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A Holistic Approach to Soft Skills Training
-- A Anju
This paper emphasizes the need for a change in the conceptualization of soft skills training
as it is practiced today in finishing schools and subsequently proposes an alternative
approach rooted in a deeper personal sense of the trainer. In this view, conventional
recruitment components like Group Discussions (GDs) and interviews need to be redefined. They
should be seen not merely as the process of elimination or acceptance of one's competence, but
have a deeper meaning wherein a candidate displays his true inner potential. Aligning with
this the author suggests a paradigm shift in the role of soft skill trainers both in the domains
of personal comprehension and classroom instruction.
© 2009 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
Importance of Assertiveness at the Workplace:
A Case Study
-- Manishankar Chakraborty
Organizations across the globe are finding it difficult to sustain their competitive
advantages, thanks to the stiff competition, turmoil in the global economy and other allied problems.
It's imperative for the organizational decision makers to assure to the stakeholders so that
viability is sustained against all odds which, in turn, calls for having an assertive approach in
one's life rather than being aggressive. There are instances when people tend to use the
words, assertive and aggressive behavior interchangeably without even realizing the yawning
gap existing between the two. Assertive behavior within and outside the organization not
only helps an individual employee grow but also provides a roadmap to the company to
move higher up the ladder. The paper portrays the importance of assertiveness at the
individual level and at the organizational level with a blended approach of theory and case study.
The hypothetical case on a company Finnie Inc., brings forth the importance of assertive
behavior at different levels of an organization. The importance of presenting assertive behavior by
the management of an organization and subsequently percolating the same at the lowest ebb
is what the case reflects upon as success of any global body.
© 2009 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
Right Attitude: Grab it!
-- S Mercia Selva Malar
This paper emphasizes the importance of right attitude for young and budding
managers. The importance of right attitude must be realized and cultivated consciously by young
managers. There is a possibility to nurture right attitude even by those who are deeply immersed in
a hostile attitude. The step-by-step efforts, required to nurture right attitude, are presented
in this paper. This paper delivers anecdotes and real life experiences of successful and
miserably failed corporate leaders. Right attitude is something to be practiced and not to be
understood alone. It is important for a person to be a master of right attitude. It is true that attitude
determines altitude and to reach great career heights young managers must grab the right attitude.
© 2009 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
Tomorrow Never Comes
-- Queenie M Kannan
At one point or the other, we have procrastinated and still are. Even though today
begins afresh, we realize that we still are with yesterday. We sometimes wonder why we have
not completed something of utmost importance; we either have not realized the importance of
the task or remain unaware of the fact that we have procrastinated. To understand and
rectify procrastination, we have to approach the habit with a degree of sincerity, and work effectively
either to overcome this habit or acquiring the mode of calculated procrastination. Time
and again great writers have referred to it and Victor Kiam says "procrastination is
opportunity's assassin". It is very true that since we let opportunities pass by, opportunities seldom
knock on the door the second time. It is also the trepidation of victory or failure which is
suicidal. This is a choice you need to make to save yourself from that failure. This paper states why
do we procrastinate, how to overcome procrastination and some other insights into the habit.
© 2009 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
Interpersonal Communication: Lifeblood of an Organization
-- Deepa Sethi and Manisha Seth
Communication plays a crucial role in the functioning of organizations. In fact, what
an organization requires mainly is communication. It is an inseparable, essential and
continuous process just like the circulatory system in the human body. As a result,
communication effectiveness becomes a very vital factor in determining the efficiency with which an
organization performs as a whole. The existence of an organization depends upon a number of things
like unity of command, delegation of authority and responsibility, teamwork and leadership,
each one of which entails a strong support of interpersonal communication.
Interpersonal communication, therefore, becomes the lifeblood of an organization. Fundamentals
of interpersonal communication are communicators, message, noise, response, background
and channel. Decent interpersonal communication skills support intimate relationship,
counselling, selling, management, conflict management, etc. The various hindrances to
effective interpersonal communication like sentiments, filtering, message crammed with
information, defensiveness, cultural difference and argot can be overcome by simplifying language,
controlling sentiments, listening ardently and using feedback. The paper examines the vitality
of interpersonal communication for the subsistence of an organization.
