The big 5 personality traits Essay Example for Free

The big 5 personality traits Essay Introduction: 1. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between the ‘Big Five’ personality traits (neuroticism, extraversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness and openness) and career success (Seibert Kraimer,2001). A questionnaire was sent by post to 2781 graduates of business and engineering. 496 alumni took part in the survey (318 males and 178 females). The conclusions were that agreeableness is not well related to career success; there is no relationship between the other four factors and career success. High people orientated jobs showed a poor relationship between agreeableness and salary. Low people orientated jobs shows no relationship between agreeableness and salary. METHOD: 2. Career success can be defined as the positive psychological and work related outcomes as a final result of work completed by each individual. Construct definition is the overall basic idea which is being examined; career success. Operational definition describes what the variables are and how each is measured. The variables are extrinsic and intrinsic career success. Greenhaus et al. measured intrinsic career success with a five-item career satisfaction scale. Each participant was asked to show their levels of satisfaction with their careers, 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest. Two self-reports were used to measure extrinsic career success. Each participant was asked to show the number of promotions they had gotten throughout their career. They also had to show their annual salary level. Altogether the variables included log salary, promotions, career satisfaction, work experience, MBA degree, metropolitan area, number of employees, gender and occupation type. (Seibert Kraimer, 2001) RESULTS: 3. Central Tendency-The way in which quantitative data clusters around a midpoint. Dispersion- How far your scores are from your measure of central tendency. Mean is a measure of central tendency  Standard Deviation(S.D) is a measure of dispersion.  Sex: a categorical form of data (male/female). This is badly represented as the standard deviation is above the mean (if S.D is higher than the mean, a minus is applicable). For gender you can’t measure central tendency but you  can measure dispersion. Personally, I think that gender doesn’t belong in the table. Promotions: Are badly represented as the S.D is very high. I think that using the mode instead of S.D would resolve this issue. Career satisfaction: is represented good. Both the mean and S.D appear to work well. Career satisfaction was measured using Greenhaus et el.(1990) scale of career satisfaction. I don’t think any changes need to be made. Agreeableness: is represented good. However I think the definition for agreeableness leaves a lot to be desired for. In saying that, both the mean and the S.D appear to work well. My suggestion would be to leave it but maybe reconsider the definition. (Seibert Kraimer, 2001) DISCUSSION: 4. (A)In my opinion, I don’t agree with the definition of agreeableness in this context. ’Agreeableness is ones interpersonal orientation, ranging from soft-hearted, good-natured, trusting and gullible at one extreme to cynical, rude, suspicious, and manipulative at the other’ I don’t agree with this as only alumni from business and engineering were surveyed. Other people orientated jobs such as teachers, nurses etc. were not included. Therefore it cannot be generalised. In my opinion, I think that people high on agreeableness (in this case) have lower extrinsic career success. Whereas they may be happy in their jobs they may not get promotions. (B)Yes, I do think that agreeableness causes lower salaries for individuals working in high people orientated jobs. People who are more agreeable are more likely to fill out surveys. They are more likely to do more work for less money; therefore promotions would not come into account as employers may take advantage of these workers. (C)The sample attrition is the dropout rate which occurred. The surveys were mailed to 2781 homes of business and engineer graduates. Each individual had graduated 3-39 years prior to the survey.773 were returned (28% response rate). 668 had fully completed the survey. Out of that 668, 49 were unemployed, 33 worked part time and 96 were self-employed. The final number of participants was 496. If the sample attrition was included this could have influenced the data as the sample size would be larger and more random. Self-employed people may have different levels of personality traits, e.g. higher extraversion as they  have leadership skills. Unemployed people may be high in agreeableness as they may lack confidence. I think that would have a great effect on the overall data. (D)Two variables could be combined within one individual e.g. agreeableness and extraversion. The individual may not get a promotion due to the level of agreeableness they obtain; however with the high levels of assertiveness and sociability in an extraversion they could also get promoted. Other variables included: log salary, promotions, career satisfaction, work experience, MBA degree, metropolitan area, number of employees, gender, occupational type and the big five personality