Everything You Need to Know about Psychology at Work

Everything You Need to Know about Psychology at Work When we talk about psychology at work, we refer to the application of psychological principles within the work setting. Studies have shown that using psychology at work can help solve problems and create improvements in the workplace. Psychology at work is known under many names such as work psychology, industrial organizational psychology, organizational psychology, and the like.We all have to admit that the workplace can be quite a stressful setting. Employers search for ways to deal with this stress because it is a crucial part of employee productivity and job satisfaction. Remember, if your workers are discontented, they may choose not to work as hard as your workers who are satisfied.Moreover, the discontented workers might choose to miss work, resulting in unscheduled leaves and absences, even calling in sick. You as a business owner can take several steps to improve the inner workings of your current and future employees. When you use psychology at work, you will eventually se e its substantial impact in positively lifting your employees and the general working environment. © Shutterstock | g-stockstudioNote that the application of psychology at work touches many aspects of the workplace. This article in particular will discuss psychology at work in terms of how important it is in recruitment, employee training, performance evaluation, salaries, and productivity and motivation. Afterwards, the article will also focus on impacts of good psychology in the workplace, such as good work outputs, the fit of personnel with the company, performance and engagement, teamwork/team building, conflict resolution, and creativity and innovation.INCORPORATING PSYCHOLOGY AT WORKRecruitmentPsychology in the workplace can help you indicate the important skills, educational attainment, and work experience that you would need from your employees. By knowing these characteristics, you can compose the most suitable job descriptions and advertisements.This also orients your interview process because you can already correctly assess the characteristics you need. The principles of psychology in the workplace help you understand how to choose particular characteristics from job candidates. At the same time, you are ensured that you are not being discriminatory.Employee TrainingWorkplace psychology can also help you indicate the possible training needs of your staff. It can also guide you towards delivering on the required training in a manner that is interesting and engaging for your employees.Note that training in the workplace usually has federal or state required training. This is critical if you have a workplace that would need safety precautions, for example. Your employees should be able to undergo these kinds of required training.Evaluation of PerformanceIt is a standard in workplace psychology to conduct performance appraisals of employees. Performance evaluations were created to offer employees the feedback and critique on their performance. This feedback and critique must lead to more productivity on the part of your employee.Theoretically, this helps facilitate clear communication lines among you and your employees and management. Performance evaluation can also help establish professional goals and identify training needs. Salaries/CompensationSalaries or compensation is a critical portion of employee satisfaction and of course, psychology at work. Incorporate psychology at work when you create a compensation strategy. This is especially important when you want to pay based on performance.Productivity and MotivationStudies have indicated that increased employee motivation usually results in more productivity. The reverse â€" that higher productivity leads to more employee motivation â€" is also true. Psychology at work underscores that techniques such as performance appraisals, contests, commission pay (if applicable), and sales quotas (if also applicable) may enhance motivation generally, resulting in higher productivity.Eliminating Intimidation. No matter what the business environment may be, employees are always the mo st significant asset of a company. The present economic environment and the tight job markets have actually raised the stress of employees at work. Some employers are using this negative downturn to their advantage â€" through intimidation or uncertainty to trigger productivity. However, this is only good in the short run. Many academicians have actually warned against using intimidation to motivate staff.Based on a number of reports, employees who are satisfied, happy, and find value at work usually do better than those who are overlooked or disgruntled over their work situations. Because of these reports, many company decision makers implement positive psychology tactics in the workplace. Although some of these tactics would need professionals, most of them can be accomplished by anyone, within any company set-up.Creating Happy Employees for Better Productivity and Innovativeness. What drives positive psychology in the workplace is the belief that employees who are happier produce more, are increasingly innovative, and contribute towards a more pleasing work setting. Many psychology professional suggest wide-ranging staff trainings as well as retreats prior to implementing a positivity campaign. Initiating this positive campaign does not need to be overarching nor dramatic. Business leaders, who take it one day at a time by introducing small initiatives every week, customarily achieve solid results through the span of a year.Learn from Shawn Achor how happiness boosts productivity at work. Showing Gratitude. Obviously, employees can feel motivation based on many things. However, all employees need praise and recognition. By committing to showing gratitude in the workplace, you are able to focus on the encouraging things in your life and you can persuade your employees to do the same.In an ideal world, your thankfulness should be introduced by yourself, your supervisors, or your managers. However, this must be done subtly. By forcing your employees to say thi ngs that they are grateful for or to say something positive about a peer, can appear insincere. A manager who habitually sends an email a day that recognizes a person’s contributions or company leaders who begin meetings by concentrating on exceptional contributions or positive developments, typically find that a positive feel follows almost naturally. The feeling of appreciation, as the experts state, normally is the first step towards true satisfaction.If you have a business that takes a positive working atmosphere seriously, you should think of employing a “happiness trainer” for your retreats, seminars, or regular counseling. Note that the techniques of these trainers are different from the typical skills coaches. Happiness trainers use psychological research as well as ancient traditions to teach employees thankfulness, peace, kindness, and strength in facing adversity. These are all important in the current workplace. You should note, however, that hiring happiness train ers could be expensive, at least in the beginning. However, if the techniques they teach your business stay on permanently in your head and in your employees’ heads, your company can see the improvements flourish.Embracing Creativity, Change, and Innovativeness. Many, if not all, businesses need some kind of employee innovation or creativity. Whenever employees are given the opportunity to offer their thoughts, new products and services crop up; business processes become streamlined; and communication lines get clearer. In addition, workers whose voices are heard are happier in general.Even though it might seem ambiguous to encourage creativity, it all begins with simple communication. Mention to your employees that you want to hear their ideas. Of course, give them ample space and time to get their creative juices started. Psychology Today actually recommends that you give them around 30 minutes of time to brainstorm and explore their thoughts. Creativity