Striker

Case Study 3 (Future Technology)

2011-01-06T00:57:00.000-08:00

I, Robot

I, Robot is a science-fiction mix of action film. The story takes place in 2035 Chicago, in a world where robot usage is commonplace. Robots are used as servants and for various public services. Everyone in futuristic society believes robots must follow the three rules talks about robot may not injure a human being, obey orders and protect its own existence. Detective Spooner's (Will Smith) mission is to confirm his prejudice rather than investigate a crime. The suspicious and overly emotional Detective Spooner's desire to prove that robots are a problem is shaped by an experience in his past. Detective Spooner rebuffs robots because of their lack of emotional capacity. Nearly one hundred years of popular depictions of robots generally characterise them as logical and compelled to act on the basis of probability and without regard for human emotion. What differences between humans and machines is that the key themes in science fiction. A central feature of the discourse of human and machine difference is characterised as the emotional element. The point is that the emotional element, particularly in humans, is not so significantly subordinated to other elements of human cognition, such as reason.

Indeed the movie I, ROBOT reflects contemporary scientific developments. The publicity asks us to, Imagine a world where motorcycles drive themselves, robots conduct symphony orchestras and an animal's thought patterns can move a robot. It conveys that in the near future robots will be a trusted part of our everyday life. Every family will have one or more to do the task. They will clean our homes, deliver our packages, and walk our pets - even care for our children. All throughout wrapped in a detective plot full of fast- die-hard action features an unexpected yet logical flaw in an apparently perfect system that speculates about the future.

Wall E

WALL-E (Waste Allocator Load Lifter - Earth Class) is a computer-animated tale about a wide-eyed robot who is programmed to collect, compact and pile trash so that it's out of the way to clean up a waste-covered Earth. The story set in the year is 2700 where planet Earth has long been uninhabitable. A spaceship lands and drops off a white, pod-like robot named EVE who shoots at everything she sees and searches around in vain for some mysterious object. WALL-E follows her aboard the ship. Wall E found out that the human consumers who have escaped Earth have residents of the starships have grown bloated beyond recognition on a lifestyle of all-you-can-eat fast food and hover-capable chairs that leave movement utterly. Humans have fled in luxurious spaceships where their every whim is satisfied by robots. The Captain of the ship sheds his passive life and takes an active role, eventually tangling with the autopilot and flipping the switch to manual and EVE places the plant in the holo-detector, releasing WALL-E and sending the ship back to Earth.EVE brings WALL-E's body back to his home where she successfully repairs and reactivates him but WALL-E's memory is erased. So EVA so give WALL E a farewell "kiss" which causes an electric spark and restores his memory to what it is. WALL-E and EVE happily reunite and they join together to restore the Earth’s Environment.

This film is the logical conclusion of trying to meet our every need such that we are no longer required to do anything that makes us fat and lazy. The garbage we generate and don't recycle has to go somewhere that cause our environment polluted. And in the end, the realization that there is an unmet need that a desolate world needs to be rebuilt and kept safe that gives these people a brand new perspective on life.

Comparison

The two movies I chose are both show what will earth in the future. I, Robot take place in the year 2035 while Wall E takes place in the year 2700. The two movies portray different category, I, Robot portray real people and Wall E portrays through an animation but both of them illustrate how the robotics features will aid our everyday cost of living. These two movies remind us where the boundaries are.

Case Study 2 (Future Technology)

2011-01-04T21:58:00.000-08:00

Information technology (IT) has made a great advance with popularizing internet access and its use by people throughout the world. The value of information itself has been enhanced in business scenes as well as in daily lives. Thus, as a future IT professional someday my contribution for the development of technology based on what I learned from college are:

Adapt to Change- Adapting to change help us to discover and explore the modern world of technology. As IT people, we should engage with this to know the latest technologies and it will also help us to create and develop better technologies in the future to satisfy what the needs of the people. But sometimes people resist to change because of the feeling of discomfort with the nature of change itself, which may violate their moral belief systems. In this manner, implementing theories would help the user by proving a step by step manual and easy to understand instruction will ease there discomfort in the system.

Implementing ISP- As an IT student I would encourage companies to implement IPS to priorities the needs of the company. The information systems plan project determines the sequence for implementing specific information systems. The goal of the strategy is to deliver the most valuable business information at the earliest time possible in the most cost-effective manner. It must be also use timely, useable, maintainable, able to be iterated into a quality product, and reproducible. It will also help developers to develop technologies that would fit the needs of the company.

Setting Standard- It is important when developing a system the programmers should set a standard to improve the quality of the system and to satisfy what the consumer want.

Technology changed the humanity for the better to improve the standards of living in ways that we couldn't even believe were possible to happen.

Future Technology ( Case Study 1)

2010-12-22T22:54:00.000-08:00

Technology Today

People nowadays are into modernization. Everything from phones to lectures to mails and so on and so forth; people seem to find new ways to make life easier. The uses of technology are as follows:

To communicate

We all know that communication is very important in the part of human lives because it convey meaning in an attempt to create shared understanding between your love ones. There are so many ways of communicating today that there really is no reason why we shouldn't be keeping in touch with the important people in your life. The internet has exploded since its introduction into the public. Through the internet, you can send messages, photos, documents, and other important files through email.

To educate

Using technology involves the student in the learning process. Students using technology become active participants in the learning process instead of passive listeners. It use as part of the normal learning process for students; it is in their comfort zone and teachers often learn new technology programs along with students.

Managing a Business

Technology gives owner/operators ample opportunity at their convenience to investigate the competition and ensure that they possess the products consumers' desire. It also increased productivity and quickly relay the information of the company.

Save effort and time

Using technology to shortcut the little things helps you become more agile and quick to respond on the things you want to do.

What Influence Us?

People nowadays get influenced on modern technology because of the features and functionalities that makes our life more convenient and safes a great deal of our time. Through the use of media used to store and deliver information or data in advertising, broadcasting, news and social, people are getting interested to use that technology. It has given us so many items of luxury and enjoyment. It has also helped to improve our health and lengthen our life span. One example of this the invention of cell phone made people communicates more easily with people at big distances, even across the ocean. The information was quicker received and so, communication improved. But, through the years reliance upon these services has increased and the self-sufficiency of humans has fallen into a pit. In the present day many people rely on e-mail and instant messaging to communicate instead of using letters or in-person meetings; this also includes using the internet instead of the library for reports. This has caused the devolution of the human race to on a machine. Therefore, we should not always rely on the things around us to make our quality of living balance.

Factors involved in technology change?

The factor involved why technology change is that it requires greater demands on the society. People want everything to be modernized. Satisfaction is also the reason why technology changes. Developers improve the functionality of the product to satisfy the needs of the user. Technology will flows and goes by the need of the people.

Assignment 4 in SAD 2

2010-09-02T07:23:00.000-07:00

Contrast and discuss the enrollment input form (PRF) with the enrollment university interface.

The image above is the Student Records Information Systems (SRIS) screenshot of the university from Joan Dandoy's post.

Looking the fields for PRF form and SRIS form they differ in content of data. This data Civil Status, Birthdate, Desired Career, Parents, Email and Contact Numbers can only be seen in SRIS form but not in PRF form. By these SRIS and PRF form must be consist. The reliability or uniformity of successive results of SRIS and PRF form should be consistent.A consistent approach to layout of the enrollment system allows the user can quickly understand and confidently predict the location of information controls across the enrollment system.

Also data should be Specific. To be specific means to use facts and details to make sure you are communicating clearly. First question, where part of the design cause the delay of the student, then on that part we may improved well or be specific so that the user can easily get it.

Assignment 3 in Sad 2

2010-07-29T19:11:00.001-07:00

Interview your university network specialist. Ask how various parts of the system communicates with each other throughout the university. (Q) Given the chance to redesign the existing setup, enumerate and discuss your keypoints for an effective and efficient network environment ideal for the university.

In this assignment we are task to interview a network specialist in our university. By the way a network specialist is someone who deals with computer networks professionally.

Engr. Ariel Roy Reyes is the currently network specialist in the university. We prepare list of question to be answer by Sir Reyes. Supposed to be the interview where conducted last week but due to the some important matter it was postponed. So, we decided to pass it via email. Good to know Sir Reyes response and answer the question given to him.

First question was to explain what are the components involved in the system(s) in the university in hardware, software, technology, etc. According to Sir Reyes, I am not in the right position to discuss the details of the software components used as there are other assigned personnel for such job. However, talking about hardware component and technology used, basically I, assigned as the network administrator, is entrusted to maintain our different servers to run 24/7. Currently, we have our Web Server hosted here in our University in our HP ProLiant ML350 Server. Its an old but stable server set-up here in our Networks Office and has been active since Engr. Val A. Quimno , not yet a dean, was appointed as the Network Administrator. The said server has the following specification:

• Intel Xeon 3.0 GHz, 3.2 GHz, or 3.4 GHz processors (dual processor capability) with 1MB level 2 cache standard. Processors include support for Hyper-Threading and Extended Memory 64 Technology (EM64T)
• Intel® E7520 chipset
• 800-MHz Front Side Bus
• Integrated Dual Channel Ultra320 SCSI Adapter
• Smart Array 641 Controller (standard in Array Models only)
• NC7761 PCI Gigabit NIC (embedded)
• Up to 1 GB of PC2700 DDR SDRAM with Advanced ECC capabilities (Expandable to 8 GB)
• Six expansion slots: one 64-bit/133-MHz PCI-X, two 64-bit/100-MHz PCI-X, one 64-bit/66-MHz PCI-X, one x4 PCI-Express, and one x8 PCI-Express
• New HP Power Regulator for ProLiant delivering server level, policy based power management with industry leading energy efficiency and savings on system power and cooling costs
• Three USB ports: 1 front, 1 internal, 1 rear
• Support for Ultra320 SCSI hard drives (six hot plug or four non-hot plug drives supported standard, model dependent)
• Internalstorage capacity of up to 1.8TB; 2.4TB with optional 2-bay hot plug SCSI drive
• 725W Hot-Plug Power Supply (standard, most models); optional 725W Hot-Pluggable Redundant Power Supply (1+1) available. Non hot plug SCSI models include a 460W non-hot plug power supply.
• Tool-free chassis entry and component access
• Support for ROM based setup utility (RBSU) and redundant ROM
• Systems Insight Manager, SmartStart, and Automatic Server Recovery 2 (ASR-2) included
• Protected by HP Services and a worldwide network of resellers and service providers. Three-year Next Business Day, on-site limited global warranty. Certain restrictions and exclusions apply. Pre-Failure Notification on processors, memory, and SCSI hard drives.

Aside from it, our mail server running under Compaq Proliant ML330 Server, our oldest server, is also hosted here in our Networks Office. Together with other Servers, such as Proxy and Enrollment Servers, both proxy and our enrollment servers are running in a microcomputer/personal computers but with higher specifications to act as servers.

Second question was to explain how do these communicate with one another (topology, network connectivity, protocols, etc.) – may include data flow/ UML diagrams to better explain. According to Sir Reyes, “All Servers are connected in a shared medium grouped as one subnetwork. In general, our network follows the extended star topology which is connected to a DUAL WAN Router that serves as the load balancer between our two Internet Service Providers. All other workstations are grouped into different subnetworks as in star topology branching out from our servers subnetwork as in extended star topology. At present, we are making use of class C IP Address for private IP address assignments. Other workstations IP assignments are configured statically (example: laboratories) while others are Dynamic (example: offices). All workstations are connected via our proxy servers that do some basic filtering/firewall to control users access to the internet aside from router filtering/firewall management. So, whenever any workstation has to connect to the internet, it has to pass through software and hardware based firewall.”

Third question was to explain what are the processes involved in the communication with each system to other systems. According to Sir Reyes,”As mentioned above, in item 3, all workstations are connected via a proxy server. It means that whenever a workstation is turned on, it requests for an IP address from the proxy server (for dynamically configured IP address) and connect to the network after IP address is acquired. As connection is established, each system can now communicate and share resources within the same subnetwork and to server following the concepts discuss in your Computer Network Class.”

Fourth question was to explain how do you go along with the maintenance of the system. According to Sir Reyes,” Basically, our servers are expected to be in good condition since it is required to be up 24/7. Daily, during my vacant period, monitoring on the servers are observed that includes checking logs, checking hardware performance such as CPU health, etc. If problems are observed, remedies are then and then applied. Once in a week, regular overall checkup is observed as preventive maintenance to ensure not to experience longer downtime if possible.”

Fifth question was to explain does the system follow a specific standard. According to Sir Reyes, “As I was appointed as the Network Administrator, everything was already in place except for some minor changes. Basically, different networking standards was already observed such as cabling standards, TIA/EIA 568A-B, different IEEE standards as discussed in your Computer Networks Subject, etc.”

Sixth question was to explain how is the security of the system if are there any vulnerabilities, risk, corresponding mitigation techniques, access control. According to Sir Reyes,” As I have mentioned, we have implemented both software and hardware based filtering/firewall. Basically, Risks or vulnerabilities and different mitigation techniques were considered to increase security in our network. Aside from filtering/firewall, constant monitoring on networks activity also increases the security of the system.”

Last question was to explain if are there any interference during what (most) times do these occur and explain their effects especially with regards to the business of the university. According to Sir Reyes,” Major Interferences are normally encountered as an effect of unforeseen and beyond our control events such as black outs, and the like. The said interference would of course affect University’s day-to-day businesses for obviously this will paralyze all our activities that rely on electricity and further this might cause damage on our network devices, etc. that may later be the reason for longer downtime. Problems encountered by our providers such as connection to the National/International Gateway also affect University’s business such as correlating to University’s Business Partners outside and within the country.”

The general category of network specialist includes individuals who do a lot of different work with various computer networking systems.

Given the chance to redesign the existing setup, enumerate and discuss your keypoints for an effective and efficient network environment ideal for the university. Before hearing the answer of Sir Reyes I would say yes but now after hearing his answer I would say no. Even Sir Reyes has not redesigned the previous network environment and he just improved and maintained it instead. I think the current network environment is already working well with the university’s functions and only some function needs development and enhancements on the performance to have a quality

Assignment 2 in SAD 2

2010-07-21T16:36:00.000-07:00

Relative to your answer in Assignment 1 .... what's your take on the design of the enrollment system?

Design of the Enrollment System

Relating my answer in assignment 1, with observation and to the new enrollment system implemented this semester are not so organized because of long line in the registrar and cashier and sometimes cause of delay of student to enroll on that day.

With this, the main purpose in design of the enrollment is to communicate effectively to the viewers of the system. The communication effectiveness is measured by the speed, accuracy and ease with which the information content can be easily to understand. These provide practical guidance for both designers and users because the designer is just communicating to the user telling him where to go.

Analyzing the design of the enrollment system would lessen the delay of the student.

Be Specific. First question, where part of the design cause the delay of the student, then on that part we may improved well or be specific so that the user can easily get it.

Consistency. A consistent approach to layout of the enrollment system allows the user can quickly understand and confidently predict the location of information controls across the enrollment system.

All these actions must properly well-planned to come up with a better result that would satisfy the needs of the university.

Assignment 1 in SAD 2

2010-07-08T01:23:00.000-07:00

The above diagram showed the enrollment process SY 2010-1010 of USEP.

Being a student in this university for at least four years, I have witnessed a lot of transformations in this university. When I enroll in this university many process I have to gone through. Some of it is repeating because we have to fill up information to our college and same also in the UGTO. It is not an organized and cause of delay to enroll a student. As time goes by, the university see this problem and propose a solution that would address to resolve it. They centralize the system that connects to all departments so that it will lessen the enrollment process.

Assuming I’m tapped by the university president to evaluate the new enrollment system implemented this semester, and enumerates my observations/comments and suggests possible areas and ways where improvements can be made in this university.

My evaluation to the new enrollment system implemented this semester are not so organized because of long line in the registrar and cashier and sometimes cause of delay of student to enroll on that day.

My observations/comments and suggests possible areas and ways where improvements can be made in this university.

• Clearance and Student Account: Student should facilitate their clearance and student account before enrollment so that it will not delay them and they will not also delay others.

• OSS (Scholars Only): Scholars should facilitate their scholarship before enrollment. Sometimes it may take days to them to validate their card cause of many process to undergo.

• Miscellaneous Fee: Sometimes, pay all the fees coming from different organization like Local Council fee, Obrero Campus Student Council fee and collegiate headlight fee cause of delay of the student. I more convenient to assigned each student to each department to collect fees.

• Advising: Before doing these, you should accomplish the two mentions above, before going to this process and also you should completed your grades. And then they will give you a PRF.

• Encoding: After fill-up your PRF you should give it to the assigned person to your department. But looking the PRF and the COR, it is not consistent to the data.
• Student Account (Scholars Only): From all the process, it is the easiest because they just see your name if you are a scholars and stamp your card.

• Cashier: It is longest line among all cause only 3 and sometimes 2 cashier are available to accommodates different colleges with lots number of student.

• Registrar: It is also one of the most numbers of students waiting in this area. It is more convenient to assigned different staff in each department to different window.

All in all enrollment process should illustrate in this university should be complete and brief. Complete in terms of there should be a Library in the diagram so that student will not forget to validate their library card. It should brief and the words are easy to understand.

Assignmet 12 in SAD

2010-03-11T01:57:00.000-08:00

Baker Hughes NYSE: BHI is the world's third-largest oilfield services company behind Schlumberger & Halliburton, its main competitors. Baker Hughes provides the world's oil & gas industry with products and services for drilling, formation evaluation, completion and production. Baker Hughes operates in over 90 countries worldwide mainly based in countries with a mature petroleum industry as is the case with most oil & gas service companies.

About Management Dynamics, Inc.

Management Dynamics is a leading provider of global trade management solutions that improve the performance of global supply chains for importers, exporters, logistics service providers, and carriers. The company's solutions synchronize the flow of information among trading partners, optimize supply chain execution decisions, and streamline import and export processes to ensure regulatory compliance and minimize cost and risk involved in cross-border transactions. Management Dynamics' time-proven solutions are used by more than 13,000 global users at some of the world's most successful 3PLs, carriers, manufacturers, retailers, and high technology companies.

Baker Hughes Selects Management Dynamics to Automate Trade Compliance.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Management Dynamics, a leading provider of global trade management solutions, today announced that Baker Hughes Incorporated (NYSE :BHI),a leading services provider to the worldwide oil and gas industry, has selected Management Dynamics' Global Trade Compliance solution suite to automate import and export compliance for shipping to over 70 countries as part of a corporate-wide commitment to compliance.
With an international distribution network, Baker Hughes is required to maintain ongoing compliance with both U.S. and foreign trade regulations. To accomplish this, Baker Hughes is planning a worldwide deployment to integrate Management Dynamics' Global Trade Compliance solution suite with its SAP enterprise resource planning system. system. Baker Hughes expects to take advantage of operational efficiencies such as minimizing human error and eliminating time-consuming manual tasks to allow its logistics team to spend more time on strategic initiatives.

After carefully evaluating its needs and several global trade management software applications on the market, Baker Hughes selected Management Dynamics. "Global trade content coverage, functionality, and scenario testing were some of the key factors pointing to Management Dynamics," said Bryan Schillinger, Senior Trade Director and Legal Counsel for Baker Hughes. "Management Dynamics had broad global trade content, and a demonstrated process for keeping it current. Its architecture reflected a true understanding of the needs faced by our trade practitioners. And when we asked some of the vendors to show how their software resolved various scenarios using sample data, Management Dynamics performed perfectly, even in scenarios that were designed to be difficult."

Management Dynamics' Trade Compliance Solution will meet Baker Hughes' key requirements for automating import and export compliance, including:

* Automation of many import and export processes across its worldwide enterprise;

* Integration with Baker Hughes' SAP ERP system, providing the scalability to accommodate hundreds of users and high transaction volumes with around-the-clock access; and

* Comprehensive, in-depth, up-to-date global trade content that covers all international business rules including tariff and contract rates, preferential duties and taxes for calculating total landed cost, import and export controls, harmonized system content, economic sanction screening, restricted parties lists and all trade documents required for cross-border commerce.

"Today, global companies have identified corporate compliance as a key initiative and an essential technology expense as compliance mandates continue to flourish," said Jim Preuninger, CEO of Management Dynamics. "Baker Hughes understands the urgency and is leading the oil and gas industry in the movement towards automating compliance on a global level."

Implementation of an ERP System

Implementing an ERP system in an organization is an extremely complex process. It takes lot of systematic planning, expert consultation and well structured approach. Due to its extensive scope it may even take years to implement in a large organization. Implementing an ERP system will eventually necessitate significant changes on staff and work processes. While it may seem practical for an in-house IT administration to head the project, it is commonly advised that special ERP implementation experts be consulted, since they are specially trained in deploying these kinds of systems.

Organizations generally use ERP vendors or consulting companies to implement their customized ERP system. There are three types of professional services that are provided when implementing an ERP system, they are Consulting, Customization and Support.

• Consulting Services - are responsible for the initial stages of ERP implementation where they help an organization go live with their new system, with product training, workflow, improve ERP's use in the specific organization, etc.

• Customization Services - work by extending the use of the new ERP system or changing its use by creating customized interfaces and/or underlying application code. While ERP systems are made for many core routines, there are still some needs that need to be built or customized for a particular organization.

• Support Services - include both support and maintenance of ERP systems. For instance, trouble shooting and assistance with ERP issues.

References:

http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Baker+Hughes
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Baker+Hughes+Selects+Management+Dynamics+to+Automate+Trade+Compliance.-a0161511170
http://www.topbits.com/erp.html

Assignment 11 in SAD

2010-03-04T05:55:00.000-08:00

Analysis means to compare the current system information with the new system information. A detailed analysis is made after the approval of planning phase. Analyst personally visits the site and gathers the information about the current and proposed systems.

The information systems analyst assists a senior analyst or consultant in determining the feasibility of implementing new computer applications or upgrades. The information systems analyst meets with users to determine and assess user needs, and designs and tests applications and enhancements. The information systems analyst is also responsible for debugging applications and providing technical support and training to users. The information systems analyst will prepare technical documentation and procedural instructions for implementing systems software.

Characteristics that an Anlayst

Analyst is the most responsible person for the new system project management and therefore he should possess and behaves the following characteristics. The analyst should:

1. Knowledge of computer capabilities, systems analysis, data processing, and programming techniques.

2. Ability to interpret diagrammatic presentations of work flow, and prepare computer block diagrams and flow charts.

3. Pay intension to each and every single answer because each answer could generate many important questions related to problems of current system.

4. Identify and translate the problem of current system.

5. Generate the maximum solution of the problem.

6. Explain the logic of his solutions.

7. Learn from mistakes.

References:

http://www.flcourts.org/gen_public/employment/bin/infosystanalyst.pdf
http://www.about-knowledge.com/software-project-analysis-and-characteristics-of-an-analyst-and-types-of-analysis/

Assignment 10 in SAD

2010-02-26T18:33:00.000-08:00

The model generally starts with a context diagram showing the system as a single process flowchart connected to external entities outside of the system boundary. This process explodes to a lower level DFD that divides the system into smaller parts and balances the flow of information between parent and child diagrams. Many diagram levels may be needed to express a complex system.

The Data Flow Diagram is an excellent communication tool for analysts to model processes and functional requirements. The analyst should be a critical thinker to use it effectively, it is a useful and easy to understand modeling tool. It has broad application and usability across most software development projects. It is easily integrated with data modeling, workflow modeling tools, and textual specs. Together with these, it provides analysts and developers with solid models and specs. Alone, however, it has limited usability. It is simple and easy to understand by users and can be easily extended and refined with further specification into a physical version for the design and development teams.

Purpose/Objective:

The purpose of data flow diagrams is to provide a semantic bridge between users and systems developers. The diagrams are:

•graphical, eliminating thousands of words;

•logical representations, modeling WHAT a system does, rather than physical models showing HOW it does it;

•hierarchical, showing systems at any level of detail; and

•jargonless, allowing user understanding and reviewing.

The goal of data flow diagramming is to have a commonly understood model of a system. The diagrams are the basis of structured systems analysis. Data flow diagrams are supported by other techniques of structured systems analysis such as data structure d iagrams, data dictionaries, and procedure-representing techniques such as decision tables, decision trees, and structured English.

Data flow diagrams have the objective of avoiding the cost of:

•user/developer misunderstanding of a system, resulting in a need to redo systems or in not using the system.

•having to start documentation from scratch when the physical system changes since the logical system, WHAT gets done, often remains the same when technology changes.

•systems inefficiencies because a system gets "computerized" before it gets "systematized".

•being unable to evaluate system project boundaries or degree of automation, resulting in a project of inappropriate scope.

Analyzing the Current Processes

Data flow analysis work is often difficult due to the sheer complexity of the processes involved. It is easy for the analyst to become overwhelmed. To prevent this, we use a two-step process to understand the situation:

•A focus on the physical data flows. This means observing the process as a savage would, with no focus on the logic behind, or information on, a particular piece of paper (or contained in a conversation or email).

•A focus on the conceptual data flows. This process can only begin after the physical data flow documentation is complete, since it analyzes the conceptual essentials behind the physical data flow.

Procedure

The procedure for producing a data flow diagram is to:

1. identify and list external entities providing inputs/receiving outputs from system;

2. identify and list inputs from/outputs to external entities;

3. create a context diagram with system at center and external entities sending and receiving data flows;

4. identify the business functions included within the system boundary;

5. identify the data connections between business functions;

6. confirm through personal contact sent data is received and vice-versa;

7. trace and record what happens to each of the data flows entering the system (data movement, data storage, data transformation/processing)

8. attempt to connect any diagram segments into a roughdraft;

9. verify all data flows have a source and destination;

10. verify data coming out of a data store goes in;

11. redraw to simplify--ponder and question result;

12. review with "informed";

13. explode and repeat above steps as needed.

Context Diagram Guidelines

Firstly, draw and name a single process box that represents the entire system. Next, identify and add the external entities that communicate directly with the process box. Do this by considering origin and destination of the resource flows and data flows. Finally, add the resource flows and data flows to the diagram.

In drawing the context diagram you should only be concerned with the most important information flows. These will be concerned with issues such as: how orders are received and checked, with providing good customer service and with the paying of invoices. Remember that no business process diagram is the definitive solution - there is no absolute right or wrong.

Reference:

http://www.edrawsoft.com/Data-Flow-Diagrams.php
http://spot.colorado.edu/~kozar/DFDtechnique.html
http://danang.files.wordpress.com/2006/07/8dfd.pdf

Assignment 9 in SAD

2010-02-20T01:01:00.001-08:00

A Data Flow Diagram provides no information about the timing or ordering of processes, or about whether processes will operate in sequence or in parallel. It is therefore quite different from a flowchart, which shows the flow of control through an algorithm, allowing a reader to determine what operations will be performed, in what order, and under what circumstances, but not what kinds of data will be input to and output from the system, nor where the data will come from and go to, nor where the data will be stored (all of which are shown on a DFD).

Data flow diagram of USEP's pre-enrollment system
General Diagram- The general data flow diagram of the system.
Context Diagram- defines the scope of the system by identifying the system boundary.

Level-0 Diagram- describes the overall processing of the system.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_flow_diagram

Assignment 9 in MIS

2010-02-11T20:41:00.001-08:00

The fast changing world has increase the changes involving information technology. Because of the application o technology computer skills and knowledge of other technology are almost necessary inside and outside the classroom. Students are now expected to reach a level of technological proficiency at younger ages.

Now, there are more ways to communicate effectively. Students have a range of skills to express themselves not only through paper and pencil, but also audio, video, animation, design software as well as a host of new environments (e-mail, Web sites, message boards, blogs, streaming media, etc.).

Factors Facilitating Technology-Supported Education Change

• Authentic challenging tasks are best supported with flexible technology applications rather than with canned instructional programs.
• Having project-based, cooperative learning skills in place is important.
• Teachers need time to develop their own skills with technology.
• Easily available access to technical assistance is critical, especially in the early years.
• Schools need permission and support for innovations from the district, state, and federal levels.
• Using the technology tools of the professional community adds significance and cultural value to school tasks.
• Technology implementation provides a safe context for teachers to become learners again and to share their ideas about curriculum and method.
• Outside funding may be required to support the level of technical assistance and professional development opportunity needed to implement technology-supported education reform efforts.

