Bombardier Aerospace Essay Example for Free

Bombardier Aerospace Essay After acquiring a few companies, Bombardier Aerospace was now faced with the challenge of how to align the operations of these companies who all had different sets of data, processes and systems. Major areas of concern were process delays, low inventory turn, inconsistent pricing and billing of materials among others. Bombardier introduced the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) into its aerospace division with a vision to achieve higher efficiency in manufacturing and also to significantly save cost. To assess the performance of this IT project, Bombardier Aerospace needs to consider the following six variables which are interdependent as far as success or failure is concerned. System Quality examines the desirable characteristics of an information system. These may include ease of use, system flexibility, system variability and ease of learning. If we take a look at the first phase of the project which was carried out at the Mirabel Plant, we realize that this element of system quality is not very solid. There were complaints from users with regards to the IT system. Problems were encountered after the Go Live and as a result, several users were still using legacy systems for some aspects of their work. In the second phase at the Saint-Laurent plant, we realize that after robust measures were put in place, they achieved data accuracy of 97 percent. The second variable to consider is Information Quality. This examines the desirable qualities of the system output such as its relevance, understandability, currency, timeliness and usability. The methods employees encountered delays in modifying bills of materials. Also, it took some time before they could understand what information the newly formed Master Data group required of them. This tells us that Information Quality was poor in the first phase of ERP implementation. As far as the Use of the IT project is concerned, Bombardier Aerospace needs to look at the degree and manner in which staff and users utilize the capabilities of the system. For instance, the amount of use, frequency of use, appropriateness of use or the purpose of the use. In the phase two, most users of the new system reacted positively to it but the project at the Mirabel plant was quite different. Sourcing agents could not approve a purchase order for a part if its contract did not contain a price or if the current price was different from that stated in the contract. This was a flaw in the system as far as its use was concerned. Another way to assess the IT project’s success or failure is by measuring the User Satisfaction. Not until after about one year after Go live, user satisfaction at the Mirabel plant was not good enough. Users from various functions complained about significant delays in getting answers to their queries. At the Saint-Laurent plant on the hand, most users felt that the new system made their job easier. The ERP implementation had different impacts on individuals. Employees in finance at the Mirabel plant were frustrated by the system. They had to make manual corrections to the general ledger if materials were issued incorrectly. At the Mirabel plant, the majority of users thought that the new system had impacted them positively. They thought that their inputs were taken into consideration and they virtually used the system in all instances. In terms of organizational impact, we are able to tell from the case that the project was a successful one. One of the primary goals of implementing this system was improve visibility and reduce the value of inventory held by Bombardier Aerospace. The BMIS contributed to reducing inventories by $1.2 billion in just less than a year after Go Live. Also Procurement became more efficient and integrated due to the implementation.

Welsh childhood Essay Example for Free

Welsh childhood Essay Dylan Marlais Thomas was born in the Welsh seaport of Swansea, Carmarthenshire, Wales, on October 27, 1914. His father, David John, was an English teacher and a would-be poet from whom Dylan inherited his intellectual and literary abilities. From his mother, Florence, a simple and religious woman, Dylan inherited his mood, temperament, and respect for his Celtic heritage. He had one older sister, Nancy. He attended the Swansea Grammar School, where he received all of his formal education. As a student he made contributions to the school magazine and was keenly interested in local folklore (stories passed down within a culture). He said that as a boy he was small, thin, indecisively active, quick to get dirty, curly. During these early school years, Thomas befriended Daniel Jones, another local schoolboy. The two would write hundreds of poems together, and as adults Jones would edit a collection of Thomass poetry. After leaving school, Thomas supported himself as an actor, reporter, reviewer, scriptwriter, and with various odd jobs. When he was twenty-two years old, he married Caitlin Macnamara, by whom he had two sons, Llewelyn and Colm, and a daughter, Aeron. After his marriage, Thomas moved to the fishing village of Laugharne, Carmarthenshire. Begins writing career To support his growing family, Thomas was forced to write radio scripts for the Ministry of Information (Great Britains information services) and documentaries for the British government. He also served as an aircraft gunner during World War II (1939–45; a war fought between Germany, Japan, and Italy, the Axis powers; and England, France, the Soviet Union, and the United States, the Allies). After the war he became a commentator on poetry for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). In 1950 Thomas made the first of three lecture tours through the Reproduced by permission of AP/Wide World Photos . United States—the others were in 1952 and 1953—in which he gave more than one hundred poetry readings. In these appearances he half recited, half sang the lines in his Welsh singing voice. Thomass poetic output was not large. He wrote only six poems in the last six years of his life. A grueling lecture schedule greatly slowed his literary output in these years. His belief that he would die young led him to create instant Dylan—the persona of the wild young Welsh bard, damned by drink and women, that he believed his public wanted. When he was thirty-five years old, he described himself as old, small, dark, intelligent, and darting-doting-dotting eyed †¦ balding and toothlessing. During Thomass visit to the United States in 1953, he was scheduled to read his own and other poetry in some forty university towns throughout the country. He also intended to work on the libretto (text) of an opera for Igor Stravinsky (1882–1971) in the latters California home. Thomas celebrated his thirty-ninth birthday in New York City in a mood of gay exhilaration, following