The Impact of Education on Veterans Empowerment to Enhance Careers and Job Satisfaction - Essay Example

? The Impact of Education on Veterans Empowerment to Enhance Careers and Job Satisfaction Concept Paper Columbia Southern College of Business in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION By Deven A. Latimer November 2013 Contents Introduction 1 Background of the Problem 2 Theoretical Foundations 3 Definition of Key Terms 4 Review of the Literature 4 Summary 10 Problem Statement 10 Purpose of the Study 11 Research Questions 13 Primary Research Question 13 Secondary Research Questions 13 Significance of the Study 14 Research Methodology 16 Research Design 16 Sources of Data 17 Data Collection Procedures 17 Data Analysis Procedures 18 Ethical Considerations 19 References 20 Annotated Bibliography 22 Introduction Rank (2006) argued that education is an economic pillar because it improves people’s likelihood of getting employed into reputable jobs that increase their earnings and enhance their lifestyle. What is more, the impact of being educated transcends all facets of a person’s life and occupation, including being a Marine Corps veteran. In the opinion of Eberlein (2006), education improves a person’s social life and social status. Studies by Druskat and Pescosolido (2002) revealed that high levels of education led to increased career and job satisfaction, especially among U.S. Marine Corps veterans. As veterans increasingly learn and read from various sources, their lives go through various transformational processes. Druskat and Pescosolido found a direct correlation between education level and the kind of jobs that U.S. Marine Corps veterans get employed into. Nelson (2012) noted that education level also influences veterans’ taste, class, and life preferences. Using existing literature on the relationship between education and employment opportunities for U.S. Marine Corps veterans, I seek to identify the effect of education on career and job satisfaction after these veterans have been employed. Many soldiers—especially veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan—have participated in a special program offered by the Pentagon unit dubbed the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2008, which helped to incorporate them back into society (Nelson, 2012). Soldiers with the U.S. Marine Corps were offered education, low-interest mortgages and loans, and paid tuitions. Although previous studies (Abrahms, 2012; Nelson, 2002; Offner, 2012) have concentrated on the influence of these benefits in transforming soldiers’ lives, there has been little focus on the impact of education in helping them find better jobs and the subsequent job satisfaction that would enable them to fit into a normal lifestyle. According to Offner (2012), veterans face problem in finding jobs. Abrahms (2002) noted that the current state of the economy, which is paralyzed with high rates of unemployment and underemployment, also affects the ability of the least educated to get jobs. Returning veterans thus find themselves competing with more-educated workers for job placements. In addition, Offner (2012) pointed out, although some of these soldiers were lucky enough to find jobs, they could not effectively handle those jobs, due to lack of job satisfaction. This will form the main basis of the present research paper. Background of the Problem Many U.S. Marine Corps veterans have spent a considerable period of their lives on the battlefield. Studies by Nelson (2012) indicated that incidents on the battlefield in such places as Iraq and Afghanistan caused these soldiers psychological pain and trauma. Nelson further indicated that the process of social integration among U.S. Marine Corps veterans during their homecoming was characterized by a mixture of feelings and emotions. While friends and relatives left at home had advanced academically and improved their social class, the soldiers were less educated, their education having stagnated. The civilians had acquired higher education, gotten married, and improved their lifestyles, whereas the returning Marine Corps had to restart their lives, sometimes from destroyed families or stalled careers. Kumudha and Abraham (2008) argued that facing such problems immediately upon return is too difficult to bear and that veterans thus require economic, financial, and psychological support. To this end, veterans are presented with a range of benefits through the GI Bill program, established in part to provide veterans with the education necessary to acquire civilian jobs (Eberlein, 2006). Education was a prominent feature among these benefits, given the potential of education to assimilate veterans back into normal life and to improve their social class. Many scholars (Abraham, 2012; Kumudha & Abraham, 2008; Nelson, 2002; Offner, 2012) have undertaken studies on the effects of these educational benefits in transforming the lives of the veterans through job satisfaction. Although some argued that these programs were of no use in changing veterans’ way of life, others were confident that they offered adequate assistance, given that job satisfaction leads to job retention and efficiency (Kumudha & Abraham, 2008). It is to examine these conflicting studies and arguments that I will conduct this study. Its main intent will be to examine the relationship between education and job satisfaction among the U.S. Marine Corps veterans following participation in the GI Bill program. Theoretical Foundations French