All things are made possible

Reflections on Selected Movies..

2011-03-07T20:29:00.000-08:00

Wall-e

This story was close to reality. I like it because it gives an information to the people of what will happen if there is becomes extravagant of their way of living and of degradation and thoughtless consumerism. On Technical side, technology can help also in one way or another. In this movie, it shows how a robot piles up the garbage of the people. It segregated the garbage and arranged it.

I got this from an article, it says, "Wall-E scooped up another pile of trash and began to crunch it up into smaller

pieces. The heat of the ancient sun beat hard upon his squat, grubby metal frame as the little robot worked.

Another day, another big set of garbage cubes. Not very likely to change in any way, but at least he was doing

something to occupy his lonely time on Earth.

He paused to let his robotic clamps rest, and stared

dismally at the various segments of trash scattered in front of him. 700 years of having to pick up this junk and

cement it all into cubes... his eyes clouded over as he remembered the days when robots like him were brand-new,

and were wanted to get the job done by all the humans on the planet. Some thought it was a crazy idea, getting

hundreds and thousands of robots to pick up all their own filth for them; others encouraged the plan deeply and

were glad that something was finally being done about it. But, thought poor Wall-E as he absent-mindedly twisted

piece of a cardboard box, shouldn't those humans have not left their trash behind in the first place? He did not

want to sound hateful, but it was their own fault that Earth had become the dead planet it was now.

A dust

cloud slowly rumbled overhead, drifting over the sun and flickering lifelessly in the polluted sky. Wall-E gazed

up at this cloud for a fairly long time before thinking that, if clouds had feelings, this particular cloud would

feel exactly the same way he did. Once a common yet popular icon of Earth... and now nothing. Lonesome...

lifeless... forgotten. "

(http://pixarplanet.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1860)

Surrogates

humans live in isolation and only interact through robotic bodies that serve as surrogates.

In a near future, with the development of the robotic, mankind stays at home operating surrogates with their signature to live their lives in the outside world and resolving issues like racism, complex and safety and reducing crime rates. Only a few people live in reservations the traditional way of life without the use of substitutes.

The intention of the technology was good. In fact, it was created to lessen crime and to promote public safety that's why they need to use surrogates as virtual substitute of the real person. However, an incident happened when one surrogate was killed by another surrogate and later found out that the user was the son of the inventor. Worst thing is, when a surrogate dies, it kills the user too.

Therefore, even though how 'perfect' a technology is being considered on it's creation, there's always a bug behind.

iRobot

This story is quite similar to surrogates. The story begins at year 2035 where vast production of robots has been done by the U.S Robotics. It was created for the purpose of helping people and not to harm them in any way. There were three laws programmed on the robots that should not be in conflict with each other. However, the conspiracy began when the a doctor died and later investigated that he was killed by a robot lest they would conquer the world. So, an agent, tried to investigate before it's too late.

this happens when we are too dependent with the technology. There's nothing wrong with the technologies we have but if we cannot control on them, we might be controlled by them.

Technology

2010-12-10T12:20:00.000-08:00

We need to study technology because it makes the people's everyday living "easier". Before, whey back in 40-50 years ago, studying technology is not an edge for most of the individuals because their lifestyles and way of living are different. But today, in this generation, technology is so significant because every individual is becoming more dependent to it. Technologies have impacted the world that it changed the routine of the students, families, companies and etc. Now, most of the people are so reliant to technology because it lessens the workloads yet quantifies the produce. We really need to study technology so we could even more adapt to the environment and the daily life of this generation.

What's Your take on the Enrollment Process?

2010-07-21T22:49:00.001-07:00

Actually, the University Enrollment process or system have improved and do have catered a lot of students as early as the 3rd week of May. Every steps in the process has been given attention on how to manage the students. Though there are still lapses in some other areas but at least they have lessen all the jam between the steps during the process.

If given a chance to alter or change the process (physical side of the process which is the steps during enrollment), I would gather all the local councils together with the headlight and ocsc on one place.. Maybe they could take the basketball court wherein students can pay their transactions in their miscellaneous.. which is the first step of the enrollment process. This would help the students to focus on one place in taking their first step during enrollment. It would also lessen the traffic of the students in their respective departments.

On the other hand, technical side, there should be changes in the system for the enrollment because the current system is giving a confusion to the encoder due to rearrangement of data from scratch to its interface. The arrangement of information from scratch should be the same with the interface to avoid mistakes during encoding. This has been a problem to one of my classmates who enrolled 1 day earlier from me. He then observed that something has changed in his Certificate of Registration. Well, he needed to change his COR because the information has interchanged. He again needs to fall in line for the enrollment - cause of delay in the enrollment. However, everything in the enrollment now is getting better compared to the early years of stay in this University. Sometimes we need to consider things, everything will not be change immediately in a glance. Yet, in a step-by-step process, each of the problem is being dealt.

Evaluation of University Enrolment Process

2010-07-08T11:22:00.000-07:00

Assuming that I am tapped by the University to evaluate or assess the new enrolment system implemented this semester.

I was involved in an organization that supports the enrolment process or system every year through helping the first years on how, where, when to be enrolled in a certain course. Help them identify the buildings that they need to go into to start the step-by-step process of the enrolment. However, this school year, we haven’t had the chance to support the incoming first years due to some changes and improvements of the flow, process or system of the enrolment.

Honestly, the process of the enrolment has improved in some ways. First improvement of the system or of the whole process is the extension of time or period in the enrolment for all incoming first years and also the old students. Before, there was a very short enrolment time for all the students. First years were just given three days to finish everything, second year and third years were given two days to process everything so as the fourth year and the graduates. Throughout the process, problems occur such as overlapping of schedules for the students, time consuming process, unorganized and etc. But this time, enrolment started and was opened as early as May 17, 2010 for first years to enrol themselves then followed by the higher years until the first week of June. So, this is a better improvement of one of the part of the whole process of the enrolment. This has to be emphasized because this is the area that is not given much attention, sometimes neglected which happens to affect the entire process of the enrolment. Exact amount of time is very important for the students to help themselves enrol in the university, which is being addressed this school year for the first time in my five years of residence. Second is the integration or collaboration (Correct me if I’m using the wrong term) of the University Collegiate Headlight and the Local Councils of the different departments of the University in one area. Years ago, this collaboration was not implemented during enrolment which give the students a cause of delay going from one place to another just to pay their transactions considering it still as a part of the first step of the whole process. This school year, I took the advantage of suggesting it to the collegiate headlight to collaborate with the local council and identify an area in the different departments where students can pay their transactions on the first step of the process which is the students’ accounts. Now, it helps the students not to be delayed in paying all the accounts. Lastly, guards where deployed in several sectors such as finance and registrar to guide the students on the lanes, entrances and exits and the proper falling in the lines to prevent “tikas” and unorganized students.

However, this is not the thing that will make us stop improving. Though there where flaws that where given attention this year, still we need to change and improve the process for the betterment of everybody. In fact, as what I have said, if given a chance to improve the process/system and the system flow, I would suggest that the basketball court will be the area for all transactions of the students on the first step which is the collegiate headlight, OCSC and all local councils of the different departments so that the students will be managed to go to one place in doing the first step.

Going to the technical aspect, there should be a reconsideration of the software program used in the enrolment system specifically on the encoding part. We need to go back to the scratch to assess the similarities of the PRF and the software program(system). I had observed the arrangements of the PRF and the program is very different to each other which lead to wrong inputs of the encoder. In fact, during the enrolment time, because I’m used to comparing my COR, I had observed one of my classmates Certificate of Registration total account is not exact amount for him and wasn’t catered by his scholarship. So, it was later found out that it was really an error because there’s a change of arrangements from PRF to COR, and it really matters.

As a whole, I believe that the University is taking a step in improving the process for the betterment and for the purpose of fulfilling and catering the need of all the people involved in the University specifically on the enrolment process. In fact, some of the improvements are already visible, which is a good start, for all of us to compete and become the edge in the City and later on to the world. The University processes are very vital for the students to help them improve and make follow orders carefully. It will affect them on how they manage to obey rules when they go out of the University.

Relationship between business plan and information system plan

2009-12-21T18:50:00.000-08:00

A business plan is a formal statement of a set of business goals, the reasons why they are believed attainable, and the plan for reaching those goals. It may also contain background information about the organization or team attempting to reach those goals.
The business goals may be defined for for-profit or for non-profit organizations. For-profit business plans typically focus on financial goals, such as profit or creation of wealth. Non-profit and government agency business plans tend to focus on organizational mission which is the basis for their governmental status or their non-profit, tax-exempt status, respectively—although non-profits may also focus on optimizing revenue. In non-profit organizations, creative tensions may develop in the effort to balance mission with "margin" (or revenue). Business plans may also target changes in perception and branding by the customer, client, tax-payer, or larger community. A business plan having changes in perception and branding as its primary goals is called a marketing plan.
Business plans may be internally or externally focused. Externally focused plans target goals that are important to external stakeholders, particularly financial stakeholders. They typically have detailed information about the organization or team attempting to reach the goals. With for-profit entities, external stakeholders include investors and customers. External stake-holders of non-profits include donors and the clients of the non-profit's services. For government agencies, external stakeholders include tax-payers, higher-level government agencies, and international lending bodies such as the IMF, the World Bank, various economic agencies of the UN, and development banks.
Internally focused business plans target intermediate goals required to reach the external goals. They may cover the development of a new product, a new service, a new IT system, a restructuring of finance, the refurbishing of a factory or a restructuring of the organization. An internal business plan is often developed in conjunction with a balanced scorecard or a list of critical success factors. This allows success of the plan to be measured using non-financial measures. Business plans that identify and target internal goals, but provide only general guidance on how they will be met are called strategic plans.
Operational plans describe the goals of an internal organization, working group or department. Project plans, sometimes known as project frameworks, describe the goals of a particular project. They may also address the project's place within the organization's larger strategic goals.
Business plans are decision-making tools. There is no fixed content for a business plan. Rather the content and format of the business plan is determined by the goals and audience. A business plan should contain whatever information is needed to decide whether or not to pursue a goal.
For example, a business plan for a non-profit might discuss the fit between the business plan and the organization’s mission. Banks are quite concerned about defaults, so a business plan for a bank loan will build a convincing case for the organization’s ability to repay the loan. Venture capitalists are primarily concerned about initial investment, feasibility, and exit valuation. A business plan for a project requiring equity financing will need to explain why current resources, upcoming growth opportunities, and sustainable competitive advantage will lead to a high exit valuation.
Preparing a business plan draws on a wide range of knowledge from many different business disciplines: finance, human resource management, intellectual property management, supply chain management, operations management, and marketing, among others. It can be helpful to view the business plan as a collection of sub-plans, one for each of the main business disciplines.
"... a good business plan can help to make a good business credible, understandable, and attractive to someone who is unfamiliar with the business. Writing a good business plan can’t guarantee success, but it can go a long way toward reducing the odds of failure."
Presentation formats
The format of a business plan depends on its presentation context. It is not uncommon for businesses, especially start-ups to have three or four formats for the same business plan:
• an "elevator pitch" - a three minute summary of the business plan's executive summary. This is often used as a teaser to awaken the interest of potential funders, customers, or strategic partners.
• an oral presentation - a hopefully entertaining slide show and oral narrative that is meant to trigger discussion and interest potential investors in reading the written presentation. The content of the presentation is usually limited to the executive summary and a few key graphs showing financial trends and key decision making benchmarks. If a new product is being proposed and time permits, a demonstration of the product may also be included.
• a written presentation for external stakeholders - a detailed, well written, and pleasingly formatted plan targeted at external stakeholders.
• an internal operational plan - a detailed plan describing planning details that are needed by management but may not be of interest to external stakeholders. Such plans have a somewhat higher degree of candor and informality than the version targeted at external stakeholders.
Typical structure for a business plan for a start up venture
• cover page and table of contents
• executive summary
• business description
• business environment analysis
• industry background
• competitive analysis
• market analysis
• marketing plan
• operations plan
• management summary
• financial plan
• attachments and milestones
Revisiting the business plan
Cost overruns and revenue shortfalls
Cost and revenue estimates are central to any business plan for deciding the viability of the planned venture. But costs are often underestimated and revenues overestimated resulting in later cost overruns, revenue shortfalls, and possibly non-viability. During the dot-com bubble 1997-2001 this was a problem for many technology start-ups. However, the problem is not limited to technology or the private sector; public works projects also routinely suffer from cost overruns and/or revenue shortfalls. The main causes of cost overruns and revenue shortfalls are optimism bias and strategic misrepresentation.[9][10] Reference class forecasting has been developed to reduce the risks of cost overruns and revenue shortfalls.
Legal and liability issues
Disclosure requirements
An externally targeted business plan should list all legal concerns and financial liabilities that might negatively affect investors. Depending on the amount of funds being raised and the audience to whom the plan is presented, failure to do this may have severe legal consequences.
Limitations on content and audience
Non disclosure agreements (NDAs) with third parties, non-compete agreements, conflicts of interest, privacy concerns, and the protection of one's trade secrets may severely limit the audience to which one might show the business plan. Alternatively, they may require each party receiving the business plan to sign a contract accepting special clauses and conditions.
This situation is complicated by the fact that many venture capitalists will refuse to sign an NDA before looking at a business plan, lest it put them in the untenable position of looking at two independently developed look-alike business plans, both claiming originality. In such situations one may need to develop two versions of the business plan: a stripped down plan that can be used to develop a relationship and a detail plan that is only shown when investors have sufficient interest and trust to sign an NDA.
Open business plans
Traditionally business plans have been highly confidential and quite limited in audience. The business plan itself is generally regarded as secret. However the emergence of free software and open source has opened the model and made the notion of an open business plan possible.
An Open Business Plan is a business plan with unlimited audience. The business plan is typically web published and made available to all.
In the free software and open source business model, trade secrets, copyright and patents can no longer be used as effective locking mechanisms to provide sustainable advantages to a particular business and therefore a secret business plan is less relevant in those models.
While the origin of the Open Business Plan model is in the free software and Libre services arena, the concept is likely applicable to other domains.
Uses
Venture capital
• Business plan contests - provides a way for venture capitals to find promising projects
• Venture capital assessment of business plans - focus on qualitative factors such as team.
Public offerings
• In a public offering, potential investors can evaluate perspectives of issuing company
Within corporations
Fundraising
Fundraising is the primary purpose for many business plans, since they are related to the inherent probable success/failure of the company risk.
Total quality management
For more details on this topic, see Total quality management.
Total quality management (TQM) is a business management strategy aimed at embedding awareness of quality in all organizational processes. TQM has been widely used in manufacturing, education, call centers, government, and service industries, as well as NASA space and science programs.
Management by objective
For more details on this topic, see Management by objectives.
Management by objectives (MBO) is a process of agreeing upon objectives within an organization so that management and employees agree to the objectives and understand what they are in the organization.
Strategic planning
For more details on this topic, see strategic planning.
Strategic planning is an organization's process of defining its strategy, or direction, and making decisions on allocating its resources to pursue this strategy, including its capital and people. Various business analysis techniques can be used in strategic planning, including SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats ) and PEST analysis (Political, Economic, Social, and Technological analysis) or STEER analysis involving Socio-cultural, Technological, Economic, Ecological, and Regulatory factors and EPISTELS (Environment, Political, Informative, Social, Technological, Economic, Legal and Spiritual)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Whenever a proposal for the development of an ISP is created it must be assessed against these five characteristics. If any fail or not addressed in an optimum way, the entire set of funds for the development of an ISP is risked.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_plan
http://www.tdan.com/view-articles/5262

System Analyst as a project manager

2009-12-21T18:21:00.000-08:00

Systems Analyst
A Day in the life of a Systems Analyst
Someone on your left speaks French and someone on your right speaks English; both individuals need to speak to each other. The systems analyst is the middleman, assessing the needs of the end-user and translating them into programming or turning over the programming responsibility to the development department. What are the business requirements? Who will comprise the user community? How large is the application going to be? Will it be internal or external? These are all questions facing the systems analyst, who spends much of the day in front of the computer poring over these issues. With a new product, other elements come into play, such as network location, user community, type of machine, and portability. If the analyst is reviewing an established product, the user community will dictate its changes and enhancements. “One of the biggest surprises in my 25 years of technology work is that people who have a creative background as opposed to a degree in computer science tend to make better systems analysts,” says one seasoned professional. “The best analysts I’ve come across came from backgrounds in theater, art, and filmmaking. But they were all able to see and grasp big-picture concepts very quickly, and break them down into subcomponents. People who have a computer science or math background tend to be very technical, and sometimes that can be a hindrance.” Systems analysts need to be independent thinkers-people who can “think out of the box” by grasping concepts quickly and seeing the big picture as opposed to the small details. “I also look for someone who is self-motivated. Here . . . take the ball and run with it and come back if you have any issues,” says one employer who heads up a technology group.
Paying Your Dues
Few companies are willing to spend money on someone who doesn’t have some kind of programming background. There is not much difference between an analyst and a programmer, though the programmer needs to be versed in a programming language. As far as dealing with the functional requirements, these are the same position. There are junior-level analyst positions, which is almost like being a junior programmer. Any of the Java applets and the basic visual C++ programs are very applicable to today’s market, while Cobol and the older programs such as Assembler are considered dinosaurs. Without experience, a support role at the help desk with internal training is a good way to start out.
Associated Careers
Financial companies and most of the Fortune 100 companies have systems analysts who may also have programming responsibilities. But today, many young analysts are flocking to Web companies where there’s money to be made. A small starting salary combined with options could make you a multimillionaire within a short period of time, or your company could go bust within the year. Internet ventures attract risk-takers, so it all depends on how much of a gambler you are. Many systems analysts come from creative backgrounds; some return to those fields, while others combine their artistic passions with Internet opportunities. “If I left my position and was able to do anything, I would go back to photography or painting or apply those talents to Web design,” says one systems analyst.

Project management is the discipline of planning, organizing, and managing resources to bring about the successful completion of specific project goals and objectives. It is often closely related to and sometimes conflated with program management.
A project is a temporary endeavor, having a defined beginning and end (usually constrained by date, but can be by funding or deliverables), undertaken to meet particular goals and objectives, usually to bring about beneficial change or added value. The temporary nature of projects stands in contrast to business as usual (or operations), which are repetitive, permanent or semi-permanent functional work to produce products or services. In practice, the management of these two systems is often found to be quite different, and as such requires the development of distinct technical skills and the adoption of separate management.
The primary challenge of project management is to achieve all of the project goals and objectives while honoring the preconceived project constraints. Typical constraints are scope, time, and budget. The secondary—and more ambitious—challenge is to optimize the allocation and integration of inputs necessary to meet pre-defined objectives.

A project manager is a professional in the field of project management. Project managers can have the responsibility of the planning, execution, and closing of any project, typically relating to construction industry, architecture, computer networking, telecommunications or software development.
A project manager is the person accountable for accomplishing the stated project objectives. Key project management responsibilities include creating clear and attainable project objectives, building the project requirements, and managing the triple constraint for projects, which are; cost, time, and quality (also known as scope).
A project manager is often a client representative and has to determine and implement the exact needs of the client, based on knowledge of the firm they are representing. The ability to adapt to the various internal procedures of the contracting party, and to form close links with the nominated representatives, is essential in ensuring that the key issues of cost, time, quality and above all, client satisfaction, can be realized.
According to our interview, the system analyst as a project manager manages the process of the company. The systems analyst is considered the middleman, assessing the needs of the end-user and translating them into programming or turning over the programming responsibility to the development department. They bridge the gap between the user and the programmer. The system analyst are the very important person in the company because they are the people who are concern of the flow of the business. As project managers, they do innovations and improve technologies in a certain organization to be able to meet the need of the customers. According to our interviewee, system analyst analyzes the processes or the cycle of how an organization is being run. An organization has its edge whenever they have a system analyst.

References:
http://www.princetonreview.com/Careers.aspx?cid=210
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_management
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_manager

System analyst

2009-12-21T18:19:00.000-08:00

Analytical Skills

the ability to visualize, articulate, and solve complex problems and concepts, and make decisions that make sense based on available information. Such skills include demonstration of the ability to apply logical thinking to gathering and analyzing information, designing and testing solutions to problems, and formulating plans.
To test for analytical skills one might be asked to look for inconsistencies in an advertisement, put a series of events in the proper order, or critically read an essay. Usually standardized tests and interviews include an analytical section that requires the examine to use their logic to pick apart a problem and come up with a solution.
Although there is no question that analytical skills are essential, other skills are equally required as well. For instance in systems analysis the systems analyst should focus on four sets of analytical skills: systems thinking, organizational knowledge, problem identification, and problem analyzing and solving.
It also includes the way we describe a problem and subsequently finding out the solutions.
ability to see things as systems, identify, analyze, and solve problems in an optimal way for a specific organization.

Technical Skills ability to understand how computers, data networks, databases, operating systems, etc. work together, as well as their potentials and limitations.

Knowledge and proficiencies required in the accomplishment of engineering, scientific, or any specific task.

Are Technical Skills Still Important?
By Cindy Blanthorne, Sak Bhamornsiri, and Robert E. Guinn

MARCH 2005 - For decades, various groups and institutions within the accounting profession have been advocating a change in accounting education to address the skills necessary for success in the workplace. The 1989 Big Eight white paper “Perspectives on Education: Capabilities for Success in the Accounting Profession” first emphasized the need for general skills, including communication, intellectual, and interpersonal skills. The Accounting Education Change Commission was subsequently established to help educators achieve the white paper’s objectives. Since then, many have suggested incorporating into accounting curricula classroom activities that enhance nontechnical, or “soft,” skills in accounting education.
Many accounting programs responded by incorporating into their curriculum group work, essay exams, and oral presentations. In addition, some textbooks have deleted technical information or have placed it in the appendices, which is significant, because courses are often textbook-driven. Many accounting professors that changed emphasis to the soft skills are now reemphasizing technical skills, because their experience has convinced them that class time is better used for developing students’ technical accounting skills.
Much research has been conducted in search of definitive accounting skills. The perceptions of CPAs, accounting educators, students, and Fortune 500 executives have been studied. The majority have ranked communication as the most important skill in accounting. A survey by Usoff and Feldermann (Journal of Education for Business, March/April 1998) found that students thought that accounting knowledge was the most important skill. Based on this finding, Usoff and Feldermann concluded that students were out of touch and suggested that undergraduate students needed to be more aware of the importance of nontechnical skills.
A more recent article by Moncada and Sanders (CPA Journal, January 1999) investigated skills related to recruiting. Students and faculty ranked characteristics important to prescreening and office visits; the rankings were compared to those rankings by CPA firm recruiters. Interestingly, accounting GPA was ranked most important for prescreening by all three groups. This suggests that technical skills are important when screening students for a campus interview.
The study discussed in this article identifies skills necessary for promotion and success in the public accounting environment. Recently promoted Big Five partners were asked to rate six skills—interpersonal, communication, administrative, technical, leadership, and practice development—in terms of their importance for promotion at three levels: from staff to senior, senior to manager, and manager to partner.
Skills
Staff to senior. In Exhibit 1, the same three skills were rated as most important for promotion from staff to senior in tax and audit, but not in the same order. In tax, the average ratings among technical, communication, and interpersonal skills differed substantially in importance.
Senior to manager. In Exhibit 2, the six skills are rated in the same order for promotion to manager in both tax and audit. When comparing the promotion from senior to manager with the promotion from staff to senior, there is an increase in the average ratings for all of the six skills, which suggests that perceptions of technical skills become even more important at higher levels in public accounting firms.
Manager to partner. The most dramatic change in the rankings occurs at the promotion from manager to partner, seen in Exhibit 3. In both tax and audit, technical competence drops to only the fifth most important skill. Administrative skills also dropped in importance, but all other nontechnical skills rose in importance. The reason for the change in rankings may be related to the added nontechnical responsibilities expected of partners.

The 150-Hour Requirement and Technical Skills
While “soft” skills become increasingly important at higher levels, accountants also must possess a high level of technical competence throughout the promotional process in order to reach the point of consideration for partnership.
Are technical skills still important? The findings of the current study would indicate that they are. The fundamental goal of accounting education remains the same: providing students with sound technical competency.

Management Skills include organization’s recourse management, project management (people and money), risk management, and change management.
Management in all business and human organisation activity is simply the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives. Management comprises planning, organizing, staffing, leading or directing, and controlling an organization (a group of one or more people or entities) or effort for the purpose of accomplishing a goal. Resourcing encompasses the deployment and manipulation of human resources, financial resources, technological resources, and natural resources.
Theoretical scope
Mary Parker Follett (1868–1933), who wrote on the topic in the early twentieth century, defined management as "the art of getting things done through people". She also described management as philosophy.[2] One can also think of management functionally, as the action of measuring a quantity on a regular basis and of adjusting some initial plan; or as the actions taken to reach one's intended goal. This applies even in situations where planning does not take place. From this perspective, Frenchman Henri Fayol[3] considers management to consist of seven functions:
1. planning
2. organizing
3. leading
4. co-ordinating
5. controlling
6. staffing
7. motivating
Some people, however, find this definition, while useful, far too narrow. The phrase "management is what managers do" occurs widely, suggesting the difficulty of defining management, the shifting nature of definitions, and the connection of managerial practices with the existence of a managerial cadre or class.
One habit of thought regards management as equivalent to "business administration" and thus excludes management in places outside commerce, as for example in charities and in the public sector. More realistically, however, every organization must manage its work, people, processes, technology, etc. in order to maximize its effectiveness. Nonetheless, many people refer to university departments which teach management as "business schools." Some institutions (such as the Harvard Business School) use that name while others (such as the Yale School of Management) employ the more inclusive term "management."
English speakers may also use the term "management" or "the management" as a collective word describing the managers of an organization, for example of a corporation. Historically this use of the term was often contrasted with the term "Labor" referring to those being managed.
Management can also refer to the person or people who perform the act(s) of management.

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

Communication is something all living creatures have innately in them to interact with one another so they can understand one another. Human beings communicate through conveying thoughts and ideas.
Some people have better communication skills than others. Communication skills involve the use of auditory, which is spoken, or sung words and sounds; non-verbal, which involves the use of body or sign language and paralanguage, which involves touch or eye contact.

Communication is a process by which information is exchanged. It can be between two or more people. What makes the interaction understood is that the people all recognize the same symbols, signs and behavior so they know what is going on. Based on ones communication abilities determine how effective they are as a communicator. This is where communication skills come into play.
In order to have good communication skills one has to understand what the process of communication is and how to effectively use it. Thus in executing good communication skills one must view communication as a process of transmitting information based on three ideas: Syntactic, Pragmatic and Semantic. Syntactic are the properties given to various signs and symbols, Pragmatic are the relationship between expression/sign and the user of them and Semantic, which is the representation between the signs and symbols and what they mean.
One who uses their communication skills well makes their message understood by all who are present. They understand the feedback of the message they gave out and have some mastery of the flow of communication. Good communication skills involve being able to listen as well as just speak. When you listen and understand what is being said you can respond appropriately, which is another communication skill.
When we utilize good communication skills people will want to hear what we have to say. It helps mobilize people into action with us. When we have poor communication skills it alienates people from us. They don’t want to hear what we have to say must less act on it.
Effective communication skills means to keep it simple and to the point. People who ramble, with tedious large words and jargon tend to bore people and they turn off to what the speaker is speaking about. Short to the point and concise is the first rule of making one’s communication skills effectively heard
Another good communication skill to use is simplifying complex information with simpler ideas first. You can be as creative as you want so the idea is conveyed but be accurate so there is no misunderstanding of the information. Repeat the idea if you have to so it could be understood.
Our body language as part of communication skills is also very important. Facial expressions, gestures, posture and how close or far away from whom we are communicating with all play a part in our communication skills. Not to mention our tone of voice, inflection and volume of our voice all affect the people we are communicating with. The more all these aspects of communication are mastered and are used at the appropriate times the more successful our communication skills will become.

