Project Management and Operations Management in Construction

Project Management and Operations Management in Construction 1. Abstract This report aims to understand two very important disciplines namely, project management and operations management. Both disciplines are fundamental to achieving long term business success and growth in this highly dynamic business environment. These two areas of management are discussed particularly with respect to the construction industry. It is important to note that project management has its origins in the construction industry and has since then been an integral part of the construction as well as several other industries. Operations management, on the other hand, has largely been neglected for many years. However, over the past few years, management across various firms has realised the importance of effectively managing the operations to achieve business profits and growth. The main objective of this report is to present a discussion on the differences between project management and operations management in construction companies. To present these differences, it is important to clearly understand the basic definition and function of these two disciplines. As a result, this report is structured as follows: It begins by providing an overview of the construction industry moving towards providing a clear understanding of the concepts of project management and operations management. Later, the discussion shifts towards presenting an insight into the importance of these two areas of management particularly with reference to the construction industry. The next section provides a discussion on the differences between project and operations management. This report concludes by presenting a discussion on the necessary skills for a project manager and highlights that it is important for project managers to possess a clear understanding of the operational activities of the firms in order to make sound business decisions. Only those organisations that are able to effectively manage their projects as well as their operations will be able to survive and prosper in the future. Keywords: Project management, Operations management, Construction. 2. Introduction In order to achieve business success, organisations need to perform a number of activities. These activities could either be their operations or projects or a combination of both. It is not possible for organisations to achieve long term sustainable business success without proper measures to effectively manage its projects and operations. Hill (in Slack et al, 2010) clearly indicates the importance of operations to an organisation by pointing out that operation is the function responsible for 60-70 per cent of costs, assets and people. Similarly, almost all the businesses across various industries undertake projects of some sort. One of the key challenges faced by organisations in todays complex business environment is their capability to strike a balance in maintaining current business operations known as business as usual and also to maintain the rate of business change required to survive and compete in future (OGC, 2009). In this context of business change, projects play a criti cal role as they are required to introduce the changes required. Project management is gradually becoming an important discipline in the area of business success as Projects often provide the base for sustainable development implementation. It is important for projects to be well planned and well managed and have specific goals and targets. Although, operations management and project management are different in a number of aspects that are discussed over the next few section, there are a few characteristics that are similar for both projects and operations. Operations and projects both need careful planning, execution and control and are both performed by the human resources of the organisation. Also, they both often face the challenge of limited resources. 2.1. Construction Industry Construction Industry is one of the important contributors to the economy of many countries. The rapidly changing business environment has transformed the way activities and projects are undertaken in the construction industry. Due to the sheer volume of resources required to undertake large construction projects, the construction industry possesses the ability to generate employment and supports economic growth in the region by contributing largely to the Gross National Product (GNP) and Gross Domestic Product (GDP). However, it is important to understand that the construction industry operates in a different environment and is susceptible to several factors such as physical environment, legislations, resource availability as opposed to other industries. The Construction sector has a strong impact on the day to day activities of several lives and hence it is crucial to ensure efficient use of resources on the construction projects. Construction projects and operations require a diff erent set of skills in order to manage them effectively. For example: It is important to ensure the safety of team members involved in construction operations and projects as they usually need to deal with many hazardous operations. However, such safety concerns are not so significant in companies operating in the software industry. These challenges and newer ways of performing business activities have placed greater responsibility on the project as well as operations managers who are required to achieve business success within limited budgets and time. This implies that success in construction industry can be achieved by implementation of adequate project management and operations management teams. Before we delve deeper into the discussion related to the differences that exist between project management and operations management in construction companies, it is important to clarify the basic definitions of project management and operations management and their importance in construction companies. 