Strategic Business Management and Its Comparison to the Case of Research Paper - 1

Strategic Business Management and Its Comparison to the Case of iCreative - Research Paper Example The researcher states that for expansion of business through internal venturing and joint ventures, iCreative requires managers and leaders who possess strategic leadership skills along with market intellect and cultural awareness of foreign markets. Being an entrepreneur and introducing a new concept in the market requires a different approach altogether than running family-owned businesses or other established organizations, be it a company or a partnership. Where every organization model requires a different leadership approach, entrepreneurship demands innovation and creativity. Entrepreneurial leaders are required to be dissatisfied with the status quo and should have the ability to question imperfections and present a better alternative. For this purpose, learning ways of existing businesses and modifying them effectively is the gist of entrepreneurial leadership. Entrepreneurial leaders need to have flexibility in their approach and ability to learn continuously. Furthermore, these leaders are expected to have authenticity in their tone when they communicate. Such leaders not only share their insight but also have the humility to encourage their peers and subordinates to share their views. Since an entrepreneurial model is never perfect in the inception, therefore feedbacks and ideas of a team could help this new venture. Entrepreneurial leaders are also expected to have a vision and ability to examine their organizations at different levels of businesses. It not only includes operational and strategic management levels but also involves capability of identifying gaps between existing and desired efficiency and effectiveness. Entrepreneurs are provided with a huge amount of advice and negative feedbacks having the critical effect on business performance.

Heritage Project Essay Example for Free

Heritage Project Essay To me heritage is something that should be of vital of importance, something that has played a part in history and contributed to why I am where I am today. For heritage to be important to me, it must have had an impact on the lives of my ancestors and the choices they made as well as the things which they fought to uphold. Heritage defines who we are, with the different types of foods, buildings and ways of life between the different cultures that bring us together. The stories and memories passed on from generation to generation, bringing us together and giving us a sense of direction. It is the foundation that we are built upon and allows us to lay new grounds for the future. Debate around the public representation of Juma Masjid. Juma Masjid represents the Muslim community, being one of the most glamorous and extravagant mosques in the country people tend to take it for granted and not take into account its unique architecture and design. With the Muslim population annually increasing, space is not a problem as Juma Masjid is the most spacious Mosque in the southern hemisphere. It represents the Muslim community as it is greeted with great numbers of Muslims on the days of Eid as well as a number of tourists who make the trip into town to marvel at its beauty. Although Indian and Muslim people always having a strong bond and togetherness, they aren’t allowed into the Masjid. This is for any non- Muslim for that matter. In Islam, which has strict rules that one has to abide by and comply too. When you are a Muslim, you believe in the One and Only Allah, all other heritage and cultures are of no effect and are said to be false. There is no place for other religions in Islam, a Muslim should not become derailed from Islam and weaken his faith by giving into the western temptations and ways of life. Juma Masjid has never caused uproar or been part of anything controversial regarding its structure. Muslim people should be grateful as South African is a very understanding and accommodating place, with the government allowing Minarets to be built on Mosques. Muslims in Switzerland aren’t so lucky however, as existing Minarets stand and new ones cannot be built, the Muslim people came out saying that instead of trying to make life hard for them and drive them out of the country the Swiss government should rather ‘integrate rather than exclude†. Throughout history people have been oppressed upon, some more than others of course. Because of this people would always remember the past and the way that they were treated and try to turn the oppression around. Our divided past still has an impact on the lives we live today, with sport for instance. White people are highly regarded as cricket and rugby players while Black African people are associated with Soccer and form most part of the support system in the sport locally. We should ask ourselves, how do we sort this out? One should remember that common interests bring people together, so instead of carrying on with the old bring in the new and expose people to different environments, taking them out their comfort zones and creating a better future for our country moving forward. As much as we can say that apartheid is over, there is still the lingering after effects of stereotypes and racism in different aspects of life. Therefore, we cannot just forget about it and move on, we should learn from it and educate about it, so it does not deter this country again. The Juma Masjid. The first bit of history surrounding Juma Masjid may be only from the early 1880’s but for Islam, it was introduced a lot earlier in South Africa, most people believe it to be brought into the country in around 1667 by the Cape Malays. It wasn’t until 1863 though when Aboobaker Amod Jhaveri and Hajee Mahomed Hajee Dada arrived in Durban did Islam really take off and open up to them; the people at the time. It is accepted that they were aboard the SS Truro, one of the passenger liners that brought down labourers from India and other areas. Aboobaker Amod Jhaveri together with Hajee Mahomed Hajee Dada then purchased a plot of land in 1881 from K. Moonsamy for a sum of ? 