Advertisements Define Females Beauty Standard Media Essay

Advertisements Define Females Beauty Standard Media Essay Advertisements in women magazines has became active when marketer realised the purchase power of women, Marchland, 1985 suggested that in 1920s female purchasing power took over 80 percent of the whole consumer purchases. That was because the gender role of female at that time was home orientated, they were responsible for familial expenditure. As time changes, when the market of home orientated product got saturated, marketing then stereotypes women interconnected with sexuality. Courtney and Lockeretz suggested four general stereotypes of women were presented in print advertisement: A womans place is in the home; women do not make important decisions or do important things; women are dependent and need mens protection; and men regard women primarily as sexual objects (Courtney Whipple, 1983 pp.7). The beginning of media influence on beauty standard The advertising agencies referred women as General Purchasing Agent, as purchasing agents, women could command respect for exhibiting qualities previously honoured primarily in men-capacities for planning, efficiency, and expert decision making (Marchand 1958 pp.168). The G.P.A has became a corner stone of advertising in the field of female market, during this period advertising often adopt the theme of successful woman gain social acceptance and social approval through employing or consuming a particular product. McEwen suggested in 1976 that, from the field of social psychology, advertising agencies have employed the belief of the social self as a principle technique in advertisements by defining what was socially approved and what was not. During the phrase of social acceptance, the media portrayed the role of women as being responsible for broadening their social and intellectual interests as well as maintain youthful in order to be a modern companion for their husbands. They needed to preserve their youth so that they could beautify their husbands lives and keep pace with them during evenings of dancing and the theatre (Marchand 1985 pp.175).The importance of being self conscious of body image and appearance has been introduced through media, especially with the reinforcement of advertising in the late 1920s. In the middle of her mechanically engineered kitchen, the modern housewife was expected to be overcome with issue of whether her self, her body, her personality were viable in the so cio sexual market that define her job. Advertisements used pictures of veiled nudes and women in auto-erotic stances to encourage self comparison and to remind women of the primacy of their sexuality (McEwen 1976 pp.179). The idealised female images in which portrayed in media has always been changing, so is the standard of beauty perceived within the society. The media provides idealised body images of women by providing role models or examples of attractive women, for example, catwalk models and actresses. In which, audiences could compare themselves with the idealised body shape or appearance. The idealised body shaped has changed from being voluptuous and curvaceous in the 1940s and 1950s to being busty and narrow-hipped from the late 1960s through the 1980s (Straight 2005 pp.2) The reason of which the idealised beauty standard has always been changing was because companies need to create an unsustainable beauty standard to ensure targeted consumer will keep purchasing different goods to maintain satisfied with their appearance. Freedman, 1986 mentioned the beauty ideal was impossible to achieve and this could lead to feelings of inadequacy. The feelings of inadequacy were often fed by cosmetic and diet product manufactures, in which the primary objective of their advertisement campaigns were to persuade women they could improve their imperfections only by consuming their products. However the effects of media have on audience can vary due to individual differences. Audience with different personalities, pass experiences and social context interpret the messages of the media differently, in addition, different medium also provides different influence for audience, and for example, the influence of advertisement shall be strongest among the mediums, because the principle of advertising is to influence audiences behaviour and value. Ethical issues with advertising influence The internalization of an attractiveness ideal and a perception of body dissatisfaction may serve to mediate the relationship between media exposure and disordered eating (Stice et al, 1994). Media Awareness Network journal reported over three quarters of the covers of womens magazines include at least one message on how to alter and improve womans bodily appearance by cosmetic surgery or diet. The ratio of diet ads in mens and women magazine is 1: 10, in which the ratio of eating disorders in men and women is identical. This indicates a relationship between exposure to diet ads and eating disorders, however gender differences may also affect