Cover story Essay

To investigate what level of obedience participants would show when an authority figure told them to administer electric shocks to another person. Participants: Obtained from advertisements + direct mailing. Self selected or volunteer sample.   40 males: 20-50 yrs old from New Haven area in the United Stated of America.   Job ranges Included: postal clerks, HS teachers, salesmen, labourers, engineers, etc.   Education: one had not finished HS to some who a have degree + qualification in various subjects. Paid: $4.50 regardless of what happened after and before they arrived. This is called COERCIAN. Method and Design:   Method: Lab experiment.   Observer observed participants for signs of tension/nervousness: â€Å"sweat, tremble, biting of lips, nervous laughter† I. V. /D. V.   I. V. – There was NO I. V. D. V. – Level of obedience; how far they’d go with the voltage to shock the learner. Procedure: LEARNER TASK   The teacher (participant) was asked to read a series of word pairs to the learner (confederate), and then read the 1st word of the pair along with the 4 other terms. Learner (confederate) had to indicate which 1 of the 4 terms was originally paired with the 1st word. SHOCK GENERATOR The shock generator perceived to be real – professionally made + model printed. There were 30 switches – labelled from 15 to 450 volts. 15 volt different between each switch.   Labels to describe intensity – from â€Å"slight shock† (weakest) to â€Å"xxx† (strongest). Teachers (ppts) were given a 45 volts shock to convince them that the shocks were real. Teacher was told to give shock for every wrong answer while moving a shock level higher on shock generator. Teacher had to read out the voltage to the learner each time they were about to give a shock.   If the teacher asked for advice/wanted to stop, experimenter used 4 prods. Example: â€Å"please continue†, â€Å"this experiment requires that you continue†. Controls: Standardised deception. Cover story.   Slips of paper drawn (pre-determined teacher).   Learner strapped. Standardised prods used by experimenter. Results: (overall %) 65% of ppts continued to shock until 450 volts. Only 35% stopped before.   22. 5% stopped at 300 volts.   Many showed signed of nervousness and extreme tension.   14 displayed nervous laughter; 3 had uncontrollable seizures. Conclusion: Very high rate of obedience – 65%. Milgram explained this as being so high because it’s a strong part of human society.   Milgram said: â€Å"Many situational factors which lead to high rate of obedience.

Consciousness In “To The Lighthouse” Essay

Stream of consciousness is a modernist narrative technique that attempts to create the illusion that the reader is experiencing the unstructured flow of observations, ideas, memories, and associations that occur in the mind of the fictional character. The stream is often illogical and puzzling in its apparent disorganization, but some patterns of association, habits of thought or recurrent images begin to emerge, providing indications of the overriding fears, preoccupations and interests of the character. The stream of consciousness tries to portray the elemental, emotional life, and the hidden psychological life of the character. In To the Lighthouse, Virginia Woolf develops the stream of consciousness technique as a means of exploring the inner lives of her characters, and she displays life as an aspect and function of the mind. In To the Lighthouse, we find ourselves in a small community of people who are expected to have individual interests and experiences. The Ramsays and their eight children are on holiday on the north coast of Scotland. In addition to the Ramsay family, included on this holiday are friends and acquaintances. Mr. Ramsay is a professional author and philosopher and the characters that Woolf has placed with him all seem to be of the intellectual set; Lily Briscoe is an artist, Augustus Carmichael is a poet, William Bankes is a botanist, and Charles Tansley is a scholar. Part One of To the Lighthouse, The Window, shows us the basic personalities of Mr. and Mrs. Ramsey and the intricacies of their relationship with one another, as well as the mind set of other characters presented by Woolf. As the plot progresses, it appears to move on normal constructional lines from scene to scene. However, it must be remembered that Woolf uses the stream of consciousness technique, so that the change of scene is more a change of aspect, as we move from the consciousness of one character to the other. Woolf has developed her characters to be of similar intellect. Because of the closely knit, homogeneous world in which we find ourselves, Woolf has taken great care to make the movement from one consciousness to another easy and natural. To the Lighthouse is divided into three parts. Woolf marks both the change of scene, as well as the passage of time, ten years, by numerical heading. This does not interfere with the flow of the steam of consciousness, and actually fastens the reader in the plot securely, one knows where one is. The middle part entitled Time Passes, contains the facts that Mrs. Ramsay has died, Andrew has been killed in the war, and Prue has died in childbirth, as well as the decay of the neglected house. Time Passes acts as a connection between the first part, The Window, and the third part the ?The Lighthouse. Since the characters in The Lighthouse, find themselves set in the same environment as The Window it is easy for the reader to find his position in each of the characters consciousness. When I first sat down to read To the Lighthouse, I was a little confused. But as I continued reading, I recognized that through the stream of consciousness technique, Woolf made it possible for me to experience the Ramsays home and the lighthouse, as well as see and feel the characters personal reflections. Virginia Woolf successfully transported me back into a period long gone. As I finished reading To the Lighthouse, I actually visualized the green lawns, the blue ocean and the lighthouse in the distance.

Benildean community

The researchers, based on their personal and their peers' experiences, chose to address the situation due to the countless transportation hassles encountered by the students of De La Sale – College of Saint Bindle in order to help them maximize productivity in school. Issues such as inadequate parking slots, heavy traffic, and long queues for the e-Jeeps contribute greatly to the student's academic standing (e. G. Tardiness and absences), consequently leading to poor performance and morale.Thus, it is in the best interest of the school to implement enhancements on the existing system in order to uphold the Benefited Core Value of Social Responsibility by being socially aware and having a deep concern for their fellow students and the administration. Through this, the researchers conducted interviews, surveys and extensive ocular observations of the area to be able to present their information to implementing authorities.The researchers, as active citizens of the Benefited comm unity, practiced their observance of the law and took initiative in addressing the problems encountered by the school population in order to mitigate the transportation issues that is currently a hindrance to their punctuality and maximized school productivity. Due to the nature of the researchers being concerned with the overall performance of the school and since they are aware of the effects of to delve into developing this project that will benefit not only Benefited community s a whole, but also the local community surrounding the proximity of the institution.The project is not only aimed to the immediate relief of traffic issues, but is also geared towards the improvement of the condition of major thoroughfares that will provide a safe, secure and hassle-free Journey for the motorists who are Just passing through. Being professionally competent, the researchers extend this project to anyone who finds themselves behind the wheel and are usually encountering the aforementioned p roblems, whether or not a member of the Benefited community.The problem of students regarding the transport systems along the campuses of DOLS-CBS contribute greatly to their academic performance in school. Due to the current inefficiency of the current transport systems, there is an influx in the tardiness and absences in the academic records of the students, causing them to consequently be lazy, disinterested, and no longer focused in their studies. This, in turn, causes a downward spiral in performance in school, with the student frustrated to the inefficiencies of the current transport system that influences their academic records as well.The transport system is currently facing unhealthy problems that do not seem to be properly addressed since there is no action being implemented to mitigate the problem. Considering the fact that a significant portion of the Benefited community (student, faculty and administration) bring their vehicles, the amount of facilities, or lack thereof , directly affects a substantial number; and mostly the students bear the brunt of this disappointing problem. Queues of vehicles line the streets (e. G. He illegal back gate parking located at Leon Counting, or the multi-level parking at SAD which extends up to Sapid Residences) heavily add to the traffic congestion in the area, making it difficult for other vehicles to maneuver their way in traffic. These checkpoints and blockage tend to manifest during rush hour as the amount of cars double in number, making it near impossible for other vehicles to pass through. Given that there are other modes of transportation that are currently available to students, they are not utilized properly.The e-Jeeps, despite having punctual schedule, also contribute to the delay in travel since the units of the vehicle are not efficient enough to cater to the number of queuing passengers, this is further aggravated by traffic and harsh weather conditions. The ratio of passengers to the units of opera tional e-Jeeps defeats its purpose. This ultimately results in the students' frustration who are then forced to employ other means of transportation, or worse, walk, most especially when they are in a hurry to reach their classes on time.Pedicels provide convenience to students who are rushing to their classes in the other Benefited campuses, but are often faced with bargaining woes prior to the ride from PH. O up to PH. O are initially demanded by the pedicel drivers before they provide their services, much to the dismay of the students. This encourages most of the budget-constrained Biennials to brave the elements, rain or shine, Just so they can reach their classes and not miss out on their lessons.Although students may choose to walk Just so they can maintain their budget, their security is also Jeopardized as they become walking prey for unscrupulous individuals/groups who want to make easy money regardless the time of day. Reports of students being robbed or threatened into gi ving their valuables may be unpopular, but it is also a problem that exists and plagues the students. Add the harsh weather as they tread on foot to their designated classes and there is the issue of their health being taken into consideration as well.Traffic, weather disturbances, bulk of passengers and demanding public transport fares challenge the Benefited community, however, there seems to be a low level of concern expressed by respective authorities to ensure the safety and convenience of the Biennials, let alone the community surrounding the school. Students, members of the Benefited administration and faculty face these evident problems every day and often overlook this because of the pressure placed on them to reach their destination and classes on time.This research and proposal hopes to, if not alleviate the issues aforementioned, control the state of the current transportation schemes and aims to improve the Benefited community's day-to-day excursions to accomplish their academic requirements. PROJECT DESCRIPTION Having evaluated the issues concerned with intercalate transportation, and establishing the need for certain enhancements, the researchers deemed it accessory to provide cost-effective suggestions that could possibly expedite the lengthy and faulty process of creating and implementing student-oriented projects.Using state-of-the-art tools and critical thinking, the researchers attempted to come up with feasible solutions geared towards the attainment of its objectives, that is to mitigate the inconveniences created, directly or not, by the transport systems currently available for the Benefited community. Guided by this ultimate goal, the researchers delved deeper into the circumstances related to the cause of the robber, so as not to provide a mere â€Å"band-aid solution†.The issues of undisciplined drivers, deregulated pedicel fares, among others, were uncovered and would have to be addressed with fervor as well in order for this project to attain its success. Initially, the researchers already had first-hand knowledge of the problem as they themselves have encountered the inconveniences stated in this proposal. In addition to that, they have also been in constant interaction with peers and individuals research, contributing to its effectively, should it be promulgated.

