Asa. In this survey there are 50 students from accountancy course were being chosen. This research is essentiallyfocused on students who study accountancy course. 1. 8 LIMITATION I do aware that my research is not possible to accomplish due availability of current resource.Besides that, shortage of time is the main constraint to me. In addition to that, the information that I obtain from secondary data might not be accurate. The subjec t area of my research is student’s satisfaction. Therefore, customer perception will not be included. As this research is conducted at Kolej Asa in Rawang, the result will not reflect the view of student in other state within Malaysia. Alongside, the college authorities are not co-operate enough, disallowed survey on their student. 13 1. 8. 1 TIMEIn my research, I realize that shortage of time is the main constraints to me due to the reason that we just provide 4 months to conduct the survey. With the given 4 month of time, it is actually very limited amount of time for me to collect data and report analysis. Therefore, due tom the reason above with lacking of time, I had to settle this research for non-random sample of population. 1. 8. 2 COST By conducting this survey, we realize that the semester holiday of Kolej Asa will be factor that will be the factor that will affect this research.From this, we know that semester holiday of Kolej Asa is different from other College. T herefore, it is very hard to estimate the holiday of Kolej Asa and due to this research, I have to waste some cost in order to prepare my research as well as some expenses in order to do the questionnaire papers to conduct my survey. 14 1. 8. 3 RESPONDENT The respondents are the student study in Kolej Asa at Rawang. Therefore, this research is conducted student at Kolej Asa; Rawang town such as other colleges will not be the respondent of the research. 1. CONCLUSION The chapter 1 is the introduction to the reader on the topic of my research. It started out with a general introduction about the intended study before deductively moving towards narrowing down the research scope. I have given a brief introduction about accounting and the factors influencing them. Besides that, I had identified the subject area of my study: student’s preferences towards in accounting course. Further, problem faced by the accounting course have been clearly stated and identified in the problem stat ement section.I had list out 3 research question related to this research and subsequently the research objective to the research question. Significant of the study have been clearly mention in this chapter in which this research will benefit the students, Kolej Asa and future researchers. This study will be specifying on the students influencing in accountingcourse. 15 CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEWAPTER 2 2. 1 Introduction This chapter reviews factors that are significant to student’s choice in accounting majoring.Using quite a few present literatures, we will talk about factors such as individual personal factors, reference group, job related factors and institutional factors that manipulate students in choosing accounting course as their foremost. There were researches done in United States of America and Australia in identifying factors influencing student’s choice of business major. Some of this research examined the subjective factors including social, cultural, so ciological, psychological and personal factors, some looked at the objective factors and many others took into consideration both categories.The dramatic decrease in both accounting graduates and enrollments prompted the AICPA to undertake a comprehensive survey of the factors causing the downturn in accounting majors. The AICPA engaged the Taylor Consulting and Research Group toconduct the survey and the report of the study can be found on the AICPA web site (AICPA, 2001, http://accounting. rutgers. edu/raw/aaa/aapg/spr01/spr01-6. htm). 16 The findings reveal that the accounting profession is facing several critical challenges, including the awareness and understanding by students about accounting careers as well as negative perceptions of the profession.High school educators have a relatively low opinion of accounting as a career option for high school students (Hardin et al, 2000). Hardin et al. identified three major hurdles in changing high school teachers’ and studentsà ¢â‚¬â„¢ perceptions of the accounting profession. First, it is difficult to get the message that accounting is a challenging and rewarding career to the teachers who interact with the best and brightest students. Second, when accounting is offered in high schools, it is offered as part of a vocational track.Third, many students say that their counselors had discouraged them from taking high school accounting because it was not for college-bound students. Students who attend high schools that offer accounting courses and even students who take accounting in high school are no more likely to take a college accounting class than those who attend high schools that do not teach accounting. It appears that having a high school accounting class does not encourage students to study accounting in college. 17 Accounting education has been the subject of considerable debate since 1980s.Prior research documents that introductory accounting students study accounting with negative perception on a ccounting. Accounting is attractive to the students in terms of professional, but â€Å"negative views regarding the nature and role of accounting persist† (Fisher and Murphy, 1995, p56). Similar findings have been documented by other researchers. The accounting majors also because of less attractive in accounting education. According to Albrecht and Sach (2001), most introductory accounting classes often focus on the preparation of financial data rather than on its use.In that case Students are not exposing to the business operation financially and they feel that accounting course are too hard and need more time to study. Nowadays preparation and dissemination will be faster, easy and not an expensive process due to advance in technology. In Malaysia, business studies has become one of the main courses offered in many tertiary institutions be it public or private universities or colleges. Students choosing a business course will have choose to major in one the fields such as accountancy, finance, marketing, human resources or business administration.While there has been increasing efforts among the universities and colleges in offering the courses that matches the students’ qualifications and needs, very little research has been conducted on the factors that actually influences the students’ choice of major. 18 Research in other countries such as United States of America, United Kingdom and Australia have established that students’ choice of major appear to be influenced by several factors ranging from personal to job related factors.Gender, race, their quantitative skills, students’ interest in the subject, expected marketability, performance in major classes, the approachability and teaching reputation of the faculty are among the factors that have some influence on the students’ choice. 2. 2 Factors influencing students’ choice 2. 2. 1 Reference Group Students’ norms, attitudes, and values through dir ect interaction are providing by reference group including family and non-family groups. Previous studies confirmed that reference groups either family or non-family groups who have significant amount of interaction could influence student’s choice of major.Other studies have found that students’ decision to major is influence by referents. Study confirmed that parents do influence students’ choice of business major except for those who chose accountancy as their major. Parents, followed by instructors had a strong influence on students’ choice of majors. 19 Parent’s occupations are also influence students’ choice of business major. Research has showed that the instructors including high school teachers and college lecturers play a significant role in influencing a student’s final choice of business major.This study aims to explore if Malaysian students with a different cultural background are influence by either parents or educators in choosing their business major. 2. 2. 2 Personal factors An important selection factor is the genuine interest in the subject. Many research revealed that one of the significant factors identified that influences their choice of major are student’s interest in the subject found that factors such as interest in the subject, ability to do the major is important for the students in making such choice. Other factor such as quantitative skills and intellectually challenging also influences student’s choice.When students considered that accounting is interesting and enjoyable they are more likely to choose accounting as a major. This finding was further supported by results of where intrinsic rewards such as enjoyment of the study of the topics studied in accounting, were a predictor of intention to undertake a career in accounting. 20 Other research findings indicated that students with better quantitative skills tended to choose either accountancy or finance as business major whereas those who chose to major in marketing, management and management information system were those with weaker quantitative skills.This is consistent with the finding of who suggest that accounting requires good number skills. 2. 2. 3 Job related factors A number of studies have indicated that in accounting students’ discipline choice, a job satisfaction is important. Many research indicated that student’s choice of business major are influenced by higher earnings, prestige and career advancement discover students who chose other business major were more influenced by personal and normative factors and students who choose accounting as their major feel that compensation, career opportunities and prestige were significant factors that influence them.The findings from many other studies also support the result that student’s choice of business major are influenced by higher earnings, prestige and career advancement. This means that accounting studentsâ⠂¬â„¢ discipline choice has traditionally been heavily influenced by earnings potential and job market conditions or opportunities. 21 There should be a general awareness among students on the career opportunities available in Malaysia and overseas and level of compensation for accountants as it has been widely published in the local newspapers.With the amount of news publicity given to a particular profession, it is interesting to find out if these job-related factors are the key factors influencing student in choosing accountancy as a major in Kolej Asa. 2. 3 Summary Based on the literature discuss above, this paper investigates if the personal factors, reference group and job related factors have significant influence to the KOLEJ ASA students in choosing accounting course as their major. 22 CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY 3. 1 IntroductionThe purpose of this study is to investigate the factors that influencing Kolej Asa students in choosing Diploma Accounting course as their major. Survey based methodology was used in this research to obtain data from the respondents namely first semester Diploma Accountancy students from KOLEJ ASA. It was a basic question regarding their choice of choosing Diploma Accountancy course in KOLEJ ASA. The questionnaire was developed to study the factors that influence students in choosing Diploma Accountancy course as their major. The data for this study was collected through a self-administered questionnaire.In the survey, respondents were asked to indicate the influence of four different factors on their selection of Diploma Accountancy. The set of four possible influences on decision to choose Diploma Accountancy course were determined from internal and external factors. 23 3. 