traits. By only surveying business and engineer graduates it made the study easier for themselves as there are less levels in these jobs than in other occupations such nurses or doctors. The Big 5 personality traits definitions: Neuroticism: indicates adjustment versus emotional stability. Individuals who score high on neuroticism are characterized by high levels of anxiety, hostility, depression, and self-consciousness. Extraversion: High levels of extraversion indicate sociability, warmth, assertiveness, and activity, whereas individuals low on extraversion may be described as reserved, sober, aloof, task-oriented, and introverted. Openness: is defined in terms of curiosity and the tendency for seeking and appreciating new experiences and novel ideas. Individuals who score low on openness are characterized as conventional, unartistic, and narrow in interests. Agreeableness: Agreeableness is one’s interpersonal orientation, ranging from soft-hearted, good-natured, trusting, and gullible at one extreme to cynical, rude, suspicious, and manipulative at the other. Conscientiousness: indicates the individual’s degree of organization, persistence, and motivation in goal-directed behaviour. Achievement-orientation and dependability or conformity have been found to be primary facets of conscientiousness (Seibert Kraimer,2001) High people orientated occupation is where the individual is a sociable, people person, with good interpersonal skills. People with a high people orientated occupation must be able to do the following: speak, persuade, serve, supervise, instruct, mentor and negotiate with others. Some jobs include sales, division managers, executive managers and human resource  managers, where interaction with other people is frequent. Low people orientated occupations include the opposite of high people orientated occupations. People with low people orientated jobs would work as a financial or market analyst, a MIS specialist, or an IT department where little involvement with people occurs. (Seibert Kraimer, 2001) CONCLUSION: 5. I think that there is enough evidence to support that the big 5 personality traits are related to career success. The results were as follows: The full set of personality variables was not related significantly to promotions but extraversion was correlated significantly with promotions. Intrinsic and extrinsic outcomes have been considered as related but to distinct aspects of career success. Extrinsic career success was associated with extraversion and, with less consistency, openness to experience and agreeableness. Individuals who were higher on extraversion received greater salaries and more promotions than did those lower on extraversion. Individuals who were less open to experience and less agreeable received greater salaries compared to their more open or agreeable peers. Intrinsic career success was associated with extraversion, neuroticism, and agreeableness. Individuals who were more extroverted, less neurotic or less agreeable experienced higher levels of career satisfaction than their less extroverted, more neurotic, or more agreeable peers. Moderated regression analysis involving extraversion and agreeableness was unable to find any major effects against intrinsic career success, suggesting that these effects are consistent across occupations requiring different levels of interpersonal interaction. Extraversion was related most consistently to career success, exhibiting positive relationships with salary, promotions, and career satisfaction. Extraversion plays in managerial advancement of persons in people-oriented and non-people oriented occupations. Negative relationship of neuroticism to career satisfaction implies that individuals high on neuroticism evaluate their careers more negatively. Negative relationship of agreeableness with extrinsic career success was provided. Although agreeableness was not related to promotions, it was related negatively to salary for individuals in people-oriented occupations. Agreeableness appears to be a liability in jobs that require  more people skills, and perhaps more â€Å"political† skills. Agreeableness also was related negatively to career satisfaction. There was no support for the hypotheses that neuroticism and conscientiousness are related to the two measures of extrinsic career success, salary, and promotions. Findings suggested that individuals who were more open received lower salaries. Since these results were not hypothesized, confirmation of these relationships in future research is required. The results of the control variables examined in this study generally are consistent with previous career research. Strengths: The results found were accurate. The results found were similar to previous studies. They were able to prove some of their hypostasis. Gives opportunities for future research. Weaknesses: Fault with gender and promotions: mean and standard deviation. I personally don’t agree with some of the definitions. Only business and engineering graduates were surveyed. The sample was small. Self-report, people may not be 100% honest. Most alumni were from Caucasian background. (Seibert Kraimer, 2001) BIBLOGRAPHY Scott E. Seibert and Maria L. Kraimer Department of Management Labour Relations, Cleveland State University.