and Bell (2009) noted that education has the potential to transform a population’s lifestyle in a number of ways, and a variety of studies support this argument. According to Hill, Gardener and Alfredo (2005), education improves an individual’s earning level as well as improving his or her lifestyle. Other studies, such as Cascio and Aguinis (2005), indicated that education changes the social status of people in a society. According to Hill et al. (2005), the more education a person receives, up to postgraduate level, the higher a person ranks in society. With social rank comes power and increased social responsibility. Thus, knowledge truly is power, and many studies have sought to back this assertion. Giving people career-oriented education significantly improves their lifestyles. Moreover, French and Bell (2009) confirmed that education leads to job satisfaction. Education also elevates a person’s social status and class by placing them in highly responsible job openings. This study seeks to explore the effect of education on improving the job satisfaction of U.S. Marine Corps veterans. In their transformation to civilian life, veterans undergo a number of stages. They are taken through the GI Bill program and are introduced to a number of benefits aimed at elevating their social class. Such benefits include subsidized loans to start businesses, low-interest mortgages, and funded college and university education (Cascio & Aguinis, 2005). Rank (2006) argued that education stands out among all these benefits. The fact that education improves people’s lifestyles and elevates their social status suggests the need for further study of the topic. This study will focus on the contribution of education to soldiers’ level of job satisfaction after they acquire employment. Definition of Key Terms Government Issue (GI Bill) program: also known officially as Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 was a law that provided an array of benefits to veterans returning from the World War II. Social circle: Groups of people who are tightly interconnected with one another (Ghalioun & Costopoulos, 2004). Social capital: The connection within and between networks of people or groups of people in a society that bring about productive benefits for the people involved in the social relations (Abrahms, 2012). Veteran: A person who has previously served in the army, thus being exposed to acts of military conflict (Abrahms, 2012). Review of the Literature According to a study by Williamson and Mulhall (2009), which focused on the challenges to employment faced by U.S. Marine Corps veterans, education is the biggest challenge veterans face in seeking employment in different parts of the world. The results of this study indicated that many of the veterans seeking job opportunities face rejection due to a lack of required academic qualifications. Rather than living like the heroes of war that they are, veterans end up facing a number of problems, including poverty (Fich & Shivdasani, 2006). Most of these people would like to work in the corporate world and lead normal lives. The military makes a huge effort to educate soldiers both at their post and online, offering them many opportunities toward acquiring a job. However, Broderick (2003) lamented the fact that these levels of education do not meet the higher educational qualifications and standards set by job recruiters; thus, many Marine Corps veterans end up remaining jobless or doing odd jobs. Williamson and Mulhall (2009) reported that many veterans gave up existing jobs when they joined the Marine Corps, but upon return, their academic qualifications did not meet the demands of their previously held positions, making it even more difficult for these soldiers to be reabsorbed into their previous organizations. Although the directive issued in the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act requires organizations to give veterans their previous or equivalent positions, veterans’ levels of satisfaction with these positions were relatively low. Offner (2012) observed that many of these former soldiers could not effectively handle the requirements of their positions, due to the knowledge and skills demanded by the organization. Ifinedo (2008) noted a developing trend of courts siding with Marine Corps veterans in their quest to reassume their original positions, if they held one before entering service. But, as noted, the educational gap between veterans and those who stayed home and received higher and advanced education creates job dissatisfaction among veterans. A person who is highly advanced on a job gains better experience, which makes him or her feel more at ease in delivering standardized service than those who lag behind in their roles due to the absence of command over their job (Williamson & Mulhall, 2009). The Marine Corps veterans, therefore, had to go back to school to seek further training in order to comfortably and effectively handle their duties. In the estimation of Blundell-Wignall and Atkinson (2008), government support of Marine Corps veterans is overwhelming. Aware of the power of education to improve soldiers’ lives, a number of programs and agencies, such as the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2008, saw to it that most of these soldiers went back to school and received equivalent education. Education benefits people in a number of ways. Not only does it improve economic status by increasing income levels but also it also gives people power and social