The concept of a contract Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The concept of a contract - Case Study Example However, it was later viewed that lack of proper operational performance and improper management of DB, resulted in the failure of the overall project (USA Gov, 2013). Critically observing, it can be identified that DB had intentionally overlooked its implied obligation to maintain transparency and systematic order in its service delivery process. Tactfully, DB withdrew from performing any written contractual promises, which was overlooked by the other two parties involved in the contract. Certainly the absence of firm verbal intimation regarding the offer and acceptance of the contract along with specific proclamations of clauses to be adhered by the parties involved had been a major setback for the sufferer, i.e. SCT (USA Gov, 2013). However, given the legal guidelines of having a viable contract SCT can take legal directions even with the non-availability of any written proof to the contract. Considering, the fact that DB had delivered the services demanded through the contract by SCT, it can be affirmed that a contractual relationship existed between DB and SCT. 2. Ethics in legal decision making plays a vital role, as it helps in taking legal decisions, which are accepted within the societal context. Legal terms between the two parties owing to contractual agreement inculcate ethical considerations for effective completion of the contract. In a contractual agreement, ‘Breach of Confidence’ plays a vital role in assuring both the parties to undertake ethical measures within this particular contractual relationship. Critically, observing, it can be ascertained from the case study that two of the contractors of DB have violated the legal implications of ‘Breach of Confidence’. Considering the case scenario, it can be observed that two external contractors of DB have leaked some vital information relating to a contract of their company with a Taiwanese’s firm. The case further states that the two external contractors conveyed t he client i.e. SCT about the DB’s failure in meeting the requirements of the Taiwanese’s firm, which leads to a greater monetary loss of the parent company. However, owing to the aforesaid scenario, it can be comprehended that ethical and legal implications can be implemented complying with the disloyalty of the two external contractors. In this regard DB can firstly terminate the contract with both the contractor under the ‘Breach of Privacy Law’. Concerning with the abovementioned act, it implies about the authority of an organization to create its own privacy rule while making sure that minimum standards are applicable to protect the private information of the company (Andrews, 2011). Secondly the company can take legal action that would restrict the two contractors from conducting such illegal activity. Additionally, the company could also ask the legal advisor to undergo a detailed investigation about the whole scenario and make decisions accordingly. However, the company can ask the legal body to charge monetary fines pertaining to the breach of confidentiality as a legal implication. Considering the aforesaid scenario it can be apprehended that ethical consideration the company could have provided them their salary which would have restricted them from taking such illegal steps (Australian Government, 2012). 3. Critically, examining the case scenario, it can be comprehended that DB has violated numerous rules and regulations associated with the contractual agree

Animal Cruelty Essay Example for Free

Animal Cruelty Essay Renà © Descartes, a famous philosopher, once argued that, â€Å"animals are not sentient- they are machines, like mechanical clocks, devoid of feelings and incapable of experiencing pleasure or pain† (Vaughn). Today, unlike Descartes, most people believe that animals are intrinsically or instrumentally valuable, also, whether they have or deserve any rights. Defining what cruelty is has been very subjective. To some people. An animal is just property and they can beat it around as much as they want, to others, animals are part of their family and they would never lay a finger on them. There is legislation against animal cruelty but because there is so much subjectivity, the legislation fails to deter people from abusing their animals. For there to be equal justice for animal cruelty people must agree on a completely objective definition of what is cruelty and what is not. see more:animal cruelty essay Legislation for animal cruelty varies state to stat. Ohio has laws for animal cruelty in general and a section for cruelty against companion animals. The law defines companion animals as â€Å"any animal that is kept inside a residential dwelling and any dog or cat regardless of where it is kept: (Ohio Cruelty). The law does not consider any livestock or wild animal as a companion animal. The legislation then goes into what it considers cruelty, torture, or neglect. The punishments outlined in the law include jail time, fines, and the removal of their animals. The one thing that is not counted for in this legislation is the emotional ties to the animal. Every person is emotionally attached to their animal in a different way. There is no real objective way to measure how much an animal means to a person. Just because a person is emotionally attached to their animal, that does not mean that they will not commit any act of cruelty against their animal. It is said that Michael Vick claimed to love his dogs even though he subjected them to fog fighting. It is possible that in him mind he truly believed he cared for his doffs. In less extreme cases, a person could love an animal but still strike it when it was bad, In their mind the dog was bad so it deserved to be beaten,. They just do not see that as being animal cruelty. Most people believe that it is wrong to be cruel to animals. Within  different societies, animals are treated differently. Depending on how and or where a person was raised, an animal could be a loved pet that is part of their family, or they could just treat it as property and a tool that is just there for their personal use. According to Ohio law if a person owns a dog then it is considered a companion animal, no matter if it is kept in their residential dwelling or not. IN one situation the owner keeps their dog in their house and it is a part of the family. They treat their dog like a baby, petting, playing, and cuddling with it. In another situation the owner keeps their fog outside and uses it as a watchdog. The only interaction with the dog is just checking to make sure it has food and water, and maybe a quick pat on the head, and gives it a â€Å"good dog† praise. It is quite easy to see that he first person loves their dog. It is not so easy to tell in the second si tuation. They may truly love their dog and that was how they were raised to treat it. They could also have emotional attachments to the dog, such as being proud, without really caring