Dealing With Challenging Behaviour Essay

Within a home for adults with learning disabilities, you would use many different policies and procedures to tackle challenging behaviour. The mental capacity act would be used here. ‘The Mental Capacity Act (MCA) is designed to protect and empower individuals who may lack the mental capacity to make their own decisions about their care and treatment’ (NHS Choices. (2015). This legislation applies to anyone over the age of 16. It ensures that anyone who has a serve disability, dementia or any other mental issues. Although an individual may have these mental conditions, they may still be able to make decisions of their own. They would have someone who would give them all of the information and a carer or parent would then help the individual to make the best decision for the benefit of their health. An individual may not be able to make decisions on their finances but they could still have the capacity to make decisions on shopping. The mental capacity act believes that everyone has the right to make their own decisions. This act aims to try and ensure that this does happen. This would be used to help deal with challenging behaviour because it would make the individual feel that they are able to make their own decisions about their care. This would also stop challenging behaviour because they may feel that if they can have some say in their care and treatment then they don’t need  to act out or become behaviourally challenging. It would also be used because it can give the service user more of a choice over their care and this could then help them feel more in control rather than sitting on the side-lines. The mental health act would also be used here. ‘The Mental Health Act 1983 (which was substantially amended in 2007) is the law in England and Wales that allows people with a ‘mental disorder’ to be admitted to hospital, detained and treated without their consent – either for their own health and safety, or for the protection of other people.’ (Mental Health care. (2015). The mental health act allows carers or parents to get the help that the service user may need. You can be detained in two different ways. One way is that a private place or a guardian decides that the individual’s mental health conditions is becoming a harm to the public. The second way is that the police could see the individual in the street and could has a cause for concern on how stable an individual’s mental health is. They would then take you to the nearest hospital or they may take them to a police station. Once an individual has been admitted then the individual will undergo a mental health assessment to see if they are a danger or harm to themselves. In a home for adults with learning disabilities, if an individual at the home is displaying violence and really challenging behaviour then the carers can make the decision if the individual is a danger to themselves or another individual. P3Suggest strategies to minimise effects of challenging behaviour in health and social care settings M2Discuss strategies used to minimise effects of one type of challenging behaviour in health and social care settings Types of strategies Person centred planning: ‘Person centred planning (PCP) provides a way of helping a person plan all aspects of their life, thus ensuring that the individual remains central to the creation of any plan which will affect them.’ (Foundation for people with learning disabilities. (2015). Person centred planning is about putting  the service user at the heart of everything. Effective communication ‘Effective communication helps us better understand a person or situation and enables us to resolve differences, build trust and respect, and create environments where creative ideas, problem solving, affection, and caring can flourish.’ (HelpGuide. (2015). Effective communication is about individual’s verbal skills. This can include choice of words, tone of voice, volume, pace, turn taking and how fast that you talk. This can all effect how effectively you communicate with others. As well as someone’s verbal skills, a service user preferred way of communicating should be taken into account. This could be whether they prefer to talk using sign language or they may like to communicate using pictures. This should all be taken into consideration. Body language ‘Body language refers to the nonverbal signals that we use to communicate.’ (About Psychology. (2015). Body language is used everyday. It can be used to show how an individual is feeling and you can also use it to show how you are feeling. Body language s a significant part of modern communication. Body language is not about how we move to show how we are feeling. It is also about how we position our bodies to show how we are feeling. It is also about how we change our facial expressions and how are eyes move and focus. As well as this it is about our closeness and how this changes and how the gap between us and other people gets smaller or bigger. Promoting self esteem Self esteem is the opinion that an individual has of themselves. ‘When we have healthy self-esteem, we tend to feel positive about ourselves and about life in general.’ (NHS Choices. (2015). Raising low self esteem.). By having a positive self esteem, an individual would be able to deal with the ups and downs in life better. Low self esteem is the opposite to this. People with low self esteem generally have a negative outlook on life. Low self esteem is usually caused from something that happened at a young age. This could be from a parent, teacher, friend or carer. Low self esteem can change how  someone behaviour or acts toward to others. It can also cause them to be a danger to themselves or others. Understanding rules and boundaries: To understand rules and boundaries there are many things that service workers can do. They can use ABC charts which can be used to monitor their behaviour. ABC charts can also be used to see if a service users behaviour is becoming more and more challenging which means the service workers can see if an intervention is needed. You can also use risk assessments. This can also help to monitor behaviour as they could be completed regularly. As well as this service workers would need to make sure that they are up to date with all of their training. This can help them to be able to deal with challenging behaviour because it means that they would know new ways to try to calm a service user or make sure that no harm comes to them or other service users. Other strategies: Other strategies which are in place to help deal with challenging behaviour are making sure there is a pleasant environment. This could help the service user to keep calm and not act out. This could also be used as a calming method when their behaviour is starting to become more challenging. Another strategy is arranging different varieties of activities. This could stop their behaviour becoming challenging because it means that the service workers could say that if they behaved correctly then they would be able to do the activity where as if their behaviour started to become challenging then they would be able to say that they wouldn’t be able to do the activity. References: About Psychology. (2015). Understanding body language. Available: http://psychology.about.com/od/nonverbalcommunication/ss/understanding-body-language.htm. Last accessed 6th March 2015. Foundation for people with learning disabilities. (2015). Person Centred Planning. Available: http://www.learningdisabilities.org.uk/help-information/learning-disability-a-z/p/person-centred-planning/. Last accessed 5th March 2015. HelpGuide. (2015). Effective Communication. Available: http://www.helpguide.org/articles/relationships/effective-communication.htm. Last accessed 6th March 2015. Mental Health care. (2015). Mental health act. Available: http://www.mentalhealthcare.org.uk/mental_health_act. Last accessed 5th March 2015. NHS Choices. (2015). Raising low self esteem. Available: http://www.nhs.uk/livewell/mentalhealth/pages/dealingwithlowself-esteem.aspx. Last accessed 7th March 2015. NHS Choices. (2015). What is the mental capacity act?. Available: http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/social-care-and-support-guide/Pages/mental-capacity.aspx. Last accessed 5th March 2015.