class. Strong (2007) observed an increase in the social and economic mobility of people in the United States due to improved education standards, especially among those who undertake career-oriented higher degrees. The fact that systems of higher education provide avenues for power and legitimacy is proof enough of the significant role played by education in establishing and defining a person’s social class. This argument is supported by Huang (2008), who argued that education affects social trust and social participation in a particular way. In his analysis, Huang pointed out that education largely contributes to the positive correlation between an individual and his or her social capital. Highly regarded people in a society rank higher and are in a better position than poorly educated people (Druskat and Pescosolido, 2002). Social capital is the connection within and between networks of people or groups of people in a society, and social capital expands as people acquire more income. According to Broderick (2003), wealth opens up a person’s world, and good education is commonly associated with wealth. In the opinion of Druskat and Pescosolido (2002), education also equips individuals with public relations skills and knowledge, enabling them to handle others more effectively and efficiently, and this can lead to increased job satisfaction. Moreover, education opens the doors to wider networks of people, especially those of different cultures. As such, education increases a learner’s networks and social circles. Many authors and experts agree that as a personal level in education increase, an individual is exposed to more people and builds more networks around him- or herself (Blundell-Wignall & Atkinson, 2008). As mentioned, job satisfaction is linked with high educational standards. Among the previous surveys and research done by Stillo (2011), there is an indication that the level of income correlates with the level of job satisfaction and the motivation of workers and employees in an organization. Abraham (2002) added that job satisfaction at the lower levels of a bureaucratic system is very low because of factors such as low remuneration, absence of employee engagement, and poor motivation. Most of these workers are less motivated to work (Stillo, 2011). In fact, few people report job satisfaction if they work in the lower levels of an organization. Fich and Shivdasani (2006) found that people in the top management positions of those same organizations expressed a high degree of satisfaction at work. For example, managers and chief executives agreed that they were more satisfied with their jobs and would be willing to remain in their positions. In addition to increased job satisfaction, highly ranked positions in an organization are characterized by better pay (Stillo, 2011). Thus, education would help U.S. Marine Corps veterans to attain job satisfaction by enabling them to occupy higher positions following their military experience. Hunter (2002) found that the kinds of tasks handled by top-ranked employees do not demand more effort but rather require more reasoning and thinking. For instance, forecasting and accounting tasks are very different from manufacturing and production tasks. Employees ranked lowest in an organizational structure also tend not to receive satisfactory salaries. In fact, compared to top managers, lower-ranked employees earn quite little (Elbogen, Johnson, Wagner, Newton, & Beckham. 2012). Salaries feature significantly in the motivational packages of employees in an organization, and motivation greatly accounts for job satisfaction. In fact, Hunter (2002) stressed that, just as high salaries lead to increased levels of motivation, low salaries are on their own demotivating. A highly demotivated workforce performs poorly and the rate of employee turnover is very high, which is expensive for companies. Thus, job satisfaction and education are positively related. The more educated a person is, the more that person earns, as they are offered better jobs than less-educated people. According to Elbogen et al. (2012), many veterans have no more than a bachelor’s degree, and the majority of veterans are young men who have not yet gone through tertiary education. Stillo (2011) noted a relation between level of income and level of education. Likewise, Strong (2002) indicated that the more educated a person is, the more they are likely to earn. Pursuing higher education increases the likelihood that a person will acquire knowledge and skills that are applicable to different situations in an organization. More knowledge means that a person can handle more jobs. Additionally, it means that the mistakes they are likely to commit in their work are minimal. Thus, their work is thorough, free of mistakes, and delivered on time, leading to job satisfaction (Kumudha & Abraham, 2008). As a result, well-educated people are involved in the decision-making process of their organizations and their expertise is essential in setting organizational goals, allocating resources within the organization, supervising other people, and financing the organization, among other tasks. Subsequently, these people earn higher salaries for their services rendered to the organization. In contrast, Ifinedo (2008) noted, poorly educated people in an organization are likely to make more mistakes because they are not specialized in any particular field, and as a result, such employees receive little pay for their services to the organization. Studies have