Research Articles Base: Sample Research Paper

Sample Quantitative Research Survey on Child Language Development

Growth and Development in ECE                               Abstract             In this literature review present a survey of the studies on child development particularly on language development. The studies presented in this review all employed quantitative method of research. That is why quantitative method was also assessed.                                     It is evident that the researches in child development present the main concerns and methodological tendencies were there in the early stage of their development (Benson:2003). It seems that most methodical efforts to study child development and their behavior centered basically on particular traits and capacity. There have been studies on child development that focused on the language development of a child. Most of these studies used a variety of methods in examining a child’s sentence formation, normally samples of all-day conversations of advanced children. Mcdonald (2002) conducted a vocabulary test and tried to evaluate a 1-hr discussions of nursery-school children, however the groups cannot be considered to be a representative of the population.               While Hayne (2000) and Bjorklund (2001), investigated and studied the language development of a child. They have series of continuous discussions of a large population of children that were randomly chosen. The studies carefully evaluated the different factors of a child’s language development, the importance of language in the child’s life, the changes in the length of sentences, the complexity of sentence structure and the proportions of the different parts of speech that occur in the material. Both studies employed quantitative research. They conducted observation individually in a child’s home, a place that is very familiar to a child, like his classroom. They recorded verbal responses for each child and gave sample of the child’s stage of linguistic development in a relatively short period of time.             Another study also used quantitative method in examining a child’s use of words to communicate his ideas to others (Huttenlocher:2002) . The study proved that in eighteen months, a child could communicate with the people around him only by crying and gestures. At the age of four a child is very sociable through using language to communicate his needs and desires, both physically and intellectually. Studies employing quantitative methods has conventionally centered on either infancy or preschool age of a child (Huttenlocher:2002) . There are two significant views on development emerged. However, these studies with preschoolers have painted the errors and failures of children in this age level. Some researchers concluded that quantitative method is limited in studying child development.             Children are often the “victims” of child development research. In order to avoid this, researchers must impose ethical consideration before administering their studies. So far, all studies above seek the consents of their respondents’ parents and school administrators. They informed them the following: the nature of research and the possible risks of the research.                                   Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Sample Quantitative Research Survey on Child Language Development

Growth and Development in ECE Abstract In this literature review present a su...

Sample research paper on Hong Kong’s family-controlled business firms

Many listed companies in HK are family-controlled businesses. Is proposed regulation to improve corporate governance the way to go or are the rules too stringent? Discuss.   I. Introduction             Family-controlled businesses continue to thrive in the contemporary competitive environment but challenges also emerge, which means that while a number of successful family-controlled enterprises succeed, these also have to deal with many problems linked with the nature of family-controlled firms. Family-controlled business firms have similarities and differences with firms that are not family owned. Similarities include corporate governance, corporate social responsibility, and adherence to regulations. Regulations guide and support the resolution of issues experienced by family-controlled purposes to motivate these enterprises to improve management and operations as well as protect investors and other stakeholders. Differences encompass decision-making, succession, and other facets of management. Family members primarily manage family-controlled business firms so that the decision-making process would likely revolve around the familial culture of the owners. Succession would also follow the family tradition. These differences in the nature of family-controlled businesses created the issue of regulation. The concern is compliance with the management of family-controlled business firms in a manner that balances the interests of various stakeholders and not just the family. The purpose of regulations for family-controlled business firms is to protect the interest of other stakeholders based on the assumption that there is a tendency for family values and culture to overshadow the interest of other stakeholders. The issue of whether to improve regulation of family-controlled business firms involves the balance of socio-cultural factors influencing management with regulations to ensure accountability and transparency of corporate governance.             Family-controlled business firms in Hong Kong are of interest because most business firms in Hong Kong whether small or large are family-controlled companies. Apart from the proliferation of family-controlled business firms in Hong Kong, the familial culture is also clear or distinct. The family culture is traditionally patriarchal with the head of the family also comprising the head of the business and succession in the family aligns with succession in the business. Other family-based practice, quantity translates to networking in business. Socio-political networks of the family likely comprise the business network of the family-controlled business. As such, the proximity or alignment of family culture with business firms creates an environment that would provide insight into whether to regulate family-controlled business firms to improve corporate governance. The resolution of the issue involves an understanding of the operations of family-controlled business firms in Hong Kong, identification of the corporate governance problems encountered by family-controlled business firms in Hong Kong, determination of the appropriateness of regulation in improving corporate governance, and consideration of all the implications that this could have on family-controlled firms.              In this light, the research seeks to look into the issues of regulating family-controlled businesses particularly in relation to corporate governance, which is the area where problems commonly arise. Hong Kong constitutes the jurisdiction in focus because of the unique position of family-controlled businesses providing a context for an insightful investigation. The discussion commences with the definition and conceptualisation of family-controlled business firms, the issues arising from family-controlled business firms, the detailed consideration of the issue of regulation to improve corporate governance, and the conclusions on the implementation of regulation to improve corporate governance in Hong Kong family-controlled business firms. II. Nature of Family-Controlled Businesses             A. Definition of Family-Controlled Businesses             There remains a dilemma ( 2002) in defining family-controlled business firms because of the differences in opinion on the criteria or elements of conceptualisation. The initial consensus on the definition of family-controlled business firms revolved around demographic factors including the number of members of the family forming part of the management of the firm or the percentage of control or ownership of the family. However, these elements are not sufficient to encompass family-owned business firms. Although, there are many family members involved in the management of the business or majority of control is with a family, these do not necessarily explain issues in family business such as corporate governance practices.             As such, (2005) pointed out the consensus that demographic factors such as the number of family members in the management team or the extent of control are not sufficient to describe the nature of family-controlled businesses. Many elements emerged to describe these types of enterprises.  (2005) introduced intention and involvement as elements of family control of a business. Intention pertains to the plan of the family over the management and operations of the business. Even if there are many family members managing the firm, this may not be a family-controlled business when the intention is to offer for public bidding, majority of shares in the company. Involvement refers to the extent, measured by time and effort, exerted by members of the family in the business. A company, although owned by a family, may not fall as family-controlled business with assignment of management to non-family members. However, considering intention and involvement as the elements of the definition of family-controlled business firms led to the consideration of the factors that distinguish family firms as well as the reasons for the existence of family firms.            (2005) discussed influence and vision as determinants of the family owned firms. Although, these point to different but related aspects,2008) explained that these elements fall under strategic control. Strategic control finds expression in the manner of passing the business through the generations. If succession of business leadership passes from one generation to another member of the family, then the company is a family-controlled business. Succession within the family reflects the involvement of the family in the business as well as the intention for the management of the company. Involvement in the daily operations of the business also comprises an aspect of strategic control. As such, there are also overlaps in the elements comprising the definition of family-controlled business firms so that combining elements could be the key to developing a working definition of family-controlled business firms.             By combining the definitions, family-controlled business firms have a number of elements, which are 1) family ownership, 2) involvement in daily operations, 3) inter-generational transfer, 4) family influence, and 5) family control. As elements of family-controlled business firms, these comprise the determinants of family-controlled business firms relative to firms not controlled by a family. Regardless of whether the business is small, medium or large, these elements determine family-controlled business.             B. Distinguishing Characteristics             There are differences in characteristics of family business between small and medium with large business firms that could be public firms. Since the purpose of the paper is to focus on the imposition of regulation to improve corporate governance, the more important context refers to large public companies. This is because of the inclusion of shareholders have strong implications on corporate governance. This implies that the issue of regulation to improve corporate governance may not be applicable to all family-owned business firms or applicable in varying extents. The distinction of family-controlled business firms below focus on companies that have offered shares to the public.             Strategic control factors such as agency relations ( 2003) and resource control ( 2003) are the encompassing distinguishing factors for a family-controlled business. A number of control factors that differentiate family-controlled from non-family-controlled business firms. First is the control of the top 20 shareholders. This means that looking at the concentration of the top 20 shareholders of public firms determines whether the company is family-controlled. A family-controlled business firm means family members form part of the top 20 shareholders and control majority of the shares. Second is the number of shareholders. If there are only a few shareholders, the ratio of family members to non-family members who are shareholders should be close. This means that many family members are shareholder but even if only a few members of the family holding shares, the percentage of shares held by the family should be substantial. Third is the value of paid up capital relative to share ownership so that the value of paid up capital from family members who are shareholders should be high enough relative to share ownership to imply control over the company. Fourth refers to the spread of shareholders or shares so that the concentration of share ownership to family members makes the company a family-controlled business. Fifth is the chairperson, so that the chairpersons and for the duration of the business should be family members and the extent of influence of chairpersons should be strong to distinguish the company as family-owned. Sixth is the board of directors so that more family members holding positions in the board or family members exercising significant influence in the board make the business family-controlled. Seventh, is the management team led or substantially controlled by family members so that the family exercise influence not only the strategic decision-making but also daily operations. Eight is continuity of control so that the control of the company exerted by family members should persist to make the firm a family-controlled company. Control of shares of the company implies control of resource utilization because controlling interest held by the family enables influence of decisions (, 2003) on the allocation of resources or areas for investment. III. Dynamics of Family-Controlled Businesses in Hong Kong             A. Historical and Socio-Cultural Emergence of Family-Controlled         Businesses               The family constitutes the foundation of Hong Kong society so that the business environment in Hong Kong rests upon the dynamics of the family ( 1995). It is not surprising for most business firms in Hong Kong to be family owned because family relations transcend into business relations so that business practices align with family values and norms. Moreover, life in Hong Kong revolves around the family so that the members of the family commit to upholding loyalty, obligation and respect of the family, the family name, the family’s legacy ( 2004). This explains the majority control of shares in listed companies or majority control of firm decision-making and operations in other types of Hong Kong business format and structure.             (2001) explained that two concepts explain the proliferation of family-controlled business firms in Hong Kong. One is the flexibility in resource management. The establishment of a family business depends on the availability of capital and operating a family business offers flexibility in the area of capitalisation. Many family businesses start with whatever capital the family has and expands depending on the availability of capital. The business strategy is guerrilla entrepreneurship that is very hands on. Another is the minimisation of costs. Family business firms in Hong Kong involve the strong participation of family members and this decreases business costs because during the start-up family members may not receive compensation until after profit comes in. These benefits of operating a family business comprise the competitive advantages of family business in Hong Kong. In addition, (2004) explained that many Hong Kong residents, owing to their socio-cultural roots are hard working, competitive, and with strong commercial instincts resulting to the establishment of many family businesses.             The combination of socio-economic factors of the Hong Kong culture together with business start-up and management benefits explains the proliferation of family-controlled business firms in Hong Kong.             B. Trends in Family-Controlled Businesses             Statistical data on the number of family-owned business firms in Hong Kong or growth overtime do not form part of the annual statistical research for Hong Kong. This is because of the fluidity of family businesses, especially small firms. Keeping track of statistical trends is highly impossible. However, it is accepted that most of the small, medium and large firms in Hong Kong are family-controlled firms. The leading firms in the Hong Kong Stock Exchange are family-controlled companies. Six of the largest companies in Hong Kong relative to the amount of capitalisation are family-controlled firms. ( 2004)             In relation to family businesses that are also listed companies,  (2004) explained that insiders commonly control 51.5 percent of the top 100 family-controlled companies in Hong Kong. This ratio of shareholdings is necessary to influence decision-making and resource control in the company. Among Hong Kong listed companies, the trend is to keep more than 50 percent or majority of shares within the family to continue control.  (2006) confirm this by stating that most of the listed companies in Hong Kong that are also family-controlled are controlled by the families by retaining more than 50 percent of shares. This falls within the rules of the Stock Exchange for the minimum free float is 25 percent. As such, many family-controlled firms offer shares enough to reach the minimum but sell more only as needed for investment and expansion purposes. The management of listed family-controlled firms usually falls under the responsibility of the founder of the business or generational successors. Family members also hold strong representation in the board so that family members normally hold the positions of Chairman of the board or chief executive officer (CEO).             