1. Developing Plan

The first step in developing a technology plan is convening a planning committee or team to review the school-improvement plan already in place and research the district needs. In the case of USEP it is important to develop a plan in technology because technology continues to play an important role in modern industrial society, integrating technology into the schools will help prepare students to succeed in a rapidly changing world.

An effective team enlists educators but also takes advantage of the expertise of community members and the input of parents and students. Planning partners may include administrators, principals, teachers, district office representatives, parents, potential business partners, and a representative from the county office, regional agency, or department of education (Cradler, 1996). The specific organizational structures, committees, and membership may vary among schools that have integrated technology effectively, but the plan should be the result of input from educators and community members with knowledge, experience, and expectations of the role of technology in their school (Massachusetts Software Council, 1994). The support of key administrators and influential teachers is critical to the plan's implementation and success.

2. ICT Infrastructure Management

ICT Infrastructure Management processes recommend best practice for requirements analysis, planning, design, deployment and ongoing operations management and technical support of an ICT Infrastructure. ("ICT" is an acronym for "Information and Communication Technology".)

• ICT Design and Planning

From the word itself it defines the in designing and planning a specific process that fit to the organization. ICT Design and Planning provides a framework and approach for the Strategic and Technical Design and Planning of ICT infrastructures. It includes the necessary combination of business (and overall IS) strategy, with technical design and architecture.

• ICT Deployment

ICT Deployment provides a framework for the successful management of design, build, test and roll-out (deploy) projects within an overall ICT programme. It includes many project management disciplines in common with PRINCE2, but has a broader focus to include the necessary integration of Release Management and both functional and non functional testing.

• ICT Technical Support

ICT Technical Support is the specialist technical function for infrastructure within ICT. Primarily as a support to other processes, both in Infrastructure Management and Service Management.

3. RFID( as Student ID)

There is an especially effective technology that surrounds ID cards today and one that is slipping into greater use among companies and employers. This technology is called RFID, and the cards it powers are called ‘contactless smart cards.’

The technology behind the card is Radio frequency identification, or RFID. Wikipedia defines Radio-frequency identification (RFID)as an object (typically referred to as an RFID tag) applied to or incorporated into a product, animal, or person for the purpose of identification and tracking using radio waves. Some tags can be read from several meters away and beyond the line of sight of the reader.

RFID is a broad term that encompasses the span of technologies that use radio waves to automatically identify people or objects and work with a microchip to store information. The most common way of storing information is to store a serial number that identifies a person, object, or information on a microchip. The microchip is attached to an antenna and imbedded between the layers of the card. Information can be written, erased, and rewritten, and is stored on the microchip and transmitted by the antenna.

Instead of inserting your card into a card acceptor or scanning it through, all you have to do is passing within range of the radio frequency acceptor and you are done. You usually have to be within a few inches of the machine for it to operate, but it still saves a ton of time and headache. The greatest benefit of this card is its inherent security. Forging a card like RFID is very difficult and it greatly minimizes security risks. RFID cards can be used by anyone, and are most effective in every environment from the very large to the very small. Therefore, using this object as a student ID it will have a substantial impact to the university because it makes the lives of the student and faculty easier.

References:

http://www.nsba.org/sbot/toolkit/tnc.html
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/methods/technlgy/te300.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_Technology_Infrastructure_Library
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/48795/rfid_id_card_overview.html

Assignment 8 in Sad

2010-02-11T20:33:00.000-08:00

Activity Diagram

The figure above shows the pre-enrollment process of the University of Southeastern Philippines (USEP).

Assignment 8 in MIS

2010-02-06T01:32:00.001-08:00

In the present world, most organizations in all sectors of industry are dependent on the information systems (IS). Rockart (1988) thinks that, IT is becoming an “increasingly important part of the ongoing, integral operations of the business.” The organizations are not only looking at the use of technology to support the existing business operations. They are also looking to create new opportunities that will provide a source of competitive advantage.

In past few years, the importance of the information systems and technology has changed and the need to manage IS/IT strategically has increased. Many organizations are looking at IS/IT and are concerned about obtaining acceptable rate of returns from the investments. They are concerned about meeting the current and future business requirements. These concerns require effective planning and management in the changing business environment.

The use of Strategic Information Systems Planning (SISP) process can address the concerns related with the implementation of IS/IT systems and provide communication between the IS/IT and the business function.

Information has emerged as an agent of integration and the enabler of new competitiveness for today’s enterprise in the global marketplace. Looking fast forward, if I were hired and have been tasked to develop a strategic information systems plan for a company and the company officers have extended an invitation for me to meet with them to discuss the direction of the company. Before this meeting, they have asked that you provide a list of questions with some explanation about the "why" of the question so they can be prepared, thus maximizing the output from this meeting.

These are list of questions you would ask the officers of the company and give an explanation and justification for each question.

Is strategic planning changed sufficiently to support the new role of information systems and technology?

The task of strategic information systems planning is difficult and often time organizations do not know how to do it. Strategic information systems planning is a major change for organizations, from planning for information systems based on users’ demands to those based on business strategy. Information-based enterprises must be planned in an integrated way whereby all stages of the life cycle are engaged to bring about agility, quality, and productivity. This integration is similar in nature to the integration of product life cycle for an enterprise.

What is IS/IT Strategy?

This question examines the capabilities of the company on how to deal with the company’s goals in fulfilling its business. Clarke (2005) defines strategic information system (SIS) as “an information system which supports an organization in fulfilling its business goals”. According to Ward and Peppard (2002), SIS functions in ways that are similar to data processing and management information systems, however, it is the impact it causes on the business due to the continual changes the enable or cause that makes the difference. SIS help improve business competitiveness by changing the way business is conducted.

What are the competitive advantages of SISP?
In a company it is important to know the competitive advantage of Strategic Information Plan, to know the capabilities, competencies and resources of the company to provide a distinct attraction to the customers of the company.

What strategy model is used for developing a IS plan?

Model is very important in a company because it helps the company to know the sequence of their plan. This question examines the process of the company and how they help them in improving the status of the company.
What is the effect of the implementation of IS Plan on the business?

The implementation of IS plan does impact the business activities. There is a certain effect on the business processes and the overall business. Their views on the effects of the implementation of the systems on the business processes and the overall business will be compared if there are improving our not.

What types of implementation in the systems is use (in-house or outsourced)?

Company needs a system that will cater their needs. Implementing the system needs a specialize person who will develop and maintain the system. This time outsourcing and in- house come. Outsourcing is a contracting transaction through which one company purchases services from another while keeping ownership and ultimate responsibility for the underlying processes. It occurs when the staffs of the company has no enough knowledge in the system. While, in- house is opposite to outsource, it often involves bringing the specialists person in the company to fill temporary needs or training existing personnel to perform tasks.

Reference:
http://www.coda.ac.nz/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=unitec_scit_di

Assignment 7 in SAD

2010-02-06T01:25:00.000-08:00

Use Case Diagram:

A use case is initiated by a user with a particular goal in mind, and completes successfully when that goal is satisfied. It describes the sequence of interactions between actors and the system necessary to deliver the service that satisfies the goal.Generally, use case steps are written in an easy-to-understand structured narrative using the vocabulary of the domain.

Actors:
Applicant – the aspiring person who wants to admit in the university.
UGTO In-charge – assists and evaluates applications of students and give them schedules and evaluates the result of the exam.
Cashier – collects payment
Examiner – any college faculty who conducts the exam
Interviewer- college faculty of the selected college who conducts the interview.

Clinic Staff– attending nurse or doctor in the clinic who does the medical check-up
Dean/Adviser – the college they want to enroll where students submit requirements if fully qualified to their collage.

Brief Description:

The aspiring applicant first asks for an application form to the UGTO. The UGTO In-charge will give it to the aspiring applicant and the applicant will now fill up and submit it to the in-charge. After that, he will pay the entrance fee and the cashier will give the receipt. Then the UGTO In-charge could now give the applicant a schedule for the exam. The aspiring applicant will take the exam in the said schedule. He will take two types of exam, one for the USEPAT and another for English Placement Test. After that, the Examiner will give the result. If the aspiring applicant pass the both two test, he will proceed to the interview in the desired college he want. If he fails on the English Placement Test but pass on the USEPAT, he will now enroll on English Bridge Program. If he fails both of the two exams, his application will be denied. After that, he will take the interview on the college he chose to enroll. The interviewer will post the result, if you pass, you will secure a medical certificate but if you failed, your application will be denied. If you get a secure medical certificate on the clinic, you will now submit the entire requirement needed to the adviser of your selected college before enrolling onto the university.

Assignment 6 in SAD

2010-01-29T21:06:00.001-08:00

On the scenario given the conversation between the systems professional, John Juan and a manager of a department targeted for a new information system, Peter Pedro. On the part of John Juan, he wants the way to go about the analysis is to first examine the old system, such as reviewing key documents and observing the workers perform their tasks. Then they can determine which aspects are working well and which should be preserved. In his part getting the requirements right – and getting the right requirements – can mean the difference between a successful project – one that satisfies the needs of its users and is delivered on-time and on-budget – and one that fails.

It should come as no surprise that effective requirements gathering involves much more than asking business users what they want and need. It is a complex process that involves users and system designers in a collaborative effort that explores both functional requirements and the new possibilities that technology offers.

On the part of Peter Pedro, he says that he would feel much more comfortable if we first started with a list of our requirements. They should spend some time up-front determining exactly what we want the system to do for my department. Then they systems people can come in and determine what portions to salvage if you wish. Just don’t constrain us to the old system. In his point of view, listing requirement would satisfies the need of the company and spend time on determining what system can help to the department. But for me, it is spend time to nothing and wasting of money.

With this scenario I will go to the part of John Juan because an effective requirements gathering process is perhaps the most critical driver of software project success. The analysis begins with a review of the categories of information process. With this System Requirements Analysis can be a challenging phase, because all of the major Customers and their interests are brought into the process of determining requirements. The quality of the final product is highly dependent on the effectiveness of the requirements identification process. Since the requirements form the basis for all future work on the project, from design and development to testing and documentation, it is of the utmost importance that the Project Team creates a complete and accurate representation of all requirements that the system must accommodate. Accurately identified requirements result from effective communication and collaboration among all members of the Project Team, and provide the best chance of creating a system that fully satisfies the needs of the Customers. The primary goal of this phase is to create a detailed Functional Specification defining the full set of system capabilities to be implemented, along with accompanying data and process models illustrating the information to be managed and the processes to be supported by the new system. The Functional Specification will evolve throughout this phase of the SDLC as detailed business requirements are captured, and as supporting process and data models are created, ensuring that the eventual solution provides the Customers with the functionality they need to meet their stated business objectives.

Functional requirements also help to obtain a successful project. It may be calculations, technical details, data manipulation and processing and other specific functionality that define what a system is supposed to accomplish. Behavioral requirements describing all the cases where the system uses the functional requirements are captured in use cases. Functional requirements are supported by non-functional requirements (also known as quality requirements), which impose constraints on the design or implementation (such as performance requirements, security, or reliability). How a system implements functional requirements is detailed in the system design. On the other hand a non-functional requirement is a requirement that specifies criteria that can be used to judge the operation of a system, rather than specific behaviors. This should be contrasted with functional requirements that define specific behavior or functions.
Some Run-time non-functional requirements arise from the operating environment, the user(s), and competitive products:

System Constraints. Here one is looking for elements of the environment into which the system must fit, that may serve as constraints on the system. This may be true of the installed infrastructure (e.g., hardware and OS platforms) or legacy applications, or may be in the form of organizational factors or the process that the system will support.

User Objectives, Values and Concerns. In establishing the run-time qualities for a system, it is important to identify all the categories of user (including other systems) that will interact with the system, and understand what quality attributes they care about. A quality attribute such as performance may surface for one user as a concern, and another as a value, so it is useful to direct elicitation of both values and concerns for any (group of) user(s). It is important to focus on creating just what users want, with the qualities they care about—low priority whiz-bang features or qualities only increase complexity for the development organization and/or for the user. The requirements team should nonetheless be alert to requirements that users take for granted or are not able to articulate directly. Understanding the users’ objectives and forces that impact their success and sense of utility, will help surface and establish the priorities of system qualities— as well as functionality, of course.

There a lot of method helpful on the system. In the purpose of this system requirements analysis, it provides a sound basis for a specification of the system architecture, an architecture that will both satisfy immediate requirements and will be scalable and expandable to accommodate future needs.

In the purpose of Defining a Process Model is to create a pictorial representation of the functions and operations (i.e.,the processes) that will eventually be performed by the system being developed. Define the Process Model may begin at any time after the Project Team has started collecting specific business requirements. The resulting Process Model of the system, also often referred to as the “To Be” model, illustrates the system processes as they are envisioned for the new system. Over time, this pictorial top-down representation of the major business processes will be decomposed into manageable functions and sub-functions until no further breakdown is possible. When combined with the detailed set of Business Requirements and the supporting Logical Data Model, this Process Model should completely address not only the full list of business needs to be satisfied by the new system, but also the vision for how the new system will provide and support this functionality.

Prototyping is a technique for providing a reduced functionality or a limited performance version of a software system early in its development (Balzer 1983, Budde 1984, Hekmatpour 1987). In contrast to the classic system life cycle, prototyping is an approach whereby more emphasis, activity, and processing are directed to the early stages of software development (requirements analysis and functional specification). In turn, prototyping can more directly accommodate early 10 user participation in determining, shaping, or evaluating emerging system functionality.
Therefore, these up-front concentrations of effort, together with the use of prototyping technologies, seeks to trade-off or otherwise reduce downstream software design activities and iterations, as well as simplify the software implementation effort. (see Rapid Prototyping)
Software prototypes come in different forms including throwaway prototypes, mock-ups, demonstration systems, quick-and-dirty prototypes, and incremental evolutionary prototypes
(Hekmatpour 1987). Increasing functionality and subsequent evolvability is what distinguishes the prototype forms on this list.

Prototyping technologies usually take some form of software functional specifications as their starting point or input, which in turn is simulated, analyzed, or directly executed. These technologies can allow developers to rapidly construct early or primitive versions of software systems that users can evaluate. User evaluations can then be incorporated as feedback to refine the emerging system specifications and designs. Further, depending on the prototyping technology, the complete working system can be developed through a continual revising/refining the input specifications. This has the advantage of always providing a working version of the emerging system, while redefining software design and testing activities to input specification refinement and execution. Alternatively, other prototyping approaches are best suited for developing throwaway or demonstration systems, or for building prototypes by reusing part/all of some existing software systems.

During the Determine Business Requirements process, a picture of the current business processes and practices will begin to evolve. This can be a useful tool in confirming that all current processes have been identified, and can be used by the Project Team as a means of ensuring that their Process Model has not neglected any existing functionality. There is a risk, however, that too much focus on current business processes may cause Customers to take a myopic view of the their true business needs, ultimately defining a system that provides little value over the system that is already in place. In summary, successful projects are inevitably built on a well-executed requirements gathering process in the system

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Functional_requirement
http://www.oft.state.ny.us/pmmp/guidebook2/systemreq.pdf
http://www.bredemeyer.com/pdf_files/NonFunctReq.PDF
http://www.ics.uci.edu/~wscacchi/Papers/SE-Encyc/Process-Models-SE-Encyc.pdf

Assignment 7 in MIS

2010-01-29T21:05:00.000-08:00

Internet played a key role in keeping communication going, performing as an efficient and stable network for thousands of user using the internet. One of the websites specializing in Internet search is Google Inc. It is an American public corporation that generates profits from advertising bought on its similarly free-to-user e-mail, online mapping, office productivity, social networking and video-sharing services. Advert-free versions are available via paid subscription. Google has more recently developed an open source web browser and a mobile phone operating system.

The company\'s stated mission from the outset was \"to organize the world\'s information and make it universally accessible and useful.\" Its unofficial slogan, coined by Gmail\'s first engineer, Paul Buchheit, was Don\'t be evil. Google has been criticized over issues of privacy of personal information, copyright and censorship.

Who are their competitors?
List of competitors in Google organic search are as follows:
• wikipedia.org
• yahoo.com
• about.com
• nextag.com
• AOL, Inc.
• MSN

How have they used information technology to their advantage?

Google became successful precisely because we were better and faster at finding the right answer than other search engines at the time. But technology has come a long way since then, and the face of the web has changed. Recognizing that search is a problem that will never be solved, we continue to push the limits of existing technology to provide a fast, accurate and easy-to-use service that anyone seeking information can access, whether they\'re at a desk in Boston or on a phone in Bangkok. We\'ve also taken the lessons we\'ve learned from search to tackle even more challenges.

1. They have built chrome the worlds fastest browser. (windows compared with IE and all standard browsers such as opera, firefox and safari) .Whether we\'re designing a new Internet browser or a new tweak to the look of the homepage, we take great care to ensure that they will ultimately serve you, rather than our own internal goal or bottom line.

2.They are creating a programming language \"GO\" which is supposed to compile like \'C\' and program like \'Java\'. With one of the world\'s largest research groups focused exclusively on solving search problems, we know what we do well, and how we could do it better. Through continued iteration on difficult problems, we\'ve been able to solve complex issues and provide continuous improvements to a service that already makes finding information a fast and seamless experience for millions of people. Our dedication to improving search helps us apply what we\'ve learned to new products, like Gmail and Google Maps. Our hope is to bring the power of search to previously unexplored areas, and to help people access and use even more of the ever-expanding information in their lives.

3. They are creating a transmission protocol called SPDY (speedy) that is supposed to make the internet twice as fast. (Which is their final goal.) Google ,by shaving excess bits and bytes from our pages and increasing the efficiency of our serving environment, we\'ve broken our own speed records many times over, so that the average response time on a search result is a fraction of a second. We keep speed in mind with each new product we release, whether it\'s a mobile application or Google Chrome, a browser designed to be fast enough for the modern web. And we continue to work on making it all go even faster.

4. They are creating Google wave. A new way email is looked at. Google set ourselves goals we know we can\'t reach yet, because we know that by stretching to meet them we can get further than we expected. Through innovation and iteration, we aim to take things that work well and improve upon them in unexpected ways. For example, when one of our engineers saw that search worked well for properly spelled words, he wondered about how it handled typos. That led him to create an intuitive and more helpful spell checker.

Even if you don\'t know exactly what you\'re looking for, finding an answer on the web is our problem, not yours. We try to anticipate needs not yet articulated by our global audience, and meet them with products and services that set new standards. When we launched Gmail, it had more storage space than any email service available. In retrospect offering that seems obvious – but that\'s because now we have new standards for email storage. Those are the kinds of changes we seek to make, and we\'re always looking for new places where we can make a difference. Ultimately, our constant dissatisfaction with the way things are becomes the driving force behind everything we do.

How competitive are they in the market?
Google is a business. Besides trying its best to satisfy its users it has to find ways of generating the most revenue. Google does this in a few different ways. The first one is the advertising which happens on the right side of the page when you search on Google, a program called AdWords.

Google controls more of the search market than all of its competitors combined. With that being said, Google has a ton of advertising space to sell. If you know how to optimize AdWords better than your competitors you stand to achieve great profit.

Businesses using Adwords can accomplish greater cost effectiveness with their marketing budgets for two reasons. Adwords only shows ads to people who are interested in the kind of information the advertisers are selling. There is no pop up advertising because that gets in the way of what the user is doing, they can’t see the content of what they have requested. So the simple ads on the right of the page are perfect. Secondly, advertisers get to choose how much they should pay Google when a user clicks on their ad, however there is a minimum fee. Since the ads are simply formatted the advertisers do not need to worry about production costs which also leads small advertisers to AdWords because it is so cost-effective.
What new services do they offer?

Google is holding a major demo event at the Computer History Museum today and unveiled a number of incredible new features. It was the kind of event that restores a person\'s faith in Google as a major innovator.

From voice search and translation, to location and visual search, here are the five most impressive technologies unveiled so far.The demos are all being done by Vic Gundotra, vice president of engineering for Google.

Near Instant Voice Translation
A new prototyped product allows not just search by voice, but near instant translation between English and Spanish in the cloud, via your mobile phone. Gundotrpha spoke a paragraph\'s worth of words into his phone and within seconds the phone recited a translated version back in Spanish. It was amazing. Google hopes to have support for all the world\'s major languages completed sometime in 2010.

Customized Suggest Based on Location
Google Suggest is a very smart, if under-appreciated, feature. The feature will soon make use of location information when searches are performed on mobile devices. Gundrotrpha demonstrated on one phone that believed it was in Boston and one that believed it was in San Francisco. Upon typing the letters \"RE\" the Boston phone suggested searches for Red Sox, the local baseball team. The San Francisco phone suggested a search for REI, the outdoor gear outfitter.
Google Product Search Combined With Inventory Feeds from Local Retailers
Local mobile product search will soon tell you where the nearest store with a product is and whether that product is in stock.

Near Me Now
Google.com on mobile, starting today on Android phones, will offer top-level search categories like restaurants or stores on the front page. Click that button and you\'ll see the closest-by search results ranked by user rating.

Google Goggles
Visual search. Take a photo, click a button and Google will analyze imagery and text in the photo for your search query. Pretty exciting. 1 billion images are included in the index today but Google says it has made the decision not to include facial recognition until privacy concerns are figured out.

What makes them so unique?

Today Google has moved from being simply a consumer-oriented search engine to offering a wide range of enterprise applications .The unique content is a main reason users would choose to visit your site instead of other sites. Unique, relevant content is considered one key to a good website. The more high-quality, unique content a website can provide, the better the user experience will be (and the longer a user may stay on your site to browse and, possibly, purchase).

Here are a few examples of \"unique\" content:
•Competitive prices and product content that can not be found elsewhere.
•Useful information that assists users in comparison shopping (note that false endorsement is not allowed, and ads for sites including this sort of content will be suspended immediately).
•Original and useful tools to help visitors make decisions, configure products, etc.
•Original user or expert product reviews (not scraped from other sites).

How competitive are they in the international market?

Even with the economic crisis, Google has a solid financial position. The assertion that Google has a lot to learn in its international efforts couldn\'t be more over-stated. Google has had success in the international environment, including greater market share than in the domestic market, that every Internet company would covet.

Google has had success with other products abroad, most notably its Orkut social network which has bombed domestically to its MySpace, Facebook, and LinkedIn brethren, yet has taken off in huge countries such as India and Brazil. So, sure, Google should be sensitive to cultural sensitivities and will face different regulatory environments abroad, but the truth is that Google has been remarkably successful internationally in large part due to the international word-of-mouth generated by their product and feature set.

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google
http://www.google.com/corporate/tenthings.html
http://articles.seoperfectcart.com/understand-and-make-money-with-google-adwords/google-advantages
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/five_fabulous_new_features_google_unveiled_today.php
http://adwords.google.com/support/aw/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=172444
http://www.glgroup.com/News/Google-International--Greater-Market-Share-Now-Distancing-from-the-Pack-to-Come-18168.html

Assignment 5 in SAD 1

2009-12-26T05:30:00.000-08:00

Considering the needs of limited resources of the university there should be assessment regarding the needs of the university.

Goals and purpose of Life Cycle Assessment

The goal of LCA is to compare the full range of environmental and social damages assignable to products and services, to be able to choose the least burdensome one. At present it is a way to account for the effects of the cascade of technologies responsible for goods and services. It is limited to that, though, because the similar cascade of impacts from the commerce responsible for goods and services is unaccountable because what people do with money is unrecorded. As a consequence LCA succeeds in accurately measuring the impacts of the technology used for delivering products, but not the whole impact of making the economic choice of using it.

The term 'life cycle' refers to the notion that a fair, holistic assessment requires the assessment of raw material production, manufacture, distribution, use and disposal including all intervening transportation steps necessary or caused by the product's existence. The sum of all those steps - or phases - is the life cycle of the product. The concept also can be used to optimize the environmental performance of a single product (ecodesign) or to optimize the environmental performance of a company.

Four Main Phases

According to the ISO 14040 and 14044 standards, a Life Cycle Assessment is carried out in four distinct phases.

Goal and scope

In the first phase, the LCA-practitioner formulates and specifies the goal and scope of study in relation to the intended application. The object of study is described in terms of a so-called functional unit. Apart from describing the functional unit, the goal and scope should address the overall approach used to establish the system boundaries. The system boundary determines which unit processes are included in the LCA and must reflect the goal of the study. In recent years, two additional approaches to system delimitation have emerged. These are often referred to as ‘consequential’ modeling and ‘attributional’ modeling. Finally the goal and scope phase includes a description of the method applied for assessing potential environmental impacts and which impact categories that are included.

Life cycle inventory[/b]

This second phase 'Inventory' involves data collection and modeling of the product system, as well as description and verification of data. This encompasses all data related to environmental (e.g., CO2) and technical (e.g., intermediate chemicals) quantities for all relevant unit processes within the study boundaries that compose the product system. Examples of inputs and outputs quantities include inputs of materials, energy, chemicals and 'other' - and outputs of air emissions, water emissions or solid waste. Other types of exchanges or interventions such as radiation or land use can also be included.

Usually Life Cycle Assessments inventories and modeling are carried out using dedicated software packages. Depending on the software package used it is possible to model life cycle costing and life cycle social impacts in parallel with environmental life cycle.

The data must be related to the functional unit defined in the goal and scope definition. Data can be presented in tables and some interpretations can be made already at this stage. The results of the inventory is an LCI which provides information about all inputs and outputs in the form of elementary flow to and from the environment from all the unit processes involved in the study.

Life cycle impact assessment

The third phase 'Life Cycle Impact Assessment' is aimed at evaluating the contribution to impact categories such as global warming, acidification, etc. The first step is termed characterization. Here, impact potentials are calculated based on the LCI results. The next steps are normalization and weighting, but these are both voluntary according the ISO standard. Normalization provides a basis for comparing different types of environmental impact categories (all impacts get the same unit). Weighting implies assigning a weighting factor to each impact category depending on the relative importance. The weighting step is not always necessary to create a so called “single indicator”. See for instance the prevention based model of the Eco-costs.

Importance of Data

A life cycle analysis is only as valid as its data; therefore, it is crucial that data used for the completion of a life cycle analysis is accurate and current. When comparing different life cycle analysis with one another, it is crucial that equivalent data is available for both products or processes in question. If one product has a much higher availability of data, it cannot be justly compared to another product which has less detailed data.

The validity of data should always be a concern with life cycle analyses. Since we are living in a global world and economy, new processes, manufacturing methods, and materials are introduced to various processes and products. Therefore, it is important to have current data when performing a LCA. If data from 5 to 10 years in the past is used, the LCA will not be accurate, because the quantitative analysis will not reflect the current methods utilized in the process or product. Therefore, drawing conclusions from a report using such data will be ineffective, since the data is unavailable. Some products, whose processes have not changed in 5 to 10 years (if there are any) will be exempt from this. When analyzing electronics, such as cell phones or computers, for example, the most current data is necessary. Since new computer and cell phone models are created every few months, the results of a life cycle analysis of a 3-year-old computer system will often not be applicable to current systems.

Variants

Cradle-to-grave

Cradle-to-grave is the full Life Cycle Assessment from manufacture ('cradle') to use phase and disposal phase ('grave'). For example, trees produce paper, which can be recycled into low-energy production cellulose (fiberised paper) insulation, then used as an energy-saving device in the ceiling of a home for 40 years, saving 2,000 times the fossil-fuel energy used in its production. After 40 years the cellulose fibers are replaced and the old fibers are disposed of, possibly incinerated. All inputs and outputs are considered for all the phases of the life cycle.

Cradle-to-gate

Cradle-to-gate is an assessment of a partial product life cycle from manufacture ('cradle') to the factory gate (i.e., before it is transported to the consumer). The use phase and disposal phase of the product are usually omitted. Cradle-to-gate assessments are sometimes the basis for environmental product declarations (EPD).

Cradle to cradle

Cradle-to-cradle is a specific kind of cradle-to-grave assessment, where the end-of-life disposal step for the product is a recycling process. From the recycling process originate new, identical products (e.g., glass bottles from collected glass bottles), or different products (e.g., glass wool insulation from collected glass bottles).

Gate-to-gate

Gate-to-Gate is a partial LCA looking at only one value-added process in the entire production chain.

