Ethical Issues Regarding Information Technology - 1638 Words

Ethical issues regarding the use of information technology are changing rapidly in our advancing modern society. Historically information technology had seen limited applications and impacts on society in general. More recently, however, this has been changing as information technology has become a part of nearly every business, and personal activity. I will discuss how Information technology has brought about significant societal ethical changes. Users of technology in society and business today need to be increasingly aware of the need for the ethical use of technology. Information technology (IT) users need a code of ethics developed, so that they can navigate through the ethical issues they confront while using information technology.†¦show more content†¦The growth of social media (SM) has had a profound effect on society. Some of these effects are not always positive as witnessed by the London riots of 2011. Social media was blamed by the British government, for inciti ng and fueling the riots. The order of magnitude effect and the effort effect influences how human beings view the moral circumstances involving computers. The order of magnitude effect is, â€Å"due to the fact that computers operate at astronomical speeds as compared to humans, while the effort effect is due to the human nature, that if a job is not worth the exertion then one will probably not do it† (Lafayette). On the flip side, a serious threat is posed by the fact that, the efforts required to access and collect large volumes of data, has been eliminated by information technology capabilities. The lack of face to face interactions while using computers, alters the relationships among people. According to these authors property rights, plagiarism, piracy and privacy have become active issues. Also the benefits of information sharing are often in conflict with attempts to protect the integrity, confidentiality and availability of information. Meanwhile IT is exposed to unethical practices due to absence of far reaching methods of authorization and authentication. â€Å"Aristotle, Plato and Socrates showed us the necessary elements to make a good life in a healthy enduring society† (DeLoatch). However, when this ancient knowledge is applied to the

Why Do You Think This Strategy Became Less Viable in the 1990’s Free Essays

string(136) " first entered foreign markets in the period up until the early 1990s\? b\) Why do you think this strategy became less viable in 1990s\." Chapter 12 – The Strategy of International Business Key Points of the chapter Strategy – is the actions managers take to attain the goals of the business (usually to maximize value for the shareholders/stakeholders). Value Chain – The operations of the firm compose the value chain which are the series of value creating activities that occur to create value. These actions include sales, production, IT, accounting etc. We will write a custom essay sample on Why Do You Think This Strategy Became Less Viable in the 1990’s? or any similar topic only for you Order Now These activities are divided into support and primary activities. Primary Activities – Design, creation and delivery of the product. They are: 1. RD 2. Production 3. Marketing 4. Sales Support Activities – Inputs that allow the primary activities to occur 1. Information Systems 2. Logistics 3. Human Resources Global Expansion Practices 1. Expand the market for your domestic products by selling internationally (Export) †¢ Requires a company to tap into their core competencies 2. Move production to the most efficient countries to realize location economies †¢ Some countries have a comparative advantage of production †¢ Transportation costs and trade barriers must not be an issue †¢ Location Economies is the value created by finding the most competitive place to produce product, therefore adding value i. Competitive can mean cheapest or best †¢ Creates a global value web as opposed to a value chain 3. Serve expanded markets from a single location, while recovering experience effects †¢ Experience curve: Systematic reductions in production costs that occur over the life of a product i. A products production costs decline each time the cumulative output doubles †¢ Learning Effects – Costs savings through learning by doing †¢ Economies of Scale – Reduce costs by creating a large volume of product, the larger your market, the more opportunity for this you receive. 4. Learn from foreign operations to increase your value Mature multinationals who already have operations in foreign markets can learn from their operations in order to create value for those specific customers. Pressures for Cost Reduction Managers can be forced to create value by reducing costs. This can be done through: †¢ Mass-produce a standard product †¢ Outsource certain functions †¢ Tends to occur in highly commoditized products (Chemicals, sugar, gas, steel) Pressures for local Responsiveness Arise because of: †¢ Difference in consumer tastes and preferences †¢ Infrastructure †¢ Accepted Business practices Distribution channels – May require a change in marketing strategy †¢ Host government demands International Expansion Strategies Global Expansion Strategy Focus †¢ Reaping cost reduction benefits through: †¢ Economies of Scale †¢ Learning effects †¢ Locations economies †¢ Low Cost on a Global Scale Method †¢ RD, Production and Marketing activities are concentrated in a few favorable locations †¢ Try not to customize their products/marketing strategy †¢ Use aggressive pricing When to use it †¢ Strong pressures for cost reductions †¢ Minimal demand for localization Localization Strategy Focus †¢ Increase profitability by customizing goods to match tastes and preferences in international markets Method †¢ Increase the value of the product in the local market †¢ Duplication of functions †¢ Smaller production runs †¢ Still need to be as efficient as possible When to use it †¢ When cost pressures are