© 2009 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
Body Language: Inside Out
-- Sangeeta Shukla
The importance of appropriate body language in any interpersonal communication is a
well acknowledged fact. Most of the training in body language focuses on the external
physical aspects of what should be the correct language that one's body should speak. This
information is useful to comprehend the non-verbal signals sent out by a person one is interacting
with. However, when one attempts to control one's own body language or manipulate it, the
actual or intended message one wanted to convey may be lost. A vital issue missed in this
training approach is that body language is only a physical manifestation of what the mind is
feeling. This paper attempts to look at how the training in body language can be handled
differently so that there is no or minimal contradiction between the languages of the mind and body.
© 2009 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
Accent Neutralization
For Effective Communication
-- V Rajini
Globalization has boomed outsourcing in India. Since a lot of communication has to
take place with overseas clients, these outsourced companies seek employees with excellent
English speaking skills. Indians are globally known for their articulate English speaking skills.
However, India being a country known for its diverse languages and dialect mixes, English spoken
in various parts of India has invariably got traces of the native language. Hence, Indian
English may not necessarily be understood by the native speaker of English because of lack of
clarity in accent. This incomprehensibility can lead to confusion in the flow of
communication. Globally understandable English following the norms of international phonetic standards
is imperative to iron out the traces of mother tongue. This has given birth to the need for
accent neutralization training. This training generates awareness on the concepts of sounds
and stress in words and sentences. A person who undergoes the training can notice a
significant clarity in speech and speed in pronouncing the words. This awareness can reflect
positively for the individual and the organization he works for. This paper gives an
understanding about the need for accent neutralization training in general and generates awareness on
the right manner of pronunciation and stress leading excellent communication skills at work.
© 2009 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
A Comparative Study of Soft Skills
Among Engineers
-- K V A Balaji and P Somashekar
`Soft skills' are the extra or additional skills required by engineers of the
21st century. Effective communication and interpersonal skills are crucial to increase employability and also
to compete successfully in this dynamic global environment. Soft skills provide students with
a strong conceptual and practical framework in building, developing and managing teams.
It plays an important role in the overall personality development thereby enhancing the
student's career prospects. Some of the `soft skills' that are necessary for being successful are
leadership quality, team work, conflict management skills, interpersonal skills, self-management
skills, decision making capacity, futuristic thinking, continuous learning capacity,
empathy, persuasion, negotiation, presentation skills, personal effectiveness, diplomacy,
orientation towards goal, flexibility, good customer service, written and oral communication skills,
creativity/innovation, and problem solving capacity. This study reveals the importance of soft
skills, taking into consideration 14 core dimensions, which play a vital role in the overall
personality development of the engineering students. The above mentioned dimensions have
been considered while measuring the presence of soft skills.
© 2009 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
Training for Entrepreneurship:
An Exploratory Study in Bangladesh
-- Dewan Mahboob Hossain and Mohammad Badrul Haider
The main objective of this study is to find out whether in Bangladesh,
a university course on `entrepreneurship' at the undergraduate level encourages students
to become entrepreneurs. To do the research, a total of 45 BBA (Bachelor of
Business Administration) students of three different universities are interviewed. All these students
have just completed a course on entrepreneurship. Some questions were asked on the
importance of entrepreneurship, influence of training on entrepreneurship and motivation. The
research concludes that students find a course on entrepreneurship important in their education. It
is mainly because this course opens the door to think about an alternative career other
than having a job. This course can also encourage many of the students to become entrepreneurs
in future. It is because the course teaches them about the pros and cons of starting and
running a business in a particular business environment. But in some cases, students
become discouraged also by learning details about the dispiriting business environment of Bangladesh.
© 2009 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
Role of Training in Improving Performance
-- K V L Manasa and Nivedita Reddy
Training is often a key to improved performance. Performance appraisal is a systematic
process that assesses the performance of an employee and measures his contribution to
the organizational objectives. The deficiencies brought at in the appraisal can be corrected
through training. The paper attempts to understand perceptions of employees at Andhra
Pradesh State Financial Corporation (APSFC) with regard to performance appraisal and how
training plays a key role in correcting the deficiencies in performance.
© 2009 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
Marketable Human Capital Investments:
An Empirical Study of Employer-Sponsored Training
-- Bo M Hansson
This paper examines the predictions of human capital theory in relation to on-the-job
training. The analysis is based on a unique dataset from a consulting establishment and
includes direct measures of profitability, training, and each employee's acquired human capital
stock. Consistent with recent findings in the training literature, the present observations
indicate that the employer iMarketable Human Capital
Investmentss financing as well as extracting the rents from marketable human capital investments. A salary increase in connection
with employer-sponsored training may function as a means of safeguarding these
investments, and to a lesser extent, as a consequence of shared return.
© 2009 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
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