Best Business Practices Essay

Best practices is referred to as the development and implementation of a standard way of doing things to improve productivity. New management of business requires the managers and supervisors to be prepared for change. Management skills is not the only task that is expected of these firms but multitasking and flexibility are key to keeping on in today’s fast-paced work environment where experienced supervisors are required. To effectively carry out a number of activities the supervisors of companies need to have a number of best practices required of them. These include good communication skills, determining effective orientation and training methods, improving team productivity, conducting performance appraisals, resolving conflict and improving employee relations. Best practices provide the supervisors with guidelines to follow in ensuring that all the information to be passed is very much effective. Supervisors generally have a difficult task to ensure that all issues are implemented. Therefore they need to utilize the following best practices to ensure that they maintain a successful and productive relationship with employees. Communication skills The supervisors of companies should ensure that the information that is communicated to the organization members is full, accurate, timely and understandable. This policy of good communication applies to different people and groups such as government authorities,’ regulators, employees, clients and the media. In business culture accountability is more important than diplomacy especially in U. S. The supervisors are also expected to do correction and pass judgment criticism in the way businesses are carried. The organization members should not take it as a personal issues but should be taken as away of improving performance in businesses. When correcting the employees the supervisors are expected to treat his employees well not only in pay and benefits but by respecting them and also treating then with a lot of personal care. Correction should be done with the utmost respect and the supervisor is expected to be alone when making correction. (Rue &Byars,2004). In every organization, employees comprise of different members with different cultural differences. This means that the supervisor has to cater for these differences when communicating to his employees. The cultural differences include culture, beliefs value and practices of the organization members. When communicating with the employees the culture should be put into consideration. Communication is just beyond words. The worst thing most supervisors make is failing to implement and demonstrate what they are preaching. For example a supervisor of a company might promise the workers of increase in salary at the end of the month but in the long run he might fail to implement this. This will make the workers or employees to lose trust and faith in their supervisors. The supervisor is thus expected to lead by example. This means taking your employees to the right direction where the firm should be. To stay competitive, companies must find ways to improve the performance and efficiency of all their employees and other members in the new environment inorder to prevent the new and unique challenges in the organization. Crossing the language bridge is another thing that the supervisor should have in mind. This is the biggest issue that supervisors should be aware of. In US, most company workers comprise of people from different cultural background, speaking different languages that all the employees are expected to know. The most commonly spoken language is English. The supervisor of the new company should therefore try to communicate in a language that is familiar and common to everybody. Things will automatically be easier if communication is done in English. However, when passing the information, the language used should be as simple as possible to avoid any complications that might arise. The supervisor should not use a lot of jargons when communicating because this will make the information to be passed to become more difficult to be understood by the employee. The risk of miscommunication will lead to decreased productivity therefore the supervisor should be aware of the language differences in their employees. New concepts should be communicated directly and accurately to the employees in time. It is always said that information liberates when passed at the right time. The channel which the information or message is to follow should be smooth to ensure that the massage passed is not interfered with. New changes should be introduced after effective communications has been done. The new concept introduced should aim at increasing profits and productivity in the company. The supervisor should inform the member on the benefits the new change is going to bring the company. The introduction of the new technology has brought a lot of changes in the business environment. Therefore the organization also needs to change in order to address these changes and stay competitive to the market. Critical thinking also plays a large part of communication especially when communicating with employees. Critical thinking entails asking and answering questions in order to use a thought process that is more easily or effectively remembered. (Rue, 2004) Determining effective orientation and training methods. All organization members need training to acquire new skills and knowledge required for the production to be increased and effective. The supervisor is supposed to hire qualified and competence staff to perform duties in their areas of specialization. Training should provide essential information on the department/programme. This includes policies and procedures on how the organization is run. If the company uses new technology, the supervisor needs to train the employees on how to use the computer soft ware in the company. The supervisor should also provide direction on how work is to be done. He should lead by example and he should also provide appropriate equipment in good working condition and training in how to use it. The supervisor should also do assessment tests to measure effectiveness of training equipment to be used in delivering the training. Methods of training may include use of computer, video, classroom or holding conference. When using these methods the supervisor needs to do assessment first to ensure effective training. Qualified staff needs to be recruited in a specific department. This is because each department has a specific responsibility to be carried. For example a company may have the department of public relations and department of information technology. Those working in the department of information technology need to have relevant skills in the computer database. Improving productivity for teams Team work has become a big part of today’s workforce. Productivity in team can be done through delegation and follow up for example in delegation the supervisors should be well informed about their team members. This should include their cultural background and experiences very well to help him in assigning the right duty to a proper person. By ensuring that delegation is done fairly will provide a positive work team is got which in turn will lead to increased productivity. The supervisor need to know the project he is dealing with and people in the team to find a suitable task for each member. While doing delegation, fairness should be observed as this will keep team morals. Team work productivity is also brought through follow up. This is supposed to be done to ensure that each team member is performing the task that is assigned to him or her. The supervisor therefore needs to check the job done by team members at individual levels and as a team. Follow up will ensure that each member feels satisfied, important and is performing his/her tasks effectively. These actions will help in ensuring that the morals of the team is kept high and therefore leading to happiness in the organization. Conflict resolution. Resolving conflict is another best practice expected of new supervisors. Conflicts are things that normally occur in our organizations. For example our workforce or workplace comprise of people with different cultural background, therefore such diverse cultures can bring conflict in the organization. Conflict that the supervisors therefore mostly faces vary from personality differences between employees to a small clash in attitude or belief. Dealing with conflict requires two things. These include listening and resolving. The supervisor needs to investigate the situation and actively listen to both sides of the situation. The means that he needs to listen to different people involved in the conflict. Listening to a problem requires the supervisors to take time and ensure that each employee has been given an opportunity to speak about the problem (Scenario). While listening, he should carefully take notes and carefully cross check the statements the parties involved are giving. This will enable him understand the root cause of the problem and possible solution to the problem. When coming up with resolution he should determine the one that will appease as many of the population as possible without going against the company policies or regulations (Brett, Behfar & Kern, 2006). All the information in the resolution should be communicated to the employees in a simple way. Follow up should also be done on the situation to confirm whether the resolution that was passed has worked or not. Should it fail to work then another possible solution need to be obtained to resolve the conflict. This will ensure that the whole process of conflict resolution is very successful. Improving employee relations. Improving employee relations is one of the best practices that the supervisor need to have in mind. In most organizations employees will want their presence to be recognized either by their leaders or by other members in the company. Good relationship should therefore be built to ensure that there is a positive contact between the supervisors and other company’s members. (McConnell, 2002). The supervisor should ensure that positive contact is made almost on a daily basis as this will increase the employees self esteem. They will feel that their interest is catered for thereby improving productivity. The supervisor can also create good relations with other members through carrying out regular meetings. During regular meeting the supervisors should address the employee’s problems and correct any area in which they need to improve on. It is also important to keep some records of attendance so that the supervisor can appraise to congratulate them for turning in large numbers. Anyway these minor things need not to be ignored by the supervisors. During meetings it is good and healthy to listen to employees decisions. This is because the employees themselves know where there is need for improvement since they are people carrying out the activities. They therefore know very well where specific improvement is to be made. This makes them feel that they are important in the organization. Even the supervisor himself will feel that he is working to the right direction of achieving the organizations objectives and goals. Improving the employees self esteem will also increase the efficiency and productivity of work done. (Robertson, 2007). The employees therefore should be allowed to take part in decision making process as this will build trust between the employees and their leaders including the supervisors. Performance Appraisal. Conducting performance appraisal is another best practice that the supervisors should not leave out. Performance appraisal is a gauging tool to measure the success and failure in the work done by both the supervisors and employees. In most cases performance appraisal is done yearly basis and include things like reinforcement and giving both positives and negative feed back. Positive feedback is given when the employee does an impressing job. The feedback should begin with positive accomplishment that the employees has since their last appraisal or since they were recruited. The positive not will ensure that the employees follow further direction given by supervisors. Positive feedback will also send a message to the employees that their supervisor is working with them meaning that they are not left alone to o the job without their supervision from their supervisors. This will increase their morale in performing their job. Negative feedback will provide failures that the employees have made and when this is communicated it will help them in making some adjustments. The negative feedback should be used as a teaching tool to guide and correct the employees on the areas they have failed in. These areas therefore need some improvement. If the failures are not communicated to the employees, they won’t know whether they are doing the right thing or the wrong thing. After giving direction on areas that need improvement the supervisor should be clear and concise in the measures that will be taken if a change or improvement is not shown. He will therefore have to check on the ways the task is performed looking into the improvements required or lack of it. When doing this he should continue giving guidance ion hoe the performance can be improved. (Buhler,2007) During performance appraisal the supervisor should give the employees time to ask questions and give their suggestion. This will make them understand more the area in which improvement is required to be done. The supervisors will also be able to know how the employees view the areas he is addressing. However, performance appraisal whether negative or positive feed back should end on a positive note. For example, this is a good work but you still need some improvement. The feedback should contain some goals that the employees need to meet within a stipulated period of time in the near future if the supervisor does the appraisal of performance in a good way then he will realize that his efforts are not thwarted. This will in turn ensure that there is efficiency among the employees and the overall production will increase. Conclusion Every organization needs to employ the principle of best practices to ensure that its goal is achieved. This means that the supervisor will need to consider all the elements making the organization for him to realize success in the company. He needs to work in collaboration with the members as a team and even with the managers to ensure that the policies passed are implemented properly. Keeping the members on toes should be done regularly to ensure that work is done smoothly. A supervisor therefore needs to work in a more professional in the way he handles his employees as this will determine whether job will effectively be done or will not be done. All activities that are to be done particular time should be completed as stated. This will only work upon supervision. The job is only left for the supervisor. Correction should be done in a fair way to avoid any problem arising. This can only be done by using best practices that is used in improving production in a company. The best practice has proved to work and has lead to creation of successful workforce and therefore increased productivity by the company. Reference: Brett, J, Behfar, K & Kern, M. C. (2006). Managing multicultural Teams. London: Harvard Business. Buhler, P. (2007) Managing in the new millennium, Journal of supervision, 68(3) 19-21 Mc Connell, C. (2002) Use positive contacts to improve employee relations. Retrieved July 20, 2007 http://www. nfib. com/object/3174032. htm/ Robertson, J. (2007). How to improve employee’s relations in the workplace. Retrieved July, 19, 2007 http://www. associatedcontent. com/article/17641/low-to-improve-employee-relations-in. htm/ Rue, L. W. & Byars, LL. (2004) Supervision: Key link to productivity: New York: Mc Graw-Hill