C. Role of Family-Controlled Businesses in the Economy             Apart from the fact that the leading large firms in Hong Kong are family-controlled, which means strong influence of families in Hong Kong’s economic growth,  (1996) explained that the Hong Kong government also recognises the importance of small family-controlled businesses in sustaining the Hong Kong economy. In fact, the government formed the  to take responsibility for the design and provision of management trainings for current and prospective owners of small firms. The importance accorded to family-controlled businesses is because of the impact on the economic growth, employment, and household income. Most of the business firms in Hong Kong are family-controlled, which means that economic growth lies in the hands of family entrepreneurs. As such, the government creates and sustains a business environment conducive to the growth of family businesses as well as implement sufficient regulations favourable to the growth of family-controlled business firms. Growth in family-business firms translates to overall economic growth. Thriving family businesses create employment that in turn brings income not only to the family controlling the business but also to the families of employees. Household income supports greater spending or purchases of the products and services of business firms. In effect, by supporting the growth of family businesses, the Hong Kong government ensures a continuous cycle of growth. This implies that in relation to the issue of regulating family-controlled businesses, this would necessarily consider the impact on sustaining growth of family businesses to support overall economic growth. IV. Issues in Family-Controlled Businesses             A. Corporate Governance             Corporate governance refers to the policies, processes and systems that address the interests of various stakeholders with application in the direction and control of activities and the manner of doing activities in the company. Corporate governance revolves around good business practice and integrity. (2001) Corporate governance is a result of internal development of management practices. Although developed internally, effective corporate governance find basis on external factors such as market trends, industry best practice, and regulations or laws. The adoption of corporate governance is important because this has implications on the share price of the company as well as cost in raising investments. Corporate governance also applies to family-controlled firms, especially listed companies. Corporate governance issues relative to family-controlled firms focus on the extent that the management practices in the company address the interests of various stakeholders.             (2006) described an issue on corporate governance, experienced by family-controlled business firms in Hong Kong, as the entirety of the concerns of minority or outside investors constituting a challenge to family-controlled business firms to exercise good corporate governance. Family-controlled business firms are prone to enrichment in the interest of the family. As such, decisions are likely in pursuance of activities that would support family enrichment. On one hand, this could also beneficial to stakeholders since enrichment of the family comes from enrichment of the business since the source of income of the family is the business. This means that the interests of stakeholders to ensure business growth coincide with family enrichment interest. On the other hand, even with business growth, the interest of family enrichment could translate into issues such as accountability with the family monopolising the profit to the detriment of the interest of other stakeholders. The emergence of these issues depends on the corporate governance of the company.             Majority control of the family in corporate affairs meant the concentration of power on the family giving them control of decision-making and actions that benefit the family but could be detrimental to minority shareholders (2006). This gives rise to the issue of regulation to obligate family-controlled businesses to comply with regulatory provisions, by integrating these into corporate governance, which extend protection to minority shareholders and ensure that family decisions balance the interest of the family and other business stakeholders.              (2006) also discussed the issue of corporate governance in terms of the pay of company officers or executives. Results of the study made by the authors showed the decreasing trend in the pay received by top executives as their shares or stake in the company increases. This means that an executive director receives lesser pay in accumulating more shareholdings. On one hand, this could represent a compensating process with greater stake in the company offset by the decrease in pay. On the other hand, this could also represent a de-motivation for effective corporate governance. In addition, the pay of top executives are based on profits and not on stock returns so that stock ownership may not actually be an effective offset for the decrease in pay. This is different from the practice in other countries of basing the pay of top executives on corporate performance. This emerges as a corporate governance issue since the performance of the company and the protection of interests depends on top executives motivated to ensure the company’s good performance.           (2004) explained that board structure also constitutes an issue of corporate governance in family-controlled business firms for purposes of accountability. In Hong Kong, the Chairman of the board is commonly the CEO of the company, which means that the person holding the position becomes accountable to himself. This gives rise to the potential issue of abuse of power by the Chairman and CEO. Being accountable to one’s self means holding a position of power with limited checks. This could create issues in effective corporate governance since accountability forms part of regulations for family-controlled corporations.              (2004) also mentioned transparency and disclosure as corporate governance issues in family-controlled firms. Since majority of control rests in the owner family in many Hong Kong business firms, disclosure and transparency could become an issue, especially on the part of minority shareholders. Since family-controlled business firms follow the patriarchal family system, it can happen that not all members of the family know the decisions of the head of the family. The same applies in business firms. There is a risk that other stakeholders of family-controlled business firms may not know about decisions. Most Hong Kong firms rely on positive reputation in selecting auditing firms since this increase the semblance of transparency. However, this does not guaranty the extent of disclosure since the code for best practices are not mandatory in application to Hong Kong firms. This could become a deciding issue in regulating family-controlled businesses to improve corporate governance.             B. Succession             (2001) defined succession as the process involving the transference of managerial control of a family-controlled business firm from a member of the family to another. This encompasses the period in between the time when the dominant coalition of the family expresses the intent to go about succession until the period when the incumbent family member holding leadership position actually relinquishes the position to the selected successor. The dominant coalition could be only one person, siblings, or other family groupings. Succession has an impact on the leadership and management of the family-controlled business since a change in leadership could mean a change in corporate governance and other policies. Since succession is predominantly a family matter in family-owned business firms, the process of succession and the selected successor could operate to the detriment of the interests of other stakeholders.            (2008) discussed problems in intra-family succession that are primarily due to the lack of consideration or preparation of succession. This is especially so when the succession happens because of catalysts such as decline in firm performance or loss of key investors or business partners. These trigger succession that in turn leads to the problem selecting successors. The failure of intra-family succession is commonly due to lack of determination of the qualities, expectations and roles of the successor together with poor assessment of the needs and abilities of the successor. This becomes an issue of corporate governance because of the need for the development of policies on succession as part of corporate governance. This is necessary in order to operate in case of immediate need for transitions in leadership or management. However, the process of succession could also lead to problems, especially when other stakeholders do not agree with the process.              (2008) also explained that conflicts in selecting the family member to succeed the incumbent family member could lead to problems such as when a number of family members compete for the position. This could divide the family-controlled businesses and division does no good for the business or the interests of stakeholders. As previously mentioned, the selection of a successor should fall under the ambit of corporate governance. This means that there should be a formal process of selection and screening even if the succession is also a family matter. In the case of listed companies, the actions of the family affecting the business also affect stakeholders so that to prevent unfair practice, corporate governance practices known and acceptable to various stakeholders become necessary.             Succession constitutes a separate issue from corporate governance but this is also linked to corporate governance in terms of the composition and cohesiveness of top executives since the board may not favour the successor, decision-making with a different composition, and accountability practices among the top executives. Succession, especially intergenerational change in leadership could cause conflicts in corporate governance ( 2008).  As such, the issue of regulation to improve corporate governance necessarily considers the development of internal policies on succession based on regulations or laws and best practices that considers the interests of various stakeholders.             C. Conflict Management and Decision-Making                             (2008) discussed the issue of the cognitive and relation-based conflict emerging during decision-making among family members. Family members making business decisions are caught in the intertwine between familial obligations and business duties that could affect decisions and outcomes for the various stakeholders. Again, regulation emerges as a concurrent issue by providing guidelines in corporate conflict resolution and the degree of family participation or influence in decision-making. In Hong Kong, where family obligation is strong, conflicts of this nature often emerge with concurrent strength that challenges the role and sufficiency of regulations to ensure effective corporate governance based on the context of family-controlled business firms in Hong Kong.            (2008) explained the maintenance of trust among the family as an issue for family-controlled business firms. There is a positive relationship between the degree of trust among family members and business growth. However, a number of conflict also arise because of the duality of the relationship of the family members as family and as business owners involving different although linked interests and perspectives. These complex problems affect trust. This has an indirect impact on effective corporate governance since issues of accountability, disclosure, and transparency fall under the ambit of trust.             D. Corporate Social Responsibility             (2008) explained that the corporate social responsibility practice of family-controlled companies depend on three factors including commitment to the community, support of the community, and sense of community. These three factors then determine the corporate social responsibility practice that matches community expectations and creates a positive perception of the family and the company in the community. This then benefits the company in terms of social and business networks. This means that family-controlled firms usually developed a sense of good business practice based on community culture.             Nevertheless, this could also give rise to the issue of inconsistency between the developed sense of good business practice and regulations or standards. The dilemma relates to the issue of corporate governance because of the conflict that could arise between the good business practice developed by the company based on community culture and the regulations for corporate governance.             E. Performance (Profitability)          (2005) explained that family ownership affects performance following a pattern of ‘entrenchment-alignment-entrenchment’. This means that family-controlled companies primarily managed by proxies could negatively affect performance because of problems in balancing interests in the achievement of goals. When the role of the family is balanced, the impact on performance strengthens. If the role of the family on the firm becomes stronger, then the effect on performance declines. The implication on family-controlled business firms in Hong Kong is to enhance effective corporate governance practices with strong control of the business in order to address entrenchment.            (2008) discussed strategic planning as an issue for family-controlled business firms. Many family-controlled business firms have informal structures, which mean limited focus on strategic planning and management as means of facilitating performance. Lack of strategic planning explains some of the problems experienced by family-controlled business firms that adversely affect performance. This affects effective corporate governance indirectly since strategic planning has close links with corporate leadership. IV. Regulation of Family-Controlled Businesses (15)             A. Assessment of Family-Controlled Business Regulations             (2000) discussed the regulatory framework of Hong Kong for corporate governance as comprised of statutory and non-statutory provisions. The statutory provisions include the Companies Ordinance, Takeover Codes, Securities (Insider Dealing) Ordinance, and Securities (Disclosure of Interest) Ordinance. The non-statutory regulations include all provisions under the Listing Rules encompassing the composition of the board, independent and non-independent directors, items for disclosure, disclosure processes, and other related issues.             Assessment of these regulations in terms of impact and effectiveness would provide insight into regulations on corporate governance for family-controlled business firms.             B. Proposed Regulation             This section provides a discussion of the proposed regulation for family-controlled business firms in Hong Kong particularly the provisions and the areas of corporate governance affected.             C. Advantages or Benefits of Regulation             This section discusses the benefits of regulation to family-controlled business firms.             D. Disadvantages or Downsides of Regulation This section discusses the drawbacks of regulation to family-controlled business firms.             E. Weighing Options and Alternatives             This section provides an analysis of issues felt by family-controlled business firms in Hong Kong together with regulatory options and alternatives in the context of Hong Kong as well as in the general business context. V. Conclusion             A. Summary             This section summarises the discussion including all pertinent points raised in the paper.             B. Conclusion             This section considers implications for family-controlled business firms in Hong Kong together with generalisations for all family-controlled business firms.             C. Recommendations             This section provides recommendations on the limitations in scope of the discussion and areas for future study.     Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Sample research paper on Hong Kong’s family-controlled business firms

Many listed companies in HK are family-controlled businesses. Is proposed regulation to improve corporate governance the way to go or are...

Research Paper on Kenya’s Developments, Achievements, and Difficulties since Independence

