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The IUP Journal of Soft Skills

Mar-Jun '10
Focus

Daniel Goleman, an internationally known psychologist once said "We are being judged by a new yardstick: not just how smart we are, or by our training and expertise, but also how well we handle ourselves and each other".

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Techniques for Developing Speaking Skills and Fluency
Self-Esteem Among Technical Students During Recession: An Empirical Study
Body Language: Silent Communicator at the Workplace
Flow, Work Satisfaction and Psychological Well-Being at the Workplace
The Dynamics of Pygmalion Effect in Organizations
Impact of Leadership on Identifying Right Organizational Designs for Turbulent Times
Training Sales Professionals: Challenges in the 21st Century
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Techniques for Developing Speaking Skills and Fluency

-- Gore Vitthal

In the changing global scenario, English has become the storehouse of knowledge and the medium of establishing communication across the world. Acquiring English language skills is the prerequisite for every individual who intends to be a part of the changing global scenario. As a result, the process of teaching and learning English has focused on the development of four language skills LSRW (Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing). The aim of this paper is to explain some of the techniques for developing speaking skills and improving language fluency. The techniques can be used in the higher education pedagogy and in the training institutions where the focus is laid on employability skills and placements.

Self-Esteem Among Technical Students During Recession: An Empirical Study

-- B Ravikanth

Is economic recession a time of decreased self-esteem among engineering students? Many such engineering students, their teachers, and others think so and many industry professionals recall recession period as a time of increasingly heightened psychological tension particularly among engineering students in remote colleges of Andhra Pradesh. The purpose of this study is to understand the self-esteem levels among engineering students during economic recession. To answer this, the present empirical study was conducted in an established engineering college in West Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh. The sample size includes those students who are academically brilliant and are top 15 in the class (N = 75). The Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory Adult Form (CSEI-A), a 58-item self-report questionnaire was used to measure the level of self-esteem of all respondents. CSEI-A questionnaire was distributed to the sample size and results of the findings were analyzed. The study examines whether there is any difference between the self-esteem levels of IT (MCA, CSE and IT branches) and non-IT students (EEE and ECE branches). The study also examines whether there is any relationship between the self-esteem levels among Engineering and PG (MCA) students. The results showed that there is no significant relationship between IT and non-IT students. Also, the results indicated that there is no significant relationship between self-esteem levels of engineering and PG students. The results thus cannot be generalized to the entire population of engineering colleges. However, there is a plenty of scope for further research in finding the causes of low self-esteem and to establish a methodology to enhance self-esteem levels of the students.

Body Language: Silent Communicator at the Workplace

-- Daisy N Kurien

The role of body language in communication is pivotal and unquestionable. Body language comprising of postures, gestures, eye contacts, facial expressions, etc., speaks more than any content delivered verbally. In today's highly competitive environment, an employee spends most of his time at workplace. Out of his experience, he practices self-control and keeps check on his verbal communication. But, body language surpasses all controls and invariably reveals the bare truth. The interpretations of body language differ and thus they may not always necessarily convey the real feelings of an individual. Thus being more sensitive to the need of othersemployer, colleagues, customers, etc.one must improve his/her nonverbal communication. The implications of body language need to be understood by the employer as well as the employees. A better understanding of right body language brings success at workplace and contributes to the growth of the organization. It also opens more avenues of growth at personal and professional front, for the employees of the organization. This paper aims at understanding the role of body language and its interpretation at workplace. It is an attempt to understand nonverbal cues of individuals employed to enhance positivity at the workplace.

Flow, Work Satisfaction and Psychological Well-Being at the Workplace

-- Ronald J Burke

Two studies examined the relationship between the experience of flow at work and indicators of satisfaction, engagement and psychological well-being. Data were collected from 211 journalists working in Norway and 224 staff nurses working in Turkish hospitals using anonymously completed questionnaires. This emphasis on flow was consistent with emerging trends in both psychology and organizational studies, termed positive psychology or Positive Organizational Scholarship (POS), respectively, to focus on strengths and excellence rather than dissatisfaction and pathology. Hierarchical regression analyses, controlling both personal demographic and work situation characteristics, indicated that flow accounted for significant increments in explained variance on most work outcome measures. Journalists indicating higher levels of flow also reported more enjoyment of work, positive effect and feelings of efficacy; nurses reporting higher levels of flow also indicated three more efficacies, vigor, dedication, absorption and higher self-rated job performance. Levels of flow however were unrelated to absenteeism and to most measures of psychological well-being in the journalist sample and to psychological well-being in the nursing sample. Explanations for the association of flow with favorable outcomes are offered along with potentially practical implications.

The Dynamics of Pygmalion Effect in Organizations

-- S C Poornima and Diwakar Chakraborty

The notion of self-fulfilling prophecy was conceptualized by Robert Merton, a professor of sociology at Columbia University in 1957 in his work called, "Social Theory and Social Structure". The magic was certainly involved in the ancient myth from which the idea of a self-fulfilling prophecy takes its common name, "Pygmalion". The research is carried out with the belief that "one of the most powerful tools for motivating or influencing performance of others is communicating your own expectations to them". The study explores the existence of the Pygmalion effect in the present day organizational context. The research attempts to understand the effect in a superior subordinate work environment with the possible contributors to the effect, and arrives at a positive change.