the extraordinary success of his just-published Collected Poems. The festivities ended in his collapse and illness. On November 9, 1953, he died in St. Vincents Hospital in New York City. Some reports attribute his death to pneumonia brought on by alcoholism, others to encephalopathy, a brain disease. His body was returned to Laugharne, Wales, for burial. Literary works Thomas published his first book of poetry, Eighteen Poems (1934), when he was not yet twenty years old. The reeling excitement of a poetry-intoxicated schoolboy smote the Philistine as hard a blow with one small book as Swinburne had with Poems and Ballads, wrote Kenneth Rexroth. Thomass second and third volumes were Twenty-five Poems (1936) and The Map of Love (1939). The poems of his first three volumes were collected in The World I Breathe (1939). By this time Thomas was being hailed as the most spectacular of the surrealist poets, or poets who used fantastic imagery of the subconscious in their verse. He acknowledged his debt to James Joyce (1882–1941) and dotted his pages with invented words and puns (the use of two or more words that sound the same, usually for humorous purposes). Thomas also acknowledged his debt to Sigmund Freud (1856–1939), stating: Poetry is the rhythmic, inevitably narrative, movement from an over clothed blindness to a naked vision.†¦ Poetry must drag further into the clear nakedness of light more even of the hidden causes than Freud could realize. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog (1940) is a collection of humorous autobiographical (having to do with writing about oneself) sketches. Thomas loved the wild landscape of Wales, and he put much of his childhood and youth into these stories. He published two more new collections of poetry, both of which contained some of his finest work: Deaths and Entrances (1946) and In Country Sleep (1951). Collected Poems, 1934–1953 (1953) contains all of his poetry that he wished to preserve. Themes and style Thomas claimed that his poetry was the record of my individual struggle from darkness toward some measure of light.†¦ To be stripped of darkness is to be clean, to strip of darkness is to make clean. He also wrote that his poems with all their crudities, doubts, and confusions, are written for the love of man and in praise of God, and Id be a damned fool if they werent. Passionate and intense, vivid and violent, Thomas wrote that he became a poet because I had fallen in love with words. His sense of the richness and variety and flexibility of the English language shines through all of his work. The theme of all of Thomass poetry is the celebration of the divine (godly) purpose he saw in all human and natural processes. The cycle of birth and flowering and death, of love and death, are also found throughout his poems. He celebrated life in the seas and fields and hills and towns of his native Wales. In some of his shorter poems he sought to recapture a childs innocent vision of the world. Thomas was passionately dedicated to his sullen art, and he was a competent, finished, and occasionally complex craftsman. He made, for example, more than two hundred versions of Fern Hill before he was satisfied with it. His early poems are relatively mysterious and complex in sense but simple and obvious in pattern. His later poems, on the other hand, are simple in sense but complex in sounds. Under Milk Wood, a radio play commissioned by the BBC (published 1954), was Thomass last completed work. This poem-play is not a drama but a parade of strange, outrageous, and charming Welsh villagers. During the twenty-four hours presented in the play, the characters remember and ponder the casual and crucial moments of their lives. Adventures in the Skin Trade and Other Stories (1955) contains all the uncollected stories and shows the wit and humor that made Thomas an enchanting companion.

National competitive advantage of technology

National competitive advantage of technology Is technology the basis of long-term national competitive advantage? Compare the differences in the innovation systems of leading economies, industries and firms? Kay (1993) describes â€Å"innovation† as a ‘distinctive capability that can help provide the foundation for competitive advantage. Technology has been shaping the world since the start of the human era. Even in the business world it has changed the way businesses works, it has changed the manner we perceive and even the way we manage business. There are three major forms of innovating; RD, imported technology and technological transfers.   So, to argue we will use porter and chandlers theories with comparing the three different tires of the Nation level, the Industry level and the Firm level to understand whether technology on itself or with factors leads to a National competitive advantage. And we will focus over the major five economies, which are USA, UK, Germany, Japan and China. Technological development and innovation is a quite vital for long-term national competitiveness and success. Porter (1998) defined the national competitive advantage as the capacity of nation to attract local and foreign firms to use a platform for conducting business and attaining economic success. Therefore, with better technology will bring in more options for business and will be more attractive. Porter stresses the importance of technological change as â€Å"The determinants of national innovative capacity†, 2002, by referring this as one of the principal drivers of competition, which is at the heart of economic growth and development. The major reasons which supports the argument of it being vital to competitive advantage is because of the way it leads to differentiation or lower costs from the competitors in product and service designs. Firms must broaden and extend the basis of their competitive advantage by innovation through technology development and update (Fitzge rald, 1994). Innovation through technological development can also lead to national comparative advantage. Even though technology is one of the primary determinants of national competitiveness, they are other factors. Moreover, distinguishing the â€Å"Invention† from â€Å"Innovation† is must and has been done by Schumpeter, in which the invention is just a scientific breakthrough and not necessarily a business one cause of the commercial viability, being unknown. However, the job of the research and development is more to bring in the commercial viability, which may turn out to be a competitive advantage. The phrase deemed â€Å"technological change† has altered the society and increased the national wealth through success of various governments, since the 19th century. One of the major contributors in the development of economies and technology are the large industrial enterprises, which earlier with their super-normal profits and evolving competition, embodied innovation in their processes and products. So the major factors that led to these technological enterprises were lower costs, better human resources inclusive of management, smooth flow of material and information with well-built distributing networks and a primary driver of technological advances, (Chandler, 1995) Metcalfe, (1995) defines National innovation systems as â€Å"set of distinct institutions which jointly and individually contribute to the development and diffusion of new technologies and which provides the framework within which governments form and implement policies to influence the innovation process. As such it is a system of interconnected institutions to create, store and transfer the knowledge, skills and arti facts which define new technologies.