Kenya’s Developments, Achievements, and Difficulties since Independence   It is consistently reported that African countries gained independence in the wake of World War II, in an economic and intellectual environment altered by the Great Depression and the coming out of the Soviet Union as an industrial authority.[1] There are many English-speaking countries in the Sub-Saharan African (SSA) region because the British colonial administration. Among these countries include Kenya as among those having the highest level of colonial culture including in its politics, economy and social dynamics.[2] Accordingly, Kenya in terms of geography is conveniently divided into five broad and contiguous regions namely: 1) the Lake Victoria basin, 2) the Central rift and associated highlands, 3) the eastern plateau foreland, 4) the coast region and 5) the semi-arid, Northern, Northeastern and Southern Kenya.[3] Kenya gained its full independence as a country on December 12, 1963, with a unitary form of government, and Jomo Kenyatta as the first president (until his death in 1978).[4] Up to date, Kenya is making history in terms of its remarkable development in politics, economy, society, and its people. This paper discusses the political, economic, and social developments and achievements. It also identifies the difficulties that hinder total development.   Political, economic and social developments and achievements of Kenya As identified, Kenya holds a unitary form of government. The founding governments of newly liberated African countries back then are highly ambitious in terms of their views of what governments could and should carry out in the service of modernization. But Kenya, under the rule of Kenyatta vary qualitatively from other countries like Ghana (under Nkrumah), Tanzania, and Zambia in the status attached to markets and private accumulation as opposed to direct controls and government regulation in the development process. Like Botswana and Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya varies in terms of the importance credited to international markets and foreign private capital in the development process. These differences continue to distinguish episodes both within and across countries throughout the post-independence period.[5] In terms of politics, a single party known as KANU ruled national politics from Kenya’s independence in late 1963 until the elections of December 2002. This resulted to the first democratic transformation of government in Kenya’s history as an independent state and one of the few democratic changes of government in Africa.[6] In earlier years, tribal tensions exploited by politicians have frequently erupted into conflicts leading to killing of thousands of people particularly during the early 1990s.[7] Changes in the government are focused on political, economic, and social aspects and are said to be directed towards the progressive aims for the country and its people. Kenya is among the large economies in the African region specifically in the East.[8] Kenya’s economy is heavily dependent on agriculture, especially low priced cash crops such as coffee and tea, and few mineral-based natural resources, and most of its industrial output is for local consumption.[9] The latest performance of African stock markets also promises well for financial globalization. In terms of economy, the Kenyan stock market (including the Arab Republic of Egypt, Ghana, Mauritius, Nigeria, and Uganda) performed extraordinarily well, earning returns of more than 50 percent in 2006. Kenya (like Mozambique, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia) shares a modern legacy of comprehensive policies to open economy to trade and foreign investment. Only Kenya and Senegal have avoided severe disruption to their established business communities since independence, through revolutions and civil conflict (Mozambique and Uganda), or socialist development and widespread nationalization (Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zambia).[10] Kenya is a natural pattern in forming regional stock exchange in East Africa. Agriculture and other agricultural potential were expected to be harnessed to accomplish national development aspirations. The agricultural origins of early Kenyan leaders help explain the more supportive stance toward agriculture in the country. In Kenya, a long history of entrepreneurship is reflected in strong potential factory-floor productivity; however, high costs and losses hamper competitiveness. Today, Kenya is very promising in terms of tourism development. The Kenyan tourism industry is a major element of the country’s economy, regarded as the third largest source of the country’s foreign exchange earnings (after coffee and tea), and one of Kenya’s principal providers of employment.[11] In social aspects, Kenya holds an estimated population of 37 million people as according to CIA – The World Factbook. The African population of Kenya consists of 42 tribes who cherish their own values even when lumped into larger ethnic groups, which the colonial administration invented.[12] Since then, Kenya became a country of various races and nationalities where the biggest segment of the African population has coexisted with Americans, Arabs, Asian migrants (including Indians, Pakistanis and other Asiatics), Europeans, and other Africans and non-Africans nationalities. With the unity of various races and nationalities, several factors including the tolerance of the state-run government, peace and prosgress in the first three decades of independence, centrality of the country’s capital in the North-South and West-East trade and communications system, and the existence of many offices of international organizations (i.e. United Nations agencies, NGOs and foreign missions), Kenya has become the home country that is subjected with dynamic global changes towards political, economic, and social development.   Difficulties encountered Kenya suffered an extended period of poor governance.[13] Since Kenya gained independence from Britain in 1963, economic growth has been destabilized by prevalent corruption in the government, crumbling infrastructure and inefficiency. These problems are not just experienced by Kenya but most countries in the African region. Also, these problems resulted to disadvantageous position of the country and its economic industries. There are problems in infrastructures that are not given special attention. Budget allocations to roads and railways, seaports and airports are corrupted, which results to poor conditions of road and railway links that hamper accessibility and mobility of people and their products. Other infrastructure, services, and utilities, including electrical and water services, are not always reliable. For instance in May 2003, severe storms and flooding damaged dams and water supply pipelines servicing the capital Nairobi, resulting in water shortages in the city.[14] Similar problems occur from time to time.[15] These problems do not only affect people but also several industries like the business and tourism sectors. Kenya is one of the few parliamentary democracies on the African continent, although political opposition was severely curtailed during the presidency of Daniel Arap Moi whose KANU Party ruled between 1978 and 1992.[16] Political instability and conflict are among the difficulties being faced. The country and its people have suffered many social and economic problems, while corruption and inefficiency became entrenched in Kenyan public and economic life.[17] Kenya has one of the world’s highest mortality rates from malaria, AIDS and other epidemics. This is among the past and the present obstacle towards development. Despite the high mortality rate from epidemic diseases, the population is amongst the fastest growing among other African countries. Similarly, poverty in the Sub-Sahara African countries like Kenya has been and still is a serious problem that hinders progress. Since independence, the Kenyan government has been committed to fighting poverty through various programs, policies, and initiatives. There are also aids and other helps from international institutions varying from economical to humanitarian nature. However, despite these efforts, poverty continues to escalate to higher level and this makes it even harder to implement poverty alleviation programs, policies, and initiatives. In Kenya, especially in the 1990s, the significant decline in economic growth was attributed to the decrease in tourism activity over the same period.[18] Due to the increase in poverty, several multinational and local organizations have joined the government in its efforts towards poverty alleviation. One strategy that has been proposed, especially by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), is the sustainable livelihoods approach – an approach to poverty alleviation that is derived from people’s capacity to access options and resources and use them to earn a living in such a way as not to foreclose for others, either now or in the future.[19] Macroeconomic data confirm that African countries tend to be “high-cost”.[20] The firm-level estimates confirm that high costs are reducing industrial competitiveness. Countries like Kenya that have been able to diversify into manufactured exports tend to have low cost levels relative to purchasing price parity predictions and lower indirect costs. It is also identified that the most daunting puzzle in the African growth experience is the failure of its coastal, resource-poor economies to participate in the explosion of manufactured exports from developing countries that occurred in the last quarter of the twentieth century.[21] This is similarly applicable to the case of Kenya. The global evidence suggests that countries such as Kenya, Mauritius, and Senegal faced very favorable growth opportunities during this period but are not able to grab such. Similarly, ethnic and structural cleavages in business sectors also have implications for the political economy of reform. Poor business environments generate entry barriers that provide larger firms with anticompetitive rents. Firms that might push for reform are therefore faced with a choice between a hostile business environment that they have learned to negotiate and an unknown situation with potentially large increases in entry and competition. These difficulties presented are among the focus of the Kenyan government particularly in devising other national programs, policies, and initiatives directed towards eventual progress and development.   