Relationship among Organizational Citizenship Behaviours

Relationship among Organizational Citizenship Behaviours Abstract Organizational citizenship behaviour is an important factor that aggregate promotes the effective functioning of the organization (Organ, 1988). And the job satisfaction is defined to be a pleasurable or positive emotional state resulting from the appraisal of ones job or job experiences (Locke, 1976). Researches have been done to measure the relationship between the job satisfaction and organizational citizenship behaviours. Some results show there are relationship between job satisfaction and organizational citizenship behaviours while some argue there are little relationship between this two factors. The aim of this paper is to find out the relationship between job satisfaction and organizational citizenship behaviours and measure whether other factors such as age and service length by using the questionnaire to collect data. Introduction In recent years a number of studies have expanded the understanding of organizational citizenship behaviour within the workplace. Organizational citizenship behaviour refers to individual behaviours that are discretionary, not directly or explicitly recognized by the formal reward system, and that in the aggregate promotes the effective functioning of the organization(Organ, 1988). In the early 1980s, the term organizational citizenship behaviors was created to depict extra-role those behaviors previously described by Katz (Smith et al., 1983). Katz maintained that organizational citizenship behaviors are vital to organizational survival and effectiveness. He also provided several examples of important extra-role behaviors, among them are actions that protect the organization and its property, constructive suggestions for improving the organization, self-training for additional responsibility, creating a favorable climate for the organization in its surrounding environments, and coop erative activities (Katz, 1964). Katz and Kahn (1966) suggested that organizational citizenship behaviors were spontaneous and innovative. Moorman and Blakely (1995) pointed out that organizational citizenship behaviours were beneficial and desirable from an organizational perspective, however, the behaviours were difficult to be increased through contractual arrangements or formal rewards. Bolon (1997) emphasized that organizational citizenship behaviours were not enforceable requirements of the role or the job descriptions, which were the clearly specifiable terms of the persons employment contract with the organization. The behaviors were matters of personal choices. The omission was not generally understood as punishable. Organ (1990) pointed out that the definition did not necessarily imply that organizational citizenship behaviours were limited only to those behaviours, which were lacking in tangible return to the person who performs such behaviours. He also maintained that a continual demonstration of organizational citizenship behaviours over time may influence the impression of coworkers or supervisors who develop concerning a particular employee. The impression could play an important role in future reward considerations, such as a salary increase or a promotion. Organizational citizenship behaviours have been linked to many work-related factors, for example, it has been associated with organizational commitment (Bolon, 1997), and transformational leader behaviours (Podsakoff et al., 1990). Studies have found that organizational citizenship behaviour is associated with job satisfaction (eg. Bolon, 1997). Job satisfaction has been gaining steady attention. Job satisfaction could be defined as a pleasurable or positive emotional state resulting from the appraisal of ones job or job experiences (Locke, 1976). The term job satisfaction was first coined by Hoppock in 1935. He defined it as the satisfactory feeling on both psychological and physical sides of the employees about the working conditions. It is the subjective responses of subordinates to work situations. Porter (1973) suggested that the extent of job satisfaction was the difference between the one who really acquires from work and the one who believed that he should acquire from work. A common view among managers is that satisfied employees were more productive than dissatisfied employees. Robbins (2001) suggested that job satisfaction was not only a general attitude toward ones job, but also the differences between the amount of reward workers received and the amount they believe they should receive. In addition, he presented that the term of job satisfaction refers to an individuals general attitude toward his or her job. A person with a high level of job satisfaction holds positive attitudes toward the job, while a person who is dissatisfied with his or her job holds negative attitudes about the job. As a psychological need and a factor to well being, job satisfaction is believed to have an environmental and genetic component (Arvey et al., 1989). There are several different variables, which are related to job satisfaction, such as cultural values, transformational leader behaviours and organizational commitment (Kirkman and Shapiro, 2001; Podsakoff et al., 1990; Feather and Rauter, 2004). There has increasing attention to the