about the dog. Kind of like my dog is bigger than your dog pride. Within the law both situations are considered equal, even though they are unequal in the emotional attachment to their animals. Living in Ohio we are familiar with the Amish culture. They live a more simplistic life without modern technologies, usually farming. Amish are known for their horse-drawn buggies that they use to get around. They also use horses to help on the farm. To some of them, horses are merely a tool and once the horse gets too old and can no longer do what they need it to do, the kill it, To them that is just the way it is, they do not consider that being cruel, People outside the Amish lifestyle have tried to come in and rescue the horses so that they can continue to live, even though they cannot work anymore. Amish are also known for owning ‘Puppy Mills’. Puppy mills are breeding kennels in which dozens, or even hundreds, of dogs are allowed to live in small cages for their whole life, as long as they are given the basics, food, water, and shelter. (Puppy Mills) These mills are not illegal. Some of these Amish-owned [puppy mills treat their dogs very poorly. â€Å"The Amish say they raise dogs much as they would any other livestock, restricting the dogs  to small cages and killing the parents when they are no longer productive† (Hinds). To most people this sounds horrific because they consider them to be companions, not livestock. Animal cruelty is subjective, and that is why legislation is not working to stop it, there needs to be an objective measuring system to measure an animal’s current welfare. There is debate to what standards need to measure and of what weight to put on each of the standards. The one thing that is known is: â€Å"Defendable animal welfare standards require scientific knowledge about animal biology to determine their physiologic, health, environmental, an behavioral requirements. However it is important to note that ethical or value-based judgments provide the underpinning for the scientific questions posed† (Millman). By looking at an animal’s physical behavior, and other factors, and comparing them to the standards, the welfare of the animal can be determined. Millman was talking about measuring the welfare of livestock. The same theory can be applied to companion animals as well. If there are things that [people can look at to determine objectively that an animal is being related cruelly, then legislation will be able to be written that will apply to everyone and will work in every situation, no matter the emotional connection to the animal. Once there is an objective way to measure animal cruelty, the public need to be educated about it. IF more people know what exactly counts as animal cruelty, then they will be more likely to report it. Currently, shows like Animal Cops: Houston bring animal cruelty out of the shadows and show the public that animals are really being abused and that people do get punished for their actions. The Houston Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is just one of the numerous societies in the U.S. that are fighting against animal cruelty. It is said that â€Å"The HSPCA receives over 10,000 reports of animal cruelty or neglect each year† (About Animal Cops: Houston: Animal Planet). People need to be aware of animal abuse to be able to report it. â€Å"Without phone calls from concerned citizens, officials wouldn’t know about most instances of animal abuse. IT all comes from the public† (Maloney). Once people report cases than the people can actually be punished for their actions. In Ohio, Whoever violates the current animal abuse law can be convicted of a misdemeanor of several degrees, and possible a felony of a certain degree. The punishments include jail time and fines, along with the removal of the animal from the convicted person. Some people do not think that the current punishments are fair for the crimes committed. One study gave people different scenarios and asked them to rate the punishment that was given. The Study showed that people were speciesist and chose harsher punishments for abuse on certain animals like puppies as compared to other animals such as chickens. The study found that the most important factor of the punishment was restricting the perpetrator’s ability to adopt an animal in the future. The study also found that the crime type (abuse or neglect) and the crime outcome (life or death) were not strong variables of punishment ratings (Sims). In Some cases, the abuse or neglect of an animal was just because of ignorance. IN those cases the person usually would just be educated about the proper treatment of animals and would not be punished, unless they were found to have not changed and still committed the abuse even though they knew it was wrong. Each crime is different and is judge d by different people so the perpetrator’s punishment tends to vary a bit. IF there was an objective way of identifying animal cruelty then it would be easier to make punishments fairer. The key to fairly assessing animal cruelty is being able to objectively identify it. Once it becomes objective, emotional ties will not determine what is cruelly. People then need to be aware of what is considered animal cruelty and report it when the see it. After that the crime can be fairly punished.

Bajaj Auto Limited | Analysis

Bajaj Auto Limited | Analysis The global economy and the market are growing faster than ever. The current business situation is in a state where they need to reshape their ideas constantly. The change has become so inevitable that without it a company couldnt survive in this competitive world. Change is the process of taking a company from current position (state) to a desired or expected position (state) and at the same time dealing with the problems that arise in the process, then change is about the management. (Gill, 2003). Change is something that cannot force upon, it is a gradual process of transformation that can affect the entire structure. Change management is an organized, methodical application of the knowledge, tools, and resources of change that provides organizations with a key development to achieve their business strategy. But change management is not a distinct discipline with rigid and clearly defined boundaries (Burnes, 2004). Organisations may not get their desired outcome if the change management is not effective. With effective management of change we can easily achieve a better turnover, expand the business, reduce cost of sales, maximise profit and even retain the same employee satisfaction. There are two angles in which a change can be viewed one from the management who are implementing it and another form the employees who undergo it. In the past, the affect of change agents on a business organization was very small but as and when the business transactions started to happen on global basis, the agents that could lead into organizational change also increased. The affect of a change can be felt in global way just like the current financial crunch