should be valued no matt er where, when, or how the ideas come about.Introducing Health and Wellness Activities. It has been proven that physical activities reduce stress. Businesses that incorporate exercise and fitness in their company benefits usually register higher employee satisfaction of their work-life balance. For a few businesses, this can be as straightforward as providing gym memberships at a discounted price or sponsoring wellness fairs in your office.In order to feel the full benefits of wellness when it deals with everyday psychology, many companies are improving their situations by making sure health is available at their offices. This encourages employees to have short workouts even while working. There have been universities that have researched the advantages of having low-impact meditation or yoga in business settings. More often than not, participating in these activities do not even need a change of clothes.Here is an example of exercises employees can do at work: There was once a 2009 yoga and meditation test group in the workplace and the results were very positive. Actually, the averages show that mindfulness was raised by 9.7% and perceived stress went down by 11%, for the group that received the intervention. The participants also said that they feel asleep quicker, had fewer disturbances during sleep, and had less dysfunction during the day.Note that this is in comparison with the group that had no intervention. There seems to be credence to these numbers, no matter what kind of intervention or exercise is sponsored by a company. There was also a 2012 CNBC report on wellness programs in the workplace that discovered that employees who participated regularly in healthful activities showed the following: 50% were increasingly more productive; 40% stated they would stay in the company; and 30% reported less sick days. The same could be good for your company, especially if it is part of a larger effort towards employee satisfaction (which is truly at the center of positive psychology).Enabling Mentoring Programs. For the past decades, employees have been expected to stay in just one company throughout their careers. However, the workforce of today is increasingly more mobile. Hence, it is currently more important to have positive psychology in the workplace. An employee who feels that his or her company invested in his or her development and progress is typically more productive and would most probably stay with the company.This is in diametric opposition to someone who only feels like a cog in the bigger scheme of things. Creating mentoring relationships for new employees is probably one of the best ways to begin this kind of camaraderie between the company and the employer right from the very start.Management experts have been increasingly seeing that mentoring is not merely one on one, but it is a part of social networking, wherein mentees receive valuable information through the interaction with many experienced persons. A mentoring r elationship shows that an employee can be relaxed and receive honest critique and feedback. Overall, the mentoring setting is where employees can receive social and psychological support, especially in the face of stressful situations.IMPACTS OF GOOD PSYCHOLOGY AT WORKGood Work OutputsOne of the most vital features to the success of your company is the production of high quality products and services. You would need employees who are highly effective, with good judgment, and high performance. All these fall under the category of employees that have good work outputs.Good work has been defined by psychologists as of truly high quality, meaningful to the person who accomplishes it, and is socially responsible. There have been extensive studies at Harvard University on the full nature of good work â€" how to implement it and how to promote it. These have been many produced publications on the subject of good work. Overall and at any rate, good psychology in the workplace also produces good work outputs.Fit of Personnel with the CompanySelecting the right employees for your business is obviously a pivotal portion of having your company succeed. But whom should you hire? You have to consider a few factors. This includes their personality, the complementarities of their strengths and capabilities with your business, and their fit with your company’s strategy, structure, mission, and goals.Businesses have the advantage of much research in positive psychology, especially as it is connected to job design, strengths, and work identity (as linked to business fit).Employee characteristics derived from good psychology can be pivotal in decreasing employee turnover. This is important, as high employee turnover can be very expensive to your business because it decreases your intellectual capital and raises your financial burden.Performance and EngagementOne of the main causes of high employee turnover is burnout. Burnout could come from any number of variables, including b oredom and stress. Researchers of psychology in the workplace, particularly positive psychology, have studied a couple of solutions about meaning, engagement, self-efficacy, and optimal experience.These are all connected to higher job satisfaction, decreased sick leaves, lowered turnover rates, and increased job performance. More research evaluates the characteristics of the job that activates these solutions. It includes topics such as job crafting and person-job fit. Research that is more recent has shown some factors on what contributes to happiness in a job.Teamwork/Team BuildingSince there is a lot of research available out there and the intensity of a lot of projects, teamwork or team building has become typical in the corporate world. Although the effectiveness of a team has been researched throughout the years, many researchers of psychology at work have been assessing team flow, since research indicates that maximum experiences create better team dynamics as well as outputs that are more creative.Team flow dynamics, however, are still under research; so many discoveries can still be made. Nevertheless, good psychology at work can enhance team cohesiveness.Conflict ResolutionAlthough a solution to an employee conflict or concern may appear reasonable to you, this can still be met with resistance from the employee. If you are bothered by actually resolving conflicts, you may want to hire an organizational psychologist that can assess your particular situation.However, unlike a mediator, a psychologist will not concentrate solely on the problems, but will incorporate other psychological issues such as the need for dignity, effectiveness, respect, and empowerment.[slideshare id=26667955doc=conflictresolutionstrategies-130929105823-phpapp01w=640h=330]Creativity and InnovationOne of the main objectives of the workplace is to create a unique, competitive, and high-quality product or service. This means that a company must have the ability to establish creati vity in order to develop innovations and value to their end user.Since this is very much a basic contribution to a business’s bottom line, organizations would have to get the research findings from positive psychologists who are looking for ways to harness, develop, and apply creativity in the workplace.Current research has assessed the processes wherein group members can work together that would produce creative work, the characteristics of very creative and field changing persons, and the probability that people may progress towards these characteristics more or less. Thus far, research has shown that a more positive psychology at work triggers employees’ creativity and innovation.Introducing, enhancing, and improving psychology at work, particularly employee satisfaction, is straightforward. Small steps and little improvements are typically required to find some kind of improvement in the overall workplace. More often than not, consider that happy feelings are usually contagi ous. What begins with one person would soon overflow to a different division, department, floor, etc. Not for long, the whole attitude of the company will alter.