Roman Empire Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Roman Empire - Annotated Bibliography Example He taught Ancient history as well as Latin at the University of Willamette since 2006 to 2007. He taught a quite popular course on the Ancient Magic as well as on Roman Africa, a well received course as well. The author’s main focus is the growth of Rome from scratch into a big empire. He looks at its positioning, technology, the government and strategies employed for growth. Points supporting the growth of Rome include its position which was steep. The author uses this point to show how easy it was to defend the city against the attacks from enemies hence facilitating growth. Rome was ruled by a series of Kings who got advised by the senate that constituted of leading family heads in Rome. This point shows the leadership that lead to the growth of Rome. The way of life in Rome involved trade with centers being Rome cities. Cities were carefully planned by Roman engineers. This point shows how the economy grew hence the growth of the empire (Nice,

HS630 Week 5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

HS630 Week 5 - Essay Example The preparedness measures and resource preparedness strategies that need to be executed to prevent and to mitigate the situation to ensure the future going concern of this business include ( Lindell 2006). Risk management procedures should be clearly outlined and operational at all the times during the business operations. This strategy is the key driver towards the implementation of the business response and recovery plans because it boosts the readiness and the preparedness of the business towards major disasters associated with the shipping agency and the liners business. This strategy involves the mobilization of the available resources and acquiring the required facilities to be used upon the eventuality of any disasters. The facilities should include fire stations and trucks, availability of highly trained staff and employees who are able to mitigate both the foreseeable and unforeseeable disaster at the ports as well as the ships in the waters ( Lindell 2006). This strategy involves the identification and the analysis of the cross-sectoral dependencies that exist in the operations of the business. The role of this strategy is to asses the reliability of the business emergency preparedness and the critical infrastructure protection, the established special team is obligated to carry out several test and exercise on the effectiveness and the reliability of the business. A special team is obligated for this task and their report is submitted to the risk management team of the company for further examinations in regard to the critical infrastructure business ( Lindell 2006). The findings on the tests and the conducted exercise are very useful in the decision making of the organization mostly used by the risk management team of the business. Effective and efficient utilization and mobilization of resources is an important aspect in the assessment of various logistics and the overall

ExxonMobil and Rosneft Arctic Collaboration Essay

ExxonMobil and Rosneft Arctic Collaboration - Essay Example The entire project is at risk from a large number of factors that span the financial, compliance, strategic and operational domains. The project is set to create an open framework that allows information and expertise sharing along with data availability and accessibility. Another aim is to augment oil reserves and to ensure oil supply as per global demand. Similarly the project looks to develop world class expertise and to come to an agreement that is beneficial and protective throughout the life of the project. Another underlying aim for Exxon is to become a leading oil giant. A large challenge is to achieve cooperation across the table and to deal with a state controlled country. This may give rise to legal issues and the US Congress may be reluctant to support such an initiative. Environmental groups would also oppose efforts for exploration and the icy environment would be a large challenge to work with as well as problems in oil spills, waste disposal and oil transportation. Th e project would proceed as semi-sub drilling with daily costs of $700,000 producing some 160,000 barrels per day. A joint venture framework would be used as the political and economic climate of the US Russia relationship is precarious over the longer run. The largest risk anticipated by the project is price volatility in the international market given that the project stretches some two decades. The collaboration between Exxon Mobil and Rosneft Arctic Corporation is a very positive step in order to promote collaboration between the US and Russia. Moreover such collaboration can provide much required relief to the international energy markets as more oil is discovered and exploited. The Russian side has the territorial space and the jurisdiction while the American side has the capability to provide the technical expertise that is much required to carry out this project. The largest technical challenge will stem from the function of the TLP’s tendons under the

Sustainable Business Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words - 1

Sustainable Business Development - Essay Example Zipcar can be taken as a service which causes such environmental implications. It is a car sharing club located in United Kingdom. As per figure1 there exists series of steps to be focused on while manufacturing cars. In this process metals has to be extracted and ores need to be dug from the ground. These raw materials are then transformed into parts. There are other parts that are transported to assembly unit like paint, rubber tyres, plastic dashboards, etc. The entire transportation process encompasses consumption of energy. A medium size car production results into emission of approximately 17 tonnes of carbon dioxide. The major environmental impacts caused by car production are in terms of waste water discharge, solid waste generated in manufacturing units which is disposed to landfill, emission of volatile organic compounds to air, energy consumption, large amount of waste generation, etc. Greenhouse gases are strongly emitted during the production phase of Cars (Harrington and McConnell, 2003). It has been witnessed that waste is generated in large amounts starting from extracting of raw materials to fi nal packaging. Figure 2 clearly states that production volume country wise has increased over a given time frame. This sudden increase in volume has caused drastic impact on the environment. On the other hand, enhanced consumption rate is another aspect which has contributed towards production increase. However in recent scenario level of Car sales has returned back to normal level as denoted in figure 3. The consistent demand towards Car consumption has caused drastic impacts on environment. In overall context, the major pollutants discharged by Cars are greenhouse gases. Burning of fuel within Car emits large amount of carbon monoxide into the atmosphere which is harmful for human body as well as atmosphere. Global warming is the final result of such emissions (Kagawa, 2011). Noise pollution is also another factor related to Car consumption

Islamic finance RM Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Islamic finance RM - Coursework Example The unique consideration concerning credit risk in Islamic banking are current account is considered as more stable source of credit financing since it constitutes largest percentages of the finances. The five years maturity period of ijarah Sukuk is considered as the unstable fund since it takes long time for its maturity. Mudarabah, Musharakah, Qard and Ijarah are working together in the Islamic banks. Musharakah cannot perform its function without Mudarabah and it cannot work in the absence of Qard, therefore they are expected to work together. Oversight by board and management: IIFS is expected to possess a comprehensive risk management process which includes the senior management oversight for controlling the different types of credit risks. 3. Credit risk weighting for the Islamic finance institution can be explained as 400% risk weighted is applied in case of all commercial and private enterprises and 300% of risk weighted funds on Mudarabah basis for withdrawal by the investor during the short notice period. It is useful since it acts as a pledge of assets as collateral, it provides guarantee to the third party and leased assets. 1. The Rate of Return Risk mainly manages the maturities and re- pricing opportunities of the assets and liabilities of the banks. IIFS are mainly exposed to Rate of Return Risk associated with overall balance sheet exposures. It ensures that it can understand the characteristics of their balance sheet position and different currencies jurisdictions. IIFS adopts balance sheet techniques for minimizing the exposures using the strategy which includes determining the future profit ratio, developing new Shariah instrument, expectation for fulfilling the market condition and issuing securitization. Rate of Return Risk focuses on sensitive gap management for reducing the risk and minimizing the gap between maturities of

Hormonal dysfunction of preeclampsia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Hormonal dysfunction of preeclampsia - Essay Example Pre-eclampsia is found to occur most commonly in young first-time pregnant women, first pregnancies with a new partner and in pregnant women over the age of thirty-five (Lloyd & Lewis, 1999). Several complications can arise during pregnancy. Some of these complications may be easy to manage, but there are several problems that are associated with pregnancy that are life threatening to the mother or foetus or both. Management of life threatening complications has improved due to the advances in the knowledge of the complications and through the advances in medical science and technology. However, the possibility of the development of life threatening complications have increased, with women delaying their first pregnancy and facing the risk of complications in pregnancy that are brought on by increase in age, obesity, hypertension and a variety of other disorders(Crafter, 1999). The common disorders that create complications in pregnancy include cardiac, respiratory, renal haematological, metabolic, infectious, neurological and autoimmune conditions (Lloyd & Lewis, 1999). Pre-eclampsia continues to be a cause of serious concern in the developed world, as it is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the mother and foetus. The reason why this high rate of morbidity and mortality continues to persist with pre-eclampsia in spite of the advances of medical science is the lack of clear knowledge on several aspects of the disease. This lack of proper knowledge has led to differing perspectives on the definition of the disease, its classification and pathophysiology and effective treatment (Boulanger & Flamant, 2007). Chappell et al, 1999, reviewing literature on pre-eclampsia found that there is seldom any uniformity in the definition of pre-eclampsia. Since hypertension and proteinuria are easily measured, from a practical perspective they have become yardsticks for defining pre-eclampsia, but the problem with this is that the increase in

Marketing Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 6

Marketing Plan - Essay Example forms of senior citizens day care Centre’s since the 1970s which are defined as community-based programs that are designed to meet the needs of minimally impaired adults through an individualized plan of care for part of the 24-hour day. According to the 2000 census, there are 3,407 senior citizens day care centers operating in the United States, serving primarily people with dementia (including Alzheimers disease) and the frail elderly who do not have dementia though experts suggest that this number is fast going to rise as more and more people require and seek these services, (Lakdawalla, Bhattacharya, Goldman, & National Bureau of Economic Research, 2001) The Sunset Senior Citizens Daycares mission is to provide a program of social, recreational, and health activities and services in a group setting that will keep our clients as comfortable as possible and at the same time caring for their immediate individual needs In the recent past, the demand for senior citizens day care centres has considerably grown. The lifestyles of the population has changed making the people need care at significantly early age thus the need to have more of this centres. This makes a venture such as opening this centre economically viable. In recent years, the age at which people adult day care services has considerably become lower as a result of the lifestyle diseases among other things. Therefore it seems that people age faster they did before. Family structures are also evolving and people prefer to have their aging loved ones cared for in these centres so that they get a chance to go make a living, (Kane, 1986). The technological environment changes rapidly and therefore people’s needs also follow these trends. The clients will need a variety of foods that are healthy and at the right times. They will also need to be entertained with activities like playing cards or board games and also scheduling activities such as bowling or even tennis if it is available. Other

How is International Law Enforced Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 7500 words

How is International Law Enforced - Thesis Example Laws are only as good as their ability to be enforced and in a decentralized world that is torn apart by self-seeking interests and motives, enforcement of international laws seems a very tall order. This is evinced by the way the organs of the United Nations have behaved in the past, particularly the Security Council, which had difficulty arriving at consensus in resolving problems simply because the chamber has, most of the time, become an extended arena of power struggle. Moreover, not only is the entire international judicial and legal system underpinned by the voluntary participation and submission of parties to the jurisdiction of these courts, but such courts seem impervious to private individuals and entities. The bottom line is that any difficulty in enforcing international law is caused by the lack of necessary support mechanism that is underpinned by the monopoly of legitimate force by a singular, supreme authority that exercises compulsory jurisdiction. Nonetheless, there is little chance that a more revolutionary system of enforcement could substitute the present along the lines of enforcement systems found in municipal laws considering that the nature of association of states is based on voluntariness and respect for one another’s sovereignty. One has only to look back on what the Versailles Treaty has brought to the world as a consequence. The enforcement of international law therefore, would have to continue relying largely on diplomacy, negotiation, state cooperation and third party proxy enforcement, among others; unless there is compelling need to do otherwise. II. Fundamentals of International Law International law is commonly defined as a body of rules governing the relations of states. It is a legal system separate and opposed to the concepts of municipal law, domestic law, national law or internal law allied to an association of human society coming from various jurisdictions. One of the important and distinct features of internati onal law is the breadth of its jurisdiction transcends political boundaries. Thus, international laws govern the conduct of the citizens of more than one country or the conduct of various states with one another on different areas such as economic, political or social (Fichtelberg 43; Ross 12). International law has various sources, but treaties and conventions form the primary foundation of its realm. A treaty or convention is a voluntary agreement between or among several countries, which contain the terms and provisions of how such countries are to conduct themselves with respect to the subject of the agreement. Examples are the Treaty of Versailles, the Treaty of Paris and the European Convention Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (or ECHR). According to Article 38(1) of the International Court of Justice, aside from international conventions, the following also serve to guide its determination of applicable international law: international custom; the general principles of l aw recognized and practiced by civilized states, and; as subsidiary sources - judicial decisions, teachings of prominent international scholars (cited Malanczuk and Akehurst 36-37; Malone 5-6). The function