2 Research Theoretical Framework ? The research theoretical framework is presented in the figure 1 below: Figure 1 – Research Theoretical Framework |Personal Factors | |Reference Group | | | STUDENT’S CHOICE | |Job Related Factors | †¢ In th is framework the dependent variable is a students’ choice while the independent variables are personal factors, reference group and job related factors. 24 3. 3 Hypotheses Development Paolillo and Estes (1982), Zhang (2006), Malgawi et al. (2005) and Pimpa, (2007) studied on the factors which influence the choice of course. From these previous researcheshypotheses were developed in finding the relationship of the three factors influencing students in choosing accounting course as a major. 3. . 1 Personal factors Personal factors such as interest in the subject, ability to do the major quantitative skills and intellectually challenging and not boring were examined. Many research revealed that student’s interest in the subject is one of the significant factors identified that influences their choice of major. Research findings indicated that students with better quantitative skills tended to choose either accountancy or finance as business major whereas those who chose t o major in marketing, management and management information system were those with weaker quantitative skills.Many research revealed that student’s interest in the subject is one of the significant factors identified that influences their choice of major. It was conclude that personal factors have a relationship with student’s choice. 25 Based on these previous researches, it can be suggested that personal factors has a relationship with student’s choice in choosing accounting course. Therefore, for the purpose of the current research, the hypotheses built will be: | |H1 – There is a significant relationship between personal factors and students’ choice on their major. | 3. 3. 2 REFERENCE group There was a positive relationship between reference group and the choice of student which indicates that parents, high school teachers and college lecturers play significant role in influencing student’s choice. Other than that, parent’s occup ation could also influence student choice on accounting course as a major.Therefore, the hypothesis built for this paper is: | | |H2- There is a significant relationship between reference group and students’ choice in accounting course. | 26 3. 3. 3 Job related factors The Albrecht and Sach (2001) study asked participants to identify the â€Å"most important reason† students choose to major in accounting. A study conducted by Doran also found that the â€Å"most important action† that would attract more high-quality students to the accounting profession would be to â€Å"pay higher starting salaries† (Doran, 2001). | |H3 – There is a significant relationship between job related factors and students’ choice in accounting course. | Zhang (2006), found that job-related factors including potential job opportunities and compensation are two keyfactorsthat influence the student’s choice. The research by Giladi, Amoo and Friedman (2002) foun d that higher earnings, prestige and career advancement influence the choice of student. From the previous researches, it was found that job related factors do have significant effect on student’s choice. Therefore, the hypothesis build for this paper is: 7 3. 4 Variables Definition 3. 4. 1 Personal factors ? Including interest in the subject, ability to do the work, workload and challenge. 3. 4. 2 Reference group ? Including parents, relatives, friends, school teacher and counselor. 3. 4. 3 Job related factors ? Including job opportunities, higher earnings, career advancement and prestige. 28228 3. 5 Operational Definition 3. 5. 1 Personal factors ? The degree to which the students believes that the interest in the subject, ability to do the workload and challenge can influence them in choosing accountancy course. . 5. 2 Reference group ? The degree to which the students believes that parents, relatives, friends, school teacher and counselor can help them in making decisions . 3. 5. 3 Job related factors ? The degree to which the students believe that job opportunities, higher earnings, career advancement and prestige can influence them in choosing accountancy course. 29 3. 6 Sampling and Data Collection The population or the unit of analysis for this research will be the first and second semester of Diploma Accountancy Students in KOLEJ ASA.At Kolej Asa there are 5accounting classes and total of the students are 100. From the total population, the researcher tried to achieved 100% response rate, however, due to certain limitation, response rate that were obtained was only 50 students. A set of questionnaire were given to the class representative and he was responsible to distribute the questionnaires to the respondents and to collect the questionnaire after being filled by the respondents. The respondents were given 15 minutes to answer the questionnaire and returned it to the class representative.The next day, researchers collect the questionnaire fro m the class representative from each class. 30 3. 7 Instrumentation and measurement of variables The questionnaire was divided into two parts. Part 1 of the questionnaire solicited demographic information such as gender, race and basic qualification. In Part 2 of the questionnaire was further divided into section A, B and C. Section A contains 10 questions on respondents’ personal factors that would influence them in choosing accounting course using a five point Likert scale (1= strongly agree to 5 = strongly disagree).Section B contains 9 questions on respondents’ referent group view of their choice and the degree of importance they placed on the referents’ view. Using a five point Likert scale (1= strongly agree to 5 = strongly disagree), respondents were asked to indicate their agreement or disagreement with the statement that their parents/relatives/friends/counselor think that they should choose accounting course. Section C is set out to ascertain the job r elated factors that would influence them in choosing accounting course.Respondents were asked to indicate the extent of their agreement on a Likert scale of 1 to 5 (1= strongly agree to 5 = strongly disagree). In this section there were 9 questions to be answered. The questionnaire used was adapted from Tracy (2003) and Marriot (2003), however, certain alteration has been made to suit the condition of this research. Refer Appendix B. 31 3. 8 Validity and reliability of measurement In determining the validity of the measurement used, pretest had been conducted.According to ASA (1997), pretesting a questionnaire is central to planning a good survey and is critical for identifying questionnaire problems. The problems can occur for both respondents and interviewers regarding question content, patterns, or formatting. Before the questionnaire was distributed to the respondents, the researcher firstly sent the questionnaires to 6 pretest respondents consisting of colleagues and friends to comment on the questionnaires. The purpose of pretesting is to get the experts’ view on the questions. After the comment was obtained, modification was made to the questionnaire.For the purpose of testing the reliability, Cronbach alpha was used to determine the reliability of each the data collected for each factor. The analysis was done using SPSS package. Cronbach alpha are widely used to describe reliability of tests and measurements (Kistner and Muller, 2004). A high alpha indicates that the factors has a high reliability and vice versa. According to guidelines by Sekaran (2003), a coefficient of below 0. 6 is considered to be poor, 0. 7 is acceptable, and over 0. 8 is good. Therefore, from the alpha score, the conclusion on whether the data is reliable can be concluded.If the alpha is low, this indicates that some of the items for a factor might not consistent with other items for the same factor. To overcome this problem, the items which are not consistent with other items will be eliminated. 32 3. 9 Data Analysis The analysis was done by using SPSS package and was divided into several phase. The first phase of analysis involved the analysis of central tendency. In this research, mean was used, which enable the interpretation of data where the point of greatest concentration can be obtained.Therefore, it can be observed on which factor the respondents will be in choosing Diploma Accounting course. The next phase involved the analysis of standard deviation. This was done to study the spread of dispersion of data. Therefore, interpretation of data involved in seeing whether the choices of respondents were dispersed or their choices were converged to certain point. The final phase involves the analysis on the relationship between the independent variables (Personal factors, Reference group and Job related factors) with the dependant variable, which is students’ choice. These were one through the analysis of multiple regressions and enable th e data interpretation to see the strength and direction of each independent variable with dependent variable. Therefore, it can be identified on whether the independent variables have a significant relationship to dependent variables as being hypothesized previously. The analysis had also identified the independent variable that have the most influence on choosing Diploma Accounting course. 33 In determining the regressions among the independent variables and the dependent variables, the impact of multi co linearity should not be neglected.Multi co linearity results from the situation where exists the correlation amongst predictor variables or the independent variables (Polhemus, 2005). When this situation happens, the regression results between the independent and dependent variables might be imprecise. 34 CHAPTER 4 DATA ANALYSIS 4. 1 Respondents background The main objective of this research is to find out if there is a significant relationship between reference groups, personal f actor, job related factor and institutional factor of KOLEJ ASA accounting students in choosing accounting course as being hypothesized before.As explained in the earlier chapters, the scope of this research is limited to KOLEJ ASA accounting students. The population for this research is 50, and from this total population, the data gathered was from 50 respondents, which represents 25% of the total population. Table 1 shows the respondents’ backgrounds which represent 78 % are female and male 22%. They are from various races where, 44% is Chinese, 38% is Indian, 16% Malay and 2% others. All the respondents are students currently studying in KOLEJ ASA. 35 Table 1: Respondents Background Respondents |Frequency |Percent | |Gender | | | |Male |11 |22% | |Female |39 |78% | |Race | | | |Chinese |22 |44% | |Indian |19 |38% | |Malay |8 |16% | |Others |1 |2% | Figure 1: Distribution of gender[pic] 36 Figure 2: Distribution of type of race [pic] 37 QUESTIONAIRE |STRONGLY AGREE |AGR EE |UNSURE |DISAGREE |STRONGLY DISAGREE | | |(5) | | | |(1) | | | |(4) |(3) |(2) | | |2. Accounting is interesting |32 |14 |3 |1 | | |3. I would enjoy being an accountant |42 |7 | |1 | | |4. I am willing to learn accounting subject |32 |18 | | | | |5. I am willing to spend a lot of time studying accounting |40 |7 |2 |1 | | |6.I can do better in calculation |42 |7 |1 | | | |7. I like to answer question in figures |43 |4 |3 | | | |8. Accounting is a course with lots of classwork |18 |29 |3 | | | |9. Learning accounting is very challenging |31 |17 |2 | | | |10. I can maintain high greed point average (GPA) |28 |19 |3 | | | |11.My family wants me to choose accounting course |13 |29 |3 | |5 | |12. My friends think I should choose accounting course |29 |15 |5 |1 | | |13. Other students recommend accounting course to me |32 |15 |3 | | | |14. My teacher thinks that I should take accounting course |45 |5 | | | | |15. My own motivations for choosing accounting course |35 |15 | | | | |16.My co unselor at school recommend accounting course to me |35 |12 |3 | | | | | | | | | | |17. Performance in secondary school subjectmatter makes me | | | | | | |choose accounting course |39 |11 | | | | |18. My parent’s occupation encourage me to choose accounting |12 |21 |15 |1 |1 | |19. My parent wants me to choose accounting course |40 |10 | | | | |20.If I choose accounting course,there will be job |26 |24 | | | | |available for me when I graduate | | | | | | |21. If I choose accounting course,there will be a great job |39 |8 |3 | | | |market demand for people like me | | | | | | |22. I can get a high paying job if I graduate with accounting|36 |14 | | | | |23.My starting salary will be satisfying if I graduate with |27 |23 | | | | |accounting | | | | | | |24. Accountants are boring people |6 |19 |2 |8 |15 | |25. Being an accountant has a lot of prestige |42 |8 | | | | |26. The accounting profession is well respected |31 17 |2 | | | |27. Accounting is a profession on par with me dicine and law |45 |5 | | | | |28. Accounting is a field with broad exposure to business |39 |11 | | | | 39 4. 