Bibliography Akumu, G. (2003). Expect worse effects of climate change. The Nation Nairobi. May 16, p. 2.   Bourguignon, F. & Pleskovic, B. (Eds.) (2006). Annual World Bank Conference On Development Economics, 2006: Growth and Integration. New York, NY: World Bank.   Jones, E. & Haven, C. (2005). Tourism SMEs, Service Quality, and Destination Competitiveness. Wallingford, UK, Cambridge, MA CABI Publishing.   Kritzer, H. M. (2002). Legal Systems of the World: A Political, Social, and Cultural Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO.   Laws, E., Prideaux, B. & Chon, K. S. (Eds.) (2007). Crisis Management in Tourism. Wallingford, UK/Cambridge, MA: CABI Publishing.   Oucho, J. O. (2002). Undercurrents of Ethnic Conflicts in Kenya. Boston: Brill.   Phombeah, G. (2002). Moi’s Legacy to Kenya. BBC World. 5 December.   Sindiga, I. and Kanuna, M. (1999). Unplanned tourism development in sub-Saharan Africa with special reference to Kenya. Journal of Tourism Studies, 10, p. 25–39.   Yeats, A. J. (1998). What Can Be Expected from African Regional Trade Arrangements? Some Empirical Evidence. World Bank Working Paper 2004. Washington, DC: The World Bank. 	   		                		[1] 		Bourguignon, F. & Pleskovic, B. (Eds.) (2006). Annual World Bank 		Conference On Development Economics, 2006: Growth and Integration. 		New York, NY: World Bank, p. 38. 		  		 		 		[2] 		Oucho, J. O. (2002). Undercurrents of Ethnic Conflicts in Kenya. 		Boston: Brill, p. 35. 		  		                		[3] 		Ibid., p. 38. 		  		 		 		[4] 		Kritzer, H. M. (2002). Legal Systems of the World: A Political, 		Social, and Cultural Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, p. 		823 		                		[5] 		Bourguignon, F. & Pleskovic, B. (2006). Annual World Bank Conference 		On Development Economics, 2006: Growth and Integration, op. cit., p. 		38. 		  		                		[6] 		Laws, E., Prideaux, B. & Chon, K. S. (Eds.) (2007). Crisis Management 		in Tourism. Wallingford, UK/Cambridge, MA: CABI Publishing, p. 		286-87. 		  		                		[7] 		Kritzer, H. M. (2002). Legal Systems of the World: A Political, 		Social, and Cultural Encyclopedia op. cit., p. 823. 		  		                		[8] 		Yeats, A. J. (1998). What Can Be Expected from African Regional Trade 		Arrangements? Some 		Empirical Evidence. World Bank Working Paper 2004. Washington, 		DC: The World Bank. 		  		                		[9] 		Laws, E., Prideaux, B. & Chon, K. S. (Eds.) (2007). Crisis Management 		in Tourism, op. cit., p. 286-87. 		  		                		[10] 		Bourguignon, F. & Pleskovic, B. (2006). Annual World Bank Conference 		On Development Economics, 2006: Growth and Integration, op. cit., p. 		203. 		  		                		[11] 		Laws, E., Prideaux, B. & Chon, K. S. (Eds.) (2007). Crisis Management 		in Tourism, op. cit., p. 286-87. 		                		                		[12] 		Oucho, J. O. (2002). Undercurrents of Ethnic Conflicts in Kenya, 		p. 38. 		                		[13] 		Bourguignon, F. & Pleskovic, B. (2006). Annual World Bank Conference 		On Development Economics, 2006: Growth and Integration, op. cit., p. 		203. 		  		                		[14] 		Akumu, G. (2003). Expect worse effects of climate change. The Nation 		Nairobi. May 16, p. 2. 		  		                		[15] 		Sindiga, I. and Kanuna, M. (1999). Unplanned tourism development in 		sub-Saharan Africa with special reference to Kenya. Journal of 		Tourism Studies, 10, p. 25–39. 		                		[16] 		Laws, E., Prideaux, B. & Chon, K. S. (Eds.) (2007). Crisis Management 		in Tourism, op. cit., p. 286-87. 		  		                		[17] 		Phombeah, G. (2002). Moi’s Legacy to Kenya. BBC World. 5 		December. 		  		                		[18] 		Jones, E. & Haven, C. (2005). Tourism SMEs, Service Quality, and 		Destination Competitiveness. Wallingford, UK, Cambridge, MA CABI 		Publishing, p. 60. 		                		[19] 		Ibid. 		  		                		[20] 		Bourguignon, F. & Pleskovic, B. (2006). Annual World Bank Conference 		On Development Economics, 2006: Growth and Integration, op. cit., p. 		222. 		  		                		[21] 		Ibid. Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Research Paper on Kenya’s Developments, Achievements, and Difficulties since Independence

Kenya’s Developments, Achievements, and Difficulties since Independence It is consistently reported that African countries gained indep...

Research Paper on Organizational Behavior

Background of the Study The Personal Interests, Attitudes, and Values (PIAV) assessment explores one’s “passions” in life and how it affects their relationship with others. It assesses the interests, attitudes, and values that drive one’s behavior. These passions are formed by genetics and life experience that influence how someone sees the world, how they value certain activities, and what impels a person into action (Coughlin, 1993). These powerful motivating forces are the drivers of one’s behavior that will motivate someone to take a specific action. These attitudes are more fixed than other human characteristics. They are derived at birth, from the experiences growing up, and out of the basic needs, interests, and values. In this sense, why do people behave the way they do? Furthermore, people choose what they want based on their inherent attitudes. Identifying individuals’ values is an important component in understanding what makes them effectual, satisfied, and personally successful. A person’s attitudes play a major role in motivation. The PIAV profile depicts the major categories of motivation in terms of interests, attitudes, and values. Most people will take action chiefly to fulfill their important motivators—whether inside or outside the job. Getting people to understand their own motivational attributes—and those of others—creates the possibility of adaptation and improvement. The insights gained through the usage of the PIAV profile shows why people are moved to work hard on the job or not. Understanding people’s motivators helps managers handle employees in a more productive manner in order to get the best possible result out of them. The Six Attitudes Six attitudes lay the foundation for the PIAV, and these six major attitudes form a sort of window through which individuals view the world and seek fulfillment in their lives. These are their driving force in their lives, their passions. The six major attributes are: Theoretical – A passion to discover, systematize, and analyze; a search for knowledge. Someone whose dominant interest is the discovery of truth. Utilitarian – A passion to gain return on the investment of time, resources and money that was utilized. This type of individual is all about what is useful, what will work, and how much money will be gained. Aesthetic – A passion to add balance and harmony in one’s own life and protect our natural resources. Someone whose highest value is form and synchronization. Social – A passion to eliminate hate and conflict in the world and to assist others in helping them achieve their potential through the investment of one’s time and resources.  Someone whose highest value is love of people. Individualistic – A passion to achieve position and to use that position to influence others. It is all about one’s advancement, getting to the top, and the assertion of the self. Traditional – A passion to pursue the higher meaning in life through a defined system for living, according to an unquestioned set of rules.   Different people are motivated in different ways. And with these different motivations produce different actions. To understand the relationship between the two is the solution in determining what motivates them. An understanding of values will reduce conflicts, improve talent selection, increase retention, expand efficiency, increase productivity, and energize a group working toward common goals. With years of research and validation, PIAV reports provide accurate information of a person’s attitudes – Information that should be an integral part of human capital management efforts worldwide (Coughlin, 1993). The DISC Report                                                                          Behavioral assessments (DISC) is a behavioral personality assessment. DiSC is based the work of William Moulton Marston, the developer of the D.I.S.C. Model. Marston’s model examined the behavior of “normal” people and how their behavioral preferences are affected by their personality and the environment or situation they find themselves in. The DISC profile consists of the following four primary categories:       Dominant– Demanding, decisive, direct, and fast-paced.       Influential– Social, enthusiastic, fast-paced, and persuasive.       Steady- -Patient, sincere, calming, and dependable.       