Assign 5: In the spectrum of organizational change, which is the most radical type of change: automation, rationalization of procedures, business reengineering, or paradigm shifts? (you are expected to read an article about this question) ..
Principles of Organizational Change
Written by Jack Welch & Suzy Welch
Thursday, 15 October 2009 20:22
Change is an absolutely critical part of business. And yes, your company does need to change—preferably now and not later, when you have no other choice.
The problem is that people hate it when their bosses announce a “transformation initiative.” They run back to their cubicles and start frantically e-mailing one another, complaining that the changes are going to ruin everything.
People love familiarity and patterns. They cling to them. The phenomenon is so entrenched it can only be chalked up to human nature. But while managing change can sometimes feel like moving a mountain, it can also be incredibly rewarding, particularly when you start seeing results.
Ultimately, implementing change comes down to embracing the following four practices:
1. Attach every change initiative to a clear purpose or goal. Change for change’s sake is stupid and enervating. Change should be a relatively orderly process, but for that to occur, people have to understand why change is necessary and how changes will affect them. This is easier, of course, when the problems are obvious—earnings are collapsing or a competitor has dropped prices 20 percent.
But sometimes the need for change isn’t immediately apparent. Competitive threats seem to be emerging, but you don’t know for certain, and still, you have to respond. In those cases, relentless communication about the business rationale for change, reinforced with lots of data, is the best ammunition you have.
The larger your company, the more challenging it will be to communicate the need for change. In big companies, calls for change are often greeted noncommittally. After all, if the company has been through enough change programs, employees will assume you’ll go away if they just wait long enough.
Stick to your guns—your solid, persuasive business case. Over time, logic will win out.
2. Hire and promote only true believers and get-on-with-it types. Everyone in business claims to like change. To say otherwise would be career suicide. But by my estimate, less than 10 percent of all businesspeople are true change agents. Once the next group—about 70 to 80 percent of people working in business—is convinced that change is necessary, they’ll say, “OK already, get on with it.” The rest are resisters.
To make change happen, companies must actively hire and promote only true believers and get-on-with-it. But with everyone claiming to like change, how can you tell who is for real?
Luckily, change agents usually make themselves known. They’re typically brash, high-energy and more than a little paranoid about the future. They often invent change initiatives on their own or ask to lead them. Invariably, they are curious and forward-looking.
These people have a certain fearlessness about the unknown. If they fail, they know they can pick themselves up, dust themselves off and move on. They’re thick-skinned about risk, which allows them to make bold decisions without a lot of data.
3. Ferret out and remove the resisters, even if their performance is satisfactory. This is the hardest of the four practices to implement. It’s tough to let anyone go, but it’s particularly difficult to fire people who are not actually screwing up and may in fact be doing quite well.
But in any organization, there are people who will not accept change, no matter how sound your case is. They are so invested—emotionally, intellectually, or politically—in the status quo that they cannot see a way to improve anything. These people usually have to go.
That may sound harsh, but you’re not doing anyone a favor by keeping resisters in your organization. They foster an underground resistance and lower the morale of the people who support change. They’re wasting their own time: They’re working at a company where they don’t agree with or share in the vision, and they should be encouraged to find one where they do.
4. Look at car wrecks. Most companies capitalize on obvious opportunities. When a competitor fails, they move in on their customers. When a new technology emerges, they invest in it and create product line extensions.
But to be a real change organization, you also have to have to look at bolder, scarier, more unpredictable events, assess the opportunities they present and make the most of them. Fostering this capability takes a certain determination, but the rewards can be huge.
Take the 1997 Asian financial crisis. Currency traders certainly capitalized on this awful event; they live on exploiting change. But they’re not the only ones who should do this. GE had real success buying undervalued Thai auto loans in this period. Others prospered by buying real estate at fire sale prices.
Bankruptcies are another type of calamity that reveals all kinds of opportunities. Of course, they’re tragic to the employees. Jobs are lost, and pensions disappear into thin air. But jobs and futures can also be created from the cinders.
With all the noise out there about change, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and confused. But these are the only four practices that matter. That’s it. There’s nothing to be afraid of.
What is organizational change?
Organizational change is any action or set of actions resulting in a shift in direction or process that affects the way an organization works. Change can be deliberate and planned by leaders within the organization (i.e., shift from inpatient hospital focus to outpatient primary care model), or change can originate outside the organization (i.e., budget cut by Congress) and be beyond its control. Change may affect the strategies an organization uses to carry out its mission, the processes for implementing those strategies, the tasks and functions performed by the people in the organization, and the relationships between those people. Naturally, some changes are relatively small, while others are sweeping in scope, amounting to an organizational transformation. Change is a fact of organizational life, just as it is in human life. An organization that does not change cannot survive long Ð much less thrive Ð in an unpredictable world. Several factors may make organizational change necessary, including new competition in the marketplace or new demands by customers. These types of external forces may create expectations of improved efficiency, better service, or innovative products. When organizational change is well planned and implemented, it helps assure the organizations continued survival. It can produce many tangible benefits, including improved competitiveness, better financial performance, and higher levels of customer and employee satisfaction. These benefits may take some time to achieve; however, and the transition period that accompanies major organizational change usually is a time of upheaval and uncertainty. Not every individual in the organization will benefit personally from change; some will be casualties of change, especially if jobs are cut or realigned. But change should make the organization as a whole stronger and better equipped for the future.
Organizational change occurs when a company makes a transition from its current state to some desired future state. Managing organizational change is the process of planning and implementing change in organizations in such a way as to minimize employee resistance and cost to the organization, while also maximizing the effectiveness of the change effort.
Today's business environment requires companies to undergo changes almost constantly if they are to remain competitive. Factors such as globalization of markets and rapidly evolving technology force businesses to respond in order to survive. Such changes may be relatively minor—as in the case of installing a new software program—or quite major—as in the case of refocusing an overall marketing strategy. "Organizations must change because their environments change, " according to Thomas S. Bateman and Carl P. Zeithaml in their book Management: Function and Strategy. "Today, businesses are bombarded by incredibly high rates of change from a frustratingly large number of sources…. Insidepressures come from top managers and lower-level employees who push for change. Outside pressures come from changes in the legal, competitive, technological, and economic environments."
Organizational change initiatives often arise out of problems faced by a company. In some cases, however, companies are encouraged to change for other, more positive reasons. "Change commonly occurs because the organization experiences some difficulty, " Bateman and Zeithaml wrote. "But sometimes the most constructive change takes place not because of problems but because of opportunities." The authors used the term "performance gap" to describe the difference between a company's actual performance and the performance of which it is capable. Recognition of a performance gap often provides the impetus for change, as companies strive to improve their performance to expected levels. This sort of gap is also where many entrepreneurs find opportunities to begin new businesses.
Unfortunately, as Rick Mauer noted in an article for HR Focus, statistics show that many organizational change efforts fail. For example, 50 percent of quality improvement programs fail to meet their goals, and 30 percent of process reengineering efforts are unsuccessful. The most common reason that change efforts fail is that they encounter resistance from employees. Change appears threatening to many people, which makes it difficult to gain their support and commitment to implementing changes. Consequently, the ability to manage change effectively is a highly sought-after skill in managers. Companies need people who can contribute positively to their inevitable change efforts.
SPECTRUM OF ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE
• AUTOMATION: Using technology to perform tasks efficiently / effectively
• RATIONALIZATION OF PROCEDURES: Streamline SOPs; eliminate bottlenecks
• BUSINESS REENGINEERING: Radical redesign of processes to improve cost, quality, service; maximize benefits of technology
• PARADIGM SHIFT: A new perspective on things.
:Is a complete mental model of how a complex system functions.
:Involves rethinking the nature of business, the organization; a complete reconception of how the system should function.
Areas of Organizational Change
Bateman and Zeithaml identified four major areas of organizational change: strategy, technology, structure, and people. All four areas are related, and companies often must institute changes in the other areas when they attempt to change one area. The first area, strategy changes, can take place on a large scale—for example, when a company shifts its resources to enter a new line of business—or on a small scale—for example, when a company makes productivity improvements in order to reduce costs. There are three basic stages for a company making a strategic change:1) realizing that the current strategy is no longer suitable for the company's situation; 2) establishing a vision for the company's future direction; and 3) implementing the change and setting up new systems to support it.
Technological changes are often introduced as components of larger strategic changes, although they sometimes take place on their own. An important aspect of changing technology is determining who in the organization will be threatened by the change. To be successful, a technology change must be incorporated into the company's overall systems, and a management structure must be created to support it. Structural changes can also occur due to strategic changes—as in the case where a company decides to acquire another business and must integrate it—as well as due to operational changes or changes in managerial style. For example, a company that wished to implement more participative decision making might need to change its hierarchical structure.
People changes can become necessary due to other changes, or sometimes companies simply seek to change workers' attitudes and behaviors in order to increase their effectiveness. "Attempting a strategic change, introducing a new technology, and other changes in the work environment may affect people's attitudes (sometimes in a negative way), " Bateman and Zeithaml wrote. "But management frequently initiates programs with a conscious goal of directly and positively changing the people themselves." In any case, people changes can be the most difficult and important part of the overall change process. The science of organization development was created to deal with changing people on the job through techniques such as education and training, team building, and career planning.
Resistance to Change
A manager trying to implement a change, no matter how small, should expect to encounter some resistance from within the organization. Resistance to change is a normal reaction from people who have become accustomed to a certain way of doing things. Of course, certain situations or tactics can increase resistance. "Individuals, groups, and organizations must be motivated to change. But if people perceive no performance gap or if they consider the gap un-important, they will not have this motivation. Moreover, they will resist changes that others try to introduce, " Bateman and Zeithaml explained.
The authors outlined a number of common reasons that people tend to resist change. These include: inertia, or the tendency of people to become comfortable with the status quo; timing, as when change efforts are introduced at a time when workers are busy or have a bad relationship with management; surprise, because people's reflex is to resist when they must deal with a sudden, radical change; or peer pressure, which may cause a group to resist due to anti-management feelings even if individual members do not oppose the change. Resistance can also grow out of people's perceptions of how the change will affect them personally. They may resist because they fear that they will lose their jobs or their status, because they do not understand the purpose of the change, or simply because they have a different perspective on the change than management.
Fortunately, Bateman and Zeithaml noted, there are a number of steps managers can take to help overcome resistance to change. One proven method is education and communication. Employees can be informed about both the nature of the change and the logic behind it before it takes place through reports, memos, group presentations, or individual discussions. Another important component of overcoming resistance is inviting employee participation and involvement in both the design and implementation phases of the change effort. "People who are involved in decisions understand them better and are more committed to them, " Bateman and Zeithaml explained. Another possible approach to managing resistance to change is through facilitation and support. Managers should be sure to provide employees with the resources they need to make the change, be supportive of their efforts, listen to their problems with empathy, and accept that their performance level may drop initially.
Some companies manage to overcome resistance to change through negotiation and rewards. They offer employees concrete incentives to ensure their cooperation. Other companies resort to manipulation, or using subtle tactics such as giving a resistance leader a prominent position in the change effort. A final option is coercion, which involves punishing people who resist or using force to ensure their cooperation. Although this method can be useful when speed is of the essence, it can have lingering negative effects on the company. Of course, no method is appropriate to every situation, and a number of different methods may be combined as needed. As Bateman and Zeithaml stated, "Effective change managers are familiar with the various approaches and capable of flexibly applying them according to the situation."
WHAT IS THE HUMAN SIDE OF CHANGE AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT ?
Organizational change is about people changing. Organizational change, then, is a highly complex process that must take into account how people respond psychologically when asked to make major changes at work. Their reactions inevitably vary. While some people embrace change, others will resist it Ð sometimes passively, giving the impression that they support it. A small number of people are energized by change, but many others feel threatened and anxious. This is particularly true if, under the change initiative, people may be transferred to new positions or work sites or even lose their jobs. The human side of change is frequently ignored or handled inadequately despite managers’ best intentions or their intellectual understanding of how difficult change is. Recognizing the pain and insecurity that change can cause in the workplace is not enough; managers must devise ways for responding effectively to these feelings. This may involve engaging employees more actively in change efforts, communicating with them more frequently and comprehensively about new developments, creating a forum for them to vent their frustrations and fears, or simply maintaining an "open door" environment, where employees can approach their managers individually to discuss concerns.
Amongst the spectrum of organizational change identified above, the most radical type of change is automation, rationalization of procedures, business reengineering, or paradigm shifts. Yes, all of these fields can be treated as a major change in an organization. As what I have read from the article written by Jack Welch & Suzy Welch in the Principles of Organizational Change, “The problem is that people hate it when their bosses announce a “transformation initiative”.” And it is merely true; there is really a resistance in every act of change. And the vital factor of this change is people, the ones that will apply the change.
References:
http://www.zturk.com/edu/zagreb/podiplomski/slides/02-1-short-IT-strategies.pdf
http://www.answers.com/topic/managing-organizational-change
http://www.hsrd.research.va.gov/publications/internal/organizational_change_primer.pdf
http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/home/pf/17334-principles-of-organizational-change.html
About Me
bLogGeRz
- angel mae brua
- jalil paniamba-an
- fatima paclibar
- katherine eng lajom
- jan neil gador
- mae mara
- ida karla duguran
- dolorosa mancer
- john paul pulido
- maria theresa rulete
- norena nicdao
- gleizelle jen dieparine
- stihl lhyn samonte
- desiree mae batingal
- maria teresa abellana
- sheila marie nara
- kate karen rasonable
- sheila capacillo
- roy cuevas
- vanessa
- leah saavedra
- marren joy pequiro
- jan ray suriba
- alyssa rae soriano
- ariel serenado
- march dawn eder
- karen adarna
- melgar john gascal
- gabrielle deseo
- charmaine dayanan
- hannah rhea hernandez
- brian namuag
- jezreel jyl hilado
Blog Archive
CHATBOX
You were invited by the university president to prepare an IS plan for the university, discuss what are the steps in order to expedite the implementation of the IS Plan. (at least 5000 words)
An Implementation Plan is a detailed project management tool for a specific policy measure or package of measures, designed to assist agencies to manage and monitor implementation effectively. These are intended to be scalable and flexible, reflecting the degree of urgency, innovation, complexity and/or sensitivity associated with the particular policy measure. Agencies are expected to exercise judgment in this area; however, the level of detail should be sufficient to enable the agency to effectively manage the implementation of a policy measure.
Implementation plans should be:
• succinct, but not to the point that important information is buried
• jargon free – they should be capable of being understood by everyone using them
• based on a sound programme logic, presenting a clear line of sight from the original proposal and the government’s expectations, to the inputs and how they will contribute to the achievement of those expectations; the outputs to be delivered; why and how those outputs are expected to deliver the outcomes sought, and the assumptions made about those links; and how this delivery chain and its supporting assumptions will be evaluated
• clear on timeframes and project phases, especially where there are interdependencies with other programmes or measures or critical requirements such as the passage of legislation or negotiations with the States and Territories
• clear on the decision pathways forward – often both the objectives and the means to achieving those objectives are uncertain. Implementation plans need to recognise the unknowns as well as the known’s, and explain how and when the unknowns will be addressed.
We all know that planning is a critical phase in the adoption of technology initiatives that affect not just the students and the teachers but also an entire community (wikibook Technology Planning: the educator's guide - Implementation plan and timeline, 2008). November, Staudt, Costello, and Lynne (1996) contended that an effective technology plan is based on the shared vision of educators, parents, community members, and business leaders who have technological expertise. They also suggested that in order for a technology plan to be successful, it must promote meaningful learning and collaboration, provide for the needed professional development and support, and respond flexibly to change. According to Whitehead, Jensen, and Boschee (2003), most school administrators know that computers and advanced-information technologies are touching the lives of students at school and at home. They suggested the following important factors that must be addressed in a technology plan.
Guiding Questions for Implementation Plan
How Will You Use Technology to Support Yo u r Vision of Learning?