not high †¢ When local tastes differ dramatically †¢ When you have fewer competitors Transnational Strategy Focus †¢ Multidirectional transfer of core competencies and skills †¢ Leveraging subsidy skills Try to achieve low costs through location economies, economies of scale and learning effects while differentiating their products for the local market. †¢ Very difficult to accomplish Method †¢ Redesign products to use the same components and produce them in one location †¢ Use assembly plants in key markets to assemble the more market specific final product When to use it †¢ When cu stomization and cost reduction pressures are high †¢ When managers have to balance the divergent pressures International Strategy Focus †¢ Taking products from your local country and without much customization, selling them in other markets. Method †¢ Centralize product development functions †¢ Tend to establish manufacturing and marketing functions in each major country or geographic region in which they do business. †¢ Increases costs but there are no cost pressures so that isn’t an issue †¢ May decide to do some minor customization of the marketing strategy When to use it †¢ Low cost pressures †¢ Low need for local responsiveness †¢ Selling products that serve universal needs †¢ Do not have many competitors Chapter Questions Q2: What are the risks that Wal-Mart Faces when entering other retail markets? How can the risks be mitigated? Economic Risks/Exposure Likelihood that economic mismanagement will cause drastic changes in a country’s business environment that hurt the profit and other goals of a particular business enterprise. †¢ Increase in inflation can hurt profits †¢ Recession †¢ Loss of confidence in the market and loans Legal Risks If Wal-Mart decides to enter a market where the legal system fails to provide adequate safeguards in the case of contract violations or to protect property rights they are opening themselves up to legal risks. Could affect the ability to participate in long term contracts and joint ventures Cross Cultural Literacy Risk: As experienced in this case, Wal-Mart suffered from cross cultural illiteracy, where they were ill informed about the practices of another culture which caused them to make bad decisions. Mitigation Strategy: Wal-Mart needs an adaptation strategy, which allows them to negotiate properly for the market, know the appropriate pay systems, set up the right organization, etc. They can do this by hiring local citizens, or a consultant. Transaction Exposure Risk: Extent to which foreign exchange values affect the income from individual transactions. Translation Exposure Risk: Impact of currency exchange rates on the reported financial statements. Mitigation Strategy: Lead strategy where you collect the foreign receivables early. Lag strategy, involves delaying payables if the currency is expected to appreciate. Political Risks Depending on where Wal-Mart is choosing to expand to, political forces that ould cause a drastic change in the country’s business environment could adversely affect the profit and other goals of a business enterprise. †¢ Strikes †¢ Demonstrations †¢ Terrorism †¢ Violent Conflict †¢ Enactment of unfavorable business laws CT 5 – Reread the management focus on the evolution of strategy at Procter and Gamble, then answer these questions: a) What strategy was PG pursuing when it first entered foreign markets in the period up until the early 1990s? b) Why do you think this strategy became less viable in 1990s. You read "Why Do You Think This Strategy Became Less Viable in the 1990’s?" in category "Papers" In the pre-1990’s era PG found their international expansion through the use of a localization strategy. They did develop many of their products in Cincinnati, but they relied on their semi-autonomous subsidiaries to manufacture, market and customize many of their products for the local markets their served. This model started to show signs of strain when many of the trade barriers that existed, specifically between European countries were lifted. This created an increase in competition, and for PG exposed their now unnecessary duplication of assets and processes. Also the creation of the â€Å"big box† retailers (such as Wal-Mart and Tesco) were causing the competitive factors driven by purchasing power to put pressures on lowering PG’s prices even further. Due to the increase in competition and the changing market conditions PG closed some of their local plants and asked their subsidiaries to exploit as much economies of scale as possible in their production lines. They also asked their local centers to create and use global brands whenever possible to try and reduce marketing costs. While these cost avings were effective, they were still not enough and PG then reorganized the company to be a pure Transnational Strategy, with more control occurring in the regional centers than ever before and using as little local responsiveness as possible to reach their customers so they could compete on price as much as possible. The benefits of the transnational strategy include: †¢ Cost reduction †¢ Reducing duplication of assets †¢ Creating global brands †¢ Manufacturing in places that have a comparative advantage in the production of that product †¢ Increase market share by beating your competitors prices Risks †¢ Very difficult to implement manage †¢ Organizational Structures have to be very complex and it can lead to o Performance ambiguity o Confusion over corporate goals o Culture issues †¢ High coordination needs that are both formal and informal Chapter 13 – The Organization of International Business Key Points of the Chapter Organizational Architecture: the totality of a firm’s organization, organizational culture and people. These three areas must be addressed for a company to be successful in the global market place. The architecture must match the strategy of the firm. Organizational structure: Formal division of the organization, the location of the decision making (centralize vs. decentralized) and the establishment of intergrating mechanisms to coordinate the activities of subunits. Control Systems are metrics used to measure the performance of subunits and make judgments about how well managers are running those subunits. Incentives are the divides used to reward appropriate managerial behavior. Incentrives are very closely tied to performance metrics. Processes are the manner in which decisions are made and work is performed within the organization. Organizational Culture refers to the norms and values systems that the employees of an organization share. Organizations are societies of individuals who come together to perform collective tasks. [pic] Organizational Structure 1) Vertical Differentiation – location of decision making a) Centralized – When the decisions are made by upper management Pros: †¢ Can facilitate coordination †¢ Ensure decisions are consistent with organizational objectives †¢ Give top level manager the means to bring about changes (authority) †¢ Avoid duplication of activities ) Decentralized – Local managers make the decisions †¢ Top management can become overburdened when decision making authority is centralized, which can result in poor decisions. †¢ Motivational research favors decentralization, people are more likely to give more to their jobs when they have a greater degree of individual freedom and control over their work. †¢ More rapid response †¢ Can result in better decisions because the people with the best information are the ones making the decisions. †¢ Can increase control, making the management more autonomous and therefore accountable. Frequently it makes sense to centralize some decisions and to decentralize others, depending on the type of decisions and the firm’s strategy. 2) Horizontal Differentiation – formal organization structure Decision is made on functions, type of business or geographical area. †¢ International Division – When a single division runs all the international activities. Facilitates the international strategy. †¢ Worldwide area structure – World is divided into geographic areas, each division has its own value creation activities. Facilitates local responsiveness. Difficult to transfer core competencies. Worldwide product divisional structure – Each division has its own value creation activities organized around the products they produce. Headquarters retain responsibility for the overall strategic development and financial control. Gives opportunities to consolidate the value chain creation of different subunits. Can require a lack of local respon siveness. †¢ Global Matrix Structure – Tries to solve the issue Bartlett and Ghoshal have argued where a company needs to be price competitive and locally responsive by creating a matrix where decisions are made by both product and regional managers. It is very difficult to pull off a global matrix structure as it creates conflict for the employees having two bosses with two different goals. In light of these problems many firms that pursue a transnational strategy have tried to build flexible matrix structures based on enterprisewide management knowledge networks and a shared dual culture. 3) Integrating Mechanism – mechanisms for coordinating subunits †¢ The need for integrating mechanisms changes with the strategy, the company is using: Lowest – Localization strategy Highest – Global and Transnational †¢ Very important in firms trying to transfer core competencies between units †¢ Very important in firms trying to recover economies of scale and learning experience with a web like value â€Å"chain† Questions CT2 – Discuss the statement â€Å"An understanding of the causes and consequences of performance ambiguity is central to issue of organizational design in multinational firms. † Performance Ambiguity exists when the causes of a subunit’s poor performance are not clear. This is not uncommon when a subunit’s performance is partly dependent on the performance of other subunits; when there is high interdependence between different subunits. In firms not pursuing a localization strategy, certain degrees of performance ambiguity are going to exist. In an international strategy, integration is required to facilitate the transfer of core competencies and skills. The success of a foreign operation is partly dependent on the quality of the competencies transferred from the home country, therefore these firms must design an organizational strategy with enough integrating mechanisms to achieve this. In firms pursuing a global standardization strategy they need to recover location and experience curve economies, making many of the firms processes interdependent. This will require even greater controls and integrating mechanisms and make the decisions more complex and the decision tradeoffs more substantial (i. e. save money on this product or spend money to make it easy to sell the product). Firms with the highest level of performance ambiguity are transnational firms. The multidirectional transfer of competencies requires significant interdependence and lots of join decision making, making the performance ambiguity very high. This means the control costs are going to be highest in transnational firms and that many of the costs recovered by the transnational strategy are lost to creating the expensive control systems that must exist to facilitate the strategy. Another byproduct of this strategy is that global and transnational firms need to do more than use only output controls of objective performance metrics such as profits, productivity and market share in order to control their subsidiaries. These firms must look into cultural controls, encouraging managers to want to assume he norms and value systems and use those values to solve problems between the interdependent units and avoid finger pointing based on the output results. CT5 – If a firm is changing its strategy from an international to a transnational strategy what are the most important challenges it is likely to face