Ashford BUS 611 Week 4 Assignment

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Ashford 5: – Week 4 – Assignment

Risk Status Report and Paper

Scenario
The Quick Drop 100 transition team has met to identify project risks, explore contingency plans, and assign owners to watch for symptoms and address the risks. The team surfaced the following information:

  1. Julie is scheduled for a one week vacation during month three of the project.
  2. The supplier of a common set of hand tools for the manufacturing floor notified the Roto Air Purchasing department that the tools will not be available until one month after manufacturing is scheduled to start. Alternative suppliers are available.
  3. The Human Resources department has indicated that despite their best recruiting efforts the two openings for skilled welders have resulted in no qualified local applicants.
  4. The manufacturer of the custom-built rotor forming machine now expects to be one month past the last acceptable date for installing the machine. No other suppliers exist for this item.
  5. Roto Air uses a Just In Time (JIT) delivery system for major components used at the Florida plant. Hurricane season often interrupts or delays deliveries during one of the scheduled months of the project.

Assignment Instructions

  1. Prepare a simple status report for senior management by creating a table within a MS Word document followed by an essay that discusses the options available. For each of the five risks:
  2. Determine if each risk should be classified as low, medium, or high based on its impact to the project.
  3. Differentiate the risk classifications in the table using green, yellow, and red shading to produce a status report that immediately signals the severity of the impact without reading the details.
  4. Describe one plausible risk response for each of the risks.
  5. Identify a team member to be responsible for monitoring each risk.

 

Complete the paper by explaining the options a project manager has available to lessen the effects of risk. These include acceptance, avoidance, control (mitigation), and transfer.

Your paper must be 900 to 1,200 words in length (not including title and reference pages) and must be formatted according to APA style as outlined in the approved APA style guide. Contextual (Level One) headings must be used to organize your paper and your thoughts. You must cite at least two scholarly sources from the Ashford Online Library, in addition to the textbook.

COMPETITOR ANALYSIS AND COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE Student’s Name University Affiliation EXECUTIVE SUMMARY CISCO Technologies is pleased to create this environment analysis having carried out an analysis of the various elements that constitute

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COMPETITOR ANALYSIS AND COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

Student’s Name

University Affiliation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

CISCO Technologies is pleased to create this environment analysis having carried out an analysis of the various elements that constitute a proper environmental and strategic management plan. The goal of this paper is to make an analysis of two potential markets in which CISCO can be able to invest in and expand its operations to. For this case an environmental analysis was conducted of China and Vietnam and at the end of the paper the company was able to consider the trade-offs and was able to explain the rationale for the relative risk and opportunity between the two countries. At the end of the paper, the company was able to recommend China as the better destination to invest in and proper reason was backed through the analysis of the environment which had been carried out.

The information that is contained in this analysis paper was gathered after a series of research from websites and national statistics of the two countries. Due to the nature of business that CISCO engages in it was very important to come up with means through which the business could establish its technology and be able to make profits relative to what is already being made in the home country operations.

In this report, there is an indication that China as an economy has been able to experience a very strong annual GDP growth rated at 10% over five years. The momentum is expected to grow and by 2020 China’s economy is expected to outgrow the United States. The country is experiencing high rates of savings, increasing skilled labor, export business growth, and potential urban development. This is expected to drive the country’s economy up over a sustained growth through 2012 up to 2017.

This study has indicated that foreign direct investment has been seen as the biggest driving force for the economic growth in China. The market in China is large and expanding, therefore, it has become a large magnet for large multinationals, and this has encouraged sprouting of small firms and growth in domestic production. The governments in China have been concerned specifically with reforms and simplification of the tax law in the country. The foreign direct investment procedures have been made simpler making China a viable destination for CISCO.

This paper has also indicated that targeting Vietnam as an investment destination is quite complex. In any case a detailed analysis is not carried out then this could only be a risky venture that will not yield important returns. The analysis of Vietnam based on the PESTEL framework is provided in this paper just as it was created by Johnson & Scholes (2008). The political environment in Vietnam has been seen as the most sticking factor that makes it as a country to be less attractive. There is the presence of the uniformed units and the limited political influence of the multinationals. It means that any company that invests here will be extremely limited in exposure to certain advantages that are gained in other countries. At the end of the paper, China is seen as the better destination compared to Vietnam due to the high potential that it brings about.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INTRODUCTION

In the current globalized business environment, it is important for firms to find out new markets in which they can venture into to sustain their profitability. The home markets for most firms are now being seen as inadequate due to a large number of foreign firms that open their branches in these countries. For CISCO Healthcare Technology, it is important to find potential opportunities in other countries to ensure future profitability that is certain. In this case, CISCO has identified China and Vietnam as potential investment destination where they can be able to take their goods and services. In this paper we will try to determine the potential opportunities and threats that exist in these countries through carrying out an environmental analysis through macro level and economic indicators as they are operative in the selected countries (Grant, 2010).

PESTEL analysis can be defined as a simple as well as effective tool that is used in the analysis of the business situation to identify the most important external forces that can affect the business organization. The forces can be both a threat and an opportunity for the business. In this case the aim of this paper is to carry out the PESTEL analysis that will help find out the current factors that are external in China and Vietnam that will affect CISCO and to exploit those changes which are the opportunities and defend against the threats (Grant, 2010).

