Analyzing Psychology Students\u27 Understanding of Their Worth in The Modern Workplace

An average degree in psychology incorporates understanding of social constructs, behaviorism, individual motivations, empirical research designs, levels of statistical analysis, and a deeper understanding of problem-solving. Yet, even with the various skills psychology students gain in their training, they are chronically unemployed in the workforce. One possible reason psychology graduates are continually underemployed is that they do not understand how their learned skill sets translate into the workplace. The proposed study aims to address this gap by developing a survey to assess psychology students’ understanding of the knowledge and critical skill sets they gain in their degree program and their understanding of the practical, transferable implementations of these sought-after workplace skills. The outcomes of the proposed study will deepen the understanding of what undergraduate psychology students know and understand about the application of what they have learned through their education. This knowledge can then be used to design interventions or trainings that will assist students in articulating what they have learned in their training to the job market and future careers

A concept analysis of ‘Meaning in work’ and its implications for nursing

AimTo report an analysis of the concept of ‘meaning in work’.BackgroundAssociated with initiatives to improve the quality of working life and the emerging movement of positive organizations, ‘meaning in work’ has been studied as a positive individual‐level state. ‘Meaning in work’ has potential benefits that will improve the nursing workforce if this concept is embraced in nursing. However, the concept is not clearly defined because it has been approached from diverse theoretical perspectives and used interchangeably with analogous terms.DesignA concept analysis.Data sourcesThree key terms (using ‘work’, ‘meaning’ or ‘meaningful’, ‘meaning of work’, ‘logotherapy’) were searched in the CINAHL, PsycINFO, Business Source Complete and ABI/INFORM Global online databases from January 1940–March 2015. Among 346 articles retrieved, 28 studies were included for this concept analysis.MethodsThe procedure of concept analysis developed by Walker and Avant (2011) was used.ResultsFour critical attributes are identified: (1) experienced positive emotion at work; (2) meaning from work itself; (3) meaningful purpose and goals of work; and (4) work as a part of life that contributes towards meaningful existence. The identified antecedent of ‘meaning in work’ was a cognitive shift and the identified consequences were positive personal experience and positive impact on peers and organizations.ConclusionThis article provides a clear definition of ‘meaning in work’. The resulting coherent definition will facilitate the use of ‘meaning in work’ in nursing research.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/113683/1/jan12695.pd

Interaction between non-executive and executive directors in English National Health Service trust boards: an observational study

Research funded by Burdett FoundationBackground National Health Service (NHS) trusts, which provide the majority of hospital and community health services to the English NHS, are increasingly adopting a ‘public firm’ model with a board consisting of executive directors who are trust employees and external non-executives chosen for their experience in a range of areas such as finance, health care and management. In this paper we compare the non-executive directors’ roles and interests in, and contributions to, NHS trust boards’ governance activities with those of executive directors; and examine non-executive directors’ approach to their role in board meetings. Methods Non-participant observations of three successive trust board meetings in eight NHS trusts (primary care trusts, foundation trusts and self-governing (non-foundation) trusts) in England in 2008–9. The observational data were analysed inductively to yield categories of behaviour reflecting the perlocutionary types of intervention which non-executive directors made in trust meetings. Results The observational data revealed six main perlocutionary types of questioning tactic used by non-executive directors to executive directors: supportive; lesson-seeking; diagnostic; options assessment; strategy seeking; and requesting further work. Non-executive board members’ behaviours in holding the executive team to account at board meetings were variable. Non-executive directors were likely to contribute to finance-related discussions which suggests that they did see financial challenge as a key component of their role. Conclusions The pattern of behaviours was more indicative of an active, strategic approach to governance than of passive monitoring or ‘rubber-stamping’. Nevertheless, additional means of maintaining public accountability of NHS trusts may also be required

Effective Strategic Planning in Public Transit Systems

This paper identifies the characteristics of strategic planning systems of transit agencies that enhance these agencies\u27 abilities to respond effectively to federal legislative requirements and mandates, and have positive community impacts. These characteristics are, each unit or division must develop its own action plan to be combined into a system-wide strategic plan, strategic planning should receive more than lip service from top and unit or division level managers, and it requires the involvement and commitment of top-level management. Additional characteristics are, strategic planning should be designed to have an external orientation, to focus on an organization\u27s responsiveness to the demands of its customers, and it should focus on identifying and exploiting areas of future growth opportunities. Furthermore, it requires involvement of employees, and it must fit the management and decision-making styles of top-level managers

THE CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE STRATEGIC PLANNING IN PUBLIC TRANSIT SYSTEMS

The purpose of this paper is to identify the characteristics of strategic planning systems of transit agencies that enhance these agencies’ ability to respond effectively to federal legislative requirements and mandates. Analysis of data from 54 transit agencies, using structural equations, revealed that strategic planning enhances a transit agency’s ability to respond effectively to federal legislative requirements and demands of host communities. This is particularly so when it is designed to consolidate the various unit action-plans into a system-wide strategic plan. Additionally, for strategic planning to be effective, it should receive more than a lip service from top and unit or division level managers, it requires the involvement and commitment of top and division or unit managers, and it should be designed to have an external orientation. That is, it should focus on an organization’s responsiveness to the demands of its customers and it should identify and exploit future growth opportunities. Furthermore, effective strategic planning requires involvement of employees, particularly those who will be responsible for the implementation of the resulting plan, and it must fit the management and decision making styles of the top and unit or division level managers. These characteristics are intended to provide guidelines to agencies intending to use strategic planning as a tool of effective strategic management