2.2. What is Project management? Projects involve certain degrees of uncertainty as they are unique to the organisation undertaking it. In order to achieve success and desired results, it is important for the project management team to effectively manage the day to day activities involved in a project. Projects consist of a number of separate but interdependent tasks that have the specific objective of creating and developing some new entity (Woodward, 1997). In this aspect project management plays a crucial role. Project management has been in existence for several years and has become an integral area of management over the last three decades. Project Management Institute defines the discipline of project management as the art of planning and controlling various human and non-human resources to be used during the entire project life cycle in order to accomplish already set objectives of scope, cost, quality, and time by using modern management techniques (Barrie and Paulson, 1984). In simple terms, project managem ent can be defined as the process of planning, executing, controlling and monitoring the various aspects of a project in order to achieve the project objectives and deliverables within limited time, costs and resources. Figure 1 shows the various processes of project management in construction industry used to achieve the project objectives and deliverables within limited time, cost and resources. Figure 1 Project management Processes 1. PROJECT DEFINITION 2. TEAM ESTABLISHMENT 3. PROJECT PLANNING (Scope, Importance, Project plan in terms of time frames and resources) Continuous Project monitoring 4. IMPLEMENTATION 5. EVALUATION 6. PROJECT CLOSURE AND HANDOVER Halpin and Ronald (Hendrickson and Au, 1989) point out the three basic ingredients that represent a project management framework. They are: General Management: This is a broad subject that various aspects such as finance and accounting, strategic planning, organisational structure, marketing, organisational behaviour among others. Special Knowledge domains Supporting disciplines For successful management of projects, strong working knowledge of these areas is needed. All these three areas play a key role in effective management as they are linked with the activities involved in undertaking a project. 2.3. What is Operations management? The main objective of any business or organisation is produce high quality goods or services that meet their customers requirements in order to survive and prosper in the future. In order to achieve long term business growth, it is important for organisations to operationally enact the organisations business strategy. In this context, to achieve long term strategic direction, organisations operations play a key role as it is important to effectively manage a large number of daily operations that are aimed at accomplishing the desired objectives to satisfy the customers. In order to achieve this business objective, it is necessary for firms to transform their resources into desired outputs that can be delivered to the end users. Operations consist of all these activities that are necessary to transform and deliver an organisations offering of goods or services to its customers. The main objective of the operations function is to efficiently manage the available resources to produce th e goods and services required by customers. Several large and small organisations have today acknowledged the importance of operations and hence have appointed people to take responsibility for managing all or part of the organisations operations processes. Success of operations within an organisation can be judged on the basis of its profits, growth and competitiveness. Operations activities form an integral part of any business as they focus on the management of a large number of assets, and expenditure to produce customer centric goods and services. Review of literature reveals that operations management within the construction industry is not a well recognized area of study as opposed to other major functional disciplines of marketing, human resource management and finance and accounting. However, the discussion that follows clearly establishes that operations management is every bit as important for Kentz, and other firms operating in construction sector in order to be successf ul. For the purpose of this discussion, it is important to establish the definition of operations management at this point. Operations management refers to the function that focuses on designing, managing and improving the systems and procedures that create organisations goods or services. It focuses on delivering value to the customers (Shtub, 1999). Other functions such as finance and human resources support operations functions and hence are indirectly involved in making products or delivering services. Firms that are able to effectively manage their operations can achieve sustainable competitive advantage. This is evident from the case of Toyota. Toyotas Production System (TPS) plays a vital role in its business success. Toyotas Production System is based on four integral principles namely, the elimination of waste (muda), continuous improvement (kaizen), automation with a human face (jidoka) and the involvement of all employees. The management at Toyota has worked towards imple menting these key principles in day to day business operations and this is evident in their practices such just-in-time, total quality management and team-working. TPS has enabled Toyota to achieve high volumes and high flexibility but with low levels of inventory and minimal defects. The application of these principles to its design operations also typically enables Toyota to get new products to market faster than its rivals, and with fewer design glitches (Slack et al, 2010). 3. Importance of Project management in construction The discipline of Project management initially originated in the construction industry but can be applied across various industrial and commercial sectors. Project management in construction plays a critical role in the construction industry as it is important for companies operating in the construction sector such as Kentz to manage projects on time within limited budgets and to manage risk across a number of projects that are large in terms of budget, time and resources. There is a need for construction companies such as Kentz to maintain a tight control on these constrained resources and finances to ensure profitability. Construction projects are usually characterised by long and complex life cycle and lower profit margins. Consequently, it is imperative for construction companies to maintain strict control over project schedules and costs to avoid any over-budgeting or wastage. Woodward (1997) notes that the project environment related to a particular project greatly affects the project management function. In this context, it is observed that the project environment related to construction project is affected by a number of internal as well as external factors such as availability of resources, legislative environment, physical conditions such as location, weather and the presence of competition. As a result, project management in construction