Friday, September 4, 2020

Imogene King Theory of Goal Attainment Assignment

Imogene King Theory of Goal Attainment - Assignment Example Her prosperity originates from her nursing reasonable framework and the objective achievement objective. Ruler built up this hypothesis while attempting to sum up another alumni program content. Its essential object is to help patients to accomplish, keep up or recapture their wellbeing. Her hypothesis expect that the concentration in nursing is thinking about people, while its objective is individual and gathering social insurance. As indicated by this hypothesis, individuals consistently interface with their condition, fundamentally on the grounds that people are open frameworks (George, 2008). She interfaces the hypothesis to objective accomplishment, which expect that correspondence between a medical caretaker and a customer brings about data gathering, which encourages them set shared objectives and helps in following up on the objectives. She contends that everybody perceives the world as an all out individual in planning exchanges between the earth and the person. The exchange in this hypothesis alludes to the collaboration between the â€Å"perceiver† and the item saw. In this exchange, the â€Å"person† gets into the situation as a functioning member, after which each is changed from the encounters. Medical attendant customer association prompts certain suspicions. The primary supposition that will be that the collaboration between the two is impacted by their separate observations. The customer and nurse’ objectives and qualities impact the association procedure, customers reserve an option to data concerning them, customers ought to take an interest in choices that affect their lives, network, and wellbeing, lastly, that it is typical for customers and nurses’ objectives to be incongruent. People have three urgent wellbeing needs; the requirement for wellbeing data, care administrations to forestall sickness and care administrations when they can't support themselves. This hypothesis has two significant ideas; the Interact ing and the ideas accommodated every framework. The associating frameworks incorporate individual frameworks, relational frameworks and the social framework (Wills and McEwen, 2002). 2.0 Point by point Critical investigation of the hypothesis 2.1 Major ideas Concepts for individual frameworks incorporates recognition, self, development, and advancement, self-perception, existence. Relational framework ideas incorporate collaboration, correspondence, exchange, job, and stress. At long last, the social framework idea incorporates association, authority, force, status and dynamic. Lord characterizes observation as an idea, which impacts the general conduct of an individual. Eventually, it is the idea whereupon every other relationship as well. Discernment is additionally a procedure where an individual acquires individual information through their faculties, and from which, the individual composes their memory deciphers it and changes the got information. The â€Å"self† qualiti es allude to the dynamic person, whose is spurred to accomplish their objectives by a few open frameworks. Oneself incorporates emotions and contemplations that are connected to the individual’s attention to being a free individual. The contemplations and sentiments likewise impact the individual’s view of him/herself. The attributes of self-perception are abstract, dynamic, scholarly and exceptionally close to home. The self-perception qualities as a rule change after some time comparable to the individual’s redefinition of oneself. Space, then again, is a general idea, whose definition relies upon the person. It is hard to characterize space since culture impacts an individual comprehends of space.â

Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Bias In Printmedia :: essays research papers

Print media gives its perusers data, yet what the peruser frequently doesn't perceive is the inclination inside the articles. Inclination isn't so handily perceived. Essayists have the blessing to mix the inclination in with their work. It is so very much done, that so as to see the predisposition, one should altogether break down the article. An individual should likewise comprehend what the sorts of predisposition are and how they are utilized. There are a wide range of kinds of predisposition that are utilized in wellbeing related articles, for example, insights and group checks, word decision and tone, and through exclusion. Print media exhibits these sorts of inclination in numerous articles.      One strategy for inclination being utilized is print media is through insights and group checks. An essayist can control the peruser into imagining that the outcomes are high or low at times. In The Toronto Star on October 23, 1999, the article â€Å" Pregnancy greatest danger to ladies, V.N. says† utilizes insights to give an estimation, â€Å" an expected 585,000 ladies do each year†. This article clarifies how pregnancy influences numerous ladies. By utilizing this measurement, it gives the peruser an estimate, however not a definite number. This is utilized to make the peruser believe that the measurement is high. Another article in The Toronto Star, â€Å"Tamil wellbeing emergency probed†, on October 29, 1999,demostrates inclination by saying, â€Å" At least 70,000 people†. The article is discussing the Tamil people group and how 70,000 individuals have been influenced, however it doesn't give the measure of individuals in that network . This sort of inclination is frequently utilized in print media to make an article more significant than it is.      Bias through word decision and tone is frequently utilized in print media sources. By picking explicit words, the author can undoubtedly impact the reader’s feeling about the article. Certain words give the peruser an alternate significance. In an article, â€Å"Health care to get $3.8 billion injection†, in The Toronto Star, on October 22, 1999, the Governor, Hilary Weston, is perusing a section from a â€Å"throne speech† given by the legislature to present a Patient’s Bill of Rights. By utilizing the word, seat, the essayist recommends that the discourse given is significant. During this discourse, there is a â€Å"caucus chuckle† from a Liberal at the gathering. The essayist utilizes gathering to demonstrate that it is in excess of a typical laugh during a significant discourse.

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Chinese media on the relations between government and media Essay

Chinese media on the relations among government and media - Essay Example To begin with, the narrative of Chinese media commercialization began in 1978 and officially broke the past financed publicity age for neighborhood media (Zhao 1998, p. 52). Nonetheless, the genuine circumstance with monetary change didn't change media drastically and government spared its dictator instrument of administering national news making. Consequently, current strain in the relations between Chinese government and society have a drawn out story (Spence 2013, p. 700). Truth be told, Shirk (2011) underpins this thought by giving proof that CCP involved all the media (counting occasional, TV, radio and later the Internet) inside the nation after 1979 (p. 1). Unequivocally, the way that directly after the change (in 1979) there still existed 69 completely constrained by the administration papers signalizes of preferably remained purposeful publicity over new sort of reporting in the nation. Despite the fact that specific magazines experienced commercialization in 1980s, they sta rted from â€Å"politically safe† territories, similar to form and PCs . Practically speaking, this inclination brings about instances of quietness on possibly shocking tales about Communist Party individuals, as it occurred with Li Zhen. As such, the early time of commercialization concerned just the circle of promoting as â€Å"the new lifeblood†. Along these lines, it is applicable to express that media change occurred without radical difference in relations between the administration and Chinese society. In this circumstance, further commercialization didn't change the past control of CCP over social assorted variety.

