PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

HOW UNIVERSITY MEASURES MY INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE AND THE ROLES MY LECTURERS TAKE IN THIS PROCESS

Being in my first year at Bucks University, I am currently undertaking a degree in Accounting and Finance and within the degree, I am doing four modules. The university measures a students’ performance by having them sit TCA exams at the end of year and some modules tend to have TCA exams middle of the year. TCAs are carried out so that the university can get some form of idea on how well the students are doing and what grade they are achieving. In addition to TCAs, assignments are also key in performance management as they show how well someone is doing throughout the course of the year and shows how well the undergraduate has understood the topics in each module as well as how good the application of theory is to the work. Attendance is also vital because if you do not attend your lectures, you are unlikely to do very well come the end of year.

The modules I currently undertake are: People & Organisation, Business Environment, Management Accounting and Managing Money. For each of the modules, performance is measured slightly differently from one another. For People and Organisation, we go through PowerPoint presentations on different topics every week. During the seminar, there are plenty of group work and discussions. This ensures the students are engaged and concentrating on what the lecture is about. This enables the lecturer to measure performance as it gives them a clue of who understands the topic well and those that are not very familiar with what the topic is on. At the end of every lecture, we are given blog work to do in relation to the topic being covered. Sets of questions are given and we have to answer them through writing blogs and upload them on our BlogSpot once complete. In total, there are 15 blogs worth total of 60% of the overall grade for this module. I personally see this as a good way of measuring performance as it shows how much the students have gained from the lectures; what they have learnt and whether they have understood it well. In addition, it also shows how well we can relate the theories learnt to the questions and real life examples. For the first few blogs, we are given feedback on how we are getting along and whether there are any changes that need to be made. Along with the blogs, there are also couple of assignments worth 40% of the overall grade for the module which are set. There is no examination for this module.

For Management Accounting, we are set two assignments worth 30% each and an exam at the end of the year worth 40% of the overall grade. We are provided with feedback when we are handed our assignments back. This allows us to see where we went wrong or what could have been done better. By given feedback, I am satisfied as I know what to do next time when I have been set an assignment to do and how to approach it.

For Business Environment, there are three examinations worth 30% each from which only two best results count, so 60% worth of examination goes towards the overall grade. Along with the exams, there are two assignments worth 40% in total. We are given feedback on the assignments and the exams and the lecturer goes through the exam paper with the class so that each student understands where they went wrong and how to approach similar questions next time round.

Finally, Managing Money we have two examinations worth 30% each and Sage assignment which is worth 40% of the overall grade. One of the examinations is earlier during the year and the final exam is at the end of the year. As for the assignment, we go through different tutorials each week and use a software called Sage to carry out the tutorials. In total there are 12 tutorials which are done throughout the course of the year. Tutorials are there to help you progress without much difficulty with the assignment.

EFFECTIVE MENTOR

Article found on:

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/entrepreneur/article3778514.ece

Having read this article, I now have a better understanding of what a mentor is. Mentoring requires a set of skills. In my opinion, someone with a great deal of experience and someone with good communication and listening skills is worthy of being an effective mentor. By possessing good listening skills, it allows the mentoree to easily discuss any issues they have.  Furthermore, a mentor with good communication skills as an asset is an effective mentor because they are able to offer advice on the best ways to deal with the issues being raised. If the mentee faces any challenges that are hard to come by, a mentor with vitally effective communication and listening skills can be very beneficial. An effective mentor is someone that you can trust and look up to for guidance. The mentor has to be honest as well as be patience. Another handy skill to possess is having a good professional relationship with the mentee. By building a stable relationship enables the mentoree to trust you and not be afraid to discuss issues with you.