 

 

 

 

 

COMPETITOR ANALYSIS

            In its efforts to provide telecommunication to companies and the healthcare industry in general, CISCO faces stiff competition from other players in the Mexican market. The company is faced with competition from different dimension; locally and globally. For this reason it is necessary for the management of the company to make sure that proper strategies are put in place to make sure that competitive advantage is improved for the benefit of the company. The following is an analysis of the three main competitors of CISCO.

PHILIPS HEALTHCARE ANALYSIS

            This is one of the strongest competitors of CISCO due to its competitive advantages.

Competitive advantages

i.                    Experienced business units strategically positioned in Mexico

An analysis if this competitor reveals that the company has very experienced business units established in the Mexico health industry. This is one of the issues that CISCO is trying to compete with in order to be more relevant in the business environment. Having experience in business units enables a business organization to know how well and where to invest its resources. Philips has a team of experienced employees who are very knowledgeable in this area and have helped the company to invest in the best business projects with the expectation of the best returns. This has enabled the company to be better positioned as compared to CISCO.

ii.                  Market dominance through pricing

Philips enjoys dominance of the healthcare market its tools and equipment are found in most organization. Since the establishment of the company, one of the primary goals has been to command the market in terms of presence. Due to the effective pricing strategies, this goal has been achieved. Many consumers are familiar with Philips’ products and find it difficult to switch to other manufacturers and this is on the best competitive advantages enjoyed by the company because competitors are more expensive. Despite the strong competition in the Mexican market; Philips has stood firm by delivering to its customers who continually demand its products because they are affordable.

iii.                Barrier to other competitors’ entry in Mexico

Philips is considered a barrier to entry into the market by competitors. The basic reason for this is the fact that the company is very aggressive in its strategies which have proved to be effective in Mexico; CISCO is finding it hard to enter the market. Depending on the nature of the strategies utilized by business organizations, they can either be successful or fail. Application of the most effective strategies is beneficial to an organization and works as a barrier to new entrants (Gerard & Amanda, 2015). This is a competitive advantage to the benefiting organization though it is seen as a great challenge by competitors. Philips is enjoying this as one of its greatest competitive advantages.

Competitive Weaknesses

i.                    High cost of establishment

The great performance of Philips’ products in the health industry comes at a cost. The company is forced to invest heavily in the production of its equipment for the industry. This makes it very costly to finance operations as well as compensating employees for the services offered. Apart from the need of businesses to be dominant in the market, it should also be noted that they need to make use of cost effective strategies in order to maximize their profits and be financially stable. Companies must be able to minimize costs of operations. This is one of the weaknesses of Philips as it spends too much in order to provide the best services to its customers.

ii.                  Low profits

Profit maximization is a critical objective of any business organization as it is the major determinant of financial stability. Companies that make larger profits are more financially stable and can easily sponsor other projects to boost their income. Philips faces the challenge of poor profits in Mexico as a result of its high cost of operations. As earlier stated, the company spends a lot of financial resources to carry out its operations and this has affected profits. Most the revenues are immediately used to invest in other business units spread across Mexico. The inability of making sustainable profits has made it necessary for the company to consider adjusting its strategies in order to meet the demands in the market. The future of the profitability of the firm is in doubt since current financial decisions are not guaranteeing future sustainability of profits.

GE HEALTHCARE ANALYSIS

G.E. Healthcare is a technological organization which specializes in medical imaging and information technology, patient monitoring system, medical diagnostics and disease research among others. It is a competitor to CISCO and its assessment is as follows:

Competitive Advantages

i.                    Leadership development

Leadership is the greatest pillar of GE’s competitiveness in Mexico. The company has experienced leaders and managers who make the best leadership decisions at any given time as need may arise. It should be noted that leadership is a critical element in the success of any organization because it makes it possible to make important decisions such as market segmentation. GE noticed how important leadership is and dedicated a lot of effort in it. For this reason, the company is among the best in terms of leadership development. Its leaders are among the best in the industry because of their ability to make the best decisions concerning challenges and matters of attention that may arise. Investment in leadership has enabled GE Healthcare to be among the leading companies and this has worked for its benefit as a competitive advantage because not many companies possess it.

ii.                  Innovation

In the simplest terms, innovation is the ability of coming up with new and creative ideas that are outstanding. GE Healthcare enjoys the advantage of innovation because it has come up with products that are ideal for Mexico. Innovation in GE Healthcare comes in different ways. The first way is strategies such as marketing; the company is able to come up with the best leadership and management strategies that enable it to get the best out of the Mexican health industry. Innovation has also stretched to the field of research and development. The company comes up with new products designed differently from what exists in the market. Creativity and innovativeness of a business organization is a competitive advantage.

iii.                Strong organization structure and culture

The structure and culture of an organization are important factors when it comes to the effectiveness of such an organization in the business industry. GE Healthcare finds this as a competitive advantage because it has worked in its favor. The company makes use of decentralized organization structure for all its branches in Mexico. Despite the existence of the hierarchy; there are many departments which have heads and supervisors that can independently make decisions. Decision-making is a very fast process in the organization and this is one of the competitive strategies that it enjoys. When very little time is taken to make a decision, it makes it easy for other issues to be focused on (Pinson, 2004). In terms of organizational culture, self-motivation is common phenomenon in the organization. Employees do not need to be pushed or supervised to perform their duties; they clearly understand what they need to do and do it to perfection.

