Not going to be alone later in life. Having a sister to share so many future experiences.
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND FIRM PERFORMANCE IN CHINA: EXPLORING THE “WIN-WIN” RESULTS
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND FIRM PERFORMANCE IN CHINA: EXPLORING THE “WIN-WIN” RESULTS BETWEEN THE DEVELOPMENT OF COMPANY AND SOCIAL INTERESTS
Introduction
Corporate Social Responsibility is a relatively new phenomenon within the corporate sphere (Moura, Leite & Padgett, 2011) whose preeminence as a strategic pillar within organizations is traced back to early 2000. Firms have realized that by incorporating CSR activities they will not only generate their own goodwill through giving back to society, in return the community and society reciprocate and support the organizations (Wang et al., 2016). It is evident that firms stand to benefit by incorporating CSR activities, considering that CSR activities are meant to uplift the community and therefore when a community thrives the organizations within the community benefits. This paper, therefore, looks into Corporate Social Responsibility and Firm Performance in China: Exploring The “Win-Win” Results Between The Development of Company and Social Interests.
Background literature
Contemporary business is marked by a very dynamic market place where competitors are on the watch while at the same time creating turbulence even if to hampers ones progress- as a result organizations have been forced to re-strategize and one such avenue is through the use of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) whose aim is to empower consumers. These strategies are either extrinsic or intrinsic all formed with one intention to outperform and outmaneuver competitors (Scherer et al., 2016; Pearce & Robinson, 2011). In addition to the above firms are under pressure to commit resources towards this avenue, whose intention is to create value for investors. In addition, there are several strategies that firms may utilize such as economic empowerment to the society, and further, the responsibility covers all stakeholders such as its clients, the government, and the community (Fadun, 2018).
Firms have also found that CSR is a strategic tool that enhances its images and controls the reputation of the firm which ends up creating a positive reception by the public (Sarjana & Khayati, 2016). It is therefore evident that the benefit that a firm reaps from utilizing corporate social responsibility is great and this has resulted in the creation of a new dimension within business environment since in contemporary marketplace what matters is how an entity is perceived and this is what drives performance which includes
Firm Performance
The definition of what constitutes organizational performance varies to a very great extent, there is a group that looks at performance from the financial aspect, while others argue there are non-financial measures. Corporate Social Responsibilities have argued that in this case, the non-financial measure of performance takes precedence over financial measures (Waheed, Sarwar and Sarwar, 2016). Further, Režňáková, Karas and Strnadová
, (2017) argue that such a perspective, therefore, negates return on investment which is the ultimate goal of any business. Therefore it is not possible to measure non-financial performance; however, this is a sort of investment yields returns in the long term.
This paper, therefore, intends to establish whether when an organization engages in CSR does this result in improved value for the investors, since most of the time the investment does not yield returns and thus what is the impact of such investments are to the business. While the intention of this paper is not reviewing market performance or organizations but rather examining the value creation and the consequence of a firm undertaking corporate social responsibility.
Research Aims and Objectives
There are various measures as to how a firm’s performance whether financially or non-financially these measures include balanced scorecard, this is as a result of firms and investors were keen on and sensitive to a firm’s external environment which is crucial for any firms success (Porter & Kramer, 2011). Studies have also indicated that CSR sensitizes firms on what the current needs are and also adapting to the ever-changing environment and adopting policies that lead to the reduction and elimination of wasteful practices that add no value to the organization.
Further this paper takes a special emphasis in Chinese companies, considering that China Stock Market & Accounting Research (CSMAR) database indicates that since the year 2006 there have been over 34,000 CSR projects announced and the peak being in the year 203 and 2014 which saw 5,929 and 5,644 CSR projects announced, however thereafter the number of CSR projects have been reducing. Further, the data reviewed indicated that 60% of these CSR projects are from the manufacturing sector. Thus the question is why the manufacturing industry has produced a huge number of CSR. Further, the study intends to establish why there has been a decline in the number of CSR project after the year
In order to clearly establish a firm’s performance, the study will study CSR from the perspective a firm’s responsibility towards its employees, customers/ clients, community/ society/ government and how the size of a firm affects the performance of organizations in China.
Hypothesis
In order to achieve the objective of the study the following hypothesis will be considered so as to the studies research questions:
H01: Organizational Performance is a result of good employee relations across Chinese Firms.
H02: Organizational Performance is a result of Customer relations across Chinese Firms.
H03: Organizational Performance is a result of Community Relations across Chinese Firms.
H04: Organizational Performance is a result of Government Relations across Chinese
H05: The size of firms has no relations to performance
Literature Review
Theoretical Framework
A theory is a construct that defines and determines the structure and interrelationship between the various variable in a study which can be tested scientifically. Further theories are used to test and establish whether the objectives and hypothesis in a study meet the threshold to make a judgment or predict the most likely scenario under a study (Sardo & Serrasqueiro, 2017). This study will review the stakeholder theory, resource based theory, social contract theory, social identity theory, and slack resources theory.