Technology lends itself well to learning and instruction (Massachusetts Software Council, 1994) because it is a powerful tool that, when properly implemented, improves student learning and achievement. However, teachers have little incentive to tackle the technical and scheduling problems associated with technology unless they have a clear idea of how it can improve teaching and learning (Means, Blando, Olson, Middleton, Morocco, Remz, & Zorfass, 1993). Exactly which educational goals a technology plan should address and attempt to accomplish must be determined before the technology plan is implemented (Holmes & Rawitsch, 1993). Technology should not drive educational decisions or learning. Rather, decision making should be based on the learning and teaching needs of the student. Technology cannot prescribe for a teacher which students should use the technology, how often it should be used, or how to integrate technology into existing instructional practices. Unless teachers start out with specific technology goals that support their vision of learning, technology will most likely be used to reinforce the status quo (Cohen, 1988; Cuban, 1986). There is evidence that when learning and technology goals are not decided upon before technology implementation, technology can become a drain on resources and add to the burdens of teachers who are already trying to do too much (Piele, 1989). This problem can be avoided by formulating a vision for learning that connects to educational goals, values, and objectives for technology use. Once the stakeholders involved understand the vision and see how technology will make their lives better, they are likely to become more open to technology planning and implementation. The following questions should be addressed when planning how to use technology to support a vision of learning.
• How will technology be used to provide and support a challenging curriculum through engaging instructional practices (e.g., collaborative learning, problem-based learning, problem solving, critical thinking, constructivist classrooms, project-based learning, and so on)?
Consider:
Learning tasks that are authentic, challenging, and multidisciplinary
Assessments that are performance-based, generative, seamless and ongoing, and equitable.
Instructional models that are interactive and generative
Learning contexts that are collaborative, knowledge building, and Empathetic.
Grouping strategies that are flexible, equitable, and heterogeneous
Teacher roles as facilitators, guides, colearners, and coinvestigators
Student roles as explorers, cognitive apprentices, teachers, and producers
• What educational technology skills will be a part of your curriculum and how will teaching them to students and staff enhance and support your broader instructional goals?
• How will technology be used to support an articulated prekindergarten to adult learning program for all students?
• How will technology be used to support changes in the roles and responsibilities of students, teachers, administrators, parents, community members, and others in order to achieve your vision?
• How will technology be used to support organizational and governance structures that are consistent with your vision of learning?
• How will technology be used to support and provide meaningful professional development experiences for staff?
• How will technology be used to support your school’s accountability and assessment system?
• How will technology be used to support positive home-school-community collaborations?
• How will technology be used to support the provision of comprehensive services (e.g., school-based, school-linked health and social services)?
•
Developing a Supportive Infrastructure
The infrastructure consists of two parts: human resources—which deals with professional learning and support—and technology—which deals with hardware, software, and facilities. With technological change occurring at a rapid pace, purchasers of new technology sometimes feel hard pressed to keep up (Fine, 1991). School districts, due to limited budgets and technical expertise, have a difficult time choosing and buying technology. Often they lack adequate information about the newest technologies and how to use them; or they do not take into account the level of training and staff development needed to use the technology. The key to technology planning is to make informed decisions. Without good information about the nuts and bolts of technology (i.e., the hardware and software) planners are at a disadvantage. The best way to overcome this problem is to take a broad view of technology and educate planners and staff about current and emerging technologies and their benefits and then realize that implementing technology is not a one-time thing but an ongoing and continuous process that requires a supportive infrastructure that is flexible enough to deal with the rapid pace of technological change. The following questions should be addressed when planning for a supportive infrastructure:
Professional Development,Training,Technical Support
• How will you find out what skills your staff and students currently have and what skills they will need to fulfill your plan’s objectives?
• How will you design and implement a professional development and training strategy that meets the needs of your staff?
• How will you use technology to provide professional development, training, and ongoing technical support, and to support teachers as they integrate technology into the curriculum?
• Who will be responsible for ensuring and coordinating professional development?
• Who will be responsible for providing technical assistance and support?
• How will you build technical support capacity within your staff so that equipment will be maintained and kept reliable?
• What are your contingencies for providing just-in-time services when the technology breaks down?
Networking, Hardware, Software, Facilities
• What level of networking will be required to support your vision of learning?
• What hardware specifications are needed to support your vision of learning?
• How will you deal with obsolescence, maintenance, and amortization?
• How will you make use of existing technology?
• What software is required to support your vision of learning?
• How will software be reviewed and purchased?
• What building facilities exist or are needed, and what modifications must be made to support your vision of learning?
• How will you implement, maintain, and sustain the equipment, software, and the network for extended periods, and who will be responsible?
Garnering Public Support
Public support is essential to ensure the success and longevity of planning implementation. The following questions should be addressed when developing strategies to garner public support:
• What kinds and levels of public support are necessary to make the implementation of your technology plan successful and sustainable?
• What public relations activities will you engage in to promote the effective long-term implementation of your technology plan?
• How will you create opportunities for school staff and the community to share information in order to foster positive relationships?
• How will you garner support from community and business leadership, for example, in long-term public and private partnerships?
• How will you connect and interact with related organizations (museums, libraries, adult literacy programs, higher education, community-based organizations, and so on) to improve student learning?
• How will you leverage investments (e.g., provide training and support for parents and community members) to provide technology access and service to the wider community?
• What other human and community resources exist, including businesses and libraries, to support the plan?
• What funding policies and opportunities exist for implementing your plan?
• How and when will you report results to stakeholders?
Implementing Your Plan
Many planners believe their job is complete after a plan is written, but in actuality it has only begun. Awritten technology plan has direction and long-term technology goals. However, for each new technology introduced to an organization, there will be stages of implementation that include resource development (budget), evaluation, selection, installation, training, pilot projects, mini-implementations, and, finally, full implementation. These stages should all be reflected in a technology plan. It is also important to remember not to judge technology as ineffective when it is not implemented according to the plan (Holmes & Rawitsch, 1993). Flexibility, patience, and adaptability are essential for any kind of change process and certainly for implementing technology. The following questions should be addressed when planning the implementation of your plan:
• What is the timeline for meeting the goals of your plan?
• Who is responsible for achieving milestones on the timelines?
• What professional development strategies will you use?
• How will you provide time for ongoing staff development, including time to practice and learn new technologies?
• What is your plan for networking, acquiring hardware and software, and updating the facility?
• How will you deal with the rapid changes in technology?
• What funding is available currently?
• How will funding be provided over the life of the plan?
• How will you coordinate and leverage a variety of funding resources to support your plan?
• How will you deal with contingencies such as changes in leadership and changes in budget?
• How will you determine which program area, discipline, or staff will receive highest priorities for receiving technologies?
• Who (or what group) will be responsible for implementing the t e c h n o l o g y plan?
• What incentives and sanctions will you implement to ensure that everyone achieves a high level of technological proficiency?
• How will you ensure equity of access to technology and engaged learning experiences for all students?
• How will your instructional use of technology address district, state, and federal mandates including curriculum, special needs, minority populations, and equity issues?
• What new policies are needed to support implementation of your plan?
Evaluating the Implementation of Your Technology Plan
Technology implementation is a continuous process that adapts to the organization’s changing circumstances and includes ongoing evaluation. Effective evaluation will force planners to rethink and adapt objectives, priorities, and strategies as implementation proceeds. Continuous evaluation also facilitates making changes if aspects of the plan are not working. Evaluating the implementation of a technology plan can be conducted by various means. Simple observations, both negative and positive, that have been made by students and teachers using the technology are the most helpful. Interviews and informal meetings with both instructors and students can draw out the lessons that both groups have learned from using the technology. A simple written survey can assist in measuring the extent to which the plan has met its original objectives and expected outcomes. The following questions should be addressed when planning the evaluation of the implementation of your technology plan:
• How and when will you evaluate the impact your technology plan implementation has on student performance?
• Who will be responsible for collecting ongoing data to assess the effectiveness of the plan and its implementation?
• What windows of opportunity exist for reviewing the technology plan? (For example, the plan might be reviewed during curriculum review cycles.)
• How will accountability for implementation be assessed?
• How will you assess the level of technological proficiency gained by students, teachers, and staff?
• How will you use technology to evaluate teaching and learning?
• nWhat is the key indicator of success for each component of the plan?
• How will you analyze the effectiveness of disbursement decisions in light of implementation priorities?
• How will you analyze implementation decisions to accommodate for changes as a result of new information and technologies?
• What organizational mechanism will you create that allows changes in the implementation of the technology plan and in the plan itself?
Factors to consider
According to the OECD (2000)it is necessary to have coherent and comprehensive policies for planning and evaluation. They suggested to include the definition of clear objectives, the identification of priorities and strategies, the ability to envisage future scenarios, the design, implementation and evaluation of pilot projects. In addition, they recommended that planning must be rigorous but not inflexible, allowing refinement in the light of experience.
According to November, Staudt, Costello, and Lynne (1996), the first step in developing a technology plan is convening a 'planning committee' or team to review the school improvement plan already in place and research the district needs. They also suggested that an effective team enlists educators but also takes advantage of the expertise of community members and the input of parents and students. They proposed that the planning team becomes responsible for the development of an overall technology plan. Further, they concluded that the team members are responsible for developing a vision for the plan, determine the goals that must be met to reach it, and create steps to implement those goals.
Whitehead, Jensen, and Boschee (2003) stated that planning addresses the who, what, when, where, why, and how aspects of the project. In addition, they assured that quality leadership must prevail at all times. Furthermore, they recommended technology coordinators to envision what the completed project will look like and what it will do for teaching and learning. This underlying mental picture is necessary to provide focus for the entire enterprise. Furthermore, they also advise administrators to consider the possibility of having to modify school practices or even upgrade regulations. This may even result in an adjustment of the school's philosophy and mission statements (wikibook Technology Planning: the educator's guide - Vision, 2008) to align with the technology initiative being proposed. If necessary, the use of surveys allows administrators to probe stakeholder viewpoints. In addition, they emphasized that every person involved must know both sides of the issue. They suggested the use of research that both supports and counters the major assumptions on which the technology project is based. Furthermore, they advised administrators to consider how students and staff members would be affected by the technology changes and develop appropriate support structures like training, changes in classroom layout, inclusion into curricula, and revision of school programs.
According to the U.S. Department of Education (2004), for public education to benefit from the rapidly evolving development of information and communication technology, leaders at every level - school, district and state - must not only supervise, but provide informed, creative and ultimately transformative leadership for systemic change. They recommend districts to invest in leadership development programs to develop a new generation of tech-savvy leaders at every level. Further, they suggested to retool administrator education programs to provide training in technology decision making and organizational change. They also recommended districts to develop partnerships between schools and higher education institutions, in addition to encouraging creative technology partnerships with the business community.
Community Awareness and Support
According to Whitehead, Jensen, & Boschee (2003), community support is necessary during the planning stages of a technology initiative. They contended that neither parents nor community members are likely to be idle bystanders when costly reforms are about to change the way significant portions of children's education are delivered. For this reason, they suggested the schools and districts to evaluate community willingness to fund such initiatives in schools. Further, they proposed to show community members how teachers will adopt technology in the classroom and how it would enhance student learning and achievement. They also advised the institutions to develop guidelines for presenting information to the public under the supervision of a public relations director.
According to the OECD (2000), social participation is essential for the successful development of ICT initiatives in education, the active involvement of the private sector and the local communities being critical. They also stated that much effort has to be expended in strategies that enable communities to take advantage of the new technologies, so that local populations become fully acquainted with their potential.
Student Needs
November, Staudt, Costello, and Lynne (1996) suggested team members to generate a collective vision which supports meaningful engaged learning for all students.
Whitehead, Jensen, and Boschee (2003) suggested that in any technology initiative, the needs of the students must be placed above any other factor being considered. It is very common to see cases in which administrators and committee members make decisions about technology that really don't acknowledge the needs of the people who will use it.
According to the U.S. Department of Education (2004), there has been significant growth in organized online instruction (e-learning) and "virtual" schools, making it possible for students at all levels to receive high quality supplemental or full courses of instruction personalized to their needs. They also stated that traditional schools are turning to these services to expand opportunities and choices for students and professional development for teachers.
Teaching and Learning
According to Whitehead, Jensen, and Boschee (2003), teaching and learning must be considered simultaneously when deciding how technology will be brought into the classroom. They suggested to have a 'purpose' that reflects teaching and learning when bringing technologies into the school. In addition, they recommended to evaluate hardware purchases and coordinate them to student needs. Hence, features like user-friendliness, dependability and speed need to be taken into account. With respect to software, they advise technology coordinators to carefully determine which programs will best complement, support, and expand classroom teaching and learning. It is important to flatten the learning curve by using user-friendly applications to help ensure that programs will be used by teachers and students. With respect to the teachers, they recommended that dialogues need to be established to evaluate classroom space and decide on computer locations. In addition, they requested technology coordinators to determine the amount of use teachers make of the new technology.
November, Staudt, Costello, and Lynne (1996) recommended the technology planning team to encourage teachers to seek opportunities to work in teams in order to design technology-supported projects. They also suggested the team to develop objectives that describe appropriate technology goals for students at each grade level. They contended that instead of emphasizing higher order thinking skills, complex problem solving, and cognitive research, sometimes the technology may be used to teach merely the same old curriculum. They believe that using technology effectively in education requires shifting the focus from teaching to active learning. Further, they suggested teachers to develop proficiency in technology through not only in-service professional development activities but also through collegial support.
According to the U.S. Department of Education (2004), a perennial problem for schools, teachers and students is that textbooks are increasingly expensive, quickly outdated and physically cumbersome. They suggested that a move from reliance on textbooks to the use of multimedia or online information (digital content) offers many advantages, including cost savings, increased efficiency, improved accessibility, and enhancing learning opportunities in a format that engages today's web-savvy students. For this reason, they encouraged ubiquitous access to computers and connectivity for school children. They also requested to consider the cost and benefits of online content, aligned with rigorous state academic standards, as part of a systemic approach to creating resources for students to customize learning to their individual needs.
Staff Development
Whitehead, Jensen, & Boschee (2003) considered staff development to be one of the most important aspects of the initiative. In order to succeed in staff development efforts, they also suggested administrators to formulate detailed plans for staff development and implementation which should be developed well in advance of the actual implementation of technology in the classrooms. They recommended the appointment of the person in charge of leading staff development programs as well as evaluating each stage of the implementation based on a detailed working schedule. They emphasized the importance of pertinent staff development activities as well as in-house technical consultants who would help teachers promptly.
November, Staudt, Costello, and Lynne (1996) suggested that staff development activities should help teachers become comfortable and proficient with the technology and give them the opportunity to devise ways to use it in their classrooms. They also contended that the uniqueness of each teacher and class must be acknowledged and used to build specific teaching strategies to meet the goals outlined in the technology plan.
According to the U.S. Department of Education (2004), every teacher should have the opportunity to take online learning courses. In addition, they suggested that institutions ought to ensure that every teacher knows how to use data to personalize instruction. This is marked by the ability to interpret data to understand student progress and challenges, drive daily decisions and design instructional interventions to customize instruction for every student's unique needs.
Financial Management
is important to understand that most determinations about finance are generally dealt by the people in top management positions. Nonetheless, the impact of these decisions are critical to the success of the project. Whitehead, Jensen, & Boschee (2003) contended that it was important to determine the financial resources for in-house projects and equipment. They also suggested to itemize equipment resources owned by the school or district with the idea of reducing unnecessary duplication in new purchases. Further, they recommended the institution to appoint someone who will be responsible for handling the recommended purchases locally or from a national distribution company. They suggested that a thorough review of all costs needs to be made to ensure the technology project is affordable in all of its phases. Finally, they suggested the canvassing of civic organizations for financial or equipment support.
According to November, Staudt, Costello, and Lynne (1996), technology is changing so quickly that it is impossible to know what advances will be available in five years. They proposed that plans ought to be reviewed each year during the budget process to make sure the district is purchasing the most current equipment or to take advantage of new and lower cost technology. They also proposed the development of strategies to meet the funding challenge which also included the investigation of federal, state, and other grant opportunities and funding sources for educational technology.
According to the U.S. Department of Education (2004), educational institutions ought to consider a systemic restructuring of budgets to realize efficiencies, cost savings and reallocation. This can include reallocations in expenditures on textbooks, instructional supplies, space and computer labs. In addition, they recommended to consider leasing with 3-5 year refresh cycles. Finally, they proposed the creation of a technology innovation fund to carry funds over yearly budget cycles.