in implementing this change? How can the firm overcome these challenges? While becoming a multinational firm does not require a strategy change, in order to compete in the global economy and be the best at what you do, organizational change may become a requirement. First the company must decide their strategy and then they must develop an appropriate organizational structure to complement those goals. A transnational strategy focuses on the simultaneous attainment of location and experience curve economies, local responsiveness and global learning. This firm may want to look into a matrix structure where managers from regional and product areas come together to make decisions that will benefit both points of view. They need to implement control systems that will allow them to work with their globally dispersed value chain and to transfer core competencies and therefore will likely be more culturally driven then output driven. Decisions should be made at both a centralized and decentralized level depending on what the company needs to transfer between units and what specifically about the product needs to be locally responsive (e. . branding/marketing). There needs to be a mix of informal and formal integrating mechanisms which can be found in the decision matrix and via informal networking tools (e. g. Twitter). Finally there needs to be strong culture cultivation to keep all the units on the same page which can be accomplished by a strong leadership with good vision and a willingness to participate in the dissemination of that vision. According to the text the three basic principals for performing organizational change include: 1) Unfreeze the corporation through shock therapy Incremental changes are not necessarily enough †¢ People can easily reject or avoid incremental change †¢ In this case the announcement of a dramatically different structural organization to facilitate the new goals †¢ Senior managers must lead the way in the changes and the unfreezing process 2) Move the org to a new state through proactive change in the architecture †¢ Reassigning the responsibilities in the new organization †¢ Changing the control systems to be less output based and more culturally based †¢ Letting people go who are unwilling to change †¢ The changes must be done quickly Involving the employees from the beginning will get their buy in and will makes the changes better received. 3) Refreeze the org in its new state †¢ This step can take longer †¢ It requires culture es tablishment while the old one is dismantled †¢ Re-socialization of employee behaviors †¢ Hiring policies must change †¢ Control systems must be tested and be consistent with the new culture and ignore the old one †¢ The upper management must be diligent and not allow the old pressure to creep up Chapter 14 – Entry Strategy and Strategic Alliances Key Chapter Points Two Major Ideas: 1) The decision of which foreign markets to enter, when to enter them and on what scale 2) The choice of entry mode Which Market (Recap of chapter 2) The attractiveness of a country as a potential market depends on balancing the benefits, costs and risks associated with doing business in that country †¢ Long Run economic benefits of a function of size of the market, present wealth, likelihood of future wealth †¢ Future economic growth, which is a function of a free market system and the country’s capacity for wealth. †¢ Riskier in politically and economical ly unstable countries †¢ What kind of value the firm can create for consumers in that market Timing of Entry Early entry – when a firm enters a foreign market before others do First movers advantage †¢ Pre-empt rivals †¢ Gain market share †¢ Establish a strong brand Creating switching costs to tie your buyers to you †¢ Set the price so you can cut prices when competitors arrive First movers disadvantage †¢ Pioneering costs, from the foreign business system being so different that time and expense must be sacrificed to learn the ropes †¢ Business failure if the firm makes mistakes based on bad knowledge †¢ Promotion of a new product or idea Late Entry – When a firm enters a foreign market after other firms do †¢ Can watch what your competitors do, and learn from their mistakes †¢ Can ride the coattails of their marketing and promotion †¢ Don’t need to educate your customers Scale of entry †¢ Large scale Requires significant resource commitment which can lead to strategy commitments, where you can’t get out of the deal without suffering significant consequences o It does create a presence and instills belief that you are committed to your product and customers †¢ Small Scale o Allows a firm to learn the market without exposing the firm to risks o Way to gather information o Lack of commitment may make it harder to attract customers Entry Modes Exporting Advantages †¢ Avoids substantial costs of establish manufacturing operations in another country †¢ May help the firm achieve experience curve, location economies and economies of scale Disadvantages It may be cheaper to produce abroad †¢ High transportation costs on shipping could make it uneconomical to export †¢ Tariff barriers may prohibit your exporting, making it uneconomical, and the threat of tariff barriers can make it risky †¢ Delegates of the company that perform the sales, marketing, se rvice may work for other competitors and therefore will not have your best interests in mind Turnkey Projects – The contractor agrees to handle every detail of the project for a foreign clients, including the training of operational personnel. At the end the client is handed the â€Å"key† to a fully functional plant. Typically in complex production businesses. Advantages The know how is a valuable asset and you can earn returns on that knowledge †¢ Useful when FDI is limited †¢ Can be less risky than traditional FDI Disadvantages †¢ No long term interest in that country †¢ May create a competitor out of the creator of your factory †¢ Could be selling your comparative advantage Licensing – The licensor grants the rights to intangible property to another entity for a specified period, and in return, he licensor receives a royalty fee from the licensee. Advantages †¢ Licensee puts up most of the capital †¢ Good for firms lacking capital †¢ Prohibited from direct investment in a foreign market Disadvantages (3 serious ones) Does not give tight control over manufacturing, marketing, strategy, etc. that si required for realizing the experience curve and location economies. †¢ Limits a firms ability to share wealth amongst various divisions, and therefore limits a coordinated international strategy †¢ Giving away your comparative advantage Franchising – a specialized form of licensing in which the franchiser sells the IP, but also the franchisee needs to follow those specific rules the franchisor sets out. Advantages †¢ Firm is relieved of many of the costs and risks †¢ Good for firms lacking capital †¢ Good when you are prohibited from FDI in that country †¢ Allows you to build a global presence quickly Disadvantage Great for services, but perhaps not manufacturing †¢ Limits a firms ability to share wealth amongst various divisions, and therefore limits a coordina ted international strategy †¢ There are different definitions of quality, safety, etc. in different places making it difficult to maintain your image across other countries Joint Ventures – Establishing a firm that is jointly owned by two or more otherwise independent firms, it’s popular mode of entry into foreign markets. Advantages †¢ Get to benefit from the local firm’s knowledge of the host country culture, norms, language, political situation, etc. †¢ Provide the local knowhow to a new country †¢ Share the risks with another company Sometime political factors make it impossible not to partner with a local firm Disadvantages †¢ Risking giving away your comparative advantage to a potential competitor †¢ The firm doesn’t have tight control over local operations, making it difficult for companies needing to transfer a culture †¢ Shared ownership can lead to conflicts between the two corporations, which can be exacerbate d by the fact that the two firms are from different nations. Wholly Owned Subsidiary – The firm owns 100% of the stock in the project. Can be done through a Greenfield venture, where you build a factory from scratch or via acquisition of an existing enterprise. Advantages †¢ Protect your knowledge Tight control †¢ Required to gain experience and locations economies †¢ Can engage in global strategic behaviors Disadvantages †¢ High costs and risks †¢ Culture transfer can be difficult, especially in terms of an acquisition Chapter Questions Tesco Q2 – How does Tesco create value in its international operations? Tesco creates value by offering something that the market is lacking: a well run competitive grocery store. They enter emerging markets with growth potential and few competitors. They then acquire or partner with current enterprises in that country in order to ensure that the value they are creating will work for that particular consumer. Tesco researches their potential partners carefully, and they pick a solid chain with some stores and they build off of that known base. They bring to the table their core competencies, but they don’t remove the local managers who have the knowledge of the customer. Finally they have the capital and the retailing know-how to bring their moderately successful firms into a globally back force. This value is created out of successfully leveraging the joint venture strategy, where both firms bring something useful to the table and both are given the opportunity to be successful with their knowledge. Grocery stores are part service and part goods firms. Tesco’s strengths exist in both, but they are leveraging their service and management know-how transfer through the use of the joint venture. We know that value creation is measured by the difference between the converted inputs that create the cost of a product and how much the consumer is willing to pay for that product. More specifically in this case it is the amount consumers are willing to pay for the goods inside of the Tesco subsidiary. Porter states that it is important for the firm to decide where it wants to be strategically positioned in terms of cost effectiveness, and differentiation. Tesco wants to be a low cost provider of all the goods a consumer would purchase at a grocery store. They compete through their value chain by gaining purchasing power through expansion, and by leveraging their values skills in foreign markets. CT 5 – A small Canadian firm that has developed some valuable new medical products using its unique biotechnology know-how is trying to decide how best to serve the EU. Establishing a manufacturing firm outside of Canada is not outside of the firm’s reach, but it will be a stretch. Which of the following options would you recommend and why? a) Manufacture the product at home and let foreign sales agents handle the marketing. b) Manufacture the product at home and set up wholly own subsidiaries in Europe to handle marketing c) Enter into an alliance with a large European pharmaceutical firm. The product would be manuf in Europe y the 50/50 joint venture and marketed by the European firm. As stated in the text, if the firm’s core competency is the based on control over proprietary technological know-how, it should avoid licensing and joint-venture arrangements if possible to minimize the risks of losing control over that technology (option C). While the strategic alliance will allow for entry into the foreign market, I don’t feel that the EU is such a different type of market that it would be impossible to find someone in the US who they could hire to help them understand that market. The partnership can give competitors low cost access to the new technology and markets. Wholly owned subsidiaries for marketing would allow for the marketing to be owned by the firm and therefore reduce the risks associated with