An Unjust Society For Equality A New Way Of Ruling Essay

Natalie Wojtaszek Wojtaszek 1 Mr. Martin World History 24 November 2014 From an Unjust Society to Equality: A New Way of Ruling A few hundred years ago, monarchies were the most traditional way to run a government. Throughout Europe, rulers rose to their power with nothing but their â€Å"divine† birthright. European men and women were subjected to the whims of kings and queens and forced to obey their policies by primarily using fear tactics. Frequently, the decisions made by rulers were detrimental to the people and did not promote their freedoms or rights, and the system of government in place did not allow for political discussion and dissent. For this reason, many philosophers of the time began to explore the true role of government and what the best form of government would be if it is to protect basic human rights. This time period is defined as the enlightenment, and it encompasses a new wave of ideologies that attempt to define basic human rights and the natural human state, as well as promote new political and social structures that bett er reflect these needs. Philosophers of the enlightenment provided new ideologies of what basic human rights were considered to be, and, as a result, new political and social structures were proposed and implemented across Europe and America, leading to the democratic governance we employ in America today. Prior to the ideas put forth by philosophers of the enlightenment, people in Europe believed that the human state ofShow MoreRelatedVisions Of Reforms And Reformation1488 Words   |  6 Pageshumanity, but defined that humanity, the means of achieving that humanity, and their general worldview in different ways. Wollstonecraft sought progress by reforming private life virtues through voluntary education and action. 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The Mind Body Problem Phineas Gage - 1489 Words

Imagine a situation where your entire personality is changed forever by an object that pierces an area of your brain. Those who have had a frontal lobotomy, whether purposefully or not, have had their personality changed permanently. An unlucky foreman of the Rutland Railroad, Phineas Gage, was on the receiving end of a tragic occurrence that severed the frontal lobe area of his prefrontal cortex. He underwent the experience of having a railroad spike pierce him beneath his left cheek and exit through his skull, consequently injuring an important area of his brain. This occurrence changed one part of Gage’s personality completely, though he seemed almost entirely functional after his accident. The one thing that changed in Gage was his ability to imagine the future. He lived completely present in the moment. The unique accident that affected Phineas Gage can be broken down with various different philosophical approaches to answer what is called the â€Å"mind-body problemâ₠¬ . The mind-body problem is composed of attempting to explain things like beliefs, consciousness, emotions, etc., in organisms. Physicalism, dualism, and functionalism all have their unique explanation for the mind-body problem’s implication of Phineas Gage’s accident. Physicalism is a philosophical theory that attempts to solve the mind-body problem with its explanation of the results of the interactions between our brains and our bodies. Physicalism explains that everything in the universe is made up ofShow MoreRelatedLife After Death By Bertrand Russell Essay1389 Words   |  6 Pagesthen one s mind ceases, as well. If you survive death, then your mind must survive. But, brain functioning ceases with death. Therefore, you will not survive death (Zelinski â€Å"On†). The argument is valid but some question whether it is sound. 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One complex system that is used is the DiagnosticRead MoreThe Social Brain : Evolution And Pathology, Doctors Of Psychiatry Hedda Ribbert And Wulf1699 Words   |  7 PagesPsychopaths exhibit extreme emotions or none at all, and their function processing is slower than that of a person with little to no psychopathic tendencies. There are various methods to identify psychopaths and forms that psychosis may occur. In the mind, there is no physical location that can be analyzed by an x-ray, a dissection, or a microscope to determine psychopathy; therefore the diagnosis of a mental disorder is known as a subjective judgment. One complex system that is used to identify this

El Lexico Y Los Limites de Tu Mundo Free Essays

El mundo globalizado en el que vivimos actualmente es altamente competitivo y hace cada vez mas necesario y fundamental el conocimiento y uso de un lexico mas tecnico y preciso. ?Por que? En principio porque el uso de un lexico con dichas caracteristicas nos hace parecer mejor preparados al demostrar un dominio sobre el tema que tratamos. En general el lexico que utilizamos sirve como una especie de tarjeta de presentacion ante personas que no conocemos, ya que con tan solo escucharnos se forman una idea de nuestro nivel de escolaridad y cultural. We will write a custom essay sample on El Lexico Y Los Limites de Tu Mundo or any similar topic only for you Order Now El tener un lexico amplio nos ayuda a dar una mejor impresion a los demas y nos puede ayudar a abrir puertas a lo largo de nuestras vidas. Conforme avanzamos en nuestros estudios vamos anadiendo palabras a nuestro lexico, las cuales nos permiten expresarnos de manera mas especifica y clara. Independientemente del campo en el que nos especialicemos siempre nos veremos en la necesidad de utilizar tecnicismos para describir un proceso o fenomeno especifico de nuestra area. Si en un reporte o entrevista obviaramos su existencia y decidieramos expresarnos con palabras mas escuetas y/o simples, inmediatamente dariamos una mala impresion a nuestros superiores o entrevistadores. En cierta forma el uso de palabras tecnicas y una forma de expresion mas elocuente y elegante nos ayuda a dar una mejor impresion y a diferenciarnos de los demas. En la vida profesional esto es de gran ayuda ya que nos brinda un mayor poder de convencimiento y confianza. El tener un lexico amplio tambien nos ayuda a expresarnos de mejor manera. ?Como? Dada la gran riqueza del idioma espanol existen muchas formas de expresar una misma idea. Si necesitamos explicar un tema complicado a personas que no tienen un alto nivel de escolaridad, el tener un lexico amplio nos ayuda a rebajar el nivel de dificultad sin que se pierda la esencia del mensaje que queriamos dar. Este es uno de los tantos beneficios que nos brinda el tener un lexico amplio. â€Å"Los limites de mi lenguaje son los limites de mi mundo. -Ludwig Wittgenstein Extrapolando de lo que decia Ludwig Wittgenstein podriamos decir que al ampliar nuestro lexico ampliamos el limite de nuestro mundo y de nuestra vida. El tener un lexico amplio nos permite a la larga, entonces, no solo expresarnos mejor sino tambien el demostrar nuestro domino sobre algun tema en particular en el ambito profesional. Es por estas y muchas otras razones que es importante ampliar nuestro lexico en cada oportunidad que se nos presente ya que nunca sabemos cuando podemos necesitar expresar una misma idea de distintas maneras. How to cite El Lexico Y Los Limites de Tu Mundo, Papers

Teen Drug Use Essays - Cannabis, Entheogens, Neurochemistry