possible relationship between job satisfaction and organizational citizenship behaviour. Transformational leaders are those who broaden and elevate the interests of their followers, generate awareness and commitment of individuals to the purpose and mission of the group, and they enable subordinates to transcend their own self-interests for the betterment of the group (Seltzer et al., 1989). Transformational leadership is one of the groups of models describing leadership as an influencing social interaction or process. The process refers to one or a group of individuals which influence the behaviour of other people in an organizational setting for the purpose of achieving or accomplishing organizational objectives (Yukl, 2002). Transformational leadership behaviours raise the consciousness of followers about what is important, move followers to transcend the self-interest for the good of the organization, and raise their concerns for higher level needs on Maslows hierarchy (Bass, 1999). Studies have found that transformational leadership behaviours were positively assoc iated with followers job satisfaction, and transformational leaders could increase followers job satisfaction motivated their followers (Podsakoff et al., 1990; Morrison et al., 1997) There is substantial support for the relationship between job satisfaction and organizational citizenship behaviors. Bateman and Organ (1983) found a significant relationship between general measures of job satisfaction and supervisory ratings of citizenship behavior. Schappe (1998) also suggested that cross-lagged patterns of the relationships between organizational citizenship behaviours and specific facets of job satisfaction revealed essentially the same results as overall satisfaction. Smith, Organ, and Near (1983) identified two separate dimensions of OCB: altruism and generalized compliance. Altruism refers to behaviours aimed at helping specific people directly and intentionally. Generalized compliance refers to a more impersonal type of conscientious behavior that does not provide immediate aid to a particular individual but is indirectly helpful to other people in the organization. Job satisfaction could be a major determinant of an employees organizational citizenship behavior. A satisfied employee seems more likely to talk positively about the organization, help others, and go beyond the normal expectations in their job. Moreover, satisfied employees might be more prone to go beyond the call of duty because they want to reciprocate their positive experiences. Organ suggested that the empirically supported relationship between job satisfaction and organizational citizenship behaviours could be described as a reflecting relationship between perceptions of fairness and organizational citizenship behaviours. On the other hand, he also suggested that the cognitive component of job satisfaction appears to be related to orgaizational citizenship behaviours probably reflects the influence of perceptions. However, some studies argued there are no association between job satisfaction and organizational citizenship behaviours, which were considered to be related to other variables, such as transformational leadership behaviours (Podsakoff et al., 1990) and personality (Organ and Lingl, 1995). Other studies show that there is a positive relationship between job satisfaction and organizational citizenship behaviours (e.g. Chiu and Chen, 2005; Foote and Tang, 2008). Researchers suggested that job satisfaction could be a mediating variable between organizational citizenship behaviour and other variables, such as job characteristics and team commitment (Chiu and Chen, 2005; Foote and Tang, 2008). Studies show that both job satisfaction and organizational citizenship behaviour are associated to organizational outcomes significantly (Koys, 2001). Job satisfaction and organizational citizenship behaviour could thus be important variables for both employees and organizations. Methodological differences Methodological differences could explain differences between studies. Most of the earlier studies were based on samples from America and Australia, and almost all participants were employees in industrial companies. There is little focus on people with a higher education level, for example academics. The relation of job satisfaction and organizational citizenship behaviour could be different among academics, because of the high education level and features of academic work. The purpose of the study was to investigate and get a better understanding of the relationship between organizational citizenship behaviour and job satisfaction. In order to guide the investigation, the following specific questions were formulated: 1.What is the relationship between organizational citizenship behaviour and job satisfaction? 