† As stated above, the major five economies have been analysed at the macro level amongst their National Innovation Systems. The resources for Japanese innovation are mostly through private firms, public research institutions and educational institutions; for the USA are mostly non-US firms and educational institutions (Buiges, 2009). While the UK, Germany and China share similar resources, which is mainly the government. So, to start we analyse the RD expenditure to the economic output of the countries. The USA has a stable expenditure share between 2.5 to 3% since 1996 (Dicken, 2003). While, Japan on the contrary has the highest share of expenditure for RD which has been more than 3% of the countrys output since 2007 and the percentage is increasing (Abe and Fitzgerald, 1995). U.K. and Germany have been steady with their RD expenditure ranging from 1.5 to 2% since 1996. The Chinese increased their input by 1% from 1996 to 2006. The second major consideration is the pool of scientists and engineers in which Japan overtakes the USA. Even though USA has a mighty infrastructure of education and research. One of the major origins of innovation in the USA is non-US firms, mostly related to Japan. Hence, Wright (1992) stated â€Å"following World War 2, USA was the worlds most productive economy by virtually any measure; however, this is no longer.† Students in Germany are not trained in school, while Chinese students are now trained occupationally in school to fill in the gap of the lacking of skilled and experienced work force in china mentioned by Buiges (2009). Hence we can see that to build innovation, the other investments like in financial, information, educational systems are required with government supporting policies and sometimes industry collectivity. The first industry we opt for in the pharmaceutical industry, as it has high relevance to innovation and RD, to contrast the national systems at an industry level. The â€Å"first mover† explained by (Chandler 1992), as a crucial role was done by Germany in the pharmaceutical industry for a stronger position. This national innovation system helps in explaining why German companies like Bayer and Salvesan are able to be at the upper hand. These companies R D investment started as early as in 1870s, which help them innovating aspirin and anti-syphilis drug. Sustaining the competitive advantage over first is not possible until it is cyclical (repetitive), after world war one, Germans lost to the Americans and the British. This happened after the US and UK were forced producing substitutes to those drugs from Germany, to which they lost supply, hence started focusing on developing the domestic industry (Owen 1999). The companies were like Burroughs welcome and May Baker in the UK and Eli Lilly in the US. Loosing out in the first mover, the dependencies of the UK had increased but to counter the affect and to create a national advantage, the National Health Service (NHS) was established in 1984. The NHS is referred as the â€Å"ultimate paymaster for the bulk of the industry sales.† (Owen 1999:371). Another exposure that the British gained for responding to the Germans was the presence of major multinationals which brought in mass capital from countries like US, Switzerland and France which acted as a stimulus rather than being a threat. Finally, government intervention as a supporter gave a platform to companies like SmithKline and Pfizer. As a result the British with its strong innovation index and its regulatory options attracted Research and development. To support this argument Nelson (1993:279), states, â€Å"Competitive success in pharmaceuticals depends on a domestic environment which encourages firms to invest in costly research and development programs.† The Ec onomist shows after the Nelson argument, expenditure on RD in the UK increased by a staggering 6% since 1995, (The Economist, March 2005). The major difference in NIS of US and the UK has been the government support, which was majorly lacking in the USA and enforced the pharmaceutical industry to heavily rely on the Market networks, to support stands Glaxo and La Roche as examples. Even the statistics show the dramatic rise of expenditure on marketing to 33% in comparison to the 19% investment on RD by Novartis. (The Economist, March 2005). Americas large domestic market has always been the excuse for super normal profits and then innovation and further by competitive advantage but there is a reason for the European counterparts to outsmart them even with lesser finances and resources was cause of the government support and culture. Even Owen supports the argument of having a domestic market is not the utmost reason for being more competitive. Due to lack of resources and government regulations about the usage of resources the Japanese were far behind in developing a NIS in the pharmaceutical industry and tend to follow the path of mergers and acquisitions to be competitive. A relevant instance was the takeover of La Roche over Chugai, a major innovator in Japans pharmaceutical industry. The second industry we opted for analysis is the semi-conductor industry. To start with USA the most competitive in this industry, where clusters have been the key to its NIS. Porter defines clusters, as a system of inter-related firms that are connected vertically and horizontally, with a value greater than its parts sum of its parts. The two major constituents of the American NIS are Route 128 and the â€Å"Silicon Valley†, which is the present core, (Dicken, 2004). The clusters have led to easier and much faster knowledge sharing which leads to an advantage. The use of clusters has also led to development of American FDI into Malaysia as another cluster for less expensive labour. The semi-conductor business being highly technical, educational system especially universities have been vital. The USA and Germany have provided with a better university network with close relationships between the firms and universities, facilitating with a stream of scientists and engineers with the skills to innovate, (Nelson 