behaviour. Theories of media influence on beauty standard Social comparison theory A theoretical model using social comparison processes can be offered to explain how exposure to the socio-cultural thin and attractive ideal leads to increased body dissatisfaction (Heinberg and Thompson, 1992; Smolak et al, 1993; Thompson et al, 1991). This theory suggests that individuals make upward comparison with others who offers specific, valued attributes. It also takes individual differences into account, for example, the differences in regard of self-esteem. Mintz and Betz, 1988, conducted a research that shown female college students who felt dissatisfied with their bodies image were more likely to conform to the stereotyped body presented in the media as attractive. This theory suggested that social comparison does not only occurs through comparison with images in the media but also with social group, e.g. friends and families member. The studies of social comparison often reported positive correlation between social comparison and body dissatisfaction. Schema theory Self-schema theory envisages body images as a mental construction rather than an objective evaluation (Markus, 1977). A self schema is an individuals mental perception of the way they are. This mental presentation has established over time mainly through pass experience of what others labelled or referred them in a particular way. For example, I am attractive or I am skinny. These kinds of attributes are taken into account in self concept and self esteem. Schema have been defined as cognitive generalizations about the self, derived from pass experiences, that organize and guide the processing of self-related information contained in the individuals social experience (Markus, 1977 pp.64). According to Markus, 1997, schematics constantly evaluate stimuli that are relevant for their body weight. Media images are one of the stimuli that trigger new schemas. The buyer decision processes According to Nicosia, F. 1966, a consumer decision making process involves five stages traditionally, which are problem recognition, information search, evaluate of alternatives, product choice and outcome. Problem recognition occurs when consumer realises a significant difference between the consumers current state and the ideal state he/she desired. The consumer sees this as a problem and requires a solution to solve, when the problem has been recognised, consumer will need adequate information to resolve the problem, in which the consumer will enter the information stage. There are briefly two kind of information search, the internal search and the external search. Internal search begins when consumer search alternative product from prior experience and his/her existing knowledge on a particular product and its alternatives, external search is when consumer gathers informative from external cues, for example, friends and advertisements. Finally, the consumer will enter the stage o f evaluation of alternatives. The buyer decision model are often used in advertisements, taking the Rimmel Mascara commercial 2007 as an example, the commercial started with Kate Moss ( the famous model) putting on mascara while a male narrator saying the more you put on, the sexier you are. The commercial intend to show differences between the audience current and ideal state of desire by showing the image of Kate Moss with the Rimmel Mascara on. By using a model that majority regard her as attractive, this create an upward comparison with others who offers specific, valued attributes. This could refer to the social comparison theory. The Rimmel Mascara also offered a solution for the problem, the commercial emphasis the more Rimmel mascara the audience put on the sexier they will be. The positive reinforcement shows the cause and effect of the Rimmel mascara and this increase the likelihood of conformity. Industry background Advertising industry The United Kingdom advertising industry was worth over  £16.5 billion in 2001. There are estimated 600 agencies in London and 20 agencies among the 600 agencies are full service agencies. Agencies can be categorized as 5 distinct types of agencies Creative agencies Media agencies Direct marketing agencies Digital/online agencies Full service agencies Role of the agencies Creative agencies work on behalf of clients, develop creative ideas for an advertising campaign. Media agencies consults clients on where, when and how to spending advertising budgets. Direct marketing agencies provide clients direct and strategic communication with the target audience, for example, direct mail. Digital/online agencies profession at digital communication. For example, search engine marketing. Full service agencies combine all the services of creative, media, direct marketing, digital/online agencies. Research questions and objectives Aim To explore the methods and strategies that advertising agencies use to influence womens perception of beauty standard. Research question Which methods and strategies used my advertising agencies are more