Interpersonal skills
refers to mental and communicative algorithms applied during social communications and interaction to reach certain effects or results. The term "interpersonal skills" is used often in business contexts to refer to the measure of a person's ability to operate within business organizations through social communication and interactions. Interpersonal skills are how people relate to one another.
As an illustration, it is generally understood that communicating respect for other people or professionals within will enable one to reduce conflict and increase participation or assistance in obtaining information or completing tasks. For instance, to interrupt someone who is currently preoccupied with the task of obtaining information needed immediately, it is recommended that a professional use a deferential approach with language such as, "Excuse me, are you busy? I have an urgent matter to discuss with you if you have the time at the moment." This allows the receiving professional to make their own judgement regarding the importance of their current task versus entering into a discussion with their colleague. While it is generally understood that interrupting someone with an "urgent" request will often take priority, allowing the receiver of the message to judge independently the request and agree to further interaction will likely result in a higher quality interaction. Following these kinds of heuristics to achieve better professional results generally results in a professional being ranked as one with 'good interpersonal skills.' Often these evaluations occur in formal and informal settings.
Having positive interpersonal skills increases the productivity in the organization since the number of conflicts is reduced. In informal situations, it allows communication to be easy and comfortable. People with good interpersonal skills can generally control the feelings that emerge in difficult situations and respond appropriately, instead of being overwhelmed by emotion.
According to my research, the skills that were mentioned above are the major skills that a system analyst should have. These skills are very significant for a system analyst in order for him to relate or do his job in an organization.
During Interview..
When we had our interview in our adopted company, we have asked how important a system analyst in an organization and what are the characteristics he/she should have in order to perform his task in an organization well.
Our interviewee told us that a system analyst in today’s trend in an organization is considered one of the most important persons because they bridge the gap between the two people with different languages, it’s the management and the programmers. Without a system analyst the management would have a hard time understanding the language of the programmers so as the programmers to the management.
Our interviewee gave us some qualities that a system analyst should possess. One of the characteristics is that, a system analyst should have determination. It is something that motivates you in doing your work. Even though you tend to stop, determination keeps you going on. He said, without determination the work or the job will not be done on its due time.
Another characteristic of a system analyst is that he is willing to accept correction. Whenever there are feedbacks from the user, it should be taken as a challenge for the improvement of the flow, system or process of the organization. It is the stepping stone of the company in order to go to another level of catering and satisfying the need of the people.

References:
http://www.interlabs.bradley.edu/NSF_CCLI/Demo/class6/module6/Skills_Pretest_Posttest_Answers.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Management_skills
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interpersonal_skills

http://www.yourcommunicationskills.com/
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/technical-skills.html
http://www.nysscpa.org/cpajournal/2005/305/essentials/p64.htm

Characteristics of a System Analyst

2009-12-21T18:18:00.001-08:00

On the first chapter, there were so many things that I have learned and identified. I’ve learned that a systems analyst is one of the most important persons in an organization. Before, during the 90s below, systems analyst is not being recognized as an important one because during those times the systems or the processes are still manually done. Most of the processes in the businesses are manually written. Computers before were not that need before. Today or this generation is considered the rise of the computer trend which means most of the businesses and companies do use computer and most of the processes are automated. That’s why the systems analyst do play a big role in today’s trend.

Why analyst so important…

A system analyst is very important because they determine the success of the company. It can either “make or break” the performance of an organization. According to the Wikipedia, a free internet encyclopedia, “a systems analyst is responsible for researching, planning, coordinating and recommending software and system choices to meet an organization's business requirements. The systems analyst plays a vital role in the systems development process. A successful systems analyst must acquire four skills: analytical, technical, managerial, and interpersonal. Analytical skills enable systems analysts to understand the organization and its functions, which helps him/her to identify opportunities and to analyze and solve problems. Technical skills help systems analysts understand the potential and the limitations of information technology. The systems analyst must be able to work with various programming languages, operating systems, and computer hardware platforms. Management skills help systems analysts manage projects, resources, risk, and change. Interpersonal skills help systems analysts work with end users as well as with analysts, programmers, and other systems professionals.
Because they must write user requests into technical specifications, the systems analysts are the liaisons between vendors and the IT professionals of the organization they represent[1] They may be responsible for developing cost analysis, design considerations, and implementation time-lines. They may also be responsible for feasibility studies of a computer system before making recommendations to senior management.”
A systems analyst performs the following tasks:
• Interact with the customers to know their requirements
• Interact with designers to convey the possible interface of the software
• Interact/guide the coders/developers to keep track of system development
• Perform system testing with sample/live data with the help of testers
• Implement the new system
• Prepare High quality Documentation
Many systems analysts have morphed into business analysts. And, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that "Increasingly, employers are seeking individuals who have a master’s degree in business administration (MBA) with a concentration in information systems."

According to our discussion;
 A business professional who uses analysis and design techniques to solve business problems using information technology.
 Has computer technology knowledge and programming expertise
 Understands business problems
 Uses logical methods for solving problems
 Has fundamental curiosity
 Wants to make things better
 Is more of a business problem solver than a technical programmer

What skills a system analyst should have…

 Technical skills
Knowledge and proficiencies required in the accomplishment of engineering, scientific, or any specific task.
 Business skills
It amazes me when I got this from the internet. 21 business skills needed to succeed:

Communication
1. Written - Most people in business spend a lot of time communicating in writing. While the inter-office memo and the fax are old hat, you will spend a good few hours a day fighting your inbox. Add to this reports, white papers, proposals and resumes, it's certain you will need to sharpen your word power to succeed.
2. Social Networking - We are not all social gadflys, some of us struggle to make small talk. It is a key skill to learn though, it is true what they say, sometimes it is more who you know than what!
3. Speaking - Public speaking ranks high amongst the worlds most popular fears. You must overcome it and the best way is to practice. It might feel more comfortable working from the safety of your desk but at some point you are going to have to present. Better to have some experience under your belt before being forced to perform unprepared when it really counts.
4. Sales - You might think you do not need to sell but we all sell every day. From even before your first day you will be selling, starting at your interview all the way to asking the boss for a raise. In normal life we sell, persuading your partner that you really need that new purchase, getting out of that parking ticket ... persuasion skills can come in very handy indeed.
5. Negotiation - If you can't sell perhaps you can negotiate. A lot of the skills are the same but you will find people who have been in business for a while can drive a hard bargain. If you do not have the skills you will lose out each and every time.

Planning
1. Strategic - A business that lurches from one crisis to another is not going to stay around very long. Obviously if you are in charge then you have to set the marching orders. Can you clearly see the road ahead?
2. Project - I know many people in business who see their role as the hot headed maverick that shoots from the hip and flies from the seat of their pants. Unfortunately most of them eventually crash and burn. Project management makes your life and that of your team less stressful and gets things done on time and on budget. It might not be the white knuckle ride that some enjoy but at least you will be able to clock off at a reasonable hour!
3. Financial - The top reason why businesses go out of business is bad financial planning. All the cash flows in the wrong direction. Having worked through the dotcom boom and bust I have seen first hand what too big a budget in the wrong hands can do. Someone needs a firm grip on the numbers and it had better be you otherwise someone might just take a trip to a tropical island at your expense.
4. Risk - I'm a natural worrier which though it annoys my wife, does have the advantage in business that I tend to see the potential potholes and bear traps in any plan. If you can imagine a risk you can set about to mitigate it.
5. Logistics - Money is just one resource you need. Any business has inputs and outputs. You need to have the right people in the right jobs with what they need when they need it to get their work done. Logistics might not put you on the cover of Time magazine but it could make you a hero in your office.
Productivity
1. Time management - I once had a boss who could never get to a single meeting on time. He would always turn up ten minutes late, red-faced, unprepared, looking like he had slept in a bush. He had a growing collection of speeding tickets and a bigger collection of excuses and apologies. Time management reduces stress and increases your respect.
2. Meeting management - Most of us hate meeting but they are a fact of business life. There are always the few who love them as a way to avoid real work. There are many tricks from firmly sticking to the agenda through to holding meetings standing up just before lunch. Whatever works for you if you can get meetings to be productive and under control you will get ahead.
3. Leadership - In the Dilbert universe leadership might be something you step in, but in business it really helps to be able to take the lead. Can you get people to follow you? Are you able to get people to do things they don't want to do for the good of the team?
4. Systems - If you are repeatedly re-inventing the wheel there is something seriously wrong. Effective systems bring consistency, efficiency and reduced costs. Learning how to create and implement both human and automated systems can go a long way to being more competitive.
5. Personal Productivity - What are your rhythms, when are you more sociable, detail-oriented, creative or lacking energy? Where do you excel and which areas are a struggle? Before you can lead anyone else you need to work out how to get the best out of yourself.
Creativity
1. Imagination - Many people neglect their creative side feeling that it is better to be all about the logic, but in fact some of the most successful business people are also the most imaginative.
2. Inventiveness - If you can imagine it you can create it, and if you create it then you can sell it! Look around you, think of the things you buy and use, someone had to have the idea before it was built and sold to you. You might be surprised how few mad inventors there are, more products are invented in a marketing office than a garage.
3. Problem Solving - A big part of surviving in business is about solving problems fast and effectively. An employee who is good at keeping their head in a crisis while fighting fires is a worthwhile asset to any business.
4. Brainstorming - Some people think brainstorming is all about having stupid ideas while ridiculing the contributions of everyone else while drinking coffee, eating cookies and flirting with the secretary from floor 2. Perhaps this is why brainstorms get a bad name? If you can brainstorm great ideas, fast then you will be one step ahead.
5. Making connections - Some of the best ideas have simply been about connecting two otherwise unconnected ideas together. Could you invent the next iPhone?
I am sure the sharp-eyed amongst you have noticed there are only 20 points in this list. What is number 21? Perhaps the most important skill of all; the ability to switch off! It is so easy for the stresses and strains of business life to burn people out so you must develop the ability to relax and unwind.
 People skills
 Being able to communicate effectively with others requires people skills, and here's eight essential ones:
 1. Understanding people

People not only come in all shapes and sizes, but they come with different personality types as well. You may want to brush up on how to communicate with the four main personality types by reading this article. Indeed, dedicated students of communication could do little better than purchase Bem Allen's excellent introduction to personality types, 'Personality Theories'.
 People are individuals, with as many similarities from one person to the next as differences. To communicate most effectively, each will require you to communicate with them in their own individual preference style, using their language, their body gestures, and their pace and intonation.
 So how do you find out how best to communicate with someone? Spend time with them! Don't expect to meet someone off the street and talk intimately with them within a minute. Understanding a subject takes time -- whether that subject is an academic one or another human being.
 2. Expressing your thoughts and feelings clearly

Our brains can only take so much information in at any one time. We are bombarded with messages every second of the day, so to compete with the barrage of 'noise' a person faces, your message needs to be clear, succinct and to the point.
 It is very worthwhile taking time to plan your communication -- no matter by what method it is delivered -- to ensure that you are taking the least amount of time to express the right level of thought in the most receptively simple manner.
 3. Speaking up when your needs are not being met

Just as important in business relationships as in domestic ones, speaking up to ensure that your needs are met is a fundamental part of any relationship.
 You may wish to read this article on assertive, not aggressive, communication, but in a nutshell there are six different ways you can be assertive and not aggressive in your communication: by rehearsing your behaviour prior to the communication; by repeating your communication (the 'broken record' technique); fogging; asking for negative feedback; tentative agreement with negative feedback; and creating a workable compromise.
 Assertiveness is a useful communication tool. It's application is contextual and it's not appropriate to be assertive in all situations. Remember, your sudden use of assertiveness may be perceived as an act of aggression by others.
 4. Asking for feedback from others and giving quality feedback in return

Alongside assertiveness techniques, the giving and receiving of feedback is a key communication skill that must be learnt if you want to have any hope of developing long-term business relationships..
 Toastmasters International teach a useful feedback and critical review technique -- first give a sincere compliment, follow this with any practical suggestions for improvement, then wrap up with further sincere praise. It is known as 'CRC', or 'Commend, Recommend, Commend', a three-step model for excellence in giving quality feedback.
 Remember, too, that truthfulness is a subjective view. What you may find distasteful in someone may be equally desirable from another's point of view. As I learnt, by living through a series of IRA attrocities in England and watching the US political and media reactions, one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter.
 5. Influencing how others think and act

We all have the opportunity to influence how others think and act. All the way from Cialdini's Persuasion principles down to simple violence (of a verbal or physical nature), we are daily able to shape the thoughts and actions of those around us.
 From something as simple as smiling and saying, "Hello!" as a way of influencing someone's mood, to leading by example during an intense period of change, there are many ways of either leading to or drawing out of others required behaviours and attitudes.
 Remember that an attitude leads to an emotion, which in turn leads to an action. Shape the attitudes and you have a more reliable way of predicting actions.
 6. Bringing conflicts to the surface and getting them resolved

I confess: I'm not a 'natural' at handling conflict. It's taken marrying into an existing family of three children to help this only child come to terms with conflict.
 It's taken me three years of living in my family to realise it's possible to co-exist in conflict and not get personally involved. But it wasn't an easy lesson to learn, I can tell you!
 But being a step-father to teenage children has helped me learn the importance of bringing conflicts and resentments to the surface where they can be more easily managed.
 Your employees might be harbouring secret resentments of you, and unless you find out what they are, bring these 'dark secrets' out into the light of day, you are never going to be able to successfully deal with them.
 It's embarassing, potentially humiliating and requires a strong level of patience not to launch straight into a defensive mode, but giving people the opportunity to express their concerns, disappointments and anger, face-to-face, gives you tremendous opportunity to put things right, or help them see where their thoughts and feelings are misplaced.
 7. Collaborating with others instead of doing things by yourself

I'm a shocker at this, but learning to delegate and share has been instrumental in growing my own business.
 The quickest way of burying yourself in excess detail and workload is to try and do everything yourself. Yet sharing the workload can be the smartest thing you will ever do. Here's why:
 'Leverage'.
 Leverage is taking your skills and abilities and allowing others to magnify your work capacity. You train them to do what you do and you do something else.
 One bricklayer can only lay a certain number of bricks in an hour, but that same bricklayer can train 15 mates to lay bricks and suddenly those 15 bricklayers are building monuments while the first bricklayer is out securing more work for them.
 While the 15 are laying bricks, the original bricklayer can be learning how to perform advanced bricklaying, or learn sales strategies, or learn supervision skills.
 The lesson is simple: try and do it all yourself and the 'all' will bury you; teach others to do what you do and you build a monument.
 Jesus taught 11 men how to do what he did. Then he left them to carry on while he moved on to other things. From the simple act of one man teaching 11 others, a church and the largest, most influential religious movement the world has ever known was born.
 8. Shifting gears when relationships are unproductive

Sometimes you need to walk away. Sometimes you need to jettison unhealthy cargo. And sometimes you need to take drastic steps to regain balance and momentum.
 'Shfting gears' can be as simple as changing the venue of your supervision meeting from a dark office to a nearby cafe. Sometimes it can be moving the meeting from straight after lunch to first thing next morning, when clearer heads might prevail.
 Sometimes it can mean increasing the level of assertiveness in order to ensure the point you are making is being received. Sometimes it might mean bringing others into the meeting so that the other person understands the implications of their attitudes or actions.
 And sometimes it can mean helping them find a more meaningful and satisfying role outside of your sphere of influence.
 As a management psychologist I clearly remember one organisation I consulted to: the only way out of a staff impasse was to remove the impediments to progress. Which meant helping key protagonists find new work outside of the organisation. Sometimes culture change can only be effected in a quick way by bringing in an entire new team and throwing away the dead wood. But only as a last resort.

Conclusion

The whole idea of being people skilled is knowing or finding how to bring out the best in others in any situation, rather than their worst. By mastering these eight essential people skills you dramatically increase your chances of achieving the best outcomes out of your interactions and business challenges.
When you match consumer psychology with effective communication styles you get a powerful combination. Lee Hopkins can show you how to communicate better for better business results. At Hopkins-Business-Communication-Training.com you can find the secrets to communication success.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lee_Hopkins

The characteristics I have…
Here are the characteristics I have identified and discovered in me that perhaps motivates me in pursuing my career:
1. Respect
As an Information technology student, team work is one of the greatest assets that we should have. In order to improve team work, respect to one another should be visible in the team. Respect means to honor or to treat with kindness. And I’m proud to say that I have this characteristic because in our career, “we cannot live on our own”. Each individual works with the group or the team.
2. Determination
According to Linzy Davis, “Determination is one the greatest assets we can possess. Determination can bring out the best in us. Determination is the tool we use to defeat discouragement. Determination is the tool we use to overcome temporary failure to prevent failure from becoming permanent. Determination is the tool we use to produce patience. Determination is the tool we use to feed our faith and starve our doubts to death.
Determination builds character. It helps us become a more reliable person. It helps us meet our commitments. It helps us prioritize and manage our time to maximize positive results.
Determination is the tool we use to give us the will to win. Determination is the tool we use to help us win in spite of our limitations. Determination is the tool we use to dig ourselves out of a hole. Determination is the tool we use to improve our relationships. Determination is the tool we use to reach our goals. Determination is the tool we use to succeed.”
3. Integrity
Integrity is also an important factor of an analyst. One of the things why system analyst are considered very important person in an organization because he/she knows most of the data, records and information of the company. As people who holds information of a certain organization, we should have a sense of honesty, loyalty, truthfulness for the safety of an organization. Without it, we can be trusted with bigger things.
4. Responsible
Responsible means you can be trusted with anything. Being responsible is one of the key in order to finish task. If an I.T student is irresponsible, then it would be a problem to a company because a job might not be done before deadline.
5. Perseverance
Steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., esp. in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement.
Perseverance also means being consistent of something. In my experience as a student, many times I am discouraged of going to school because of failures in exams, quizzes and etc. though I know I’m doing my best. But, perseverance keeps me on the track. It is the value that keeps on telling me, “never lose hope”. Without perseverance, I may stop schooling. Yet, indeed, I’m still on this course with steady persistence.
6. Willing to take a risk
Willing to take a risk means not afraid to fail. Many companies succeeded and boomed because they were willing to take the risk. They were not afraid to lose something for the betterment of the organization. Taking the risk also means focused on the main thing.
I can say that I have this characteristic too because I am not afraid to fail. It is what pushes me to another level of improvement. Failure takes me to a higher level.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Systems_analyst
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/technical-skills.html
http://www.businessschooledge.com/21-business-skills-to-succeed
http://ezinearticles.com/?People-Skills:-Eight-Essential-People-Skills&id=12294
http://www.georgiaelitemagazine.com/what_is_determination.htm
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/perseverance

Business Process Reengineering

2009-12-21T18:14:00.000-08:00

Organizational change

Perhaps the most asked but least answered question in business today is “What can we do to make our business survive and grow?” The world is rapidly changing into something too hard to easily predict, with a hundred opportunities and pitfalls passing by every moment.
To add to this confusion, there are hundreds, if not thousands of techniques, solutions and methods that claim to help business improve productivity, quality and customer satisfaction. A company President, CEO or business owner has so many choices in these buzzwords, whether they be called Total Quality Management, Customer Satisfaction, Re-engineering or Teambuilding. They are like new shoppers in a giant grocery store: They are hungry, but there are so many brands, sizes and varieties you don’t know what to buy.
In response to this confusion, many do nothing, often afraid of making the wrong choices. Others change the techniques they use every few months, using the “program du’jeur” method of organizational change, otherwise known as MBS (Management by Best Seller). Neither of these responses help the organization in the long run. Changing nothing will produce nothing. Implementing a different buzzword (Total Quality, Just in Time, Re-engineering, etc.) every few months often creates a “whipsaw” effect that causes mass confusion among your employees. These buzzwords are often a hammer in search of a nail, techniques applied with no clear focus as to the why, expected results or return on investment.
One of the organizations we consulted with started on this path. Senior management proclaimed in a memo that Total Quality should be a way of life. One senior vice president declared that he wanted 25% of his organization using Total Quality tools within a year. This caused tremendous excitement in the organization, However, the follow-through was delayed, occasionally inappropriate and sometimes not there. Many employee became discouraged with the process and considered it just another management fad. With the next business downturn, virtually all training had stopped and little enthusiasm was left.
Other organizations clearly focus on technical problems and on improving what they had. They are initially successful, but become victims of their own success. I call this an improved, planned incremental approach. Their initial quality improvement teams may be so successful they rapidly create more teams, without the qualitative organization-wide changes (re-engineering) necessary to sustain a permanent effort.
One organization we worked with had over 70 quality improvement teams in a plan with only 300 employees. They had shown little results after their first successes, and asked us what their next steps should be. We suggested the union’s leadership in their efforts, look at restructuring their organization along more product-focused lines, and possibly start profit sharing. They were not interested in taking any of these actions. A few months later, its parent company shut down the site, partly because of its poor productivity.
Organizations need to move beyond the buzzwords into deciding what actions they need to perform that will help them grow and develop. In response to this problem, this article will provide you a framework for coping with organizational change independent of buzzwords or the latest management fad. Organizations must first decide on the framework their organizational change long before they choose a buzzword to implement.
The major decisions
Instead of grasping for the latest technique, I suggest instead that organizations should go through a formal decision-making process that has four major components:
Levels, goals and strategies
Measurement system
Sequence of steps
Implementation and organizational change

The levels of organizational change
Perhaps the most difficult decision to make is at what "level" to start. There are four levels of organizational change:
shaping and anticipating the future (level 1)
defining what business(es) to be in and their "core competencies” (level 2)
reengineering processes (level 3)
incrementally improving processes (level 4)

First let's describe these levels, and then under what circumstances a business should use them.
Level 1- shaping and anticipating the future
At this level, organizations start out with few assumptions about the business itself, what it is "good" at, and what the future will be like.
Management generates alternate "scenarios" of the future, defines opportunities based on these possible futures, assesses its strengths and weaknesses in these scenarios changes its mission, measurement system etc. More information on this is in the next article, "Moving from the Future to your Strategy."
Level 2 - defining what business(es) to be in and their "Core Competencies
Many attempts at strategic planning start at this level, either assuming that 1) the future will be like the past or at least predictable; 2) the future is embodied in the CEO's "vision for the future"; or 3) management doesn't know where else to start; 4) management is too afraid to start at level 1 because of the changes needed to really meet future requirements; or 5) the only mandate they have is to refine what mission already exists.
After a mission has been defined and a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis is completed, an organization can then define its measures, goals, strategies, etc. More information on this is in the next article, "Moving from the Future to your Strategy."
Level 3 - Reengineering (Structurally Changing) Your Processes
Either as an aftermath or consequence of level one or two work or as an independent action, level three work focuses on fundamentally changing how work is accomplished. Rather than focus on modest improvements, reengineering focuses on making major structural changes to everyday with the goal of substantially improving productivity, efficiency, quality or customer satisfaction. To read more about level 3 organizational changes, please see "A Tale of Three Villages."
Level 4 - Incrementally Changing your Processes
Level 4 organizational changes are focusing in making many small changes to existing work processes. Oftentimes organizations put in considerable effort into getting every employee focused on making these small changes, often with considerable effect. Unfortunately, making improvements on how a buggy whip for horse-drawn carriages is made will rarely come up with the idea that buggy whips are no longer necessary because cars have been invented. To read more about level 4 organizational changes and how it compares to level 3, please see "A Tale of Three Villages."

One organization we consulted with has had a more positive experience with the incremental approach. We trained an internal facilitator, helped them deliver training in a just-in-time fashion, and had them focus on specific technical problems. The teams management formed reduced initial quality defects by 48%.
The disadvantages of such an incremental approach include avoiding structural, system-wide problems, and assumes existing processes need modest improvement. In addition, using incremental approaches can be frustrating to employees and management if (pick a buzzword) does not catch on in the organization. As a result of these disadvantages, many organizations experience a high risk of failure in the long run.
What level do I choose?
These levels have much of the same goals: increasing customer satisfaction, doing things right the first time, greater employee productivity, etc. Despite these similarities, they differ substantially in the methods they use to achieve these goals.
Levels one through three, on one hand, focuses on "big picture" elements such as analysis of the marketplace, out-sourcing, purchase/sale of subsidiaries, truly out-of-the box" thinking and substantial change in the management and support systems of the company . In my experience, companies that use these methods tend to have a high need for change, risk-tolerant management, relatively few constraints and have substantial consensus among its management on what to do. Types of industries include those whose environment requires rapid adaptation to fast-moving events: electronics, information systems and telecommunication industries, for example.
Companies using mostly incremental tools (level 4) have management that perceives only a modest need for change, is relatively risk-avoidant, has many constraints on its actions and only has a modest consensus among themselves on what to do. Instead of focusing on new opportunities, they wish to hone and clarify what they already do. Types of industries that often use these methods include the military, aerospace, and until recently, health care organizations. Those organizations whose strategic planning solely focuses on refining an existing mission statement and communicating the paragraph also fall into using incremental (level 4) methods.
When discussing the continuum of structural vs. incremental change, its important to realize that what labels companies use are not important here. One must carefully observe their actions. Many companies have slogans, "glitter" recognition programs and large budgets to provide "awareness" training in the buzzword they are attempting to implement. The key, however, is to note what changes they are really making. If management is mostly filling training slots with disinterested workers and forming a few process improvement teams, they are using level three methods. If they are considering changes in business lines, re-organizing by customer instead of by function, or making major changes in how the everyday employee is being paid, they are using level 3 methods.
Unfortunately, all of this discussion hinges in management's belief about how much change is necessary. This belief often hinges on their often unassessed beliefs of 1) how well the organization performs compared to other organizations (a lack of benchmarking); and 2) what the future will be.
As a result, my recommendation is that organizations conduct scenario/strategic planning exercises (level 1) anyway, even if they have already decided that level 4 (incremental) methods will suffice to solve their problems. This way management can be aware of the limitations of the lower-level methods they are using and realize when it is best to abandon these lower-level methods for something more substantive.
Based on this exercise, comparison of existing internal processes with world-class examples (benchmarking) and market analysis, management may come to realize how much change is necessary. The greater the gap between what the organization needs to be and how it currently operations and what businesses it is in, the more it suggests that greater change is necessary, and greater restructuring is necessary.
This decision is very important. IBM in the mid 1980’s felt that the future would be much like the past and a result didn't have to change much. They did not realize how much microcomputers would replace the functions of their bread-and-butter business, the mainframe. The net result was tens of thousands of people were laid off, with the company suffering the first losses in its history.
Goals
Based on whatever level work you are doing, the opportunities that are found need to be evaluated to determine which of them best suit the existing and future capabilities of the organization and provide the most "bang for the buck" in terms of improvement in your measures of success. In addition, goals need to have the resources and management determination to see to their success.
Goals also need to be SMART, that is:
Specific - concrete action, step-by-step actions needed to make the goal succeed
Measurable - observable results from the goal's accomplishment
Attainable - The goal is both possible and is done at the right time with sufficient attention and resources
Realistic- The probability of success is good, given the resources and attention given it.
Time-bound- The goal is achieved within a specified period of time in a way that takes advantage of the opportunity before it passes you by.

Some examples include:
“We will expand into the polystyrene market within the next five years and achieve 20% market share”
We will decrease the time from research to customer delivery by 50% within two years
We will increase the quality of our largest product by 20% in three years.
Strategies
Where goals focus on what, strategies focus on how. Some examples include:
“We will re-engineer our research and development process”
“We will evaluate and improve our sales and marketing department”
We will conduct a SWOT analysis and then define our core competencies

Additional examples of strategies are included in the "Moving from the Future to your Strategy" chapter.
Wait a second. Aren't goals and strategies really the same. They are in one sense as they both need to be SMART. As what you might guess, the goals of a level are achieved by creating strategies at the lower levels.
The Measurement System
Without measures of success, the organization does not know if it has succeeded in its efforts. Someone once said, “What gets measured gets improved.” Someone else said, “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.”
For more information on measurement systems and their place in organizational change, please see the "Balanced Scorecard" article, along with a number of articles where employee surveys are used.
Implementation and Organizational Change
The success of any organizational change effort can be summed into an equation:

Success = Measurement X Method X Control X Focused Persistence X Consensus
Like any equation with multiplication, a high value of one variable can compensate for lower levels on other variables. Also like any equation with multiplication, if one variable equals 0, the result is zero.
On employee involvement
Some organizations involve employees right from the start, where they have significant influence in the strategic plan of the organization. This kind of involvement tends to reduce employees’ resistance, which is always a very important factor in the success of any organizational change. Such organizations as Eaton, Eastman Chemical and Rohm and Haas have used such an approach.
Such employee involvement, however, might also be threatening to management’s traditional power. Some organizations decide employee involvement will be limited to implementing the strategic decisions management makes, or further limit involvement to purely task-focused teams working on technical problems. Many aerospace organizations have used this approach.
Focused persistence, good project management and the sequence of implementation
The sequence of implementation is also an important factor. There are four basic options, with many variations of them. The first involves the entire organization from the start, with the whole organization intensively working at once on making the change. Ford Motor Company is currently restructuring its entire organization, moving from planning to implementation in nine months.
Another option is a more relaxed approach, in which divisions or business units of the organization go at their own pace. This option can often become an incremental approach like the first or second village. Many conglomerates or other companies with diverse operations try this approach.
A third option is similar to the previous one, with the focus being on individual business units doing the implementation. In this case, however, business units implement roughly the same things in roughly the same time schedule. Unisys, the computer company, is using this method on some of its organizational change efforts.
A fourth option is to create a pilot project in one division or business unit, learn from its mistakes, and then apply those lessons to the rest of the organization. Examples of this option include the Saturn car facility at General Motors and the Enfield plant of Digital Equipment Corporation. It’s important to note here that creating pilot projects is a high-risk business. In both cases, the lessons learned from these pilot projects have not gained widespread acceptance in their parent companies due to their heavily ingrained cultures.
Business process reengineering (BPR) is, in computer science and management, an approach aiming at improvements by means of elevating efficiency and effectiveness of the business process that exist within and across organizations. The key to BPR is for organizations to look at their business processes from a "clean slate" perspective and determine how they can best construct these processes to improve how they conduct business.

