Creating a Survey for Analyzing a Culture of Narcissistic, Toxic, and Power Behaviors in an Organization

The purpose for creating this survey was to understand employees’ experiences of coping with their organizational administrators/leaders who have characteristics regarding narcissism and elements of power, and who create a toxic culture. After much research and reflection, it prompted me to further my thoughts regarding a development of an instrument to measure these factors of a person who maintains an administrative/leadership position. Additionally, this survey seeks to understand the challenges, successes, and advice from employees who have been prone to a power hungry, narcissistic, and toxic leadership culture, as well as the mystery behind these behaviors. This survey will hopefully provide others (e.g., employees, administrators, researchers) useful information for those who have been subject to power controlled, narcissistic, and toxic environments. Hopefully, the purpose of this survey will give organizational personnel an optimistic point of view to become better informed how to identify and deal with certain behaviors and characteristics of controlling, narcissistic, and toxic leaders. Campbell, Hoffman, Campbell, and Marchisio (2011) stated there is limited empirical research on how narcissistic characteristics of a leader have an impact on organizational issues. Leadership is an actual utilization of power used by leaders in an organization to influence or control behaviors of the employees (Daft, 2014). Dobbs (2014) commented that “toxic leadership is a multidimensional construct that includes elements of abusive supervision along with narcissism, authoritarianism, self-promotion, and unpredictability” (p. 15)

Freedom of Expression Within the Public Sector: The Balancing Standard

This paper examines the issue of the public sector employee’s rights to freedom of speech in the workplace. The most important cases discussed include the 1892 McAuliffe v. City of New Bedford decision, the landmark 1968 Pickering v. Board of Education decision, and the 1982 Connick v. Myers decision. The balancing standard set forth by Pickering is acknowledged as being still valid today. The influence of and tension between the inherently competing interests of the public, the public agency, and the public employee is acknowledged and discussed. Several court cases regarding the issue of free speech specifically within social services are briefly argued. Finally, the importance of a well-defined and reasonable communication and grievance procedure within the education and social services agencies is emphasized in providing this unique public workplace an environment, which minimizes the opportunity for conflict and litigation over the issue of free speech rights

Afterthoughts on the Short-Lived Experiment in Deregulation of Representation Elections

A Review of Union Representation Elections: Law and Reality by Julius G. Getman, Stephen B. Goldberg, and Jeanne B. Herma

A Dispute Resolution Case: The Reintroduction of the Gray Wolf

Under the authority of The Endangered Species Act of 1973, which listed wolves as endangered, Congress placed the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in charge of the recovery of the wolf population (United States and Wildlife Service, 1994). In 1986, a wolf recovery team established The Northern Rocky Mountain Wolf Recovery Plan. This proactive program recommended the following areas to recolonize the Gray Wolf (Canis lupus): Glacier National Park, Yellowstone National Park, and the states of Wyoming, Idaho, and the international border of Montana. The first experimental population of Gray Wolves was introduced into Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho in January 1995. This experiment allowed government agencies and the public to resolve their conflicts over public lands, the depredation of livestock and ungulate or hoofed animal populations. The states and/or tribal wildlife agencies will provide management of the wolves throughout this recovery program. By the year 2002, the plan for this reintroduction program of 10 breeding pairs (i.e., 100 wolves per area) for three up-and-coming years will confidently result in the wolf population recovery

The role of endosymbionts in the evolution of haploid-male genetic systems in scale insects (Coccoidea)

There is an extraordinary diversity in genetic systems across species, but this variation remains poorly understood. In part, this is because the mechanisms responsible for transitions between systems are often unknown. A recent hypothesis has suggested that conflict between hosts and endosymbiotic microorganisms over transmission could drive the transition from diplodiploidy to systems with male haploidy (haplodiploidy, including arrhenotoky and paternal genome elimination [PGE]). Here, we present the first formal test of this idea with a comparative analysis across scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccoidea). Scale insects are renowned for their large variation in genetic systems, and multiple transitions between diplodiploidy and haplodiploidy have taken place within this group. Additionally, most species rely on endosymbiotic microorganisms to provide them with essential nutrients lacking in their diet. We show that species harboring endosymbionts are indeed more likely to have a genetic system with male haploidy, which supports the hypothesis that endosymbionts might have played a role in the transition to haplodiploidy. We also extend our analysis to consider the relationship between endosymbiont presence and transitions to parthenogenesis. Although in scale insects there is no such overall association, species harboring eukaryote endosymbionts were more likely to be parthenogenetic than those with bacterial symbionts. These results support the idea that intergenomic conflict can drive the evolution of novel genetic systems and affect host reproduction.Peer reviewe

Promising Literacy Practices for Students with Interrupted Formal Education in Achieving Competence with Academic Language Across Disciplines

Rapidly growing numbers of linguistically and culturally diverse students in U.S. schools and increased accountability measures in the nation’s education have drawn the attention of educational practitioners and researchers to determining effective instructional models and practices designed to meet academic needs of these students. English language learners (ELLs) with weak educational backgrounds and limited literacy in native languages, or Students with Interrupted Formal Education (SIFE), find themselves at a disadvantage compared to not only their English speaking peers but other ELL subgroups as in addition to developing English language proficiency while simultaneously studying the required grade-level disciplines, ELLs who are also SIFEs are challenged to perform triple the work of bridging the gaps in knowledge and literacy they failed to learn in their home countries. This article addresses the unique challenges the ELL SIFE students face as they advance their academic careers through the nations’ system of education, particularly at the high school level. The article gives recommendations on promising educational practices, including innovating approaches and strategies to support and supplant effective literacy instruction for these students