Infrastructure
Whitehead, Jensen, & Boschee (2003) related infrastructure to the basic facilities and the mechanical and electrical installations found in a school. They contended that it is important to decide how existing equipment and infrastructure can be integrated into the project. They suggested that network wiring needs to accommodate the instructional configuration required by teachers. Further, they recommend getting assistance from professionals to handle remodeling or other infrastructure necessities. People with greater experience can provide a better insight on the space and remodeling required to ready the infrastructure for implementation. Finally, they suggested technology coordinators to visit other schools to evaluate successful programs for structural adaptations that could be taken into account using unique ideas to solve local problems.
According to OECD (2000), it is essential to have a sound and adequate telecommunication and computer network infrastructure that can support and deliver diverse educational models.
Evaluation and Assessment
Whitehead, Jensen, & Boschee (2003) concluded that the work of leaders is not done when computers or other learning technologies are networked in schools and classrooms. Contrary to what is a common belief, they contended that a very important part of the work remains in the form of program evaluation and assessment. For this reason, they recommended the appointment of someone who would evaluate the overall project following a plan with dates. In addition, they suggested that an outline be presented of how changes or revisions will be handled. In order to succeed, they advised reviewers to use the most appropriate evaluation and assessment methods available for sharing information with the community. According to November, Staudt, Costello, and Lynne (1996), educators, parents, and community members are more likely to support technology if they are able to see proof of its value in helping students learn. They also contended that it is important to review and update the technology plan at least once a year to provide evaluation of its usefulness.
According to the U.S. Department of Education (2004), integrated, interoperable data systems are the key to better allocation of resources, greater management efficiency, and online and technology-based assessments of student performance that empower educators to transform teaching and personalize instruction. They also recommended the use of data from both administrative and instructional systems to understand relationships between decisions, allocation of resources and student achievement. Finally, they suggested to use assessment results to inform and differentiate instruction for every child.
Conclusions
Administrative involvement and leadership are crucial to the technology planning and implementation process. If organizational leaders do not understand and support the technology plan, it will be difficult to implement and can be either intentionally or inadvertently sabotaged. Many people perceive that without a technology champion or advocate who will take responsibility for promoting the planning process and implementing the plan, there will be no major push to make technology an integrated part of the organization. If the plan relies on only one person, however, it will almost certainly be unsuccessful. Implementation is best when tasks and duties are shared and delegated, and when individuals across the organization buy into the use of technology and the planning process. Effective implementation of technology requires a change in culture—one that encourages people to think differently about the teaching and learning processes and the possibilities for technology use. Training and positive role modeling are important for helping to facilitate the change in attitudes and culture. Also, attention to internal and external marketing (garnering support) can help to change attitudes and build enthusiasm and participation. This kind of marketing should be based upon showing how technology will enhance the organization’s purpose and goals and solve organizational and educational problems.
Flexibility is also a key ingredient of the technology planning process. Planners should set priorities, follow a timeline, and continue to evaluate progress. Yet, day-to-day demands will intervene, priorities will change, and resource availability is likely to be inconsistent. It is therefore important to be flexible, to expect the unexpected, and yet to remain committed to pushing forward the technology planning and implementation process.
Finally, while financial resources are likely to be scarce, the plan should not be budget driven. Rather, the learning vision and organizational, technological ,and educational objectives should drive the plan. Budgeting activities should complement and follow the planning process. They are more likely to be successful when an organization knows clearly where it is headed in terms of technology use and has a written plan outlining that use. The familiar maxim holds true for technology planning: “If you don’t know where you’re going, you’re likely to end up somewhere else” and conversely: “If you know where you’re going, you’re likely to get there much more quickly.”
References:
http://www.ncrtec.org/capacity/guidepdf/guide.pdf
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Directing_Technology/Plan
An Implementation Plan is a detailed project management tool for a specific policy measure or package of measures, designed to assist agencies to manage and monitor implementation effectively. These are intended to be scalable and flexible, reflecting the degree of urgency, innovation, complexity and/or sensitivity associated with the particular policy measure. Agencies are expected to exercise judgment in this area; however, the level of detail should be sufficient to enable the agency to effectively manage the implementation of a policy measure.
Implementation plans should be:
• succinct, but not to the point that important information is buried
• jargon free – they should be capable of being understood by everyone using them
• based on a sound programme logic, presenting a clear line of sight from the original proposal and the government’s expectations, to the inputs and how they will contribute to the achievement of those expectations; the outputs to be delivered; why and how those outputs are expected to deliver the outcomes sought, and the assumptions made about those links; and how this delivery chain and its supporting assumptions will be evaluated
• clear on timeframes and project phases, especially where there are interdependencies with other programmes or measures or critical requirements such as the passage of legislation or negotiations with the States and Territories
• clear on the decision pathways forward – often both the objectives and the means to achieving those objectives are uncertain. Implementation plans need to recognise the unknowns as well as the known’s, and explain how and when the unknowns will be addressed.
We all know that planning is a critical phase in the adoption of technology initiatives that affect not just the students and the teachers but also an entire community (wikibook Technology Planning: the educator's guide - Implementation plan and timeline, 2008). November, Staudt, Costello, and Lynne (1996) contended that an effective technology plan is based on the shared vision of educators, parents, community members, and business leaders who have technological expertise. They also suggested that in order for a technology plan to be successful, it must promote meaningful learning and collaboration, provide for the needed professional development and support, and respond flexibly to change. According to Whitehead, Jensen, and Boschee (2003), most school administrators know that computers and advanced-information technologies are touching the lives of students at school and at home. They suggested the following important factors that must be addressed in a technology plan.
Guiding Questions for Implementation Plan
How Will You Use Technology to Support Yo u r Vision of Learning?
Technology lends itself well to learning and instruction (Massachusetts Software Council, 1994) because it is a powerful tool that, when properly implemented, improves student learning and achievement. However, teachers have little incentive to tackle the technical and scheduling problems associated with technology unless they have a clear idea of how it can improve teaching and learning (Means, Blando, Olson, Middleton, Morocco, Remz, & Zorfass, 1993). Exactly which educational goals a technology plan should address and attempt to accomplish must be determined before the technology plan is implemented (Holmes & Rawitsch, 1993). Technology should not drive educational decisions or learning. Rather, decision making should be based on the learning and teaching needs of the student. Technology cannot prescribe for a teacher which students should use the technology, how often it should be used, or how to integrate technology into existing instructional practices. Unless teachers start out with specific technology goals that support their vision of learning, technology will most likely be used to reinforce the status quo (Cohen, 1988; Cuban, 1986). There is evidence that when learning and technology goals are not decided upon before technology implementation, technology can become a drain on resources and add to the burdens of teachers who are already trying to do too much (Piele, 1989). This problem can be avoided by formulating a vision for learning that connects to educational goals, values, and objectives for technology use. Once the stakeholders involved understand the vision and see how technology will make their lives better, they are likely to become more open to technology planning and implementation. The following questions should be addressed when planning how to use technology to support a vision of learning.
• How will technology be used to provide and support a challenging curriculum through engaging instructional practices (e.g., collaborative learning, problem-based learning, problem solving, critical thinking, constructivist classrooms, project-based learning, and so on)?
Consider:
Learning tasks that are authentic, challenging, and multidisciplinary
Assessments that are performance-based, generative, seamless and ongoing, and equitable.
Instructional models that are interactive and generative
Learning contexts that are collaborative, knowledge building, and Empathetic.
Grouping strategies that are flexible, equitable, and heterogeneous
Teacher roles as facilitators, guides, colearners, and coinvestigators
Student roles as explorers, cognitive apprentices, teachers, and producers
• What educational technology skills will be a part of your curriculum and how will teaching them to students and staff enhance and support your broader instructional goals?
• How will technology be used to support an articulated prekindergarten to adult learning program for all students?
• How will technology be used to support changes in the roles and responsibilities of students, teachers, administrators, parents, community members, and others in order to achieve your vision?
• How will technology be used to support organizational and governance structures that are consistent with your vision of learning?
• How will technology be used to support and provide meaningful professional development experiences for staff?
• How will technology be used to support your school’s accountability and assessment system?
• How will technology be used to support positive home-school-community collaborations?
• How will technology be used to support the provision of comprehensive services (e.g., school-based, school-linked health and social services)?
•
Developing a Supportive Infrastructure
The infrastructure consists of two parts: human resources—which deals with professional learning and support—and technology—which deals with hardware, software, and facilities. With technological change occurring at a rapid pace, purchasers of new technology sometimes feel hard pressed to keep up (Fine, 1991). School districts, due to limited budgets and technical expertise, have a difficult time choosing and buying technology. Often they lack adequate information about the newest technologies and how to use them; or they do not take into account the level of training and staff development needed to use the technology. The key to technology planning is to make informed decisions. Without good information about the nuts and bolts of technology (i.e., the hardware and software) planners are at a disadvantage. The best way to overcome this problem is to take a broad view of technology and educate planners and staff about current and emerging technologies and their benefits and then realize that implementing technology is not a one-time thing but an ongoing and continuous process that requires a supportive infrastructure that is flexible enough to deal with the rapid pace of technological change. The following questions should be addressed when planning for a supportive infrastructure:
Professional Development,Training,Technical Support
• How will you find out what skills your staff and students currently have and what skills they will need to fulfill your plan’s objectives?
• How will you design and implement a professional development and training strategy that meets the needs of your staff?
• How will you use technology to provide professional development, training, and ongoing technical support, and to support teachers as they integrate technology into the curriculum?
• Who will be responsible for ensuring and coordinating professional development?
• Who will be responsible for providing technical assistance and support?
• How will you build technical support capacity within your staff so that equipment will be maintained and kept reliable?
• What are your contingencies for providing just-in-time services when the technology breaks down?
Networking, Hardware, Software, Facilities
• What level of networking will be required to support your vision of learning?
• What hardware specifications are needed to support your vision of learning?
• How will you deal with obsolescence, maintenance, and amortization?
• How will you make use of existing technology?
• What software is required to support your vision of learning?
• How will software be reviewed and purchased?
• What building facilities exist or are needed, and what modifications must be made to support your vision of learning?
• How will you implement, maintain, and sustain the equipment, software, and the network for extended periods, and who will be responsible?
Garnering Public Support
Public support is essential to ensure the success and longevity of planning implementation. The following questions should be addressed when developing strategies to garner public support:
• What kinds and levels of public support are necessary to make the implementation of your technology plan successful and sustainable?
• What public relations activities will you engage in to promote the effective long-term implementation of your technology plan?
• How will you create opportunities for school staff and the community to share information in order to foster positive relationships?
• How will you garner support from community and business leadership, for example, in long-term public and private partnerships?
• How will you connect and interact with related organizations (museums, libraries, adult literacy programs, higher education, community-based organizations, and so on) to improve student learning?
• How will you leverage investments (e.g., provide training and support for parents and community members) to provide technology access and service to the wider community?
• What other human and community resources exist, including businesses and libraries, to support the plan?
• What funding policies and opportunities exist for implementing your plan?
• How and when will you report results to stakeholders?
Implementing Your Plan
Many planners believe their job is complete after a plan is written, but in actuality it has only begun. Awritten technology plan has direction and long-term technology goals. However, for each new technology introduced to an organization, there will be stages of implementation that include resource development (budget), evaluation, selection, installation, training, pilot projects, mini-implementations, and, finally, full implementation. These stages should all be reflected in a technology plan. It is also important to remember not to judge technology as ineffective when it is not implemented according to the plan (Holmes & Rawitsch, 1993). Flexibility, patience, and adaptability are essential for any kind of change process and certainly for implementing technology. The following questions should be addressed when planning the implementation of your plan:
• What is the timeline for meeting the goals of your plan?
• Who is responsible for achieving milestones on the timelines?
• What professional development strategies will you use?
• How will you provide time for ongoing staff development, including time to practice and learn new technologies?
• What is your plan for networking, acquiring hardware and software, and updating the facility?
• How will you deal with the rapid changes in technology?
• What funding is available currently?
• How will funding be provided over the life of the plan?
• How will you coordinate and leverage a variety of funding resources to support your plan?
• How will you deal with contingencies such as changes in leadership and changes in budget?
• How will you determine which program area, discipline, or staff will receive highest priorities for receiving technologies?
• Who (or what group) will be responsible for implementing the t e c h n o l o g y plan?
• What incentives and sanctions will you implement to ensure that everyone achieves a high level of technological proficiency?
• How will you ensure equity of access to technology and engaged learning experiences for all students?
• How will your instructional use of technology address district, state, and federal mandates including curriculum, special needs, minority populations, and equity issues?
• What new policies are needed to support implementation of your plan?
Evaluating the Implementation of Your Technology Plan
Technology implementation is a continuous process that adapts to the organization’s changing circumstances and includes ongoing evaluation. Effective evaluation will force planners to rethink and adapt objectives, priorities, and strategies as implementation proceeds. Continuous evaluation also facilitates making changes if aspects of the plan are not working. Evaluating the implementation of a technology plan can be conducted by various means. Simple observations, both negative and positive, that have been made by students and teachers using the technology are the most helpful. Interviews and informal meetings with both instructors and students can draw out the lessons that both groups have learned from using the technology. A simple written survey can assist in measuring the extent to which the plan has met its original objectives and expected outcomes. The following questions should be addressed when planning the evaluation of the implementation of your technology plan:
• How and when will you evaluate the impact your technology plan implementation has on student performance?
• Who will be responsible for collecting ongoing data to assess the effectiveness of the plan and its implementation?
• What windows of opportunity exist for reviewing the technology plan? (For example, the plan might be reviewed during curriculum review cycles.)
• How will accountability for implementation be assessed?
• How will you assess the level of technological proficiency gained by students, teachers, and staff?
• How will you use technology to evaluate teaching and learning?
• nWhat is the key indicator of success for each component of the plan?
• How will you analyze the effectiveness of disbursement decisions in light of implementation priorities?
• How will you analyze implementation decisions to accommodate for changes as a result of new information and technologies?
• What organizational mechanism will you create that allows changes in the implementation of the technology plan and in the plan itself?
Factors to consider
According to the OECD (2000)it is necessary to have coherent and comprehensive policies for planning and evaluation. They suggested to include the definition of clear objectives, the identification of priorities and strategies, the ability to envisage future scenarios, the design, implementation and evaluation of pilot projects. In addition, they recommended that planning must be rigorous but not inflexible, allowing refinement in the light of experience.
According to November, Staudt, Costello, and Lynne (1996), the first step in developing a technology plan is convening a 'planning committee' or team to review the school improvement plan already in place and research the district needs. They also suggested that an effective team enlists educators but also takes advantage of the expertise of community members and the input of parents and students. They proposed that the planning team becomes responsible for the development of an overall technology plan. Further, they concluded that the team members are responsible for developing a vision for the plan, determine the goals that must be met to reach it, and create steps to implement those goals.
Whitehead, Jensen, and Boschee (2003) stated that planning addresses the who, what, when, where, why, and how aspects of the project. In addition, they assured that quality leadership must prevail at all times. Furthermore, they recommended technology coordinators to envision what the completed project will look like and what it will do for teaching and learning. This underlying mental picture is necessary to provide focus for the entire enterprise. Furthermore, they also advise administrators to consider the possibility of having to modify school practices or even upgrade regulations. This may even result in an adjustment of the school's philosophy and mission statements (wikibook Technology Planning: the educator's guide - Vision, 2008) to align with the technology initiative being proposed. If necessary, the use of surveys allows administrators to probe stakeholder viewpoints. In addition, they emphasized that every person involved must know both sides of the issue. They suggested the use of research that both supports and counters the major assumptions on which the technology project is based. Furthermore, they advised administrators to consider how students and staff members would be affected by the technology changes and develop appropriate support structures like training, changes in classroom layout, inclusion into curricula, and revision of school programs.