1993). The University of Stanford location around the Silicon Valley stands for a reason. This competitive NIS was firstly sheltered and supported by the government. A similar form of cluster evolved in Japan wit the five major semi-conductor producers, which are NEC, Fujitsu, Hitachi, Toshiba and Mitsubishi. The group was called MITI collaboration for research. The group was 40 % funded by the Japanese government leading the Japanese government to be a virtual part, (Dicken, 2004). As mentioned above the Americans protected the semi conductor industry, was because of Japans government support and restrictions on American semi-conductors with the supply of cheaper semi-conductors known as â€Å"Dump Chips† in the US. The Chinese followed the Japanese in making a hold in the international semi-conductor market, even though with their â€Å"open door policy†, they had generated FDI before like merging with Taiwanese company ACER Ltd. The major difference in innovation systems of the two late industrializing nations i.e. China and Japan and the rest three is that instead of being pioneers in the semi-conductor industry they choose innovation through â€Å"imitation.† In most cases the learned technology was diffused and made it into an easier adaptable version, following innovating the technology. The only price for them to pay was the license fee. Well, now the Asian countries have started to invest more in research and development for creating their own innovations. Japan is quite successful in implementing it and has been considered as the â€Å"powerhouse† in RD like the US. China is on the path and is using a techno hybrid technology, with FDI, technology transfer in it, they are evolving as a key player in the semi-conductor industry. (Fitzgerald Cirvagena, 2009) To conclude, Technology is important for a countrys national competitive advantage, but as this discussion has shown, technology is not the only factor that can stimulate a leading position in a particular industry and for the economy. As Dicken (2004) highlights â€Å"In an intensely competitive environment, the introduction of a continuous stream of new products is essential to a firms profitability and indeed survival†, which referred earlier a repetitive or cyclical innovation is must.   Furthermore, by analyzing the NIS of the todays five leading economies, we have seen that the role of the state, clusters, and corporate governance, education systems, culture, have been vital components. This discussion possibly asks us to consider which is the best NIS to gain a national competitive advantage. In reflection of the two industries that have been looked at, a blend of different factors can be identified and have been justified.   The challenging nature of the US pharmaceutical industry could be improved by following the UK NIS, which recently the Obama Administration in the USA had approved. The fact that the UK semiconductor industry is such a small player in this market could be due to a lack of RD investment, which its US counterparts achieved through clustering. It is clear that one single approach in NIS is not the key to a countrys national competitive advantage or industry. References Buiges, P Sekkat, K (2009). Industrial Policy in Europe, Japan and the USA. UK: Macmillan Publishers. p.180-220. Chandler, A, ‘Managerial Enterprise and Competitive Capabilities in Jones, G and Harvey, C. (1992) Organisational Capability and Competitive Advantage. London: Frank Cass. Chandler, A.D (1995). Strategy and structure: chapters in the history of the industrial enterprise. USA: MIT. p.1-20. Dicken, P. (2004) ‘Global Shift: Reshaping the Global Economic Map in the 21st Century London: Sage Dicken, P. (2003) Global Shift: Transforming the World Economy. E, Abe and R, Fitzgerald (1995) ‘Japanese Economic Success: timing, culture and organizational capability Fitzgerald, R Ciravgena, L. (2009) ‘Technological Innovation, MN 330 Lecture 10 Fitzgerald, R (1994). The Competitive Advantages of Far Eastern Business. Great Britain: Frank Cass Ltd. p. 1-16. Kay, J (1993). Innovation, technology and competitive strategy . USA: Economic and Social Research Council. 1-16. Metcalfe, S. (1995), â€Å"The Economic Foundations of Technology Policy: Equilibrium and Evolutionary Perspectives†, in P. Stoneman (ed.), Handbook of the Economics of Innovation and Technological Change, Blackwell Publishers, Oxford (UK)/Cambridge (US) Nelson, R.R (1993) ‘National Innovation Systems: A Comparative Context, Oxford: Oxford University Press Nelson, R.R.   Wright, G. (1992) ‘The rise and fall of American technological leadership: the post-war era in historical perspective, Journal of Economic Literature, Vol. 30. Owen, G. 1999. From empire to Europe. London: Harper Collins Porter, M. (1998). The competitive advantage of nations: with a new introduction. USA: Harvard Business Review. p.73-90 Porter, M. (2002). The determinants of national innovative capacity. Research Policy. 31 (6), p.899-933. Finefacts Team (2005) ‘RD scorecard Global top 1,000 Companies: US firms dominate, 86% of total RD comes from just 6 countries out of 36, Oct 24, 2005 The Economist (2005) ‘Prescriptions for change, A Survey of Pharmaceuticals, June 18th, 2005

Communism Essay -- Communism Essays

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Communism had one of the greatest political impacts than any other political ideas in the 20th century around the world. What is important and interesting about communism is its background, concept, and why many countries apply to this idea. This essay will generally focus on the background, ideology, and why the countries and political parties applied to this idea.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Communism did not exist until the 18th century. The idea of communism originated from the industrial revolution in Great Britain and French Revolution in France. These two revolutions had proven the fact that rich and power could be successfully challenged by the poor the powerless people. During this time  ¡Ã‚ §A German philosopher and economist born in 1818, who lived most of his life in England, Karl Marx ¡Ã‚ ¨ (Communism, pg 7) was very aware of the huge gap between the rich and the poor. The poor were starving while the rich were luxurious and wealthy. Marx wanted to change this, and he wanted to make things right, so the best way to accomplish the goal is through the idea of socialism or communism   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ ¡Ã‚ §The word communism comes from the French word  ¡Ã‚ ¥commun ¡Ã‚ ¦ which means  ¡Ã‚ ¥belong to all. ¡Ã‚ ¦Ã‚ ¡Ã‚ ¨ (Communism, pg 6) The idea and concept of communism is very similar to socialism.  ¡Ã‚ §Under socialism, there will be shared ownership but people would still be rewarded according to how much work they have done. ¡Ã‚ ¨ (Communism, pg 5) In contrast...