efficient to stimulate womens conformity to the presented beauty ideal? Objectives To discuss the methods and strategies used by advertising agencies to influence female beauty standard. To compare the difference, between female in the age groups of 12-18 and 21 27, their perception of beauty standard influenced by printed advertisement. To investigate the ethical issue of advertising the idealised beauty. Research methodology Research approaches Deductive approach Deductive approach is employ when a researcher develops a hypothesis that can be tested by a research strategy. Inductive approach Inductive approach is employ when researchers collects information and develops theory as a result of information analysis. Research strategies There are mainly seven research strategies that are being used in business researches. Experiment. Questionnaire. Interview. Case study. Action research. Grounded theory. Ethnography. Archival research. Sampling Statisticians have proved the larger the sample size, the nearer its distribution will be to the normal distribution, statisticians also suggested that a sample size of 30 or more will be more likely to result in a sampling distribution for the mean that is close to normal distribution. Stutely, 2003 suggested a minimum number of 30 for statistical analysis provide valuable rule of thumb for the smallest number in each group of the overall sample. Therefore the sampling size of my primary research will be 30. Strategies for my primary research Experiment Experiment is a classical form of research that owes much to the natural science, although it features strongly in much social science research, particularly psychology. The purpose of an experiment is to study casual links; whether a change in one independent variable produces a change in another dependent variable (Hakim, 2000). The experiment strategy concerns the relationship between two variables, it is often used in explanatory or exploratory research to find out why and how questions. The experiment usually takes place in a strictly controlled situation, for example, laboratory to eliminate threats to internal validity. However, whilst the strictly controlled situation enhances the internal validity, the external validity is often hard to establish, as the controlled situation is often not a real life situation. Strategies for my secondary research Multiple source secondary data Multiple source secondary data will be an amalgam of both documentary and survey secondary data. It will take account of books, journals, articles, newspaper and previous research. The secondary research will be used to cover objectives below. It will be a mixture of qualitative (theoretical) and quantitative (numerical) data. To discuss the methods and strategies used by advertising agencies to influence female beauty standard. To investigate the ethical issue of advertising the idealised beauty. The reason of using a mixture of qualitative and quantitative date is to produce that can be statistically analyse to identify relationship between variables and to have theoretical data to support my research. How the experiment will be conducted The experiment will be carrying out in order to fulfil objective two. (Compare the difference, between female in the age groups of 12-18 and 21 27, their perception of beauty standard influenced by advertisement.) The reasons of choosing the age groups of 12-18 and 21-27 are because of the significant differences in cognitive maturity. Adolescents are also more likely to conform due to the high need of social acceptance. Hypothesis Adolescents are more likely to conform to the ideal beauty presented in the media. The sampling 30 participants in each age group. Participants selected by random sampling in central London. The experiment will be conducted under a controlled situation, for example, a conference room in London. Method The method below will be repeated in both 12-18 and 21-27 age group. Divide each age group participants into experimental group and control group. Both groups will be given a survey questioning how satisfy the participant feel about their appearance. Experimental group will be given 10 printed advertisements with attractive female before they answer the survey. The control group will not be given printed advertisements before they answer the survey. Compare the results of both experimental group and control group. Statistically analysis the result of both age groups. Resources Internet access for secondary data. Library access for secondary data. Experiment will be host in the conference room of my uncles office, in which permission has been gained and cost free. Excel software to analysis primary research. Printer. Financial resources Transport fees for participants involves in primary research. Additional cost for employing participants in primary research if volunteer participants could not be found. Budget 5 pounds transportation fee for each participant. Cost of employing participant will be estimated at 10 pounds each. Total cost = 90pounds.