Business process reengineering is also known as BPR, Business Process Redesign, Business Transformation, or Business Process Change Management. Reengineering is a fundamental rethinking and radical redesign of business processes to achieve dramatic improvements in cost, quality, speed, and service. BPR combines a strategy of promoting business innovation with a strategy of making major improvements to business processes so that a company can become a much stronger and more successful competitor in the marketplace.
The main proponents of reengineering were Michael Hammer and James A. Champy. In a series of books including Reengineering the Corporation, Reengineering Management, and The Agenda, they argue that far too much time is wasted passing-on tasks from one department to another. They claim that it is far more efficient to appoint a team who are responsible for all the tasks in the process. In The Agenda they extend the argument to include suppliers, distributors, and other business partners.
Re-engineering is the basis for many recent developments in management. The cross-functional team, for example, has become popular because of the desire to re-engineer separate functional tasks into complete cross-functional processes. Also, many recent management information systems developments aim to integrate a wide number of business functions. Enterprise resource planning, supply chain management, knowledge management systems, groupware and collaborative systems, Human Resource Management Systems and customer relationship management systems all owe a debt to re-engineering theory.

Business process reengineering (BPR) began as a private sector technique to help organizations fundamentally rethink how they do their work in order to dramatically improve customer service, cut operational costs, and become world-class competitors. A key stimulus for reengineering has been the continuing development and deployment of sophisticated information systems and networks. Leading organizations are becoming bolder in using this technology to support innovative business processes, rather than refining current ways of doing work.

Business process reengineering is one approach for redesigning the way work is done to better support the organization's mission and reduce costs. Reengineering starts with a high-level assessment of the organization's mission, strategic goals, and customer needs. Basic questions are asked, such as "Does our mission need to be redefined? Are our strategic goals aligned with our mission? Who are our customers?" An organization may find that it is operating on questionable assumptions, particularly in terms of the wants and needs of its customers. Only after the organization rethinks what it should be doing, does it go on to decide how best to do it.[1]
Within the framework of this basic assessment of mission and goals, reengineering focuses on the organization's business processes--the steps and procedures that govern how resources are used to create products and services that meet the needs of particular customers or markets. As a structured ordering of work steps across time and place, a business process can be decomposed into specific activities, measured, modeled, and improved. It can also be completely redesigned or eliminated altogether. Reengineering identifies, analyzes, and redesigns an organization's core business processes with the aim of achieving dramatic improvements in critical performance measures, such as cost, quality, service, and speed.

Reengineering recognizes that an organization's business processes are usually fragmented into subprocesses and tasks that are carried out by several specialized functional areas within the organization. Often, no one is responsible for the overall performance of the entire process. Reengineering maintains that optimizing the performance of subprocesses can result in some benefits, but cannot yield dramatic improvements if the process itself is fundamentally inefficient and outmoded. For that reason, reengineering focuses on redesigning the process as a whole in order to achieve the greatest possible benefits to the organization and their customers. This drive for realizing dramatic improvements by fundamentally rethinking how the organization's work should be done distinguishes reengineering from process improvement efforts that focus on functional or incremental improvement.

Base on the articles I have read above, I think the most radical type of change in the spectrum of organizational change is the business reengineering or business process reengineering (BPR) which is the fundamental innovation of the business processes. Many companies wants a redesign of the business processes before considering automation or rationalization of procedures. Considering the fast changing environment due to technology-oriented generation, reengineering or changing the design of the company is focused in order to cope up with what is happening around. Reengineering becomes the basis for many development management also because recent management information systems developments wants to integrate a wide number or bigger business functions.

References:
David Chaudron, PhD
http://www.organizedchange.com/decide.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_process_reengineering

Implementation of Information System Plan

2009-12-21T18:08:00.000-08:00

Rationale for an Information Systems Plan
Every year, $300-700 million dollar corporations spend about 5% of their gross income on information systems and their supports. That's from about $15,000,000 to $35,000,000! A significant part of those funds support enterprise databases, a philosophy of database system applications that enable corporations to research the past, control the present, and plan for the future.
Even though an information system costs from $1,000,000 to $10,000,000, and even through most chief information officers (CIOs) can specify exactly how much money is being spent for hardware, software, and staff, CIOs cannot however state with any degree of certainty why one system is being done this year versus next, why it is being done ahead of another, or finally, why it is being done at all.
Many enterprises do not have model-based information systems development environments that allow system designers to see the benefits of rearranging an information systems development schedule. Consequently, the questions that cannot be answered include:
• What effect will there be on the overall schedule if an information system is purchased versus developed?
• At what point does it pay to hire an abnormal quantity of contract staff to advance a schedule?
• What is the long term benefit from 4GL versus 3GL?
• Is it better to generate 3GL than to generate/use a 4GL?
• What are the real costs of distributed software development over centralized development?
If these questions were transformed and applied to any other component of a business (e.g., accounting, manufacturing, distribution and marketing), and remained unanswered, that unit's manager would surely be fired!
We not only need answers to these questions NOW!, we also need them quickly, cost effectively, and in a form that they can be modeled and changed in response to unfolding realities. This paper provides a brief review of a successful 10-step strategy that answers these questions.
Too many half-billion dollar organizations have only a vague notion of the names and interactions of the existing and under development information systems. Whenever they need to know, a meeting is held among the critical few, an inventory is taken, interactions confirmed, and accomplishment schedules are updated.
This ad hoc information systems plan was possible only because all design and development was centralized, the only computer was a main-frame, and the past was acceptable prologue because budgets were ever increasing, schedules always slipping, and information was not yet part of the corporation's critical edge.
Well, today is different, really different! Budgets are decreasing, and slipped schedules are being cited as preventing business alternatives. Confounding the computing environment are different operating systems, DBMSs, development tools, telecommunications (LAN, WAN, Intra-, Inter-, and Extra-net), and distributed hard- and software.
Rather than having centralized, long-range planning and management activities that address these problems, today's business units are using readily available tools to design and build ad hoc stop-gap solutions. These ad hoc systems not only do not interconnect, support common semantics, or provide synchronized views of critical corporate policy, they are soon to form the almost impossible to comprehend confusion of systems and data from which systems order and semantic harmony must spring.
Not only has the computing landscape become profoundly different and more difficult to comprehend, the need for just the right--and correct--information at just the right time is escalating. Late or wrong information is worse than no information.
Information systems managers need a model of their information systems environment. A model that is malleable. As new requirements are discovered, budgets modified, new hardware/software introduced, this model must be such that it can reconstitute the information systems plan in a timely and efficient manner.

Characteristics of a Quality ISP

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

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

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

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

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

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

Whenever a proposal for the development of an ISP is created it must be assessed against these five characteristics. If any fail or not addressed in an optimum way, the entire set of funds for the development of an ISP is risked.
ISP Within the Context of the Meta data Environment
The information systems plan is the plan by which databases and information systems of the enterprise are accomplished in a timely manner. A key facility through which the ISP obtains its Adata@ is the meta data repository. The domain of the meta data repository is set forth in Figure 1, and, as seen through Figure 1, persons through their role within an organization perform functions in the accomplishment of enterprise missions, they have information needs. These information needs reflect the state of certain enterprise resources such as finance, people, and products that are known to the enterprises. The states are created through business information systems and databases.
The majority of the meta data employed to develop the ISP resides in the meta entities supporting the enterprise=s resource life cycles (see TDAN issue #7, December 1998, Resource Life Cycle Analysis), the databases and information systems, and project management. All these meta entities are depicted within the meta data repository meta model in Figure 2.

Figure 1

Figure 2

The ISP Steps
The information systems plan project determines the sequence for implementing specific information systems. The goal of the strategy is to deliver the most valuable business information at the earliest time possible in the most cost-effective manner.
The end product of the information systems project is an information systems plan (ISP). Once deployed, the information systems department can implement the plan with confidence that they are doing the correct information systems project at the right time and in the right sequence. The focus of the ISP is not one information system but the entire suite of information systems for the enterprise. Once developed, each identified information system is seen in context with all other information systems within the enterprise.

Information Systems Plan Development Steps

1. Create the mission model
The mission model, generally shorter than 30 pages presents end-result characterizations of the essential raison d=etre of the enterprise. Missions are strategic, long range, and a-political because they are stripped of the Awho@ and the Ahow.@

2. Develop a high-level data model
The high-level data model is an Entity Relationship diagram created to meet the data needs of the mission descriptions. No attributes or keys are created.

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

4. Allocate precedence vectors among RLC nodes
Tied together into a enablement network, the resulting resource life cycle network forms a framework of enterprise=s assets that represent an order and set of inter-resource relationships. The enterprise Alives@ through its resource life cycle network.

5. Allocate existing information systems and databases to the RLC nodes
The resource life cycle network presents a Alattice-work@onto which the Aas is@ business information systems and databases can be Aattached.@ See for example, the meta model in Figure 2. The Ato-be@ databases and information systems are similarly attached. ADifference projects@ between the Aas-is@ and the Ato-be@ are then formulated. Achievement of all the difference projects is the achievement of the Information Systems Plan.

6. Allocate standard work break down structures (WBS) to each RLC node
Detailed planning of the Adifference projects@ entails allocating the appropriate canned work breakdown structures and metrics. Employing WBS and metrics from a comprehensive methodology supports project management standardization, repeatability, and self-learning.

7. Load resources into each WBS node
Once the resources are determined, these are loaded into the project management meta entities of the meta data repository, that is, metrics, project, work plan and deliverables. The meta entities are those inferred by Figure 2.

8. Schedule the RLC nodes through a project management package facilities.
The entire suite of projects is then scheduled on an enterprise-wide basis. The PERT chart used by project management is the APERT@ chart represented by the Resource Life Cycle enablement network.

9. Produce and review of the ISP
The scheduled result is predicable: Too long, too costly, and too ambitious. At that point, the real work starts: paring down the suite of projects to a realistic set within time and budget. Because of the meta data environment (see Figure 1), the integrated project management meta data (see Figure 2), and because all projects are configured against fundamental business-rationale based designs, the results of the inevitable trade-offs can be set against business basics. Although the process is painful, the results can be justified and rationalized.

10. Execute and adjust the ISP through time.
As the ISP is set into execution, technology changes occur that affect resource loadings. In this case, only steps 6-9 need to be repeated. As work progresses, the underlying meta data built or used in steps 1-5 will also change. Because a quality ISP is Aautomated@ the recasting of the ISP should only take a week or less.

Collectively, the first nine steps take about 5000 staff hours, or about $500,000. Compared to an IS budget $15-35 million, that's only about 3.0% to 1.0%.
If the pundits are to be believed, that is, that the right information at the right time is the competitive edge, then paying for an information systems plan that is accurate, repeatable, and reliable is a small price indeed.
Executive and Adjusting the ISP Through Time
IT projects are accomplished within distinct development environments. The two most common are: discrete project and release. The discrete project environment is typified by completely encapsulated projects accomplished through a water-fall methodology.
In release environments, there are a number of different projects underway by different organizations and staff of varying skill levels. Once a large number of projects are underway, the ability of the enterprise to know about and manage all the different projects degrades rapidly. That is because the project management environment has been transformed from discrete encapsulated projects into a continuous flow process of product or functionality improvements that are released on a set time schedule. Figure 3 illustrates the continuous flow process environment that supports releases. The continuous flow process environment is characterized by:
• Multiple, concurrent, but differently scheduled projects against the same enterprise resource
• Single projects that affect multiple enterprise resources
• Projects that develop completely new capabilities, or changes to existing capabilities within enterprise resources
It is precisely because enterprises have transformed themselves from a project to a release environment that information systems plans that can be created, evolved, and maintained on an enterprise-wide basis are essential.
There are four major sets of activities within the continuous flow process environment. The user/client is represented at the top in the small rectangular box. Each of the ellipses represents an activity targeted to a specific need. The four basic needs are:
• Need Identification
• Need Assessment
• Design
• Deployment
The box in the center is the meta data repository. Specification and impact analysis is represented through the left two processes. Implementation design and accomplishment is represented by the right two processes. Two key characteristics should be immediately apparent. First, unlike the water-fall approach, the activities do not flow one to the other. They are disjoint. In fact, they may be done by different teams, on different time schedules, and involve different quantities of products under management. In short, these four activities are independent one from the other. Their only interdependence is through the meta data repository.
The second characteristic flows from the first. Because these four activities are independent one from the other, the enterprise evolves by means of releases rather than through whole systems. If it evolved through whole systems, then the four activities would be connected either in a waterfall or a spiral approach, and the enterprise would be evolving through major upgrades to encapsulated functionality within specific business resources. In contrast, the release approach causes coordinated sets of changes to multiple business resources to be placed into production. This causes simultaneous, enterprise-wide capability upgrades across multiple business resources.
Through this continuous-flow process, several unique features are present:
• All four processes are concurrently executing.
• Changes to enterprise resources occur in unison, periodically, and in a very controlled manner.
• The meta data repository is always contains all the enterprise resource specifications: current or planned. Simply put, if an enterprise resource semantic is not within the meta data repository, it is not enterprise policy.
• All changes are planned, scheduled, measured, and subject to auditing, accounting, and traceability.
• All documentation of all types is generated from the meta data repository.
ISP Summary
In summary, any technique employed to achieve an ISP must be accomplishable with less than 3% of the IT budget. Additionally, it must be timely, useable, maintainable, able to be iterated into a quality product, and reproducible. IT organizations, once they have completed their initial set of databases and business information systems will find themselves transformed from a project to a release environment.
The continuous flow environment then becomes the only viable alternative for moving the enterprise forward. It is precisely because of the release environment that enterprise-wide information systems plans that can be created, evolved, and maintained are essential.

Here are the steps that will help expedite the implementation of an Information System Plan:

I got this from Federal Emergency Management Agency site which will exactly help our University in implementing an Information System plan also.

Step 1 – Establish a Planning Team
There must be an individual or group in charge of developing the emergency management plan. The following is guidance for making the appointment.
Form the Team
The size of the planning team will depend on the facility's operations, requirements and resources. Usually involving a group of people is best because:
• It encourages participation and gets more people invested in the process.
• It increases the amount of time and energy participants are able to give.
• It enhances the visibility and stature of the planning process.
• It provides for a broad perspective on the issues.
Determine who can be an active member and who can serve in an advisory capacity. In most cases, one or two people will be doing the bulk of the work. At the very least, you should obtain input from all functional areas. Remember:
• Upper management
• Line management
• Labor
• Human Resources
• Engineering and maintenance
• Safety, health and environmental affairs
• Public information officer
• Security
• Community relations
• Sales and marketing
• Legal
• Finance and purchasing
Have participants appointed in writing by upper management. Their job descriptions could also reflect this assignment.
Establish Authority
Demonstrate management's commitment and promote an atmosphere of cooperation by "authorizing" the planning group to take the steps necessary to develop a plan. The group should be led by the chief executive or the plant manager. Establish a clear line of authority between group members and the group leader, though not so rigid as to prevent the free flow of ideas.
Issue a Mission Statement
Have the chief executive or plant manager issue a mission statement to demonstrate the company's commitment to emergency management. The statement should:
Define the purpose of the plan and indicate that it will involve the entire organization
Define the authority and structure of the planning group
Establish a Schedule and Budget
Establish a work schedule and planning deadlines. Timelines can be modified as priorities become more clearly defined.
Develop an initial budget for such things as research, printing, seminars, consulting services and other expenses that may be necessary during the development process.

Step 2 – Analyze Capabilities and Hazards

This step entails gathering information about current capabilities and about possible hazards and emergencies, and then conducting a vulnerability analysis to determine the facility's capabilities for handling emergencies.
Where Do You Stand Right Now?
Review Internal Plans and Policies
Documents to look for include:
• Evacuation plan
• Fire protection plan
• Safety and health program
• Environmental policies
• Security procedures
• Insurance programs
• Finance and purchasing procedures
• Plant closing policy
• Employee manuals
• Hazardous materials plan
• Process safety assessment
• Risk management plan
• Capital improvement program
• Mutual aid agreements
Meet with Outside Groups
Meet with government agencies, community organizations and utilities. Ask about potential emergencies and about plans and available resources for responding to them. Sources of information include:
• Community emergency management office
• Mayor or Community Administrator's office
• Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC)
• Fire Department
• Police Department
• Emergency Medical Services organizations
• American Red Cross
• National Weather Service
• Public Works Department
• Planning Commission
• Telephone companies
• Electric utilities
• Neighboring businesses
While researching potential emergencies, one facility discovered that a dam -- 50 miles away -- posed a threat to its community. The facility was able to plan accordingly.
Identify Codes and Regulations
Identify applicable Federal, State and local regulations such as:
• Occupational safety and health regulations
• Environmental regulations
• Fire codes
• Seismic safety codes
• Transportation regulations
• Zoning regulations
• Corporate policies
Identify Critical Products, Services and Operations
You'll need this information to assess the impact of potential emergencies and to determine the need for backup systems. Areas to review include:
• Company products and services and the facilities and equipment needed to produce them
• Products and services provided by suppliers, especially sole source vendors
• Lifeline services such as electrical power, water, sewer, gas, telecommunications and transportation
• Operations, equipment and personnel vital to the continued functioning of the facility
Identify Internal Resources and Capabilities
Resources and capabilities that could be needed in an emergency include:
• Personnel -- fire brigade, hazardous materials response team, emergency medical services, security, emergency management group, evacuation team, public information officer
• Equipment -- fire protection and suppression equipment, communications equipment, first aid supplies, emergency supplies, warning systems, emergency power equipment, decontamination equipment
• Facilities -- emergency operating center, media briefing area, shelter areas, first-aid stations, sanitation facilities
• Organizational capabilities -- training, evacuation plan, employee support system
• Backup systems -- arrangements with other facilities to provide for:
o Payroll
o Communications
o Production
o Customer services
o Shipping and receiving
o Information systems support
o Emergency power
o Recovery support
One way to increase response capabilities is to identify employee skills (medical, engineering, communications, foreign language) that might be needed in an emergency.
Identify External Resources
There are many external resources that could be needed in an emergency. In some cases, formal agreements may be necessary to define the facility's relationship with the following:
• Local emergency management office
• Fire Department
• Hazardous materials response organization
• Emergency medical services
• Hospitals
• Local and State police
• Community service organizations
• Utilities
• Contractors
• Suppliers of emergency equipment
• Insurance carriers
Do an Insurance Review
Meet with insurance carriers to review all policies. (See Section 2: Recovery and Restoration.)
Conduct a Vulnerability Analysis
The next step is to assess the vulnerability of your facility -- the probability and potential impact of each emergency. Use the Vulnerability Analysis Chart to guide the process, which entails assigning probabilities, estimating impact and assessing resources, using a numerical system. The lower the score the better.

Vulnerability Analysis Chart
Rate each criteria on a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 being low and 5 being high.

Type of Emergency	Probability	Human Impact	Property Impact	Business Impact	Internal Resources	External Resources	Total

List Potential Emergencies
In the first column of the chart, list all emergencies that could affect your facility, including those identified by your local emergency management office. Consider both:
• Emergencies that could occur within your facility
• Emergencies that could occur in your community
Below are some other factors to consider:
Historical -- What types of emergencies have occurred in the community, at this facility and at other facilities in the area?
• Fires
• Severe weather
• Hazardous material spills
• Transportation accidents
• Earthquakes
• Hurricanes
• Tornadoes
• Terrorism
• Utility outages
Geographic -- What can happen as a result of the facility's location? Keep in mind:
• Proximity to flood plains, seismic faults and dams
• Proximity to companies that produce, store, use or transport hazardous materials
• Proximity to major transportation routes and airports
• Proximity to nuclear power plants
Technological -- What could result from a process or system failure? Possibilities include:
• Fire, explosion, hazardous materials incident
• Safety system failure
• Telecommunications failure
• Computer system failure
• Power failure
• Heating/cooling system failure
• Emergency notification system failure
Human Error -- What emergencies can be caused by employee error? Are employees trained to work safely? Do they know what to do in an emergency? Human error is the single largest cause of workplace emergencies and can result from:
• Poor training
• Poor maintenance
• Carelessness
• Misconduct
• Substance abuse
• Fatigue
Physical -- What types of emergencies could result from the design or construction of the facility? Does the physical facility enhance safety? Consider:
• The physical construction of the facility
• Hazardous processes or byproducts
• Facilities for storing combustibles
• Layout of equipment
• Lighting
• Evacuation routes and exits
• Proximity of shelter areas
Regulatory -- What emergencies or hazards are you regulated to deal with?
Analyze each potential emergency from beginning to end. Consider what could happen as a result of:
• Prohibited access to the facility
• Loss of electric power
• Communication lines down
• Ruptured gas mains
• Water damage
• Smoke damage
• Structural damage
• Air or water contamination
• Explosion
• Building collapse
• Trapped persons
• Chemical release
Estimate Probability
In the Probability column, rate the likelihood of each emergency's occurrence. This is a subjective consideration, but useful nonetheless. Use a simple scale of 1 to 5 with 1 as the lowest probability and 5 as the highest.
Assess the Potential Human Impact
Analyze the potential human impact of each emergency -- the possibility of death or injury. Assign a rating in the Human Impact column of the Vulnerability Analysis Chart. Use a 1 to 5 scale with 1 as the lowest impact and 5 as the highest.
Assess the Potential Business Impact
Consider the potential loss of market share. Assign a rating in the Business Impact column. Again, 1 is the lowest impact and 5 is the highest. Assess the impact of:
• Business interruption
• Employees unable to report to work
• Customers unable to reach facility
• Company in violation of contractual agreements
• Imposition of fines and penalties or legal costs
• Interruption of critical supplies
• Interruption of product distribution
Assess the Potential Property Impact
Consider the potential property for losses and damages. Again, assign a rating in the Property Impact column, 1 being the lowest impact and 5 being the highest. Consider:
• Cost to replace
• Cost to set up temporary replacement
• Cost to repair
A bank's vulnerability analysis concluded that a "small" fire could be as catastrophic to the business as a computer system failure. The planning group discovered that bank employees did not know how to use fire extinguishers, and that the bank lacked any kind of evacuation or emergency response system.
Assess Internal and External Resources
Next assess your resources and ability to respond. Assign a score to your Internal Resources and External Resources. The lower the score the better. To help you do this, consider each potential emergency from beginning to end and each resource that would be needed to respond. For each emergency ask these questions:
• Do we have the needed resources and capabilities to respond?
• Will external resources be able to respond to us for this emergency as quickly as we may need them, or will they have other priority areas to serve?
If the answers are yes, move on to the next assessment. If the answers are no, identify what can be done to correct the problem. For example, you may need to:
• Develop additional emergency procedures
• Conduct additional training
• Acquire additional equipment
• Establish mutual aid agreements
• Establish agreements with specialized contractors
Add the Columns
Total the scores for each emergency. The lower the score the better. While this is a subjective rating, the comparisons will help determine planning and resource priorities -- the subject of the pages to follow.
When assessing resources, remember that community emergency workers -- police, paramedics, firefighters -- will focus their response where the need is greatest. Or they may be victims themselves and be unable to respond immediately. That means response to your facility may be delayed.

Step 3 – Develop the Plan

Plan Components
Your plan should include the following basic components.
Executive Summary
The executive summary gives management a brief overview of: the purpose of the plan; the facility's emergency management policy; authorities and responsibilities of key personnel; the types of emergencies that could occur; and where response operations will be managed.
Emergency Management Elements
This section of the plan briefly describes the facility's approach to the core elements of emergency management, which are:
• Direction and control
• Communications
• Life safety
• Property protection
• Community outreach
• Recovery and restoration
• Administration and logistics
.
These elements, which are described in detail in Section 2, are the foundation for the emergency procedures that your facility will follow to protect personnel and equipment and resume operations.
Emergency Response Procedures
The procedures spell out how the facility will respond to emergencies. Whenever possible, develop them as a series of checklists that can be quickly accessed by senior management, department heads, response personnel and employees.
Determine what actions would be necessary to:
• Assess the situation
• Protect employees, customers, visitors, equipment, vital records and other assets, particularly during the first three days
• Get the business back up and running.
Specific procedures might be needed for any number of situations such as bomb threats or tornadoes, and for such functions as:
• Warning employees and customers
• Communicating with personnel and community responders
• Conducting an evacuation and accounting for all persons in the facility
• Managing response activities
• Activating and operating an emergency operations center
• Fighting fires
• Shutting down operations
• Protecting vital records
• Restoring operations
Support Documents
Documents that could be needed in an emergency include:
Emergency call lists -- lists (wallet size if possible) of all persons on and off site who would be involved in responding to an emergency, their responsibilities and their 24-hour telephone numbers
Building and site maps that indicate:
• Utility shutoffs
• Water hydrants
• Water main valves
• Water lines
• Gas main valves
• Gas lines
• Electrical cutoffs
• Electrical substations
• Storm drains
• Sewer lines
• Location of each building (include name of building, street name and number)
• Floor plans
• Alarm and enunciators
• Fire extinguishers
• Fire suppression systems
• Exits
• Stairways
• Designated escape routes
• Restricted areas
• Hazardous materials (including cleaning supplies and chemicals)
• High-value items
Resource lists -- lists of major resources (equipment, supplies, services) that could be needed in an emergency; mutual aid agreements with other companies and government agencies.
In an emergency, all personnel should know:
• What is my role?
• Where should I go?
Some facilities are required to develop:
• Emergency escape procedures and routes
• Procedures for employees who perform or shut down critical operations before an evacuation
• Procedures to account for all employees, visitors and contractors after an evacuation is completed
• Rescue and medical duties for assigned employees
• Procedures for reporting emergencies
• Names of persons or departments to be contacted for information regarding the plan
The Development Process
The following is guidance for developing the plan.
1. Identify Challenges and Prioritize Activities
Determine specific goals and milestones. Make a list of tasks to be performed, by whom and when. Determine how you will address the problem areas and resource shortfalls that were identified in the vulnerability analysis.
2. Write the Plan
Assign each member of the planning group a section to write. Determine the most appropriate format for each section.
Establish an aggressive timeline with specific goals. Provide enough time for completion of work, but not so much as to allow assignments to linger. Establish a schedule for:
o First draft
o Review
o Second draft
o Tabletop exercise
o Final draft
o Printing
o Distribution
3. Establish a Training Schedule
Have one person or department responsible for developing a training schedule for your facility. For specific ideas about training, refer to Step 4.
4. Coordinate with Outside Organizations
Meet periodically with local government agencies and community organizations. Inform appropriate government agencies that you are creating an emergency management plan. While their official approval may not be required, they will likely have valuable insights and information to offer.
Determine State and local requirements for reporting emergencies, and incorporate them into your procedures.
Determine protocols for turning control of a response over to outside agencies. Some details that may need to be worked out are:
o Which gate or entrance will responding units use?
o Where and to whom will they report?
o How will they be identified?
o How will facility personnel communicate with outside responders?
o Who will be in charge of response activities?
Determine what kind of identification authorities will require to allow your key personnel into your facility during an emergency.
Determine the needs of disabled persons and non-English-speaking personnel. For example, a blind employee could be assigned a partner in case an evacuation is necessary.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines a disabled person as anyone who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, such as seeing, hearing, walking, breathing, performing manual tasks, learning, caring for oneself or working.
Your emergency planning priorities may be influenced by government regulation. To remain in compliance you may be required to address specific emergency management functions that might otherwise be a lower priority activity for that given year.
5. Maintain Contact with Other Corporate Offices
Communicate with other offices and divisions in your company to learn:
o Their emergency notification requirements
o The conditions where mutual assistance would be necessary
o How offices will support each other in an emergency
o Names, telephone numbers and pager numbers of key personnel
Incorporate this information into your procedures.
6. Review, Conduct Training and Revise
Distribute the first draft to group members for review. Revise as needed.
For a second review, conduct a tabletop exercise with management and personnel who have a key emergency management responsibility. In a conference room setting, describe an emergency scenario and have participants discuss their responsibilities and how they would react to the situation. Based on this discussion, identify areas of confusion and overlap, and modify the plan accordingly.
7. Seek Final Approval
Arrange a briefing for the chief executive officer and senior management and obtain written approval.
8. Distribute the Plan
Place the final plan in three-ring binders and number all copies and pages. Each individual who receives a copy should be required to sign for it and be responsible for posting subsequent changes.
Determine which sections of the plan would be appropriate to show to government agencies (some sections may refer to corporate secrets or include private listings of names, telephone numbers or radio frequencies). Distribute the final plan to:
o Chief executive and senior managers
o Key members of the company's emergency response organization
o Company headquarters
o Community emergency response agencies (appropriate sections)
Have key personnel keep a copy of the plan in their homes. Inform employees about the plan and training schedule.
Consolidate emergency plans for better coordination. Stand-alone plans, such as a Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasures (SPCC) plan, fire protection plan or safety and health plan, should be incorporated into one comprehensive plan.