The Inclusion of Technology in the Learning Process

Theme 1 ISD Topei model is exceptionally imperative in the instructing of innovation courses. It causes the instructors to build up the proper substance for training innovation courses. It likewise encourages them to be methodical in their instructing of these specific courses. A suitable model is significant for an instructor in the educating of commonsense and even innovative courses. Publicizing We will compose a custom article test on The Inclusion of Technology in the Learning Process explicitly for you for just $16.05 $11/page Learn More With the innovative headways being seen in the cutting edge world, it is significant for the instructors to join innovation in their educating so as abstain from penetrating which just creates armature understudies. Utilizing innovation upgrades straightforwardness in the educating and conveying of directions. The utilization of innovation in instructing additionally empowers the understudies to fit in the realm of quick mechanical headway (Bat ista, 1995). A Collaborative Model Technology is especially significant in improving in-administration preparing. The synergistic innovation plans educators and encourages them to utilize the present innovation in spreading directions to their understudies. It guarantees that the schedules are amended to fit the current innovative progression. The model implants innovation for example the understudy educators are given directions through messages, spreadsheets, databases just as the web. Academic methodologies just as work preparing is utilized in giving these guidelines. The understudies are for example prepared on the PC bundles like Microsoft Word, Excel, MS Access just as PowerPoint in order to empower them grasp the new innovation improved methods for giving guidelines. They are then gotten to in order to decide if they can utilize these applications in the learning procedure. They are for example encouraged how to utilize MS Power Point in introductions. They are likewise educ ated on different perspectives like mail consolidate and the utilization of MS word recorded as a hard copy letters. The educators are prepared to learn, plan just as execute innovation in conveying guidelines to the understudies. Educators should be prepared on the relying upon their evaluation and the preparation ought to incorporate the utilization of web and the preparation needs to remember hands-for preparing on the utilization of the innovation in spreading technology.Advertising Looking for article on instruction? We should check whether we can support you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The preparation must be founded on the evaluation of the instructors that are being prepared. It will vary from the high, center just as basic level school level. This is on the grounds that understudies that are at various degrees of preparing use innovation diversely and their introduction to innovation changes essentially. Taking the case of grounds mentors, they should be p repared on viewpoints like the utilization of Micro-PC applications for the guides in teaching understudies. They must be prepared on the utilization of the web in training. They must be prepared on the procedures of training. The preparation should likewise be comprehensive of training ventures (McGillivray, 1999). The coaches must be prepared by experts and they should be given guides who can help them where essential. The preparation should likewise incorporate communication between them in order to share their encounters over the utilization of innovation just as meetings for questions asking where answers must be accommodated singular inquiries. The preparation ought to have arrangements for follow up programs which guarantee that the guides are actualizing whatever they are instructed concerning the utilization of innovation in upgrading mechanical headway. The foundations likewise have the obligation of guaranteeing that the understudies are furnished with PCs and different i nnovations in order to help them in the learning procedure. Point 2 The innovation Faã §ade Checklist is indispensable in taking out mechanical boundaries that are crucial in the disposal of mechanical obstructions that may develop during the learning procedure. It makes it simple to perceive just as address any of the issues that may rise in the innovation programs. The agenda gives a precise answer for the mechanical issues that may develop. The agenda makes it simple to understand any mechanical headway. It upgrades discovering that depends on innovation and it envelops psychological, full of feeling just as psychomotor aptitudes. The innovation plan is down to earth and depends on look into discoveries. It is anything but difficult to utilize and it is sequential.Advertising We will compose a custom exposition test on The Inclusion of Technology in the Learning Process explicitly for you for just $16.05 $11/page Learn More Topic 3 The incorporation of innovation in the learning procedure is significant in upgrading understudy accomplishment and simultaneously makes new learning chances. A school needs to incorporate innovative progression and utilize qualified staff in order to completely adjust innovation in the learning procedure. The instructors must be presented to hands on preparing for a more extended time in order to empower them completely fathom the idea of including innovation in the educating and learning process. Innovation must be embraced really taking shape of exercise plans and instructing. The improvement program must be proficient and must be in accordance with the advancement objectives of that specific school. The instructors must be given both the monetary just as staff support. They must be urged and propelled to receive innovation in their educating. Mechanical headway must be subsidized to guarantee the usage of the equivalent. The school ought to have an innovation plan. Security plans must be set up to forestall web wrongdoings j ust as different dangers (Valdez, 2000). References Batista, E. (1995). Changing the discussion about educating, learning and innovation. Cupertino: Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow. McGillivray, K. (1999). The toolbox: An imaginative way to deal with innovation combination in organized schools. Picking up Leading with Technology , 18. Valdez, G. M. (2000). PC based innovation and learning. Advancing utilizations and desires , 28.Advertising Searching for article on instruction? How about we check whether we can support you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Find out More This exposition on The Inclusion of Technology in the Learning Process was composed and presented by client The198 to help you with your own investigations. You are allowed to utilize it for research and reference purposes so as to compose your own paper; be that as it may, you should refer to it likewise. You can give your paper here.

Friday, August 21, 2020

On-the Job Training in Tempura Japanese Restaurant free essay sample

Our hands on preparing in Tempura Japanese Restaurant took-off with a concise direction with the senior supervisor. To begin with, the students were acquainted with the entire staff, trailed by a visit inside the store premises-from the feasting region, at that point to the bar lastly in the kitchen. During this visit, the director gave us a couple of thoughts on how it functions and we have our first look on how the eatery operates.After that movement, he/she gave us our first on location post: the passageway. We’re educated to remain there and open the entryway for the visitors. He/She additionally advised us that it’s an unquestionable requirement to welcome the approaching visitors with â€Å"Yokoso , Ma’am/Sir† while active clients must hear the words â€Å"Doumo arigatou gozaimasu†. May 26 SaturdayOn our second day on Tempura, the staff showed us the standard situation for serving. Toward the finish of this action, we were relied upon to become familiar with the essential strides on the most proficient method to serve the visitors productively, have a satisfactory capability about the menu including the correct articulation for each dish. We will compose a custom article test on Hands on Training in Tempura Japanese Restaurant or then again any comparative point explicitly for you Don't WasteYour Time Recruit WRITER Just 13.90/page A staff likewise made an exhibition on table-setting. In this errand, the demonstrator explicitly called attention to that the table was set in a particular way that follows an exacting standard.After the movement, we were told to return to our first assigned post and usher the guests.May 27 SundayAfter two days of heating up on our new condition, the students had the option to make up for lost time with the life in Tempura. Day 3 is an energizing day in light of the fact that the director permitted us to move all the more openly and gave us new arrangement of assignments. Initially, they let us clean the tables. Beside that, he/she taught us to retain the table tally. This is significant on the grounds that today a few of us were appointed in guiding the visitors and serving the menu.

Monday, August 3, 2020

California to Illinois

California to Illinois Hi everyone! I wanted to write a post in response to one of the comments my friend Alec received on his post “Choosing the School for YOU”: “I am at the  deciding point and will be visiting the campus on 4/8 for Admitted Student Day. I am from the San Francisco Bay Area in California. I would love to hear from other students from California about  their Illinois  experiences and why they have chosen a  school far away from home. What is the best way to connect with some of these students?” I happen to be from the Bay Area as well, so I thought I’d take a crack at answering this. I apologize in advance for the length, but I really want to address all aspects of this question. I hope this post is helpful to any of you out-of-state or even international students considering coming to Illinois! I give a brief overview of my motivations for choosing Illinois in my bio, but upon further reflection, I thought I’d add a few more things on the topic of being far from home: A large part of choosing Illinois was this expectation of being physically removed from everything I was used to yet still having a wonderful support system. Living in a college town is so unique because you get to feel like a student 100% of the time. Moving from the hectic Bay Area  to the cornfields of the Midwest seemed  intimidating at first, but I actually think the sense of isolation has some  productive outcomes. There’s a huge sense of community here on campus, and I feel like I’ve been able to invest in relationships and my education more thoroughly because there are fewer distractions. U.S. News World Report Despite the fact that our campus might seem like it’s in the middle of nowhere, we are a large public research university with a global presence. Students and faculty across all departments are doing some really cool things, and  being a student here means you have access to it all. For example,  Research Park in Champaign is home to over 100 technology-based companies, from big names like Yahoo! to startup companies born from the university’s own tech incubator. These companies are always looking to hire and collaborate with Illinois students and entrepreneurs. As a Silicon Valley native, I was blown away by the fact that a place like Champaign is  such a tech powerhouse, and that even an undergraduate student like myself has  exclusive access to these learning opportunities. Heres a quick video on Research Park if youre interested: So those are a few reasons why I chose Illinois, but if that’s not compelling enough, here are literally 200 more reasons  why you should consider becoming an Illini. To answer the second part of the  question, there are a couple of things I did to get in touch with other admitted students from my area: From what I recall, someone created a separate Facebook page for admitted students from the Bay Area/California, and we all got to know each other through that. Keep an eye out for any social media groups or take the initiative and make your own! It’s always nice to see a few familiar faces your first week on campus, and it might be a useful resource to coordinate housing and travel plans down the line. Reach out to any current Illinois students who graduated from your high school. Talking to them is probably your best shot at getting candid feedback about their experiences. Not too many people from my high school had come here before, so I relied on contacting friends of friends. Youre bound to meet more California students during your first yearâ€"there are so many of us here! Ive met other Bay Area natives through clubs Ive joined, classes Ive taken, and random events Ive gone to. Youd be surprised how quickly youll form your own community here. Hopefully this was helpfulâ€"if any of you have more questions about my experience at Illinois, feel free to comment and ask! Im always happy to answer them. In the past, Ive written about a Californians thoughts on Illinois weather, as well as some personal reflections on my college decision process, so check those out as well if youre interested. ?? Ria Class of 2018 I'm studying both Finance and Information Systems and Information Technology in the Gies College of Business. I’m from Los Altos, California.

