Personal Responsibility
GEN/200

Personal Responsibility
“The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that even though 12.5 million Americans are searching for work, there are 3.5 million jobs that remain unfilled, largely due to a lack of skilled workers” (Umehira, 2012, p. 2). Seeking higher education is the responsibility of any student; it is the individual’s accountability to maintain their resiliency to live up to the monumental tasks of achieves academic success. College students must take full control of their educational needs to achieve personal success. “A 1998 survey identified 90 percent of the American population were concerned about the decline of the moral values across the nation” (Clarkston, 2011, p. 14). The price of this success comes with the responsibility of not compromising their personal moral and ethical responsibilities to themselves and to the institution. It is a large undertaking process to manage these learning objectives while understanding personal responsibilities to earn an educational degree.
“Ethical decision belongs to the individual to make the choice to do the right or wrong” (Clarkston, 2011, p. 13). Ethical and moral responsibilities are integrated standards, which defines a person’s role to maintain ones integrity. However, if a student violates these standards and rules and regulations of unbecoming a scholar student, within the universities policies. Then the student could face expulsion or may receive sanctions, due to the circumstances of the violation. If a student continues to remain in the university system, ones integrity will be continuous questioned while attending the same institution. The Oxford University Scholarship Online Press states, “Moral responsibility as operating at a different level from individual responsibility and as being justified by appeal to collective intentions and actions to which they give rise” (Isaacs, 2011, p. 204). Within moral responsibility, a student must obey his personal obligations and responsibilities in completing the required assignments in a scheduled timelines. “Free will and moral responsibility has been so tightly linked in philosophical tradition” (Waller, 2003, p. 533). In today's society, a person learns from his defeats by conquering and overcoming their fears; regardless if their fears are pertaining to their educational diversity.
Outside interruptions and distractions can affect a student’s ethical and moral leadership discussion making process. This happens when a student chooses to disobey the university’s policies and procedures. “Evidence and early research on ethical behavior has shown that perception of peer behavior had the greatest impact on ethical behavior” (Joseph, Berry, & Deshpande, 2010, p. 28). Ethical and moral decision-making processes are filtered into everyone’s cognition development. Piaget explained that intellectual development in adults depends on the accumulation of knowledge that one might have (Piaget, 1973). Cognitive development consists of mental activities, perceiving, remembering, believing, and reasoning (Singer, Revenson, 1997, p. 12). As noted by Gregory (2010), “Ethical behavior can be defined quite simply by what appears to be fair” (p. 44). My personal ethical and moral responsibilities are to administer my life as a paraprofessional for special needs (autistic) clients, which can be a demanding and rewarding position. I pledge myself to participate in the individual and learning team assignments which will complete my personal responsibilities and academic goals. As a loyal person, I will not compromise my integrity; however, I will dedicate one hundred percent of my time to accomplish each assigned tasks.
“Some variability in how people experience and react to failure is to be expected” (Belanger, Lafreniere, Vallerand, & Kruglanski, 2013, p. 183). Academic students must deal with the consequences of failing to maintain the universities standards of the grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 or better. Students will display poor excuses why their individual or learning team assignments have not been completed, within the proper timeline. An article from the Business Week states; “Rutgers Business School professor Don McCabe surveyed 5,000 graduate students between 2002 and 2004 and found that MBA students cheated more than their nonbusiness peers” (Zlomek, 2013, p. 44). There are students, who violate the plagiarism policy, seem to have no problem stealing the work of others. The relationship between individual responsibility and school success can come in many forms of accomplishments. My personal success must come from within and at times from the learning team. A student has to continue to push forward and use smaller steps to attain ones success. Attending college can cause overwhelming pressures for not understanding the academic requirements. People prolong attending higher education for various reasons; commitment to family responsibilities, financial considerations, and possibly not interested in seeking higher education. Pursuing higher education presents enormous challenges to anyone. The process of juggling employment, family life, and attending school requires strict time management, which applies to undue stress. The increased levels of stress will affect a person’s mental state, physical ability, emotions, and financial position. Various people deals with stress in unusual ways; fortunately, my stress reliever is to step back and reevaluate my expectations and tangible goals. Once completing this reevaluation, I will implement on these new personal and educational goals.