Impact of Organizational Support for Career Development

Career Development International Emerald Article: The impact of organisational support for career development on career satisfaction Belinda Renee Barnett, Lisa Bradley Article information: To cite this document: Belinda Renee Barnett, Lisa Bradley, (2007),†The impact of organisational support for career development on career satisfaction†, Career Development International, Vol. 12 Iss: 7 pp. 617 – 636 Permanent link to this document: http://dx. doi. org/10. 108/13620430710834396 Downloaded on: 18-09-2012 References: This document contains references to 40 other documents Citations: This document has been cited by 17 other documents To copy this document: [email  protected] com This document has been downloaded 7990 times since 2007. * Users who downloaded this Article also downloaded: * Jyotsna Bhatnagar, (2007),†Talent management strategy of employee engagement in Indian ITES employees: key to retention†, Employee Relations, Vol. 29 Iss: 6 pp. 640 à ¢â‚¬â€œ 663 http://dx. doi. org/10. 1108/01425450710826122 Ans De Vos, Koen Dewettinck, Dirk Buyens, (2008),†To move or not to move? The relationship between career management and preferred career moves†, Employee Relations, Vol. 30 Iss: 2 pp. 156 – 175 http://dx. doi. org/10. 1108/01425450810843348 Marilyn Clarke, Margaret Patrickson, (2008),†The new covenant of employability†, Employee Relations, Vol. 30 Iss: 2 pp. 121 – 141 http://dx. doi. org/10. 1108/01425450810843320 Access to this document was granted through an Emerald subscription provided by UNIVERSITY OF GUJRAT For Authors: If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service.Information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www. emeraldinsight. com/authors for more information. About Emerald www. emeraldinsight. com With over forty years' experi ence, Emerald Group Publishing is a leading independent publisher of global research with impact in business, society, public policy and education. 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The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www. emeraldinsight. com/1362-0436. htm The impact of organisational support for career development on career satisfaction Belinda Renee Barnett Queensland Rail, Sandgate, Australia, and Support for career development 617 Received December 2006 Revised July 2007 Accepted August 2007Lisa Bradley School of Management, Queensland University of Technology , Brisbane, Australia Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between organisational support for career development (OSCD) and employees’ career satisfaction. Based on an extended model of social cognitive career theory (SCCT) and an integrative model of proactive behaviours, the study proposed that career management behaviours would mediate the relationship between OSCD and career satisfaction, and between proactive personality and career satisfaction.Design/methodology/approach – Public and private sector employees (N ? 90) participating in career development activities completed a survey regarding their proactivity, OSCD, career management behaviours and career satisfaction. Findings – OSCD, proactive personality and career management behaviours were all positively related to career satisfaction and career management behaviours mediated the relationship between proactive personality and career satisfaction. There wa s no support for the career management behaviours mediating between OSCD and career satisfaction.Research limitations/implications – This study provided support for the extended SCCT model by testing a subset of its proposed relationships using a cross-sectional approach. The sample surveyed (employees participating in career development activities) and the large proportion of full-time employees, may limit the generalisability of the ? ndings. Future longitudinal research could more fully test the relationships proposed by the extended SCCT model and include a greater representation of part-time and casual employees. Practical implications – The results suggest that there are bene? s for organisations and individuals investing in career development.. First, from an organisational perspective, investing in OSCD may enhance employees’ career satisfaction. Second, employees may enhance their own career satisfaction by participating in career management behaviours. Originality/value – This study integrated the predictions of two models (an extension of SCCT and a model of proactive behaviours) to test the in? uence of environmental (OSCD) and individual difference (proactive personality) variables on career satisfaction. Exploring how organisational and individual variables together in? ence career satisfaction provides a more balanced approach to theoretical development. Keywords Career satisfaction, Human resource management, Employee development, Career management Paper type Research paper Changes in the economic, technological and business environment during the last two decades have signi? cantly impacted people’s career attitudes and experiences (Hall, 2002; Pinnington and Lafferty, 2003). These environmental changes have contributed to the Career Development International Vol. 12 No. 7, 2007 pp. 617-636 q Emerald Group Publishing Limited 1362-0436 DOI 10. 1108/13620430710834396CDI 12,7 618 establishment of a new psycholog ical contract: the reciprocal obligations held by employees and employers (Hall, 2002). The predominance of organisational restructuring, de-layering and downsizing has contributed to a more ? exible or â€Å"boundaryless† career environment with expectations that individuals will self-manage their careers, rather than rely on organisational direction (Arthur et al. , 2005; Kossek et al. , 1998). Concurrently, tight labour markets in Australia and other developed countries challenge organisations in attracting, motivating and retaining employees.Australia is currently experiencing record low unemployment rates with labour shortages across many industries, including the trades, engineering and knowledge sectors. In this competitive environment, where it is increasingly dif? cult and costly to attract employees with the necessary skills, organisations need to convince employees that their organisation provides more opportunities, challenges and rewards than their competitors. T his aim can be particularly challenging when the traditional rewards offered as part of the old psychological contract, such as structured career paths and job stability, are more dif? ult for organisations to provide due to the more dynamic environment in which many organisations now operate. Therefore, organisations are seeking creative ways to address this attraction, motivation and retention challenge (Erdogan et al. , 2004; Heslin, 2005). One way that organisations may meet this challenge is to support employees to develop their own careers and increase their career satisfaction. This approach is consistent with the recommendation that organisations perform a new supportive, rather than directive, role in enabling their employees’ career success (Baruch, 2006).This study proposes that organisations can adopt strategies to enhance employees’ career satisfaction and so potentially increase the organisations’ ability to attract and retain these employees. Whil e one focus of this study is on the role that organisational support can play in employees’ career satisfaction, it is important to also consider the role that individuals play in their own career success, particularly given the trend towards more individualistic career management in the last few decades (Baruch, 2006).Exploring the impact that organisational and individual difference variables have on career satisfaction will result in a more comprehensive understanding of these relationships and also offers the opportunity to merge the two, often distinct perspectives provided by (worker-focused) vocational psychology and (employer focused) organisational psychology (Lent and Brown, 2006). An extended model of Social cognitive career theory (SCCT) has recently been proposed which predicts how contextual and individual personality, cognitive and behavioural variables predict vocational satisfaction (Lent, 2004, 2005; Lent and Brown, 2006).To date, versions of this extended m odel have only examined the academic satisfaction of college students (Lent et al. , 2005) and there is a strong need for further study with employed workers (Lent and Brown, 2006). Therefore, this study will explore the relationship between an environmental support variable, organisational support for career development (OSCD) and employee career satisfaction.In addition, a mediating relationship proposed by SCCT, via participation in goal directed activities (individual career management behaviours) will be explored. Since this recently extended model of SCCT emphasises an approach to unify personality and environmental perspectives, previous studies of university students tested how extraversion and positive affect ? t the model (Lent et al. , 2005). The current study builds on past research by exploring how another important personality variable (proactive personality) impacts career satisfaction.By incorporating the predictions of the model of proactive behaviours (Crant, 2000) , and the extended SCCT model (Lent and Brown, 2006), this study will also explore whether career management behaviours mediate the relationship between proactive personality and career satisfaction. Greater understanding about the mediating mechanisms by which environmental and personality variables impact career satisfaction will contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of career satisfaction and support the development and testing of the extended SCCT model.Organisational career management is a risk management process (Baruch, 2006). Therefore, examining the relative contribution that OSCD makes to employee career satisfaction can assist organisations in determining whether investment in supporting employee career development will derive adequate bene? ts and enable organisations to better design career development strategies to achieve desired outcomes. From an employee perspective, understanding how personality, behavioural and environmental factors function together ma y offer the opportunity to assist people to become as satis? d with their careers as nature and environmental factors support (Lent and Brown, 2006). Figure 1 presents a social cognitive model aimed at understanding vocational and educational satisfaction (Lent and Brown, 2006). The model predicts paths by which social cognitive variables (e. g. self-ef? cacy, goals) function jointly with personality and environmental variables to impact work satisfaction (Lent and Brown, 2006). The model extends upon SCCT, which was originally developed to explain interest development, choice and performance in career and educational domains (Lent et al. , 1994).Exploration of this recently developed model of SCCT can contribute to the literature by helping to achieve integration on two levels (Lent and Brown, 2006). These levels of contribution will be described next. Support for career development 619 Figure 1. A process model of work satisfaction that highlights theorized interrelations among pe rsonality, cognitive, behavioural and environmental variables CDI 12,7 620 The ? rst way that this model of SCCT can contribute to the literature is to help unify the often disparate perspectives of organisational and vocational psychology (Lent and Brown, 2006).While organisational and vocational psychology researchers focus on work satisfaction, it is often with different perspectives. For example, vocational psychology tends to be clearly focused on the individual and work satisfaction is treated as an end in itself, or as a component of work adjustment (Lent and Brown, 2006; Russell, 1991). Organisational psychology, alternatively, tends to focus more on the organisational consequences of work satisfaction, such as productivity, engagement and turnover (Lent and Brown, 2006).These differing perspectives have led to largely distinct literatures, with concerns that researchers will reinvent areas of inquiry if they do not draw together learning from multiple disciplines (Baruch, 2 006; Lent and Brown, 2006; Russell, 1991) Therefore, exploring this extended SCCT model can contribute to the literature by developing closer links between vocational and organisational psychology perspectives on work satisfaction (Lent and Brown, 2006).Exploring this SCCT model can also contribute to building a more comprehensive understanding of work satisfaction by considering how cognitive, behavioural, personality and environmental factors jointly impact work satisfaction (Lent and Brown, 2006). By incorporating frequently studied correlates of work satisfaction into a few, broader conceptual categories, this extended model of SCCT attempts to balance comprehensiveness and simplicity in explaining the multiple in? uences on work satisfaction.While the bivariate relations contained in this model have received study, this extended model of SCCT provides a theoretical logic for predicting how these variables may function together. Since study of the extended SCCT model has focused on student samples to date (Lent et al. , 2005), this current study will also contribute to the literature by exploring how a subset of the relationships proposed by this SCCT model applies to employed workers, as recommended by Lent and Brown (2006).This study also incorporates theoretical predictions from the model of proactive behaviours (Crant, 2000) from the management literature. This model considers the antecedents (individual differences, such as proactive personality, and contextual factors, such as OSCD) and consequences (such as career success) of both general and context-speci? c proactive behaviours (Crant, 2000). The model shares similarities with SCCT, in its perspective that employees take an active role in their careers: they initiate behaviours and create favourable situations to achieve personal goals and career success (Crant, 2000).Similar to the predictions of SCCT (Lent, 2005), the model proposes that people are more likely to take actions to achieve their go als if they have access to environmental (organisational) support and resources relevant to the pursuit of these goals. Integrating the predictions from the psychological and managerial literature also builds on the recommendations of (Baruch, 2006) who urged researchers to analyse careers from a broad, multi-disciplined approach, rather than from a limited, single discipline perspective. The key elements of the model proposed in this study and its predicted pathways will be described next.The model outlined in Figure 2 integrates some of the predictions of the extended SCCT model (Lent and Brown, 2006) and the proactive behaviour model when applied to the career domain (Crant, 2000). The key classes of variables that comprise this model include: career satisfaction; OSCD – organisational support for career development; proactive personality; and career management behaviours. Support for career development 621 Figure 2. Integrated model of proactive behaviours Key model eleme nts Career satisfaction (subjective career success) While traditionally a career was considered to be con? ed to professionals or those who advanced through organisational hierarchies, today the term â€Å"career† is more broadly applied and is commonly considered to be the lifelong sequence of role-related experiences