A MENTOR IN MY LIFE

I have no specific mentor as I tend to approach different people depending on what area I am looking for advice on. When it comes to education related advice and advice for my career in the future, I approach my older cousin. This is because he has been through it all and is now the owner of a fast growing business. He understands me well and is always on hand to listen to me and offer advice whenever I need it. I feel comfortable discussing issues with him and by having a conversation with him I have reached certain decisions, which have benefited me in my life. For other advices, I tend to approach my dad or my best friend. I have always had support from my dad in whatever I do and same goes to my other family members. They are always there if I seek general advice and help me make the right decision and overcome any challenges I face.

To conclude, employers need to assess employees’ performance on a regular basis and make sure they are on the right path. By doing so, it helps motivate the employees resulting in higher productivity. There are several benefits of managing performance; it can identify someone’s strengths and also clarify areas of development and indicate how weaknesses can be overcome. In addition, the employees can improve their communication skills as they can talk about what they expect of themselves and distinguish between their own strengths and weaknesses. Organisations measure performance using several techniques, which are: monthly reviews, feedbacks and personal interviews.

SELECTION

Selection is a process which involves choosing the most suitable candidates from those that apply for a vacancy, whilst keeping to employment terms and regulations.

“Tesco is a major international company with many job opportunities, including management, graduate, school leaver and apprentice posts. Tesco needs to have people with the right skills and behaviours to support its growth and development. Tesco has clear organisational structures, detailed job descriptions and person specifications. It provides user-friendly ways of applying for jobs and a consistent approach to recruitment and selection. This means it can manage its changing demand for staff.” (The Times 100, 2011)

Screening at Tesco

Screening candidates is a very important part of the selection process. This ensures that those selected for interview have the best fit with the job requirements. In the first stage of screening, the recruiters will look carefully at each applicant’s CV. A well- written and good looking CV helps Tesco to assess whether an applicant matches the person specification for the job. The advantage of the screening process is that an organisation gets an overview of the candidate and sees what he/she has achieved in the past according to the CV. On the other hand, the candidate can be lying in their CV and get selected to go through to the next stage, whereas someone else, with a better CV, may miss out; this is a drawback.

Assessment centres at Tesco

A candidate who passes screening attends an assessment centre. The assessment centres take place in store and are run by managers. They help to provide consistency in the selection process. Applicants are given various exercises, including team-working activities or problem solving exercises. The advantages of using assessment centres in the selection process are they not only help the firm in placing the right candidate for the right job but also help in developing the candidates. In addition, it is regarded as a fair means of assessment by the candidates themselves. Assessment centres have fair few disadvantages though on the long run, they prove very useful to the company by saving it the cost of false decisions. One of the disadvantages is that assessment centres can be very time consuming and is costly. Moreover, they require highly skilled experts to observe and they may have their own biased opinions whilst evaluating the candidates. Unsuccessful candidates who receive poor assessments may lose self belief in their abilities through de-motivation. (The Times 100, 2011)

Interviews at Tesco

Candidates approved by the internal assessment centres then have an interview. Line managers for the job on offer take part in the interview to make sure that the candidate fits the job requirements. There are several benefits when it comes to using interviews as a selection process. The employer is able to judge the candidate by their first impression and also see the way the candidate approaches the questions and how they communicate. On the other hand, interviewers can be biased and discriminate against certain groups.  

“Workforce planning is vital if a business is to meet its future demands for staff. It allows a business time to train existing staff to take on new responsibilities and to recruit new staff to fill vacancies or to meet skill shortages.” (The Times 100, 2011)

EXPERIENCE OF AN INTERVIEW WHEN I APPLIED FOR A PART TIME JOB

During the end of last year, I applied for a part time job at Chocolate Box, which is based in Heathrow Terminals 1 and 5. I was successful with my application and was called in for an interview. It was my first real interview and some nerves were creeping in. The interview process was rigorous and effective because the questions being asked related specifically to the job and what qualities I brought to the company. The interviewer, who was the manager of Chocolate Box, seemed impressed by my responses, though I seemed hesitant at first to make sure I think well before answering the questions. The interviewer was impressed with the personality I had shown along with the way I spoke and my overall gesture. This being my first proper interview, I managed to gain knowledge on how interviews work and what to expect when I have any other interviews in the future.