2.Are age, gender and length of service related to job satisfaction and organizational citizenship behaviours? The hypotheses of this study are: H0: There is no significant correlation between organizational citizenship behaviours and job satisfacton. H1: There is a significant correlation between organizational citizenship behaviours and job satisfaction. Methods Survey questionnaires were administered to staff of Department of Human Sciences in Loughborough University. Both academic staff and support staff were invited in this study. Participants were invited to participate in this study by e-mail. The e-mail outlined the survey details, such as the research proposal and the type of questionnaires. Volunteers read the study information and filled in the informed consent, using tick boxes to agree to consent before completing the questionnaire. Data collection was based on an online questionnaire system (Surveymonkey.com). The system provided a completely anonymity system. Participants filled the online questionnaire in directly to enable anonymity and confidentially. Data were collected automatically by the survey system. Of the 61 total personnel involved in such teams, 32 participated in the study. Of the respondents, 62.5 percent were female. Further, the mean age of participants was 45 years. The mean length of service was 11.5 years. Measures Organizational citizenship behaviours. To measure organizational citizenship behaviours, a 13 items five-point Likert scale (from 1= strongly disagree to 5= strongly agree) was using (Smith et al., 1983). The 13 items questionnaire assesses citizenship behaviours and gestures through items such as I am willing to help others who are not able to work, I am willing to volunteer to give orientation and guidance to new members who join our team and I make innovative and good suggestions which help to improve the department. The instrument has two sub scales, which measure altruism and generalized compliance. Altruism refers to behaviours aimed at helping specific people directly and intentionally (e.g. giving orientation to new members, assisting others with a heavy work load). Generalized compliance refers to a more impersonal type of conscientious behavior that does not provide immediate aid to a particular individual but is indirectly helpful to other people in the organization (e.g. punctuality). In the study by Smith et al. (1983) the coefficient alpha reliability estimates were .91 for Altruism and .81 for Generalized compliance. Job satisfaction. To measure job satisfaction, a 5 items five-point Likert scale (from 1= strongly disagree to 5= strongly agree) was using (Hackman and Oldham, 1975). There are The 5 items questionnaire assesses job satisfaction through items such as Generally speaking, I am very satisfied with this job and I frequently think of quitting this job (reverse items). In the study by Hackman and Oldham (1975), the coefficient alpha reliability estimates were .74. Statistical Analysis The data were analyzed in order to provide an answer to the research questions and test the hypotheses. To test the hypotheses and assess the correlation between organizational citizenship behaviours and job satisfacton, Pearson correlation analysis was preformed. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 16.0. Discussion The statistical analysis results show that there are relation between job satisfaction and organizational citizenship behaviours, while either age and length of service do not influence job satisfaction or organizational citizenship behaviours. However, some researchers have found that there is no relationship between organizational citizenship behaviours and job satisfaction (e.g. Podsakoff et al., 1990; Organ and Lingl, 1995), while other studies reported significant correlation between the two variables (e.g. Bateman and Organ, 1983; Schappe, 1998). A possible reason might be because the features of samples are different. As personal choices rather than duties, organizational citizenship behaviours could be influenced by culture, education level and organizational commitment. One limitation of this study is the response rate. In this study, the valid response rate is about 50 present. Moreover, the sample size is relatively small. Another possible problem is that people who have higher organizational citizenship behaviours levels are more likely to participate the study than people who have low levels organizational citizenship behaviours. In addition, one limitation of the study is that university staff need to do more individual duties rather than co-operations. For this reason, the results of the study may not be suitable for organizations which need more co-operations, for instances, customer services companies or manufacturing industry Future studies In this study, the sample size is relatively small. The larger the sample size, the more sensitive the research in exploring the relationships of the variables. Subsequent studies could cover more samples. In this study, the questionnaire of organizational citizenship behaviours were answered directly by the employees, which was not appraised by their supervisors or co-workers. For this reason, the self-reported data may be inflated. Therefore, subsequent researchers may improve the design of surveys to avoid the bias Conclusion As the data gathered from Loughborough University Human Science department suggest that there are significant relationship between job satisfaction and organizational citizenship behavior while there seems no correlation between the job satisfaction and the stuffs age and service length. This conclusion may only apply to those workers who engage in more personal works and a different result could be expected when using workers whose duty includes more co-operation with others.