Health Care Hall of Fame Museum Proposal Essay

Healthcare has existed for centuries. As a society we have gone from primitive treatments like casting spells to revolutionary disease breakthroughs. The United States has held steadfast in the evolution of healthcare delivery causing the delivery of healthcare to increase by magnitude proportions. The 1900’s was a time that changes in healthcare and the delivery of it began to emerge in the United States. Scientists started taking an increase interest in diseases. Cardiology developments have helped with the treatment of heart disease, monitoring and prevention. â€Å"Heart Disease is the number one leading cause of death in America.† (American Heart Association, www.heart.org). Heart disease goes as far back as Egyptian Pharaohs, British monarchs and American Presidents. Unhealthy behaviors causing an increase in the risk factors amongst Americans have greatly affected the health of our society as a whole. Americans lead with sedentary lifestyles and the â€Å"supers ize mentality†. Early interventions to reduce the risk factors that cause heart disease are essential. Mental illness has been frowned upon since ancient history. The United States was no different. Some people feel that mental illness is not a physical problem and is just a behavioral or spiritual problem that can be controlled. The mentally ill have been maltreated and put through deplorable, inhumane conditions. Introduction of antipsychotic medication in the 1950’s helped in the recovery and helped those who were mentally ill live in the community. Mental health became a priority and care in institutions and hospitals started to improve. â€Å"The Mental Health Act 1986 (the Act) provides a legislative framework for the care, treatment and protection of people with mental illness for psychiatrists to implement.† (Treatment plans under the Mental Health Act). The National Institute of Mental health has a mission to transform the understanding and treatment of mental illnesses. Better healthcare choices can be made with the use of biotechnology. Biotechnology is not a new science. It goes as far back as 500 B.C. It is beneficial with the development of medication, research on drugs, stem cell research, gene testing and therapy. â€Å"Modern biotechnology provides breakthrough products and technologies to combat debilitating and rare diseases, reduce our environmental footprint, feed the hungry, use less and cleaner energy, and have safer, cleaner and more efficient industrial manufacturing processes.† (What is Biotechnology? http://www.bio.org/articles/what-biotechnology). Biotechnology has made major strides in healthcare like the eradication of small pox or gene therapy to help people battle auto immune diseases. Public Health is concerned with disease prevention and wellness promotion for the community as a whole. Epidemics, pand emic and outbreaks make public health an essential part of healthcare. Public health dates back to Biblical times. An example of this is the isolation of a contagious disease like leprosy. Lillian Wald the mother of Public Health Nursing led the crusade of helping provide medical care to the poor in the United States. The increase awareness of health and the healthcare coverage that would be needed led the United States to develop HMOs. HMOs provide medical treatment for patients on a prepaid basis. HMO members pay a fixed monthly fee, more often than not through an employer regardless of how much medical care is needed in a given month. A wide variety of medical services are provided after the fee is paid, from office visits to hospitalization and surgery. There are benefits to having an HMO. â€Å"Preventive and well-care services, such as routine physicals and pediatric care, are provided at no additional cost. Co-payments apply to doctor’s office visits, prescriptions, hospital admissions, emergency room visits and some other services. You generally do not need to submit claim forms, except in cases when emergency care takes place outside of your coverage area.† Research on diseases, health maintenance, and wellness continues to progress. Public Health continues to be an advocate for health and safety in the community. The United States continues to evolve in healthcare delivery. References American Heart Association, Disease Information. (2000). Retrieved from http://my.americanheart.org/professional/Research/Disease-Information_UCM_459537_Article.jsp Future of Biotechnology in Healthcare, Chapter Nine. (2011, August). Retrieved from http://www.amgenscholars.com/images/uploads/contentImages/biotechnology-future.pdf Institute of Mental Health. About NIMH. (October 6, 2014). Retrieved from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/about/index.shtml Public health history time line. (2014, September 6). Retrieved from http://www.sphtc.org/resources.html

Integrating Quality, Environmental and Health & Safety Management Essay

Integrating Quality, Environmental and Health & Safety Management Practices in Abu Dhabi Police Department - Essay Example ich are normally observed through the provision of greater conformity within an organization, its effectiveness, and the overall efforts of developing separate systems of management. The management systems are usually treated as autonomous functions within organizations/ institutions. However, most of the professionals tend to think that it is possible to bring together and harmonise the three management systems: OHSAS 18001 OHSMS, ISO 14001 EMS and ISO 9001 QMS. This paper will therefore focus on the various management practices in the police department of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. In addition, a clear strategy for the implementation of an integrated system in the organization will be developed and outlined in the paper. Abu Dhabi police (ADP) located in Abu Dhabi Emirate, works together with other agencies in order to reduce crime rates and achieve a safer society. It focuses on preserving the stability, eliminating a sense of fear and achievement of justice among the general public . The vision of Abu Dhabi Police is to become the police force that is more effective in the policing field which promptly responds to the needs of the society with a high level of training and integrity (Trent 1998, pp.32). In order to achieve the stated vision, the directorate is usually guided by a number of values which include: respect for human rights, honesty and integrity. Trent (1998), states that ADP was founded by the first president of the Abu Dhabi state, the late H.H. Shaikh Shakhbut Bin Sultan Al Nahayan in January 1957. His main aim behind the establishment was to create a strong dependent government which freely and fairly provided security and peace to the country. Abu Dhabi police department reports to the ministry of interior. It consists of sectors which are divided into departments. Each department has specific duties and responsibilities. However, over the past years, the organization structure of Abu Dhabi police has been

Professional Map-D-PartA Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Professional Map-D-PartA - Assignment Example Band 2 relates to issues led and advisers roles of human resource. Band 3 of the framework illustrates the cooperative and consultant partnership. Finally, band 4 outlines colleague, client leadership, and coaching of the staffs (Stanford, 2013). The bands explain the different levels and demonstrate contributions and competencies. Hence, the framework adds value to human resource by providing a perfect harmony between professional areas and promotes good relations. In addition, it benefits organizations through comprehensive approaches to ensuring a competent team by enabling efficient transitions between bands, behaviors, and professionalism. The map adds value to Human resource by supporting employees to acknowledge necessities for achievements. Organizational application helps personnel to plan and execute efficient services based on behaviors, knowledge, and skills. The tool helps analyze professional areas to establish a perfect balance between organizational resources in order to achieve short and long-term strategies while meeting changing customer needs (Peacock, 2009). The core areas comprise of strategies, insights, and solutions that enable Leading HR. They refer to possible areas where professional promotes reasonable ideas and solutions. The strategies broadly outline efforts to improve organizational understanding and give opportunities for development of comprehensive approaches and HR skills (Stanford, 2013, p. 132). Besides, the strategies, insights, and solutions address resource management including time, skills, and potentials of enhancing their sustainability. Currently, I am working on band one at Shell Development Oman. My responsibilities include client support and administrative assistance. Particularly, I handle data management, inventory tracking, and assistance to other employees. Shell Development Oman promotes coordination and administration of the firms interests across the