Compliant– Accurate, precise, slow-paced, and analytical (Couglin, 1993)             This four-quadrant behavioral personality profile test provides an understanding of people through awareness of temperament and behavioral styles. Personal and professional success requires understanding people’s model of the world. Research indicates the insight achieved through the understanding of one’s personal behavior on themselves and others. It is used to develop and enhance productive communication, rapport, and relationships for people at the workforce. Moreover, knowledge of an individual’s values through the use of the DISC personality assessment tells a person why they do what they do. Because values lie beneath observable behavioral styles, values are not discovered until individuals are known for a long period of time. Values can be measured and motivations of employees can be known by partaking and with a highly validated personality profiling.  Values: The Latent Motivators   Why do employees sell, manage, or service customers and clients the way they do? What prompts their enthusiastic responses – a happy customer, a big sales contract landed, a tough problem solved? What can a manger do to capture their enthusiasm and leverage their unique talents? The answers to these questions are all based on Values (Lingham, 2007).  What people value are the drivers behind their behavior. Abstract concepts in themselves, values are principles or standards by which someone acts. Values are beliefs held so strongly that they affect the behavior of an individual or in an organization. An individual’s experiences, references, education, and training tell us what they are capable of doing. Organizational Values Organizational values define the acceptable standards, which govern the behavior of individuals within the organization. Without such values, individuals will pursue behaviors that are in line with their own individual value systems, which may lead to behaviors that the organization does not wish to encourage. In a smaller, co-located organization, the behavior of individuals is much more visible than in larger, disparate ones. In these smaller groups, the need for articulated values is reduced, since unacceptable behaviors can be challenged openly. However, for the larger organization, where desired behavior is being encouraged by different individuals in different places with different sub-groups, an articulated statement of values can draw an organization together (Wenstøp & Myrmel, 2006). Clearly, the organization’s values must be in line with the organization’s purpose and mission, and the vision they are set to achieve. An articulated and well-thought out values of an organization can provide a framework for the collective leadership of an organization to encourage common norms of behavior, which will support the achievement of the organization’s goals and mission. In addition, moving any organization along the ethical continuum involves some well-defined and meaningful processes in terms of consistency in outcomes, attitudes, organizational commitment, and organizational learning. Every single effort done toward moving an organization headed for ethical excellence and creating organizational values involves either defining, re-confirming, or creating the foundation of values. Recurrently, organizations either make comment or at the very least tacitly imply that their people are their most valuable resource. This cannot be simply a catch phrase; indeed, it must be a demonstrable reality within the various levels of the organization. If the values of the organization are to be subscribed to by all members of the organization, there must be a process designed whereby the significant levels of the organization will have a meaningful, observable input into the creation of the values. One may be tempted to simply adopt a set of values that appears to fit. With a modest amount of research, the values of a variety of organizations can be obtained and be adapted to the organization. Although this may appear to be more effective in the short term, but in the longer term, this process has some inherent weakness, not the least of which is a total lack of buy-in and ownership throughout the organization (Fitches, 2005). A well-defined value system is considered as the moral code. It refers  to how an individual or a group of individuals organize their ethical or ideological values.The organizational culture may benefit from a focus on shared values, one of its measurable core elements. A typology of value systems based on the content (functional-elitist) and source (traditional-charismatic leadership) of values permits a contingency approach for the analysis of the emergence, change, and maintenance of a culture as well as the contributions culture makes to organizational effectiveness (Wiener, 1988). A corporate value system consists of three value types. These are considered complementary and juxtaposed on the same level. The first value type is the core values, which prescribe the attitude and character of an organization, and are often found in sections on code of conduct. The philosophical antecedents of these values are virtue ethics. The second type is protected values, which is about the protection through rules, standards, and certifications. They are often concerned with areas such as health, environment, and safety. And the third type created values is the values that stakeholders, including the shareholders expect in return for their contributions to the firm. These values are subject to trade-off by decision-makers or bargaining processes. In most cases, the suitable organizational values system is the core values. Demonstrating all the perceived behaviors by the employee because of what the organization stands for typically happens. If exposed to a certain mood or character of an organization, it is not far that one is going to adapt that certain characteristic. Mostly, it depends on the personality of the person. The Big Five Personality Dimensions             Traits are consistent patterns of thoughts, feelings, or actions that distinguish people from one another. Traits remain stable across the life span, but characteristic behavior can change considerably through adaptive processes. A trait is an internal characteristic that corresponds to an extreme position on a behavioral dimension (Pervin & John, 1999). There have been different theoretical perspectives in the field of personality psychology over the years including human motivation, the whole person, and individual differences. The Big Five Personality falls under the perspective of individual differences. These are: Extraversion – means a person is, talkative, sociable, and assertive. It is an energetic approach to the social and material world. .Agreeableness – this means that a person is good natured, altruistic, co-operative and trusting. Conscientiousness – describes a person with tight impulse control that facilitates task and goal-directed behavior, such as thinking before acting, delaying gratification, following norms and rules and the like.  The person is responsible, orderly, and dependable. Neuroticism –the reverse of emotional stability. This means a person is anxious, prone to depression and worries a lot. Openness – means a person is imaginative; independent minded and has divergent thinking. Self-Monitoring Behavior             Self-Monitoring involves learning to pay careful and systematic attention to a problem in behaviors and habits, and to the stimuli that trigger them into action. Some people are sensitive to how other sees them, whilst others are not. People who are high self-monitors constantly watch other people, what they do and how they respond to the behavior of others. Such people are hence very self-conscious, like to ‘look good’, and will hence usually adapt well to differing social situations. On the other hand, low self-monitors are generally oblivious to how other see them and hence march to their own different drum (Dombeck & Wells-Moran, 2009). These self-monitoring behaviors or the use of empathy relate in the personality dimensions and organizational values in ways that how you act or deal with a certain situation can be its “make or break”. When a person is in a particular environment, he is bombarded on how to act in a certain way, or why he is to act that way. In an organization, to better understand the plight of oneself or the others, one must do some “self-checking” or “self-regulation” and assess the options on how to act accordingly.              