John Adams and His Roles as President Essay

John Adams was one of the leaders in the fight for American Independence. He was born on October 30, 1735. His presidency began in 1976 through 1800 and was the second president of the United States, after winning the election against Alexander Hamilton. Upon winning the election he became the Chief of State. His most notable accomplishment, as President, was to avoid a war with France, while maintaining American honor. In our opinion he did a good job of this however he was not greatly supported by the Americans at the time. John Adams was not a very popular president of his time. Being the president, and Chief Executive, Adams was allowed to choose his own cabinet. He replaced Washington’s cabinet which consisted of Edmund Randolph, Alexander Hamilton, Henry Knox, and William Bradford. Timothy Pickering of Massachusetts was appointed the secretary of state, Oliver Welcott of Connecticut became the secretary of treasury, James McHenry of Maryland became the secretary of war, and Charles Lee of Virginia was appointed the attorney general. It’s obvious that George Washington had a much better cabinet than Adams did. John Adam’s cabinet was not nearly as sharp or as intelligent as the one of Washington. Obviously, Mr. Adams did not do too good of a job on choosing his colleagues. Another role that John Adams endured was the role as Chief Administrator. In today’s modern world the president would be in charge of agencies such as the CIA and the FBI. In Adam’s days these agencies did not exist. Nonetheless he was still in charge of keeping the government functions running as smoothly as possible. As a believer in centralized government, he helped strengthen the Federal government. As Chief Diplomat, John Adams ran into the biggest problem in foreign policy. The French were attacking American shipping. He sent three representatives to France to try to work out differences between the French and the US government. His emissaries were met by three French representatives demanding a bribe. This became known as the â€Å"XYZ† affair. Infuriated by the absurd 250,000 bribe of the French agents Adams began to prepare for war. He first asked for a provisional army. He also asked for the officers to be commissioned and for recruiting to begin. However, he did not call for an establishment of a large, professional army. Throughout the two years that the possibility of a war had existed, Adams had made it clear to everyone that he put he put his faith in a strong navy. As commander-in-chief he decided he did not want to use the army as an instrument for defense. Adams believed that the only way France could be brought around to treat with American envoys on an even basis is if it was made clear that the Americans were prepared to fight and that they would not submit to any further humiliation. He wanted France to see that the Americans were not backing down and that they were not afraid to go to war with the nation of France. After the â€Å"XYZ affair† John Adams acted on his role as chief legislature. He responded with The Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798. They were designed to crush the conflict. After two years John Adams decided it would be best to reopen negotiations because war with France was not in the best interest of the United States. He signed a peace treaty with France and thereof is accredited with bringing peace between the U.S. and France. Yet another role of the president is to be Chief of Party. We believe that John Adams was a failure in leading his political party as the end of the Federalists came about because of his presidency. During Adams’ presidency, the Federalist party split up. This happened because of how much John Adams and Alexander Hamilton disliked each other. Hamilton didn’t want Adams to be re-elected, and so he critized his performance as a President. Undoubtedly, Adams lost his re-election and Thomas Jefferson, the leader of the Democratic-Republican party, won office. After Adams retirement, and Hamilton’s unfortunate death, the Federalist Party was left without strong leader and steadily grew weaker and weaker. John Adams was not a bad president. However, because of society’s selfish and impatient needs, he was made out to be the enemy. Americans blamed John  Adams for being scared to go to war, but in reality, it’s a lot easier to go to war than it is to keep peace. It’s also quite difficult to go against the majority of ones colleagues who continually pressure you to act. John Adams may not have been the greatest president because of his ambition. However, he was a much better president and showed exemplary qualities as a chief citizen than what he was given credit for. He was a brave and honorable man who gave up re-election by not going to war. It shows real honor when you can give up your own selfish needs for the good of your country. John Adams was a much better president than he was given credit for.