Thursday, June 25, 2020

Employee engagement - Free Essay Example

Structured Equation Modeling for testing the impact of Organizational Communication Satisfaction on Employee Engagement. ABSTRACT Communication Satisfaction plays a very critical role in achieving employee engagement in organizations. It becomes even more significant and relevant in the context of the recent global crisis wherein organizations focus on employee engagement was high and was aimed towards employee retention and motivation. While several researchers have studied the relationship between communication and employee involvement, very few studies have established a relationship between Communication Satisfaction and Employee Engagement. Using the second-generation analytical technique Structural Equation Modeling, the present study examines the relationship between various components of Organization Communication Satisfaction (Organization Integration, Supervisory Communication, Personal Feedback, Communication Climate and Media Quality) and various components of Employee Engagement (Organizational Commitment, Job Satisfaction and Withdrawal Cognition). A modified version of the Downs Hazens Communication Satisfaction Questionnaire was administered on 235 personnel in the Information Technology/Information Technology Enabled Services industry in India. The scale was tested for reliability and validity using Confirmatory Factor Analysis. The results indicate that Organization Communication Satisfaction has a positive impact on Employee Engagement. The study findings have strategic implications for organizations with regard to laying a greater emphasis on increasing communication satisfaction through various human re source interventions, both at macro and micro levels in the organization. Introduction Employee engagement has been drawing a lot of importance in various organizations in recent times. A global workforce study conducted by Towers Perrin in 2007-2008 revealed that only 21% of the employees were engaged. A more disturbing finding of the study was that 38% of the employees were partly to fully disengaged. The study also concluded that companies with the higher levels of employee engagement are able to retain their valued employees as also achieve better financial results. Similarly, Gallup has also conducted a study on employee engagement and found that 29% of employees are actively engaged in their jobs, 54% are not engaged, and 17% are actively disengaged. Many researchers have studied employee engagement and have found that employee engagement predicts employee outcomes, organizational success and financial performance (Bates, 2004; Harter et al., 2002,). Similarly, Hewitt Associates (LLC, 2005, p.1) have also established a strong relationship between employee engagem ent and profitability through higher productivity, sales, customer satisfaction and employee retention. Unfortunately though, a lot of literature available is only those from Consulting firms and there is very little theoretical or empirical research available on employee engagement. Today, as a result of continuous organizational restructuring (mergers, acquisitions, downturn imperatives), it is commonly observed that organizations are resorting to right sizing strategies. It certainly becomes the most critical priority of CEOs around the world to ensure that the employees who survive the layoffs are fully engaged. Research indicates that there is a decline in engagement levels and that there is deepening disengagement among employees today (Saks, 2006; Richman, 2006; Bates, 2004). It has also been reported that the majority of workers today, roughly half of all Americans in the workforce are not fully engaged or they are dis engaged leading to what has been referred to as an engagement gap that is costing US business $300 billion a year in lost productivity (Saks, 2006, Bates 2004, Johnson, 2004 Kowalski, 2003). Further, with the world becoming a global market place, where every thing is becoming a commodity, people and management of peoples talent are becoming very critical components of an organizations ability to service its customer. Managing dis-engaged employees or non- engaged employees in a customer facing role is therefore that much more critical to the success and profitability of the business. Lockwood explains, As organizations move forward into a boundaryless environment, the ability to attract, engage, develop and retain talent will hence, become increasingly important In addition to the various literatures available from consultants, there have been a few researches conducted on the antecedents and consequences of employee engagement and also What is employee engagement. A very exhaustive analysis of employee engagement has bee done by Macey and Schneider (2008). In the study employee engagement has been explained as 3 facests viz., Psychological state engagement (Satisfaction, involvement, commitment, empowerment), Trait engagement (personality, conscientiousness) and Behavioural engagement (Organizational Citizenship Behaviour, Personal initiative, role expansion). Another research indicates that employee engagement constitutes two aspects viz., job engagement and organization engagement (Saks, 2006). Saks (2006 further found that employee engagement was significantly positively related to job satisfaction, organizational commitment and organizational citizenship behaviour and negatively related to intention to quit. Organizational Communication plays a very critical part in ensuring employee engagement. It has been established that clear, consise and honest communication is an important tool for employee engagement (Lockwood). It is further established that lack of communication or poorly communicated information can lead to distrust, dissatisfaction, skepticism and unwanted employee turnover. Studies demonstrate that there is a significant influence of Interpersonal trust on individual, group and organizational achievements (Earley, 1986; Robinson, 1996), Job Satisfaction (Driscoll, 1978; Muchinsky, 1977), Job Involvement (Saks, 2006) and Organizational Citizenship Behaviour (Konovsky Pugh, 1994; McAllister, 1995). Studies have also underlined the central role of communication in developing and maintaining Trust (Gail, Zolin, Hartman, 2009; Becerra Gupta, 2003; Muchinsky, 1977). With particular reerence to recession, downsizing has become a harsh reality over the past 2 decades. These downsizing strategies come with other negative consequences of attrition of employees who are not impacted by downsizing. The problem is more profound when the attriting employees are top performers or employees with skills critical to future growth plans of the organization. Various studies have proved that downsizing negatively affects attitudes of employees surviving the downsizing by reducing organizational commitment, morale, job satisfaction and also increasing intention to quit and job stress (Arnold and Feldman, 1982; Greenhalge, 1982; Kozlowski et. al, 1993). It is therefore, very important for organizations to find ways to retain the attriting employees afer downsizing. Managerial communication and Organizational support can be looked at as possible avenues to reduce the negative effects of downsizing. Communication becomes very critical because employees believe that their organization holds them in low regard and ignores their interest (Anderson, 1996; Mclean Parks and Kidder, 1994). They also suspect that management communication is not credible for tat information is being withheld (Noer 1993, ONeill and Lenn, 1995). Employees need to understand how they fit into the overall plans of the organization in terms of their roles and contribution to the growth plans of the organizations. Various surveys in this regard indicate that employees want more communication with their managers (Argenti, 1998). There are various studies that have established a positive relationship between communication satisfaction and job satisfaction (Petit, Gori s and Vaught, 1997; Pincus 1996) and organization commitment (Varona, 1996). A communication ROI study by Watson Wyatt (2007-2008) revealed that firms that communicate effectively are 4 times as likely to report high levels of employee engagement as firms that communicate less effectively. This study therefore, attempts to establish the impact of Organizational communication on mediating role of Trust in the relationship between Organizational Communication Satisfaction on Employee Engagement in the Information Technology / Information Technology Enabled Services (IT/ITES) industry in India. We have selected the IT/ITES) industry because of the significance of the impact during the recent recessionary period. Literature Review and Research Hypothesis Organizational Communication Organisation communication constitutes many dimensions spanning from formal and informal means of internal communication and external communications. A review of literature in this area reveals that Organizational communication can be classified into four different levels (SHRM Magazine) (i) Overall Organizational communication (ii) Inter-organizational communication (iii) Group-level communication (iv) Interpersonal communication Further, review of the research in this area underlines the importance of organizational communication towards building commitment, satisfaction and retention of employees in an organization. A number of studies (Burhans 1971, Downs 1971, Jain 1970) studied the relevance and importance of satisfaction with organizational communication. Such examinations of the communication-satisfaction relationship have produced, a construct called communication satisfaction, which is becoming a common reference in organizational literature (Downs and Hazen, 1977). Downs and Hazen, introduced the Communications Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ) and conducted a factor analytic study of communication