Competitive weaknesses

i.                    Fluctuating profits

Financial stability is very important for any organization because this is the main foundation of the organization (Erica, 2012). For this stability to be achieved a business must be making steady profits from its operations. Marketing and pricing are among the fundamental decisions that directly affect profitability. This is a weakness because the company cannot effectively invest in diverse projects. Competitors take this as an advantage to diversify their operations at the expense of GE Healthcare’s weakness; CISCO is one company that has taken advantage of this situation. When competitors realize that a company has a particular weakness, they will adjust their strategies to take advantage of the case.

ii.                  Environmental and legal challenges

GE faces the challenge of continual involvement of legal cases especially with respect to the environment. Mexican authorities always keep a close eye on the company. The products are not very friendly environmentally and this has become an issue of concern. As compared to CISCO and other competitors, GE Healthcare’s products have a higher level of environmental pollution and there are cases recommending that the company should improve its products for interest of conserving the environment. This is a weakness because consumers in the market are also concerned about environmental friendliness of the products they buy. They want products that do not pollute the environment. The company is taking this concern as a weakness because it is likely to affect the demand for its products.

iii.                Product recalls

GE Healthcare has had the largest number of product recalls as compared to its competitors such as CISCO. The recalls are usually as results of realization that there were defects in the manufacturing process that could lead to problems later. Frequent products recalls by manufacturers affects the trust of consumers in the market. Consumers would not be free to consume products from a company that recalls too frequently. They will believe that the products are of poor quality.  This is likely to have negative effect on the demand of the products and the operation of the business will definitely be affected if correct decisions are not made quickly.

SIEMENS HEALTHCARE ANALYSIS

            Siemens Healthcare is a business organization whose main activity is providing supplies to the healthcare industry. The company has ups and downs which affect its business in different ways. It has made great steps in improving the health condition in Mexico after learning about challenges and opportunities in the sector. 40 million Mexicans have incomes not reaching the poverty line (PMC, 2002). The company moved in to provide affordable medical equipment for the locals.

 

 

 

Competitive advantages

i.                    Market segmentation

This is dividing a large market into smaller units in order to achieve efficiency and effectiveness. Market segmentation has enabled Siemens to create a brand image in Mexico; the company has been in operation for just more than five years and created a very strong brand image.  The company has gained a lot of trust from consumers of its products because of their reliability and durability. A strong brand image is a basic win because it improves customer loyalty and creates more demand for products.

ii.                  Market penetration

Siemens Healthcare enjoys the advantage of penetrating the market not only in Mexico but across the globe; This has enabled the company to command a large share of the market. It has significant customer base that has enabled it to remain competitive in the market. Customers are among the most valuable assets of any business organization and therefore efforts must be put in place to make sure as many of them as possible are attracted. Siemens has achieved this by increasing the number of its branches thereby making it easier for its products to be accessed by consumers in the market.

iii.                Stable financial base

Financial stability is the basis of investment for business organizations. Siemens has effective financial strategies in place and has helped a lot in making sure that the business on the right track financially. This is a competitive advantage for the company because it can provide adequate financial support to projects it feels are worth being invested in.

 

Competitive weaknesses

i.                    Less innovation

Siemens is not very innovative especially when it comes to product development. The company maintains the same design and model of products over a longer period of time as compared to other players in the market. Lack of innovation might cause a business to lose customers in Mexico. Siemens must consider improving its creativity and innovativeness.

ii.                  Weak internal control

Internal control plays a very important role in determining the general direction that an organization takes (Kotler & Kevin, 2009). Poor internal strategies might lead an organization in trouble. Siemens internal control is poorer than competitors’. The greatest weakness comes in decision making; it has centralized decision making system with only few members tasked with the responsibility of making decisions. This causes the company to take a lot of time to make decisions that would have taken shorter if the system was decentralized.

iii.                Overdependence on third-parties

Companies need third parties for operations but should not all the time. Siemens faces a challenge overdependence on third parties and this is likely to harm the organization. There is the risk of privacy and confidentiality being compromised making it easy for the company to be exposed to competitors. As much as third parties are important in operations, businesses should try to be as independent as possible so as to limit how much they are exposed to third parties.

 

 

ASSESSMENT OF CISCO’S COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

CISCO operates in a very competitive business environment and makes it necessary for the company to be creative and come with means that will enable it survive the present challenges (Cisco Resources, 2015). The ability of a company to remain competitive in a business environment depends on how it deals with challenges met. The company needs to have competitive advantages that it uses against competitors. As compared to its competitors, CISCO enjoys the following competitive advantages:

i.                    Market adaptability

This is the ability of adjusting so as to be in line with change in the market (Miklos, S. (2006). The healthcare business environment is very competitive and dynamic. Many changes occur over a very short period of time and companies are required to adjust their strategies to deal with the latest challenges. Adaptability is the greatest competitive advantage of CISCO; the company adjusts to change quicker than its competitors. With experienced and skilled decision-makers, the company is able to make strategic decisions within a short time. While competitors are still adapting to change, CISCO would be focusing on other projects that would improve its competitiveness.

ii.                  Exceptional customer service

Customers are the largest stakeholders in any business organization; there treatment is critical for business. CISCO provides the best customer service experience to consumers of its products thus making the company preferred by many. Most competitors just focus on expansion and profit maximization but CISCO has noticed the importance of acknowledging customers. The company has put in place measures for customer treatment that give it a competitive edge as compared to competitors. Customers are treated specially and in some cases they are awarded. Customer loyalty is achieved.

iii.                Strategic business alliances

Businesses need partners for the interest of improving efficiency and effectiveness but not all partners can help in achieving this target. Strategy must be applied in order to get the best partners or third parties that will be beneficial to the business. As opposed to Siemens Healthcare that over relies on third parties, CISCO makes only strategic alliances that will be beneficial. Through identification of strategic alliances in China, the company has a great competitive edge that is keeping it ahead (United States International Trade Commission, 2011). After clearly scanning the market and the best partners, the company is able to identify strategic partners that will help in achieving different goals and objectives. Formation of alliances must be done with great care so as not to end up settling on wrong partners. Effective alliances are competitive edges to business organization such as CISCO.