Impact of Inflation on Chinas Economy

Impact of Inflation on Chinas Economy Chinese inflation is rising too fast But its had another major side effect. The Chinese economy is fast overheating. All that extra liquidity is driving up prices and wages, while property values have soared. In October, the official figures showed Chinas cost of living climbing by 4.4% year-on-year. That was the fastest increase in more than two years. And the situation may be rather worse than this. Two weeks ago a pundit at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, one of the governments top think tanks, said that by its own calculations the countrys consumer price index had been understated by more than 7% over the past five years. And last week the original Dr Doom, Marc Faber, said he reckons the real Chinese inflation rate is nearer 10% a year. Whatever the exact figures, theres no doubt inflation is rising far too fast for comfort for the authorities. The Chinese central bank has been trying to cool things down gently. Five times this year its raised bank reserve requirements, which reduces the amount that lenders can lend. Yet the credit brakes are being tapped, not slammed, says the FT. The government could be more aggressive. In other words, so far the tightening hasnt had much of an impact. The workforce is getting far stroppier than it once was. Between 2007 and 2008 the latest available data labour disputes more than doubled. Food prices are already rising at 10% year-on-year. The Xinhua news agency reported last week that a basket of 18 staple vegetables cost 62% more during the first ten days of November than in the same period last year. So higher wage demands are likely to become more frequent as most of the population lives close to the edge, says the FT. In fact, its starting to look like Chinas inflation problem has now got rather out of hand. This article is talking about the inflation occurring in China and the costs that it has brought to China. This inflation has caused severe consequences to China and we will be discussing the possible solutions inflation  is a rise in the general  level of prices  of goods and services in an  economy  over a period of time. When the general price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services. Consequently, inflation also reflects an erosion in the  purchasing power  of money a loss of real value in the internal medium of exchange and unit of account in the economy. A chief measure of price inflation is the  inflation rate, the annualized percentage change in a general  price index  (normally the  Consumer Price Index) over time. Costs of inflation in China: When inflation rates are high, groups such as pensioners, households, dependent on social security benefits, stand lose to a great deal since they are often on fixed incomes. These Chinese will now be able to purchase less than before (less purchasing power), and will start to demand for higher wages. Only those with strong bargaining positions will be able to bid up for higher wages. In addition, people will be able to buy less food items than before which is a major issue because food is one of the basic necessities in human life, as in the article it has shown the the prices of food increase 10% year-to-year. Inflation causes an increase in interest rates and will therefore have a negative effect on investment and output, both of which will adversely affect employment, as in the article we can see that labour disputes have been doubled Higher inflation means that the businesses in China will have to change their prices to keep up to date on the price level. Inflation affects the foreign trade and the exchange rate. Experiencing high rates of inflation, Chinas domestic products will be less competitive internationally. As the domestic products prices increase the demand for these products will fall and therefore the demand for Chinas currency will also fall, thus affecting the exchange rate. The cause of inflation in China: The cause of inflation in Chinas economy was expansionary monetary policies and rising wages. The inflation in China was caused by cost-push inflation. It means that the cost of firms increase, in this case it is higher wages, and the firms are forced to raise prices inorder to cover the costs. Cost-push inflation If the economy demands higher wages, the higher costs of labour will shift the SRAS curve to the left from SRAS1 to SRAS2. The price level rises from P1 to P2. Higher wages increase consumption and therefore increases aggregate demand from AD0 to AD1. The increased spending (and possible expansionary policies) move the economy towards equilibrium at Yfe but at a higher price level. We have now a round of cost-push inflation. Solution: In the article, it has shown that Chinas government is trying its best to avoid this issue but it has been said that it hasnt had much of an impact. One of the possible ways of reducing inflation is by subsidizing businesses. The government can give out subsidies to business so that the businesses can reduce their costs of production. This will then encourage the businesses to lower their prices and thus avoiding inflation. The problem here is that the government will suffer a huge loss if there are many businesses to subsidize. Another possible solution is by appreciating its currency. This is because if it appreciates its currency then firms will be able to buy cheaper raw materials and therefore will have lower costs of production. Thus reducing prices of goods. It can appreciate its currency by using its foreign currency reserves to buy its own currency and this will increase the demand for its currency. Even though this method will help businesses to reduce their prices, there are also negative consequences.