satisfaction. This study established eight stable definitions of communication satisfaction, which has also been enumerated as follows in another study by Clampitt Downs, 1993: Communication Climate reflects communication on both the organizational and personal level. On one hand, it includes items such as the extent to which communication in the organization motivates and stimulates workers to meet organizational goals and the extent to which it makes them identify with the organization. On the other, it includes estimates of whether or not peoples attitudes toward communicating are healthy in the organization. Supervisory Communication includes both upward and downward aspects of communicating with superiors. Three of the principal items include the extent to which a superior is open to ideas, the extent to which the supervisor listens and pays attention, and the extent to which guidance is offered in solving job-related problems. Organizational Integration revolves around the degree to which individuals receive information about the immediate work environment. Items include the degree of satisfaction with information about departmental plans, the requirements of their jobs, and some personnel news. Media Quality deals with the extent to which meetings are well organized, written directives are short and clear, and the degree to which the amount of communication is about right. Co-worker Communication concerns the extent to which horizontal and informal communication is accurate and free flowing. This factor also includes satisfaction with the activeness of the grapevine. Corporate Information deals with broadest kind of information about the organization as a whole. It includes items on notification about changes, information about the organizations financial standing, and information about the overall policies and goals of the organization. Personal Feedback is concerned with the workers need to know how they are being judged and how their performance is being appraised. Subordinate Communication focuses on upward and downward communication with subordinates. Only workers in a supervisory capacity respond to these items, which include subordinate responsiveness to downward communication and the extent to which subordinates initiate upward communication. Crino White (1981) investigated Communication Satisfaction with 137 supervisors from textile mills. Similarly, Pincus (1986) used the CSQ in a study of nurses and their supervisors to investigate the relationship between communication and job satisfaction and job performance. These findings had resulted in the CSQ being the most widely used scale when measuring communication satisfaction. The notable aspect though is, that the studies by Downs Hazens (1977) and Crino White (1981) exploratory factor analysis rather than confirmator factor analysis for assessing the validity of the CSQ. Theerefore, the convergent and discriminant validity of the CSQ was under question. Further, until the introduction of CSQ, Communication was considered as an unidimensional construct. The underlying belief was that employees are either satisfied or dis-satisfied with communication. However, with the introduction of the CSQ changed it communication satisfaction to be viewed as a multi-dimensional construct wherein, employees could be satisfied or dis-sastisfied with one or more aspects of communication and be dis-satisfied. Gary and Laidlaw (2004) assessed the CSQ using Confirmatory Factor Analysis. Their study used a series of congeneric measurement models to study the validity and reliability of the CSQ. Based on the study, Gary Laidlaw concluded, the results substantiate CSQ as a valid instrument for measuring communication satisfaction and supports the multi-dimensional aspects of the communication satisfacation construct. This study therefore, proposes to establish the convergent and discriminant validity and reliability of the CSQ for the purpose of IT/ITES sector in India. The study also proposes to establish the relationships between the individual dimensions of Organizational Communication Satisfaction using First order and Second order Confirmatory Factor Analysis. H1 : Dimensions of Organisation Communication Satisfaction are inter-related H2 : Organisational Communication Satisfaction is explained by Organisational Integration, Supervisory communication, Personal Feedback, Corporate Information, Communication Climate and Media Quality. Employee Engagement Employee engagement has been drawing a lot of importance in various organizations in recent times. There have been few research works on employee engagement (Robinson et al, 200) and most of understanding comes from Consulting firms and Independent Research agencies. There have been various definitions of employee engagement. Employee engagement is the level of commitment and involvement an employee has towards their organization and its values (Vazirani, 2007). Engagement is the willingness and ability to contribute to company success, the extent to which employees put discretionary effort into their work, in the form of extra time, brainpower and energy (Towers Perrin, 2007). Often used as a synonym for motivation or motivation and retention; engagement is really more fundamental. Engagement is an employees decision to apply his discretionary effort to the goals of the enterprise, to accept those goals as his own and wholeheartedly commit himself to achieving them. (Fineman Carter 2007) Though employee engagement as a concept has been drawing a lot of importance, it is still a term widely referred among consulting firms and independent research agencies. There have been very few empirical research initiatives in the academic world to establish the definition of the construct employee engagement. Mickey and Schneider (2008) have done a detailed study on the meaning of employee engagement and have established a series of propositions covering 3 facets : a) Psychological stage engagement b) Behavioural engagement c) Trait engagement. This research though will focus on the psychological state engagement facet since this has received maximum attention and is central to the engagement issue. Further, the scope of the research is focussed towards examining the impact of Organizational Communication Satisfaction on Employee Engagement. Past researches on similar subjects have all focussed on studying the relationship between Organizational Communication Satisfaction on individual aspects of State Engagement viz., Satisfaction, Commitment and Involvement. Mickey and Schneider (2008), while explaining the psychological state engagement have studied 4 different aspects viz., Job satisfaction, Organizational commitment, Psychological empowerment and Job involvement. They have further referred to various related research in each of the above aspects and thereby analyse each of the aboe aspects as a facet or antecedent or consequence of employee engagement. Their study and analysis is as follows : Engagement as Job Satisfaction In defining Job Satisfaction as a facet of employee engagement, the views of Erickson (2005) are noteworthy; Engagement is above or beyond simple satisfaction with the employment arrangement or basic loyalty to the employer. Engagement in contrast is about passion and commitment, the willingness to invest oneself and expand ones discretionary effort to help the employer succeed Therefore, it is beyond basic loyalty and is about the emotional aspect of Job satisfaction that triggers emotions and feelings of energy, enthusiasm and thereby constitutes a very important aspect of Engagement. Engagement as Organization Commitment In defining Organizational commitment as an important facet of employee engagement, the views from various contributions are noteworthy (Wellins and Concelman, 2005; OReilly Chatman, 1986; Mowday, Porter Steers, 1982; Meyer and Allens, 1997; Meyer, Becker Vanderberghe, 2004). These significant contributions lead to definitions; employees exert extra energy in support of the organization, feel proud as a key contrinbutor to the organization and its success and enjoy a personal identity with the organization. This leads to organization commitment being defined as a key facet of engagement (Mickey Schneider, 2008). While analysing organization commitment, there is also an analysis around organization / job withdrawal thereby suggesting that commitment as a state of engagement also relates to how long an employee stays as a result of commitment (The Corporate Executive Board, 2006) Engagement as Job Involvement The next aspect analysed by Mickey and Schneider (2008) is Job Involvement. Job Involvement has been defined as the degree to which an employee psychologically relates to his or her job and the work performed therein and specifically equated job involvement and job commitment (Cooper-Hakim and Visweswaran, 2005). Brown (1996), Mathieu and Zajacs (1990) have also come up the conclusion that job involvement is an antecedent to organizational commitment. Brown further concluded that organizational withdrawal decisions are less related to job involvement than to organizational commitment. Erickson (2005) described job involvement as a key antecedent of the state of engagement. Based on the analysis and significant well researched contributions, we identify Job Satisfaction, Organizational commitment and withdrawal as key facets of employee engagement. Further, Saks (2006) has conducted a good study on the antecedents and consequences of employee engagement. The research conceptualized engagement as being reflective of the extent to which an individual is psychologically present in a particular organizational role (Kahn, 1990; Rothbard, 2001). It was further conceptualized that there are two dominant roles attributable to most organizational members viz., their work role and their role as a member of the organization. These two roles led to the two components of employee engagement: Job and Organization engagement. Saks (2006) further found that that Job and Organization engagement were significantly positively related to Job satisfaction, organizational commitment and Organizational Citizenship Behavior, and negatively related to intention to quit. In summary, employee engagement is about ones emotional commitment towards the organization, being psychologically involved and willingness ability to walk that extra mile in achieving the Organizational goals and objectives. Based on the above review, it is understood that employee engagement mainly constitutes three aspects viz., Organizational commitment, job satisfaction and intention to stay. This study aims at establishing a relationship between the facets / components of Employee Engagement using 2nd order Confirmatory Factor Analysis. This study further proposes to establish the convergent and discriminant validity and reliability of the various facets of employee engagement using First and Second order Confirmatory Factor Analysis H3 : Dimensions of Employee Engagement are interrelated H4 : Employee engagement is explained by Organisational Commitment, Job Satisfaction and Withdrawl Cognition Organization Communication Satisfaction and Employee Engagement The next dimension studied was the relationship between Organizational Communication and Employee Engagement in organizations. Employees see managers as trustworthy when their communication is accurate and forthcoming. In addition, adequate explanations and timely feedback on decisions lead to higher levels of trust (Folger Konovsky, 1989; Konovsky Cropanzano, 1991; Sapienza Korsgaard, 1996). Evidently, managers who take the time to explain their decisions thoroughly are likely to be perceived as trustworthy. Finally, open communication, in which managers exchange thoughts and ideas freely with employees, enhances perceptions of trust (Butler, 1991; Farris, Senner, Butterfield, 1973; Gabarro, 1978; Hart, Capps, Cangemi, Caillouet, 1986). Lockwood states that lack of communication or poorly communicated information can lead to distrust, dissatisfaction, skepticism, cynicism and unwanted turnover. This is even more relevant in times of crisis as observed by Meyers in 1986 ; When a crisis occurs, employees are affected on a personal level, in ways and to an extent unlike in any other audience. Their immediate reaction is often to be stunned and lose a sense of common purpose and cohesiveness Gripped by fear, employees may stray from their sense of reality and turn inward, focusing exclusively on their personal needs and ignoring the organizations needs. Pincus Acharya, 1998 observed that Employees who are uncertain about their jobs, health, or safety may deny, misinterpret, selectively perceive, or tune out information from management about the crisis situation because they may be blinded by their own sense of a personal crisis. These studies lead us the understanding that clear, consice, timely and honest communication is a very important management tool towards building employee engagement in Organizations (Lockwood). As discussed earlier, there have been many consultants and independent research organizations, which have established communication as a very critical component in enabling employee engagement in organizations. Further, there have been individual studies relating organizational communication and the individual facets and antecedents of employee engagement. This study proposes to study the relationship of Organization Communication Satisfaction on Employee Engagement using second-generation analysis tecnique, Structural Equation Modelling. H5 : Organisation Communication Satisfaction has a positive impact on Employee Engagement.. Research Methodology Questionnaire Design The Communication Satisfaction Questionnaire (Downs and Hazens, 1977) was selected for the Organization Communication construct of the study. We have used on seven factors of the CSQ beause the eighth factor, subordinate communication since this study was not aimed at personnel in their role as employees and not supervisors. For the Employee Engagement construct, each of the individual facets was measured on borrowed scales. Job Satisfaction was measured on 5 items taken from the scale developed by Price and Muellar (1986). Organization Commitment was measured on 6 items taken from the scale developed by Meyer, Allen and Smith (1997) while Withdrawal Cognition was measured on 3-item scale developed by De Conninck and Bachmann (2005). Since we are using borrowed scales for each of the constructs, it is important to first establish the validity and reliability of the scale. In other words, the items must reflect what they are intended to measure (face validity) and represent a proper sample of the domain of each construct (content valididty), and pass other tests of validity (discriminant, convergent and predictive validity) in order for a measure to have construct validity (Hardesty and Bearden, 2003). As a first step, we carried out a face validity of the constructs of the study. Based on the approaches discussed by Hardesty and Bearden, we identified a panel of 7 judges to assess the face validity. The judges were exposed to the definition of each construct, overall scope and objective of the study and the individual items under each construct (Total number of items was 49). Each judge was requested to rate the importance and relevance of the item to the constructs conceptual definition on a scale of 1-10 (1-Lea st important to 10-Most Important). (eg. How would items like I find real enjoyment in my job or I am seldom bored with my job). Additional remarks were also sought from the judges on whether multiple items under a construct mean the same and also which among the items was a better representative of the constructs conceptual definition. These results were summarized by Judge for each item and the items which were given a weightage of less than 8 were considered for reduction. During the content validity stage, the judges unanimously felt that co-worker communication, as a dimension was not too relevant from an engagement perspective since a lot of it was not largely under the control of the organization. However, one item in the co-worker communication was felt necessary to be included viz., Extent to which communication practices are adaptable to emergencies and hence, the same was retained and included in the dimension Communication climate. Similarly, the item viz., Information a bout changes in our organization and Information about company goals and policies were the only 2 items left under the dimenstion Corporate Information. Since it is required to have atleast 3 items under each dimension / factor for Structured Equation Modelling, these 2 items were grouped under the dimension Organizational Integration. Therefore, in the final questionnaire (total number of items 29), Organizational Communication Satisfaction was reduced to 5 factors viz., Organizational Integration, Supervisory Communication, Personal Feedback, Communication Climate and Media Quality. The factors under Employee Engagement were all retained viz., Organization commitment, Job satisfaction and Withdrawl cognition. In addition to the 2 sections representing the main constructs of the study, the questionnaire also covered a brief write up covering the purpose of the study as well as explicit statements of assurance to the respondents about the confidentiality of their responses and that the responses would be used for academic purposes only. Data Collection and Sampling : For this study, primary data was collected through structured undisguised questionnaires adminstered to the respondents. Questionnaires were administered through personal contacts / meetings and through mail as per the convenience of the respondent at home or in office. The respondents were requested to spare few minutes to provide categorical responses to items in the questionnaire The respondents for the study were selected from the personnel of organizations in Information Technology (IT) / Information Technology Enabled Services (ITES) industry in India. A total of 275 questionnaires were administered to the respondents. 264 questionnaires were found to be complete in all respects, giving a response rate of 96.%. A further 29 invalid questionnaires were eliminated (those questionnaires where too many items were left unanswered or the same response was given to all the questions) and thereby 235 valid questionnaires were taken for further analysis. Measurements The study hypothesis covers 2 Constructs Organization Communication Satisfaction (OCS) and Employee Engagement (EE). OCS is measured for 5 key dimensions / Factors viz., Organization Integration, Supervisory Communication, Personal Feedback, Communication Climate and Media Quality while EE is measured on 3 key dimensions / factors viz., Organization commitment, Job satisfaction and Withdrawal Cognition. The 8 categorical dimensions were measured on the following items / variables: Factor / Dimenstion Items / Variables of measurement Organization Communication Satisfaction (OCS) Organization Integration Information about the requirements of my job Information about my progress in my job Information about company policies and goals Information about changes in our organization Supervisory Communication Extent to which my supervisor listens and pays attention to me Extent to which my supervisor offers guidance for solving job related problems Extent to which my supervisor trusts me Extent to which my supervisor is open to ideas Personal Feedback Information about how I am being assessed Information about how my efforts are recognized and rewarded Extent to which superiors know and understand the problems faced by subordinates Communication Climate Extent to which the organizations communication motivates and stimulates an enthusiasm for meeting its goals Extent to which the organizations