Organizational Management and Information Systems - Assignment Example

The paper 'Organizational Management and Information Systems' is a great example of a Management Assignment. During internship one faces obstacles that he/she never anticipated. In most cases interns assume that everything will go smoothly and that what they will experience at the workplace will offer them what they expected, that is, to grow personally and professionally. However, challenges may crop up that the intern may not be able to handle (Australian Bureau of Statistics). Thus interns are expected to maintain professionalism and work toward finding ways that are beneficial to both the intern and the employer.

In the course of my internship, I had problems dealing with suppliers and customs. In most cases, this was due to communication problems, as I had to call them from time to time since I was not very aware of what information I had to obtain from them beforehand (Bright 84). This arose from the complexity of the industry that took me time to understand. However, through consultation with the company manager, I was able to pick up the proper procedures for acquiring the required information from suppliers and customs.

Time management is also essential at the ABC company and at first, I had difficulty managing time. As I got used to the system, I was able to obtain the vital information from the suppliers on time and hence saved much time that was required for the supply, shipping, and warehousing process (McKay 23). Most of the work that I did including the release of funds to the suppliers had to be confirmed by the manager and this made my work delay much due to the busy schedule of the manager. Since some of the delays were attributed to mangers confirmation I had to ensure that the required documentation was availed to the manager on time to avoid any delays in the logistic process.

3

Identify the problem-solving skills used by you during your internship and provide examples. (Academic or practical skills are appropriate – this includes things such as time management, negotiation issues, communication protocols, dealing with difficult or confrontational people or even research skills)

Answer:

A problem is a deviation from the outcome that is expected. Solving workplace problems involves addressing problems and issues as they arise in addition to finding better ways of doing things than they are being done currently (Australian Bureau of Statistics). To solve a problem, its root cause needs to be well defined. In most cases, there are multiple solutions to a problem and one needs to determine the best solution to solve the problem in question (Baxter 18). Once the best solution is identified, it should be implemented and the feedback should be determined to help in the identification of the required follow up activities (Tribus Lingua 172).

At the initial stages of my internship, I had a problem in communicating with the suppliers and the customs people. However, I learned early enough that I was the cause of the communication problem. To address this I had to read the communication protocols at the ABC company which helped me overcome this problem. In addition, I sort some help from the manager who was willing to help. This made my communication to be effective (Bright 113).

Throughout the internship period, time management was a big challenge in addition to dealing with difficult suppliers. I identified the cause of time wastage to two sources. First, some suppliers were unwilling to provide all the necessary information required from them to speed up the logistic process (Peterson’s 81). To address this I had to be diplomatic enough to explain to them the importance of providing the necessary information. In cases where this failed I had to coerce them to provide the information. The second was the fact that I could not make any transaction without consulting the manager who had a very busy schedule. To address this I had to work faster to ensure that the reports that needed the approval of the manager were ready a day prior to their implementation.

4

Consider your internship experience and identify aspects that could not have been experienced in the classroom. Review the impact of this experience on your learning outcome at the completion of your internship.

(Issues ranging from time management, interpersonal communication, conflict resolution, resource negotiations, etc are just some of the issues that could be identified and discussed)

Answer:

My internship experience helped me a lot in time management, communication protocol adherence, and fostered my interpersonal skills. On the whole, the internship was useful in my personal growth (Australian Bureau of Statistics). The independence that I was accorded at the workplace during the internship helped me to learn to manage my time since at ABC company time is so precious that any time lost may result in great losses to the company. I could not have learned to manage my time better just by learning in class (National Library of Australia). The challenges that I faced at initial stages on time management were vital for awakening my genius on time management. My experience in communication with difficult to handle suppliers enhanced my interpersonal skills since I had to come up with creative ways of obtaining from these suppliers who in most cases were unwilling to give out the information. This adherence to communication skills with suppliers also enabled me to learn logistics involved in the supply and selling of recycled materials (Tribus Lingua 132).

5

Identify one of your major sequences and then critically reflect on an aspect of your host organization in relation to that major based on your internship experience.

(For example, Marketing majors might discuss an aspect of the organization’s marketing strategy, Finance majors might comment on an issue relating to the host's finance policy or a business major might talk about how the host uses the internet in their business, etc. Make sure you identify which of you majors you are talking about.)

Answer:

I major in accounting, human resource management. During the internship, I had no experience in the human resource management aspect. However, I was exposed to accounting procedures in addition to supply logistics (McKay 31). I was involved in contacting the suppliers to provide relevant information. I was also involved in the documentation of all the activities that I performed at the company. I made records of the funds that I requested the banks to release, the actual amount released and any fees charged on such funds. Thus, my exposure to accounting was not as intense as I had expected to be (Peterson’s 27). I was not allowed to access the accounting records of the company. In spite of this; I had access to all transactions in Australia which gave me some experience in the accounting systems of a company. I was involved in keeping all bank transaction records in Australia, which was used for bank reconciliation (National Library of Australia). I was also involved in releasing funds to the suppliers in addition to handling customs. Most of my work was manual and no accounting software was being used at the company. Therefore I had no exposure to the sophisticated accounting software which is being used currently by many companies. The logistic assignments included monitoring the shipment of products and confirming shipment information (Varlejs & Graham 213).

6

Identify and comment on an aspect of current (or potential) workplace challenges or conflicts facing your host organization.