Teen Drug Use Matchmaker.com: Sign up now for a free trial. Date Smarter! Teen Drug Use Teen drug use is on the rise in the 90's. But one of the most popular drugs is marijuana beacause it is so easy to get and usually cheap. But there are many other kinds of drugs, you got PCP, LSD, Hash, and many others that come from the same plant but all of them are hazardous to your body and your health. Most people use the drugs just to forget about everything, but they forget about the dangers drugs can cause them. Marijuana is a big seller these days and it is a lot worse than it used to be people's bodies are building ip immunity's to the drugs the the dealers have to add more things to help you get the "high". Divorce is on the rise and kids feel it's their fault and they need a way to escape from the pain of there messed up life. Another reason is because their friends pressure them into using drugs most marijuana users are 12-18. The THC in the marijuana makes you experiance the "high" but what really make the THC grow is when this resin comes out on to the leaves and stems. Grass is something that comes from marijuana it is made up of dried choped leaves, stems, and leaves. In 100 ounces of grass, ther are 1 to 2 ounces of the THC. Sinsemilla is grass made of a plant that has larger amounts of THC than grass. In 100 ounces of sinsemilla there about 6 ounces of THC. Hashish is made of dried flowers, leaves and resin. In 100 ounces of hashish there are 8 to 14 ounces of THC. Hash oil is the plant's resin. 100 ounces of hash oil there are 15 to 40 ounces of THC. Thses different types of marijuana can be mixed together for a all different "high" all types of marijuana are smoked in a cigarette or pipe and sometimes added to food. Most teen marijuana users think that it help them do music, food, and have better sex. They enjoy the many things that appear do be different like art and sounds seem more intense. Some of the harmful effects of marijuana use can harm parts of the body. Like cigarette smoke, marijuana smoke also contains carbon monoxide, the stuff that inpears the oxygen carrying ability of the blood. It also contians high amounts of tar and other ibadd chemicals than does cigarette smoke. These tars and chemicals also damage more around the wind pipe and throught. It also though it doesn't seem to but it does increase the heart more than cigarette. I think that the gov't needs to do two things one is to increase the punishment on the user and dealers two get the ATF to take more control and put more money into the ATF. And they need to get a better program than D.A.R.E. they need to start on younger kids when their mind is still starting to soak stuff they are more open minded than the sixth graders or 8th graders. Because if some of these kids are starting around 11 or 12 they need to start 7 or 8. In this day and age more people are saying we're just a bunch of slackers and but they are still worried about the taxes and welfare and all that stuff, when they should focus on the kids so we can fix thses problems beacause they sure aren't doing it now. There are alot of things that need to be done for our teens but they try to take them all out at once when they should really focus on one or two at a time then when they solve those they should move on to the next. With all the drug use going on in this contry and if it's growing like the surveys say we need to work on that before all America is just a bunch of burn outs.

The Impact of E

The Impact of E Abstract Background: Traditional ways of doing business are changing. More efficient ways of doing business are coming up as a result of transformation in communication technologies. Advancement in information technologies has brought about the internet which is an efficient electronic tool of communication. With the internet, there has been the development of e-commerce which has totally transformed business.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Impact of E-Commerce Technologies on Business Practices specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Aims: There are voluminous benefits of e-commerce with some few constraints. This paper looks into e-commerce: the rate at which it has been adopted in business, its benefits and challenges. Method: This paper looked into different aspects of e-commerce especially so in business organizations. Data about e-commerce, its adoption in business and how it is changing business was gathered fro m different sources more so the latest academic journals and books. From the data, findings and conclusions were derived. Results: From all the data and literature collected it was evident that e-commerce is the way to go in business because. E-commerce has revitalized and paced up the rate at which business transactions take place. A few challenges of adopting e-commerce were also identified in the literature. Conclusion: The findings in this research are important and can act as motivators for businesses which have not fully incorporated e-commerce business practices. The conclusion is drawn from literature and highlights the areas of importance. Major points are noted here. Introduction The world has witnessed major development in the communication technology sector. These developments have affected virtually all aspects of the society. The advancement in the communication technology witnessed the advent of the World Wide Web. A lot of developments have further been noted in the World Wide Web. All this can be described as a process or a journey that began in the early years of the 20th century. The web has been structured so that it could capture different needs in business. Traditional business was facing many challenges. One of the main challenges of early commerce is that it entirely depended on the manual transactions. These transactions were slower, inefficient and pegged on physical proximity of business people.Advertising Looking for essay on essay? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In the second half of the 20th century, the development of the internet and the worldwide web gained momentum. It pace of growth accelerated. Though many advanced business firms had already began using the internet or web services in transacting, it is at this time that many businesses began gaining the real sense of e-commerce in business enhancement (Ching and Ellis, 2004). Therefore, many firms began mak ing efforts to connect and export their businesses to the internet and the World Wide Web. Firms began realizing the benefits of the web service. However, this was met with various bottlenecks as it is common with new technologies. The benefits of e-commerce continued to take root in business as a significant number of people were absorbed into using the e-web services or the internet. E-commerce can be defined as a process through which products are bought and sold using the electronic data transmission services. These services are found on the internet and the worldwide web. There is a broad range of e-commerce activities. Among them is an online shopping, online retailing, e-selling and purchasing, e-procurement, e-travelling, online banking electronic payment of online services and online investment (Grandona and Pearson, 2004). As it is today, the use of the internet has spread world over with more than a billion people being active users of the internet. The internet has becom e a lifestyle for most people and even organizations. It would be unreasonable for any person to argue that the web has not revolutionized business as this is too obvious and evident in different business sectors. E-commerce is used in different kinds of business: both products-centered and service-oriented businesses. With the help of e-commerce technologies and services, business firms have been able to form and expand their customer bases. Customers can also easily access business products and services. Therefore, e-commerce has a positive impact in business. This is because it acts to promote business excellence and performance (McIvor, Humphreys and Huang, 2001). This paper thus assesses the level of e-commerce use within businesses and the benefits and setbacks associated with e-commerce implementation and use in business firms. Literature Review E-commerce activities There are different types of e-commerce services most of which aim at accelerating the pace of service deliver y and enhancing efficiency and effectiveness while delivering services. The first e-commerce service is the business-to-consumer (B2C). In such services, organizations seek to use e-technologies to reach their customers or consumers in a more expansive way. We also have business-to-business e-commerce services (B2B). This takes place in the transaction between different firms. B2B services are used in business development as organizations work with others to maximize on business functions. A firm may be working with another supplier organization or the industry from where it gets some of its supplies or where it takes supplies. The working between and among these organizations can be enhanced if the organization opts to adopt B2B services. This will only be effective when both organizations are using e-services.