of individuals (Hall, 2002). Building on this de? nition, â€Å"career success† can be de? ned as the â€Å"positive psychological and work-related outcomes accumulated as a result of one’s work experiences† (Seibert and Kraimer, 2001, p. 2). Distinction has been made between objective and subjective indicators of career success.Objective career success refers to the work experience outcomes, such as status, promotions and salary, that are objectively observable (Seibert and Kraimer, 2001). Traditional career research focused predominantly on objective measures of career success (Gattiker and Larwood, 1988). This focus was consistent with t he predominance of hierarchical organisations where employees’ career success was largely de? ned by promotion, rank and retention (Hall and Chandler, 2005). Measuring only objective criteria of career success, however, is de? ient, since people also value subjective outcomes such as development of new skills, work-life balance, challenge and purpose (Gattiker and Larwood, 1988; Heslin, 2005). Also, having achieved objective career success does not necessarily mean that people are satis? ed with their career (Hall, 2002). Lastly, some objective career success measures appear less relevant today, since organisations are more constrained in providing these opportunities (Heslin, 2005). One way to deal with the limitations of de? ning and measuring career success using objective criteria is to supplement these with measures of subjective career success.Subjective career success Subjective career success refers to individuals’ evaluation of their career progress, accomplis hments and anticipated outcomes, relative to their own goals and aspirations (Seibert and Kraimer, 2001). The change in focus to subjective career success, where the criterion for success is internal rather than external, is also consistent with the change in the career context where individuals are expected to self-manage their own careers rather than rely on organisational direction (Hall and Chandler, 2005; Hall and Mirvis, 1995). CDI 12,7 622Subjective career success has most often been operationalised as job satisfaction or career satisfaction (Erdogan et al. , 2004; Heslin, 2003; Ng et al. , 2005; Seibert and Kraimer, 2001). For example, in a recent review of career success studies, 20 out of a total of 49 studies operationalising subjective career success included measures of career satisfaction and 11 studies included measures for job satisfaction (Arthur et al. , 2005). Alternatively, a recent meta-analysis included only studies measuring career satisfaction to operationali se subjective career success (Ng et al. 2005). While there appears little general consensus about the relative merits of both measures, one perspective considers job satisfaction as an inadequate measure of career success, since subjective career success indicates satisfaction over a longer time frame and wider range of outcomes, such as sense of purpose and work-life balance, than job satisfaction (Heslin, 2005). We will use career satisfaction in this study. Career satisfaction measures the extent to which individuals believe their career progress is consistent with their own goals, values and preferences (Erdogan et al. 2004; Heslin, 2003; Seibert and Kraimer, 2001). Career satisfaction is often measured using the career satisfaction scale developed by Greenhaus et al. (1990). The vast majority of studies measuring career satisfaction use this scale. For example, of the 20 studies measuring career satisfaction in the review article referred to above, 14 studies used the career sa tisfaction scale (Arthur et al. , 2005) as we will do in the current research. Organisational support for career development Organisational support for areer development (OSCD) is also called â€Å"organisational career management† or â€Å"organisational sponsorship† and refers to the programs, processes and assistance provided by organisations to support and enhance their employees’ career success (Ng et al. , 2005; Orpen, 1994). The variable has been so named in this study to be consistent with the new supportive and enabling role proposed for organisations, rather than the traditional â€Å"command and control† approach taken in the past (Baruch, 2006).Referring to the extended SCCT model (Lent and Brown, 2006), OSCD belongs to a class of environmental support and resources variables that are speci? cally relevant to the pursuit of an individual’s career goals. OSCD comprises formal strategies (including career planning, training and assessment centres) and informal support such as providing mentoring, coaching and networking opportunities (Hall, 2002; London, 1988; Sturges, Guest, Conway, and Davey, 2002).Proactive personality Proactive personality or disposition is a stable individual difference construct that differentiates individuals based on the extent to which they take action to in? uence their environment. People with a proactive disposition tend to identify opportunities and act on them, persevering until meaningful change occurs in their environment (Crant, 2000). Proactive personality has demonstrated signi? cant positive relationships with career satisfaction and career management behaviours (Chiaburu et al. , 2006; Seibert et al. , 2001).Career management behaviours Career management behaviours are the actions that individuals take to achieve their career goals. These behaviours occur when individuals choose to initiate and intervene in their career situation in such a way that the individual acts in a desir ed direction, rather than responding passively to an imposed change (Crant, 2000). These behaviours are referred to alternatively as â€Å"career enhancing strategies† (Nabi, 2003), â€Å"context-speci? c proactive behaviours† (Crant, 2000) and â€Å"career goal-directed activities† (Lent, 2004).These behaviours include career exploration and planning, skills development, networking and promoting one’s achievements (Claes and Ruiz-Quintamilla, 1998; Kossek et al. , 1998; Nabi, 2000, 2003; Noe, 1996; Orpen, 1994). Pathways to career satisfaction The model outlined in Figure 2 proposes that contextual or environmental factors (such as OSCD) can in? uence the career satisfaction of employees by enhancing employees’ participation in career management behaviours. The model also proposes that stable individual differences, such as proactive personality, also in? ences career satisfaction via career management behaviours: people with a proactive dispositi on are more likely to engage in career management behaviours and be more satis? ed with their careers. Each of the paths proposed in the model will now be discussed. OSCD and career satisfaction A goal-speci? c environmental support and resource, such as OSCD, which provides social and material support for one’s personal goals, is likely to be a signi? cant predictor of career satisfaction (Lent and Brown, 2006).Conversely, the absence of such supports, or presence of contextual obstacles, is likely to impede goal progress and reduce satisfaction. This direct link to career satisfaction is predicted in the extended model of SCCT (Lent and Brown, 2006), and in this study’s model. To date, the evidence about the amount of variance in career satisfaction explained by OSCD is mixed (Ng et al. , 2005). This variability could partly be explained by the lack of empirical research testing theoretical models that uniquely predict subjective career success (Ng et al. 2005; Seibe rt et al. , 2001; Wayne et al. , 1999). For example, many studies examining the in? uence of OSCD on career success make similar predictions for both objective and subjective career success and control for variables that have a greater relationship with objective than with subjective career success. Lack of research which makes this distinction is of particular concern, since recent meta-analytic results suggest that there is a signi? cant difference between the predictors of objective and subjective career success (Ng et al. , 2005). Speci? ally, OSCD (including career sponsorship, supervisor support and training and development opportunities) and stable individual differences (such as proactive personality) were more strongly related to career satisfaction than to salary and promotion, measures of objective career success (Ng et al. , 2005). Support for the relationship between OSCD and career satisfaction was provided in two recent meta-analyses (Allen et al. , 2004; Ng et al. , 2005). Signi? cant positive relationships were found between mentoring and employee career satisfaction, with effect sizes ranging from 0. 1 to 0. 29 across up to ten studies (Allen et al. , 2004). Signi? cant effect sizes ranging from 0. 38 to 0. 46 were also found between OSCD (career sponsorship, supervisor support and training and development opportunities) and career satisfaction across up to 18 studies (Ng et al. , 2005). Analyses showed however, that the meta-analytic correlations between self-report measures were signi? cantly higher than correlations between self-report and objective measures, suggesting that percept-percept bias may be in? ating these correlations (Ng et al. 2005). Support for career development 623 CDI 12,7 624 Moderate support for a positive relationship between OSCD and employee career satisfaction was also found in two cross-sectional studies, comprising employees from private and public sector organisations in the United Kingdom and Israel (Orpen, 199 4; Pazy, 1988). In both studies, the items developed to represent characteristics of an effective organisational career management system loaded on three factors: career management policies, employee career development and career information.Together, theoretical predictions and empirical ? ndings lead to the study’s ? rst hypothesis: H1. OSCD will be positively related to career satisfaction. Career management behaviours and career satisfaction Participating in career management behaviours that are directed at achieving personally valued goals in the career domain are also expected to promote an individual’s career satisfaction and success (Crant, 2000; Lent and Brown, 2006).Pursuing personally relevant goals is a key way that people can contribute to their own wellbeing and enables the exercise of personal agency in career satisfaction. To the extent that an individual can set and work towards their own goals and perceive that they are making progress, they are capab le of promoting their own career satisfaction (Lent and Brown, 2006). Meta-analytic support also exists for the positive relationship between individual career management behaviours and career satisfaction (Ng et al. , 2005). Signi? cant effect sizes of 0. 33 and 0. 8 were found respectively for career planning and employee networking behaviour on career satisfaction across up to eight studies (Ng et al. , 2005). While most studies exploring these relationships are cross-sectional, there is also support for the positive impact of career management behaviours on subjective career success three years later (Wiese et al. , 2002). Wiese et al. (2002) surveyed 82 young German adults (age range 28 to 39 years) employed in a range of professions including physicians, lawyers, scientists, bank employees, hotel managers and police of? ers The study measured participants’ career management behaviours and their subjective success in the work domain (career satisfaction) at Time 1 and th ree years later. Participants’ career management behaviours at Time 1 predicted 14 per cent of the variance in participants’ career satisfaction three years later, after controlling for career satisfaction at Time 1. Career management behaviours at Time 1 however, did not predict signi? cant additional variance in career satisfaction when career management behaviours at Time 2 were also considered.The predictions of SCCT and the model of proactive behaviours, supported by these meta-analytic and longitudinal results, lead to the study’s second hypothesis: H2. Career management behaviours will be positively related to career satisfaction. Mediating role of career management behaviours between OSCD and career satisfaction The extended model of SCCT predicts that in addition to a direct relationship between OSCD (goal speci? c environmental resources) and career satisfaction, OSCD may also indirectly impact satisfaction via goal pursuit (career management behaviour s) (Lent and Brown, 2006).The model of proactive behaviours also predicts that the presence of contextual factors, such as organisational support and resources, will facilitate an individual’s proactive career behaviours and career success (Crant, 2000). While there is indirect support for the impact of OSCD on individual career management behaviours (Kossek et al. , 1998; Noe, 1996), empirical evidence for the mediating role of career management behaviours between OSCD and career satisfaction is limited (Nabi, 2003). For example, in two recent studies of university students conducted by the same research team (Lent et al. 2005), one study found support for this mediating relationship, while the second study did not. In the ? rst study of 177 students, signi? cant relationships were found between environmental resources and academic goal progress and between goal progress and domain satisfaction for both the academic and social domain. In the second study of 299 students a st rong predictive relationship was found between goal progress and satisfaction, but not between environmental support and goal progress (Lent et al. , 2005).Nevertheless, based on the predictions of SCCT and the integrated model of proactive behaviour, it is expected that individuals will be more likely to take actions to achieve their career goals and career satisfaction if they have access to organisational (environmental) support and resources to pursue these goals (Crant, 2000; Lent, 2005). This leads to the third hypothesis: H3. Career management behaviours will mediate the relationship between OSCD and career satisfaction. Proactive personality and career satisfaction According to the model of proactive behaviour (Crant, 2000), an individual’s disposition or personality will also in? ence the extent to which they take the initiative to engage in career management behaviours and achieve career satisfaction. Therefore, this suggests that individuals with proactive disposit ions are more likely to engage in career management behaviours and experience greater career satisfaction than individuals with lower proactive tendencies. A recent meta-analysis found that proactive personality was strongly related to career satisfaction with an effect size of 0. 