According to the U.S. Department of Education (2004), for public education to benefit from the rapidly evolving development of information and communication technology, leaders at every level - school, district and state - must not only supervise, but provide informed, creative and ultimately transformative leadership for systemic change. They recommend districts to invest in leadership development programs to develop a new generation of tech-savvy leaders at every level. Further, they suggested to retool administrator education programs to provide training in technology decision making and organizational change. They also recommended districts to develop partnerships between schools and higher education institutions, in addition to encouraging creative technology partnerships with the business community.
Community Awareness and Support
According to Whitehead, Jensen, & Boschee (2003), community support is necessary during the planning stages of a technology initiative. They contended that neither parents nor community members are likely to be idle bystanders when costly reforms are about to change the way significant portions of children's education are delivered. For this reason, they suggested the schools and districts to evaluate community willingness to fund such initiatives in schools. Further, they proposed to show community members how teachers will adopt technology in the classroom and how it would enhance student learning and achievement. They also advised the institutions to develop guidelines for presenting information to the public under the supervision of a public relations director.
According to the OECD (2000), social participation is essential for the successful development of ICT initiatives in education, the active involvement of the private sector and the local communities being critical. They also stated that much effort has to be expended in strategies that enable communities to take advantage of the new technologies, so that local populations become fully acquainted with their potential.
Student Needs
November, Staudt, Costello, and Lynne (1996) suggested team members to generate a collective vision which supports meaningful engaged learning for all students.
Whitehead, Jensen, and Boschee (2003) suggested that in any technology initiative, the needs of the students must be placed above any other factor being considered. It is very common to see cases in which administrators and committee members make decisions about technology that really don't acknowledge the needs of the people who will use it.
According to the U.S. Department of Education (2004), there has been significant growth in organized online instruction (e-learning) and "virtual" schools, making it possible for students at all levels to receive high quality supplemental or full courses of instruction personalized to their needs. They also stated that traditional schools are turning to these services to expand opportunities and choices for students and professional development for teachers.
Teaching and Learning
According to Whitehead, Jensen, and Boschee (2003), teaching and learning must be considered simultaneously when deciding how technology will be brought into the classroom. They suggested to have a 'purpose' that reflects teaching and learning when bringing technologies into the school. In addition, they recommended to evaluate hardware purchases and coordinate them to student needs. Hence, features like user-friendliness, dependability and speed need to be taken into account. With respect to software, they advise technology coordinators to carefully determine which programs will best complement, support, and expand classroom teaching and learning. It is important to flatten the learning curve by using user-friendly applications to help ensure that programs will be used by teachers and students. With respect to the teachers, they recommended that dialogues need to be established to evaluate classroom space and decide on computer locations. In addition, they requested technology coordinators to determine the amount of use teachers make of the new technology.
November, Staudt, Costello, and Lynne (1996) recommended the technology planning team to encourage teachers to seek opportunities to work in teams in order to design technology-supported projects. They also suggested the team to develop objectives that describe appropriate technology goals for students at each grade level. They contended that instead of emphasizing higher order thinking skills, complex problem solving, and cognitive research, sometimes the technology may be used to teach merely the same old curriculum. They believe that using technology effectively in education requires shifting the focus from teaching to active learning. Further, they suggested teachers to develop proficiency in technology through not only in-service professional development activities but also through collegial support.
According to the U.S. Department of Education (2004), a perennial problem for schools, teachers and students is that textbooks are increasingly expensive, quickly outdated and physically cumbersome. They suggested that a move from reliance on textbooks to the use of multimedia or online information (digital content) offers many advantages, including cost savings, increased efficiency, improved accessibility, and enhancing learning opportunities in a format that engages today's web-savvy students. For this reason, they encouraged ubiquitous access to computers and connectivity for school children. They also requested to consider the cost and benefits of online content, aligned with rigorous state academic standards, as part of a systemic approach to creating resources for students to customize learning to their individual needs.
Staff Development
Whitehead, Jensen, & Boschee (2003) considered staff development to be one of the most important aspects of the initiative. In order to succeed in staff development efforts, they also suggested administrators to formulate detailed plans for staff development and implementation which should be developed well in advance of the actual implementation of technology in the classrooms. They recommended the appointment of the person in charge of leading staff development programs as well as evaluating each stage of the implementation based on a detailed working schedule. They emphasized the importance of pertinent staff development activities as well as in-house technical consultants who would help teachers promptly.
November, Staudt, Costello, and Lynne (1996) suggested that staff development activities should help teachers become comfortable and proficient with the technology and give them the opportunity to devise ways to use it in their classrooms. They also contended that the uniqueness of each teacher and class must be acknowledged and used to build specific teaching strategies to meet the goals outlined in the technology plan.
According to the U.S. Department of Education (2004), every teacher should have the opportunity to take online learning courses. In addition, they suggested that institutions ought to ensure that every teacher knows how to use data to personalize instruction. This is marked by the ability to interpret data to understand student progress and challenges, drive daily decisions and design instructional interventions to customize instruction for every student's unique needs.
Financial Management
is important to understand that most determinations about finance are generally dealt by the people in top management positions. Nonetheless, the impact of these decisions are critical to the success of the project. Whitehead, Jensen, & Boschee (2003) contended that it was important to determine the financial resources for in-house projects and equipment. They also suggested to itemize equipment resources owned by the school or district with the idea of reducing unnecessary duplication in new purchases. Further, they recommended the institution to appoint someone who will be responsible for handling the recommended purchases locally or from a national distribution company. They suggested that a thorough review of all costs needs to be made to ensure the technology project is affordable in all of its phases. Finally, they suggested the canvassing of civic organizations for financial or equipment support.
According to November, Staudt, Costello, and Lynne (1996), technology is changing so quickly that it is impossible to know what advances will be available in five years. They proposed that plans ought to be reviewed each year during the budget process to make sure the district is purchasing the most current equipment or to take advantage of new and lower cost technology. They also proposed the development of strategies to meet the funding challenge which also included the investigation of federal, state, and other grant opportunities and funding sources for educational technology.
According to the U.S. Department of Education (2004), educational institutions ought to consider a systemic restructuring of budgets to realize efficiencies, cost savings and reallocation. This can include reallocations in expenditures on textbooks, instructional supplies, space and computer labs. In addition, they recommended to consider leasing with 3-5 year refresh cycles. Finally, they proposed the creation of a technology innovation fund to carry funds over yearly budget cycles.
Infrastructure
Whitehead, Jensen, & Boschee (2003) related infrastructure to the basic facilities and the mechanical and electrical installations found in a school. They contended that it is important to decide how existing equipment and infrastructure can be integrated into the project. They suggested that network wiring needs to accommodate the instructional configuration required by teachers. Further, they recommend getting assistance from professionals to handle remodeling or other infrastructure necessities. People with greater experience can provide a better insight on the space and remodeling required to ready the infrastructure for implementation. Finally, they suggested technology coordinators to visit other schools to evaluate successful programs for structural adaptations that could be taken into account using unique ideas to solve local problems.
According to OECD (2000), it is essential to have a sound and adequate telecommunication and computer network infrastructure that can support and deliver diverse educational models.
Evaluation and Assessment
Whitehead, Jensen, & Boschee (2003) concluded that the work of leaders is not done when computers or other learning technologies are networked in schools and classrooms. Contrary to what is a common belief, they contended that a very important part of the work remains in the form of program evaluation and assessment. For this reason, they recommended the appointment of someone who would evaluate the overall project following a plan with dates. In addition, they suggested that an outline be presented of how changes or revisions will be handled. In order to succeed, they advised reviewers to use the most appropriate evaluation and assessment methods available for sharing information with the community. According to November, Staudt, Costello, and Lynne (1996), educators, parents, and community members are more likely to support technology if they are able to see proof of its value in helping students learn. They also contended that it is important to review and update the technology plan at least once a year to provide evaluation of its usefulness.
According to the U.S. Department of Education (2004), integrated, interoperable data systems are the key to better allocation of resources, greater management efficiency, and online and technology-based assessments of student performance that empower educators to transform teaching and personalize instruction. They also recommended the use of data from both administrative and instructional systems to understand relationships between decisions, allocation of resources and student achievement. Finally, they suggested to use assessment results to inform and differentiate instruction for every child.
Conclusions
Administrative involvement and leadership are crucial to the technology planning and implementation process. If organizational leaders do not understand and support the technology plan, it will be difficult to implement and can be either intentionally or inadvertently sabotaged. Many people perceive that without a technology champion or advocate who will take responsibility for promoting the planning process and implementing the plan, there will be no major push to make technology an integrated part of the organization. If the plan relies on only one person, however, it will almost certainly be unsuccessful. Implementation is best when tasks and duties are shared and delegated, and when individuals across the organization buy into the use of technology and the planning process. Effective implementation of technology requires a change in culture—one that encourages people to think differently about the teaching and learning processes and the possibilities for technology use. Training and positive role modeling are important for helping to facilitate the change in attitudes and culture. Also, attention to internal and external marketing (garnering support) can help to change attitudes and build enthusiasm and participation. This kind of marketing should be based upon showing how technology will enhance the organization’s purpose and goals and solve organizational and educational problems.
Flexibility is also a key ingredient of the technology planning process. Planners should set priorities, follow a timeline, and continue to evaluate progress. Yet, day-to-day demands will intervene, priorities will change, and resource availability is likely to be inconsistent. It is therefore important to be flexible, to expect the unexpected, and yet to remain committed to pushing forward the technology planning and implementation process.
Finally, while financial resources are likely to be scarce, the plan should not be budget driven. Rather, the learning vision and organizational, technological ,and educational objectives should drive the plan. Budgeting activities should complement and follow the planning process. They are more likely to be successful when an organization knows clearly where it is headed in terms of technology use and has a written plan outlining that use. The familiar maxim holds true for technology planning: “If you don’t know where you’re going, you’re likely to end up somewhere else” and conversely: “If you know where you’re going, you’re likely to get there much more quickly.”
References:
http://www.ncrtec.org/capacity/guidepdf/guide.pdf
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Directing_Technology/Plan
The first thing that came to my mind when I read the term working environment is an animation studio., Even before when I was just a kid I was always fascinated on how the animation s where made, on how the drawings move, and especially on the machines that they used to create the incredible works of art. Since I don’t even know what a computer is before and how it contributed to the animation industry, eventually I gave up with those thoughts.
In the past years of my college life and even at present, slowly, I became aware about the involvement of the computers in the development of the animation industry. The common software that the animation companies used in their products where introduced to me. Software like adobe multimedia studio, toon boom, audio converters and video edit pro are some of them. These software were not directly introduced to me and where not even brought up in class. I came up with these software when we were task to make different systems. These applications were used especially when it comes to the design part of the system. It may be not that important but still the design of the system offers some additional points.
Before I put the concentration of my topic on what my position will be most likely in this environment and on what I could contribute to its growth, let me have a little background about this working environment.
Before I put the concentration of my topic on what my position will be most likely in this environment and on what I could contribute to its growth, let me have a little background about this working environment.
Cave paintings
The earliest examples derive from still drawings, which can be found in Palaeolithic cave paintings, where animals are depicted with multiple sets of legs in superimposed positions, clearly attempting to convey the perception of motion.
Pottery of PersiaA 5,200-year old earthen bowl found in Iran in Shahr-i Sokhta has five images painted along the sides. It shows phases of a goat leaping up to a tree to take a pear. However, since no equipment existed to show the images in motion, such a series of images cannot be called animation in a true sense of the word.
Egyptian muralsAn Egyptian mural, approximately 4000 years old, shows wrestlers in action. Even though this may appear similar to a series of animation drawings, there was no way of viewing the images in motion. It does, however, indicate the artist's intention of depicting motion.
Zoetrope
A zoetrope is a device which creates the image of a moving picture. The earliest elementary zoetrope was created in China around 180 AD by the prolific inventor Ting Huan (丁緩). Driven by convection Ting Huan's device hung over a lamp. The rising air turned vanes at the top from which were hung translucent paper or mica panels. Pictures painted on the panels would appear to move if the device is spun at the right speed.
The modern zoetrope contraption was produced in 1834 by William George Horner. The device is basically a cylinder with vertical slits around the sides. Around the inside edge of the cylinder there are a series of pictures on the opposite side to the slits. As the cylinder is spun, the user then looks through the slits producing the illusion of motion. No one thought this small device would be the initial beginnings for the animation world to come. As a matter a fact, in present day beginning animation classes, the Zoetrope is still being used to illustrate early concepts of animation.
Leonardo shoulder study (ca. 1510)
Seven drawings by Leonardo da Vinci extending over two folios in the Windsor Collection, Anatomical Studies of the Muscles of the Neck, Shoulder, Chest, and Arm, show detailed drawings of the upper body (with a less-detailed facial image), illustrating the changes as the torso turns from profile to frontal position and the forearm extends.
The magic lantern
The magic lantern is the predecessor of the modern day projector. It consisted of a translucent oil painting and a simple lamp. When put together in a darkened room, the image would appear larger on a flat surface. Athanasius Kircher spoke about this originating from China in the 16th century. Some slides for the lanterns contained parts that could be mechanically actuated to present limited movement on the screen.
Thaumatrope (1824)
A thaumatrope was a simple toy used in the Victorian era. It was a small circular disk or card with two different pictures on each side that was attached to a piece of string running through the centre. When the strings were twirled quickly between the fingers the two pictures appear to combine into a single image. The creator of this invention may have been either John Ayrton Paris or Charles Babbage.
Phenakistoscope (1831)
A phenakistoscope disc by Eadweard Muybridge (1893).
The phenakistoscope was an early animation device, the predecessor of the zoetrope. It was invented in 1831 simultaneously by the Belgian Joseph Plateau and the Austrian Simon von Stampfer.
The phenakistoscope was an early animation device, the predecessor of the zoetrope. It was invented in 1831 simultaneously by the Belgian Joseph Plateau and the Austrian Simon von Stampfer.
Praxinoscope (1877)
The praxinoscope, invented by French scientist Charles-Émile Reynaud, was a more sophisticated version of the zoetrope. It used the same basic mechanism of a strip of images placed on the inside of a spinning cylinder, but instead of viewing it through slits, it was viewed in a series of small, stationary mirrors around the inside of the cylinder, so that the animation would stay in place, and provide a clearer image and better quality. Reynaud also developed a larger version of the praxinoscope that could be projected onto a screen, called the Théâtre Optique.
Flip book (1868)
The first flip book was patented in 1868 by a John Barns Linnet. Flip books were yet another development that brought us closer to modern animation. Like the Zoetrope, the Flip Book creates the illusion of motion. A set of sequential pictures flipped at a high speed creates this effect. The Mutoscope (1894) is basically a flip book in a box with a crank handle to flip the pages.
Stop motion
Stop motion is used for many animation productions using physical objects rather than images of people, as with traditional animation. An object will be photographed, moved slightly, and then photographed again. When the pictures are played back in normal speed the object will appear to move by itself. This process is used for many productions, for example, clay animations such as Chicken Run and Wallace and Gromit, as well as animated movies which use poseable figures, such as The Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach. Sometimes even objects are used, such as with the films of Jan Švankmajer.
Stop motion animation was also commonly used for special effects work in many live-action films, such as the 1933 version of King Kong and The 7th Voyage of Sinbad.
Stop motion animation was also commonly used for special effects work in many live-action films, such as the 1933 version of King Kong and The 7th Voyage of Sinbad.
CGI animation
Computer-generated imagery (CGI) changed animated films forever. The first film done completely in CGI was Toy Story, produced by Pixar. The process of CGI animation is still very tedious and similar in that sense to traditional animation, and it still adheres to many of the same principles.
A principal difference of CGI Animation compared to traditional animation is that drawing is replaced by 3D modeling, almost like virtual version of stop-motion, though a form of animation that combines the two worlds can be considered to be computer aided animation but on 2D computer drawing (which can be considered close to traditional drawing and sometimes based on it).
Animated humans
Most CGI created films are based on animal characters, monsters, machines or cartoon-like humans. Animation studios are now trying to develop ways of creating realistic-looking humans. Films that have attempted this include Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within in 2001, Final Fantasy: Advent Children in 2005, The Polar Express in 2004, and Beowulf in 2007. However, due to the complexity of human body functions, emotions and interactions, this method of animation is rarely used. The more realistic a CG character becomes, the more difficult it is to create the nuances and details of a living person. The creation of hair and clothing that move convincingly with the animated human character is another area of difficulty.
