...OCR Cambridge TECHNICALS Unit 1 Communication and Employment Skills Copyright Notice All material is Copyright ICT Interactive unless otherw ise stated. Each w orksheet can be photocopied w ithin the purchasing institute as long as they remain at the institute w hich made the initial purchase. No f orm of this resource can be transmitted electronically, digitally, mechanically, paper based, or otherw ise outside the purchasing institute w ithout prior permission of the publisher or author. Microsof t Window s, Window s NT, Vista, XP, Seven/Eight, Off ice 2003, Off ice 2007/2010 and/or other Microsof t's products ref erenced are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsof t. Macromedia/Adobe and/or other such Adobe products ref erenced are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Adobe. Dis claimer This resource has been created f or educational purposes only. The publisher or author has tried their very best to ensure that the resource pack is accurate and up -to-date. How ever, the publisher or author takes no responsibility if any of the inf or mation content is inaccurate or incorrect that may contradict or mislead in anyw ay at the time w hen the resource w as published. The publisher and author specif ically disclaim any responsibility f or any liability, loss, or risk, personal or otherw ise, w hich is incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents of this resource. For purposes...
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...EBJ 16.4 3rd 10/1/05 11:43 am Page 133 133 EUROPEAN BUSINESS JOURNAL The modern roots of strategic management Susan Segal-Horn The term ‘strategy’ is one of the most over-used, and poorly understood, terms in modern business and organisational life. The purpose of this article is to help practising managers understand better what strategy is about, how it has developed in the second half of the twentieth century from much earlier influences and the key contributions made by business schools, academics and consultants to the modern managerial practice of strategy. Strategic management has moved from a rational top-down planning approach, to strategic decision-making as a wider process involving all internal organisational stakeholders to ensure strategies are likely to be effectively implemented in practice. The recent rise of the resource-based approach to strategy helps us understand how two organisations with similar resources may nevertheless develop quite different levels of capability and performance. This article should help managers appreciate why no source of competitive advantage is likely to be sustainable over the longer-term. Introduction Susan Segal-Horn, Professor of International Strategy, Open University Business School This article is based on a revised version of the Introduction to S. Segal-Horn (ed.) The Strategy Reader (2004) 2nd edition, published by Blackwell Publishers, Oxford. Address for correspondence:...
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...INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COMPUTERS Issue 4, Volume 6, 2012 Strategic and tactical success factors in ERP system implementation K. Curko1, D. Stepanic2, M. Varga3 Abstract— In order to successfully implement an ERP system it is necessary to properly balance critical success factors. By researching what the critical success factors in ERP implementation are, why they are critical, and to what extent they are relevant to users, consultants and suppliers, this paper seeks to identify critical success factors in ERP implementation and to understand the impact of each factor on the success of ERP system introduction. This paper lists ten critical success factors (CSF) providing two points of view: strategic and tactical. These are: top management support, a business plan and vision, top management support, change management program, project management, implementation strategies, project team, business process modeling and minimal customizations, monitoring and performance evaluation, software development, testing and troubleshooting, legacy systems. Keywords— ERP implementation, critical success factors, IT project, management I. INTRODUCTION Complex IT projects, such as developing and especially implementing ERP systems often fail. Many studies indicate a small success rate in terms of exceeding the time limit, budget and poor functionality of the new system. Successful ERP projects bring great benefits to the company, but can also be devastating to organizations...
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...Cambridge Five Creation and Operations Introduction “Cambridge Five” or “Magnificent Five” is the name given to a group of five young men whom all graduated from Cambridge University. They betrayed their country by spying for the Soviet Union and passing them secret information. They were probably the most successful Soviet spies to penetrate the western intelligence. Their actions allow the Soviet Union to get access to vital intelligence and created rift between the British and the Americans. This essay will look at the background of each member and how they joined the Soviet intelligence services, their operations and its impact in the world of espionage. In addition, this essay will evaluate the significance of each individual’s actions and how it affected intelligence services. Origin of Cambridge Five Cambridge Five refers to a spy ring which the members were all part of Cambridge University. It is unclear there were more than five men, regardless the five individuals are Guy Burgess, Donald Maclean, Kim Philby, Anthony Blunt and John Cairncross. They all attended Cambridge University between 1926 and 1934 studying in different disciplines with a strong belief in Communism. They were all good friends with each other with the exception of Cairncross who was never really part of the circle. The first of the Cambridge Five group and probably the most famous was Harold Adrian Russell Philby, also known as Kim codenamed Sohnchen, then Tom and Stanley. He was born...