Step 4 - Implement the Plan

Implementation means more than simply exercising the plan during an emergency. It means acting on recommendations made during the vulnerability analysis, integrating the plan into company operations, training employees and evaluating the plan.
Integrate the Plan into Company Operations
Emergency planning must become part of the corporate culture.
Look for opportunities to build awareness; to educate and train personnel; to test procedures; to involve all levels of management, all departments and the community in the planning process; and to make emergency management part of what personnel do on a day-to-day basis.
Test How Completely The Plan Has Been Integrated By Asking:
• How well does senior management support the responsibilities outlined in the plan?
• Have emergency planning concepts been fully incorporated into the facility's accounting, personnel and financial procedures?
• How can the facility's processes for evaluating employees and defining job classifications better address emergency management responsibilities?
• Are there opportunities for distributing emergency preparedness information through corporate newsletters, employee manuals or employee mailings?
• What kinds of safety posters or other visible reminders would be helpful?
• Do personnel know what they should do in an emergency?
• How can all levels of the organization be involved in evaluating and updating the plan?
Conduct Training, Drills and Exercises
Everyone who works at or visits the facility requires some form of training. This could include periodic employee discussion sessions to review procedures, technical training in equipment use for emergency responders, evacuation drills and full-scale exercises. Below are basic considerations for developing a training plan.
1. Planning Considerations
Assign responsibility for developing a training plan. Consider the training and information needs for employees, contractors, visitors, managers and those with an emergency response role identified in the plan. Determine for a 12 month period:
o Who will be trained?
o Who will do the training?
o What training activities will be used?
o When and where each session will take place?
o How the session will be evaluated and documented?
Use the Training Drills and Exercises Chart in the appendix section to schedule training activities or create one of your own. Consider how to involve community responders in training activities.
Conduct reviews after each training activity. Involve both personnel and community responders in the evaluation process.
2. Training Activities
Training can take many forms:
o Orientation and Education Sessions - These are regularly scheduled discussion sessions to provide information, answer questions and identify needs and concerns.
o Tabletop Exercise - Members of the emergency management group meet in a conference room setting to discuss their responsibilities and how they would react to emergency scenarios. This is a cost-effective and efficient way to identify areas of overlap and confusion before conducting more demanding training activities.
o Walk-through Drill - The emergency management group and response teams actually perform their emergency response functions. This activity generally involves more people and is more thorough than a tabletop exercise.
o Functional Drills - These drills test specific functions such as medical response, emergency notifications, warning and communications procedures and equipment, though not necessarily at the same time. Personnel are asked to evaluate the systems and identify problem areas.
o Evacuation Drill - Personnel walk the evacuation route to a designated area where procedures for accounting for all personnel are tested. Participants are asked to make notes as they go along of what might become a hazard during an emergency, e.g., stairways cluttered with debris, smoke in the hallways. Plans are modified accordingly.
o Full-scale Exercise - A real-life emergency situation is simulated as closely as possible. This exercise involves company emergency response personnel, employees, management and community response organizations.
3. Employee Training
General training for all employees should address:
o Individual roles and responsibilities
o Information about threats, hazards and protective actions
o Notification, warning and communications procedures
o Means for locating family members in an emergency
o Emergency response procedures
o Evacuation, shelter and accountability procedures
o Location and use of common emergency equipment
o Emergency shutdown procedures
The scenarios developed during the vulnerability analysis can serve as the basis for training events.
OSHA training requirements are a minimum standard for many facilities that have a fire brigade, hazardous materials team, rescue team or emergency medical response team.
4. Evaluate and Modify the Plan
Conduct a formal audit of the entire plan at least once a year. Among the issues to consider are:
o How can you involve all levels of management in evaluating and updating the plan?
o Are the problem areas and resource shortfalls identified in the vulnerability analysis being sufficiently addressed?
o Does the plan reflect lessons learned from drills and actual events?
o Do members of the emergency management group and emergency response team understand their respective responsibilities? Have new members been trained?
o Does the plan reflect changes in the physical layout of the facility? Does it reflect new facility processes?
o Are photographs and other records of facility assets up to date?
o Is the facility attaining its training objectives?
o Have the hazards in the facility changed?
o Are the names, titles and telephone numbers in the plan current?
o Are steps being taken to incorporate emergency management into other facility processes?
o Have community agencies and organizations been briefed on the plan? Are they involved in evaluating the plan?
In addition to a yearly audit, evaluate and modify the plan at these times:
o After each training drill or exercise
o After each emergency
o When personnel or their responsibilities change
o When the layout or design of the facility changes
o When policies or procedures change
o Remember to brief personnel on changes to the plan.
Conduct a formal audit of the entire plan at least once a year.

References:

http://www.tdan.com/view-articles/5262
Michael M. Gorman –
Published: September 1, 1999
Published in TDAN.com September 1999
Michael, the President of Whitemarsh Information Systems Corporation, has been involved in database and DBMS for more than 40 years. Michael has been the Secretary of the ANSI Database Languages Committee for more than 30 years. This committee standardizes SQL. A full list of Whitemarsh's clients and products can be found on the website. Whitemarsh has developed a very comprehensive Metadata CASE/Repository tool, Metabase, that supports enterprise architectures, information systems planning, comprehensive data model creation and management, and interfaces with the finest code generator on the market, Clarion ( www.SoftVelocity.com). The Whitemarsh website makes available data management books, courses, workshops, methodologies, software, and metrics. Whitemarsh prices are very reasonable and are designed for the individual, the information technology organization and professional training organizations. Whitemarsh provides free use of its materials for universities/colleges. Please contact Whitemarsh for assistance in data modeling, data architecture, enterprise architecture, metadata management, and for on-site delivery of data management workshops, courses, and seminars. Our phone number is (301) 249-1142. Our email address is: mmgorman@wiscorp.com.
Recent articles by Michael M. Gorman
• Business Event Management
• Earned Value Management
• Data Semantics Management - New Book Just Announced

FEMA
http://www.fema.gov/business/guide/section1a.shtm
http://www.fema.gov/business/guide/section1b.shtm
http://www.fema.gov/business/guide/section1c.shtm
http://www.fema.gov/business/guide/section1d.shtm

FEMA has more than 3,700 full time employees. They work at FEMA headquarters in Washington D.C., at regional and area offices across the country, the Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center, and the National Emergency Training Center in Emmitsburg, Maryland. FEMA also has nearly 4,000 standby disaster assistance employees who are available for deployment after disasters. Often FEMA works in partnership with other organizations that are part of the nation's emergency management system. These partners include state and local emergency management agencies, 27 federal agencies and the American Red Cross.

Statutory Authority
Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, PL 100-707, signed into law November 23, 1988; amended the Disaster Relief Act of 1974, PL 93-288. This Act constitutes the statutory authority for most Federal disaster response activities especially as they pertain to FEMA and FEMA programs.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security | Federal Emergency Management Agency
500 C Street SW, Washington, D.C. 20472
Disaster Assistance: (800) 621-FEMA / TTY (800) 462-7585

How do you see yourself...

2009-12-21T18:07:00.000-08:00

I see myself as a systems analyst or an IT consultant 10 years from now. I know there are still a lot of things to search out, explore, discover and improve along the way in reaching that dream but there could never stop you from attaining that goal or dream. As one speaker says, "you are the greatest prophet of yourself". So what you say to yourself will become you but it should be accompanied with actions or work. I still need to do something to get my goal though there are struggles, frustrations and problems that may be encountered on my way to that dream. I need to overcome the level I am now to reach that dream. I believe 10 years is too far in reaching it as long as I will do the things I need to do now in preparation for that goal.

Systems Analyst

A systems analyst is responsible for researching, planning, coordinating and recommending software and system choices to meet an organization's business requirements. The systems analyst plays a vital role in the systems development process. A successful systems analyst must acquire four skills: analytical, technical, managerial, and interpersonal. Analytical skills enable systems analysts to understand the organization and its functions, which helps him/her to identify opportunities and to analyze and solve problems. Technical skills help systems analysts understand the potential and the limitations of information technology. The systems analyst must be able to work with various programming languages, operating systems, and computer hardware platforms. Management skills help systems analysts manage projects, resources, risk, and change. Interpersonal skills help systems analysts work with end users as well as with analysts, programmers, and other systems professionals.

Because they must write user requests into technical specifications, the systems analysts are the liaisons between vendors and the IT professionals of the organization they represent. They may be responsible for developing cost analysis, design considerations, and implementation time-lines. They may also be responsible for feasibility studies of a computer system before making recommendations to senior management.

A systems analyst performs the following tasks:

* Interact with the customers to know their requirements
* Interact with designers to convey the possible interface of the software
* Interact/guide the coders/developers to keep track of system development
* Perform system testing with sample/live data with the help of testers
* Implement the new system
* Prepare High quality Documentation

Many systems analysts have morphed into business analysts. And, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that "Increasingly, employers are seeking individuals who have a master’s degree in business administration (MBA) with a concentration in information systems."

IT Consultant

A consultant (from the Latin consultare means "to discuss" from which we also derive words such as consul and counsel) is a professional who provides advice in a particular area of expertise such as management, accountancy, the environment, entertainment, technology, law (tax law, in particular), human resources, marketing, medicine, finance, life management, economics, public affairs, communication, engineering, sound system design, graphic design, or waste management.

A consultant is usually an expert or a professional in a specific field and has a wide knowledge of the subject matter. A consultant usually works for a consultancy firm or is self-employed, and engages with multiple and changing clients. Thus, clients have access to deeper levels of expertise than would be feasible for them to retain in-house, and may purchase only as much service from the outside consultant as desired. It is generally accepted good corporate governance to hire consultants as a check to the Principal-Agent problem.

Information technology consulting (IT consulting, Computer consultancy, Computing consultancy, technology consulting or business and technology services) is a field that focuses on advising businesses on how best to use information technology to meet their business objectives. In addition to providing advice, IT consultancies often implement, deploy, and administer IT systems on businesses' behalf.

The IT consulting industry can be viewed as a three-tier system:

* Professional services firms which maintain large professional workforces and command high bill rates.
* Staffing firms, which place technologists with businesses on a temporary basis, typically in response to employee absences, temporary skill shortages and technical projects.
* Independent consultants, who function as employees of staffing firms (for US tax purposes, employed on "W-2"), or as independent contractors in their own right (for US tax purposes, on "1099").

Contents
[hide]

* 1 See also
* 2 References

There is a relatively unclear line between management consulting and IT consulting. There are sometimes overlaps between the two fields, but IT consultants often have degrees in computer science, electronics, technology, or management information systems while management consultants often have degrees in accounting, economics, Industrial Engineering, finance, or a generalized MBA (Masters in Business Administration).

According to the Institute for Partner Education & Development, IT consultants' revenues come predominantly from design and planning based consulting with a mixture of IT and Business Consulting. This is different from a Systems Integrator in that you do not normally take title to product. Their value comes from their ability to integrate and support technologies as well as determining product and brands.

Here are my strategies:

1. Plan

This should be the first step that I'm going to do. I should plan all the things that I should do and consider in attaining my dream 10 years from now. Every step that I should take should be planned. This is one of the most important thing to do in order that I may have focus in my dream. In addition to this, I have taken some sources to give more idea in planning.

Planning is one of the most important project management and time management techniques. Planning is preparing a sequence of action steps to achieve some specific goal. If you do it effectively, you can reduce much the necessary time and effort of achieving the goal.

A plan is like a map. When following a plan, you can always see how much you have progressed towards your project goal and how far you are from your destination. Knowing where you are is essential for making good decisions on where to go or what to do next.

One more reason why you need planning is again the 80/20 Rule. It is well established that for unstructured activities 80 percent of the effort give less than 20 percent of the valuable outcome. You either spend much time on deciding what to do next, or you are taking many unnecessary, unfocused, and inefficient steps.

Planning is also crucial for meeting your needs during each action step with your time, money, or other resources. With careful planning you often can see if at some point you are likely to face a problem. It is much easier to adjust your plan to avoid or smoothen a coming crisis, rather than to deal with the crisis when it comes unexpected.

Planning is a process for accomplishing purpose. It is blue print of business growth and a road map of development. It helps in deciding objectives both in quantitative and qualitative terms. It is setting of goals on the basis of objectives and keeping in view the resources.

What should a plan be?

A plan should be a realistic view of the expectations. Depending upon the activities, a plan can be long range, intermediate range or short range. It is the framework within which it must operate. For management seeking external support, the plan is the most important document and key to growth. Preparation of a comprehensive plan will not guarantee success, but lack of a sound plan will almost certainly ensure failure.

Purpose of Plan

Just as no two organizations are alike, so also their plans. It is therefore important to prepare a plan keeping in view the necessities of the enterprise. A plan is an important aspect of business. It serves the following three critical functions:

* Helps management to clarify, focus, and research their business's or project's development and prospects.
* Provides a considered and logical framework within which a business can develop and pursue business strategies over the next three to five years.
* Offers a benchmark against which actual performance can be measured and reviewed.

Importance of the planning Process

A plan can play a vital role in helping to avoid mistakes or recognize hidden opportunities. Preparing a satisfactory plan of the organization is essential. The planning process enables management to understand more clearly what they want to achieve, and how and when they can do it.

A well-prepared business plan demonstrates that the managers know the business and that they have thought through its development in terms of products, management, finances, and most importantly, markets and competition.

Planning helps in forecasting the future, makes the future visible to some extent. It bridges between where we are and where we want to go. Planning is looking ahead.

How to write an action plan

When writing an action plan to achieve a particular goal or outcome, you can get much help from the following steps.

* Clarify your goal. Can you get a visual picture of the expected outcome? How can you see if you have reached your destination? What does make your goal measurable? What constraints do you have, like the limits on time, money, or other resources.

* Write a list of actions. Write down all actions you may need to take to achieve your goal. At this step focus on generating and writing as many different options and ideas as possible. Take a sheet of paper and write more and more ideas, just as they come to your mind. While you are doing this, try not to judge or analyze.

* Analyze, prioritize, and prune. Look at your list of actions. What are the absolutely necessary and effective steps to achieve your goal? Mark them somehow. After that, what action items can be dropped from in the plan without significant consequences for the outcome. Cross them out.

* Organize your list into a plan. Decide on the order of your action steps. Start from looking at your marked key actions. For each action, what other steps should be completed before that action? Rearrange your actions and ideas into a sequence of ordered action steps. Finally, look at your plan once again. Are there any ways to simplify it even more?

* Monitor the execution of your plan and review the plan regularly. How much have you progressed towards your goal by now? What new information you have got? Use this information to further adjust and optimize your plan.

2. Study/School/Education

The second thing to do is to identify a school for me, which I am now, to be fully equipped, shaped and trained in order give me a knowledge about what my dream is all about. Studying or identifying myself in a school is an essential tool for to improve my interpersonal skills, technical skills and my mental aspect.

Education in its broadest sense is any act or experience that has a formative effect on the mind, character or physical ability of an individual. In its technical sense education is the process by which society deliberately transmits its accumulated knowledge, skills and values from one generation to another.

Teachers in educational institutions direct the education of students and might draw on many subjects, including reading, writing, mathematics, science and history. This process is sometimes called schooling when referring to the education of teaching only a certain subject, usually as professors at institutions of higher learning. There is also education in fields for those who want specific vocational skills, such as those required to be a pilot. In addition there is an array of education possible at the informal level, such as, in museums and libraries, with the Internet and in life experience.

The right to education has been described as a basic human right: since 1952, Article 2 of the first Protocol to the European Convention on Human Rights obliges all signatory parties to guarantee the right to education. At world level, the United Nations' International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights of 1966 guarantees this right under its Article 13.

Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and many other super achievers never finished grade school. They succeeded because they knew how to research, collect information for a selected project and process knowledge. Classroom environment does not work that way, it focuses on the collection of knowledge without a clear purpose, other than high-class grades. If the purpose does not motivate, other than to please the teacher, then there is nothing to process outside of memorizing answers for test. The typical student is academic challenged while being motivation starved. Lack of motivation is lack of knowledge processing skills. The typical college graduate will have a professional skill that supplies life’s basic needs, that’s all.

What is education? The answer is, all elements in the opening paragraph and more, relate to education and all should be considered. This would be ideal and sounds good, but "all" is not possible where performance must be measured. Only what can be measured will be selected and the measuring tool is the written test. Anyone who does not have the ability to put clear thoughts on paper is labeled a failure. All natural skills, including knowledge processing, does not count. The fact is, what is exercised grows stronger, what is ignored stays dormant. The classroom exercises the collection of academics leaving all other natural skills in the closet.

Test does not measure intelligence or ability, it does not measure how the mind processes information, how motivating experiences develop persistence, or how the mind sorts out instincts, opinions, evaluations, possibilities, alternatives. Knowledge by itself has no value, it is like a dictionary filled with words. Words by themselves have no value, it is the process of stringing them together that gives them value. How they are strung together determines the level of value. Now our education system is becoming a system that memorizes the dictionary. When students have memorized selected knowledge, then they will be given a one-day test, based on dictionary knowledge, which will influence employment opportunity for the rest of their life. Natural skills are not considered. Is this how America became the worlds' economic leader? NO! Knowledge only has value when used with a process and process in an artificial environment is not predictable or measurable.

Achievers in life use inspiration and motivation to overcome barriers. Teaching to the test does not inspire or motivate anyone, memorizing does not inspire a love to learn, in fact, it does just the opposite, it turns off the desire to learn. Education’s goal should be to develop a love to learn that stays with students throughout a lifetime. Education should be a lifetime experience, not limited to the youth years.

Educators are switching to test because there is a crisis in education of their own making and society wants measurable results. This pressure is passed on to political leaders who base political decisions on what is measurable, which is academic test and test are based on acceptance of the status quo. Every student must now accept the status quo and be an academic intellectual or be labeled a failure. Natural talent and knowledge processing skills does not count. Students receiving the failure label are growing in numbers and percent, all because the system measures selected knowledge on a one day standardized paper test.

Consider the parent who is having a problem with a word processor. On their own they can’t solve the problem. They have been collecting knowledge for years, but their knowledge processor is in hibernation. With any new gadget someone has to teach them, they can’t figure it out for themselves. Their thirteen-year-old boy comes to the rescue. He has limited knowledge, but he knows how to processes available information. He explores the word processor problem until he finds a solution. He is not unusually smart, this is a teenager’s natural approach to finding solutions.

All young children have a natural talent for creative process of information. It’s during the teen years that natural creative processing is replaced with the status quo. The status quo memorizes knowledge and forgets how to process it. In the classroom, memorizing is what counts. Standardized test reinforces the status quo. It kills creative processing ability. Status quo attitudes will follow them into adult life where they will have to ask their children for help.

Today, the education has a new tool on the market. Behavior control drugs. Any student who refuses to accept the status quo is labeled a troublemaker and will be drugged. The student now behaves in the classroom with glassy eyes and school officials receive high performance ratings. The student may get passing grades and land a job with a comfortable wage, but that will be all. Teenage dreams of great ambitions are gone.

Fact: Self-made millionaires are not "A" students in the classroom. The way they process knowledge is in conflict with classroom priorities. The self-made millionaire has a vision, then he researches specific knowledge, applies intuitive knowledge and process all elements, searching for a workable solution. Finding alternative ways to do common tasks makes millionaires. The secret is vision, research and processing, not pre stored knowledge.

The typical employer wants employees with dictionary knowledge, not visionaries. They want employees who follow orders, are willing to do repetitive tasks, be happy with a limited role, and accept the status quo. Repetitive tasks' is efficiency and this is where profits are made. Also, accepting the status quo prevents the exposure of blunders by leaders. Too many blunders and profits disappear. In a status quo environment visionaries become bored quickly and soon receive the troublemaker label by offering alternatives or exposing blunders, sometimes leading to dismissal, yet, their ideas increase efficiency and create new sources of profits for the company. In the long haul, visionaries are the one’s who make above average wages no matter what their formal education level. The education system now has the tools to kill off this type of person, behavior control drugs! As these students move into the workforce, status quo and blunders will kill off the typical business.

What can be considered a quality education? A quality education is custom design that addresses the unique abilities of each student and has a positive emotional experience. Custom education evaluates natural talent and how the student learns. This is why home schooled students out perform classroom students. Parents learn what works and does not work, then focus on what works. With this method, students develop a love to learn and learning becomes a lifelong process.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Systems_analyst
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_technology_consulting
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consultant
http://www.time-management-guide.com/planning.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planning
http://www.time-management-guide.com/plan.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education
http://www.motivation-tools.com/youth/what_is_education.htm

Watch this

2009-10-13T03:04:00.000-07:00

Find a partner that is beautifully imperfect for you. Little imperfections that makes them perfect for you! :)

eye-opener (lines I like that I got from the news after the ondoy tragedy)

2009-10-01T19:06:00.000-07:00

"We are always reacting to crisis. It bothered me when I saw these reports and pictures and people are saying it's an act of God. It's not. It's us not following the plans and proposals." (undisciplined)

SAVE MOTHER EARTH!

“I realized that material things are nothing; they have no value. You can lose them and replace them. Life is more precious. Once lost, wala na, hindi na maibabalik. I used to be secretive and sensitive. After that nightmare on Sept. 26, my outlook in life has changed. I look at life differently now. Life is short, every moment is precious. Enjoy it to the fullest with your loved ones because you can never tell kung kelan ka mawawala.”

LIVE EACH DAY AS IF IT WERE YOUR LAST!

IF I CHANGE, EVERYTHING CHANGES!
IF YOU CHANGE, EVERYTHING CHANGES!
IF WE CHANGE, EVERYTHING CHANGES!

THERE IS STILL HOPE FOR US!

GOD BLESS THE PHILIPPINES!

assignment 9

2009-10-01T18:48:00.000-07:00

There is now a critical mass of digital information resources that can be used to support researchers, learners, teachers and administrators in their work and study. The production of information is on the increase and ways to deal with this effectively are required. There is the need to ensure that quality information isn’t lost amongst the masses of digital data created everyday. If we can continue to improve the management, interrogation and serving of ‘quality’ information there is huge potential to enhance knowledge creation across learning and research communities. The aim of the Information Environment is to help provide convenient access to resources for research and learning through the use of resource discovery and resource management tools and the development of better services and practice. The Information Environment aims to allow discovery, access and use of resources for research and learning irrespective of their location.

HOME is where i consider my information environment. It is where I started to learn speaking, talking, writing and relating to everyone.

A home is a place of residence or refuge and comfort.[1] It is usually a place in which an individual or a family can rest and be able to store personal property. Most modern-day households contain sanitary facilities and a means of preparing food. Animals have their own homes as well, either living in the wild or in a domesticated environment.

There are certain cultures in which members lack permanent homes, such as with nomadic people.

The word "home" can be used for various types of residential comunity institutions in which people can live, such as nursing homes, group homes (orphanages for children, retirement homes for seniors, prisons for criminals, treatment facilities, etc.), and foster homes.

In computer terminology, a 'home' may refer to a starting view that branches off into other tasks, e.g. a homepage or a desktop. Many such home pages on the internet start with introductory information, recent news or events, and links to subpages. "Home" may also refer to a home directory which contains the personal files of a given user of the computer system.

Since it can be said that humans are generally creatures of habit, the state of a person's home has been known to physiologically influence their behavior, emotions, and overall mental health.[citation needed]

Some people may become homesick when they leave their home over an extended period of time. Sometimes homesickness can cause a person to feel actual symptoms of illness.

*But, as of now, i find my course more interesting. IT profession is another information environment where i learn most second to my home.

Information technology (IT), as defined by the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA), is "the study, design, development, implementation, support or management of computer-based information systems, particularly software applications and computer hardware." IT deals with the use of electronic computers and computer software to convert, store, protect, process, transmit, and securely retrieve information.

Today, the term information technology has ballooned to encompass many aspects of computing and technology, and the term has become very recognizable. IT professionals perform a variety of duties that range from installing applications to designing complex computer networks and information databases. A few of the duties that IT professionals perform may include data management, networking, engineering computer hardware, database and software design, as well as the management and administration of entire systems.

When computer and communications technologies are combined, the result is information technology, or "infotech". Information technology is a general term that describes any technology that helps to produce, manipulate, store, communicate, and/or disseminate information. Presumably, when speaking of Information Technology (IT) as a whole, it is noted that the use of computers and information are associated.

In recent years ABET and the ACM have collaborated to form accreditation and curriculum standards for degrees in Information Technology as a distinct field of study separate from both Computer Science and Information Systems. SIGITE is the ACM working group for defining these standards.

IT is now a business focussed profession, partnering with business to maximise the exploitation of information technology and since 2005 BCS has been leading a professionalism Programme for IT.

BCS is working to establish the IT profession on a par with others, such as HR, Marketing and Finance, and for the profession to be recognised as integral to business and seen as more than just a service provider.

The IT profession is as much about Information as about Technology and must be seen - and see itself - as an integral part of the business.

What defines a profession?

There are many definitions of what constitutes a profession. Typically they all refer to a disciplined group of individuals who adhere to high ethical standards and are accepted by the public as possessing special knowledge and skills in a widely recognised, organized body of learning derived from specialized education and training. Inherent in this definition is the idea that the responsibility for the welfare, health and safety of the community takes precedence over personal considerations.

CIPS and the IT Profession

The concept of establishing a profession for IT is one that has been actively promoted by CIPS since its inception in 1958. The IT profession has evolved from a trade to a profession that has an impact on all facets of society.

CIPS is committed to advancing the IT profession and is actively engaged in a number of initiatives that directly relate to the advancement.

Although the IT industry has made significant progress in the last fifty years there is still significant room for advancement in a number of key areas. CIPS is committed to moving the bar forward in all areas relevant to creating a robust, mature IT profession in Canada.

Courtesy British Computer Society

Most mature professions have reached the "Public" level, where all its practitioners practice with independence, the profession provides leadership, and society in general benefits from the quality and application of best practices. The "Governed" level is a state where the profession is well defined and where professional membership is the norm and industry stakeholders value the profession. The "Qualified" level defines a state where the professional qualification(s) are defined, professional institutes oversee the qualifications, and where the definitions of professional competence and core knowledge are well understood.

What will the future of the IT profession look like? A more mature IT profession will be demonstrating the required leadership in advancing and improving the IT delivered products and services through the responsible and progressive application of IT standards

Benefits of a More Mature Profession

Advancing the broader concepts of a profession and professionalism in IT will result in:

* An improved ability for organizations to exploit the full potential of IT effectively and consistently.
* Create a profession that is respected and valued.
* Create a source of real pride and aspiration for IT practitioners

• What should be your role within this environment?

The student computer facilities within the University campuses are owned and subsidised by each Faculty or School. Technology Services maintain the hardware and software component as per each Faculty or School's requirements.

What Technology Services support:

· Maintain hardware health

· Provide advice on computer hardware replacement and assist areas with planning of cyclic computer replacement

· Install academic applications onto the student suites and ensure that they do not conflict with core services such as authentication, printing, email and MyUni

What Technology Services do not support:

· Do not own the computer equipment or fund replacement of hardware or software

· Are not experts in academic software applications – the functionality and use of applications should be supported by each school

· Are not able to approve the installation and configuration of the software as suitable for teaching and research operations

*My role also is to provide system to companies and information to the people.

• How can the principles of information organization and representation help you in performing this role?

The principles and representation will help me improve myself as a student.

• What are the challenges facing you in performing the role? How will you address these challenges?