that is happening around world. Brief History of Bajaj Auto Limited The Bajaj Group is one of the top 10 business organisations in India. The Bajaj Group has a wide range of industries such as, Bajaj Auto Ltd, home appliances, lighting, iron and steel, insurance, travel and finance. But the groups main focus is Bajaj Auto which is ranked as the worlds fourth largest two- and three- wheeler manufacturer and is well-known in over a dozen countries in Europe, Latin America, the US and Asia. Jamnalal Bajaj founded Bajaj Auto Ltd in the year 1926, which did mainly import and sell two or three wheelers. In the year 1959, the company secured a license from the government of India to manufacture two and three wheelers. From this license, the company started to grow and in the same year, it went in collaboration with Piaggio to manufacture scooters and marketed under the brand name Vespa. By the end of the 10 year agreement with Piaggio, the company started manufacturing its own scooters under the brand name Chetak which pushed the Indian market to top boom and stayed as market leaders in scooter industry for a long period in India. The scooter made a strong brand image among people especially the middle class families who longed to have their own transport which was economical, durable and easy to maintain which was the key factor for their dominancy in market. The cost of motorcycles was 30% high when compared with scooters, so common people prefer it. Another factor for the market dominancy was the restriction for international brands in the Indian market. Hence the company faced no much competition. After the effect of globalisation when international organisation started to enter the Indian market, the competition faced by Bajaj was severe. The international companies had invested a lot in Research and developments and had better features and fuel efficiencies and this started to trouble the Bajas rule over the Indian market. When the price gap between motorcycles and scooters narrowed consumers started to shift to motorcycles because they were more able to travel on a terrain and had much greater ground clearance. When banks started to give loans to own vehicles it was a dream come true for most of the Indians and thus the consumer preference shifted to motorcycles rather than scooters. To conclude the situation created because of the companys lack of interest in RD, the turn over market dominancy and overall market value of the company starts declining constantly. (Source: www.bajajauto.com) Changing Scenario In the early 1990s, the market saw a great recession in the Indian two wheeler sector; overall sales of two-wheelers declined by 15% in 1991 and 8% in 1992. This period also saw a steep rise in fuel prices, which resulted in consumers placing greater emphasis on fuel efficiency when purchasing a new two wheeler. Fuel efficiency of scooters were comparatively less with motorcycles. When banks started financing for buying new vehicles common people shifted to motorcycles which can save a fortune in fuel. Japanese companies like Honda motor co. ltd (Honda), Suzuki and Yamaha started their operations in India through joint ventures with Indian companies like hero Cycles ltd, TVS, Escorts, etc. All these joint ventures were in the motorcycle segment. The foreign firms came with the latest technology and efficient production systems, which dramatically improved the quality of motorcycles available in the Indian market. Soon the foreign companies started introducing more new models with contemporary technology, styling and greater fuel efficiency. Then, the entire Indian market witnessed a change that was not at all foreseen by the company. The consumer preference shifted from scooters to motorcycles, which affected the company drastically in a much big way. This was because the difference in the ratio of youngsters and mature adults. In addition the motorcycles became cheaper, more fuel-efficient and was capable to ride with ease in any terrain. The arch rivals, Hero Honda was the company the Bajaj had to compete, but it was in vain as Bajaj had not once thought of modifying their scooters or thought of bringing new motorcycles into market and ultimately Bajaj had to give up its throne of the largest two wheeler company. The model Bajaj was rolling out of the company was a geared scooter. In the year 2005-06 with the entry of gearless scooters Bajaj lost its dominance over the Indian market to the gearless scooter named Activa from Honda, which was more comfortable for old people as well as women and even men have started to use Activa for their short errands because of its ease of use. Forces of Change Organisational change is triggered by performance falling below expectations or aspiration levels (Nilakant Ramnarayan, 2006) or change is initiated by disconfirmation. Forces of change can be two types: the external and the internal. External Forces Consumer preference In the 1990s, the Indian two wheeler market witnessed a shift in consumer preferences. License Raj The private investment was extensively regulated by the government through licensing. All the important business decisions like the entry of a firm into an industry, capacity expansion, choice of product, capacity mix and the technology were controlled by the government in an attempt to prevent concentration of economic power. This was referred as License Raj. Also there was a change in emission norms. Poor conditions of the road The conditions were really bad at that time. The consumers need a vehicle with strong reliability and fuel efficient. Poor conditions of the transport system The suppliers had a hard time for supplying materials. Also the growth was partly attributed to the inefficient public transport systems in the countrys towns and cities, which led to a greater demand for personal transport. Internal Forces Companys inability to force the market and shift in the trend patterns BAL had been slow in reading the demand pattern and how to cater to the changing consumer tastes and preferences. Company was not interested in RD It was believed that the dramatic shift happened because BAL did not pay sufficient attention to design, research and development and consumer satisfaction. No additional features Motorcycles with better ground clearance, stronger suspensions, and larger wheel bases, performed well on the village roads. Also the fuel economy was an added bonus No other brand of scooters No young and fresh minds in the companys management Change Models The format and the procedure by which a change has been made in a particular scenario is known as the change model. Change models are tools for driving change forces in an organization. Managing the complex process of change mainly involves managing a set of activities, in which each of the activity is crucial for the overall success of change. The change process involves translating the need for change into a desire for change, and deciding who will manage the change and creating a effective workable relationship. Change