38 found across three studies with over 1,000 participants (Ng et al. 2005). Signi? cant relationships between proactive personality, career management behaviours and career satisfaction were also demonstrated in a longitudinal study, which will be outlined next. A study investigating the career behaviours and strategies of 496 full-time employees found that proactive personality explained additional variance in career satisfaction, after controlling for several demographic, human capital, organisational, motivational and industry variables (Seibert et al. , 1999).Two years later, the researchers found that the relationship between proactive personality and career satisfaction was mediated by innovation, p olitical knowledge and career management behaviours (de? ned as career initiative) (Seibert et al. , 2001a). While the recently extended SCCT model does not refer to proactive personality speci? cally, it does predict that personality and affective traits will impact satisfaction directly as well as via cognitive appraisals of self-ef? cacy and environmental supports (Lent and Brown, 2006).An additional theoretical pathway suggested is that certain personality traits may affect satisfaction through behavioural means: the example given suggests that highly conscientious workers may be more likely to set, pursue and make progress towards personal goals (Lent and Brown, 2006). Similarly, it follows that highly proactive workers may be more likely to engage in career management behaviours to achieve career goals and satisfaction. The similar Support for career development 625 CDI 12,7 predictions of SCCT and the proactive behaviour model, supported by meta-analytic and longitudinal resu lts, lead to the following hypotheses: H4.Proactive personality will be positively related to career satisfaction H5. Career management behaviours will mediate the relationship between proactive personality and career satisfaction. 626 Control variables To more appropriately determine the unique in? uence of OSCD and proactive personality on career satisfaction, the study will also control for human capital variables (organisational tenure and education level), which have been found to be related to career satisfaction (Ng et al. , 2005; Seibert and Kraimer, 2001; Wayne et al. 1999). The study will explore the in? uence that environmental and individual variables (OSCD, proactive personality and career management behaviours) can provide to employee career satisfaction and examine the mechanisms by which these relationships operate. This study therefore builds on recommendations to contribute a more balanced, integrative perspective to the study of careers (Baruch, 2006; Lent and Bro wn, 2006). Method Sample The participants were 90 employees from a range of private and public sector organisations.A questionnaire was completed by 77 public sector employees and 21 postgraduate business students. Eight of the postgraduate students reported that they were currently unemployed, so they were removed from the analysis, leaving a total of 90 respondents. Of the remaining respondents, 64 per cent were female. The majority of respondents were aged between 31 and 50 years (72 per cent), with 17 per cent under 30 years and 11 per cent aged over 51 years. Most of the respondents (53 per cent) were employed with their current organisation less than ? e years, with 14 per cent having organisational tenure of six to ten years and 33 per cent over 11 years. Most of the respondents (93 per cent) were employed full-time, with 56 per cent employed in administrative and professional roles, and 40 per cent in a managerial capacity. Educational level was high, with 86 per cent of res pondents having completed either undergraduate or postgraduate tertiary study. Measures All the study variable scales were measured on a ? ve-point scale which ranged from strongly agree (1) to strongly disagree (5).Scores were reversed such that higher scores re? ected higher standing on the construct measure. All the scores for each of the items were averaged to obtain an overall measure for each of the variables. Organisational support for career development Respondents rated a ten-item organisational career management scale (Sturges et al. , 2002), indicating the extent to which they perceived OSCD. Five of the items were modi? ed slightly to re? ect a more supportive, rather than directive organisational relationship with employees. In a previous study (Sturges et al. 2002), six of the ten items loaded on â€Å"formal† OSCD (e. g. â€Å"I have been given work which has developed my skills for the future†) and four items loaded on â€Å"informal† OSCD (e. g. â€Å"I have been encouraged to obtain a mentor to help my career development†). In the previous longitudinal study, the â€Å"formal† OSCD subscale achieved an internal consistency reliability of 0. 77 at both time 1 and time 2, one year apart and the â€Å"informal† OSCD subscale achieved an internal consistency reliability of 0. 80 at time 1 and 0. 81 at time 2 (Sturges et al. , 2002).Refer to Table I for the internal consistency reliabilities for all the current study variables. Proactive personality Proactive personality was assessed with a ten-item shortened version of Bateman and Crant’s (1993) 17-item Proactive Personality scale. Seibert et al. (1999) presented evidence of the validity and reliability of the shortened scale, with the scale having demonstrated an internal consistency reliability of 0. 85 (Seibert et al. , 2001a). Respondents indicated their level of agreement with each of the statements (e. g. â€Å"I am constantly on the lookout for new ways to improve my life†).Career management behaviours Since the authors’ research did not identify one scale that examined as comprehensive a range of career management behaviours as desired, items from two scales were used. The ? rst scale measured career planning using six items developed by Gould (1979). This scale has demonstrated internal consistency reliability above 0. 7 in previous studies (Gould, 1979; Wayne et al. , 1999). Participants reported the extent to which they had career goals and plans (e. g. â€Å"I have a strategy for achieving my career goals†). Three items were stated in the opposite direction and were reverse scored.The second scale measured career self-management behaviours using 16 items (Sturges et al. , 2002). Respondents indicated the extent to which they engaged in networking (e. g. â€Å"I have arranged to be introduced to people who can in? uence my career†), visibility behaviour (e. g. â€Å"I have made my direc t supervisor aware of my accomplishments†), skills development (e. g. â€Å"I have read work-related publications in my spare time†) and mobility-oriented behaviour (e. g. â€Å"I have made plans to leave this organisation if it cannot offer me a rewarding career†). Internal consistency correlations above 0. were achieved for all of these subscales in a previous study (networking (0. 74), visibility (0. 69-0. 8) and mobility (0. 76-0. 78)), except for skills development (0. 56-0. 63) (Sturges et al. , 2002). Career satisfaction Career satisfaction was measured using the ? ve-item career satisfaction scale, which has demonstrated an internal consistency correlation of 0. 86 (Greenhaus et al. , 1990). Respondents indicated their level of agreement with each of the statements (e. g. â€Å"I am satis? ed with the progress I have made toward meeting my overall career goals†).Control variables Respondents’ demographic and human capital information was col lected with single item questions for gender, age, highest level of education completed, organisational tenure, work type (e. g. technical, professional, managerial) and employment status (full-time, part-time, casual). Support for career development 627 CDI 12,7 628 Variables – – – – 3. 65 3. 31 3. 52 3. 50 – 0. 08 0. 42 0. 22 20. 02 0. 16 20. 08 – 2 0. 28 0. 27 2 0. 08 0. 35 0. 15 – 0. 07 0. 02 2 0. 22 2 0. 17 – – – – 0. 49 0. 77 0. 54 0. 72 Table I. Correlations between variables of interest M SD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 – 0. 5 2 0. 19 2 0. 18 2 0. 32 2 0. 22 2 0. 17 2 0. 03 (0. 86) 0. 04 0. 55 0. 23 (0. 90) 0. 16 0. 27 (0. 88) 0. 35 (0. 87) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Gender# Age group# Education level# Tenure# Proactive personality OSCD Career management behaviours Career satisfaction Notes: correlations greater than | 0. 28 | are signi? cant at p , 0. 01; those greater than | 0. 21 | are signi? cant at p , 0. 05; internal consistency reliability for variables shown in brackets (); # nominal or ordinal scales used to measure variable, therefore mean and standard deviation not reportProcedure Public sector employees participating in internal and cross-agency career development programs were invited to complete the questionnaire during workshops, while the postgraduate business students were invited to complete the questionnaire during university classes. (The authors approached these organisations and their respective employees/students because it was expected that they would be more interested in the study’s variables of interest and subsequent results, and therefore, be more likely to participate in the study. Respondents were told that the aim of the survey was to research their career attitudes and perceptions about organisational career development. A cover letter provided background information regarding the purpose and nature of the study and emphasised con? dentiality, an onymity and voluntary participation. Participants either returned the questionnaire in an envelope at the end of the session or returned it in a reply-paid envelope addressed to the authors’ university address. To ensure anonymity, respondents were not asked to provide their names or any other identifying information.Participants were encouraged to participate by receiving a small incentive (such as a chocolate bar and/or being eligible to win a movie/meal voucher). The vouchers were awarded at the end of workshops, during which participants were given time to complete the questionnaire. Respondents who returned a completed questionnaire at the end of the workshop received a raf? e ticket. A winning ticket was then drawn from the collection of ticket butts, and the respondent with the matching ticket was given the voucher.These small incentives and the strategy used for approaching participating organisations may have resulted in the relatively high response rate of approxima tely 50 per cent. Results Means, standard deviations and internal reliability for the variables of interest are shown in Table I. An exploratory factor analysis showed that the formal and informal OSCD items loaded on one factor, accounting for 53 per cent of the variance in the factor structure. All the OSCD items were therefore averaged to form a composite OSCD score, with an internal consistency reliability of 0. 90.An exploratory factor analysis of the career management behaviours found that all items (except for the two mobility-oriented items and one networking item) loaded above 0. 30 on the ? rst factor, accounting for 30 per cent of the variance in the factor structure. A composite career management behaviour score was calculated by averaging all the items loading above 0. 30 on the ? rst factor, with an internal consistency reliability of 0. 88. The networking item and two mobility-oriented items were removed from further analyses. All the remaining scales obtained interna l consistency reliability above 0. 5 (refer Table I). The public sector and postgraduate business student samples were analysed to determine differences on demographic variables. The only signi? cant differences were that the university respondents were less likely to be female (x 2 ? 1? ? 7:52, p , 0:01) and tended to be younger (x 2 ? 3? ? 13:86, p , 0:01) than the public sector respondents. Due to there being only minor differences, the two cohorts were combined into one sample. Support for career development 629 CDI 12,7 630 Hypothesis testing H1 to H5 were analysed by conducting hierarchical egression analyses on career satisfaction. The data were checked for missing data and outliers. One multivariate outlier was identi? ed and removed from the analysis. The number of control variables used in the regression analyses was contained to meet the recommended ratio of respondents to predictor variables (Tabachnick and Fidell, 1989). H1 and H2 proposed that OSCD and career managemen t behaviours would both be positively related to career satisfaction. After controlling for education level and tenure, OSCD predicted an additional 8 per cent variance in career satisfaction (? 0:28, p , 0:01), F? 1; 85? ? 7:57. Therefore, H1 was supported. H2 was also supported. Career management behaviours predicted an additional 9 per cent variance in career satisfaction, after controlling for education level and tenure (? ? 0:33, p , 0:01), F? 1; 85? ? 8:97. H3 proposed that career management behaviours would mediate the relationship between OSCD and career satisfaction (refer Table II). The ? rst condition of mediation (as described by Baron and Kenny, 1986) requires that the independent variable, OSCD, relate to the mediating variable, career management behaviours.In the ? rst equation (refer equation 1, Table II), OSCD was not signi? cantly related to career management behaviours (? ? 0:19, p ?. 0:05, ns). H1 represented the second condition, which was met (refer equation 2, Table II), In the third equation, (refer equation 3, Table II), career satisfaction was regressed on the mediating variable (career management behaviours) along with the independent variable (OSCD). The effect of OSCD on career satisfaction remained signi? cant (? ? 0:23, p , 0:05) and career management behaviour was also signi? cantly related to career satisfaction (? 0:28, p , 0:05). For the third condition to be met, the effect of OSCD on career satisfaction would need to decrease signi? cantly. The ? rst and third conditions of mediation were not met, suggesting that career management behaviours do not mediate the relationship between OSCD and career satisfaction. Therefore H3 was not supported. H4 proposed that proactive personality would be positively related to career satisfaction. After entering the control variables (education level and tenure), proactive personality predicted 4 per cent additional variance in career satisfaction (? 0:21, p ? 0:05) F? 1; 85? ? 3:83 (refer equation 2, Table III). Therefore, H4 was supported. Dependent variable First equation CMB Second equation CSat Third equation CSat b b b 0. 31 * * 20. 13 0. 11 * * 0. 19 – 0. 14 * * 0. 04 0. 10 20. 15 0. 05 0. 28 * * – 0. 09 * * 0. 08 * * 0. 10 20. 15 0. 02 0. 23 * 0. 28 * 0. 14 * * 0. 14 * * Variable Step 1 Education level Tenure Adjusted R 2 Step 2 OSCD Career management behaviours Adjusted R 2 DR 2 Table II. Mediating role of career management behaviours between OSCD and career satisfaction Notes: *p , 0. 05; * *p , 0. 01; * * *p , 0. 01 Variable Step 1 Education level Tenure Adjusted R2 Step 2 Proactive personality Career management behaviours Adjusted R2 DR 2 Dependent variable First equation CMB Second equation CSat Third equation CSat b b b 0. 31 * * 20. 13 0. 11 * * 0. 53 * * * – 0. 36 * * * 0. 25 * * * 0. 10 20. 15 0. 02 0. 21^ – 0. 05^ 0. 04^ 0. 10 20. 15 0. 02 0. 06 0. 29 * 0. 09 * 0. 09 * Support for career development 631 Table III. Mediatin g role of career management behaviours between proactive personality and career satisfaction Notes: ^p=0. 05; *p , 0. 05; * *p , 0. 01; * * *p , 0. 001H5 predicted that career management behaviours would mediate between proactive personality and career satisfaction. In the ? rst equation, proactive personality was a signi? cant predictor of career management behaviours (? ? 0:53, p , 0:001) F? 1; 85? ? 34:98 (refer equation 1, Table III), meeting the ? rst condition. H4 represented the second condition of mediation which was also met. Both proactive personality and career management behaviours were entered in the third equation (refer equation 3, Table III). While career management behaviour was positively related to career satisfaction (? ? 0:29, p , 0:05) F? 2; 84? 4:55, proactive personality was no longer statistically signi? cant (? ? 0:06, p . 0:05, ns), meeting the third condition, Moreover, the indirect path linking proactive personality and career satisfaction through career management behaviours was signi? cant (Sobel test, z ? 