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Impact of E-Commerce Technologies on Business Practices specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Consumer to consumer C2C is another e-service. This mostly happens in internet auctions and classified advertisements. C2C selling is common in a number of countries where buying and selling takes place on auctions sites with auctions being conducted by intermediary firms like e-Bay (Rainer Cegielski, 2011). Business-to-employee (B2E) services are used for enhancing the relationship between the organization and its workforce. The organization uses e-commerce to give information and provide services to the employees. Through E-services, employees are enabled to manage the benefits from the organization. Employees are also allowed to take classes electronically. The access and transacting of the business of the organization becomes easier due to easy access to information and other services. B2E is used in human resource management to improve employee-management relationships in the organization. It improves organizational delivery (Rainer Cegielski, 2011). Lastl y, there is the e-governance, which is the incorporation of e-commerce in public administration. Governments are continuing to adopt e-commerce strategies in public services. This is aimed at making the public service efficient and speeding up public transactions. When the delivery of public services is improved the business environment is greatly improved. The public service is the major determiner of the business atmosphere and environment in any given nation. They give supportive services to both public and private enterprises (Cui, Zhang, Zhang and Huang, 2006). Applying e-commerce in technical firms In the past two decades, there has been a change in the application of e-commerce in business. E-commerce application in firms has been shifting from its earlier focus on technology to focus on technology users. Therefore, e-commerce has become identified in communication and strategies as well as the general business practices. E-commerce helps in the exchange of information and ea ses the execution of business transactions between individuals and enterprises. E-commerce enables firms to adopt electronic communication practices in business processes via the Electronic Data Interchange. E-commerce has found a very soft ground especially in technology intensive industries like the Pharmaceutical industry.Advertising Looking for essay on essay? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Such industries utilize high levels of technology thus e-commerce services will easily blend with the practices in these industries boosting the rate of transactions. For firms in these industries to perform well and sustain their growth, as well as gain competitive advantage over other firms, they must adapt and implement innovative technologies. E-commerce is one of these required technologies as it gives firms in the industry an enhanced mode of transacting. E-commerce has far-reaching positive effects when applied on a business-to-business basis. An example is when different enterprises within the industry converges with the aim of consulting on processes and crafting key decisions on products such as clinical development and test of drugs, marketing and sales, people management and drug innovation among others. E-commerce is synchronized with the corporate strategies of firms which bring significant value in firms and the industry at large. The value created has positive implic ation on both products and processes in the firms (Kanungo, 2004). Factors influencing e-commerce adoption in different regions Zhu Thatcher (2010) observed that the rate of use of e-commerce differs in different regions and different countries of the world because of the varied features inherent in these countries or regions. Different countries have different levels of technological infrastructure, which affect the adoption of e-commerce. Research has ascertained that e-commerce adoption has three main perspectives which determine its application in business. These are environmental, firm and technology perspectives. Under the environmental perspective, there are three main areas of focus. These are the economic, institutional and the social cultural environment. All the three environments have forces which affect e-commerce adoption, implementation and enforcement. On the other hand, the firm perspective has its forces that include the corporate strategy of the firm, managerial attitudes, globalization and external pressures. There is also the technological perspective which entails the macro technology environment and the technical strengths of the firm applying the technology. Further research showed that these perspectives affect different organizations differently. An organization may have a full grasp of one perspective and yet lack the others. This will still hinder the firm in developing e-commerce practices. The three perspectives are interactive thence a lapse or weakness in any end up influencing the entire process of ecommerce adoption (Li Xie, 2012). Studies that were conducted in Singapore in the year 2003 showed that Singapore was well prepared as far as the development and use of e-commerce technologies was concerned. Singapore was noted as having certain and unique features such as efficient telecommunication and transport infrastructure, transparent financial and legal structures, and a very affluent population that has well-articulated m ulticultural links. The population uses the English language as a common language in communication (Li Xie, 2012). The table below is a summary of research which was conducted by different scholars in different times and regions to ascertain factors which influence the adoption of e-commerce. Author and year Scope of analysis Influencing factors RodrÄ ±Ã‚ ´guez-Ardura and Meseguer-Artola (2010) Spain Non-technological external factors Technological external factors Non-technological internal factors Technological internal factors Shih (2008) Taiwan Pressure from customers, suppliers and competitors Kshetri (2007) Developing countries Economic factors Sociopolitical factors Cognitive factors Ho et al. (2007) 17 European countries Internet penetration Telecommunication investment intensity Education level Regional contagion Hong and Zhu (2006) America and Canada Technology innovation Web spending Web functionalities Partner use Molla and Licker (2005) South Africa Per ceived organizational e-readiness Perceived environmental e-readiness Brousseau (2003) France Early adoption of Minitel and EDI Macroeconomic climate Distribution channels Wong (2003) Singapore Demographic structure Physical infrastructure Human resources Financial and legal institutions E-commerce policy initiatives Figure 1.0 factors influencing e-commerce adoption. Source: (Li Xie, 2012). From the data in the table it is noted that different regions and countries are affected by different factors. The level of development is a major boosting factor for e-commerce adoption. Application of e-commerce using appropriate models According to Lee and Kim (2007), the use of e-commerce