115 with the intention of building a Masjid for the Muslim people of the Durban area. There was not much of a structure on the site, but none the less they turned this small piece into what would become the largest and most visited Masjid in the southern hemisphere in the century to come. This however still wasn’t the Masjid to be; rather it was a Jamaat Khana. A Jamaat Khana is simple structure in which people could go into and perform their daily prayers. A Jamaat Khana is not even nearly big enough to accommodate the number of Musallees that a Masjid can. A Masjid is much more elaborate in terms of the architecture and minarets, domes and craftsmanship’s. It wasn’t until 1884 when the two founders had the structure rebuilt to make room for the ever growing numbers of Muslim people in the area. This was now the first Masjid ever to be built in the Natal region. This Masjid could now capacitate up to 200 Muslims. Aboobaker being a businessman and knowing the trade, went ahead and purchased land surrounding the Mosque. This proved a smart and important buy as in the following years he would pass away in India from cholera while on a business. This land that had been bought paid dividend as it was used to expand the Masjid even more. As the last surviving trustee and care taker of the Masjid, Hajee Mahomed had to take action as again space for worshippers was becoming an issue because of the influence of Aboobaker’s business transactions and dealings. It is said that he was an honest and fair man, who attracted many non-Muslims to the path of Islam by the way he went about with his dealings and mannerisms. Hajee Mahomed then acquired more land from John Stanger for a sum of ? 300 in 1889 for the Masjid to expand a little more and comfort the Muslims from. Then in 1893 the British Empire abolished slavery and the Indian population wasting no time formed the Natal Indian Congress. With the freedom now granted to people, the first minaret was built on the extensions of the Masjid; this caused a chain reaction as in the same year two shops were built alongside the Masjid providing some money for the caretaking and maintenance of the Masjid. Then in 1905 during the time in which the Masjid was in full flow, the second minaret was built together with a number of rooms, it also facilitated visitors and travellers by establishing toilets and showers for the people at the back of the Masjid. A living area was also built for the Muazzin; the Muazzin is someone who gives the call to prayer for Muslims all around, the call for prayer is called the Azaan. With the Muazzin now in place, it was about time a group of trustees took control of the Masjid and in 1916; which proved a rather important and significant time in this Masjids history. A board of trustees were elected; they included. Hajee Mahomed Dada, Moosa Hajee Cassim, Abdoola Hajee Cassim, Omar Amod, Joosab Jan Mahomed Tayob Hajee Khan Mahomed. These Muslim men made up the first batch that took the realms and pressure off Hajee Mahomed as they worked with him on continuously allowing this Masjid to flourish. These two minarets were the tallest structures in the area of Durban at the time. In 1927 it was decided that it was time to expand and rebuild Juma Masjid, this contract was given to Payne and Payne architectures. A great part of the Masjid was demolished as the second minaret was brought down as construction was completed in 1928; it was also planned that the minaret would be rebuilt. Many parts and mediums of the Masjid changed then after but the greatest and most significant took place 15 years later when the Masjid went under construction again. This time in 1943, the entire building rather than just part of it that was demolished; everything was brought to the ground except the first minaret. Everything else was rebuilt with the exception of the first minaret as the rest of the Masjid was built and fitted into the Masjid. Juma Masjid is not only a place of worship but also a place of education and learning for people. A school for young Muslim girls was also established in 1957, this school has a roll of approximately 400 learners and 300 Madressah students. A Madressah is an institute put in place for children to learn about their religion of Islam and become law abiding citizens, teaching their students morals, values and etiquette. Being in the heart of the bustling Durban central it is convenient for people working in the area. Established as a girl’s school it is now a co-ed school. The Masjid itself is very beautiful Juma Masjid is of major importance in the Muslim community of Durban, as it is occupied daily by hundreds of Muslim men who attend prayers daily. On Fridays in particular, Grey Street will always be busier than usual as all roads lead to Juma Masjid. Friday is the day of most important after Eid prayers in a Muslims life. Thousands of Muslim men close their shops, leave work early and make their way to Juma Masjid in prayer. Women at home prepare lunch as they get ready for their prayers as well. Two other days are also busier than usual; the days of Eid. As thousands of Muslims take the day off from work as everything apart from religion comes to a stop. Everyone in the household is awake early as they ready themselves for the day that lies ahead. Muslim men all flock to Eid Prayers early in the morning as there are large gatherings all around the city. The day is then spent with family, great functions are held as people come together to celebrate this auspicious day of Eid. Juma Masjid has a distinct Islamic architecture style to, with its golden minaret which glistens in the rays of the sun many people often forget it’s majestic and eye popping beauty. I for one am yet to come across a Masjid that has shops, offices, a school and still a beautifully designed Masjid; all in one structure. When you enter this Masjid you are greeted with an archway, which is just underneath one of the golden minarets. Leaving your shoes outside your feet are met by the soft and warm red cushioning carpet as they sink into the carpeted floor as you enter this century old marvel. Once inside, it is realised Juma Masjid is amazing inside as well, built in a baronial style. Juma Masjid is truly something to be admired. With a Corinthian type walls on each of its high rise levels. Being Muslim I have visited many different Masjids around the country but not once have I ever come across another Masjid that has a pond in its Wudhu area. Wudhu being commonly known as ablution, simply cleansing oneself of impurities and keeping yourself clean and respectable as you prepare to stand before Allah in prayer. With the Wudhu area being a square with ablution stations all around it, all comes together with a pond in the middle and topping it off fish swimming inside is just the wonders of this spiritual sanctuary.