Manage Personal Work Priorities and Professional Development

Student Name: Malik Daniyal Student id: STD02067 Project title: Manage personal work priorities and professional development Introduction:- In this project I m going to describe all about my future and recent planning and my goals and objectives. In which comes my dream , my futures goal , what I have to do for achieving my goal , how I can be successful and how I can fulfilled my and my family future dream. And what steps I have to take and which steps are not good for my future and how I should move step by step toward my destination.Where I am now and for achieving my goal what qualities I have and what I have to get and have to achieve. A Reflection Paper is a formal written presentation of a critical reflection about a specific issue. A reflection paper is truly a paper from the heart. To write one, I will be recounting, or reflecting upon, experiences I have had during a specific event. If I was an intern, it would be a paper about how I enjoyed it and what I learned.Explanatio n in Detail :- Q: what makes a good role model and how would I ensure that I acted as a role model for employees I supervise? A good role model is someone who can make positive choices on his or her own. They are a person that people especially young kids can look up to in hopes to follow in their footsteps. They do not have to be famous but as a whole, they need to live a life that allows people to want to achieve goals and try to do the right things.I think mentors should be role models, BUT a role model who hasn't forgotten where s/he came from, how s/he got to where s/he is now and always looking back to see if s/he can help those that came from the very same place and positive role model should be encouraging and must have ability to recognised the qualities of employees working under his/her and a positive role model should show his/her technical ability and time management skills as well. Q: what are the traits of an effective leader ? do I have these traits? How would I deve lop these traits? As a leader, I know how to identify each of my team member’s strongest skills and assets.Because you don’t expect each person on the team to excel in every area, you also know that it’s important to create a diverse group of people who balance and complement one another. Similarly, leaders have their own unique skills and specializations. Effective leaders often possess the following five traits :- 1. Focused:- To lead a team to success, leaders must possess an extraordinary amount of focus. It’s important to eliminate distractions from the work area. While leaders are often pulled in numerous directions simultaneously, they must be able to retain clear minds and focus on the things that matter. 2. Passionate:-It’s possible to teach someone to be a leader, but truly effective leaders are already passionate about what they do. Their enthusiasm and level of commitment can inspire our team members and motivate them to do better work. 3. Assertive:- As a leader, he have requirements for his team and goals that must be fulfilled. When team members aren’t meeting expectations, a leader must feel comfortable being assertive. Assertive leaders are firm and bold, unafraid to go after what they want. Such a level of certainty and confidence will serve both you and your team well as you tackle larger challenges and go after new goals. . Decisive:- Leaders are often called on to make big decisions, so it’s also important for us to be decisive. And Of course a decisive leader should never be confused with an impulsive one. A decisive leader carefully weighs the potential effects of each option and chooses the opportunity that works best for his or her team. To be decisive, you must also feel comfortable taking responsibility for the results of your choice. 5. Empowering:- Supporting my team is one of the best ways to encourage members to perform well. Empower each individual by making it clear that you trus t his or her judgment.Give people the authority they need to do their jobs well and show them an appropriate level of respect. Everyone have a good and effective role model and I have as well my teacher , he was a part time teacher now he is a professional IT manager , so I do learn most of the things from study and mostly from searching mostly from my teacher. Q: How would I ensure that my work goal and plan reflect the organisation’s goal and plans? The organization’s plans and goals are. Then I can assess whether your personal work plan is in line with the companies.I need to feel that yours and there’s harmonious and parallel and heading in the same direction for the successful at attaining the â€Å"big picture. My family is my role model as well, they have dream for me, which I have. They all want see me successful in the business and I m student in Australia and I am international student and my family send me here because Australia is the best country f or business study and for my aim study alot and have to give time every one and I have already planned everything for future till now to end and for achieving my goal have to go forward step by step.My family, my parents, sibling, friends all have same wish to see me to become businessman. They are important for me and my adjective, dream and wishes also so I give time every one, they all time stay in touch with me so they have much problem with to feel lonely for me. The things I have to do step by steps are given below:- I need some requirements to complete which are:- First in one year I