2 Validity and Reliability of the Instrument Earlier chapter explain that to increase the validity of the instrument, the researcher has conducted pretest, where the questionnaires are distribute to the experts who gave their comments. The questionnaires are then being amended to increase the validity.Apart from that, the questions are also being design to include both positive and negative questions. In managing the data, the negative questions are being transformed and record into different variables before being analyzed. In other words, the negative questions were being transformed to positive questions. 40 CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSIONS 5. 1 Discussions The purpose of this paper is to find out factors influencing Kolej Asa students in choosing Diploma Accounting course as a major. From the data analysis gathered from 50 respondents, as explained in Chapter 4 the three factors h ave been supported by the findings which is significantly influence the student’s choice.Reference group, personal factors and job related factors indicate a significant correlation with students’ choice, which means that all the factors had a relationship which will influence the respondents’ to choose accounting course. However, the strength of influence by reference group is considered moderate compared to personal factors and job related factors. This showed that the respondents perceived personal factors, although significant and to be a huge influence to the students choice. 41 Among all the three factors, personal factors is seen to have the strongest influence over students’ choice which is consistent with the result found in Adams, Pryor and Adams (1994)Doran ( 2001), and Pritchard et al. , (2004).Therefore, it can be concluded that the respondents perceived that their choice in choosing accounting course will be determined more by independents, higher earnings, career advancement and prestige, followed by the job related factors which influence them to choose accounting course which consistent with the finding in Adams, Pryor and Adams (1994), Doran ( 2001), and Pritchard et al. , (2004). 5. 2 Conclusions The above discussion is based on the objective of the research, which is to find out if there is any significant relationship between the personal factors, reference group and job related factors and the students’ choice in choosing accounting course at KOLEJ ASA. All the factors indicated a significant relationship to the students’ choice. 42 5. 3 Implications The implications of this findings suggest the importance of career counseling road shows and career fairs to create awareness and understanding among young high school leavers who intent to pursue an accounting course in higher education institution.This will rectify the problem of students enrolling into other courses of which they have no knowledge of the subjects taught and future career options thus minimizing the number of students dropping out when they found out they are not interested in the subjects taught at all. The awareness and understanding of subjects taught and career options available are important to high school leavers who intent to pursue an accounting course as this research found that the utmost important factors influencing their choice of courses include interest in the subject, career advancement and career opportunities available. Another implication derived from this research is the emphasis of factor influencing undergraduate’s choice of courses.It is vital to highlight to undergraduate who intent to pursue a particular course on the possibility of the existence of factor influencing them to choose a particular course. This research hopes to highlight the importance of the role of the higher education institutions in offering sufficient and relevant information to potential students who want to pursue an accounting course so that these young high school leavers are able to make informed decision about their future career. 43 5. 4 Limitations This study has the following limitations. Firstly the study has a limited reference from local researchers so it is more depend on research that had been done abroad.It is also lack of accounting research which could help to explain on local situation. Secondly the study selected only four variables because of time constrains. Thirdly the questionnaire was only administered at one institution. The limitations of this study provide a pathway for further research in this area. 44 References ? How to Conduct Pretesting. 1997. American Statistical Association. ? Speech on The Occasion of the ICAEW Malaysia Achievers’ Ball, 2004 ? Brown, J. W. 2004. Techniques of Multivariate Data Analysis ? Adams, S. J. , L J. Pryor, and S. L. Adams. 1994. Attraction and retention of high –altitude students in accounting: An exploratory long itudinal study. Issues in Accounting Education. Ahmed, K. , K. F. Alam, and M, Alam. 1997. An empirical study of factors affectingaccounting students’ choice in New Zealand. Accounting Education: an international journal. ? Albrecht, W. S. , and R. J. Sach, 2001 . The Perilous Future of Accounting Education. The CPA Journal. ? Auyeung, P. and J, Sands. 1997. Factors influencing accounting students’ career choice; a cross cultural validation study. Accounting Education: an international journal. ? Bryman, A. and D, Cramer. 2001. Quantitative Data Analysis with SPSS Release 10 for Windows : A guide for social scientists, East Essex: Rout ledge ? Cohen, J. , and D. M. Hanno. 1993.An Analysis of Underlying Constructs Affecting theChoice of Accounting Major, Issues in Accounting Education. ? Doran, D. T. 2001. Concern for the Future of the Accounting Profession, The CPAJournal ? Dowall, M. T . 2008. What influences accounting students’ attitudes towards accounting as a profession? Available from :http:///www. afaanz. org/opencofafaanz2008/modules/request. php 45 ? Felton, S. , N. Burh and M. Northey. 1994. Factors influencing the business student’s choice of a career in chartered accountancy, Issues in Accounting Education. ? Fisher, R. , and Murphy. 1995. â€Å"A pariah profession? Some student perceptions ofaccounting and accountancy. † Studies in Higher Education. ? Geiger, M. A. and S. M. Ogilbly. 2000.The first course in accounting: students’ perceptions and their effect on the decision to major in accounting. Journal ofAccounting Education. ? Hair, J. F. , R. E. , Anderson, R. L. Tatham, and W. C. Black. 1998. Multivariate Data Analysis,5thEd. , London: Prentice Hall. ? Hardin, J. R. , D. O’Bryan, and J. J. Quirin. 2000. Accounting versus engineering, law, and medicine: Perceptions of influential high school teachers. Advancesin Accounting. ? Howieson, B. 2003. Accounting practice in the new millennium: is acco untingeducation ready to meet the challenge? , The British Accounting Review, 35(2). ? Inman B. C. , A. Wenzler and P. D. Wickeert. 1989.Square pegs in round holes: are accounting students well-suited to todays’s accounting profession? Issues in Accounting Education. 46 ? Jack ling, B. and C. Calero. 2006. Influences on undergraduate students’ intentions to become qualified accountants: evidence from Australia. Accounting Education:an international journal. ? Kim, D. , F. S. Markham and J. D. Cangelosi. 2002. Why students pursue the business degree: a comparison of business majors across universities. Journal of educationfor Business. ? Kistner, E. O. , & K. E. Muller. 2004. Exact Distributions of Interclass Correlation and Cronbach’s Alpha with Gaussian Data and General Covariance Psychometric. Leppel, K. , M. L. , Williams and C. Waldauer. 2001. â€Å"The Impact of Parental Occupation and Socioeconomic Status on Choice of College Major. † Journal ofFami ly and Economic Issues. ? Lowe, D. R. and K. Simons. 1997. Factors influencing choice of business majors – some additional evidence: a research note, accounting education. ? Lowe, D. R. and K. Simons. 1997. Factors influencing choice of business majors – some additional evidence: a research note, accounting education. 47 ? Malgwi, C. A. , M. A. Howe and P. A. Burnaby. 2005. Influences on students’ choice of college major, Journal of education for business. ? Marriott, P. and N. Marriott. 2003.Are we turning them off: a longitudinal study of undergraduate accounting students’ attitudes toward accounting as a profession, accounting Education: an international journal. ? Mauldin, S. , J. L Crain and P. H. Mounce. 2000. The accounting principles instructors’ influence on students’ decision to major in accounting, Journal of Education for Business. ? Sekaran. (2003) Measurement: Scaling, reliability, validity. In Research methods for business: A skill building Approach. John Wiley. ? Zickmund, W. G. 2003. Business Research Methods. Thomson South Western, Ohio 48 QUESTIONNAIRE GENERAL INFORMATION 1. Gender ? Male ? Female 2. Race ? Malay ? Chinese ? Indian ? Others 3. Basic qualification ? SPM ? STPM Other institution Stated below are a number of questions to test on the factors that influence the respondent in choosing Diploma Accountancy course in KOLEJ ASA. Circle the best answer for each question according to the scale provided below: Strongly Agree (5) Agree (4) Unsure (3) Disagree (2) strongly disagree (1) Part 1 PERSONAL FACTORS 1. I like accounting 5 4 3 2 1 2. Accounting is interesting 5 4 3 2 1 3. I would enjoy being an accountant 5 4 3 2 1 4. I am willing to learn accounting subject 5 4 3 2 1 5. I am willing to spend a lot of time studying accounting 5 4 3 2 1 6. I can do better in calculation 5 4 3 2 1 7.I like to answer question in figures 5 4 3 2 1 8. Accounting is a course with lots of class work 5 4 3 2 1 9. Learning accounting is very challenging 5 4 3 2 1 10. I can maintain high gred point average (GPA) 5 4 3 2 1 Part 2 REFERENCES GROUP 1. My family wants me to choose accounting course 5 4 3 2 1 2. My friends think I should choose accounting course 5 4 3 2 1 3. Other students recommend accounting course to me 5 4 3 2 1 4. My teacher thinks that I should take accounting course 5 4 3 2 1 5. My own motivations for choosing accounting course 5 4 3 2 1 6. My counselor(s) at school recommend accounting course to me 4 3 2 1 7. Performance in secondary school subject matter makes me choose accounting course 5 4 3 2 1 8. My parent’s occupation encourage me to choose accounting 5 4 3 2 1 9. My parent wants me to choose accounting course 5 4 3 2 1 Part 3 JOB RELATED FACTORS 1. If I choose accounting course, there will be job available for me when I graduate. 5 4 3 2 1 2. If I choose accounting course, there will always be a great job market demand for people like me. 5 4 3 2 1 3. I can ge t a high paying job if I graduate with accounting 5 4 3 2 1 4. My starting salary will be satisfying if I graduate with accounting 5 4 3 2 1 5.Accountants are boring people 5 4 3 2 1 6. Being an accountant has a lot of prestige 5 4 3 2 1 7. The accounting profession is well respected 5 4 3 2 1 8. Accounting is a profession on par with medicine and law 5 4 3 2 1 9. Accounting is a field with broad exposure to business 5 4 3 2 1 Suggestions / Comments: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Thank you for your time in completing the questionnaire. I am sure that the responses will be a great help and useful for the purpose of this research. [pic][pic]