The Constant Struggle :: English Literature

The Constant Struggle â€Å"To be or not to be, that is the question.† Indeed, this is the question Barbara constantly asks herself, whether or not she has to be a responsible mom to Jodie, or to try and have a life of her own. In the short story â€Å"Over the Hill† by Lynne Schwartz, Barbara is a single mother struggling between the difficult tasks of being a mom and of being a single adult. Barbara faces a dilemma that many other single parents also faces, and that is their desire to date other people because they don’t want to be a single parent for the rest of their lives. However, her responsibility as a single mom doesn’t always allow her to do that. As a result, Barbara is a responsible, fun loving mother torn between her duty to her daughter and her need for adult companionship. Like many other single parents around the world, the income Barbara makes is not always enough to take care of her family. Consequently, being the responsible mom that she is, Barbara is â€Å"taking a short course, one night a week† on bartending along with her friend Pat in hopes of having a supplementary source of money (pg 208). They think that they could â€Å"make a lot of money on the side doing bartending at fancy parties† (pg 208). Barbara hopes that her income working as a â€Å"draftsperson in an architect’s office† in addition to the bartending money she hopes on making will be enough to support her family (pg 208). Although Barbara thinks that â€Å"under certain circumstances abortion might be a good idea†, she did not get an abortion when she was pregnant with Jodie (pg 209). Why didn’t she get an abortion? Barbara didn’t get an abortion because she is a dependable person that takes responsibilities for her own actions, even though she knows that her life would be utterly transformed when she becomes a single mother. Although Barbara feels depressed at the end of the night when she thinks that James isn’t coming over, she still plays her role as the responsible mother and reminds Jodie that she â€Å"should be going to bed,† because she has a â€Å"dentist appointment tomorrow† (pg 217). By trying to make more money, not getting an abortion when she was pregnant with Jodie, and reminding Jodie that she has a dentist appointment the next day even though she’s depressed about James shows just how dedicated and responsible Barbara is to being a mother. In addition to being a responsible mother, Barbara is also very fun loving. She enjoys â€Å"fooling around with shakers and glasses like kids

Introduction to Unilever Essay

Unilever is a British–Dutch multinational consumer goods company. Its products include foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products. It is the world’s third-largest consumer goods company measured by 2011 revenues (after Procter & Gamble and Nestle) and the world’s largest maker of ice cream. Unilever is a dual-listed company consisting of Unilever N. V. in Rotterdam, Netherlands and Unilever PLC in London, United Kingdom. Both Unilever companies have the same directors and they operate as a single business. The current non-executive Chairman of Unilever N. V. and PLC is Michael Treschow while Paul Polman is Group Chief Executive. Unilever owns over 400 brands, amongst the largest selling of which are Aviance, Axe/Lynx, Ben & Jerry’s, Dove, Flora/Becel, Heartbrand, Hellmann’s, Knorr, Lipton, Lux/Radox, Omo/Surf, Rexona/Sure, Sunsilk, Toni & Guy, TRESemme, VO5 and Wish-Bone. Unilever PLC had a market capitalisation of ? 27. 3 billion as of 23 December 2011, the 18th-largest of any company with a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange. 1930 to 2001 See more: how to start a paragraph Lever House in New York City, which was the United States headquarters of Unilever from 1952 to 1997 Unilever was founded on 1 January 1930 by Antonius Johannes Jurgens, Samuel van den Bergh and William Hulme Lever, 2nd Viscount Leverhulme. The amalgamation of the operations of British soapmaker Lever Brothers and Dutch margarine producer Margarine Unie (a 1927 amalgamation of Anton Jurgens Margarinefabrieken N. V. and Samuel van den Bergh) made sound commercial sense, as palm oil was a major raw material for both margarines, and soaps, and could be imported more efficiently in larger quantities. The initial harvesting of palm oil was from British West Africa, from where news reports seen back in England showed the workers abroad in favourable conditions. In 1911 the company received a concession for 750,000 hectares of forest in Belgian Congo, mostly south of Bandundu, where a system of