Communication and Information Technology Essay Example for Free

Communication and Information Technology Essay Technological advancement have improved and eased the communication process. With the world revolving around technology, almost all tasks have been simplified consequently reducing the number of hours that one can perform a certain task. It has helped in the organizing information, thus enabling access and retrieval of information easy. The use of technology has helped many organizations cut on costs at the same time increasing efficiency and promptness in service delivery. In the medical arena, most of the up to the standard hospitals or healthcare systems have adopted the use of technology in delivering of their services. This has brought about comfortably and the feeling of appreciation to the patient or the person who is being served as it gives an aura of value for money and the sense of embrace of technology in this technological era. Electronic Medical Records is one of these technologies (Kluge, 2001). With the capacity to hold limitless information and being able to be changed to fit the current need, this technology has helped in the healthcare practitioners to deliver services in a more organized manner and without having delays as compared to if everything was done manually. Consequentially, this reduces costs and improves the picture of the organization at the same time fostering monitoring ability of the organization of the number of clients visiting the healthcare facility. Electronic Medical Record is computerized kind of information keeping in which information is compressed as it is converted in a digital format. This allows for consumption of minimal space while keeping the office of operation clean, tidy and attractive (Fins, 2008). This creation of space enables the expansion of services offered in the healthcare facility as there is more space of operation. Access of information becomes easy and convenient thus increasing the morale of the staff in service delivery. It offsets the possibility of committing unnecessary mistakes while delivering services because of handwritten records which are not legible. This program makes it possible transfer information from one healthcare system to another thus making it possible to treat patients in the shortest time possible as their medical records are delivered in the shortest time possible electronically. By use of this technology, it is possible for parents to monitor their kids’ wellbeing without having extra cost of travelling to where they are to check on their progress. It also makes it possible for patients to assess their medical record and also get their results without much problem of waiting till they are given to them manually. Other electronic communication delivery services like the use of voice over have helped in the reduction of the amount of work that one does in calling patients manually so that they can be attended to. It is just a simple task of just announcing a patients name and they go to the corresponding room in which they will be served. This has increased efficiency and effectiveness in serving clients (Fins, 2008). This sets a kind of an order which they patients follow and allowing for easy dissemination of information, loud enough for everyone to hear, thus, patients do not have to suffer the discomfiture of not having heard their names being mentioned by a caller physically since this system is fitted with speakers loud enough to be heard clearly. Other technologies like the Practice management software ensure the smooth running of the healthcare system giving medical practitioners a humble time in their operations on a daily basis. This wads off possibilities of confusion and lets them (medical practitioners) operate in an orderly manner. The information which this software can handle is all inclusive and does not only include the client’s bio data but also other aspects of the healthcare organization like bills and transactions going on. (Klug, 2001) It works just the same way as the EMR only that it comprises of the management aspect of healthcare system in its daily operations. Apart from keeping a track on patients’ conditions and appointments, the system is used to develop bills and keep a record on the same so that thee reports can be used whenever need arises. It keeps every transaction and activity on record so that it becomes possible for any practitioner to know what was done the previous day and by who, which patient was attended to and by who so that he/she is able to know exactly where to start as concerns a specific task. This just as the EMRs has a way of cutting costs and increasing effectiveness. This is because all information as concerns any patient is stored electronically and retrieved with ease when need arises, thus avoiding the possibility of confusing one’s medical data with another persons (Fins, 2008). This enables a medical practitioner to prescribe the right medicine to the right person while at the same time allowing for generation of information about the right bills for the client in accordance to the medical procedures and medication accorded to him or her. Other systems like the electronic health systems keep a full medical history of a patient. It keeps essential information that can be used by the doctor or any medical practitioner to offer quick and effective diagnosis of a patient. All healthcare reports about a certain patient are stored in this system including drugs prescribed to the patient every time he/she attends that healthcare facility. It is also inclusive of all test results of that particular patient as well as x-rays and the response of the patient towards a certain medication. All this information is essential for up to level health care treatment of any patient. It keeps off the agony of a patient for having to answer tedious questions about their past medical history every time they visit a healthcare facility, as information about them is stored electronically and retrieved on every visit. This medical history is updated time to time on the occasions that a client visits for the purpose of seeking for treatment. The use of electronic technology in healthcare systems has more pros than cons. This is because as enumerated above, it has advantages to both the client and the healthcare facility. The fact that it increases efficiency and effectiveness can not be underscored while at the same time reducing operating costs of the facility. Clients are served to their liking and while their medical record is kept safely and is retrieved during the time of need with a lot of ease (Kluge, 2001). One of the major disadvantages is that information about a patient can be copied maliciously and tampered with. If the entire system should break down, then volumes and volumes of information are lost. It would be a good thing if all the above system could be integrated into one piece. This will ease operation even more as all the operations are under one click of a ‘mouse’. It could also be improved in such a way that clients can access their information wherever and whenever they are. Reference Fins, J. (2008). Web of Care: How Will the Electronic Medical Record Change Medicine? The Hastings Center Report, Vol. 38, pp. 67-88 Kluge, E. (2001). The Ethics of Electronic Patient Record