is even more crucial due to the need to achieve high quality standards within limited resources. In construction industry, project management specifically consists of a range of objectives which may be achieved by undertaking a number of operational activities that need to be accomplished within the specified resource constraints. It is important for firms such as Kentz to resolve any conflict that may arise due to the differences in the desired objectives of scope, cost, time and quality, to the limited constraints of budget and human resources, by finding and developing alternate ways to accomplish the goals of the project. Hendrickson and Au, (1989) point out the following functions of project management for construction: Project management in construction is important as it helps in clearly specifying the project objectives and plans to outline the various aspects involved in the projects such as project scope, project budget, project timelines, setting quality standards, and selecting project participants. Project management also helps in procurement of labour and other resources as per the predetermined plan and schedule. Hence, it is important for maximization of efficient resource utilization. Project management activities help in smooth implementation of various operations as its main focus is to ensure proper coordination and control of planning, estimating, and construction in the entire process. Since construction projects are large and complex and often require use of large number of human resources, they may often face the challenge of interpersonal conflicts that may arise due to improper communication. Project management helps in development of effective communications and mechanisms for resolving conflicts among various active participants. 4. Importance of Operations management in construction The Construction industry is characterised by complex and large projects that usually involve substantial costs while leaving little room for profit margins. In this context, efficient operations management is important because it helps in managing an organisations costs. It is important for construction companies such as Kentz to manage their available resources and budget in the best possible manner to generate greater profit margins. If an organisation fails to manage and maximise the utilisation of its resources, it will not be able to achieve sustainable project success. Operations management in the construction industry helps the project team to achieve higher level of efficiency at low operating costs. Moreover, it is necessary that once the projects are completed, they are able to meet the desired quality standards. This is even more crucial in a construction project as any negligence can create dangerous situations in terms of safety. Operations management helps the firms op erating in the construction sector such as Kentz to ensure that they are able to achieve lower operating costs while also delivering high quality products to their customers. As discussed earlier, operations management has a long lasting impact on the quality, timeliness and reliability of the goods produced by an organization. The activities of the operations function are central to achieving these aims. 5. Project management Vs Operations management The above discussion clearly indicates the importance of effective project management and operations management in construction industry. It is established that both these disciplines are important to achieve long term sustainable growth and success. Although, they are an integral part of every business, and practitioners are of the view that project management is considered to be one of the most important functions of an operations manager, there are a few differences between project and operations management. They are as highlighted below: 5. a. Project versus Operations -Differing objectives: One of the major differences between project management and operations management lies in their differing objectives. The key aim of project management is to ensure smooth control and effective planning in order to achieve the desired objectives of the project on completion. On the contrary, operations management aims to manage and execute the daily operations that are necessary to sustain the business. Project management activities are usually designed around the project environment which is unique to a particular project. This implies that since a project is temporary and aimed at achieving some unique objectives to create a new entity, scope of project management is limited to that particular project. On the contrary, operations management is aimed at planning and executing the activities that are necessary for maintaining the current business operations. In terms of construction industry, activities that require procuring goods to undertake large and complex construction project and also that require selling the firms business to its potential clients are its operations. While, project management in construction industry ideally, would deal with the necessary planning of resources, budgeting, estimating of timelines and scheduling. Project management is temporary and is unique to a particular project that is undertaken to create a new entity, while, operations are ongoing and repetitive and deal with maintaining the existing business activities. Management of projects in a construction industry is a challenging task as the project environment is highly complex and the objective of project management is not limited only to the completion of project within specified time and budget. Client satisfaction and meeting the desired quality standards are crucial for project success in construction. 5. b. Time Constraints Another major difference between projects and operations is that projects are characterised by a definite beginning and ending while  operations  are repetitive and ongoing. Projects usually end when the objectives of the projects are achieved. This implies that the project duration is finite as opposed to the operations activities that are continuous. However, this does not necessarily mean that they are short lived. For instance, a large construction company is contracted to complete construction of a large commercial complex for setting up offices. In this scenario, in order to complete the construction project of commercial complex, a business owner who hires the construction company to construct the complex, will usually specify a definite date of start and completion of the building. From the point of view of the construction company, this unique construction opportunity is a  project that has certain time constraints. However, procuring of the building mat erials and other necessary equipments that are not unique to this particular construction project are known as the operations. These activities are repetitive and do not have a fixed time constraint. 