database design :: essays research papers

Database Design Scenario Currently a school uses a non-computerised database system to store the following information about its students: roll class, surname, first name, guardian's name, address, student's date of birth, gender, sport house, emergency-contact telephone number, mailing name, list of subjects offered, and subjects in which the student is enrolled. The system takes up a large amount of space, has many duplicated entries some of these with mistakes and it is time consuming to search. The school intends to introduce a relational-database management system to overcome these problems. Current school data storage and retrieval system (the pre-computer database system) „h School staff, teachers and office staff are the users of the database. „h Database used to track all details of students in the school. „h Large amounts of data are stored. An individual record is required for each student. „h Lots of duplication exists as details of subjects offered by the school are duplicated on individual student records. „h Data is organised in alphabetical order on student names within years. „h Data is stored in a number of filing cabinets. Advantages „h quick to find details of a student if year and surname are known „h data is stored in a central secure location „h original source material is stored in the student file. Disadvantages „h slow to find details of students when surname and year are not known „h data storage takes up a lot of room „h minimal number of staff can access records at one time „h data is duplicated. Stages of development of the computerised relational database system The new computerised relational database system will be developed in the following stages: „h analysis „h design „h implementation „h maintenance Analysis In this stage the current system is analysed to determine the functions it performs and those that it is unable to perform. Direct and indirect users of the new system are interviewed to determine what they require from the new system. The inputs to the new system, the processes it is to perform and the outputs from the system are clearly defined. A recommendation is made about the type of new system that will be required to meet the identified needs. During the analysis stage, the following is determined: „h current storage space of student records needs to decrease „h an easily update-able backup of student records is required, „h one staff member is to be responsible for the administration of the system, „h unnecessary duplication of data is to be avoided, „h all teaching staff, office staff and the Principal need to have access to the database simultaneously - read access only is required

Zero and Asylum in the Snow by Lawrence Durrell :: Madness Psychology Durrell Essays

Zero and Asylum in the Snow by Lawrence Durrell What is madness? Is madness a brain disorder or a chemical imbalance? On the other hand, is it an expressed behavior that is far different from what society would believe is "normal"? Lawrence Durrell addresses these questions when he explores society's response to madness in his short story pair "Zero and Asylum in the Snow," which resembles the nearly incoherent ramblings of a madman. In these stories, Durrell portrays how sane, or lucid, people cannot grasp and understand the concept of madness. This inability to understand madness leads society to fear behavior that is different from "normal," and subsequently, this fear dictates how they deal with it. These responses include putting a name to what they fear and locking it up in an effort to control it. Underlying all, however, Durrell repeatedly raises the question: who should define what is mad? In line with these questions, Durrell emphasizes that the inability to understand often leads to fear. Moreover, with little or no knowledge of an event or concept, people tend to feel powerless and out of control. Without this necessary understanding, they are unable to have any influence on the situation. One such situation is madness, which is little understood, and the source of madness virtually unknown. People often fear madness, and try to avoid others who seem "weird," different, or exhibit some sign of madness. The people who fear are "poor cattle, they do not understand" ("Zero" 266), and "they will never discover†¦for they have no faith" ("Zero" 264). Durrell encourages them to put away their fears and stop looking for a logical explanation to "madness": "Come. Enter into the creative activity in which you do not need your understandings. Do not mistake truth for the possessive process any longer – ratiocination, knowledge" ("Zero" 252; emphasis added). Durrell believes that not everything needs a "rational" and "logical" explanation. Furthermore, though "madness" cannot be completely explained, it does not need to be feared. The old man in the asylum attempts to understand, "look[ing] profoundly cautious, asking questions, and gathering the answers" ("Zero" 268), and he comes close to understanding the narrator. However, his fear keeps him from grasping the truth: "For the first time there is an understanding in him, but it is hidden in fear" ("Zero" 258). Throughout the two stories, there are many instances where Durrell portrays this fear brought by a lack of understanding.