Lean Principles in Construction

Lean Principles in Construction Executive Summary Toyota is a name that when seen brings an image of high quality, durability, cost/fuel efficient and best value for money in the car industry. The reason for such a high standard is that Toyota Production System has Pioneered and Implemented Lean Principles in Production system. These principles didnt have the effect immediately in the start but at the last stages, it proved to have a greater worth for it. By implementation of Lean Theories and Philosophy, Toyota had got rid of much wasteful activities using Just In Time approach. The understudy report consists of the Implementation of Lean Principles on a Construction Project which was significantly delayed due to lack of managerial qualities. The Client built a new Head office to shift all the activities from the previous offices in to the new one, but a delay to all activities was observed. It has been analyzed that the construction companies fail to give proper time to the initial Pre-Design and Design Phases and are more reluctant towards starting their construction. The current method of working of the company is mapped and explained with the possible issues and problems are being enlisted. The Design Build approach of Procurement was appraised and further improvements have been suggested. The second part of the report consists of the major and applicable Lean Principles and how they can be implemented in Construction Projects. This not only reduces the wasteful activities but also prove to be cost efficient as mapped. Lastly some merits of Lean Implementation on the construction project have been enlisted and conclusions are drawn. NEW HEAD OFFICE OF COMMERCIAL BANK OF KUWAIT (CBK) Introduction The Commercial Bank of Kuwait is a well known Bank in Kuwait having its roots back in 1960s. It began with a simple minded policy from just a small part of the property with the aim to handle the financial burden on the main bank of Kuwait; the National Bank of Kuwait. Being an old player in the country, the CBK decided to shift its old head office to the new location as the old building had many issues like less working space creating hurdles in modernizing the banking facilities. The old office was in the region of Maidan Hawally which is considerably famous for foreigners living in the region. The new head office of CBK is in the Centre of Kuwait i.e. Kuwait City which is the economic hub of overall State of Kuwait. In this project, Commercial Bank of Kuwait was the main funding source. The Project began in January 2007 and the construction of the Bank lasted till March 2009. Although the project was expected to be completed by June 2008 whereas only the construction phase had jus t finished till March 2009 and the final building being handed over by September 2009. The study of the project indicated that the Project was not only delayed yet was significantly over budgeted. The Project was approximately 30 % over budget and 15 months delayed. Moreover not only these issues affected the project but too many changes by the client were also a reason for the delay. The delay in the completion of the CBK Project was due to two reasons. One being that the Chief Executive Officer of the CBK resigned due to some personal issues with Managing Director of the Bank and the other reason was due to the Financial Crunch throughout the globe. These two reasons caused changes in the project after a long halt to the construction till the new CEO was assigned as the requirements of the project were altered accordingly. Therefore only one person cannot be held responsible for the overall delay caused in the CBK Project. According to Tucker (1998), a high level of management in Construction is very much essential for smooth flow of project. Thus it can be said that there were flaws in the design phase of the project and the lack of good management resulted in overall failed on-time delivery of the project. The Procurement method of the project was Design Build keeping in view the needs and outcomes of the project. The Client (CBK itself) had future plans for further development which all seemed to be left in vain of further initiation due to such a mess created. There fore the Client took keen interest to map the overall processes of the project in order to learn the flaws that delayed the Project so as to further smoothen up its activities. Working Philosophy in the CBK Project Being appointed as an Assistant Project Manager by the Client (Commercial Bank of Kuwait), the task allocated was to analyze the overall performance of the CBK Headquarters project and prepare a report to learn the flaws and outcomes of the project. Such an exercise was done in order to generate preventive measures so that future projects may not be delayed much. The report consists of a comprehensive analysis of methodology used for the Development of Headquarter of CBK and the maximum emphasize is given to the changes in the design i.e. the overall management of the design. The first step taken into consideration is the feasibility report or the outline of the project which is the first process in a project. A detailed approach in investigation is taken therefore, the Contractor (Ahmadiah Contracting-Kuwait), the team of Client (CBK), stakeholders and other parties involved in the project were consulted. All the processes are shown are Appendix 1. Method of Procurement The method of procurement in this project was Design and Build. It is very much necessary to understand what this approach is by analyzing the method. From the clients point of view, the success of the project is nearly decided by choosing appropriate method of procurement in the beginning. The common layout of the system can be seen in the figure below. Fig.2 indicates that this system is very much suited for clients who typically pass their risk to the contractor and a close coordination is developed between the design and the contractor team. This enables to synchronize the time, cost and quality of the project in the true sense of good project management perspective. As the cost is pretty much decided in the beginning, the client is confident that all the further process is smoothen up. But the point to be concerned is that all teams should have proper knowledge of design and build approach. Mostly clients which have Design Build approach new into their project end up with the sentence that the contractor has made a lot of money out of this project. This can be true only if the client finds that the things mentioned in the proposal are not same as they should have been. According to Morledge et.al (2006), client should be in notice that: * Design and Build method may change the formal aspect of most of the parties involved throughout the project. * The contractual accountability of the involved parties can change according to the environment and need of the project. Therefore according to Morledge et.al (2006), the client should study the procurement route to be selected from the technical, financial and legal angle, well in advance before the commencement of the bidding stage. By this not only the client but also the other stakeholders involved in the project can proceed safely which having loose much money. From the explained context it can be seen that before initiating any step into the start of the project, if the client spends some time in understanding the possible pros and cons of the selection of procurement method, much discrepancies can be tackled easily. Moreover, the early involvement of the clients design team can lend a helping hand to the client in correct decision making. This type of activity seems to be very scarce in the CBK Project. Processes of CBK Project The working of the CBK Project can be seen in the form of a process map with each activity corresponding to a task. It can be seen that the working standard of the overall project is in the form of a three phase Design Build method. The three phases can be as: a. Pre-Tender Phase b. Tendering Phase c. Implementation Phase The three phases of the project are mapped as processes and sub processes and the roles of different parties involved in the overall project are elaborated (Appendix -1). This exercise enables to understand the whole process easily. Detailed Analysis of Processes The main processes of the New Headquarters of Commercial Bank of Kuwait are discussed as follows:  § Concept of the Project The Chief Executive of Commercial Bank of Kuwait had a vision towards modernization in the country and the Bank it self. Therefore in order to compete the competitive banks in Kuwait the decision was taken to develop a state of the art building which will serve as an headquarter and economic backbone for the organization. Modernization was in the sense that latest high performance computers with ultra high-tech security were to be operated in the building.  § Financial Issues The Commercial Bank of Kuwait being the client as well as the funding authority finalized the concept of the project in order to have a brief overview of required budget of the project. For this, closed group meetings and seminars were arranged in order to clear any queries in the mind of the staff of the bank.  § Planning Phase The top management of the Commercial Bank of Kuwait was keen to modernize its new headquarters. For this to happen, special sessions were arranged in collaboration with Ministry of Planning, Kuwait and State Bank of Kuwait. International Banks like Barclays and HSBC were taken as role model and one model being finalized for the future development. This was a good step as to bring Western standards into an Arab Country.  § Consultant Team The consultant team (Al-Injaz Architects and Engineers) selected by the client was through competition and the team selected was an experienced one in modern construction.  § Feasibility Report A feasibility report was made in order to study the potential outcomes of the project and what could be the difficulties faced by the teams.  § Integrating Clients Objective The Consultant team enlisted the requirements of the client and steps were taken to meet the clients goals. Mainly the clients focus was a state of the art modern building and the whole project to be finished quickly without compromising Quality Standards. Therefore quality standards were also a must for the client. Through critical analysis of the data, the consultant team came out with the Design Build approach of procurement.  § Design Phase The consultant team started their work in the perspective of Design Build approach so that the tendering process can take place on time. Initial plan setup, architectural designs along with structural designs, cost estimation; all were done right on time.  § Project Documents The Projects brief long with all the details of the project including deadline of the project, estimated cost, drawings and plan etc are documented.  § Document Review The first document review meeting was held in which the top management of the CBK took part. All the project documents were critically analyzed and the Chief Executive and Chairman of Commercial Bank of Kuwait were briefed by the Project Manager about the findings of the report. It was decided that the design of the bank was little more luxurious as per the standard set and was exceeding the budget. So minor changes were made and final documents were setup.  § Tendering Process After finalizing the Project documents, pre-qualification of contractors was done and tenders were called for the development of New Headquarters of Commercial Bank of Kuwait. This was done by the Bidding Committee assigned by the Client which was in close contact with the client during the tendering process.  § Bidding Documents Confidential bidding documents were received before the deadline and handed over to the client.  § Bid Evaluation The client selected the contractor with the lowest bid and consulted the consultant team and the project management team in order to approve the bid. Upon the approval from the teams, the client approved the Contractor (Ahmadiah Contracting, Kuwait) and informed the bidding committee.  § Contract Sign The Bidding Committee arranged a contract signing session in which the contract was signed between the two parties. It was assured that the detailed design would start immediately and the project would be finished on time and in budget.  § Initial Design The design team of the Contractor (Ahmadiah) started the initial design of the development of New Headquarters of Commercial Bank of Kuwait. The consultant team and the project manager of the client were also involved in this phase and regular meetings with the client were taking place. During this phase proper site survey and investigation was done and the design aspects were altered accordingly.  § Interior Design The interior designing of the CBK was given much more importance in order to meet the quality standards set by the client. The other reason was to meet the maximum security levels of the requirements of the project.  § Provision for restaurant In order to serve the employees of the CBK, it was mentioned in the objectives of the client to provide the catering service to the staff so that at lunch time, the staff can enjoy the atmosphere and have a chat and meeting at the same time along with lunch.  § Design Proposal After finalizing the initial design of the CBK, a design proposal was prepared along with the time and cost estimates for approval from the Client.  § Final Review The client, consultant team and the project manager set up a meeting in order to critically analyze the proposal and upon approval from the client, the contractor proceeds further.  § Final Design Plan Layout Once the proposal was finalized, the design team of the contractor started to work on the detailed and comprehensive design of the project. The HVAC, electrical works, the building services including CCTV arrangements, the infrastructure of the building, all were done according to the sub-contractors co-ordination. The final layout of what is to be developed appeared on drawing charts and Auto-Cad drawing were prepared. The Step wise proceedings of the design phase of the CBK project starting from the Clients input and ending at the Contractors output can be seen in the Fig.3.  § Final Agreement With slight alterations in design and requirement by the client, the contract was review and the construction phase was to be started.  § Construction Phase The first step of the construction phase was the site acquisition, construction of temporary offices for the staff as well as design team. For this to happen the sub-contractors were put on job and the heavy construction machinery was brought on site.  § Final Drawings Implemented on Site With the start of working on the construction site, the first step was to excavate the area to be constructed upon. The construction phase started to be as smooth as predicted.  § Time Quality Checks The project manager of the client (CBK) had frequent visits to the site which resulted in strict control over the time and quality issues. A few incidents took place in which the contractor was not up to the mark as stated in the detailed drawing specifications. For instance, the project manager managed to have a look at the steel standards adopted and found that in the beams, low quality steel was used and was further sent for testing in the laboratory. The overall view of the working of the teams in the CBK Project can be seen in Fig.3.  § Documentation and Review A very important aspect of the CBK project was that every thing was documented and latest computer software such as Primavera was used on the site. The Clients project manager had an access to it. Some clashes went up due to delay in the project beyond the critical path which was referred to the client. Possible Issues with the Current Method of Working Different types of issues arose during the project life cycle that lead to certain unexpected failures during the project. Following table enlists the main issues: The above mentioned issues were found to have a significant impact on the working of the CBK project. The need of the future and to be successful in the field of construction is by analyzing the short comings of previously done processes. To enhance the working and construction processes by the client in the future, the forth coming recommendations in the form of Lean perspective in construction have been defined. All the working can be seen in Appendix -1. ENHANCED WAY OF HANDLING COMMERCIAL BANK OF KUWAIT PROJECT Introduction to Lean According to Egan (1998) and Latham (1994), the construction industry has changed significantly in the past decade, especially the UKs construction industry. Much emphasis is now given to improve the construction industry by analysis the working methodology of the industry. By analyzing, one can rectify the short comings and further improve that to make a win-win situation. According to Koskela (1997), construction industry cannot be a regarded as a â€Å"rich cultured† industry, because the way of doing work, the procedures and outcomes are nearly same as they were years ago. To improve this, the construction industry had to be linked with production and manufacturing industry. The reason is that although the end product of both the industries is entirely different, yet if the working principles of both industries are studied, they can be regarded as identical. According to Egbu (2010) and Towill (1997), construction industry can be regarded as a manufacturing industry. If we look at the production or manufacturing industry, for instance a car industry, the end product is a car, which was the project of the factory (Muhlemann et al., 1992). In construction industry, the end product is a building, house, a dam etc, which is the project for the construction factory/industry. Taking this, approach, Koskela (2000) introduced Lean principles in construction industrys perspective. He argued that the manufacturing industry has set of production theories which when applied to the construction industry, the results can be significant. When seen the time-line of the car manufacturing industry, for instance, we can see that the car manufacturing has changed drastically over the past century. The reason being that the working principles adopted by production industry has polished itself over time again and again, when such principle be defined and impl emented on construction industry, the end product can be enhanced (Koskela, 1992). Lean thinking is the concept put forward by Womack and Daniel (1996) in which he describes to think every possible aspect in a leaner way. Thus by minimizing single repetitive step can be a step forward towards implementing lean in our daily life. Lean production system was adopted and implemented by Toyota Production System through out its time-line of production activities. Liker (1998) recognizes Toyota as the pioneers of lean principles which have brought a revolution in its production activities for more than a century. This is done by proper planning the supply chain activities, minimizing the wasteful activities, etc. By the introduction of 5S technique, Kanban and others, Toyota has flourished significantly in the production industry, whereas, the construction industry is far away from these concepts. Summary of 14 points as set by Toyota Production System and enlisted by Liker (2004), are as follows: 1. Base Your Management Decisions on a Long-Term Philosophy, Even at the Expense of Short-Term Financial Goals. 2. Create Continuous Process Flow to Bring Problems to the Surface. 3. Use â€Å"Pull† System to Avoid Overproduction. 4. Level Out the Workload (Heijunka). 5. Build a Culture of Stopping to Fix Problems, to Get Quality Right for the First Time. 6. Standardizes Tasks are the Foundation for Continuous Improvement and Employee Empowerment. 7. Use Visual Controls so no Problems are Hidden. 8. Use Only Reliable, Thoroughly Tested Technology That Serves your People and Processes. 9. Grow Leaders who Thoroughly Understand the Work, Live the Philosophy, and Take it to Others. 10. Develop Exceptional People and Teams who Follow your Companys Philosophy. 11. Respect Your Extended Network of Partners and Suppliers by Challenging Them and Helping them Improve. 12. Go and See for Yourself to Thoroughly Understand the Situation (Genchi Genbutsu). 13. Make Decisions Slowly by Consensus, Thoroughly Considering All options; Implement Decisions Rapidly (Nemawashi). 14. Become a Learning Organization Through Relentless Reflection (Hansei) and Continuous Improvement (Kaizen). Thus by closely looking and understanding the above mentioned principles, we can judge that how successful a company can be when adopted such principles. By using Kanban, much of the waste can be removed. The fact is to carefully see and analyse the company performance and take out the shortcomings. Integrating Lean with the CBK Project Construction industry is now in a phase of adapting new procedures and methods for its improvement and to increase its efficiency. This can easily be done by integrating lean philosophy in the construction industry (Jorgensen and Emmitt, 2008 2009). Liker (2004) has condensed the above enlisted 14 key principles of Toyota Production System into 4 main categories/sections according to their nature. These are: 1. Long-Term Philosophy 2. Selection of Right Process 3. People and Parners development can lead to value generation 4. Gradually problem solving These 14 points of Toyota Production System are very well condensed in the above mentioned four points. When thinking about construction, Long-term philosophy can very much help in implementation of lean principles. According to Arbulu and Zabelle (2006), to standardize work it is very much necessary to follow a guideline. The five stages vision, skills, incentives, resources and action plan can be idealized according to the CBK Project. Thinking Lean while keeping in view these 5 stages can very well prove to be successful in the project. Vision Defining a vision is the first step towards the start of a project. These not only assist in the further journey, but also remove any questions that may arise in the overall team in the project. This exercise was found to be completely during the construction of New Head office of Central Bank of Kuwait Project because everything was mixed and jumbled up during the last stages of the project. Defining a vision thus give a road map towards success and the vision is usually giving for the next couple of years, which elaborates the broad thing of the company in front of others. Only thing that matters is the top management team to be strong to take decisions which lacked through out the CBK Project. Skills Skills come first after a vision is set. In fact a vision cannot be defined without the proper knowledge of the skills that a company possesses. In order to be successful in implementation of Lean in the construction industry, the company has to design or upgrade its staff development program. Thus skills very much distinguishes between the current adopted working methodology with the new working method i.e.; Lean. Furthermore, proper knowledge of the companies profile is also very beneficial in perusing successful projects. Although the staff of the CBK Project is very much skilled yet some lack in understanding of basics in construction industry is found, for instance the top management dealing first time with the Design Build procurement method. Incentive Incentives are good in the sense that they keep the workers at work motivated. The incentives can be in the form of money or by applauding someones good work, this make the worker feel happing. To implement lean into the construction industry is something to make a great change into the system, thus by introducing incentives can encourage workers at work and be happy to work and accept the change. Resources Resources can be regarded as the backbone of a project. Insufficient resources and funds may load to a halt during a project. In order to smoothen the working and progress of the project, it should be made assure well in advance that there are enough funds to support the working. The financial crunch appeared during the construction of the CBK project which significantly halted the progress of construction activities. Action Plan Like setting up a clear vision right in the start of the project, a good action plan is also equally important as a right action plan sets up guidelines for the project team. Working on the correct action plan, incorporates any unsubstantial changes and alterations in a project. A good action plan cannot be seen in the CBK project which lead to some unwanted results in the last stages of the project. Improvement by Implementation of Lean Principles The 14 principles of Lean Production system used by Toyota Production System and stated by Liker (2004) are being implemented into the CBK Project which gives a more Leaner and good value of money look to the project. Not only the cost of the overall project is properly utilized but also it is a quicker approach Womack and Daniel (2005). The enlisted problems in the CBK Project (as stated in the start) can be resolved using the Lean Principles. Following are the Lean principles directly implemented to the improvement of CBK Project. 1. Long-Term Philosophy The long term philosophy in the context of lean can be explained as: I. Base Your Management Decisions on Long-Term Philosophy Long term philosophy gives a plate form for an organization to initialize the start of future prospects. Long term approaches are usually declared in the form of upcoming 5, 10, 15 or 20 years in which it is clearly briefed about the future plans of the organization. Commercial Bank of Kuwait should introduce this approach right from the start of future projects. This will enhance the managerial skills of the organization and an approach to solve all the problems will be upgraded (Carroll, 2002) and hence shown in Fig.4 after application. 