shown that the differences between the rich and the poor among U.S. Marine Corps veterans are a result of educational differences between members of the two groups (Elbogen et al., 2012). More-educated veterans have the power and the capacity to control resources within their jobs. In the opinion of Mayer, Davis, and Schoorman (1995), when only a small group of people controls resources, only a few people benefit, and this particularly affects those who do not own the means of production. Poor veterans who cannot afford the means of production are left with nothing to offer in the workforce but their labor (Strong, 2002) and thus remain poorer. To avoid such inequalities among loyal Marine Corps veterans, the government implemented a plan to help ex-military members get back into society and to ensure that they are able to fit in and blend (Elbogen et al., 2012). The Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2008 was introduced as out of the GI Bill program and a number of other benefits that have had a number of positive effects. In particular, returning veterans are offered mental and psychological support and help in assimilating to life back home. They also are provided with loans to start businesses and low-cost mortgages to buy houses. However, Fich and Shivdasani (2006) pointed out that the education plan, which aims to improve veterans’ lifestyles, is arguably the most influential of all the implemented plans for ex-military personnel. Humensky, Jordan, Stroupe, and Hynes (2013) noted that the importance of education in transforming the lives of people in society was the main reason that this element of the plan was given high emphasis. Summary Past studies have linked U.S. Marine Corps veterans’ level of education to level of job satisfaction. The higher a veteran’s level of education, the more likely he or she is to be satisfied with his or her job. This is because there is a close relationship between education and job rankings, and high-ranking individuals enjoy their jobs more than do low-ranking individuals. Additionally, there is a positive relationship between a Marine Corps veteran’s occupation and his or her lifestyle, because better jobs are associated with better salaries. Problem Statement U.S. Marine Corps veterans, especially those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, having spent a considerable amount of time in the battlefield, were unable to advance their education to desired levels, regardless of the fact that educational programs were available to them. In addition, because most of the veterans were young adults between the ages of 18 and 24, they were hardly advanced in their education (Humensky et al., 2013). One main characteristic of these veterans is that they all were close to people who had just completed their secondary or tertiary education. These veterans spent enough time in the field to have found a variety of changes in society when they returned. Many of their contemporaries who never joined the military were much advanced in their careers; others were married or had families. Therefore, these veterans, some of whom came from the battlefield with psychological issues, were faced with another, bigger problem. They were coming home to a world that was fully transformed and for which their education was inadequate, even if they were only gone for one year. There were no jobs for them because most positions required training, knowledge, and skills, but the only skill they had was the experience of war. They could not handle management tasks, and neither could they be offered highly demanding tasks. Those who never got the opportunity to receive further education often became very poor because they did not have any form of income. In response, the government set up the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2008 program and offered a number of benefits for returning Marine Corps veterans. Education featured prominently in these benefits, with soldiers receiving free tuition or education loans. These efforts were undertaken in recognition of the benefits of education in transforming the lives of people and improving their economic and social status. Purpose of the Study The purpose of this qualitative ethnography is to explore the effect of education on U.S. Marine Corps veterans’ careers and job satisfaction during their transition to civilian life after participating in the GI Bill program in the United States. At this stage in the research, the veterans generally will be defined as soldiers who took part in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Research Questions To successfully accomplish its purpose, the study will be divided into two types of research question—primary and secondary—and will seek to answer these questions in a comprehensive manner. Primary Research Question What is the impact of the GI Bill’s education program in empowering U.S. Marine Corps veterans to achieve enhanced careers and job satisfaction after their transition from military service to civilian life? Secondary Research Questions 1. What is the contribution of education in empowering U.S. Marine Corps veterans? 2. Does education influence the kind of jobs that veterans acquire after the GI Bill program? 3. What factors make education a significant factor in these U.S. Marine Corps veterans’ transition process? 4. What is the impact of education in enhancing careers for U.S. Marine Corps veterans? 5. What is the impact of education on job satisfaction for U.S. Marine Corps veterans? 