Model applied in Bajaj Auto Ltd Change Models provided by Kurt Lewin (1951) and V. Nilakant S. Ramnarayan (2006) is one of the prominent change models followed in the present world. The best model suited for the current scenario is the combination of both of these models by above authors. It can be divided into three phases: The first phase involves preparing the people for change with the focus on getting them to let go of what is familiar. The second phase involves taking the steps that actually implement the change. The last phase involves returning the organization to a stable state again based on the new culture. The first stage according to Kurt Lewin, in order to implement a change is Unfreezing and most of the cases it will be done by the change agent. In this scenario, Rahul Bajaj, the chairperson of the company is the change agent and this stage involves alerting and communicating the problems, performance gap and need for change to the internal customers/employees. It is basically modifying the current situation in order to achieve the proposed change by proper communication and understanding to the restrainers of change which helps to reduce the resistance and it is the best strategy for change. The second stage involves the application of the change model provided by V. Nilakant and S. Ramnarayan. It mainly highlights the importance of leadership in the process of change. The task of appreciating change requires the leader to understand the forces of change and prevailing mindset inside the organisation, where as task of mobilising support require leaders to facilitate the idea of change. In the same model, task of executing change involves creating the right structure and processes in an organisation, which is crucial and very important for the vertical and horizontal communication within the organisation, which ensures that employees are highly focused during the change process. Building Change capability involves empowering employees and making them believe in their own abilities to face new challenges; undertake and complete new tasks. Above all, high emphasises is placed on leadership in the organisation which is the driving force of the above tasks, which also plays a vital role in creating and sustaining change within an organisation. Managed Change, is a data-driven process that guides the project teams, internal change agents and sponsors to follow as they just need to follow guidelines through simple projects or complex initiatives. The third stage is refreezing stage which stabilizes the organisation at a new state of equilibrium. The main point about this stage is that new behaviour must be, to some degree, congruent with the rest of the behaviour, personality and environment of the learner or it will simply lead to a new round of disconfirmation (Schein, 1996). In organisational terms, refreezing often requires changes to organisational culture, norms, policies and practices. (Cummings and Huse, 1989) (Source: Bernard Burnes (2004) Managing Change (Fourth Edition) Prentice Hall) Application of change model in Bajaj Auto Ltd Unfreezing Stage: After dominating the Indian two wheeler market for three decades by the end of 1999 BAL realised the change in consumer preference from scooter to motorcycles with four stroke engines and predictions was that this trend will continue in a higher scale. There was a 41% fall in scooter sale in 2001 which was a real threat for the existence of BAL. Also a new set of emission norms (equivalent to Euro II emission norms) came into effect in 2000 for petrol two stroke engines. As a result, scooters with two-stroke engines fell out of favour. Applying the change model proposed above, Bajaj Autos was losing its market share due to change in consumer preferences, development of new market segments and availability of better products and scooters manufactured by their competitors. In first step, Chairman of company Rahul Bajaj which is change agent as well identified the need for change as suggested by Kurt Lewin, he unfreeze the current situation by making employees aware of problems, performance gap and need for change. Simultaneously, he empowered and provided new leadership roles to younger generation such as Rajiv Bajaj (Managing Director). In an attempt to regain market share, the company increased its production of motorcycles by 67.6% in 2001 even as the production of geared scooters fell by 44%. By 2001, the company was manufacturing as many motorcycles as geared scoters. Moving/Changing Stage: This is the stage where the leadership qualities of a change agent play an important role in success of the change. Change agent in our scenario Rahul Bajaj who is the chair person of the company analysed the present market environment and figure out the importance of change to retain the market share and to bring the company back in the path of success. He figured out the customer demands through surveys and categorised the production in different segments such as executive segment, cruiser segment, premium segment etc. He also introduced youngsters into the company and gave them more authority in order to create innovative ideas which were very important for the competitive market. He also invested a huge amount in RD and also for design. This completely changed the product portfolio of Bajaj Auto Ltd. Within a short time after these changes new version motorcycles launched in every segment such as Boxer and Caliber in executive segment, Eliminator in cruiser segment and Pulser Ave nger and Discover in premium segment which was a huge success in the Indian motorcycles industry. This transformation of Bajaj from scooters to motorcycles created a huge impact on the mind set of the public especially the new generation who were looking for more performance and stylish bikes. The turning point in this change process was the introduction of the product Pulsar and DTSi technology which help them to capture the two wheeler market under their name and to overcome their rival Hero Honda. They also tried to resurrect scooter sales. While sale of geared scooters were falling, the gearless scooter has been growing. The purchasers of gearless scooters were mainly teenagers, women and older people. So they started production of gearless scooters in 2000 under the name Saffire which was a great success with its new technology and design from Tokyo RD a Japanese design firm. They also give great importance to improve the mileage because it was an important specification for choosing a new model in the market. As per the model suggested the change agent was successful in motivating people, engaging people and developing the capabilities in an economical way rather than going for a complete reconstruction of the organisation. They appreciated the change happened in the organisation, build up the change capabilities, mobilise support and execute the change in the right time and right manner. Refreezing Stage: This is the stage where the company returns to a stable state based on the new