5. c. Budget Constraints Project management deals with completion of certain projects within the specified budget constraints, while operations management concerns those activities that are necessary to maintain a specific profit margin. For instance, taking the case of the construction company that has been awarded the contract to complete construction of a large commercial complex by a business owner. In this scenario, the business owner who hires the construction firm will allot a specific cost for the project as detailed in its Request for Proposals. On the other hand, it is the responsibility of the operations management at the construction company to, ensure that a predetermined profit margin is achieved on the project and work while outlining its cost structure. 5. d. Project management is future oriented while Operations management is  present oriented Project management activities focus on achieving the future state of business. This implies that they are future oriented. On the contrary, operations management activities focus on maintaining the current state of business and bring the desired business changes, suggesting that the discipline of operations management is highly present oriented. In the construction industry, the aim of project management is to accomplish the completion of the project undertaken while delivering all the necessary expectations. All these activities of planning and coordination are aimed towards achieving a future state. While the daily operations are required to sustain smooth functioning of the current business activities. 6. Project managers should possess operations management skills The above discussion clearly highlights the differences between project management and operations management in a construction industry. However, management across various organisations is of the view that operations management and project management are necessary skills for project managers across all industries. It is important that project managers in a construction environment are able to adequately consider the quality and safety concerns. In a construction environment, any minor defect can manifest itself into a major issue as re-construction may be required leading to larger associated costs and delays in meeting the project timelines. Further, such defects can also often become the cause of several personal injuries or fatalities. Therefore, it is important to appoint skilled and efficient project managers who have the necessary experience to ensure that the job is done right the first time avoiding any major or minor accidents that may occur during the completion of the project objectives. General consensus with respect to success of project management and operations management in construction industry is that it is important that managers are able to motivate the team to collectively work towards business success and accomplishment of business objectives as well as project objectives. It is necessary for management to ensure that individuals part of the projects and operations coordinate and cooperate to form efficient and effective teams that are specialised in a specific knowledge area. It is important for project managers to have sound project and operations knowledge, skills and experience in handling several different teams. It is necessary that the organisations in the construction industry such as Kentz not only possess the necessary experience in the specialized knowledge area but also in the operations of their own as well their customers business. For instance, the management team at a construction may be well-versed constructing and customising the construction units as per the client requirements and yet it may lack the experience in the procuring the resources that are necessary to undertake customer transactions. This indicates the need for project managers to possess the required operations management skills. In order to achieve business success, it is important to ensure that the projects not only meet customer expectation but are also well aligned with the companys ideal profit margins. This can only be achieved if project managers have sufficient knowledge of the operations while creating project budgets. Also, in order to efficiently schedule and plan the budget and resources, it is importa nt for project managers to be well-versed in the supply chain and efficient management of logistics. 7. Conclusion It is established that project management and operations management, are two different fields of management. Project management in construction plays a critical role in the construction industry as it is important for Kentz as well as other companies operating in the construction sector to manage projects on time within limited budgets and to manage risk across a number of projects that are large in terms of budget, time and resources. It is important for Kentz, and other firms operating in the construction sector to manage their available resources and budget in the best possible manner to generate greater profit margins. If Kentz or other organization operating in the construction fails to manage and maximise the utilisation of its resources, it will not be able to achieve sustainable project success. Project management and Operations management are differing in nature in terms of their scope, time and budget constraint. Also, Project management activities focus on achieve the futu re state of business implying that they are future oriented. On the contrary, Operations management activities focus on maintaining the current state of business and bring the desired business changes. However, management across various organisations is of the view that operations management and project management are necessary skills for project managers across all industries. It is safe to conclude that in this dynamic business environment, only those organisations will survive and prosper that not only possess the necessary experience in the specialized knowledge area to accomplish project objectives but also in the operations of their own as well their customers business. There is a need in Kentz as well as other companies operating in the construction sector to appoint project managers that have sound project and operations knowledge, skills and experience in handling several different teams.