Business Report Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business Report - Coursework Example 50,000. ?25,000 would be borrowed capital, which would be used in refurbishing the retail premises while the other ?25,000 from my savings would be used in the purchase of the required stock as well as the initial running costs. Type of Business The type of business to be established would be a partnership business. In a partnership business, the law requires that at least two partners form the business. According to the Partnership Act 1890, a partnership business should consist of at least two partners with common business with a view of making profits (legislation.gov.uk, 2013). A partnership is typically an agreement between at least two people willing to finance and operate a given business. The minimum number of the people forming the business is two. Unlike some other forms of business such as sole proprietorship, partnership businesses are entities, which are separate from their partners. In a general partnership, losses and profits flow all through to the tax returns of the partners. In this case, the general partners have equal authorities and responsibilities in running the business. All partners need to be involved in everyday activities of the partnership business (Entrepreneur Media, Inc., 2013). All general partners are involved in making decisions. The law also gives any partner to represent the partnership business even without the other partners’ knowledge. ... These procedures are regardless of whether the partnership would be general, limited, family, or incorporated. The following steps would have to be followed: i. First, we have to determine the number of partners. In our case, the business would be formed by two partners, my friend and I. We would agree between ourselves, as the business partners on, the most important or key issues. One of the key issues to be considered is the limits of liabilities. The limits of liability could be set according to our capital investment, contribution to the business, or the use of goodwill. We would also agree on the level of authority that each of us would hold concerning the partnership business and its operations. Such agreement on authority level would mainly reflect on the issue of making binding agreements and signing contracts on the partnership’s behalf (Global Syndicated News, 2012). ii. Secondly, we would draw up a legal Partnership Agreement that would highlight the key aspects of the partnership business including the roles, liabilities, and authority with regard to each partner. Under the same agreement, we would state about the distribution of assets and profits. In the Partnership Agreement, we would consider partnership elements such as the business name, terms of the agreement, capital employed, provisions of profits and losses, salaries and withdrawals, restrictions and management duties, banking, books to be used, voluntary termination, cases of death, as well as arbitration. Each of these elements would be stated clearly in our Partnership Agreement (The Wall Street Journal, 2013). iii. We would then proceed with an application for a Tax File Number (TFN) for our business (The Wall Street Journal, 2013). iv. We would also

Corporate governance and business ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Corporate governance and business ethics - Essay Example They are respecting and encouraging the shareholder rights, protecting the interests of all stakeholders, performing the board’s responsibilities properly, following integrity and ethics, and having transparency in transactions. Business ethics too has become an important subject at academic level and also within major organisations. This interest in business ethics is visible in the big organisations’ evident emphasis on promoting non-economic social values. In simple terms, business ethics aims at handling situations where there is a possibility of business going unethical. In other words, as businesses function in social and natural environment, they are supposed to be accountable towards the environment and society they exist in. In the present business climate where there are multinational giants, the paths chosen by these companies have huge impact on the lives of people. There are a number of subjects that come under the purview of general business ethics. The fi rst one is corporate social responsibility that deals with the ethical rights among companies and also towards society. In addition, it deals with the moral responsibilities and rights that exist between a company and its stakeholders. Another matter is the relation among different companies, especially during takeovers, and espionage. Another factor is the issues associated with corporate leadership, and political contributions by the company. A look into history will prove that the rise in interest in business ethics has its beginning in 1970s. Before the world wars, the business world was full of unethical practices ranging from colonialism and slavery. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is the obligation of a company to be responsible to all of the stakeholders in its operation to achieve sustainable development, not only economically, but also in social and environmental dimensions. In other words, corporate responsibility means the responsibility of the company towards all its stakeholders ranging from owners, investors, employees, customers, government, suppliers, competitors and the community. In the words of Kotler, and Lee (2008, p.3), corporate social responsibility is the commitment of a company to improve community well-being through its operations and contributions. Nokia: The Company in Concern The company that is considered for analysis of corporate governance is Nokia. The company had its beginning in the year 1865 in South-Western Finland as a forest industry enterprise, and the founder was a mining engineer named Fredrik Idestam. By the beginning of 1989s, Nokia strengthened its hold in telecommunications and consumer electronics markets. As Parthasarthy (2006, p. 338) reports, there were number of acquisitions ranging from Mobira, Salora, Televa and Luxor. In addition, it acquired parts of the German Standard Elektrik Lorenz, French company Oceanic, and Dutch company NKF; and in the case of corporate governance, Nokia follows Helsinki, N ew York, Stockholm, and Frankfurt stock exchange rules and recommendations as applicable (ibid). The company runs in accordance with the provisions of Finnish Companies Act, and the control and management of Nokia, the Articles of Association, is divided among the shareholders, the Board of Directors, the President and the Nokia

SWOT Analysis Strategy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

SWOT Analysis Strategy - Assignment Example he environment by identifying the strategies creating a firm specific business model that best aligns the organization’s resources and capabilities to the requirements of the environment in which it operates. The acronym SWOT stands for, as has been alluded, to strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Each of these has a strategic implication to the business, and proper analysis will show a true picture of the organization’s place in the business environment. Strengths and weaknesses are internal to the business entity directly controlled by it while opportunities and threats are external, and a company can only anticipate and react to the changes. As such, analysis is instrumental in strategy formulation and selection to pursue the optimum possible position. For success to be realized, strengths should be build upon, weaknesses rectified, opportunities exploited and protect against threats. Strategic planning is enhanced by SWOT analysis as it is a source of information for strategic planning to identify core competencies, and setting of objectives. From the knowledge of the past and present, the future can be comfortably planned (Pearce & Robinson, 2012). Let us consider each of the four substrata in the SWOT matrix. An organization’s strengths are either tangible or intangible qualities which enable it to accomplish its missions. They form the basis under which success can be laid and sustained. They include patents, brand names, good reputation, exclusive access to resources, technical know-how by employees, and distribution network. The firm must have distinct features giving it consistency. The employee expertise, process capabilities, finances, products/services with customer goodwill and brand loyalty form the foundation for the organization to thrive. These are qualities hindering the firm from achieving its mission and accomplishing optimum potential by hindering the organization’s success and growth. The absence of certain strengths

HR Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

HR - Essay Example Ensuring proper performance management and ensuring that performance of the employees is rewarded are essential factors for the success of the organizations. COLLECTING HR OR L&D DATA The organizations need to collect appropriate data of the staff to assess their performance. This data must be linked to the appraisals offered to the employees, sick absences which the employees take etc. This is done because human capital is the biggest asset for the company. By assessing the performance of the employees incentives can be planned to amplify the performance of the staff members. Constantly monitoring the workforce helps in assessing the strengths of the organization. Therefore the performance of the individuals will be monitored on every project that they work. This would allow collecting information regarding every good and bad performance they have throughout the year. In addition to this, collecting information from peers, colleagues and managers can also be helpful. The managers and the staff need tobe motivated to learn and implement strategies which in the long run prove to be beneficial for the organization. DATA COLLECTION TO SUPPORT HR OR L&D PRACTICES The organization frequently collectsdata of individual performances which is maintained by the line manager. This helps them in assessing the individual performance and the effectiveness of the incentive which have been offered to improve the employee performance (PCS). Appropriate performance management is essential to accomplish the organizational goals and objectives. Generally, in the organization the performance is evaluated on the basis of different factors or criteria that have been formulated by the human resource department. These evaluation or performance evaluation forms are filled by the HR department as well as the direct manager or supervisor. Organizations conduct training of staff and coach them to deal with various situations. This helps in finding the outcome and effectiveness of the training that are conducted. All big organizations which have developed HR departments continuously engage in training and development activities. One of the most used techniques of training is on-job training in which the direct supervisor or mentor is guiding the employees in how to accomplish the task in the best possible manner. STORING RECORDS There are two methods of storing records. These methods are described below, Manual storage is the method of storing data in physical form. This requires a lot of paperwork and utilizes physical space in the cupboards and shelves as files. The data which is required in a later stage is stored in the form of hard copy. The benefit of such data is that it is easily accessible and notes can be made easily and it would not cost too much to the organization. Moreover, data can be stored and it can be used in future to know the achievements of the employees. Electronic storageis convenient and it stores more data and utilizes resources in t he most efficient manner. The electronic data requires less physical space and stores a large amount of data at the same time. Such data is useful for running reports and analyzing the data for HR activities and take important strategic decisions. ESSENTIALS MENTIONED IN UK LEGISLATION The UK legislation emphasizes that the data that is obtained from the

Critical Review of Entre le chien et le loup Essay

Critical Review of Entre le chien et le loup - Essay Example The exhibition’s title â€Å"entre chien et loup† refers to daytime just before the onset of night when light is minimized so that visual distinction is not really possible. The title of the exhibition itself reveals much about the artist’s intentions that are focused on interplaying contrasts so that contrasts are developed and downplayed throughout the exhibition. Critique The most noticeable contrast in Harper’s work lies in the use of color – while Harper’s embroidery is colored richly, his sculptures are done in a few colors only. The artist’s piece titled â€Å"I tried, I tried, and I tried† is essentially a reproduction of â€Å"Napoleon Crossing the Alps† by Jacques Louis David where he uses rich colors to depict a historical event. In contrast, other works from Harper espouse a seemingly small range of colors that can be segregated as white, black, shades of grey and shades of blue. The contrast between the use o f colors in these pieces can be traced to the historical foundation of Harper’s work. The artist tends to use a rich variety of colors for the historical piece but uses seemingly few colors for pieces that represent contemporary issues including the artist’s personal history in pieces such as â€Å"Then We are Lost Forever in the Gloaming†. This clearly represents the artist’s unconscious perspective on modern life being dull and composed of a few colors in contrast to his conception of the past as being richly colored. In addition, the artist tends to associate closely with historical painters such as Jacques Louis David and their works. â€Å"I tried, I tried, and I tried† seems to depict a historical event even though Napoleon’s actual march through the Alps was not as brilliant as portrayed. (Harvey, 2006). Harper has changed the color of the horse noticeably, providing it with strong shades of black and grey. This could be considered tantamount to rewriting history from the perspective of the artist using embroidery. Harper seems to be embedded into historical events to the extent that he tries to rewrite them, in an effort to become part of such glorious history. In contrast to Harper’s historical works, his works associated with the contemporary realm offer interesting perspectives on contrast, making it both sharp and gradual. Harper’s piece titled â€Å"To Remind, or to Warn† is the most glaring example on stark contrast presented by the artist. The piece is deceitfully simple and presents two wolves, one purely white and the other purely black, placed on cubical foundations. Interestingly, the foundations for the pieces are constructed of three bricks composed along the length and the breadth that provide for pure equality in both foundations. Built on top of these equal foundations are a white wolf, that is perched higher than the black wolf, on pieces of rock. While the white wolf glares down with a neutral design, the black wolf is shown howling up in the air with signs of aggression. The foundations it seems represent man’s birth – everyone is born equally, neither good nor bad. The wolves on top seem to represent good and evil. Traditional association dictates that the white wolf stands for good and so is perched higher and in a neutral posture. In contrast, the black wolf represents evil and is perched