The ways in which Tesco can improve its selection process is by using several other methods of selection. Referencing is one of the ways in which they can do this; it helps them decide on which candidates are best for the job as they can get details of the applicant from past employers or someone (non-blood related) who knows the candidate thoroughly well. Through referencing, they will be able to get honest personal views which will help towards deciding which candidate to select. Another way in which the selection process can be improved is by having more than one interviewer. This may be because if one interviewer forgets to ask something important, the other interviewer is on hand to ask the question. Also, at the end of the interview, they may have different views on the applicant and take enough time to make judgements as a team.

REFERENCES

The Times 100 (2011) Tesco Selection Process [online] Available from:

http://www.thetimes100.co.uk/case-study--recruitment-and-selection--132-323-5.php

M.Simpson, 2011, powerpoint presentation.

RECRUITMENT

The online recruitment website I will be reviewing is www.prospects.ac.uk

Prospect is the UK’s official graduate careers website. It is simple to use as they have enabled users to use a search engine on their homepage to search any of the criteria listed; there are different categories of jobs and courses in the area of interest. The website caught my attention and got me interested into searching for my course, which is Accounting and Finance. When I chose my course, it easily narrowed the searches to suit the graduate jobs I had intention in looking for. If that is not enough, there is also a link to careers advice. Users can enquire or get advice from the careers advice specialist. In addition, there are also links to postgraduate study and my prospects where I can sign up and get regular updates on and vacancies that come about; email notifications will be sent immediately to alert the user of any vacancies.

The layout is clear and rather simple. The page itself is not very long so the user does not need to keep on scrolling down for a long period of time. Users can sign up to the website and every tab and links are made clear so that first time user s do not get confused and not experience any problems.

The content is well structured as the website includes the relevant drop down menus and search engines. There are no pop-ups that appear randomly so there is no trouble when viewing the content. Video and audio content is available to everyone by providing transcripts or captions wherever possible.

In terms of design, the website is simple but looks professional, hence being fit for its purpose. Users can easily read the text as the background colour of the site is white and the text is written in black. The logo at the top of the site is multi-coloured in order to catch the attention of the user and the logo remains in the same position in every different page of the website.

It is rather straightforward to navigate through different pages as they are all linked making it easy for the user to access. Each different pages of the website have links to sitemaps, help pages and ‘contact us’ page. Loading up time depends on the internet connection, but generally the loading time is not long at all from pages to pages. (Prospects, 2010)

The advantages of online recruitment:

COST EFFECTIVE- putting up a job vacancy on a company’s website does not cost anything in comparison to having the advert on a newspaper, which costs a company a vast amount.

EASY- It’s straightforward to post job vacancies on your own website and does not require a great deal of work.

BETTER CHANCE OF SUCCESS- There is a better chance of being successful if job vacancies are advertised on websites. They are accessible anytime, providing users with flexibility as they can apply for a job in their own spare time.

The disadvantages of online recruitment:

TOO MANY CANDIDATES- Whilst applying for vacancies online may be simple, it may lead to overload of candidates applying for the job. This can be quite time consuming for HR department to look through all the applicants and choose the best ones; those that stand out and have a better qualification than some of the others.

WON’T ALWAYS WORK- not every job vacancy can be filled and applied for, online. Some job vacancies can only be filled by recruitment consultants as it is too difficult to fill otherwise.

OVERSEAS CANDIDATES- If an applicant lives overseas and has been chosen as one of the candidate, then the company will not get a clear view of the candidate’s personality as interview may be concluded over the telephone

(What job site, 2011)

REFERENCES

Prospects (2010) Online Recruitment [online] Available from:

http://www.prospects.ac.uk

What job site (2011) The advantages and disadvantages of online recruitment [online] Available from:

http://www.whatjobsite.com/Online%20Recruitment:%20Advantages%20and%20disadvantages.htm

M.Simpson, 2010, powerpoint presentation.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES AND DIVERSITY

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY

The terms diversity, equality and equal opportunities are often used interchangeably, yet they refer to very different approaches and strategies.