by business firms is considered to be of a big advantage. It is seen as one way through which business organizations can remain competitive thence relevant in the prevailing business environment. Just like it would be for any venture, there are considerations that have to be adhered to prior to the initiation of e-commerce in business. There are different models, which can be followed in initiating e-commerce by firms. Most of the models of e-commerce application show that e-commerce is beneficial to business organizations. Research has shown that most e-commerce initiatives in the business end up either failing or not achieving full results. Also, these initiatives exploit all the potential due to poor or mal-planning that goes into the initiative. Different models of e-commerce have been developed due to this fact. This could bear enhanced results if they are used by organizations prior to the acquisition and implementation of e-commerce. Most models of e-commerce ignore the planning aspect. Therefore, it will be beneficial if firms in their prior stages of e-commerce adoption focus on e-commerce planning models. These will give a good background for the organization eliminating gaps that are often inherent in the implementation phase (Kao and Decou, 2003). Benefits of e-com merce in supply chain management Firms across the world are being forced to reinvent the relations with their customers and suppliers by way of adding value to the relations at a minimized cost. This is due to the demands of the economy. Therefore, research shows that many firms are adopting integrated global business models which end up further complicating their supply chains (Mora-Monge, 2010). Therefore, companies are embracing information technology to help them in minimizing the impact of the complicated supply chains. They help in optimizing supply chains. Companies use B2B e-commerce transactions as evidenced in recent research (Crespo and Bosque, 2008). E-commerce has a profound effect on supply chain. E-commerce has been found to pace up the rate of performance of many supply chains across different firms. This is evident in the findings of an empirical study by Hong, Tran, and Park (2010) titled â€Å"Electronic commerce applications for supply chain integration and comp etitive capabilities’. This research has its foundation in the resource based view theory. A model was developed by the authors and then tested using a total of 711 sample companies (IMSS IV). These firms were located in 20 different countries across the globe. The results showed the importance of two specific electronic technologies – Internet based communication and technologies and EDI for integrating supplier and consumer functions. The results revealed that supplier and customer chains can be enhanced by using selected forms of information and communication technologies in business (Hong, Tran and Park, 2010). E-commerce is quite beneficial to buyer seller relationships. It speeds up buyer-sellers transactions through what is called comparison shopping. Customers are able to compare prices of a big range of commodities quickly. These commodities are found on sales and advertising sites. Such sites are synonymous with certain industries for instance the automobile, air travel and insurance. E-commerce also cuts down the cost of business and raises competitiveness. The consumers will get to enjoy the services being provides on sites by firms competing. They are likely to get products at reduced prices. For the business firms, they will only undergo the initial cost of establishing internet and other e-commerce enablement tools. One this is established, the firms will experience reduced costs of the transactions that they make (Rob and Coronel, 2009). Benefits of e-procurement Quesada, Gonzalez, Muller and Muller conducted a research in the year 2010 titled Impact of e-procurement on procurement practices and performance. They wanted to establish the correlation between the usage of e- procurement technology, practices and their effect on procurement performance. They used a model which was derived from other researches. The model was tested using 368 procurement specialists as a sample. All the specialists came from the United States. The find ings of this research indicated that procurement practices and e-procurement technology had a positive effect when applied in business firms. The findings also showed that there was a high rate of adoption of e-procurement services in business for a majority of the companies that were surveyed. This suggests that a significant number of companies should buy into the usage of e-procurement technologies. This is a good way of improving the collection of information, contacting suppliers and conducting intelligence and analysis exercises (Quesada, Gonzlez, Mueller and Mueller, 2010). The support for e-commerce E-commerce can be applied in both large firms or even in the Small and Medium Enterprises. SMEs can maximize the potential of their firms when they opt to use e-commerce. E-commerce can lead to the reduction in business coats for small businesses. These costs include the establishment of offices and other operational costs. Notably, the cost incurred in establishing a single stor e is almost similar to that of setting up a fully functional e-commerce web for a small business. However, e-commerce has more benefits when compared to the storefront. E-commerce will help the business to reach a significant number of customers. This is the main aim of any business venture. Once a substantial number of customers are reached, the business will be able to attain increased sales. The new customers will be likely to demand goods and services of the company once they are reached and are able to learn about the products of the company. The firm becomes more open to opportunities for instance up-selling and cross-selling (Thanasankit, 2002). The other aspect which makes e-commerce to be more relevant and important in business is convenience. Online services are always available and can be accessed by the online shoppers at any time. These services can also be accessed from any place by the shoppers. Therefore, business remains active all the time (Rob and Coronel, 2009). Business to business procurement services yields about 5 trillion US dollars each year. This was as at 2000. This is the total figure globally. This has been growing with time. An estimation made by the Boston consulting group showed that, in the US, business conducted transactions worth about $2 trillion in the business-to-business purchase. These transactions were done using the internet. They were transacted as at the end of the year 2003. Business-to-business transactions are increasing with the explosion of internet usage and the growth of e-commerce. While business-to-business transactions have a positive impact on the growth of business, a lot of focus has only been paid to the large firms that are conducting such transactions. Small firms also conduct such transactions but they end up being left out in the overall statistics (Mullane, Peters and Bullington, 2001). Schlenker and Crocker (2003) found out that there are real benefits of applying e-commerce in small businesses. There is a major problem that has prevented the application of e-commerce in small business firms. This is because the staffs of these firms have a notion that e-services are expensive. They are thus reluctant releasing resources which would help in applying such services in the firms. These services have to be supported by the senior staffs that are well aware of the benefits of reducing business costs by way of embracing e-commerce (Caskey and Subirana, 2007). Conclusion Literature has revealed that e-commerce is a quite old phenomenon. However, its comprehensive or wide usage is a recent phenomenon. E-commerce gained prominence from the late 20th century when there was a