Branding Universities Essay Example for Free

Branding Universities Essay The end of the 1990s witnessed the corporatization of public universities in Malaysia resulting in the publication of corporate literature in these universities and the type of writing Fairclough (1993) refers to as the marketization of academic discourse. Marketization is necessary in public universities due to stiff competition in attracting students among the public universities as well as from the increasing number of private universities. This article reports how Malaysian universities re-brand themselves using the results of an investigation on corporate brochures from these universities. The investigation employs a structural analysis and a textual analysis. Although informative in nature, these corporate brochures exhibit the use of promotional elements in the texts as seen in the contents and the language use. The communicative functions of university brochures are viewed to be more promotional than informative. ABSTRACT KEY WORDS: brochures, corporate culture, genre analysis, re-branding, universities Introduction Academic institutions, particularly public universities, used to be regarded as the pinnacle of learning. Most of these universities were reputed for providing the best tertiary education and the mere mention of their names lit up the faces of those who had the privilege of learning from these fountains of knowledge and those who aspired to be associated with them. There was a time when admission was ‘by invitation only’, otherwise young men and women were seen struggling to gain admission into these prestigious institutions. These public universities acquired a promotional value (Wernick, 1991) without having to promote or market themselves. In advertising terms, these universities did not go through the process of branding. Branding is a fundamental strategic process of effectively marketing a product or service which includes creating a brand name and identity, designing Downloaded from http://dcm. sagepub. com by Heemal Kasseean on October 9, 2009 58 Discourse Communication 2(1) the packaging and promoting the product or service (Randall, 1997). Although Randall (1997) argues that ‘brands (and therefore branding) are so fundamentally important to the survival and success of many firms’ (p.2), this was not the case in public universities in the past. This is significantly due to the fact that these academic institutions were claimed to be free from other influences as evidenced by Cardinal Newman’s view of universities cited by Wernick (1991) as: . . . the high protecting power of all knowledge and science, of fact and principle, of inquiry and discovery, of experiment and speculation; it maps out the territory of the intellect, and sees that . . . there is neither encroachment nor surrender from any side . . . (Cardinal Newman, 1847, cited in Wernick, 1991:151) That was the traditional image of public universities, independent of political or societal influence and this image was not built by advertising or branding. As centres of academe, public universities were known for their quality education based on the results of their graduates and their performance in the careers they embarked on upon graduation. As years passed, more aspiring young people would apply for admission in certain universities due to their reputation. This reputation in turn became the  image of the universities which automatically created the promotional value (Wernick, 1991) of these universities, mentioned earlier as the pinnacle of learning. Each university was identified by its name or logo and no further promotional strategies were required. By providing quality education, these universities successfully built ‘a distinct brand personality’ (Randall, 1997: 67) for themselves as the success of branding is justified when people are reminded of a particular brand just by looking at the logo or hearing its brand name. The traditional role of public universities was to manage society (Jarvis, 2001) by producing scholars in the various fields of study so that they can go out to make the world a better place to live or join the academia to continue producing scholars. However, towards the end of the 20th century, the role of universities started changing from serving the state in managing society to serving the industry and commerce in ensuring that people are employable (Jarvis, 2001). This is partly due to the demands of the contemporary knowledge-based society (Veitch, 1999) where consumers have become more knowledgeable and have started demanding for better education and improved quality of life. Changes started taking place in public universities in the West as early as the 1980s where the governments were forced to abolish academic tenure and decrease funding for these universities. This was when many traditional universities started transforming into corporate universities (Jarvis, 2001) where they have to assume a more corporate form and function more like a corporation. From being the centre of academe, universities have become business-like entities (Connell and Galasinski, 1998). In Malaysia, a number of public universities have recently been corporatized, a move taken by the Malaysian government in its effort to inculcate better and more efficient management of these institutions. As corporate culture (Treadwell and Treadwell, 2000) is a new culture in all these universities, most of them Downloaded from http://dcm. sagepub. com by Heemal Kasseean on October 9, 2009 Osman: Re-branding academic institutions with corporate advertising have set up corporate communications departments (Hajibah Osman, 2005) to handle corporate matters. Among the functions of these departments are managing corporate information and publication and projecting a positive image of the universities which are part of corporate advertising. Corporate advertising Business corporations use corporate advertising to enhance the image of the whole organization, or of the general brand in order to influence social values or to establish a connection between the corporation/brand and an already established positive value and in this era of identity, a lot of emphasis has been put on the importance of brand and corporate identities (Richards et al. , 2000). Unlike business organizations, universities are non-profit institutions. Public universities are viewed to use corporate advertising to enhance the strong foundation and to highlight the quality of these institutions of higher education. While it is common for business corporations to publish informative or promotional literature from time to time to inform the public about new developments in the organization (monthly or yearly reports) or to introduce new products or services (product launch leaflets), the use of promotional literature in academic institutions is a recent development. Malaysian public universities have started producing informative literature in the form of university brochures and special booklets in conjunction with certain celebrations in the universities as well as promotional literature in the form of leaflets providing brief information on academic programmes offered by the universities or introducing new programmes (Hajibah Osman, 2005). By employing new strategies to market their traditional image, from the advertising perspective, these universities are re-branding their products and services. Re-branding is the process of marketing an existing product or service of one brand with a different identity involving radical changes to the brand name, logo, image, marketing strategy and advertising themes (Wikipedia, 2006). In the advertising industry, re-branding is often referred to as re-positioning, that is, re-positioning a product or service in order to improve sales. Although there was no actual initial branding taking place in universities, being non-profit making institutions, the term ‘re-branding’ is used in this article to illustrate the change in the image of these universities particularly since the late 20th century. Significantly, this change has been effected without compromising the traditional characteristics and values of these institutions as the pinnacle of higher learning. The process of re-branding is aimed at improving the image of the universities by focusing on the facilities and highlighting the quality of the academic programmes. This article attempts to investigate the process of re-branding in public universities in Malaysia by conducting a genre analysis on university brochures, one type of print materials published by the institutions that represent corporate advertising. Analysing genres can lead to a ‘thick description’ (Bhatia, 1993) Downloaded from http://dcm. sagepub. com by Heemal Kasseean on October 9, 2009 59 60 Discourse Communication 2(1) of the texts contained in these genres, explaining why certain texts have been constructed the way they are. The specific objective of this article is to identify and discuss the strategies used in the re-branding process based on the structural organization of university brochures and the communicative functions of this type of brochure. Previous investigations of advertising genres mostly focused on straightsell advertisements of products or services. Bruthiaux (2000), for instance, investigated how advertisers make use of a limited space available to them to create successful advertising copies by examining the syntactic features in an undisclosed number of display and classified advertisements. His results show that the degree of syntactic elaboration ‘varies substantially even when content of equal simplicity/complexity or familiarity to readers is being presented. This variation appears to correlate with perceptions of status on the parts of both writers and readers’ (p. 298) and the persuasive elements lie in the vacuous displays of linguistic sophistication designed to create a largely artificial sense of exclusiveness among status-conscious readers (p. 369). Investigations have also been conducted on the language of advertising in Asia, for instance, Tej Bhatia’s (2000) investigation of language of advertising in Rural India and Henry and Roseberry’s (1998) investigation of the linguistic features in tourist information brochures from Brunei. Thus far, there have been very few linguistic analyses conducted on the genre of corporate advertising. Therefore, the genre selected for analysis in this article is brochure, specifically corporate brochure from academic institutions. A brochure is a printed document of six or more pages, used to introduce an organization, published only once and distributed to special publics for a single purpose (Newsom and Carrell, 2001). The discourse community of Public Relations (PR) specifies five characteristics of brochures, three of which are related to the present article: always having a singular