RECOMMENDATION

            The greatest recommendation for a competitive advantage for CISCO is carrying out a market analysis before implementation of any strategies. The company operates in a very competitive environment which is very dynamic and full of challenges. Strategies only become competitive advantages after they are effective. For effectiveness to achieved the strategies put in place must have solved the problem for which they were established. Basically, market research is highly recommended as it will improve the company’s competitiveness as well as mitigate competitive weaknesses. This kind of research will enable an organization to know what works and what does not (Baden & Mary, 2010). This implies that strategies that will be developed and implemented will have a higher chance of being effective. Given the size of CISCO, it is necessary that the market research team provides the best information concerning the market as well as competitors for the benefit of the organization.

References

Baden, C. & Mary, S. (2010). Business models as models. Long Range Planning 43(3): 156-170.

United States International Trade Commission. (2011). China: Effects of intellectual property infringement and indigenous innovation.Washington, DC 20436: United States International Trade Commission.

Cisco Resources. (2015, September 15). Retrieved from Cisco: http://www.investor-relations/resources

Erica, O. (2012). Strategic Planning. New York: John Wiley and Sons.

Flannery, N. (2015). How strong is Mexico’s economy? Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/nathanielparishflannery/2015/09/08/investor-insight-how-strong-is-mexicos-economy/

Gerard, H. & Amanda, H. (2015). Social marketing and communication in health promotion. Medicine and Health 6(2):135-145.

Kotler, P. & Kevin, L. (2009). A framework for marketing management. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall

Miklos, S. (2006). Market Segmentation, Target Market Selection, & Position. Boston: Harvard Business School.

Pinson, L. (2004). Anatomy of a business plan: A step-by-step guide to building a business and security your company’s future. Chicago: Dearborn Trade.

 

PMC. (2002). Health Care Quality Improvement in Mexico: Challenges, Opportunities, and progress. Retrieved October 6, 2015 from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1276627/

HRM 546 Human Resource Law Week 6 DQ

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Health and Safety in the Workplace

Last week, you met with Jackie about her time and attendance issues. She said that she understood and would try to do better.

A few days ago, one of the female employees calls you and tells you that Jackie is passed out in the Lady’s Room. You rush over, having called the EMT’s. When you arrive there, you see that Jackie is unconscious and is lying on the floor. Next to her is a rolled up dollar bill with white powder by it.

The EMT’s take Jackie to the hospital. Several days later, she calls you and tells you that her Primary Care Physician has approved her to return to work with no restrictions.

How do you handle this situation?

If Jackie filed for Worker’s Comp, based upon your knowledge of the situation, does she have a claim and should the company oppose her request?

If so, why so? If not, why not?

Please use academic and/or professional support to sustain your analysis.

OSHA

You are the Manager of a multi- story office building, which requires siding repair work.

One contractor gives you a proposal, that includes the usage of appropriate scaffolding, per OSHA requirements, alongside the walls in order to protect the workers. The price for the job will be an inclusive $10,000

Another contractor comes to you and makes a proposal whereby he will do the work for $5,000.00. He does not think that there is a need for scaffolding, as he has been doing this type of work for twenty years, has always relied upon ladders and has never had anyone fall.

The owner of the company is constantly facing a cash crisis and wants to go with the lower price.

How do you handle this issue? In your answer, please explain what employers should do to remain in compliance with governmental health and safety rules and regulations.

The owner has gone with the lower bid. One day the OSHA inspector comes upon the scene. It is rumored that the company who did not get the bid called the inspector to let OSHA know that work was being done without scaffolding.

How do you handle the owner’s response and the OSHA issue?

Ethics in the Work Place

You are the Regional Vice President of Sales for a large company. The company sponsors an annual trip to a MLB game. While there recently, you meet your colleague from another region. While talking with him, you offer to buy him a beer. He declines, stating that he is a weekly regular in AA and has been alcohol free for 8 years. He tells you that you are the first person in the company, who knows this, and that he would like to keep this matter private between the two of you.
Last week, you learn that you and he are up for promotion to Vice President of Sales for the whole company. The job requires a great deal of travelling and lots of socializing/wining/dining of current and potential customers and suppliers.
One of the members of the screening committee is a personal friend. You truly want this job and believe that, if it just slips out that the other person has had a drinking problem, such would tip the scale in your favor.
Do you tell or not? Why? Why not?

Please use formal academic and/or professional support to sustain your position.

Drug Usage in the Work Place

I remit a link to an article concerning drug usage in the workplace.

http://mashable.com/2014/09/17/going-to-work-high/

HRM 546 Human Resource Law Week 5 Assignment

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Formative Assessment Activities

Health Insurance Costs Versus Privacy

  • Computers by Design (CBD) is a small computer systems sales and service business located in the Midwest. The owners of CBD, Abigail, Megan, and Andy, are concerned about rising health care insurance costs. Abigail has researched the issue, and has learned that CBD can better control insurance costs by only hiring people who are less likely to make claims—the healthy, the fit, and the nonaddicted. She has proposed to the other owners a two-step program.
  • First, CBD would conduct preemployment health screenings, including voluntary genetic testing. It would not hire anyone who smokes or uses drugs, has any genetically linked propensity for an expensive disease, or is not physically fit.
  • The second step would be to give every employee a 12-month notice to stop using tobacco and nonprescription drugs and to submit to random, monthly testing. Employees would also be placed on a fitness and weight control plan. Professional assistance would be available at no cost to help them stop using tobacco and drugs and to help them meet weight and fitness targets. Employees who meet the goals would be allowed to stay with CBD. Those who refuse would be given a severance package and discharged.