Moreover, the question of who gets ahead and why it is of interest to most people who work in organizations fuels debate. Promotions and other employment changes can drastically alter the lives of both those who move and those who stay. Employment changes can lead not only to different job duties and rewards, but also to differences in where people live and whom they interact with. Such changes can indeed, transform people’s lives. The self-monitoring personality variable provides important insights into the dynamics of impression management in organizations (Kilda, & Day, 1994). Two Types of Employee Motivation: Internal and External Self-Motivators Internal self-motivators motivate themselves from within—they acquire drive or reason to do their jobs well based on what they feel within themselves. Recognition for a job well done is a strong internal employee motivation. Employees who are internally motivated demonstrate all the appropriate behaviors. It is inevitable that a confident, hard-working employee, who was recognized by the contributions he made and were rewarded by acknowledgement, will pass on those positive behaviors and aura to other employees. These positive behaviors will lead directly to the success of the organization. Externally motivated employees get inspired from awards, bonuses, titles, promotions, money, etc. Unfortunately, these external motivators do not last and are not a very reliable source of motivation. Let us say everyone is given a bonus. That bonus will run out and it is not possible that another bonus will be given again immediately. Therefore, the employee gets discouraged. External motivators fade easily. Employee motivation, like success, grows from the inside out, from within, and not from the external to the internal. Furthermore, the motivation and performance of a company can make or break organizational success. Ineffective understanding and communication with customers or employees can be disastrous. High employee turnover, low sales, low staff performance, low customer retention, union disputes, lawsuits, employee theft, low response to marketing efforts, executive and staff burnout ( Rao, 2004) are some of the consequences of not empowering employees. A good and well-equipped organization leader has to demonstrate the appropriate behaviors and create an environment that accentuates employee motivation. Usually, it is easier to theorize than practice employee motivation. Training the managers extensively on motivating employees will manufacture efficiency and success towards the organization, the employees, and consumers. The rewards for the organization could be less employee turnovers, high levels of motivation, increased productivity, commitment, and teamwork. Moreover, motivation–whether it is self-motivation or employee motivation, is the trigger to act (Trinka, 2003). The factors involved in personally motivating and inspiring employees are not necessarily the factors that motivate all individuals and will lead to overall employee motivation. In this sense, only the individual himself can discover the best methods in which to motivate him. More often than not, employee motivation comes from within the individual. Motivation that comes from the outside, from external factors, is the responsibility of the business leaders. The job of the manager in the workplace is to get things done through the employees. The employees then must be motivated by the manger to produce a stellar performance. The transparency of working together between the two is a surefire method to the success of an organization. The Importance of Organizational Behavior The core of any organization is in its personnel and the success depends on the people staffing the organization. The goal of a company is to increase profitability, increase growth, and innovation, and introduce new values and culture into the organization. In order for to remain competitive, the need to have “maximum quality, minimum cost, and maintain peak performance. The staff operates by a “hard-skills” ethic; they deal with the technical and functional aspects of the job but not the social. “Soft skills” work synergistically with the hard skills. The soft skills like team work, communication, problem solving, and leadership together with the hard skills of computer knowledge, filing, and financial analysis make for a well-rounded employee (Thompson, 2007). When workers and managers operate as if they own the company and their jobs, they will assume responsibility for the results they agree to create and be accountable for the results they deliver. In addition, the concept of organizational strategic planning is the guidance of members in an organization envisions its future and develops the necessary procedures and operations to achieve a successful future. The strategic plan sets the stage for creating the marketing plan and the financial plan. The risk analysis section of the strategic plan includes the development of a succession plan (Rusch, 1987). Strategic planning in an organization can be used to determine its mission, vision, values, goals, and objectives. Strategic planning is only useful if it supports strategic thinking and leads to strategic management – the basis for an effective organization (Allison & Kaye, 2005). Strategic planning or behavior is the making of an assessment using the three key requirements about strategic behavior: a definite purpose is in mind; an understanding of the environment, particularly the forces that hinder the fulfillment of that purpose; and the creativity in developing effective responses to those forces. It then follows that strategic behavior is the application of the three elements in effective business execution: the formulation of the organization’s future mission in changing external factors such as regulation, competition, technology, and customers. The development of a competitive strategy to achieve the mission and the creation of an organizational structure that will deploy resources to successfully carry out its competitive strategy. Finally, strategic behavior is a creative process—a disciplined in that calls for a certain order and pattern to keep everyone focused everyone and productive. Strategic planning and decision processes should end with objectives and a roadmap of ways to achieve those objectives. Strategy lies in making the tough decisions about what is most important to achieving organizational success.   Conclusion Employee motivation focuses on individual strengths (Magnini, 2007). Brainstorming before major decisions could be a motivator that could increase the sense of belongingness for an employee. When the employees are motivated—may it be internal or external—it definitely will put an organization into new heights. In addition, the assessment of PIAV and the Disc profile is designed to understand people’s drives and passions, recognize their passions, learn how they to motivate them into action appreciate differences and understand sources of conflict. Identifying the values drivers of individuals, teams, and organizations reduces conflicts, increases talent retention, improves efficiency and productivity, and energizes any group working together toward common goals. When combining the Employee Values and Motivators reports with Behaviors (DISC) and Personal Talents (PIAV), one can have the most complete picture of the person.   References   Books Hogan, R., Johnson, J. & Briggs, S. (Eds.) (1997). Handbook of personality psychology. California: Academic Press. Pervin, L. & John, O. (Eds.) (1999). Handbook of personality: theory and Research. New York: Gilford. Rusch, V. (1987). Principles of Marketing. Kent Publishing. Journals Dombeck, J. & Wells-Moran, Q. (1997). Techniques for Unlearning Old Behaviors: Self-Monitoring. Jang, K & Vemon, P. (1996). Heritability of the Big Five Personality Dimensions and Their Facets: A Twin Study Journal of Personality, 64, (3), 577-592.   Kilduff, M & Day, D. (1994). Do chameleons get ahead? The effects of self- monitoring on managerial careers. Academy of Management Journal, 15(3), 1-9.   Magnini, V.P. (2007).  The Service Recovery: Justifiable Theory or Smoldering Myth? Journal of Services Marketing, 21(3), 213-225. Thompson, K. (2007). Importance of organizational behavior, and its affect on the    company.  Academy of Management Journal, 42 (5), 8-14. Rao, J. (2004). Employee Performance Improvement: Understanding Your Role as a Manager. Corporate Executive Board, 24(5), 19. Trinka, G. (2003). Engaging Managers as Agents of Employee Development. Corporate Executive Board, 29(9), 14. Wenstøp, F. and A. Myrmel (2006). Structuring organizational value statements. Management Research News. 29(11): 673 – 683. Wiener, Y. (1988). Organizational Value System.  The Academy of Management Review, 13(4),  8-12.   Electronic Sources Coughlin, J. (1993, August 19).  Why do your people work? PIAV Profile. Retrieved February 9, 2009 from http://www.cgroupinc.com/piav.html.  Fitches, R. (2005, December 31). Creating Organizational Values. Retrieved February 8, 2009, from http://ezinearticles.com/?Creating-Organizational-Values&id=120862 Oriente, E. (1995, July 18).  PIAV Assessment.  PowerHour.  Retrieved February 9, 2009 from www.powerhour.com.   Lingham, L. (2007, February 3).  Values and Value systems. Human Resources. Retrieved February 9, 2009 from http://www.allexperts.com.     Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Research Paper on Organizational Behavior

Background of the Study The Personal Interests, Attitudes, and Values (PIAV) assessment explores one’s “passions” in life and how it affe...