Stakeholder Theory posits that organizations are at the centre of competing for interest from its stakeholders and that the organization has an obligation to meet these interests irrespective of the scarce resources (Wicks &Harrison, 2015). Further firms are required not to be biased in their interaction and treatment of its stakeholders, however, the cure to this requirement is that it stresses on success and sustainability over legal and legislative requirements (Harrison & Wicks, 2013). This theory will be essential in determining whether firms in China engage in CSR as an obligation to the law or as a strategic maneuver.
Deshati, (2015) states that the. Resource-Based Theory allows for the evaluation of resources available within a firm, which stakeholder’s theory does not consider. In most instances, the resources are limited and scarce and therefore firms need to create their strategies around their unique resources so as to exploit available opportunities. Further, this theory indicates that when a firm realizes its rare unique and non-imitable resource then it shall e able to outperform its competitors.
Social Contract Theory argues that any organization on the express permission given by the society and therefore the organization has an obligation to the society. This theory also builds on the stakeholder theory whereby it affirms that there is a mutual understanding between the organization and the society and therefore need for cordial reciprocation between both parties. However, these expectations are not explicit but implicit in nature thus business must act in a manner that is deemed as being responsible by the society (Mwangi & Oyenje, 2013)
Social Identity Theory affirms that an organization needs to ensure that its stakeholder’s environment is safe from the activities of the organization thus reducing and minimizing exposure. Therefore stakeholders will be attracted o the firm as a result of the reputation of the firm which would eventually lead to loyalty and stakeholder satisfaction eventually the results is enhanced performance, therefore, firms and organizations need to create a positive reputation first (Ioannou et al., 2019).
Slack Resources Theory connects a firm’s financial performance to CSR activities, in that when an organization performs well it will have surplus for CSR activities and therefore the immediate need of any firm is financial performance (Paeleman, Fuss & Vanacker, 2009). Therefore engaging in CSR may constrain a firm’s available resource thus hampering its competitiveness. This theory aligns to Resource-Based View which argues that the major concern is o ensure the sustainability of any business.
Empirical Review
There have been various studies that have looked into CSR and firm performance. These studies used different measures as variables. Tran, (2019) and Rehmani and Khokhar, (2018) indicate that these variables have included employee’s relations measured by Health & Safety, Training & Development, and Staff welfare. Customer Relations evaluated by Consumer information, Quality assurance and Customer care & feedback, Community Relations is measured by; Health & Education, CSR projects & Charity, and Community welfare. The Government Relations is measured by Regulation, Emission control, Waste management, and Environment-friendly systems. On the other hand the measurement of firm performance will be achieved through “financial performance”, “customer satisfaction”, “internal processes”, and “employee learning and growth”.
Research Methodology
The methodology outlines the processes that the study will use to achieve its objectives. As such methodology revolves around the study design, population, collection of data, data analysis techniques all in a bid to explain how the study will achieve its objectives.
Research Design: Research design is the plan that will be used including the procedures that will guide aspects such as data collection, analysis, and reporting. This study will use a descriptive survey research design. This type of survey design uses structured questionnaires to collect data from respondents with the aim of establishing baseline information. Twining et al, (2017) state that a descriptive survey is inexpensive of collecting information and conducting surveys from a widely spread population.
Sampling Frame a sampling frame refers to the list of respondents from which the sample will be drawn. This implies that this study will use the list that will be obtained fromChina Stock Market & Accounting Research (CSMAR). This list will provide a comprehensive of firms in China especially those that have implemented CSR and establish what the outcome has been.
Sample and Sampling Technique is used to select the target from a population that will be put under study (Kothari & Gaurav, 2014). Sampling is essential in any study since it reduces the population proportionately to allow for accessing respondents from a wide population. The study will use purposive sampling so as to ensure that firms across different sectors and regions in China are represented; further emphasis will be put on firms that have adopted and incorporated CSR.
Data Collection Instrument : The study will utilize questionnaires as the primary data collection tool. According to Kothari and Gaurav (2014), questionnaires are less cumbersome and cover more respondents within short duration since they are self-administered. In addition to the above, there are various modes of transmittal of questionnaires such as physical copies of soft/ digital questionnaires. In addition, a five-point Likert based questionnaire will be used since this helps to measure central tendencies.
Pilot Test: a pilot test is useful in any study since this will bring out issues and therefore allow the researcher to make corrections before the actual study. In addition to the above, such a practice enable identify ambiguous question in the questionnaire. Saunders et al., (2012) state that 10% of the sample population is sufficient for a pilot study, however, the extent to which a pilot study is conducted is measured against time and resources available to the researcher.
Reliability and Validity of the Study, Twining et al., (2015) states that a results pilot study should yield a Cronbach’s alpha value of more than 0.70, this affirms that should the results be repeated over time the results would be the same- similar. On the other hand, validity is the measure that determines whether factors under study match the findings of the previous study and if not establishes the reason thereof for the difference (Babbie, 2010).
Data Analysis and Presentation: The type of data expected from this study is expected to be both qualitative and quantitative in nature, this determines how data will be coded and analyzed as well as the analysis technique. The study will make use of descriptive statistics obtained to measure aspects such as central tendency, variance, standard deviation, mean and median, further it has been established that descriptive data is essential for the development of graphs and tables and charts which make interpretation of data to be easy and simple to understand (Kothari & Gaurav, 2014).