Equality is about treating other people with respect. When someone is not being treated right, they will feel undervalued and end up leaving an organisation. Legislation, which makes it illegal to discriminate or harass someone, supports equality. Legislation covers areas such as: sex, sexual orientation, religion, ethnic background, age and disability. There is a collective approach used, which may mean treating certain groups of workers e.g. women or disabled people, the same. Overall, equality is about creating a fairer society where everyone can contribute and has the opportunity to fulfil their potential.

On the other hand, diversity means difference; it recognises and values people’s differences. Differences might exist in terms of race, gender, disability, education etc. Diversity tends to take an individual approach rather than a collective one. In addition, it goes beyond the legislation, which supports equality. The aim is to treat each person as an individual and involves strategies for the varied individuals to work together to become a dynamic workforce.

An organisation with a focus on equality will be concerned with ensuring that an equal opportunities policy is in place and that its workforce is made aware of it, as well as making sure it is acting within the law. An organisation which focuses on diversity will still need an active equal opportunities policy but may go further on and look at what similar organisations are doing rather well and try and emulate them. Firms that plant their focus on equality and diversity will be able to harness the framework of the law to positive workplaces policies and practices. In fundamental nature, an organisation may be very diverse but with an over-representation of minority ethnic staff employed in unskilled sector jobs; or an organisation may be very equal, but tend to employ mainly males.

AGE LEGISLATION ACT 2006

In October 2006, a new act was passed on which protected employees from being discriminated against their age while working for an organisation. As this legislation came into force in 2006, it covered employment and vocational training. The impact age legislation has on employers is:

·         It is crucial that right training is provided to employers so that they are aware of the requirements of the age legislation. Moreover, it is important to bring the right policies and procedures in the workplace to avoid discrimination.

·       Companies can gain from businesses employing an age-diverse workforce. Every person is unique and therefore attains different abilities and skills. By employing people from different backgrounds and origins there would be a higher retention rate, greater flexibility, a wide range of skills and higher motivation overall.

·      Creating age diverse workforces employers can attract employees within the range of age recruiting and developing both younger and older workers by offering them the right kind of training.

STEREOTYPING AGAINST THE YOUNGER PEOPLE:

They are inexperienced

They tend not be interested and can be lazy

They don’t use self initiative and have to be told what to do on a regular basis

They have no interest in anything that may be important.

STEREOTYPING AGAINST THE OLDER PEOPLE:

Working pace is rather slow and cannot carry out hard work.

Their education or qualifications may be out of date

They are not familiar with modern technology and various modern methods

May get easily stressed

WAYS ORGANISATIONS CAN CHANGE SUCH ATTITUDES

One of the main ways in which organisations can change their attitudes toward the young and old aged employees is by treating both groups of workers equally. Both sets of workers need to be treated with respect, which eliminates stereotyping and results in a better age-diverse workforce. Another way is to look at what the young and old aged employees have to offer to the company. Both sets of workers bring different skills into the working environment. While the older employees have experience and excel in what they do, the young employees bring in more knowledge and ideas which can be taken into consideration and could result in higher retention rate. In addition, organisations can also offer training in areas they are not familiar with and have no experience. This will enable to carry out more work and motivation will be high creating a more diverse workforce. The young employees can learn vital things from the older employees and vice versa.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES PRACTICE AT BRITISH AIRWAYS

“In British Airways we are constantly working towards creating an inclusive culture that understands and respects the individual differences of our employees. In addition we seek to deliver a service which reflects and responds to the diverse range of customer needs. We aim to drive and integrate diversity into all aspects of our service to ensure that we remain competitive. As a company which operates globally, we need to attract and retain talented individuals to reflect the diversity of our customer base. Employing a mix of people from diverse backgrounds leads to potential new ideas and innovation.” (British Airways, 2011)