Essay --

Mortality The weight of one's mortality and the complexities of life and death are introduced from the beginning of Hamlet. In the wake of his father's death, Hamlet can't stop pondering and considering the meaning of life — and its eventual ending. Many questions emerge as the text progresses. What happens when you die? If you're murdered, then will you go to heaven? Do kings truly have a free pass to heaven? In Hamlet's mind the idea of dying isn't so bad. It's the uncertainty of the afterlife that frightens Hamlet away from suicide, even though he's obsessed with the notion. A turning point for Hamlet occurs in the graveyard scene in Act V. Before, Hamlet has been appalled and revolted by the moral corruption of the living. Seeing Yorick's skull (someone Hamlet loved and respected) propels Hamlet's realization that death eliminates the differences between people. The sheer number of bodies at the end of Hamlet can be misleading. Even though eight of the nine primary characters die, the question of mortality is not fully answered. The questions about death, suicide, and what co...

Interpretation of Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet :: Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

Interpretation of Romeo and Juliet What would cause young lovers to mysteriously commit suicide so they can be together? Is it their parents who forbid them to see one another, or is it themselves? William Shakespeare's play, Romeo and Juliet, tells about two young "star-crossed lovers" whose deaths were caused by fate, not their parents or themselves. First of all, Romeo and Juliet were from feuding families: Romeo a Montague, and Juliet a Capulet. Romeo was so depressed about his unrequited love for Rosaline when it just so happens, he goes to a masquerade party. There, he falls for Juliet, the daughter of Lord Capulet, and forgot about Rosaline. When they're finally torn apart, that's when both Romeo and Juliet realize they are from enemy families. Their love, of course, brings down their immediate marriage and Friar Lawrence agrees in hope to stop the feuding families. Unfortunately, Tybalt and Mercutio are killed and Romeo gets banished leaving Juliet without a husband or a cousin. "O, I am a fortune's fool," (Act III, Scene I) explains how Romeo felt at the moment of Tybalt's death. He felt that he fell into one of fate's many cruel games and it was too late to get out. When things are just getting worst, Lord Capulet arranges for Juliet to marry Paris causing Juliet to panic. She then has to hurry and do something to stop the wedding and of course fate would just happen to guide her back to Friar Lawrence. Fate wouldn't just stop there. He just kept on going. He has it arranged that Friar John, the messenger who was suppose to deliver the news of Juliet's fake death, quarantined. Romeo finds out that Juliet is dead from Balthazar and screams out, "Is it e'en so?--Then I defy you, stars!" (Act 5, scene 1, pg. 213). He blames Juliet's death on fate and returns to Verona with poison to join her. He leaves a little before Friar John tells Friar Lawrence about his failure to deliver the message. Still, fate didn't stop there. He then makes Friar Lawrence leave his cell and rush to the Capulet vault . Unfortunately, Friar Lawrence is just a little too late and Romeo gets there before he

Communication Structure of Standard Chartered Bank

A report submitted to the Department of English in part-fulfillment of the requirements of the Final Examinations in Business Communications, Fall 2008 Prepared and submitted by SUNSHINE Section: c Tazrin Mst. Nazia Zohora Fatema tuz Islam Md. Atikul Miah Abu Kausar Course teacher Professor Faizur Rashed Gullu Date of submission 4 December 2008 North Global University of Dhaka Page 1 of 25 4 December 2008 Prof.Faizur Rashed Gullu Course Instructor Business Communication North Global University of Dhaka Subject: Submission of our report Dear sir, We have the pleasure to submit our report titled ‘Communication Structure of Standard Chartered Bank’. This was a good opportunity for us to understand and deal with the problem. The study was aimed at knowing the communication structure of Standard Chartered Bank. If any lacking is found, the organization will be able to improve performance. The study will find a chance to know the system of the organization and its communicatio n system which will increase our knowledge and experience.They have very effective communication system. By removing the communication barriers between higher level managers and lower level managers they can do it better. We once again thank you for giving us the chance to do the report. Yours sincerely, Zohora Fatema tuz 08-10489-1 Tazrin Mst. Nazia 07-08937-2 Islam Md. Atikul 07-09137-2 Miah Abu Kausar 07-08446-2 Page 2 of 25 Preface This report is made based on the communication structure of Standard Chartered Bank. Based on case study of some employees of Standard Chartered Bank, the report was made.This report contains the communication structure of Standard Chartered Bank. It also has some suggestions for the Standard Chartered Bank to make their communication process more effective and to make their organization’s performance better. This report has some concept of communication, the process of communication, communication channel, mass communication, communication bar riers, altogether, the concept of organizational communication. And the implications of them in The Standard Chartered Bank that if they are using them properly and what should be done if they are not using them properlyPage 3 of 25 Acknowledgement At first, we take the opportunity to thank The Almighty. Then we express our thanks to our department and authorities for granting us such opportunity in this level. We are very pleased to accomplish the assigned task given by our revered course instructor Prof. Faizur Rashed Gullu sir. While completing this report we faced different problems such as shortage of time, information, convincing the employees of the bank etc. But we have been able to overcome the problems with direct and indirect assistance from our course instructor. We are really thankful to him.Above all, we have to thank the people at the bank who provided us with valuable information, gave us their valuable time and helped us in every way possible. Finally, we are please d to complete the report on the given subject properly and authentically. Page 4 of 25 TABLE OF CONTENTS Forwarding letter Preface Acknowledgement Table of contents List of illustrations Abstract 1. 0 Introduction 1. 1 1. 2 1. 3 1. 4 1. 5 1. 6 1. 7 1. 8 What is communication The process of communication Necessity of communication Barriers of communication Introduction of the organization Objectives Scope Research methodology 1. . 1 Sample 1. 8. 2 Case study 1. 9 Limitations Page no. i ii iii iv v vi 01 01 02 08 08 09 10 11 11 12 13 13 14 14 14 15 16 17 18 19 vii 2. 0 Organization of the report 2. 1 Case studies Case study 1 Case study 2 Case study 3 Findings 2. 2 3. 0 Conclusion 4. 0 Recommendation Bibliography Page 5 of 25 List of illustrations Figure 1. 1 The basic communication process Figure 1. 