Figuring Out My World: Alison May Essay -- Disease/Disorders

Figuring Out My World: Alison May Alison’s story is the perfect example of what many families must go through when faced with the possibility of having a child diagnosed with a learning disability. Alison was not diagnosed with visual and auditory dyslexia until the summer before entering college. However, while still a toddler, her symptoms had been brought to her mother’s attention by her sister’s teacher. Alison’s mother then noticed her habits in repeating words incorrectly and how Alison would need tactile clues to follow directions. At the recommendation of her kindergarten teacher, Alison was tested for learning disabilities and the results from the school psychologists were that she was acting stubborn or disobedient. Her family did not stop with the school’s diagnosis. They had private testing completed that confirmed Alison did not have a specific learning disability. The final word came from a relative that happened to be a psychologist. He insisted Alison would grow out of her difficulties. So Alison continued on with her entire elementary, middle and high school journey as a student and daughter with an undiagnosed learning disability. Alison spent 12 years of her life learning how to learn. She was comfortable with conversation, but could not understand directions. This caused her a lot of self-esteem issues as a young child trying to fit in with all the other kids. She felt an enormous amount of pressure at both school and home. At age seven, she finally came to the realization that she just did not understand. That is when she began to develop coping mechanisms like asking others to repeat and clarify directions, spoken or written. She used the cues of those around her, and observed her classmates and reactions... ...yslexia http://www.tsrhc.org/dyslexia-take-flight.htm †¢ Intel Reader from Intel-GE Care Innovation http://www.careinnovations.com/assistive-reading-technology Agencies for Dyslexia †¢ Catapult Learning http://www.catapultlearning.com/ †¢ Children’s Dyslexia Centers of New Jersey http://www.mlcnj.org/ †¢ Dyslexia My Life http://dyslexiamylife.org/resour3.html †¢ Bridges4Kids http://www.bridges4kids.org/states/nj.htm †¢ National Disability Rights Network http://www.ndrn.org/ Organizations for Dyslexia †¢ Dyslexia International http://www.dyslexia-international.org/index.html †¢ The International Dyslexia Association http://www.interdys.org/ †¢ American Dyslexia Association http://www.american-dyslexia-association.com/ †¢ Davis Dyslexia Association International http://www.dyslexia.com/ †¢ National Center for Learning Disabilities http://www.ncld.org/

Culture adaptation and survival Essay

With communication and transportation more readily available than before, the interpenetration of cultural facets between groups have become easier if not more frequent. However, this flow of data cannot be solely attributed to the presence of devices that allow information dissemination; people take an active part whether consciously or not, in spreading and reforming cultures by their global movements and actions. This paper will look into this event, focusing on how adopting cultural features from other groups can resemble biological adaptation in that they both can lead to higher survival rates in a given environment. Historical and relevant situations gathered from related literature will be used to develop and provide grounds for this statement. Jia, Lu and Heisey posit that â€Å"globalization is not only penetrating the economic sphere but also threatening the cultural boundaries of many nations†¦ † (Jia, Lu & Heisey, 2002, p. 155). A part of the globalization trend is the influx of different peoples to different countries. Due to exposure to new environments and possibly new cultural practices, the sense of stability of the migrating peoples is compromised. According to Kim, in order to once more achieve internal equilibrium and reduce the stress the situation has affected upon them, â€Å"a person adapts by altering his or her internal conditions† (as cited in Liu, 2001, p. 14). During the nineteenth century, strong sentiments of Anglo-conformity pervaded the Americas as new immigrants came in droves. There was a strong notion that the formation of the American peoples and identity had ended and there was doubt whether the newcomers can be assimilated (Dicker, 2003, p. 44). The assumption that the immigrants had a strong desire for assimilation was not completely true. Though they did have a strong desire to acquire English and several traits of mainstream America, this is mostly to open paths to reach their goals and not for total incorporation (Dicker, p. 39). This partial cultural assimilation can be likened to temporary biological adaptations such as acclimatization; here the body’s biological functions work hard to tolerate the current environmental condition. This process is not immediate, requiring time for the body to adjust itself to the climate; such as for a climber to survive high altitude conditions, it is recommended for them to climb slowly, resting a few