Local and Global Effects of Deforestation Essay

Trees are one of the most important aspects of the plant we live in. Trees are vitally important to the environment, animals and mostly us humans. So deforesting them will cause local and global effects on the environment and therefore harming us as well. They are also important for the climate as they act as filters of carbon dioxide. Forests are known as habitats and shelters of millions of species. However, the trees on our planet are being depleted at very high rates. The deforestation that has taken place due to human activity is as big as 50% of the whole planet. The main causes of deforestation is Ranching, Plantations, Logging, Mining, Road Building, Shifting Cultivations and for other commercial purposes. The destruction of the forests is occurring due to various reasons, one of the main reasons being the short-term economic benefits. Urban Construction is the main reason why large area of land is cleared. This involves cutting down of trees for lumber that is used or buildi ng materials, furniture and paper products which have a major impact on forest life. Forests are cleared to accommodate expanding urban areas. Road building is also included in these developments and one successful link is the Trans-Amazonian highway. This results in loss of forest area and massive deforestation. There are also local causes such as the Agricultural reasons. Forests are also cut down to clear land for growing crops, build farms, ranches and other food growing lands. The process of plantation is one of the causes which increased deforestation rates. It clears a patch of land to grow crops by slash and burn. The patch is then deserted until the soil regains its fertility. While plantation clears land by burning it, Shifting Cultivation still is as bad as Plantations as a large agricultural area is usually used for growing one crop such as bananas, coffee, cocoa and rubber. This process is usually carried out by international and therefore deforestation again is for short-term economic benefits. A main harvest in Brazil is Soybeans. This type of growing brings huge amount of profit towards the government. Even though most of the deforestation is caused for economic reasons there are some local/personal reasons such as Ranching. Large-scale cattle rearing-: because of this farms are huge to ensure there is enough grass to feed cattle. This gives land for cows to graze on. This is a main business as main retailers like McDonalds buy huge amounts of beef from places like the rainforest as they get it for cheap prices. Commercial Purpose for many large companies is another causation of deforestation. Companies clear forest for oil and mining exploitation to make highways and roads. Natural reasons are a big problem as well due to acid rain and wildfires which spread swiftly across large areas of forest land. Forest fires can occur naturally or in most cases are deliberate attempts by man to clear huge deforestation. Most of the time, these forest may recover, but usually the cleared land is used for construction and agricultural purposes. This leads to loss of forest and loss of habitat for the local wildlife. Mining – removal of minerals from the ground e.g. copper, gold and iron ore form large mines require clearing of large forest land. Mining is a legal process but there is illegal logging to use timber for commercial reasons e.g. mahogany has a big market for furniture in MEDCs. In Brazil 80-90% of logging is illegal. The WWF, the worldwide fund (non-government organisation) said that 28% of the EU’s timber imports could be illegal. Therefore there are economic are local reason which causes deforestation.

Analysis of the theory of recruitment practices in SMEs

Analysis of the theory of recruitment practices in SMEs The focus of this essay is to use observations from an ethnography study conducted in a small Chinese restaurant in the city of Bradford in carrying out an analysis of the theory of recruitment practices in small and medium – sized enterprises (SME’s). It will begin with a brief description of the study and the organization involved with details of all that was observed during the period of the period of the study. The results will thereafter be linked with theories relating to recruitment practices in SME’s drawing from a wide range of academic literature and a conclusion will be drawn based on what has been found and the overall implication with regard to knowledge in the field. It was a cold Thursday afternoon at the end of a seemingly endless array of lectures and tutorials. I decided to visit a Chinese restaurant in the Bradford city center for a taste of oriental cuisine and particularly make some observation on how small businesses operate in this environ ment. On arrival at the restaurant, a relatively cozy setting existed which created a sense of warmth and relaxation; exactly what I needed. I was greeted warmly by a female waitress who appeared to be Chinese although I’m aware she could be from anywhere in that region. There were quite a number of customers in the restaurant at that moment mostly busy with one meal or the other. Being a buffet, there was a lot of moving around with people getting up to take their meals from the service sections. I took a sit in a nice corner, place the order for my drinks and decided to look around for a while before my meal. The aesthetics of the restaurant was quite impressive with the walls painted in a combination of orange and brown, the lighting just right for the atmosphere, tables of various sizes depending on the number of guests and the right amount of decorations on the walls. How can I forget the soft music playing in the background? Even though I couldn’t understand a wo rd of what was being sung as it was in Chinese, the melody was just right. The nationalities of the guests appeared to be all encompassing. There were six middle-aged Caucasian males, two elderly females with a toddler, tow male Asians, a black female couple and three other young black female guests already seated in the restaurant. Three female Chinese waitresses were on hand to attend to guest needs and there was a male waiter at the bar who was in charge of the drinks. The kitchen staff that came out every now and again to replenish the stock of food was also of Chinese origin. This set me wondering on what criteria was required for employment in this restaurant. During the period of my observation, more guests came into the restaurant which comprised of two young female Caucasians, two adult female Pakistanis, one male Pakistani and a group of twelve made up of eleven males and one female all appearing to be from the same workplace as they were all dressed as having come for a f ormal lunch or to celebrate a successful business deal.

The New Changes in the Structure and Administration of the Business Research Paper - 68

The New Changes in the Structure and Administration of the Business - Research Paper Example The merging of the three businesses in the UK has strained the managers’ efforts towards establishing an effective workforce body. With the new structure, some of the employees have to be retrenched since tasks have been redistributed. In addition, the number of departments has been reduced significantly. Before the merge, each business had an established structure of various departments and offices. In addition, the three businesses had varied categories of employees in the various established departments. However, after the merger, the operations of the three business were brought together under one management. Some departments were merged, and others eliminated in the new system. Due to the reduced number of departments, a huge number of employees have been retrenched, and others given lower positions than the ones they held in their previous respective business settings. In this regard, it can be observed that the new structure of the human resource has led to the loss of jobs and decline in earnings for some employees. The new structure of the UMGUK requires employees to work together with an aim to boost performance. Adjusting to the new system is a challenging HR issue that the company faces. The employees of UMGUK are not used to the new system and, therefore, the company cannot realize the benefits of the new structure fully in the first phase of implementation. In this regard, the HR department is tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that the employees get acquainted with the new system with the shortest time possible.

Human Services Issues Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Human Services Issues - Research Paper Example It is shown in the articles of Bosman (2010) and Kaufman (2008) that since housing takes up the largest percentage of individual and family income traditional belief indicates that this whole population is in the verge of homelessness, and numerous do become homeless at some point in their poor life. Other, more definite roots of homelessness involve issues of employment, weakening public support, limited affordable housing, substance abuse, mental problems, domestic violence, and lack of health insurance (McNamara 2008). Any one of these issues is adequate to make a family or an individual homeless, and for numerous people, homelessness is the outcome of a personal conflict between being employed in a low-paying job with no health privileges and lack of accessible, low-priced housing. A family and individual in the aforesaid situations usually cannot pay for housing on their earnings from a minimum-wage employment, and they are not entitled to public support. This reality is accurat ely described by Bosman (2010) by stating that administration officials were surprised and demoralized by the marked increase in the prevalence of homelessness. Even the commissioner of homeless services, Robert Hess, declared that the city of New York is now feeling the enlargement in its massive shelter system several years ago (McNamara 2008). As cited by Bosman (2010), Hess declared, â€Å"And now we’re seeing the devastating effect of this unprecedented poor economy on our streets as well† (ibid, para 2). Statistics show that children make up 25% of the homeless in urban areas, and among the homeless adult, 14% are unmarried females and 47% are unmarried males (McNamara 2008, 52). Previous reports from the 1997 study of the U.S. Conference of Mayors of homelessness in urban areas suggest that 36% of the population of homeless people is made up of homeless families (McNamara 2008, 52). New York City, as clearly explained by Bosman (2010), is bearing the brunt of th e national recession. However, homelessness is not just an outcome of the declining economy; it is also brought about by the reduction in the number of low-priced housing alternatives to working and poor individuals and families in New York City. The article of Bosman (2010) gives the insight that in other corners of the United States individuals blame their homelessness and poor conditions on impoverished individuals. The traditional belief that poor individuals become poor due to their own weaknesses remains. This belief normally rules out children, who are regarded innocent, but it is difficult to support children without supporting their parents. Although Bosman (2010) obviously think that it is vital for individuals to assume responsibility for their own lives, it is also vital that in an affluent country for society to also assume responsibility. In several regions of the country, homelessness and poverty are quite indiscernible (McNamara 2008). Bosman’s (2010) article showed that the homelessness and poverty awareness of New York has raised a very developed knowledge of poverty and its roots. This article indirectly shows hard proof that the officials of New York understand the problem of homelessness. Meanwhile, the most

Strategic Intelligence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Strategic Intelligence - Essay Example The ability to formulate timely intelligence is vital to operational personnel in making proper decisions in the dynamic environment of intelligence characterized by a variety of constantly evolving criminal, terrorist and other security threats, and by technological, social and commercial environments that are both complex and variable2. Congressional role in Strategic Intelligence has so far been effective and have succeeded in achieving the objectives of its creation. The public is the largest economic unit affected by policies developed out of congressional intelligence at both national and private levels; over two thirds of government expenditure have foundations on the intelligence services provided by the oversight authority. This calls for the need of oversight intelligence authority in the formulation of government policies. Interest in oversight intelligence has been facing disputes in the recent past, mainly on reporting of highly delicate intelligence information including the peoples’ attitude on the Iraq wars. Peoples’ views in many cases tend to deviate from the congressional believes, as a result, it becomes much more difficult for the congress to protect a view that opposes their own2. Congress plays a strategic role in ensuring that the interest of the public is considered in making such decisions. The public has made it increasingly difficult for the congress to do what it was designed to accomplish, the most famous is the information disclosed by WikiLeaks, which have so far dispatched delicate intelligence information to the public without the knowledge of the oversight intelligence. The public sees this as a failure from the side of the congress to provide them with information in time of need3. With the help of congress role of keeping the public informed, information flow have been properly managed so that Strategic Intelligence is guarded. Concerning policy development and peoples’