Kotters Eight Step Change Management Model Management Essay

Kotters Eight Step Change Management Model Management Essay Change is the word that best described of the modern societies and culture. Change occurred in almost every aspects of life. Change presses us out from our comfort zone. People changed in their life to avoid stagnation and to improve their quality of life and become a better person. This is also true in business where the rapid change in technologies, the way of doing things, advances in information technologies, internal and external pressures, e-business and globalization creates a competitive environment in most organization in order to survive and to be relevant. How business react, operate and adapt to any changes determine the survivability of the company. In organization, change is necessary but often proves to be challenging. To guide a change (managing a change process) may be the greatest test for the leader of the organization especially when there is resistance. Therefore to lead a change is essential but difficult (Kotter 2007). The successfulness on implementing change in an organization requires a series of phase, a correct tools and proper planning. Palmer, Dunford and Akin (2009) quoted that Changing organizations is as messy as it is exhilarating, as frustrating as it is satisfying, as muddling-through and creative a process as it is a rational one (p. 1). On the other hand, Lean Six Sigma or Lean thinking has been widely accepted and adoptable tool for improving organizational performance. The thinking provides a method to do more with less without jeopardizing the quality, cost and delivery and at the same time meeting customers requirements. Less means less effort, less equipment, less time, less cost, less space and eliminating all sources of wastes in the process. Developed as a production systems eliminating wastes in the Toyotas manufacturing plant in 1960s, now lean thinking evolving across countries and industries as a management approach that improves all processes at each level of the organization. However, in realities, many organizations are not able to transform themselves to lean organization and unable to get the benefit out of it. Transformation initiatives towards the lean organization are full with challenges and resistances. Many companies that promote lean thinking, even those undertaken with the best intention are often destined to a failure due to its unsuccessful execution (Jeyaraman 2010). There are a lot of resistance factors and mostly can be divided into human and non-human factor. From Langstrand et al. (2012) In a member survey, the Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI) found that more than 36% of the respondents attributed change failure to middle management resistance. Along with employee resistance and supervisor resistance, these were considered three of the four most significant obstacles to implementing lean (LEI, 2007). According to (Norani 2011) lean transition requires emergent strategy and he suggested that among all the emergent change approaches, Kotters Eight-Step Change Management Model is one of the best-known change management model. Kotter (1996) suggested Eight-Step Change Management Model as shown on Table 1.1. Table 1.1: Kotters Eight-Step Change Management Model Step 1 Establishing a Sense of Urgency Step 2 Creating the Guiding Coalition Step 3 Developing A Vision And Strategy Step 4 Communication the Change Vision Step 5 Empowering Employees for Broad-Based Action Step 6 Generating Short-Term Wins Step 7 Consolidating Gains And Producing More Change Step 8 Anchoring New Approaches In The Culture This study will analyze the effectiveness of change steps efforts that have been taken during the implementation of Lean Six Sigma Program in government owned service oriented organization from a perspective of change management using the Kotters eight-step change management model as benchmarks. Background of The Study In todays fast-moving era, if there is an organization that is looking for the pace of change to slow or slow in their reaction to any response, is likely to be sorely disappointed and left behind. In fact, some says that, in businesses change is permanent. Change is important in every organization because without change, business would likely lose their market shares, competitive edge and fail to meet the various needs of the customers. SIRIM Berhad is also not neglected from the challenges of reacting more intelligently to customers needs to become more effective. SIRIM Berhad, formerly known as the Standards and Industrial Research Institute of Malaysia (SIRIM), is a corporate organization owned wholly by the Malaysian Government, under the Minister of Finance Incorporated. It has been entrusted by the Malaysian Government to be the national organization for standards and quality, and as a promoter of technological excellence in the Malaysian industry. The organization came into operation on September 1, 1996 via corporatization scheme of standards and industrial research institute, initiated by the government with the vision to be a corporation of choice for technology and quality. SIRIM Berhad as the national organization of standardization and quality, and as the prime mover in industrial research and development acts as a catalyst in bringing about national economic dynamism through excellence in technology and international acceptance of Malaysian products and services. Their mission is to enhance their customers competitiveness through technology and quality, and fulfill the needs of the shareholders. As such its role is to act as: A champion of quality. The national technology development corporation. Vehicle for technology transfer. A provider of institutional and technical infrastructure for the Government. SIRIM Berhad has initiated a program called Lean Six-Sigma Program (LSSP). LSSP is developed based on the infamous improvement methodology known as Lean Six Sigma Strategy. It was initiated based on the emerging needs to develop SIRIM to be a market driven organization with sustainable business growth and global market penetration. The proposal has been developed by Group Quality Occupational Safety Health and Environment Department (GQOSHE) in 2008. The main objective of the LSSP is to establish an Integrated Business Process Improvement (IBPI) system that builds on four initiatives namely Lean Six Sigma (LSS), Innovative and Creative Circle (ICC), Just Do It (JDI) and Personal Quality Program (PQP). The first three initiatives are continuous improvement methodology used to enhance business performance while the latter is a motivational and cultural conditioning program for SIRIM staffs. The continuous improvement initiatives were used to promote, nurture and inculcate innovative, creative thinking and learning culture into SIRIM to strengthen its business processes and systems in order to be a market driven organization. Problem Statement Upon acceptance of the proposal from President and Chief Executive, LSSP was officially started on January 28, 2008 followed by the directive to begin the Lean Six Sigma project implementation on few small scale pilot projects on February 29, 2008. Seven (7) departments / divisions of SIRIM Berhad have been selected for the pilot project. These departments have been participating in the Lean Six Sigma workshops and training program which comprise of Green Belt and Black Belt programs. The program focusing on areas as follows; To assist the existing project team to implement prioritized ICC projects, Lean Six Sigma Value Stream projects, To initiate Lean Six Sigma initiative at other SIRIM departments and, To certify the Green Belt who has fulfilled the certification process. During the training period, 19 projects initiated on cost saving activities and 9 of the projects have been completed. Based on value stream mapping (process analysis) conducted at participating departments, upon completion of all the prioritized projects, the program has estimated cost savings of RM300k per year (including project savings from Genba Kaizen 5S implementation). Other tangible benefits from the program are: Safer and more organize work place. Creation of work space and elimination of obsolete and out-dated items. Low and controllable stock keeping level of certain items such as stationeries, chemicals resulting to better cash flow and stock management. Improved process visibility and productivity. Lean Six Sigma Program (LSSP) is expected to be a new change program in SIRIM Berhad and the successful implementation of the program is important for sustainability and growth of the organization. Despite the 3 years of training program consists of briefings, training session and pilot projects, the program unable to reach its goal of transferring SIRIM Berhad to become lean organization and to embed lean thinking into the culture of the organization. From an early interview with some of the staff involved, it is confirmed that currently Lean Six Sigma has not been practiced in their section or department. The program seems to be abandoned and not getting enough coalition to sustain the initiatives. Research Objectives The objectives of this study are: To analyze the effectiveness of change steps efforts that have been taken during the implementation of LSSP with reference to Kotters Eight-Step Change Management Model. To determine the benefit of LSSP to the department during the implementation stages. To determine the weakness of LSSP to the department during the implementation stages. To make recommendation on the finding to the management of SIRIM Berhad on managing lean program and any change management initiatives. Scope of The Study This study will be focusing on the implementation stages of Lean Six Sigma program in SIRIM Berhad. The respondents will comprise of managerial and non-managerial employees that participated in the program before. This study is focusing the change management steps as per Kotters eight change steps of change management as a benchmark. Significance of The Study After the training period, Lean Six Sigma program seems to be abandoned and not getting enough coalition to sustain the initiatives but no formal and structured study has been done to understand why the program not achieving the expected outcome especially on the implementation process. Therefore this study is significant to fill the gap by assessing the implementation steps that have been taken during the implementation of the Lean Six Sigma program. The research will analyze the employees perception toward the effort of change steps that have been taken during the implementation. By understanding this, it will help the management to prepare the suitable and effective steps to improve the implementation of LSS program in SIRIM Berhad and also to be used as a guideline for any changes initiatives in the organization. This study will also provide value by identifying if Kotters popular change management model is also useful in government owned service organization. As a result, the outcome can also be used by other government owned organizations that will or are undergoing Lean Six Sigma initiatives by providing information concerning the applicability of Kotters eight-step change management model as a useful model on managing a change in their organization. Academician and lean consultant could also get the benefit from the findings on the effective way of managing lean in government owned service oriented organization. Limitation of The Study It is important to understand that this is a case-study. This study is limited only to the staff of SIRIM Berhad that involved during the implementation of LSSP. The survey is based on perception and subject to bias that could impact the end results. Therefore the sincerity of the correspondents during answering the survey is very important. Definition of Terms Black Belt Full time position responsible for leading project teams. They are responsible for delivering the value and benefits that were determined for each of their projects during the projects selection process. Green Belts A person who works on a Lean Six Sigma project only part-time, on a specific process about which he or she generally possesses knowledge important to the success of the project (Michele 2002). Kaizen Continuous improvement in Japanese. The kaizen process is modeled after quality circle, the team-based continuous improvement vehicle utilized in the Toyota production System. The secret to Kaizen is that it emphasize creativity before capital (Michele 2002). Lean Six Sigma The activities that cause the customers critical-to-quality issues and create the longest time delays in any process offer the greatest opportunity for improvement in cost, quality, capital, and lead time (Michele 2002). Value Stream The set of activities that convert customer needs into delivered products and services. Improving an entire value stream requires multiple projects (Michele 2002). CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW Introduction Chapter 2 presents the literature review of the research study. This chapter is discussing about the change management, lean six sigma, change model, Kotters eight-step change management model and the research questions. Change Management Change is a reality of life. In the past five decades change/improvements initiatives have been driven by a lot of approaches. For example, in 1950s Management by Objectives (MBO), Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) have been introduced. In 1960s to 1970s Sensivity Training, T-groups, Quality Circles, Corporate Culture have been used. The famous improvement initiatives such as ISO9000, Total Quality Management and Corporate Culture were introduced in 1980s and in 1990s Reengineering Agile Strategies, Horizontal Corporations, Employee Empowerment, Core Competencies and Vision have taken the scene (Palmer, I. et.al 2009). Motivations for change have been customers satisfaction, cost reduction, improved efficiency, improved quality, or, in extreme cases, survival (Longbothom et.al 2006). Self D.R and Schraeder M. (2009) explained that the first challenge organization faced during implementing change in the organization is recognizing the need for change and second, and possibly more significant is effectively deploying strategies to implement change. Contemporary literature outlines a multitude of various strategies for implementing change in an organization. Wikipedia (2012) defines Change Management as an approach to shifting / transitioning individuals, teams, and organizations from a current state to desired future state. Smith (2005) explained that change is a process of letting go of things as they are in order to take up a new ways of doing things. Organizational change normally challenges the status quo of the employee and it may challenge the values and perceived rights of workers and work group. For some people, change is welcome and relates to something new, fresh and exciting but for some people may be more cautious by seeking to test and examine before proceeding. Palmer et. al (2009) explained that there are six images of managing change. First is change manager as a director which gave an image of management as control and change outcomes as being achievable. Second is change manager as a navigator where the manager is in control of a given situation and the outcomes are partly emergent rather than completely planned and result from a variety of influences, competing interests and processes. Third is change manager as care taker is an ideal image of management is still one of control, although the ability to exercise control is severely constrained by a variety of forces, both internally and externally driven, that propel change relatively independent of managers intentions. Forth is change manager as a coach where the manager is in a position to shape the organizations capabilities in particular ways. Fifth is change manager as an interpreter where managing change places the change manager in the position of creating meaning for the other o rganisational