According to Krzywinski & Altman, (2015) they state that multiple linear regression is a statistical analysis measure that determines the relationship between the dependent and independent variables. This study will utilize various measures to assess “the relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility and Firm Performance in China”. In addition, the study will make use of Pearson Product Moment Correlation to establish the strength between variable. Further, the study will make use of SPSS to conduct data analysis, this will enable the researcher to compute various indexes that will determine whether corporate social responsibility has an effect on firm performance among companies in China
The study intends to test five hypotheses as outlined in previous sections and this will be derived from the multiple linear regression results whereby the results are based on 95% confidence level and 5% level of significance. This, therefore, implies that when P- value is less than the level of significance then the hypothesis is rejected, and further when the P-value is higher or equal to the level of significance then the hypothesis is accepted. This is presented as
The statistics above indicate that when the results have been obtained then inferences will be made as to whether the study has realized its objectives. This will be achieved through a separate analysis of the dependent, dependent and the intervening or moderating variables if they are present.
Finally, the study will be able to highlight the effect of corporate social responsibility of firm performance in China especially if this leads to a win-win situation between the firm and its stakeholders who include its customers, society, government, and shareholders as well as its employees. In addition, the study will review theories and models that touch on corporate social responsibility. The study will also form part of baseline literature as well as highlight the baseline information of such practices in China and draw attention to why there has been a decline in CSR activities across China. Thus establish whether these practices have any benefit or it is a practice that needs to be discarded all together. Finally, a review indicates that manufacturing firms are the ones contributing a substantial and therefore it would be essential to establish why this is so.
References
Babbie, E. 2010. The practice of social research (12th ed.). USA: Wadsworth.
Deshati, E., 2015. Business strategies of SME’s, innovation types and factors influencing their innovation: Albanian case. European Scientific Journal, ESJ, 11(34).
Fadun, O.S., 2018. Corporate Governance and Organisational Performance: Analysis of Nigeria Stock Exchange Listed Companies. International Journal of Finance & Banking Studies (2147-4486), 6(4), pp.12-27.
Franco, I., Moura-Leite, R., Pereira, M.W.G. and Lopes, J.C.D.J., 2017. Personal values and approach of undergraduates towards corporate social responsibility. Social Responsibility Journal, 13(3), pp.457-472.
Ioannou, I. and Serafeim, G., 2019. Corporate Sustainability: A Strategy?. Harvard Business School Accounting & Management Unit Working Paper, (19-065).
Kothari, C. R., & Gaurav, G. 2014. Research methodology: Methods and techniques (3rd ed.). India: New age techno press.
Krzywinski, M. and Altman, N., 2015. Points of Significance: Multiple linear regression.
Mwangi, C., & Oyenje, J. (2013). The relationship between corporate social responsibility practices and financial performance of firms in the manufacturing, construction and allied sector of the Nairobi Securities Exchange. International Journal of Business, Humanities and Technology, 3(2), 81-90.
Paeleman, I., Fuss, C. and Vanacker, T., 2017. Untangling the multiple effects of slack resources on firms’ exporting behavior. Journal of World Business, 52(6), pp.769-781.
Pearce, J., & Robinson, R. (2011). Strategic management: Formulation, implementation and control (12th ed.). New York: McGraw – Hill.
Porter, M. and Kramer, M.R., 2015. Creating Shared Value. 2011. Harvard Business Review, January-February, pp.16-19.
Rehmani, M. and Khokhar, M.N., 2018. Leadership and Organizational Commitment: Mediating Role of CSR. Abasyn University Journal of Social Sciences, 11(1).
Režňáková, M., Karas, M. and Strnadová, M., 2017. Non-Financial Factors Of Performance: The Case Of Mechanical Engineering Companies In The Czech Republic. Scientific Papers Of The University Of Pardubice, p.188.
Sardo, F. and Serrasqueiro, Z., 2017. Intellectual Capital and Firms’ Financial Performance: A European Empirical Study. Business and Economic Research, 7(2), pp.1-18.
Sarjana, S. and Khayati, N., 2016, August. CSR Strategy in Industrial City to Achieved Competitive Advantage. In 2016 Global Conference on Business, Management and Entrepreneurship. Atlantis Press.
Saunders, M., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A. 2012. Research methods for business students (6th ed.). Harlow, England: Pearson Education Limited.
Scherer, A.G., Rasche, A., Palazzo, G. and Spicer, A., 2016. Managing for political corporate social responsibility: New challenges and directions for PCSR 2.0. Journal of Management Studies, 53(3), pp.273-298.
Tran, B., 2019. Corporate social responsibility. In Advanced Methodologies and Technologies in Business Operations and Management (pp. 270-281). IGI Global.
Twining, P., Heller, R.S., Nussbaum, M. and Tsai, C.C., 2017. Some guidance on conducting and reporting qualitative studies.
Waheed, R., Lv, Y., Sarwar, S. and Sarwar, H., 2016. The Role of Corporate Social Responsibility on Firms Financial Performance in Pakistan.
Wang, H., Tong, L., Takeuchi, R. and George, G., 2016. Corporate social responsibility: An overview and new research directions: Thematic issue on corporate social responsibility.