times (Backer, et al. , 2005, p. 223). These adaptations may be partial and temporary but they allow people moving in that environment to function and achieve their goals. Environments, whether social or natural, hold a certain amount of resources and if these are limited the existing groups compete to gain access to these. In the case of the Spanish settlers in the Americas, a tri-racial society- the Spaniards, the natives and those that were borne out of relations between the two- was created and â€Å"access to power and prestige depended on a person’s degree of acculturation† (Dicker, 2003, p. 48). According to Daniels: â€Å"An individual who spoke Spanish, wore European clothes, and ate European style food was considered, if not Spanish, not any longer Indian† (as cited in Dicker, p. 48). People had to adhere to the standards that the Spanish had set in order to gain access to resources and survive, for those that are no longer Indian were set to help manage the state (Daniels as cited in Dicker, p. 48). Grasping the basic ideas of survival of the fittest, those that are able to adjust to some current norms of the society are able to survive, have access to resources and thus achieve more reproductive success than those ostracized, cut off and with limited offspring. Kim’s theory (as cited in Liu, 2001, p. 14) assumes that â€Å"stress and growth are inseparable and that both are necessary for successful adaptation†. A culture or a species must be able to grow and adapt to surrounding cultural facets to lessen the stress that is affecting them. According to Cohen (1974, p. 3) â€Å"A population’s adaptation is its relationship to its habitat†. The population adapts when it changes key factors in itself so that the environment can be a more fitting place for them to live, such as adapting the language of the place, the standards set by those that control the resources etc. Adopting cultural features from other groups allow the people to be integrated, whether partially or completely, into that community and lessen the stress that limit them from surviving. Biological evolution is similar to this as success in here is measured by how a population manages to reproduce generations and provide for them. Backer, H. D. , Bowman, W. D. , Paton, B. C. , Steele, P. Thygerson, A. L. & Gulli, B. (2005). Wilderness first aid: emergency care for remote locations (2nd ed. ). Massachusetts, USA: Jones & Bartlett Publishers. Cohen, Y. A. (1974). Man in adaptation: the cultural present (2nd ed. ). Chicago, USA: Aldine Transaction. Dicker, S. J. (2003) Languages in America: a pluralist view (2nd ed. ). Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters. Jia, W. Lu, X. & Heisey, D. R. (2002). Chinese communication theory and research: reflections, new frontiers, and new directions. Connecticut. USA: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2002 Liu, J. (2001). Asian students’ classroom communication patterns in U. S. universities: an emic perspective. Connecticut, USA: Greenwood Publishing Group.

Employee Training & Career Development Paper Essay

Every business today wants to hire, motivate and train the most qualified employees. Every company wants to utilize these employees and place them in departments that are best suited for them and the company’s needs. This seems like an impossible goal however, this is goal is what many Human Resources departments do on an everyday basis. Human Resources provide this connection to assist in employee development to utilize each employee’s talent. Human Resources put forth the effort to increase employee improvements by providing training and development opportunities for employees to look for promotions within the organization. Job shadowing involves an employee following another employee while performing their job to see what the job is all about.† Job shadowing gives personnel chances to see first-hand the genuine job duties involved and the skill that is needed to perform the job themselves. (Wise Geek, 2011). Job shadowing works well as an in-house strategy to h elp distribute knowledge more largely in a company which, in turn, helps avoid job silos from starting and helps employees increase their expertise and skills to make their work experience more profound and pleasant. Job satisfaction plays an extremely significant role in workforce retention. (Wise Geek, 2011). Job switching is comparable to job shadowing and just like shadowing it prepares the workforce of tomorrow. It allows employees learn about different job opportunities within an agency, and it is most beneficial for offering extra job skills for employees who want to increase their knowledge through added training opportunities. It also assists in generating job back-up sources for essential positions within the company. Employees who want to learn about other jobs within the company or a different department basically switch jobs for a certain amount of time to learn more about distinctive jobs and how those different jobs intermingle to achieve company goals. (Wise Geek, 2011). Monitoring employees is another way to assist in employee