members, helping them to make sense of various organisational events and actions. And lastly change manager as nurturer where the nurturing image to managing assumes that even small changes may have a large impact on organizations and managers are not able to control the outcomes of their changes. For other journal, Michael Stanleigh (2008) found that most change initiatives fail because management may not be engaging employees in the process towards change and do not allow sufficient time for change to set. It is important to implement change in a series of phases that will engage employee and to allow sufficient length of time for each phase to become institutionalized within the organization. He listed out several drivers of change such as mergers and acquisitions, innovation, technology, restructuring / re-organizing, declining sales and/or market share, globalization, expansion and growth, sense of urgency and lastly when 75% of the leadership is honestly convinced that business as usual is no longer as acceptable plan. However he claimed that, too often, management fails to recognize that adjustment to change takes time. They expected the employee to react quickly to the changes and fail to recognize that each individual will go through all of the phases at different pac es. As a result, sometimes the employee may burn out, scared or frustrated and unable to cooperate. Therefore he recommended all managers to apply multi-step process to guide, include, empower, enlist and motivate employees toward change. 2.2 Lean Six Sigma Lean Six Sigma is a technique to improve process and can be used either individually, in a group of people or in combination with a target to improve the quality and delivery of any business process. Originally developed by Toyota called as Toyota Production System is based on series of principles focusing on eliminating 7 categories of Muda, Japanese word means waste, specifically any activity of consuming resources but creates no values. Waste such as over produced of goods that no one wants, transportation of goods from one place to another without any reasons, waste due to correction of defects which require rectifications, waste in waiting time due to delay in process, over-processing, inventory pile up and motion waste of unnecessary processing steps will end up not meeting the needs of the customers. Liker (2004) claimed that the lean thinking was used by Taiichi Ohno, a Toyotas Plant manager who was assigned to improve Toyotas manufacturing process back in 1950. TPS underpins many innovation including the elimination waste muda, quality at the source jidoka and continuous improvement kaizen. Through years of trial and error, Toyota caught the worlds attention in 1980s where the cars produced were lasting longer than American cars and required much less repair. Based on his study, in 1990s Toyota capable to produced new design of auto faster, with more reliability, at a competitive cost and became third-largest auto manufacturer in the world behind General Motors and Ford. Much of the success comes from its astounding quality reputation. Kaizen (continuous improvement) will lead to learning organization. This culture when embedded to the organization will give a great benefit by providing opportunities for improvement and sustainability in a long run. Any organization will obtain an effectiveness and efficiency in their process by implementing Lean. Lean requires a specific way of thinking, philosophy and management system. Liker (2004) describes fourteen principles of lean at Toyota Production Systems (TPS) and the principles can be divided into four categories that are; Long-Term Philosophy. The Right Process Will Produce The Right Results. Add Value by Developing Your People and Partners, and Continuously Solving Root Problems Drives Learning. Womack J.P and Jones D.T (1996) explained that the lean thinking provides a method to make any tasks more satisfying by converting waste into value with less human effort, less equipment, less time and less space while coming closer and closer to providing customers with exactly what they want. He proposed 5 lean principles consist of: Specify Value. Identify the Value Stream. Determine the Flow. Pull. Perfection. They proposed that all 5 steps should be applied holistically and it is important that all the steps are performing together due to the interrelationship between the principles is enough to enhance the outcomes of the others. They also argue than lean not just can be successful in manufacturing organization but also in any other organization. They come out with a term called From Lean Production to Lean Enterprise. Although lean will always associated with reduction of costs, eliminating waste and JIT but the adoption of lean is beneficial for knowledge-based activities such as services, design, engineering and product development. 2.3 Change Model There are a lot of change models been studied and introduced to organize change activities in a systematic approach. Researchers have been studying change, specifically organizational change, for decades. Detail studies on implementing change has been conducted by Ian Palmer, Richard Dunford and Gib Akin (2009) and presented in their book Managing Organizational Change. They said that in various change management approaches provide multistep models of how to achieve larga-scale, transformation change. They studied 9 examples of change management model that have been introduced from 1992 to 2006. These models differ not just in terms of the number of steps but also the way to implement the steps. Katner, Stein and Jick proposed an approach called Ten Commandments in 1992, Pendlebury, Grouard and Meston proposed Ten Keys in 1998, Nadler proposed 12 Action Steps in 1998, Taffinder proposed Transformation Trajectory in 1998, Anderson and Anderson proposed Nine-Phase Change Process Model in 2001, Kirkpatrick proposed Step-by-Step Change Model in 2001, Mento, Jones and Dirndorfer proposed 12-Step Framework in 2002, Light proposed RANDs Six Steps in 2005 and Leppit proposed Integrated Model in 2006. The summary of all 9 change models made by Palmer et. al. (2009) is as Appendix 1. Ian Palmer, Richard Dunford and Gib Akin (2009) said that possibly one of the best-known change management model is John Kotters eight-step model. Norani (2011) also says that among all the emergent change approaches, Kotters model is said to have a long standing high reputation that has flexibility to deal with vast number of problems and issues that may be experienced during change. Kotters simplifies the steps during change process to overcome the challenge and constraints that might occurred during the implementation. 2.4 Kotters Eight-Step Change Management Model John P. Kotter graduated from MIT and Harvard. He joined the Harvard Business School faculty in 1972 and after 8 years, at the age of thirty-three, he was voted tenure and a full professorship. He wrote a lot of books, journals and articled related to leadership, change and managements. In 1994 he wrote an article for the Harvard Business Review entitled Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail. It was based on his analysis from a lot of initiatives to produce significant useful change in organization via restructuring, reengineering, restrategizing, acquisitions, downsizing, quality programs and cultural renewal in companies that trying to remake themselves into significantly better companies. These companies included large organizations such as Ford, General Motors, British Airways, Landmark Corporation etc. The basic goal of all change efforts was to make fundamental changes in how business is conducted in order to cope with a changing market environment. He has made his st udy on both success and fail of change initiatives. As a result from his analysis Kotter developed his 8 steps for change. The eight steps were created to be followed one by one and in sequence where for him each step building on the previous. Kotter states that it is essential to thoroughly complete