Cel-shaded animation
Main article: Cel-shaded animation
A type of non-photorealistic rendering designed to make computer graphics appear to be hand-drawn. Cel-shading is often used to mimic the style of a comic book or cartoon. It is a somewhat recent addition to computer graphics, most commonly turning up in console video games. Though the end result of cel-shading has a very simplistic feel like that of hand-drawn animation, the process is complex. The name comes from the clear sheets of acetate, called cels, that are painted on for use in traditional 2D animation. It may be considered a "2.5D" form of animation. True real-time cel-shading was first introduced in 2000 by Sega's Jet Set Radio for their Dreamcast console. Besides video games, a number of anime have also used this style of animation, such as Freedom Project in 2006.
A type of non-photorealistic rendering designed to make computer graphics appear to be hand-drawn. Cel-shading is often used to mimic the style of a comic book or cartoon. It is a somewhat recent addition to computer graphics, most commonly turning up in console video games. Though the end result of cel-shading has a very simplistic feel like that of hand-drawn animation, the process is complex. The name comes from the clear sheets of acetate, called cels, that are painted on for use in traditional 2D animation. It may be considered a "2.5D" form of animation. True real-time cel-shading was first introduced in 2000 by Sega's Jet Set Radio for their Dreamcast console. Besides video games, a number of anime have also used this style of animation, such as Freedom Project in 2006.
Film animation
The history of film animation began in the 1890s with the earliest days of silent films and continues through the present day. The first animated film was created by Charles-Émile Reynaud, inventor of the praxinoscope, an animation system using loops of 12 pictures. On October 28, 1892 at Musée Grévin in Paris, France he exhibited animations consisting of loops of about 500 frames, using his Théâtre Optique system - similar in principle to a modern film projector.
The first animated work on standard picture film was Humorous Phases of Funny Faces (1906) by J. Stuart Blackton. It features a cartoonist drawing faces on a chalkboard, and the faces apparently coming to life.
Fantasmagorie, by the French director Émile Cohl (also called Émile Courtet), is also noteworthy. It was screened for the first time on August 17, 1908 at Théâtre du Gymnase in Paris. Émile Courtet later went to Fort Lee, New Jersey near New York City in 1912, where he worked for French studio Éclair and spread its technique in the US.
The first puppet-animated film was The Beautiful Lukanida (1912) by the Russian-born (ethnically Polish) director Wladyslaw Starewicz (Ladislas Starevich).
The first animated feature film was El Apóstol, made in 1917 by Quirino Cristiani from Argentina. He also directed two other animated feature films, including 1931's Peludopolis, the first to use synchronized sound. None of these, however, survive to the present day. The earliest-surviving animated feature, which used colour-tinted scenes, is the silhouette-animated Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926) directed by German Lotte Reiniger and French/Hungarian Berthold Bartosch. Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), often considered to be the first animated feature when in fact at least eight were previously released. However, Snow White was the first to become successful and well-known within the English-speaking world.
The first animation to use the full, three-color Technicolor method was Flowers and Trees (1932) made by Disney Studios which won an academy award for this work.
The first Japanese-made anime film was the propaganda film Momotaro's Divine Sea Warriors (桃太郎 海の神兵) by the Japanese director Mitsuyo Seo. The film, shown in 1945, was ordered to be made to support the war by the Japanese Naval Ministry. The film's song AIEUO no Uta (アイウエオの歌) was later used in Osamu Tezuka's anime series Kimba the White Lion. Originally thought to have been destroyed during the American occupation, a negative copy survived and the film is now available in Japan on VHS.The first animated feature film was El Apóstol, made in 1917 by Quirino Cristiani from Argentina. He also directed two other animated feature films, including 1931's Peludopolis, the first to use synchronized sound. None of these, however, survive to the present day. The earliest-surviving animated feature, which used colour-tinted scenes, is the silhouette-animated Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926) directed by German Lotte Reiniger and French/Hungarian Berthold Bartosch. Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), often considered to be the first animated feature when in fact at least eight were previously released. However, Snow White was the first to become successful and well-known within the English-speaking world.
The first animation to use the full, three-color Technicolor method was Flowers and Trees (1932) made by Disney Studios which won an academy award for this work.
The real deal in animation is entertainment. For years a lot of people in this field have dedicated their time and effort to develop this industry and as long as people continue to seek fun and happiness this business will eventually grow.
Base on my current learning and experiences I won’t be able to fit in to any job specification that any position in this business will require, but sooner or later if I will focus my attention in this craft I would be fitted to be a cinematic director/editor. I have a little talent in drawing but as an IT practitioner I would prefer to be in the editing department in the company. It would be very interesting to make astonishing effects that would add more life in the animation, to be the one to arrange the drawings and the scenes using an animation tool to make it more understandable and concise, to fill the drawings with colors and lighting effects that would definitely give it a boost in terms of attraction and fun for the viewers and most important of above all is to be the one to integrate the drawings with the sound effects and music. I came up to the idea that the latter is the most important one because music and audio is the soul of the animation. It gives the animation a great sense of reality and it makes it a lot more fun. The audio will also play a very important role for the animation to have a story. It will give the animation the spirit, the impact, and the ability to attract more viewers and patrons through funny and interesting dialogues
I have browsed the internet regarding the job description of this job and the qualifications that it requires. These are the results and the links to where I found these facts.
I have browsed the internet regarding the job description of this job and the qualifications that it requires. These are the results and the links to where I found these facts.
JOB DESCRIPTION: CINEMATIC DIRECTOR (38 STUDIOS)
Would you like to become part of the team that includes the creative visionaries behind Drizzt Do’Urden and Spawn? 38 Studios is currently seeking an experienced Cinematics Director to join our art department. This is a full-time time position with competitive salary, full benefits and 401k, and the chance to be part of online gaming history!
Position Responsibilities
• Creation of cinematic sequences to the highest quality standards for interactive gaming; this includes both story driven cinematics and elements of game play that require cinematic presentation.
• Overseeing all creative aspects of cinematic production, including the direction of the storyboarding process, workload estimates, blocking direction, and final cinematic presentation.
• Produce art that adheres to a unified studio art vision.
• Collaborate closely with Art Director, Animation Lead, Character Lead, Environment Lead, Design Department and Marketing Department to achieve the best possible fusion of storytelling and aesthetics.
• Establish cinematic production pipeline, protocols, and tools.
• Develop Cinematic Department staff, set and maintain schedules.
• Identify and address risks in the production pipeline.
• Work in conjunction with established pipelines and procedures for game art production, and help to identify additional processes and art tools necessary to do so efficiently.
• Promote a productive and energetic culture within the team and studio.
• Overseeing all creative aspects of cinematic production, including the direction of the storyboarding process, workload estimates, blocking direction, and final cinematic presentation.
• Produce art that adheres to a unified studio art vision.
• Collaborate closely with Art Director, Animation Lead, Character Lead, Environment Lead, Design Department and Marketing Department to achieve the best possible fusion of storytelling and aesthetics.
• Establish cinematic production pipeline, protocols, and tools.
• Develop Cinematic Department staff, set and maintain schedules.
• Identify and address risks in the production pipeline.
• Work in conjunction with established pipelines and procedures for game art production, and help to identify additional processes and art tools necessary to do so efficiently.
• Promote a productive and energetic culture within the team and studio.
Knowledge, skills & ability requirements
• Knowledge:
Strong understanding of cinematic principles (camera direction, editing, lens, etc.). Knowledge and experience with a variety of 2D and 3D software packages, including expert knowledge of Photoshop, Maya, and Unreal. Skill in 3DStudio Max will be considered. Range of interests in cinematic style from live action to CG to 2D animation, etc. Must be able to demonstrate a strong, hands-on knowledge of art creation tools and production experience.
• Competencies:
Exceptional artistic abilities, ideally across a variety of media, both traditional and electronic. Animation and storyboarding skills a plus. Strong time management and organization skills with a proven ability to prioritize, solve problems, and meet deadlines. Able to collaborate with other game team leads in a deadline-driven environment. Effective self-tasker. Firm understanding of art production pipelines, ideally within a game development environment. Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Experience:
Expected minimum 4 to 6 years of applicable industry experience with at least two completed products as an Artist and one completed product as a Lead.
LINK: http://jobs.gamasutra.com/jobseekerx/viewjobrss.asp?cjid=18621&accountno=210
Job Title : Cinematic Designer
Job Category Artists Location Dallas, Texas, Texas, United States, North America Job Description This Dallas based independent development studio has made a name for itself creating award winning, blockbuster interactive entertainment for all major platforms. By employing the industry's most talented people and using proven production methods they consistently create games that are technologically advanced, creative, and above all, fun to play. They offer excellent benefits, generous profit sharing, and the opportunity to settle in a fun, affordable city.
They are currently seeking a cinematic designer and/or director to work on an upcoming high-profile sci-fi action title currently in development.
Required Skills:
- Understanding of cinematic principles and techniques for visual storytelling
- Be passionate about games and digital media
- Be able to follow direction and work well with a team
Desired Skills:
- Film school or amateur/professional film experience
- Familiarity with cinematic cut-scene setups and animation
- Familiarity with UnrealEd, Hammer/Worldcraft, and/or Q3Radiant
- Ability to design and/or draw rough storyboards
- Professional or published work is a plus Salary $HIGH Date posted 14/09/2007 Recruiter This job is advertised on behalf of Datascope USA using their internal reference DS12119.
LINK: http://www.gamesindustry.biz/jobs/datascope-usa/texas/united-states/north-america/cinematic-designer-id13856
JOB PROFILE: CINEMATIC ARTIST
Job Category Artists
Skills Required 3D modeller, Animator, Character Artist
Location Alberta, Canada, North America
Job Description Cinematic Animators
Our Client has created some of the world's best-selling and award-winning title. They are hard at work on many projects including an epic fantasy RPG and unannounced projects including a highly anticipated massively multiplayer online game.
Their games have continually achieved critical and commercial success. All of their published titles are in the top 5% highest rated games. Today our client has more than 400 staff at its two locations and continues to grow. They have sold over 20 million games (including engine licenses) in the past ten years!
Our client is in search of Cinematic/Character Animators to enhance their animation team. Successful candidates must have at least 3 years experience in character animation for games, and a strong understanding of the fundamentals of traditional animation. Candidates must also have experience with game cinematics; creating storyboards, recording mo-cap, and putting final polish into a cinematic.
Education and Experience
- Post secondary program in computer generated animation is preferred.
- At least 3 years of experience in computer generated animation.
- 3+ years of game development experience would be an asset.
- In-depth technical knowledge of 3D Studio Max would be an asset.
- Experience with mo-cap would be an asset.
Skills / Abilities / Knowledge / Personal Suitability
- An understanding of character creation (model, texture, rig) is preferred.
- Complete knowledge of 3DSMAX's animation tools is required.
- Knowledge of Motion Builder and Motion Capture animation an asset.
- Must be able to work in team environments, and be able to share knowledge.
- Insight into animation pipeline is an asset.
- An understanding of human and animal anatomy is an asset.
- Leadership skills are an asset.
- Passion for animation and gaming is required.
- The ability to take initiative is required.
Duties
- Animate dynamic, believable and appealing characters for both in-game and cut scene environments.
- Be able to take responsibility for an animation or cinematic, seeing it through to completion, in a timely manner, to the highest quality possible.
- As a team player, you must be able to take direction, and both give and receive critiques on animation.
- Clearly communicate your progress to your supervisor, and work with that individual to achieve dynamic, believable, and appealing animation.
Portfolio Requirements
3D portfolio
- Examples of various animations applied to humanoid figures and animal figures
- Examples of cinematic work
- Character rigging examples
2D portfolio (no originals please)
- Storyboarding skills
- Figure drawing
- Color work
This industry has gone far, from the early days of black and white 2d animations to the present digital 3d high definition animations. With regards to what I can help in the development of this industry I would definitely have some great ideas in the future to further enhance my work. But at present I do not have definite suggestions but I have some ideas here that in some point could give the animation business a boost.
1. Realistic approach
Nowadays, animation with the use of the current graphic technologies that are usable, is going to the forefront of reality. I know that the current animations are almost at the verge of their goal but improvement is still possible. I do not know how to do it at present, but with the different experience and learning that I may encounter in the future maybe I will be able to develop a software that will be able to render realistic colors to the drawings and some image editing software that will fix the lines and curves that the artist may have overlooked. I will also give greater attention in the relationship of my animations scenes to its counterpart reality. With more and more developments in technology, sooner or later the concept of reality will definitely be upon the reach of the animation industry.
2. Unique Transitions
As a cinematic director it will be my job to manage and decide on how the scene transitions will work. Base on the animations that I have seen in the past years, their transitions are getting redundant. A common thing is a transition where it fades to black going to another scene or it lightens up. These transitions have been used for decades and are getting overused. Animation must evolve and must always be trendy. It must always give its viewer a new flavor. It must give them something to be excited for, something to look for, and something to make them interested, make them ask for more.
DEFINITION OF TERMS:
OUTSOURCING
FROM: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outsourcing
Outsourcing is subcontracting a process, such as product design or manufacturing, to a third-party company. 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[citation needed]. Outsourcing became part of the business lexicon during the 1980s. It is essentially a division of labour.Out sourcing in the information technology field has two meanings One is to commission the development of an application to another organization, usually a company that specializes in the development of this type of application. The other is to hire the services of another company to manage all or parts of the services that otherwise would be rendered by an IT unit of the organization. The latter concept might not include development of new applications.
Outsourcing involves the transfer of the management and/or day-to-day execution of an entire business function to an external service provider. 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.
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.
Multisourcing refers to large outsourcing agreements (predominantly IT). 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.
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.
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[citation needed], 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[citation needed]. 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. [21] 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.
In addition to language and accent differences, a lack of local social and geographic knowledge is often present, leading to misunderstandings or mis-communications.
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.
INSOURCING
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.
The Organization for International Investment, a Washington D.C. trade association, uses the term to describe the creation of jobs through foreign direct investment within the United States.
To further have an idea about their difference and on what factors that we must consider to decide whether what to choose from either outsourcing or insourcing, I read these articles and found it full of important points.
FROM: http://www.outsource2india.com/why_india/articles/outsourcing-versus-insourcing.asp
What is best for your organization?
If your organization has a number of non-core processes which are taking plenty of time, effort and resources to perform in-house, it would be wise to outsource these non-core functions. Outsourcing in this case, would help you save on time, effort, manpower and would also aid you in making quicker deliveries to your customers.
If you require expertise services in areas which do not fall under your core competency, then outsourcing will be a good option as you can get access to expertise services. For reducing costs and making faster deliverables, outsourcing is again a good option.
If your work involves production, then it would be more ideal for your organization to opt for insourcing, as you can save on transportation costs and exercise a better control over your project.
It is not necessary to choose outsourcing over insourcing or vice versa. Your organization can outsource and insource at the same time. By outsourcing and insourcing simultaneously, you can have the best of what both offers and your business can get a competitive advantage!
FROM:http://ezinearticles.com/?Why-Outsourcing-Instead-of-Insourcing?&id=2622522
Why Outsourcing Instead of Insourcing?
By Mary Thomas Platinum Quality Author
There is a big debate going on at the moment and people are constantly arguing whether or not it is better to outsource or to insource. We can mention a lot of good reasons and bad reasons for both but at the end of the day what is important stand in your own personal needs.
The biggest benefit that insourcing has stands in the fact that you get a very close contact with the person you are hiring. This can create a very good working environment but at the same time it does bring in some negative aspects that we have to think about. Unfortunately sometimes we can not find what we are looking for through insourcing. This basically means that what we want done can not be found locally. Such a fact shows us the biggest advantage why outsourcing is preferred in a comparison with insourcing: a wider set of choices. The truth is that when outsourcing we are faced with more people or companies to consider hiring. We are basically moving everything towards a much larger scale. Why outsourcing towards a single area or even country when we can think at a global scale.