Wicks, A. and Harrison, J.S., 2015. A practitioner critique of a conceptual paper on measuring value and performance. Available at SSRN 2590795.
QUESTIONNAIRE Part 1 (personal information) Gender: Male Female What influences your purchase
I wanted to share my story of growing up as an only child until my sister was born. We Writing Assignment Help QUESTIONNAIRE
Part 1 (personal information)
Gender:
Male Female
What influences your purchase decision in the purchase of a smartphone or its equivalent?
Brand preference
Brand Loyalty
Cheap pricing
Advertising influence
What is your perspective towards the value of brands in the market?
Value is low price
Value is all I want in a product
Value is all I get for all I give
Value is the quality I get for the price I pay
Which phone brand are you presently using?
Apple
Samsung
Sony
Others
What motivates you to consume a particular brand in the market?
Pricing
Brand
Product utility features
After sales services
Tree Diagram 2 Market Research and Grey Nomads Student Name Submission Date
Tree Diagram 2
Market Research and Grey Nomads
Student Name
Submission Date
Instructor Name
Question 1: That student answered a call on his phone right in the middle of class
Question 2: Really noisy roadworks have disturbed my sleep for weeks.
Question 3: You might enjoy a relaxing break just for an hour.
Discussion
Effective communication requires that the information send is the information received. However this may not be the case since different words in a sentence carry different weight and meaning and therefore their place have to be understood during construction of a sentence and during receiving or decoding. From the three cases built above it is clear that the word combination varies to a great extent between the structures and this indicates the while some structure of a sentence appear o be long or short, wide or narrow would depend with the sentence composition. For example the first diagram indicates that there are multi step in sentence structure. While the first has multiple intermediate structure included the third has very few intermediate structure.
A sentence with few intermediate structures appears to be easily understood while a sentence with minimum intermediate structures becomes easily understood and therefore both side of the communication divide will be able to realize and achieve the goals of the communication as intended.
Secondly in English language it is always expected and known that in general the arrangement of a sentence is subject, Verb, Object, however this may not be applicable at all times. This requirement becomes even harder when translating a sentence from one language to another. When a direct translation is done there is a great possibility that the message translated may be distorted and would require adjustment to make it readable and understood in the other language which it has been translated into.
It therefore helps for one to understand how different components of a sentence interrelate. This components include nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives among other. It therefore pays and is of great importance to understand the different roles and how these components in a structure affect the readability and understanding of the statement.
Linguists indicate that misplaced word within a sentence alters in its entirety what a sentence may be intending to communicate. Therefore there is need to remember that there are components that have to come at the beginning while others are supposed to complement. In the three tree diagrams it can be concluded that “That student answered a call on his phone right in the middle of class” appears as the more complex of the three with the second one “Really noisy roadwork’s have disturbed my sleep for weeks” appears as averagely complex and the third “You might enjoy a relaxing break just for an hour” is relatively straight forwards. The first sentence would leave one wondering whether it the person was the teacher or a student and whether the class was ongoing or it was just during any other forum, but considering where emphasis has been placed it clearly indicates that picking or answering a phone in class may appear as being arrogant and or inconsiderate.
Therefore it is important that for any effective communication to take place, there is need to have short brief sentences, which are easily understood. This is not to state that long statements are wrong, it is only to state that long sentence tend to lose the recipient in terms of understanding what was being communicated. Therefore originators are required to consider their recipients and audience. By following the structure above it can be said that a sentence tree structure is what enables and facilitates the understanding of information sent and there is nee to understand sentence structures and how they affect communication.
JAGUAR LAND ROVER PRODUCTION PLAN FOR ELECTRIC CARS Introduction Projects are very
JAGUAR LAND ROVER PRODUCTION PLAN FOR ELECTRIC CARS
Introduction
Projects are very important in designing and executing organizational strategies. As a result, a well-managed project is likely to identify the project’s priority and direct to the organization’s strategic plan. Strategies implementations often depend on the projects. Accomplishing strategies is often aimed to meet the future needs of the customers, and the projects of the organizations to make values to the employed strategies. For instance, a craved outcome could be new to the market, high quality, and less costing products. Strategic purposes of the organization include; the ability to support the processes taken by the organization or the ability to produce competitive products and services in various ways. A successful project is natural strategic, and this is because the concept of planning a project is to; contribute the organization’s goals, missions, and objectives, manage the market and other factors from the environment that impact the projects of the organizations, and the project’s management standards.
Project managers ought to understand the strategy for two main reasons. Firstly, it will help them come up with appropriate decisions and adjust effectively. Secondly, it will make them effective project advocates. The reasons cement the need of project managers acquaintance with strategic management. Strategic management refers to “a process by which an organization examines and learn from stakeholders both in and out of the organization, lay down strategic directions, make strategies to help in achieving the goals established and execute the strategies, to satisfy major organizational stakeholders.
Company History
Jaguar Land rover (JLR), the owner of TATA motors has a future plan whereby its models from 2020 will be electrified. Ten years ago, the luxury brand acquired TATA and laid down a plan of producing electric, mild hybrid vehicles and plug-in hybrid in future. Therefore, by 2020, JLR will give its customers a variety of brands to choose from (jaguarlandrover.com). The project’s stakeholders are the JLR Company together with the TATA motors.