Post a 750-word response that answers the following questions:

  • What are the legal issues involved here? Which of the measures proposed by Abigail are legal, and which are not? Explain the legal issues involved and reference specific pages from your readings to support your conclusions.
  • To what extent is an industry you are familiar with unionized and engaged in collective bargaining? Is the industry comprised of nonunion employees, unionized and nonunionized employees, or unionized employees? Explain why the industry does or does not have collective bargaining, and discuss what trends might tend to change the current situation in the near future. Be sure to incorporate both legal principles and relevant labor economics facts in your response. Provide references as appropriate.
  • Select one of the three areas of employment law to answer the question that follows:
    • Occupational Safety and Health
    • Employee Retirement Income Security Act
    • Fair Labor Standards Act
  • Considering one of the aforementioned entities, what are the differing responsibilities of the finance managers, first-line managers, and human resource managers with regard to your selected area?

What measures might Halcrow take to increase its retention of young professional graduates?   What measures might Halcrow take to increase its…

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  1. What measures might Halcrow take to increase its retention of young professional graduates? 

     

     

    1. What measures might Halcrow take to increase its retention of young professional graduates?

     

    Introduction to Halcrow

    Halcrow Group Limited is a multidisciplinary consultancy group specialising in the provision of planning, design and management services for infrastructure development throughout the world. Within this, the Group’s main interests are transportation, water,property and consulting. Although Halcrow has a background in civil engineering and associated specialisms,in recent years the group has extended its range of disciplines to cover architecture, project management, environmental science, transport planning and other non-engineering but related skills.

    Unlike many organisations, Halcrow does not have a mission statement, arguing that their ‘purpose … to sustain and improve the quality of people’s lives’describes their approach better (Halcrow, 2003). This purpose is underpinned by a series of values which outline those things that are important to the Group:‘Skills and innovation; Enjoying what we do; Delivering within time and budget’, codes of business behaviour and business principles.Halcrow’s first projects outside the UK were undertaken in the 1890s, such work now accounting for nearly 40 per cent of an annual turnover in excess of £200 million with the Group currently undertaking projects in over 70 countries. Recent projects in which Halcrow have been involved include the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, road construction near the Stonehenge World heritage Site, the International Congress Centre in Rome, Kuala Lumpur International Airport, new and refurbished stands for Chelsea Football Club, coordination of wetland conservation and river basin management for the Danube and its tributaries and managing pollution risk from the animal mass burial sites arising from the UK’s 2001 foot and mouth disease outbreak.

    Halcrow was founded in 1868 by Thomas Meik,the company becoming Sir William Halcrow & Partners in 1941. In 1985 a private limited company bearing the same name was formed, the most recent change being in 1998, when the various Halcrow businesses and departments became Halcrow Group Limited. The Halcrow Trust owns 90 per cent of Halcrow, with the remaining 10 per cent by its employees. Halcrow has grown extensively over the past decade and now operates through a network of 29 UK and 32 international offices. As part of this growth, the number of employees has increased from 1,700 to nearly 5,000 worldwide. Approximately 80 per cent of Halcrow’s employees are classified by the Group as professional and technical (P&T) staff who have a minimum of an undergraduate degree in engineering or a related subject. The majority are engineers who are also members of a relevant professional institution or are undergoing training to gain membership. The remaining 20 per cent of employees, including those in human resources, are classified by Halcrow as non-P&T and provide corporate support services.

    Halcrow Group’s strategy

    As a result of restructuring to meet the future needs of the business environment, Halcrow’s operations were brought together in 2001 as four main business groups: Consulting, Property, Transport and Water. These operate as a matrix structure across the Group’s eight geographical regions, this structure facilitating appropriate employees or teams to be brought together for specific projects throughout the world (Figure 1). Each of the four business groups is led by a management team comprising five people including a Group board director or managing director.

    Within each business group, P&T staff are assigned to technical skills groups the leader of whom is responsible for their training and career development. Employees are also assigned to an office in one of the regions. These vary in size from less than ten to more than 500 employees. The business groups and regional offices are supported by Corporate Support Services, comprising all the corporate and business support functions, including human resources, and located predominantly within the UK. At the time of writing, the human resource function had 31 employees divided between three teams: Personnel (22), Pensions (3) and Training (6) with a director at the executive level.

    In 2004, Halcrow launched its change program, ‘Act now’, which was designed to help the Group ‘to continue to develop in a dynamic and sustainable way’. The focus of ‘Act now’ was to align employees’ behaviors and approaches to Halcrow’s purpose, values, codes of behavior and business principles thereby improving individual, team and overall business performance. This was summarized in Act Now: Your Pocket Guide to Halcrow’s Change Program (Halcrow, 2004b: 8) as:

    To take Halcrow’s existing personality, strengthen all those things that are good about it, for example,

    our …

    •  technical competence
    •  dependability
    •  friendliness
    •  reputation for being a safe pair of hands
    •  Commitment
    •  pride in one’s profession

    … and give it some added extras …

    •  passion
    •  dynamism
    •  fleetness of foot
    •  better listening skills
    •  excitement
    •  innovation
    •  confidence (with a clear sense of self)
    •  being more celebratory
    •  consistent delivery to expectation
    •  greater commercial edge
    •  being performance driven.