will complete my * Diploma (1 year) * Bachelors (3 years) * Masters (1 year) * Internship (1 year) * Work in a company hen I will do bachelor in computer science, than I will do masters and then I will do internship and during internship will learn about my abilities, will learn about how to maintain work and life and will get experience and then I will work for some company and for that I will c omplete above mention things and then I will start work and work as a worker, or something after some time period will work as supervisor than as a manager and by working will get experience and will be able to do my own business. Q: How would I ensure that I meet my job responsibilities?While working I will get a lot of responsibilities and I will do my best and will do my work honestly and my main and common responsibility is to work hard and satisfy clients and customers and cooperative with all team members and others staff. Q: What is my personal learning style and how would I ensure that I took advantage of learning opportunities? Learning style is the way in which a person processes new information. Knowing my learning style can help me to make choices in the way you focus on and study new material. Below are fifteen statements that will help you assess your learning style.After reading each statement, rate you response to the statement using the scale below. Some types of le arning skill mostly every one fallow/use given below:- Types of Learning Styles Types of Learning Styles: The Three Main Types There are three main types of learning styles: auditory, visual, and kinaesthetic. Most people learn best through a combination of the three types of learning styles, but everybody is different. Auditory Learners: Hear Auditory learners would rather listen to things being explained than read about them.Reciting information out loud and having music in the background may be a common study method. Other noises may become a distraction resulting in a need for a relatively quiet place. Visual Learners: See Visual learners learn best by looking at graphics, watching a demonstration, or reading. For them, it’s easy to look at charts and graphs, but they may have difficulty focusing while listening to an explanation. Kinesthetic Learners: Touch Kinesthetic learners process information best through a â€Å"hands-on† experience. Actually doing an activi ty can be the easiest way for them to learn.Sitting still while studying may be difficult, but writing things down makes it easier to understand. By internship my knowledge will be increased and I will know to work and how to manage things and I will also learn new technologies such as all computer courses like coral draw, advertising , will learn new techniques new development and will learn all things bye peoples by visiting different companies by my teachers by roles models and this new things will help me in my work and I will gain a lot of work by this and my skill will be good and then while work my work progress ill be good and because of my performance I can get good pay , good job easy job, good feedback from company and customers , clients etc. and by doing practice will gain new skills , will make new things new software’s new ideas will generate and its will be good for my business. Mostly I use visual and auditory way to learn, I see and hear and learn by listeni ng and looking others. Q: How would I priorities work? I will give 45% time to work ad 30% to family and 15% to friends and 10% to myself.By dividing time and giving time to every one my life will not be disturb and nothing will go wrong, no one will have problem with me, and Managing work priorities and professional development requires me to be a positive role model; have good traits; ensure my work goals and plans reflect the organisation’s; meet my job responsibilities; maintain my personal performance; priorities my work; use technology to organize and manage my work; maintain a work-life balance; meet required competency standards; determine my developmental needs; take advantage of my learning opportunities; use feedback to improve my competence; use networks to increase my knowledge and develop relationships, and ensure that I acquire new skills to maintain my competitive edge. A good role model is someone who others can look up to and admire. They take leadership on the issues they believe in, influence the decisions of others and guide their actions.To ensure that I acted as a positive role model for my employees and everyone within the workplace, I will need to demonstrate the following steps: Firstly, I will have to set out a good example and present myself as to how I want others to present themselves. Everything I do from the way I dress to the way I speak will be imitated and emulated by others. If I am always late, then my staff will always be late. This is because I have already approved this behavior through my own actions. Thus, if I want my employees to be punctual then I need to go to work on time, if not earlier, so they can learn to do the same. The second step is to know the requirements of my staff as well as my own.As the supervisor, I am expected to know what I am doing. If I don’t know anything about the job then I am unable to teach my employees or guide them in the right direction. Thirdly, I will have to act consist ently with my work in order to avoid any confusion and frustration in the workplace. This means following the same standards I have set, not a different one each day. Q: How would I measure and maintain my personal performance? Besides