Responsibilities of the project manager
During the research and development stages of the project, the project manager will coordinate:
The design of the electrical system
Design of the battery
Design of the charging system
Oversee research and development, and
Coordinate the downward and upward communication between the management and the employees.
Communication is vital in the success of any project, therefore, the project manager will be communicating the management requirements of the project team and in turn report the progress of the project back to the management. To achieve success in the project, the project manager will have to maintain constant communication to ensure that there is no communication breakdown.
Today, JLR produces high-end luxurious motor vehicle models which run on diesel and petrol. However, with the continuous demand for consumption of clean energy, JLR seeks to move away from the vehicles consuming diesel and petrol to those using electricity which is a clean energy. Also, governments in Europe like the Scottish government announced its aim to phase out diesel and petrol cars by 2032 eight years before French and UK governments implement the same (jaguarlandrover.com). Therefore to satay relevant in such countries, JLR has to shift its production to electrical cars.
JLR has a plan of building a good lifetime relationship with its customers by availing them world-class products and efficient services. Moreover, it has a vision of providing products and services that satisfy the needs of their customers. The process is perceived to be successful through JLRs continuous innovation and implementation, and the operation of state-of-the-art vehicles dealerships. Apart from its main agendas: being the best all the time; ensure consumer satisfaction, continuous innovation and improvement, and promotion of environment of collaboration and respect. Therefore, the future plans of JLR to produce electric cars goes along with its core values since electric cars represent continues innovation and improvement, customer satisfaction, and above all, aims to prevent environmental pollution (jaguarlandrover.com).
For JLR to make the project a success, it needs to have sufficient finances to finance project teams and research and development teams. Also, it needs a high skilled manpower. Also, it will require a strong research and development teams to ensure that all aspects are covered. Also, suppliers of the materials, equipment, and components of electric cars will have to meet the set standards.
Project plan
The project management tools that JLR will use in their development of electric car project comprises of Gantt chart and Program Evaluation Review Technique (PERT). Using the Gantt chat JLR will employ the following techniques to ensure that the project is a success and meet the expected duration and allocated resources.
Reassign a Task: this is achieved through combination of tasks causing over allocation. A task can be reassigned to another person who is skilled and available to do the task.
Extend the Duration of the Task(s): extension of tasks causing allocation can be done to allow resources to complete same amount of work.
Delay the Start of a Task: delaying to start tasks can fix over allocation. The tasks that can be delayed are those with more slack.
Extension of the Resources Working Day: this is also called overtime where workers work more than 8 hours a day.
Implement Improved Technology: use of advance technology means “working smart” not hard can increase over allocation.
Communication plan
This communication plan outlines the approach of collaboration and communication on JLR’s production of electric cars by 2020. The communication plan identifies project audience, information to be communicated, and communication methods used.
Project audience
The project team which comprise of all stakeholders
JLR management
JLR employees
JLR Vendors
Project information
Approval information which comprise of project deliverables, change requests, and documents which require shareholder approval.
Stakeholder project status which includes completed milestones, budget performance, current schedule, major accomplishments, and risks involved.
Communication methods
Conferences
Board meetings
Emails
Notice board
Project managers communicate effectively with the clients, outside vendor and the organization managers. One of the main agendas of the project managers is proactive communication. Project manager leading as required brings forth a huge sense of ownership in his team, high morale, and increase the productivity of the organization. An innovated project is a combined effort from managers (administers) and leaders (innovators). Project managers with appropriate leadership qualities and good technical skills are very important to a business. They usually increase the probability of a project being successful. Furthermore, managers in big projects ought to embrace honesty, delegation, team management, focus, and creativity when working.
Motivation is very crucial in the process of working. A project is likely to be completed successfully if the project manager motivates her team members. Poor project management can result to stress among project developers, and also a high turnover. Many people prefer working in productive teams with clearly-defined goals and good communication. Challenges and surprises created from complex projects are dealt with established processes. Consequently, a competent project manager dealing with each arising crisis as required is a good source of inspiration and motivation to his team members. Members who are aware that communication and clear direction are part of their daily working performs well.
Project teams are composed of several specialists all with different strengths and skills. The specialists include programmers, developers, analysts, engineers, technical writers, and QA specialists. Consequently, there are expert teams that distinguish teams that perform excellently in their projects.
Project teams with good project management skills promote team and project success by acquiring the required techniques. A team full of disparate specialists cannot develop its project to reach the full potential. Workers have an advantage in this field – given a big opportunity to learn and grow over the life of their career.
Risk Management Plan
Assurance Manager and Program Director delegate Risk Manager duty to manage Risk Management Process. Risk Manager has a lot of work make sure many things are in order. Risk Manager should lead the process of identifying the risks that may arise in when JLR produce electric automobiles – the process incorporates the use of checklists, Work Breakdown Structure analyzing, creating Risk Identification Workshops, and conducting Structured Interviews. Also, make sure that project risk managers are aware of the risks. Besides, ensure that each risk allocated to the right Risk Owner. Furthermore, make sure that the identified risks are qualitatively analyzed to determine the probability of its occurrence and the likely impact on the project. They have to ensure an appropriate plan is created to solve the problems. Moreover, Risk Managers ought to check risks (Program-Level Risks and Activity Level Risks) regularly. Also, maintain Risk Register, and make sure the risks are up to date. The Risk Managers are also to convene and lead regular Risk Management Committee meetings. And, evaluate the risks in unavoidable or proposed program changes.