(This could range from issues such as industrial relations, intellectual property, market demographics to supply chain, recruitment & staffing issues, information systems constraints, international trade constraints or management issues, for example)

Answer:

An issue, negative situation, or matter that has not been resolved constitutes a problem. Workplace problems may have negative effects on employee’s performance, business efficiency, customers’ satisfaction, the quality of products or services, work outcomes, the bottom line, machinery or equipment, effectiveness, or clarity of communication or business procedures. Problems and challenges are always there in a business environment. Workplace challenges can either be large or small, simple or complex, difficult, or easy to fix. In spite of the size of the problem, it is the responsibility of each employee to work toward solving the problem (Baxter 60).

ABC company faces several workplace problems. First, in spite of the international status of ABC company, it has not embraced information systems in running its business in Australia. The accounting and logistic transactions are mainly done manually which makes the work more difficult and time-consuming. The manual recording of all business transaction impacts negatively on time management (McKay 67). This lack of information systems results in great losses since ABC time is of great value. The absence of information systems also has a negative impact on the communication between the company and its suppliers and customs. The company relies on calling its suppliers and therefore the clarity of information is sometimes not adequate (Peterson’s 98). This is also time-consuming since many people have to be contacted even though the outcome is immediate. The company also has some management issues. In spite of the company operating in Australia, it has no elaborate accounting systems and it, therefore, has to forward all transactions to the mother company in China for them to be processed. In addition, the manager does almost everything ranging from logistics to accounting decision making. The lack of enough personnel at the company has a negative impact since the employees are in most cases overwhelmed with work especially the manager.

7

Identify an aspect of organizational culture relevant to your host organization and provide an example of how this is applied on a day-to-day basis.

(Examples could include training and development opportunities, reporting hierarchies, work unit structures, communication mediums, remuneration systems or intercultural issues, etc)

Answer:

Organizational culture is what sets an organization apart from other companies. ABC company has reporting hierarchies with the manager having the role of making all company decisions (Baxter 54). During my stay at the company, I had to report to her in the morning and evening. The manager was exemplary in time management and was also a hard-working person and therefore everyone at the company was also striving to do the same. ABC company in Australia has several working units and during my internship, I was assigned duties in the accounting and logistics department. The main medium of communication at the company is via telephone even though e-mails are sometimes used (National Library of Australia). For consultation purposes with the manager, calls are usually made from time to time. This is also used to contact the suppliers when the issue is urgent.

8

Comment on how your host organization identifies effectiveness or distinguishes between a short term versus a long term focus in setting its goals.

Alternatively, can you make any recommendations on strategies that would assist your host in identifying effectiveness in their particular business?

(This could include quality control issues, customer surveys, applied product research or strategic planning documents, for example )

Answer:

Organizational effectiveness encompasses productivity. Productivity is the amount of physical output per unit of productive input. Thus, an effective organization is characterized by high productivity (Baxter 34). To increase productivity the activities and strategies that contribute to overall business goals need to be streamlined. This may include increasing the speed of organizing new opportunities and improving the quality of business processes. The design of an organization also has an impact on organizational effectiveness. Thus, the productivity of an organization that adopts centralized decision-making will differ from that which adopts decentralized design (Peterson’s 77). The implementation of an information technology strategy also has an impact on the organization's effectiveness. People are the greatest assets of the organization and therefore the way the organization addresses human resource issues and the performance and work styles of an organization have an impact on the productivity of the company. The work environment also has a contribution to productivity.

ABC company could improve its effectiveness by adopting modern information systems to improve its output. In addition, the ABC organization design is centralized and this is time-consuming and therefore it could improve its productivity by adopting a centralized design where decisions can be made at various stages to make the processes of logistics quicker. During my short stay at ABC, I did not experience any training being offered to the employees, and therefore fro ABC to increase its output it needs to invest more in refresher courses for its employees.

• • • • 1. Presentation of a comprehensive profile of the host organization
      • This is to be based on your actual internship experience and should be more insightful than the original profile presented in Assignment 1. It should highlight contrasting observations and perceptions of the host or industry sector changed by the internship experience.

Answer

ABC Company is a China-based recycles trading company. It is an international company that is involved in trading recycle materials around the globe. The company has a branch in Australia to which I carried out my internship. The company is involved in buying materials from sellers, selling them to respective buyers, and arranging for the shipping and delivery of these materials to the buyers in different countries around the globe. The company is also involved in warehousing which enables it to buy materials in bulk when the prices are low and store them for future sales when the prices increase (Callender & Reid 78). The company also has recycling facilities in china which enable it to disassemble some materials prior to selling them. The business nature of ABC Company involves constant meetings and communication with people. Thus communication skills are very vital to any employee of the company especially those in the logistics department since they are in constant contact with suppliers and customs people. The recycle material trading business is a lucrative business that involves a lot of dollars. Despite the profitability of this business, it is a high-risk business since the elasticity of prices is very high on a daily basis and the materials are also very sensitive to environmental changes. Thus time is of the essence and therefore calls for efficient supply chain procedures that are not sophisticated at ABC Australian branch. The centralized structure of business design at ABC company has come at a price of delays in supply and shipping of the materials which impact negatively on the profits of the company. The central decision-making does not allow for the prompt decision-making process and therefore there is time wasted during the logistic process as I observed during my stay at ABC Company (Murray, Poole & Jones 87). In most cases, the manager who is the sole decision-maker at the company is overwhelmed by work even though she is a hard-working person and this leads to some delays in the logistic process. Since sometimes the manager has to travel to other countries some work may not be performed since she is in charge of decision making. Thus the inflexibility of this kind of centralized decision making makes it difficult to attain some of the company’s objectives. The absence of sophisticated information systems at the company also leads to delays that impact negatively to the profitability of the company. Most of the work at ABC is not automated and therefore the manual nature of recording transactions consumes a lot of time.