    This change program is intended to be continuous rather than having a specific end date. It emphasizes the need for flexibility and the sharing of good practices and learning throughout the Group, the centrality of employees to achieving this, and the need to monitor and evaluate.

     

    SHRM at Halcrow

    The ‘Act now’ change program is central to everything that Halcrow plans to do in relation to the HRM strategy. The overriding concern is to change the organization’s culture. It is often said that the Group is full of people who are professional engineers and who take pride in a job well done. In essence, technical excellence takes precedence over commercial success. By the very nature of their training, Halcrow people tend to be concerned with ‘detail’ rather than seeing the bigger picture.

    This has served the Group well. But a recent client satisfaction survey commissioned by the Group did not show Halcrow in a uniformly glowing light. It reported that Halcrow emerged as technically excellent and a ‘safe pair of hands’ but those clients were looking for much more than technical competence and a track record. They wanted business partners whose behaviors were aligned to their own needs. In addition the Group was also seen as rather ‘grey’. The challenge for Halcrow is to retain the reputation for technical excellence and reliability while becoming increasingly commercially aware, flexible and,above all, more responsive to customer needs.

    Halcrow has designed several key HRM initiatives to support the change program. These are:

    The development of core competences –This is seen as important because Halcrow employees have traditionally emphasised the importance of professional qualifications above all else. The development of a core competence programme is designed to move the emphasis from what people know to what they can do.

    The introduction of 360-degree appraisal-It is envisaged that this will make a significant contribution the ‘Act now’ culture change initiative. The Group’s culture has always tended to reinforce the importance of hierarchy in that employees have been very conscious of their position in the organization. In addition, there had been something of an ‘ignore and deflect culture’ in which people sought to evade responsibility for mistakes rather than being open enough to learn from them. By opening up the system of employee appraisal to people above and below the individual being appraised and by seeking the views of significant other stakeholders, particularly customers, Halcrow management believe that a far greater degree of openness will be developed.

    The instigation of a profit share bonus scheme– This is particularly designed to create in employees a greater awareness of the Group’s profit performance. In the view of senior Halcrow management, this has the potential to make a major contribution to fostering in Halcrow employees more commercially aware values. In view of the fact that senior management have set clear targets for increases in Halcrow’s profit performance, greater knowledge of the Group’s profitability is seen as an effective way of focusing the minds of employees on profit performance.

    The development of ‘ideas labs’ – This is an important part of the Halcrow management of innovation programme which is designed to promote innovative thinking and enable commercially valuable ideas to be implemented. It is designed to:

    add value to the business;

    • encourage cross-integration between disciplines;
    • give staff ownership of the ideas put forward.

    Overall, the key change issue that is driving SHRM is the need for Halcrow to be more responsive in the light of a more competitive industry. Therefore,the principal aim of the new HR initiatives is to generate more competitive employee behaviours which, in turn, is envisaged will generate better all-round employee and business performance.

    There are other critical issues facing HR at Halcrow.An important one of these is a consequence of customer feedback. Increasingly this shows that customers are taking technical excellence for granted when making decisions about which consultancy group to employ. In view of Halcrow’s reputation for technical excellence among customers, this is bad news for the Group. As the HR director explained the world has moved on. Clients are now more demanding and want more all the time. Among the most demanding clients are the public sector. In the UK, Halcrow management feel that the UK government’s Private Finance Initiative (PFI) has contributed to change in the industry. (The PFI is a mechanism developed by the government to raise money to pay for new buildings and services.Under PFI schemes a public authority buys the services of private-sector companies to design,build, finance and operate a public facility, such as a hospital. The private-sector companies borrow the money for the scheme and then the government pays an annual fee to the companies under a longterm operating contract for the services.)

    Three examples of the more demanding nature of clients are evident, each of which demands an HR response. The first is clients asking for an assurance that the staff commencing work on a project willstay with the Group for the duration of the project. This is a key issue in an industry where the reputation of the consultancy is such that, in effect, the staff appointed to a project can be a more important factor in the client’s decision to engage a particular consultancy than the consultancy group itself. Theimplications for HR are twofold. First, it must assure both external and internal clients that succession planning is in place. In the past this was not an HR strength at Halcrow or other similar consultancies,but is an issue that is now receiving more attention.The second implication is the problem of retention.There is a shortage of high-quality consultants throughout the construction and engineering sectors and competition for consultants is high. Like the sector in general, staff turnover is high at Halcrow.

    This is an issue that senior management knows must be addressed. The problem is exacerbated by the declining number of construction-related graduates in the UK, the number of students studying relevant courses in the UK dropping by 10 per cent in the late 1990s.

    A second example of the more demanding nature of clients is the requirement that companies state their policy and practice on employee diversity and equal opportunities. Again this presents a problem for companies in this sector, like Halcrow, which has been traditionally male dominated and has, until recently,employed considerable numbers of expatriates in its overseas operations. In the UK onstruction industry as a whole, the proportion of women employed is less than 9 per cent (Egan, 1998).

    The third example of client demands is the requirement that companies offer assurances over corporate governance. In the light of corporate scandals such as Enron and Parmalat, this is understandable.

    The HR response to this is to ensure that global training of key staff to ensure compliance with industry standards takes place. In addition, organizational structure issues, such as the revision of reporting relationships to ensure greater transparency, are receiving attention.