Introduction to Business Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Introduction to Business Law - Essay Example While the historical methods of resolving the disputes e.g. civil litigation etc. are still very much intact and effective but their limitations have also been highlighted in modern age. This has given rise to the idea of finding alternate methods of dispute resolution or alternate dispute resolution (ADR). In this paper we will look at what is ‘Alternate Dispute Resolution’, what are its types, how it evolved and what is its effectiveness towards access to justice. We will also see if there are any challenges confronting alternate dispute resolution. When a dispute is resolved through non-conventional methods it is knows as alternate dispute resolution. It â€Å"can be defined as the resolution of disputes other than rendered by the judicial system†. (Rosa, Santa, 2009) There are many ways in which a dispute can be alternatively resolved but following are the most commonly used ones: When the parties to a dispute appoint a neutral referee to hear their dispute and make the decision it is knows as arbitration. The person working as the referee is known as the arbitrator. There can be one or more arbitrator in arbitration. Arbitration is mostly used when there is an arbitration clause in contract between two parties stating that in case of a dispute both parties would go to the arbitrator instead of going through the tradition legal forums. (Lew, Mistelis and Kroll, 2003) Mediation is a system to reach a consensus among conflicting parties. In mediation a mediator is appointed with the consent of all parties. The mediator tries to talk to concerned parties both in the presence of each other and alone as well. Mediation, as a process of reaching a decision, falls short of arbitration as the status of mediator is only to facilitate the dialogue between parties and not make a final decision regarding the dispute. (Stitt, Allan, 2004)

English as a Foreign Language in the Saudi Schools Essay

English as a Foreign Language in the Saudi Schools - Essay Example With reference to its effect on student first language oral communication, the study concludes that this is an important issue worth investigation. In 2004, driven by its aims to improve education and cope with achievements in science and technology, the Saudi government decided to initiate a program to begin teaching English as a foreign language to students in the in sixth grade. It was an initial step toward its ultimate goal to teach English in all elementary grades. The resolution was possibly based on the belief that English is the language of the globalized world economies, and that young people would not only benefit from speaking the language but could learn it more easily at a younger age. The general consensus among experts is that younger minds absorb other languages easier than do adults. In the light of this, the paper attempts to measure attitudes of Saudi students in Brighton towards EFL. The paper also formulates recommendations on EFL in the Saudi elementary state schools and invites further discussion of and research into this issue. The following historical background frames the discussion. Since the country has never been colonized by a foreign power, the exact date of or the situational emergence of English in Saudi Arabia is unknown. However, some researchers claim that when oil was found in the 1930s, English emerged with the arrival of American oil companies and their employees. Later, the Saudi government took the initiative and officially introduced and approved the use of English in the country.  

Organisations and behaviour Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Organisations and behaviour - Coursework Example If managers are able to understand how different culture and structure can influence the performance of the organization, they will be able to manipulate their organizations performance through varying structure and culture of their institutions. Organizations can be defined as collection of individuals with an aim of achieving a common target (Flamholtz & Randle 2011, p.51). Therefore, every organization has a specific arrangement that determines the levels and flow of powers. This determines who is in charge of the others and also stipulates individuals’ status in the organization. The arrangement is determined by the functions individuals perform according to the area of their occupation. Individuals carry out the same task in the organization from time to time hence increases their work efficiency. This reduces the time of performing their duties hence saving cost of operation in the organization. Culture refers to the practices, standards and conducts that every individual member in an organization has to adhere to during their normal discharge of duties (Flamholtz & Randle 2011, p.54). Every organization has unique traditions that every member to that organization must uphold in order to be able to cope with other members and discharge their duties effectively (Fairfield-Sonn 2001, p.64). Therefore, the culture of each organization determines the conducts of the organizations’ employees and how the level of performance attained by the organization. Organizational structure defines the channel of flow of power within the workers in an organization (Jenks 2004). This streamline the flow of information within the organization as it moves from a specific source to the rest of the members. Organization structure affects individuals within an organization while organization culture may have a uniform impact on the organization (Jenks 2004). This is because structure

New technolgy work and the economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

New technolgy work and the economy - Essay Example It complements other organizational management indicatives in providing a focus on the sustenance of competitive advantage. Every company has its own unique knowledge management strategy. To understand how knowledge management affects work and the economy, it is important to understand what it is in all aspects (Christensen, 2003). There is no universal definition of knowledge management, but a few experts have tried to put to words what this kind of management entails. Knowledge management is the term used to refer to the â€Å"collection of processes that govern the creation, dissemination, and utilization of knowledge† (Newman, 2002). It can also be said to be the systematic process by which information is found, selected, organized, distilled and presented. This systematic process is carried out in a way that serves to improve the employees’ understanding of a particular area of interest. In other words knowledge management is a process that should be used to enhance the objectives and goals of the organization (Nonaka, 2002). Knowledge management allows an organization to achieve its goals and objectives. This means that knowledge management is an important factor that contributes to the organization’s long term success without putting too much strain on the existing resources. All the different definitions are similar in that they emphasize the importance of the organization as a whole in the process of knowledge management. Most of the definitions point out that knowledge emanates from individuals and that not a single one of them knows everything. It is therefore important to manage all this knowledge so that everyone on the organization can gain something from one another (Christensen, 2003). The aim of any organization is to ensure that it is as profitable as possible. Mnprofitability can be achieved through many ways, including proper knowledge management. Effective knowledge management makes it possible for a company to serve customers to

Hunger Games Survival Essay Example for Free

Hunger Games Survival Essay The game is designed to kill you. From the first moment when you are dropped into the merciless jungle, you are actively trying to be killed. Forgetting the band of other survivors that are effortlessly searching for you, there are many terrors you must be ready for. To prepare for these, you must have a good shelter, a way to find food and water, and a positive mental attitude. A shelter is arguably the most important of the 10 essentials in survival. Without a shelter, you could get soaking in rain or snow, and subsequently, die from the moisture. You will get bitterly cold during the night and die in your sleep. So Katness knew she needed a good shelter. One that would keep her warm and dry, as well as mobile. She built two kinds of shelter; one was high in a tree, both to protect her from the indigenous, and to keep her off of the moist ground. She knew that sitting directly on cold or snow covered ground will increase the rate of heat loss drastically. So even in the tree, she put her jacket below her and her towel above her protect her from the elements, both below her and above her. The second shelter she built was a makeshift debris hut. She found the base of a huge redwoody type of tree, which provided a stable back and added protection from snowfall and climate protection. She, one again, added a blanket to the floor as well as many ribs on her debris hut and foliage both for camouflage and climate protection. Finding food and water in this Amazonian jungle proved difficult. As two of the ten essentials, food and water are necessary in survival. Luckily, she brought enough nutrient rich power bars with her to surpass the amount of time she needed to. She was also aware to not over work, and keep a 60% rule when searching so her power bars would be sufficient. Finding water, was much more difficult. Water is scarce in many jungle environments, so she had to take little bits of snow in a bottle and let it melt over time and drink it. Eating straight snow will actually make you thirstier than without it, good thing she new that. Even with a stable shelter, a substantial food and water supply, and a sense of safety, she was still finding it difficult to keep a positive mental attitude, or PMA. Without a positive mental attitude, someone in a survival situation could lose hope of being found or surviving the night, and could just die. That is why she does simple activities to keep a PMA. She thinks about here friends and family back home, her boyfriend who is also stuck in this jungle, and other activities to keep her motivated and keep her striving to survive this unfortunate event. Due to her knowledge of the 10 essentials, knowing how to build a shelter, and the power to keep a positive mental attitude, Katness made it out of this treacherous situation. This may have been a movie, but this is a real world situation that anyone could have found themselves in. The opportunity to learn about the 10 essentials, or how to build an adequate debris hut, is an opportunity that you do not want to miss. These life-saving tips have not only helped Katness make it out of the Hunger Games, but it may also help you make it out of a life or death situation of your own.

High school diploma Essay Example for Free

High school diploma Essay I did 4 years in Senn High School and there were a lot of problems in school. Dropping out of high school is a huge issue for many teens today. As society demands hardworking graduates with good character, the nation should require keeping teens from dropping out of school and improving student’s education for the future. There are many causes for why teenagers drop out of school. But there are few solutions for allowing them to finish high school with high diplomas. Pregnancies, drugs, gang involvement and bullying play a big role in the dropout rate. How can high schools help students to earn their high school diplomas and stop dropping out of school? Many kids attend High schools that have a different culture, or way of doing things. I will always remember my years of high school. However, I feel my high school years have been the most memorable. I strongly believe that high school is the open door, into the rest of my life. The last days of my high school career are fast approaching and I can only imagine how Ill be feeling when I step out of Senn High School for the very last time. Throughout these four years, I have felt a lot of requirements about graduating high school. I didnt think that the time to graduate would come soon enough. I came across a great interest essay that starts with the question of why smart kids are, on average, low status in the high school environment. The short answer is that being popular in that environment is a full time job, and smart kids, even if they want to be popular, want to do other things as well. The author goes on to make quite a lot of interesting, understanding, and disturbing points about how children are brought up. What bothers me is not that the kids are kept in prisons, but that they arent told about it, and the prisons are run mostly by the person who is confined in a prison. In my high school Spanish class we were supposed to speak in Spanish. I dont think any of us knew Spanish well enough to make our way through this huge book. Like the rest of the class, I just study the notes. When we were given a test on the book, I noticed that the questions sounded odd. They were full of long words that our teacher wouldnt have used. Where had these questions come from? From the notes, it turned out. The teacher was using them too and we were all just pretending.