A Review of the Employee Relations in the British Airways

According to One World (n. d. ), a global union of the world’s ten biggest airlines, the British Airways, which is a founder member of the alliance, is the largest airline in the United Kingdom and is the leading international airline in the world. It has always been the first on the line at everything it did – they were the first to provide jet and super passenger services, and fully-flat beds, and the first to carry out â€Å"weather-beating autolandings†. The purpose of this paper is to discuss and clearly evaluate the quality of employee relations within the British Airways.It will cover the context of employee relations, employee relations and employee relations strategies with the said organisation. In addition, theories and theoretical perspectives will be used to explain the kind of employee relations in the British Airways. However, to begin with, two definitions of Employee Relations will be provided. Employee Relations Defined According to Heery and No on (2001), â€Å"Employee Relations is a common title for the industrial relations function within personnel management and is also sometimes used as an alternative label for the academic field of industrial relations.†On the other hand, according to the NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Centre Office of Human Relations (2001), â€Å"Employee Relations involves the body of work concerned with maintaining employer-employee relationships that contribute to satisfactory productivity, motivation and morale†¦is concerned with preventing and resolving problems involving individuals which arise out of or affect work situations. † Both definitions treated Employee Relations as a part of something that is bigger – a function of industrial relations and a â€Å"body of work†.Also, both pointed out that Employee Relations deals with the people that works at a company or organisation – the employer and employee. Lastly, both have the same purpose and tha t is to manage the relationships of these people with one another as both definitions aims on the development of the company or the organisation. However, Heery and Noon’s definition of Employee Relations is more inclined as a term that refers to a certain function of industrial relations that is concerned to managing personnel in a company, organisation or a simple workplace.It gives another face to industrial relations, making it appear that it has a broad scope, it shows that the industrial relations does not only focuses on trade union but also with employee management (Heery & Noon 2001). In other words, Employee Relations, in Heery and Noon’s definition, appears to be a function under industrial relations. On the other hand, the definition of NASA focuses on the very significance of Employee Relations and not regarding it as a â€Å"branch† of industrial relations.Although it pointed out that it is a â€Å"body of work† which can be understood as a part of work that focuses on a specific task which is preserving the relationship of the employer and the employee with one another in order to sustain a healthy work environment. Context of Employee Relations and the Balance of Power Though Employee Relations always deals with the employer-employee relationship, its manner of management will vary whether in every country an environment, even between a company and an organisation. In this paper, the focus would be on an organisational context.According to Heathfield (2007), organisations should maximise their employees’ strengths or they will transfer somewhere else. The employers should make their employees feel that they are useful in the organisation in order for them to gather confidence and self-worth. They should trust them since they have a certain kind of maturity that can handle important matters in the organisation and, also, when a work is done, the employees should be given compliments and positive reactions. In a ddition, since employees are important is organisations, thus, they should not ignore them (Capital Outsourcing Solutions n. d. ).They should also be treated equally and with respect in order for them to give out â€Å"positive attitudes† in the organisation that can greatly help its â€Å"productivity, competitiveness and profits†. According to Capital Outsourcing Solutions (n. d. ), agendas like providing employee handbook, suggestion programmes, policy manuals, employee performance appraisals, employee assistance program, performance incentives, wage surveys, social activities, and management/employee committees are effective in boosting up the morale of the employees and to establish an environment of teamwork.Teamwork is important in an organisation since it enables the organisation to achieve things that cannot be done by a single person alone (Heathfield 2007). British Airways is proud to say that they are involved in every aspect of the Human Resources. One of the topmost priorities of the Human Resources of the British Airways is to treat each and every one with respect and with paramount professionalism. Another significant aspect they wish to maintain good staff morale, in addition, they make sure that every employee will work as a team through a â€Å"clear management structure† to assist them all throughout (British Airways Recruitment, n. d. ).The organisation also certify that their managers are flexible enough to take on the changes that constantly occur, in addition, they also help out in simplifying their working process in order to enable their employees to help the organisation manage its performance. They threw in their every effort on these matters to give good quality of service to their customers and to motivate the employees to work at their best. According to the British Airways Recruitment (n. d. ), the organisation values and promotes diversity and equality even at the point of recruitment.They believe that in o rder to achieve the value of respect, which is very important to an employer-employee relationship, they are responsible to treat each other equally when it comes to every opportunities. The British Airways also aims to maximise the employee’s full potential in their training and career development methods. They are proud