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...Organization Abstract In this paper we investigate how expatriates contribute to the transnational firm’s strategic objectives of global efficiency, national (‘local’) responsiveness, and worldwide learning. We focus on their knowledge applications and experiential learning, two assignment-based outcomes of potential strategic value to the firm. We assess how these outcomes are impacted by the expatriate’s everyday knowledge access and communication activities, measured by their frequency and geographic extent. Within our case organization, a prototype transnational firm, we find that the expatriates’ knowledge applications result from their frequent knowledge access and communication with the corporate headquarters and other global units of the firm. In contrast, their experiential learning derives from a frequent access to host country (local) knowledge that is subsequently adapted to the global corporate context. From a practical perspective we view the knowledge gained through experiential learning as an invaluable resource for both present and future corporate assignments. 1 In their analysis of global business strategy and organizational design, Bartlett and Ghoshal (1988, 1989)...
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...Islamic unit trust companies in Malaysia Norma Md. Saad, M. Shabri Abd. Majid, Salina Kassim, Zarinah Hamid and Rosylin Mohd. Yusof Department of Economics, Kulliyyah of Economics and Management Sciences, International Islamic University Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the efficiency of selected conventional and Islamic unit trust companies in Malaysia during the period 2002 to 2005. Design/methodology/approach – The paper adopts Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to investigate efficiency, as measured by the Malmquist index, which is decomposed into two components: efficiency change and technical change indexes. Findings – The study indicates that technical efficiency is the main contributor to enhancing the efficiency of the Malaysian unit trust industry. In addition, the larger the size of the unit trust companies, the more inefficient the performance. In comparing the efficiency of unit trust companies, the study finds that some of the Islamic unit trust companies perform better than their conventional counterparts. Research limitations/implications – The study is limited to five Islamic unit trust companies. Thus, the findings of this study are indicative, but inconclusive for the unit trust industry as a whole. Practical implications – The results have two important implications for both conventional and Islamic unit trust companies in Malaysia. First, the deterioration of total factor productivity (TFP) in the unit trust...
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...Available online at www.sciencedirect.com International Journal of Project Management 26 (2008) 38–43 www.elsevier.com/locate/ijproman Organisational project management: An historical approach to the study of PMOs Monique Aubry *, Brian Hobbs 1, Denis Thuillier Received 3 August 2007; accepted 9 August 2007 2 ` ´ ´ ´ Universite du Quebec a Montreal Business School, Department of Management and Technology, Montreal (Quebec), Canada, H3C 3P8 Abstract This paper aims at providing a grounded theoretical foundation on which to base a better understanding of organisational project management. This paper delivers empirical evidence that project management offices (PMOs) and organisational project management can be understood as part of an historical process within an organisational context, departing from the traditional boundaries of positivist project management theory. The history of PMOs in four organisations is documented and analysed. The evolution of the organisations and their PMOs is punctuated with events, tensions and changes. An historical process provides a better basis for the development of a theory on PMOs and more globally on organisational project management. Ó 2007 Elsevier Ltd and IPMA. All rights reserved. Keywords: PMO; Organisational project management; History; Process approach 1. Introduction Rethinking project management! This paper is aligned with the present vitality found in the movement to rethink the field of project management [1]. The...