One of the challenges I've encountered is my capibility to do systems and comprehensive information to the people. Reason is that I am still a student. The level of my learning isn't widened yet. But, through studying and digging more of my course will help me improve myself and enhance my capability in doing things as an IT.

reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home
http://www.cips.ca/DefiningITProfession
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_technology

assignment 8

2009-10-01T03:52:00.000-07:00

Outsourcing is subcontracting a process, such as product design or manufacturing, to a third-party company.[1] The decision to outsource is often made in the interest of lowering cost or making better use of time and energy costs, redirecting or conserving energy directed at the competencies of a particular business, or to make more efficient use of land, labor, capital, (information) technology and resources
Outsourcing involves the transfer of the management and/or day-to-day execution of an entire business function to an external service provider.[2] The client organization and the supplier enter into a contractual agreement that defines the transferred services. Under the agreement the supplier acquires the means of production in the form of a transfer of people, assets and other resources from the client. The client agrees to procure the services from the supplier for the term of the contract. Business segments typically outsourced include information technology, human resources, facilities, real estate management, and accounting. Many companies also outsource customer support and call center functions like telemarketing, CAD drafting, customer service, market research, manufacturing, designing, web development, print-to-mail, content writing, ghostwriting and engineering. Offshoring is the type of outsourcing in which the buyer organization belongs to another country.
Outsourcing and offshoring are used interchangeably in public discourse despite important technical differences. Outsourcing involves contracting with a supplier, which may or may not involve some degree of offshoring. Offshoring is the transfer of an organizational function to another country, regardless of whether the work is outsourced or stays within the same corporation/company.[3][4][5]
With increasing globalization of outsourcing companies, the distinction between outsourcing and offshoring will become less clear over time. This is evident in the increasing presence of Indian outsourcing companies in the United States and United Kingdom. The globalization of outsourcing operating models has resulted in new terms such as nearshoring, noshoring, and rightshoring that reflect the changing mix of locations. This is seen in the opening of offices and operations centers by Indian companies in the U.S. and UK. A major job that is being outsourced is accounting. They are able to complete tax returns across seas for people in America.[6][7]
Multisourcing refers to large outsourcing agreements (predominantly IT).[8] Multisourcing is a framework to enable different parts of the client business to be sourced from different suppliers. This requires a governance model that communicates strategy, clearly defines responsibility and has end-to-end integration.[9]
Strategic outsourcing is the organizing arrangement that emerges when firms rely on intermediate markets to provide specialized capabilities that supplement existing capabilities deployed along a firm’s value chain (see Holcomb & Hitt, 2007). Such an arrangement produces value within firms’ supply chains beyond those benefits achieved through cost economies. Intermediate markets that provide specialized capabilities emerge as different industry conditions intensify the partitioning of production. As a result of greater information standardization and simplified coordination, clear administrative demarcations emerge along a value chain. Partitioning of intermediate markets occurs as the coordination of production across a value chain is simplified and as information becomes standardized, making it easier to transfer activities across boundaries.
Due to the complexity of work definition, codifying requirements, pricing, and legal terms and conditions, clients often utilize the advisory services of outsourcing consultants (see sourcing advisory) or outsourcing intermediaries to assist in scoping, decision making, and vendor evaluation.

Activities for outsourcing

Research & Development

The competitive pressures on firms to bring out new products at an ever rapid pace to meet market needs are increasing. As such, the pressures on the R&D department are increasing. In order to alleviate the pressure, firms have to either increase R&D budgets or find ways to utilize the resources in a more productive way. There are situations when a firm may consider outsourcing some of its R&D work to a contract research organizations or universities. Reasons why a firm could consider outsourcing are:
• new product design does not work
• project time and cost overruns
• loss of key staff
• competitive response
• problems of quality/yield.
The key drivers for R&D outsourcing are emerging mass markets and availability of expertise in the field. In this context, the two most populous countries in the world, China and India, provide huge pools from which to find talent. Both countries produce over 200,000 engineers and science graduates each year. Moreover both countries are low cost sourcing countries. Other strategic drivers for outsourcing R&D are access to expertise and intellectual property, filling gaps in the capabilities of the R&D function, managing risk better, reducing the time to market, and focusing on the core competence or activities of the firm.
Reasons for outsourcing
Organizations that outsource are seeking to realize benefits or address the following issues:
• Cost savings. The lowering of the overall cost of the service to the business. This will involve reducing the scope, defining quality levels, re-pricing, re-negotiation, cost re-structuring. Access to lower cost economies through offshoring called "labor arbitrage" generated by the wage gap between industrialized and developing nations.
• Focus on Core Business. Resources (for example investment, people, infrastructure) are focused on developing the core business. For example often organizations outsource their IT support to specilaised IT services companies.
• Cost restructuring. Operating leverage is a measure that compares fixed costs to variable costs. Outsourcing changes the balance of this ratio by offering a move from fixed to variable cost and also by making variable costs more predictable.
• Improve quality. Achieve a step change in quality through contracting out the service with a new service level agreement.
• Knowledge. Access to intellectual property and wider experience and knowledge.
• Contract. Services will be provided to a legally binding contract with financial penalties and legal redress. This is not the case with internal services.
• Operational expertise. Access to operational best practice that would be too difficult or time consuming to develop in-house.
• Access to talent. Access to a larger talent pool and a sustainable source of skills, in particular in science and engineering.
• Capacity management. An improved method of capacity management of services and technology where the risk in providing the excess capacity is borne by the supplier.
• Catalyst for change. An organization can use an outsourcing agreement as a catalyst for major step change that can not be achieved alone. The outsourcer becomes a Change agent in the process.
• Enhance capacity for innovation. Companies increasingly use external knowledge service providers to supplement limited in-house capacity for product innovation.
• Reduce time to market. The acceleration of the development or production of a product through the additional capability brought by the supplier.
• Commodification. The trend of standardizing business processes, IT Services and application services enabling businesses to intelligently buy at the right price. Allows a wide range of businesses access to services previously only available to large corporations.
• Risk management. An approach to risk management for some types of risks is to partner with an outsourcer who is better able to provide the mitigation.
• Venture Capital. Some countries match government funds venture capital with private venture capital for startups that start businesses in their country.
• Tax Benefit. Countries offer tax incentives to move manufacturing operations to counter high corporate taxes within another country.

Criticisms of outsourcing
Quality Risks
Quality Risk is the propensity for a product or service to be defective, due to operations-related issues. Quality risk in outsourcing is driven by a list of factors. One such factor is opportunism by suppliers due to misaligned incentives between buyer and supplier, information asymmetry, high asset specificity, or high supplier switching costs. Other factors contributing to quality risk in outsourcing are poor buyer-supplier communication, lack of supplier capabilities/resources/capacity, or buyer-supplier contract enforceability. Two main concepts must be considered when considering observability as it related to quality risks in outsourcing: the concepts of testability and criticality.
Quality fade is the deliberate and secretive reduction in the quality of labor in order to widen profit margins. The downward changes in human capital are subtle but progressive, and usually unnoticeable by the out sourcer/customer. The initial interview meets requirements, however, with subsequent support, more and more of the support team are replaced with novice or less experienced workers. India IT shops will continue to reduce the quality of human capital, under the pressure of drying up labor supply and upward trend of salary, pushing the quality limits. Such practices are hard to detect, as customers may just simply give up seeking help from the help desk. However, the overall customer satisfaction will be reduced greatly over time. Unless the company constantly conducts customer satisfaction surveys, they may eventually be caught in a surprise of customer churn, and when they find out the root cause, it could be too late. In such cases, it can be hard to dispute the legal contract with the India outsourcing company, as their staff are now trained in the process and the original staff made redundant. In the end, the company that outsources is worse off than before it outsourced its workforce to India.

Public opinion

There is a strong public opinion regarding outsourcing (especially when combined with offshoring) that outsourcing damages a local labor market. Outsourcing is the transfer of the delivery of services which affects both jobs and individuals. It is difficult to dispute that outsourcing has a detrimental effect on individuals who face job disruption and employment insecurity; however, its supporters believe that outsourcing should bring down prices, providing greater economic benefit to all. There are legal protections in the European Union regulations called the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment). Labor laws in the United States are not as protective as those in the European Union. [20] On June 26 2009, Jeff Immelt, the CEO of General Electric, called for the United States to increase its manufacturing base employment to 20% of the workforce commenting that the U.S. has outsourced too much and can no longer rely on consumer spending to drive demand.

Language skills

In the area of call centers end-user-experience is deemed to be of lower quality when a service is outsourced[citation needed]. This is exacerbated when outsourcing is combined with off-shoring to regions where the first language and culture are different. The questionable quality is particularly evident when call centers that service the public are outsourced and offshored.
The public generally find linguistic features such as accents, word use and phraseology different which may make call center agents difficult to understand. The visual clues that are present in face-to-face encounters are missing from the call center interactions and this also may lead to misunderstandings and difficulties.[22]

Social responsibility

Outsourcing sends jobs to the lower-income areas where work is being outsourced to, which provides jobs in these areas and has a net equalizing effect on the overall distribution of wealth. Some argue that the outsourcing of jobs (particularly off-shore) exploits the lower paid workers. A contrary view is that more people are employed and benefit from paid work. Despite this argument, domestic workers displaced by such equalization are proportionately unable to outsource their own costs of housing, food and transportation.
On the issue of high-skilled labor, such as computer programming, some argue that it is unfair to both the local and off-shore programmers to outsource the work simply because the foreign pay rate is lower. On the other hand, one can argue that paying the higher-rate for local programmers is wasteful, or charity, or simply overpayment. If the end goal of buyers is to pay less for what they buy, and for sellers it is to get a higher price for what they sell, there is nothing automatically unethical about choosing the cheaper of two products, services, or employees.
Social responsibility is also reflected in the costs of benefits provided to workers. Companies outsourcing jobs effectively transfer the cost of retirement and medical benefits to the countries where the services are outsourced. This represents a significant reduction in total cost of labor for the outsourcing company. A side effect of this trend is the reduction in salaries and benefits at home in the occupations most directly impacted by outsourcing.

Quality of service

Quality of service is measured through a service level agreement (SLA) in the outsourcing contract. In poorly defined contracts there is no measure of quality or SLA defined. Even when an SLA exists it may not be to the same level as previously enjoyed. This may be due to the process of implementing proper objective measurement and reporting which is being done for the first time. It may also be lower quality through design to match the lower price.
There are a number of stakeholders who are affected and there is no single view of quality. The CEO may view the lower quality acceptable to meet the business needs at the right price. The retained management team may view quality as slipping compared to what they previously achieved. The end consumer of the service may also receive a change in service that is within agreed SLAs but is still perceived as inadequate. The supplier may view quality in purely meeting the defined SLAs regardless of perception or ability to do better.
Quality in terms of end-user-experience is best measured through customer satisfaction questionnaires which are professionally designed to capture an unbiased view of quality. Surveys can be one of research. This allows quality to be tracked over time and also for corrective action to be identified and taken.

Staff turnover

The staff turnover of employee who originally transferred to the outsourcer is a concern for many companies. Turnover is higher under an outsourcer and key company skills may be lost with retention outside of the control of the company.
In outsourcing offshore there is an issue of staff turnover in the outsourcer companies call centers. It is quite normal for such companies to replace its entire workforce each year in a call center. This inhibits the build-up of employee knowledge and keeps quality at a low level.
Company knowledge
Outsourcing could lead to communication problems with transferred employees. For example, before transfer staff have access to broadcast company e-mail informing them of new products, procedures etc. Once in the outsourcing organization the same access may not be available. Also to reduce costs, some outsource employees may not have access to e-mail, but any information which is new is delivered in team meetings.

Qualifications of outsourcers

The outsourcer may replace staff with less qualified people or with people with different non-equivalent qualifications.
In the engineering discipline there has been a debate about the number of engineers being produced by the major economies of the United States, India and China. The argument centers around the definition of an engineering graduate and also disputed numbers. The closest comparable numbers of annual graduates of four-year degrees are United States (137,437) India (112,000) and China (351,537).

Failure to deliver business transformation

Business transformation has traditionally been promised by outsourcing suppliers, but they have usually failed to deliver. In a commoditised market where any half-decent service provider can do things cheaper and faster, smart vendors have promised a second wave of benefits that will improve the client’s business outcomes. According to Vinay Couto of Booz & Company “Clients always use the service provider’s ability to achieve transformation as a key selection criterion. It’s always in the top three and sometimes number one.” Often vendors have promised transformation on the basis of wider domain expertise that they didn’t really have, though Couto also says that this is often down to client’s unwillingness to invest in transformation once an outsourcing contract is in place.

Work, labour, and economy

Offshore outsourcing for the purpose of saving cost can often have a negative influence on the real productivity of a company. Rather than investing in technology to improve productivity, companies gain non-real productivity by hiring fewer people locally and outsourcing work to less productive facilities offshore that appear to be more productive simply because the workers are paid less. Sometimes, this can lead to strange contradictions where workers in a developing country using hand tools can appear to be more productive than a U.S. worker using advanced computer controlled machine tools, simply because their salary appears to be less in terms of U.S. dollars.
In contrast, increases in real productivity are the result of more productive tools or methods of operating that make it possible for a worker to do more work. Non-real productivity gains are the result of shifting work to lower paid workers, often without regards to real productivity. The net result of choosing non-real over real productivity gain is that the company falls behind and obsoletes itself overtime rather than making investments in real productivity.

Standpoint of labor

From the standpoint of labor within countries on the negative end of outsourcing this may represent a new threat, contributing to rampant worker insecurity, and reflective of the general process of globalization (see Krugman, Paul (2006). "Feeling No Pain." New York Times, March 6, 2006). While the "outsourcing" process may provide benefits to less developed countries or global society as a whole, in some form and to some degree - include rising wages or increasing standards of living - these benefits are not secure. Further, the term outsourcing is also used to describe a process by which an internal department, equipment as well as personnel, is sold to a service provider, who may retain the workforce on worse conditions or discharge them in the short term. The affected workers thus often feel they are being "sold down the river."

Security

Before outsourcing an organization is responsible for the actions of all their staff and liable for their actions. When these same people are transferred to an outsourcer they may not change desk but their legal status has changed. They no-longer are directly employed or responsible to the organization. This causes legal, security and compliance issues that need to be addressed through the contract between the client and the suppliers. This is one of the most complex areas of outsourcing and requires a specialist third party adviser.
Fraud is a specific security issue that is criminal activity whether it is by employees or the supplier staff. However, it can be disputed that the fraud is more likely when outsourcers are involved, for example credit card theft when there is scope for fraud by credit card cloning. In April 2005, a high-profile case involving the theft of $350,000 from four Citibank customers occurred when call center workers acquired the passwords to customer accounts and transferred the money to their own accounts opened under fictitious names. Citibank did not find out about the problem until the American customers noticed discrepancies with their accounts and notified the bank.

Insourcing is the opposite of outsourcing; that is insourcing (or contracting in) is often defined as the delegation of operations or jobs from production within a business to an internal (but 'stand-alone') entity that specializes in that operation. Insourcing is a business decision that is often made to maintain control of critical production or competencies. An alternate use of the term implies transferring jobs to within the country where the term is used, either by hiring local subcontractors or building a facility.
Insourcing is widely used in an area such as production to reduce costs of taxes, labor (e.g., American labor is often cheaper than European labor), transportation, etc.
Insourcing at United Parcel Service (UPS) was described in the bestselling book The World Is Flat, by Thomas Friedman.
According to PR Web, insourcing was becoming more common by 2006 as businesses had less than satisfactory experiences with outsourcing (including customer support). Many outsourcing proponents responded to a negative consumer opinion backlash resulting from outsourcing their communications management to vendors who rely on overseas operations.

To those who are concerned that nations may be losing a net amount of jobs due to outsourcing, some point out that insourcing also occurs. According to a study by Mary Amiti and Shang-Jin Wei, in the United States, the United Kingdom, and many other industrialized countries more jobs are insourced than outsourced. They found that out of all the countries in the world they studied, the U.S. and the U.K. actually have the largest net trade surpluses in business services. Countries with a net deficit in business services include Indonesia, Germany and Ireland.

Insourcing is loosely referred in call centers who are doing the work of the outsourcing companies. Companies that outsource include Dell, Hewlett Packard, Symantec, and Linksys. The callcenters and technicians that are contracted to handle the outsourced work are usually over-seas. Customers may refer to these countries as "India" technical support if they are hard to understand over telecommunications. These insourcing companies were a great way to save money for the outsourcing of work, but quality varies, and poor performance has sometimes harmed the reputations of companies who provide 24/7 customer/technical support.

Offshore insourcing offers benefits over outsourcing
By Amit Maheshwari

Recent years have seen a marked increase in offshore operations in lower-cost countries such as India. A growing number of U.S. companies are taking advantage of India's white-collar talent pools, which can cost one-fourth to one-fifth of comparable staff here.
A clear indicator of this trend is that India exported $9.5 billion worth of IT services (mostly to the United States) in 2002-03, a growth of 25 percent over 2001-02. This occurred during the same period in which most U.S. companies registered slow or minimal growth.
Various factors have contributed to the growth in offshore operations. Some include cost-cutting initiatives by American companies, the ability of countries such as India to produce large quantities of skilled resources and the ability for offshore outsourcing companies to demonstrate high-quality processes.
In addition, improvement in international voice and data networks has ushered in a new wave of offshore-based services, focused on a broader array of corporate services. Companies are now using lower-cost countries for technical support, customer service, claims processing and data entry activity.
Traditionally, the way to exploit offshore resources has been through offshore outsourcing providers. Over the years these providers have embraced a two-tier service in which there are U.S.-based consultants who package work for their offshore-based colleagues.
While this model has proved successful for several companies, it has pitfalls. Offshore outsourcing leaves companies with limited control over resources that belong to the outsourcer and creates risks when companies must hand over intellectual property to a third party. In addition, companies looking to exploit offshore outsourcers to gain a competitive advantage may instead harm their value proposition in the marketplace by giving up a core competency. Finally, the cost of offshore outsourcing may be 30 to 40 percent more than required.
An alternative to offshore outsourcing that is gaining popularity is offshore insourcing or "do-it-yourself." An increasing number of U.S. companies are creating their own subsidiary or entity offshore to get the benefits of the offshore model. In this model, the company creates its own global delivery center (GDC) and staffs it with its own offshore employees.

Insourcing has several benefits over the outsourcing approach, such as:
• 30-40 percent additional cost savings over traditional offshore prices
• Greater control over resources because they are direct employees
• Better control over intellectual property
• Higher acceptance of insourcing offshore vs. outsourcing offshore within the company.
Offshore insourcing can work well for companies looking to use offshore resources for long periods of time, working on strategic activities such as product engineering and customer facing services.
Several corporations, including General Electric, American Express, Dell Computers, Texas Instruments, Deloitte and Touche, EDS, IBM, Intel and Oracle have set up their own GDC operations in India.
However, companies attempting to set up their own operations offshore typically face challenges, including:
• Lack of knowledge about which business functions are best to send offshore and how to migrate them
• Lack of expertise and experience setting up the right offshore facilities, infrastructure and team
• Lack of experience with offshore accounting, legal, regulatory, day-to-day operational and human resources issues
• Cultural and communication differences between U.S. employees and offshore employees and vendors
• Capital investment in the facility/infrastructure
• Understanding geopolitical dynamics, their consequences and the proactive remedies.
These and other issues can jeopardize a company's plans to set up a successful GDC within reasonable timeframes and costs.
A four-step risk reduction approach is suggested for companies considering offshore-based insourcing:
1. Assess which business functions are appropriate for offshore outsourcing vs. insourcing.
2. Select a pilot project or process to move or supplement offshore. Find partners who can provide their own facilities to test the program in an incubated manner without making major upfront investments.
3. Retain ownership of operations, employees and delivery. Outsource support services such as accounting, human resources, IT, regulatory filings and vendor management to an offshore vendor.
4. Create and execute change management programs for U.S. and offshore employees including cultural training and cross-country visits.
While third-party offshore outsourcing is a well-accepted model, offshore insourcing is becoming a viable and attractive alternative. However, companies can be exposed to risks that they may not be prepared to manage. Careful planning and partnering can go a long way in reducing the challenges and maximizing returns of offshore operations.
this article, we'll take a brief look at the value, risks and issues of offshore outsourcing for iSeries Java Web development projects. While any project can have challenges, there are some that appear more often with offshore outsourcing projects. We'll look at a new model that can address some of those risks and issues: insourcing.

In-sourcing Benefits

- Reduced Costs
The cost of an In-Source professional could be 75% lower than the total cost for an IT worker in the U.S.
- Increased Professional Resources
- Integrate 3 or 4 In-Source professionals for the total cost of one U.S employee.
- Direct Management
Our clients choose in-sourcing because they prefer hands-on control through the development life cycle of their projects. Instead of relinquishing control to an outsourcing firm who does not understand your business as you do, In-Source allows your knowledge and direction to more effectively impact the development process.
- Turnkey Services
In-Source provides a turnkey solution including facilities, recruitment, human resource management, payroll and benefits administration, tax filings, and communication tools, so you can spend more time focused on your core business.
- Reduced Operational Expenses
We operate a state-of-the-art IT facility in Bangalore, the Silicon Valley of India, at a significantly reduced rate compared to U.S. facilities.
- Extended Productivity Hours
Because of the time difference between the United States and India, your projects could be developed and supported nearly 24/7, including many of the major U.S. holidays, which are not holidays in India. In-Source offers flexible shift times to allow overlap and coordination with your IT professionals.
- Faster Time to Market
Complete projects faster with a larger IT development team.
- Increased Company Profitability
With reduced costs, increased development resources at an affordable price, and faster development periods, In-Source clients can significantly increase profitability.

>>Therefore, i choose insourcing because it lessen costs. With security matters, you can assure that any program is safe and secured with insourcing.

Reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outsourcing
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insourcing
http://www.masshightech.com/stories/2003/10/20/focus1-Offshore-insourcing-offers-benefits-over-outsourcing.html
http://www.in-source.com/benefit.html
http://search400.techtarget.com/tip/0,289483,sid3_gci996709,00.html

assignment 7

2009-10-01T03:51:00.000-07:00

1. Transportation and Communication Services

Implementation of the enhanced Organized Bus Route (OBR) System using the Radio frequency identification (RFID) Technology to track and efficiently control the travel of around 2,664 city buses within Metro Manila using wireless technology, thus decongesting the major thoroughfares in the metropolis.

Enhanced the monitoring and provision of emergency assistance. Being operated at the MMDA Communication and Command Center in Guadalupe, Makati City, the Surveillance Camera System monitors not only traffic conditions but the general situation and other important public concerns through strategically installed CCTV cameras within the metropolis.

The Administration also improved the country’s competitive advantage in information and communications technology (ICT), which resulted to the robust economic activities in the ICT industry with gross revenue of US$17.934 Billion and total employment for 371,965 individuals from 2004 to 2008.

• Centers of information technology and business processing outsourcing (IT-BPO) services all around the country have been connected. Aside from Metro Manila and Metro Cebu which have already been considered as “ICT Centers of Excellence”, the Administration has been promoting the top 10 “Next Wave Cities” to be the destinations of ICT industry outside Metro Manila and Metro Cebu:

Metro Laguna (Sta. Rosa, Calamba, Los Banos, San Pablo)
Metro Cavite (Dasmarinas, Bacoor, Imus, Cavite City)
Iloilo City
Davao City
Bacolod City
Pampanga Central (Angeles/Clark, Mabalacat, Dau)
Bulacan Central (Baliuag, Marilao, Meycauyan)
Cagayan de Oro City
Bulacan South (Malolos, Calumpit)
Lipa City

• Policies were implemented promoting systematic and accelerated ICT advancement.

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

o Allocated radio frequencies to allow broadband wireless access network.

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

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

2. Business Process Outsourcing

The Arroyo Administration’s strategic foresight of using information technology to advantage early on, built the necessary physical and regulatory infrastructure that enabled the Services Sector particularly the Philippine Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry, to become one of the main economic growth drivers of the country. The growth in the BPO also improved the country’s Balance of Payments (BOP) and investments.
The BPO sector has been growing through the years. The total number of full-time employees rose to 371,965 in 2008 more than triple the 2004 number of 100,500 full-time employees. BPO revenues skyrocketed as the industry expanded. From US$1.5 billion in 2004 it grew more than three times to US$6.1 billion in 2008.
The Philippine BPO sector caters to varied support services functions. The rise of Animation, Software Development and Medical Transcription in 2003 became an addition to promising BPO investments that were portrayed in the succeeding years. It marked the rise of digital servicing, niche service operations and marketing using information technology. Later on, outsourcing services were popularized in the following support service functions, namely: (1) Human Resources such as recruitment and payroll; (2) Customer Service and helpdesk functions; (3) Procurement and materials management; (4) proof reading and editing; and (5) layout and design. Among the top contact centers in the country are Sykes, Convergys, Ambergis, and People Support. Some of the companies that have set-up internal BPO operations in the country include HSBC, AIG Business Processing Services, Chevron Texaco, Procter and Gamble Asia Pt. Ltd., Shell Shared Services, among others.

3. Financial System
The purposeful financial reforms in the past enabled the Philippine financial system to weather the global financial storm. The BSP strengthened its financial supervision and regulation particularly through the alignment of accounting practices with international standards, the enhancement of risk management systems, and strengthening bank capitalization.

1. Capital Adequacy Ratio. From 2001-2008, the average capital adequacy ratio (CAR) of banks remained above the BSP minimum requirement. The CAR, which indicates the overall health and condition of the banking sector, is the proportion of a bank’s capital to its risks. This helps ensure that banks have enough capacity to absorb a reasonable amount of loss and that they are complying with their statutory capital requirements as mandated by the BSP. It is also an indicator that banks are well-capitalized.

The average CAR of Universal Banks (UBs) and Commercial Banks (KBs) was at 17.2% from 2001 to 2007, way above the BSP minimum requirement of 10%. As of December 2008, CAR is at 15.7%, slightly lower than the 15.9% CAR during the same period in 2007.

2. Non-Performing Loans. From 2001-2009, Non-Performing Loans (NPLs) have been steadily declining. NPL is an indicator of financial soundness, expressing banks’ exposure to bad debts. Non-performing only means that payments of interest and principal have remained unpaid for 30 days or more.
NPLs in UBs and KBs have been steadily declining. In 2001, NPL was at PhP281.9 billion (17.3% of total loans), decreasing to PhP88.2 billion in 2008 (3.5% of total loans). As of March 2009, NPL is PhP88.6 billion (3.6% of total loans) lower than the March 2008 NPL of PhP96.4 billion (4.5% of total loans).

3. Domestic Liquidity. Domestic liquidity, or M3, recorded double-digit growth rate of 15.6% in December 2008. The increase in the domestic liquidity was fueled by strong growth in both the net domestic assets (NDA) and the net foreign assets (NFA). Both credit extended to the private and public sectors grew by 16.8% and 18.2%, respectively, in 2008. Further, domestic liquidity continued to grow in by 15.0% last May 2009. An appropriate level of liquidity only means that there is a proper functioning of the financial system and can help support economic growth, while keeping guard against any build-up in price pressures.

4. Interest Rates. Reverse repurchase rates (RRP) decreased from 9.72% in 2001 to 5.44% in 2008 to keep inflation within the government’s target ranges. Recently (July 4, 2009 release), RRR were further reduced by 25 basis points to 4%. Given prevailing downside pressures on prices and output, the reduction in policy rates will support economic activity as banks are expected to pass on the lower borrowing costs to clients.

5. Legislative Measures. The following were vital legislations which strengthened the Philippine financial system:

. RA 9182 as amended by RA 9343 - Special Purpose Vehicle Act (2002 and 2006). The Special Purpose Vehicle Act facilitated the cleaning of bad assets in the banking system.
. RA 9505 - Personal Equity Retirement Account (PERA) Law (2008). RA 9505 was passed to improve the country’s saving rates by allowing the creation of tax-free personal retirement accounts.
. RA 9510 - Credit Information System Act (2008). RA 9510 is designed to help boost bank lending by enhancing the availability of credit to small borrowers.
. RA 9576 (2009). RA 9576 increased the insurance coverage for deposits to PhP500,000 from PhP250,000 in order to protect depositors.

The 1997 Asian Financial Crisis provided some hard and painful lessons for emerging economies like the Philippines which resulted in its banks not having been substantially affected by the global economic crisis due to their: (1) very limited exposure to subprime and other structured and sustained securitized products; (2) relatively stronger balance sheets and profitability; (3) improved risk and liquidity management frameworks; (4) placement under strengthened supervisory and regulatory systems; and (5) exploration of other profitable business lines such as consumer lending, which arrested the strong search for yields common among financial institutions in advanced economies.

6. Inflation and Prices. Under the Arroyo Administration, inflation remained in single digits, ensuring stable prices to benefit consumers. Factors like the strong peso and improved agricultural production as well as sound monetary policy contributed to the slowdown of inflation from 2001-2008, notwithstanding the volatility of world food and oil prices that put upward pressure on inflation in 2008.
Inflation eased from 6.8% in 2001 to 2.8% in 2007. The 2007 inflation rate is well below the 4.0-5.0% target range for 2007 and the lowest annual average in 21 years. Inflation was kept in single digits in 2008 at an average of 9.3%.
Inflation rate improved in 2009, at a lower 5% average from January to June 2009, or almost back to its 2007 level. In light of the global crisis, the BSP was quick to provide liquidity to boost spending and investment and support market confidence. However, it remained committed to price stability and inflation was still well contained in June 2009, dropping to 1.5% from 3.3% in May, the lowest in more than 22 years.
From 2001 to 2009, the Arroyo Administration undertook intensive price monitoring activities and regular market visits. Strict enforcement of the Price Tag Law and Price Act were pursued to ensure availability of basic necessities to consumers at reasonable prices, keeping prices low. Meetings and dialogues with industry associations, manufacturers and retailers were continuously conducted.