development. Managers observe how an employee is progressing in their day to day tasks. This gives the manager an idea about how well the employee is progressing. Monitoring can help managers decide on what trainings are most  useful. It assists the managers to gain a relationship with the employee while giving on going feedback. It shows an employee that the manager cares about the success of the employee. If a manager did not monitor and give feedback it will then show a lack of interest and the employee will inherit that type of attitude as well. (Wohner, 2011). Many companies face the task of employee development with developing greater confidence, creativity, solutions-finding, and problem solving abilities amongst their employees. Companies need employees at all levels to be more adequate, ingenious, imaginative and independent. This attitude allows employees to perform at higher tactical level, which makes their company more industrious and aggressive. Employee’s efforts will create bigger results. It’s what all companies make every effort to succ eed. (Levine, 2011). For many companies these methods above would assist in helping a company be competitive and successful. However, these methods will not assist an employee to gain courage, maintain a belief in the company and these methods will not help in the maturity of the employee. This is where a company needs to focus on the personality of the employee and not the skills that the job requires. Every employee has a different personality, if a company y can recognize that then they can build up the confidence in their employees. For myself, managers who tell me that they believe I can do it really does not motivate me, they sound more like my mother. If a manger praises my work after I finish a project, then I become more motived to do the best I can. It is all about identifying different personalities. (Levine, 2011). Companies need to deliver learning and experiences that their employees would like for their own individual interest, progress and satisfaction. Performance and proficiency are reliant on the employee’s attitude and emotional maturity. Companies can help their employees to accomplish what they want on a personal level, and this offers a stage for trust, ’emotional contracting’ with the organization, and following skills, processing, knowledge growth pertinent to managing higher responsibilities, and teams. (About.com, 2011). The company that I work for has a program they offer every January call the Fellows Program. This is a program that is offered to college student who are in the junior or senior year. This program allows the student to see opportunities that Olympus is offering. College students can apply for a job within the company, however there is a catch. A college  student must take a job for two years. Within those years they are assigned a department for 6 months. After those 6 months the college student is moved to another department and this is the process for two years. By performing this program, Olympus is grooming their future employees. Most of these college students start to gain relationships and they become comfortable after working with us for two years. Most of the Fellows will stay with the company. This program is successful for the student who did not have to look for a job after graduating, and the company gains an employee that they molded to become successful. In my own career development, I was told early on that if people want to help or give suggestions to me then take it. I tried to act like a sponge and soak up all the information that I possibly could, and I still do to this day. If I am struggling with a project and an employee wants to assist me I allow it. I watch how they perform and I ask questions. I find that this way of learning is where I become most successful. You can tell me how to perform a task all you want however, if you take the time to show me, I will then pick up the knowledge of the task in half the time. Whenever I am offered training I make sure I sign up for it. Sometimes it has been difficult to receive constructive feedback however through time I have learned to deal with it. In 5 years I would like to see myself out of the corporation I work for. I really like working for small companies, these bigger corporations tend to treat employees like numbers. When I worked for a smaller company I knew who had kids, who was still in school, who just got married, it was a personal experience. The corporation I work for looks at employees as numbers, not people. References About.com. (2011). ..Training, Development, and Education for Employees. Retrieved from http://humanresources.about.com/od/training/Training_Development_and_Education_for_Employees.htm Levine, L. (2011). Strengthen Your Business by Developing Your Employees. All Business. Retrieved from http://www.allbusiness.com/human-resources/employee-development/1240-1.html Wise Geek. (2011). What is Job Shadowing?. Retrieved from http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-job-shadowing.htm Wohner, N. (2011). How to Monitor Employee Performance. eHow. Retrieved from