Importance of Career Planning and Development

Importance of Career Planning and Development Yogi Berra once said. So will not know what youre here, you may wind up somewhere else Many of the good will of certain professional career began with the objectives, only to find myself, 10 years later, I wonder what went wrong. If you want to get serious in your career, you should take time to develop good career map. Ask yourself the following questions: where I want five years from now? Ten years from now? Assess the current situation and whether or current employer cannot fulfill its objectives. If not, what companies to target as prospective employers? As you map the ideal future that can achieve your goals can be set behind the fear is not. They work toward you and give the fuel a fire. But beware Motivation can be difficult. Their values may change over the course of his career, and youll find new things to inspire you perhaps may have. When you were just out of college, working conditions may be the biggest motivating factor. As you progress through your career, you probably know, that were going here BEGIN lottery, get a real, pretty skinny and Chief Financial Freedom and get inspiration from Beat the search. Other people are a challenge, or something of value is fueled by the opportunity to participate. Tap their own sources, and his career can be satisfying Importance of Career Planning and Development Until recently, workers will have access to the organization, his career in his career. Now past. Steeds Employees still very popular because they naively believe that the continuity of work and organizational values are well-immune Discounts added. However, increased competition, rapid technological change, restructuring and dishonest means, not high performance protection against dismissal of employees. More likely is the lack of a traditional business. Experts estimate that popular that race is a rapid settlement Realistic and orientation problems, prevention and active employees the opportunity to explore power. The creation and career goals. Career Planning and Development two processes career employee (centered) and career management (organization center) is. Human resource management task, but it is a planning, career planning and management of human resources is part of, be state by many organizations is not included. Ideally, a professional development and planning process, which met match interests and organizational needs, must overcome. That the business skills for a career development. Careered strategic objective, strategic and organizational planning and staff need the same profile in competitive situations to get the skills to ensure development is an important element of the organization and skilled workforce. Human Resource Planning and Career Planning and Development Employees are increasingly concerned about the quality of life Battle of the lack of expertise in order to build talent worldwide Trade unions focus more on career planning and development: Higher levels of education and expectations of employees. Institutions and the feeling of obligation to employees. Employees Responsibility Every employee Belgium honorable career planning and development should be more concern. Unfortunately ignores the responsibility of individuals, I quickly left the organization. Passive acceptance of the employees in D control of your career and your future career, employment opportunities are aimed at reducing chance achieve. Career planning and development agencies an offer to return home, usually not written to every employee of the organizations needs. Employees professional and personal goals and skill level of critical analysis of the personal and professional interests between the doors to career planning. Human resources should be Supreme leader and pro-active career planning needs of individual and institutional development are important. Human resources personnel and organizational development planning and entire careers to know about training among employees are to promote. Factors in career development Employees must take responsibility for their own professional development. White is not right flat course, and optimal development of conflict. Dying for career development and a key factor in successfully to reduce development. Performance employee is bad, very little training and development debates on Promotion of opportunities for international assignments. Exposure workers, senior decision makers for their excellent performance management. Workers, communication, presentation and training for businesses are known organization can develop a success, and participation in social activities. ReputationA business opportunity stars and long-term work for the glory of commercial success as a home full time employees. So institutions may be an important factor Mentor Successful managers usually have a mentor or sponsor who helps advance their career by offering advice, giving instruction and opening up career opportunities. The protà ©gà ©, by developing more skills and self-confidence, performs better and provides longer. Advice, to encourage businesses to identify and talent to support the use of diversity Consult a front frame development and growth is all the people Advice to the company helps create awareness about the value. Coaching motivated and improve employee job satisfaction Ingratiation- a good way to pay special powers in relation to leaf can be an effective strategy. Development Develop knowledge and skills to further enhance the value of labor and thus an attractive body continues. International experience primarily for senior management career (international experience), all of the keys to success. Languages and business managers in other channels set to the increasingly global demand is not awesome development in the English Department internationalization, but the second (third Test) language. Languages and business managers in other channels set to the increasingly global demand is not awesome development in the English Department internationalization, but the second (third Test) language. Computer and a keyboard a competitive advantage, computer skills required. Highly efficient technology, can Networking It is important that employees of the Belgian network of contacts can be useful in carrier spending Goals, success, motivation and designer, is just the beginning of the employee, and most of them go Networking It is important that employees of the Belgian network of contacts can be useful in carrier spending Golf Golf indispensable work, in Asia, where golf is the most important names in the transaction met. Golf at this time, the New Millennium Assembly and now starting over as a result of negotiations eventually Assembly Career plateau More career opportunities for staff to promote an awesome reference to a minimum met. When this happens, further progress may be blocked employees. For a worker is required to the roof to escape, its important for travelers to enhance and develop themselves to change and transition. Employees are now reaching plateaus earlier in their careers than did their predecessors and far earlier than their own expectations so it is important for organizations and individuals to prepare to cope with the phenomenon successfully, particularly when the signs of an impending plateau are observed. The risk of obsolescence is less if organizations accept responsibility for employee development and if employees are prepared to invest time in their development. Dual Career Womens way more specific to human resource management policies, and his two officers and the passengers were staff spouses.HR employee expectations with the existing route must be careful to fill in personal development programs, including wives. Dual-career couples, two lines will be presented for flexibility, work and role of work in Belgium as a clear distinction between (for non coping mechanisms) and career planning and skills development. Work Family Conflict Work in the family show both income and single parent families against families. People no longer a problem and what is the formula to successfully balance work and family. Work and family difficulties with the names of women seeking to compete as a mother to make the unity of the traditional family, wife and homemaker. Place the family and colleagues get the first guy to satisfy the problem. Family, Children and delivery of ALS policy to work to support the costs of monitoring and flexible work hours at home, part-time, Flexible terrible not to leave to help die, but the staff commitment. Outplacement Help recruit other investment career as a special order is the same design. Outplacement consultants are low, but the change, career assessment, evaluation, training, interviews will consult new services to develop methods of finding a job offer administrative and secretarial. Career Human Resource Management What is needed careful planning and hoe en route to his career achieve your goals. Marina is a great opportunity, many of its limitations. Very limit of the directors and managers blow to your advantage as human resource management, popular experts was obtained. Individual and to gather and assess the needs and desires of human resources, improving peoples happiness, success is the ability to employ works, prices will lead to more information. The variety of jobs jobs are available, and one and a professional summary. Compensation Remuneration for HRM employees has lagged behind that paid to employees in functions. So why, employee and employer making mistake on their career planning and development? First, they have unrealistic goals. Personal career goals to cut the break are not manageable. If you read books in a year are planning to try for 100, two short of the years before the end to read all good books last weekend. For example, would be a manageable goal, two pounds per month to read. Finally you can customize with you it would be measured month. Two Years more likely you will receive with this approach and the overall goal of 200 pounds to read. Even more unrealistic expectations are realistic, if you target your check with friends and mentors. Also, if unrealistic career goals are rarely met and held that the individuals overall concept is useless and ignored. Second, limited access and many are working in the realm that is a business plan. They see work as a type of work or job itself. The range of career opportunities and job satisfaction can have a significant impact on overall negative effect. Expand your horizons and work in training other related businesses difficult to cross. Learn the different skills and you will find more opportunities. Third, plan a career that detailed above, and leaves no room and no problem over time in response to external or internal conditions may change. Also, rules detailed list of action items to be a little sense of priorities absence. The action against leads to little or no effective career> plan to. Fourth, a career planning skills and acknowledge that other options depending on the plan you career is doomed to failure. Develop a plan that his own companys growth and progress needs to accelerate development are wrong. Career planning and direction, and its responsibility is solely your responsibility. Your organizations resources can provide, but it is your responsibility to take your career plans and measures necessary to develop. Fifth, many take unnecessary risks that lack of planning your career. You do not have options, developing real, yet the basic skills and understanding necessary to work to move to switch to the next level or to prepare properly. You should inform the decision, the appropriate insurance carrier with its plan to develop the results planned. Getting there: five core areas of management and careers in their plan that not many (1) you (set unrealistic goals,( 2) career plans, coverage and scope, is limited (3) if you plan an overly broad career, (4) planning your career depends on others, and Meaning (5) their future careers and the lack of an unnecessary risk with their career they plan to take.

The Moonstone Essay :: essays research papers

The Moonstone Essay The Moonstone, written in 1868 by Wilkie Collins is a mystery novel about a gem called "The Moonstone". The moonstone is somewhat a symbol of what everyone strives for, beauty and power. In the book, justice plays a huge role in terms of doing what is fair and morally right through action and attitude. Although the moonstone is overbearingly beautiful and breathtaking, like all beautiful things, it has a history "..that crime brings its own fatality with it" (Ch. IV). With such great beauty, the moonstone almost takes power and control over people, making them act out in such ways just to get their hands on it. The Moonstone does not come from England. Herncastle, the uncle of Rachel Verinder steals the gem while in battle. Before Herncastle takes possession of the Moonstone, the stone has already passed through the hands of a number posseors. During the first narrative, the gem is explained as a symbol of wealth and power that no man should ever possess, even though so many wish to get their hands on it. And with such demands for people to stay away from it, lures all to want it crave even more. In a way, the moonstone symbolized the conquering that Herncastle did while in India, allowing the moonstone to almost become a trophy of his doings. This is not just at all, it was known that the invasion on India was to make them less barbaric, when in reality, what the English were doing to India was forcing their beliefs and culture on them, in an obviously not mannerable way. "... "the shrine of Hindoo pilgrimage, and the wonder of the eastern world" (Ch. II of the prologue ). The moonstone was rightfully a part of India that was stolen after Herncastle kills many people, a trophy for murder has to carry some consequences with it, and so; it did. After his death, Herncastle leaves the moonstone,aware of the seriousness of the stone, to his niece Rachel Verinder to get back at the family that excluded him. He puts it in the hands of Mr.Franklin Blake to deliver the stone to Rachel. When Mr. Blake arrives at the Verinder house, there were words about Indiains that were disguising themselves as jugglers and magicians in order to try and get information on the whereabouts of the moonstone in hopes of getting it back and returning it to it's rightfully owners, the Indians themselves.