culture. It mainly deals with changes to organisational culture, norms, policies and practices to cope up with the change for a smooth running of the day to day routine of the organisation. When Bajajs motorcycles were becoming popular the scooter sales were really down because of the competition in market. They analysed the market deeply and made apt changes. Meetings and sessions were arranged to discuss the unpleasant fact about new competition and flat earnings. So they were forced to phase out several models including the Spirit, the Sunny Spice, the Legend NXT 2 and the Bravo. The Saffire, suffered from several technical problems. Its sales too failed to pick up so they did modifications and was replaced by the Wave in 2005. In 2004, they also upgraded their old model Chetak with a new four stroke, 125cc engine, with a promise of greater comfort, superior performance, and better mileage. In June 2006, the company announced its plans to raise production capacity from 3.5 million units to 5.1 million units a year by 2009, of which the capacity for two-wheelers was to be 4.6 million units. According to their plans, they recently launched a 220cc variant of it popular Pulsar motorcycle. In 2004 Bajaj auto changed their old logo and created a new logo and brand line to renew its new brand identity. This proves that a vision says something that helps clarify the direction in which an organization needs to move (Kotter, 2007). These visions and their accomplishments stabilised the organisation at a new state of equilibrium. Change Agent The person who has the handed the management of the change is known as the change agent. The facilitator who is in-charge of the change in particular section where the change is needed is known as the change agent. (Mc Calman and Paton 1992). Their task also includes circulate information, identify problems, strategy development, monitor the progress and problems and reporting to the management. To introduce a change the change agent must have a vision and direction and the capability to make people to follow their direction and understand their vision. (Clarke, 1994). In this case study, the chair person of Bajaj Auto Limited Mr. Rahul Bajaj is the change agent who proved to have a great compassion towards changes in market conditions. He also proved to be an efficient change agent by handling different difficult situation easily. According to the changes in market conditions he changed the brand names to make them more localised and classified the motorcycles in different sections so they can penetrate the market more easily. His adherent Rajiv Bajaj also played a very important role in this change scenario who had a major role in designing and marketing their icon model Pulsar which help the company to acquire a major share in market. Pulsar was selected as Bike of the year for continuous 4 years and he was selected as the Automotive man of the year 2005 by Auto car Professional, bike India and NDTV India respectively. Timely actions taken by change agent like implementation of changes in policies, production and technology and final stage of in tegration help them to achieve the worlds 4th and Indias 1st largest producer of two and three wheelers. Analysis and Recommendations: In this scenario Bajaj Auto Ltd handled this particular situation incredibly but there were certain instances where they could have done even better. The Indian two wheeler market was dominated by scooters till 1990s and motorcycles came as new favourites. Bajaj was the market leaders till that time later their sales declined because they did not pay attention to design, R D and customer preference. They also didnt give much importance to marketing while the competitors were keen in increasing the sales through advertisements. Rahul Bajaj later admitted that they had been slow in reading the demand pattern and failed to anticipate customer behaviour. They also didnt participate in any social responsibilities and failed to build a trusting relationship with customers, employees and society. But they handled the whole situation sensibly with the proper implementation of change models and the powerful leadership under the change agent Rahul Bajaj. Conclusion This scenario clearly shows that change is a continuous process and a proper identification and implementation of a change results in organisational growth. Success of change depends on choosing the perfect change model with fewer resources and can create maximum outcome. An organisation should anticipate the need for change, utilise the resources effectively to attain this mission and must integrate this effort into the planning process. Change agent also has an important role where the desired result depends on how he manages the particular change. To conclude change is an essential aspect in growth and development and the overall success depends on how we tackle the change effectively. References: Bernard Burnes (2004) Managing Change (Fourth Edition) Prentice Hall Bob Hamlin (2001) Organisational Change and Development (First Edition) Prentice Hall B.L Marquis C.J Huson (2003) Leadership Roles and Management (Fourth Edition) Philadelphia, Lippincott Colin Carnall (2007) Managing Change in Organisations (Fifth Edition) Prentice Hall John Hayes (2007) the Theory and Practice of Change Management (Second Edition) Palgrave Macmillan, New York L. B. Fossum M. G. Crisp (1989) Understanding Organizational Change: Converting Theory to Practice (First Edition) Thomson Crisp Learning R. Woolfe W. Dryden (1996) Handbook of Counselling Psychology (First Edition) Sage Publications T.G Cummings C. G. Worley (2001) Organisation Development and Change (Sixth Edition) South Western College Publishing, Ohio V. Nilakant S. Ramnarayan (2007) Change Management (Second Edition) Sage Publications, India http://www.bajajauto.com/1024/aboutbajaj/awards.asp (Electronically Accessed on November 14th 2008). http://www.domain-b.com/companies/companies_b/bajaj_auto/20060313_invest.html (Electronically Accessed on December 06th 2008). http://www.domain-b.com/companies/companies_b/bajaj_auto/20050201_growth.html (Electronically Accessed on November 24th 2008). http://www.honda2wheelersindia.com/default.asp (Electronically Accessed on December 16th 2008). http://www.india-today.com/btoday/20010916/cover.html (Electronically Accessed on January 04th 2009). http://news.moneycontrol.com/india/news/management/bajajautobajajgroup/howhamarabajajbecamesignindependentindia/market/stocks/article/230375 (Electronically Accessed on November 03rd 2008). http://www.rediff.com/business/2000/jan/18bajaj.htm (Electronically Accessed on November 28th 2008). http://sify.com/finance/fullstory.php?id=14579309 (Electronically Accessed on January 08th 2009). http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/catalyst/2004/08/05/stories/2004080500020100.htm (Electronically Accessed on October 29th 2008). http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020422/biz.htm (Electronically Accessed on December 11th 2008).

