Fourth 21st Century Academic Forum Conference at Harvard

Tired of attending the same old conference? Why not join us March 20-22, 2016 for the Fourth 21st Century Academic Forum Conference at Harvard? The primary aim of the conference is to encourage and facilitate research initiatives that address the most pressing issues facing 21st century citizens. This truly interdisciplinary conference is driven by the theme “Impactful Research for Better Lives.”

We genuinely hope that conference participants embrace Gandhi's challenge to "shake the world" by harnessing the power of research, experience, and collaboration to present evidence-based solutions to real-world problems. Of course, real-world problems are complex and rarely fall within the tidy boundaries of traditional academic disciplines. As such, 21st Century Academic Forum conferences are not structured around narrowly defined topic tracks but are organized around six issues areas facing 21st century citizens.

ISSUE AREAS

* Education & Workforce Development
* Innovation & Entrepreneurship
* International Development
* Information Technology
* Energy & Environment
* Public Health

WAYS OF PARTICIPATING

* Oral Presentation: 25 minutes

* Poster Presentation: 3 hours (held on March 21st from the a.m. coffee break through lunch)

* Absentee Presentation: For those who are unable to join us at Harvard, we offer the opportunity to participate as an Absentee Presenter. Absentee Presenters can upload a narrated presentation to our website, have her/his abstract printed in the Conference Program Book, and submit a Conference Proceedings paper.

* Non-Presenter (Listener): For those interested in attending to participate in the various presentation and skill workshop sessions.

RESEARCH SUPPORT PROGRAM

We offer academic presentation and academic writing skills workshops for participants all day on March 20, 2016. The workshops provide participants an excellent opportunity to brush up on skills and learn with and from their fellow participants.

CONFERENCE HOMEPAGE

http://www.21caf.org/4th-conference-at-harvard.html

PUBLICATION OPPORTUNITIES

All papers that meet the 21st Century Academic Forum's Conference Proceedings guidelines will be published in our online Conference Proceedings (ISSN: 2330-1236). Papers must be submitted for possible inclusion in the Conference Proceedings by June 21, 2016.

We purposely set the deadline for papers three months following the conference with the rationale that authors should use the feedback they receive at the conference in crafting their final drafts of their paper.

The Conference Proceedings will be published on September 21, 2016. The editors of our peer-reviewed Journal of 21st Century Issues (ISSN: 2330-1244) select the best papers from the Conference Proceedings to appear in special thematic issues of the journal.

ABSTRACT SUBMISSION

Submission of your abstract proposal (maximum of 3 submissions) should be made in English through our Online Submission System until the final deadline of February 19, 2016. The Conference Committee reviews abstract proposals on a rolling basis and authors will typically receive a decision within two weeks of your submission.

CONFERENCE STAFF FEE WAIVER PROGRAM

We are offering six conference fee waivers to individuals who agree to assist our team with various tasks throughout all three days of the conference. Preference will be given to those who are interested in a long-term relationship with the 21st Century Academic Forum, either as an editor or serving on our International Advisory Board. Please visit our website for more information on the conference fee waiver program.

SEE YOU AT HARVARD?!

We hope that you can join us for this truly international interdisciplinary conference at one of the top higher-education institutions in the world. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or requests.

Best regards,

21st Century Academic Forum team

Enquiries: conferences@21caf.org

The Fastest Way to Create Chaos in Labor Relations

Employees willingly sign up to be part of an organization and then diligently work on fulfilling their roles. Employers are sometimes unaware of how their decisions impact their workers and damage the unwritten employment contracts that all business interaction relies on. The fastest way to create chaos is through managing a business with unprofessional standard while acting with integrity does the opposite and in turn raises performance.

There is a right and a wrong way to make decisions.  Employees want to succeed and expect to be treated with dignity and respect. Promotions should be based on their merit and not the personal whims of the manager. Having actual criteria in place and ensuring fairness in a selection process in important for creating the best work environments.

Solid labor relations is about creating mechanisms, policies, procedures, and professional standards that guide a company on a macro scale. Individual managers may play havoc and cause damage to those standards but should ultimately be held to account for their poor behavior. Without "rules of the road" commitment begins to break down expectations change.

Employees look at how people are promoted, hired, fired, and selected to make determinations about the type of efforts needed to succeed. Even though, as human beings, we want to promote people similar to us it doesn't make a whole lot of sense in the long run of the business. If a manager makes decisions based on misguided perceptions then they are looking to individually profit at the expense of the entire company.