revolution in the use of the internet and the worldwide web as a result of the revolution in information and communication technologies. E-commerce has gained roots in business especially so from the beginning of the 20th century. E-commerce has become one of the fashions of doing business. Many business firms ha ve either adopted online services or are working on modalities of exporting their businesses to the web and the internet. E-commerce involves either the use of the internet or the worldwide web services by organizations. There are different activities that are related to e-commerce. These include online shopping, online banking, e-selling and purchasing, online retailing, e-procurement, e-travelling, electronic payment of online services and online investment among others. Business and other non-profit motive organizations are adopting e-commerce initiatives at a very high rate. This, as argued by many researchers, is a reflector of the benefits that accrue to e-commerce. The general notion is that e-commerce is turning out to be a very influential tool in enhancing business performance. Even the non-profit organizations are of the view that e-commerce will enhance service delivery in their activities. In this case, performance will be enhanced and is rated basing on how efficient a nd effective they are in delivering services. Literature reveals that there is a difference in the rate at which organizations are adopting e-commerce strategies. Notably, big organizations are the major adaptors of e-commerce. Small and medium enterprises are buying into e-commerce at a very slow rate. This means that there are challenges of acquiring, implementing and enforcing e-commerce especially for SMEs. SMEs often have a low capital on which they operate. Adopting e-commerce needs quite a substantial capital which goes into the installation of internet. However, this is just a fear as research has revealed that the cost of installing online services is affordable. Moreover, the benefits of adopting e-commerce will exceed the cost of installing e-commerce enablers by far. As it is now, more advanced countries are more favored in conducting e-commerce because of advanced technological, legal, organizational and developmental structures. For organizations that are already using e-services, there are a lot of benefits being ripped. These includes improvement delivery of services to customers – supply chain efficiency, increased efficiency in procurement- e-procurement, increased number of customers – online marketing, improved service delivery in banks among many others. However, literature has also revealed that there are major barriers and challenges which come with e-commerce. A good example is a security risk resulting from cyber terrorism, technical problems and policy problems related to adopting e-commerce. However, when proper prior planning is done before adopting e-commerce both small and big organizations will make substantive gains. Therefore, it can be concluded that the adoption of e-commerce is beneficial in many aspects despite a few hitches. In this respect, organizations should be encouraged to adopt e-commerce in order to maximize on their potentials. References Caskey, K. and Subirana, B. (2007). Supporting SME e-commerce migration through blended e-learning, Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, Vol. 14(4), pp.670 – 688. Ching, H.L. and Ellis, P. (2004). â€Å"Marketing in cyberspace: what factors drive e-commerce adoption?† Journal of Marketing Management, Vol. 20 (3), pp. 409-29. Crespo, A.H. and Bosque, I.R. (2008). â€Å"The effect of innovativeness on the adoption of B2C E-commerce: a model based on the theory of planned behavior†, Computers in Human Behavior, Vol. 24(6), pp. 2830-47. Cui, L., Zhang, C., Zhang, C and Huang, L. (2006). â€Å"Exploring e-government impact on Shanghai firms’ informatization process†, Electronic Markets, Vol. 16(4), pp. 312-28. Grandona, E.E. and Pearson, J.M. (2004). â€Å"Electronic commerce adoption: an empirical study of small and medium US businesses†, Information Management, Vol. 42(1), pp. 197-216. Hong, P., Tran, O. and Park, K. (2010). Electronic commerce applications for supply chain integration a nd competitive capabilities: An empirical study, Benchmarking, Vol. 17(4), pp.539 – 560. Kanungo, R. P. (2004). â€Å"E-commerce in the pharmaceutical industry: threshold of innovation†, Management Research News, Vol. 27(8). Kao, D and Decou, J. (2003). A strategy-based model for e-commerce planning, Industrial Management Data Systems, Vol. 103(4), pp.238 – 252. Lee, S. and Kim, K.J. (2007). â€Å"Factors affecting the implementation success of internet-based information systems†, Computers in Human Behavior, Vol. 23(4), pp. 1853-80. Li, P and Xie, W. (2012), A strategic framework for determining e-commerce adoption, Journal of Technology Management in China, Vol. 7(1), pp. 22 – 35. McIvor, R., Humphreys, P. and Huang, G. (2001). Electronic commerce: re-engineering the buyer-supplier interface Measuring Business Excellence, Vol. 5(2), pp 39-44. Mora-Monge, C. A. (2010). The impact of electronic commerce on the supply chain, Benchmarking, Vol. 17(4 ), pp 539-560. Mullane, J. V., Peters, M. H and Bullington, K. E. (2001). Entrepreneurial firms as suppliers in business-to-business e-commerce, Management Decision, Vol. 39(5), pp.388 – 393. Quesada, G., Gonzlez, M. E., Mueller, J and Mueller, R. (2010), Impact of e-procurement on procurement practices and performance, Benchmarking, Vol. 17(4), pp.516 – 538. Rainer, R. K. and Cegielski, C. G. (2011). Introduction to information systems. Hoboken, N.J: J. Wiley Sons. Rob, P. and Coronel, C. (2009). Database systems: Design, implementation, and management. Boston, Mass: Course Technology. Schlenker, L. and Crocker, N. (2003). Building an e-business scenario for small business, Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, Vol. 6 No.1, pp.7-17. Thanasankit, T. (2002). E-commerce and cultural values. Hershey, Pa: Idea Group Publishing. Zhu, L. and Thatcher, S.M.B. (2010), National information ecology: a new institutional economics perspective on global e-commerce adoption, Journal of Electronic Commerce Research, Vol. 11(1), pp.53-71. Appendix A: Member responsibility matrix This assignment was done by five people namely x1, x2, x3, x4 and x5. All the group members converged and discussed the topic together in order to get a deeper understanding of the topic of research. After a discussion and understanding of the research topic we planned on how we were to conduct the research by assigning each group member a task which was to be completed by the member and presented for discussion and approval by the group. We assigned ourselves tasks basing on the topic which we thought were important for our research. Therefore, the topics were assigned to each member as in the table below: Group member Responsibility X1 Was given the task of collecting information different kinds of e-commerce activities and how they influence business. X2 Was handed the task of finding literature on how e-commerce affects or changes the manner in which business es operate. The member was to focus on a specific industry – pharmaceutical industry. X3 Was bestowed with the task of getting literature on the factors which affect e-commerce in different regions of the world. The member came up with the data based on different researches that were done in different regions. X4 Was to find research based information on at least two different kinds of e-commerce activities – e-marketing and e-procurement. The member was to justify the research and findings in order to ascertain whether such e-commerce activities were beneficial. X5 Was to get general literature on e-commerce both in large organizations and in small and medium enterprises. The member was to focus on the benefits and challenges of e-commerce for each of the business organizations.