communication makes me identify with it or feel a vital part of it Extent to which communication practices are adaptable to emergencies Extent to which I receive in time the information need to do my job Media Quality Extent to which written directives and reports are clear and concise Extent to which the attitudes toward communication in the organization are basically healthy Extent to which the amount of communication in the organization is about right Employee Engagement Organization Commitment I really feel as if this organizations problems are my own I do not feel like part of the family at my organization (R) I do not feel emotionally attached to this organization (R) This organization has a great deal of personal meaning for me I do not feel strong sense of belonging to my organization (R) Job Satisfaction I find real enjoyment in my job Most days I am enthusiastic about my job I feel fairly well satisfied with my job Withdrawal Cognition I would be very happy to spend the rest of my career in this Company Within the next six months, I would rate the likelihood of leaving my present job as high All the variables are categorical in nature and were measured on a categorical scale (5 point Likert). Data Analysis We have applied Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) as the tool of analysis for maximum likelihood estimation for examining the proposed hypotheses. As suggested by many researchers (e.g. Anderson Gerbing, 1998), we have chosen the Two-step analysis method wherein in the first step, we conduct the Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) based on the correlation coefficient matrix of each measurement item (i.e. dimenstions / factors of OCS and dimensions / factors of EE). In the second step, after confirming the fitness of the constructs, the structural model is examined futher based on the covariance matrix and the hypothesis is tested for the entire model (OCS EE). Results Measurement Model The study employed both First order and Second order Confirmator Factor Analysis (CFA) to confirm the fitness of the measurement model. The Latent constructs and their corresponding measurement items are listed in Table 1 to Table 4 covering the first order and second order CFA results for the 2 main constructs of the study; OCS and EE. Overall results show that the factor loadings for most of the items were above 0.7 (Except for one item under OCS Information about changes in our organization for the which the factor loading is 0.57 and for 1 item under EE I really feel as if this organizations problems are my own. We retained the item with factor loading of 0.57, because the judges as well as our literature survey had identified communication about changes in the organization as very critical to employee engagement and removal of this was actually reducing the model fit charcteristics of the OCS construct. We however, removed the item EE I really feel as if this organizations problems are my own from futher analysis because this removal was improving the model fit charactericts of the EE construct. The CR values of all the items reached the significant level (p.001). This finding confirmed the convergent validity of each of the items measuring the constructs of the study. We further analysed the Construct for each of the factors and they were all above 0.7 except one factor Withdrawal Cognition which was marginally lower at 0.66. This implies a good internal consistency of the scale (Nunnally, 1978). We also analysed the Variance-extracted estimates for each of the factors and almost all of them are nearly equal to and greater than 0.5. These results therefore, provide adequate evidence of convergent validity. Hypothesis Testing Table-1 shows the Constructs and indicators of the measurement items of Organization Communication Satisfaction OCS on executing First Order CFA. For a sample size of 235, the factor loadings are all greater than 0.7, except two items of the Factor Organization Integration. The first item Information about company goals and policies has a factor loading of 0.65, which is marginally lower than 0.7. The second item Information about changes in our organization has a factor loading of 0.57. Though this is less as compared to the acceptable value of 0.7, we have retained it for the purpose of futher analysis since the judges as well as literature survey identified it as a very critical component of OCS. The CR values for all the items reached the signicance level (p.001). Further, the Construct for each of the factors was greater than 0.7 and the Average Variance Extracted for each of the factors was greater than or equal to 0.5. The above results confirm the Convergent Validity and in ternal consistency reliability of the OCS construct. Table-2 shows the Average Variance Extracted (AVE) values and the squared correlations for the constructs in the First Order measurement model for OCS. All the Variance-extracted estimates are greater than the corresponding squared correlations estimates. This test confirms the Discriminant Validity. The other key model statistics and values, CFI=0.914, GFI=0.871 and RMSEA = 0.081 indicates an acceptable level of model fit. These results clearly support Hypothesis 1 that the Factors / Dimensions of Organization Communication Satisfaction are inter-related. Table-3, shows the constructs and indicators of the measurement items of OCS on executing the Second-order CFA. In this case also the factor loadings of all the measurement items was greater than 0.7 except the 2 items of the factor Organization Integration similar to first order analysis. The CR values for all the items reached the signicance level (p.001). Further, the Construct for each of the factors was greater than 0.7 and the Average Variance Extracted for each of the factors was greater than or equal to 0.5. The other key model statistics and values, CFI=0.909, GFI=0.866 and RMSEA=0.081 indicate an acceptable level of model fit. These results clearly support Hypothesis 2 that Organizational Communication Satisfaction (OCS) is explained by the dimensions viz., Organization Integration, Supervisory Communication, Personal Feedback, Communication Climate and Media Quality. Table-4 shows the constructs and indicators of the measurement items of EE on executing the first order CFA. In this case, the factor loadings of all the measurement items was greater than 0.7 except the item, This organization has a great deal of personal meaning for me, which was marginally lower at 0.67. In the first analysis, we executed the CFA with 5 items under the factor Organization Commitment. The item, I really feel as if this organizations problems are my own was removed from further analysis because the factor loading was less than 0.7. Further, removal of the item improved the overall model statistics. The CR values for all the items reached the signicance level (p.001). Further, the Construct for each of the factors was greater than 0.7, except one factor, Withdrawal Cognition which was marginally lower at 0.66. The Average Variance Extracted for each of the factors was greater than or equal to 0.5. The above results confirm the Convergent Validity and internal consis tency reliability of the EE construct. Table-5 shows the Average Variance Extracted (AVE) values and the squared correlations for the constructs in the First Order measurement model for EE. All the Variance-extracted estimates are greater than the corresponding squared correlations estimates. This test confirms the Discriminant Validity. The other key model statistics and values, CFI=0.964, GFI=0.942 and RMSEA = 0.081 indicates an acceptable level of model fit. These results clearly support Hypothesis 2 that the Factors / Dimensions of Employee Engagement are inter-related. Table-6, shows the constructs and indicators of the measurement items of EE on executing the Second-order CFA. In this case also the factor loadings of all the measurement items was greater than 0.7 except the item, This organization has a great deal of personal meaning for me, which was marginally lower at 0.67, similar to first order analysis. The CR values for all the items reached the signicance level (p.001). Further, the Construct for each of the factors was greater than 0.7, except the one factor, Withdrawal Cognition which was marginally lower at 0.66, similar to the first order CFA. Average Variance Extracted for each of the factors was greater than or equal to 0.5. The other key model statistics and values, CFI=0.964, GFI=0.942 and RMSEA=0.081 indicate a good and acceptable level of model fit. These results clearly support Hypothesis 4 that Employee Engagement (EE) is explained by the dimensions viz., Organization Commitment, Job Satisfaction and Withdrawal Cognition. Table-7 shows the results of the examination of the overall OCS-EE model. The overall model reached the range of acceptability, since the value of 2 / df equals 2.003, which is considered acceptable (Bollen, 1989). The other indices of model fitness and values, CFI = 0.91, GFI = 0.83, AFGI = .80, IFI = 0.91 and RMSEA = 0.065. These results achieve an acceptable level of Goodness of Fit (Hair, Anderson, Tatham and Black). The results also show that OCS has a significant positive influence on Employee engagement ( = 0.76, p .001). Therefore, our Hypothesis 5 is supported that Organization Communication Satisfaction has a positive impact on Employee Engagement. Table I Constructs and indicators of the measurement items (Organization Communication Ssatisfaction) First Order Measurement item Factor Loading Standard Error ej CR Value Construct Alpha AVE Organization Integration 0.93 0.501 Information about the requirements of my job 0.767 0.59 Information about my progress in my job 0.752 0.098 0.56 10.805** Information about company policies and goals 0.650 0.085 0.42 9.359** Information about changes in our organization 0.566 0.090 0.32 8.116** Supervisory Communication 