using the local sales agents that may serve their own interests in lieu of the firm’s. However, I suggest that the core competency of the firm is not their marketing skills, but rather their technological know-how. This means that they would be choosing to take on major risks and expenses in order to transfer a non core competency and therefore find themselves at risk of failure. Going back to the Lincoln electric case, we saw how selecting a mode of entry strategy on something other than your comparative can lead to significant issues. Exporting (option a) allows for the firm to realize location economies, experience curve economies while suffering from high transport costs, trade barriers and problems with local marketing agents. In this instance, the cost of shipping medical instruments is typically quite low, and the trade barriers between Canada and EU are nonexistent. However, they may find the local sales agents to be at odds with other competitors making it difficult to distribute the product. Despite this drawback however, I feel that the financial risks associated with option b and the dangers of losing their core competency in option c I would use the less risky option a. Chapter 15 – Exporting, Importing and Counter Trade Key Chapter Points Chapter Questions CT3 – An alternative to using letter of credit is export credit insurance. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the credit insurance rather than a letter of credit for exporting: a) A luxury yacht from California to Canada b) Machine tools from New York to the Ukraine A letter of credit, abbreviated as L/C is: †¢ Issued by the bank at the request of the importer †¢ States the bank will pay a specified sum of money to a beneficiary, normally the exporter, on presentation of particular, specified documents †¢ Charge a percentage to the importer as a fee for the service †¢ May require the importer to do some type of deposit †¢ It is a financial contract †¢ Allows for the banks to determine the creditworthiness of your trade partner, so no relationship must exist for the trade to take place Export Credit Insurance: Sometimes exporters who require a letter of credit from an importer will lose their business to another exporter who doesn’t require all the additional work †¢ Thus when the importer is in a str ong bargaining position and able to play competing suppliers against each other, an exporter may have to forgo a letter of credit. †¢ This exposes the exporter to risk †¢ The exporter can protect themselves against that risk through the us of exporter insurance †¢ The FCIA provides coverage against commercial and political risks. Losses due to commercial risk result from the buyers insolvency or payment default. a) Because the competition for selling this product is somewhat high I would expect the buyer to have more power than the seller and therefore I could see them asking the seller to forgo the letter of credit. If that is the case export credit insurance will be the likely route to manage the trade. However, if the seller can get the buyer to comply the letter of credit between the reputable Canadian bank and the US bank will be a good asset to leverage if possible. b) Because of the nature of the transaction, the letter of credit may be the best solution. This way the seller can insure that the buyer is credit worthy and the bank will take care of the relationship needs so the buyer and seller do not have to create a relationship. My only concern would be that of the Ukrainian bank and whether you can trust their banking system. It may be more prudent to use the exporter insurance again to guard against the ever present political and economic risks in that country. ———————– Structure Incentives controls Processes Culture People How to cite Why Do You Think This Strategy Became Less Viable in the 1990’s?, Papers

Emirates Airlines

Questions: Part AFor this project, you are to manage 2 different complex projects as allocated by your assessor. This is not a technical task, but a fundamental project management task. Information provided for each allocated task will be intentionally limited, and you will need to talk to your assessor for more details You have been given limited information regarding this project intentionally. You are to talk with your assessor to find more information about this project. This project requires you to: Implement start-up activities through updating and confirming the project plan (key dates, activities, resources, compliance, etc); understanding the project stakeholders, establishing appropriate systems, and using appropriate project management tools Coordinate the project implementation through managing integration of project activities, stakeholders input, disagreements and disputes, and change proposals Monitoring the project appropriately Arranging project follow-up activities including t esting, trialling or building requirementsPart BAt the completion of the project, you are to review its overall success. You are to do this by answering the following questions: Did the project result in the benefits defined in your business case? Did it achieve the objectives outlined in the terms of reference? Did it operate within the scope of the terms of references? Did the deliverables meet the criteria defined in the quality plan? Was it delivered within the schedule outlined in the project plan? Was it delivered within the budget outlined in the financial plan? Answers: Here two projects are being taken. One is the training and development project and the other is employee motivation project. Both the projects will be undertaken in the Emirates Airlines and management of these two is a vital task (Baker, 2007). Implementing Start-Up Actions Through Updating As Well As Confirming Project Plan Key dates- Project A- Project B- Activities Project A (training and development) Project B (Employee motivation) Human resources management department of the Emirates Airlines will take responsibility of making sure