forced labour operated. The subsidiary of Lever Brothers was named â€Å"Huileries du Congo Belge†. During the great depression in the thirties, the Huileries sharply decreased the fee for gathered oil nuts, while the government of Belgian Congo strongly increased taxation. This resulted in social unrest in 1931, which is known as the Revolution of the Pende, in which eventually more than 400 members of the Pende tribe were killed. In the 1930s the Unilever business grew and new ventures were launched in Africa and Latin America. In 1972 Unilever purchased A&W Restaurants’ Canadian division but sold its shares through a management buyout to former A&W Food Services of Canada CEO Jefferson J. Mooney in July 1996. By 1980 soap and edible fats contributed just 40% of profits, compared with an original 90%. In 1984 the company bought the brand Brooke Bond (maker of PG Tips tea). In 1987 Unilever strengthened its position in the world skin care market by acquiring Chesebrough-Ponds (merged from Chesebrough Manufacturing and Pond’s Creams), the maker of Ragu, Pond’s, Aqua-Net, Cutex Nail Polish, and Vaseline. In 1989 Unilever bought Calvin Klein Cosmetics, Faberge, and Elizabeth Arden, but the latter was later sold (in 2000) to FFI Fragrances. In 1996 Unilever purchased Helene Curtis Industries, giving the company â€Å"a powerful new presence in the United States shampoo and deodorant market†. The purchase brought Unilever the Suave and Finesse hair-care product brands and Degree deodorant brand. In 1997 Unilever sold the speciality chemicals businesses National Starch & Chemical, Quest, Unichema and Crosfield to ICI for US$8 billion.. The US division carried the Lever Brothers name until the 1990s, when it adopted that of the parent company. The American unit has headquarters in New Jersey, and no longer maintains a presence at Lever House, the iconic skyscraper on Park Avenue in New York City. Unilever established a sustainable agriculture programme in 1998. 2001 to 2011 Global employment at Unilever 2000–2008 Black represents employment numbers in Europe, light grey represents the Americas and dark grey represents Asia, Africa, and Middle East. Between 2000 and 2008 Unilever reduced global workforce numbers by 41%, from 295,000 to 174,000. Notes: Europe figures for 2000–2003 are all Europe; from 2004 figures in black are Western Europe. For 2004–2008 figures for Asia, Africa and Middle East include Eastern and Central Europe. Source: Unilever Annual Reports 2004, 2008 In 2000 the company absorbed the American business Best Foods, strengthening its presence in North America and extending its portfolio of foods brands. In April 2000 it bought both Ben & Jerry’s and Slim Fast. In May 2007 Unilever became the first large-scale company to commit to sourcing all its tea in a sustainable manner, employing the Rainforest Alliance, an international environmental NGO, to certify its tea estates in East Africa, as well as third-party suppliers in Africa and other parts of the world. It declared its aim to have all Lipton Yellow Label and PG Tips tea bags sold in Western Europe certified by 2010, followed by all Lipton tea bags globally by 2015. Covalence, an ethical reputation ranking agency, placed Unilever at the top of its ranking based on positive versus negative news coverage for 2007. In 2007, Unilever’s Dove â€Å"Evolution† video that ran only online, was named the first ever non-TV spot to win the Grand Lion at the Cannes Advertising Festival. And in March, 2008, Unilever was named â€Å"Digital Marketer of the Year† by Advertising Age. In 2008 Unilever was honoured at the 59th Annual Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards for â€Å"Outstanding Achievement in Advanced Media Technology for Creation and Distribution of Interactive Commercial Advertising Delivered Through Digital Set Top Boxes† for its program Axe: Boost Your ESP. On 25 September 2009, Unilever agreed to acquire the personal care business of Sara Lee Corporation, including brands such as Radox, Badedas and Duschdas, strengthening its category leadership in skin cleansing and deodorants. On 9 August 2010, Unilever signed an asset purchase agreement with the Norwegian dairy group TINE, to acquire the activities of Diplom-Is in Denmark. On 24 September 2010, Unilever announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement to sell its consumer tomato products business in Brazil to Cargill. On 27 September 2010, Unilever purchased Alberto-Culver, a maker of personal care and household products including Simple[disambiguation needed], VO5, Nexxus, TRESemme, and Mrs. Dash, for $US3. 