2:11, p , 0:05). This suggests that career management behaviours fully mediated the relationship between proactive personality and career satisfaction, providing support for H5. Discussion This study explored the contribution that organisations and employees can make to their career satisfaction and the mechanisms by which these relationships occur.This was achieved by testing a subset of the relationships proposed by an extended model of SCCT (Lent and Brown, 2006) and an integrative model of proactive career behaviours (Crant, 2000). The study explored how proactive personality, OSCD and individual career management behaviours relate to career satisfaction. Consistent with previous research (Ng et al. , 2005; Seibert et al. , 2001a), this study found that proactive personality was signi? cantly positively related to career satisfaction. The study also found that career management behaviours mediated the relationship between p roactive personality and career satisfaction.These results support the model of proactive behaviours, which suggests that highly proactive individuals are more likely to achieve greater career satisfaction than less proactively inclined individuals, by engaging in proactive career behaviours (Crant, 2000). The results also support the theoretical proposition by Lent and Brown (2006) that speci? c personality traits (proactive personality) impact satisfaction via behavioural means (career management behaviours). CDI 12,7 632 After controlling for education level and tenure, OSCD explained a moderate 8 per cent variance in career satisfaction.This result supports the premise made by the extended SCCT model that access to goal-relevant environmental resources will be directly related to satisfaction (Lent and Brown, 2006). This ? nding also supports this study’s proposal that organisations can in? uence their employees’ experience of career success by supporting their emp loyees’ career development. Individual career management behaviour (comprising career planning, networking, skills development and visibility) was also positively related to career satisfaction.After controlling for education level and tenure, individual career management behaviour explained 9 per cent additional variance in career satisfaction. This ? nding is consistent with SCCT and the model of proactive career behaviours, since it supports the proposal that individuals taking proactive actions to achieve their career goals (engaging in career management behaviours) are more likely to experience career satisfaction (Crant, 2000; Lent, 2005). The proposal that individual career management behaviours mediated the relationship between OSCD and career satisfaction received no support, due to a non-signi? ant relationship between OSCD and career management behaviours. This ? nding is inconsistent with the extended SCCT model, which predicts that environmental resources may imp act satisfaction indirectly via their impact on goal-directed activities. The relationship between contextual factors, such as OSCD, and individual career management behaviours has received mixed empirical support. For example, Lent et al. (2005) found two different outcomes from their two different studies. The ? rst study of 177 students found a signi? ant relationship between environmental supports and resources and student progress towards their academic goals. The second study of 299 students found no direct relationship between these variables. A possible explanation for this study’s results is that individual difference variables, such as proactive personality, moderate the relationship between OSCD and career management behaviours. Given that individuals with a proactive disposition are relatively unconstrained by situational forces (Crant, 2000) it is likely that highly proactive people will engage in career management behaviours independent of the OSCD they perceive .This study possibly suffered from a restriction of range in this independent variable, since the study’s respondents (employees participating in career development programs and/or further study) are more likely to have highly proactive dispositions, and therefore engage in career management behaviours independent of their perceived OSCD. This explanation is supported somewhat by the relatively high mean score for proactive personality (3. 65 on a ? ve-point scale).Another possible reason for career management behaviours not mediating between OSCD and career satisfaction is that there are additional environmental supports and resources (such as those outside the organisation), individual difference or social cognitive variables impacting individuals’ career management behaviours which were not explored in this study. Theoretical implications This study contributes to the existing literature by exploring how environmental aspects (OSCD) and an individual difference vari able (proactive personality) together impact career management behaviours and career satisfaction.Few studies have simultaneously investigated the impacts of these variables on career satisfaction before, and doing so responds to recommendations to balance both organisational and individual perspectives in theoretical development and facilitate integration of the organisational and vocational psychology perspectives (Baruch, 2006; Lent and Brown, 2006). This study builds on previous research which tested the extended SCCT model with university students (Lent et al. , 2005), by exploring the application of a subset of its proposed relationships with employed workers.This study also incorporated conceptual predictions and empirical ? ndings from the management literature (Seibert et al. , 2001a) to test the applicability of another personality variable, proactive personality, in the extended SCCT model. Previously, positive affect and extraversion have been tested in the SCCT model (L ent et al. , 2005). The ? nding that career management behaviours mediated the relationship between proactive personality and career satisfaction provides support for the extended SCCT model’s prediction that personality traits may affect satisfaction via behavioural means (Lent and Brown, 2006).Together with the signi? cant positive relationship between OSCD and career satisfaction, this study provides support for the application of some of the extended model’s proposed relationships to employed workers. The study also has practical implications, which will be reviewed next. Practical implications While causation can not be proven, this study suggests that employees’ proactive personality, via their career management behaviours, and OSCD are signi? cantly related to employee career satisfaction. This suggests two different strategies for organisations to facilitate employees’ career satisfaction.The ? rst strategy involves recruiting employees with proac tive dispositions. While this may be more dif? cult given the tight labour market experienced currently in Australia, and many other countries, it may be possible in some countries or in some industries. The second strategy involves enhancing employees’ perceptions of OSCD by providing both formal programs and informal support for employee career development. The signi? cant positive relationship between career management behaviours and career satisfaction suggests that individuals bene? personally from engaging in these behaviours. Therefore, this ? nding suggests that OSCD initiatives that promote the individual bene? ts associated with career management behaviours and encourage employees to engage in these behaviours, may experience most success in facilitating employee career satisfaction. Study limitations As with all cross-sectional studies, causality between OSCD and career satisfaction can not be proven. Questionnaires were completed at one point in time by respondent s, so the results are also subject to common method and common source bias.As discussed above, the sample surveyed (employees participating in career development activities) is likely to be more proactively inclined than the general population, which may have restricted the range of study and limit the generalisability of the results. A large proportion of the study respondents were educated to tertiary level and employed full-time, which may also limit the generalisability of the ? ndings, particularly given the increasing participation in part-time and casual employment in Australia. The use of the career satisfaction scale to measure subjective career success may be another limitation of the study.While this standardised scale is used widely and obtains acceptable levels of internal consistency (Greenhaus et al. , 1990), it may be a de? cient measure of the subjective career success construct. The career satisfaction Support for career development 633 CDI 12,7 scale includes item s (such as satisfaction with income and advancement goals) which may not be the most important criteria used by individuals to assess their career success (Heslin, 2005). Future research Future research could be conducted with a greater representation of part-time and casual employees, and with greater variability in individual differences, such as roactive personality. Exploration of the broader relationships proposed by SCCT on a longitudinal basis could build our understanding of the nature of the relationships between individual differences, environmental, social cognitive and behavioural predictors of subjective career success. Future research could also explore the types of career management behaviours that are most valuable for. achieving important career outcomes for employees. Greater understanding of these relationships could lead to the design of interventions that better facilitate employees’ experience of career success.Conclusion This study proposed that organis ations may potentially attract, motivate and retain employees by supporting their employees’ career development. The results indicated that OSCD and employee participation in career management behaviours are positively related to employee career satisfaction. These results suggest that OSCD initiatives promoting the bene? ts associated with career management behaviours and supporting employees to participate in these behaviours may experience the most success in facilitating employee career satisfaction. References Allen, T. D. , Eby, L.T. , Poteet, M. L. , Lentz, E. and Lima, L. (2004), â€Å"Career bene? ts associated with mentoring for proteges: a meta-analysis†, Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 89, pp. 127-35. Arthur, M. B. , Khapova, S. N. and Wilderom, C. P. M. (2005), â€Å"Career success in a boundaryless career world†, Journal of Organizational Behavior, Vol. 26 No. 2, pp. 177-202. Baron, R. M. and Kenny, D. A. (1986), â€Å"The moderator-mediator v ariable distinction in social psychological research: conceptual, strategic and statistical considerations†, Journal of Personality and Soclal Psychology, Vol. 1, pp. 1173-82. Baruch, Y. (2006), â€Å"Career development in organizations and beyond: balancing traditional and contemporary viewpoints†, Human Resource Management Review, Vol. 16, pp. 125-38. Bateman, T. S. and Crant, J. M. (1993), â€Å"The proactive component of organizational behavior†, Journal of Personality and Soclal Psychology, Vol. 14, pp. 103-18. Chiaburu, D. S. , Baker, V. L. and Pitariu, A. H. (2006), â€Å"Beyond being proactive: what (else) matters for career self-management behaviours? †, Career Development International, Vol. 11 No. 7, pp. 619-32. Claes, R. nd Ruiz-Quintamilla, S. A. (1998), â€Å"In? uences of early career experiences, occupational group and national culture on proactive career behaviour†, Journal of Vocational Behavior, Vol. 52, pp. 357-78. Crant, J. M. ( 2000), â€Å"Proactive behavior in organizations†, Journal of Management, Vol. 26 No. 3, pp. 435-62. Erdogan, B. , Kraimer, M. L. and Liden, R. C. (2004), â€Å"Work value congruence and intrinsic career success: the compensatory roles of leader-member exchange and perceived organizational support†, Personnel Psychology, Vol. 57 No. 2, pp. 305-32. 634 Gattiker, U. E. nd Larwood, L. (1988), â€Å"Predictors for managers’ career mobility, success, and satisfaction†, Human Relations, Vol. 41 No. 6, pp. 569-91. Gould, S. (1979), â€Å"Characteristics of career planners in upwardly mobile occupations†, Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 22, pp. 539-50. Greenhaus, J. H. , Parasuraman, S. J. and Wormley, W. M. (1990), â€Å"Effects of race on organisational experiences, job performance evaluations, and career outcomes†, Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 33, pp. 64-86. Hall, D. T. (2002), Careers In and Out of Organisations, Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA.Hall, D. T. and Chandler, D. E. (2005), â€Å"Psychological success: when the career is a calling†, Journal of Organizational Behavior, Vol. 26 No. 2, pp. 155-76. Hall, D. T. and Mirvis, P. H. (1995), â€Å"The new career contract: developing the whole person at midlife and beyond†, Journal of Vocational Behavior, Vol. 47, pp. 269-89. Heslin, P. A. (2003), â€Å"Self- and other-referent criteria of career success†, Journal of Career Assessment, Vol. 11 No. 3, pp. 262-86. Heslin, P. A. (2005), â€Å"Conceptualizing and evaluating career success†, Journal of Organizational Behavior, Vol. 6 No. 2, pp. 113-36. Kossek, E. E. , Roberts, K. , Fisher, S. and DeMarr, B. (1998), â€Å"Career self-management: a quasi-experimental assessment of the effects of a training intervention†, Personnel Psychology, Vol. 51 No. 4, pp. 935-62. Lent, R. W. (2004), â€Å"Toward a unifying theoretical and practical perspective on well-being and psychosocial adjustmentâ € , Journal of Counseling Psychology, Vol. 51 No. 4, pp. 482-509. Lent, R. W. (2005), â€Å"A social cognitive view of career development and counseling†, in Brown, S. D. E. L. and Lent, R. W. Eds), Career Development and Counseling: Putting Theory and Research to Work, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. , Hoboken, NJ, pp. 101-127). Lent, R. W. and Brown, S. D. (2006), â€Å"Integrating person and situation perspectives on work satisfaction: a social-cognitive view†, Journal of Vocational Behavior, Vol. 69, pp. 236-47. Lent, R. W. , Brown, S. D. and Hackett, G. (1994), â€Å"Toward a unifying social cognitive theory of career and academic interest, choice and performance†, Journal of Vocational Behaviour, Vol. 45, pp. 79-122. Lent, R. W. , Singley, D. , Sheu, H. -B. , Gainor, K. A. , Brenner, B.R. and Treistman, D. et al. (2005), â€Å"Social cognitive predictors of domain and life satisfaction: exploring the theoretical precursors of subjective well-being†, Jour nal of Counseling Psychology, Vol. 52 No. 3, pp. 429-42. London, M. (1988), â€Å"Organizational support for employees’ career motivation: a guide to human resource strategies in changing business conditions†, HR: Human Resource Planning, Vol. 11 No. 1, pp. 23-32. Nabi, G. R. (2000), â€Å"Motivational attributes and organizatonal experiences as predictors of career-enhancing strategies†, Career Development International, Vol. No. 2, pp. 91-8. Nabi, G. R. (2003), â€Å"Situational characteristics and subjective career success: the mediating role of career-enhancing strategies†, International Journal of Manpower, Vol. 24 No. 6, pp. 653-71. Ng, T. W. H. , Eby, L. T. , Sorensen, K. L. and Feldman, D. C. (2005), â€Å"Predictors of objective and subjective career success: a meta-analysis†, Personnel Psychology, Vol. 58, pp. 367-408. Noe, R. A. (1996), â€Å"Is career management related to employee development and performance?