BA values a diverse workforce and thinks equality and diversity are equally vital to their success and this is a reason why they play a huge part in ensuring they achieve equality of opportunity. BA values everyone equally and has since developed an equal opportunities policy to help eliminate any discrimination that may exist in their company. One of the policies BA cover is:

The Employment Equality (Age) Regulations- Prior to the legislation, British Airways ran focus groups to assess employees’ opinions on the changes. There was a broad range of responses, most people felt that the age legislation was a positive step and that flexibility was the key to working for longer. Following those responses, British Airways built a robust programme to encourage age diversity in all areas by challenging stereotypes linked to age as well as considering flexible working options prior to retirement.

To conclude, it is important that organisations take into consideration what abilities different employees have and what they bring to the business; everyone is unique and tend to have their own method of carrying out work. By recruiting people from different ethnic origins will create a dynamic workforce enabling them to getting the job done more efficiently and also higher retention rate. Every organisation must ensure they have an equal opportunities policy in place to rightfully correct any discrimination that may arise in the workplace.

REFERENCES

Mullins, L. (2010) Management and Organisational Behaviour. 9^th ed. England: Prentice Hall

M.Simpson (2010) PowerPoint presentation.

Business link (2011) Employing Older Workers [online] Available from: http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/layer?r.l1=1073858787&topicId=1082249786&r.lc=en&r.l2=1079568262&r.s=tl

BAA (2011) Equal opportunities policy [online] Available from:

http://www.britishairways.com/travel/crdivhome/public/en_gb

BAA (2011) The Employment Equality (Age) Regulations [online] Available from:

http://www.britishairways.com/travel/crdivstrategy/public/en_gb#age

TEAMWORKING

EXPERIENCE OF WORKING IN A SUCCESSFUL TEAM

There have been several occasions in the past when I have worked as part of a team. The most effective team activity which I was involved in was during high school.  During Year 10, the school decided to have an internship with NatWest Bank, who opened a scheme where students could open up accounts in school. This scheme was in place to enable NatWest to expand their target market. As part of the scheme, they interviewed and elected six students who would voluntarily help during lunch times twice a week to help open up accounts for fellow students. I was elected as one of the six members. Even though we were in the same year and knew each other fairly well, we had never worked as a team before. During the first week, we had to advertise to the school that the students could now open NatWest accounts with us. As a team we gathered few ideas on what to include in the flyer, which was later put up on several notice boards round the school. Using Tuckman’s theory on stages of team development, we had comfortably passed the ‘forming’ stage as we knew each other fairly well.

During the second and third week of the scheme we had hardly attracted any students and at this stage we were wondering what could be done to improve this, but we had no ideas and one of the member was actually considering opting out as she was losing valuable lunch time carrying out this work. We tried persuading her that soon there will be a surge of students that will want to open accounts and that we will have to patient, but she did not want to hear none of it. At this point, we were at the ‘storming’ stage of team development as there was some levels of de-motivation and some form of conflict had arisen. There was pressure on us to be able to actually attract students soon as this scheme would only be open for couple more months.

We had a meeting with the head of year about what could be done differently in order for us to attract students to open the accounts with NatWest. We came up with the idea of going to each year’s assemblies and advertising on the stage and letting everyone what the account has to offer. We split the work so for each year there would a different speaker and we worked as a team to come up with a presentation that is neither overloaded with too much information nor boring. I believe we worked rather well as a team during this stage and as a result we successfully opened up several accounts as well as able to complete transactions which the students wished to carry out, e.g. depositing cash. This stage of team development is known as the ‘norming’ stage.

There was a sudden rise in students wanting to open accounts and we were kept busy during both days in the week when we were open. We had to manage a queue outside the room with students interested in opening the accounts. As a result, we were more productive than we had ever been in the past since this scheme was introduced. We were able to reach the ‘performing’ stage of team development at this stage. 