6. Does education influence the kind of lifestyles that war veterans live after going through the GI Bill process? Significance of the Study As the literature review reveals, there exists a gap in the previous studies conducted on the problem of U.S. Marine Corps veterans’ transition into civilian life. Among the various benefits provided to war veterans, education features significantly, because education provides people with unlimited opportunities for career growth and job satisfaction. Therefore, veterans were given loans to pay for their education, up to any level that they wished. In addition, they were provided with paid tuition at various learning institutions (Burnett-Zeigler et al. 2011). The influence of education and its ability to transform the lives of these people cannot be underestimated. If anything, education helps them in acquiring the very best careers and jobs available. Previous studies (Nelson, 2012; Offner, 2012; Stillo, 2011; and Strong, 2002) used extensively for the literature review have not covered this topic in a comprehensive manner. Therefore, the main aim of this study is to bridge this research gap, assess the advantages and disadvantages of education for these U.S. Marine Corps veterans, and provide recommendations after the study is complete. Research Methodology This study will employ a qualitative methodology. Qualitative research is an inquiry method that researchers employ in different academic disciplines, such as market research, among other contexts. Panneerselvam (2004) defines qualitative content analysis as “a research method for the subjective interpretation of the content of text data through the systematic classification process of coding and identifying themes or patterns” (p. 23). In academic research work, two methods of qualitative research are used: inductive and deductive. In inductive reasoning, the themes and categories emerge from the current data through careful examination and comparison of the data collected by a researcher. In contrast, deductive reasoning uses data from previous studies and incorporates that data into the current research, especially in data analysis, to draw inferences and conclusions. Research Design The research design includes the research methodology and procedures employed in conducting scientific research. It defines the type of study, which is descriptive, experimental, correlational, and semi-experimental, a review or a meta-analytic. Generally though, all forms of research design are either descriptive or longitudinal case study. This particular research study will be a qualitative ethnographic study of the impact of education on war veterans. To comprehensively answer the questions in this study, the research will focus on the lives of a particular group of people—Marine Corps veterans. The group will be sampled from a university campus, where is there is estimated to be about 20 such veterans. The study seeks to examine the lives of these people and their career prosperity, linking this to the level of education they have acquired. Sources of Data Sources of data are instruments used in collecting data required for the study, such as interviews and questionnaires (Panneerselvam, 2004). The instruments used must sufficiently serve to accomplish the purpose of the research and study. This study will employ interviews and questionnaires to collect data for use in the study. To some extent, observations will be used to form logical linkages between the information provided by the respondents and the actual reality. For instance, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who claims that he acquired a good job and was paid well after going back to school should be in a position to demonstrate this through his lifestyle. The kind of life such a veteran lives should be a reflection of such a claim. Both open-ended and closed-ended questionnaires will be used, because respondents will be asked to give direct answers to some questions whereas other questions will seek to determine respondents’ personal opinions. Because some of the veterans are already dead, the study will try to discover the kind of positions they held in their previous organizations. Others will be represented by their kin, and this will necessitate the use of interviews. Data Collection Procedures The target population of the study will be U.S. Marine Corps veterans, especially veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The main aim of the study is to determine the effect of education in transforming the lives and the lifestyles of these veterans, as measured in a number of ways, such as through their career selection and job position. Therefore, the study’s target population will be Marine Corps veterans in the United States enrolling in an identified university. In a further analysis, the study will seek to verify whether education has any significant effect on people’s lifestyles by comparing the lives of veterans who enrolled in school after the GI Bill program with the lives of those who did not. After creating the data collection tools, the researcher will book appointments with members of the target population through e-mail or by phone contact. This will especially take place in the case of interviews. Questionnaires administered will be of two types: an electronic version and a hard copy. Some of the questionnaires will be directly e-mailed to the respondents, whereas others will be handed to the respondents by the identified university, who will be selected