Project managers are given the responsibility of delivering objectives and project goals since they are to ensure that the daily program run as planned in the schedule and budget (Wysocki, 2014). Additionally, a project manager is expected to conduct several activities to make sure the set project goals are achieved by working closely with the team members.
A project manager uses project team organization chart to manage the members. It is a document containing detailed information about the team’s structure and organization, specific roles, and the project team duties (Lewinson, 2010). Moreover, the chart also highlights how the members of the team are to interact with one another regarding the hierarchy of authority in the process of implementing the project. The chart creates awareness to the project members as it indicates their roles and the goals they are expected to have achieved after the project.
A team charter is another document used in the project implementation; it helps the workers to work as per the timelines and ensure expected quality is achieved in the outcomes of the project. It is a document that shows project goals, purposes, and the role of every member of the team and how they should relate to one another (Persily, 2013). Decision-making processes, reporting, and communication are also highlighted in the team charter.
A project manager is responsible for keeping the financial records of the project and ensuring the record is checked for accuracy. As the project leader, the manager will make sure that the records are checked and that it is within projects budget. The process is effective as the records from the operated from a common point with consistency and accuracy (Schwartz & Wilson, 2011).
In case a member of the staff is to be involved in a new role, the member will be trained accordingly to facilitate privy in their working. A review team is usually formed by the project manager to review project outcomes that determine if project plan on sign-offs and project deliverables are done as required and they are within the planned scope (Briscoe, Baccineli & Chambers 2000). The project manager also ensures that Review Team QA analyst conduct a face-to-face interview to the team members.
Lastly, the project manager will is supposed to make a detailed report from notes, findings and observation on the financial reports and the team members showing how the project team has achieved the expected deliverables as per the project plan and scope. The project report is written in summary covering all different activities of the project.
References
Briscoe, T., Baccineli, C., & Chambless, J. (2000). Best practices—project review process. Paper presented at Project Management Institute Annual Seminars & Symposium, Houston, TX. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute.
Capterra. (2018). Best Project Management Software and Tools | 2018 Reviews of the Most Popular Systems. Retrieved May 17, 2018, from https://www.capterra.com/project-management-software/#infographic
Haughey, D. (n.d.). Project Management Tools. Retrieved May 17, 2018, from https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/project-management-tools.php
Keyzer, P., Dietrich, J., Eickhoff-Shemek, J., Finch, C., Norton, K., Sekendiz, B., & Jones, V. (2014). The Australian fitness industry risk management manual. Australian Fitness Industry Risk Management Project, 1(1), 177.
Lewinson, M. (2010). Project Team Organization – Team Definition, Roles & Responsibilities, Organizational Chart. Retrieved May 17, 2018, from http://www.mymanagementguide.com/basics/project-team-organization-project-team-definition-responsibilities-and-roles-and-project-team-organization-chart/
Persily, C. A. (2013). Team Leadership and Partnering in Nursing and Health Care. New York: Springer Publishing Company. Retrieved from https://books.google.co.ke/books?id=PFEP5rWZJUoC&pg=PA73&dq=team+charter&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjSzc33oIzbAhXlBsAKHaXjDWwQ6AEIKzAB#v=onepage&q=team charter&f=false
Whitaker, S. (2014). How to Build Your Own Project Management Methodology. In The Professional Project Manager. Retrieved from http://seanwhitaker.com/how-to-build-your-own-project-management-methodology/
Wilson, S. & Schwartz, C. (2011). Powerful project financials. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2011—North America, Dallas, TX. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute.
Wysocki, R. K. (2014). Effective Project Management: Traditional, Agile, Extreme. John Wiley & Sons Inc. Retrieved from https://books.google.co.ke/books?id=tFslAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA26&dq=project+management&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi_8t20lozbAhWMasAKHaphCRUQ6AEIJzAA#v=onepage&q=project management&f=false
https://www.jaguarlandrover.com/news/2017/09/every-jaguar-and-land-rover-launched-2020-will-be-electrified
JAGUAR LAND ROVER PRODUCTION PLAN FOR ELECTRIC CARS Introduction Projects are very
JAGUAR LAND ROVER PRODUCTION PLAN FOR ELECTRIC CARS
Introduction
Projects are very important in designing and executing organizational strategies. As a result, a well-managed project is likely to identify the project’s priority and direct to the organization’s strategic plan. Strategies implementations often depend on the projects. Accomplishing strategies is often aimed to meet the future needs of the customers, and the projects of the organizations to make values to the employed strategies. For instance, a craved outcome could be new to the market, high quality, and less costing products. Strategic purposes of the organization include; the ability to support the processes taken by the organization or the ability to produce competitive products and services in various ways. A successful project is natural strategic, and this is because the concept of planning a project is to; contribute the organization’s goals, missions, and objectives, manage the market and other factors from the environment that impact the projects of the organizations, and the project’s management standards.