2 Flow of communications Page-4 Page-6 Page 6 of 25 Abstract The transference and understanding of meaning is communication. No groups can exist without communication: the transference of meaning among its members.It is only through transmitting meaning from one person to another that information that information and ideas can be conveyed. The key parts of the communication process are (1) the sender (2) encoding (3) the channel (4) decoding (5) the receiver (6) feedback. There are three types of communication: upward, downward, lateral. The study was aimed to know the communication structure of Standard Chartered Bank. If any lacking is found, the organization will be able to improve performance. The study will find a chance to know the system of the organization and its communication system which will increase our knowledge and experience.The study has been done with the method case study. The study was done with the help of random sampling. The sample size of the study was 3. Their communication style is very rich. They have very effective communication system. By removing the communication barriers between higher level managers and lower level managers they can do it better. They should enrich their formal communication system. We think that after doing these things they will be improved. Page 7 of 25 1. 0 Chapter 1 : Introduction 1. 1 What is communication? The transference and understanding of meaning is communication. Communication is more than merely imparting meaning.It must also be understood. In a group in which one member speaks only German and another one do not know German, the individual speaking German will not be fully understood. Therefore must include both the transference and understanding of meaning. Research indicates that poor communication is probably the most frequently cited source of interpersonal conflict. Because individuals spend nearly 70 percent of their walking hour’s communicating-writing, reading, speaking, listening-it seems reasonable to conclude that one of the most inhibiting forces to successful group performance is a lack of effective communication.No groups can exist without communication: the t ransference of meaning among its members. It is only through transmitting meaning from one person to another that information that information and ideas can be conveyed. Communication, however, is more than merely imparting meaning. It must also be understood. In a group in which one member speaks only German and the others do not know German, the individual speaking German will not be fully understood. Therefore, communication must include both the transference and the understanding of meaning.An idea, no matter how great, is useless until it is transmitted and understood by others. Perfect communication, if there were such a thing, would exist when a thought or an idea was transmitted so that the mental picture perceived by the receiver was exactly the same as that envisioned by the sender. Page 8 of 25 Communication serves four major functions within a group or organization: control, motivation, emotional expression, and information. 1. Control member behavior. 2. Foster motivati on for what is to be done. 3. Provide a release for emotional expression. 4. Provide information needed to make decisions. . 2 The process of communication Before making too many generalizations concerning communication and problems in communicating effectively, it is needed to know the level of communication and communication process 1. 2. 1 Levels of Communication: †¢ Intrapersonal Top level management mainly takes internal decision, so internal decision depends on them on many sectors †¢ Interpersonal Middle level managers are sometimes allowed to make some effective organizational decision †¢ Extra personal Communication between human & nonhuman being †¢ Organizational In organization higher level employees take decision.In this bank most of the decisions are taken by top level management †¢ Formal Language Those languages which are used inside office. In this bank they usually use to talk one another they simply use brother or sister. †¢ Cross-cult ural In a cross-culture there are two divisions high and low context Page 9 of 25 †¢ Mass: Print Media Electronics Media Organizational Website Before communication can take place, a purpose, expressed as a message to be conveyed, is needed. It passes between a sender and a receiver. The message is encoded and passed by a way of some medium to the receiver, who decodes the message initiated by the sender.The result is transference of meaning from one person to another person. The key parts of the communication process are (1) the sender (2) encoding (3) the channel (4) decoding (5) the receiver (6) feedback. The sender initiates a message by encoding a thought. The message is the actual physical product from the senders encoding. When we speak, the speech is the message. When we write, the writing is the message. When we gesture the movement of our arms and the expression of our face are the message. The channel is the medium through which the message travels.It is selected by the sender, who must determine whether to use a formal or informal channel. Formal channel are established by the organization and transmit message that are related to the professional activities of members. Other forms of message, such as personal or social, follow the informal channel in the organization. These informal channels are spontaneous and emerge as a response to individual choices. The receiver is the object to whom the message is directed. But before the message is received, the symbol in it must be translated into a form that can be understood by the receiver.The step is the decoding of the message. Noises represent communication barriers that distort the clarity of the message. Examples of possible noise sources include perceptual problems, information overload, semantic difficulties, or cultural difference. The final link in the communication process is a feedback loop. Feedback is the check on how successful we have been in transferring our message as original inten ded. It determines whether understanding has been achieved. Page 10 of 25 The communication process model: Figure 1. 1 The basic communication process Communication can flow vertically or laterally.The vertical dimension can be further divided into downward and upward directions. 1. 2. 2 Downward communication Upper level managers are friendly communal to the down level employees. Top level management directly gives any kinds of instruction to the down level manager are called downward communication. Smoothly working down level communication must have needed. Communication that flows from one level of a group or organization to a lower level is a downward communication. When we think of managers communicating with employees, the downward pattern is the one we are usually thinking of.It’s used by group leader and managers to assign goals, providing job instructions, inform employees of policies and procedures, point out problems that need attention and offer feedback about per formance. But downward communication does not have to be oral or face to face contact. When management sends letter to their employees home to advise them of the organizations new sick leave policy, it’s using downward communication. Page 11 of 25 From the team leader to the member of her team, reminding them of an upcoming deadline, is also downward communication 1. 2. 