all 8 steps, not cutting only one or short. Kotter (1996) quoted Whenever you leave one of the steps in the eight-stage change process without finishing the work, you usually pay a big price later on. Step 1 is Establishing a Sense of Urgency. Change efforts begin successfully when some individuals of a group of people start realize and look hard at a companys competitive situations, market positions, technological trends and financial performance. Kotter notes that over half of the companies he analyzes have never been able to create enough urgency to prompt action. Compared with other steps in the change process, step one can sound easy but it is not. Well over 50% of the companies I have watched fail in this first phase (Kotter, 2007, pg. 3). Kotter proposed that the change initiatives can be successful is when 75% of companys managements is honestly convinced and agreed to change. Step 2 is Creating the Guiding Coalition. Kotter (1995) described it as a step that requires the organization to assembling a group with enough power to lead the change effort and encourage the group to work together as a team. The team may consist one or two people in the early stage but it must grow over time. It is important that the team get full support by the top managements. A high sense of urgency for change within the top management is such organization helps enormously in putting a guiding coalition together. Leadership play an important role to spread out the sense of urgency to change. Efforts that dont have a powerful enough guiding coalition cant only sustain for a while and in the end the progress will stop. Step 3 is Developing a Vision and Strategy. A vision helps clarify the direction in which the change results should be. Kotter (1995) describe this step as developing a picture of the future that is relatively easy to communicate and appeals to customers, stock-holders and employees. Without a sensible vision, any change effort can easily dissolve into a list of confusing and incompatible projects that can take the organization in the wrong direction or nowhere at all. Step 4 is Communicating the Change Vision. In this step, every possible communication channel must be used to spread out the change initiatives. Everybody needs to know, aware and get familiar about what is happening. Some key elements of effectively communicating shall be used such as repetition, explanation, forums and leading by example of the guiding coalition. Step 5 is Empowering Employees for Broad-Based Action. In this step, action should be taken to remove all obstacles to change. This might as be up to the extent of changing systems or structures that seriously undermine the vision. It also may involve allocating some budget, money, time, support etc. These are to get more people to involve. The more people involved, the better the outcome (Kotter 1995). Step 6 is Generating Short-Term Wins. Transformation will take time and effort and will risk losing momentum if there are no short-term goals or achievement. Some people will only get participate when they start to see the positive results. Without short term wins, people will get exhausted and may turn back to their original behavior or condition. Step 7 is Consolidating Gains and Producing More Change. In this step, Kotter gave warns that people tend to declare victory too soon before they are really won. They easily get satisfied with the changes without knowing that it is not fully embedded into the systems of the organization. The change might take years to complete. Step 8 is Anchoring New Approaches in The Culture. This step is the ultimate goal of any change initiatives. It embeds in the culture of the organization, when it seeps into the bloodstream of the organization. 2.5 Research Questions Based on the discussion above, the following research questions have been formulated to guide the study. Is the program established enough Sense of Urgency to the staff during the implementation period? Is the program creating a group of people with enough power to lead the change effort and encourage the group to work together as a team during the implementation period? Is the staff been thought about the Vision and Strategy and understand the end results of Lean Six Sigma program? Is the staff well versed and understand about the benefit of Lean Six Sigma? Is the program gets enough support from the management and well accepted by the staff? Is staff clear about the short term target and long term target of the program and feel that Lean Six Sigma will give a lot of benefit to them? Is the program continuously developing and more people start to talk about Lean Six Sigma? Is Lean Six Sigma embedded into the culture of every staff? CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Introduction The previous chapters provide with a contextual framework for understanding the purpose and objectives of the research. Chapter three focuses on the research methodology and its application to the research objectives and questions outlined in chapter one and two. The research design, population and sample, sampling procedure, assessment instruments and pilot study are described according to its use in this chapter. In addition the statistical tools used for data analysis are defined in relation to the objectives and research questions. Research Design Research can be describe as a systematic and organized effort to investigate a specific problem that needs solution. Management research could encompass the study of employee attitude and behavior, human resources management, the impact of changing demographic on management practices, production operation management, strategy formulation, information systems, and the like (Sekaran, 1984, p. 5). The type of this research is applied research. When research is done with the intention of applying the results of its findings to solving specific problems currently being experienced in the organization, it is called applied research (Sekaran, 1984, p. 6). Data can be collected in a variety of ways, settings and sources. This study will base on quantitative research using questionnaires (survey) method and qualitative research by interviewing some of the selected staff purposive sampling. Sekaran (1984) explained that a questionnaire is a preformulated written set of questions to which respondents record their answer, usually within rather closely defined alternatives and interviewing is a process to obtain information on the issues of interest to the researched. It can be either unstructured or structured and could be conducted either face to face or any means. The main purpose of the interview is to have an early understanding on Lean Six Sigma Program that has been implemented. Population and Sample A total of 120 participants from 7 departments / divisions of SIRIM Berhad participated in Lean Six Sigma Program will involve in this study. The participants are full time staff work

The Human Voice Essay -- essays research papers

Our voice is our primary mean of communication, and most of us can’t go for more than a couple of minutes without using it. We don’t use your voice for just talking though, our voice can be used to do a variation of things. The most obvious example would be singing. So it is obvious the human voice is a means of communication, but it is also a source of pleasure for us. The human voice is not limited to just a couple sounds, no, the human voice can make a complex range of sounds but none of this could be possible if it weren’t for the complex system you possess in your throat. First I’ll start off by talking about the physical components and how they contribute to the production of your voice. There are only about 6 main parts to your voice. They are as follows, muscle/mucous, air, tongue, teeth, palate, and lips. The tongue, teeth, palate, and lips are more formally known as the articulators, because it is with these parts that we form words and sentences. The muscle and mucous make up your vocal cords (vocal folds). Your vocal cords are tiny paired muscles that ...