7 billion. On 28 September 2010, Unilever and EVGA announced that they had signed an agreement under which Unilever would acquire EVGA’s ice cream brands (amongst others, Scandal, Variete and Karabola) and distribution network in Greece, for an undisclosed amount. 2011 to present On 23 March 2011 it was announced that Unilever had entered into a binding agreement to sell the Sanex brand to Colgate-Palmolive for â‚ ¬672 million, and that Unilever would acquire Colgate-Palmolive’s laundry detergent brands in Colombia (Fab, Lavomatic and Vel) for US$215 million. On 24 August 2011, it was announced that Unilever had agreed to sell the Alberto VO5 brand in the United States and Puerto Rico, and the Rave brand globally, to Brynwood Partners VI L. P. On 14 October 2011, it was announced that Unilever had agreed to acquire 82% of the Russia-based beauty company Kalina. On 22 May 2012, it was announced that Unilever achieved top-ten status in the 2012 Gartner Supply Chain Top 25, resulting in the company’s best-ever performance in the index and establishing Unilever as one of the world’s top supply chains. Operations The Unilever R&D Centre in Bangalore, India Unilever is multinational with operating companies and factories on every continent (except Antarctica) and research laboratories at: Colworth and Port Sunlight in England; Vlaardingen in the Netherlands; Trumbull, Connecticut and Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey in the United States; Bangalore in India (see also Hindustan Unilever Limited); and Shanghai in China. [edit] Products For a full list of Unilever brands, see List of Unilever brands. Unilever’s products include foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products. The company owns more than 400 brands, although its 25 largest brands account for over 70% of total sales. [29] Unilever focuses resources on 13 â€Å"billion-Euro brands†, each of which has annual sales in excess of â‚ ¬1 billion. Unilever organises its brands into four categories: Homecare, Personal Care, Foods and Refreshment (which includes tea, ice-cream and beverages).

Hume and Self Existance - 1821 Words

The modern philosopher, David Hume, argued that the proof of self existence was not possible. Hume stated, â€Å"If any impression gives rise to the idea of self, that impression must continue invariably the same, through the whole course of our lives; since self is supposed to exist after that manner† (Kolack and Thompson 642). Although Hume made some valid arguments, his views on self existence are both wrong and arrogant. The existence of self can be, and has been, proven. David Hume proposed the Bundle Theory of Self. Hume believed that knowledge was strictly obtained through one’s senses and experiences. These senses are composed of the fives senses; touching, seeing, smelling, hearing, and tasting. He also proposed the idea of†¦show more content†¦This is Hume leading into his final argument on this issue. He is building up to his point. He then goes on to state, â€Å"That is, in other words, whether in pronouncing concerning the identity of a p erson, we observe some real bond among his perceptions, or only feel one among the ideas we form of them. This question we might easily decide, if we would recollect what has already been proved at large, that the understanding never observes any real connexion among objects, and that even the union of cause and effect, when strictly examined, resolves itself into a customary association of ideas† (Kolack and Thompson 643). In other words, Hume is stating the fact that we just simply do not understand the complexity of things and how they work. We try to simplify everything, but it is not that simple. He is showing that our simple idea of self is wrong, and we can not comprehend what self really means. This is why Hume says another person may think they understand self. Because this person has simplified it down to something that it really is not. Hume thinks this is the thought process humans go through. Although Hume’s argument may sound somewhatShow MoreRelate dMbti Critique2357 Words   |  10 Pagesshould accept the attitude of their most natural, level, and unforced functioning, in which they are not working against the grain (Humes, 1992). Hand scoring may be done using stencils, computer scoring services and software are available, and there is no time limit. The MBTI is not a measure strength of individual traits or degrees of type development; rather it is a self-report device with dichotomous scales, meaning to sort people into type groupings. Though written in a forced-choice format, the