Short-term, mid-term and long-term goals are essential to any learning success; goal orientation must consist of achievable goals. My short-term goals are to achieve a Bachelor’s of Science in Business/Management by the end of November 2015. To achieve this short-term goal I must stay focused while reaching my personal milestones. My mid-term goals include continuing with my education with a Master’s of Business Administration. I should be able to complete my mid-term goals by continuing to staying on track, being persistent, determined, and committed in reaching every milestone. My long-term goals are to be financially independent by the year of 2024. I feel confident with the three stages of goal setting. Maintaining personal responsibilities toward an academic future, a student must create individual goals and continue to update these goals.
A student must stay focused on the parameters of the education plan. The student should not deviate from their educational course of action because this is the baseline for his goal process. There are encouraging ways to ensure a successful academic career within University of Phoenix. They are called supportive structures; these structures are administrative counselors, highly trained instructors, learning disability advisors, online or on site workshops, and online tutorials. These resources are available to all registered students with University of Phoenix.
Conclusion, “In society and cultures of today, values, ethics, and morality are declining” (Clarkston, 2011, 13). Seeking higher education is a student’s primary responsibility and obligation to maintain their resiliency in focusing to achieve their educational and personal goals. Moral and ethical responsibilities build these strong character traits in students. Most important students must follow the theses character traits to become successful scholars.

References
Bélanger, J. J., Lafrenière, M. K., Vallerand, R. J., & Kruglanski, A. W. (2013). Driven by fear: The effect of success and failure information on passionate individuals' performance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 104(1), 180-195. Doi:http://dx.Doi.org/10.1037/a0029585
Clarkston, T. L. (2011). The ethical decision: A narrative exploratory study of a common influence or value relied upon by individuals ethical decision-making process. (Order No. 3524597, University of Phoenix). ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, 122. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1037089412?accountid=35812. (1037089412). * Gregory, P. (2010). Ethical leadership. Training Journal, 44-47. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/751876091?accountid=35812 * Isaacs, T.( June 10, 2011). Collective Moral Responsibility. In Moral Responsibility in Collective Contexts. : Oxford University Press. Retrieved 30 Jun. 2013, from http://www.oxfordscholarship.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199782963.001.0001/acprof-9780199782963-chapter-2. * Joseph, J., Berry, K., & Deshpande, S. P. (2010). Factors that impact the ethical behavior of college students. Contemporary Issues in Education Research, 3(5), 27-34. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/366497191?accountid=35812
Piaget, J. (1973). Main Trends in Psychology. London: George Allen & Unwin., (Pp. 72;. 85p.). Retrieved from http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=5219632
Singer, D.G. & Revenson, T.A. (1997). A Piaget Primer: How a Child Thinks (Revised Edition). Madison, Connecticut: International Universities Press Inc. Retrieved from http://www.icels-educators-for-learning.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=46&Itemid=61 * Umehira, R. (2012, Sep 10). Career and technical education is critical to Hawaii and U.S. success. Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1038893221?accountid=35812
Valentine, S., & Fleischman, G. (2008). Professional ethical standards, corporate social responsibility, and the perceived role of ethics and social responsibility. Journal of Business Ethics, 82(3), 657-666. Doi:http://dx.Doi.org/10.1007/s10551-007-9584-0 * Waller, B. N. (2003). Empirical free will and the ethics of moral responsibility. Journal of Value Inquiry, 37(4), 533-542. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/203921679?accountid=35812
Zlomek, E. (2013, Apr). Master's in plagiarism. Business Week, 44. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1370370504?accountid=35812