7. Markets. The strong economic fundamentals achieved by the Arroyo Administration through its economic reforms had a strong positive impact on the Philippine Markets as these improved investor climate and brought confidence in the peso and the Philippine stock market.

The continued foreign exchange inflows from OFW Remittances, export earnings, and overall positive market sentiment enabled the strong performance of the peso in the past years. The peso appreciated by 9.5% from an average of PhP50.99/US$ in 2001 to PhP46.15/US$ in 2007. Although the peso fell in 2008, the peso remains strong and has averaged at P47.8160/US$ for the first half of 2009. In 2008 to the first half of 2009, investor concerns about a slowing global economy resulted to risk aversion and the decreasing value of the peso. However, due to the stored value of the peso from the previous 6 years, the peso value was not substantially diminished.
As a result of an improved fiscal condition, declining inflation and a strong peso, investor confidence in the economy was renewed, resulting into positive reactions from investors and the financial market. The Philippine Stock Market Composite Index (Phisix) increased from 1168.1 index points in 2001 to 2587.4 index points in 2008.

Reference:
http://www.gov.ph/sona/sona2009/2009_SONA_TECHNICAL_REPORT.pdf

assignment 6

2009-10-01T03:48:00.000-07:00

If I were hired by the university president as an IT consultant, I would suggest innovations in order for the internet connectivity be improved because it is what the university needs before we consider technology, infrastructure, steps and process. There should be a "new way of doing something" in the university.

Why I choose Innovations?

According to my research, the term innovation refers to a new way of doing something. It may refer to incremental, radical, and revolutionary changes in thinking, products, processes, or organizations. A distinction is typically made between invention, an idea made manifest, and innovation, ideas applied successfully. (Mckeown 2008) In many fields, something new must be substantially different to be innovative, not an insignificant change, e.g., in the arts, economics, business and government policy. In economics the change must increase value, customer value, or producer value. The goal of innovation is positive change, to make someone or something better. Innovation leading to increased productivity is the fundamental source of increasing wealth in an economy.
Innovation is an important topic in the study of economics, business, design, technology, sociology, and engineering. Colloquially, the word "innovation" is often synonymous with the output of the process. However, economists tend to focus on the process itself, from the origination of an idea to its transformation into something useful, to its implementation; and on the system within which the process of innovation unfolds. Since innovation is also considered a major driver of the economy, especially when it leads to increasing productivity, the factors that lead to innovation are also considered to be critical to policy makers. In particular, followers of innovation economics stress using public policy to spur innovation and growth.
Those who are directly responsible for application of the innovation are often called pioneers in their field, whether they are individuals or organizations.

In the organizational context, innovation may be linked to performance and growth through improvements in efficiency, productivity, quality, competitive positioning, market share, etc. All organizations can innovate, including for example hospitals, universities, and local governments.
While innovation typically adds value, innovation may also have a negative or destructive effect as new developments clear away or change old organizational forms and practices. Organizations that do not innovate effectively may be destroyed by those that do. Hence innovation typically involves risk. A key challenge in innovation is maintaining a balance between process and product innovations where process innovations tend to involve a business model which may develop shareholder satisfaction through improved efficiencies while product innovations develop customer support however at the risk of costly R&D that can erode shareholder return. In summary, innovation can be described as the result of some amount of time and effort into researching (R) an idea, plus some larger amount of time and effort into developing (D) this idea, plus some very large amount of time and effort into commercializing (C) this idea into a market place with customers.

Conceptualizing innovation

Innovation has been studied in a variety of contexts, including in relation to technology, commerce, social systems, economic development, and policy construction. There are, therefore, naturally a wide range of approaches to conceptualizing innovation in the scholarly literature. See, e.g., Fagerberg et al. (2004).
Fortunately, however, a consistent theme may be identified: innovation is typically understood as the successful introduction of something new and useful, for example introducing new methods, techniques, or practices or new or altered products and services.

Distinguishing from Invention and other concepts

"An important distinction is normally made between invention and innovation. Invention is the first occurrence of an idea for a new product or process, while innovation is the first attempt to carry it out into practice" (Fagerberg, 2004: 4)
It is useful, when conceptualizing innovation, to consider whether other words suffice. Invention – the creation of new forms, compositions of matter, or processes – is often confused with innovation. An improvement on an existing form, composition or processes might be an invention, an innovation, both or neither if it is not substantial enough. It can be difficult to differentiate change from innovation. According to business literature, an idea, a change or an improvement is only an innovation when it is put to use and effectively causes a social or commercial reorganization.
Innovation occurs when someone uses an invention or an idea to change how the world works, how people organize themselves, or how they conduct their lives. In this view innovation occurs whether or not the act of innovating succeeds in generating value for its champions. Innovation is distinct from improvement in that it permeates society and can cause reorganization. It is distinct from problem solving and may cause problems. Thus, in this view, innovation occurs whether it has positive or negative results.
So far there is no evidence where innovation has been measured scientifically. Scientists around the world are still working on methods to accurately measure innovation in terms of cost, effort or resource savings. Some of the innovations have become successful because of the way people look at things and need for change from the old ways of doing things.

Innovation in organizations

A convenient definition of innovation from an organizational perspective is given by Luecke and Katz (2003), who wrote:
"Innovation . . . is generally understood as the successful introduction of a new thing or method . . . Innovation is the embodiment, combination, or synthesis of knowledge in original, relevant, valued new products, processes, or services.
Innovation typically involves creativity, but is not identical to it: innovation involves acting on the creative ideas to make some specific and tangible difference in the domain in which the innovation occurs. For example, Amabile et al. (1996) propose:
"All innovation begins with creative ideas . . . We define innovation as the successful implementation of creative ideas within an organization. In this view, creativity by individuals and teams is a starting point for innovation; the first is necessary but not sufficient condition for the second".
For innovation to occur, something more than the generation of a creative idea or insight is required: the insight must be put into action to make a genuine difference, resulting for example in new or altered business processes within the organization, or changes in the products and services provided.
A further characterization of innovation is as an organizational or management process. For example, Davila et al. (2006), write:
"Innovation, like many business functions, is a management process that requires specific tools, rules, and discipline."
From this point of view the emphasis is moved from the introduction of specific novel and useful ideas to the general organizational processes and procedures for generating, considering, and acting on such insights leading to significant organizational improvements in terms of improved or new business products, services, or internal processes.
Through these varieties of viewpoints, creativity is typically seen as the basis for innovation, and innovation as the successful implementation of creative ideas within an organization (c.f. Amabile et al. 1996 p.1155). From this point of view, creativity may be displayed by individuals, but innovation occurs in the organizational context only.
It should be noted, however, that the term 'innovation' is used by many authors rather interchangeably with the term 'creativity' when discussing individual and organizational creative activity. As Davila et al. (2006) comment,
"Often, in common parlance, the words creativity and innovation are used interchangeably. They shouldn't be, because while creativity implies coming up with ideas, it's the "bringing ideas to life" . . . that makes innovation the distinct undertaking it is."
The distinctions between creativity and innovation discussed above are by no means fixed or universal in the innovation literature. They are however observed by a considerable number of scholars in innovation studies.

Innovation as a behavior

Some in depth work on innovation in organizations, teams and individuals has been carried out by J. L. Byrd, PhD who is co-author of "The Innovation Equation." Dr Jacqueline Byrd is the brain behind the Creatrix Inventory which can be used to look at innovation, and what is behind it. The Innovation Equation she developed is:

Innovation = (Creativity * Risk Taking)

Economic conceptions of innovation

Joseph Schumpeter defined economic innovation in The Theory of Economic Development, 1934, Harvard University Press, Boston.[2]
1. The introduction of a new good — that is one with which consumers are not yet familiar — or of a new quality of a good.
2. The introduction of a new method of production, which need by no means be founded upon a discovery scientifically new, and can also exist in a new way of handling a commodity commercially.
3. The opening of a new market, that is a market into which the particular branch of manufacture of the country in question has not previously entered, whether or not this market has existed before.
4. The conquest of a new source of supply of raw materials or half-manufactured goods, again irrespective of whether this source already exists or whether it has first to be created.
5. The carrying out of the new organization of any industry, like the creation of a monopoly position (for example through trustification) or the breaking up of a monopoly position
Schumpeter's focus on innovation is reflected in Neo-Schumpeterian economics, developed by such scholars as Christopher Freeman and Giovanni Dosi.
Innovation is also studied by economists in a variety of other contexts, for example in theories of entrepreneurship or in Paul Romer's New Growth Theory.

Transaction cost and network theory perspectives

Main articles: Transaction cost and network theory
According to Regis Cabral (1998, 2003):
"Innovation is a new element introduced in the network which changes, even if momentarily, the costs of transactions between at least two actors, elements or nodes, in the network."

Innovation and market outcome

Market outcome from innovation can be studied from different lenses. The industrial organizational approach of market characterization according to the degree of competitive pressure and the consequent modeling of firm behavior often using sophisticated game theoretic tools, while permitting mathematical modeling, has shifted the ground away from an intuitive understanding of markets. The earlier visual framework in economics, of market demand and supply along price and quantity dimensions, has given way to powerful mathematical models which though intellectually satisfying has led policy makers and managers groping for more intuitive and less theoretical analyses to which they can relate to at a practical level. Non quantifiable variables find little place in these models, and when they do, mathematical gymnastics (such as the use of different demand elasticities for differentiated products) embrace many of these qualitative variables, but in an intuitively unsatisfactory way.
In the management (strategy) literature on the other hand, there is a vast array of relatively simple and intuitive models for both managers and consultants to choose from. Most of these models provide insights to the manager which help in crafting a strategic plan consistent with the desired aims. Indeed most strategy models are generally simple, wherein lie their virtue. In the process however, these models often fail to offer insights into situations beyond that for which they are designed, often due to the adoption of frameworks seldom analytical, seldom rigorous. The situational analyses of these models often tend to be descriptive and seldom robust and rarely present behavioral relationship between variables under study.
From an academic point of view, there is often a divorce between industrial organization theory and strategic management models. While many economists view management models as being too simplistic, strategic management consultants perceive academic economists as being too theoretical, and the analytical tools that they devise as too complex for managers to understand.
Innovation literature while rich in typologies and descriptions of innovation dynamics is mostly technology focused. Most research on innovation has been devoted to the process (technological) of innovation, or has otherwise taken a how to (innovate) approach. For example the integrated innovation model of Soumodip Sarkar (Sarkar 2007). These 'integrated' approaches, draw on industrial organization, management and innovation literature.

Sources of innovation

There are several sources of innovation. In the linear model of innovation the traditionally recognized source is manufacturer innovation. This is where an agent (person or business) innovates in order to sell the innovation. Another source of innovation, only now becoming widely recognized, is end-user innovation. This is where an agent (person or company) develops an innovation for their own (personal or in-house) use because existing products do not meet their needs. Eric von Hippel has identified end-user innovation as, by far, the most important and critical in his classic book on the subject, Sources of Innovation.[5]
Innovation by businesses is achieved in many ways, with much attention now given to formal research and development for "breakthrough innovations." But innovations may be developed by less formal on-the-job modifications of practice, through exchange and combination of professional experience and by many other routes. The more radical and revolutionary innovations tend to emerge from R&D, while more incremental innovations may emerge from practice – but there are many exceptions to each of these trends.
Regarding user innovation, a great deal of innovation is done by those actually implementing and using technologies and products as part of their normal activities. Sometimes user-innovators may become entrepreneurs, selling their product, they may choose to trade their innovation in exchange for other innovations, or they may be adopted by their suppliers. Nowadays, they may also choose to freely reveal their innovations, using methods like open source. In such networks of innovation the users or communities of users can further develop technologies and reinvent their social meaning.
Whether innovation is mainly supply-pushed (based on new technological possibilities) or demand-led (based on social needs and market requirements) has been a hotly debated topic. Similarly, what exactly drives innovation in organizations and economies remains an open question.
More recent theoretical work moves beyond this simple dualistic problem, and through empirical work shows that innovation does not just happen within the industrial supply-side, or as a result of the articulation of user demand, but through a complex set of processes that links many different players together – not only developers and users, but a wide variety of intermediary organizations such as consultancies, standards bodies etc. Work on social networks suggests that much of the most successful innovation occurs at the boundaries of organizations and industries where the problems and needs of users and the potential of technologies can be linked together in a creative process that challenges both.

Value of experimentation in innovation

When an innovative idea requires a new business model, or radically redesigns the delivery of value to focus on the customer, a real world experimentation approach increases the chances of market success. New business models and customer experiences can't be tested through traditional market research methods. Pilot programs for new innovations set the path in stone too early thus increasing the costs of failure. On the other hand, the good news is that recent years have seen considerable progress in identifying important key factors/principles or variables that affect the probability of success in innovation. Of course, building successful businesses is such a complicated process, involving subtle interdependencies among so many variables in dynamic systems, that it is unlikely to ever be made perfectly predictable. But the more business can master the variables and experiment, the more they will be able to create new companies, products, processes and services that achieve what they hope to achieve.
Stefan Thomke of Harvard Business School has written a definitive book on the importance of experimentation. Experimentation Matters argues that every company's ability to innovate depends on a series of experiments [successful or not], that help create new products and services or improve old ones. That period between the earliest point in the design cycle and the final release should be filled with experimentation, failure, analysis, and yet another round of experimentation. "Lather, rinse, repeat," Thomke says. Unfortunately, uncertainty often causes the most able innovators to bypass the experimental stage.
In his book, Thomke outlines six principles companies can follow to unlock their innovative potential.
1. Anticipate and exploit early information through 'front-loaded' innovation processes
2. Experiment frequently but do not overload your organization
3. Integrate new and traditional technologies to unlock performance
4. Organize for rapid experimentation
5. Fail early and often but avoid 'mistakes'
6. Manage projects as experiments.[8]
Thomke further explores what would happen if the principles outlined above were used beyond the confines of the individual organization. For instance, in the state of Rhode Island, innovators are collaboratively leveraging the state's compact geography, economic and demographic diversity and close-knit networks to quickly and cost-effectively test new business models through a real-world experimentation lab.

Diffusion of innovations

Once innovation occurs, innovations may be spread from the innovator to other individuals and groups. This process has been proposed that the life cycle of innovations can be described using the 's-curve' or diffusion curve. The s-curve maps growth of revenue or productivity against time. In the early stage of a particular innovation, growth is relatively slow as the new product establishes itself. At some point customers begin to demand and the product growth increases more rapidly. New incremental innovations or changes to the product allow growth to continue. Towards the end of its life cycle growth slows and may even begin to decline. In the later stages, no amount of new investment in that product will yield a normal rate of return.
The s-curve derives from an assumption that new products are likely to have "product Life". i.e. a start-up phase, a rapid increase in revenue and eventual decline. In fact the great majority of innovations never gets off the bottom of the curve, and never produces normal returns.
Innovative companies will typically be working on new innovations that will eventually replace older ones. Successive s-curves will come along to replace older ones and continue to drive growth upwards. In the figure above the first curve shows a current technology. The second shows an emerging technology that current yields lower growth but will eventually overtake current technology and lead to even greater levels of growth. The length of life will depend on many factors.

Goals of innovation

Programs of organizational innovation are typically tightly linked to organizational goals and objectives, to the business plan, and to market competitive positioning.
For example, one driver for innovation programs in corporations is to achieve growth objectives. As Davila et al. (2006) note,
"Companies cannot grow through cost reduction and reengineering alone . . . Innovation is the key element in providing aggressive top-line growth, and for increasing bottom-line results" (p.6)
In general, business organizations spend a significant amount of their turnover on innovation i.e. making changes to their established products, processes and services. The amount of investment can vary from as low as a half a percent of turnover for organizations with a low rate of change to anything over twenty percent of turnover for organizations with a high rate of change.
The average investment across all types of organizations is four percent. For an organization with a turnover of say one billion currency units, this represents an investment of forty million units. This budget will typically be spread across various functions including marketing, product design, information systems, manufacturing systems and quality assurance.
The investment may vary by industry and by market positioning.
One survey across a large number of manufacturing and services organizations found, ranked in decreasing order of popularity, that systematic programs of organizational innovation are most frequently driven by:
1. Improved quality
2. Creation of new markets
3. Extension of the product range
4. Reduced labour costs
5. Improved production processes
6. Reduced materials
7. Reduced environmental damage
8. Replacement of products/services
9. Reduced energy consumption
10. Conformance to regulations
These goals vary between improvements to products, processes and services and dispel a popular myth that innovation deals mainly with new product development. Most of the goals could apply to any organization be it a manufacturing facility, marketing firm, hospital or local government.

Failure of innovation

Research findings vary, ranging from fifty to ninety percent of innovation projects judged to have made little or no contribution to organizational goals. One survey regarding product innovation quotes that out of three thousand ideas for new products, only one becomes a success in the marketplace. Failure is an inevitable part of the innovation process, and most successful organizations factor in an appropriate level of risk. Perhaps it is because all organizations experience failure that many choose not to monitor the level of failure very closely. The impact of failure goes beyond the simple loss of investment. Failure can also lead to loss of morale among employees, an increase in cynicism and even higher resistance to change in the future.
Innovations that fail are often potentially good ideas but have been rejected or postponed due to budgetary constraints, lack of skills or poor fit with current goals. Failures should be identified and screened out as early in the process as possible. Early screening avoids unsuitable ideas devouring scarce resources that are needed to progress more beneficial ones. Organizations can learn how to avoid failure when it is openly discussed and debated. The lessons learned from failure often reside longer in the organizational consciousness than lessons learned from success. While learning is important, high failure rates throughout the innovation process are wasteful and a threat to the organization’s future.
The causes of failure have been widely researched and can vary considerably. Some causes will be external to the organization and outside its influence of control. Others will be internal and ultimately within the control of the organization. Internal causes of failure can be divided into causes associated with the cultural infrastructure and causes associated with the innovation process itself. Failure in the cultural infrastructure varies between organizations but the following are common across all organizations at some stage in their life cycle (O'Sullivan, 2002):
1. Poor Leadership
2. Poor Organization
3. Poor Communication
4. Poor Empowerment
5. Poor Knowledge Management
Common causes of failure within the innovation process in most organizations can be distilled into five types:
1. Poor goal definition
2. Poor alignment of actions to goals
3. Poor participation in teams
4. Poor monitoring of results
5. Poor communication and access to information
Effective goal definition requires that organizations state explicitly what their goals are in terms understandable to everyone involved in the innovation process. This often involves stating goals in a number of ways. Effective alignment of actions to goals should link explicit actions such as ideas and projects to specific goals. It also implies effective management of action portfolios. Participation in teams refers to the behavior of individuals in and of teams, and each individual should have an explicitly allocated responsibility regarding their role in goals and actions and the payment and rewards systems that link them to goal attainment. Finally, effective monitoring of results requires the monitoring of all goals, actions and teams involved in the innovation process.
Innovation can fail if seen as an organizational process whose success stems from a mechanistic approach i.e. 'pull lever obtain result'. While 'driving' change has an emphasis on control, enforcement and structures it is only a partial truth in achieving innovation. Organizational gatekeepers frame the organizational environment that "Enables" innovation; however innovation is "Enacted" – recognized, developed, applied and adopted – through individuals.
Individuals are the 'atom' of the organization close to the minutiae of daily activities. Within individuals gritty appreciation of the small detail combines with a sense of desired organizational objectives to deliver (and innovate for) a product/service offer.
From this perspective innovation succeeds from strategic structures that engage the individual to the organization’s benefit. Innovation pivots on intrinsically motivated individuals, within a supportive culture, informed by a broad sense of the future.
Innovation, implies change, and can be counter to an organization’s orthodoxy. Space for fair hearing of innovative ideas is required to balance the potential autoimmune exclusion that quells an infant innovative culture.

Measures of innovation
There are two fundamentally different types of measures for innovation: the organizational level and the political level. The measure of innovation at the organizational level relates to individuals, team-level assessments, private companies from the smallest to the largest. Measure of innovation for organizations can be conducted by surveys, workshops, consultants or internal benchmarking. There is today no established general way to measure organizational innovation. Corporate measurements are generally structured around balanced scorecards which cover several aspects of innovation such as business measures related to finances, innovation process efficiency, employees' contribution and motivation, as well benefits for customers. Measured values will vary widely between businesses, covering for example new product revenue, spending in R&D, time to market, customer and employee perception & satisfaction, number of patents, additional sales resulting from past innovations. For the political level, measures of innovation are more focusing on a country or region competitive advantage through innovation. In this context, organizational capabilities can be evaluated through various evaluation frameworks, such as those of the European Foundation for Quality Management. The OECD Oslo Manual (1995) suggests standard guidelines on measuring technological product and process innovation. Some people consider the Oslo Manual complementary to the Frascati Manual from 1963. The new Oslo manual from 2005 takes a wider perspective to innovation, and includes marketing and organizational innovation. These standards are used for example in the European Community Innovation Surveys.
Other ways of measuring innovation have traditionally been expenditure, for example, investment in R&D (Research and Development) as percentage of GNP (Gross National Product). Whether this is a good measurement of Innovation has been widely discussed and the Oslo Manual has incorporated some of the critique against earlier methods of measuring. This being said, the traditional methods of measuring still inform many policy decisions. The EU Lisbon Strategy has set as a goal that their average expenditure on R&D should be 3 % of GNP.
The Oslo Manual is focused on North America, Europe, and other rich economies. In 2001 for Latin America and the Caribbean countries it was created the Bogota Manual
Many scholars claim that there is a great bias towards the "science and technology mode" (S&T-mode or STI-mode), while the "learning by doing, using and interacting mode" (DUI-mode) is widely ignored. For an example, that means you can have the better high tech or software, but there are also crucial learning tasks important for innovation. But these measurements and research are rarely done.
A common industry view (unsupported by empirical evidence) is that comparative cost-effectiveness research (CER) is a form of price control which, by reducing returns to industry, limits R&D expenditure, stifles future innovation and compromises new products access to markets. Some academics claim the CER is a valuable value-based measure of innovation which accords truly significant advances in therapy (those that provide 'health gain') higher prices than free market mechanisms. Such value-based pricing has been viewed as a means of indicating to industry the type of innovation that should be rewarded from the public purse. The Australian academic Thomas Alured Faunce has developed the case that national comparative cost-effectiveness assessment systems should be viewed as measuring 'health innovation' as an evidence-based concept distinct from valuing innovation through the operation of competitive markets (a method which requires strong anti-trust laws to be effective) on the basis that both methods of assessing innovation in pharmaceuticals are mentioned in annex 2C.1 of the AUSFTA.

Reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Innovation#Conceptualizing_innovation

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Innovation#Conceptualizing_innovation

assignment 5

2009-10-01T03:41:00.000-07:00

A barrier is an obstacle which prevents a given policy instrument being implemented, or limits the way in which it can be implemented. In the extreme, such barriers may lead to certain policy instruments being overlooked, and the resulting strategies being much less effective. For example, demand management measures are likely to be important in larger cities as ways of controlling the growth of congestion and improving the environment. But at the same time they are often unpopular, and cities may be tempted to reject them simply because they will be unpopular. If that decision leads in turn to greater congestion and a worse environment, the strategy will be less successful. The emphasis should therefore be on how to overcome these barriers, rather than simply how to avoid them. ECOCITY provides a useful illustration of the ways in which such barriers arise, and of how obstacles have been overcome, in case study cities.

1. Financial barriers

These include budget restrictions limiting the overall expenditure on the strategy, financial restrictions on specific instruments, and limitations on the flexibility with which revenues can be used to finance the full range of instruments.

2. Lack of Security

a. Database security is the system, processes, and procedures that protect a database from unintended activity. Unintended activity can be categorized as authenticated misuse, malicious attacks or inadvertent mistakes made by authorized individuals or processes. Database security is also a specialty within the broader discipline of computer security.

Traditionally databases have been protected from external connections by firewalls or routers on the network perimeter with the database environment existing on the internal network opposed to being located within a demilitarized zone. Additional network security devices that detect and alert on malicious database protocol traffic include network intrusion detection systems along with host-based intrusion detection systems.

Database security is more critical as networks have become more open.

Databases provide many layers and types of information security, typically specified in the data dictionary, including:

* Access control
* Auditing
* Authentication
* Encryption
* Integrity controls

Database security can begin with the process of creation and publishing of appropriate security standards for the database environment. The standards may include specific controls for the various relevant database platforms; a set of best practices that cross over the platforms; and linkages of the standards to higher level polices and governmental regulations.

A database security program should include the regular review of permissions granted to individually owned accounts and accounts used by automated processes. The accounts used by automated processes should have appropriate controls around password storage such as sufficient encryption and access controls to reduce the risk of compromise. For individual accounts, a two-factor authentication system should be considered in a database environment where the risk is commensurate with the expenditure for such an authentication system.

In conjunction with a sound database security program, an appropriate disaster recovery program should exist to ensure that service is not interrupted during a security incident or any other incident that results in an outage of the primary database environment. An example is that of replication for the primary databases to sites located in different geographical regions.

After an incident occurs, the usage of database forensics should be employed to determine the scope of the breach, and to identify appropriate changes to systems and/or processes to prevent similar incidents in the future.

b. When a computer connects to a network and begins communicating with others, it is taking a risk. Internet security involves the protection of a computer's internet account and files from intrusion of an unknown user.[1] Basic security measures involve protection by well selected passwords, change of file permissions and back up of computer's data.

Security concerns are in some ways peripheral to normal business working, but serve to highlight just how important it is that business users feel confident when using IT systems. Security will probably always be high on the IT agenda simply because cyber criminals know that a successful attack is very profitable. This means they will always strive to find new ways to circumvent IT security, and users will consequently need to be continually vigilant. Whenever decisions need to be made about how to enhance a system, security will need to be held uppermost among its requirements.

Internet security professionals should be fluent in the four major aspects:

* Penetration testing
* Intrusion Detection
* Incidence Response
* Legal / Audit Compliance

3. Limited workstation

A workstation is a high-end microcomputer designed for technical or scientific applications. Intended primarily to be used by one person at a time, they are commonly connected to a local area network and run multi-user operating systems. The term workstation has also been used to refer to a mainframe computer terminal or a PC connected to a network.

Historically, workstations had offered higher performance than personal computers, especially with respect to CPU and graphics, memory capacity and multitasking cability. They are optimized for the visualization and manipulation of different types of complex data such as 3D mechanical design, engineering simulation (e.g. computational fluid dynamics), animation and rendering of images, and mathematical plots. Consoles consist of a high resolution display, a keyboard and a mouse at a minimum, but also offer multiple displays, graphics tablets, 3D mice (devices for manipulating and navigating 3D objects and scenes), etc. Workstations are the first segment of the computer market to present advanced accessories and collaboration tools.

In our adopted company, one of their barriers is their station. Before, they can manage the people, the processes and the customers because it is not that busy before. But, as time goes by, more customers are coming, more people are involved in the company, many processes have been changed and added, now they are having a problem of their station. Though it still could cater the company but it is limited because they lack stations that will be even more convenient for everyone.

Reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_security
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Database_security
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workstation

assignment 2

2009-10-01T03:40:00.000-07:00

With respect to the company we have interviewed, there are a lot of risks that will be faced as the company grew bigger. As technology evolve, you have to go with the level of business process or else the company will be left behind by all the technologies. Here are some risks they have encountered:

1. Compatibility with the business process

("Kinahanglan daw nimo gukdon ang business process while ga evolve ang technology". Which means, you have to be updated with "what's new" in the present with regards to technology.)

*compatibility indicates that a product can work with or is equivalent to another, better-known product.

*A business process or business method is a collection of related, structured activities or tasks that produce a specific service or product (serve a particular goal) for a particular customer or customers. It often can be visualized with a flowchart as a sequence of activities.

There are three types of business processes:

1. Management processes, the processes that govern the operation of a system. Typical management processes include "Corporate Governance" and "Strategic Management".
2. Operational processes, processes that constitute the core business and create the primary value stream. Typical operational processes are Purchasing, Manufacturing, Marketing and Sales.
3. Supporting processes, which support the core processes. Examples include Accounting, Recruitment, Technical support.

A business process begins with a customer’s need and ends with a customer’s need fulfillment. Process oriented organizations break down the barriers of structural departments and try to avoid functional silos.