Am I Bowered

How Quickly did the Catchphrase Catch on? What we were particularly interested in was the speed with which the catchphrase caught on and for this we looked at the ‘Catchphrase' sample of 200 participants. For the first 3 weeks people were seeing and hearing Bomb Chicks Way Way through paid for media but by week 4 they suddenly started using it themselves (Figure 5). 6 Figure 5: Week 4 the catchphrase took off The sample sizes were low so need to be treated with caution, but there was a clear shift in week 4.Our tracking period only lasted 8 weeks in total, with two of those before the campaign started, so we were not able to see how usage developed, but at Being used? As well as using the catchphrase while seeing the ads on TV and Posters, we also saw it being used in social networks (although this was picked up under Online rather than Conversation) (Figure 6). Figure 6: In social networks Who was Using it? Perhaps not surprisingly usage of the catchphrase was most positive wh en the participant used it himself.They were clearly very funny! However, it was also positive when girls used it and we did see our participants receiving texts from girls hey liked. Not surprisingly, although we hadn't thought about this until we saw the results of the study, hearing the catchphrase was least positive when another boy used it. When we looked at the comments this was often because little brothers would annoy their older siblings with it (Figure 7)! Figure 7: Positivist by different groups In this sense it could be said that girls were more influential than boys, because our male target audience felt more positive about their usage of the catchphrase than they did when other boys used it. But if some of the experiences were negative, how Eng would it take for the catchphrase to become annoying? What about Whereat? Each time we saw a new TV execution launched, the positivist of the texts increased indicating that the campaign needed new executions to keep it fresh (F igure 8).Figure 8: Positivist highest in first week of new execution When we looked at the Catchphrase stream and saw how negatively people were reacting to the catchphrase ‘Am I Powered', used in the comedy series on TV by Catherine Tate, we could see that catchphrases could wear out relatively quickly (Figure 9). 8 Figure 9: Risk of whereat In fact, ‘Am I Powered' got a bit of a boost when Tony Blair used it during Comic Relief, so this new context refreshed its perception slightly.The learning from ‘Am I Powered' was that Bomb Chicks Way Way should be allowed to burn brightly for a few weeks or months, but certainly wasn't a year long campaign. In hindsight, the switch from Bomb Chicks Way Way to the next Axe campaign was probably slightly too soon, as the brand didn't fully capitalism on the early momentum we saw the catchphrase gathering. For instance, we saw in the main message that young guys were starting to play with the catchphrase and make it their own. If we had continued to monitor the campaign in real time we would have seen the moment when it started to wear out.However, with frequent refreshment of executions, it appeared from our study that it could go on a few months. Recommendations This new real-time research approach helped us to make some clear recommendations. Firstly, the combination of TV and Posters were working well as the Posters were reminding people of the TV ads and were prompting use of the catchphrase. Secondly, it was necessary to keep rolling out new creative executions to keep the campaign fresh. Thirdly, the campaign would wear out if kept going too long but could build momentum over a few months.Finally, the activation was working less strongly because it wasn't linked to the Bomb Chicks Way Way campaign. As a result, online was under-utilized and represented an opportunity for rolling out to other countries. Following these results, Milliner asked us to conduct a thorough evaluation of competitive online touchiness to ensure best practice for future campaigns. Results The combination of a reluctance product and successful advertising campaign, featuring a catchphrase, ensured that Lynx/Axe was able to meet its objectives of sustaining a price increase while growing sales.

Racial Problems Critique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Racial Problems Critique - Essay Example Different groups of people, from different races all over the world, have found their way into America in different ways. Shortly after its discovery, many Europeans, faced with the need to find a better life elsewhere after the famous European revolutions, migrated to America. They claimed large amounts of land, embarked on large scale farming and helped fuel the agrarian revolution that led to another revolution called industrial revolutions. In subsequent years, when the need for human labor to labor the large American plantation emerged, Africans were brought to America to fulfill this need. Later years saw the bringing of Chinese, Indians, Spanish and other groups into America. Later immigrations have been fueled by opportunities for better life assumed to be in America. It is thus the country with the highest numbers of racial groups in the world but for a long time in the history of America, there have been problems with harmonious racial coexistences. Resultant problems have not only been witnessed at personal levels but also in status quo and political levels. Until recently, after election of president Obama, there were widespread notions that black Americans were very lowly regarded in the American society, however this is not exactly the case. Over the years, racial segregation has reduced in the American setting, and it has no profound effect in the American setting and political environment. This is because, America being a strong democracy, issues to do with race continue to be wiped out every year, and with time, this will be a thing of the past.In order to understand whether racial segregation is a great problem, it is important to understand the historical background of racism in the early 20th century. Racial problems in the twentieth century Issues of racial discrimination at personal level From his letter from Birmingham jail, Luther claims that there are numerous injustices committed on the black community by white moderate who instill on following order and not justice. He claims that there are various instances where black community has undergone oppressive behavior from the white majority. His justification of engaging in creation of tension as direct engagement of provocation of dialogue is aimed at highlighting the need for immediate engagement of it, hence a mirror of the amount of racial problems in America at personal levels. In support of the same, Belgrave and Allison (15) argue that after taking psychological test differences between blacks and whites, insurgences on injustices went higher. Their report claims that there was proposition of developing a less abstract type of education for blacks since they were considered mentally weak. But criticism for the tests indicated that such injustices included formulation of test questions only relevant and familiar to whites, hence favoring the whites over blacks. Secondly, the text continues to indicate that racial problems were greatly profound in America durin g the 20th century at personal levels. Luther explains that black children were not allowed to attend the same amusement parts as white,

Risk and Complexity in Social Work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Risk and Complexity in Social Work - Essay Example entails the collection of the patient’s facts, the demographic data, the current presentation, and the history and in particular the recent scenes of violence. The facts gathered are evaluated according to a certain formula and a particular number is arrived at; this figure or number offers the predictive value which can indicate a likelihood of violence in the future. The approach has a disadvantage in that so many facts have to be collected in order to ascertain the individual’s clinical judgment. For example, the grading or the rating of the severity, the content, and the presence of delusion; the difference the delusion makes if it is a section of a systematized collection of delusional beliefs, and how systematized the delusion is. It is not likely that this type of psychopathology can be quantified unless it is done in crude terms (Ronald Manual Doctor 2003, p9). The clinical approach is viewed as a method that is informal and not open to quantitative assessment, and it usually leaves all the authority to the clinician. The clinical approach often results in an evaluation that is hard to quantify due to the fact that external validation lacks. As a result, the employment of organizations such as social work agencies and health trusts are incapable of managing the risk in an auditable and coherent manner. Thus, they are unable to take medico-legal responsibility that is meaningful in regard to the actions of the clinician. As such, the risk assessment model and the management are supposed to take into consideration the reality that every clinical situation is distinct. It is also necessary to have a formal structure that can be understood and it is repeatable (Ronald Manual Doctor 2003, p9). The implementation of the Child Act 1989 was done in 1991. The act aimed at revolutionizing proceedings and practice that concerned the welfare of the children in Wales and England. The act began from the principle that the basic responsibility in the upbringing of

What Effect did the 442nd Battalion Have on the Allied Success in Research Paper

What Effect did the 442nd Battalion Have on the Allied Success in World War II and America - Research Paper Example They went through injustices whereby their business and homes were taken away from them and bank accounts frozen forcing them into an economic and financial crisis. In addition, most Japanese-American religious and political leaders were illegally arrested and wrongfully detained while their whereabouts were kept secret. In 1942 during the Second World War American President Franklin Delano Roosevelt gave a directive that required most of the Japanese-Americans to be confined in isolated camps where they guarded and denied their rights and freedoms until after the war. However despite the injustices and prejudices that the Japanese-American citizens went through, they are credited for the major role they played in the Second World War. This paper therefore explores the impact the Japanese-American soldiers especially the 442nd Battalion had on the Allied success in the Second World War and America. Introduction The 442nd Battalion was a United States Army that was mainly composed of the Japanese-American soldiers who fought in Europe especially in Italy, Germany and France during the Second World War. ... Pearl Harbor Attack The Japanese bombing of the U.S Army base at Pearl Harbor that brought America into the War. Even though the attack was viewed as a stunning tactical victory to Japan, the attack resulted in an eventual victory for United States after the Second World War. The attack was a remarkable military success, brightly executed by the Japanese that caused eight American war ships to capsize. The Japanese attack on the Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor changed everything. A county that was originally diverse with tensions became unified with the aim to wage war against its global especially on Japan that had planned the bombing attack at Pearl Harbor. The nature of the attack followed by revelation of the injustices committed to the Americans of Japanese descent aggravated the situation. Internment of Japanese-Americans Soon after the Japanese bombing on the United States Army base at the Pearl Harbor all Japanese-American citizens were viewed as a threat to the security of Uni ted States. In February 1942, as a way of trying to revenge on the attack and beef up security following the bombing, the United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which authorized the War Department to set up military bases in the western region of the country where all American citizens of Japanese descent especially men were rounded up and confined so as to be monitored of any suspicious acts. Following the directive from the president, more than 110,000 Japanese and Japanese Americans living in the United States were detained in isolated camps where they were restricted from leaving and their rights and freedoms violated. In the camps the