2. Process Improvement The process improvement section of the Lean principles consists of following aspects: II. Create Continuous Process Flow to Bring Problems to the Surface This principle of Lean suggests that the working criteria of the company should be such that it is running smoothly, fast and in an accurate manner. In this way any problem that arises during the process, may be handled quite easily. This principle can be implemented in the design and the planning phase as it removes many problems which are caused by starting different activities at same time. Such exercise was completely missing in the CBK Project. Multiple tasks were started at the same time, which lead to misunderstandings in the project. Smooth flow of work was least found and by implementing this technique the smooth flow of work can be seen. III. Use â€Å"Pull† System Pull system helps to reduce the un-necessary work that is done during the project. The use of pull system can be used in the pre-project and pre-construction phases during the design phases as this will help to control the time lapsed between the completion of the drawings and the designing. Un-necessary meetings and suggestions were found during the execution of the Pre-Tender phase whose burden, the overall project planning had to face. By introducing Pull system, much waste full activities can be overcome. IV. Level out the Workload The workers at work shouldnt be overburdened at any time of the project. This not only applies to the Labor but also to the Design Team. When it comes to the labor, it should be taken care off that every labor has equal work allocated to him and work load should be calculated according to the time available. Similarly the Design team should be Lean Principles in Construction Lean Principles in Construction Executive Summary Toyota is a name that when seen brings an image of high quality, durability, cost/fuel efficient and best value for money in the car industry. The reason for such a high standard is that Toyota Production System has Pioneered and Implemented Lean Principles in Production system. These principles didnt have the effect immediately in the start but at the last stages, it proved to have a greater worth for it. By implementation of Lean Theories and Philosophy, Toyota had got rid of much wasteful activities using Just In Time approach. The understudy report consists of the Implementation of Lean Principles on a Construction Project which was significantly delayed due to lack of managerial qualities. The Client built a new Head office to shift all the activities from the previous offices in to the new one, but a delay to all activities was observed. It has been analyzed that the construction companies fail to give proper time to the initial Pre-Design and Design Phases and are more reluctant towards starting their construction. The current method of working of the company is mapped and explained with the possible issues and problems are being enlisted. The Design Build approach of Procurement was appraised and further improvements have been suggested. The second part of the report consists of the major and applicable Lean Principles and how they can be implemented in Construction Projects. This not only reduces the wasteful activities but also prove to be cost efficient as mapped. Lastly some merits of Lean Implementation on the construction project have been enlisted and conclusions are drawn. NEW HEAD OFFICE OF COMMERCIAL BANK OF KUWAIT (CBK) Introduction The Commercial Bank of Kuwait is a well known Bank in Kuwait having its roots back in 1960s. It began with a simple minded policy from just a small part of the property with the aim to handle the financial burden on the main bank of Kuwait; the National Bank of Kuwait. Being an old player in the country, the CBK decided to shift its old head office to the new location as the old building had many issues like less working space creating hurdles in modernizing the banking facilities. The old office was in the region of Maidan Hawally which is considerably famous for foreigners living in the region. The new head office of CBK is in the Centre of Kuwait i.e. Kuwait City which is the economic hub of overall State of Kuwait. In this project, Commercial Bank of Kuwait was the main funding source. The Project began in January 2007 and the construction of the Bank lasted till March 2009. Although the project was expected to be completed by June 2008 whereas only the construction phase had jus t finished till March 2009 and the final building being handed over by September 2009. The study of the project indicated that the Project was not only delayed yet was significantly over budgeted. The Project was approximately 30 % over budget and 15 months delayed. Moreover not only these issues affected the project but too many changes by the client were also a reason for the delay. The delay in the completion of the CBK Project was due to two reasons. One being that the Chief Executive Officer of the CBK resigned due to some personal issues with Managing Director of the Bank and the other reason was due to the Financial Crunch throughout the globe. These two reasons caused changes in the project after a long halt to the construction till the new CEO was assigned as the requirements of the project were altered accordingly. Therefore only one person cannot be held responsible for the overall delay caused in the CBK Project. According to Tucker (1998), a high level of management in Construction is very much essential for smooth flow of project. Thus it can be said that there were flaws in the design phase of the project and the lack of good management resulted in overall failed on-time delivery of the project. The Procurement method of the project was Design Build keeping in view the needs and outcomes of the project. The Client (CBK itself) had future plans for further development which all seemed to be left in vain of further initiation due to such a mess created. There fore the Client took keen interest to map the overall processes of the project in order to learn the flaws that delayed the Project so as to further smoothen up its activities. Working Philosophy in the CBK Project Being appointed as an Assistant Project Manager by the Client (Commercial Bank of Kuwait), the task allocated was to analyze the overall performance of the CBK Headquarters project and prepare a report to learn the flaws and outcomes of the project. Such an exercise was done in order to generate preventive measures so that future projects may not be delayed much. The report consists of a comprehensive analysis of methodology used for the Development of Headquarter of CBK and the maximum emphasize is given to the changes in the design i.e. the overall management of the design. The first step taken into consideration is the feasibility report or the outline of the project which is the first process in a project. A detailed approach in investigation is taken therefore, the Contractor (Ahmadiah Contracting-Kuwait), the team of Client (CBK), stakeholders and other parties involved in the project were consulted. All the processes are shown are Appendix 1. Method of Procurement The method of procurement in this project was Design and Build. It is very much necessary to understand what this approach is by analyzing the method. From the clients point of view, the success of the project is nearly decided by choosing appropriate method of procurement in the beginning. The common layout of the system can be seen in the figure below. Fig.2 indicates that this system is very much suited for clients who typically pass their risk to the contractor and a close coordination is developed between the design and the contractor team. This enables to synchronize the time, cost and quality of the project in the true sense of good project management perspective. As the cost is pretty much decided in the beginning, the client is confident that all the further process is smoothen up. But the point to be concerned is that all teams should have proper knowledge of design and build approach. Mostly clients which have Design Build approach new into their project end up with the sentence that the contractor has made a lot of money out of this project. This can be true only if the client finds that the things mentioned in the proposal are not same as they should have been. According to Morledge et.al (2006), client should be in notice that: * Design and Build method may change the formal aspect of most of the parties involved throughout the project. * The contractual accountability of the involved parties can change according to the environment and need of the project. Therefore according to Morledge et.al (2006), the client should study the procurement route to be selected from the technical, financial and legal angle, well in advance before the commencement of the bidding stage. By this not only the client but also the other stakeholders involved in the project can proceed safely which having loose much money. From the explained context it can be seen that before initiating any step into the start of the project, if the client spends some time in understanding the possible pros and cons of the selection of procurement method, much discrepancies can be tackled easily. Moreover, the early involvement of the clients design team can lend a helping hand to the client in correct decision making. This type of activity seems to be very scarce in the CBK Project. Processes of CBK Project The working of the CBK Project can be seen in the form of a process map with each activity corresponding to a task. It can be seen that the working standard of the overall project is in the form of a three phase Design Build method. The three phases can be as: a. Pre-Tender Phase b. Tendering Phase c. Implementation Phase The three phases of the project are mapped as processes and sub processes and the roles of different parties involved in the overall project are elaborated (Appendix -1). This exercise enables to understand the whole process easily. Detailed Analysis of Processes The main processes of the New Headquarters of Commercial Bank of Kuwait are discussed as follows:  § Concept of the Project The Chief Executive of Commercial Bank of Kuwait had a vision towards modernization in the country and the Bank it self. Therefore in order to compete the competitive banks in Kuwait the decision was taken to develop a state of the art building which will serve as an headquarter and economic backbone for the organization. Modernization was in the sense that latest high performance computers with ultra high-tech security were to be operated in the building.  § Financial Issues The Commercial Bank of Kuwait being the client as well as the funding authority finalized the concept of the project in order to have a brief overview of required budget of the project. For this, closed group meetings and seminars were arranged in order to clear any queries in the mind of the staff of the bank.  § Planning Phase The top management of the Commercial Bank of Kuwait was keen to modernize its new headquarters. For this to happen, special sessions were arranged in collaboration with Ministry of Planning, Kuwait and State Bank of Kuwait. International Banks like Barclays and HSBC were taken as role model and one model being finalized for the future development. This was a good step as to bring Western standards into an Arab Country.  § Consultant Team The consultant team (Al-Injaz Architects and Engineers) selected by the client was through competition and the team selected was an experienced one in modern construction.  § Feasibility Report A feasibility report was made in order to study the potential outcomes of the project and what could be the difficulties faced by the teams.  § Integrating Clients Objective The Consultant team enlisted the requirements of the client and steps were taken to meet the clients goals. Mainly the clients focus was a state of the art modern building and the whole project to be finished quickly without compromising Quality Standards. Therefore quality standards were also a must for the client. Through critical analysis of the data, the consultant team came out with the Design Build approach of procurement.  § Design Phase The consultant team started their work in the perspective of Design Build approach so that the tendering process can take place on time. Initial plan setup, architectural designs along with structural designs, cost estimation; all were done right on time.  § Project Documents The Projects brief long with all the details of the project including deadline of the project, estimated cost, drawings and plan etc are documented.  § Document Review The first document review meeting was held in which the top management of the CBK took part. All the project documents were critically analyzed and the Chief Executive and Chairman of Commercial Bank of Kuwait were briefed by the Project Manager about the findings of the report. It was decided that the design of the bank was little more luxurious as per the standard set and was exceeding the budget. So minor changes were made and final documents were setup.  § Tendering Process After finalizing the Project documents, pre-qualification of contractors was done and tenders were called for the development of New Headquarters of Commercial Bank of Kuwait. This was done by the Bidding Committee assigned by the Client which was in close contact with the client during the tendering process.  § Bidding Documents Confidential bidding documents were received before the deadline and handed over to the client.  § Bid Evaluation The client selected the contractor with the lowest bid and consulted the consultant team and the project management team in order to approve the bid. Upon the approval from the teams, the client approved the Contractor (Ahmadiah Contracting, Kuwait) and informed the bidding committee.  § Contract Sign The Bidding Committee arranged a contract signing session in which the contract was signed between the two parties. It was assured that the detailed design would start immediately and the project would be finished on time and in budget.  § Initial Design The design team of the Contractor (Ahmadiah) started the initial design of the development of New Headquarters of Commercial Bank of Kuwait. The consultant team and the project manager of the client were also involved in this phase and regular meetings with the client were taking place. During this phase proper site survey and investigation was done and the design aspects were altered accordingly.  § Interior Design The interior designing of the CBK was given much more importance in order to meet the quality standards set by the client. The other reason was to meet the maximum security levels of the requirements of the project.  § Provision for restaurant In order to serve the employees of the CBK, it was mentioned in the objectives of the client to provide the catering service to the staff so that at lunch time, the staff can enjoy the atmosphere and have a chat and meeting at the same time along with lunch.  § Design Proposal After finalizing the initial design of the CBK, a design proposal was prepared along with the time and cost estimates for approval from the Client.  § Final Review The client, consultant team and the project manager set up a meeting in order to critically analyze the proposal and upon approval from the client, the contractor proceeds further.  § Final Design Plan Layout Once the proposal was finalized, the design team of the contractor started to work on the detailed and comprehensive design of the project. The HVAC, electrical works, the building services including CCTV arrangements, the infrastructure of the building, all were done according to the sub-contractors co-ordination. The final layout of what is to be developed appeared on drawing charts and Auto-Cad drawing were prepared. The Step wise proceedings of the design phase of the CBK project starting from the Clients input and ending at the Contractors output can be seen in the Fig.3.  § Final Agreement With slight alterations in design and requirement by the client, the contract was review and the construction phase was to be started.  § Construction Phase The first step of the construction phase was the site acquisition, construction of temporary offices for the staff as well as design team. For this to happen the sub-contractors were put on job and the heavy construction machinery was brought on site.  § Final Drawings Implemented on Site With the start of working on the construction site, the first step was to excavate the area to be constructed upon. The construction phase started to be as smooth as predicted.  § Time Quality Checks The project manager of the client (CBK) had frequent visits to the site which resulted in strict control over the time and quality issues. A few incidents took place in which the contractor was not up to the mark as stated in the detailed drawing specifications. For instance, the project manager managed to have a look at the steel standards adopted and found that in the beams, low quality steel was used and was further sent for testing in the laboratory. The overall view of the working of the teams in the CBK Project can be seen in Fig.3.  § Documentation and Review A very important aspect of the CBK project was that every thing was documented and latest computer software such as Primavera was used on the site. The Clients project manager had an access to it. Some clashes went up due to delay in the project beyond the critical path which was referred to the client. Possible Issues with the Current Method of Working Different types of issues arose during the project life cycle that lead to certain unexpected failures during the project. Following table enlists the main issues: The above mentioned issues were found to have a significant impact on the working of the CBK project. The need of the future and to be successful in the field of construction is by analyzing the short comings of previously done processes. To enhance the working and construction processes by the client in the future, the forth coming recommendations in the form of Lean perspective in construction have been defined. All the working can be seen in Appendix -1. ENHANCED WAY OF HANDLING COMMERCIAL BANK OF KUWAIT PROJECT Introduction to Lean According to Egan (1998) and Latham (1994), the construction industry has changed significantly in the past decade, especially the UKs construction industry. Much emphasis is now given to improve the construction industry by analysis the working methodology of the industry. By analyzing, one can rectify the short comings and further improve that to make a win-win situation. According to Koskela (1997), construction industry cannot be a regarded as a â€Å"rich cultured† industry, because the way of doing work, the procedures and outcomes are nearly same as they were years ago. To improve this, the construction industry had to be linked with production and manufacturing industry. The reason is that although the end product of both the industries is entirely different, yet if the working principles of both industries are studied, they can be regarded as identical. According to Egbu (2010) and Towill (1997), construction industry can be regarded as a manufacturing industry. If we look at the production or manufacturing industry, for instance a car industry, the end product is a car, which was the project of the factory (Muhlemann et al., 1992). In construction industry, the end product is a building, house, a dam etc, which is the project for the construction factory/industry. Taking this, approach, Koskela (2000) introduced Lean principles in construction industrys perspective. He argued that the manufacturing industry has set of production theories which when applied to the construction industry, the results can be significant. When seen the time-line of the car manufacturing industry, for instance, we can see that the car manufacturing has changed drastically over the past century. The reason being that the working principles adopted by production industry has polished itself over time again and again, when such principle be defined and impl emented on construction industry, the end product can be enhanced (Koskela, 1992). Lean thinking is the concept put forward by Womack and Daniel (1996) in which he describes to think every possible aspect in a leaner way. Thus by minimizing single repetitive step can be a step forward towards implementing lean in our daily life. Lean production system was adopted and implemented by Toyota Production System through out its time-line of production activities. Liker (1998) recognizes Toyota as the pioneers of lean principles which have brought a revolution in its production activities for more than a century. This is done by proper planning the supply chain activities, minimizing the wasteful activities, etc. By the introduction of 5S technique, Kanban and others, Toyota has flourished significantly in the production industry, whereas, the construction industry is far away from these concepts. Summary of 14 points as set by Toyota Production System and enlisted by Liker (2004), are as follows: 1. Base Your Management Decisions on a Long-Term Philosophy, Even at the Expense of Short-Term Financial Goals. 2. Create Continuous Process Flow to Bring Problems to the Surface. 3. Use â€Å"Pull† System to Avoid Overproduction. 4. Level Out the Workload (Heijunka). 5. Build a Culture of Stopping to Fix Problems, to Get Quality Right for the First Time. 6. Standardizes Tasks are the Foundation for Continuous Improvement and Employee Empowerment. 7. Use Visual Controls so no Problems are Hidden. 8. Use Only Reliable, Thoroughly Tested Technology That Serves your People and Processes. 9. Grow Leaders who Thoroughly Understand the Work, Live the Philosophy, and Take it to Others. 10. Develop Exceptional People and Teams who Follow your Companys Philosophy. 11. Respect Your Extended Network of Partners and Suppliers by Challenging Them and Helping them Improve. 12. Go and See for Yourself to Thoroughly Understand the Situation (Genchi Genbutsu). 13. Make Decisions Slowly by Consensus, Thoroughly Considering All options; Implement Decisions Rapidly (Nemawashi). 14. Become a Learning Organization Through Relentless Reflection (Hansei) and Continuous Improvement (Kaizen). Thus by closely looking and understanding the above mentioned principles, we can judge that how successful a company can be when adopted such principles. By using Kanban, much of the waste can be removed. The fact is to carefully see and analyse the company performance and take out the shortcomings. Integrating Lean with the CBK Project Construction industry is now in a phase of adapting new procedures and methods for its improvement and to increase its efficiency. This can easily be done by integrating lean philosophy in the construction industry (Jorgensen and Emmitt, 2008 2009). Liker (2004) has condensed the above enlisted 14 key principles of Toyota Production System into 4 main categories/sections according to their nature. These are: 1. Long-Term Philosophy 2. Selection of Right Process 3. People and Parners development can lead to value generation 4. Gradually problem solving These 14 points of Toyota Production System are very well condensed in the above mentioned four points. When thinking about construction, Long-term philosophy can very much help in implementation of lean principles. According to Arbulu and Zabelle (2006), to standardize work it is very much necessary to follow a guideline. The five stages vision, skills, incentives, resources and action plan can be idealized according to the CBK Project. Thinking Lean while keeping in view these 5 stages can very well prove to be successful in the project. Vision Defining a vision is the first step towards the start of a project. These not only assist in the further journey, but also remove any questions that may arise in the overall team in the project. This exercise was found to be completely during the construction of New Head office of Central Bank of Kuwait Project because everything was mixed and jumbled up during the last stages of the project. Defining a vision thus give a road map towards success and the vision is usually giving for the next couple of years, which elaborates the broad thing of the company in front of others. Only thing that matters is the top management team to be strong to take decisions which lacked through out the CBK Project. Skills Skills come first after a vision is set. In fact a vision cannot be defined without the proper knowledge of the skills that a company possesses. In order to be successful in implementation of Lean in the construction industry, the company has to design or upgrade its staff development program. Thus skills very much distinguishes between the current adopted working methodology with the new working method i.e.; Lean. Furthermore, proper knowledge of the companies profile is also very beneficial in perusing successful projects. Although the staff of the CBK Project is very much skilled yet some lack in understanding of basics in construction industry is found, for instance the top management dealing first time with the Design Build procurement method. Incentive Incentives are good in the sense that they keep the workers at work motivated. The incentives can be in the form of money or by applauding someones good work, this make the worker feel happing. To implement lean into the construction industry is something to make a great change into the system, thus by introducing incentives can encourage workers at work and be happy to work and accept the change. Resources Resources can be regarded as the backbone of a project. Insufficient resources and funds may load to a halt during a project. In order to smoothen the working and progress of the project, it should be made assure well in advance that there are enough funds to support the working. The financial crunch appeared during the construction of the CBK project which significantly halted the progress of construction activities. Action Plan Like setting up a clear vision right in the start of the project, a good action plan is also equally important as a right action plan sets up guidelines for the project team. Working on the correct action plan, incorporates any unsubstantial changes and alterations in a project. A good action plan cannot be seen in the CBK project which lead to some unwanted results in the last stages of the project. Improvement by Implementation of Lean Principles The 14 principles of Lean Production system used by Toyota Production System and stated by Liker (2004) are being implemented into the CBK Project which gives a more Leaner and good value of money look to the project. Not only the cost of the overall project is properly utilized but also it is a quicker approach Womack and Daniel (2005). The enlisted problems in the CBK Project (as stated in the start) can be resolved using the Lean Principles. Following are the Lean principles directly implemented to the improvement of CBK Project. 1. Long-Term Philosophy The long term philosophy in the context of lean can be explained as: I. Base Your Management Decisions on Long-Term Philosophy Long term philosophy gives a plate form for an organization to initialize the start of future prospects. Long term approaches are usually declared in the form of upcoming 5, 10, 15 or 20 years in which it is clearly briefed about the future plans of the organization. Commercial Bank of Kuwait should introduce this approach right from the start of future projects. This will enhance the managerial skills of the organization and an approach to solve all the problems will be upgraded (Carroll, 2002) and hence shown in Fig.4 after application. 2. Process Improvement The process improvement section of the Lean principles consists of following aspects: II. Create Continuous Process Flow to Bring Problems to the Surface This principle of Lean suggests that the working criteria of the company should be such that it is running smoothly, fast and in an accurate manner. In this way any problem that arises during the process, may be handled quite easily. This principle can be implemented in the design and the planning phase as it removes many problems which are caused by starting different activities at same time. Such exercise was completely missing in the CBK Project. Multiple tasks were started at the same time, which lead to misunderstandings in the project. Smooth flow of work was least found and by implementing this technique the smooth flow of work can be seen. III. Use â€Å"Pull† System Pull system helps to reduce the un-necessary work that is done during the project. The use of pull system can be used in the pre-project and pre-construction phases during the design phases as this will help to control the time lapsed between the completion of the drawings and the designing. Un-necessary meetings and suggestions were found during the execution of the Pre-Tender phase whose burden, the overall project planning had to face. By introducing Pull system, much waste full activities can be overcome. IV. Level out the Workload The workers at work shouldnt be overburdened at any time of the project. This not only applies to the Labor but also to the Design Team. When it comes to the labor, it should be taken care off that every labor has equal work allocated to him and work load should be calculated according to the time available. Similarly the Design team should be