0.80 0.500 Extent to which my supervisor listens and pays attention to me 0.815 0.66 Extent to which my supervisor offers guidance for solving job related problems 0.849 0.077 0.72 14.575** Extent to which my supervisor trusts me 0.788 0.065 0.62 13.272** Extent to which my supervisor is open to ideas 0.774 0.070 0.60 12.951** Personal Feedback 0.86 0.501 Information about how I am being assessed 0.771 0.59 Information about how my efforts are recognized and rewarded 0.788 0.100 0.62 11.375** Extent to which superiors know and understand the problems faced by subordinates 0.735 0.091 0.54 10.692** Communication Climate 0.80 0.495 Extent to which the organizations communication motivates and stimulates an enthusiasm for meeting its goals 0.825 0.68 Extent to which the organizations communication makes me identify with it or feel a vital part of it 0.797 0.066 0.68 13.023** Extent to which communication practices are adaptable to emergencies 0.720 0.065 0.52 11.551** Extent to which I receive in time the information needed to do my job 0.719 0.071 0.52 11.527** Media Quality 0.75 0.500 Extent to which written directives and reports are clear and concise 0.705 0.50 Extent to which the attitudes toward communication in the organization are basically healthy 0.827 0.105 0.68 10.713** Extent to which the amount of communication in the organization is about right 0.760 0.101 0.58 10.153** Fit Index Chi-Square (df) 315.727 (125) GFI 0.871 AGFI 0.823 CFI 0.914 NFI 0.866 RFI 0.836 RMSEA 0.081 ** p0.001. Note : All the measurement items are guaged with Likert 5-point item Table 2 Average Variance Extracted (AVE) values and squared correlations for the Constructs in the First Order Measurement Model (OCS)*$ Organization Integration Supervisor Communication Personal Feedback Communication Climate Media Quality Organization Integration 0.501 Supervisor Communication 0.466 0.500 Personal Feedback 0.420 0.462 0.501 Communication Climate 0.453 0.230 0.417 0.495 Media Quality 0.456 0.402 0.411 0.349 0.500 * AVEs are shown along the diagonal of the matrix $ Squared correlations between each pair of constructs are shown in the left bottom of the matrix Note : Correlation Matrix for measurement items and Constructs in the model are available with the author upon request. Table 3 Constructs and indicators of the measurement items (Organization Communication Satisfaction) Second Order Measurement item Factor Loading Standard Error ej CR value Construct Alpha AVE Organization Integration 0.93 0.501 Information about the requirements of my job 0.761 0.58 Information about my progress in my job 0.757 0.100 0.57 10.729** Information about company policies and goals 0.652 0.086 0.42 9.298** Information about changes in our organization 0.566 0.091 0.32 8.061** Supervisory Communication 0.80 0.500 Extent to which my supervisor listens and pays attention to me 0.811 0.66 Extent to which my supervisor offers guidance for solving job related problems 0.850 0.078 0.72 14.455** Extent to which my supervisor trusts me 0.787 0.066 0.62 13.146** Extent to which my supervisor is open to ideas 0.778 0.071 0.61 12.956** Personal Feedback 0.85 0.486 Information about how I am being assessed 0.772 0.60 Information about how my efforts are recognized and rewarded 0.793 0.101 0.68 11.386** Extent to which superiors know and understand the problems faced by subordinates 0.729 0.091 0.58 10.587** Communication Climate 0.80 0.494 Extent to which the organizations communication motivates and stimulates an enthusiasm for meeting its goals 0.818 0.67 Extent to which the organizations communication makes me identify with it or feel a vital part of it 0.793 0.068 0.68 12.751** Extent to which communication practices are adaptable to emergencies 0.725 0.067 0.53 11.491** Extent to which I receive in time the information needed to do my job 0.728 0.073 0.53 11.561** Media Quality 0.75 0.500 Extent to which written directives and reports are clear and concise 0.706 0.50 Extent to which the attitudes toward communication in the organization are basically healthy 0.829 0.105 0.69 10.741** Extent to which the amount of communication in the organization is about right 0.757 0.101 0.57 10.142** Fit Index Chi-Square (df) 329.892 (130) GFI 0.866 AGFI 0.824 CFI 0.909 NFI 0.86 RFI 0.835 RMSEA 0.081 ** p0.001. Note : All the measurement items are guaged with Likert 5-point item Table 4 Constructs and indicators of the measurement items (Employee Engagement) First Order Measurement item Factor Loading Standard Error ej CR Value Construct Alpha AVE Organization Commitment 0.80 0.501 I do not feel like part of the family at my organization 0.795 0.63 I do not feel emotionally attached to this organization 0.809 0.080 0.65 12.946** This organization has a great deal of personal meaning for me 0.673 0.070 0.45 10.456** I do not feel strong sense of belonging to my organization 0.842 0.075 0.71 13.476** Job Satisfaction 0.75 0.501 I find real enjoyment in my job 0.880 0.77 Most days I am enthusiastic about my job 0.838 0.070 0.70 14.637** I feel fairly well satisfied with my job 0.774 0.065 0.60 13.422** Withdrawl Cognition 0.66 0.499 I would be very happy to spend the rest of my career in this Company 0.819 0.67 Within the next six months, I would rate the likelihood of leaving my present job as high 0.676 0.112 0.46 7.773** Fit Index Chi-Square (df) 60.803 (24) GFI 0.942 AGFI 0.892 CFI 0.964 NFI 0.943 RFI 0.915 RMSEA 0.081 ** p0.001. Note : All the measurement items are guaged with Likert 5-point item Table 5 Average Variance Extracted (AVE) values and squared correlations for the Constructs in the First Order Measurement Model (EE)*$ Organization Commitment Job Satisfaction Withdrawal Cognition Organization Commitment 0.501 Job Satisfaction 0.254 0.501 Withdrawal Cognition 0.429 0.272 0.499 * AVEs are shown along the diagonal of the matrix $ Squared correlations between each pair of constructs are shown in the left bottom of the matrix Note : Correlation Matrix for measurement items and Constructs in the model are available with the author upon request. Table 6 Constructs and indicators of the measurement items (Employee Engagement) Second Order Measurement item Factor Loading Standard Error ej CR Value Construct Alpha AVE Organization Commitment 0.80 0.501 I do not feel like part of the family at my organization 0.795 0.63 I do not feel emotionally attached to this organization 0.809 0.080 0.65 12.946** This organization has a great deal of personal meaning for me 0.673 0.070 0.45 10.456** I do not feel strong sense of belonging to my organization 0.842 0.075 0.71 13.476** Job Satisfaction 0.75 0.501 I find real enjoyment in my job 0.880 0.77 Most days I am enthusiastic about my job 0.838 0.070 0.70 14.637** I feel fairly well satisfied with my job 0.774 0.065 0.60 13.422** Withdrawl Cognition 0.66 0.499 I would be very happy to spend the rest of my career in this Company 0.819 0.67 Within the next six months, I would rate the likelihood of leaving my present job as high 0.676 0.112 0.46 7.773** Fit Index Chi-Square (df) 60.803 (24) GFI 0.942 AGFI 0.892 CFI 0.964 NFI 0.943 RFI 0.915 RMSEA 0.081 ** p0.001. Note : All the measurement items are guaged with Likert 5-point item Table 7 SEM results of Hypothesis Testing Hypothesis Coefficient CR-Value Organization Communication Satisfaction - Employee Engagement 0.76 5.734* Model Fit Index Chi-Square (df) 631.049 (315) Chi-Square / df 2.003 GFI 0.833 AGFI 0.800 CFI 0.907 NFI 0.832 IFI 0.908 RMSEA 0.065 * p.001 Discussion Managerial Implications The overall model is summarized in 5. All the 5 hypothesis proposed by us were confirmed thereby establishing the importance of Organization Communication Satisfaction in influencing Employee Engagement in organizations. This study therefore, serves as a means of empirically validating the understanding the concepts expressed in various literatures from consulting firms and independent research agencies. With the downturn and associated resource re-organization in various organizations, specifically in the IT / ITES sectors, it will become imperative for the organizations to ensure that their most valued employees are fully engaged. This study underlines the importance of communication satisfaction in building a sense of organizational commitment willingness to walk that extra mile to achieve organizational goals and objectives. Organizations would like to use communication as a strategic option to deliver focussed messages to segmented employee audiences in order gain their trust a nd make them highly engaged. This would help organizations reduce the uncertainity in the minds of their employees about their jobs, future in the organization, especially during uncertain times and thereby reduce attrition of high performing and most valued employees. Limitations and future implications for research This study was limited to the IT and ITES industry. While the effects of downturn and resource reorganisations are more profound in the IT / ITES industry, the other sectors are also feeling the heat with respect to employee engagement. Therefore, findings of the study may not be generalised and would need further research to check its relevance to all industries. This study has focussed largely on the Psychological Stage engagement facets of Employee Engagement. There are other facets like behavioural engagement and trait engagement (Macey and Schneider, 2008) that would need to be analysed. Further, this study has focussed on Organization Communication Satisfaction and its impact on Employee Engagement. There are other aspects of employee engagement that literature refers to as antecedents and consequences to employee engagement viz., Organization Citizenship Behaviour (OCB) and Perceived Organization Support (POS) (Saks, 2006). Future studies could examine the impact of Organization Communication on OCB and POS. 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Saturday, May 23, 2020