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Impact of Leadership on Identifying Right Organizational Designs for Turbulent Times

-- Christopher Mosley and Sergio Matviuk

Organizations of all sizes, types across various industries are experiencing turbulent forces of change from the environment in the business world, both nationally and internationally. We are in an era of global businessa `one world market'. The traditional orientation of companies working just within national boundaries is declining worldwide. The ability of business to respond to the newer challenges of globalization requires clarity of vision and understanding about the behavioral role of management and organizations in this constantly changing new world (Brake et al., 1995). It is up to the leaders and followers alike to position the organization to compete and win in the face of increasing external global market pressures. The expressed purpose of this paper is to add new insights and foresight to an existing body of knowledge on the role and impact of leaders to identify and implement the right organizational design(s) to fit the culture, strategy, people, and unique challenges facing each organization. Equally important this paper is intended to articulate the necessary prerequisites that must be in place to ensure that the design(s) is sustainable to achieve the desired outcomes for the organization.

Training Sales Professionals: Challenges in the 21st Century

-- Venu Gopal Rao

Organizations of today are facing a multitude of problems like increased competition, shifting customer preferences, changing demand patterns, technological shifts, which have combined to create a highly complex marketplace. Against such a backdrop, organizations are facing issues with their manpower, especially the sales force. This function is going through a difficult phasefirst in terms of understanding the new customer and secondly in estimating their own preparedness to face the changing realities. Organizations, on their part, have tried to close in on the divide through regular training interventions. Unfortunately, these interventions have not kept pace with the changing realities. This paper makes an attempt to put forward a set of recommendations that may address the concerns and help create better equipped sales professionals suitable for the 21st century.

Go Kiss the World: Life Lessons for the Young Professional

-- Author : Subroto Bagchi, Reviewed by Rajnandan Patnaik

"Go Kiss the World" were the last words of Subroto Bagchi's ailing mother to him that eventually became his guiding principle of life. This book is an extension to the last words of a willful mother. The author attributes the lessons learnt from his parents, his upbringing, to the success (and failures) in his professional life. Coming from a humble middle-class family of Orissa and going on to become the founder of one of the most admired Indian Software Services company, MindTree Consulting, is a life extraordinary. Through individual reflection over the events that took place in his forming years, the author draws inspiring lessons for today's professionals to energize themselves to `lead extraordinary lives'. Go Kiss the World will be an inspiration to `young India' and to those who come from small towns, urging them to recognize and develop their inner strengths, thereby helping themselves to realize their own, unique potential.

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Automated Teller Machines (ATMs): The Changing Face of Banking in India

Bank Management
Information and communication technology has changed the way in which banks provide services to its customers. These days the customers are able to perform their routine banking transactions without even entering the bank premises. ATM is one such development in recent years, which provides remote banking services all over the world, including India. This paper analyzes the development of this self-service banking in India based on the secondary data.

The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is playing a very important role in the progress and advancement in almost all walks of life. The deregulated environment has provided an opportunity to restructure the means and methods of delivery of services in many areas, including the banking sector. The ICT has been a focused issue in the past two decades in Indian banking. In fact, ICTs are enabling the banks to change the way in which they are functioning. Improved customer service has become very important for the very survival and growth of banking sector in the reforms era. The technological advancements, deregulations, and intense competition due to the entry of private sector and foreign banks have altered the face of banking from one of mere intermediation to one of provider of quick, efficient and customer-friendly services. With the introduction and adoption of ICT in the banking sector, the customers are fast moving away from the traditional branch banking system to the convenient and comfort of virtual banking. The most important virtual banking services are phone banking, mobile banking, Internet banking and ATM banking. These electronic channels have enhanced the delivery of banking services accurately and efficiently to the customers. The ATMs are an important part of a bank’s alternative channel to reach the customers, to showcase products and services and to create brand awareness. This is reflected in the increase in the number of ATMs all over the world. ATM is one of the most widely used remote banking services all over the world, including India. This paper analyzes the growth of ATMs of different bank groups in India.
International Scenario

If ATMs are largely available over geographically dispersed areas, the benefit from using an ATM will increase as customers will be able to access their bank accounts from any geographic location. This would imply that the value of an ATM network increases with the number of available ATM locations, and the value of a bank network to a customer will be determined in part by the final network size of the banking system. The statistical information on the growth of branches and ATM network in select countries.

Indian Scenario

The financial services industry in India has witnessed a phenomenal growth, diversification and specialization since the initiation of financial sector reforms in 1991. Greater customer orientation is the only way to retain customer loyalty and withstand competition in the liberalized world. In a market-driven strategy of development, customer preference is of paramount importance in any economy. Gone are the days when customers used to come to the doorsteps of banks. Now the banks are required to chase the customers; only those banks which are customercentric and extremely focused on the needs of their clients can succeed in their business today.

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