When it came to the end of the scheme, we felt we had achieved a lot working as a team; gained a vital experience. We wanted to carry on this duty due to our success as a team. The final stage of Tuckman’s theory of team development is ‘mourning stage’. At the end of the scheme, we were rewarded with certificates and got the chance to visit Bank of England, which was a good experience.

Group assignment review

Tuckman's theory focuses on the way in which a team tackles a task from the initial formation of the team through to the completion of the project. Tuckman's theory is particularly relevant to team building challenges as the phases are relevant to the completion of any task undertaken by a team. Each of the stages are described below:

FORMING- at this stage, the team is assembled and the task is allocated. Members tend to behave independently and although goodwill may exist, they do not know each other well enough to unconditionally trust one another. Time is spent planning, bonding along with gathering information.

STORMING- the team starts to address the task suggesting ideas. This phase can be very destructive if members of the team do not co-operate by competing for ascendancy with their ideas. Relationships between team members may not recover if they break and in such cases, the team may become stuck in this phase. It is vital that a team has a strong facilitative leadership in the storming phase.

NORMING- this phase tends to be a move towards harmonius working practices with teams agreeing on the rules and values by which they operate. There is trust between each team member as they accept the vital contribution from one another to the team. Individual members take greater responsibility which allows team leaders to take a step back from the team. However, at this stage, the team may become complacent and lose the drive that brought them to this stage as well as their creative edge.

PERFORMING- this stage is an era of high performance and not all teams make it to this phase. Teams at this stage have high levels of motivation, knowledge and independence. High levels of respect between members when communicating will be present and for this reason decision making is collaborative and dissent is expected and encouraged.

For the group assignment on the different motivation theories, we decided to relate the theories to two well-known companies: Cadbury and Tesco.  I believe we worked thoroughly well as a group, but there was room for major improvement.  I believe we reached the norming stage. From the start, when the group was formed, till the end, on the completion of the project, no conflict had taken place. This is mainly because we knew each other fairly well and each of us had the ability to get the work done without any difficulties. Each of us co-operated well and managed to divide the work between the four of us without any complexity. As we knew each other fairly well, we managed to quickly get through the forming stage.

We had decided to work together right from the very beginning and we held meetings where each of us would meet to discuss the work. On our first meeting, we divided the project up between the four of us. For example, each of us chose a motivational theory to do and relate that to a known brand.  Subsequently, we regularly met up and updated each other on what we had done and whether there were any difficulties any of us were facing in completing our task.

There was potential to move onto the performing stage, but we never managed to reach it. This may have been due to it being our first time as working in a group and even though we had the knowledge and motivation to reach performing phase, we lacked that extra driving force to get us there. Few days before the deadline, we met up and went through each other’s work and made few changes the layout and managed to pull all the documents into one and restructure the layout and organise the work into one full report. On the whole, I believe we communicated well with each other and had the right mind set to complete the work set and therefore I believe we managed to successfully reach the norming stage. The mark we received for this project was satisfactory and there was room for vast improvement. The only way to reach our full potential is to move on to the performing stage and possibly approach the task differently.

THE TIMES TOP 100 COMPANIES

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/career_and_jobs/best_100_companies/

Using the link above, one of the best 100 companies to work for is a charity firm called P3. P3 is ranked as number one on Times Online Best 100 Companies (Times online, 2010). Team work has been a key factor that has added to the success of this company. Like last year's winner, Beaverbrooks, the key to P3's victory lies not in big pay and bonuses, but rather in its supportive, inclusive culture which promotes control, choice and independence for staff as well as clients.

Another firm where teamwork has been a key to their success is W L Gore & Associates. It follow that it does particularly well in our employee questionnaire for people feeling they can make a valuable contribution to its success and believing they can make a difference in the organisation, getting 86% and 84% positive scores respectively. Both are top three answers. Staff at the West Lothian-based company find that work is good for their own personal growth (82%). Employees say colleagues go out of their way to help each other, which shows teamwork is effective at W L Gore & Associates.