If you talk to most Internet Marketers about outsourcing they will tell you that it is a must have. Most of them don't even think about insourcing when we have the possibility of outsourcing. The Internet has made it possible for a lot of people to meet. We now have a chance we never did in the past. In the past we had to invest into newspaper ads and similar actions in order to get in contact with professionals we needed. This does bring everything down in terms of time and possible success. When thinking about why outsourcing is better than insourcing we should always think about numbers. For instance, there is a huge chance that we can spare money by hiring someone from abroad that will do everything cheaper than on a local scale search. Also, the number of potential people worth hiring is much bigger. We can thus make sure at all times that we hire the best professionals we can afford.
There shouldn't be any doubt in anyone's mind that outsourcing is a lot better than insourcing. The reasons mentioned above are just the most obvious but the list can go on. In short, the most important facts we need to consider when thinking whether or not outsourcing is better than insourcing can be written with ease.
Why Outsourcing?
- It is Cheaper
- It is Better
- You can Work with More Competent People
- You can make sure you get what you are looking for
- The Quality is Better in Most Cases
- Marketing time needed to look for people is drastically reduced
- Less Risks
Based on these facts about outsourcing and insourcing, both have their own advantage and disadvantages. The thing that we must focus our attention is on what procedure will the university be well fitted to. And in my opinion, outsourcing is a bad choice for the university and I have 3 reasons that made me come up to this decision.
1. FUNDS
[justify]The university operates using government funds thus it is more likely to be unpredictable and insufficient to meet the university's demands in almost all occasions. Outsourcing will definitely meanburning funds for finding contractors and employing the outsource-rs. This could also mean that the university maybe spending double in theor employee's salary because of hiring another employee with the same capabilities as the employees that the university already have.
2. LACK OF POSSIBLE QUALIFIED OUTSOURCED EMPLOYEES
It is very evident nowadays that the quality of education in the Philippines is depreciating and it may be sad to say but fresh graduates in our field may not be competent enough to meet the demands of the university. The university may look to the veterans but it is most likely for them to seek for greater wages or you may not find a lot of experienced IT persons nowadays because most of them already ventured outside the country.
3. LACK OF BACKGROUND ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY
The system that will be developed by the outsourced persons will definitely something concerning the operations involved in the school. And provided the fact that they are outsiders, it is most likely that they will be unfamiliar with these processes and could be the cause of delay or even failure of the project.
OUTSOURCING
FROM: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outsourcing
Outsourcing is subcontracting a process, such as product design or manufacturing, to a third-party company. 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[citation needed]. Outsourcing became part of the business lexicon during the 1980s. It is essentially a division of labour.Out sourcing in the information technology field has two meanings One is to commission the development of an application to another organization, usually a company that specializes in the development of this type of application. The other is to hire the services of another company to manage all or parts of the services that otherwise would be rendered by an IT unit of the organization. The latter concept might not include development of new applications.
Outsourcing involves the transfer of the management and/or day-to-day execution of an entire business function to an external service provider. 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.
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.
Multisourcing refers to large outsourcing agreements (predominantly IT). 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.
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.
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[citation needed], 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[citation needed]. 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. [21] 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.
In addition to language and accent differences, a lack of local social and geographic knowledge is often present, leading to misunderstandings or mis-communications.
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.
INSOURCING
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.
The Organization for International Investment, a Washington D.C. trade association, uses the term to describe the creation of jobs through foreign direct investment within the United States.
To further have an idea about their difference and on what factors that we must consider to decide whether what to choose from either outsourcing or insourcing, I read these articles and found it full of important points.
FROM: http://www.outsource2india.com/why_india/articles/outsourcing-versus-insourcing.asp
What is best for your organization?
If your organization has a number of non-core processes which are taking plenty of time, effort and resources to perform in-house, it would be wise to outsource these non-core functions. Outsourcing in this case, would help you save on time, effort, manpower and would also aid you in making quicker deliveries to your customers.
If you require expertise services in areas which do not fall under your core competency, then outsourcing will be a good option as you can get access to expertise services. For reducing costs and making faster deliverables, outsourcing is again a good option.
If your work involves production, then it would be more ideal for your organization to opt for insourcing, as you can save on transportation costs and exercise a better control over your project.
It is not necessary to choose outsourcing over insourcing or vice versa. Your organization can outsource and insource at the same time. By outsourcing and insourcing simultaneously, you can have the best of what both offers and your business can get a competitive advantage!
FROM:http://ezinearticles.com/?Why-Outsourcing-Instead-of-Insourcing?&id=2622522
Why Outsourcing Instead of Insourcing?
By Mary Thomas Platinum Quality Author
There is a big debate going on at the moment and people are constantly arguing whether or not it is better to outsource or to insource. We can mention a lot of good reasons and bad reasons for both but at the end of the day what is important stand in your own personal needs.
The biggest benefit that insourcing has stands in the fact that you get a very close contact with the person you are hiring. This can create a very good working environment but at the same time it does bring in some negative aspects that we have to think about. Unfortunately sometimes we can not find what we are looking for through insourcing. This basically means that what we want done can not be found locally. Such a fact shows us the biggest advantage why outsourcing is preferred in a comparison with insourcing: a wider set of choices. The truth is that when outsourcing we are faced with more people or companies to consider hiring. We are basically moving everything towards a much larger scale. Why outsourcing towards a single area or even country when we can think at a global scale.
If you talk to most Internet Marketers about outsourcing they will tell you that it is a must have. Most of them don't even think about insourcing when we have the possibility of outsourcing. The Internet has made it possible for a lot of people to meet. We now have a chance we never did in the past. In the past we had to invest into newspaper ads and similar actions in order to get in contact with professionals we needed. This does bring everything down in terms of time and possible success. When thinking about why outsourcing is better than insourcing we should always think about numbers. For instance, there is a huge chance that we can spare money by hiring someone from abroad that will do everything cheaper than on a local scale search. Also, the number of potential people worth hiring is much bigger. We can thus make sure at all times that we hire the best professionals we can afford.
There shouldn't be any doubt in anyone's mind that outsourcing is a lot better than insourcing. The reasons mentioned above are just the most obvious but the list can go on. In short, the most important facts we need to consider when thinking whether or not outsourcing is better than insourcing can be written with ease.
Why Outsourcing?
- It is Cheaper
- It is Better
- You can Work with More Competent People
- You can make sure you get what you are looking for
- The Quality is Better in Most Cases
- Marketing time needed to look for people is drastically reduced
- Less Risks
Based on these facts about outsourcing and insourcing, both have their own advantage and disadvantages. The thing that we must focus our attention is on what procedure will the university be well fitted to. And in my opinion, outsourcing is a bad choice for the university and I have 3 reasons that made me come up to this decision.
1. FUNDS
[justify]The university operates using government funds thus it is more likely to be unpredictable and insufficient to meet the university's demands in almost all occasions. Outsourcing will definitely meanburning funds for finding contractors and employing the outsource-rs. This could also mean that the university maybe spending double in theor employee's salary because of hiring another employee with the same capabilities as the employees that the university already have.
2. LACK OF POSSIBLE QUALIFIED OUTSOURCED EMPLOYEES
It is very evident nowadays that the quality of education in the Philippines is depreciating and it may be sad to say but fresh graduates in our field may not be competent enough to meet the demands of the university. The university may look to the veterans but it is most likely for them to seek for greater wages or you may not find a lot of experienced IT persons nowadays because most of them already ventured outside the country.
3. LACK OF BACKGROUND ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY
The system that will be developed by the outsourced persons will definitely something concerning the operations involved in the school. And provided the fact that they are outsiders, it is most likely that they will be unfamiliar with these processes and could be the cause of delay or even failure of the project.
Based on our interview and our personal observations in ouyr adopted compnay (PPA Philippine Port Authority) these are the barriers in the implementation of their system.
* Lack of personnel
*Lack or limited funds
*Outsourced system
*Lack of facilities
*Human resistance
*Gradual changes in system demands
I will explain each of them in the following paragraphs.
*Lack of personnel
In order to implement a system, a qualified owrkforce is a requirement. Especially in the hardware part of the system. In implementing it, numerous computer sets will be deployed and configured, a lot of networks will be established and the cables and wires must will be firmly and correctly be connected to their right positions. These steps will consume not only days but even months to ensure that the hardware part of the system is properly functioning. With regards to our adopted company, they extremely lack qualified personnels for this agenda. They only have 3 personnels that could handle advance IT related jobs. This is the reason why their system is not totally self operational. The system still requires them to be on guard on the possible errors and bugs. It took them a couple of months to establish the networks and other hardware requirements and it also took them more months to configure and debug their open source system for the software to adopt to the processes that their office have.
*Lack / limited funds
Their office is run by government funds. This is the sole reason why their funds are very hard to access. A personnel shared during our interview that in order to request even just a new keyboard it will take about a month of waiting. This is because the request will ne passed to numerous hands. First, in the head of their department, second, to the head of their office and third to the main office in Manila were a lot of personalities will eventually need to sign up or approve that request. This problem will eventually slow down the reaction of the system in terms of coorecting necessary bugs and errors. For example, if the system shuts down because of a hardware failure. And if the request for a new hardware will consume a lot of time, the backfire of the system being unoperational for the period of time for waiting for the new hardware will give their office a lot of problems.
*Outsourced System
What do I mean in an outsourced system?
Outsourcing is subcontracting a service such as product design or manufacturing, to a third-party company. 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[citation needed]. Outsourcing became part of the business lexicon during the 1980s. It is essentially a division of labour. Outsourcing in the information technology field has two meanings. One is to commission the development of an application to another organization, usually a company that specializes in the development of this type of application. The other is to hire the services of another company to manage all or parts of the services that otherwise would be rendered by an IT unit of the organization. The latter concept might not include development of new applications.
Why did the company outsourced?
• 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.
Why outsourcing became a problem?
The mere fact that the office lacks in personnel to tend to the different problems that the system may bump into, the system is also an outsourced one making it hard for the personnel to be familiar about the flow of the system in a short span of time. The developers of the system spent time to send an on-call representative to tend to the problem if the system especially on the early days of the implementation but this cannot go on forever. The personnel in-charge in the MIS department must be able to handle the problems because it is their job to do so. And it became a barrier in the implementation because currently the personnel are still studying the flow of the system and are not yet very confident in debugging it.
*Human Resistance
What are the possible reasons of resistance?
Most people don't like change because they don't like being changed. When change comes into view, fear and resistance to change follow – often despite its obvious benefits. People fight against change because they:
• fear to lose something they value, or
• don't understand the change and its implications, or
• don't think that the change makes sense, or
• find it difficult to cope with either the level or pace of the change.
Resistance emerges when there’s a threat to something the individual values. The threat may be real or it may be just a perception. It may arise from a genuine understanding of the change or from misunderstanding, or even almost total ignorance about it.
Why this concept did became a problem in system implementation?
Upon the order of their heads to convert their manual system into an automated one, even the IT personnel in their office have some doubts and resistance. They do not want the new system because they are confident with the old system. They resist the change because they do not want to be ignorant of something. They have some doubts whether the new system could benefit them more or just burden them by trying to learn something that is out of their skills. But they are slowly adopting the system. They are beginning to realize the importance of the system because of the good things that it is slowly becoming visible because of its implementation.
*Lack of Facilities
Like all other offices that are run by the government, their office facilities are very limited. They shared to us that the personnel are the ones coping due to this lack in facilities. They tend to use softwares that require lesser computer specifications. This is because they do not have the option to request for new equipments because they know that it will take a large amount of time to wait for their request to be granted.
*Lack of Trainings
Why training is important?
Having a formal IT training plan in place can be beneficial to the organization and offer benefits to employees that competitors may not offer. Although companies may risk losing employees that have just been trained, the benefit of training these employees far outweighs this risk. When IT staff is involved in a formal training plan, individual’s skill sets improve and they can contribute more to the organization.
Employees that feel that their company is investing in them may feel more job satisfaction and increased loyalty to their organization. The benefit of training employees is mutual and can be realized for quite some time. Organizations can also offer lesser skilled workers formal training in order to benefit from their new skills. This will also allow companies to save money on salaries for higher skilled workers.
Employee Training Programs Have Some Risks
Companies often have trouble finding skilled and trained technology staff and an even harder time retaining those employees. However, while this is an opportunity for most employees, it also presents a risk when so many organizations are competing for skilled workers. These newly trained workers can easily be lured away by other organizations offering more money, benefits, flexibility or just a new work environment.
Another risk to note in providing formal IT training is in making sure organizations get a return on investment for technology expenditures. If a company invests time and money in new technology, that company would certainly need employees with the right skill set to operate the new technology. If technology systems are underutilized because of improper training, the return on investment becomes minimal. Companies not investing in this type of training will not realize that return on investment.
The Importance of IT Training Programs
Employees that feel that their company is investing in them may feel more job satisfaction and increased loyalty to their organization. The benefit of training employees is mutual and can be realized for quite some time. Organizations can also offer lesser skilled workers formal training in order to benefit from their new skills. This will also allow companies to save money on salaries for higher skilled workers.
Employee Training Programs Have Some Risks
Companies often have trouble finding skilled and trained technology staff and an even harder time retaining those employees. However, while this is an opportunity for most employees, it also presents a risk when so many organizations are competing for skilled workers. These newly trained workers can easily be lured away by other organizations offering more money, benefits, flexibility or just a new work environment.
Another risk to note in providing formal IT training is in making sure organizations get a return on investment for technology expenditures. If a company invests time and money in new technology, that company would certainly need employees with the right skill set to operate the new technology. If technology systems are underutilized because of improper training, the return on investment becomes minimal. Companies not investing in this type of training will not realize that return on investment.
Formal IT training programs cannot be ignored because the benefits outweigh the risks. Most employees do want to enhance their skills. If companies offer training, employees may view this as an added benefit from their employer. Organizations that offer formalized training and keep employees’ salaries competitive mitigate the risk of losing employees to other organizations.
LINK: http://job-satisfaction.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_benefits_of_formal_it_training
Why lack of trainings became a barrier?
The old system that our adopted company used is a manual type of system. It does not require the end users to be knowledgeable in using a computer. Upon the implementation of the system, the end-users need to be trained in using the system in a computer. The problem arise because it will definitely take time for the first-timers to learn the basics f computing and to be able to master the basic computing functions will take even more. The longer it the time it takes for the employees to be oriented with basic computer knowledge, the longer it takes for the office to have the optimal performance of the system.
*Gradual change in system demand
As the system is implemented, the change in the demand of the system is still ongoing. This became a barrier because as the demand changes the system must respond to it and if the change in demand is gradual, there will come a point where the system will not be implemented perfectly because it will tend to change over and over depending on the change in demand. That is why it is a good idea to develop a system that is capable to cope on a case to case basis in terms of the situations that may occur in the work area.
If you were hired by the university president as an IT consultant, what would you suggest (technology, infrastructure, innovations, steps, processes, etc) in order for the internet connectivity be improved? (3000words)
If I was hired as the university IT consultant, the first thing that I would do before giving my suggestions is to observe and study the current situation of the university in terms of its budget pertaining to IT-related projects and through these assessments I could come up with more realistic suggestions.
If the university have enough budget for IT-related innovations/upgrades these will be likely my suggestions in terms in:
TECHNOLOGY
In terms of technology, the university is not far behind compared to the private colleges and other universities here in Davao. But if we talk of universities in Asia. We are hundred miles behind from them. I have researched and gathered comparison on the different technologies that our university and other universities outside the Philippines are using.
I have chosen the University of Hong Kong as to where our university will be compared to, not only because the said university is the top university in Asia for 3 years till now, but mainly because the said school boast its technologies as the best not only in Asia but in the world.