that staff satisfaction as well as efficiency of work is being properly maintained at the firm The firms team will indulge in the task of ensuring that the staffs are motivated to an extent from which the firm is getting a better output and the rewards are actually acting as a catalyst. A proper training and development program needs to be carried out where employees will be given data and information regarding the positive effects of appropriate service on the buyers and clients and how good behavior can make staffs retain customers and thereby earn maximum profit (Blunt, 1985) A proper agenda and plan will be laid down where incentives and their basis will be decided by the management team. Here the team will need to work on facts like when will be the staffs awarded, whether it will be monetary or non monetary award and also what will be the form of award (Harrison, 1992) Another action that will be taken will be regarding the laying down of the plan and process through which the training program will be carried out Next the management team will decide upon the benefits and effects of different incentives and other motivational tools and also will set priorities accordingly(Byers, 1974) Resources- Project A Project B The aims and goals of employee training and development program needs to be clear The employees must be involved in recognizing knowledge, skills as well as abilities that they will have to learn The staffs needs to participate in the activities during learning process Work experiences as well as knowledge which the employees attain to every learning condition has to be used like a resource (Herrera, 2002) A very practical as well as problem-centered loom based upon real examples needs to be used New material has to be connected to staffs past learning plus work experience The employees will be given proper opportunity towards reinforcing things that they learn through practicing Learning ecology needs to be informal, safe as well as supportive Individual employee needs to be given proper respect Learning opportunity will properly promote some positive and actions of self-esteem A good team of experts will be needed to provide training to the staffs (Leavitt, 1967) The main aim and goal needs to be very clear and precise The staffs must be surveyed and seen that what incentive has worked properly and most effectively in the past A very thorough past review of the motivational plan implemented in the past needs to be done A practical plan will be needed by the firm to enable the firm retain staffs for longer period of time Getting satisfaction of employees over rewards will staffs a very difficult task, firm will also need to learn the actions for proper management and those that would properly create the feeling of immense satisfaction all among employees (Korzynski, 2013) Appropriate motivation will be needed and also good motivational tools will be required by the management for encouraging the staffs and making them work for longer time period. Compliance- Project 1- Emirates Airlines will tend to apply some principles while application of the training program which will include both classroom program as well as self-study programs similar to the other methods and procedures of training. Here the firm will provide some experts who will supply classroom training to the staffs and also staffs will be supplied some books from where they need to learn and apply the same in their work (Lock, 1997). The internet also will be used by HR of the Emirates Airlines to facilitate self-study as well as development programs that will be very useful, for properly empowering the staffs and also will be cost effective more than what it was sometimes ago. Project 2- Organizations will actually pay proper attention towards monetary and even towards non-monetary awards and rewards that will be have to be given to staffs for motivating them, because balanced mix of both of the rewards can enable the firm to create extra beneficial and appropriate motivation. Any individuals goal as well as organizations goals actually will be tried to combine together as they are in reality independent and need to be linked by work motivation (Manolopoulos, 2007). Understanding project stakeholders and also establishing appropriate scheme, and using proper project management apparatus: Project 1- The vital stakeholders in this project will be the employees and also the management department that is the senior level managers who will get indulged in the planning and making processes of the project. Employee training actually is responsibility of organization. Employee training and development is that shared accountability and liability of the management which is always distributed among all the managers at top level and individual employee as well. The accountability of the management is actually to supply right resources as well as an ecology that would support growth plus development requirements of individual employee. For the program to get more and more successful, HR department will obviously expect each of the staff to be extra creative as well as innovative (Noe, 1999). They will even encourage staffs towards getting engaged in the web intended for ideas as well as self study plus even self development sources. They will even get information related to the group management plus the technology advancement. Project 2- Motivating the staffs can actually be single-vitally important activity and can be very much managerial challenge intended for employers. The capability of the firm to effectively indentify and also encourage the employees to properly work very hard each day is also an invaluable technique and will require a vast team of experts to understand the staffs well and also to motivate them properly. For the successful completion of the project the whole business will be a stakeholder of the project. The individuals will be intended and motivated to provide all of their services to the organizations towards attainment of