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...for a) Stimulus b) Situations c) Style d) Status 3) According to B J Kolasa, ____________ are processed at our _______________ and converted to appropriate responses a) Food products, stomach b) Acids, intestines c) Stimuli, brain d) None of the above 4) Basis of human behavior is motivation. a) True b) False 5) The _____________________________ defines heredity as ‘the process by which characteristics are given from a parent to a child through the genes.’ a) Oxford Dictionary b) Harvard texts c) Cambridge International Dictionary d) Webster’s Dictionary CHAPTER 2 6) _______________________ is defined as an interdisciplinary behavioral science, studying phenomenon related to dynamics of an organization and their various human science. a) Human psychology b) Organisation behavior c) Human relations d) Organisation dynamics 7) An organization as a unit consists of social, technical and economic sub-units which co-ordinate human and material resources to achieve its goals. a) Yes b) No 8) _______________________ is another term used to denote Organisation behavior. a) Behavior science b) Circumstantial response c) Human relations d) Social responsibility 9) “Human relations is a systematic, developing body of knowledge devoted to explaining the behavior of individuals in an organization.”--- ???? a) Paul Heckman b) S G Huneryager and I.L Heckmann c) Keith Davis d) Gunther Horbes 10) Fred Luthans describes...
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...Chapter 2 An Overview of Formal Methods Tools and Techniques The goal of this chapter is to give an overview of the different approaches and tools pertaining to formal methods. We do not attempt to be exhaustive, but focus instead on the main approaches. After reading the chapter the reader will be familiar with the terminology of the area, as well as with the most important concepts and techniques. Moreover the chapter will allow the reader to contextualise and put into perspective the topics that are covered in detail in the book. Why do we need an overview of formal methods? Why not just study one rigorous method for software development? This is a very pertinent and legitimate question. The behavioural essence of software is not captured by a unique unified mathematical theory. Such a general foundation is unlikely to exist. Think for instance about the diversity of programming language paradigms and theories, and the resulting jungle of existing computer programming languages. Is there a definite paradigm (or, even, language) that makes obsolete all the other ones? Clearly not. Different languages will be chosen by different people to solve the same problem, and someone may well use different languages to solve different problems. Similarly, depending on the goals of the software designers and of the verification process, one may prefer a theory over another one, and even use more than one theory (and related formal methods techniques and tools), in the context of the development...
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...Analyzing Due Process in the Workplace ELIHU M. GERSON AND SUSAN LEIGH STAR Tremont Research Institute Every office is an open system, and the products of office work are the result of decentralized negotiations. Changing patterns of task organization and alliance inevitably give rise to inconsistent knowledge bases and procedures. This implies that there are no globally correct answers to problems addressed by OIL%. Rather, systems must deal with multiple competing, possibly irreconcilable, solutions. Articulating alternative solutions is the problem of due process. This problem and its consequences are illustrated by a case study of a rate-setting group in a large health insurance firm. There is no formal solution to the problem of due process. But it must be solved in practice if distributed intelligent 01% are to be developed. We propose an alternative approach based on the work of social scientists concerned with analyzing analogous problems in human organization. Solution of the due process problem hinges on developing local closures to the problem faced by an organization. This means analyzing (a) local, tacit knowledge and its transfer ability; (b) articulation work, that is, reconciling incommensurate assumptions and procedures. Categories and Subject Descriptors: H.l.l [Models and Principles]: Systems and Information Theory; 1.2.0 [Artificial Intelligence]: General; 1.2.4 [Artificial Intelligence]: Knowledge Rep- resentation Formalisms...
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...Int. J. Technological Learning, Innovation and Development, Vol. 2, Nos. 1/2, 2009 7 Globalisation of the automotive industry: main features and trends Timothy J. Sturgeon Industrial Performance Center (IPC), MIT, 292 Main Street (E38-104), Cambridge, MA 02139, USA E-mail: sturgeon@mit.edu Olga Memedovic* United Nations Industrial Development Organization, Vienna International Centre, A-1440 Vienna, Austria E-mail: O.Memedovic@unido.org *Corresponding Author Johannes Van Biesebroeck Department of Economics, University of Toronto, 150 St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G7,Canada E-mail: jovb@chass.utoronto.ca Gary Gereffi Department of Sociology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708-0088, USA E-mail: ggere@soc.duke.edu Abstract: This paper lays out the main features of the global automotive industry and identifies several important trends. A boom in developing country sales and production has not yet overshadowed the importance of existing markets in developed regions. Regional integration is very strong at an operational level, yet the industry has recently developed a set of global-scale value chain linkages, and retains national and local elements as well. The paper highlights how global, regional, national and local value chains are nested to create a pattern of global integration that is distinctive to the industry. We use global value chain analysis to help explain the limits of build-to-order in the industry, the role of regional and global suppliers...