to say that they have every extraordinary training resources which consists of computer-based interactive learning centres, library facilities, reference materials, audiotapes and video-based learning (British Airways Recruitment, n. d. ).in addition to the learning facilities, there are also various programmes that aims to develop one’s leadership skills, team-building skills , presentation and negotiation skills, etc. As for rewards and benefits, the organisation provides reduced air fare travel and travel discounts, holiday entitlements, pension and private healthcare schemes, profit share schemes, bonuses, employee share schemes, sports and social amenities and a chance to join British Airway clubs, and subsidised staff restaurant (British Airways Recruitment, n. d. ). They also keep an eye on the wages in all their industries and assure the sufficiency of the salaries.Actions mentioned above are necessary as proven by the motivations theories. There are many motivation theories since the act of motivating varies from person to person. Motivation is the most common and effective way in accomplishing work and in improving oneself and the organisation. Among the theories of motivation are Theory X that is attributed to Sigmund Freud, Theory Y by Douglas McGregor, Theory Z by Abraham Maslow, the Hygiene/Motivation Theory by Frederick Herzberg, Contingency Approach that is being supported by Fred Luthans, Expectancy Theory of Victor Vroom, and other theories by Chris Argyis, Rensis Likert (Accel Team 2008).Theory X assumes that people do not like to work at all and that in order for them to work is through giving them a reward o r through coercion and punishment while Theory Y is just the opposite, according to McGregor, people on the contrary likes to work in order for them to achieve self-discipline and self-development. On the other hand, Maslow’s Theory Z states that people has needs that they need to satisfy – â€Å"physiological needs, safety needs, love needs, esteem needs and self-actualization needs† – and he only fulfils them by working hard.Still based from the human needs is the Hygiene/Motivation Theory of Herzberg whom divided the needs into two groups – â€Å"animal needs† (supervision, interpersonal relations, working conditions and salary) and â€Å"human needs† (recognition, work, responsibility and advancement). According to Herzberg, people work to accomplish the mentioned needs and by fulfilling them one by one do they get even more motivated to work for â€Å"work accomplishment† is their â€Å"self-enlightened interests†.W hen it comes to Argyris, organisations should fully utilise their employees by involving them in decision making in order for them to be satisfied in their workplace since, according to Heathfield (2007), employees should feel relevant in the organisation and that can be only achieve in involving them in making important decisions. In connection to Argyris’ theory, Likert also agree that decision making should be done by a group involving the employees in it in order to achieve outstanding outcomes sine being able to participate in such are great way to be motivated.However, Luthans supported the Contingency Approach and believed that not all practices fit every job and organisations, thus, flexibility in leadership should be needed. Likewise, Vroom’s Expectancy Theory talks about that an employees’ rewards also varies, some will want an increase in salary while other would want promotion, that means, employers should rewards employees with something that is imp ortant to them. In the past, employees prayed and wished for them to be chosen by the employer, however, due to the changing times, it is now the vice versa.According to Rousseau and Shperling (2003), the shift in the balance of power was due to the rise of high-technology and the sudden increase of dependence of organisations in the employees. In addition, the shift was also caused by the development of the global economic conditions which result for opportunities to widen for employees in the field of the information technology, finance, sales, marketing and general management (New South Wales Higher Certificate Education 1999).The shift of the balance of power in the employer-employee relations is said to be due to the growth of knowledge-based organisations, beginning of an organisation to appreciated the intellectual and relational assets of human, and sudden necessity for them to hold on to important employees and to draw talented ones towards them (Rousseau & Shperling 2003). There is already an extra need for organisations to make themselves as interesting as possible for employees to consider them working for them.According to the New South Wales Higher Certificate Education (1999), the labour market is no longer controlled by the employers since it is already been taken over by the employees. British Airways is also affect of this shift in the balance of power; they always use their business’ diversity and the excitement one can experience in an airline industry in order to attract employees for they know that graduates or employees in general are looking for an organisation where they can develop a lot of skills and a competitive and challenging environment.They accept anyone regardless of age, sex, status, race, sexual orientation, religion and whether you are disabled or not. By doing this, they are confident to be able to gather the most talented and capable people for the job they provide. Employee Relations Issues Like in other environme nts, there would always be issues and conflicts, thus, Employee Relations is no exception. Conflicts in Employee Relations will always be present and the best thing for the â€Å"manager† – the one who maintains the relationship of the employer and employee – is to resolve it as early as possible so that it would not affect the organisation’s productivity.These conflicts exists due to the diversity of people working in the organisation, no individuals are the same, thus, disagreements are most like to occur due to differences. According to Kelly Services (2008), conflicts in a workplace can waste a huge amount of time and can really affect the performance of the organisation through lost