Well-to-wheel

Well-to-wheel is the specific LCA of the efficiency of fuels used for road transportation. The analysis is often broken down into stages such as "well-to-station" and "station-to-wheel, or "well-to-tank" and "tank-to-wheel".

The factor "Tp = Petroleum refining and distribution efficiency = 0.830" from the DOE regulation accounts for the "well-to-station" portion of the gasoline fuel cycle in the USA. To convert a standard Monroney sticker value to a full cycle energy equivalent, convert with Tp. For example, the Toyota Corolla is rated at 28 mpg station-to-wheel. To get the full cycle value, multiply mpg by Tp=0.83 to account for the refining and transportation energy use - 23.2 mpg full cycle. The same adjustment applies to all vehicles fueled completely with gasoline, therefore, Monroney sticker numbers can be compared to each other with or without the adjustment. A recent study examined well-to-wheels energy and emission effects of various vehicle and fuel systems.
Economic Input-Output Life Cycle Assessment

EIOLCA, or Economic Input-Output LCA involves use of aggregate sector-level data on how much environmental impact can be attributed to each sector of the economy and how much each sector purchases from other sectors. Such analysis can account for long chains (for example, building an automobile requires energy, but producing energy requires vehicles, and building those vehicles requires energy, etc.), which somewhat alleviates the scoping problem of process LCA; however, EIO-LCA relies on sector-level averages that may or may not be representative of the specific subset of the sector relevant to a particular product and therefore is not suitable for evaluating the environmental impacts of products. Additionally the translation of economic quantities into environmental impacts is not validated.

Life cycle energy analysis

Life cycle energy analysis (LCEA) is an approach in which all energy inputs to a product are accounted for, not only direct energy inputs during manufacture, but also all energy inputs needed to produce components, materials and services needed for the manufacturing process. An earlier term for the approach was energy analysis.
With LCEA, the total life cycle energy input is established.

Reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_cycle_assessment

Assignment 5 in MIS 2

2009-12-23T06:32:00.001-08:00

Today’s business environment produces change in the workplace more suddenly and frequently than ever before. Mergers, acquisitions, new technology, restructuring and downsizing are all factors that contribute to a growing climate of uncertainty. Jobs, health, even marriages can be placed at risk, jeopardizing productivity and profitability.

People have deep attachments to their organization, work group, and way of working. The ability to adapt to changing work conditions is key for individual and organizational survival. Change will be ever present and learning to manage and lead change includes not only understanding human factors but also skill to manage and lead change effectively.

Significant organizational change occurs, for example, when an organization changes its overall strategy for success, adds or removes a major section or practice, and/or wants to change the very nature by which it operates. It also occurs when an organization evolves through various life cycles, just like people must successfully evolve through life cycles. For organizations to develop, they often must undergo significant change at various points in their development. That's why the topic of organizational change and development has become widespread in communications about business, organizations, leadership and management.

Leaders and managers continually make efforts to accomplish successful and significant change -- it's inherent in their jobs. Some are very good at this effort (probably more than we realize), while others continually struggle and fail. That's often the difference between people who thrive in their roles and those that get shuttled around from job to job, ultimately settling into a role where they're frustrated and ineffective. There are many schools with educational programs about organizations, business, leadership and management. Unfortunately, there still are not enough schools with programs about how to analyze organizations, identify critically important priorities to address (such as systemic problems or exciting visions for change) and then undertake successful and significant change to address those priorities. This Library topic aims to improve that situation.

The Reaction to Change

During the change process, there are common predictable stressors, but how we react to those stressors will differ for each person since we are all unique individuals. The anxiety and confusion that result from not knowing what lies ahead can create stress. People will utilize basic defences when there is a high degree of uncertainty. In this sate of ambiguity, people can easily resort to distrust, withdrawal and self-protection. People are told that the old ways are no longer working and often this message becomes personalized that they are not valued.

For the employee, the emotional reactions while going through an organizational change can be similar to the stages of grief associated with personal loss. The employee may initially feel shock or denial when the organizational change is announced. Reactions such as “they can’t do this,” this can’t be happening” are common. At this stage, most employees will want to know exactly how this change will affect them, their benefits, their work hours, their family and will not “hear” much other information. At the next stage the employee may feel anger, resentment or sadness in response to the changes. “This isn’t fair,” “why are they doing this to me?” are normal reactions and productivity on the job is usually lower as employees discuss and process the changes among themselves. Tearfulness is common.

The employee experiencing organizational change at a personal level often feels threatened and is fearful. Managers recognizing this can better intervene with employees by acknowledging feelings, letting the employee vent and ask questions, and by being supportive that change is difficult. The Manager who moves straight into why the change is best for everyone and how business is going to be conducted disregards the human nature element - the emotions that are normal and natural for anyone feeling threatened by change to feel. At every step in the process of implementing an organizational change, a good Manager will ask him/herself “How might I react to this information or these changes if I were in the employee’s shoes?” and try to tailor responses accordingly.

As the organization implements the changes though, the reality of the change becomes present and employees may either resist the changes or start to adjust to the changes depending on the person. The employee who continues to resist, remains angry and is labeled as “difficult” is feeling more threatened and may need some one-to-one time with the Manager to discuss the changes or at some point, may need clarification from the Manager about performance expectations in light of the changes.

Effects Seen at the Workplace

Absenteeism: As individuals see jobs eliminated and friends leaving, they may work longer hours. They feel more concern about their own security and future and put less effort into maintaining balance in their lives. Complaints of burnout increase. Health may deteriorate, and stress related symptoms increase. More workdays are missed for illness.

Reduction In Productivity: Less works gets done even by employees who come to work. In an atmosphere of ambiguity and uncertainty, individuals may withdraw support from one another and become self-protective. Superiors may provide less information and that which is provided may be more inconsistent. Working relationships can deteriorate as competition increases and turf battles are intensified in order to justify and protect departments and jobs.
Loss of Valued Employees: Confident, skilled, and experienced employees in the midst of ambiguity and uncertainty may be looking for or are invited to consider other career opportunities.

Another stress may result from the feeling of being insufficiently skilled as changes are implemented and new ways of conducting business begin. New practices and skills must be intentionally learned and practiced. Consider what you have to offer and what you need to learn.
There is no right or wrong way to react to change. But, there are things you can do to help yourself adjust to change and get involved in positive ways.

Dealing with Organizational Change

Individuals can reduce the impact of change and resulting stress by focusing on the value to be gained. The following are some ways to help approach change with a positive attitude:

• Keep an open mind. Do not assume that the results of change will be negative. Change may be the best thing that ever happened to you.

• Stay flexible. Be ready to let go of the old and try the new. Talking with colleagues can help allay stress and foster a supportive environment.

• Be supportive of colleagues. It is important that people recognize each other’s contributions on a regular basis and show appreciation for one another.

• Take an active role in the change process. Learn new skills, offer suggestions, set goals for yourself.

• Give change a chance to work. Be patient; change takes time.

• Ignore rumors. Instead, focus on gathering as many facts as you can about change. Talk with your supervisor when you have questions.

• Pay attention to yourself. It is important to learn to manage stress. People who feel good mentally and physically are better able to handle change. Eat a nutritious diet, get enough sleep, exercise, limit alcohol use and utilize relaxation/stress management techniques (e.g., deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation), so your body and mind are able to deal with change.

Automation

Automation is the use of control systems (such as numerical control, programmable logic control, and other industrial control systems), in concert with other applications of information technology (such as computer-aided technologies [CAD, CAM, CAx]), to control industrial machinery and processes, reducing the need for human intervention.In the scope of industrialization, automation is a step beyond mechanization. Whereas mechanization provided human operators with machinery to assist them with the muscular requirements of work, automation greatly reduces the need for human sensory and mental requirements as well. Processes and systems can also be automated.

Automation plays an increasingly important role in the global economy and in daily experience. Engineers strive to combine automated devices with mathematical and organizational tools to create complex systems for a rapidly expanding range of applications and human activities.

Many roles for humans in industrial processes presently lie beyond the scope of automation. Human-level pattern recognition, language recognition, and language production ability are well beyond the capabilities of modern mechanical and computer systems. Tasks requiring subjective assessment or synthesis of complex sensory data, such as scents and sounds, as well as high-level tasks such as strategic planning, currently require human expertise. In many cases, the use of humans is more cost-effective than mechanical approaches even where automation of industrial tasks is possible.

Specialised hardened computers, referred to as programmable logic controllers (PLCs), are frequently used to synchronize the flow of inputs from (physical) sensors and events with the flow of outputs to actuators and events. This leads to precisely controlled actions that permit a tight control of almost any industrial process.

Human-machine interfaces (HMI) or computer human interfaces (CHI), formerly known as man-machine interfaces, are usually employed to communicate with PLCs and other computers, such as entering and monitoring temperatures or pressures for further automated control or emergency response. Service personnel who monitor and control these interfaces are often referred to as stationary engineers.

Impact

Automation has had a notable impact in a wide range of highly visible industries beyond manufacturing. Once-ubiquitous telephone operators have been replaced largely by automated telephone switchboards and answering machines. Medical processes such as primary screening in electrocardiography or radiography and laboratory analysis of human genes, sera, cells, and tissues are carried out at much greater speed and accuracy by automated systems. Automated teller machines have reduced the need for bank visits to obtain cash and carry out transactions. In general, automation has been responsible for the shift in the world economy from agrarian to industrial in the 19th century and from industrial to services in the 20th century.

At first glance, automation might appear to devalue labor through its replacement with less-expensive machines; however, the overall effect of this on the workforce as a whole remains unclear. Today automation of the workforce is quite advanced, and continues to advance increasingly more rapidly throughout the world and is encroaching on ever more skilled jobs, yet during the same period the general well-being and quality of life of most people in the world (where political factors have not muddied the picture) have improved dramatically. What role automation has played in these changes has not been well studied.

Rationalization of Procedures

It is the streamlining of existing operating procedures, eliminating obvious bottlenecks so that automation makes operating procedures more efficient and the second stage of organizational change where the organization uses information technology to streamline a standard operating procedure. A database that holds information of available rooms is an example of this stage.

Business Reengineering

Business reengineering reorganizes work flows, combining steps to cut waste and eliminating repetitive, paper-intensive tasks (sometimes the new design eliminates jobs as well). It is much more ambitious than rationalization of procedures, requiring a new vision of how the process is to be organized.

BPR combines a strategy of promoting business innovation with a strategy of making major improvements to business processes so that a company can become a much stronger and more successful competitor in the marketplace. Re-engineering is the basis for many recent developments in management. The cross-functional team, for example, has become popular because of the desire to re-engineer separate functional tasks into complete cross-functional processes. Also, many recent management information systems developments aim to integrate a wide number of business functions. Enterprise resource planning, supply chain management, knowledge management systems, groupware and collaborative systems, Human Resource Management Systems and customer relationship management systems all owe a debt to re-engineering theory. Business process reengineering (BPR) began as a private sector technique to help organizations fundamentally rethink how they do their work in order to dramatically improve customer service, cut operational costs, and become world-class competitors.

Paradigm Shift

It is a dramatic change in methodology or practice. It often refers to a major change in thinking and planning, which ultimately changes the way projects are implemented. For example, accessing applications and data from the Web instead of from local servers is a paradigm shift. Seeparadigm and buzzword.

A scientific revolution occurs, according to Kuhn, when scientists encounter anomalies which cannot be explained by the universally accepted paradigm within which scientific progress has thereto been made. The paradigm, in Kuhn's view, is not simply the current theory, but the entire worldview in which it exists, and all of the implications which come with it. There are anomalies for all paradigms, Kuhn maintained, that are brushed away as acceptable levels of error, or simply ignored and not dealt with (a principle argument Kuhn uses to reject Karl Popper's model of falsifiability as the key force involved in scientific change). Rather, according to Kuhn, anomalies have various levels of significance to the practitioners of science at the time. To put it in the context of early 20th century physics, some scientists found the problems with calculating Mercury's perihelion more troubling than the Michelson-Morley experiment results -- and some, the other way around. Kuhn's model of scientific change differs here, and in many places, from that of the logical positivists in that it puts an enhanced emphasis on the individual humans involved as scientists, rather than abstracting science into a purely logical or philosophical venture.

Change is the Present and Future

People tend to blame the organization or top management for the changes occurring within the organization. Top management’s actions are usually reactions to some outside force, such as stiffer competition, shifts in the marketplace or new technology. It is important to realize that change is a key to surviving and growing in today’s global economy.

Change is inevitable and we will be surfing on this wave of transition. Without change we would run the risk of becoming stale and unresponsive. The challenge we face is to learn to move through this wave of transition as easily and creatively as possible.

References:

http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/internet/feap/newsletters/managing-org.-change.pdf
http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Paradigm_shift
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automation
http://managementhelp.org/org_chng/org_chng.htm

Assignment 4 in SAD 1

2009-12-23T06:31:00.003-08:00

A Process Model refers to a description of business flow (order of task group).In many cases, a diagram is drawn "from left to right" or "from top to bottom" on the basis of execution procedure of each task. As a concept, not only Flow Models but also Data Models, etc. are included. An example of element resolution of Process Models is as follows.

• Flow models (definition of diagram)
• Divergence conditions (definition of condition that cannot be written in diagram)
• Allocation models (definition of person in charge of each task)
• Data models (definition of input/output, visibility)

According to this article found in the internet it says that a Process Model is a sequence of activities, objects, transformations, and events that embody strategies for accomplishing a certain task.
The model generally starts with a context diagram showing the system as a single process connected to external entities outside of the system boundary. This process explodes to a lower level DFD that divides the system into smaller parts and balances the flow of information between parent and child diagrams. Many diagram levels may be needed to express a complex system. Primitive processes, those that don't explode to a child diagram, are usually described in a connected textual specification.

What is a software process model?

In contrast to software life cycle models, software process models often represent a networked sequence of activities, objects, transformations, and events that embody strategies for accomplishing software evolution. Such models can be used to develop more precise and formalized descriptions of software life cycle activities. Their power emerges from their utilization of a sufficiently rich notation, syntax, or semantics, often suitable for computational processing.

Software process networks can be viewed as representing multiple interconnected task chains (Kling 1982, Garg 1989). Task chains represent a non-linear sequence of actions that structure and transform available computational objects (resources) into intermediate or finished products. Non-linearity implies that the sequence of actions may be non-deterministic, iterative, accommodate multiple/parallel alternatives, as well as partially ordered to account for incremental progress. Task actions in turn can be viewed a non-linear sequences of primitive actions which denote atomic units of computing work, such as a user's selection of a command or menu entry using a mouse or keyboard. Winograd and others have referred to these units of cooperative work between people and computers as "structured discourses of work" (Winograd 1986), while task chains have become popularized under the name of "workflow" (Bolcer 1998).

Task chains can be employed to characterize either prescriptive or descriptive action sequences. Prescriptive task chains are idealized plans of what actions should be accomplished, and in what order. For example, a task chain for the activity of object-oriented software design might include
the following task actions:

1. Develop an informal narrative specification of the system.
2. Identify the objects and their attributes.
3. Identify the operations on the objects.
4. Identify the interfaces between objects, attributes, or operations.
5. Implement the operations.

Clearly, this sequence of actions could entail multiple iterations and non-procedural primitive action invocations in the course of incrementally progressing toward an object-oriented software design.

Task chains join or split into other task chains resulting in an overall production network or web (Kling 1982). The production web represents the "organizational production system" that transforms raw computational, cognitive, and other organizational resources into assembled, integrated and usable software systems. The production lattice therefore structures how a software system is developed, used, and maintained. However, prescriptive task chains and actions cannot be formally guaranteed to anticipate all possible circumstances or idiosyncratic 5 foul-ups that can emerge in the real world of software development (Bendifallah 1989, Mi 1990).Thus, any software production web will in some way realize only an approximate or incomplete description of software development.

Traditional Process Model

Traditional models of software evolution have been with us since the earliest days of software engineering. The traditional process models of software development are as follows:

•Stepwise Refinement

In this approach, software systems are developed through the progressive refinement and enhancement of high-level system specifications into source code components (Wirth 1971, Mili 1986).

However, the choice and order of which steps to choose and which refinements to apply remain unstated. Instead, formalization is expected to emerge within the heuristics and skills that are acquired and applied through increasingly competent practice.

This model has been most effective and widely applied in helping to teach individual programmers how to organize their software development work. Many interpretations of the classic software life cycle thus subsume this approach within their design and implementations.

In a nutshell, the concept of "stepwise refinement" is to take an object and move it from a general perspective to a precise level of detail. Architects have used such an approach for years, as have engineers building products. But to do so, they realized they cannot simply go from the general to the specific in one felled swoop, but instead, in increments (steps). The number of steps needed to decompose an object into sufficient detail is ultimately based on the inherent nature of the object. To illustrate, for architects designing a building, the typical steps include:

1. Develop artist rendering (to consider viability).
2. Design foundation and superstructure.
3. Design Floor plans.
4. Design electrical and plumbing diagrams.

In other words, before the first shovel of dirt is dug on the project, the architect knows precisely what the building will look like and how it will work. All of the guess work has been eliminated.

•Incremental Development and Release Model

Developing systems through incremental release requires first providing essential operating functions, then providing system users with improved and more capable versions of a system at regular intervals (Basili 1975).

This model combines the classic software life cycle ("waterfall chart”) with iterative enhancement at the level of system development organization. It also supports a strategy to 7 periodically distribute software maintenance updates and services to dispersed user communities. This in turn accommodates the provision of standard software maintenance contracts. It is therefore a popular model of software evolution used by many commercial software firms and system vendors. This approach has also been extended through the use of software prototyping tools and techniques (described later), which more directly provide support for incremental development and iterative release for early and ongoing user feedback and evaluation (Graham 1989).

•Industrial and Military Standards, and Capability Models

Industrial firms often adopt some variation of the classic model as the basis for standardizing their software development practices (Royce 1970, Boehm 1976, Distaso 1980, Humphrey 1985, Scacchi 1984, Somerville 1999).

Military software systems are often constrained in ways not found in industrial or academic practice, including:

(1) Required use of military standard computing equipment (which is often technologically dated and possesses limited processing capabilities);
(2) Embedded in larger systems (e.g., airplanes, submarines, missiles, command and control systems) which are mission-critical (i.e., those whose untimely failure could result in military disadvantage and/or life-threatening risks);
(3) Developed under contract to private firms through cumbersome procurement and acquisition procedures that can be subject to public scrutiny and legislative intervention; and ;
(4) Many embedded software systems for the military are among the largest and most complex systems in the world (Moore1997).

In industrial settings, standard software development models represent often provide explicit detailed guidelines for how to deploy, install, customize or tune a new software system release in its operating application environment. In addition, these standards are intended to be compatible with provision of software quality assurance, configuration management, and independent verification and validation services in a multi-contractor development project. Early efforts in monitoring and measuring software process performance found in industrial practice appear in (Humphrey 1985, Radice 1985, Basili 1988). These efforts in turn help pave the way for what many software development organizations now practice, or have been certified to practice, software process capability assessments, following the Capability Maturity Model developed by the Software Engineering Institute (Paulk 1995) (see Capability Maturity Model for Software).

All these models are independent of any organizational development setting, choice of programming language, software application domain, etc. In short, the traditional models are context-free rather than context-sensitive. But as all of these life cycle models have been in use for some time, we refer to them as the traditional models, and characterize each in turn.

Recent Process Model

Collectively, these process models are finer-grained, often detailed to the point of computational formalization, more often empirically grounded, and in some cases address the role of new automated technologies in facilitating software development. The recent process models of software development are as follows:

•Software Product Development Models

Software products represent the information-intensive artifacts that are incrementally constructed and iteratively revised through a software development effort. Such efforts can be modeled using software product life cycle models. These product development models represent an evolutionary revision to the traditional software life cycle models (MacCormack 2001).

The revisions arose due to the availability of new software development technologies such as software prototyping languages and environments, reusable software, application generators, and documentation support environments. Each of these technologies seeks to enable the creation of executable software implementations either earlier in the software development effort or more rapidly.

Therefore in this regard, the models of software development may be implicit in the use of the technology, rather than explicitly articulated. This is possible because such models become increasingly intuitive to those developers whose favorable experiences with these technologies substantiate their use. Thus, detailed examination of these models is most appropriate when such technologies are available for use or experimentation.

•Rapid Prototyping

Prototyping is a technique for providing a reduced functionality or a limited performance version of a software system early in its development (Balzer 1983, Budde 1984, Hekmatpour 1987).

Software prototypes come in different forms including throwaway prototypes, mock-ups,demonstration systems, quick-and-dirty prototypes, and incremental evolutionary prototypes (Hekmatpour 1987). Increasing functionality and subsequent evolvability is what distinguishes the prototype forms on this list.

Prototyping technologies usually take some form of software functional specifications as their starting point or input, which in turn is simulated, analyzed, or directly executed. These technologies can allow developers to rapidly construct early or primitive versions of software systems that users can evaluate. User evaluations can then be incorporated as feedback to refine the emerging system specifications and designs. Further, depending on the prototyping technology, the complete working system can be developed through a continual revising/refining the input specifications. This has the advantage of always providing a working version of the emerging system, while redefining software design and testing activities to input specification refinement and execution. Alternatively, other prototyping approaches are best suited for developing throwaway or demonstration systems, or for building prototypes by reusing part/all of some existing software systems. Subsequently, it becomes clear why modern models of software development like the Spiral Model (described later) and the ISO 12207 expect that prototyping will be a common activity that facilitates the capture and refinement of software requirements, as well an overall software development.

• Joint Application Development (JAD)

JAD is a technique for engaging a group or team of software developers, testers, customers, and prospective end-users in a collaborative requirements elicitation and prototyping effort (Wood and Silver 1995).

It is quintessentially a technique for facilitating group interaction and collaboration. Consultants often employ JAD or external software system vendors who have been engaged to build a custom software system for use in a particular organizational setting.

The JAD process is based on four ideas:

1. People who actually work at a job have the best understanding of that job.

2. People who are trained in software development have the best understanding of the possibilities of that technology.

3. Software-based information systems and business processes rarely exist in isolation -- they transcend the confines of any single system or office and effect work in related departments. People working in these related areas have valuable insight on the role of a system within a larger community.

4. The best information systems are designed when all of these groups work together on a project as equal partners.

For large-scale projects, it is recommended that the project be organized as an incremental development effort, and that separate JAD's be used for each increment (Wood and Silver 1995). Given this formulation, it is possible to view open source software development projects that rely on group email discussions among globally distributed users and developers, together with Internet-based synchronized version updates (Fogel 1999, Mockus 2000), as an informal variant of JAD.

References:

Alan Cline, “Joint Application Development (JAD) for Requirements Collection and Management”, www. Carolla.com
http://en.q-bpm.org/mediawiki/index.php/Process_Model#Use_of_Process_Models
http://www.excelsoftware.com/processmodel.html
http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/irm-blog/stepwise-refinement-25007

Assignment 3 in SAD 1

2009-12-23T06:31:00.001-08:00

A system analyst is the person who selects and configures computer systems for an organization or business. His or her job typically begins with determining the intended purpose of the computers. This means the analyst must understand the general objectives of the business, as well as what each individual user's job requires. Once the system analyst has determined the general and specific needs of the business, he can choose appropriate systems that will help accomplish the goals of the business.

When configuring computer systems for a business, the analyst must select both hardware and software. The hardware aspect includes customizing each computer's configuration, such as the processor speed, amount of RAM, hard drive space, video card, and monitor size. It may also involve choosing networking equipment that will link the computers together. The software side includes the operating system and applications that are installed on each system. The software programs each person requires may differ greatly between users, which is why it is important that the system analyst knows the specific needs of each user.

To summarize, the system analyst's job is to choose the most efficient computer solutions for a business, while making sure the systems meet all the company's needs. Therefore, the system analyst must have a solid understanding of computer hardware and software and should keep up-to-date on all the latest technologies. He must also be willing to listen to the constant needs and complaints of the users he builds systems for.

Project management is a carefully planned and organized effort to accomplish a specific (and usually) one-time objective, for example, construct a building or implement a major new computer system. Project management includes developing a project plan, which includes defining and confirming the project goals and objectives, identifying tasks and how goals will be achieved, quantifying the resources needed, and determining budgets and timelines for completion. It also includes managing the implementation of the project plan, along with operating regular 'controls' to ensure that there is accurate and objective information on 'performance' relative to the plan, and the mechanisms to implement recovery actions where necessary. Projects usually follow major phases or stages (with various titles for these), including feasibility, definition, project planning, implementation, evaluation and support/maintenance.

The system analyst is the person (or persons) who guides through the development of an information system. In performing these tasks the analyst must always match the information system objectives with the goals of the organization.

Role of System Analyst differs from organization to organization. Most common responsibilities of System Analyst are following

1) System analysis
It includes system's study in order to get facts about business activity. It is about getting information and determining requirements. Here the responsibility includes only requirement determination, not the design of the system.

2) System analysis and design:
Here apart from the analysis work, Analyst is also responsible for the designing of the new system/application.
3) Systems analysis, design, and programming:

Here Analyst is also required to perform as a programmer, where he actually writes the code to implement the design of the proposed application.

Due to the various responsibilities that a system analyst requires to handle, he has to be multifaceted person with varied skills required at various stages of the life cycle. In addition to the technical know-how of the information system development a system analyst should also have the following knowledge.

• Business knowledge: As the analyst might have to develop any kind of a business system, he should be familiar with the general functioning of all kind of businesses.

• Interpersonal skills: Such skills are required at various stages of development process for interacting with the users and extracting the requirements out of them

• Problem solving skills: A system analyst should have enough problem solving skills for defining the alternate solutions to the system and also for the problems occurring at the various stages of the development process.

Activities of a System Analyst

1. Assists current or potential application users in identifying and describing problems or opportunities that might be addressed either:

a) by implementing a new (automated or manual) system, or
b) by changing an existing application system.

2. Investigates such problems and opportunities to determine the feasibility of a system solution and to identify the general kinds of system solution that appear appropriate.

3. Analyzes users’ business requirements in detail and, where appropriate, prepares functional specifications1 for a proposed new (or changed) system.

4. Assists and guides prospective users of a proposed new or changed system in:

a) quantifying the benefits of having the system (or the penalties for not having it), and
b) assessing the impact of the system on their organization and on the operation of their
business.

5. Obtains rough estimates of the cost of operating and maintaining a proposed new or changed system, assuming use of appropriate technology, tools, and methods.

6. Assists the project manager3 in identifying the skills and resources needed to implement a new system or to modify an existing system, and in preparing rough estimates of:

a) the cost of developing or changing the system,
b) the duration of a project to do so.

7. Assists the sponsoring users in:

a)analyzing the costs, benefits, risks, and return-on-investment of the proposed new system,
b) understanding the exact nature of the proposed system,
c) deciding whether to proceed with the implementation.

8. Designs and develops users' manuals4 and corresponding training programs for a system being developed.

9. Prepares, in consultation with users, implementers, and operations representatives, the acceptance (or parallel) test plan for any new or changed system.

10. Assists the users in preparing for the installation and start-up of any new system being implemented.

Reference:
http://www.freetutes.com/systemanalysis/role-of-system-analyst.html
http://www.techterms.com/definition/systemanalyst
http://managementhelp.org/plan_dec/project/project.htm

Assignment 4 in MIS 2

2009-12-23T06:30:00.000-08:00

Planning for information systems, as for any other system, begins with the identification of needs. In order to be effective, development of any type of computer-based system should be a response to need--whether at the transaction processing level or at the more complex information and support systems levels. Such planning for information systems is much like strategic planning in management. Objectives, priorities, and authorization for information systems projects need to be formalized. The systems development plan should identify specific projects slated for the future, priorities for each project and for resources, general procedures, and constraints for each application area. The plan must be specific enough to enable understanding of each application and to know where it stands in the order of development. Also the plan should be flexible so that priorities can be adjusted if necessary. King (King, 1995) in his recent article has argued that a strategic capability architecture - a flexible and continuously improving infrastructure of organizational capabilities – is the primary basis for a company's sustainable competitive advantage. He has emphasized the need for continuously updating and improving the strategic capabilities architecture.