REFERENCES

M.Simpson (2010) PowerPoint presentation.

Team working assignment

Times online (2010) P3 [online]. Available from:

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/career_and_jobs/best_100_companies/article7030217.ece

Times online (2010) W L Gore & Associates [online]. Available from:

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/career_and_jobs/best_100_companies/article7030223.ece

PERSONALITY

Personality is a concept which may be seen as consisting various characteristics that explain why a person behaves in a particular manner. Some of these characteristics are: conscientiousness, agreeableness, independence and self-control. Studies of personality can be divided into two main approaches: nomothetic (nature) and idiographic (nurture).

Nomothetic approach, also known as nature, is the idea that our personalities and traits are down to our genetic predispositions. In other words, they are handed down to us by our parents.

Idiographic approach, also known as nurture, is the idea that our personalities are influenced heavily by environmental factors; so the way we have been brought up and the culture around us. People think and behave in certain ways because they are taught to do so.

There have been different views expressed about the approaches of personality. Scientists have been able to distinguish between the nomothetic and idiographic approach. People have unique personalities, a way of experiencing the world and participating in it that is all their own. So for example, it would be difficult to change someone’s personality if it is has been inherited through their genetic make-up. On the other hand, the idiographic view suggests that some traits possessed by only one person hence having a unique psychological structure. In addition, some traits may differ in importance from person to person. Peoples’ personalities can adapt to change therefore it is difficult to compare and distinguish between two people’s personalities. The lifestyle someone lives can influence the way they behave. Also, the way they have been brought up can relate to their behaviour. (Shady Guirguis, 2004)

I believe that some traits are passed down from our parents as people tend to have similar personalities to their family members. My personality is similar to my father in the sense that we are quick thinkers and tend to approach things methodically. However, there are also nature factors that relates to how I behave. Once people gain lifetime experiences in different environments, their personality can change. As for me, I believe I have a mixture of both the nature and nurture that makes up my personality but nurture is the more dominant factor that makes up my personality. This is because I enjoy socialising with my friends and exploring different things.

ONLINE PERSONALITY TRAIT TEST

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/surveys/whatamilike/index.shtml

Openness- I scored 3.2 out of 5 for Openness. People with scores like yours tend to have a less broad range of interests. They usually stick to what they know rather than being overly enthusiastic about trying new things. You may find that generating lots of imaginative ideas is not your biggest strength.

Conscientiousness- I scored 3.9 out of 5 for Conscientiousness. You scored high on Conscientiousness. People with scores like yours tend to be extremely dependable and organised. It's likely that your life is well-planned and you approach things in a thorough manner. At work, you probably approach tasks methodically and thoroughly, with everything in its right place.

Extroversion- I scored 3.5 out of 5 for extroversion. People with scores like yours are likely to be comfortable meeting new people and will usually enjoy social occasions. You are likely to have a generally positive outlook on life and may display a greater gift for leadership compared to those with low scores on this trait.

Agreeableness- I scored 4.4 out of 5 for Agreeableness. People with scores like yours are likely to find it very easy to get along with other people. You probably find that you are sensitive to the feelings of others and that people find it easy to warm to you. As a 'people person' you will probably be very comfortable in situations that require teamwork.

Neuroticism- I scored 2.3 out of 5 for Neuroticism. People with scores like yours are often seen as being calm and even-tempered. They cope well with stressful situations and may seem tranquil despite adverse circumstances.

Personality as a concept is difficult to determine, especially because there is not an actual place where it is stored or created. However, the evidence collected from observation and careful study can lead us to believe that there is no one method by which personality achievement and differences can be explained; only by a mix of internal and external factors, inclined and random can personality be formed.

REFERENCES

Nature vs Nurture (2010) [online]. Available from:

http://www.nuc.berkeley.edu/courses/classes/NE24%20Olander/Equalitarinism_vs_Hereditarinism.htm

M.Simpson (2010) PowerPoint presentation.