I was thinking like the Theaters from greek to roman to william Essay

I was thinking like the Theaters from greek to roman to william shakespeare to tv now - Essay Example These plays might be tragedies or comedies, but in all they were incorporated into the Greek Culture. They told the stories of the Greek Gods and Goddesses, and were dominated by male actors. If a play required a female part, the playwright would have the male dress up as a female. Also, these plays were sometimes violent. If part of a play included someone being killed, the playwright may take a prisoner who was supposed to be killed, put him in the costume of the character that is to be killed, and surreptitiously sneak the prisoner out there instead of the real actor. Then, the prisoner would be killed and the crowd would have a realistic scene. This theme of violence would be largely outpaced with the next dominating Empire to emerge. The Romans, at the center of their world, lived at the head of the most powerful Empire of its era. Over a million people lived in Rome at one point, and, since the massive amount of slaves owned by the Roman Empire was able to do all the farm work, the Roman people themselves often did not have work. They were unemployed, and thus needed to be placated. Famously, Roman leaders placated the populace with bread and games. These games would become the dominating source of entertainment for the Roman people. There were a variety of games, from chariot races to naval battles to gladiatorial games. The gladiatorial matches are the most well known, renowned for their violence. But even the chariot races were lauded for their gore, as a mass of chariots racing around a tight course often lead to much bloodshed. Thus, the major entertainment of this ear was directly violent, not faked, just blood. Following the collapse of the Roman Empire, the segmentation of Western Civilization meant there was not a strong, multicultural entertainment movement. Yet one man, William Shakespeare, came about in the late 1500’s and revitalized the tradition of plays. He made a variety of plays, like Hamlet, Othello, Romeo and Juliet, and Henry V (Sayre). These plays often made plays on contemporary figures, and were attended by people from all social orders. They helped bring entertainment back to the masses. Previously, the poor mass of the population lived on farms or in squalor in the cities, had to work or beg, and had little access to entertainment. The upper classes had their private shows and were able to use their luxury of time and money to entertain themselves. Shakespeare transcended these boundaries by providing open plays with universal themes, and helped bring the love of entertainment back to the masses. While the tradition of plays continues to this day, the more common source of entertainment is movies. Cinema came about in the Great Depression, when people needed a cheap way to forget the horrible conditions they were living in. Movies began to offer this, an easy mental escape from reality. While books require reading and interpretation, movies allow a person to just absorb information, not necessarily t hinking unless they want to understand a complex plot of a complex movie. While originally outdoors and black and white, their popularity led to their further development. They were popular, so investors began to flock to them. Eventually color and sounds were added to movies, and then they were placed primarily indoors. Now, we have 3D movies and access

ANnnotated Bibilography and Thesis Statement Annotated Bibliography

ANnnotated Bibilography and Thesis Statement - Annotated Bibliography Example Moreover biofuels also exhibit better emissions, might boost the rural economy and reduce waste. Most importantly fossil fuels are non-renewable but biofuels are renewable as they are made from plants or organic wastes. Kutz also warns about to short comings of biofuels. The energy generated from per unit biofuel is less than that of fossil fuel; as an example one gallon of gasoline is equivalent to 1.5 gallon of ethanol in terms of energy generation. In case of biodiesel; fuel efficiency and performance decreases by five percent in comparison to diesel. Again the up gradation cost of vehicles so that they can be compatible with biofuel might be a costly affair. Pandey and Arroche, mentions that with rise in population growth and industrialization, fossil fuel and mainly petroleum is depleting at a much faster pace than its natural regeneration through the C cycle. On one hand this would definitely lead to exhaustion of fossil fuel and on the other environment would be badly damaged owing to the carbon intensity of the same. Again fossil fuels are concentrated in a handful of countries whereas biofuels are available everywhere. At this juncture it is important to exploit the potential of biofuel to a much larger extent than the current state. The cheap price concept that is attached to fossil fuel might no longer be valid after a few years courting a high demand for the same. Moreover fossil fuels are profoundly responsible for greenhouse gas emission and biofuels are much more environment friendly. The authors favoured the use of biofuel in modern day use such as transportation (bioethanol and biodiesel) and optimistic that soon the current level of energy consumption through biofuel (10% of the total energy consumption) would be increased to a much higher level. They have further said that biomass might be the only alternative energy source to replace fossil fuel in

Leadership and communication culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Leadership and communication culture - Essay Example A dialogic communication is one whereby a two way communication path is followed and participants defend their opinion and thoughts with justified arguments and simultaneously listen to other positions as well with the intention to understand better (Habermas 1984). Isaacs (1999) has explored numerous meaning for the term ‘dialogue’. Dialogue is not merely a normal form of conversation or a talk, but, in broader sense, it is now being used as a tool for fostering organizational learning. Coordinated actions among members of the organization could be produced through dialogue. A dialogic communication culture can be highly effective for a firm, in incorporating and facilitating continuous and sustainable change within a firm. Dialogue can open up the limited or narrow approach to work practices that most of the organizational members uphold. Dialogues can bring improvement in existing ideas and help in developing creative futuristic approach as well. With the development of the dialogic communication, organization can completely transform its culture by imbibing spirit of commitment and inculcating onus of responsibility and accountability among the members of the organization. Leaders play a vital role by dealing with unavoidable and anticipated conflicts skillfully. Thereby, existing challenges and problems can be resolved through innovative breakthroughs and cooperation of the entire team force which can be acquired through influential dialogic culture (Novak & Sellnow 2009). Sellnow 2009). DIALOGIC COMMUNICATION PROMOTES BETTER UNDERSTANDING THROUGH CONSTRUCTIVE LEADERSHIP Sustainable change can be attained only when understanding among members can be enhanced. By supporting the statement that ‘dialogues can rejuvenate organizational culture and leader’s foster development of such culture’, a study performed by Innes (2007) can be analyzed whereby the significance of dialogic communication is revealed clearly. In this study, the essence of solving group problems is highlighted. Two groups of students were allotted case studies and specific problems. The solutions to the problem allotted were analyzed later. It was found that group that had better understanding amongst them focused on the specific issue assigned whereas group

Book and Movie 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Book and Movie 2 - Essay Example about the pneumonic plague would trigger irrational fear and force those infected into hiding whereby, they would go on long vacations further spreading the disease (Kazan). Tony Hillerman’s â€Å"The First Eagle†, concurs with Elia’s representation of communicable diseases; however, his focus is on â€Å"Black death† (contracting the pneumonic plague from exposure to infected dead tissue). Communicable diseases are highly contagious, which necessitates timely and adequate containment before an outbreak that indiscriminately attacks the population (CDC). Discussed below is transmission, shift in vector location, and pollution spread of the bacterium that causes the pneumonic plague as portrayed in Elia Kazan’s film and Hillerman’s novel. Kazan’s movie reveals that some pathogens remain active in dead tissues (corpses), which have not undergone proper sanitization procedures aimed at suppressing the pathogens viability or infectious nature. The pneumonic plague, which represents the disease featured in the movie is one such example. Research by the Center for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) identifies Yersinia pestis as the bacterium responsible for causing the pneumonic plague. The disease attacks the respiratory system aggressively. Transmission of the disease occurs either from human to human or from animals to humans. Transmission through the former (primary transmission) occurs when a non-infected person inhales air exhaled by an infected person or when a non-infected person is exposed to infected dead tissue. Conversely, animal to human transmission occurs when a non-infected individual eats an infected animal or is exposed to fleas on the infected animal; for example, a 2006 World Health Organizat ion (WHO) study revealed that pneumonic plague infection in Northwest China resulted from human contact with fleas from infected animals during hunting expeditions (CDC). â€Å"Black Death†, is the name given to transmission of the pneumonic plague

America in the XXs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

America in the XXs - Essay Example and the massive depression from 1893-1897 which convinced many that equal opportunity was out of reach for Americans (The Progressive Era 1). Progressives strongly advocated the Efficiency Movement which argues that all sectors of the economy, society, and government were contributors to waste and efficiency. Thus, progressives assumed that "anything old was encrusted with inefficient and useless practices" and advocated the eradication of the eradication of the problems mentioned above. They implemented changes in all policies at every level of society, economy, and government. Their effort brought fruits as the movement reaped success at the local, stated and national levels (The Progressive Era 3). The Progressives are predominantly members of the new middle class which are composed of young professionals. Their thrust is the application of principles of professions to problems plaguing the society, having a strong faith in progress and the ability of educated people to overcome problems, and establishment of volunteer organizations to address issues. Journalists also joined the movement by attacking and exposing corruption. Political reformers showed their opposition to traditional party politics while socialists composed mostly of frustrated workers vowed to totally eradicate capitalism. Women also showed their contribution to the Progressive Era by proving their values as social workers. Together with the other progressives, they pushed for justice, general equality, and public safety (Feldmeth 3). In terms of politics, the most famous national figures were Republicans Theodore Roosevelt and Rober LaFollette and Democrats William Jennings Bryan and Woodrow Wilson. Theodore Roosevelt was as a president which used his position to lead and fight against those he felt were not acting in America's best interest. Among the most important reforms in the Progressive Era were Prohibition with the 18th Amendment and woman's suffrage through to the Nineteenth Amendment (The Progressive Era 5). The establishment of the Initiative, Referendum, Recall was created by some states led by California, Wisconsin, and Oregon to "enable the citizenry to rule more directly and circumvent political bosses (The Progressive Era 5)." Huge developments notably the usage of Primary elections and establishments of municipal reference bureaus to study budget and administrative structures of local government. America and the Great War America formally entered the Great War on April 6, 1917 when it joined its Allies-Britain, France, and Russia. The US was previously unconvinced to engaged in the World War I. However, Americans were enraged when a German submarine sunk the Lusitania, a British luxury ship killing 128 aboard. Thus, many Americans urged then President Wilson to join the war (Dowling 1-4). The Allies expected that the