through a purposive sampling technique. Data Analysis Procedures Data analysis is the process of inspecting, cleaning, transforming, and modeling data with the main goal of discovering useful information from this data, suggesting conclusions, and supporting the decision-making process. A multifaceted approach involves different techniques with a variety of names as well as in a variety of domains. The procedure begins with cleaning of the data, in which the collected data is inspected and erroneous data is corrected. This effectively takes place during the data entry stage. Initial data analysis is the next step. This stage involves determining the quality of data, the quality of data measurement, and the initial transformations of data. The next stage is the main data analysis, which involves confirmatory approaches to data collection, the stability of the results collected, and the statistical methods used in the data analysis. Technological development has revolutionized the research sector and a variety of software is used in the data analysis process. Different software packages and systems are used in different stages of the research process. Software is most commonly applied at the data analysis stage. Although similar software could be used for different types of studies, there are specific software packages designed for different types of research. This study will use the DevInfo data analysis software, which is a system endorsed by the United Nations Development Group for monitoring and analyzing the human development process. Ethical Considerations This research will keep the respondents anonymous. Information collected will be used solely for the research purpose of the study alone. Only the researcher will handle all the data. No outsider who is not party to this research will have any access to the data provided by the respondents. References Abrahms, Max. (2012). The political effectiveness of terrorism revisited. Comparative Political Studies, 45(3), 366–394. Blundell-Wignall, & Atkinson, P. (2008). The Sub-Prime Crisis: Causal Distortions and Regulatory Reform. OECD working paper. Tokyo: Redeemed University Press. Broderick, T. (2003). High-level debate on corporate governance and financial market reform. European Financial Services Regulation Issue 8, 1–2. Burnett-Zeigler, I., Valenstein, M., Ilgen, M., Blow, A. J., Gorman, L. A., & Zivin, K. (2011). Civilian employment among recently returning Afghanistan and Iraq National Guard veterans. Military Medicine, 176(6), 639–646. Cascio, W. F., & Aguinis, H. (2005). Applied psychology in human resource management (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Druskat V., and Pescosolido T. (2002). The content of effective teamwork mental models in self-managing teams: Ownership, learning and heedful interrelating. Human Relations 55(3), 283–314. Eberlein, R. (2006). On the road to the state’s perdition? Authority and sovereignty in the Niger Delta, Nigeria. Journal of Modern African Studies, 44(4), 573–596. Elbogen, E. B., Johnson, S. C., Wagner, H., Newton, V. M., & Beckham, J. C. (2012). Financial well-being and postdeployment adjustment among Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans. Military Medicine, 177(6), 669–675. Retrieved from http://ehis.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=f5ec0790–8e6d-460f-b057-a311c800f26e%40sessionmgr11&vid=2&hid=6. Fich, E., & Shivdasani, A. (2006). Are busy boards effective monitors?. Journal of Finance 61(2), 689–724. French, W. L., & Bell C. H., Jr. (2009). Organization development behavioral science interventions for organization improvement. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Ghalioun, Burhan, and Costopoulos, Philip. (2004). Persistence of Arab authoritarianism. Journal of Democracy, 15(4), 126–132. Hill, A. R, Gardener S. T and Alfredo A. F (2005). Premises of Case Laws of Intellectual Property. Ultimate Printing Press: New York Huang F. R. (2008). "Causes of Conflicts in the Third World During the Post-Cold War Phase," India Quarterly, nos. I and II, January-June 1994, p.35. Humensky, J. L., Jordan, N., Stroupe, K. T., & Hynes, D. M. (2013). How are Iraq/Afghanistan-era veterans faring in the labor market?. Armed Forces & Society, 39(1), 158–183. doi:10.1177/0095327X12449433. Hunter, J. (2002). Improving organizational performance through the use of effective elements of organizational structure. International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance Incorporating Leadership in Health Services, 15(3), xii-xxi. Ifinedo, P. (2008). Impacts of business vision, top management support, and external expertise on ERP success. Business Process Management Journal, 14(4), 551–568. Kumudha, A., & Abraham, S. (2008). Organization career management and its impact on career satisfaction: A study in the banking sector. London: Sage. Mayer, R. C., Davis, J. H., & Schoorman, F. D. (1995). An integrative model of organizational trust. Academy of Management Review, 20(3), 709–734. Nelson, B. (2002). Should the senate pass S3457, the Veterans Jobs Corps Act?. Congressional Digest, 91(9), 270–272. Retrieved from http://ehis.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=5e251583–17cb-4e57-aa80–0db55734b910%40sessionmgr12&vid=2&hid=6 Offner, J. (2012). Returning veterans face new battle finding jobs. Community College Week, 24(18), 12–13. Retrieved from http://ehis.