Project managers ought to understand the strategy for two main reasons. Firstly, it will help them come up with appropriate decisions and adjust effectively. Secondly, it will make them effective project advocates. The reasons cement the need of project managers acquaintance with strategic management. Strategic management refers to “a process by which an organization examines and learn from stakeholders both in and out of the organization, lay down strategic directions, make strategies to help in achieving the goals established and execute the strategies, to satisfy major organizational stakeholders.
Company History
Jaguar Land rover (JLR), the owner of TATA motors has a future plan whereby its models from 2020 will be electrified. Ten years ago, the luxury brand acquired TATA and laid down a plan of producing electric, mild hybrid vehicles and plug-in hybrid in future. Therefore, by 2020, JLR will give its customers a variety of brands to choose from (jaguarlandrover.com). The project’s stakeholders are the JLR Company together with the TATA motors.
Responsibilities of the project manager
During the research and development stages of the project, the project manager will coordinate:
The design of the electrical system
Design of the battery
Design of the charging system
Oversee research and development, and
Coordinate the downward and upward communication between the management and the employees.
Communication is vital in the success of any project, therefore, the project manager will be communicating the management requirements of the project team and in turn report the progress of the project back to the management. To achieve success in the project, the project manager will have to maintain constant communication to ensure that there is no communication breakdown.
Today, JLR produces high-end luxurious motor vehicle models which run on diesel and petrol. However, with the continuous demand for consumption of clean energy, JLR seeks to move away from the vehicles consuming diesel and petrol to those using electricity which is a clean energy. Also, governments in Europe like the Scottish government announced its aim to phase out diesel and petrol cars by 2032 eight years before French and UK governments implement the same (jaguarlandrover.com). Therefore to satay relevant in such countries, JLR has to shift its production to electrical cars.
JLR has a plan of building a good lifetime relationship with its customers by availing them world-class products and efficient services. Moreover, it has a vision of providing products and services that satisfy the needs of their customers. The process is perceived to be successful through JLRs continuous innovation and implementation, and the operation of state-of-the-art vehicles dealerships. Apart from its main agendas: being the best all the time; ensure consumer satisfaction, continuous innovation and improvement, and promotion of environment of collaboration and respect. Therefore, the future plans of JLR to produce electric cars goes along with its core values since electric cars represent continues innovation and improvement, customer satisfaction, and above all, aims to prevent environmental pollution (jaguarlandrover.com).
For JLR to make the project a success, it needs to have sufficient finances to finance project teams and research and development teams. Also, it needs a high skilled manpower. Also, it will require a strong research and development teams to ensure that all aspects are covered. Also, suppliers of the materials, equipment, and components of electric cars will have to meet the set standards.
Project plan
The project management tools that JLR will use in their development of electric car project comprises of Gantt chart and Program Evaluation Review Technique (PERT). Using the Gantt chat JLR will employ the following techniques to ensure that the project is a success and meet the expected duration and allocated resources.
Reassign a Task: this is achieved through combination of tasks causing over allocation. A task can be reassigned to another person who is skilled and available to do the task.
Extend the Duration of the Task(s): extension of tasks causing allocation can be done to allow resources to complete same amount of work.
Delay the Start of a Task: delaying to start tasks can fix over allocation. The tasks that can be delayed are those with more slack.
Extension of the Resources Working Day: this is also called overtime where workers work more than 8 hours a day.
Implement Improved Technology: use of advance technology means “working smart” not hard can increase over allocation.
Communication plan
This communication plan outlines the approach of collaboration and communication on JLR’s production of electric cars by 2020. The communication plan identifies project audience, information to be communicated, and communication methods used.
Project audience
The project team which comprise of all stakeholders
JLR management
JLR employees
JLR Vendors
Project information
Approval information which comprise of project deliverables, change requests, and documents which require shareholder approval.
Stakeholder project status which includes completed milestones, budget performance, current schedule, major accomplishments, and risks involved.
Communication methods
Conferences
Board meetings
Emails
Notice board
Project managers communicate effectively with the clients, outside vendor and the organization managers. One of the main agendas of the project managers is proactive communication. Project manager leading as required brings forth a huge sense of ownership in his team, high morale, and increase the productivity of the organization. An innovated project is a combined effort from managers (administers) and leaders (innovators). Project managers with appropriate leadership qualities and good technical skills are very important to a business. They usually increase the probability of a project being successful. Furthermore, managers in big projects ought to embrace honesty, delegation, team management, focus, and creativity when working.
Motivation is very crucial in the process of working. A project is likely to be completed successfully if the project manager motivates her team members. Poor project management can result to stress among project developers, and also a high turnover. Many people prefer working in productive teams with clearly-defined goals and good communication. Challenges and surprises created from complex projects are dealt with established processes. Consequently, a competent project manager dealing with each arising crisis as required is a good source of inspiration and motivation to his team members. Members who are aware that communication and clear direction are part of their daily working performs well.
Project teams are composed of several specialists all with different strengths and skills. The specialists include programmers, developers, analysts, engineers, technical writers, and QA specialists. Consequently, there are expert teams that distinguish teams that perform excellently in their projects.