A war between the United States and Iran Essay Example for Free

A war between the United States and Iran Essay Preparations for a massive military strike on Iran are in full swing by the United States of America. But will these preparations convert to actual bombing on the ground? Are the two countries going to be embroiled in a war soon? These are the questions that are being asked everywhere, in hushed tones if it is the Pentagon corridors and terrified glances if it is the streets of Tehran. With Iran defying the UN’s call for restraint in its nuclear programme openly, it has only become successful in intensifying the speculations about the war. The issue here is â€Å"Is it inevitable? † Before we get in to the nitty-gritty of the Iranian crisis, let us look into the different causes of the wars that have been raged in the recent future. The twentieth century started with World War I in 1914 and since then, it is interesting to note that the wars have a particular pattern. The causes have always been dependent on three factors: Systemic factors, domestic politics and the role of the Decision maker. Hence, we would also try to view the US-Iran issue through this prism. However, comparing the pre-nuclear wars in a pre-nuclear age with wars in post-nuclear age would be a waste of space. Instead, it would do well if we look into the causes that can trigger a war in the present times where possessing nuclear power is not only a stark reality but also the bone of contention in this particular case. It is the claim by the Iranian government that they are ready to start developing nuclear weapons is what has triggered the whole issue. And ironically, it is the very reason that is playing a deterrent in the war. Remarkable is the fact that it is only America that is concerned with Iran trying to possess the deadly weapon. The first and foremost question that would help us in determining the fate of this discussion would be: Why is America so bothered? America, the self-declared big brother of all the nations on this planet, takes up the â€Å"burden† of maintaining peace on earth. To quote Eisenhower, â€Å"Freedom is indivisible.. †. America takes it as its personal duty to ensure that â€Å"Freedom† is maintained all over the world. If it was â€Å"Communism† that was a threat against â€Å"Freedom† during the cold war, today it is the irresponsible rulers of nations that possess or aspire to possess nuclear weapons that are threatening the â€Å"Freedom† in the world. And when Truman declared that â€Å"We cannot hope to maintain our freedom, if freedom elsewhere is wiped out†, he meant it. However, the reasons why Israeli attack on Palestine killing hundreds of civilians is not wiping out â€Å"Freedom† but North Korea developing nuclear capability is has interesting reasons. History has been witness to this characteristic of America where it deems it is her right to attack any country it wills to protect the attacked country’s â€Å"freedom†. According to Jutta Welders (Pg 37, culture of insecurity), the compelling reason for America to act in this fashion is to maintain its supremacy in the world. An act of aggression under the cloak of â€Å"Freedom fighters† becomes a necessity to project itself as a strong nation which can not only defend itself but protect other countries as well. A bright example would be the Cuban missile crisis. When this â€Å"crisis† occurred, many were of the view that it was quite unnecessary for America to take up such a strong and aggressive tone. However, it did do that and according to Jutta Weldes, it is the compelling reason to showcase its power that led it to act strong. In fact, Jutta Weldes considers the Cuban missile crisis as not a crisis at all. To quote her, â€Å".. crises are social constructions that are forged by state officials in the course of producing and reproducing state identity†. She is of the view that it depends on the social construction that makes us define a situation as â€Å"Crisis†. It depends on how we view a nation that determines whether it is a crisis or not. For example, Iran possessing nukes is such a big issue and is immediately converted into a â€Å"Crisis† whereas an equally notorious state like Pakistan possessing the deadly weapons is not. It has been time and again proved that large number of terrorist activities has their funds traced back to Pakistan. However, Pakistan escaped the whip but Iraq was destroyed in the name of WMDs! The only explanation for this is the prism that US uses to define its foreign policies. Attack the nations that would give it a chance to maintain her supremacy in the world. Attacking Pakistan would back fire as it has the capability to strike back. And attacking Iraq or Iran will definitely be easier as these countries have a notorious reputation which required some policing and also are comparative weaklings. Hence, the systemic reasons for US to wage a war against Iran are quite obvious: a chance to police a nation that has a history of supporting the biggest threat world faces today, that is, terrorism and simultaneously reaffirm its image as the superpower which it seems to be losing to China. If attacking Iran salvages some pride for US, the role of domestic politics in the whole affair plays another important role. US, the strongest nation in the world today, are also the most vulnerable to attacks by various terrorist outfits. After 9/11, it has taken its goal of fighting terrorism quite seriously. However, the path it has chosen to fight it is not very often appreciated. The aftermath of 9/11 saw it attacking Afghanistan and driving out the Taliban ruthlessly. Afghanistan was the target because it sheltered the most dangerous terrorist outfit in the world, Al-Qaeda. Their slogan was a regime change is essential for to â€Å"smoke out† the terrorist and the whole war was essentially to capture one man – Osama Bin Laden. The attack resulted in the killings of thousands of innocent Afghanistan who were already tired by the war torn politics of Taliban. America could never capture the villain. However, it overthrew Taliban and today, a â€Å"democratically† elected government exists in place of it. Is Afghanistan a changed country today? Has America finally left its shores after the war? Both the answers are No! Terrorism has been controlled and yes, America is still â€Å"guarding† Afghanistan with its air raids on civilians. The failure of capturing Osama in Laden was quite frustrating for the Bush administration and it was in search for a new scapegoat. And they found the perfect one in the form of Saddam Hussain. Suddenly, Iraq, the starving nation which was already bogged down by various sanctions and its citizens further troubled by the tyrannic rule of Saddam Hussain finds itself in the line of fire. The reasons given are quite fishy. America is suddenly in possession of confidential information that Iraq possesses weapons of mass destruction and Saddam Hussain should be relieved of his responsibility of taking care of them! The reasons were uttered in the same chilling tone of how Iraq, which can’t survive without taking aid from UN, poses the danger of destroying the whole world. The solution that is needed is again a â€Å"Regime Change†. America reasoned introduction of democracy in the country will solve the problem. Thus, despite the worldwide protests that marked the growing contempt against America and the UN Security Council voting against a military attack, America single-handedly went about with its â€Å"war on terrorism†. After 3 years of war, a executed Saddam Hussain, uncountable civilian deaths and threats of civil war ( not to forget the daily suicide attacks by shiities), no one found alleged WMDs. Today, it has been almost accepted that the report on WMD was wrong! The flak US received for the irresponsible behavior is enormous and its image in the middle east has gone for a beating as today, many believe that US is waging war on Islam rather than Terrorists. Its belief that a regime change is the only solution that can solve the problems of the world is quite naive. It proposes the same thing when it comes to Iran. Seymour M. Hersh, in journal â€Å"Fact: Annals of national security† had mentioned his conversation with Patrick Clawson, an Iran expert who is the deputy director for research at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and who has been supporter of President Bush, who clearly spoke of regime change the ultimate solution. He said, â€Å"So long as Iran has an Islamic Republic, it will have a nuclear-weapons program, at least clandestinely. The key issue is therefore, how long will the present regime last? † This archaic view that regime change or toppling of government in another country and forcing them to â€Å"democracy† has never worked in bringing the much desired goal of the war – peace. In fact, statistics have shown that the transition period from any kind of rule to democracy has always been bloody and nations become quite war-prone (Democratization and war). The most recent examples are, of course, Afghanistan and Iraq, which are facing gruesome infighting among themselves. So why is America so bent upon making a regime change in those countries? Apart from the apparent reasons of dismantling the network of terrorism, experts are of the view that it is also the question of who controls the oil in the future that has been a major driving force behind the American policy. Middle East is the home for oil throughout the world and it is the control of oil that is US after. With its fast disappearance and soaring prices (reasons partly because the war that US is waging), the control of the oil fields will definitely be beneficial for America. In fact, the one who controls oil in the future is the undisputed king. This goes in line with the policy of US for whom displaying its authority is very important as it seems to be losing the crown to the exponential growth of China. Therefore, attacking Iran is also a desperate attempt by US to reiterate that it is America that is still calling the shots. However, attacking Iran has its own dangers. The most important and the immediate is the image of US in the Islamic world. Its continuous attacks on Islamic nations has made it poised against Islam and has become quite unpopular in the Middle East. If not anything else, America through these attacks is only getting successful in inviting the wrath of the people living there. In a conversation with Seymour M Hersh, Richard Armitrage was echoing the same sentiments – â€Å"What will happen in the other Islamic countries? What ability does Iran have to reach us and touch us globally – that is, terrorism? Will Syria and Lebanon up the pressure on Israel? What does the attack do to our already diminished international standing? And what does this mean for Russia, China and the U. N Security Council? † Yet how many in Washington will consider these questions? According to Seymour, there are people out there who believe it is the way to operate! If domestic politics are reasons enough to wage war, the role of the decision maker is of paramount importance. It is the head who declares wars and in this case Bush has quite a penchant for declaring wars. It is widely believed that Bush will declare war against Iran before leaving the White house. In fact, President Bush believes that â€Å"He must do what no democrat or Republican, if elected in the future, would have the courage to do, and that saving Iran is going to be his legacy†. The personal ambition of Bush also seems to make the fear of turning Teheran in to a sea of fire in to reality. Moreover, with the failure of Iraq where they achieved instant victory but not a decisive one, Bush administration is looking out for scapegoats in a large way. Iran with its close proximity with Iraq is believed to be a supplier of arms and ammunitions to the Shiite attackers in the troubled Iraq. Those attacks are not only killing innocent Iraqis but also resulting in the death of hundreds of American troops out there. In short, it is a personal failure for Bush as a president as he forced his military in to war for no reasons. It becomes very important for him to fathom some pride and Iran seems to be a ripe case. One House member told Seymour when speaking of Bush â€Å"The most worrisome thing is that this guy has a messianic vision†. Therefore, you have President Bush waiting to bomb Iran at the slightest pretext. But how can attacking Iran solve the Iraq problem? The strategy that is being followed by the Americans is to start infighting in Iran and force it to take some irresponsible action like an up in the activities along the Iraqi border. The first response to any of American disturbance in Iran is believed to be given across the Iraq border which presently houses many American troops. The white house hopes to take advantage of that situation and make it an excuse to attack Iran. This reason is widely believed to work as the blame of first strike can always be switched to Iran and America will only be fighting for â€Å"Safeguarding† its citizens. Combining the above reasons, America declaring war on Iran seems to be a matter of time. The systemic, domestic politics and decision maker reasons a need for another war. The attack on Iran will accomplish three important factors for America. 1. America is believed to be the favorite target for the terrorists and its war on terrorism is necessary to protect itself as a nation. Moreover, this would give the image of the departing super power the much needed boost. An attack on Iran will give the masculine quality to the nation that it believes will spread â€Å"awe† across the world. 2. The second and more compelling reason for the attack is the role that domestic politics plays in this issue. Attack on Iran will bring about a regime change which will help America post â€Å"Freedom† there. This in other words means another puppet government that would act on the whims of US. This is quite beneficial as this gives it direct control over the oil fields of Iran along with Iraq’s, thanks to the WMD ghosts. So, that means with a single strike, not only do they believe that terrorism and nukes will be taken care of but also the oil fields. 3. The third reason is President Bush. His stint as President of America has mainly been marred by Wars. If in the past it was Afghanistan, now it is Iraq. Apparently, both have them have been failures as there have been no decisive victories. The victories have only been fast as is expected from a war between the super power and a starving nation. Iran war will give him the much needed boost to his image as this war can be a golden opportunity to pass the blame on Iran for the Iraq fiasco. Taking all these reasons into considerations, attack by America on Iran for possessing Nukes is quite imminent. Experts say Iran is still five to ten years away from developing any kind of weapon. However, America is bent upon going ahead with its plans. Therefore, nukes or no nukes, Iran is the golden opportunity to accomplish a lot many tasks. Nuclear disarmament is just one of the small ones.