Free Essays on A Dolls House: Marital Lessons :: Dolls House essays

Marital Lessons from A Doll's House    Divorce has become widely accepted throughout the world. In today's world, the violent shredding of a family is shrugged off like the daily weather.   The Norwegian play A Doll's House, by Henrik Ibsen, is a prime example of a marriage that didn't work. The marriage of Torvald and Nora Helmer had many problems because the husband and wife couldn't discover the secrets of marital bliss. To keep a marriage alive and growing it must hold true to four qualities: love, communication, trust and loyalty, and perseverance. With the incorporation of these qualities any marriage would work.    Without love a relationship would probably not even begin. Two people meet, a friendship forms, and soon a romance blossoms. Though the basis for Nora and Torvald's relationship appeared to be centered around love, the needed balance was not obtained. Torvald didn't really love Nora; to him she was just another child to mind. He said, 'And I wouldn't want you to be any different from what you are-just my sweet little song bird. But now I come to think of it, you look rather-rather-how shall I put it? -rather as if you've been up to mischief today' ( 151). Calling his wife names such as 'skylark,' 'squirrel,' and 'spendthrift,' Torvald does not love his wife with the respect and sensitivity a man should. The main area where Torvald showed his lack of love for Nora was in the way he managed his house. Torvald was the owner of what he believed to be a perfect doll house. This doll house was first controlled by Nora's domineering father, and once Nora entered marriage, the titles and dee ds to this doll house were handed over to Torvald. Torvald manipulated Nora, and then the children through her according to his wants, sure that he could never lose control over his precious doll house. This lack of love and imperious attitude would eventually ruin their marriage. Nora was the only one of the two partners who showed love for the other in this play. Going against all the odds a woman faced in the late nineteenth century, Nora went behind her husband's back, borrowed a large sum of money, forged her father's signature, and went on to pay it off with hopes of Torvald never hearing of it. She refused to be a doll, and would alternate personalities between 'Torvald's little skylark,' and 'Nora the intelligent and strong woman.

Essay on Social Conventions in Jane Eyre and Hedda Gabler

Social Conventions in Jane Eyre and Hedda Gabler   Ã‚  Ã‚   Charlotte Bronte's novel Jane Eyre and Henrik Ibsen's play Hedda Gabler were written within fifty years of each other in the late 1800s. Both Jane and Hedda exist within the same social contexts. They are women of the middle class in European cultures. The fact Jane is penniless through much of the novel does not exclude her from the middle class. Jane and Hedda's experiences, education and values all belong to the middle class. Therefore it should be no surprise their words echo. In detail and outcome their stories are different. However, it is the constraints of the same social conventions which drive their different destinies. It is the same confusion of social convention with morality and spirituality that pains both their existences. Confusing social convention with legal, moral, and religious codes of conduct is a phenomena not confined to the 19th century. It is this same confusion that created Jim Crow Laws, anti-gay legislation and fuels the fire of the abortion rights debate.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Social conventions of the 1800's did not allow women of the middle class to live independently. With few exceptions women moved from father's household to husband's household. It was the father's prerogative to arrange a suitable marriage. In truth there might be a carefully selected few to choose from, but any unauthorized selection would hold severe consequences for both men and women.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Jane Eyre's mother was disowned because she chose to marry an "unapproved" man. Jane would suffer because of this transgression, which occurred before she was even born. After being orphaned, Jane lives with her Aunt Reed. She is continually reminded she is a dependent and is unloved by her r... ...ton: Prentice Hall, 1992.    Ellis, Kate and Kaplan, Ann. Nineteenth Century Women at the Movies: Adapting Classic Women’s Fiction to Film. Bowling Green, OH: Popular, 1999    Jane Eyre. Dir. Christy Cabanne. Perf. Virginia Bruce, Colin Clive, and Beryl Mercer. 1934.    Jane Eyre. Dir. Franco Zeffirelli. Perf. William Hurt, Charlotte Gainsborough, and Anna Paquin. 1996    Jane Eyre. Dir. Julian Aymes. Perf. Timothy Dalton, Zelah Clarke. 1983    Jane Eyre. Dir. Robert Stevenson. Perf. Joan Fontaine, Orson Welles, and Margaret O’Brien. 1944    Peters, Joan D. â€Å"Finding a Voice: Towards a Woman’s Discourse in Dialogue in the Narration of Jane Eyre.† Studies in the Novel. 23 no 2. (1991): 217-36.    Zonana, Joyce. â€Å"The Sultan and the Slave: Feminist Orientalism and the Structure of Jane Eyre.† Signs. 18 no 3. (1993): 592-617