    The level of staff turnover at Halcrow and decline in the number of graduates entering the construction-related industry has shaped another HR priority for the Group. This is to define more clearly a people statement that states more precisely what is meant by ‘employer of choice’. In particular, Halcrow is concerned about losing high-quality graduates to the financial sector, both at the time of graduation and after they have worked with the Group for a short period. High-quality graduates can earn more money in financial services. In addition, younger graduates are more concerned with the work–life balance issues and their own staff development than were their predecessors. A measure of the significance of this issue to Halcrow is the large number of graduates employed each year, this being 133 in 2003.

    There is also worry over an ageing workforce in the construction industry in general. It is felt by the HR director that employees and employee issues at Halcrow need to be higher on the list of Group priorities. Staff turnover is now a key performance indicator for the HR director. In her view ‘it is no good imposing things upon people at Halcrow – the Group need to win hearts and minds’. This is typical of companies employing a high proportion of professional staff who tend to define, and act upon, their own standards of professional behavior.

    An HR strategy can be seen to be emerging at Halcrow, one that will demand vision and skill from the HR function. According to the HR director these are not qualities which the function has always displayed. She feels that HR has a major job to do because it has been perceived by Halcrow managers as ineffective in the past. Halcrow managers are critical and demanding and expect to receive effective assistance from the service functions. However, the importance accorded to technical excellence within Halcrow had created a culture where service functions, such as HR, were under-valued. Halcrow has traditionally called its staff ‘professional and technical’ and ‘non-professional and technical’ – the language reinforcing the message of P&T staff as fee-earners being the most important people in the Group. In addition, the HR function has been largely administrative rather than strategic, a situation that is now changing because of the HR challenges that Halcrow faces. The HR director is very conscious of developing professionalism in the HR team by developing team members’ confidence and helping them acquire professional qualifications through the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

    The HR director argues that it is essential to develop a more customer-focused HR team. The lead provided by the HR director is important. Both she and the training manager have experience in leading change programs in their previous companies. It is also a help that the HR director has a close link with the chief executive officer. This enables her to ask for the support necessary to drive through the HR initiatives. The HR director has also started giving increasing amounts of ‘professional’ work to her team members. An example of this was a case where redundancies flowed from business restructuring in one part of the Group. One member of the HR team handled all aspects of this. The HR director is also paying attention to mentoring and coaching her team.


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Mission, Visions and Values

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This week you are asked to prepare the mission, vision, and values for the clinic scenario that was explained in the Course Project – Introduction.

 

Mission

It is a general statement of an organization’s overall purpose and philosophy. The statement explains why the entity exists. It focuses on today; what the organization is now. The statement is the foundation for all other planning. It should not be changed often, but rather occasionally reassessed to ensure that it is still consistent with the organization.

The statement is usually only one or two sentences. It is easily understood and communicated. Employees should know be able to easily learn and know the mission of the organization.

Vision

This statement explains what the organization wants to become in the future. It focuses on tomorrow and presents a picture of the future that the organization hopes to achieve. The statement should not be abstract, but rather a concrete picture of a desire state.

Values

These are deeply held beliefs within an organization. They explain how an organization expects its employees to behave. They should remain consistent over time.

Conduct research to view examples of missions, visions, and values for several health care organizations. Make note of how each of these is written and the types of things that are included.

Compose a mission, vision, and values for the fictional organization described in the Course Project Introduction.

 

 

 

EXAMPLE

You are the Clinic Manager at ABC Clinic, a rural family practice clinic which is part of larger health network. The clinic is located in a community with a population of about 9,000 people. The facility uses outside services for some advanced diagnostic testing; routine tests are conducted on site.

Members of your staff include the following:

  • Clinic Manager (1)
  • Supervisors (3)
  • Receptionists (2)
  • Health Information Technician (1- RHIT)
  • Medical Coders (2- RHITs)
  • Laboratory Technicians (2)
  • Radiology Technicians (2)
  • Nurses (3- RNs and 3- LPNs)

The Clinic Manager reports to the Director of Clinics. The two Supervisors report to the Clinic Manager. The two receptionists, the Health Information Technician, and the two Medical Coders report to the first Supervisor. The Laboratory Technicians and Radiology Technicians report to the second Supervisor. The six Nurses report to the third Supervisor.

 

You also have four physicians on staff. Though there is no direct reporting relationship between you and the physicians, you do have a staff relationship with them.

Assignment 2: American Disabilities Act (ADA) The University of Nebraska Medical Center-Omaha hired you as a diversity management consultant. The vice president for center operations wants to highlight the medical center’s reputation for excellence in acc

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Assignment 2: American Disabilities Act (ADA)

The University of Nebraska Medical Center-Omaha hired you as a diversity management consultant. The vice president for center operations wants to highlight the medical center’s reputation for excellence in accommodating individuals with physical disabilities. As per the contract, one of your deliverables is to write an article on this topic for the medical center newsletter.

From your years as a diversity consultant, you are familiar with the ADA. Discuss the key aspects of ADA that you will share with all employees so they understand the importance of the topic. Include a discussion on how ADA assists organizations in maintaining a diverse workforce.

Write a two-page article, in Word, for the medical center’s company newsletter, which clearly identifies the key elements and importance of the ADA and how ADA can be used to help organizations maintain a diverse workforce.  Your article should conform to APA standards and include at least three references from the AU library and/or the Internet which support your assertions.