SISP is the analysis of a corporation’s information and processes using business information models together with the evaluation of risk, current needs and requirements. The result is an action plan showing the desired course of events necessary to align information use and needs with the strategic direction of the company (Battaglia, 1991). The same article emphasizes the need to notethat SISP is a management function and not a technical one. This is consistent with the earlier distinction between the older data processing views and the modern strategic importance view of Information Systems. SISP thus is used to identify the best targets for purchasing and installing new management information systems and help an organization maximize the return on its information technology investment. A portfolio of computer-based applications is identified that will assist an organization in executing its business plans and realize its business goals. There is a growing realization that the application of information technology (IT) to a firm’s strategic activities has been one of the most common and effective ways to improve business performance.

Review of information systems planning models

Existing planning models can be broadly classified into impact and alignment models (Vitale et al., 1986). Impact models focus on the potential impact of information technology on organizational tasks and processes and use this as the basis to identify opportunities for deploying information systems. Alignment models, on the other hand, focus on aligning the information system’s plans and priorities with organizational strategy and business goals.
Michael Porter’s value chain analysis is by far the most widely used impact model.

According to Porter, ‘‘every firm is a collection of activities that are performed to design, produce, market, deliver, and support its product’’. These activities can be represented using a value chain. Value chain analysis helps in identifying key value-adding processes that could be made more effective using information technology. As a planning methodology, value chain analysis is too abstract as it does not provide specific guidelines for designing an information architecture, nor does it provide guidelines for systems development and implementation (Porter and Millar, 1985).Moreover, over the past year, there has been a strategic shift from thinking about value chains to value hubs where the ‘‘linear’’ value chain perspective has evolved to a ‘‘hub-centric’’ model, i.e. emarketplaces. This shift in thinking has been largely driven by two factors: the competitive pressures to respond to a direct selling strategy initiated by companies like Dell, and the maturation of the Internet and related technologies. These changes limit the applicability of the original value chain model for information systems planning for e-business.

Popular alignment methodologies include critical success factors, business systems planning (BSP) from IBM, strategic systems planning, information engineering (Martin, 1989) and method/1. Critical success factors (Rockart, 1979) methodology focuses on identifying key information needs of senior executives and building information systems around those key needs. The emphasis on senior management’s information requirements is based on an organizational control model of critical decisions being made by informed executives. However, the control in e-business is more diffused, autonomous and often occurs outside the organization. This reduces the usefulness of this methodology for EBIS architecture planning.

BSP combines top-down planning with bottom-up implementation and focuses on a firm’s business processes to derive data needs and classes. Similarly, strategic systems planning methodology stresses functional area analysis to identify the data architecture, which is then used to design information systems. Information engineering provides techniques for building enterprise, data, and process models. These models are combined to form a comprehensive knowledge base that is used to create and maintain information systems.

Experience of organizations suggests that these methodologies tend to be too detailed, time-consuming, and expensive. The roots of these methodologies can be traced to systems development practices of the 1980s. Since then new paradigms such as component based development have come into use. These paradigms place less emphasis on building applications from scratch and stress a factory approach of assembling pre-packaged components to create application systems. Hence, organizations often find methodologies such as BSP too rigid and unsuitable for the highly compressed development cycle times that prevail in e-business applications development. Moreover, EBIS planning requires addressing how diverse systems and platforms will be integrated to meet organizational requirements. The alignment methodologies fail to explicitly address such integration issues because they are from an era when organizations created their own information systems and cross-platform integration was not a primary need.

The ISP Steps

The information systems plan project determines the sequence for implementing specific information systems. The goal of the strategy is to deliver the most valuable business information at the earliest time possible in the most cost-effective manner.
The end product of the information systems project is an information systems plan (ISP).

Once deployed, the information systems department can implement the plan with confidence that they are doing the correct information systems project at the right time and in the right sequence. The focus of the ISP is not one information system but the entire suite of information systems for the enterprise. Once developed, each identified information system is seen in context with all other information systems within the enterprise.

Information Systems Plan Development Steps

1.) Create the mission model

2.) Develop a high-level data model- The high-level data model is an Entity Relationship diagram created to meet the data needs of the mission descriptions.

3.) Create the resource life cycles (RLC) and their nodes- Resources are drawn from both the mission descriptions and the high level data model. Resources and their life cycles are the names, descriptions and life cycles of the critical assets of the enterprise, which, when exercised achieve one or more aspect of the missions.

4.) Allocate precedence vectors among RLC nodes- Tied together into a enablement network, the resulting resource life cycle network forms a framework of enterprises assets that represent an order and set of inter-resource relationships.

5.) Allocate existing information systems and databases to the RLC nodes.

6.) Allocate standard work break down structures (WBS) to each RLC node- Employing WBS and metrics from a comprehensive methodology supports project management standardization, repeatability, and self-learning.

7.) Load resources into each WBS node- Once the resources are determined, these are loaded into the project management meta entities of the meta data repository, that is, metrics, project, work plan and deliverables.

8.) Schedule the RLC nodes through a project management- The entire suite of projects is then scheduled on an enterprise-wide basis.

9.) Produce and review of the ISP- The scheduled result is predicable: Too long, too costly, and too ambitious. At that point, the real work starts: paring down the suite of projects to a realistic set within time and budget.

10.) Execute and adjust the ISP through time- As the ISP is set into execution, technology changes occur that affect resource loadings. In this case, only steps 6-9 need to be repeated.

FOUR STEPS TO IMPLEMENTATION

The adoption and implementation of the proposed approach to complying with regulation requirements consists of four steps. Activities in these four steps can be easily incorporated into the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) currently in use by the organization. “Information System Life Cycle Phases” is a model that demonstrates integrating regulation requirements into a popular SDLC.

1. Discovery and Identification Specific regulation requirements relevant to information systems should be documented. A current risk survey report may be used if available.

Identification and classification of binding enterprise regulations, standards, and frameworks should be included in a dictionary of terms and definitions. This dictionary should be the basis for a common language among all the organizational units in the enterprise that are involved in implementing and sustaining regulatory compliance measures. Existing and planned information systems and the identification of gaps between regulation requirements and their implementation should also be surveyed.

It is possible to have regulation requirements from multiple regulatory agents. Conversely, IT controls that were developed in response to a particular regulation requirement may be applicable to several information systems. One byproduct of this exercise is the identification of duplicate controls that were implemented to remedy regulatory requirements. A list of information systems, their risk classification, and associated controls presents an excellent opportunity to streamline and consolidate the number of IT controls in the organization.

Once IT controls are documented, a logical next step would be to expand the knowledge base by linking relevant policies, procedures, work instructions, forms, process owner information, and system managers. A repository of such information could help reduce the burden and high demand on IT professionals and make the audit process more efficient.

2. Classification Information systems should be classified to facilitate prioritization according to criteria such as:

• The importance of a system to a business process. An existing risk survey report can be used as a source for information system classification and serve as a starting point. Control self-assessment is a popular tool that can be used for establishing information systems classification.
• The impact of the information system on one or more business processes and the risk factors associated with information systems.
• The interdependency with other internal and external information systems.

Once prioritized, a viable work plan for implementing regulation requirements can be developed for the information systems managed by the IT department.

3. Mapping To establish ownership and direct responsibility for each information system in the organization, it is necessary to map information systems. Mapping should identify the following relationships:
• Information system to business process.
• Regulation requirements to organizational unit(s).
• Information system ownership.
• Identification or discovery of “orphan” information systems.
• Identification of multi-owner information systems.

Any identified gaps must be investigated and resolved. Additionally, the mapping information collected in this effort should be well-documented and maintained as an ongoing regulation compliance activity.

4. Development, Testing, Implementation, and Maintenance The development, testing, implementation, and maintenance of regulation requirements include:

• Development of code necessary to satisfy regulation requirements.
• Testing and validation of regulation compliance of information systems developed in-house.
• Validation that all vendor-supplied information systems comply with regulation requirements.
• Testing, validation, and approval of external information systems services compliance with regulation requirements (including software as a service-based (SaaS) systems).

Certification demonstrating regulatory compliance of information systems by all stakeholders is required to authorize systems for production use. During tough economic times and budget cuts, improving business processes is a good way to prepare for the up-turn cycle and for the inevitable wave of new regulations that are sure to hit our shores.

The prevailing best practice of doing more with less applies to internal and IT auditors just as it does to other stakeholders in business enterprises. Internal and IT auditors can add value to their audited parties, in particular, and to business organizations in general, by playing the role of trusted advisor. The primary role of an auditor is to verify compliance; identify risks, control deficiencies, and the effectiveness of existing controls; and produce an audit report for management.
Executive and Adjusting the ISP Through Time

IT projects are accomplished within distinct development environments. The two most common are: discrete project and release. The discrete project environment is typified by completely encapsulated projects accomplished through a water-fall methodology.

In release environments, there are a number of different projects underway by different organizations and staff of varying skill levels. Once a large number of projects are underway, the ability of the enterprise to know about and manage all the different projects degrades rapidly. That is because the project management environment has been transformed from discrete encapsulated projects into a continuous flow process of product or functionality improvements that are released on a set time schedule. The continuous flow process environment is characterized by:

• Multiple, concurrent, but differently scheduled projects against the same enterprise resource

• Single projects that affect multiple enterprise resources

• Projects that develop completely new capabilities, or changes to existing capabilities within enterprise resources

It is precisely because enterprises have transformed themselves from a project to a release environment that information systems plans that can be created, evolved, and maintained on an enterprise-wide basis are essential.

There are four major sets of activities within the continuous flow process environment. The user/client is represented at the top in the small rectangular box. Each of the ellipses represents an activity targeted to a specific need. The four basic needs are:

• Need Identification

• Need Assessment- is a process for determining and addressing needs, or "gaps" between current conditions and desired conditions, often used for improvement projects in education/training, organizations, or communities. In the context of community improvement, it is known as community needs analysis. It involves identifying material problems/deficits/weaknesses and advantages/opportunities/strengths, and evaluating possible solutions that take those qualities into consideration

• Design- is the planning that lays the basis for the making of every object or system. It is also the process or art of defining the architecture, components, modules, interfaces, and data for a system to satisfy specified requirements. One could see it as the application of systems theory to product development. There is some overlap with the disciplines of systems analysis, systems architecture and systems engineering.

• Deployment- The general deployment process consists of several interrelated activities with possible transitions between them. These activities can occur at the producer site or at the consumer site or both. Because every software system is unique, the precise processes or procedures within each activity can hardly be defined. Therefore, "deployment" should be interpreted as a general process that has to be customized according to specific requirements or characteristics.

The box in the center is the meta data repository. Specification and impact analysis is represented through the left two processes. Implementation design and accomplishment is represented by the right two processes. Two key characteristics should be immediately apparent. First, unlike the water-fall approach, the activities do not flow one to the other. They are disjoint. In fact, they may be done by different teams, on different time schedules, and involve different quantities of products under management. In short, these four activities are independent one from the other. Their only interdependence is through the meta data repository.

The second characteristic flows from the first. Because these four activities are independent one from the other, the enterprise evolves by means of releases rather than through whole systems. If it evolved through whole systems, then the four activities would be connected either in a waterfall or a spiral approach, and the enterprise would be evolving through major upgrades to encapsulated functionality within specific business resources. In contrast, the release approach causes coordinated sets of changes to multiple business resources to be placed into production. This causes simultaneous, enterprise-wide capability upgrades across multiple business resources.

Through this continuous-flow process, several unique features are present:

• All four processes are concurrently executing.
• Changes to enterprise resources occur in unison, periodically, and in a very controlled manner.
• The meta data repository is always contains all the enterprise resource specifications: current or planned. Simply put, if an enterprise resource semantic is not within the meta data repository, it is not enterprise policy.
• All changes are planned, scheduled, measured, and subject to auditing, accounting, and traceability.
• All documentation of all types is generated from the meta data repository.

ISP Summary
In summary, any technique employed to achieve an ISP must be accomplishable with less than 3% of the IT budget. Additionally, it must be timely, useable, maintainable, able to be iterated into a quality product, and reproducible. IT organizations, once they have completed their initial set of databases and business information systems will find themselves transformed from a project to a release environment.

The continuous flow environment then becomes the only viable alternative for moving the enterprise forward. It is precisely because of the release environment that enterprise-wide information systems plans that can be created, evolved, and maintained are essential.

References:
http://www.wiscorp.com/ISP_the_bet_your_business_project.pdf
http://web.njit.edu/~jerry/MIS-625/Articles/Pant-Ravichandran-2001.pdf
http://viu.eng.rpi.edu/publications/strpaper.pdf
http://www.theiia.org/intAuditor/itaudit/2009-articles/the-impact-of-regulation-on-information-system-planning/

HP

2009-12-19T01:08:00.000-08:00

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwareList?os=2093&lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&lang=en&product=458978

AsSignment 6 in MIS 2

2009-12-17T20:13:00.001-08:00

ddddd

AsSignMent 2 in SAD 1

2009-12-16T18:28:00.001-08:00

On our second assignment our task is to interview a Systems Analyst and ask what skills and characteristics must a systems analyst develop in order to be more effective in any design modeling process.

AMS Group of Companies

AMS Group of Companies is our adopted company in our group discussion in SAD 1 which is on “System Analyst as a Project Manager”. We interview the MIS Head/System Analyst of the Andres M. Soriano (AMS) Group of Companies, Mr. Gemrald Glibara.

System Analyst, in a narrow sense, analysis of the current and future roles of proposed computer system in an organization, The system analyst (usually a software engineer or programmer) examines the flow of documents, information, and material to design a system that best meets the cost, performance, and scheduling objectives.
System characteristics

A component - an irreducible part or aggregation of parts that make up a system, also called a subsystem

Interrelated components- Dependence of one subsystem on one or more subsystems

Boundary- The line that marks the inside and outside of a system and that sets off the system form its environment

Purpose-The overall goal or function of a system

Environment- Everything external to a system that interacts with the system

Interface- it is a point of contact where a system meets its environment or where subsystems meet each other.

Constraint- A limit to what a system can accomplish

Input- Whatever a system takes from its environment in order to fulfill its purpose

Output- Whatever a system returns from its environment in order to fulfill its purpose

Four main skills of a System Analyst

1.) Analytical Skills
It is the ability to see things as systems, identify, analyze, and solve problems in an optimal way for a specific organization.
To test for analytical skills one might be asked to look for inconsistencies in an advertisement, put a series of events in the proper order, or critically read an essay. Usually standardized tests and interviews include an analytical section that requires the examiner to use their logic to pick apart a problem and come up with a solution.
Although there is no question that analytical skills are essential, other skills are equally required as well. For instance in systems analysis the systems analyst should focus on four sets of analytical skills: systems thinking, organizational knowledge, problem identification, and problem analyzing and solving.
It also includes the way we describe a problem and subsequently finding out the solutions.
2.) Technical Skills
It is the ability to understand how computers, data networks, databases, operating systems, etc. work together, as well as their potentials and limitations.

He has the knowledge and proficiencies required in the accomplishment of engineering, scientific, or any specific task.

Many aspects of your job as a system analyst are technically oriented.
• The following activities will help you stay up-to-date:
– Read trade publications
– Join professional societies
– Attend classes or teach at a local college
– Attend many courses or training sessions offered by your organizations
– Attend professional conferences, seminars, or trade shows
– Participate in electronic bulletin, new groups

You should be familiar as possible with information technology:
• Microcomputer, micro station, workstation, mainframe computers
• Programming languages
• Operating systems
• Database and file management systems
• Data communication standards
• Software for local and wide networks
• Web developing tools
• Decision support system generators
• Data analysis tools
• Data design tools

3.) Management Skills
It include organization’s recourse management, project management (people and money), risk management, and change management.

Also it is the practice of understanding, developing and deploying people and their skills. Well-implemented skills management should identify the skills that job roles require, the skills of individual employees, and any gap between the two.

To be most useful, skills management needs to be conducted as an ongoing process, with individuals assessing and updating their recorded skill sets regularly. These updates should occur at least as frequently as employees' regular line manager reviews, and certainly when their skill sets have changed.
There are four classes of management skills:

1- Resources
2- Project
3- Risk
4- Change management

4.) Communication Skills
It includes effective interpersonal communication (written, verbal, visual, electronic, face-to-face conversations, presentations in front of groups), listening, group facilitation skills.

The ability or the skill to transfer one’s thoughts, ideas and information from the sender to the receiver with the latter being understood the same effectively and efficiently is known as communication skills. It is one of the greatest skills of the soft skills and its importance is growing rapidly due to the rising complexities as a result of technological inventions.

In corporate terminology, communication is the process of exchange of information from the sender to the receiver and vice versa. There are different types of communication such as downward communication, upward communication, horizontal communication, crosswise communication, verbal communication; written communication etc., In downward communication, the flow of information is from the people at the superior level to the people at the subordinate level. On the other hand, in upward communication, the flow of information is from the subordinate level to the superior level. In horizontal information, the flow of information is from the people of same level to that of their counterparts at the same level. In crosswise communication, the flow of information is from one level to any other level which is either diagonal or crosswise without any reporting relationship. In verbal communication, the flow of communication, which is transferred orally to any level and it, is the most effective one as one can communicate effectively with one’s body language so as to have profound impact on the receiver. Whenever, there is a need to record the information in black and white, and then people go for written communication in which the communication is through mass mailing in written form.

Most important system concepts

1. Open system: a system that interacts freely with its environment, taking input and returning output.

An open system is a system that regularly exchanges feedback with its external environment. Open systems are systems, of course, so inputs, processes, outputs, goals, assessment and evaluation, and learning are all important. Aspects that are critically important to open systems include the boundaries, external environment and equifinality.

Healthy open systems continuously exchange feedback with their environments, analyze that feedback, adjust internal systems as needed to achieve the system’s goals, and then transmit necessary information back out to the environment.

2. Closed system: a system that is cut off from its environment and does not interact with it.

It is a "state of being isolated from its surrounding environment."The term often refers to an idealized system in which closure is perfect. In reality no system can be completely closed; there are only varying degrees of closure.

3. Modularity is dividing a system into parts/chunks/modules of relatively uniform size.

4. Decomposition is the process of breaking down a system into its component parts.

The purpose of decomposition is to allow the system analysts to:
• Break a system into small, manageable subsystem
• Focus on one are at a time

5. Coupling is the extent to which subsystems are dependent on each other.
Subsystem should be independent as possible. If one subsystem fails and other subsystem are highly dependent on it, then the other will either fail themselves or have problems functioning.

One of the important approaches in the modeling of the design process is the axiomatic approach (Suh et al., 1978). This approach is based on developing a set of global principles, or axioms, which can be applied in making decisions during the design process. These axioms are considered as general truths such that no violations or counter-examples can be observed. However, they can not be proven, therefore development of axioms is mainly a heuristic approach. The creative processes in 4 different design steps based on the axiomatic design theory are discussed in (Sekimoto and Ukai, 1994). These design steps are the definition of functional requirements, the identification of design parameters, the analysis of the proposed solutions in order to choose the best solution and check the final solution. The mapping from functional domain to physical domain is explained and the properties of design matrix, which is responsible for this mapping, are given. The axiomatic theory is also discussed by Dimarogonas (Dimarogonas, 1993) and implication of these rules on the design and manufacturing methodology is presented.

Systems analysts will need to continually upgrade their technical expertise and improve their ability to interact with users as the sophistication and complexity of technology advances. As more computing power is made available to the individual user and users develop more sophisticated knowledge of computers, they become more aware of the machine's potential and better able to suggest how computers could be used to increase their own productivity and that of the organization. Increasingly, users are able to design and implement more of their own applications and programs. The result is a growing demand for computer support specialists, help desk personnel, and technical consultants.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analytical_skill
http://www.articlesbase.com/training-articles/communication-skills-218336.html
http://managementhelp.org/misc/orgs-open-systems.pdf
www.cba.edu.kw/abo/pdf/chapter-2.ppt
http://www.interlabs.bradley.edu/NSF_CCLI/Demo/class6/module6/Skills_Pretest_Posttest_Answers.pdf
http://mechatronics.atilim.edu.tr/courses/mece401/reading/Chapter%2004%20Design%20Process%20Models.pdf

Evidence:

AsSignMent 1 in SAD 1

2009-12-16T17:17:00.000-08:00

Information is an organizational resource which must be managed as carefully as other resources. Costs are associated with information processing. It must be managed to take full advantage of its potential.

A system is a combination of resources working together to transform inputs into usable outputs.

An information system is an arrangement of people, data, processes, interfaces, networks, and technology that interact to support and improve both day-to-day operations (data processing, transaction processing), as well as support the problem-solving and decision-making needs of management (information services, management information systems, executive support).

A computer application is a computer-based solution to one or more business problems or needs. One or more computer applications are typically contained within an information system.

Systems analysts study business, scientific, or engineering data processing problems and design new solutions using computers. They work to help an organization realize the maximum benefit from its investment in equipment, personnel, and business processes.

Analysts begin an assignment by discussing the systems problem with managers and users to determine its exact nature. Much time is devoted to clearly defining the goals of the system and understanding the individual steps used to achieve them so that the problem can be broken down into separate programmable procedures. Analysts then use techniques such as structured analysis, data modeling, information engineering, mathematical model building, sampling, and cost accounting to plan the system. Analysts must specify the inputs to be accessed by the system, design the processing steps, and format the output to meet the users' needs. Once the design has been developed, systems analysts prepare charts and diagrams that describe it in terms that managers and other users can understand. They may prepare cost-benefit and return-on-investment analyses to help management decide whether implementing the proposed system will be financially feasible.

When a system is accepted, analysts determine what computer hardware and software will be needed to set it up. They coordinate tests and observe initial use of the system to ensure it performs as planned. They prepare specifications, work diagrams, and structure charts for computer programmers to follow and then work with them to "debug," or eliminate errors from the system.

What do systems analysts do?

The rapid spread of computers has generated a need for highly trained workers to design and develop new hardware and software systems and to incorporate technological advances into new or existing systems. Job titles used to describe the broad category of computer-related occupations evolve rapidly, reflecting new areas of specialization or changes in technology as well as the preferences and practices of employers. Although many narrow specializations exist, this professional specialty group is commonly categorized into computer scientists, computer engineers, and systems analysts.

Far more numerous than do computer scientists and computer engineers, systems analysts use their knowledge and skills to solve computer problems and enable computer technology to meet the individual needs of an organization. They study business, scientific, or engineering data processing problems and design new solutions using computers. This process may include planning and developing new computer systems or devising ways to apply existing systems' resources to additional operations. Systems analysts may design entirely new systems, including both hardware and software, or add a single new software application to harness more of the computer's power. They work to help an organization realize the maximum benefit from its investment in equipment, personnel, and business processes. Most systems analysts generally work with a specific type of system depending on the type of organization they work for for example, business, accounting or financial systems, or scientific and engineering systems. Companies generally seek business systems analysts who specialize in the type of systems they use.

Analysts begin an assignment by discussing the systems problem with managers and users to determine its exact nature. Much time is devoted to clearly defining the goals of the system and understanding the individual steps used to achieve them so that the problem can be broken down into separate programmable procedures. Analysts then use techniques such as structured analysis, data modeling, information engineering, mathematical model building, sampling, and cost accounting to plan the system. Analysts must specify the inputs to be accessed by the system, design the processing steps, and format the output to meet the users' needs. Once the design has been developed, systems analysts prepare charts and diagrams that describe it in terms that managers and other users can understand. They may prepare cost-benefit and return-on-investment analyses to help management decide whether implementing the proposed system will be financially feasible.

When a system is accepted, analysts determine what computer hardware and software will be needed to set it up. They coordinate tests and observe initial use of the system to ensure it performs as planned. They prepare specifications, work diagrams, and structure charts for computer programmers to follow and then work with them to "debug," or eliminate errors from the system.

In some organizations a single worker called a programmer-analyst is responsible for both systems analysis and programming. (The work of computer programmers is described elsewhere in the Handbook.) As this becomes more commonplace, these analysts will increasingly work with Computer Aided Software Engineering (CASE) tools and object-oriented programming languages, as well as client/server applications development, and multimedia and Internet technology.

Many others specialize in analysis, application, or design of a particular system or piece of the system. Network or systems administrators, for example, may install, configure, and support an organizations systems or portion of a system. Telecommunications specialists generally are involved with the interfacing of computer and communications equipment. Computer security specialists are responsible for planning, coordinating, and implementing an organizations' information security measures. These and other growing specialty occupations reflect the increasing emphasis on client-server applications, the growth of the Internet, the expansion of World Wide Web applications and Intranets, and the demand for more end-user support. An example of this is the growing number of job titles relating to the Internet and World Wide Web such as Internet and Web developers, or Webmasters.

How do you prepare to become a systems analyst?

Training, Other Qualifications, and Advancement
While there is no universally accepted way to prepare for a job as a systems analyst because employers' preferences depend on the work to be done, a bachelor's degree is virtually a prerequisite for most employers. Relevant work experience also is very important. For some of the more complex jobs, persons with graduate degrees are preferred.

Regardless of college major, employers generally look for people who are familiar with programming languages and have broad knowledge of and experience with computer systems and technologies, strong problem-solving and analysis skills, and good interpersonal skills. Courses in computer programming or systems design offer good preparation for a job in this field. For jobs in a business environment, employers usually want systems analysts to have a background in business management or a closely related field, while a background in the physical sciences, applied mathematics, or engineering is preferred for work in scientifically oriented organizations. Since employers generally look for experience, entry-level employees enhance their employment opportunities by participating in internship or co-op programs offered through their schools.

Systems analysts must be able to think logically and have good communication skills. They often deal with a number of tasks simultaneously; the ability to concentrate and pay close attention to detail is important. Although many computer specialists sometimes work independently, they often work in teams on large projects. They must be able to communicate effectively with computer personnel, such as programmers and managers, as well as with users or other staff who may have no technical computer background.

Systems analysts may be promoted to senior or lead systems analysts with experience. Those who show leadership ability also can advance to management positions, such as manager of information systems or chief information officer.

Many people develop advanced computer skills in other occupations in which they work extensively with computers, and then transfer into computer occupations. For example, an accountant may become a systems analyst or computer support specialist specializing in accounting systems development, or an individual may move into a systems analyst job after working as a computer programmer.

Nature of the Work

All organizations rely on computer and information technology to conduct business and operate efficiently. Computer systems analysts help organizations to use technology effectively and to incorporate rapidly changing technologies into their existing systems. The work of computer systems analysts evolves rapidly, reflecting new areas of specialization and changes in technology.

Computer systems analysts solve computer problems and use computer technology to meet the needs of an organization. They may design and develop new computer systems by choosing and configuring hardware and software. They may also devise ways to apply existing systems’ resources to additional tasks. Most systems analysts work with specific types of computer systems—for example, business, accounting, or financial systems or scientific and engineering systems—that vary with the kind of organization. Analysts who specialize in helping an organization select the proper system software and infrastructure are often called system architects. Analysts who specialize in developing and fine-tuning systems often are known as systems designers.

To begin an assignment, systems analysts consult managers and users to define the goals of the system. Analysts then design a system to meet those goals. They specify the inputs that the system will access, decide how the inputs will be processed, and format the output to meet users’ needs. Analysts use techniques such as structured analysis, data modeling, information engineering, mathematical model building, sampling, and cost accounting to make sure their plans are efficient and complete. They also may prepare cost-benefit and return-on-investment analyses to help management decide whether implementing the proposed technology would be financially feasible.

When a system is approved, systems analysts determine what computer hardware and software will be needed to set it up. They coordinate tests and observe the initial use of the system to ensure that it performs as planned. They prepare specifications, flow charts, and process diagrams for computer programmers to follow; then they work with programmers to “debug,” or eliminate errors, from the system. Systems analysts who do more in-depth testing may be called software quality assurance analysts. In addition to running tests, these workers diagnose problems, recommend solutions, and determine whether program requirements have been met.

In some organizations, programmer-analysts design and update the software that runs a computer. They also create custom applications tailored to their organization’s tasks. Because they are responsible for both programming and systems analysis, these workers must be proficient in both areas. (A separate section on computer programmers appears elsewhere in the Handbook.) As this dual proficiency becomes more common, analysts are increasingly working with databases, object-oriented programming languages, client–server applications, and multimedia and Internet technology.

One challenge created by expanding computer use is the need for different computer systems to communicate with each other. Systems analysts work to make the computer systems within an organization, or across organizations, compatible so that information can be shared. Many systems analysts are involved with these “networking” tasks, connecting all the computers internally, in an individual office, department, or establishment, or externally, as when setting up e-commerce networks to facilitate business among companies.