The Importance of Employee Engagement

Change is a constant in today? s modern business activity. As Harvard Business School Professor John Kotter wrote in Fujitsu? s `Fit for Change? report, â€Å"the current rate of change within businesses is faster than the rate at which organisations are improving†¦many organisations just can't keep up with the speed of change. † (www. theinformationdaily. com, 2012). This more and more complex and competitive environment inflicts a greater pressure on the employees; given that the employees are the heart of organisations not approaching them appropriately is one of the main reasons of corporate failure (Argenti, 2009).Although there is not a lot of research done in this field as it is a relatively new concept (Saks, 2006), understanding the importance of employee engagement and implementing a well-developed internal communications plan is crucial for success, especially during change (Dolphin, 1999). The organisation should be guided by experts through all this complexit y if it wants to overcome all the tension that originates from the dynamics of change and survive. THE IMPORTANCE OF EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT Many authors claim that an organisation? accomplishments, financial performance and employee outcomes may be predicted by the levels of employee engagement. However, it is surprising that even if it is a logical assumption, it appears that employee engagement is waning and that disengagement among the majority of today? s workforce is costing huge amounts of money to organisations in productivity loss (Saks, 2006). At present, workers are well educated, have greater expectations than those of past generations, and aspire to have a better understanding of the company they work for (Argenti, 2009).According to Argenti (2009), most companies? senior managers exclude lower-level employees from taking part in most decision-making. According to Dolphin (1999), employee communication is too often conducted by in-experienced and junior personnel. Therefore , it could be said that organisations do acknowledge the importance of employee engagement to some degree but are not following an appropriate and effective two-way communication strategy that will engage their staff. ORDER AND CHANGEEvery organisation has a culture and identity of its own and these should be consistent, coherent, and clear. When an organisation suffers a big change, it might have the need to acquire a new identity and/or alter or even create a whole new corporate culture (Dolphin, 1999); to be able to direct this change effectively, there must be a well-defined vision. Most of the definitions of vision in this context make reference to an ideal or a future to which the organisational change should lead to (Palmer, Dunfard ; Akin, 2006).Without a firm vision and effective internal communications, the â€Å"changes introduced by managers may seem arbitrary and unneeded†¦ vision helps to motivate staff in working towards the change and engaging in what may appea r to be daunting or risky actions† (For Kanter et al. , as cited in Palmer et al. , 2006, p. 245). Sutton and Khan (1986 as cited in Jimmieson et al. , 2004, p. 12) argue that when a deep change is about to happen, workers â€Å"go through a process of sense-making in which they need information to help them establish a sense of prediction and understanding of the situation†.Palmer, Dunfard and Akin (2006) insist in the importance of having their employees well informed about the situation and about what is expected from them, To the extent that the strategic intent is not complemented by clarity as to expected actions, the chances increase employees will fail to convert a change initiative into supporting action at their level of organisation. The Key point here is that the lack of supporting action is not due to overt resistance or even apathy; it is due to the lack of clear understanding of what such supportive action would â€Å"look like. (Palmer et al. , 2006, p. 149) Organisations must therefore aim to achieve a balance between order and change. For instance, they can only operate efficiently if members execute their roles consistently, perform everyday operations, and uphold ordered structures, but they also need to stay open and agile enough to react to and anticipate the fluctuating stresses of today? s changing commercial environment. (Jacobs, 2004, p. 382). Carl Weick (1979, as cited in Jacobs, 2004, p. 82) highlights in his relational perspective the role of communication when dealing with the tension that arouses between these two elements and suggests that organisations are in essence the outcome of communication collaborations. Lewin? s Three Stage Model of Change (Carnall,2007, p. 70) can be used to help the organisation better understand this process. It consists of three stages: 1. Unfreezing. It is related to cultural change.Identifying both present behaviours and required behaviours necessary to achieve the organisation? s mi ssion and common goals and analysing the differences, with the participation of the company? s members, is the first step of â€Å"unfreezing† actual change. 2. Changing/Moving. Identifying the procedures and changes in the structure that will enable the execution of the new behaviours and the implementation and examination of accomplishments. 3. Refreezing. Instilling the new behaviours, attitudes, and values in the group.This is usually done by rewarding new behaviours, carrying out policies, implementing an effective communication, and educating members in order to support the new culture and behavioural principles; commitment to change is attained in this stage. However, as organisations and their environments are ever more uncertain and dynamic, many changes may occur at once and when one area is refreezing another might be unfreezing or moving. This has led Clark and Clegg to believe that `successful management in the future must be based on intelligence and creativity and the capacity to question and learn? â€Å"executives must learn how to combine continual change with the ability to sustain `business as usual? † (1998, as cited in Carnall, 2007, p. 78-79). An organisation is dynamic, it is persistently reinventing itself, and therefore must be monitored constantly. THE RISKS OF CHANGE AND THE IMPORTANCE OF ORGANISATIONAL SUPPORT A possible reason for failure could be that organisations simply do not dedicate enough time or attention to understand the psychology of change. Employees? xperience is a critical factor that should be considered; it is how people adapt and react to change that makes a difference. Firstly, changes in an organisation are not linear by nature and thus uncertainty is the most common psychological condition that emerges as a result (Callan et al. , 2004); â€Å"much of what we refer to as resistance to change? is really ‘resistance to uncertainty’ meaning that the resistance originates from the proces s of dealing and handling change, not from the change itself (Carnall, 2007, p. 3). Secondly, Palmer, Dunfard and Akin (2006) argue that people? perceptions of how they believe that change will affect their personal interests will influence their readiness for it. People have a tendency to support changes that do not seem threatening to their interests and resist those that appear to be harmful. (Palmer et al. , 2006, p. 149). Managers should understand the potential risks of letting employees face changes on their own without a consistent support on behalf of the organisation. Doubt and uncertainty should be dissipated and substituted by safety, and mutual interests should be addressed to avoid feelings of threat.According to Argenti (2009) effective internal communications not only requires facilitating employees with relevant and sincere information but it should also reinforce their belief that they are significant assets to the company and that subsequently their matters are to o. Listening to them and allowing their participation in conversations regarding organisational change will keep them â€Å"excited about their work, connected to the company? s vision, and in a position to further goals of the organisation† (Argenti, 2009, p. 84). An example that describes poor attention to how stakeholders react to change (whether they are predisposed to welcome it or reject it from the beginning) is Kodak? s announcement of its reduction in workforce to its staff, and of its dividend cut to its investors. They ignored the importance of setting an adequate strategy to promote a positive response prior to change and this basically resulted in resistance to change from both groups which led the merger with Compaq Computers a failure (Palmer et al. , 2006, p. 1) REASSURING EFFECTIVENESS IN COMMUNICATION Before any action is taken, the organisation must have a sense of the present effectiveness of its internal communications. Argenti (2009) reveals that an exce llent way to measure the effectiveness of its actions is by executing communication audits and systematic temperature checks to discover the employees? attitudes towards the organisation itself, their opinion about the quality of the communications they are getting, and whether the messages are being understood.Once this is done, an internal communication framework can be implemented to work on solutions to any communication deficiencies and satisfy those requests. The Strategic Employee Communication Model and Best-practice Definitions (Appendix A) can be used in a change programme as â€Å"benchmarks against which to measure a company? s employee communication strengths and weaknesses as well as a model of effective change†. According to Barrett (2004), both the model and its different elements were inspired by research done in numerous Fortune 500 companies on what actually works in employee communication.The best companies integrated many of these definitions in their pra ctice scheme. This model links all principal factors involved in employee communication between them and to the company? s manoeuvres and strategy; it analytically breaks down communication into distinguishable and manageable portions and illustrates how interconnected and inter-reliant each portion is when employee communication is placed strategically within the organisation, a must in order to make change feasible. What moves this model from a tactical level to a strategic one is the direct connection to the firm? â€Å"strategic objectives and business planning process plus the overlay of supportive management with on-going assessment of individual and company communication. † (Barrett, 2004, p. 22). An example of a good communication in practice is what CEO Gordon Bethune did in Continental airlines. Every month, he held an open-house in his own office where employees were welcome to go and talk to him about any issues, suggestions, or complaints, and in numerous occasio ns he would go himself to meet the employees at their workplace.This platform for open, informal, and sincere discussion was his trait of leadership. He has been recognised for having significantly improved employee spirit and productivity as well as enhancing the global culture of the firm. This is illustrative of what should be done to have the organisation prepared in the eventuality of change. THE LEARNING ORGANISATION. FROM INDIVIDUALS TO A TEAM In order for the organisation to move as a whole it should behave and act as one.Organisations should provide the ground for individuals to move out of their sense of self, be flexible, and connect with and contribute to the group consciousness. Many authors emphasise the need of creating learning cultures within organisations in order to achieve success during change. â€Å"Teams, not single individuals, are the key to successful organizations of the future and†¦ individuals have to learn in the context of the team† (Append ix B). Hurst (1995, as cited in Carnall,2007, p. 65) for instance exposes that a performance organisation should evolve into a learning organisation when it faces complexity; â€Å"tightly defined tasks, control systems and rigid structures† should be replaced by â€Å"recognition, networks and teams†. His ecocycle model of eight stages points toward renewal through which the company reinvents itself, more explicitly, â€Å"in which people rethink what they seek to achieve, with whom and how, and thereby recreate the organisation†¦ it is certainly a learning process†. The complexity theory can throw some light on this perspective.As Darwin, Johnson and McAuley (2002, cited in Carnall,2007, p. 84) note, the basic idea that lies beneath the relevance of the complexity theory within the literature regarding organisational behaviour is that of a multifaceted adaptive organism described as a coherent network of agents interacting in parallel with no ? command an d control framework? and who are ? adaptively intelligent? (Appendix C). This view links to the idea of ? self-organisation? (Carnall,2007, p. 84). Emery (2004, as cited in Carnall, 2007,p. 85) also presents â€Å"an analysis of open-systems theory-based action research as an enabler of learning and change†.She starts off by stating that learning is fundamental for viable change and then argues that practitioners must deal with all individuals at every level of the corporation and all practical areas must be implicated in some kind of practise that will enable them to take part in this learning process. However, she highlights that there are certain obstacles that might get in the way such as certain attitudes of the elite members, fail to use a common language throughout the organisation, and diverse framework and priority schemes.Another issue to tackle is the fact that individuals have different learning rates and they learn in different ways (Carnall, 2007). That is where the role of internal communications plays a significant role. Professional practitioners should be able to identify where communications fail and target unlike audiences with different techniques to be able to engage them appropriately. We therefore can determine that the objective of education in the long-run would be to create a â€Å"strong sense of listening and of responsiveness [that will] permeate(s) the organisation† (Macleod, p. 9) by: -Forming engaging managers that will know how to communicate cultures and values and treat their personnel with respect. As MacLeod ((Macleod, p. 79) ) states in his report, managers who engage â€Å"facilitate and empower rather than control or restrict their staff; they treat their staff with appreciation and respect and show commitment to developing, increasing and rewarding the capabilities of those they manage. †. -Giving employees a voice and tools to address management with their concerns.They must feel â€Å"they are l istened to and see that their opinions count and make a difference†¦ [And that they are able to] speak out and challenge when appropriate† (Macleod, p. 79) CONCLUSION Employee engagement levels can predict an organisation? s accomplishments and performance as it is claimed by many authors. However, due to today? s complex environment it is more than necessary to build up a strong internal communications strategy. Employees should not be isolated from the organisation as a whole and should be informed and involved in it. The corporate culture should be coherent and the vision should be clear.If organisations fail to communicate all this properly and engage its employees into believing that change is not synonym of threat, resistance will appear. Resistance may lead to a break in the internal homeostasis and the consequences will show up as a failure when trying to move the organisation forward. REFERENCES Argenti, P. (2009) Corporate Communication. 5th ed. Singapore: Mc Gr aw Hill. Carnall, C. (2007) Managing Change in Organisations. 5th ed. Essex: Prentice-Hall. Dolphin, R. (1999) The Fundamentals of Corporate Communications. Butterworth-Heinemann. Jimmieson, N. t al. (2004) A Longitudinal Study of Employee Adaptation to Organizational Change: The Role of Change-Related Information and Change-Related Self-Ef? cacy. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology , 9 (1), p. 11-27. MacLeod, D. and Clarke, N. (2009) Engaging for Success: enhancing performance through employee engagement. [report] Department for Business Palmer, I. et al. (2006) Managing Organizational Change: A Multiple Perspectives Approach. s. l. : Mc Graw-Hill Saks, A. (2006) Antecedents and Consequences of Employee Engagement. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 21 (7), p. 00-619. www. theinformationdaily. com (2012) Making your organisation fit to change. [online] Available at: http://www. theinformationdaily. com/2012/12/21/making-your-organisation-fit-to-change [Accessed: 4 Mar 2013]. J acobs, G. (2004) Corporate creative thinking. In: Oliver, S. M. ed. Handbook of corporate communications and public relations. London: Routledge, pp. 382-384. Barrett, D. J. (2004) A best-practice approach to change communication. In: Oliver, S. M. ed. Handbook of corporate communications and public relations. London: Routledge, pp. 22-24. . APPENDICES Appendix A. Figure 2. 1 Strategic employee communication model (Barrett, 2004, p. 23) *Appendix B. Senge? s five disciplines: 1. Systems thinking: everyone must learn how to view things as a whole and that one set of events has impact on others 2. Personal mastery: ? the discipline of continually clarifying and deepening†¦ personal vision, of focusing†¦ energies, of developing patience, and of seeing reality objectively.? 3. Mental models: ? learning to unearth†¦ internal pictures of the world, to bring them to surface and hold them rigorously to scrutiny? 4.Build a share vision: leadership is the key to creating and co mmunicating the vision†¦ the leader creates vision but is prepared to have it reshaped by others 5. Team learning: teams, not single individuals, are the key to successful organizations of the future and individuals have to learn in the context of the team (Senge, 1990, as cited in Carnall, p. 164) *Appendix C. Darwin, Johnson and McAuley (2002, Carnall, p. 84) describe a multifaceted adaptive organism: 1. It is a network of ? agents? acting in parallel, often interconnected, ways but without any ? ommand and control? framework 2. These agents are ? adaptively intelligent? ; constantly seeking and making sense of patterns, testing ideas, evolving and learning. 3. Change is achieved through learning, evolution and adaptation. 4. Control of the system is dispersed throughout the system. 5. Coherence within the system arises out of competition and cooperation among the agents as they see advantage in alliances and other arrangements for mutual support. This view links to the idea of ? self-organisation?. (Darwin et al, 2002, as cited in Carnall, p. 84)