Here is the comparison:
UNIVERSITY OF HONGKONG(Computer Centre)
Computers & Connections:
-46 Core 2 Duo (2.66GHz) 3GB PCs with 19" wide screen LCD display panels & DVD +/-R/RW writer drives
-25 Core 2 Duo (2.66GHz) 2GB PCs with 19" LCD wide screen display panels & DVD +/-R/RW writer drives
(one PC for class instructor)
-21 Core 2 Quad (2.33 GHz) 4GB PCs with 19" LCD display panels & DVD+/-R/RW drives
(one PC for class instructor)
-18 ACEnet connection points for connection of notebook computers
-60 Core 2 Quad (2.33 GHz) 4GB PCs with 19" LCD display panels & DVD+/-R/RW drives
-30 Core 2 Duo (2.13GHz) 2GB PCs with 17" LCD display panels & DVD+/-R/RW drives
(one PC for class instructor)
-30 Core 2 Duo (2.13GHz) 2GB PCs with 17" LCD display panels & DVD +/-R/RW writer drives
(one PC for class instructor)
-HKU High Performance Computing Cluster
In the academic and research arena, High Performance Computing (HPC) facilities are heavily used for solving computational problems that are not flexible to be done using conventional computers due to the huge amount of CPU power, memory, network and disk space requirements.
In order to facilitate intensive computations, the Computer Centre has set up a High Performance Computing Cluster, namely hpcpower.hku.hk in October 2003. Another 64-bit Linux cluster, namely hpcpower2.hku.hk is in service to augment the existing 32-bit HPCPOWER cluster system at late 2008.
HKU Grid Facilties
* hpcpower2: 64-bit Linux cluster consists of 24 nodes -
+ each node has TWO 64-bit quad-core Intel Xeon CPUs running at 3GHz
* hpcpower: 32-bit Linux cluster consists of 178 nodes -
+ 128 nodes of dual 2.8 GHz Xeon processors, and
+ 50 nodes of dual 3.06 GHz Xeon processors
* winhpc: first Microsoft Windows based High Performance Computing Cluster in Hong Kong
* condor: Condor pool in PC laboratory
Printers
- 3 networked HP LaserJet 4350 black & white duplex laser-printer (duplex printing by default)
- 1 networked HP LaserJet 4350 black & white duplex laser-printer (single side printing by default)
- 1 networked HP LaserJet 4515x black & white duplex laser-printer (duplex printing by default)
- 1 networked HP LaserJet 5500DTN color single laser-printer
- 1 networked Fuji Xerox black & white laser-printer (single side by default)
- 3 networked HP LaserJet 4350 black & white duplex laser-printer (duplex printing by default)
- 1 networked HP LaserJet 4350 black & white duplex laser-printer (single side printing by default)
- 1 networked HP LaserJet 4515x black & white duplex laser-printer (duplex printing by default)
- 1 networked HP LaserJet 5500DTN color single laser-printer
- 1 networked Fuji Xerox black & white laser-printer (single side by default)
Special Facilities
- Color scanner (in RR-104)
- RealVideo & VCD Production PC (in RR-104)
- DVD Production PC (in RR-104)
- Optical Mark Reading (OMR) Scanner System (in RR-104)
USEP(COMPUTER LABORATORIES)
I have been researching about the facilities that our university have for an hour and I haven't found any page that enumerates and discusses each of them one by one. Because of this, the records below are based on my observations as a current student in the university.
Computers & Connections:
-20 P4 (1.3-1.6 GHz) 256MB-512MB PCs with 15" CRT display monitors about 10 with 15" LCD display panels
-12 AMD Athlon (2.0-2.6 GHz) 512MB-1G PCs with 15" CRT display monitors
-36-64 port switch hub(networking in lab 1)
Printers
-1 Dot Matrix Printer
-1 Laser Printer(Nodal)
Special Facilities
-(none)
INFRASTRUCTURE
We may not know it but IT infrastructure is a very vital point in the success of a business or a program with a direct IT-relation. I have browsed the internet and found these interesting articles about the importance and difficulties in IT infrastructure and based on these I will derive my suggestions pertaining to the IT infrastructure of our university.
Infrastructure: IT's stepchild
By Bart Perkins
September 22, 2008 12:00 PM ET
Computerworld - Every enterprise needs a robust IT infrastructure in order to function effectively. Infrastructure is the foundation of corporate productivity and success. Many IT groups, however, don't have enough skilled infrastructure staffers to provide the solid foundation required. Unfortunately, qualified infrastructure people are hard to find. Here's why:
Applications are more highly valued. Most executives recognize that effective applications offer significant business value. Unfortunately, they usually assume that the underlying infrastructure is easy to construct and maintain. As a result, they often give less attention and recognition to infrastructure. (Even CIOs generally understand applications better than infrastructure.)
Infrastructure is increasingly complex. The infrastructure group now manages a number of new technologies, including virtualization, advanced networking and cloud computing. In addition, infrastructure frequently has primary responsibility for privacy, security and standards. As the biggest energy consumer, infrastructure is also responsible for "green" initiatives, such as cutting IT energy use and complying with hazardous-substances mandates. All the pieces must then be knit together efficiently. As a result, infrastructure jobs require far more technical breadth and depth than ever before.
Infrastructure is becoming more customer-focused. With the advent of software as a service, outsourcing and application software generators, IT needs fewer technical specialists. But infrastructure functions now require high levels of customer contact, because of ITIL v3's focus on customer service. Many technical staffers (often introverted, per the stereotype) are uncomfortable with this requirement.
Compensation is lower. Historically, infrastructure departments offered entry-level IT jobs to individuals without college degrees. HR justified paying them lower salaries by claiming that they had fewer technical skills than their applications counterparts. Even though most low-skill infrastructure jobs have been automated and eliminated, perceptions have been slow to change. Compensation plans have not been adjusted to reflect the higher levels of technical expertise infrastructure now requires.
Infrastructure is a thankless job. Unfortunately, many employees have a very limited understanding of infrastructure. Few people appreciate the difficulty of the preproduction testing or postproduction tuning associated with installing a new system. This lack of understanding often leaves infrastructure staffs feeling undervalued and underappreciated. When the servers are up and the network is functioning, infrastructure availability is taken for granted. But when work stops because an application is unavailable or the network goes down, all fingers point to infrastructure. Infrastructure gets attention only for failures.
Infrastructure education is insufficient. Few U.S. colleges offer IT courses covering infrastructure functions. In addition, most high school and college career counselors advise students that there are more job opportunities in applications than in infrastructure. Moreover, the head of applications is more often promoted to CIO than the head of infrastructure, so the long-term career path is not very appealing. The result is a shortage of qualified people pursuing infrastructure careers.
IT's infrastructure organization requires increasing levels of technical skills to deal with the complex and constantly shifting work environment. But lack of appreciation, lower compensation and a limited career path make it difficult to attract and retain qualified professionals. Infrastructure staffers need to be treated as invaluable employees who are critical to the success of the enterprise, because in today's IT environment, they really, really are.
If I was hired as the university IT consultant, the first thing that I would do before giving my suggestions is to observe and study the current situation of the university in terms of its budget pertaining to IT-related projects and through these assessments I could come up with more realistic suggestions.
If the university have enough budget for IT-related innovations/upgrades these will be likely my suggestions in terms in:
TECHNOLOGY
In terms of technology, the university is not far behind compared to the private colleges and other universities here in Davao. But if we talk of universities in Asia. We are hundred miles behind from them. I have researched and gathered comparison on the different technologies that our university and other universities outside the Philippines are using.
I have chosen the University of Hong Kong as to where our university will be compared to, not only because the said university is the top university in Asia for 3 years till now, but mainly because the said school boast its technologies as the best not only in Asia but in the world.
Here is the comparison:
UNIVERSITY OF HONGKONG(Computer Centre)
Computers & Connections:
-46 Core 2 Duo (2.66GHz) 3GB PCs with 19" wide screen LCD display panels & DVD +/-R/RW writer drives
-25 Core 2 Duo (2.66GHz) 2GB PCs with 19" LCD wide screen display panels & DVD +/-R/RW writer drives
(one PC for class instructor)
-21 Core 2 Quad (2.33 GHz) 4GB PCs with 19" LCD display panels & DVD+/-R/RW drives
(one PC for class instructor)
-18 ACEnet connection points for connection of notebook computers
-60 Core 2 Quad (2.33 GHz) 4GB PCs with 19" LCD display panels & DVD+/-R/RW drives
-30 Core 2 Duo (2.13GHz) 2GB PCs with 17" LCD display panels & DVD+/-R/RW drives
(one PC for class instructor)
-30 Core 2 Duo (2.13GHz) 2GB PCs with 17" LCD display panels & DVD +/-R/RW writer drives
(one PC for class instructor)
-HKU High Performance Computing Cluster
In the academic and research arena, High Performance Computing (HPC) facilities are heavily used for solving computational problems that are not flexible to be done using conventional computers due to the huge amount of CPU power, memory, network and disk space requirements.
In order to facilitate intensive computations, the Computer Centre has set up a High Performance Computing Cluster, namely hpcpower.hku.hk in October 2003. Another 64-bit Linux cluster, namely hpcpower2.hku.hk is in service to augment the existing 32-bit HPCPOWER cluster system at late 2008.
HKU Grid Facilties
* hpcpower2: 64-bit Linux cluster consists of 24 nodes -
+ each node has TWO 64-bit quad-core Intel Xeon CPUs running at 3GHz
* hpcpower: 32-bit Linux cluster consists of 178 nodes -
+ 128 nodes of dual 2.8 GHz Xeon processors, and
+ 50 nodes of dual 3.06 GHz Xeon processors
* winhpc: first Microsoft Windows based High Performance Computing Cluster in Hong Kong
* condor: Condor pool in PC laboratory
Printers
- 3 networked HP LaserJet 4350 black & white duplex laser-printer (duplex printing by default)
- 1 networked HP LaserJet 4350 black & white duplex laser-printer (single side printing by default)
- 1 networked HP LaserJet 4515x black & white duplex laser-printer (duplex printing by default)
- 1 networked HP LaserJet 5500DTN color single laser-printer
- 1 networked Fuji Xerox black & white laser-printer (single side by default)
- 3 networked HP LaserJet 4350 black & white duplex laser-printer (duplex printing by default)
- 1 networked HP LaserJet 4350 black & white duplex laser-printer (single side printing by default)
- 1 networked HP LaserJet 4515x black & white duplex laser-printer (duplex printing by default)
- 1 networked HP LaserJet 5500DTN color single laser-printer
- 1 networked Fuji Xerox black & white laser-printer (single side by default)
Special Facilities
- Color scanner (in RR-104)
- RealVideo & VCD Production PC (in RR-104)
- DVD Production PC (in RR-104)
- Optical Mark Reading (OMR) Scanner System (in RR-104)
USEP(COMPUTER LABORATORIES)
I have been researching about the facilities that our university have for an hour and I haven't found any page that enumerates and discusses each of them one by one. Because of this, the records below are based on my observations as a current student in the university.
Computers & Connections:
-20 P4 (1.3-1.6 GHz) 256MB-512MB PCs with 15" CRT display monitors about 10 with 15" LCD display panels
-12 AMD Athlon (2.0-2.6 GHz) 512MB-1G PCs with 15" CRT display monitors
-36-64 port switch hub(networking in lab 1)
Printers
-1 Dot Matrix Printer
-1 Laser Printer(Nodal)
Special Facilities
-(none)
As you may see for yourselves our university is far behind form the later. This comparison is not meant to criticize our university but to examine on the points that our university failed to examine. If given enough budget I would definitely suggest for a total system upgrade. The processors that the computers in our computer labs have are very out dated. It would be a good thing to at least upgrade all the computers to have Dual Core Processors running with 1G memory. The display monitors can be left as it is. The important thing is that the computing power of the units will be increased so the the students could be more aware and could practice the latest software that is available these days. I would also suggest to have at least 3 more printers. As a student myself, I'm spending a lot of money in printing my proposals and other school-related papers. But if printers are available within the school, it would be very convenient for the students. It could also be a good source of funds for the university. In terms of purchasing special facilities, at this point in time, It would be very unwise for the university to purchase such advance technologies. Not only because they are very expensive, but mainly because as we look to the current course offerings of theuniversity in terms of IT-related courses, these special facilities are not of great relevance.
INFRASTRUCTURE
We may not know it but IT infrastructure is a very vital point in the success of a business or a program with a direct IT-relation. I have browsed the internet and found these interesting articles about the importance and difficulties in IT infrastructure and based on these I will derive my suggestions pertaining to the IT infrastructure of our university.
Infrastructure: IT's stepchild
By Bart Perkins
September 22, 2008 12:00 PM ET
Computerworld - Every enterprise needs a robust IT infrastructure in order to function effectively. Infrastructure is the foundation of corporate productivity and success. Many IT groups, however, don't have enough skilled infrastructure staffers to provide the solid foundation required. Unfortunately, qualified infrastructure people are hard to find. Here's why:
Applications are more highly valued. Most executives recognize that effective applications offer significant business value. Unfortunately, they usually assume that the underlying infrastructure is easy to construct and maintain. As a result, they often give less attention and recognition to infrastructure. (Even CIOs generally understand applications better than infrastructure.)
Infrastructure is increasingly complex. The infrastructure group now manages a number of new technologies, including virtualization, advanced networking and cloud computing. In addition, infrastructure frequently has primary responsibility for privacy, security and standards. As the biggest energy consumer, infrastructure is also responsible for "green" initiatives, such as cutting IT energy use and complying with hazardous-substances mandates. All the pieces must then be knit together efficiently. As a result, infrastructure jobs require far more technical breadth and depth than ever before.
Infrastructure is becoming more customer-focused. With the advent of software as a service, outsourcing and application software generators, IT needs fewer technical specialists. But infrastructure functions now require high levels of customer contact, because of ITIL v3's focus on customer service. Many technical staffers (often introverted, per the stereotype) are uncomfortable with this requirement.
Compensation is lower. Historically, infrastructure departments offered entry-level IT jobs to individuals without college degrees. HR justified paying them lower salaries by claiming that they had fewer technical skills than their applications counterparts. Even though most low-skill infrastructure jobs have been automated and eliminated, perceptions have been slow to change. Compensation plans have not been adjusted to reflect the higher levels of technical expertise infrastructure now requires.
Infrastructure is a thankless job. Unfortunately, many employees have a very limited understanding of infrastructure. Few people appreciate the difficulty of the preproduction testing or postproduction tuning associated with installing a new system. This lack of understanding often leaves infrastructure staffs feeling undervalued and underappreciated. When the servers are up and the network is functioning, infrastructure availability is taken for granted. But when work stops because an application is unavailable or the network goes down, all fingers point to infrastructure. Infrastructure gets attention only for failures.
Infrastructure education is insufficient. Few U.S. colleges offer IT courses covering infrastructure functions. In addition, most high school and college career counselors advise students that there are more job opportunities in applications than in infrastructure. Moreover, the head of applications is more often promoted to CIO than the head of infrastructure, so the long-term career path is not very appealing. The result is a shortage of qualified people pursuing infrastructure careers.
IT's infrastructure organization requires increasing levels of technical skills to deal with the complex and constantly shifting work environment. But lack of appreciation, lower compensation and a limited career path make it difficult to attract and retain qualified professionals. Infrastructure staffers need to be treated as invaluable employees who are critical to the success of the enterprise, because in today's IT environment, they really, really are.
As I read the article above, It is very obvious for a change in IT infrastructure to be very risky. We might be blinded on the positive effects that it may bring to our system but if a couple of mistakes may cause a disaster in the overall operation in the university. The article stated about requiring skilled IT personnel for considering IT infrastructure change. This is very true. And as I observed, our university lack these. We may have the option to hire more skilled IT practitioners but it would only mean more expenses for the university. The best thing to do in my opinion in terms of IT infrastructure in our university is to maintain it. It is not necessary to change it to a more complex one at present. The important thing is it is working without any alarming glitches. Time will come that It is necessary to upgrade or change the present structure, but as I have said today is not that time.
STEPS
*Check your web browser to see if you haven’t made it complicated and difficult for them through different network connections. For that, open up the Internet Explorer and click on “Tools” option at the top left hand. Then select “Internet Options” tab followed by “Connections.” Now click the “LAN settings” button and see if you find any check marks in any of the options listed. If you see any checkmarks, please deselect them. Then click Ok or Apply button.
*If you have come here to find a software or tool to download that will enhance your web speed, consider yourself lucky. Because there is a free tool that you can download from an entrusted source Google; it is called Google Web Accelerator. And it does speed up you surfing speed, making it seem like as if you have made your internet connection faster. It is just another internet speed booster.