A business process can be decomposed into several sub-processes, which have their own attributes, but also contribute to achieving the goal of the super-process. The analysis of business processes typically includes the mapping of processes and sub-processes down to activity level.

Business Processes are designed to add value for the customer and should not include unnecessary activities. The outcome of a well designed business process is increased effectiveness (value for the customer) and increased efficiency (less costs for the company).

Business Processes can be modeled through a large number of methods and techniques. For instance, the Business Process Modeling Notation is a Business Process Modeling technique that can be used for drawing business processes in a workflow.

2. Piracy
The unauthorized copying of software. Most retail programs are licensed for use at just one computer site or for use by only one user at any time. By buying the software, you become a licensed user rather than an owner (see EULA). You are allowed to make copies of the program for backup purposes, but it is against the law to give copies to friends and colleagues.

Software piracy is all but impossible to stop, although software companies are launching more and more lawsuits against major infractors. Originally, software companies tried to stop software piracy by copy-protecting their software. This strategy failed, however, because it was inconvenient for users and was not 100 percent foolproof. Most software now requires some sort of registration, which may discourage would-be pirates, but doesn't really stop software piracy.

Some common types of software piracy include counterfeit software, OEM unbundling, softlifting, hard disk loading, corporate software piracy, and Internet software piracy.

Software piracy can be defined as "copying and using commercial software purchased by someone else". Software piracy is illegal. Each pirated piece of software takes away from company profits, reducing funds for further software development initiatives.

The roots of software piracy may lie in the early 1960s, when computer programs were freely distributed with mainframe hardware by hardware manufacturers (e.g. AT&T, Chase Manhattan Bank, General Electric and General Motors). In the late 1960s, manufacturers began selling their software separately from the required hardware.

Current illegal software in the US accounts for 25 - 50% of the software in use (see web sites below for further detail). Other countries often have levels of piracy well beyond that of the US. For example, Carol Bartz, the president and chairman of Autodesk, Inc. (www.autodesk.com) reports that one of their flagship products, AutoCAD, has 90% of the computer-aided design (CAD) market in China, yet sales are virtually negligible due to the widespread acceptance of software piracy (Fighting Computer Crime: A New Framework for Protecting Information, Donn B. Parker, 1998). A number of annotated web sites at the end of this document contain information regarding estimates of software piracy throughout the world. Bartz also states that many software companies are reluctant to pursue the educational market due to concerns that several copies of purchased software may lead to millions of copies of illegal software, produced "in the name of educating children" (Parker, 1998).

Ways to Deal With / Minimize Software Piracy

As teachers, the easiest way to minimize piracy is to set a good example. Don't use pirated software or distribute commercial software to students or colleagues. It is important that policies go beyond individual classrooms, and that schools / districts develop software management, acquisition and implementation policies. These policies should be made clear to each teacher in the school's Acceptable Use Policy, with explicit statements regarding the unacceptability of software piracy. Technology Coordinators should determine which commonly used software packages are compatible with anticipated hardware and network upgrades, and make faculty aware of those changes prior to upgrade. Other ways to reduce the likelihood of software piracy are explicitly stated in Safeguarding Your Technology: Practical Guidelines for Electronic Education Information Security (http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=98297). Among their recommendations are:

1. Have a central location for software programs. Know which applications are being added, modified or deleted.
2. Secure master copies of software and associate documentation, while providing faculty access to those programs when needed.
3. Never lend or give commercial software to unlicensed users.
4. Permit only authorized users to install software.
5. Train and make staff aware of software use and security procedures which reduce likelihood of software piracy.

Finally, there are a number of network utilities which remove unauthorized files and programs on a preset basis. These utilities can effectively monitor and remove illegally possessed shareware and commercial software without any significant additional investment in network administrator time or effort.

3. Hacking
Hack has several related meanings in the technology and computer science fields. It may refer to a clever or quick fix to a computer program problem, or to what may be perceived to be a clumsy or inelegant (but usually relatively quick) solution to a problem. The term is also used to refer to a modification of a program or device to give the user access to features that were otherwise unavailable, such as DIY circuit bending.

acking is unauthorized use of computer and network resources. (The term "hacker" originally meant a very gifted programmer. In recent years though, with easier access to multiple systems, it now has negative implications.)

Hacking is a felony in the United States and most other countries. When it is done by request and under a contract between an ethical hacker and an organization, it's OK. The key difference is that the ethical hacker has authorization to probe the target.

We work with IBM Consulting and its customers to design and execute thorough evaluations of their computer and network security. Depending on the evaluation they request (ranging from Web server probes to all-out attacks), we gather as much information as we can about the target from publicly available sources. As we learn more about the target, its subsidiaries and network connectivity, we begin to probe for weaknesses.

Examples of weaknesses include poor configuration of Web servers, old or unpatched software, disabled security controls, and poorly chosen or default passwords. As we find and exploit vulnerabilities, we document if and how we gained access, as well as if anyone at the organization noticed. (In nearly all the cases, the Information Syhstems department is not informed of these planned attacks.) Then we work with the customer to address the issues we've discovered.

The number of really gifted hackers in the world is very small, but there are lots of wannabes.... When we do an ethical hack, we could be holding the keys to that company once we gain access. It's too great a risk for our customers to be put in a compromising position. With access to so many systems and so much information, the temptation for a former hacker could be too great -- like a kid in an unattended candy store.

4. People

With regards to people, they can't deny the fact that people wants a "greener pastures". People or employees are considered their risks if they look for a greener pastures. The capability of one person especially in the MIS department is unique to every different person. In effect, it would delay the work if someone is taken from a department to look for a greener pastures. It would also affect the service of the company to the customer.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_process
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/S/software_piracy.html
http://www.ed.uiuc.edu/wp/crime/piracy.htm
http://www.crime-research.org/news/05.05.2004/241/

Assignment 4

2009-07-13T08:31:00.000-07:00

Green Campus Computing is an idea of saving energy and/or being environmentally friendly without compromising the technology. As technology arises, we cannot deny the fact that it also requires, higher capacity, graphics, power and etc. One of the things to solve is to make a way in order to save and/or conserve energy.

Here are links about green campus computing:

1. http://www.uoguelph.ca/atguelph/07-02-14/newscomputing.shtml

This site talks about awareness campaign that will give idea on the users on how to be environmentally friendly with the technologies. Here are some of the things that they will implement which is very applicable to our school. A good start to help the students, faculty and staff on how save energy and ensure clean computer components:

* Awareness campaign. Focus groups will look at awareness of energy use and conservation in computing and potential barriers to green computing. The campaign will offer ideas to students, faculty and staff on basic computing practices, from reminders about turning off monitors to use of power-saving features and settings.
* Energy conservation strategies. A survey in January of information technology managers across campus yielded information about current power-management practices among computer users. That information will be used to develop standard practices and power-consumption settings designed to save energy. Those procedures, involving University IT staff and Physical Resources, are expected to be ready for implementation by spring.

2. http://chronicle.com/free/2009/01/10296n.htm

Relocate a college's server computers next to a solar-power generator. Replace AC power with DC power. Cool the servers only where they get the hottest. Put the servers in the ocean and power them with waves.

- Instead of an AC power, replace it with DC power. The university or school may buy a solar-powered generator to produce an energy for the use of the computers. In this idea, we can lessen the electricity but still efficient and sustainable.

3. http://thejournal.com/articles/2009/06/30/new-version-of-print-management-software-aims-to-help-cut-costs.aspx

"The idea is to find, in any project, the closest, most perfect balance of social,financial, and environmental components."
-- Linda Petee, Delta College

Netop has released PrintLimit Pro 9.4, an update to the company's print management software that's geared toward more efficient printing and helping school environments save on three heavily used commodities: paper, ink, and time.

The key features aimed at saving money and time are load balancing, which allows network users with heavy print traffic to spread a print load over a large group of member printers, and "Find-Me" printing, which allows for intelligent routing of print jobs to release stations at large sites. Additional new functions of version 9.4 include:

* Centralized monitoring and reporting of toner levels for all printers on network;
* Support for 64-bit Linux installations;
* 10 new reports covering printer usage and environmental impact; and
* Improved scalability, allowing for support of tens of thousands of user clients, even on standard 32-bit server hardware.

This is a good technology which we can adopt in our school making a centralize printer for the whole university to lessen costs and expenses on inks cartridges and papers.

Lines I got from this url: http://www.campustechnology.com/Articles/2009/05/01/Green-Campus-P2.aspx

>>But unlike many schools of comparable size with various, uncoordinated, environmentally conscious programs in place, Delta's green plans are part of an overall strategy to take the institution green-- including a strategic mission to take Delta as close to carbon neutrality as possible. And if Delta can make such missions reality, what's to stop any other American college or university from achieving the same goals?

"The idea is to find, in any project, the closest, most perfect balance of social,financial, and environmental components."
-- Linda Petee, Delta College

**I included this to challenge us to uniquely and creatively make our ideas in adopting a "green campus computing" in such a way that will be more applicable and efficient to the students.

COMMDAP

2009-07-09T18:39:00.000-07:00

COMPUTER MANUFACTURERS, DISTRIBUTORS AND DEALERS ASSOCIATION OF THE PHILIPPINES

Last July 02, 2009, COMMDAP was held at Apo View Hotel, Davao City. We went there in the morning and luckily witnessed the opening of the program. I am one of the students who entered first and saw all the different technologies displayed. But, we haven't given much time to watch all the display because we attended the first seminar at 10:30am.

First Session was all about Windows 2008 Server with Mr. Lee L. Gorospe as the speaker. He was a nice speaker and make us all very attentive during the session. He tackled about:

1. Active Directory Roles

Active Directory provides the means to manage the identities and relationships that make up your organization’s network. Integrated with Windows Server 2008, the next generation of Active Directory gives you out-of-the-box functionality needed to centrally configure and administer system, user, and application settings. With Active Directory, you can simplify user and computer management, enable single sign-on (SSO) access to your network resources, and help enhance the privacy and security of stored information and communications.

2. Active Directory Rights Management Service

is an information protection technology that works with AD RMS-enabled applications to help safeguard digital information from unauthorized use. Content owners can define who can open, modify, print, forward, or take other actions with the information.

Used to:
- Restrict access to an organization's intellectual property
-Limit the actions users can perform on content
-Limit the risk of content being exposed outside the organization

3. Read only Domain Controllers

A Read-Only Domain Controller (RODC) is a new type of domain controller in Windows Server 2008. Its main purpose is to improve security in office branches. In this post, I summarize the functionality of RODC.

In office branches, it is often not easy to provide sufficient physical security for servers. It is not a big deal to manipulate a Windows system if you can get physical access to it. Since Domain controllers store security sensitive data, they are particularly endangered. RODCs can help with this problem in four ways:

RODC essentials

* Read-only feature: An intruder on the RODC can’t manipulate the Active Directory database.
* DNS protection: If the RODC server hosts a DNS server, the intruder won’t be able to tamper with the DNS data.
* Password protection: A malicious user won’t be able to access passwords using a brute-force-attack. This applies only if password caching is disabled on the RODC.
* Administrator Role Separation: You can delegate a local Administrator role to a domain user.

Read-only Domain Controller

* An RODC holds all Active Directory objects and attributes.
* RODCs only support unidirectional replication of Active Directory changes (i.e., from the forest to the RODC).
* If an application needs write access to Active Directory objects, the RODC will send an LDAP referral response that redirects the application to a writable domain controller.

Automatic analysis of event logs

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DNS Protection

* A DNS server running on an RODC doesn’t support dynamic updates.
* If a client wants to update its DNS record, the RODC will send a referral for a writeable DNS server.
* The client can then update against this DNS server.
* This single record will then be replicated from the writable DNS server to the RODC DNS server.

Password Protection

* By default, an RODC doesn’t store user or computer credentials. (The only exception is the computer account of the RODC itself and a special krbtgt account.)
* However, an RODC can cache passwords.
* If a password isn’t cached, the RODC will forward the authentication request to a writeable DC.
* The Password Replication Policy determines the user groups for which passwords caching will be allowed (more about this in my next post).

Administrator Role Separation:

* A domain user having the Administrator role on an RODC doesn’t have to be a domain admin.
* A domain user having the Administrator role can do maintenance work on the RODC such as installing software.
* If an intruder gains access to the credentials of this local administrator account, he will not be able to make changes on other domain controllers.

4. Hyper-V

Product Details

Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V, the next-generation hypervisor-based server virtualization technology, is available as an integral feature of Windows Server 2008 and enables you to implement server virtualization with ease. Hyper-V allows you to make the best use of your server hardware investments by consolidating multiple server roles as separate virtual machines (VMs) running on a single physical machine.

Technical Resources

Consolidating servers and enabling a high-performance virtual environment is the key to many high availability to mission-critical applications. Businesses are under pressure to ease management and reduce costs while retaining and enhancing competitive advantages, such as flexibility, reliability, scalability, and security. Discover the many benefits of the virtualization capabilities in Windows Server 2008 and access the technical resources and links to get your team started.

Community Resources

Whether you're considering which product and technologies to use, or need support for solutions you’ve implemented, find the right venue to learn from others like you. Community resources provide powerful options to learn from other IT professionals and developers who have implemented a wide range of
Hyper-V solutions. Learn and participate with your peers, as well as the Virtualization development team.

5. Network Access Protection

NAP client
The NAP client consists of three layers: the System Health Agents (SHA), the NAP Agent, and the Enforcement Clients (EC). There are also APIs allowing third-party vendors to integrate their own SHAs and ECs in Microsoft’s NAP infrastructure.

System Health Agent (SHA)
The SHA checks if certain system health requirements are fulfilled. The SHA that comes with Vista and Windows Server 2008 can verify whether the following conditions are met: Windows Firewall is on; antivirus and antispyware software are installed, enabled, and updated; Microsoft Update Services is enabled, and the most recent security updates are installed. If the system is not in the required state, the SHA can then start a process to remedy the situation. For example, it can enable Windows Firewall or contact a remediation server to update the antivirus signatures.

NAP Agent
Sometimes this component is also called Quarantine Agent. It maintains the health state information and facilitates the communication between the SHAs and the ECs.

Enforcement Client (EC)
Sometimes you will also find this as the Quarantine Enforcement Client (QEC). Each NAP enforcement method has its own EC. So there is a DHCP EC and an IPsec EC, for example. Usually, they are integrated with the corresponding service client. So the DHCP EC is a part of the DHCP client. Its main function is to communicate with the server side NAP infrastructure, thereby, enforcing the quarantine of the client if the health requirements are not met. It is the only client component that interacts with the NAP infrastructure on the server side.

Let’s look at the server side of the NAP infrastructure.

Enforcement Server (ES)
This can also be referred to as the Quarantine Enforcement Server (QES). The NAP ES communicates with its corresponding NAP EC. Each enforcement method has its own ES and is integrated in the corresponding service. For example, the DHCP ES is a part of the DHCP Server. Essentially, the ES has the same functions as the EC. It is the interface between the server side NAP infrastructure and the client side, and ensures that noncompliant clients are quarantined. For example, the DHCP ES would make sure that a DHCP server issues the network mask 255.255.255.255 to noncompliant clients. This way they can’t access other computers in the network.

NAP Server
A NAP server is just another name for a NAP-enabled server component. So a DHCP server supporting NAP is a NAP server, for example. Don’t confuse it with a NAP Health Policy Server.

NAP Health Policy Server (NPS)
The NPS consists of the NPS Service, the NAP Administration Server and the System Health Validator (SHV) components.

System Health Validator (SHV)
Each SHV has a corresponding SHA on the client side. It is here where you define the health requirements for your whole network. Windows Server 2008 comes with just one SHV allowing you to choose among the health requirements mentioned above (Windows Firewall enabled, antivirus software updated etc). Third-party vendors can integrate their own SHVs here.

NAP Administration Server
The NAP Administration Server is kind of a distributor and integrator for NAP information. Information that comes from the NPS service is distributed to the different SHVs. Each SHV only receives the information which is relevant for it. The information that comes from the different SHVs is integrated in one message and passed on to the NPS Service.

NPS Service
The NPS Service communicates with the NAP Server using the RADIUS protocol. It is kind of an interface between the NAP server and the NAP Administration Server.

6. Server Core

One of the most exciting new features of Windows Server 2008 is its ability to install as a Server Core machine.

A Server Core installation provides a minimal environment for running specific server roles, which reduces the maintenance and management requirements and the attack surface for those server roles. A server running a Server Core installation supports the following server roles:

* Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS)
* Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (AD LDS)
* DHCP Server
* DNS Server
* File Services
* Print Services
* Streaming Media Services
* Internet Information Services (IIS)
* Windows Virtualization

In Windows Server 2008, Server Core installation does not include the traditional full graphical user interface (GUI).

What’s new in the Server Core installation option?

The Server Core installation option of Windows Server 2008 requires initial configuration at a command prompt. A Server Core installation does not include the traditional full graphical user interface. Once you have configured the server, you can manage it locally at a command prompt or remotely using a Terminal Server connection. You can also manage the server remotely using the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) or command-line tools that support remote use.
Benefits of a Server Core installation

The Server Core installation option of Windows Server 2008 provides the following benefits:

* Reduced maintenance - Because the Server Core installation option installs only what is required to have a manageable server for the AD DS, AD LDS, DHCP Server, DNS Server, File Services, Print Services, and Streaming Media Services roles, less maintenance is required than on a full installation of Windows Server 2008.
* Reduced attack surface - Because Server Core installations are minimal, there are fewer applications running on the server, which decreases the attack surface.
* Reduced management - Because fewer applications and services are installed on a server running the Server Core installation, there is less to manage.
* Less disk space required - A Server Core installation requires only about 1 gigabyte (GB) of disk space to install and approximately 2 GB for operations after the installation.
* Lower risk of bugs - Reducing the amount of code can help reduce the amount of bugs.

Issues with Server Core installation and upgrading from previous versions

Since Server Core is a special installation of Windows Server 2008, the following limitations are present:

* There is no way to upgrade from a previous version of the Windows Server operating system to a Server Core installation. Only a clean installation is supported.
* There is no way to upgrade from a full installation of Windows Server 2008 to a Server Core installation. Only a clean installation is supported.
* There is no way to upgrade from a Server Core installation to a full installation of Windows Server 2008. If you need the Windows® user interface or a server role that is not supported in a Server Core installation, you will need to install a full installation of Windows Server 2008.

Server Core versions

Server Core comes in Standard, Enterprise and Datacenter editions for i386 and x64 platforms. Most companies will probably go for the Standard edition because most of the differences found in the Enterprise and Datacenter editions of Windows Server 2008 won't be present in Server Core. The Enterprise Server Core will, however, allow you to utilize more processor and memory support, as well as clustering. Datacenter adds the whole Datacenter hardware program and 99.999 percent reliability.

Next, we have the ERIC DMS..

ERIC DMS - Dealer Management System

The ERIC Dealer Management System (DMS) is an end-t-o-end software solution for automotive sales, parts and service businesses. ERIC DMS covers the full range of dealer activities-from marketing to sales and services.

Aside from core business operations, DMS includes a full ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) and completely automates and integrates back office operations all the way to financial reporting.

With ERIC DMS, you can have full visibility over all operations.

Achieve total control over your car dealership business today!

• Schedule prospects for test drives and follow up on appointments

• Monitor and increase sales

• Delight customers with gentle reminders for appointments

• Manage vehicle inventory

• Deliver impeccable service

• Control parts & consumables cost

• Monitor and correctly implement warranty for parts & service

• Report your financial bottom line

ERIC Dealership Management System (DMS) A complete, end-to-end solution for vehicle dealers, distributors, and service providers

ERIC DMS is composed of three core modules to manage dealer Operations. These modules are:

* Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
* Vehicle Sales and Administration (VSA)
* Service Management (SVM)

* Customer Relationship Management
* Vehicle Sales and Administration
* Service Management

* Parts Inventory
* Order Entry and Billing
* Accounts Receivable
* Accounts Payable
* General Ledger
* Purchasing
* Time Card

The Last session I attended was the HP Thin Client which I was very interested. It makes me, "whoah" seeing a new small workstation 1/4 of the real System unit with equal or more capacity than the bigger one. It was really an amazing tech so far I've ever seen.

HP Thin Client...

What is a thin client?
Thin clients are computing devices that function as an access device on a network. These solid-state devices connect over a network to a server where the bulk of the processing takes place. Thin clients have no hard drive, allowing for more secure storage of data and applications on the server. In fact, keystrokes, mouse events and screen images are all that is sent between the client and server. This makes the device much more secure than a standard desktop or notebook computer.
With no hard drive, fan or other moving parts, thin clients have a much longer lifespan than standard computers and use significantly less power. Lower maintenance costs are another benefit as software application updates, virus scanning and patches can be executed on the server. Deployment costs are also reduced as thin clients can be remotely configured and do not need to be set up individually. Break-fix simply requires replacing the thin client.
Why should I consider a thin client solution?
You need to learn more about the HP thin client solution if your business is faced with issues such as:
• Desktop replacement costs
• Network security
• Data access to mobile or remote workers
• Supporting application software on diverse hardware, or
• Ensuring your data remains accessible and secure
Thin clients are ideal solution for today's healthcare, industrial, retail, financial and education industries offering a number of benefits to your business.
Enhanced security
Unlike a traditional desktop or notebook computer, no applications or data are stored locally on the thin client. This makes them easy to replace if lost, stolen or damaged. Thin clients are an ideal choice for businesses that are facing increased regulatory compliance laws such as HIPAA or Sarbanes-Oxley.
Easier manageability
Thin clients are managed at the server, located within the data center. The client hardware has fewer points of failure and lacks a hard drive for storage providing protection from viruses and malware. Thin clients connect to servers via web browsers or remote desktop software. Depending on the functionality the user needs, client desktops can be very simple single-application kiosks or a flexible and familiar Windows environment.
Thin clients can be set up out of the box in less than 10 minutes allowing easy deployment to new users or remote locations. HP thin clients can be remotely configured and managed via management software included at no extra charge.
High reliability
With thin client access devices, business continuity is a given in the event of a natural disaster, as the data and applications are not resident on the client device. Because of their solid state design, thin clients have an extended product life of up to 5 years and can be cost effectively replaced if needed.
Thin clients are ideal for environments unsuited for traditional desktop computers like dusty, remote or space-constrained environments. They can be mounted invisibly behind a flat panel monitor, under the desk or just about anywhere with the optional VESA (Video Electronics Standards Association)-compatible HP Quick Release.
Increased energy efficiency
Thin clients offer significant savings in power usage over traditional desktops. This is realized not only in energy costs but reduced air-conditioning costs in some cases. With their long lifecycle thin clients allow companies to achieve energy savings targets and reduce the need for replacement equipment.
Lower total cost of ownership
The increased security, reliability and ease of management contribute to a lower total cost of ownership for your client computing devices. With a longer useful lifespan, thin clients contribute to cost savings. According to a study by Gartner (TCO Comparison of PCs with Server-Based Computing, June 2006) thin client TCO annual savings have been measured as high as:
• 79% less downtime cost per user
• 16% capital cost savings
• 34% less in maintenance
• 19% less to operate
• 48% overall lower total cost
HP's Client Virtualization Solutions
HP offers a complete solution of thin client devices for essential, mainstream, flexible or specialized computing. HP can also provide all the related products and services for remote client computing or desktop virtualization including blade PCs, storage, networking and servers.

Reference:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/active-directory.aspx
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc771234(WS.10).aspx
http://4sysops.com/archives/windows-server-2008-read-only-domain-controller-rodc/
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/hyperv-main.aspx
http://4sysops.com/archives/windows-server-2008-nap-network-access-protection-infrastructure/
http://www.petri.co.il/understanding-windows-server-2008-core.htm
http://www.jupitersystems.com.ph/product.aspx?prod_id=1
http://www.hp.com/sbso/solutions/pc_expertise/article/thinclients_consider.html

Assignment 3 (MIS)

2009-07-08T15:01:00.000-07:00

SITUATIONER
The conduct of elections in the Philippines for the past four decades has remained largely
unchanged. Philippine elections rely heavily on manual tallying and canvassing of votes thus making
them vulnerable to control and manipulation by traditional politicians and those with vested interests.
The cost of winning an elective post is highly expensive, and the absence of mechanisms to check
and limit sources of campaign funds become fertile grounds for corruption and divisiveness.
In recent years, initiatives to reform the electoral system included the enactment of the
following laws: Republic Act (RA) 8046, establishing a pilot program modernizing the registration
and vote counting process in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, the Party List Law,
Fair Elections Act and the Absentee Voting Act. To address the inadequacies and limitations of the
electoral process, RA 8436 or the Election Automation Act of 1997, was passed authorizing the
Commission on Elections (COMELEC) to use automated election system for vote counting and
canvassing in the national and local polls. The law provided for the generation of a national
computerized voters list, establishment of a voters identification card system and the automation of
the vote counting.
However, sectoral issues still hinder reform efforts in the electoral process. The following
have been identified as basic problems afflicting the electoral system: (a) outdated electoral
process; (b) failure to implement the electoral modernization law; (c) limited administrative and
regulatory capabilities of the COMELEC; (d) ineffective educational/information campaigns on
new laws and policies; (e) weak political party system; (f) unaccountable political financing; and
(g) defective party list system (Governance Assessment, 2003).
II. GOALS, STRATEGIES AND ACTION PLANS
To ensure a credible and transparent electoral process, the modernization of the electoral
system through computerization shall be supported to ensure the credibility of polls and correct the
deficiencies in the electoral system. Likewise, the Omnibus Election Code shall be further revised
and amended to respond to the needs of the present electoral system.
Measures to strengthen the party system and regulate the activities of political parties shall
be created. State financing of political parties shall also be considered through the passage of the
Campaign Finance Bill.
The COMELEC’s capacity to raise the level of political discourse and educate citizens
regarding their right to vote will be enhanced. This will be done through conduct of continuing
citizen and voter education through partnership with civil society groups and other government
Chapter 13
Automated Elections
Automated Elections
178
institutions. The electorate must be empowered with information that would help them vote
intelligently. The challenge is to develop the people’s appreciation of their vote as a means to
reform the government and receive better services from it. Part of this challenge is the need to
raise the awareness of the electorate on relevant issues and the corresponding platforms of the
candidates, if the country is to shift from the politics of personality to the politics of party
programs.

Automated election fraud

AUTOMATED ELECTION fraud like manual election fraud can be divided into two parts:

1. Retail cheating in the counting and preparation of precinct election returns.

2. Wholesale fraud in the transmission and canvassing at the municipal, district, city and provincial levels.

Fraud usually does not happen at the national level since there are fewer numbers to transmit and canvass, and there are many eyes focused on the process.

We will start by discussing how fraud can be done on the OMR (optical mark reading) counting machines.

Then we will discuss how fraud can take place in transmission and canvassing.

The Comelec claims that we will finally have clean and honest elections because the 2010 elections will be fully automated.

The old cheaters who are computer illiterate and not in Comelec or with the automated system vendors may indeed find that their old tricks will no longer work.

Misreading and manual tampering of ERs and COCs will no longer be possible.

Transparency

The beauty of the old system of writing names of candidates voted for, public reading of votes in front of watchers and citizens, tallying and manual preparation of election returns was that it was visible.

At times there could have been fraud. But it was visible. Maybe sometimes due to guns and goons, people would just keep quiet.

In the new OMR system voters will feed the ballot into the machine the next thing they will see is the printed election return.

Whether their votes were properly counted they will not know.

Transparency at the precinct level is gone.

Fraud can take place and the voters and watchers at the precinct will not know if fraud has taken place.

Comelec’s claims

Comelec claims that the AES (automated election system) cannot be hacked and that the source code will be open for inspection.

These are good for Comelec’s PR efforts, but they do not make automated elections safe from fraud. In fact, they are smoke screens that cover the real areas where fraud can take place.

The Random House Encyclopedia defines hacking as unauthorized access to a computer, either for fun or for malicious or fraudulent purposes.

Hackers generally use microcomputers and telephone lines to obtain access.

In computing, the term is used in a wider sense to mean using software for enjoyment or self-education, not necessarily involving unauthorized access.

Hacking is not the problem and, therefore, spending time and money to prevent hacking is not very useful.

If only outsiders would rob you in your home then having grilled windows, special locks, alarms, etc. will ensure your safety.

But if you live in the company of thieves, you can still be robbed. That is what the police refer to as an “inside job.”

The greatest danger of fraud in the 2010 computerized elections will come from insiders in Comelec and computer vendors, not from outsiders.

In a recent meeting of the Management Association of the Philippines Election Automation subcommittee, with former Customs and BIR Commissioner Guillermo Parayno, we asked him whether his agencies had ever been hacked.