productivity, perception costs and team erosion. On a more personal note, conflicts can result to withdrawal (physically and emotionally), job resignation, cutting of personal relations and violence (Rau-Foster 2000).However, conflicts do not always bring negativity to th e organisation for it also helps to strengthen the relationship of each people that are involved. It can improve their creativity, productivity, decision making skills, performance and interpersonal relationships (Kelly Services 2008; Graves 2007). According to Graves (2007), the conflicts that materialised can be classified into three: task conflict, process conflict and relationship conflict.Conflicts comes from disagreements over â€Å"business ideas, decisions and actions† difference in personality, vague classification of responsibility, limited resources and private interests or can easily be classified into thee – task conflict, process conflict and relationship conflict. (Kelly Services 2008; Rau-Foster 2000). The conflicts from the said causes with the exception of the personality differences are easy to solve through compromise, however, personality clashes are entirely a different matter for its resolution lies within the person.A change to a person’ s behaviour and attitude is needed, unfortunately, turning a person into another is never an easy task, and so the best solution is for the person to remain civil towards the others (Kelly Services 2008). Since British Airways is a diverse organisation with diverse employees, most conflicts may come out because of age, disability, unbalance lifestyle, gender, harassment and bullying, race, religion and sexual orientation.According to the British Airways (n. d. ), in order to maintain a positive Employee Relations, the organisation challenged all the suppositions and stereotypes regarding about age, gave additional trainings to disabled employees to maximise their potential, provides flexible working options to help the employees to balance their professional and home life, established numerous flexible working initiatives for women, guaranteed that employees know their policy regarding harassment and bullying to continue promote respect in the organisation as well as dignity, listen ed to the ideas of employees from racial minorities, provided prayer facilities and published monthly religious festivals newsletters for employees with different religions and beliefs, lastly, they offered inclusive working environment for every employees which includes those with different sexual orientation.The British Airways also joined other organisations that are concerned with disabled, racial minorities, harassment and bullying, other religions, and different sexual orientation. Employee Relations Strategies In order to maintain a positive relationship between the employer and the employee different strategies are used.According to New Zealand Qualifications Authority (2003), strategies are developed based on the external and organisational environment, current status of the organisation’s Employee Relations, influences and changes in the organisation, wants of the employees, logical conclusion, and in the process of the organisation’s decision making. To impl ement these strategies, resources should be considered, and is based on the organisational policies and legal practice. Once a strategy is implemented, it should be assessed whether it is effective or not and this can be done quantitatively (analysis and statistics) and qualitatively (survey and opinions). Changes within a strategy are necessary if problems surfaced. Back in the year 1974-1981 when the British Overseas Airways Corporation and British European Airways came together to form the British Airways, one of the major problems that they encountered was about the cultural background of the employees.In the merging of the two organisations, one culture is required to embrace the methods and practices of the other and it is here that the organisation got its biggest problem. In order to solve this cultural conflict, a Staff Development Initiative was applied, a cultural training to help the employees to do their jobs efficiently and to help them to be motivated to do their best (British Airways Case Study, 2008). In addition, the British Airways used its strategy called â€Å"Putting People First as Putting People First Again† and gave updated courses to the personnel to improve the relationship of the employees to one another for the organisation experienced another set of problems during a management change during the early 1990s.Back to the present, there is the Diversity Strategy of the organisation, which was discussed earlier, where they cater to any employees regardless of age, religion, sex, sexual orientation and also to disabled ones. To see where the British Airways is now, it is safe to say that the strategies that the organisation developed and implemented at effective and helped them to be the largest airlines in the world. The Staff Development Initiative helped to solve the problem of cultural clash that was brought by the merging of two organisations and the â€Å"Putting People First as Putting People First Again† strategy contributed in to resolve the conflicts brought by the change of management.Lastly, at present, the Diversity Strategy is currently helping the organisation to gather all the talented people to work for them. The Employee Relations of the British Airways helped them to sustain its status in the airline industries. From maximising the potential of its employees, to respecting and giving them the benefits they needed and deserved, and to resolving possible conflict at the early point in time, the employees are always motivated to work with the team for the improvement of service and productivity of the organisation. Reference:Accel Team. 2008. Employee motivations. Retrieved April 25, 2008 from http://www. accel- team. com/motivation/theory_02. html British Airways. n. d. Diversity strategy. Retrieved April 25, 2008 from http://www.britishairways. com/travel/crdivstrategy/public/en_gb.British Airways Recruitment. n. d. Training and career development. Retrieved April 26, 2008 from htt p://www. britishairwaysjobs. com/baweb1/? newms=info2.British