the organizations goals for appropriately meeting all of their own that are their personal goals. Coordinate project implementation via managing incorporation of the project actions, stakeholders input and disagreements as well as disputes plus change proposals: Project 1- Initially, majority of staffs in employment will not carry any cause for shifting jobs otherwise careers. Presently when the program is going on, times actually will change and people will develop their careers and will aim to have become actually boundary less. Here the firm will try to implement the program in a way through which it could attain maximum result and minimize the cost (Ponnappa, 2014). The steps will be as follows: Recognizing staffs- the staffs who will be sent and put under the program will be recognized Providing information- The staffs will be informed about the program that will be held in the firm premises and then they will be asked to attend the program to enhance their own career and future The program will be then carried out in the planned manner The results will be evaluated Project 2- Motivation will directly relate to achievement of the staffs and also their retention in workplace. Achievement within the workplace will deal with pride as well as sense of proper accomplishment staffs feel about all of their jobs as well as employers. The steps will be Recognizing the Employees- recognition of staffs who are less motivated and actually need to go a long way for increasing as well as maintaining the achievement. 2) Quality of the Life- Employers will emphasize on the quality of the life and will try to motivate staffs toward proper achievement of higher levels of the productivity. Several employees will worry regarding the way in which they will balance the work duties as well as personal lives, plus such concerns could also negatively affect the morale as well as performance (Randolph, 2014) 3) Provide Coaching- Staffs who lack motivation while they dont perform good will be given [proper motivation classes and a session of brain wash will be undertaken. 4) Monetary Incentives- Several monetary incentives will also be provided. Monitoring project properly: Mentors will be involved in the task of monitoring. The vital role of these expert mentors within the training plus development will be to help the mentees search right solutions for themselves. Principle for the mentorship is also said to get extra effective while mentor helps the mentees gain experience of proper learning. The main principle will imply that mentor will focus upon mentoring the efforts as well as expectations on the helping as well as guiding mentored to the developed solutions as well as answers (Terry White, 1997). The staffs will also be asked several questions and a survey will be done to analyze the effectiveness of the program which was prior undertaken by the firm for enhancement and improvement of staffs and also retain them for longer period of time. Part B Outcome- yes the project was totally beneficial and also resulted in the standards that were set prior to the undertaking of the program. The result were actually far better than what was expected from the program Achievement of objectives- yes the project was very successful in achievement of the aims and objectives. Also the project proved to be very beneficial for the firm as it resulted in tremendous success of staffs (Wateridge, 2001). Did it operate within the scope of the terms of references? Emirates Airlines actually is among leading firms in aviation industry within undertaking the employee development. The Emirates Airlines has followed strategies as well as policies that have been result oriented. Yes the plan has effective strategies and tactics. It also operated in the proper scope of actual terms as well as references. It followed a certain path which has enabled the firm to attain the actual result which was set as a benchmark of the program outcomes (Wright, 2002). The firm has also aimed in achievement of results in a better way and the plan was laid down having vital scope and proper approach. Deliverables meeting criteria defined in quality plan The deliverables met all the criteria that was defined in the reference plan. Outcome which was seen totally matched the standard that was set. It was seen that the staffs felt quite better and extra happy after the training program, though motivation program was extra effective as it lacked a proper mix of monetary and non monetary mixes, yet attained good results though not best one. Was this delivered within schedule time- Yes both the programs were delivered within the scheduled time. Also proper timely evaluation was made which consumed some extra time. The timely delivery of the program made it extra effective and cost beneficial. If the time limit would have not been met the result would have been delayed and the outcome would have been something very different, may be negative as well. Was this delivered in budget outlined- The budget outline for the projects were actually properly met and it did not exceed the financial limit. This proved the project to be extra beneficial for both the firm as well as the staffs. Conclusion: The project management has always been difficult task for any of the firms which wants to undergo and/ or undertake any novel project for attainment of any personal or group aims and goals. Firms capable of managing such project effectively and efficiently result in extra profit and good image as well as better delivery of gods as well as services. In a nutshell here are all details regarding the two projects training and development of staffs and motivational program for employees that have been undertaken by Emirates Airlines. References Baker, H. (2007). Employee training. Chandni Chowk, Delhi: Global Media. Blunt, B. (1985). Measuring employee motivation. Performance + Instruction, 24(10), 6-6. doi:10.1002/pfi.4150241004 Byers, K. (1974). 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