Carbon Dioxide Poisoning Causes and Treatment

Carbon Dioxide Poisoning Causes and Treatment You are exposed to carbon dioxide every day in the air you breathe and in household products, so you might be concerned about carbon dioxide poisoning. Heres the truth about carbon dioxide poisoning and whether its something you need to worry about. Can Carbon Dioxide Poison You? At ordinary levels, carbon dioxide or CO2 is non-toxic. It is a normal component of air and so safe it is added to beverages to carbonate them. When you use baking soda or baking powder, you are purposely introducing carbon dioxide bubbles into your food to make it rise. Carbon dioxide is as safe a chemical as any youll ever encounter. Then Why the Concern Over Carbon Dioxide Poisoning? First, its easy to confuse carbon dioxide, CO2, with carbon monoxide, CO. Carbon monoxide is a product of combustion, among other things, and is extremely toxic. The two chemicals are not the same, but because they both have carbon and oxygen in them and sound similar, some people get confused. Yet, carbon dioxide poisoning is a real concern. It is possible to suffer anoxia or asphyxiation from breathing carbon dioxide, because increased levels of carbon dioxide may be related to decreased concentration of oxygen, which you need in order to live. Another potential concern is dry ice, which is the solid form of carbon dioxide. Dry ice generally is not toxic, but it is extremely cold, so if you touch it you risk getting frostbite. Dry ice sublimates into carbon dioxide gas. The cold carbon dioxide gas is heavier than the surrounding air, so the concentration of carbon dioxide near the floor may be high enough to displace oxygen, potentially posing a danger to pets or small children. Dry ice does not pose a significant hazard when it is used in a well-ventilated area. Carbon Dioxide Intoxication and Carbon Dioxide Poisoning As the concentration of carbon dioxide increases, people start to experience carbon dioxide intoxication, which may progress to carbon dioxide poisoning and sometimes death. Elevated blood and tissue levels of carbon dioxide are termed hypercapnia and hypercarbia. Carbon Dioxide Poisoning Causes There are several causes of carbon dioxide poisoning and intoxication. It may result from hypoventilation, which in turn may be caused by not breathing often or deeply enough, rebreathing exhaled air (e.g., from a blanket over the head or sleeping in a tent), or breathing in an enclosed space (e.g., a mine, a closet, a shed). Scuba divers are at risk of carbon dioxide intoxication and poisoning, usually from poor air filtration, not breathing at the normal rate, or simply from having a harder time breathing. Breathing the air near volcanoes or their vents may cause hypercapnia. Sometimes carbon dioxide levels become imbalanced when a person is unconscious. Carbon dioxide poisoning can occur in space craft and submarines when scrubbers arent functioning properly. Carbon Dioxide Poisoning Treatment Treatment of carbon dioxide intoxication or carbon dioxide poisoning involves getting carbon dioxide levels back to normal in the patients bloodstream and tissues. A person suffering from mild carbon dioxide intoxication typically can recover simply by breathing normal air. However, it is important to communicate a suspicion of carbon dioxide intoxication in case the symptoms worsen so that proper medical treatment may be administered. If multiple or serious symptoms are seen, call for emergency medical help. The best treatment is prevention and education so that conditions of high CO2 levels are avoided and so you know what to watch for if you suspect the levels may be too high. Symptoms of Carbon Dioxide Intoxication and Poisoning Deeper breathing Twitching of muscles Increased blood pressure Headache Increased pulse rate Loss of judgment Labored breathing Unconsciousness (occurs in under a minute when CO2 concentration rises about 10%) Death Reference EIGA (European Industrial Gases Association), Carbon Dioxide Physiological Hazards - Not Just an Asphyxiant, retrieved 01/09/2012. Key Points Carbon dioxide poisoning results in a condition called hypercapnia or hypercarbia.Carbon dioxide intoxication and poisoning can elevate pulse rate and blood pressure, produce a headache, and result in poor judgement. It can result in unconsciousness and death.There are multiple causes of carbon dioxide poisoning. Lack of air circulation, in particular, can be dangerous because breathing removes oxygen from the air and adds to its carbon dioxide content.While carbon dioxide can be toxic, it is a normal component of air. The body actually uses carbon dioxide to maintain proper pH levels and to synthesize fatty acids.