It is easier said than done. There are written rules and there are unwritten rules. The written rules are those guided by policies and laws while unwritten rules are often the biggest determiner of outcomes. Unwritten rules like social status, be friends with, lie about, cheat so and so, be nice to, etc... end up defining work performance.

When unwritten rules are solidified into a culture the organization will have some serious difficulties rooting out its impact. It isn't just the vantage point and actions of a few but become a part of the very fabric of a department. This can be hard to remove from the minds of others if they have experienced the same reality.

However, with consistency, adjustments in culture, and the right kind of leadership it is possible to learn from the past and make solid changes that strength the business fabrics. Companies that create employee commitment and have solid labor relations approaches will find themselves retaining talent, attracting new talent, and creating a sense of community.

Methods of Creating Chaos in Labor Relations:
-Allow managers to make self-interested decisions not based in business logic.
-Fail to use formal policies and procedures as guides.
- Have no criteria for selection and promotion.
-Be unprofessional.
-Be toxic.
-Fail to see a need for improvement and don't act.
-Sow a culture of distrust and resentment.

Methods of Creating Trust in Labor Relations:
-Evaluate managers base on their ability to make decisions in the company's best interest.
-Allow flexibility within policies and procedures.
-Encourage professionalism.
-Remove toxic people and promote positive people.
-Continuously look for excuses to improve the organization.
-Have defined criteria for selection and promotion.

Martial Arts, Business, and Confidence

Martial arts is an ancient practice that teaches one self-defense skills. It also teaches a person about confidence and how to hold and carry their body. That all makes a lot of sense but what does that have to do with business?

Business is about how you hold yourself, maintain a conversation and tackle issues. Life isn't easy and it isn't always fair. The chips are often stacked against you but you will need to fight through it as much as possible.

Martial arts gives the confidence someone needs to deal with all of the issues and needs of other people. Much of what we consider "business" is social by nature and it is important for business professionals to learn how to deal with others.

Body language becomes a "tip off" to show others how to act and react to you. Confident body language will prompt people to act and approach you in a certain way. Confidence encourages people to respect your opinion.

Like other sports, martial arts gives a creative outlook that affords an opportunity to re-leave stress and get in shape. Work can be frustrating and having an outlet is beneficial for the overall life satisfaction.

Martial arts isn't just about kicking butt. It is also about building confidence, getting in shape, and reducing stress. It will help you hold your body in a way that improves others perceptions of you as well as provide an outlet for your free time.

International Journal of Engineering Sciences and Management Research

The "INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING SCIENCES AND MANAGEMENT RESEARCH ” is a pre-reviewed, monthly, online international research journal, which publishes original articles, research articles, review articles with top-level work from all areas of Engineering Research and their application including Mechanical, Civil, Electrical, Chemical, Electronics, Mathematics and Geological etc. Researchers in all technology and engineering fields are encouraged to contribute articles based on recent research. Journal publishes research articles and reviews within the whole field of Engineering Research, and it will continue to provide information on the latest trends and developments in  this ever-expanding subject. Apart from Engineering it also covers the area of Management including Marketing, Finance, Operations, and Accountancy etc.

To maintain a high-quality journal, manuscripts that appear in the IJESMR have been subjected to a rigorous review process. This includes blind reviews by three or more members of the editorial review board, followed by a detailed review by the IJESMR editors.

Subject Category:

Cover all branches of Engineering, Science and Management

Important Dates:

·Paper Submission:   20 October2015.

·Review Results (Acceptance/Rejection) Notification: Within 02 Days after submitting paper.

·Published Online on : 25 October 2015.

Publication Charges:

Indian Author(s)

Rs 750/- upto 2 authors, after 2 authors charges will be Rs 350/author 

Rs 300/author for Hard copy of certificate.

Foreign Author(s)

$ 70 USD upto 6 Authors

Submission Procedure:

Manuscript are invited in MS Word format and to be submitted via mail on articles@ijesmr.com, Please note that Review Papers/Articles are also acceptable.

Once a paper is accepted, authors are assumed to cede copyrights of the paper over to IJESMR. All papers will be acknowledged and referred.

FINAL PAPER SUBMISSION:

Each final full text paper (.doc) along with the corresponding signed copyright transfer form should be submitted by Email:articles@ijesmr.com

Editor in Chief:

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING SCIENCES AND MANAGEMENT RESEARCH (IJESMR),

Website: www.ijesmr.com

Paper Submission Email:articles@ijesmr.com

For any Query, Please feel free to contact at:articles@ijesmr.com

Ensuring Business Curriculum Meets Employer Needs

The importance of strong curriculum cannot be underestimated. Universities sell their skills and knowledge to to students who are then snatched up by employers. Curriculum is the embodiment of that knowledge that determines brand value. Curriculum should continuously updated with industry knowledge, relevant theories and real life examples to ensure it is fresh and up-to-date.