Is Prime Ministers Question Time still an effective way to hold th UKe Government to account - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 7 Words: 2235 Downloads: 4 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Politics Essay Type Analytical essay Did you like this example? Prime Ministers Questions is a weekly event, taking place on Wednesdays at midday in the House of Commons, in which Members of Parliament ask questions of the Prime Minister which he/she is obliged to answer over the course of approximately half an hour. Prior to 1997, this was instead two fifteen minute slots (Seaton and Winetrobe, 1999). The Leader of the Opposition is allocated six questions during this period. In the past, the Prime Minister has been able to transfer questions to relevant members of his/her Cabinet, and the Leader of the Opposition has foregone the opportunity to ask his/her allocated number of questions. Since the changes made under Tony Blair in 1997, the third-largest party (since then the Liberal Democrats) has been afforded the chance to ask two questions (Thomas, 2004: 5). The event has a long tradition in British politics and is considered a central element in the adversarial thrust of the parliamentary system and the House of Commo ns. It provides an opportunity for Members of Parliament to address questions and issues directly to the Prime Minister, and to have those issues answered and responded to (Gimson, 2012). As such, it is considered a cornerstone of the British political system. This paper will argue that it alone is not an effective means of holding the government to account, but that it forms an important constituent part in the wider adversarial democratic process of ensuring government accountability. It will also be noted that an increasing emphasis on point-scoring, machoism and unruly contentiousness is something which has detracted from the democratic effectiveness of Prime Ministers Questions. One of the central emphases of Prime Ministers Questions is that the issues raised and questions put to the Prime Minister are ones which he/she does not know in advance. It is therefore seen as an opportunity for Members of Parliament to challenge the Prime Minister away from any prepared or scripte d response. For this reason, Prime Ministers Questions has been valued by the opposition and in some cases feared by the Prime Minister as it forces him or her to be very well briefed on the issues of the day, as well as to improvise and respond quickly and efficiently to unanticipated questions or issues which might be raised (Cowley, 2001: 820). However, it has been argued, both by politicians and by commentators, that the unruly nature of some Prime Ministers Questions has meant that, rather than being an important part of the democratic process and a chance to hold the government to account, it has become something of a spectacle and an uncivilised shouting match. This problem has indeed been raised by the current Speaker of the House, John Bercow, who has identified the histrionics and cacophony of noise associated with the event (Mason and Edgington, 2014, n.p.). Bercow suggested in the same interview that female Members of Parliament in particular are driven to not attend Prime Ministers Questions because of the machoism and unruliness of the behaviour in the House (Mason and Edgington, 2014). To the extent that the nature of the event discourages certain Members of Parliament from attending suggests that it is less than ideally effective as a democratic process. If not all Members wish to attend, not all the potential questions and issues which could or should be raised in Prime Ministers Questions are going to be addressed. In such circumstances, it is possible that the emphasis is more on presentation and cheap point-scoring than on actual political processes and accountability, and that the ability of the Prime Minister to make jokes, cutting ripostes and other style over substance elements in the debating process has taken centre stage. Given the relatively short duration of the event à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" half an hour per week à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" the possibility for unruly behaviour and disruption to undermine the process and ensure that little is actually said or achieved in the questioning session is all the greater (Murphy, 2014). Bates et al. (2014: 243) addressed in their research of Prime Ministers Questions from Margaret Thatcher through to David Cameron, the question of whether or not the event has become increasingly a focal point for shallow political point scoring rather than serious prime ministerial scrutiny. They found some worrying evidence of Prime Ministers Questions as both rowdier and increasingly dominated by the main party leaders with Prime Ministers increasingly expected to be able to respond to a wider range of questions, female MPs as likely to ask helpful questions but less likely to ask unanswerable questions than male counterparts and Members of Parliament being less likely to ask helpful questions and more likely to ask unanswerable questions the longer their parliamentary tenure. These all suggest a less than ideal process of holding the government to account. Thus it is necessary to distingui sh between adversarial discourse which serves a political democratic process in holding the government to account on the one hand, and confrontational or aggressive behaviour which is simply point-scoring and face-saving on the other. Bull and Wells (2011: n.p.), in their study of adversarial discourse in Prime Ministers Questions, analysed the concept of face-threatening acts, and identified six distinctive ways in which FTAs are performed by the leader of the opposition in questions and five distinctive ways in which the PM may counter FTAs in replies were identified. They concluded that face aggravation in PMQs is not just an acceptable form of parliamentary discourse, it is both sanctioned and rewarded, a means whereby MPs may enhance their own status through aggressive facework. These face-threatening acts were ones which, without constituting non-parliamentary language (i.e. language which is deemed by the Speaker of the House to be directly insulting towards another Member of Parliament), nevertheless aimed at embarrassing or undermining the person at whom they were directed. This so-called aggressive facework may serve a political purpose, and may constitute a challenge to the government and its representatives, but it is one which is based more on personality than politics, and one which therefore serves more of an interpersonal role within the House than it does a wider political role in ensuring democratic accountability. Mohammed (2008: 380) characterises Prime Ministers Questions in terms of institutional conventions, arguing that it has a structured purpose and format which achieves its ends by being institutionally defined. In other words, such a format for adversarial exchange, where there are clear rules and conventions of behaviour, is one which makes it effective and efficient in achieving its goals i.e. holding the government to account. Mohammed (2008: 380) highlights the initial situation of Prime Ministers Questions as being a mixed d ifference of opinion concerning a proposition evaluating the performance of the government. This suggests that although the topical questions put to the Prime Minister may not be critical or aggressive in their nature, that what is presupposed in the questioning is nevertheless a process of accountability. The Prime Minister is recognised as the centre of the process, and he/she is called upon as the main protagonist of the positive standpoint, since he is expected to always defend his government (sic) (Mohammed, 2008: 380). The emphasis on a single individual as representing the government and addressing the issues which are raised, and the executive manner of the role within the eponymous questions session, means that Prime Ministers Questions does have a recognisable symbolic value as a means of holding the government to account. As well as being well-codified and formalised, Prime Ministers Questions is valued as a means of holding the government to account in terms of its im portance (Lovenduski, 2012). This is reflected in the fact that Members of Parliament are present at Prime Ministers Questions to a degree which far exceeds their presence during normal proceedings in the House of Commons. Salmond (2014: 321) has argued in favour of Prime Ministers Questions as a democratic tool of accountability on these grounds, noting that the data demonstrates how these open QTs are associated with higher levels of political knowledge, partisanship, and turnout. In that they attract a large number of parliamentarians, and therefore a wider gambit of democratic representation, they are a means of ensuring that the largest possible proportion of the electorate is represented during the session. Moreover, these members of the electorate are able to effectively have their issues put directly to the most important politician in the country. This was made explicitly evident recently by Jeremy Corbyn, whose first Prime Ministers Questions session as newly-elected Leade r of the Opposition involved him addressing questions to David Cameron directly from those members of the electorate who had put them to him in emails and letters. He went so far as to directly name these individuals and thereby to literally employ Prime Ministers Questions as a platform in which members of the electorate could directly address their Prime Minister (BBC News, 2015). In the same session, Labours new leader said he wanted the weekly sessions to be less theatrical and Mr Cameron agreed there should be more focus on substantial issues (BBC News, 2015). This returns to the issue raised earlier of the degree to which style and point-scoring at the personal level has taken precedent over substance and addressing issues at the political level. Indeed, this call for not only Prime Ministers Questions but the political process more generally to become more substantial and less personality-oriented is one which has dominated the discourse of the last decade or so. Indeed, D avid Cameron promised when he was elected Leader of the Opposition to end Punch and Judy politics, and responded to Corbyn by saying that no one would be more delighted than me if Prime Ministers Questions were made into more of a genuine exercise in asking questions and answering questions (BBC News, 2015). As such, there is a continued recognition of the fact that political processes have to negotiate between personal and political, style and substance, in their practices. However, to the extent that both Corbyn and Cameron recognise this problem, and claim to be willing to change it, there is evidence that Prime Ministers Questions, if it has been less than ideal as a means of holding the government to account in the past, is likely to become more so in the future. To conclude, therefore, it can be argued that there are strengths and weaknesses to Prime Ministers Questions as a tool in ensuring government accountability to the electorate. Among the strengths, this essay has id entified three key elements. Firstly, it is a well-regulated, formal system with recognised rules and proceedings. This means that this regular event runs efficiently and can allow for a number of important questions to be asked directly to the most important politician in the land and direct representative of the government. Secondly, the fact that the Prime Ministers responses are not fully prepared in advance means that the session has an impromptu and spontaneous element which allows for potentially greater accountability. Thirdly, the session is well-attended by parliamentarians and well-recognised by people who follow politics (with its being broadcast on BBC2), and therefore it is also a high profile opportunity to raise issues and find the government accountable. However, whilst these benefits obtain, it is also notable that Prime Ministers Questions can be less than ideal as a means of holding the government to account. Causes of this include the relatively short length of the sessions, their comparative infrequency being held only once a week and, as identified above, the fact that cheap point-scoring and what has been identified in the literature as aggressive facework (Bull and Wells, 2011) constitute one of the central features of the questioning process. As such, there is the real possibility of what would otherwise be an effective means of holding the government to account descending into a competitive, mud-slinging match where the emphasis is on achieving personal goals rather than political ones. If the evidence of recent Prime Ministers Questions is reliable, it can be noted in closing, there is a suggestion that this emphasis is being decreased, and that Prime Ministers Questions may in the future become increasingly like the effective means of holding the government accountable that it has the potential to be. References Bates, S. R., Kerr, P., Byrne, C. and Stanley, L. (2014). Questions to the Prime Minister: A Comparative Study of P MQs from Thatcher to Cameron. Parliamentary Affairs, 67(2), 253-280. BBC News. 2015. Jeremy Corbyn asks David Cameron questions from public. BBC News 16th September 2015. Available online [accessed 19th October 2015] at: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-34264683 Bull, P. and Wells, P. (2011). Adversial Discourse in Prime Ministers Questions. Journal of Language and Social Psychology. https://jls.sagepub.com/content/early/2011/10/01/0261927X11425034.abstract. Cowley, P. (2001). The Commons: Mr Blairs Lapdog?. Parliamentary Affairs, 54(4), 815-828. Gimson, A. (2012). PMQs: Thats the Way to do It!. British Journalism Review, 23(3), 11-13. Lovenduski, J. (2012). Prime Ministers questions as political ritual. British Politics, 7(4), 314-340. Mason, C. and Edgington, T. (2014). Female MPs shunning PMQs, says John Bercow. BBC News. Available online [accessed 19th October 2015] at: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-27062577. Mohammed, D. (2008). Institutional ins ights for analysing strategic manoeuvring in the British Prime Ministers Question Time. Argumentation, 22(3), 377-393. Murphy, J. (2014). (Im) politeness during Prime Ministers Questions in the UK Parliament. Pragmatics and Society, 5(1), 76-104. Salmond, R. (2014). Parliamentary question times: How legislative accountability mechanisms affect mass political engagement. The Journal of Legislative Studies, 20(3), 321-341. Seaton, J. and Winetrobe, B. K. (1999). Modernising the commons. The Political Quarterly, 70(2), 152-160. Thomas, G. P. (2004). United kingdom: the prime minister and parliament. The Journal of Legislative Studies, 10(2-3), 4-37. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Is Prime Ministers Question Time still an effective way to hold th UKe Government to account?" essay for you Create order