message statement; having a purpose – to persuade or to inform and educate; and attracting and holding the attention of the audience. Brochure genre makes an interesting study because, first, this genre is viewed as a ‘blurred genre’ (a term borrowed from Scollon et al. , 1999) in that the term ‘brochure’ has been used to refer to other forms of publications including booklet, flyer, leaflet and pamphlet (Newsom and Carrell, 2001). Second, a brochure is a genre of persuasive discourse shaping the thoughts, feelings and lives of the public (Dyer, 1993) placing it under the field of advertising. However, according to Newsom and Carrell (2001), brochures are produced by PR practitioners rather than advertising practitioners. This is probably due to the fact that PR, among other things, incorporates looking after the reputation of an organization ‘with the aim of earning understanding and support, and influencing opinion and behaviour’ (Beard, 2001: 7). The question of ownership arises placing brochures in an even more ‘blurred’ state as the communicative functions of brochures have been set by the discourse community to which the genre belongs. In the context of this article, brochures are categorized as a corporate genre (basically PR) involving the principles of corporate writing (Treadwell Downloaded from http://dcm. sagepub. com by Heemal Kasseean on October 9, 2009 Osman: Re-branding academic institutions with corporate advertising and Treadwell, 2000). Brochures are readily available, particularly in print version, and are easily accessible electronically. Finally, brochure genre needs to be investigated because brochure format is one of the most frequently used information formats in advertising and PR but is ironically the least written-about (Bivins and Ryan, 1991). Corporate genre in academic institutions This article establishes that any publications from universities, particularly those produced by the Corporate or Public Relations Office, are referred to as corporate genre. Corporate brochures are usually categorized as informative brochures (Richards et al. , 2000) providing all the necessary information about the organizations they represent. There are certain corporate elements present to qualify them as corporate brochures, but mostly these brochures are informative. However, an analysis of corporate brochures from multinational corporations by Askehave and Swales (2001) prove that these brochures also function to promote the organization. This is evident in the presence of promotional elements selected as syntactic choices in these brochures. Corporate brochures also function to establish long-lasting trading relationships which are in fact paramount in today’s industrial market. Hajibah Osman (2005) also notes that corporate brochures from academic institutions are promotional in nature with the use of promotional strategies apart from corporate and informative strategies. Another corporate genre in academic institutions, the university prospectus, started changing in form in the 1990s (Fairclough, 1993) where apart from providing information on the core business of the university, that is, the academic programmes, the prospectus has also included information on other aspects of the universities. Based on a critical discourse analysis of prospectuses from a number of British universities, Fairclough notes that these universities started promoting their programmes because they have come increasingly under (mostly government’s) pressure to operate like other types of businesses competing to sell their products to consumers. The university prospectus has become a ‘genre of consumer advertising colonising professional and public service orders of discourse on a massive scale, generating many new hybrid partly promotional genres’ (Fairclough, 1993: 139). Academic institutions in Malaysia have also published promotional leaflets (Hajibah Osman, 2005) to advertise their academic programmes and these are circulated to potential students particularly before a new academic year begins. These leaflets are no longer the plain, boring information sheets but colourful and interesting ones. This article concurs with Askehave and Swales (2001) that corporate brochures function as promotional brochures more than projecting the corporate image and providing information. Thus, the investigation in this article attempts to identify and discuss the strategies that realize the promotional functions in this type of brochure as part of the re-branding process in public universities. Downloaded from http://dcm. sagepub. com by Heemal Kasseean on October 9, 2009 61 62 Discourse Communication 2(1) Methodology In 2005, there were 11 public universities in Malaysia (currently, there are 20). Brochures were obtained from the 11 universities and were initially analysed to identify the possible structural organization. Based on the organization, the communicative functions of these brochures were determined. The 11 public universities included in this investigation are: International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM/UIA); Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM); Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM); Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS); Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS); Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM); Universiti Perguruan Sultan Idris (UPSI); Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM); Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM); Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM); University of Malaya (UM). A textual analysis was conducted to examine the strategies used in the rebranding process. The strategies in the context of this article are tactical choices (Bhatia, 1993) which are cognitive processes ‘exploited by the writer to make writing more effective keeping in mind any special reader requirements, considerations arising from the use of medium or constraints imposed by organizational and other factors’ (p. 20). The strategies used by universities in re-branding the institutions are discussed within the framework of the sociolinguistic theory which considers writing as ‘part of the overall activities of a group and organization’ (Gunnarsson, 1997: 140) and in relation to the corporate culture (Hagberg and Heifetz, 2000) practised by the universities. As a genre is a typical form of utterances, it should be studied in its social contexts of use (Berkenkotter and Huckin, 1993). Sociolinguistics does not only describe linguistic variation and the social context in which such a variation occurs, but also shows how linguistic differentiation reflects social structure (Coupland, 2001). The sociolinguistic perspective in this article considers the existence of factors underpinning the construction of university brochures and the concept of promotional culture (Wernick, 1991). Re-branding academic institutions It has been established that university brochures form part of the corporate advertising strategies in Malaysian universities which in turn are part of the rebranding process in these traditional institutions. The structural organization in these brochures consists of 10 sections identified as moves (Table 1). Some of the moves are exemplified with extracts from the university brochures in Figure 1 (see Appendix). In identifying the moves, the term ‘service’ is used to refer to the educational services and the support services offered by the universities. All the brochures from the 11 universities include Moves I, C, L, D, J and S, indicating that these six moves are obligatory. Ninety-one percent of the brochures include Moves A, T and E, while 81 percent include Move V, making them optional moves. The 10 moves have been used to realize three communicative functions of the university brochures which are: †¢ To inform the public about the academic programmes offered in the university and the facilities and other services available to support the academic programmes; Downloaded from http://dcm. sagepub. com by Heemal Kasseean on October 9, 2009 Osman: Re-branding academic institutions with corporate advertising †¢ †¢ To portray a corporate image of the university; and To promote the university as an academic institution based on the quality and the variety of academic programmes offered as well as the facilities available. These communicative functions of university brochures correspond with the general functions of brochures (Newsom and Carrell, 2001) set by the discourse community of PR. Re-branding strategies The 10 sections in university brochures have been identified as moves and these moves are realized with the use of strategies, and for the purpose of discussion in this article, re-branding strategies. The article discusses how the strategies contribute to the re-branding process and what their communicative functions are. NAME AND LOGO The first move in university brochures is called identifying the service which presents the name and the logo of the university. Although the brochures are in English language, the names of the universities are in Malay, the national language of Malaysia except two universities, International Islamic University Malaysia and University of Malaya. The names of the public universities were officially changed to Malay when the national language was made the medium of instruction in the mid-1970s. In the case of IIUM, however, the acronym by which it is commonly referred to by Malaysians is the Malay version, UIA. Similarly, University of Malaya is now popularly known as Universiti Malaya (UM). Interestingly, alumni up to the early 1980s still refer to this oldest university in the country as MU (Malaya University). TA B L E 1. Structural organization of university brochures Section Move identification Name of the university University slogan or motto Vision/Mission statement Profile or background of the university Location and size of the university Academic programmes offered at the university Facilities available to support the academic programmes Entry requirements, fees charged and duration of the programmes Career opportunities and recognition received by the university Contact addresses and telephone numbers Identifying the service (I) Attracting reader attention (A) Targeting the market (T) Establishing credentials (C) Locating the service (L) Describing the service (D) Justifying the service (J) Indicating the value of service (V) Endorsing the value of service (E) Soliciting response (S) Downloaded from http://dcm. sagepub. com by Heemal Kasseean on October 9, 2009 63 64 Discourse Communication 2(1) In the past, universities were identified by their crests but now these crests have been generally referred to as logos. Although it cannot be ascertained when the change exactly took place, this is the first re-branding strategy. However, this is not