Work environment. Computer systems analysts work in offices or laboratories in comfortable surroundings. They usually work about 40 hours a week—about the same as many other professional or office workers. Evening or weekend work may be necessary, however, to meet deadlines or solve specific problems. Many analysts telecommute, using computers to work from remote locations.

Like other workers who spend long periods typing on a computer, computer systems analysts are susceptible to eyestrain, back discomfort, and hand and wrist problems such as carpal tunnel syndrome or cumulative trauma disorder.

One obstacle associated with expanding computer use is the inability of different computer systems to communicate with each other. Because maintaining up-to-date information—accounting records, sales figures, or budget projections, for example—is important in modern organizations, systems analysts may be instructed to make the computer systems in each department compatible so that information can be shared. Many systems analysts are involved with "networking" or connecting all the computers in an individual office, department, or establishment. A primary goal of networking is to allow users to retrieve data from a mainframe computer or a server and use it on their machine. This connection also allows data to be entered into the mainframe from a personal computer. Analysts must design the hardware and software to allow free exchange of data, custom applications, and the computer power to process it all. They study the seemingly incompatible pieces and create ways to link them so users can access information from any part of the system. Networks come in many variations and network systems and data communications analysts design, test, and evaluate systems such as Local Area Networks (LAN), Wide Area Networks (WAN), Internet, and Intranet and other data communications systems. These analysts perform network modeling, analysis and planning, and even research and recommend necessary hardware and software.
A problem is an undesirable situation that prevents the organization from fully achieving its purpose, goals, and objectives. An opportunity is the chance to improve the organization even in the absence of specific problems. (Some might argue that any unexploited opportunity is, in reality, a problem.) A directive is a new requirement imposed by management, government, or some external influence. (Some might argue that a directive until it is fully complied with is, in reality, a problem.)

A systems analyst facilitates the development of information systems and computer applications. The systems analyst performs systems analysis and design. Systems analysis is the study of a business problem or need in order to recommend improvements and specify the requirements for the solution. System design is the specification or construction of a technical, computer-based solution as specified by the requirements identified in a systems analysis.

Personal qualities helpful to systems analysts include:
• problem-solving abilities
• communication skills
• computer/IT experience
• self-discipline and self-motivation
• Project management capabilities

SPECIALIZED SKILLS OF SYSTEM ANALYSTS

Systems analysts must be able to think logically and have good communication skills. They often deal with a number of tasks simultaneously; the ability to concentrate and pay close attention to detail is important. Although many computer specialists sometimes work independently, they often work in teams on large projects. They must be able to communicate effectively with computer personnel, such as programmers and managers, as well as with users or other staff who may have no technical computer background.

Employers generally look for analysts who are familiar with programming languages and have broad knowledge of and experience with computer systems and technologies, strong problem-solving and analysis skills, and good interpersonal skills. Courses in computer programming or systems design offer good preparation for a job in this field. For jobs in a business environment, employers usually want systems analysts to have a background in business management or a closely related field, while a background in the physical sciences, applied mathematics, or engineering is preferred for work in scientifically oriented organizations. Since employers generally look for experience, entry-level employees enhance their employment opportunities by participating in internship or co-op programs offered through their schools. A related background in the industry in which the job is located, such as financial services, banking, or accounting, can also give an applicant an edge.

References:
http://www.math.utep.edu/mathmajor/system/home.html
http://www.careersprep.com/html/it_anlst.html
http://faculty.sxu.edu/~rogers/sys/sa.html

AsSignMent 3 in MIS 2

2009-12-08T20:33:00.000-08:00

Man is a social element, so family and society influence our feelings, emotional arena while we come across any situation and get fail or not reach up to mark; any such adverse situation brings frustration. Trivial routines are capable to built frustration, e.g. inattentiveness of today's busy parents brings their children frustration. Learning disabilities at schools often frustrate students. Friends can cause us frustration too, especially when they betrayed us or a promise is broken. Broken promises are always frustrating and painful. Apart there are lots of situations or surroundings factors that could bring frustration in our life. The intensity of frustration phase may be variable from person to person and it depends upon prevailing circumstances at that time. Frustration is an outcome of many accrued 'negative emotions'. Such negativities in our behavior, as well as our external circumstance give rise to frustration. it is virtually impossible to list down each and every negativity associated with frustration. As stated earlier, many of these factors are relative in nature and obviously they will vary according to individual life experiences and personalities. We can say that frustration is a result or a complement of other behavioral negativities like envy, guilt, fear, phobia, jealousy, distrust, failure, loneliness, betrayal, shame and many more.

Our own emotions can make us frustrated, like misunderstandings, misinterpreting the situation, suspicion, pride, arrogance etc. can unnecessarily bring the frustration. Every work that is done means is a unified combination of task and our performance or efficiency so as to get that work done. To avoid frustrations, we need to accept our factual position instead of putting hopes on vague imagination in which the situation would have been different. We need to co-relate our dreaming behavior to actual situation. When we observe ourselves carefully, we can actually realize our limitations and hence can work towards exploring our available resources unless it would cause even more frustration.

Our surrounding is a factors as well as assisting team play major role on our working ability. If our working ability gets hampered by external factors like non-cooperation of workers, that will bring frustration. We cannot expect any improvement against expressed will of other person if one is unwilling to put in the effort for it. If we waste our energy on such futile team that in fact is not interested in co-operating us, we get frustrated, we waste precious energy and attention and we will find ourselves stuck in a downward spiral of performance.

The IT Professional we interviewed is Mr. Gemrald R. Glibara, the M.I.S Department Head of AMS Group of Companies.His two most frequently experienced causes of frustration of IS professionals and users while working on an IS plans are as follows:

Resistant to Changes

The main reason behind the employee’s resistance is the underlying fear and anxiety caused by uncertainties of change. In most situations resistance arises out of individual problems rather than technical problems. Resistance is often because of attitudinal factors and blind spots, which the functional specialists have as a result of their concern for and preoccupation with technical aspects of new ideas.

One of the common reasons for resisting change is the feeling of discomfort with the nature of change itself, which may violate their moral belief systems. Another reason for resistance may be the method in which change is introduced. This is observed when authoritarian approach is used and people are not informed. Other reasons for resistance may be inequity where the employees feel that someone is likely to get greater benefit than they are likely to get.

SOURCES OF INDIVIDUAL RESISTANCE

1. Lack of knowledge : in situations when people do not have sufficient knowledge about the cause and effects of change they feel anxious and stressed and consequently resist to change. Employees also resists change because it threaten their need for security ,self-esteem, competence, status and social interaction. Irrespective ofthe nature of change it has been found that employees make efforts to protect them from effect of change and the reaction may range from simple complaint and grievances to passive resistance, sabotage, absenteeism an slowing down of work. Resistance to change takes place irrespective of the level of employee in the organization- whether one is white collar or a blue-collar worker.

However, when the change become inevitable, the employees try to offset the facts of change by desire for now learning / experiences and for the rewards that may come with change. In that case changes are requested and sought for by employees. Change reaction effects are seen in feeling of insecurity and the change of working situations or job. Change can have cascading effect when one person receives promotion; it leads to promotion of ten other people’s at lower levels. This is indicative of change reaction effects of a single precipitating event.

2. Selective perception : when changes are introduced employees are more concerned about how it would affect the entire organization. This is often observed when mode of payment is changed or reorganization is done. Also individuals assess the compatibility of the change with their belief and value systems.

3. Fear of Uncertainty : Uncertainty about the effect of change personally and professionally is another reason for individual resistance. The threat perceived by the employee may be imaginary, intended or unintended, big or small, direct or indirect. A number of fears like loss of status, power, income and uncertainty about their ability to cope with work-demand come in the way of accepting the change.

4. Aversion to Risk : change threatens those who like comfort of familiar. Change often requires personal transition where in familiar has to be destabilized. It calls for giving up the status quo, unlearning or unfreezing the person to integrate and absorb new learning. It is interesting that a number of individuals consider change to bring new opportunities. Research findings also support the view that positive approach to change results in opportunities for individuals during the transition period.

SOURCES OF ORGANISATIONAL RESISTANCE :

Factor built in the organizational system also lead to resistance to change. It has been observed that organizations are conservative and are therefore slow to change.

1. Inertia of a structure: A number of built-in mechanisms provide stability to organizations. Every organization has got its own systems, processes, policies, and procedures, which ought to be followed for uniformity and formalization of the process. Consequently any change in the structural aspects has cascading effect on other related systems and processes. This creates a hurdle in introducing organizational change. In organizations where structural changes are introduced, it takes long for people to accept and assimilate the structural change.

2. Threat to power dynamics: Structural change with ensuing changes in decision-making pattern can destabilize power relationships established over a period of time. Change in decision-making process from centralize decision making process to participative or democratic decision-making process form centralized decision-making can threaten managers affected by it.

3. Group pressure : Group norms evolved by an organization over the years become a bottleneck in bringing about change. It is common observation that a single member of a group accepts change suggested by management willingly. However, his group affiliation with a union does not allow him to do so. Therefore, he is likely to resists change.

4. Blinkered view of change : Any organization consists of four elements namely task, structure, technology, and people. Focus on any one of the elements of the organization will bring about corresponding change in other elements as well. Therefore, change can not have lopsided and limited perspective.

MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES TO OVER COME THE REGISTANCE :

1. Counseling: counseling has been found to be very effective in reducing individual resistance. Individual resistance occurs because of anxieties and fears and by letting people talk through their problems and anxieties can help them come to terms with change. This techniques is used on one-to-one and also in formal communication system with the whole team.

2. Force-field analysis : this technique provides an assessment of any change situation and presents a balance between the driving forces and the resisting forces. The participants are advised by the change agent to identify these forces. While identifying the restraining forces the group develops insight about ways of handling them. In a number of organizations this technique is used effectively to create a shared change processes for thinking through specific changes.

3. Commitment Charting : in any change there will be people who gain and others who lose. Therefore, in order to get the commitment of the people who are likely to loose, it is important to handle them with care, as they will be sensitive to any action. For a change to succeed it is important to have a critical mass and also to minimize the pain it causes to the affected. In order to do that a chart is prepared listing the names of key players and their commitment level to the change. The chart indicates the status of the people who have commitment at present and whose commitment needs to be ensured for change to be successful. Also the people who have no commitment need to be focused for gaining commitment.

In this regard our organization follows the ways as suggested by Watson (1969) to reduce the resistance. These relate to ownership of change, nature of change and the process of changing.

Ownership : resistance is likely to be low if the change is perceived as being the need of and suggested (sense of belongingness ) by those affected by it. And when it has the top management support.

Nature of Change : Resistance is reduced by joint and agreed diagnosis of the problems and burdens, conforming to the core values of the group, offering new and interesting experience to the group, and does not threaten autonomy and security.

Change process : Resistance is reduced by joint and agreed diagnosis of the problem, consensus on the board design of change, listening to “objections’(and learning from them), periodical review and feedback, development of high interpersonal trust and cohesive teams and openness to revision.

Communication Gap

Communication is one of the basic functions of management in any organization and its importance can hardly be overemphasized. It is a process of transmitting information, ideas, thoughts, opinions and plans between various parts of an organization.

It is not possible to have human relations without communication. However, good and effective communication is required not only for good human relations but also for good and successful business.

Effective communication is required at various levels and for various aspects in an organization such as -

For manager – employee relations:
Effective communication of information and decision is an essential component for management-employee relations. The manager cannot get the work done from employees unless they are communicated effectively of what he wants to be done? He should also be sure of some basic facts such as how to communicate and what results can be expected from that communication. Most of management problems arise because of lack of effective communication. Chances of misunderstanding and misrepresentation can be minimized with proper communication system

For motivation and employee morale:
Communication is also a basic tool for motivation, which can improve morale of the employees in an organization. Inappropriate or faulty communication among employees or between manager and his subordinates is the major cause of conflict and low morale at work. Manager should clarify to employees about what is to be done, how well are they doing and what can be done for better performance to improve their motivation. He can prepare a written statement, clearly outlining the relationship between company objectives and personal objectives and integrating the interest of the two.

For increase productivity:
With effective communication, you can maintain a good human relation in the organization and by encouraging ideas or suggestions from employees or workers and implementing them whenever possible, you can also increase production at low cost.

For employees:
It is through the communication that employees submit their work reports, comments, grievances and suggestions to their seniors or management. Organization should have effective and speedy communication policy and procedures to avoid delays, misunderstandings, confusion or distortions of facts and to establish harmony among all the concerned people and departments.

Importance of written communication:
Communication may be made through oral or written. In oral communication, listeners can make out what speakers is trying to say, but in written communication, text matter in the message is a reflection of your thinking. So, written communication or message should be clear, purposeful and concise with correct words, to avoid any misinterpretation of your message. Written communications provides a permanent record for future use and it also gives an opportunity to employees to put up their comments or suggestions in writing.

So, effective communication is very important for successful working of an organization. Business writing software with grammar checker and text enrichment tool, which enhances a simple sentence into more professional and sophisticated one, can be used for writing effective business communications. For more information, please visit

References:

http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/importance-of-communication-in-an-organization-97064.html
http://management4you.blogspot.com/2009/11/resistance-to-change.html
http://hcil.cs.umd.edu/trs/2004-12/2004-12.html
http://www.charminghealth.com/applicability/frustration.htm
http://www.answers.com/topic/frustration-2

Ass 2 in MIS 2

2009-11-29T17:23:00.000-08:00

A company's business plan is one of its most important documents. It can be used by managers and executives for internal planning. It can be used as the basis for loan applications from banks and other lenders. It can be used to persuade investors that a company is a good investment. For start-up ventures, the process of preparing a business plan serves as a road map to the future by making entrepreneurs and business owners think through their strategies, evaluate their basic business concepts, recognize their business's limitations, and avoid a variety of mistakes.

Business Plan is the primary source of information for potential purchasers of a company or one of its divisions or product lines. As with outside lenders and investors, business plans prepared for potential buyers provide them with verifiable facts and projections about the company's performance. The business plan must communicate the basic business premise or concept of the company, present its strengths as well as weaknesses, and provide indications of the company's long-term viability. When a company is attempting to sell off a division or product line, the business plan defines the new business entity.

Virtually every business needs a business plan. Lack of proper planning is one of the most often cited reasons for business failures. Business plans help companies identify their goals and objectives and provide them with tactics and strategies to reach those goals. They are not historical documents; rather, they embody a set of management decisions about necessary steps for the business to reach its objectives and perform in accordance with its capabilities.

Preparing the Business Plan

The process of preparing and developing a business plan is an interactive one that involves every functional area of a company. Successful business plans are usually the result of team effort, in which all employees provide input based on their special areas of expertise and technical skill. Business owners and managers provide overall support for the planning process as well as general guidelines and feedback on the plan as it is being developed.

Once the planning process has been fully organized, participants can begin the process of assessment. Internal evaluations include identification of strengths and weaknesses of all areas of the business. In addition, it is generally useful to assess and evaluate such external factors as the general economy, competition, relevant technologies, trends, and other circumstances outside the control of the company that can affect its performance or fundamental health.
Setting goals and defining strategies are the next key steps in the planning process. Using the assessment and evaluation of internal and external factors, fundamental goals for the business are developed. Pertinent areas to be studied include the company's competitive philosophy, its market focus, and its customer service philosophy. Specific performance and operational strategies are then established, based on these goals.

After strategies and goals have been defined, they are translated into specific plans and programs. These plans and programs determine how a company's resources will be managed in order to implement its strategies and achieve its goals. Specific areas that require their own plans and programs include the overall organization of the company, sales and marketing, products and production, and finance. Finally, these specific plans are assembled into the completed business plan.

Elements of a Business Plan

Business plans must include authoritative, factual data, usually obtained from a wide range of sources. The plans must be written in a consistent and realistic manner. Contradictions or inconsistencies within a business plan create doubts in the minds of its readers. Problems and risks associated with the business should be described rather than avoided, then used as the basis for presenting thoughtful solutions and contingency plans. Business plans can be tailored to the needs and interests of specific audiences by emphasizing or presenting differently certain categories of information in different versions of the plan.

Business plans contain a number of specific elements as well as certain general characteristics. These include a general description of the company and its products or services, an executive summary, management and organizational charts, sales and marketing plans, financial plans, and production plans. They describe the general direction of a company in terms of its underlying philosophy, goals, and objectives. Business plans explain specific steps and actions that will be taken as well as their rationale. That is, they not only tell how a company will achieve its strategic objectives, they also tell why specific decisions have been made. Anticipated problems and the company's response to them are usually included. In effect, business plans are a set of management decisions about how the company will proceed along a specified course of action, with justifications for those decisions. Listed below are brief descriptions of the major elements found in business plans.

Include the same information on the title page. If you have a logo, you can use it, too. A table of contents follows the executive summary or statement of purpose, so that readers can quickly find the information or financial data they need.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY. This is usually a two-to five-page summary of the entire business plan. It is an important part of the plan, in that it is designed to capture the reader's attention and create an interest in the company. It usually includes the company's mission statement and summarizes its competitive advantages, sales and profit projections, financial requirements, plans to repay lenders or investors, and the amount of financing requested.

DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS. The business description includes not only a profile of the company, but also a picture of the industry in which the company operates. Every business operates within a specific context that affects its growth potential. The description of a company's operating environment may cover new products and developments in the industry, trends and outlook for the industry, and overall economic trends.

The intent of the company profile, meanwhile, is to provide readers with a description of unique features that give the company an edge in the environment in which it competes. A brief company history reveals how specific products and services were developed, while descriptions of pertinent contracts and agreements should also be mentioned (information on contracts and legal agreements may also be included in an appendix to the business plan). Other topics covered include operational procedures and research and development.

DESCRIPTION OF PRODUCTS AND/OR SERVICES. The goal of this section is to differentiate a company's products or services from those of the competition. It describes specific customer needs that are uniquely met by the firm's products or services. Product features are translated into customer benefits. Product life cycles and their effects on sales and marketing can be described. The company's plans for a new generation of products or services may also be included in this section.

DESCRIPTION OF MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE. The quality of a company's management team can be the most important aspect of a business plan. This section presents the strengths of the company's management team by highlighting relevant experience, achievements, and past performance. Key areas include management's ability to provide planning, organizational skills, and leadership. This section also contains information about the company's ownership and work force. It may present an existing or planned organizational structure that will accomplish the goals set forth in the business plan. Specific management and control systems are often described as well.

MARKET ANALYSIS. A thorough market analysis serves as the basis for a company's sales and marketing plans. The analysis generally covers the company's competition, customers, products, and market acceptance. The competitive analysis details the competition's strengths and weaknesses, providing a basis for discovering market opportunities. A customer analysis provides a picture of who buys and uses the company's products or services. This section of the business plan highlights how the company's products or services satisfy previously unfulfilled market needs. It also includes evidence of market acceptance of the company's unique products or services.

SALES AND MARKETING PLAN. The marketing plan delineates the methods and activities that will be employed to reach the company's revenue goals. This section describes the company's customer base, products or services, and marketing and sales programs. The latter is supported by conclusions drawn from the market analysis. Different revenue outcomes may be presented to allow for contingency planning in the areas of finance and production.

PRODUCTION PLAN. A production plan is usually included if the business is involved in manufacturing a product. Based on the sales and marketing plan, the production plan covers production options that are available to produce a desired mix of products. The production plan contains information that allows for budgeting for such costs as labor and materials. In non-manufacturing companies, this section would cover new service development.

FINANCIAL PLAN. This section covers the financing and cash flow requirements implicit in other areas of the business plan. It contains projections of income, expenses, and cash flow, as well as descriptions of budgeting and financial controls. Financial projections must be supported by verifiable facts, such as sales figures or market research. Monthly figures are generally given for the first two years, followed by annual figures for the next three to eight years. If the business plan is written for investors or lenders, the amount of financing required may be included here or in a separate section.

IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE. This section provides key dates pertaining to finance, marketing, and production. It indicates when specific financing is needed, when specific aspects of a particular marketing campaign will take place, and delivery dates based on production schedules.

CONTINGENCYPLANS. This section defines problems and challenges that the company may face and outlines contingency plans for overcoming obstacles that might arise. Specific topics that may be explored are competitive responses, areas of weakness or vulnerability, legal constraints, staffing, and continuity of leadership.

OTHER DETAILS. Most business plans include a table of contents and a cover sheet containing basic information about the company. An appendix may include a variety of documentation that supports different sections of the business plan. Among the items that may be found in an appendix are footnotes from the main plan, biographies, graphs and charts, copies of contracts and agreements, and references.

On the other hand, Information Systems Plan described the sequence for implementing specific information systems. The goal of the strategy is to deliver the most valuable business information at the earliest time possible in the most cost-effective manner.

According to Whitemarsh ISP, The end product of the information systems project is an information systems plan (ISP). Once deployed, the information systems department can implement the plan with confidence that they are doing the correct information systems project at the right time and in the right sequence. The focus of the ISP is not one information system but the entire suite of information systems for the enterprise. Once developed, each identified information system is seen in context with all other information systems within the enterprise.

Characteristics of a Quality ISP

A quality ISP must exhibit five distinct characteristics before it is useful. These five are presented in the table that follows.

a.) Timely¬¬- The ISP must be timely. An ISP that is created long after it is needed is useless. In almost all cases, it makes no sense to take longer to plan work than to perform the work planned.

b.) Useable- The ISP must be useable. It must be so for all the projects as well as for each project. The ISP should exist in sections that once adopted can be parceled out to project managers and immediately started.

c.) Maintainable -The ISP should be maintainable. New business opportunities, new computers, business mergers, etc. all affect the ISP. The ISP must support quick changes to the estimates, technologies employed, and possibly even to the fundamental project sequences. Once these changes are accomplished, the new ISP should be just a few computer program executions away.

d.) Quality- While the ISP must be a quality product, no ISP is ever perfect on the first try. As the ISP is executed, the metrics employed to derive the individual project estimates become refined as a consequence of new hardware technologies, code generators, techniques, or faster working staff. As these changes occur, their effects should be installable into the data that supports ISP computation. In short, the ISP is a living document. It should be updated with every technology event, and certainly no less often than quarterly.

e.) Reproducible The ISP must be reproducible. That is, when its development activities are performed by any other staff, the ISP produced should essentially be the same. The ISP should not significantly vary by staff assigned.

Therefore, Business Plans and IS Plan written primarily for use within the company generally stress the benefits that will result from implementation of the plan. These may include improved and more consistent performance, improved coordination and consistency among various segments of the company, greater ability to measure performance, empowerment of the work force, and a better motivated and educated work force. The plan provides a comprehensive framework and direction for ongoing operations.

It is also use to identify the company's strengths and weaknesses, potential problems, and emerging issues. They set forth performance standards on which expectations will be based, and clearly define goals and objectives to allow for coordination and better communication between all company areas.

References:
http://www.business-plan-success.com/Articles/BusinessPlanDefinition/
http://www.answers.com/topic/business-plan
http://www.entrepreneur.com/encyclopedia/term/82322.html

Assignment 1 in MIS 2

2009-11-13T20:38:00.000-08:00

Progress in information technology (IT) has been remarkable, but the best truly is yet to come: the power of IT as a human enabler is just beginning to be realized. Whether the nation builds on this momentum or plateaus prematurely depends on today's decisions about fundamental research in computer science (CS) and the related fields behind IT.

Information Technology is committed to the values of

• Reliability
• Professionalism and integrity
• Efficiency and effectiveness
• Innovation
• Excellence
• Collaboration and teamwork

I see myself as a systems analyst or an IT consultant 10 years from now is an IT consultant.

IT Consultant

It works in partnership with clients, advising them how to use information technology in order to meet their business objectives or overcome problems. Consultants work to improve the structure and efficiency and of an organization’s IT systems.

IT consultants may be involved in a variety of activities, including marketing, project management, client relationship management and systems development.

Strategic Plan

Organizations that want their information technology (IT) Training and Education programs to be successful must carefully distinguish between the two concepts. Training is the process by which people gain tangible skills that they can start applying immediately. Education, on the other hand, is process by which people gain knowledge and understanding. Training and education can occur in class room settings, in mentoring sessions, or through apprenticing. The point is that we need both training and education to help round out the skills. This approach is comprised of six activities:

1. Assess
It is critical that you get IT professionals the right Training and Education at the right time, and the only way that you can do this is through regular assessment of their skills. To do this successfully you must:

a.Directly involve the staff member. Minimally, you need to find out what their goals are and where they think that they need to improve their skills. Better yet, they may have a very good idea as to what training that they need, opinions which they gained through talking with the colleagues and their own research.

b.Assess regularly. Although many organizations will update a person's skills as part of their annual staff review, this often isn't sufficient. It's unlikely that you'll identify the training courses that someone will need on a project starting in August during their annual review in December of the previous year. Good points to assess someone's skills include: during their regular staff review, at the beginning of a project, and when they think that they need an assessment done.

c.Keep the assessment simple. The best way to do a skills assessment is to simply have the staff member sit down and have a discussion with one or more experienced people that understand both the person's current skills as well as what is needed to do their job successfully.

d. Go at it from different angles. An experienced team lead may be able to give someone good advice for what Training and Education then need to become a better Visual Basic programmer, but may not be able to provide good advice when it comes to communication skills. Remember, there are different categories of IT skills.

2. Specific Introductory Training
IT professionals need specific, introductory training, on new subjects. A serious mistake that many organizations make is that they assume that because someone is in a senior position that they don't need introductory training. For example, an experienced Java programmer could very likely benefit from a two-day introductory course in user interface design and a senior executive an introduction to Extreme Programming (XP).

3. Mentoring and Hands-on Experience
Once the initial training is complete, you are ready to begin applying their new skills. It is at this point that many organizations run into trouble because they mistakenly believe that their staff now has the necessary skills to do the job on their own. Often, nothing could be further from the truth.

Mentors should participate as active members of your project team, not just as teachers. For a mentor to be a productive member of the team you will need a ratio of one mentor for every two or three novices, anything more and the mentor will be too busy mentoring to get anything done on your project. There is nothing wrong with this, as long as there are other experienced people available to develop the complex portions of your application. Project teams consisting of one expert and a large number of novices are likely to fail.

Mentoring is in addition to training and education, not a replacement for it. One of the roles of a mentor is to help your project team to see the big picture and will need to refocus the team occasionally by explaining how new methods can be applied to solve development problems. Mentors should be involved throughout the entire project, especially at the early stages of it, so that the learning process gets off on the right track.

4. Advanced Training
After several months of hands-on experience, developers should return to the classroom for advanced training. The experience that developers have gained gives them the knowledge that they need to understand and absorb the material presented in the advanced courses. For example, an advanced modeling course is likely to concentrate on analysis and design patterns and an advanced programming course will convey a series of programming tips and tricks. Advanced training courses often combine both training and education aspects.

5. Support the Learning Experience
There is far more to the Training and Education process than formal classroom training. To support the learning experience you can promote:

a. Learning teams. Learning teams are small, cross-functional groups of people who are given the task of working together to learn a particular new technology or technique. Learning teams are often asked to produce a small application for the company, perhaps something for the human resources or marketing departments. They are usually asked to spend between 20 and 50% of their working hours on the mini-project, devoting the rest of their time to their current responsibilities. Members of the learning team will still need initial training and mentoring, otherwise they are likely to flounder.

b. Reading groups. A common technique is for a group of people to choose to read a book together and then to get together and discuss it on a regular basis.

c. Bag-lunch training. These are one-hour mini-lessons held during the daily lunch break. The sessions are typically given by an expert in the subject, usually but not always one of your mentors, and will cover a wide range topics. Successful bag-lunch training programs typically involve 2 or 3 sessions a week with each individual session being given several times so that everyone has an opportunity to attend, minimally you should try to give a session once a week. Bag-lunch sessions are easy to do and really give a boost to the learning process.

d. Information access. Get people access to the Internet, magazine subscriptions, and books. There is a lot of information out there, much of which is free for the taking.

e. Mentoring

f. Computer-based training (CBT). CBT is also a valid Training and Education approach, especially when combined with formal training and mentoring. Many organizations provide their employees access to introductory CBT courses before sending them on formal training courses, giving them a head-start on learning. Unfortunately, CBT by itself is of minimal value by itself. Most aspects of software development are simply too complex, and evolve too quickly, to be captured in a CBT course. Furthermore, when you have questions about something you need to talk to an expert to get them answered. A computer cannot do that for you, although a mentor can (mentoring and CBT are a powerful combination). In short, CBT is only part of the solution, albeit a potentially important one.