Solange De Santis - Job design :: essays research papers

Introduction: Solange De Santis joined a General Motors van assembly plant in 1991. During her eighteen months at GM she suffered from boredom, strain, psychological distress, job dissatisfaction, a feeling of distrust and a lack of job security. All of these factors had a detrimental effect on her health, safety and productivity. What job re-design opportunities are available to foster a healthier and more productive workplace? In order to answer this question we adopt job and work design theory that will analyze her role and provide tangible solutions. The following three  ¡Ã‚ ®Job Design Approaches ¡Ã‚ ¯ will be explored: 1) Job rotation 2) Job enrichment 3) Teamworking. The article outlined below elaborates on three small psychological changes to make working conditions for De Santis much better, improving her job safety and productivity. We hope that ¡Ã‚ ±Little changes make a big difference in the long term. ¡Ã‚ ±(Julian Barling, Topic 9, slide 3) Job Rotation: De Santis is an autoworker on the van assembly line at the General Motors plant. She performs the same simple task, and repeats the same procedures everyday. There are no opportunities for her to learn new skills or face any new challenges. It is easy to imagine how boring and frustrated anyone in her position would become. In addition to the challenge of her routine she also works on high stress and overload because of the non-stop, always catching up nature of the assembly line. According to research, boredom can cause daydreams and strain which together can threaten her safety. These negative experiences impact her job satisfaction and motivation. What we should do is reduce boredom, strain and dissatisfaction. Through job rotation it is possible to re-design her job and make it much more interesting and fun which should reduce her current levels of boredom and stress. How is this possible? Job rotation can reduce De Santis ¡Ã‚ ¯s boredom, relieve her from repetitive movements, and increase motivation by diversifying her experience; job rotation provides the kind of flexibility and experience that will allow her to feel much more control of her work and develop important skills that can help to off-set feelings of uncertainty; job rotation also helps to improve morale, increases ownership and should enable her to reach her potential; it is also shown to lower fatigue and helps to produce greater satisfaction that reduces absenteeism/turnover problems. Therefore, job rotation can make her job healthier and more productive How to implement job rotation?

Comparing Walton and Victor

Compare the characters of Victor and Walton as Shelley presents them in the early parts of the novel. What similarities are there between the characters and quests? In the early chapters of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley the character of Walton is introduced through a series of letters he is writing to his sister back in London (the whole novel is an epistolary structure) as he is on a voyage to the North Pole in hope of fulfilling his goal of a breakthrough scientific discovery and â€Å"discovering some of nature’s most profound secrets†.Walton is full of hope and scientific curiosity and a passionate determination that he will achieve his goals â€Å"I shall satiate my ardent curiosity with the sight of a part of the world never before visited, and may tread a land never before imprinted by the foot of man†; he wants to set himself apart from other scientists and discover something altogether new, something that will bring him fame and fortune and ensure that he is remembered forever- he is on a journey that-he learns later in the novel-may not turn out to be the success that he thought it was, and his â€Å"ardent curiosity† may be his downfall in the end.His loneliness (â€Å"I feel the bitter want of a friend†) is subsided when a man â€Å"on the brink of destruction† is brought upon the ship, half dead and â€Å"wretched†. The man they bring on board-Frankenstein- bears a lot of similarities to Walton, from their aspirations and complete obsession to discover the undiscovered.There is however, one major difference between these 2 characters-Frankenstein has already been in Walton’s shoes and has already experienced the consequences of his endeavours-and they were not pleasant, as he relays the story to Walton, warning him how he has â€Å"suffered great and unparalled misfortunes† through his â€Å"seeking of knowledge and wisdom† and seeing Walton do the same, he warns him of the danger s of knowledge and tells of his story-his parents, his wonderful childhood, his thirst for knowledge and, most important of all, his obsessive scientific curiosity that led him to make the choices he made that were ultimately his downfall.He has learned from them, a little too late, and he only hopes that Walton will heed his warning about the dangers of knowledge, and not make the same mistakes that he did, that led to his destruction. Shelley made the characters so similar in ambition and character that this evokes the thought of the ‘doppelganger’, a popular theme amongst gothic literature. Frankenstein is almost Walton’s doppelganger- everything he is, bright, mbitious-but also everything that he doesn’t want to become- a â€Å"wretch†, a man haunted by his choices and on â€Å"the brink of destruction†, all because of his desire to become recognised among the scientific world and leave his mark on the world. Because of Frankensteinâ€⠄¢s story Walton witnesses what the danger of knowledge can do and warns him-a kindness no one could do to Frankenstein-to not follow in his footsteps â€Å"exposing him to the same dangers† as he did.Frankenstein feels as he has unleashed such a horror into the world, the least he can do is to prevent another like-minded person making the same mistakes he did, and through that, not ruin his and countless lives, as if he has been so fortunate as to have someone relay their story about knowledge and destruction before he made the choices he did, he may have rethought his priorities and still be living a happy life after the novel’s end. In short, Frankenstein was doing Walton a kindness by retelling his tragic story; and that brings about another characteristic that Shelley wrote them to both have-they are both good men.They are deeply affectionate to their close ones â€Å"heaven shower down blessings on you my beloved sister†, â€Å"mine to love and cherishâ⠂¬ , and their obsession fuelled by a desire to benefit the world. This evokes sympathy both in the reader and Walton, when he hears Frankenstein’s tragic tale-how a good man with good intentions can make choices so catastrophic that they ruin the lives of those closest to them and themselves-maybe this is why in the end Walton decides to turn back? Both men are also linked with one massive similarity-they both have an incredibly obsessive, if somewhat selfish, nature.Some of Walton’s first words in the letters are â€Å"If I fail you will see me soon or never† he is determined that this voyage will be a success, and is prepared to die for the cause. This mirrors Frankenstein’s feelings later on in the novel â€Å"stars would often disappear in the night sky while I worked in my laboratory†-Frankenstein’s obsession with discovery had him pushing himself to the limit to accomplish his goals, sacrificing time and health, at any cost as long