*Do some basic maintenance on your PC. Run Disk Defrag, a scan disk, a virus scan, a malware scan, and clear your recycle bin. An unusually slow Internet connection experience is often the only sign that your computer is infected with viruses or other malware. Delete old files and temporary files. Never allow the free space on your C: drive to be less than 10% of the total size or twice the installed RAM (which ever is larger). A well maintained PC will operate much better than a PC that has never had any maintenance. Google or your local computer repair store should be able to help you with this if you don't know how.
*A technical strategy to boost the speed of your internet would be to either rebuild your computer’s Winsock or use Tweaktester. Winsocks or Windows Sockets is what your Windows computer use to control the input and output datas. But they can sometimes be congested ad damaged to some extent by Spywares and softwares. This happens every day using normal usage. So sometimes professionals reset it using Winsock utility softwares to rebuild them. On the other hand, Tweaktester tool works with Recieve Window of your XP operating system. By default Recieve Window is set to a value much too low for today’s modern high-speed Internet demands. So you can change this to a larger number that improves the internet performance. There is also something called OpenDNS that is widely proclaimed as a good internet speed booster
*Reset Your Home Network. Sometimes restarting your home network if you have one will drastically increase the speed of your connection.
*Optimize your cache or temporary Internet files. These files improve your Internet connection performance by not downloading the same file over and over. When a web site puts their logo graphic on every page your computer only downloads it when it changes. If you delete the temporary files it must be downloaded again. if you disable the cache, it must be downloaded every time you view a page that uses it. This can be done by opening Internet Explorer, clicking on "Tools" at the top and choosing "Internet Options". On the General tab, click the "Settings" button next to Temporary Internet Files. Set Check for newer versions to "Automatically". Set amount of disk space to use to 2% of your total disk size or 512 MB, which ever is smaller. On Firefox, click "Tools" then "Options," and go to the privacy tab. Then click on the Cache tab within this.
*Never bypass your router. Most routers include a firewall that is very difficult for hackers to defeat. If you don't need to use Wireless then hook your computer directly to your router. Routers will only slow down your connection by a few Milli-seconds. You won't notice the difference but the hackers will.
*If you are using a Wireless router, make sure it doesn't conflict with a cordless phone or wireless camera. Wireless routers come in two varieties; 802.11bg (2.4Ghz) or 802.11a (5.8Ghz) If you are using a 2.4Ghz Cordless phone and 2.4Ghz Wireless router then your Internet connection speed will slow while you use the cordless phone. The same is true of wireless security cameras. Check on your phone and camera, if it's 900Mhz then it's fine. If it says 2.4Ghz or 5.8Ghz then it could be the cause of your slow connection speed while they're in use.
*Call your Internet service provider (ISP). Sometimes you just have bad service. They can usually tell if your connection is substandard without having a technician come to your home. Just be nice and ask.
*Upgrade your computer. If your computer is slow, it doesn't matter how fast your Internet connection is, the whole thing will just seem slow. You can only access the Internet as fast as your PC will allow you to.
*Replace your old cable modem. Any solid-state electronics will degrade over time due to accumulated heat damage. Your broadband modem will have a harder and harder time 'concentrating' on maintaining a good connection as it gets older (signal to noise ratios will go down, and the number of resend requests for the same packet will go up). An after-market cable modem as opposed to a cable-company modem will frequently offer a better connection.
*Often your connection speed is slow because other programs are using it. To test if other programs are accessing the Internet without your knowing, Click Start, Click Run. Type "cmd" (without quotes). Type "netstat -b 5 > activity.txt". After a minute or so, hold down Ctrl and press C. This has created a file with a list of all programs using your Internet connection. Type activity.txt to open the file and view the program list. Ctrl Alt Delete and open up the Task Manager. Go to the process menu and delete those processes that are stealing your valuable bandwidth. (NOTE: Deleting processes may cause certain programs to not function properly)
*Call your ISP and have them verify all of your TCP/IP settings if you are concerned. Ask them to verify that your Proxy settings are correct.
* Don't expect dial up or high speed lite service to be fast. The Internet is primarily geared towards Broadband Connections. Sometimes, you have to wait a little.
*One thing you have to realize that everything has a limit, including the limited speed of your internet connection provided by your ISP (internet service provider). So we can not surpass the speed that you internet connection originally comes with it, what we can do is reach the fastest speed that is available through your ISP. Dial up (old fashioned) phone internet connection is very slow, Broadband high speed is bit faster and the fastest internet connection is provided by Cable Internet Providers, because they don’t use the phone line. So remember we are only trying to reach the top potential speed that is possible.
* Download programs that make browsing faster:
- Loband.org is a browser inside of a browser that loads web pages without the images.
- Firefox and Opera both have options to disable images.
- In Firefox, you can also use extensions such as NoScript that let you block scripts and plug-ins that would otherwise slow things down a lot.
- If you are using Internet Explorer or Firefox, try downloading Google Web Accelerator. It is meant to speed up broadband connections, but it can also slow your Internet connection. Try enabling it and disabling it and see when your Internet connection runs faster.
- If you are using Firefox, download the Fasterfox extension and Firetune.
- Reduce the amount of programs running that use your Internet connection (Instant Messengers, RSS Feeders, and MS Applications set to send Internet data)
- Google Accessible Is designed to search pages in order of how clean they are of junk. This will bring up pages that are usually not only easy to read, but are quick to load.
* Upgrade your RAM. This will not only improve your regular computer use, but it will affect the speed of your Internet connection because your computer works faster.
* Use the Stop button to stop loading pages once you've gotten what you want.
* Some times malware on your computer can eat up your bandwidth. Make sure you have an up-to-date malware protection program.
* Most Internet Providers have flaky DNS servers (no citation necessary, it's a given) - so, instead of using those provided by your ISP, switch your DNS servers to use those of OpenDNS. OpenDNS is far faster, and more reliable, simply using 208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220 as your domain name servers will speed up most flaky DNS problems (may even speed up your networking since OpenDNS has large caches).
* Look into running your own local DNS server on your network. Some newer routers may include their own nameserver, otherwise, check into AnalogX.com's DNSCache program, it works great to hold commonly accessed domain names in the "cache" so that the IP addresses do not have to be looked up everytime you navigate to a new page.
*Last and most important, if your internet connection has gotten slower all of a sudden it could be due to malicious adware spware virus softwares running in your computer without your knowledge. There are lot of free anti virus scanning softwares on the web but they will charge you to repair or delete these viruses after they find them for you. So it is a better idea to buy a software to start with because the free or trial ones doesn’t work all the way. Also consider installing virus protecting softwares and leave it on all the time.
STEPS
*Check your web browser to see if you haven’t made it complicated and difficult for them through different network connections. For that, open up the Internet Explorer and click on “Tools” option at the top left hand. Then select “Internet Options” tab followed by “Connections.” Now click the “LAN settings” button and see if you find any check marks in any of the options listed. If you see any checkmarks, please deselect them. Then click Ok or Apply button.
*If you have come here to find a software or tool to download that will enhance your web speed, consider yourself lucky. Because there is a free tool that you can download from an entrusted source Google; it is called Google Web Accelerator. And it does speed up you surfing speed, making it seem like as if you have made your internet connection faster. It is just another internet speed booster.
*Do some basic maintenance on your PC. Run Disk Defrag, a scan disk, a virus scan, a malware scan, and clear your recycle bin. An unusually slow Internet connection experience is often the only sign that your computer is infected with viruses or other malware. Delete old files and temporary files. Never allow the free space on your C: drive to be less than 10% of the total size or twice the installed RAM (which ever is larger). A well maintained PC will operate much better than a PC that has never had any maintenance. Google or your local computer repair store should be able to help you with this if you don't know how.
*A technical strategy to boost the speed of your internet would be to either rebuild your computer’s Winsock or use Tweaktester. Winsocks or Windows Sockets is what your Windows computer use to control the input and output datas. But they can sometimes be congested ad damaged to some extent by Spywares and softwares. This happens every day using normal usage. So sometimes professionals reset it using Winsock utility softwares to rebuild them. On the other hand, Tweaktester tool works with Recieve Window of your XP operating system. By default Recieve Window is set to a value much too low for today’s modern high-speed Internet demands. So you can change this to a larger number that improves the internet performance. There is also something called OpenDNS that is widely proclaimed as a good internet speed booster
*Reset Your Home Network. Sometimes restarting your home network if you have one will drastically increase the speed of your connection.
*Optimize your cache or temporary Internet files. These files improve your Internet connection performance by not downloading the same file over and over. When a web site puts their logo graphic on every page your computer only downloads it when it changes. If you delete the temporary files it must be downloaded again. if you disable the cache, it must be downloaded every time you view a page that uses it. This can be done by opening Internet Explorer, clicking on "Tools" at the top and choosing "Internet Options". On the General tab, click the "Settings" button next to Temporary Internet Files. Set Check for newer versions to "Automatically". Set amount of disk space to use to 2% of your total disk size or 512 MB, which ever is smaller. On Firefox, click "Tools" then "Options," and go to the privacy tab. Then click on the Cache tab within this.
*Never bypass your router. Most routers include a firewall that is very difficult for hackers to defeat. If you don't need to use Wireless then hook your computer directly to your router. Routers will only slow down your connection by a few Milli-seconds. You won't notice the difference but the hackers will.
*If you are using a Wireless router, make sure it doesn't conflict with a cordless phone or wireless camera. Wireless routers come in two varieties; 802.11bg (2.4Ghz) or 802.11a (5.8Ghz) If you are using a 2.4Ghz Cordless phone and 2.4Ghz Wireless router then your Internet connection speed will slow while you use the cordless phone. The same is true of wireless security cameras. Check on your phone and camera, if it's 900Mhz then it's fine. If it says 2.4Ghz or 5.8Ghz then it could be the cause of your slow connection speed while they're in use.
*Call your Internet service provider (ISP). Sometimes you just have bad service. They can usually tell if your connection is substandard without having a technician come to your home. Just be nice and ask.
*Upgrade your computer. If your computer is slow, it doesn't matter how fast your Internet connection is, the whole thing will just seem slow. You can only access the Internet as fast as your PC will allow you to.
*Replace your old cable modem. Any solid-state electronics will degrade over time due to accumulated heat damage. Your broadband modem will have a harder and harder time 'concentrating' on maintaining a good connection as it gets older (signal to noise ratios will go down, and the number of resend requests for the same packet will go up). An after-market cable modem as opposed to a cable-company modem will frequently offer a better connection.
*Often your connection speed is slow because other programs are using it. To test if other programs are accessing the Internet without your knowing, Click Start, Click Run. Type "cmd" (without quotes). Type "netstat -b 5 > activity.txt". After a minute or so, hold down Ctrl and press C. This has created a file with a list of all programs using your Internet connection. Type activity.txt to open the file and view the program list. Ctrl Alt Delete and open up the Task Manager. Go to the process menu and delete those processes that are stealing your valuable bandwidth. (NOTE: Deleting processes may cause certain programs to not function properly)
*Call your ISP and have them verify all of your TCP/IP settings if you are concerned. Ask them to verify that your Proxy settings are correct.
* Don't expect dial up or high speed lite service to be fast. The Internet is primarily geared towards Broadband Connections. Sometimes, you have to wait a little.
*One thing you have to realize that everything has a limit, including the limited speed of your internet connection provided by your ISP (internet service provider). So we can not surpass the speed that you internet connection originally comes with it, what we can do is reach the fastest speed that is available through your ISP. Dial up (old fashioned) phone internet connection is very slow, Broadband high speed is bit faster and the fastest internet connection is provided by Cable Internet Providers, because they don’t use the phone line. So remember we are only trying to reach the top potential speed that is possible.
* Download programs that make browsing faster:
- Loband.org is a browser inside of a browser that loads web pages without the images.
- Firefox and Opera both have options to disable images.
- In Firefox, you can also use extensions such as NoScript that let you block scripts and plug-ins that would otherwise slow things down a lot.
- If you are using Internet Explorer or Firefox, try downloading Google Web Accelerator. It is meant to speed up broadband connections, but it can also slow your Internet connection. Try enabling it and disabling it and see when your Internet connection runs faster.
- If you are using Firefox, download the Fasterfox extension and Firetune.
- Reduce the amount of programs running that use your Internet connection (Instant Messengers, RSS Feeders, and MS Applications set to send Internet data)
- Google Accessible Is designed to search pages in order of how clean they are of junk. This will bring up pages that are usually not only easy to read, but are quick to load.
* Upgrade your RAM. This will not only improve your regular computer use, but it will affect the speed of your Internet connection because your computer works faster.
* Use the Stop button to stop loading pages once you've gotten what you want.
* Some times malware on your computer can eat up your bandwidth. Make sure you have an up-to-date malware protection program.
* Most Internet Providers have flaky DNS servers (no citation necessary, it's a given) - so, instead of using those provided by your ISP, switch your DNS servers to use those of OpenDNS. OpenDNS is far faster, and more reliable, simply using 208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220 as your domain name servers will speed up most flaky DNS problems (may even speed up your networking since OpenDNS has large caches).
* Look into running your own local DNS server on your network. Some newer routers may include their own nameserver, otherwise, check into AnalogX.com's DNSCache program, it works great to hold commonly accessed domain names in the "cache" so that the IP addresses do not have to be looked up everytime you navigate to a new page.
*Last and most important, if your internet connection has gotten slower all of a sudden it could be due to malicious adware spware virus softwares running in your computer without your knowledge. There are lot of free anti virus scanning softwares on the web but they will charge you to repair or delete these viruses after they find them for you. So it is a better idea to buy a software to start with because the free or trial ones doesn’t work all the way. Also consider installing virus protecting softwares and leave it on all the time.
Moreover, the most common reason why internet speed slows down is a trojan attack that is why it is very advisable to have a good anti virus. As I have observed the antivirus programs that our university is using are only demo versions or for home use only. We must put into consideration the positive effects that having a good antivirus may bring to the security of the university's computers and files. I personally suggest these applications:
"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. 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. 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. "
Author: Armstrong, Michael (2006). A Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice
The statement above states what human resource is though on a more general point of view. The difference also between the two terms was clearly stated. Here one can derive the idea that HRM/ personnel management is not only a business practice but also an academic theory that is widely used in a community to establish and manage a workforce or human resource.
“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.”
Source: (Carter McNamara, MBA, Phd)
This definition describes the functions of human resource management which would benefit the whole organization as well as the people working in it. It also states that all the employees in an organization should be aware of all the benefits, regulations or policies, and activities so that they can also return them a favor and be the best employee that they could never have.
"Human Resource Management (HRM) is the function within an organization that focuses on recruitment of, management of, and providing direction for the people who work in the organization."
The definition stated above on Human Resource Management (HRM) is brief yet not concise. She failed to elaborate most of the important functions of HRM. The definition is just an overview of the role of HRM which is to get human resource for the company or organization.
“Human Resource Management (HRM) is a management approach that enhances your organisation's performance by optimising your employee's opportunities to be effective and productive. HRM activities include: planning, recruitment and selection, training, performance appraisal and remuneration. “
One of the major goals of the human resource management is to effectively make use of the talents and abilities of employees. It also includes the enhancing of one’s capabilities which are related to the implementation of strategies directed towards creating and sustaining competitive advantage. Thus, the human resource management enhances organizational performance by improving employee's opportunities to be effective and productive.
"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 resource management."
In the statement above, it was mentioned that the terms human resource and personnel management are the same and thus can be used interchangeably. As defined above, in handling the affairs the needs of a company on its human resource and in facing the needs of the human resource itself it is called as human resource management.
“Human Resource Management (HRM) is the function within an organization that focuses on recruitment of, management of, and providing direction for the people who work in the organization. Human Resource Management is the organizational function that deals with issues related to people such as compensation, hiring, performance management, organization development, safety, wellness, benefits, employee motivation, communication, administration, and training.”
Amongst all the definitions that I have gathered, I think that the statement above clearly states what human resource management really is. As the main core of the organization that deals with hiring and firing the people working in it and also dealing with the benefits and compensations he/she would acquire in accomplishing his/her assignments. Yet it doesn’t just stop in the organization but also through the day of their separation.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)