an office at work, keep a personal office at home†¦ with privacy†¦ keep a work journal to reflect and observe problem areas, work toward being at the job you want to be at. , if that isn't possible, endure and do your part.Q: How would I use technology to organize and manage work? I use my cell phone to meet my priorities and commitments. I get all the information’s about meetings on my phone or in email or by txt or by call and it’s a quick and easy way and I also get my job alerts on my cell phone. Q: How would I ensure that I maintain a work / life balance? I use technology to manage my priorities and in commitments and I think the usage of the technology would be useful because this I use in my daily life and it’s ve ry helpful , and savage of time and also help in my college task and working task etc. Q: How would I determine my developmental needs? Development needs can be challenging.Often, I find myself looking at what training courses are available and deciding which of those would be most helpful. In fact, it is better to try and identify what the development need is and then to work out ways of meeting that need, which may or may not be a training course. Annual Review is a great opportunity to discuss your development needs with your line manager. I may be able to discuss the changing requirements of your role, as well as my personal development aspirations (for example, career development). It is important that I have considered my development needs before my Annual Review meeting as this will enable you to make the most of my discussion.Q: How would I gather feedback from other about my personal performance and how would I see this feedback to improve my competence? When I will work ve ry hard and by honestly so every onw will be happy with my work and they will give positive feedback and my all the workmates and my boss , all the staff and customers and clients etc they will give positive feedback for my work for managing time and work performance so I will be encourage and will do more hard work and feel good to do more hard work. Q: How would I use networks to increase my knowledge, gain new skills and develop relationship? Networking and informational interviewing are essential tools in the career exploration and job/internship search.Loosely defined, networking is a process of developing informal contacts and building relationships that provide you with knowledge, advice, information, and further contacts – all of which may allow me to tap into unadvertised opportunities. Informational interviewing is part of the networking process and is a way to strengthen my network. Both networking and informational interviewing include elements of the following: * Contacting people I know (and do not know) in order to find information about an industry, organization, or job/internship. * Asking individuals whom I contact for further relevant contacts in order to build your network. * Building relationships with people who can help the progress of your career exploration or internship/job search. Networking and informational interviewing work because they are proactive and driven by my initiative.Although there are many ways to find information about careers, jobs, and internships, speaking with people who are currently working in your field of interest provides you with the opportunity to engage in a substantive dialogue that other resources do not afford. Networking and informational interviewing allow me to get my questions answered and put you in touch with individuals who can give me ‘insider information’ on vacancies, industry or organizational culture, required skills, etc. All the people I know and the people they know as part of your existing network, which may include: * Relatives (and their friends) * Former employers * Friends (and their relatives) * Neighbours and community members * Alumni Professors and Advising Deans * Student organizations Q: How would I ensure that I acquired new skills to maintain my competitive edge? Today's work place is very competitive. I will need to have a variety of skills that will give me the competitive edge you need to succeed. To be competitive in today's work place you must be able to: * Listen Well:  Good  listening skills  make memore productive, help me to get along better with others, and allow me to work better in a team-based environment. * Know How to Use a Computer:  No matter what your job is, it's likely I will need to use a computer. It's important to make sure your  computer skills  are up-to-date. Write Effectively:  Whether your job requires to write short memos or lengthy reports, I must be able to communicate well in writing. * D eal With Crises at Work  Being able to  solve problems  quickly and seamlessly can set apart from others. * Manage Your Time:  Learning how to  manage your time effectively  will allow me to complete projects in a timely fashion. Conclusion :- From now it will take more than five years to achieve my goal. And my goal is to become a businessman in IT profession and for this I m going to follow three steps, completing my studies , gaining knowledge and experience and work in any company. References :- http://www. antiessays. com/free-essays/288895. html http://careerplanning. about. com/od/workplacesurvival/a/competitive. htm

Italian Definite Articles