Maintaining a leading market position in business education will require focusing more heavily on ensuring the needs of industry stakeholders are being met. This means that curriculum should always be focused on those skills employers seek to create higher levels of personal performance. 

I break curriculum into three areas that include foundational, theoretical, and market information.

Foundational is basic business knowledge needed to succeed as a professional in the market. This is information that will be used as a method of building more complex knowledge and understandings. Without the fundamentals of business, complex business thought cannot be produced in a way that will lead to a tangible outcome.

Theoretical is advanced knowledge of leading theories that solve common workplace problems. The theories are generally associated with the major functions of business such has human motivation, marketing, management, etc. Higher levels of education will lead to the incorporation of more theoretical aspects.

Finally there is market information. That information relates to modern examples, current marketplace problems, employer needs, and other market oriented information that adjust curriculum. Keeping information updated and relevant helps the school maintain its leading position that meets employer needs. 

Leadership by Leading or Leadership by Formal Power:Making Long-Term Strategic Decisions

Leadership is an absolute and vital aspect of business success. Without the right type of leadership there will be a lack of motivation, commitment, and sustaining power in organizations. If your company has low morale and people are griping you might need to take a look at who and how leaders are selected. It may be a problem with personality and management style.

Consider a scenario of two leaders....

Leader 1: One leader has the an open personality and tries to understand before judging. He/she has confidence in their abilities and looks at issues from multiple angles before making a judgement. They rely on their own experience and the experience of others to make decisions. Because they have an even keel personality and are fair to others they have gained trust and respect.

Leader 2: Relies heavily on formal power. He/she is competent in their job  but unable to deal effectively with other people. Their agenda must succeed at all costs and anyone who has another idea is seen as a threat to their position. They encourage rumor mongering, get vindictive with promotions, and make decisions based on the bundle of dysfunctional needs they carry.

Companies make this mistake all the time. They skip over Leader 1 to get the quick results the "whipping of the horse" Leader 2 offers. They ignore the long term needs of the organization and the employees in an effort to quickly solve problems and means loss of human/intellectual capital.

When the organization finally figures out the mistake and in turn opt for Leader 1 they have already done a lot of damage. People have left, resentment bubbles, the rules of performance have changed, and a culture of distrust takes hold. It requires much more effort to fix the problem then it would have if the proper decisions were made right away.

Selecting the right type of leader who is a fully developed person is important for overall growth and development of the entire organization/organism (The organism and organizational structure often develop together). The personality and performance of the entire organization rests on the personality and performance cues brought forth by leadership. Poor leaders foster poor employee behavior while strong leaders enhance employee behavior.

Lessons:

-Think about personality and integrity when hiring for senior leadership positions.
-Ensure the person thinks about their role beyond themselves.
-Hire leaders who have ethical approaches and understand the benefits of fair processes for selection and promotions.
-Make sure the person has an even keel personality.
-Ensure they have right type of background and can make appropriate long-term strategic choices.

The International Journal of Management & Information Systems (IJMIS)

International Journal of Management & Information Systems

ISSN 1546-5748 (print); ISSN 2157-9628 (online) · Published since 1997

The International Journal of Management & Information Systems (IJMIS) publishes papers that significantly contribute to the understanding of any aspect of international management and especially as to how it is impacted by information systems and related fields. Using a wide range of research methods including statistical analysis, analytical work, case studies, field research and historical analysis, articles examine significant research questions from a broad range of perspectives. The purpose of IJMIS is to publish papers that significantly contribute to the field of international business and information systems.

IJMIS is a widely cited, completely open access journal that is important reading for management and information systems academic researchers and international business and information systems professionals. Articles may include but are not limited to any area that impacts on the conduct of international business management as it is impacted by management information systems and allied fields.

IJMIS is published quarterly. Months of Distribution are: January, April, July, and October.

Papers based on both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies, in all traditional areas of information systems and related fields, are accepted. Authors with papers that have an international perspective are especially encouraged to submit to IJMIS. Articles submitted to the Clute Institute for possible journal publication are subjected to a double-blind, peer review process.

We therefore invite you to forward your papers of your research, review, learning etc. for publication in our esteemed International Journal of Management & Information Systems.

The authors are invited to submit their original research papers for IJMIS through the journal website:

http://www.cluteinstitute.com/journals/international-journal-of-management-information-systems-ijmis/