an obvious re-branding element because some of the established traditional universities in the world still use the term crest, for example, Oxford University (http://www. ox. ac. uk/web/crest.shtml). As far as Malaysian universities are concerned, both terms are similar and a recent survey of the university websites shows that most of the public universities in Malaysia refer to the crest as the logo while two universities (UKM and USM) refer to them as emblems. Most of the websites also provide the rationale for the design of the logo (e. g. UiTM, UPM). Whether used as crest, logo or emblem, interestingly, there are two common shapes observed: the shape of a shield (six universities) and a round shape (five universities) (Figure 2, see Appendix). The shape of USM’s emblem differs significantly from other logos in that it resembles a state emblem. This qualifies for the use of the term ‘emblem’ (a heraldic device or symbolic object as a distinctive badge of a nation, organization or family – Oxford Dictionary and Thesaurus, 2001) by the university. Although the current shape of UPSI’s logo is round, it once had the shape of a shield (Figure 3, see Appendix). Compared with the logos of established universities which include traditional designs representing the academe, the current logos of Malaysian public universities include elements of modern designs. In fact, some of these logos have gone through some kind of ‘evolution’ as in the case of UiTM, UPM and UPSI. UPM ‘evolved’ from a training school to a college to a university focusing on agriculture. Later, the university started including more disciplines and the name was changed from Universiti Pertanian Malaysia (Malaysia University of Agriculture) to Universiti Putra Malaysia (Putra University of Malaysia) in 1997, taking after the name of the first prime minister at the same time keeping the same acronym. UPSI and UiTM underwent almost similar ‘evolution’; from a centre to a college to an institute and finally to a university. Throughout the ‘evolution’, the logos have also gone through many changes where the concept incorporated in the logos mainly represents the focus of the university. While UPSI’s logo changed in shape but not in concept, UiTM’s and UPM’s logos underwent a total facelift (Figure 3, see Appendix). This is probably due to the fact that UPSI’s focus of training teachers remains throughout. MOTTO AND SLOGAN A motto is a short sentence or phrase that expresses a rule for sensible behaviour, especially a way of behaving in a particular situation (Collins Cobuild Dictionary, 2001). Most of the university logos have the motto inscribed on them as the motto represents the culture or the way of life in the university. Once again, all the mottos of the public universities are in Malay. The more established universities still retain this culture inscribed in the logo as seen in UM’s motto (translated as) ‘Knowledge, the Source of Development’, UPSI’s ‘Knowledge, the Beacon of Pure Character’, UTM’s ‘By the Name of God for Mankind’ and UUM’s ‘Scholarship, Downloaded from http://dcm. sagepub. com by Heemal Kasseean on October 9, 2009 Osman: Re-branding academic institutions with corporate advertising Virtue, Service’. UPSI keeps the same motto inscribed on the logo throughout its ‘evolution’ but UiTM left out its motto of 39 years from its new logo. The newly established universities (UMS and UNIMAS) do not have a motto inscribed in their logos. While a motto is a traditional feature of a public university, having a slogan is a new phenomenon. A slogan is a distinctive catchphrase that serves as a motto for a promotion campaign (Wells et al., 2003) used to sum up a theme for the benefit of the product or the service in order to deliver a message in a few words which are easily remembered. There are two types of slogans (Russell and Lane, 1990): hard-sell slogans are strongly competitive, epitomizing the special significant features of the product or service being advertised. Institutional slogans establish a prestigious image for companies which they need in order to enhance their products or services. Slogans in university brochures fall under the category of institutional slogans. Again, it cannot be ascertained when universities started creating slogans but there is a strong probability that they started at the same time when Malaysian public universities were undergoing corporatization in the late 20th century. Slogans started appearing on brochures and prospectuses of these public universities. The use of slogans has been viewed as a significant re-branding strategy as slogans represent the most promotional element in advertising. The purpose of having a slogan is to attract the reader’s attention and to let it linger on the reader’s mind. According to Russell and Lane (1990), the memorability of slogans can be enhanced by making use of literary techniques. These techniques consist of certain types of words including: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Boldness – use of strong powerful words, and startling or unexpected phrases; Parallelism – use of a repeated structure of a sentence or phrase; Rhyme, rhythm, alliteration – use of repeated sounds; Aptness – use of appropriate, direct words (Russell and Lane, 1990). Slogans in university brochures have been created based on good advertising principles as they have been observed to make use of the literary techniques, for example: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ boldness: Garden of Knowledge and Virtue (IIUM) parallelism: The National University with an International Reach (UKM) aptness: Your Inspiration parallelism: Contemporary and Forward Looking (UNIMAS) boldness: Towards a World-Class University (UPM) boldness: Towards Excellence and Supremacy (UPSI) Boldness is exemplified with words such as ‘virtue’, ‘world-class’ and ‘supremacy’ where the universities are bold enough to associate themselves with such high stature. Traditionally, public universities are centres of academe which do not portray an image of flaunting. Slogans using parallelism aim for jingle-like sounds so that readers can remember them easily while aptness acts like punchlines, strong and effective to be easily remembered. The bottom line is that a slogan is an Downloaded from http://dcm. sagepub. com by Heemal Kasseean on October 9, 2009 65 66 Discourse Communication 2(1) advertising concept and a marketing tool. The fact that public universities as nonprofit making academic institutions use slogans place them in a different light. They are currently functioning more like business entities. MISSION STATEMENT This move is identified as targeting the market based on the communicative functions of the mission statements. A mission statement provides information about what type of organization it is and what it does (Falsey, 1989) at the same time highlighting the positive factors in the organization. Stating the mission of the university is viewed as one of the two crucial strategies (the other being using slogans) in re-branding academic institutions as this move never appeared in academic genres before. This move has placed public universities in the same league as other successful corporations. Mission statements of public universities in Malaysia are observed to provide information as to what and how they can contribute to the public in terms of tertiary education as highlighted (underlined) in the following examples: (10) To become a distinguished university, aspiring to promote academic excellence in higher education and professional training necessary for the country’s socio-economic development (UiTM). (11) To be a premier university seeking excellence in the advancement of knowledge to meet the aspirations of the nation (UM) (12) To become an exemplary university of internationally acknowledged stature and as a scholarly institution of preference and choice for students and academics through the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research and scholarship (UNIMAS) (13) To lead in the development of creative human resource and technology in line with the aspirations of the nation (UTM). The words ‘distinguished’, ‘premier’, and ‘exemplary’ are used to emphasize the quality of the universities. Other words like ‘excellence’, ‘advancement’ and ‘stature’ as well as ‘to lead’ are all bold words of promise by the universities. PROFILE OF THE UNIVERSITY This section is identified as the move to establish the credentials of the university as it provides information on the background and/or the current status of the university. The background information includes the date of establishment and the reason for the establishment while information on the current status of the university usually includes the achievements of the university in terms of academic programmes and physical development as well as the quality of the programmes offered. This move is supposed to be informational but there are a number of instances where the brochures provide the information on the current status of the university using ‘promotional’ words and phrases. For example: (14) UNIMAS is an ISO-certified university . . . Its undergraduate programmes have been designed to suit the needs of society and industry. Downloaded from http://dcm. sagepub. com by Heemal Kasseean on October 9, 2009 Osman: Re-branding academic institutions with corporate advertising An ISO certification for an organization confirms the quality of that organization and it is now a common practice among public universities to obtain such certification to convince the public about the quality of the university, particularly the academic programmes on offer. Universities with ISO certification usually highlight it in their brochures as a strategy to promote the institutions. Other instances of promotional words can be observed in the following examples: (15) The university is the catalyst for regional growth in the northern region of Peninsula Malaysia (UUM) (16) From these humble beginnings, UM grew hand-in-hand with the young nation to become the nucleus for producing graduates of the highest quality and calibre. The word ‘catalyst’ denotes the importance of the university in the regional growth of the northern region of the country, without which there would not have been much growth in that region, thus promoting the significance of the university. Similarly, the word ‘nucleus’ conveys the significance of UM to the developing nation. Another instance is when a university states the commitment of the university to the public or the nation. UPM boldly states its commitment to become a worldclass university to convince the public to come and enrol in this university. (17) Named Universiti Putra Malaysia in honour of the pioneering Prime Minister of Malaysia, . . . has adopted this pioneering spirit and is committed to become the world class Univers.