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...Int. J. Technological Learning, Innovation and Development, Vol. 2, Nos. 1/2, 2009 7 Globalisation of the automotive industry: main features and trends Timothy J. Sturgeon Industrial Performance Center (IPC), MIT, 292 Main Street (E38-104), Cambridge, MA 02139, USA E-mail: sturgeon@mit.edu Olga Memedovic* United Nations Industrial Development Organization, Vienna International Centre, A-1440 Vienna, Austria E-mail: O.Memedovic@unido.org *Corresponding Author Johannes Van Biesebroeck Department of Economics, University of Toronto, 150 St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G7,Canada E-mail: jovb@chass.utoronto.ca Gary Gereffi Department of Sociology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708-0088, USA E-mail: ggere@soc.duke.edu Abstract: This paper lays out the main features of the global automotive industry and identifies several important trends. A boom in developing country sales and production has not yet overshadowed the importance of existing markets in developed regions. Regional integration is very strong at an operational level, yet the industry has recently developed a set of global-scale value chain linkages, and retains national and local elements as well. The paper highlights how global, regional, national and local value chains are nested to create a pattern of global integration that is distinctive to the industry. We use global value chain analysis to help explain the limits of build-to-order in the industry, the role of regional and global suppliers...
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...Eastern Asian Enterprise Structures and tlie Comparative Analysis of Forms of Business Organization Richard D. Whitley Abstract Richard D. Whitley Manchester Business School, Manchester, U.K. The economic success of different forms of business organization in East Asian countries emphasizes the variety of viable enterprise structures and suggests the need for a comparative analysis of how they develop and operate in different societal contexts. Major differences between East Asian business 'recipes' include the range of activities that are authoritatively coordinated, their pattems of development, the ways in which they are organized and controlled and the organization of inter enterprise relations. These differences suggest eight major dimensions on which dominant enterprise structures in different societies can be compared and how their development can be linked to major social institutions. Introduction Organization Studies 1990,11/1:047-074 © 1990 EGOS 0170-8406/90 0011-0003 $1.00 The economic success of Japanese firms over the past 40 years has emphasized the viability of alternatives to United States management structures and practices, as well as highlighting the limited generality of the business strategy-structure relationships identified by Chandler (Alford 1976; Kagono et al. 1985: 99-110; Maurice et al. 1986). Whereas it may have seemed reasonable in the 1960s and 1970s to regard Japanese organizational practices and forms as temporary stepping stones...
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... Contents RATIONALE.....................................................................................................................................................1 AIMS ..................................................................................................................................................................1 SKILLS AND ABILITIES TO BE ASSESSED ...............................................................................................2 PRE-REQUISITES OF THE SYLLABUS .......................................................................................................5 STRUCTURE OF THE SYLLABUS ..............................................................................................................5 UNIT 1 : BIOMOLECULES, REPRODUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT MODULE 1 : CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY ...........................................................7 MODULE 2 : GENETICS, VARIATION AND NATURAL SELECTION ....................... 12 MODULE 3 : REPRODUCTIVE...
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...Natives of the Cloud Michael Dimas April 25, 2013 Natives of the Cloud For digital natives technology exists at the core of daily life; therefore, technology coexists for core use in the educational system. By the integration of 21st century technologies into the classrooms and daily curricula and with the enhancement of the traditional instructional methods electronically, the concept of the virtual smart-classroom is the new educational model for stimulating the learning environment. "The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew. We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country.” Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865). Technology in the classroom has changed the appearance of traditional education. The benefits of various educational technologies have enhanced the quality of students’ learning and achievements. Teachers have learned how to integrate a multitude of different technologies into the smart and virtual classrooms. The relationship between students and instructors is more dynamic as the digital natives become more interested in learning with technology. A survey indicated that in late 1996, about 65% of the United States educators had access to the Internet at their school, and 14% had Internet access in their classroom (Heaviside, 1997). In addition, more than...
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