6. Training and Education Tips
Here are the several tips and techniques that lead to success in training and education:

a. Get your staff into the habit of learning. The rate of change in the information technology (IT) industry is simply too fast to allow someone to train once and then sit on their laurels.

b. Just-in-time (JIT) training is critical. Give your people training when they need it, not several months before or several months after. People will forget the majority of what they have learned less than a month later unless they apply their new skills immediately after training. Training typically occurs within the scope of a project, often at the beginning of it, so remember to include training in your project plans.

c. Educate as well as train. Training gives you the skills to do your job, education gives you the knowledge to understand your job. The most important thing that an educational program can do is to explain the interrelationships of the concepts and techniques.

d. Expect to train in a variety of skills. Software development is complex, and successful IT staff needs a wide range of skills.

e. Perform skills assessments for everyone. You need to understand someone’s current skills before you can develop an effective training plan for them. You'll also want to assess their skills on a regular basis to ensure that they are receiving the training and education that they need, many people unfortunately do not actively manage their own training plan.

f. Recognize that not everyone learns the same way. Some people learn best in the classroom, while others learn best by sitting down and working with a language, and others learn best through working with others. Because no training and education approach is perfect for everyone you will want to create an approach that can be modified to meet the needs of individual students. Flexibility is a key success factor.

g. Motivate everybody. Motivating junior developers is typically no problem: They are usually chomping at the bit to improve their development skills. Unfortunately some experienced developers aren’t so eager, perhaps they are afraid they will not be able to pick it up as fast as others. Given time and a flexible learning environment everyone can learn the new skills required in modern information technology shops, they just have to want to learn. A good strategy is to make the benefits of the new technique/technology, as well as the potential risks, apparent to everyone involved. If people understand what's in it for them, they'll be far more motivated that those who don't.

h. Expect to deal with bruised egos. A significant problem with transitioning experienced developers into new technologies or techniques is the fact that overnight they are go from being a recognized expert to a recognized novice. This hurts. Developers need to realize that if they apply themselves they can become experts once again, it just takes awhile.

i. Expect the “I’ve done it before” syndrome. For example I have argued for years that there is nothing new in agile software development, it's just a packaging of existing techniques which work really well. Familiarity with some of the underlying principles of a new technique makes it easy to convince yourself that you’ve been doing it all along. This problem is usually self correcting because as soon as someone starts to work on a real project with good mentors they quickly realize that there is a lot more to to the new technique than what they originally thought.

j.Recognize that you cannot retrain everyone at once. Except in very small IT shops you'll never transition your entire staff to a new technique all at once. It's too risky, it takes time to learn the ins and outs of new techniques within your environment, and frankly there are basic logistical problems you need to deal with. You need these people to keep your existing legacy systems up and running, but at the same time they want to be involved in the exciting new projects. My advice is to keep them up to date on what’s being learned on the project, let them know when and how they will be brought on to it, give them access to new tools on off-hours so they can learn on their own, invite them to bag-lunch training sessions, and give them access to books and magazines. Not everyone can be on the first project, but they can still be involved in the learning process. If you do not involve them you risk losing them.

k. Recognize that some colleges and universities are still not familiar with the new techniques that you want to adoptThe point is that traditional sources of training and education may not yet be available to you.

l. Getting people into training quickly. Once you have made the decision to adopt a new technology/technique get training in it as soon as possible. Although it is a very good idea to do some reading on your own, the bottom line is that it is too easy to misunderstand an issue and not realize it. Professional instructors can help you to learn the technique properly and to avoid gaining bad habits.

m. Teach from experience. Good instructors practice what they preach and that their hands-on experience gives them the confidence and the ability to address tough questions.

n. Recognize that people do not quit because they are trained. I'm often shocked to discover IT organizations that are unwilling to train their staff because they don't want to lose people to their competition, the implication being that they prefer to have staff that nobody else wants to hire. The reality is that developers quit because the money is not good enough, the work is not interesting enough, or because they do not like the people they’re working with. For example, agile software developers are paid more than non-agile developers (because they're worth it), and any organization that enters into agile software development had better be prepared to pay their people what they’re worth after training them and to provide them with interesting work. Agile developers are in demand and your competition would love to poach them from you. Treat your people well and they'll treat you well.

Reference:
http://www.ambysoft.com/essays/trainingAndEducation.html
http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10795&page=1
http://www.prospects.ac.uk/p/types_of_job/it_consultant_job_description.jsp

AsSignmeNt 9 in HRM

2009-09-23T20:40:00.001-07:00

In this assignment, we are required to interview a personnel/human resource manager on his concept on the nature, scope and role of human resource management.

The nature of Human Resource Management Roles

Human Resource Management is a process of bringing people and organizations together so that the goals of each are met. The various features of HRM include:

• It is pervasive in nature as it is present in all enterprises.
• Its focus is on results rather than on rules.
• It tries to help employees deve¬lop their potential fully.
• It encourages employees to give their best to the organization.
• It is all about people at work, both as individuals and groups.
• It tries to put people on assigned jobs in order to produce good results.
• It helps an organization meet its goals in the future by providing for competent and well-moti¬vated employees.
• It tries to build and maintain cordial relations between people working at various levels in the organization.
• It is a multi-disciplinary activity, utilizing knowledge and inputs drawn from psychology, econo¬mics, etc.

“Yes, Similarly there is a trend in which businesses are shedding all functions that are not directly related to core business, and in the process many HRM functions are being outsourced. Hence the change in the nature of services provided.”

THE SCOPE OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

The scope of human resource management outlined below includes an outline of transformation and development issues, tentative generic skills required in performing HRM roles, as well as the roles of a human resource management practitioner (line management and HRM professionals). With regard to the latter, the assumption is made that roles are inter-linked and interdependent, even though these relationships may not be expressly stated in each case.

Transformation and development issues
• Knowledge management which entails accumulating & capturing
• Knowledge in large organisations for future application & use (organisation memory)
• Reconciliation management
• Work creation as opposed to job creation
• Manage the transfer of HRM functions and skills to line management
• Marketing of HRM to line management
• Development of contextual approaches to HRM
• Multi-skilling and /or multi-tasking
• Increased societal responsibility
• Managing people in virtual work environments
• Focus on deliverables rather than doables
• Develop additional means of assessing HRM
• Appreciation and assessment of intellectual capital
• Take HRM from a business partner to a business itself / Managing HRM as a business unit
• Adviser / consultant to line management
Supportive generic skills
This is not intended to be final outline of human resource skills but the following have emerged during the process as important skills for human resource practitioner to possess. These are:
• Project management
• Consulting skills
• Entrepreneurship
• Self management
• Communication skills
• Facilitation skills
• Presentation skills
• Skills for transforming groups into self-directed mutually controlled high performing work teams
• Trans-cultural skills
• Mediation & arbitration skills
• Financial skills
• Problem-solving
• Diagnostic skills

To make it short the scope of HRM is very wide are as follows:
1. Personnel aspect-This is con¬cerned with manpower planning, recruitment, selection, place¬ment, transfer, promotion, train¬ing and development, layoff and retrenchment, remuneration, incentives, productivity etc.
2. Welfare aspect-It deals with working conditions and ameni¬ties such as canteens, creches, rest and lunch rooms, housing, transport, medical assistance, education, health and safety, recreation facilities, etc.
3. Industrial relations aspect-This covers union-management rela¬tions, joint consultation, collec¬tive bargaining, grievance and disciplinary procedures, settle¬ment of disputes, etc.

Core roles in Human Resource Management
The core roles of human resource management are grouped below into four categories. The titles of the clusters are tentative, and are open for comment.

STRATEGIC PERSPECTIVE

* Develop Human Resource plans and strategies aligned to the organisation’s strategic direction and business strategy. Provide tools and tactics to enhance execution of these strategies
* Integrate HRM with current and pending legislation and socio-political changes.
* Integrate Human Resource Management with general organisational management.
* Manage the interface between HRM processes and systems.
* Formulate and communicate HRM policies.
* Act as the conscience of employer with respect to people issues.
* Scan the environment (both international and national) and identify emerging trends that will affect the organisation and the management of people therein.
* Assess the long-term impact of short-term decisions on people.
* Manage people related issues accompanying mergers, alliances and acquisitions.
* Express (embody) the philosophy and values regarding people management in the organisation.
*

ORGANISATIONAL DESIGN

* Analyse work processes and recommend improvements where necessary.
* Recommend options for organisational design & structure.

CHANGE MANAGEMENT

* Advise management on implications of change for employees.
* Co-ordinate & facilitate the change process.
* Facilitate changed relationships.
* Provide support structures for employees during change.
* Deliberate and proactive management of the changing environment and its implications for work and the organisation.

CORPORATE WELLNESS MANAGEMENT

* Develop and communicate policies and procedures with regard to the management of wellbeing
* Manage occupational health and safety
* Manage wellbeing (Employee Assistance programs & Health Promotion programs)

“The role of the HR professional is changing. In the past, HR managers were often viewed as the systematizing, policing arm of executive management. Their role was more closely aligned with personnel and administration functions that were viewed by the organization as paperwork.

When you consider that the initial HR function, in many companies, comes out of the administration or finance department because hiring employees, paying employees, and dealing with benefits were the organization's first HR needs, this is not surprising.

In this role, the HR professional served executive agendas well, but was frequently viewed as a road block by much of the rest of the organization. While some need for this role occasionally remains — you wouldn’t want every manager putting his own spin on a sexual harassment policy, as an example — much of the HR role is transforming itself.”

References:
http://ph.88db.com/ph/Knowledge/Knowledge_Detail.page/Business_Services/?kid=4257
http://www.mbaboleto.com/Core%20Roles%20In%20Human%20Resource%20Management.pdf
http://www.blurtit.com/q636223.html
http://www.scribd.com/doc/3266422/scope-of-hrm

AsSignmeNt 10 in HRM

2009-09-23T20:39:00.000-07:00

These are the following definitions of personnel management human resource management and their authors and sources.

Human Resources Management

1.) Human Resource Management (HRM) is the function within an organization that focuses on recruitment of, management of, and providing direction for the people who work in the organization. Human Resource Management can also be performed by line managers.

http://humanresources.about.com/od/glossaryh/f/hr_management.htm

· Human Resource Management is the organizational function that deals with issues related to people such as compensation, hiring, performance management, organization development, safety, wellness, benefits, employee motivation, communication, administration, and training.

2.) The Human Resources Management (HRM) function includes a variety of activities, and key among them is deciding what staffing needs you have and whether to use independent contractors or hire employees to fill these needs, recruiting and training the best employees, ensuring they are high performers, dealing with performance issues, and ensuring your personnel and management practices conform to various regulations. Activities also include managing your approach to employee benefits and compensation, employee records and personnel policies. Note that some people distinguish a difference between between HRM (a major management activity) and HRD (Human Resource Development, a profession). Those people might include HRM in HRD, explaining that HRD includes the broader range of activities to develop personnel inside of organizations, including, eg, career development, training, organization development, etc.

There is a long-standing argument about where HR-related functions should be organized into large organizations, eg, "should HR be in the Organization Development department or the other way around?"

The HRM function and HRD profession have undergone tremendous change over the past 20-30 years. Many years ago, large organizations looked to the "Personnel Department," mostly to manage the paperwork around hiring and paying people. More recently, organizations consider the "HR Department" as playing a major role in staffing, training and helping to manage people so that people and the organization are performing at maximum capability in a highly fulfilling manner.

Assembled by Carter McNamara, MBA, PhD

http://managementhelp.org/hr_mgmnt/hr_mgmnt.htm

· Establishing operation policies and procedures, requirements for employment, commendation and disciplinary procedures, and even something as simple as a dress code has to be compared with state and federal guidelines before the handbook is ready for release to the company at large. The HR staffs are ideal for drafting and reviewing the company handbook.

3.) Human resource management is all about management of a resource that we call human beings. Human is a resource which is playing a vital role round the world. It is about the human who are working round the world. People have different areas of their choice. They may work for their own and their families as well. People are facing a lot of problems too. These problems are accountable of many troubles round the planet. We may observe the miseries of people due to their mismanagement.

All around the world, people have troubles due to mismanagement of human resource. If they are serious to resolve the issues and give all of them their correct value then they would be able to do their proper management. Management is easy to do in social, financial and educational terms but it is difficult to manage human resource as people have their priorities and they want to live their life in their way. So, it is a tough task to manage human resources.

http://www.blurtit.com/q682550.html

· Therefore, there should be someone concerned with the welfare and performance of persons who are a part of the operation. As with continuing educational programs, counseling is seen as another way that the company invests in the future relationship between the employee and the employer. A good HR manager understands this and will strive to make sure this sort of support is available.

4.) The area of human resource management becomes more complex and challenging with each passing year. Federal and state laws continue to change the nature of how an organization is permitted to manage its operations and employees. Effective and efficient management is a necessity if organizations are to achieve business goals. In this environment it is imperative that human resource practitioners stay informed of the latest interpretations of current laws and keep up-to-date with new management practices.

http://www4.uwm.edu/SCE/program_area.cfm?id=203

· With the fast changing technology, human resource management also becomes more complex because of its improving way in managing the employee. By understanding the needs of the company at each point in its growth, management can readily see to the addition to the Human Resources team over time.

5.) Human resource management is a balancing act. At one extreme, you hire only qualified people who are well suited to the firm's needs. At the other extreme, you train and develop employees to meet the firm's needs. Most expanding small businesses fall between the two extremities, they hire the best people they can find and afford, and they also recognize the need to train and develop both current and new employees as the firm grows.

http://www.bizoffice.com/library/files/human.html

· To ensure that there business will earn big amount and it will grow in sales, before hiring new employee they must undergo training to make them fully competent in the world of work.

Personnel Management

1.) Personnel Management is a part of management that is concerned with people and their relationships at work. Personnel management is the responsibility of all those who manage people, as well as a description of the work of specialists. Personnel managers advise on, formulate, and implement personnel policies such as recruitment, conditions of employment, performance appraisal, training, industrial relations, and health and safety. There are various models of personnel management, of which human resource management is the most recent.

http://dictionary.bnet.com/definition/Personnel+Management.html

· The function of a personnel manager usually begins with the staffing process. The manager may be focused on screening and interviewing applicants, with an eye to placing individuals with the right skill sets in the right position within the company.

2.) Personnel management can be defined as obtaining, using and maintaining a satisfied workforce. It is a significant part of management concerned with employees at work and with their relationship within the organization.

According to Flippo, “Personnel management is the planning, organizing, compensation, integration and maintainance of people for the purpose of contributing to organizational, individual and societal goals.”

According to Brech, “Personnel Management is that part which is primarily concerned with human resource of organization.”

http://www.managementstudyguide.com/personnel-management.htm

Personnel management includes the function of employment, development and compensation- These functions are performed primarily by the personnel management in consultation with other departments.

3.)Within organizations that employ people, this is the function with policy responsibility for the selection and recruitment of staff, training, performance assessment, career development, disciplinary proceedings, pre-retirement advisory work, equal opportunities policies, pay bargaining, and industrial relations. In small organizations these functions may be combined with other management responsibilities; in large organizations a substantial separate department may be involved in setting policy, its implementation, and in keeping up to date with developments in labour law. In recent years the newer alternative term 'human resource management' has come into use, reflecting the increased importance of this function in labour-intensive service-sector industries.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Definition_of_personnel_management

· One aspect of company organization that needs the input of effective personnel management is the drafting of a company handbook. Establishing operation policies and procedures, requirements for employment, commendation and disciplinary procedures, and even something as simple as a dress code has to be compared with state and federal guidelines before the handbook is ready for release to the company at large. Personnel managers and the HR staff are ideal for drafting and reviewing the company handbook.

4.) When it comes to handling all the responsbilities associated with maintaining a workforce, personnel management has the most legal and financial responsibilities of the whole organization, without which the overall success of the business is at risk.
Principle Responsibilities

* Sourcing
* Recruitment
* Training
* Payroll
* Supervision
* Employment Issues
* Termination

http://it.toolbox.com/wiki/index.php/Personnel_Management

* Personnel management lays emphasize on action rather than making lengthy schedules, plans, and work methods. The problems and grievances of people at work can be solved more effectively through rationale personnel policies.

5.) Personnel Management is responsible for recruiting and hiring qualified individuals to deliver city services, administering the pay classification plan to insure competitive wages. Through the personnel policies, Personnel Management administers guidelines for employee behavior, hiring & terminations, disciplinary actions; tuition reimbursement and employee leave including FMLA.

Personnel Management is also responsible for training in the following areas:

* Management & Supervisory Training
* Customer Service Training
* Policy & Procedure Training
* Sexual Harassment & Workplace Violence Training
* Departmental specific training

http://www.ci.palm-coast.fl.us/government/departments/employment/personnelmanagement.aspx

* Personnel management is an extension to general management. It is concerned with promoting and stimulating competent work force to make their fullest contribution to the concern. It also motivates the employees through its effective incentive plans so that the employees provide fullest co-operation.

AsSignmeNt 9 in MIS

2009-09-23T20:37:00.000-07:00

In recent years, the issue of the environment has risen to the fore of international concern as climate change, and in particular, global warming, have become the subjects of increasing scientific inquiry and debate. Although the veracity of these phenomena is still very much a point of contention in certain scientific circles, the problem is more appropriately located in socio-political and socio-economic frameworks that either fail, or refuse, to acknowledge the ramifications of human activity on the environment, and in so doing, impede the formation of comprehensive environmental strategies even as they obfuscate the need for concerted, responsible action.

Technology plays important roles in our life. It enables us to do our activities easier. Something that might be so difficult to do in the past can be done easily with the technology innovations. No want will argue that technology also give huge impact in educational field. With technology, teaching and learning activities can be more interesting and fun. It may also help the learners to get the lesson objectives faster than the manual and conventional way.

Almost all schools nowadays have been using computer and internet technology in their educational systems. It is used to deliver the information and knowledge to the learners. Further, it also gives fun education for the students. The audio and video functions in a computer easily engage the knowledge in each study lesson with the students' understanding of the lesson. The programs in a computer such as PowerPoint allow displaying animation features that can attract the students' interest in learning the subject matter.

Meanwhile, internet technology can be an effective tool in acquiring students' knowledge. With internet technology, the students are able to search any information that can be useful to add their comprehensive in the lesson. Technology is now regarded as a more effective tools rather than textbook. Since technology plays important roles in educational field, computer even becomes a school curriculum in some countries.

Advances in technology provide new tools for educators and students to be used in the learning process. It is also likely that some adult students may not be familiar with computers and information technology. In addition, they have not been in school for several years and therefore may not be used to studying. Consequently, adult students need advice and help in both using modern technology in studying, and in the studying itself.

Information technology (IT) has affected our life profoundly – one can work, do shopping and keep in touch with far-away relatives with an inexpensive personal computer. IT has had a major impact on education as well. Firstly, it has highlighted the importance of continuous IT education that makes it possible to use changing technology. Secondly, IT has introduced new tools for educators and students to be used in the learning process. Thirdly, there has been an explosion in teaching and learning with new technology. The pace of technological change continues as ever smaller, portable computers are being introduced that make it possible to connect anywhere and anytime. However, it can be argued whether technology is being utilized so that it facilitates learning in the best possible way.

As an information technology student, I chose to promote a meta-learning environment because today students need to be skilled computer users and able to deal with different types of media in order to study effectively. However, technical expertise alone is not enough – one must know what to study, where to find information, what to do next etc. Therefore special attention is needed to orientate students to use technology so that they learn to study in a modern learning environment.

What is Meta-learning Environment?

A meta-learning environment is defined as a platform for studying and it should integrate technology and resources so that they empower the learning process. In this article we look at the development of a learning environment using the meta-learning environment approach. The theoretical contribution is in the recognition of key dimensions of the meta-learning environment. They provide a promising framework for developing learning environments in the digital age.
Towards a learning environment

Technology can be utilized in education in several ways. This continuum starts from information delivery and ends with cognitive tools (Reeves, & Laffey, 1999). Information delivery means that technology is used primarily to access and deliver information that is categorized and stored into digital format. For example, a library system may be considered as an information delivery system. Cognitive tools refer to adaptive technology or systems that are developed to support and improve the learning process (Jonassen, Reeves, Hong, Harvey, & Peters, 1997). However, the difference between information delivery oriented systems and cognitive tools is not very clear. For example, Reeves (1996) claims that the World Wide Web (WWW) is a cognitive tool because it focuses on creating knowledge and should therefore not be considered as an information delivery system alone. Both information delivery systems and cognitive tools are part of the learning environment and the learning process.

The difference between concepts learning environment and learning process is the same as with words teaching, studying and learning (Tella, Vahtivuori, Vuorento, Wager, & Oksanen, 2001). The learning environment is defined as a place to study, an environment for the learning process (Vivet, 1996). Today many learning environments take advantage of information technology and are built to a WWW-format or they connect to the Internet using a WWW-interface. As a result, a single computer connected to the Internet and running a WWW-browser can be used for ubiquitous access.

It is clear that the learning material must be organized within a meaningful structure (McGee, & Howard, 1998). In modern, computer-based learning environments the navigational logic relies on links that bind information together so that it makes sense. This navigational support is also called logistics (Neumann, Krzyzaniak, & Lassen, 2001). Ideally, the logistics system recognizes the user and delivers only the content that the user needs. The logistics system of a computer-based learning environment may also be seen as an intelligent agent or tutoring system (Prentzas, Hatzilygeroudis, Koutsojannis, & Rigou, 2001) and in a broader sense it is a human interface to the system (Raskin, 2000). Therefore, the usefulness of the modern learning environment depends on the navigational logic and the interface to the system.

The greatest challenge in learning environments is to adapt the computer-based system to differently skilled learners (Raskin, 2000, 68-70). If the environment is too complex the user will be lost, confused or frustrated. On the other hand, too simple or non-systematic environments can cause motivational problems. Technology and the learning environment should adapt to different user skills and learning strategies, not vice versa. Therefore the focus in adaptation should be on how the user manages technology that is constantly changing and requires the user to learn new technical skills in order to work with technology.

The need for a meta-learning environment
Why learning support

Generally, the role of learning support is important (Bailey, Brown, & Kelly, 1997). Students must be able to get an answer to questions like "what should I do next?" and "do I have to take this course?". The advice is precious at the beginning of the student life, but guidance is needed also later during the studies. Each course raises questions before, during and after the course, and they all need to be answered. Telling students "what" and "why" is important as student's performance can be improved by guidance (Conway, & Kahney, 1987).

Advice and guidance are important in studying, whatever the technology is and whether students are in the faculty or at distance. As Twigg (1994) argues, we must take into consideration the recent changes that have occurred in what students need to learn, when they learn, how they learn, where they can learn, and what students can access while they learn.

In traditional, paper- and lecture-based education study guides had an important role in providing advice and guidance. However, study guides may not be enough in the digital age. Knowing what courses to select and why is still important in studying, but students must also cope with technology and digital media. In addition, students need to develop new studying habits in order to learn effectively. As a result, managing the learning environment becomes increasingly important.

However, what if the student is inexperienced with computers? Most young people are skilled computer users, but there are many adult people who have little experience with information technology. When these people get interested in studying further, the inexperience with computers can suddenly become a serious barrier for learning. As a result, adult students may feel uncomfortable with the technology that is used in education.

There is only one solution to this problem: the student must learn to use information technology, as studying requires skills in using technology and media. The need for assistance and support in using technology is most important in the beginning of studies. Therefore it is important to create an environment which helps students to "learn how to learn" effectively (Sumner, & Taylor, 1998, 64).

Dimensions of a meta-learning environment

Meta-learning environments have two main functions (Sumner, & Taylor, 1998; Scott, & Phillips, 1998). Firstly, they help in learning to use traditional and digital media in learning. A meta-learning environment should make it possible to access different kinds of digital content, but act as a guide to utilization of paper-based material as well. Secondly, a meta-learning environment can provide information on the courses and studies. The environment should present the structure of the course so that the student knows what exercises etc. are coming next. However, a meta-learning environment can be more than a study guide in computer format. It can describe the relationship between different media, methods and goals in each course. This is important because students should have general understanding of learning tools, methods and media that will be used during a course. Furthermore, students need specific support in bridging various activities to the goals of the course. In order to utilize the environment effectively students need to be skilled enough to use information technology as a tool in learning. Many younger students are familiar with computers and information technology, but for adult students computers, file formats, login procedures etc. can become a real barrier to studying. Even among students with "similar" background there are significant differences in technology skills and study methods. As a result, special attention is needed at the start of study and each course; otherwise results can be poor if the students do not know how to use the available tools and resources in studying. Often personal hands-on advice and tutoring is needed so that the student learns to effectively use technology in studying.

In a traditional classroom education these requirements are typically addressed well by teachers and other students (Taylor, Sumner, & Law, 1997). In modern learning environments this is a challenge. Whereas the overall resources can be made explicit by displaying the structure of the course in detail, hands-on support is a more complicated issue. For example, in distance learning advice and tutoring are limited to the tools that the student is using, and these are often the ones that students have problems with.

The Meta-learning environment should also establish and maintain new study habits and ways of working (Sumner, & Taylor, 1998; Scott, & Phillips, 1998). Once the methods of studying in the modern learning environment have been learned they should be maintained. If the students notice that they pass exercises and exams without seriously utilizing the tools and resources that would be available, they might just make the minimal effort – and not use the full potential of the learning environment. Therefore the courses and exercises should be planned so that students need to get involved personally. For example, in doing exercises there might be several interactions with the system - exercises could be split into parts - and checkpoints in order to prevent the student from copying answers to exercises from others.

Other key dimensions in meta-learning environments are (Sumner, & Taylor, 1998; Scott, & Phillips, 1998)
· Ease of use.
· Reliability and confidence building.
· Possibility to modify and add material.
· Tailoring the system to fit individual preferences.
· Feedback and increasing motivation to study.

The meta-learning environment can integrate various tools, resources and media into a common workplace. This would make it possible to easily locate, access and combine information from several sources. The learning environment should also be easy to understand and use without cumbersome procedures. Both students and teachers should find it easy to navigate and find information in the learning environment.

Confidence is a critical issue in learning. Therefore, the learning environment should be reliable and robust. The system needs to function smoothly without interruptions, otherwise confidence is rapidly lost. Consequently the IT infrastructure is the cornerstone of the operations.

Adding and modifying material should be straightforward. It should be possible to add new material, and modify existing content in the meta-learning environment. Modifications need to be easy enough so that both students and teachers can submit and share ideas, concerns and questions. The modifications should be possible without deep technical expertise or help from the IT-department.

The environment should also be customizable to fit personal preferences. Typically, students have different learning styles: Some learn fast and advance rapidly while others prefer to learn at a slower pace and repeat. In addition, some like working alone whereas others prefer to working in groups. There are also differences in using help or feedback that might be available. Information technology allows customization of the learner's learning experience and makes it possible to accommodate different learning styles (Albright, 1999; Wild, & Quinn, 1998).

Motivation is an critical issue in computer based learning environments – and a driving force in the learning process. Feedback can increase motivation and confidence, and it is considered essential for effective learning process (Rowntree, 1992). Feedback gives also student a realistic view of skills and knowledge (Scott, & Phillips, 1998). In classroom-based education feedback can happen face-to-face, and range from one-to-one conversation to a group discussion. However, in "virtual" learning there is often a lack of immediate feedback as lecturers and students do not necessarily meet very often. Feedback can also be constrained by the media and technology that is used. It is often typical that there is lack of immediate feedback. Information technology is ideal for providing timely and individualized feedback to students. Even though the richness of face-to-face discussion may not be achieved, technology can be used in ways that give rapid feedback to the student. For example, when the student sends an exercise the system could send an automatic acknowledgement. A meta-learning environment makes it also possible to monitor the students' learning process and to identify different styles of information access, communication and learning styles resulting from using new media for education.