In English, the definite article (larticolo determinativo) has only one form: the. In Italian, on the other hand, l’articolo determinativo has different forms according to the gender, number, and even the first letter of the noun or adjective it precedes. It’s meant to indicate a precise, quantifiable object or person. This makes learning definite articles a bit more complicated, but once you know the structure, it’s relatively simple to get used to. il quaderno e la penna - the notebook and pen: In this example, the definite articles are â€Å"il† and â€Å"la.†i ragazzi e le ragazze - the boys and girls: In this example, the definite articles are â€Å"i† and â€Å"le.† Heres a table with the definite articles. Singular Plural Masculine il, lo, l i, gli Feminine la, l le Sometimes the articles can be tricky to pronounce (especially â€Å"gli†). When To Use  Definite Articles Here is a list of general rules for when to use definite articles. 1. Lo (pl. gli) is used before masculine nouns beginning with s consonant or z, like â€Å"lo zaino - the backpack† or â€Å"gli scoiattoli - the squirrels†. You will also see â€Å"lo† being used with masculine nouns that begin with â€Å"gn,† like â€Å"lo gnomo.† Here are some examples. lorologio—gli orologi watch—watcheslamico—gli amici friend—friends lo yoga   yogalo yogurt yogurtlo specchio—gli specchi mirror—mirrorslo stadio—gli stadi stadium—stadiumslo psicologo—gli psicologi psychologist—psychologistslo zero—gli zeri zero—zeros NOTE: there are a few exceptions: il dio—gli dà ¨i god—godsper lo meno at leastper lo pià ¹Ã‚  Ã‚  mostly 2. Il (pl. i) is used before masculine nouns beginning with all other consonants, like â€Å"il cibo - the food† or â€Å"i vestiti - the clothes.† 3. L’ (pl. gli) is used before masculine nouns beginning with a vowel, like â€Å"l’aeroporto - the airport,† 4. La (pl. le) is used before feminine nouns beginning with any consonant, like â€Å"la borsa - the purse† or â€Å"le scarpe - the shoes.† Here are some examples: la stazione—le stazioni train station—train stationsla zia—le zie aunt—auntslamica her friendlautomobile the car 5. L’ (pl. le) is used before feminine nouns beginning with a vowel, like â€Å"l’amica - the friend† or â€Å"le donne - the women.† The article agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies and is repeated before each noun. la Coca–Cola e l’aranciata - the Coke and orangeadegli italiani e i giapponesi - the Italians and the Japanesele zie e gli zii - the aunts and unclesle zie e il nonno - the aunts and the grandfather The first letter of the word immediately following the article determines the article’s form. Compare the following: il giorno (the day) → l’altro giorno (the other day)lo zio (the uncle) → il vecchio zio (the old uncle)i ragazzi (the boys) → gli stessi ragazzi (the same boys)l’amica (the girl  friend) → la nuova amica (the new girl friend) Tips When Using Definite Articles In Italian, the definite article must always be used before the name of a language, except when the verbs parlare (to speak) or studiare (to study) come before the name of the language; in those cases, its up to you whether you want to use it or not. Studio l’italiano. - I study Italian.Studio italiano e arabo. - I study Italian and Arabic.Parlo italiano. - I speak Italian.Parlo l’italiano e il russo. - I speak Italian and Russian.Parlo bene l’italiano. - I speak Italian well. The definite article is also used before the days of the week  to indicate a repeated, habitual activity. Domenica studio. - I’m studying on Sunday. → Marco non studia mai la domenica. - Marco never studies on Sundays.Il lunedà ¬ vado al cinema (ogni lunedà ¬). - On Mondays, I go to the movies.On Monday I go to the movies. (Every Monday)Cosa fai di solito il giovedà ¬? - What do you usually do on thursday evenings?Di solito vado a giocare a carte con i miei nonni -   On thursday, usually I go and play cards with my grandparents. Finally, another common situation where the definite article is used is with telling the time. Notice here though that the article is combined with a preposition making something called an articulated preposition. Mi sono svegliato all’una. - I woke up at one.Vado a scuola alle dieci. - I’m going to school at ten. You can use it to indicate a category or a species in a generic sense: Il cane à ¨ il miglior amico delluomo (tutti i cani). - Dog is mans best friend (all dogs).Luomo à ¨ dotato di ragione. - Man is endowed with reason. (To talk about â€Å"every man†) Or to indicate a particular thing or an object: Hai visto il film? (quel film) - Have you seen the movie? (that movie)Hai visto il professore? - Have you seen the professor?Mi hanno rubato il portafogli. - They stole my wallet.Non trovo pià ¹ le scarpe. - I can’t find my shoes. You’ll also want to use it when preceding possessive pronouns: Lauto di Carlo à ¨ nuova, la mia no. - Charless car is new, but mine isnt. Or with geographical destinations, like: continents: lEuropacountries: lItaliaregions: la Toscanalarge islands: la Siciliaoceans: il Mediterraneolakes: il Gardarivers: il Pomountains: il Cervino (the Matterhorn) And finally, with parts of the body: Mi fa male la testa.—My head hurts. Definite Articles with Names Use definite articles with the last names of famous female celebrities: la Garbola Loren With all surnames in the plural: i Verrigli Strozzi With nicknames and pseudonyms: il Barbarossail Grisoil Canalettoil Caravaggio With proper names used without any specification: Mario but: il signor Mario With the last names of famous or well-known male characters, if not preceded by an adjective or title: Mozart but: il grande Mozart NOTE: There are instances in which the definite article is used, especially when referring to Italian writers: il Petrarcail Manzoni