Airways Recruitment. n. d. Equality and diversity: British Airways policy. Retrieved April 26, 2008 from http://www. britishairwaysjobs. com/baweb1/? newms=info219.British Airways Recruitment. n. d. Graduates. Retrieved April 26, 2008 from http://www. britishairwaysjobs. com/baweb1/? newms=info37.British Airways Recruitment. n. d. Rewards and benefits. Retrieved April 26, 2008 from http://www. britishairwaysjobs. com/baweb1/? newms=info3.Capital Outsourcing Solutions. n. d. Employee relations. Retrieved April 25, 2008 from http://capitaloutsourcingsolutions. com/794/5101. html.Graves, K. 2007. Managing conflict. Retrieved April 25, 2008 from http://www. thegoodmanager. com/managing_conflict. htm.Heathfield, S. M. 2007. Twenty dumb things organizations do to mess up their relationship with people. p. 1. Retrieved April 25, 2008 from http://humanresources. about. com/od/ interpersonalcommunication/a/twentymistakes. htm.Kell y Services. 2008. Workplace conflict. Retrieved April 25, 2008 from http://www. kellyservices. com/web/au/ccmanager/en/pages/110_conflict. html.New South Wales Higher Certificate Education. 1999. Influences on employment relations – the changing roles of stakeholders. Retrieved April 25, 2008 from http://www. hsc. csu. edu. au/ business_studies/employment_relations/influences_emprel/Influencesonemploy. htmlNew Zealand Qualifications Authority. 2003. Human resource management: manage employee relations strategy and plans. Retrieved April 25, 2008 from http://www. nzqa. govt. nz/ nqfdocs/units/pdf/11545. pdf.One World. n. d. British Airways. Retrieved April 25, 2008 from http://www. oneworld. com/ow/ member-airlines/british-airways Rau-Foster, M. 2000. Conflict in the workplace. Retrieved April 25, 2008 from http://www. workplaceissues. com/arconflict. htm.Rousseau, D. M. & Shperling, Z. 2003. Pieces of the action: ownership and the changing employment relationship. p. 554-560. Retrieved April 25, 2008 from http://www. heinz. cmu. edu/bio/papers/Rousseau-PiecesOfTheAction. pdf.Sloan Work and Family Research Network. n. d. Definitions of employee relations. Retrieved April 25, 2008 from http://wfnetwork. bc. edu/glossary_entry. php? term=Employee%20 Relations, %20Definition(s)%20of&area.All Thinking Made Easy. 2008. British Airways case study. Retrieved April 25, 2008 from http://ivythesis. typepad. com/term_paper_topics/2008/02/british-airways. html.

The Unusual Secret of Best Essays

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Creator Of A Wonderland, By Lewis Carroll - 1857 Words

Creator of A Wonderland: Lewis Carroll Through worlds of madness, Charles Dodgeson, working under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll, represented his beliefs imprinted upon him from childhood and adulthood into his writings reflecting his views. Carroll used his views concerning English society in the 19th century to influence his writings such as his poems and Alice in Wonderland by reflecting his worldview into the lives of his characters. Through his Christian upbringing and beliefs, Lewis Carroll developed unconventional realities based on the Word of the Lord along with his studies of logic and mathematics. Carroll’s writings and tales differed from that of other Victorian writers, for he displayed both his humor and love for academics,†¦show more content†¦From a young age, Carroll was exposed to Christian beliefs which would later affect his worldview and opinions of society because of the principles of God sowed within him, for his father was a deacon in the small pa rish in his town of Daresbury, Cheshire, and his mother continuously involved God in the family’s activities (Kelly 1). Additionally, Kelly says that his father’s â€Å"austere, puritanical, and authoritarian personality helped to mold the public character to his son who was later to become a quiet, unskewed mathematician† (1). The Dodgeson’s were a family centered around their faith where they would attend two church services on Sundays, practice constant Bible reading, participate in no work or play on Sundays, and eat cold meals in order to give the servants breaks on the Sabbath (Cohen 6). Early in life, Carroll began insisting his father teach him advanced concepts such as Latin, mathematics, the classics, and English literature, and his father then also taught him religious doctrine which he accepted and followed. This teaching allowed Carroll to begin his writing and educational pursuits early, thus creating a young boy infatuated with logical aspe cts of society and a joy of literature exposing him to topics found in his writings (Cohen 7). Despite his involved family, Carroll preferred quietShow MoreRelatedComparative Media: Alice in Wonderland662 Words   |  3 PagesIn todays world most are familiar with the story of Alice in Wonderland, though, admittedly, most are more familiar with the Disney movie than the actual book by Lewis Carroll. Tho both are captivating in their imagination, the bear some striking similarities and differences. The movie and the book have to be different, as they are different mediums and can convey different things. 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By studying these three sources, one can come to a better understanding about our purpose while living on this earth. â€Å"Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland† is a novella written by Charles Dodgson under the name of Lewis Carroll in 1865. ItRead MoreEnglish Is An International Language1475 Words   |  6 Pagesliterature: â€Å"Imaginative or creative writing, especially of recognized artistic value† (â€Å"Literature†). Unlike linguistics, literatures are the results of creative works. That means you can create your own words and use them in your works. You are the creator of literatures. You will use formal grammars and words basically, but they are just means to express your opinion and thought, not the ultimate goal of writings. So you can see their differences. They are not exactly related to each other. It meansRead MoreClassic Literature and Comic Books1383 Words   |  5 Pagesdeveloped. Comic books have some of the most recognizable characters that people will ever read. 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