Indeed, the importance of science and technology in education cannot be stressed enough. The introduction of technology in the educational field has made the process of learning and knowledge sharing, an interactive and fun-filled activity. Technology is indeed one of God’s greatest gifts to mankind.

References:
http://www.eurodl.org/materials/contrib/2006/Seppo_Sirkemaa.htm
http://duniasoer.blogspot.com/2009/02/impact-of-technology-in-education.html
http://synenergy.teipir.gr/papers/VII_3.pdf

AsSignMEnt 8 in HRM

2009-09-08T22:57:00.001-07:00

SONA 2009 of PGMA

As I read the full text of PGMA State of the Nation Address (SONA) which happened last July 27, 2009. In her SONA, I identify areas related to Human Resource Management and how these areas can improve our quality of life.

1.)Microfinance

“Nakinabang ang pitong milyong entrepreneurs sa P165 billion na microfinance. Nakinabang ang 1,000 sa economic resiliency plan. Kasama natin ngayon ang isa sa kanila, si Gigi Gabiola. Dating household service worker sa Dubai, ngayon siya ay nagtatrabaho sa DOLE.”

Entrepreneurship/MSME Development. As of 2007, micro-, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) comprised 99.66% of the total establishments in the country. Given the significant role of MSMEs in the country’s development, the Arroyo Administration committed to provide credit, technology and marketing support for three million MSMEs and empower existing SMEs to generate additional employment through increased lending and promotion.

With the launching of the SME Development Plan under President Arroyo in 2004, the government implemented various SME development programs such as financing, marketing and promotion, human resource development, product development, and advocacy, integrated into one enterprise development cycle.

Government Finance Institutions (GFIs)/Government Owned and Controlled Corporations (GOCCs). From 2001 to first quarter of 2009, around PhP165 billion in microfinance loans have been released to more than 6.9 million microfinance clients for their livelihood activities. This amount is about 46 times more than the PhP3.49 billion that was provided in 2001.

From 2004-2009, some 2.6 million new jobs have been created, surpassing already by about 30% the 2 million new jobs targeted through microfinance until 2010.

The Microfinance Lending Program for Government Employees. A total of PhP2.55 billion in loans was released to 183 government associations and cooperatives from 2007 to 2008.

2.) Health

“Mula noong 2001, Nanawagan tayo ng mas murang gamot. Nagbebenta na tayo ng mga gamot na kalahating presyo sa libu-libong Botika ng Bayan at Botika ng Barangay sa maraming dako ng bansa. Our efforts prodded the pharmaceutical companies to come up with low-cost generics and brands like RiteMed. I supported the tough version of the House of the Cheaper Medicine Law. I supported it over the weak version of my critics. The result: the drug companies volunteered to bring down drug prices, slashing by half the prices of 16 drugs.”

The Administration is focused on providing increased health services by (1) expanding the health insurance coverage under PhilHealth; (2) making available affordable, appropriate and quality medicines through the establishment of Botika ng Barangays/Botika ng Bayan (BnBs); and, (3) providing access to health services.

1. Expanded Health Insurance Coverage under PhilHealth

To protect and promote the health of the populace, particularly the poor when they require medical/hospital services, the President promoted the National Health Insurance Program. Depending on the program, financing for the members’ benefits come from the national government in partnership with other stakeholders like the local government units, employers and even the members themselves.

Around 79.56 million Filipinos or 86% of the 92 million population were enrolled as of May 2009, of which 18.32 million are indigents. PhilHealth’s other members consist of those in the employed sector (37.24 million beneficiaries); individually-paying members (14.86 million); non-paying members or the pensioners and retirees (700,000); and, the Overseas Workers (8.44 million Filipinos).

Premium collections from the members have increased steadily over the years, from PhP8.6B in 2000 to PhP25.6B in 2008. In the first quarter of 2009, premium collections reached almost PhP6 billion, 10% more than the collection in the same period from the previous year.

Benefit claims of the patients also increased substantially from PhP6.8 billion in 2000 to more than PhP18.2 billion in 2008, with the claims for drugs and medicines comprising the largest chunk of said claims. For the 1st Quarter of 2009, PhP4.5 billion has been released for the claims of the beneficiaries.

2. Access to Quality and Affordable Medicines

• Botika ng Barangay/Botika ng Bayan. To provide access to quality but very affordable medicines to the public, especially the poor, the Administration has some 13,498 Botika ng Barangay (BnB) outlets and 1,971 Botika ng Bayan outlets currently operational where low-priced medicines are made available to the public, particularly the poor.

Through the BnBs, drugs such as the anti-diarrhea Loperamide are available for only PhP1.05 against PhP4.10 in private drugstores, and the anti-diabetes Glibenclamide is available at just PhP0.78 against PhP8.90.

The Administration also launched the P100 Project in 2008 to support the campaign for cheaper medicines. Through this project, medicines will be sold for one hundred pesos (PhP100) or less in DOH-retained as well as in selected LGU hospitals.

• Cheaper Medicines Law. The President signed into law RA 9502 or the “Universally Accessible Cheaper and Quality Medicines Act of 2008” to further bring down the cost of medicines and to bring the country closer to her 2001 SONA pledge of “universal access to essential medicines at half prices by 2010”. The law encourages more competition in the local market through parallel importation of cheaper but quality drugs and authorizes the President to set price ceilings on various drugs.

3.)EDUCATION

“Our educational system should make the Filipino fit not just for whatever jobs happen to be on offer today, but also for whatever economic challenge life will throw in their way….”

The vision of every Filipino family is to ensure that each child has the opportunity to get a high quality education that leads to becoming a whole person, a successful entrepreneur and a productive and responsible citizen. This family vision is also the vision of the Philippine Main Education Highway which addresses cross-cutting issues in the education sector including the mainstreaming of madrasah education.

1. Improving Basic Education. Even as the participation and retention rates, school performance and academic achievement of students in Basic Education have generally improved in the past nine (9) years, there is a continuing and marked need to significantly raise the levels of achievement. There is a tendency to backslide without strong presidential prodding.

2. Improving Higher Education. There is a need to:

• improve the capability of higher education institutions (HEIs), state universities and colleges (SUCs) and local universities and colleges (LUCs) to equip students with the required skills and competencies for national development and to prepare them for gainful employment or entrepreneurship;
• improve the competitiveness of graduates by ensuring quality education and competent faculty;
• develop capabilities in research to be at par with the best in the world;
• improve capabilities in science, mathematics and engineering through research and development;
• align the goals and programs of private HEIs, SUCs, and LUCs to best achieve national development goals; and
• continue with curricular reforms, leadership and management development program for college and university administrators, faculty development, conduct of scholastic aptitude test (SAT) after Grade 10, R&D and leveling the playing field.

3. Benchmarking the Basic Education Cycle with International Standards. To be at par with the 12-year basic education cycle implemented in almost all countries, benchmarking the first two years of college education has to be seriously considered to reform the present 10-year basic education program.

4. Strengthening the existing institutions in the development of higher level scientists and engineers. Continuing tasks include training high-level scientists and engineers in cutting edge technologies by HEIs, supporting the priority thrusts in science and technology as enunciated in the National Science Technology Plan: 2002-2020, enhancing human capital for science, technology and innovation (STI) for absorption into the world of work, strengthening ICT-based Education by providing sound policy and funding mechanisms, infusing more investments in S&T and engineering research in the identified Centers of Excellence and Centers of Development, and providing support to the operationalization of the National Science Complex and Technology Incubation Park in UP Diliman.

5. Goals for Improving Technical Vocational Education. The employability of those who undergo tech-voc training programs needs to be increased by developing their skills and competencies to meet the requirements of industry and retrain workers to respond to new technology or changes in industry processes. Workers must be enabled also to compete for overseas employment opportunities through the accreditation of technical vocational courses. There is likewise a need to continue with the harmonization of Tech-voc and Higher Education through the Ladderized Education Program (LEP), improvement of trainers’ qualification, and accreditation of tech-voc courses.

6. Financing Education. While increasingly significant budgets to the education agencies have been allocated, there is still a need for a more innovative approach in financing the education sector, especially in the higher education segment.

7. Improving Education in ARMM. Policies and guidelines that would harmonize and synchronize the ARMM Educational System with the National Education System at all levels are currently being reviewed. Some of these may require amendment of legislation from Congress.

8. Strengthening Academe-Industry Linkages. The need to improve the job-skills matching program and strengthen the initiatives for the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry has been seriously noted. Current efforts of government agencies at coordinating with the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPAP) on this endeavor need to be sustained.

9. Internationalizing of Education (Education Plus Program). With the goal of positioning the country as an Education Center in the Asia Pacific, a technical working group has been formed composed of representatives from the government and private sectors. CHED is currently undertaking a survey on international linkages/partnerships/twinning programs of universities and colleges, the results of which should be followed through.

10.Developing a National Educational Research, Evaluation and Testing System (NERETS). With the aim of establishing an independent/autonomous, highly credible, and respectable national assessment and research agency for education, a technical working group has already been created, which has conducted a series of discussions and consultation with testing providers, specialists and other stakeholders. Findings and perspectives generated from these activities should establish the steps required to develop and implement the System.

Finally, it must be emphasized that education is among the major entitlements that enlarge and broaden human choice. While socioeconomic development broadens peoples' choice by increasing their individual resources, education forges the desire to do more for the country and others - because education builds self-esteem and self-expression, the very values that let people seek for community, for effective rights and democratization of such rights. For the above reasons, the Arroyo Administration is optimistic that the next Administration will see the wisdom of the Main Education Highway.

4.) OFW Benefits

“Meanwhile, we should make their sacrifices worthwhile. Dapat gumawa tayo ng mga mas malakas na paraan upang proteksyonan at palawak ang halaga ng kanilang pinagsikapang sweldo. That means stronger consumer protection for OFWs investing in property and products back home. Para sa kanila, pinapakilos natin ang Investors Protection Task Force….”

Labor Protection programs that will generate jobs and employment, protect the Filipino workers here and abroad as well as promote their welfare by ensuring that the terms and conditions of their work, such as wages, working hours and safety measures are humane and just;

Reintegration services for OFWs. With the establishment in 2007 of the National Reintegration Center for OFWs (NRCO), reintegration services for OFWs were institutionalized, making the effort more systematic and intensive in outreach. From 2007 to date alone, a total of 25,541 expatriate Filipino workers (EFW) and their families have been assisted through the Center. Services for EFWs include job search for local or overseas employment, issuance of certificates of eligibility for livelihood assistance, and legal services.

Other Services: Repatriation, Retraining

• Repatriation of almost 51,338 EFWs from 2001 to June 2009;
• Assistance to almost 500,000 EFWs on-site and one million EFWs/family members in the Philippines;
• Provision of education and training benefits to more than 1.54 million EFWs and their families; and
• Facilitation of enrolment of 320,000 informal sector workers in PhilHealth and SSS, the Philippine National Red Cross, Pag-ibig, and Accident Insurance through the DOLE’s Social Protection Program.

References:
http://coolbusteratyourservice.blogspot.com/2009/06/pgma-sona-2009-full-text.html
http://www.gov.ph/sona/sona2009/2009_SONA_TECHNICAL_REPORT.pdf

AsSignment 8 in MIS

2009-08-28T00:07:00.001-07:00

In recent years has been a significant increase in the incidence of information system (IS) outsourcing. Technological uncertainly, cost reduction, the need to concentration in the core business, and the increasing quality and competition among a growing cadre of service providers (e.g.) are often discuss as key outsourcing motivators. Cadre is a core group who is a controlling or representative group at the center of an organization.

IS outsourcing involves multiple facets, including the initial decision, choice of governance structure and the management of the ongoing relationship.

Outsourcing

"Outsourcing" is: "A company or person that provides information; to find a supplier or service, to identify a source". It is very important to be clear about what is meant by outsourcing. Outsourcing essentially refers to how things are done rather than what is done. It describes how for example IT services are obtained; not what the services are.

Very simply outsourcing can be defined as a process in which a company delegates some of its in-house operations/processes to a third party. Thus outsourcing is a contracting transaction through which one company purchases services from another while keeping ownership and ultimate responsibility for the underlying processes. The clients inform their provider what they want and how they want the work performed. So the client can authorize the provider to operate as well as redesign basic processes in order to ensure even greater cost and efficiency benefits.

Although the above definition of outsourcing may seem very similar to contracting, it is to be said that contracting and outsourcing are in no way related. Generally in contracting the ownership or control of the operation or process being contracted is with the parent company, whereas in outsourcing the control of the process is with the third party instead of the parent company. So in other words, outsourcing can be defined as phenomena in which a company delegates a part of its in-house operations to a third party with the third party gaining full control over that operation/process.

One way of looking at it is that outsourcing is just a name for already existing practices. Services such as, bureau services, contract programming and project management have been outsourced for a long time. In its present meaning, however, outsourcing refers to a greater level of handing over ownership and/or managerial control than has before been the case.

Companies turn to resources outside their organizational structure usually to save money and/or make use of the skilled professionals. For instance, a company might outsource its IT management because it is cheaper to contract a third-party to do so than it would be to build its own in-house IT management team. Or a company could outsource all of its data storage needs because it is easier and cheaper than buying and maintaining its own data storage devices. A business might also outsource its human resource tasks to another enterprise instead of having its own dedicated human resources staff.

Insourcing

Insourcing often involves bringing in specialists to fill temporary needs or training existing personnel to perform tasks that would otherwise have been outsourced. An example is the use of in-house engineers to write technical manuals for equipment they have designed, rather than sending the work to an outside technical writing firm. In this example, the engineers might have to take technical writing courses at a local college, university, or trade school before being able to complete the task successfully. Other challenges of insourcing include the possible purchase of additional hardware and/or software that is scalable and energy-efficient enough to deliver an adequate return on investment (ROI).

Insourcing can be viewed as outsourcing as seen from the opposite side. For example, a company based in Japan might open a plant in the United States for the purpose of employing American workers to manufacture Japanese products. From the Japanese perspective this is outsourcing, but from the American perspective it is insourcing. Nissan, a Japanese automobile manufacturer, has in fact done this.

Views

As a student, if I were invited by the Dean of the Institute of Computing to attend a seminar-workshop on information systems planning with some of the faculty members. In one of the sessions, a discussion of outsourcing came up. You have been asked to present your evaluation about outsourcing the information systems functions of the school. I would choose outsourcing because of its lower wages and operating costs both contributed to these reduced costs.

These lower costs were appealing because they greatly improved the profit margins for any organization. However, outsourcing is now gaining in popularity for a variety of other reasons. While cost reduction is still a primary advantage, other elements such as access to industry experts, a larger workforce and more flexible options are being embraced as welcomed advantages offered by outsourcing.

Outsourcing must be done carefully, systematically, and with explicit goals. Companies that rush into outsourcing without fully understanding what they hope to gain may find themselves mired in a contractual battle with a chosen vendor or the recipient of services that worsen rather than improve. Sensible reasons to consider outsourcing include both strategic and tactical concerns on both a department and organizational level.

Outsourcing might be justifiable for a department with high costs that cannot be reduced or a lack of competency in specific areas. Organizational needs that generate consideration of outsourcing include the ability to compete globally with global services or relief from financial pressures achieved through immediate cost saving.

Outsourcing is not an excuse to wash management's hands of a poorly managed, costly, or misunderstood function. Understand the costs of a function and manage it effectively before evaluating its potential for outsourcing. Otherwise, you are probably deciding to outsource for the wrong reason, you may be giving the outsourcing vendor gains you could have reaped, and you may be starting a relationship that is destined to fail.

Organizations should consider (or reconsider) the overall merits of selective outsourcing every three to four years. Revisiting outsourcing may be particularly relevant under changing market conditions or when internal, industry, or technology changes have occurred.

Use a Methodical Approach

The process of deciding whether outsourcing is warranted involves numerous steps or phases. These are: identifying requirements; preparing and distributing a request for proposal (RFP); examining proposals; evaluating vendors; negotiating contracts; and implementing outsourcing. Adopt a methodology that describes the various steps to be performed and lays out the project plan necessary for a thorough evaluation. Just as applications development activities should be guided by a written, explicit methodology, the effort to consider and possibly implement outsourcing should be systematically conducted and documented.

The various phases are as follows:

• Planning Phase. The objectives and scope of the outsourcing idea are defined and the feasibility of outsourcing is determined before a decision to proceed. The effort is planned in terms of time, budget and resources needed.

• Analysis Phase. Baselines are determined and the service levels required of vendors are specified. Relationships between the information system function(s) to be outsourced and other functions that will remain in-house are also clarified so that contracts with vendors are certain to include proper interfaces with in-house services. The request for proposal is developed, responses are collected from vendors and analyzed, and a vendor is chosen.

• Design Phase. Negotiations proceed with the vendor and a contract is developed and signed.

• Implementation Phase. The transition from in-house provision of services to outsourcing is made.

• Operations Phase. The outsourcing relationship with the vendor is managed and any maintenance or changes in the outsourcing relationship are negotiated and implemented.

• Termination Phase. At the end of the contracting period the decision is made to negotiate another contract with the vendor or a new vendor, and the cycle begins again. Alternatively, a decision is made to bring the function back inside the organization.

As you evaluate your choices and decisions in outsourcing different components of your operations, you will need to consider the advantages of outsourcing. When done for the right reasons, outsourcing will actually help your company grow and save money. There are other advantages of outsourcing that go beyond money. Here are the top seven advantages of outsourcing.

1. Focus On Core Activities

In rapid growth periods, the back-office operations of a company will expand also. This expansion may start to consume resources (human and financial) at the expense of the core activities that have made your company successful. Outsourcing those activities will allow refocusing on those business activities that are important without sacrificing quality or service in the back-office.

Example: A company lands a large contract that will significantly increase the volume of purchasing in a very short period of time; Outsource purchasing.

2. Cost And Efficiency Savings

Back-office functions that are complicated in nature, but the size of your company is preventing you from performing it at a consistent and reasonable cost, is another advantage of outsourcing.

Example: A small doctor’s office that wants to accept a variety of insurance plans. One part-time person could not keep up with all the different providers and rules. Outsource to a firm specializing in medical billing.

3. Reduced Overhead

Overhead costs of performing a particular back-office function are extremely high. Consider outsourcing those functions which can be moved easily.

Example: Growth has resulted in an increased need for office space. The current location is very expensive and there is no room to expand. Outsource some simple operations in order to reduce the need for office space. For example, outbound telemarketing or data entry.

4. Operational Control

Operations whose costs are running out of control must be considered for outsourcing. Departments that may have evolved over time into uncontrolled and poorly managed areas are prime motivators for outsourcing. In addition, an outsourcing company can bring better management skills to your company than what would otherwise be available.

Example: An information technology department that has too many projects, not enough people and a budget that far exceeds their contribution to the organization. A contracted outsourcing agreement will force management to prioritize their requests and bring control back to that area.

5. Staffing Flexibility

Outsourcing will allow operations that have seasonal or cyclical demands to bring in additional resources when you need them and release them when you’re done.

Example: An accounting department that is short-handed during tax season and auditing periods. Outsourcing these functions can provide the additional resources for a fixed period of time at a consistent cost.

6. Continuity & Risk Management

Periods of high employee turnover will add uncertainty and inconsistency to the operations. Outsourcing will provided a level of continuity to the company while reducing the risk that a substandard level of operation would bring to the company.

Example: The human resource manager is on an extended medical leave and the two administrative assistants leave for new jobs in a very short period of time. Outsourcing the human resource function would reduce the risk and allow the company to keep operating.

7. Develop Internal Staff

A large project needs to be undertaken that requires skills that your staff does not possess. On-site outsourcing of the project will bring people with the skills you need into your company. Your people can work alongside of them to acquire the new skill set.

Example: A company needs to embark on a replacement/upgrade project on a variety of custom built equipment. Your engineers do not have the skills required to design new and upgraded equipment. Outsourcing this project and requiring the outsourced engineers to work on-site will allow your engineers to acquire a new skill set.

The Advantages Of Outsourcing Benefits Administration

In this economy, companies should be looking for new yet proven ways to save money.
PRLog (Press Release) – Jun 09, 2009 – It is common knowledge that for most employers, payroll processing is the biggest expense they incur on a regular basis. However, benefits administration and processing comes in at a close second in terms of employer cost. Indeed, as health care benefits become more and more complex to deal with, companies are spending increasing amounts of time processing them for their employees. When payroll processing and other human resources tasks are added to the mix, it's easy to see why benefits administration can be such a burden on midsized companies.

To deal with this growing problem, many companies are choosing to outsource their benefits administration. Doing so allows their existing human resources staff to perform other critical functions, and has a host of other advantages for companies looking to increase their efficiency and lower their costs. There is little doubt that benefits administration outsourcing will continue to rise in popularity; as noted by Norman LeClair, CEO of Corban OneSource (An HR Outsourcing Company for midsized businesses http://www.corbanone.com), "Outsourcing benefits administration has become very popular for companies with 100 to 1000 employees because it is proven to save money while increasing the customer service to employees." Below, we take a closer look at some of the compelling advantages to outsourcing benefits administration.

Reduce Costs

By outsourcing their benefits administration, companies can stand to cut costs and save a great deal of money. As things like health benefits become more and more convoluted to manage, keeping a human resources staff trained and up-to-date on performing these operations can be a costly proposition. Human resources personnel who have in depth experience in benefits administration typically come with very high salary requirements, increasing the operating costs for small to midsized companies enormously.

Rather than keep trained personnel on staff to tackle daily benefits administration tasks, many companies are discovering that outsourcing these functions saves them a lot of money in the long run. The firms that handle such tasks specialize in benefits administration processing, and typically cost a company far less than keeping in-house personnel up-to-date and fully trained. Since benefits administration has become so complex, most companies normally need at least one employee fully dedicated to handling it; for a lot less money, it can hire an outside agency to do the same work.

Free Up Resources

Obviously, human resources departments do much more for an average copany than benefits administration. They handle payroll processing, hiring and a slew of other critical tasks. However, benefits administration can take up an inordinate amount of employees' time and resources; other tasks may fall by the wayside. By outsourcing benefits administration, though, companies can free up existing HR personnel and allow them to get the important, day-to-day work done in a timely manner. This increases overall efficiency and improves employee morale considerably.

Improve Customer Service To Employees

When a company's human resources department is bogged down by the myriad complexities involved in benefits administration, it is less capable of providing excellent customer service to the organization's employees. Human resources should always be available and able to handle all sorts of employee concerns; they should be viewed and looked upon as a place for employees to receive the information that they need. By outsourcing benefits administration, companies can free up a lot of their HR personnel's time, allowing them to increase their level of customer service to employees in general.

Streamline The Benefits Process

The typical staff at a benefits administration outsourcing firm is comprised of highly trained and very experienced specialists who know precisely how to handle all aspects of the benefits administration process. Therefore, these companies can help organizations find many ways to streamline their benefits process, making it more amenable and accessible to each and every employee - from the bottom up. When the benefits process is truly streamlined, it allows a company's employees to take full advantage of those benefits - and keeps them up to date on what they are entitled to and how to receive those benefits.

Outsourcing Benefits Administration: A Great Choice

As demonstrated above, there are many compelling reasons for outsourcing benefits administration. With the highly competitive nature of today's business world, companies must continually strive to cut costs and improve efficiency. The increasingly complex nature of today's benefits administrations works against those goals, bogging companies down in red tape and subjecting them to countless errors and expenses. Removing those functions from the shoulders of existing HR personnel frees them up to focus on what truly matter: providing excellent customer service to the company's employees.

Companies that are struggling in today's worrisome economic climate are likely to find that outsourcing their benefits administration gives them the boost needed to keep them afloat. After all, being flexible and willing to adapt to changing times is critical to remaining a viable operation. Outsourcing benefits administration is just one other way of doing that with skill and ease.

The success of an outsourcing company depends on mainly three factors. Firstly a proper executive-level support from the client’s organization for the outsourcing mission. Secondly, there should be frequent communication between the client organizations (that is hiring services) and the service providing firm or company. And last but certainly not the least a lot depends on the client's ability to manage and handle its service providers.

References:
http://www.cyfuture.com/definition-of-outsourcing.htm
http://repositorium.sdum.uminho.pt/bitstream/1822/950/1/Outsource.pdf
http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci1185946,00.html
http://www.businessforum.com/woj01.html
http://operationstech.about.com/od/officestaffingandmanagem/a/OutSrcAdvantg.htm
http://www.articlesbase.com/outsourcing-articles/meaning-of-outsourcing-580687.html
http://www.prlog.org/10254091-the-advantages-of-outsourcing-benefits-administration.html

AsSignment 7 in HRM

2009-08-23T23:46:00.005-07:00

"Human beings are the most important, potent and critical, resource of any organization, and yet the least understood and the worst managed of its resources"

In this statement human being are the most important because they consider as the heart of the organization. There are lots of technology present in this world that allows companies to easily gather vast amounts of information about individual transactions. Technology also allows large amounts of data to be compiled quickly and accurately, significantly reducing error. But still technology does not replace judgment and human must still analyze situations and input results and analyze the output of his work. This is how important human is.

Managing an organization, for the manager - nowadays called a “leader” – is both art and science.

Understanding the role of human

In order the human will not be least the least understood and the worst managed of its resources. The science of management comprises three major missions:

1. Mission one – managing people – is the process of getting people to work; assigning them jobs for which they have the necessary abilities and skills; supporting and operating the organization in such a way as to encourage people to work together happily; producing and providing a service in line with the organization’s aims.

2. Mission two is managing work and organizations. The main goal of this mission is to get people to perform their duties in line with the organizational structure. An organization will survive if it has work to do. When an organization has work to do, people will have to work. So, this mission is important.

3. Mission three, managing production and operations, mean managing all work property and getting things done in line with the main target of the organization. Production will come about as a result of people working individually and as a team. Each person plays an important role in this mission.

All three missions will be successful if the organization leader understands the role of human in order to them to least understood and the worst managed of its resources. The first goal is to understand people’s opinions, which are a part to the organization. Each job will be a success if it is the result of people’s readiness and willingness to work. Secondly, when people work with others or work individually in the organization, they acquire, learning skill and work experience. At the final stage of the concept, people are the result of a developed organization. The organization’s output may be a product or service, which is consumed. The third issue is, studying, learning and understanding that people in the two categories have differences and similarities.

Organization leaders need to study, learn and understand their co-workers by observing and accepting individual differences. Meanwhile, they need to study each variance inside and outside the organization because these variances have an impact on people’s behaviour. Variances in the organization include an organization’s rules and regulation, the work’s characteristics, work hours and others.

Variances outside the organization comprise information about family, society and community. Finally, the organization leaders needs to try to find a relationships between variances that influence people’s behaviour in order to understand the people and treat them well.

Differences between people in an organization have many aspects, which an organization leader needs to study and understand as follows:

Personality
1. Personality is a combination of physical and mental aspects, which result in each person’s character. Personality is caused by genes, social environment, culture and relationships among family members. Understanding personalities can help organization leaders understand people’s actions, changes and development. The leader can even understand what and to what degree people are aware of things inside and outside the organization.

Attitude
2. Attitude is defined as people’s responses to things. Attitudes will be both positive and negative. They directly involve emotion, awareness, belief and opinion. Attitudes can be observed from the behavior exhibited when people respond to people, animals or things. People’s attitudes can be seen when they act, for example, with friendliness or aggressiveness.

Abilities and skills
3. Mental ability is called intelligence, while physical ability is called skill. Ability can be innate or come through learning. For examples the ability to remember a picture or figure, or the ability to present a beautiful speech to co-workers, or to summaries an event correctly and quickly. Organization leaders can determine people’s abilities and skills and assign a job suit them As a result, an organization can achieve the work it has targeted.

Variations in gender, nationality and culture
4. People’s gender, nationality and culture will vary inside and outside the group. People in an organization will have a variety of cultures, value estimations, languages, skills, beliefs and thoughts. These variations can be seen around the world. It can not be said that people of different nationalities have different work potentials, Due to a lack of study in this area, organization leaders, however, need to learn how to communicate with people who different qualities as mentioned above. It is not a simple task to put the right people in the right job in line with their ability, skill, knowledge and attitude towards the organization.

Motivation and work ability
5. Something’s can act as a stimulus within an organization-for example, rewarding or performance. According to study rewarding have the best influence on the performance of people in an organization. Organization leaders should learn to use motivation to realize employees’ mental and physical potential. A “reward” means not only financial benefits but also non- financial benefits such as praise and medals from the organization.