The Pestel Analysis Of Construction Industry Economics Essay

The Pestel Analysis Of Construction Industry Economics Essay General Objective: To come up with an eco-friendly construction material using shredded PET bottles as an aggregate (replacing the gravel component of CHB) in the production of an alternative construction material, ecological hollow block (EHB), which could result to a better cost effective product. Specific Objectives: To prepare an industry study of all the construction materials currently being used in housing and commercial developments. To review the waste management system in the Philippines and look for areas that are sustainable sources of PET materials. To identify the current drivers and trends of the real estate and construction industry, as well as the Non-government Organizations (NGOs) in order to explore the viability of introducing the EHB products for their construction needs. To prepare a business model for each market segment, namely: (1) Non-government Organizations (NGOs) and (2) Real Estate Developers and Contractors. Scope and Limitations This MRR is focused on the following market segments: real estate developers, construction companies and NGOs. The study is limited to the Philippines specifically the National Capital Region (NCR) and provinces within a 130 km radius. Other construction materials that have the potential to be used with PET flakes aside from the concrete hollow block are excluded from this study. Central Hypothesis This MRR focuses on the Ecoblock venture into the Philippine market through the NGOs specifically on housing and development programs; and eventually cater to the local real-estate developers and contractors. Hence the desired outcome of this MRR would be a venture strategy considering the economic conditions, market outlook, competitive analysis, risks analysis and capital sourcing. II.PESTEL Analysis of Construction Industry Political Factors President Aquinos State of the Nation Address (SONA) last July 2010 highlighted the importance of Public-Private Partnerships (PPP).  [1]  The PPP was seen as an important strategy for infrastructure development. It has also been estimated that the pipeline of PPP projects (infrastructure projects for transportation, water, power, health, and agriculture) for the year 2012 will amount to USD 5.49B. Another factor that can have an effect on these projects is the upcoming election in the year 2013 that can increase government spending on infrastructure developments. Lastly, the issue of corruption (specifically in government infrastructure projects) is seen as an important political factor in the construction industry of the Philippines. The corruption issues of the Philippines regarding infrastructure was discussed during Finance Secretary Cesar Purisimas meeting with Ernie Bower, the senior adviser and director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC.  [2]  In this meeting, it was cited that the PPPs program of the Philippines will be able to address the current issues on corruption. According to Purisima, the right infrastructures should be accompanied by forward-looking policies for the Philippines to be competitive through highly-viable and promising ventures. It was also made clear that corruption is a major factor that will hinder the gov ernment to increase spending for infrastructure projects. Economic Factors Figure 1. GDP year-on-year Growth Rates, 2006-2011. Source: National Statistic Coordination Board As shown in Figure 1, the Philippines gross domestic product (GDP) decreased from 7.6% in 2010 to 3.7% in 2011. This is due to the negative export growth rates in 2011 that was influenced by the global economic conditions particularly the economic and financial crises in US and Euro countries  [3]  . The domestic factors on the other hand include the decreasing demand and negative growth rate in agricultural production and the under spending of the government in infrastructure projects. Based on the GDP projections of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Asian Development Bank (ADB) and World Bank, the Philippine economy will slightly improve in 2012 due to the support of growth in private consumption (higher OFW remittances), investment, and government spending  [4]  . However, if the debt woes in Europe will worsen and the recovery of the US economy will not be sustained, the Philippines will experience lower exports and foreign investment that may lead to lower GDP growt h. Considering these factors the Philippine government must be able to increase government spending on infrastructure projects to prevent the economy to slow down further. Figure 2. Peso-dollar rate, Inflation Rate, and 91-day T-bill in the Philippines, 2006 to 1Q 2012. Source: Bangko Sentral ngPilipinas As shown in Figure 2, even if demand in the economy is lower in 2011 due to the lower GDP growth rate, overall prices still increased which was brought about by the increase in prices of petroleum in the global market.  [5]  Looking at the disposable income of Filipinos, if the overall prices increase, the purchasing power will tend to decrease. This might affect the amount of disposable income that might be allocated for house purchase. Based on Figure 2, inflation is lower in the 1st quarter of year 2012. Meanwhile, the 91-day Treasury bill interest rate decreased when the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) attempted to stimulate economic growth. The peso-dollar rate remained stable due to the increase in inflow of remittances. The stability of the peso-dollar rate is very important in the construction industry due to the fact that some of the materials being used in construction are imported. The instability of the peso-dollar rate will affect the price of these materials. Figure 3. Construction Output (in million Php and share to total GDP) Source: National Statistic Coordination Board As shown in Figure 3, construction output in 2011 went down. This is due to the under spending of the government in infrastructure projects.  [6]  The construction-to-GDP ratio decreased from 5.7% to 5.2%. The increase in government spending can increase the GDP for the coming years. Table 1. Growth in the Tourism Industry, Business Process Outsourcing, and Mining Industry that may Affect the Construction Industry. Year Tourism Industry (Foreign Tourist Arrivals) Business Process Outsourcing (Projected Growth) Mining Industry (Expected Investment) 2010 3.52 M 2011 3.921 M (exceeded 3.74M target) 18% $3.4B 2012 1Q: 2.14M 20% $3.9B Source: Philippine Constructors Association Country Report, 2011. Department of Tourism Growth of other industries will also open opportunities for the construction industry. As shown in Table 1, the tourism industry, the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), and the mining industry are continuously experiencing growth which may lead to more construction projects. For the tourism industry alone, 47 hotels with 14,000 rooms will be constructed by the year 2013.  [7]   Due to the Philippines stronger financial position, the Standard and Poor raised the Philippines international debt rating to one notch below investment grade (BB+).  [8]  According to the DBS Group, the Philippines can achieve investment-grade credit rating with a year or two. Once this is achieved, more investments will flow to the country. Social Factors The social factors that we will be considering in this study will give emphasis on the population growth rate, age profile, and housing backlog in the Philippines and try to correlate them with the construction industry in the country. Population Growth Rate As of July 2011 the Philippines has an estimated total population of 103.775 million and out of this, 11.86 million reside in the National Capital Region (NCR). The Philippines has an average population growth rate of 1.9% and the NCR has an average population growth rate of 1.78%. Age Profile The majority of the population in the Philippines belongs to the working class (15-64 years: 61.1% or 62,201,170 as of 2010). This is the portion of society who are about to start their own families until those who are about to retire from their respective careers. People in this segment are also the ones who have the capacity to invest in residential developments. Housing Backlog As of 28 December 2011 Philippines housing backlog is currently 3.6 million.  [9]  The government will tap shelter agencies like the Housing and Urban Development Coordination Council (HUDCC), the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB), the Pag-ibig Fund, the Social Housing Finance Corporation, the National Housing Authority, the Home Guaranty Corporation, and the National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation to reduce the housing backlog by 50% with an annual target of 350,000 housing units. To achieve this, the Aquino administration highlighted the need for more PPP programs to use the underutilized government lands. The insufficiency of available funding resulted to this housing backlog. The government needs Php 1.7 trillion to address the Philippines housing needs. In 2011, several typhoons and flash floods occurred in the Philippines between May and September. The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will develop recovery and rehabilitation projects for victims of flash floods in NCR and other provinces with a total of 187,008 families. Also, projects will be developed for the victims of typhoons that entered the country, which affected 1.4 million families  [10]  . Technological Factors Last June 28, 2012, the general membership meeting of the Philippine Constructors Association (PCA) was held to discuss the current issues that the industry currently faces. In this meeting, innovation was considered as a driver of productivity. According to Executive Director Cosette V. Canilao, the players of the industry must be able to re-evaluate their resources and processes to make it more efficient, responsive and relevant to the present stringent requirements of the industry.  [11]  Regarding PPP for infrastructure projects, the government must demand from its private partners new technologies that will accelerate delivery time while ensuring public safety. However, Canilao also recognized the fear of being the first to try something different. With this, he emphasized that those players who will not invest in technological innovation might be left behind at bidding time. According to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Philippines may adopt new construction trends in Japan, particularly on the latest technology on roads and bridge construction.  [12]  The construction and engineering technologies from Japan through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will help the Philippines build disaster-resilient infrastructures that would mitigate the effects of climate change. Technological innovation in the Philippines doesnt only happen with government projects, private manufacturers of construction materials also try to innovate the products and processes to improve the product offering. Cement manufacturers like the Holcim Group created a green sustainable solution for cement.  [13]  The company is trying to minimize the impact of cement manufacturing in the environment. The company focuses on bringing down carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by reducing the clinker factor by using mineral components as alternative materials.  [14]  Innovation on the use of raw materials was accompanied by improvement in the process namely: (1) use of alternative fuels; (2) co-processing; and (3) quarry habilitation policy. Co-processing is considered as a globally accepted technology that helps the company process water streams in the cement kilns to properly dispose hazardous industrial wastes.  [15]  The quarry habilitation policy would ensure that the quarry sites can be used productively by the community before they are completely mined out. Holcim Philippines was the first company to submit a Final Mine Decommissioning and Rehabilitation Plan to the Department of Natural Resources (DENR), which will serve as a blueprint in restoring quarry sites. Environmental Factors Land development and construction have a direct impact on the environment wherein land conversion from agricultural to urban and residential greatly reduces bio-capacity (ability of the land to produce food and other resources for the society).  [16]  Because of this, sustainable land development is becoming more important in the construction industry. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Ayala Land, Inc. (ALI) developed an ALI Sustainability Framework to chart, monitor, and report the companys progress in sustainable land development. The increasing awareness about environmental impact of construction activities will eventually affect the way residential and commercial developments are built. In 2006, the Philippine Green Building Council (PHILGBC) was formed as a national non-profit organization through the alliance of building and construction industry leaders from the private and public sector.  [17]  This organization was formed to ensure an ecologically and economically sustainable industry. This resulted to a local green building rating system that is now called Building for Ecologically Responsive Design Excellence (BERDE). The BERDE scheme will serve as a benchmark for all property developers in the country. Last August 17-19, 2011, the first Philippine International Total Green Movement Exhibition and Conference was held at the SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia Complex in Manila. The joint venture of the Philippine Constructors Association, Inc. (PCA), Global-Link Exhibitions Specialist, Inc. (GESI), Philippine Society of Ventilating, Air-conditioning, Refrigerating Engineers, Inc. (PSVARE), Philippine Center for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development, Inc. (PCEPSDI), and Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) Manila, created the Green Philippines 2011.  [18]  This event featured four exhibit segments on construction (Green Construct), manufacturing (Green Manufacturing), lifestyle (Green lifestyle), and energy (Green Energy). Also, last August 16-17, 2011, the 2nd Sustainable Building Technology Conference was held that invited international sustainability experts to discuss the best practices for a green industry. These events would show that the players in the c onstruction industry are already leaning towards environment friendly development projects. Legal Factors The construction industry is one of the most hazardous and risky occupations in the country. With this, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWG), the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), and the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) signed a Memorandum of Agreement last May 4, 2011 to strengthen the campaign to minimize accidents in construction activities. This MOA aims to promote the welfare of construction workers and prevent the recurrence of construction-related incidents, notably the ones that recently killed or severely injured workers early 2012.  [19]  Also, this MOA is an off-shoot of DOLE Department Order No. 13 (which provides the Guidelines Governing Occupational Safety and Health in the Construction Industry) and aims to intensify the holistic and extensive execution of the policies and programs set forth in D.O. No. 13 in construction sites. III. Construction Materials Industry Existing Eco-friendly Construction Materials The construction industry in the Philippines is currently leaning toward ecological friendly materials due to the global campaign to save the environment. The materials that are available range from pre fabricated walls and blocks to bricks that is considered to be the oldest building material used. The pre-fabricated walls and blocks use polystyrene as an aggregate that is added to the concrete mixture to produce a lighter and insulating product. Reinforced fire bricks are also one of the common construction materials that are used in construction of homes. Reinforced bricks are made of industrial wastes such as rice hull, coal ash, silt, mud and clay. Existing Market and Availability The existing market for pre-fabricated walls and blocks are the contractors for commercial buildings and high-rise residential buildings. There are also some contractors that use pre-fabricated materials for home construction but the homeowners still prefer to use concrete hollow blocks (CHB) because of the high cost of the pre-fabricated material. The walls are pre-ordered by the contractor and are sometimes manufactured on site to avoid delivery expenses. On the other hand, the reinforced firebricks are used in home construction. This material is usually specified by the people who belong to the higher class of society mainly because of the price of this construction material. Advantages disadvantages of using existing eco-friendly construction material Pre-fabricated walls are used in exterior and interior applications in building construction. The lighter wall means that the foundations of a building project could be smaller due to the reduction in weight that the foundation needs to support. Installation time for the pre-fabricated wall is shorter compared to using conventional materials in wall construction. The product is smoother and does not need additional plastering (only the joints require additional concrete) because of the smooth finish that these walls generally have. The pre-fabricated walls also serve as good insulators that result to less energy consumption. A notable disadvantage of using this product, aside from the cost, is that the sizes that are available are only limited and could not be cut to size. The advantages of using reinforced fire brick in construction is that it uses less cement and is stronger than concrete. Bricks are also weather resistant and are considered to be ideal in tropical countries like t he Philippines because it slowly absorbs heat to keep the inside of the house cooler. Bricks do not need cement plastering and the walls do not need to be painted. The disadvantage of using this material is the high cost. Even if it requires less cement and no paint the cost of the material is still higher compared to common construction materials used. Concrete Hollow Blocks (CHBs) CHB as a backyard industry In the Philippines, CHB remains as a backyard industry because it is easy to produce, especially the non-load bearing CHB. The CHB can be produced manually by using an improvised mold. In producing a non-load bearing CHB, a mixture of sand, gravel, cement, and water can be manually compressed using the improvised mold. Reasons why CHB is still being used in construction There are three reasons why CHB is still being used in construction, namely: (1) cost; (2) availability; and (3) ease of installation and handling. CHB still remains as the a cheaper choice in construction of a concrete house. As a backyard industry, CHB is available nationwide with similar product specifications. Lastly, CHB is a traditional product. With this, majority of the laborers or construction workers are familiar with CHB in construction. The familiarity of the laborers with a product is the main reason why CHB is still being used. Innovations from CHB The demand for quality, economy, and completion time are the major considerations for all construction projects that usually dictate the choice of technology  [20]  . The traditional construction material currently being used for construction projects is the CHB. Based on the interview with key players in the real estate industry, another alternative is the pre-fabricated walls. For fabricated walls, the entire wall is built off- site or on-site before installation as compared to CHB that are stacked one on top of another. In the Philippines, only 5% are using prefabricated building material in housing construction  [21]  . Over the years, different types of construction materials have been offered containing recycled plastic, such as PVC pipes. Recycling is especially important for thermoset polymers since this form of plastic cannot be reheated and melted back to liquid form. In the Philippines and in other countries, shredded plastic has been used as aggregates for bricks and construction blocks. Most of these, however, are not widely offered commercially and are not load bearing. Porters Five Forces and Key Success Factor Figure 4. Porters Five Forces for the Construction Materials Industry Industry Rivalry Among Existing Players- Medium The demand for this product is readily accessible in most areas and the market is sensitive only to the price relative to the quality of the product they receive. At present the 4-6inchconcrete hollow blocks prices are standard for all and vary only between the volume suppliers and the backyard suppliers because of their respective approach to the business. The buyers of the product favor the suppliers who are nearer to them (because of transportation costs) and if satisfied with the quality they retain their suppliers. However there are instances where the buyer changes suppliers in lieu of quality issues for this reason, industry rivalry will be considered medium. Threat of New Entrants Medium The technical skill and labor required isnt advanced nor does it require highly specialized machines to deliver the product, the only obstacle is the cash required to: 1) purchase the hollow block maker and; 2) to secure working capital requirements. The cost of a concrete block mixer is between Php30,000-P40,000, and a mold container would be approximately Php5,000 per piece. Normally a block maker can start a small-time business with 6 molds which is equivalent to Php30,000 therefore a backyard business can start at a Php60,000 investment excluding working capital. The disadvantage of this practice is it sacrifices the quality/durability of the blocks due to the lack of compression of the block being formed thereby resulting in a lower PSI rating. The difficulty in securing funding for this particular business is high because the business is not unique while the returns in this type of business do not instantly translate to high growth profits. The local venture capitalists who provide seed capital to startups look to sunrise industries such as the BPO sector and IT services delivery, or the next big website investment. The prospects of a potential participant to capture market share will primarily be on their ability to reduce the cost of their concrete hollow block while maintaining a reasonable quality and service. In order to achieve this, the potential participant must have a large base of clients in order to achieve economies of scale in their production of quality products and a person who will provide assistance to the client to ensure proper delivery and satisfaction, a backyard hollow block maker will not be able to be competitive and for this reason the threat of new entrants is rated as medium taking into consideration these factors. Bargaining Power of Buyers Medium Some projects outsource their hollow block while others make it onsite. While it is preferred to buy the product in order to avoid the cost of investment and taking into consideration that there is abundant supply for this product (but at varying prices depending on which type of supplier: backyard supplier, volume supplier or a wholesaler, and depending on the volume purchase of the buyer the bargaining power of buyer is medium given the availability of a quality product in the market. Bargaining Power of Suppliers Low / Medium The demand for reasonably priced hollow blocks are assumed to be growing at 10.5% and construction materials 5.4% which supports the argument that demand is good. Another consideration is that the real-estate residential development is in the form of condominiums and they make use other products such as pre-fabricated walls instead of hollow blocks. The construction boom doesnt directly translate to increased hollow block use and the prices of hollow block are generally stable therefore for these reasons the suppliers bargaining power is low. The bargaining power of cement and sand suppliers remain low since there are abundant sources for these suppliers. The PET flakes suppliers have a medium bargaining power since they are less abundant than the cement and sand suppliers. Moreover, the local PET suppliers have different methods in shredding and cutting the plastic such that those suppliers that have the ability to shred PET flakes at a certain size have a stronger bargaining power than others. Threat of Substitute Products Low For the low cost housing sector and other housing projects hollow blocks are still preferred. The emerging sector of high-rise residential projects make use of pre-fabricated products and gypsum boards however the market share of these products is only 5% for construction materials, therefore the threat of substitutes are rated medium. Key Success Factors (Industry) The success in this industry will be in the costing of the product and the quality. In order to reduce the overall cost of the product there is a need to meet operation efficiency and effective marketing in order to achieve economies of scale that will bring down overall costs for our firm while producing a good quality product. Opportunities and Threats Opportunities Emphasis on PPP programs for government infrastructure projects Good forecast for the tourism, BPO, and mining industry Movement towards sustainable community development The use of plastic as an aggregate is not yet widely introduced in the Philippines The high amount of investment on PPP programs is seen as a good opportunity for the construction materials industry. For year 2012, several PPP projects are in the pipeline, namely: (1)14 projects on transportation; (2) 2 projects on utilities-water (3) 2 projects on power; 1 project on health; and (4) 2 projects on agriculture that amounted to USD 5.49B will increase the demand for construction materials. These PPP programs will also serve as an opportunity for private companies to increase their annual construction projects. The growth of three industries, namely: (1) tourism industry; (2) BPO; and (3) mining industry will also contribute to the growth of the construction materials industry. The increasing annual foreign tourist arrivals and domestic travelers opted for the increased in resorts, hotels, and condominiums. The increase in number of accommodation facilities was accompanied by the Republic Act of 9593 or Tourism Act of 2009 wherein the roads that are not initially classified as national but lead to tourism sites, airports, and seaports will be improved which will be included in the DPWH budget for 2012.  [22]  For the BPO, construction of commercial buildings is also expected to increase to meet the demand of the industry. The investment of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) would show that the mining still remains as a promising industry (Table 1). Investment on mining would result to more office sites and barracks for mining companies. The movement towards building more sustainable developments is seen as an improvement for the construction industry. New technologies for products and processes will help improve the viability of construction projects in the Philippines. By focusing on the impact of construction of the environment, the need for environment-friendly products may increase as the industry try to include the societys welfare in planning construction projects. The use of plastic as an aggregate is currently being used in Germany. However, this new aggregate is not yet widely introduced in the Philippines. This is seen as an opportunity for the company to introduce a product with more benefits than the existing products in the market. Threats Competition (large companies) Emergence of new products Competition especially against large competitors is seen as a major threat because these companies are already established in the industry. New companies that may introduce new products in the market may face difficulties especially if these products are not patented. Large companies can simply launch the same product at a larger scale. The availability of funding for these large companies will give them an advantage to produce more products. The more products a company manufactures, the opportunity to capture a larger market is bigger. Also, large companies can be seen as good suppliers for developers and contractors who want a steady supply of materials. Even if CHB currently remains as the primary choice for wall construction, emergence of new products as a substitute may pose as a threat for the CHB market. Even if only 5% in Philippines uses prefabricated bu