a s he succeeded.That cost, he finds out eventually, is too high, and seeing Walton with the same obsessive nature, going on a voyage that is potentially life-threatening, he wishes him to stop and think thoroughly about whether it is worth it, something that he failed to do, as no one had interfered when he was creating the creature and warned him of the dangers, and as it is too late to repair his mistakes, he can stop Walton from letting his obsessive nature rule him-â€Å"I imagine that you may deduce an apt moral from my tale†- as it did Frankenstein.Walton and Frankenstein are two very similar men-both have passion, drive and determination that set them apart from other men, and give them a dangerous obsessive edge. Frankenstein has learned from his mistakes and has accepted his fate â€Å"nothing can alter my destiny†, and wants to make sure that another good man, so much like himself does not make the same life altering decisions that he did, searching blindly fo r knowledge that may be dangerous to uncover, so he retells his story to Walton in the hope of preventing him destroying his life.Walton with his drive at first in the letters to his sister mentions that does he â€Å"not deserve to accomplish some great purpose? † he believes he deserves success and has worked and will work impossibly hard to ensure his labours do not go unrecognised. But Walton also mentions that he â€Å"feels the bitter want of a friend† â€Å"to approve or amend my plans†.His prayers were answered in the form of Frankenstein, and after his tale of woe Walton finally decides to turn back and abandon his voyage-he listened to Frankenstein, as a â€Å"brother of my heart† and as an older version of him that has failed. Now, the reader wonders, if Frankenstein had the same great luck as Walton to find someone with the same drive and obsession to retell his story to him and make him stop and think thoroughly if he is doing the right thing ? Would he have still made the creature?Or would he have stopped and be living happily with his living family long after the novel’s end? This, perhaps, is the greatest difference between Frankenstein and Walton. Walton had an older, wiser version of himself retelling his tale of misfortune that stopped Walton and potentially saved him. Frankenstein did not have that luxury of someone older and wiser intervening in his work, so he continued carrying out his work, putting in it all of his hopes and dreams, when in reality, he was creating his own destruction.

Apple Organization Structure Essay

Each team will present a case during the course. The presentation will take between 15- 20 minutes. It should provide 1. summary of the case including information on who the main actors are, what the internal and external environment for this company is and what the key challenges are. You should also try to go beyond the case and make links to the themes in the book on corporate entrepreneurship. Again, presentations should also involve the audience with discussion points and other interactive elements. In addition to the presentation, teams hand in a written report on the case. Teams are graded on the basis of the presentation, the written document and their ability to answer questions and to raise discussion in class. Apple Organizational Structures Apple’s New Organizational Structure Could Help It Move Faster This cartoon has been floating around the Internet for a few years. It’s supposed to be a humorous take on how all the biggest tech companies are organized. It might have to be updated to account for changes at Apple. When Steve Jobs was in charge, everything flowed through him. Now that he’s dead, the company is taking on a more collaborative approach, according to various reports. The latest, from Adam Satarino at Bloomberg, says Jony Ive is encouraging Apple’s software and hardware teams to collaborate, something that never happened under Jobs. Ive was given control over Apple’s software look and feel in November. Previously, he was only in charge of the look of the hardware. This new collaborative approach is causing Apple to be more deliberate than in the past, says Satarino. This could lead to delays, he says. Because this is Ive’s first crack at Apple’s software, ità ¢â‚¬â„¢s understandable that there are going to be delays. He’s spent six months on a project that normally takes a year. In the long run it will be interesting to see how this collaborative approach works. As the org chart above demonstrates, Apple was always a company with one guy making all the calls. This made product decisions easier. But it also made them slower at times. We heard from a source that Apple often faced bottlenecks because everything had to flow through Jobs. And Jobs was the kind of person who would get intensely focused on one thing, leading to him ignoring other products at the company. Former Apple employee David Sobotta told us, â€Å"If we saw Steve Jobs come into a briefing, he couldn’t talk about anything else, other than the thing he was working on †¦ He came into an enterprise sales briefing, and at the time he was working on iMovie. So, we’d be talking about home movies in the enterprise briefing.† In theory, the new organizational structure should help certain divisions make decisions more quickly. But, collaboration has its downside. If everyone is trying to reach consensus on a decision it could lead to big delays. http://www.businessinsider.com/apples-new-organizational-structure-could-help-it-move-faster-2013-5#ixzz2eiKk1VKI

Work-Related Project Analysis Essays

Work-Related Project Analysis Essays Work-Related Project Analysis Essay Work-Related Project Analysis Essay Work-Related Project Analysis Part 1 The analysis of a project is the breakdown of how a system interacts and works within all related components. A project analysis is the first step to designing any new changes for an organization. Systems analysis is (1) the survey and planning of the system and project, (2) the study and analysis of the existing business and information system, and (3) the definition of business requirements and priorities for a new or improved system. A popular synonym is logical design. Newton, 2013) An organization performs an analysis of an existing system to decide if changes will benefit the daily operations. The analysis performed must be accurate and reliable. Information Gathering There are many methods used to perform an analysis. The gathering of information is critical to implementing the right changes an organization may need. If the wrong information is gathered, the organization may waste time and money implementing a new system that either does no t work or is useless to the operations of the organization. Organizations need to know the correct billing and coding functions are being used on a daily bases. They may choose several different ways to gather information to ensure the facility compensated is gaining the maximum benefits. Physicians frequently miss home health charges. The laws governing each state have requirements a physician must abide to bill time for plan over site. Physicians need ways to keep track of who is eligible for home health. The physician also needs to monitor how much time is involved during a 30-day period. Interviews Interviews are one of the most common means to gather information. It is beneficial to the analysis to gather this information directly from those individuals