Mullins, L. (2010) Management and Organisational Behaviour. 9^th ed. England: Prentice Hall

PERCEPTION & COMMUNICATION

MY WRONG PERCEPTION

During the summer last year, I decided to get temporary summer job in men’s clothing retailers. Having successfully got through the interview, I went in for training where everyone seemed helpful and pleasantly friendly. Their friendliness and warm welcoming attitude led me to believe this is the right place for me to get some sort of experience. I was hoping to stay with the company on a temporary basis for couple of months, but I only stayed with them for best part of a month. My reason for leaving early was when I got to know everyone thoroughly well and did not get along with one of my colleagues. During the end of my first week there, I was helping a customer out when one of the co-workers decided to interfere and end up having lost a sale, when the customer left without purchasing anything. This was just a first of a few incidents that occurred over the course of the month. I knew full well that I wasn’t being taken seriously as I was only there on a temporary basis. My perception of her changed as I didn’t get along with her; she did not seem friendly and not someone I would want to work with, hence why I left. I did not want to bring this matter up to the manager as I was only there on a temporary basis and did not want to stress over that matter. I decided to look for another temporary job thereafter and managed to get one where I did not encounter any problems. In the future, I will make sure I find out about the company thoroughly and make sure the staff review is exceptional and the environment is a positive one to work in just in order to avoid making similar judgments again. I came about quite reserved since this was my second ever interview and was just glad I was offered the temporary position as a sales assistant. 

Ways to improve communication between University and Students.

Article:

http://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/pm/articles/2010/07/how-to-improve-staff-communication.htm

Idea 1 Keep the personal touch

“Employees value face-to-face communication highly. The challenge is to ensure that managers develop the skills and confidence to hold meaningful two-way conversations – even on difficult topics. It’s important to let people know that you value these attributes. Consider them as part of the assessment and development process for team leaders” (People Management, 2010)

University students would benefit incredibly from having face-to-face communication with their tutors to discuss their university life and any issues they may have. These meetings could be held once or twice every semester. The student should be comfortable with whom they are discussing the matters. If they are not comfortable discussing issues with their tutors, then they should feel free to discuss matters with someone else who understands what the course is about and is approachable. Face-to-face communication is highly valuable as it allows both the student and the lecturer to express each other’s views on the matter. Also, confidence is vital. Expressing matters to someone is not as easy as it may seem. Therefore, the student should only discuss matters to someone they feel comfortable talking to.

Idea 2 Consider your channels

“Many organisations are embracing new communication media. One company in our recent research into M&As and employer branding used a CEO’s blog successfully during a takeover. Some employers use social networking sites to engage their graduate recruits before they join the organisation formally” (People Management, 2010)

Some of the ways in which Universities keep in touch with their students is via emails and using systems such as Blackboard. One other way which would benefit both the lecturers and the students is the use of forums on Blackboard. This would enable the student to keep in touch with all the students who want to discuss their work. When the students have group assignments to carry out, they could use the forum to ask for help. This way the tutor and the students are involved in the conversation and forums are an effective way of communicating with one another. Also, tutors can give feedback on the group work in the forum. The forum can be accessed anytime and there is that academic connection between the lecturer and the student which enables them to stay in touch about the work.

Idea 3 Have a shared purpose

 “Creating a shared sense of purpose is an important starting point for a strategic approach to communication. People need to understand the collective goal they are working towards and to appreciate the difference they can make” (People Management, 2010)

Once the lecturer gets to know the students better and understand their capabilities, he/she can easily draw up targets for the students. Both the student and lecturer should agree on the targets and feedback should be given on a regular basis so that the student knows how he/she is doing and whether they are on the right path. They will have a shared purpose as they are aiming for the same goal. 

REFERENCE

Rebecca Clake (2011) How to improve staff communication [online] Available from:

http://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/pm/articles/2010/07/how-to-improve-staff-communication.htm