Project teams with good project management skills promote team and project success by acquiring the required techniques. A team full of disparate specialists cannot develop its project to reach the full potential. Workers have an advantage in this field – given a big opportunity to learn and grow over the life of their career.
Risk Management Plan
Assurance Manager and Program Director delegate Risk Manager duty to manage Risk Management Process. Risk Manager has a lot of work make sure many things are in order. Risk Manager should lead the process of identifying the risks that may arise in when JLR produce electric automobiles – the process incorporates the use of checklists, Work Breakdown Structure analyzing, creating Risk Identification Workshops, and conducting Structured Interviews. Also, make sure that project risk managers are aware of the risks. Besides, ensure that each risk allocated to the right Risk Owner. Furthermore, make sure that the identified risks are qualitatively analyzed to determine the probability of its occurrence and the likely impact on the project. They have to ensure an appropriate plan is created to solve the problems. Moreover, Risk Managers ought to check risks (Program-Level Risks and Activity Level Risks) regularly. Also, maintain Risk Register, and make sure the risks are up to date. The Risk Managers are also to convene and lead regular Risk Management Committee meetings. And, evaluate the risks in unavoidable or proposed program changes.
Project managers are given the responsibility of delivering objectives and project goals since they are to ensure that the daily program run as planned in the schedule and budget (Wysocki, 2014). Additionally, a project manager is expected to conduct several activities to make sure the set project goals are achieved by working closely with the team members.
A project manager uses project team organization chart to manage the members. It is a document containing detailed information about the team’s structure and organization, specific roles, and the project team duties (Lewinson, 2010). Moreover, the chart also highlights how the members of the team are to interact with one another regarding the hierarchy of authority in the process of implementing the project. The chart creates awareness to the project members as it indicates their roles and the goals they are expected to have achieved after the project.
A team charter is another document used in the project implementation; it helps the workers to work as per the timelines and ensure expected quality is achieved in the outcomes of the project. It is a document that shows project goals, purposes, and the role of every member of the team and how they should relate to one another (Persily, 2013). Decision-making processes, reporting, and communication are also highlighted in the team charter.
A project manager is responsible for keeping the financial records of the project and ensuring the record is checked for accuracy. As the project leader, the manager will make sure that the records are checked and that it is within projects budget. The process is effective as the records from the operated from a common point with consistency and accuracy (Schwartz & Wilson, 2011).
In case a member of the staff is to be involved in a new role, the member will be trained accordingly to facilitate privy in their working. A review team is usually formed by the project manager to review project outcomes that determine if project plan on sign-offs and project deliverables are done as required and they are within the planned scope (Briscoe, Baccineli & Chambers 2000). The project manager also ensures that Review Team QA analyst conduct a face-to-face interview to the team members.
Lastly, the project manager will is supposed to make a detailed report from notes, findings and observation on the financial reports and the team members showing how the project team has achieved the expected deliverables as per the project plan and scope. The project report is written in summary covering all different activities of the project.
References
Briscoe, T., Baccineli, C., & Chambless, J. (2000). Best practices—project review process. Paper presented at Project Management Institute Annual Seminars & Symposium, Houston, TX. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute.
Capterra. (2018). Best Project Management Software and Tools | 2018 Reviews of the Most Popular Systems. Retrieved May 17, 2018, from https://www.capterra.com/project-management-software/#infographic
Haughey, D. (n.d.). Project Management Tools. Retrieved May 17, 2018, from https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/project-management-tools.php
Keyzer, P., Dietrich, J., Eickhoff-Shemek, J., Finch, C., Norton, K., Sekendiz, B., & Jones, V. (2014). The Australian fitness industry risk management manual. Australian Fitness Industry Risk Management Project, 1(1), 177.
Lewinson, M. (2010). Project Team Organization – Team Definition, Roles & Responsibilities, Organizational Chart. Retrieved May 17, 2018, from http://www.mymanagementguide.com/basics/project-team-organization-project-team-definition-responsibilities-and-roles-and-project-team-organization-chart/
Persily, C. A. (2013). Team Leadership and Partnering in Nursing and Health Care. New York: Springer Publishing Company. Retrieved from https://books.google.co.ke/books?id=PFEP5rWZJUoC&pg=PA73&dq=team+charter&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjSzc33oIzbAhXlBsAKHaXjDWwQ6AEIKzAB#v=onepage&q=team charter&f=false
Whitaker, S. (2014). How to Build Your Own Project Management Methodology. In The Professional Project Manager. Retrieved from http://seanwhitaker.com/how-to-build-your-own-project-management-methodology/
Wilson, S. & Schwartz, C. (2011). Powerful project financials. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2011—North America, Dallas, TX. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute.
Wysocki, R. K. (2014). Effective Project Management: Traditional, Agile, Extreme. John Wiley & Sons Inc. Retrieved from https://books.google.co.ke/books?id=tFslAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA26&dq=project+management&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi_8t20lozbAhWMasAKHaphCRUQ6AEIJzAA#v=onepage&q=project management&f=false
https://www.jaguarlandrover.com/news/2017/09/every-jaguar-and-land-rover-launched-2020-will-be-electrified