His answer was no, any intrusions were always by insiders.

Source code inspection

The other point Comelec likes to stress is that the source code of the OMR counting machines will be available for inspection by computer experts.

Looking at the source code is practically useless.

OMR machines are used in schools for scoring tests and in survey companies for tabulating survey results.

Members of the administrative staff in schools and survey companies do not change the source code. They provide a scoring or tabulating table to modify how the OMR machine scores a test or tabulates a survey.

By changing this table, fraud is easily committed.

In order to cheat on the OMR counting machines, all that is needed is to download a new counting table that changes for whom a shaded circle is counted.

In areas where the candidates that want to cheat are weak, the table can be modified so that votes will be switched.

This does not have to be done on all machines.

If done on even just 10 percent of the OMR machines, a tight race may be reversed in favor of those who are cheating.

How would the counting tables be switched? Since the OMR machines are connected to the Internet, it is possible for an outside party, in connivance with Comelec or system vendor people, to enable an unseen computer to load the fraudulent table.

At the end of counting, the original table can be reloaded so that any tests would indicate that the machines are counting correctly and honestly.

It could also be possible for someone that seems to be authorized to quickly insert a USB memory stick that would load the fraudulent table.

Fraud at provincial level

While the Comelec has budgeted P8.2 billion for machines rental of OMR machines, it has only budgeted P200 million for transmission and P200 million for canvassing.

There is no provision for parallel transmission and canvassing. Therefore, there is no provision for audit.

In the old manual system, the hard copy of the precinct ERs were brought to the municipality to be read and entered in the statement of votes, which was visible to watchers. Watchers could compare the statement of votes with their own copies of the ER. Before the ER was read and added to the statement of votes, the authenticity of the ER was first verified.

This process took time and caused delays when lawyers argued, but at least citizens could see what was going on, hopefully make sure that votes were properly canvassed and at the very least be aware that frauds had taken place.

The Comelec AES has no safeguards against insider-initiated fraud. It assumes that the Comelec and the vendor officials, managers and staff are absolutely honest. It assumes that an automated system will not commit mistakes or fraud.

In the Comelec system, massive fraud can take place, but it will not be discovered until after the beneficiaries of fraud have been proclaimed.

Good luck with the election protests to the real winners who were defrauded!

How can fraud be done?

While RA 9369 provides for the printing of up to 30 copies of ERs and their posting at the precinct, the single transmission and canvassing system can move much faster.

Some vendors claim that national candidates could be proclaimed in less than 48 hours.

Unfortunately, the political parties and citizens arms cannot move that fast and would not be able to point to fraudulent manipulation before the rushed proclamation of the favored candidates, as what recently happened in Iran.

It is interesting that while it was said that the slow transmission and canvassing in the old manual system created many opportunities for fraud, in the new automated system, very fast transmission and canvassing in 2010 may lead to massive fraud, frustrating the true votes of our nation.

I would propose that legislation be passed to deliberately institute auditing steps at each level.

There is nothing wrong with the national count taking two weeks. There is a saying that haste makes waste. Let’s not have our new leaders elected by automated election fraud.

Smartmatic case

Avante has documented how Smartmatic was able to remotely change the ERs of three precincts in Wao in last year’s ARMM election.

Three precincts reported 0 votes because the number of votes exceeded the number of voters.

Smartmatic was able to remotely change the votes in the three precincts.

The Internet and the World Wide Web are powerful tools for doing good. They can also be used for evil.

Good or evil

My company uses the Internet and collaboration software to be able to access our customers’ computers and manipulate them as if we were onsite. The same could be done with the Comelec OMR machines and transmission and canvassing computers.

What could we do with such remote access and manipulation capabilities?

Someone could access OMR machines and change their vote counting tables temporarily to make some candidates get votes and others lose votes.

After counting, the proper tables could be restored so that the fraud would go undetected.

The same technology could be used to access municipal canvassing systems to change the COC prior to transmission. The best way to cheat would be to switch votes between candidates.

Something similar could be done on provincial canvassing computers.

Key safeguards

However, instead of altering the provincial COC, one could change the statement of votes of some municipalities. These changes would be reflected on the provincial COC.

How do we safeguard our vote?

In order to prevent automated election fraud, certain safeguards have to be instituted. These include:

1. The OMR machines should not have any network connection. The election results should be copied to USB memory sticks, which can subsequently be loaded to a separate PC that will transmit the results to the Comelec canvassing system at the municipality and to the dominant majority and minority parties, as well as to the citizens arms such as PPCRV and Namfrel.

2. The above parties should be provided with their own PCs to be able to produce their own COCs. If the Comelec COC does not match the COCs produced by other parties, a careful review should be done prior to transmission to the provincial level.

3. The verified municipal COC should then be transmitted to the multiple groups defined above. Again, the Comelec COC should be compared with the other COCs and the reason for discrepancies should be determined.

4. The verified Provincial COC should again be transmitted to multiple parties.

The Comelec and Congressional Canvass should again be compared to the parallel canvasses to assure that fraud is minimized as much as possible.

5. Each of the concerned groups should make their results available on their websites for the public to access.

If these proposed measures are followed, there will be true transparency and automated fraud will be minimized.

Opinion..

If I were to choose whether manual or automated election, I would rather choose automated because it will lessen the time of voting. With regards to the situation, many rumors that it will become worst if we will use the automated election because it will be manipulated by some of the people. But, security is more gained in automated election rather than manual.

Comparison between Manual and Automated Election..

Manual

1. manual testing no tool is available to test the application,you have to check the application manually by manually weither the application is working is working as per the client requirements or not.
2. Unsecured (due to bombings and thief)
3. Takes more time for results

Automated

1. Convenient
2. Gets a tally immediately
3. Fast Results
4. Secured
5. Transparent

The problem is..

1. Inaccurate
2. Disturbingly easy to hack
3. Automation testing tool is available to test the application weither the application is working is working as per the client requirements or not.

References:
http://www.neda.gov.ph/ads/mtpdp/mtpdp2004-2010/pdf/mtpdp%202004-2010%20neda_chapterx13_elections.pdf
http://business.inquirer.net/money/columns/view/20090706-214009/Automated-election-fraud

2009-06-24T20:59:00.001-07:00

Assignment 1 (MIS)

2009-06-24T20:57:00.000-07:00

COLUMBIA COMPUTER CENTER DAVAO, INC.

Company Profile...

Columbia Computer Center Davao, Inc., one of the pioneers in the computer industry of Davao City, started its operation in 1982 as a video center. Due to a promising opportunity in the computer business, investment in this industry was also tried and later concentrated in this field. Consequently, due to a greater demand in the national capitol region, the company decided to establish it’s main office in Manila, Since then, the growth of the company was extended to every major city in the country.

Currently, we have four(4) branches in the Mindanao area. At present, we carry most of the IT leaders’ brand name in the market such as ACER, COMPAQ, HEWLETT PACKARD, CANNON, EPSON, MICROSOFT, INTEL, A-OPEN, 3M, LOGITECH, APC, MGE, PULSAR, 3COM, SEAGATE, ASUS, MICROSTAR, JETWAY, CALIDAD, KRONE, AMP, LIKOM, EXPRESS, and other peripherals and accessories.

Columbia Computer Center Davao, Inc., offers sales, repairs, rentals, networking installation and other services to our customers. We cater to wholesale distribution of complete range of computer product, which covers PC System, peripherals, accessories and components. The retail business is responsible for catering walk-in customers, which are targeted directly to home users to meet every individual’s computing needs. We are also engaged in direct sales providing computing solutions to manage large corporate accounts, government agencies and educational institutions as well as small to medium sized companies. The company also provides services to our clientele to support all the products purchased under Columbia Computer Center Davao, Inc.

Experiences...

Yesterday at around 4 P.M., we went to Davao Light and Power Company Inc. to conduct an interview about the best practices of their IT/IS. Unfortunately, it was unsuccessful because they needed a letter signed by the teacher for formality. So we decided to consider another company and conduct an "ambush interview" regarding the said topic.

Columbia Computer Center Davao, Inc., was the next company we went to after Davao light. We asked some of the their crew about the topic but we were referred to their technician and again passed on to another crew until the last person which is their Manager. He was the one who helped us with the topic.

Discussions...

Sir Sariel M. Villano, Manager, Marketing development, Mindanao area, was our interviewee yesterday. According to him, one of their best practices related to IT/IS:

1. Biometrics - refers to methods for uniquely recognizing humans based upon one or more intrinsic physical or behavioral traits. In information technology, in particular, biometrics is used as a form of identity access management and access control. It is also used to identify individuals in groups that are under surveillance.

Biometric characteristics can be divided in two main classes:

* Physiological are related to the shape of the body. Examples include, but are not limited to fingerprint, face recognition, DNA, hand and palm geometry, iris recognition, which has largely replaced retina, and odor/scent.
* Behavioral are related to the behavior of a person. Examples include, but are not limited to typing rhythm, gait, and voice. Some researchers[1] have coined the term behaviometrics for this class of biometrics.

Strictly speaking, voice is also a physiological trait because every person has a different pitch, but voice recognition is mainly based on the study of the way a person speaks, commonly classified as behavioral.

It is possible to understand if a human characteristic can be used for biometrics in terms of the following parameters:[2]

* Universality – each person should have the characteristic.
* Uniqueness – is how well the biometric separates individuals from another.
* Permanence – measures how well a biometric resists aging.
* Collectability – ease of acquisition for measurement.
* Performance – accuracy, speed, and robustness of technology used.
* Acceptability – degree of approval of a technology.
* Circumvention – ease of use of a substitute.

A biometric system can provide the following two functions:[3]

* Verification – Authenticates its users in conjunction with a smart card, username or ID number. The biometric template captured is compared with that stored against the registered user either on a smart card or database for verification.
* Identification – Authenticates its users from the biometric characteristic alone without the use of smart cards, usernames or ID numbers. The biometric template is compared to all records within the database and a closest match score is returned. The closest match within the allowed threshold is deemed the individual and authenticated.

The main operations a system can perform are enrollment and test. During the enrollment, biometric information from an individual is stored. During the test, biometric information is detected and compared with the stored information. Note that it is crucial that storage and retrieval of such systems themselves be secure if the biometric system is to be robust. The first block (sensor) is the interface between the real world and the system; it has to acquire all the necessary data. Most of the times it is an image acquisition system, but it can change according to the characteristics desired. The second block performs all the necessary pre-processing: it has to remove artifacts from the sensor, to enhance the input (e.g. removing background noise), to use some kind of normalization, etc. In the third block features needed are extracted. This step is an important step as the correct features need to be extracted in the optimal way. A vector of numbers or an image with particular properties is used to create a template. A template is a synthesis of all the characteristics extracted from the source, in the optimal size to allow for adequate identifiability.

If enrollment is being performed the template is simply stored somewhere (on a card or within a database or both). If a matching phase is being performed, the obtained template is passed to a matcher that compares it with other existing templates, estimating the distance between them using any algorithm (e.g. Hamming distance). The matching program will analyze the template with the input. This will then be output for any specified use or purpose (e.g. entrance in a restricted area).

They are using this technology in their company for login and logout purposes of all their staffs. According to Sir Sariel, it will automatically reflect on the DTR as soon as the person's fingerprint is being recognized for his/her time in and time out, this will be followed by person's 4-digit for privacy and confirmation that the person is already timed in or out. This is a best technology so far in replaced to the manually done Date and Time Record which is the "bundy clock".

2. MYOB (Mind Your Own Business) - is the name of an Australian multinational corporation with operations in five countries. The company provides accounting, payroll and retail software and web hosting to small and medium businesses, and is particularly well-known in Australia and New Zealand.

The MYOB name was first used on a small business accounting software product originally developed by Christopher Lee and the team at Teleware, Inc. in the United States in the late 1980s. An Australian republisher, Data-Tech Software (owned by Brad Shofer and Craig Winkler) then purchased the intellectual property rights to the software in 1996, and provided equity to Christopher Lee. In 1999 they changed the company name to MYOB Ltd and took it public on 9 July 1999.

In subsequent corporate development, MYOB Limited merged with Solution 6 Holdings in 2004, further expanding MYOB's footprint in Australia, New Zealand and UK & Ireland, and expanding its range of products and services for accounting practices.

In early 2008 MYOB sold its UK Accountants Division and Business Division.[1] In May 2008 MYOB launched a new package of online services, including web hosting, email hosting and domain registration.[2] In January 2009, a private equity consortium lead by Archer Capital successfully completed a takeover bid for MYOB, returning MYOB to private ownership.[3]

MYOB's product and services for businesses range from entry level accounting software through to multi user enterprise software (MYOB Exo Business[4] and MYOB PayrollEnterprise). Other products include retail point of sale software, asset management, payroll, payment services, practice and tax software and E-commerce solutions. Software products are provided for both Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac OS X operating systems.

For accounting practices, MYOB offers firm-wide operations systems incorporating client management, document and workflow management and tax and compliance processing systems. MYOB also offers outsourced compliance processing services for accounting practices in Australia and New Zealand under the service brand of MYOB Accountants Resourcing.

MYOB has over 700,000 client businesses including over 10,000 accounting practices in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore.

The MYOB small business accounting range has at its core a C-tree DBMS. Data input is stored in form of database. Backup and restore functionality is provided within each MYOB Accounting product. For external audit purpose, you may define 13 months or 12 months a year. Also you can define preview of the real time financial statements statue after data input without posting. The administrator has the absolute authority to define the setting to control users' human errors. The MYOB small business accounting software has audit function to trace and report who has done and what has changed the database before.

Columbia Computer Center Davao Inc., is using this program, MYOB (Mind Your Own Business), for the control of their inventory in sales, debts and etc. Everytime they had an incoming stocks or outgoing products, it will be manually checked and encoded by their personnel in this program for their records. So, all of their sales, products and etc., will be systematized and recorded in this program, MYOB. However, this a local area connection only which means that they cannot use this on the other branches through online.

3. Quickshare - the easiest way to share something to another person. The Columbia Computer Center Davao Inc., is using this technology to connect them to any of their branches in the Philippines.

4. CCTV - Closed-circuit television (CCTV) is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors.

It differs from broadcast television in that the signal is not openly transmitted, though it may employ point to point wireless links. CCTV is often used for surveillance in areas that may need monitoring such as banks, casinos, airports, military installations, and convenience stores.

In industrial plants, CCTV equipment may be used to observe parts of a process from a central control room; when, for example, the environment is not suitable for humans. CCTV systems may operate continuously or only as required to monitor a particular event. A more advanced form of CCTV, utilizing Digital Video Recorders (DVRs), provides recording for possibly many years, with a variety of quality and performance options and extra features (such as motion-detection and email alerts).

Surveillance of the public using CCTV is particularly common in the UK, where there are reportedly more cameras per person than in any other country in the world.[ There and elsewhere, its increasing use has triggered a debate about security versus privacy.

One of the things, Sir Sariel shared that amazed me is about this CCTV. As the main office of all branches in mindanao, they can access or monitor their personnel and staffs through cctv, online. They don't need to go to the branches but monitor them online.

In Addition...

With respect to the peopleware, as Sir Sariel said, the traditional way of dealing, handling and managing their people is still being used. The hierarchy of positions is still being considered. But when it comes to work, they call themselves, jack of all trade or the "daltans"(Dala tanan), which all of them can handle the work of the other.

Respect and Discipline are still being practiced.

MIS(Management Information System) department is not being considered because they are already a group and they manage the people directly. As Sir Sariel said, it will create a redundancy on their part. Instead, MIS departments of any sectors are their clients.

Some References...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biometrics
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MYOB_(software)
http://www.esato.com/board/viewtopic.php?topic=29627
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closed-circuit_television

Reflections/Learnings in MIS (First Day of Class)

2009-06-23T04:15:00.000-07:00

Our first day of class was great! It was started with fun by the "virgins" (First years who haven't been under sir Gamboa's class ever since, and the tagum students) and a great knowledge of Sir Randy Gamboa about, management, information and leadership. He differentiate management between leadership, that anyone could be a manager but not everyone can lead. I was also refreshed with my previous subject, hrm, because it's somewhat related to this. It doesn't only deals with hardware, software, programs and systems but also with Peopleware. One of the most important factor of IS/IT. I learned much during our first day of class. One of it is the 4 points of management, the PDOC(Plann, Direct, Organize and Control).

In Response to "What is MIS"?

Management in all business and human organization activity is simply the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives. Management comprises planning, organizing, staffing, leading or directing, and controlling an organization (a group of one or more people or entities) or effort for the purpose of accomplishing a goal. Resourcing encompasses the deployment and manipulation of human resources, financial resources, technological resources, and natural resources.

Information is stimuli that has meaning in some context for its receiver. When information is entered into and stored in a computer, it is generally referred to as data. After processing (such as formatting and printing), output data can again be perceived as information.

System is a collection of elements or components that are organized for a common purpose.

So, if we put it up together, management information system (MIS) is a subset of the overall internal controls of a business covering the application of people, documents, technologies, and procedures by management accountants to solving business problems such as costing a product, service or a business-wide strategy. Management information systems are distinct from regular information systems in that they are used to analyze other information systems applied in operational activities in the organization.[1] Academically, the term is commonly used to refer to the group of information management methods tied to the automation or support of human decision making, e.g. Decision Support Systems, Expert systems, and Executive information systems.

Or simply the organization of Information System and Information Techonology.

Therefore, i would stand on my ground that MIS is the description for the subject because in one way or another, we could manage people in order to get them in order.

reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Management_information_systems

pls visit my blog: http://www.orthej.blogspot.com

Love from the Biblical Perspective

2009-02-16T03:43:00.000-08:00

“There is no safe investment. To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with little hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of selfishness. But in that casket- safe, dark, motionless, airless- it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The alternative to tragedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation. The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell. I believe that the most lawless and inordinate loves are less contrary to God’s will than a self-invited and self-protective lovelessness… We shall draw nearer to God, not by trying to avoid the sufferings inherent in all loves, but by accepting them and offering them to Him; throwing away all defensive armor. If our hearts need to be broken, and if He chooses this as away in which they should break, so be it.” - C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

Definitions of Human Resource Management and Personnel Management (with some authors, writers and references)

2008-10-02T19:09:00.000-07:00

1st definition:

The Human Resources Management (HRM) function includes a variety of activities, and key among them is deciding what staffing needs you have and whether to use independent contractors or hire employees to fill these needs, recruiting and training the best employees, ensuring they are high performers, dealing with performance issues, and ensuring your personnel and management practices conform to various regulations. Activities also include managing your approach to employee benefits and compensation, employee records and personnel policies. Usually small businesses (for-profit or nonprofit) have to carry out these activities themselves because they can't yet afford part- or full-time help. However, they should always ensure that employees have -- and are aware of -- personnel policies which conform to current regulations. These policies are often in the form of employee manuals, which all employees have.

Author: Carter McNamara, MBA, PhD
http://www.managementhelp.org/hr_mgmnt/hr_mgmnt.htm

2nd definition:

In any organization, there has to be someone concerned with the welfare and performance of persons who are a part of the operation. When an individual or a team of individuals takes on this task of seeing to programs and setting policies that impact everyone associated with the company, they are engaged in the process of personnel management, sometimes referred to as human resources management.

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

Written by: Malcolm Tatum
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-personnel-management.htm

3rd definition:

Human Resource Management is based on ideas and techniques developed to enhance worker motivation, productivity and performance.

The HRM model emphasises:

* the need to search for new ways of working
* the central role of managers in promoting change
* the treatment of workers as individuals rather than part of a collective workforce
* the encouragement of workers to consider management as 'partners' rather than as opponents - 'us and us', rather than 'us and them'

http://www.humanresourcemanagement.co.uk/resourcemanagement.htm

4th definition:

Personnel Management is responsible for the provision of specialist personnel and human resource management advisory services to departments, and the development and implementation of a relevant, coherent and modern framework of employment policies and practices throughout the University.

Each member of Personnel Management is responsible for the provision of these services to a number of departments. This distribution is known as the Personnel Management Portfolio.

Personnel Management is also responsible for the delivery of the Human Resource Strategy and associated programmes of work.

http://www.staffs.ac.uk/uniservices/personnel/management/index.php

5th definition:

Human resource management (HRM) is the strategic and coherent approach to the management of an organization's most valued assets - the people working there who individually and collectively contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the business.[1] The terms "human resource management" and "human resources" (HR) have largely replaced the term "personnel management" as a description of the processes involved in managing people in organizations.[1] Human Resource management is evolving rapidly. Human resource management is both an academic theory and a business practice that addresses the theoretical and practical techniques of managing a workforce.

".......those decisions and actions which concern the management of employees at all levels in the business and which are related to the implementation of strategies directed towards creating and sustaining competitive advantage"

author: While Miller (1987)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_resource_management

3rd and 4th visit

2008-09-29T19:46:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! How's everyone doing, especially to I.T students of USEP? Anyway, my 3rd visit to my company was last tuesday. I went to ask some more questions but I didn't stay any longer because I don't have any other questions anymore aside from HRIS. My 4th visit was last thursday. I went to present my first draft for the major paper. They told me it's ok but it needs some more information. I also asked questions about their HRIS but unfortunately Payrolls are confidential. But, I'm still happy and enjoying 'cause they still trust me in some ways.

Go guys! We can do this! God bless!

My Interview. . .

2008-09-25T20:27:00.000-07:00

Ma'am Regine Castillo was the one I interviewed last tuesday, a HRIS specialist. According to her, human resource is the heart of the company. They see to it that employees are interconnected with each other especially on relationship and planning. They are the service provider whenever there are problems occur inside the company. They are in charge of the recruitment. The hiring of people are being dealt with the human resource. The training for the new applicants are also catered by them. Their nature is to organize the system of the company. They are the ones that organize company activities, payrolls, policies, compensation and benefits, and promotes safety environment.

Human Resource deals with people as what ma'am regine said. In fact, they call their department "PEOPLE" because they realize that they are there to cater and manage the people especially their employees. They bridge the people from all associates, general associates to managerial associates down to the lowest position. Regardless of regular or non regular as long as employed, it is being catered by the human resource.

As I was listening, I realize how significant they are in the company. As a matter of fact, I agree to what ma'am regine said. The things that she had shared to me was very similar to the management of their organization and you can see it on how they respond and welcome the people in their office. You could feel the "friendly environment" inside.

Now, human resource plays a vital role in an organization. I believe that without them, it will take many strategies to improve an organization. But considering them, it is just like "making the system easy and organized".

2nd visit on my second company

2008-09-16T05:25:00.001-07:00

I had my second visit on the second company this afternoon.. This time, i observed their Human resource information system. It's better but needs more enhancement because it's not centralize.. I focus on the personal data because their hris is a big scope.. so i focus on one.. anyway, i'll be starting my paper works this week... Continue doing and improving guys! God bless

1st visit on my second company

2008-09-11T08:11:00.000-07:00

I visited my adopted company this afternoon. I adopted nccc company.. I talked to maam regine a human resource specialist. They have treated me well. Anyway, i go back to basic questions so that it would not be harsh on their part. We discuss more on the functions and scoopes of the department. I ask different questions. Unfortunately, I haven't observed their HRIS database yet coz their was an error on the network and it is too early for me to go into deeper knowledge on the company. I will visit again next week for another interview and consultation. That time would be more on observing their database.

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

2008-07-16T18:42:00.000-07:00

Absolutely! They composed the most essential aspect as the workforce of the company. And so, they are the most influential and critical resource of any organization. Yet maintaining a well-organized HR department is, I guess, the most tedious task to do. For manpower is the worst managed of all resources. Unlike documents and computers, people have their own minds, emotions, and principles, especially at work. Much more, they are a lot more than machines which can't voice out their grievances and just do exactly what you tell them to do.

Sometimes, human are they are the most neglected not knowing that they are the most important resource which can make or break a company. Industries are more focused on technologies especially on improving it for a better service but missed out the significance of the people using or manipulating the technologies. We admit the fact that we can't move or do much without technologies. But what is it without humans? That is why human resource has a vital part of a company and without them institution can't survive. We should give much attention to people(human) as an important resource especially on hiring them because it's not only the skills and abilities of this person which you needed in work and have to address with. It's an all-in-one package. you have to deal with them personally.

A visit to my assigned company!

2008-07-12T23:13:00.000-07:00

Guys, i went to davao light and power company last June 28, 2008 for a Human Resource Department interview. It was a great and breath-taking experience because i go alone and took all the processes by myself. But though i made it myself, i enjoyed listening from an officer who shares ideas on how the company is worked out specifically human resource department. It was a day of realization about the importance of human as a main resource of a certain company.

The discussion made me value each employee in their specific task all the more. It also challenged me to devote more and focus on my studies to be one of the "resources" in the future.

Now, we need to be serious in our studies so that we will be responsible, good and with a high standard employee in an industry.

God bless!

HRM included in BSCS/BSIT curriculum

2008-07-10T17:31:00.000-07:00

Human Resource Management is included in BSCS/BSIT curriculum because this subject deals with people. It helps a person be responsible in certain company.

In connection with the courses, we also deal with people. It is a very important subject for CS and IT because we manage people and considering the fact that people are a very important factor of a certain industry. Not long from now, we will be a part of business organizations, this would help us prepare ourselves in working environment in the future.

HRM will also help us connect ourselves one from the other as one body in a company. It will open us to valuing work and people as a very important resources of a company.

21st century corporations!

2008-07-08T20:56:00.000-07:00

We are now living on the 21st century. But as we go through, with respect to technology, i think corporations will look like "machine-driven" companies. Most of the departments will be worked out with machines. So as the people working will be more competitive and creative. There will be no more "computer illiterate". On the other hand, i think there would be a lot of downsizing and more focused on people who can "do technologies" faster.

*Sir, i took this information from the net (http://www.businessweek.com/2000/00_35/b3696001.htm). I suppose to make my own words but i was struck by the comments of this article in which i want to add to my ideas(as written above).
*These are also factors that will affect our corporations on the 21st century:

*The Creative Economy
Which companies will thrive in the coming years? Those that value ideas above all else

*The Great Transformation
New technology, particularly the Internet, is reshaping the world's business terrain. Now, companies need a whole new set of rules

*The New Leadership
The accelerated pace and complexity of business will bring dramatic changes in the corporate hierarchy

*Architectural Visions
A look at offices that might have been. Plus, two award-winning architecture firms imagine the 21st century environment in photo essays

*The Corporate Ecosystem
The old boundaries--between public and private, foreign and domestic, friend and foe--are blurring. The effect will be liberating

*Back to the Future
Globalization presents a formidable challenge--but if the history of the last century is any guide, the corporation will endure

Five on-line job services

2008-06-23T20:56:00.000-07:00

1. Web Designers

Web design is a process of conceptualization, planning, modeling, and execution of electronic media content delivery via Internet (or World wide Web eg. WWW) in the form of Markup language such as HTML suitable for interpretation by Web browsers (Such as IE and Firefox) thats display as a GUI (Graphical user interface).

http://www.webdesigners-directory.com/

2. Software Developers

concerned with facets of the software development process wider than design and coding, a somewhat broader scope of computer programming or a specialty of project managing including some aspects of software product management.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_developer

3. Accounts and Bookkeeping

Keeping records of accounts are an important part of your business that should be maintained, very carefully, round the year.

http://www.guidebaba.com/Work-at-home-Home-Based.htm#Accounts%20and%20Bookkeeping

4. Demo and Merchandising

Merchandising is taking the product from a company, and selling it to the customer. To make sure that the merchandise actually sells, companies take great pains to make sure their products are visible in stores and presented in appealing fashion.

http://www.guidebaba.com/Work-at-home-Home-Based.htm#Accounts%20and%20Bookkeeping

5. Telemarketing Agent

Refers to a person who sells, advertise or markets products through calls or internet.

Evaluation:

I prefer web designers as the best on-line job for me because it is now one of the most in-demand jobs around the world. It is also related with my course and at the same time I can earn much from this job.

My ExPeCtAtIoN

2008-06-14T07:44:00.000-07:00

I'm Jethro A. Querubin, a 4th year college student. I've been your student for the past 3yrs (school year 2005-2006). Unfortunately, i failed. I've observed and witnessed your standards sir and found out that i should excel more as i enroll another subject under you. But I'm expecting that I will gain more knowledge specifically in dealing with people through you and that this subject would be challenging and fun as we go to some places.

Hiring!!!

2008-06-14T07:39:00.000-07:00

Job Description:

Telemarketing Agent

Qualifications:

College graduate/College level
With or without experience
Good communication skills (preferably fluent in English)
Hardworking and Responsible
Willing to be trained
Can work at Home or office
Can work part time/full time

Salary:

Earn up to P20,000/month

For interviews, please text us at:

09052500540
(Name, Age, Course, yr, Address)