3 Upward communicationGround level officers communicate with the mid-level managers. Mid-level manager communicate with their Divisional Directors. Employees can frankly communicate with upper level managers. When communicated with the Upper level all over observing the rules & regulation. Upward communication flows to a higher level in the group of organization. It’s used to provide feedback to higher–ups, inform them of progress toward goal and really current problems. Upward communication keeps managers aware of how employees feel about their jobs, coworkers and the organization in general.Man agers also rely on upward communication for ideas on how things can be improved. Some organizational examples of upward communication are performance reports prepared by lower level of management for review by middle and top management. Suggestion box, employee attitude surveys, superior – subordinate discussion, and informal ‘gripe’ sessions in which employees have the opportunity to identify and discuss problems with their boss or representative of higher management. 1. 2. 3 Lateral communication Similar level employers also well communicated. Employees freely communicate with colleague’s very casual language, normal behavior.Grapevine is strictly prohibited Political conversation is restricted When communication take place among member of the same work group, among members of work groups at the same level, among managers at the same level or among any horizontally equivalent personal we describe it as lateral communication. Page 12 of 25 Lateral communi cations are often necessary to save time and facilitate coordination. In some case, these lateral relationships are formally sanctioned. More often they are informally created to a short circuit the vertical hierarchy and expedite action.So lateral communication can from management’s view point, be good or bad. Lateral communication can be beneficial, in such case they occur with the knowledge and support of superiors. 1. 2. 4 Crosswise communication Top level management can communicate directly with the ground level. Monthly performance review meeting. Everybody can communicate with everybody in this organization Figure 1. 2 Flow of communications Communication Channel Communication channel means the way of transmitted any kinds of information about this organization. Page 13 of 25 There are two types of communications: a. b.Internal communication channel External communication channel. †¢ Internal communications are: (a) Oral: Telephone, Intercom, Meeting, Presentation , Face to face, meeting (b) Written: Memo, report, graph, e-mail, letter, notice †¢ External Communications are: (a) Oral: Telephone, intercom, Meeting, Presentation, Face to face meeting, Press Briefing (b) Written: Memo, report, graph, e-mail, letter, notice, invitation, annual report, leaflet 1. 3 Necessity of communication The communication shortcoming of employees and the importance of communication in business explain why one should work to improve communication skills.Whatever position one has in business, performance will be judged largely by his/her ability to communicate. If one can communicate well, he/she is likely to be rewarded with advancement. And higher the advancement, more necessity of communication ability. The evidence is clear; improving communication skills improves chances for success in business. Communication is very much important in business; businesses want and need people with good communication skills. Evidence of the importance of communication i n business is found in numerous surveys of executives, recruiters and academicians conducted in recent years.Without exception, these surveys found communication ranking at or near the top of the business skills needed for success. Page 14 of 25 1. 4 Barriers of communication A number of barriers can retard or distort effective communication. Some causes for barriers are, purposely manipulating information for getting more favor, presenting the information based on personal understandings etc. Barriers are 3 types: 1. Intrapersonal 2. Interpersonal 3. Organizational 1. Intrapersonal barriers: Wrong assumptions Varied perceptions Differing background 2. Interpersonal arriers: Limited vocabulary Incongruity of verbal and nonverbal messages Communication selectivity 3. Organizational barriers: Information overload Emotions Language 1. 5 Introduction of the organization Standard Chartered Bank started its business in Bangladesh in 1948, opening its first branch in the port city of Chitt agong. The bank increasingly invested in people, technology and premises as its business grew in relation to the country’s thriving Page 15 of 25 economy. At present the bank has 6 offices in Dhaka Chittagong and Sylhet, including the country’s only offshore banking unit inside the Dhaka Export Processing Zone at Savar.Extensive knowledge of the market and essential expertise in a wide range of financial services underline our strength to build business opportunities for corporate and institutional clients at home and abroad. Continuous upgrading of technology and control systems has enabled the bank of offer new services, which include unique ATMs and Phone banking. Standard Chartered’s services in Bangladesh, ranges from Personal & Corporate Banking to Institutional Banking, Treasury and Custodial services. 1. 6 Objectives The study was aimed at the following objectives: A.Primary objective: To learn about the communication structure of Standard Chartered Bank B. Secondary objectives: To identify the communication strategies of Standard Chartered Bank To find out the internal communication barriers (if any) of Standard Chartered Bank To find out their awareness level of the barriers To suggest remedies for improvement To find out the mass communication style or strategies To found out the impact of gender differences inside the organization To find out the impact of cultural differences inside the organization 1. Scope After making the report some benefits will be there for both the organization and us. Page 16 of 25 17. 1 Scope for Standard Chartered Bank: If any lacking is found in their organization the management will find a way to solve their problem after studying our report. They will be able to make their organization’s system of communication more effective and the organization will be able to improve performance. 17. 2 Scope for the researchers: The study will find a chance to know the system of the organization and its communication system very well which will increase our knowledge and experience.Thus it will help building our career. 1. 8 Research methodology of the report Report is a place of factual writing based on evidence, containing organized information on particular topic o Formal in nature and written for specific audience o Discusses the topic at depth and contains conclusions and recommendations if required The study has been done with the method case study. Rather than using samples and following a rigid protocol to examine limited number of variables, case study methods involve an in-depth, longitudinal examination of a single instance or event: a case.They provide a systematic way of looking at events, collecting data, analyzing information, and reporting the results. As a result the researcher may gain a sharpened understanding of why the instance happened as it did, and what might become important to look at more extensively in future research. Case studies lend themselves to bot h generating and testing hypotheses. As we did not have sufficient time to go for questionnaire survey, we followed the method case study. Page 17 of 25 1. 