who will be utilizing the new system. The interviews need proper planning and focus on each area of specialty. The best questions to ask are open-ended questions. These inquiries force the participant to give more information than just yes or no answers. When interviewing participants analyst should ask questions that enable a complete picture of what stakeholders need to create a system that is useful and cost effective. Questionnaires Questionnaires are a great way to ask questions of stakeholders without a direct face-to-face encounter. Questionnaires create a more relaxed response from participants. This is a great method to use when you have a large organization and need to interview a large group of people. However, one drawback to this method is participants may write responses just to complete the form or not even give a response. Prototypes Prototyping is another method in the arsenal of gathering information. This method based on information gathered and the system created; based on criteria produces a preliminary version. You show this to the client, who then gives you additional requirements. You change the application and cycle around with the client again. This repetitive process continues until the product meets the critical mass of business needs or for an agreed number of iterations (Mochal, 2008). Use Cases Use cases are stories from the actors that describe how the system currently works and â€Å"†¦describe how the solution works from a user perspective† (Mochal, 2008). This method is helpful to analysts by giving a more useful understanding of what the new system needs to do. Using this method requires the analysts to refine the information into a format that shows specific details to outline the structure of requirements needed. Direct Observations Direct observations can be most helpful when the stakeholder does not know how to explain in detail what goes on during a typical daily routine. In some cases, it might be more beneficial to take a ‘hands on approach’ to gain a better understanding of what is required. This method shows how the current system is used and will hopefully light the way to implementing better use of resources. Brainstorming Brainstorming can be most helpful when the organization does not really know what areas need improvement or need a more creative way to perform a desired outcome. Experts in the use of the current system will get together with a project manager and together think of creative solutions to issues the organization is currently experiencing. After all the ideas from the session are, collected management decides what ideas would best provide a solution(s) to issues. Based on these decisions a project manager then creates a proposal. Design Methods Designing a new system takes time and an understanding of what goal the organization is trying to gain. Designing a new home health system to gather patient information, monitor certification and recertification periods, and keep track of plan over site is the goal. Every project manager has to explore all of the possibilities needs to secure the desired goal. Divergence is having an understanding of constraints an organization may face when trying to keep track of the patient load, certification periods, and plan over site. A prototype was implementing to put together a working system to gain a better understanding and create a better functioning system. Building a new system to keep track of areas of interest also need to be sustainable. New systems must be realistic to use and maintain. The sustainability of a new system needs to user friendly. Designing a home health system for the organization will present a visual understanding of what each state will allow a physician to bill for. Analyze and Evaluate The home health system implemented in the organization keeps track of patients that are new to service as well as those who come off service. A scheduled time allotment monitors home health certification 60-day period; plan over site 30-day cycle monitored and billed according to state regulations. Management is ultimately responsible for monitoring these reports. The initial analysis of the new home health system showed a recovery potential of lost money. According to state regulations, the 60-day and 30-day billing cycles utilized are affecting the organization’s bottom-line in a positive manner. The organization suffered a great loss of money before the new system implemented changes. Project managers use three types of monitoring. According to Thomet and Vozza (2010) They happen at different levels of the logical framework and serve different functions: 1) implementation monitoring is operational: it monitors the activities and outputs; 2) impact monitoring concentrates on the immediate objectives; 3) reporting concerns the concrete (narrative and financial) reports that have to be prepared and submitted periodi ¬cally to the main stakeholders, particularly donors. Project manager will ensure the organization’s personnel trained in using the new system are comfortable with the new system. The new system produces a report reminding the billing and coding staff when certain patients are eligible for billing. Conclusion Organizations all over the world work hard to streamline the daily operations. These daily functions affect the bottom line. When an organization is evaluating the internal functions, an analysis helps determine areas that may need adjustments and in some cases a completely new system to meet the organizations goals. This is where an analyst is most useful. An organization performs an analysis of the existing system to determine if changes will benefit daily operations. The analysis performed must be accurate and reliable. The analyst may utilize many different methodologies when gathering the necessary information in order to make the right recommendation. The analysis may contain personal face-to-face interviews, questionnaires, prototypes, use cases, direct observations, brainstorming, or any combination of methodologies. The actual design of an effective new system takes time and understanding. The analyst needs a clear understanding of the organization’s ultimate goal. The final system implementation requires management to sustain monitoring and maintenance. Training the proper personnel is vital to the success of any new system. Management is responsible for monitoring system functions, the impact of the new system on daily activities and reporting any concerns to stakeholders. The new home health system implemented has allowed the organization to recover money that would otherwise be lost. The new system also allows managers to monitor and maintain accurate reliable billing and coding of certification and recertification of patients using home health services. Plan over site also billed with the same accuracy and reliability has recovered and maintained money for the organization. Reference Mochal, T. (2008). 10 techniques for gathering requirements. TechRepublic. techrepublic. com/blog/10things Newton. (2013). Systems analysis. http://newton. uor. edu/courses/sysanades/pdf/ anaintro. pdf Thomet, N. , Vozza, A. (2010). Project Design Manual: A Step-by-Step Tool to Support The Development of Cooperatives and Other Forms of Self-Help Organization ilo. org/public/english/employment/ent/coop/africa/download/coopafricaprojectdesignmanual. pdf. ISBN 978-92-2-124168-3 (web pdf) p 76, 4. 1