Cultural attitudes-Mice and Men Essay

The following essay looks at the cultural attitudes and values expressed by the members of the ranch and society in â€Å"Of mice and Men† by John Steinbeck, and how important it is to the main themes of the novella. The book was first published in nineteen thirty seven and is set during the great depression. Steinbeck based the story as his own experience as a bindle stiff. When looking at the relationship between men and women in the story, women are ignored. Curley’s wife is generally ignored, throughout the story. Curley and his wife spend most of the time looking for each other as several points in the novel, Curley’s wife asks â€Å"Have you seen Curley?† and vice versa for Curley. We are also able to see that the relationship between Curley and his wife isn’t a particularly a romantic and loving one as in many parts of the story we are able to see friction between the two; a prime example of this being when Curley’s wife angrily and furiously replies to a order from Curley by saying â€Å"You don’t own me!†. Conveying to us how women were looked down upon during the time of the novella. Throughout the story, as a in a male perspective Curley’s wife would seem flirtatious among the men and seeming sexual and persuading the men into having a relationship with her. However, in the view of a female reader she would be simply trying to make friends and more as an attempt to socialize rather than an attempt to flirt as Curley’s wife is lonely. As Curley’s wife herself states how lonely she feels on page 122 while in dialog with Lennie moments prior to her death : â€Å"I get lonely†¦. I cant talk to nobody but Curley. Else he gets mad. How’d you like not to talk to anybody?† We are thus able to understand how men would treat their wives, with no respect or dignity. The irony of the marriage of Curley and his wife is that they go looking for each other almost all the time and there is so many disputes in their relationship.Moreover,it also shows how lonely she is and also gives us an idea how women were generally treated during that period of time and also how ignored and isolated they were from society. On page 124 Curley’s wife explains how she almost realized her dream of being a Hollywood actress.She said she â€Å"met a guy, an’ was in the pitchers†¦Says I was a natural. Soon’s he got back to Hollywood he was gonna write to me about it.† Throughout the story Curley’s wife wears a cotton red dress and wears make up due to her aspirations of being a Hollywood actress.In reality Curley’s wife can’t achieve that much desired goal and most likely is never going to get there. Most importantly, Curley’s Wife is unable to meet her targets and achieve her ambitions simply because she is married to Curley. All she can do is just fantasize. The fact that she has to only just stay at home, cook, clean and go to bed with Curley is prevents her from reaching her potentially achievable dreams. This telling us that there was a lot of sexism involved in this period of time against women. Men could go out earn and do really whatever they like while women/wives had to stay at home and provide the men/husbands with their needs. Men’s attitudes towards women were selfish. Curley’s wife in the whole novella has to proper name in which she is referred to. She is just referred to in the book and other character’s as Curley’s wife and not a name; she has no identity in the novella. Women have no identity during this period of time, the fact the Curley’s wife has no name to be referred to really displays the ignorance and unawareness towards Women. When examining possession and money in the novella, it is clear the Boss of the ranch who holds the glory of wealth. The fact that he owns the ranch and has earned the wealth and business position he is in right now is due to his own hard work.The irony with his son Curley, is that on the hierarchy of power he would be placed second highest behind his father; he has not earned or not done anything in order to earn the power,money or respect. He is just inheriting it, he is the only person in the novella to achieve success in this effortless manner. Attitudes towards money were that if you had inherited wealth, that you would still have it regardless whether you deserved it or not. In the novella there is hardly any respect towards the elderly. Candy who is the oldest worker on the ranch and has lost one hand has only his dog as his companion, his dog is a parellel to him., they were both regarded as useless and redundant on the busy ranch. Carlson shows the disregard for him when he intends to kill Candy’s dog. Candy pleads with him and says â€Å"I’ve had him since he was a pup†. Throughout the argument between Candy and Carlson regarding Candy’s dog,Candy constantly expresses how much he wants the dog and how badly he wants to keep him by mentioning â€Å"No,I couldn’t do that. I had ‘im too long.† Candy has no real power in this situation due to his power on the ranch,his injured arm and old age.The fact the Carlson had in a matter of moments without even consideration taken away Candy’s only love and is only hope in his life shows the utter disregard and carelessness towards the elderly. Racism is seen in the novella as well. Crooks, who is the only African American is discriminated in many ways. He is referred to by his disability with the name: Crooks, due to his crooked back. Another term he is referred to is â€Å"nigger† due to his ethnicity, nigger which using the term nowadays could be a punishable offence. Crooks is separated from the rest of the ranch, he is made by the others to live in his own room.As a result this causes him to feel lonely as he mentions that â€Å"A gut neades somebody to be near him† and â€Å"A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody†. The irony with Crooks that although he is discriminated, he is the only work member on the ranch to have his own privacy. Furthermore, despite his discrimination,