Role of HR

The role of the HR manager must parallel the needs of his or her changing organization. Successful organizations are becoming more adaptive, resilient, quick to change direction and customer-centered. Within this environment, the HR professional, who is considered necessary by line managers, is a strategic partner, an employee sponsor or advocate and a change mentor.

Strategic Partner

In today’s organizations, to guarantee their viability and ability to contribute, HR managers need to think of themselves as strategic partners. In this role, the HR person contributes to the development of and the accomplishment of the organization-wide business plan and objectives.

The HR business objectives are established to support the attainment of the overall strategic business plan and objectives. The tactical HR representative is deeply knowledgeable about the design of work systems in which people succeed and contribute. This strategic partnership impacts HR services such as the design of work positions; hiring; reward, recognition and strategic pay; performance development and appraisal systems; career and succession planning; and employee development.

Employee Advocate
As an employee sponsor or advocate, the HR manager plays an integral role in organizational success via his knowledge about and advocacy of people. This advocacy includes expertise in how to create a work environment in which people will choose to be motivated, contributing, and happy.

Fostering effective methods of goal setting, communication and empowerment through responsibility, builds employee ownership of the organization. The HR professional helps establish the organizational culture and climate in which people have the competency, concern and commitment to serve customers well.

In this role, the HR manager provides employee development opportunities, employee assistance programs, gain sharing and profit-sharing strategies, organization development interventions, due process approaches to problem solving and regularly scheduled communication opportunities.

Therefore Human Resource contributes to the organization by constantly assessing the effectiveness of the HR function. He also sponsors change in other departments and in work practices. To promote the overall success of his organization, he champions the identification of the organizational mission, vision, values, goals and action plans. Finally, he helps determine the measures that will tell his organization how well it is succeeding in all of this.

References:
http://humanresources.about.com/od/hrbasicsfaq/a/hr_role.htm
http://msci.chandra.ac.th/download/km/01.pdf

AsSignMent 7 in MIS

2009-08-23T23:46:00.003-07:00

2009 State of the Nation Address

The 2009 State of the Nation Address (SONA) is outlined in six (6) focal points along the President’s vision since her assumption of the Presidency in 2001, including her goals as stated in the Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan (MTPDP) and her Ten-Point Agenda for beating the odds.

• The Macroeconomy: Securing the Fundamentals

• Economic Development: Enhancing Competitiveness
• Social Development: Promoting Redistributive Justice; Democratizing Entitlement
• Infrastructure and the super regional Development Strategy
• Good Governance and Political Stability
• Lastly, Agenda for Action in 2010 and Directions Beyond 2010

As I read the full text of PGMA State of the Nation Address (SONA) which happened last July 27, 2009. In her SONA, I identify 3 areas related to Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and how these areas can improve our quality of life.

First:

Communication Services

“Sa telecommunications naman, inatasan ko ang Telecommunications Commission na kumilos na tungkol sa mga sumbong na dropped calls at mga nawawalang load sa cellphone. We need to amend the Commonwealth-era Public Service Law.

And we need to do it now… “

Policies were implemented promoting systematic and accelerated ICT advancement.

•Removed barriers and allow full competition in the provision of high-speed networks and connectivity. This resulted in the reduction of cost of local internet connections from PhP30 per hour in 2000 to PhP15 per hour in 2008.

•Allocated radio frequencies to allow broadband wireless access network.

•Liberalized the telecommunications environment/ industry to allow the entry of more players, ie, the telecommunication operators (TelCos).

•This enabled the mobile telephone industry to experience robust growth. About 62% of the total populace (or about 56 million out of the 88 million Filipinos) are now mobile telephone subscribers who are connected to 14,506 cell sites, nationwide, as of end of 2008. To date, there are 11 international gateway facility (IGF) operators who can provide international long distance calls; six (6) cellular mobile telephone system operators; 11 public trunk radio operators; 14 inter-exchange carrier licenses that service other carriers’ traffic using their own networks; and, 74 local exchange operators or those with fixed line services.

•Authorized the retail-pricing for local telephone lines by allowing local exchange carriers to design price packages.

Second:

Business Process Outsourcing

“Kung noong nakaraan, lumakas ang electronics, today we are creating wealth by developing the BPO and tourism sectors as additional engines of growth. Electronics and other manufactured exports rise and fall in accordance with the state of the world economy. But BPO remains resilient.”

The Philippine Business Process Outsourcing sector caters to varied support services functions. The rise of Animation, Software Development and Medical Transcription in 2003 became an addition to promising BPO investments that were portrayed in the succeeding years. It marked the rise of digital servicing, niche service operations and marketing using information technology. Later on, outsourcing services were popularized in the following support service functions, namely: (1) Human Resources such as recruitment and payroll; (2) Customer Service and helpdesk functions; (3) Procurement and materials management; (4) proof reading and editing; and (5) layout and design. Among the top contact centers in the country are Sykes, Convergys, Ambergis, and People Support. Some of the companies that have set-up internal BPO operations in the country include HSBC, AIG Business Processing Services, Chevron Texaco, Procter and Gamble Asia Pt. Ltd., Shell Shared Services, among others.

Third:

Automated Elections

“As the seeds of fundamental political reform are planted, let us address the highest exercise of democracy -- voting! In 2001, I said we would finance fully automated elections. We got it, thanks to Congress..”

The Administration supports the modernization of the electoral system to ensure the credibility of the polls. It promotes solid traits among candidates such as deportment, simple and dignified lifestyle, and readiness to act rather than grandstand. With the support of Congress, the President signed into law RA 9369 s. 2007, the Amended Automated Elections Law prescribing full automation of the national-local elections on 10 May 2010. Subsequently, the amount of PhP11.3 billion as supplemental budget was appropriated for automated elections through the RA 9525 which the President signed into law in March 2009. The DBM has already released to COMELEC on 30 April 2009 the SARO containing the said amount.

To date, COMELEC has completed the bidding for the procurement of more than 80,000 machines for the Precinct Counting Optical Scan (PCOS)

References:

http://www.gov.ph/sona/sona2009/2009_SONA_TECHNICAL_REPORT.pdf
http://jlp-law.com/blog/state-of-the-nation-address-sona-2009/

AsSignMent 6 in HRM

2009-08-23T23:46:00.001-07:00

21st -century corporations look like....

Most people overestimate the effects of change in the short term, underestimate them in the long term and fail to spot where change will be greatest. Nowhere is this judgment truer than with new technologies. The Internet stock-market bubble, like the bubble in railway stocks in the nineteenth century, reflected overestimates and misjudgments of the potential impact of new communications. And as with railways, the bubble burst, leaving lots of empty hands but an infrastructure that survived—and changed the world. There will be evolution, rather than revolution and it will take many years to work through. Recall that even though the telephone was first used commercially in the 1870s, telephone banking did not spring up until the 1980s. Consider that the Internet had been in commercial use for a mere seven years by the time recession struck. Profound change rarely comes fast.

In the 21st century, we will see increased communication, dependence and assistance among people around the world. In each hemisphere, people’s dependence upon one another is growing. Business organizations, government agencies and private companies – including non – profit organizations and non – governmental organizations – jointly use products, capital and human resources. They want to expand production, capital and resources together and also expand into other parts of the world. To overcome competitors therefore, new management methods are needed. To achieve targeted results, managers need to have a detailed knowledge and understanding of management-related subjects.

The biggest changes will inevitably be those that go with the grain of what is already happening. Internet technologies will thus reinforce outsourcing, a trend that has been in progress for at least two decades. They will further reduce inventory, a move that began long ago with just-in-time lean production. They will bolster globalization, allowing companies to manage overseas operations and connect with foreign suppliers in more intricate ways. They will highlight the emphasis on the customer that so many companies strive to achieve. They will accentuate the need for talented and inventive people, who will have an even sharper idea of their financial worth on the world market for human capital. They will enable the flat structures of modern businesses to operate more effectively and make them even less hierarchical.

Indeed, one of the truly remarkable things about these technologies is the extent to which they reinforce trends already under way. This reflects the fact that many of the things they do are not entirely new: Proprietary electronic networks have long allowed large companies to do what smaller firms can now emulate. But such networks, and packaged software applications such as ERP, tend to be cumbersome and expensive, forcing companies to accommodate them. By comparison, the Internet is flexible, accessible, inexpensive, and ubiquitous.

In the future, Internet technologies will give companies new control over their relations with their customers. The Internet will not just widen reach, allowing companies to reach new markets; more important, it will provide ways to deepen existing relationships. Here, as in many other areas, the development of a culture of trust will do the most to deepen the relationship. In addition, companies will develop more sophisticated tools to identify their most profitable customers, to retain them, and to sell them extra products. They will find subtle ways to price discriminate, for example, through developing two familiar concepts, loyalty schemes and clubs.
Given the importance of creativity and new ideas to corporate success, companies must work harder than ever to recruit and retain the right staff and to create a corporate culture that encourages loyalty and effective collaboration. With recruitment, as with customer management, identifying those people likely to contribute most to corporate profitability and concentrate on retaining and developing them will be critical. With staff, as with customers, acquisition costs will encourage companies to care about retention because profits per worker take time to accrue.

One of the earliest and most visible effects of Internet technologies is on purchasing. Here, a genuinely new business model has arisen: the electronic exchange, which will take several different forms, but will be built around a single standard that will allow different industries and different companies within an industry to transact freely with one another. In networks and in marketplaces, applying determined standards is one of the keys to realizing value. In purchasing within individual companies, central discipline will also be essential if companies are to benefit from savings and from new suppliers.
More far-reaching will be the impact on the management of supplier networks. Here, the key will be the power of Internet technologies to make information available simultaneously to many different points in a system. The transformation of the supply chain into an ecosystem will bring the biggest rewards when the whole production process can become more modular, so that different stages that once took place sequentially can now occur simultaneously. That change will speed production, reduce output, and increase the flexibility with which companies can respond to changing customer tastes.

In the past, the costs of transferring information have been one of the main factors determining the structure of the company. Now, that is far less true, and the consequence is that companies can make decisions about whether or not to outsource some process or to decentralize some authority in terms of the business case alone. The pressure to outsource will grow, partly because it will leave companies free to concentrate on what they do best rather than on what they merely do well. It will grow, too, because talent is scarce: Some of the brightest and best may choose to be free agents rather than wage slaves. However, when business is slack, employees may be less enthusiastic about going it alone; and outsourcing will have drawbacks when companies are keen to keep direct control over their quality of service and the reputation of their brands.

The benefits of Internet technologies depend not on their wizardry alone (which in coming years will seem remarkably ordinary and natural just as the phone does now). Companies will reap the full benefits only if they have appropriate structures and cultures. In creating those calls for skillful leadership, leaders must be able to cope not only with change, disruptive and continuous, but also with the pressures on decision makers to digest a ceaseless torrent of new data—a task that the next generation of managers will be better able to do. Leaders must be good at communicating both with the outside world and with their own people, and able to withstand the sense of managing in a fishbowl, visible to all. They must be as adept at making business decisions as at managing public opinion and issues, such as the environment and corporate social responsibility. Running a big company will remain one of the world's most complex and demanding tasks.

References:
http://hbswk.hbs.edu/archive/2839.html

AsSignMent 6 in MIS

2009-08-23T23:44:00.000-07:00

An IT consultant works in partnership with clients, advising them how to use information technology in order to meet their business objectives or overcome problems. Consultants work to improve the structure and efficiency and of an organization’s IT systems. IT consultants may be involved in a variety of activities, including marketing, project management, client relationship management and systems development.

They may also be responsible for user training and feedback. In many companies, these tasks will be carried out by an IT project team. IT consultants are increasingly involved in sales and business development, as well as technical duties.

Career development

As an IT consultant, your immediate prospects depend on the size and type of the organization you work for. Movement between employers is common. Larger consultancies have an established career structure for their staff, with frequent appraisals and an emphasis on individuals managing their own career. A typical consultant moves from the daily responsibility of a project to a more strategic role with team leadership and responsibility.

The IT industry is so diverse and IT consultants perform such a variety of tasks that your career may develop into a number of different industries and sectors. Once you gain generalist experience you may want to specialize in a sector or a program, e.g. SAP, Oracle, or work as a senior consultant.

IT consultants may take on greater responsibilities in another part of an organization (e.g. training and recruitment, project management, sales and account management roles). Other possible progression includes the development of specific technical expertise, possibly leading to contributing at national and international technical conferences. Some consultants go on to become IT specialists at partner level or IT architects.

If I will hired by the university president as an IT consultant what would I suggest (technology, infrastructure, innovations, steps, processes, etc) in order for the internet connectivity be improved is technology.

There’s no doubt that the hard market has brought a scarcity of coverage, an expansion of exclusions and a significant increase in premiums for public entities. As a result, these organizations are struggling to find new ways to protect their assets.

Today’s managers are being asked to do more with less. They not only handle risk financing, but also must focus on overall risk management strategies, such as safety programs, educating staff members on new policy and procedures, developing proper loss control strategies in key areas and determining the effectiveness of each initiative.

To improve performance, Manager need a more rapid and effective means to identify risks before they result in significant losses, to monitor key performance indicators, improve communications and share information among all stakeholders involved in the risk management process. To meet these needs, risk managers would significantly benefit from the connectivity, transparency and real-time benefits that Internet technology delivers. Thus, IT Consultant performs a variety of tasks that can help the improvement in this university.

Overview

An internet service is expanding rapidly. The demands it has place upon the public network, especially the access network are great. However technological advance promise big increase in access speed, enabling public networks to play a major role in delivering new and Improve telecommunication services and application to consumers.

Technology as a Tool; the Internet as a Vehicle

Organizations are now looking to the Internet as a way to more directly and immediately facilitate the accessing and sharing of information with key decision-makers. After all, one bad claim can result in thousands, even millions of dollars in losses. To identify and control these losses, public entities must utilize Internet systems to achieve connectivity, transparency and real-time notification:

Connectivity

Connectivity, in the context of computer science, refers to the use of computer networks to link computers to one another, and provide information resources between computer systems and their final users. On a collective scale, connectivity may refer to the Internet bandwidth coming into and going out of a country, and the quality of the infrastructure within the country for linking to the Internet.

Public entities have long been in search for convenient, cost-effective connectivity with individuals that need to communicate, including claims adjusters, risk managers, nurse case managers, supervisors and excess carriers.

In this way, they can share information as it develops. Traditionally, decisions to connect these individuals were based on the costs of building a connectivity infrastructure, typically utilizing dial-up or dedicated lines.

Today, the cost savings achieved by true Internet connectivity vs. building a “private” network can be measured in the thousands of dollars per location saved each year. Even for entities with a private network already in place, utilizing Internet-based solution for risk management and claims administration still pays for itself in a few months. These systems are also flexible, and easily adapt to new offices or remote users that may be connecting from a PC, Mac, PDA or even a mobile phone.

Transparency

In our consumer-driven society, convenience is of utmost importance. Everyone wants easy access to the information they need, without being bothered with where the information came from or how it was compiled.

Internet systems are vital to delivering critical information where and when it’s needed most. At the same time, the transfer and management of this information remain transparent. Instead of having to access multiple applications with different system requirements, user IDs and passwords, users simply retrieve what they need from one site. This saves an incredible amount of time, money and hassle.

For instance by using an Internet system, public entities have lowered both their training and installation costs for software, hardware and networking needs and achieved increased information transfer as users are more likely to use the application when using only one site.

A good example of transparency is a claims administration system that automatically accesses the latest labor codes, compensation rates, medical bill reprising schedules and PPO contracts. The user doesn’t have to “perform” an information update from their workstation, nor does the IT department have to manage multiple batch data interfaces.

One public insurance pool now accesses information for several data sources from a single site, streamlining communication between the pool, various members and their third-party administrators (TPA). At one time, the pool had utilized administrative staff members to fax information back and forth, create spreadsheets to track and create reports, and to obtain information from a variety of Web sites. After deploying the Internet system, the pool was able to re-deploy one FTE per each member to more productive roles, and significantly improved their claims outcomes. The savings in improved outcomes is more difficult to measure, but far exceeds the administrative savings.

Real-time notification

Keeping up with the latest, most important losses and developments within an organization is a critical issue. By using Internet-based business rules, a public entity can instantly inform its risk manager of an urgent claim or loss through native Internet tools like email or via wireless notification to a pager or cell phone. For instance, if a significant loss occurred, such as a fire at a school, the system would instantaneously notify key decision makers and managers about the incident, so they could initiate appropriate response measures.

Real-time notification allows risk managers and executives to be better informed, prepared for meetings, and compliant with statutory timelines. For instance, many tasks and functions in workers’ compensation run on mandated timelines. If these deadlines are not met, a public entity can be liable for penalties. With real-time notification, public entities can improve communication, and thereby reduce penalties on late regulatory reporting, late payments or late reporting on excess claims. As a result, a lot of savings have been achieved and penalties averted through real-time notification.

The Lay of the Land: Knowing What Internet Systems Are Available

Many of today’s people, feeling comfortable with the Internet in other areas of their lives, are more inclined to use the latest Internet tools for risk management. However, it’s important to understand the various types of systems that are currently available and the benefits and disadvantages of each:

Internet-enabled

Many public entities have Windows-based or mainframe-based applications that utilize the Internet for remote access and to drive one or two functions. For the most part, however, public entities cannot fully leverage the Internet’s real-time capabilities for their risk management functions using this model.

Application service providers (ASPs)

An ASP allows companies to access their system for a “subscription” cost. The ASP handles the installation, housing, maintenance and upgrades to the system. Many of these applications are client-server or mainframe applications that have been modified to run over the Internet, utilizing middleware technology, which not only creates additional technology expenses, but also creates vulnerabilities and/or problems in an organization’s firewall security.

Truly Internet-based/Browser-based

The latest applications have been specifically designed to run over the Internet. A browser-based system as its name suggests only requires a browser—which is a standard option on most PCs. Since browser-based applications do not require middleware, they are more cost-effective, secure and offer an improved Internet model. It allows for immediate access to information at anytime, from anywhere. More companies are looking to browser-based technology to solve their risk management needs.

Owning & Accessing Claims Data

IT Consultant not only needs access to claims information in order to analyze losses and key performance indicators, but they also need to monitor the claims process as a risk factor in and of itself. Claims process inefficiencies add significantly to claims costs. Many public entities are now purchasing their own browser-based claims administration system to ensure that the claims process is managed efficiently and to also have ultimate control over their claims data whether they are self-administered or TPA-administered.

Later, if a public entity decides to use another or an additional TPA, no data conversion is required; the new TPA simply logs on over the Internet to the entity’s browser-based system. In addition, public risk managers would not have to rely on the TPA to provide risk management reports, instead risk managers would have direct access to the information they need, when they need it. Internet-based business rules can also be set up to immediately notify individuals when certain types of claims or activities have occurred, so a proper response can be initiated.

Tracking Key Performance Measures

Until recently, few public entities had systems in place to capture the full range of data to analyze losses and to understand the effectiveness of their risk management initiatives. Today’s integrated claims administration and risk management systems available via browser-based technology now allow public entities to have a centralized data repository from which they can monitor key performance measures.

By leveraging the Internet’s connectivity, these measures are more readily accessible and can be utilized to identify potential opportunities for improvement and to formulate new initiatives that further reduce losses. If a key performance indicator is at a critical risk level, real-time notification can be leverage to automatically inform the appropriate decision maker or manager.

The Future of Internet Technology

Over the next quarter century, though, the Internet will help to transform companies, although the transformation may be too subtle for people to notice much while it happens. It will be most striking, at least in the medium term, in companies providing services: financial, travel, medical, educational, consultancy. Many manufacturing businesses will grow more like service industries: They will cater to the individual customer's tastes, for instance, and create a continuing relationship to ensure they get repeat purchases.

The connectivity, transparency and real-time nature of browser-based systems can help publican entities institute effective claims administration and risk management strategies. The quality of any initiative depends almost entirely on individuals receiving the “right” information to do their jobs effectively. The Internet has become a powerful tool that enables the access and sharing of information among all stakeholders. Public risk managers who use browser based technology can drive their risk management initiatives with greater business intelligence, simplicity, and control

References:
w w w . p r i m a c e n t r a l . o r g
http://www.prospects.ac.uk/p/types_of_job/it_consultant_job_description.jsp
http://www.prospects.ac.uk/p/types_of_job/it_consultant_career_development.jsp

AsSignMent 5 in HRM

2009-08-17T18:10:00.000-07:00

Human Resource defined the people that staff and operate an organization … as contrasted with the financial and material resources of an organization. It is the organizational function that deals with the people.

What is Downsizing?

Downsizing is reducing the number of employees on the operating payroll. Some users distinguish downsizing from a layoff, with downsizing intended to be a permanent downscaling and a layoff intended to be a temporary downscaling in which employees may later be rehired. Businesses use several techniques in downsizing, including providing incentives to take early retirement and transfer to subsidiary companies, but the most common technique is to simply terminate the employment of a certain number of people. Rightsizing is downsizing in the belief that an enterprise really should operate with fewer people. Dumbsizing is downsizing that, in retrospect, failed to achieve the desired effect.

Here are the following list of company that has undergone Human Resource downsizing and the cause and processes of it.

1.) Microsoft's Razorfish

Microsoft's online ad agency Razorfish laid off 40 staff in its New York office this afternoon, citing a drop off in business from the financial services sector.

"Many companies, especially those in the financial services sector, have been hit hard by the economic crisis. This has had a direct impact on our business, particularly in New York," Razorfish spokeswoman Sally O'Dowd said. "As a result Razorfish had to lay off about 40 people today, about two percent of our work force."
http://www.techflash.com/microsoft/Microsofts_Razorfish_online_ad_agency_cuts_NY_staff33609649.html

2.) Attachmate

Attachmate today laid off 10 percent of its staff, or 120 employees, as the software company adjusts to the growing economic problems. Company spokeswoman Melissa Liton did not immediately have information on the number of workers affected at the Seattle headquarters, though she said cuts occurred across most of the divisions and offices. “The reductions were necessary to ensure Attachmate maintains a healthy financial structure during this difficult and uncertain economic climate,” said Liton.

With the economic storm clouds darkening, a number of technology companies have cut staff in recent weeks. In Seattle, The Cobalt Group, RealNetworks and Marchex have all scaled back operations. Rumors have also circulated that Microsoft -- the anchor of the Seattle tech community -- may be preparing for a layoff later this month.
http://www.techflash.com/venture/Attachmate_cuts_10_percent_of_staff37314084.html

3.) Nokia

Finnish mobile giant Nokia has announced that it is trimming down its operations by cutting over 600 positions, mainly in marketing and sales departments. The Nokia Research Center (NRC), the business unit that explores and develops technologies that will be available in the marketplace in five to ten years, will also focus on fewer research areas from now on.
In addition to the lay-offs, Nokia is closing an entire company site (Turku) by the end of January 2009, but hopes to relocate all of its 220 employees to Nokia’s site at Salo or in the capital area in Finland. The changes in the Markets unit, Nokia Research Center and in other Nokia functions will come into effect on January 1, 2009.

In another release, Nokia touts the introduction of a range of low-priced mobile devices and new services catered specifically to people in emerging markets (e.g. India). In total, seven new handsets were announced, and the first services Nokia will offer in emerging markets will focus on email (Mail on Ovi), agriculture and education (Nokia Life Tools).

Like many businesses, Nokia is feeling the nasty sting of the economic downturn. Its recently announced Q3 earnings weren’t spectacular either (down over 28 percenton a year earlier), so these lay-offs don’t exactly come unexpectedly. It’s easy enough to find the irony when you look at the two news releases side by side, but I think Nokia is actually making the right strategic move by shifting its focus to custom internet services for countries where there is much room for growth and very specific needs.
http://recruitersdumpingground.blogspot.com/2008/11/nokia-cuts-600-jobs.html

4.) Hewlett-Packard

Hewlett-Packard began issuing layoff notices that could mean "hundreds" of lost jobs among Imaging & Printing Group workers at the company's Boise campus, according to sources who requested anonymity.

The laid-off HP engineer said furloughed workers will receive five weeks of pay and benefits, during which time they will train other workers to pick up some of their duties. The laid-off workers will be able to look for other jobs inside HP. If they don't find jobs, HP will provide an additional four weeks of pay and benefits, though the employees will have little to do and will not be required to be on site.
http://www.idahostatesman.com/235/story/482932.html

Cause of Downsizing

Downsizing occurs because a company’s business model is no longer producing an acceptable financial return. If downsizing is seen as a signal that “business as usual” is no longer acceptable, then it can be used as a catalytic event for strengthening a company’s competitive abilities. If downsizing goes beyond “laying off” people to laying off unnecessary processes, low margin products and customers, and non-value services, an organization can quickly improve its financial performance. Downsizing is an opportunity to shock the organization out of complacency and to find significantly better ways of running the business.

Role of Human Resource

Most line managers are so focused on who to terminate and how to keep up with the work demands, that they cannot readily see opportunities for improvement or strengthening the culture. The Human Resource manager can play a vital role during this transition period, since they are responsible for orchestrating the downsizing effort.

Given the organization uncertainty during downsizing, line managers can be much more receptive to suggestions from HR. This is the perfect opportunity for HR managers to assist line management in finding ways to adapt to working with less resource. Upside downsizing is a set of tools the HR manager can use to help managers get productivity and employee satisfaction not only back on track, but elevated to new levels. When properly implemented, upside downsizing will help both the company and HR’s stock increase.

Five tips for downsizing and layoffs processes:

When the company has already trying everything to reduce overhead to cutting back on employee hours and reducing energy costs. Nothing seems to be getting your small business on the road to recovery during these tough economic times and the only answer is company layoffs. This will be a difficult time for your business because nothing is easy when it comes to company downsizing. However, these five layoff tips will help you make the transition through this difficult time smoother and more effective.

1.)Plan and Act

Don’t resort to company downsizing in a frivolous attempt to save face. Company layoffs are a serious matter that should be approached with tact and diplomacy. You need to develop and implement a directed plan of action. Even if you are simply considering company layoffs as an alternative option for the future, it’s important to tackle the issue far in advance.

2.)Try to Increase Profit

Sometimes the real issue when it comes to company downsizing is not that there are too many people, but that there is too little profit. Focus a great deal of energy on increasing profit if company downsizing looks like it is on the horizon for your small business.

3.)Be Honest

When it comes to company layoffs, honesty is the best policy. Don’t hide information from your leaders and managers. If other employees come forward with questions and concerns, be sure to address them with complete sincerity. No layoff tips can help you avoid disappointing your workforce, but you need to be honest in order to build trust and maintain relationships through the eye of the storm.

4.)Prepare the Workforce

Even if you don’t know who will be laid of or when, it’s important to start preparing your workforce for the worst. Company layoffs should come as no great surprise. All members of your organization should be informed well in advance if this may become a possibility for your company. Hold a meeting and disclose pertinent, concrete information to your employees. Let them know that you are doing all that you can to avoid making layoffs and that company downsizing is a last resort. You might also consider welcoming any suggestions or tips from the workforce on how to further reduce costs and avoid layoffs.

5.)Avoid Legal Troubles

One factor you need to consider when designing company layoffs is that there are many legal issues. A corporate lawyer will generally provide layoff tips that say to design your layoffs around a last-hired, first-fired model. This ensures that employees cannot file suit regarding discriminatory acts against you. As a small business owner, you need to protect your remaining assets during company layoffs. Approach the situation on the basis of seniority and nothing more.

These layoff tips might not necessarily help you save jobs, but they will make the transition through a period of company downsizing more endurable. Company downsizing is becoming a harsh reality for thousands of people in a variety of industries, but you can make the best of the experience with these layoff tips.

Companies that do not use the downsizing experience as an opportunity to revitalize their business are doomed to repeat the experience. The HR manager can provide a missing leadership role in using downsizing as an initiative for building a more competitive company.

References:
http://adnetwork.kcilink.com/adclick.php?n=aafd07e6
http://www.morebusiness.com/company-downsizing
http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci759501,00.html
http://www.onpha.on.ca/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Human_Resources1&Template=/TaggedPage/TaggedPageDisplay.cfm&TPLID=4&ContentID=2204