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=c07f7150–41fe-46b6–823f-c8aab8ec3c8c%40sessionmgr13&vid=2&hid=6. Panneerselvam, R. (2004). Research methodology. New Delhi: Prentice-Hall of India. Rank, H. (2006). Teaching about public persuasion. In D. Dieterich (Ed.), Teaching and doublespeak. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English. Stillo, S. (2011). The role of salary as a motivating strategy for increasing the quality and the stability of the public administration in Albania. International Journal of Economic Perspectives, 5(1), 5–15. Strong, A. B. (2002). Educating for power: How higher education contributes to the stratification of social class. Texas: Alpha Press Limited. Williamson, V., & Mulhall, E. (2009). Invisible wounds: Psychological and neurological injuries confront a new generation of veterans. New York: Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. Retrieved from http://iava.org/files/IAVA_invisible_wounds_0.pdf. Annotated Bibliography Burnett-Zeigler, I., Valenstein, M., Ilgen, M., Blow, A. J., Gorman, L. A., & Zivin, K. (2011). Civilian employment among recently returning Afghanistan and Iraq National Guard veterans. Military Medicine, 176(6), 639–646. This article provides information on the factors contributing to veterans’ success in acquiring civilian jobs after serving in the GI program. It also provides information on the ability of these soldiers to perform in their jobs. Having a different job than one had in the army is not an easy task. This article thus provides information about the support provided to these soldiers to enable them to conduct their business in an effective way. Elbogen, E. B., Johnson, S. C., Wagner, H., Newton, V. M., & Beckham, J. C. (2012). Financial well-being and postdeployment adjustment among Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans. Military Medicine, 177(6), 669–675. After the return of the soldiers, someSome returning soldiers have good lifestyles whereas others merely survive. All went through a similar program and were offered equal opportunities to study and acquire civilian jobs. While some went back to school, however, others did not. This article looks at the postadjustment program of these soldiers and their career paths, which largely determines the kind of lifestyles they live. Humensky, J. L., Jordan, N., Stroupe, K. T., & Hynes, D. M. (2013). How are Iraq/Afghanistan-era veterans faring in the labor market?. Armed Forces & Society, 39(1), 158–183. doi:10.1177/0095327X12449433. This article takes a close look at how war veterans are faring in the labor market after their absorption into civilian jobs. This study involved looking at these soldiers’ lives after the war and concentrates on their job performance. It also looked at how education plays a big role in either good or poor job performance. Kumudha, A., & Abraham, S. (2008). Organization career management and its impact on career satisfaction: A study in the banking sector. London: Sage. society. Information contained in this article helps to establish the various ways in which the veterans might improve their careers. Nelson, B. (2012). Should the senate pass S3457, the Veterans Jobs Corps Act?. Congressional Digest, 91(9), 270–272. war, soldiers face myriad challenges, especially in securing civilian jobs. The senate, recognizing the contribution of these soldiers in protecting the country, enacted laws that would assist veterans in acquiring decent jobs in the United States. Offner, J. (2012). Returning veterans face new battle finding jobs. Community College Week, 24(18), 12–13. Finding jobs for the war veterans is an uphill task. Employers and business owners receive them with skepticism. However, some veterans, particularly those with education, have fared considerably well in the job market. This article provides information on the contribution of education to acquiring good jobs. Panneerselvam, R. (2004). Research methodology. New Delhi: Prentice-Hall of India. provides background on the means of conducting good research. The article provides information on differentiating among various research methods and choosing the best of them. Stillo, S. (2011). The role of salary as a motivating strategy for increasing the quality and the stability of the public administration in Albania. International Journal of Economic Perspectives, 5(1), 5–15. Salary plays a big role in determining a person’s level of performance in a particular job. This is one of the motivational strategies available for managers to motivate their employees. This article provides information on the role of salaries in ensuring job satisfaction among veterans. Strong, A. B. (2007). Educating for power: How higher education contributes to the stratification of social class. Texas: Alpha Press Limited. find themselves falling into different social classes in the United States, depending on the kind of jobs they have found. Education, in turn, plays a major role in the kind of employment they find. This article provides information on the contribution of education to the social class status of these soldiers. Williamson, V., & Mulhall, E. (2009). Invisible wounds: Psychological and neurological injuries confront a new generation of veterans. New York: Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. Just after their return, veterans face new problems in their own society. As this article argues, the war soldiers must contend with job difficulties and lack of education. This article will aid in establishing the kind of problems faced by veterans, with reference to education standards and acquiring jobs. Read More