Swot Matrix for Starbucks

SWOT matrixkey success factors for star bucksStarbucks has a strong brand name and its known international. Starbucks was the first coffee shop whereby high quality coffee and products at accessible locationsand affordable prices, provided a community to share in the coffee drinking experience| Strengths: * Brand recognition * High quality coffee * Business ethics * Location they are located everywhere| Weakness * Competition a lot of coffee shops are offer coffee at a lower price. * Overexposure star bucks Is obsolete according to some consumers. Too many products * Not enough marketing | Opportunity * Business leaders * New strategy * Expand franchise| Threat * Recession * Mc-cafe offers lattes and cafes at very cheap price with the same quality. * PLC is at declining stage. | 2. Generic strategy pursued at starbucks: Differentiation strategy Differentiation strategy star bucks offers high quality coffee that you cant find at other coffee shops. Starbucks spends minimal cost on mar keting although they have great market share due to the product differentiation star bucks has a unique line coffee shops so advertising is through a method called word of mouth.Their core competencies can be defined as high quality coffee and products at accessible locations and affordable prices, provided a community to share in the coffee drinking experience, and variety of choices. They also value ethics and good business practices. Starbucks provide a high quality coffee and unique experience in the convenience of a large volume of locations, which separates them from their competition ,the new instant coffee line is straddling differentiation and low cost- leadership.While it will be a low cost and convenient alternative to Starbucks regular coffee, it is still unique from other products in the market. The in-store gifts and brewing utensils are in the focused differentiation category as they cater to the coffee lover, and are unique items found only in the Starbucksstores. 3. strategic direction pursued by star bucks? Starbucks new strategy is to refocus on some of the areas that decrease risk and up front investment. Franchising, expanding products and selling at convenient stores not just coffee shops.This includes expanding foreign stores, with aid of partnerships that share risk and costs, selling whether its instant coffee and other products in retail and convenience stores, and reinvigorating the Seattle’s Best Brand coffee. 4. I would pursue cost differentiation since star bucks is already I would add a few new bistro’s or pastries or offer special deals that wouldn’t harm my profit margin but gain more market share. Starbucks doesn’t focus on marketing since the brand is already famous so by offering new flavors of coffee, pastries and beverages would attract attention. Swot Matrix for Starbucks SWOT matrixkey success factors for star bucksStarbucks has a strong brand name and its known international. Starbucks was the first coffee shop whereby high quality coffee and products at accessible locationsand affordable prices, provided a community to share in the coffee drinking experience| Strengths: * Brand recognition * High quality coffee * Business ethics * Location they are located everywhere| Weakness * Competition a lot of coffee shops are offer coffee at a lower price. * Overexposure star bucks Is obsolete according to some consumers. Too many products * Not enough marketing | Opportunity * Business leaders * New strategy * Expand franchise| Threat * Recession * Mc-cafe offers lattes and cafes at very cheap price with the same quality. * PLC is at declining stage. | 2. Generic strategy pursued at starbucks: Differentiation strategy Differentiation strategy star bucks offers high quality coffee that you cant find at other coffee shops. Starbucks spends minimal cost on mar keting although they have great market share due to the product differentiation star bucks has a unique line coffee shops so advertising is through a method called word of mouth.Their core competencies can be defined as high quality coffee and products at accessible locations and affordable prices, provided a community to share in the coffee drinking experience, and variety of choices. They also value ethics and good business practices. Starbucks provide a high quality coffee and unique experience in the convenience of a large volume of locations, which separates them from their competition ,the new instant coffee line is straddling differentiation and low cost- leadership.While it will be a low cost and convenient alternative to Starbucks regular coffee, it is still unique from other products in the market. The in-store gifts and brewing utensils are in the focused differentiation category as they cater to the coffee lover, and are unique items found only in the Starbucksstores. 3. strategic direction pursued by star bucks? Starbucks new strategy is to refocus on some of the areas that decrease risk and up front investment. Franchising, expanding products and selling at convenient stores not just coffee shops.This includes expanding foreign stores, with aid of partnerships that share risk and costs, selling whether its instant coffee and other products in retail and convenience stores, and reinvigorating the Seattle’s Best Brand coffee. 4. I would pursue cost differentiation since star bucks is already I would add a few new bistro’s or pastries or offer special deals that wouldn’t harm my profit margin but gain more market share. Starbucks doesn’t focus on marketing since the brand is already famous so by offering new flavors of coffee, pastries and beverages would attract attention.