Strategic Human Resource Management In Hyundai

Strategic Human Resource Management In Hyundai Strategic human resource management is the process of linkingthe human resource function with the strategic objectives of the organization in order to improve performance. If a global company is to function successfully, strategies at different levels need to inter-relate.   An organizations [human resource management] policies and practices must  ¬Ã‚ t with its strategy  in its competitive environment and with the immediate business conditions that it faces.   The [human resources-business strategy] alignment cannot necessarily be  characterized in the logical and sequential way suggested by some writers; rather, the design of an HR system complex and iterative process 1.2.The Purpose of strategic Human Resource Management activities in Hyundai Over the past decade, HR researchers and practitioners have focused their  attentionon other important questions. First, what determines whether an organization adoptsa strategic approach to HRM, and how is HR strategy formulated? Of interest is whichorganizations are most likely to adopt a strategic approach to HRM. Is there, forexample, a positive association with a given set  of external and internal characteristicsor contingencies and the adoption of SHRM? Another area of interest concerns thepolicies and practices making up different HR strategies. Is it possible to identify acluster or bundle of HR  practices with different strategic competitive models? Finally,much research productivity in recent years has been devoted to examining the rela-tionship between different clusters of HR practices and organizational performance.Does HR strategy really matter? For organizational practitioners who are looking forways to gain a competitive advantage, the implication of HR strateg ic choices forcompany performance is certainly the key factor. 1.3.contributions of strategic Human Resource Management to the achievement of Hyundai Motors Objectives Management PolicyIn 2000, Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors merged to form the Hyundai Automotive Group and implemented a Ã’horizontal management system in September 25 of that year. The horizontal managementsystem gives departmental teams extensive power to carry out corporate policies and implement their own action plans based on those policies. The horizontal management system is guided by three principles: 1) Trust-Based Management 2) Site-Intensive Management 3) Transparent Management. These principles, together with the environmental policy mentioned later in this report, give direction to the management strategies that drive our business. In 2003, we established four objectives to be met in the mid- to long-term strategies: 1) enhance product value, 2) establish a global production system, 3) increase brand power, 4) improve environmental management systems. 2.1.the business factors that underpin human resource planning: According to company officials, Hyundais six assembly plants with a yearly production capacity of 1.65 million vehicles, were operating at only 40 percent of their capacity. In May, 1998, Hyundai reacted to this grim situation by announcing plans to lay off 27 percent of its 46,000 workforce in South Korea and to cut pay bonuses and benefits in a bid to save 230 billion won. Unfortunately for the management of the company, Hyundai had one of the most powerful and militant unions. The decision of the company to lay off workers sparked off agitations not only in Hyundai but in other companies too. The unions were particularly offended at the governments approval of Hyundais decision. In a demonstration in Ulsan, where Hyundai has its biggest automobile plant, 32,000 employees participated in rallies. All across South Korea almost 1,20,000 employees from about 125 companies participated in demonstrations against Hyundai and the governments decision. The government had to deploy nearly 20,000 riot police to control the demonstrators 2.2. assessment of human resorce requirements Hyundai Motor Co., formed in 1967, was a part of the large South Korean Chaebol the Hyundai Group until the group split in September 2000. In the last four decades, Hyundai managed to establish itself all over the world as a company producing reliable, technically sound and stylish automobiles.   In the 90s, the company started aggressive overseas expansion programs. By the late 90s, when Southeast Asian crisis struck, the company like all the other chaebols, faced serious financial problems. To survive, it had to cut its labor force. The company offered various retirement schemes, unpaid leave for two years, etc. to workers, and expressed its inability to support its entire workforce in the slack period. The unions refused to compromise and the management too held its ground. Finally, the government intervened to force a negotiated settlement between the union and the management. 2.3. Human Resorce Plan in Hyundai Hyundai Motor Co., formed in 1967, was a part of the large South Korean Chaebol the Hyundai Group until the group split in September 2000. In the last four decades, Hyundai managed to establish itself all over the world as a company producing reliable, technically sound and stylish automobiles. In the 90s, the company started aggressive overseas expansion programs. By the late 90s, when Southeast Asian crisis struck, the company like all the other chaebols, faced serious financial problems. To survive, it had to cut its labor force. The company offered various retirement schemes, unpaid leave for two years, etc. to workers, and expressed its inability to support its entire workforce in the slack period. The unions refused to compromise and the management too held its ground. Finally, the government intervened to force a negotiated settlement between the union and the management. 2.4.Human Resource Plan contribute to meet Hyundai objectives:: Company strategies and Government policies each arise from the decision-makers views of their own bargaining strengths and those of other relevant actors, as well as their assessments of opportunity costs and their willingness to forego any dealings with the other party. Among the many actors that are relevant to policymaking, TNCs constitute a particularly significant group, since they affect employment, generate and distribute income, alter the balance of payments, assist in regional development, create technology and impinge on other policy areas.Governments are crucial in affecting company strategies, since they set the rules of the game. These conditions lead to the bargaining relationship between TNCs and Governments. That relationship can be viewed as a jointmaximizing (or mini-max) problem as in the theory of games with each side seeking to pursue its goals constrained by its resources, its dependence on the other party and its relationships with other actors. 3.1. The Purpose of Human Resource Management Policies In Ashok Leyland. Human resource management policies are vital for organizations that are serious about resolving personnel issues and finding hr solutions. HRM policies are intended to help maximize the effectiveness of your Human Resources function.   à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ HR should ensure that HRM policy you have consistent, well-written legal policies and procedures. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ HRM policy should provide hr advices for the organizations needing help with specific HR-related issues à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Individuals and organizations who are serious about human resources should understand the bottom-line importance of job evaluation, job descriptions and effective policies.   Types of HRM Policies: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Attendance Policy Attendance Policy à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Recruitment Policy Recruitment Policy   à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Leave of Absence Policy Leave of Absence Policy à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Performance Planning and Evaluation Performance à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Probationary Period à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Compensation à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Compensatory Leave à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Overtime Leave à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Annual Leave à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Educational Leave, 3.2. The Impact of regulatory requirements on human resource policies in Ashok Leyland: The Human Resources regulatory compliance arena continues to be a myriad of ever changing state and federal mandates.   The cost of ensuring compliance continues to climb with each new regulation however, in many cases, small and medium sized businesses simply cannot keep up. AlphaStaff provides Human Resources Regulatory Compliance services that control costs, systematically address key compliance issues, and provides legal liability protection. AlphaStaffs unique approach develops  a Human Resources regulatory  compliance foundation and tailors  it to meet your business needs. Conclussion: HR Audit   Unsure if you are in regulatory compliance? We will review your hiring practices, record keeping, policies and past practices and make recommendations. HR Posters, Forms   Handbooks   We will supply regulatory compliance posters, provide forms (hard copies and online) and develop customized employee handbooks that  ensure  your compliance. Hiring Assistance   We will assist with job descriptions,  interview training,  handle background and drug screening and post your jobs. Administration   Tired of records retention? Let us do it all personnel files, verifications of employment, unemployment responses, FMLA and your EEOC reports and charge answers. HR Consulting Services   Call us with your employee issues and we will provide creative solutions that best fit your needs but maintain your compliant Human Resources foundation. Training   We can provide online or classroom training on Human Resources business issues ranging from Diversity to Management Training to Dealing with the Difficult Customer. EPLI   You will be protected from discrimination, wrongful termination and harassment suits through our premier Employment Practices Liability Insurance coverage. EAP   Employee Assistance Programs that provide counseling and guidance to your employees available 24/7 through an 800 hotline. REVIEWING HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT: 4.1.Analyse the impact of organizational structure on the management of human resources: Organizational design and structure.  As we mentioned earlier, modifying the organizations basic structure may be a way of changing the existing norms, and hence the culture. For example, a culture of mistrust between the leaders and the members of an organization may be exacerbated by a line structure that discourages vertical communication. Organizational systems and procedures.  The simplest definition of culture is thats the way we do things around here. Routines or procedures can become so embedded that they become part of the culture, and changing the culture necessitates changing those routines. We can all think of organizations where a weekly or monthly meeting takes on a life of its own, becomes more formalized, lengthy, and elaborate, and becomes the only way information moves within the organization. Changing the culture to improve communication may only be possible by changing the meeting procedures or eliminating the meetings altogether. Design of physical space, facades, and buildings.  The impact of the design of buildings on culture can easily be illustrated by considering the executive perks in an organization. Which organization do you think will have a more open and participative culture, one where top executives have reserved parking spaces, top floor offices, a special elevator and an executive dining room, or one where the executive offices are not separated from the rest of the company and executives park and eat in the same place as their employees? Stories about important events and people.  This is a way that culture is perpetuated in an organization, in that it helps define and solidify the organizations identity. By what events and stories they emphasize, leaders influence that identity. Formal statements of organizational philosophy, creeds, and charts.  This is the way leaders most often try and influence their organizations, and encompasses the vision or mission statement and statements of the organizations (or the leaders) values and philosophy. By themselves, however, formal statements will have little effect on the organizations culture. They must be linked to actions to affect culture. 4.2. Analyse the impact of organizational Culture on the management of human resources: Why is culture so important to an organization? Edgar Schein, an MIT Professor of Management and author of  Organizational Culture and Leadership: A Dynamic View,  suggests that an organizations culture develops to help it cope with its environment. Today, organizational leaders are confronted with many complex issues during their attempts to generate organizational achievement in VUCA environments. A leaders success will depend, to a great extent, upon understanding organizational culture. Schein contends that many of the problems confronting leaders can be traced to their inability to analyze and evaluate organizational cultures. Many leaders, when trying to implement new strategies or a strategic plan leading to a new vision, will discover that their strategies will fail if they are inconsistent with the organizations culture. A CEO, SES, political appointee, or flag officer who comes into an organization prepared to shake the place up and institute sweeping changes, often experiences resistance to changes and failure. Difficulties with organizational transformations arise from failures to analyze an organizations existing culture. WHAT IS ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE? There is no single definition for organizational culture. The topic has been studied from a variety of perspectives ranging from disciplines such as anthropology and sociology, to the applied disciplines of organizational behavior, management science, and organizational communication. Some of the definitions are listed below: A set of common understandings around which action is organized, . . . finding expression in language whose nuances are peculiar to the group (Becker and Geer 1960). A set of understandings or meanings shared by a group of people that are largely tacit among members and are clearly relevant and distinctive to the particular group which are also passed on to new members (Louis 1980). A system of knowledge, of standards for perceiving, believing, evaluating and acting . . . that serve to relate human communities to their environmental settings (Allaire and Firsirotu 1984). The deeper level of basic assumptions and beliefs that are: learned responses to the groups problems of survival in its external environment and its problems of internal integration; are shared by members of an organization; that operate unconsciously; and that define in a basic taken -for-granted fashion in an organizations view of itself and its environment (Schein 1988). Any social system arising from a network of shared ideologies consisting of two components: substance-the networks of meaning associated with ideologies, norms, and values; and forms-the practices whereby the meanings are expressed, affirmed, and communicated to members (Trice and Beyer 1984). . 4.3.the effectiveness of human resources management is monitored in organisation: Cultural forms function as the linking mechanism by which networks of understanding develop among employees. (Trice, 1988) The cultural forms shown in the table on pages 293-94 act as a medium for communicating ideologies, values, and norms. Cultural forms enable leaders to transmit messages about desirable culture to influence thinking and ways of behaving. Cultural forms also address the emotional aspects of organizations that are commonly referred to as cohesion or camaraderie. Organizational scholars Janice Beyer and Harrison Trice elaborate on this point: Cultural forms not only aid sensemaking through the meanings they convey; they also aid the sensemaking process through the emotional reassurances they provide that help people persist in their coping efforts. Forms provide a concrete anchoring point, even if the meaning they carry are vague and only imperfectly transmitted.Also many cultural forms involve the expression of emotion and, by this venting of emotions, help people to cope with stress. Federal agencies are replete with cultural forms that serve these purposes. However the challenges facing strategic leaders of these agencies involve creating and orchestrating cultural forms that can foster change and have longevity beyond their tenure.Cultural forms that have longevity by their nature such as rites and ceremonies reaffirm the organizations core ideologies, values and norms. 4.4. Recommendation to improve the effectiveness of human resources management in an organisation Strategic leadership needs to be transformational if it is to serve the organization. Transformational leaders must operate from a foundation of high morality and ethical practices and Culture is deep seated and difficult to change, but leaders can influence or manage an organizations culture. It isnt easy, and it cannot be done rapidly, but leaders can have an effect on culture. Schein outlines some specific steps leaders can employ: What leaders pay attention to, measure and control.  Something as simple as what is emphasized or measured, over time, can have an effect on an organizations culture. One example of this is an emphasis on form over substance. If leaders pay more attention to form, an organizational culture can develop where people start to believe that the substance of a recommendation is less important than the way it is presented. One can recall when more attention was paid to the format of viewgraphs used in a briefing than what was said; what we characterize as eyewash. Where do you think people will focus their effort once it becomes accepted that a slick presentation is what the leaders are looking for? How could you go about changing that aspect of the organizations culture? Consider cultural assumptions and beliefs underlying a zero defects organizational mentality. You must always be perfect; mistakes arent allowed. If this assumption reflects a dysfunctional aspect of an organizations culture, how would you go about changing that perception? Leader reactions to critical incidents and organizational crises.  The way leaders react to crises says a lot about the organizations values, norms and culture. Crises, by their nature, bring out the organizations underlying core values. Often, this is where rhetoric becomes apparent. Reactions to crises are normally highly visible, because everyones attention is focused on the incident or situation. Disconnects between actions and words will usually be apparent, and actions always speak louder than words. Additionally, a crisis not only brings a great deal of attention, it also generates a great deal of emotional involvement on the part of those associated with the organization, particularly if the crisis threatens the organizations survival. This increases the potential for either reinforcing the existing culture, or leading to a change in the culture. Such a crisis can provide an opportunity for a leader to influence the organizations culture in either a positive or a negative w ay. Deliberate role modeling, teaching, and coaching.  Nothing can take the place of leaders walking their talk. The personal example of a strategic leader can send a powerful message to the members of an organization, particularly if it is ethical and consistent. Reinforcing that example with teaching and coaching will help others to internalize the desired values. Criteria for allocation of rewards and status.  The consequences of behavior-what behavior is rewarded and what is punished-can significantly influence culture. If the organization reacts to new ideas by ridiculing the ideas and those who propose them, it wont take long before people believe that new ideas are not welcomed or desired. One belief of perceived organizational culture is reflected in the statement: Dont raise questions or suggest improvements, because nothing will come of it and you will just get in trouble. If you were in an organizations strategic leader, what steps could you take to alter the reward system to change this aspect of the culture? Criteria for recruitment, selection, promotion, retirement and excommunication.  One of the powerful ways of changing an organizations culture is through the type of people brought into, retained, and advanced in the organization. You should be able to establish a desired culture base in an organization by bringing in and advancing individuals with the values you want, and eliminating those with undesired value bases. 1. Dont oversimplify culture or confuse it with climate, values, or corporate philosophy. Culture  underlies  and largely  determines  these other variables. Trying to change values or climate without getting at the underlying culture will be a futile effort. 2. Dont label culture as solely a human resources (read touchy-feely) aspect of an organization, affecting only its human side. The impact of culture goes far beyond the human side of the organization to affect and influence its basic mission and goals. 3. Dont assume that the leader can manipulate culture as he or she can control many other aspects of the organization. Culture, because it is largely determined and controlled by the members of the organization, not the leaders, is different. Culture may end up controlling the leader rather than being controlled by him or her. 4. Dont assume that there is a correct culture, or that a strong culture is better than a weak one. It should be apparent that different cultures may fit different organizations and their environments, and that the desirability of a strong culture depends on how well it supports the organizations strategic goals and objectives. 5. Dont assume that all the aspects of an organizations culture are important, or will have a major impact on the functioning of the organization. Some elements of an organizations culture may have little impact on its functioning, and the leader must distinguish which elements are important, and focus on those. CONCLUDING THOUGHT An understanding of culture, and how to transform it, is a crucial skill for leaders trying to achieve strategic outcomes. Strategic leaders have the best perspective, because of their position in the organization, to see the dynamics of the culture, what should remain, and what needs transformation. This is the essence of strategic success. Refernces: Books Book Single Author. Adler, N.J. (1991).  International dimensions of organizational behavior. Boston: PWS-Kent Publishing Company. Book Multiple Authors, Second or Subsequent Editions. Aron, A., Aron, E.N. (1999).  Statistics for psychology. (2nd ed.). New Jersey: Prentice-Hall International, Inc. Chapter in Edited Book. Hartmann, L.C. (1998). The impact of trends in labour-force participation in Australia. In M. Patrickson L. Hartmann (Eds.),  Managing an ageing workforce  (3-25). Warriewood, Australia: Woodslane Pty Limited. Chapter in Edited Book, Several Volumes. Adams, J.S. (1965). 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