, deliver your assignment to the M2: Assignment 2 Dropbox.

Assignment 2 Grading Criteria

Maximum Points

Identified and explained the key elements and importance of the ADA.

30

Explained how ADA assists organizations in maintaining a diverse workforce.

30

Supported assertions with examination of evidence and reference to authoritative sources using the online library and text.

30

Applied current APA standards for editorial style, expression of ideas, and format of text, citations, and references.

10

Total:

100

 

 

 

Can you please have this completed by Monday 9/28

 

 

Assignment 4: Privacy Laws and HR International HR is concerned not only with cultural differences between groups but also on the additional challenge of simultaneously working within different legal systems. This often means that all employees are not

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Assignment 4: Privacy Laws and HR

 

International HR is concerned not only with cultural differences between groups but also on the additional challenge of simultaneously working within different legal systems. This often means that all employees are not treated equally. HR is responsible for establishing and maintaining the delicate balance required to adhere to local laws while treating all employees fairly. 

Review the international privacy laws for three different countries. You may begin your research at the following Web site:

 

 

Based on this resource and your research, respond to the following:

 

  • What impact do international privacy laws have on human resource management, specifically in regards to the interviewing and hiring process?
  • What are the important features of the laws in the three countries you chose? Are there any features that surprised you?
  • What are the restrictive aspects of the laws you reviewed? How would these impact hiring and ongoing employment in that country?
  • As technology develops, what changes in the law do you foresee becoming necessary?

 

Write a 4–5-page paper in Word format. Apply APA standards to citation of sources. Use the following file naming convention: LastnameFirstInitial_M4_A2.doc.

 

 
Maximum Points
Discussed the impact of international privacy laws on the interviewing and hiring process.
20
Discussed the important features of the laws in the three chosen countries.
20
Identified the restrictive aspects of the laws and explained their impact on the hiring and ongoing employment relationship.
20
Discussed potential changes in legislation based on the development of technology.
20
Wrote in a clear, concise, and organized manner; demonstrated ethical scholarship in accurate representation and attribution of sources; displayed accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
20
Total:
100

 

thank you,

leadership of organization (courage an selflessness)

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Comfort Zone Sphere Exercise 

•  Take a piece of paper, and draw two large circles on it. Label the inner part “Comfort Zone” and outer part “Panic Zone”.

•  Prepare a list of decisions, situations, or actions you experience and encounter on a different paper. 

•  Now classify and write down above mentioned items as either in the comfort zone or panic zone. The most comfortable ones would be located towards the center and difficult in the outer area that is the panic zone. 

•  Evaluate those actions outside the circle and write a reflection paper on what barriers keep you from having those within the circle.

•  Write an action plan of how you will expand your comfort zone circle. Include specific actions you will do. 

 

Reflect on what you did the first day in class and incorporate that too:

First Day of Class: 

Each student will stand in front of the classroom and answer the following questions:

•  Why did you choose Healthcare?

•  When did you know you were different from everyone else?

•  (Optional) What Values do you bring to this course and what do you want to improve on?

 Write a short paper explaining your feelings in the first day of class exercise, include your feelings on your comfort zone, your comfort zone action plan, and how you will become a servant leader in the future.  Explain what selfless means to you and how you will be so in your career. Overall, how will you and/or are you courageous, selfless, and committed to HC?

Activity 1_01

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Title Activity 1_01
Due Dec 31, 2022 11:55 pm
Number of resubmissions allowed 1
Accept Resubmission Until Dec 31, 2022 11:55 pm
Status In progress
Grade Scale Points (max 125.0)
Modified by instructor Apr 22, 2013 12:52 pm

Instructions

Activity #1: Orientation to Graduate Studies

As a graduate student at Ashworth College, it is imperative that you understand the basic concepts presented in this assignment. This Activity, which is comprised of three (3) parts, will allow you the opportunity to practice the tasks presented in the Lecture and Research Update; although this Activity may seem very basic to you, these are tasks that will be required of you as a graduate student at Ashworth College. Remember that the tasks in this Activity are quantified; therefore, your grader will award points for each task that you complete. Use standard English grammar and mechanics, and proofread your work carefully before submitting it. (125 points) (A 1½ -page response, 6 slides, a script, and a bibliography are required for the combination of Parts A, B, and C.)

Part A File Name and Upload (10 points)
  1. File Name:  Your documents must be named with the appropriate file names as discussed in the Lecture and Research Update.
  2. Upload:  Your documents must be uploaded in the correct location on the Web site.
     
Part B Essay:  In a short essay, discuss three (3) concepts presented in this Lecture and Research Update by explaining how they will help you in completing your graduate degree.  Give examples for each. (45 points) (A 1 ½ -page response is required.)
     
Part C PowerPoint Presentation and Script:  Create a PowerPoint presentation that could be presented to entering graduate students in the MBA program.  (70 points) (6 slides, a script, and a bibliography are required.)
  1. Slides:  In the presentation, explain what plagiarism is, what its penalties are, and how it can be avoided.  Be sure that your presentation includes specific examples that help the student understand this important concept.  Be sure that the slides in the presentation are visually pleasing and that they communicate the message logically.  Include at least six (6) slides in your presentation.
  2. Script:  Along with the PowerPoint slides, you must submit in a Word document a script of what you would say during the presentation.  Each slide must be addressed in the script.  Follow the sample script in the Lecture and Research Update.
  3. Sources/Bibliography:  Use two (2) sources other than the Lecture and Research Update and include an APA-formatted bibliography listing those sources.