8. Sample Small segment of the total population which is considered to be the representative of the total population is called the samples and the process through which the samples are selected is called sampling or sampling procedure. There are two types of sampling: 1. Random: To take the interview of the person available 2. Purposive: To take interview of people whom one wants to The study was done with the help of random sampling as because purposive sampling was not possible due to unavailability. The sample size of the study was 3. 1. 8. 2 Case study We took face to face interviews.We went to Standard Chartered Bank Islamic Banking Centre Branch which is situated in Gulshan Avenue. We talked to the three people of personal loan section individually. We asked them the same questions and got answers. After getting their answe rs we organized the three cases and studied the cases to reach the decision. 1. 9 Limitations The study was done in a very short time when we and the employees of The Standard Chartered Bank both were very busy. They at first denied talking to us but after assuring that minimum time of them will be taken they agreed to meet.So, we were unable to ask them many questions which might be important for the valuation and proper conclusion of the report. Page 18 of 25 2. 0 Chapter 2 : Presentation of Cases We did three case studies based on the three interviews of the employees of Standard Chartered Bank. The cases are given below: Case study 1 Md. Sajjadur Rahman Product marketing officer B. Sc. & M . Sc. in Mathematics Unsecured loan consumer Banking Division He works in standard charted bank for two years before coming here he worked as a marketing officer in HSBC bank for two years.In this study they said their all communications is face to face. They contact with their higher level bo ss with e-mail and they also said they contact their immediate boss face to face. When they send any e-mail to their boss it just like a SMS there are no unnecessary thighs there. But when they send any e-mail to their boss its takes time to get the reply . In this study they also said they call their male employees as brother and female employees as sister. There is no sir or madam addressing through the whole organization.In this study we also see that they follow the communication channels are up ward, down ward and lateral. Most of time they use the verbal communication to their employees and it is face to face. He also said there is no non verbal communication use their company. But sometime they use only e-mail for their boss in urgent situation. Some time they go for tour in different countries but every one does not get chance. The person who fill a minimum credits only they can join the tour. In 2006 he tour in Thailand. He is satisfied of there communication style. Page 19 of 25Case study 2 A. M. Sadeeque Hassan Product Marketing Officer BBA, MBA Major in Marketing Unsecured loan consumer Banking Division In this study they said there are very little bit barrier to their company for example they do not call their boss with unsuitable time. Higher level boss reply their e-mail very late. In this study we also known female are more active than male. Even female work on Friday when male are relax there time by visiting or gossiping. In last month one female are getting award by doing her best performance. She process 454 file in one month.It is a friendly work environment as a result it plays a significant role in communication process. There are also some internal communications to employ to employ like face to face, telephone, mobile. He was also fill the credits as a result he could join the tour of Thailand in 2006 . He is also satisfied of there communication style. Case study 3 Md. Fayssal Hossain Assistant Product Marketing officer Honors Masters in Marketing Unsecured loan consumer Banking Division In this study they said that they can talk to their higher level authority direct face to face or phone. There are also down ward, upper ward and horizontal communication.In standard charted bank all work has been done by group work and every group join as a team. There are a leader of each team and all the group follow the leader. Page 20 of 25 Some time they arrange picnic or party and the entire members attend the party or picnic. It helps to communicate with other and remove the communication barriers with upper level and lower level employees. In this time boss are free with their employees. That recreation system is effective for better employee employer relationship He was also filling the credits as a result he could join the tour of last year in china with there official tour.He is also satisfied with there Communication style. Page 21 of 25 3. 0 Chapter 3: Analysis After studying the cases we came to know about the org anization’s communication structure. Their communication style is very rich. They have very effective communication system. All of them agreed with their answers. That symbolizes their unity and effectiveness of communication. They all agreed that their organization follows face to face communication most of the time. Telephone is also a main communicating element. Oral communication is used more that’s why they are freer.They use face to face communication they also said their male employees as brother and female employees as sister. There are no sir or madam addressing through the whole organization. Most of the time they use the verbal communication There is also downward, upward, and horizontal communication. It is a friendly work environment as a result it plays an important role in the whole communication process. Some time the organization arrange picnic or party the entire member attend the party. The recreation system is effective for better employee employer relationship.Some they go for tour in different countries. Although they are satisfied with their communication style but still there are some barriers to communicate with their higher level boss. Their formal communication style is not perfect through which they communicate with their boss. Page 22 of 25 4. 0 Chapter 4 : Conclusion The report on ‘The Communication Structure of Standard Chartered Bank’ was very useful to us for our experience. We came to know about the communication structure of a renowned organization. Their communication style is very rich.They have very effective communication system. The communication style of every public organization should follow the structure. We are grateful to our course instructor for giving us such an opportunity to do the report and enrich to our knowledge to a great extent. Page 23 of 25 5. 0 Chapter 5 : Recommendations Based on our findings, we now recommend the following†¢ They should remove the communication barrie rs between higher level managers and lower level managers †¢ Their men should work equal to their women †¢ They should enrich their formal communication styleBibliography Raman, M. , & Sharma, S. (2004). Technical Communication: Principles and Practice. New Delhi: Oxford University Press Research. (2007). Retrieved on December 3, 2008 from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Research Robbins, S. P. , & Judge, T. A. (2007).Organizational Behavior. New Delhi: Prentice Hall. StandardChartered Bank (2004). Retrieved on 3rd December 2008 from http://www. standardchartered. com/bd/ Page 25 of 25