Thursday, October 3, 2019

Omnipotent and Symbolic view of management

Perceptions are funny things, every person has a different perception  and the same goes for management. There are two views of management Omnipotent and symbolic. Both are the exact opposite of each other.
Omnipotent view of Management says that managers are directly responsible for the failure or success of an organization.
Symbolic view of management argues that a lot of success or failure of organization is because of external forces which aren’t controlled by managers. Those External factors are competitors, government, industry, customers, etc.
In reality, managers are neither all-powerful nor helpless. But their decisions and actions are constrained by the environment and culture of the organization.


Tuesday, October 1, 2019

Individual Differences


No two individuals are exactly alike they differ from each other in one way or the other.  Such similarities or differences among individuals reveal individual differences. These Individual differences are often explained in terms of enduring psychological characteristics. 
Individual differences can be defined as the differences among human beings that separates them from one another and makes them a single unique individual. The study of these individual differences is called trait or differential psychology.
This study helps us in understanding the factors that are distinguishing human beings among themselves.

Types of Individual differences

1. Physical traits:

Weight, height, built, facial expressions, appearance and health etc.

2. Mental traits:

IQ of an individual
3. Special capacities:
Musical, mechanical, artistic, and social aptitudes (introvert/extrovert etc.).
4. Acquired interest:
Knowledge and technical skill.
5. Temperament:
Emotional tendencies and behavior like nervous stability. (Emotional responses)
6. Character:
Reaction tendencies towards situations involving moral, ethical and religious codes and other socially approved standards of conduct, such as decent, humane, honest, unselfish etc.
Causes of Individual Differences:
There are various causes which are responsible in bringing individual differences.
  • Heredity
  • Environment
  • Sex/Gender
  • Age
  • Education
  • Culture



Friday, September 27, 2019

Halo Effect / Halo Error


Hey guys, how are you?
Hope you all are doing well. Today we are studying “Halo Effect”. You might have heard about it a lot of people talk about it and often it is talked about in motivation videos and movies etc. It is usually taught in subjects which deals with the individuals such as HRM.
So what is halo effect?
It is a kind of cognitive bias in which an individual’s overall impression of a person effects how they feel and think about the character of that person. Basically the overall impression of a person is impacting the evaluation of other traits of that person. An example of this can the overall impression of celebrities. Since they are perceived as successful, attractive and often like-able people tend to see them as kind, intelligent and funny.
It is basically the physical attractiveness stereotype or “what is beautiful is good” principle. It is referring to the habitual tendency of individuals for rating attractive individuals more favorably for their personality traits than the ones who are less attractive.
For instance when a teacher sees a well-behaved student she might assume that this student is also bright and engaged before the objective evaluations and it can impact the rating of the student as well as his grades.
Another example an employee can be very enthusiastic and punctual but he isn’t that good at his work however because of his two good traits their supervisor will assume them as the best employees.
This effect/ error isn’t limited to one person. It is also called Halo error since it is hindering the judgment of the individual. A job applicant can also be impacted by this effect and it is why they are told to dress properly and behave properly on the interview day.
Marketers are also using this technique for selling their products or services. They often get endorsements from celebrities to make you believe in the product/service.



Wednesday, September 25, 2019

ABC Company


Executive Summary

ABC Company has its business both online and offline businesses that it manages. The main aim of the company is to increase sales by at least 15% by the end of this year. The business goals have been compiled under financial, marketing and right people heading. Each department has its own distinct goals that need to be followed.
There needs to be proper implementation of strategies and processes to make sure that each goal is reached in the given time frame. There are various stakeholders in the company that need to be taken into account. Their objectives and their issues need to be resolved for a proper goal maximization.
Several KPIs have been established to help with the operations plan. These KPIs will then be assessed using the monitoring process. A financial contingency plan has also been established to avoid any unforeseen circumstances that may arise otherwise.
ABC Company, if goes as it has planned, it will achieve its desired goals by the end of this year.

Business Goals

Financial stability:

·         Increase revenue by 15%. This will be done if each outlet achieves a total revenue of $3,000,000. This will be done throughout the 100 hundred outlets which make the total revenue of $300,000,000. Previously, ABC Company was earning a revenue of $2,550,000/outlet in the last year.
·         Retain the annual profit by 15%. The total expenses per outlet amount up to $65,000 excluding the 13 vacant positions that need to be filled and the 5% additional training costs. According to the budgets, the total expenses for the year per outlet needs to be $2,550,000 and the profits need to be $450,000.
·         Reinvest 75% of the profit as retain profits. If the total profits amount up to $450,000, then the profits that need to be reinvested is $337,500/outlet.

Market position

·         One of the goals of the ABC Company is to maintain number one rating in the customer service. This can be done through increasing customer feedback and gaining their trust. Communication methods such as emails and telephones will help the customers be in touch with the company. This will help ABC increase and retain their number one position.
·         Another goal of the firm is to develop high quality products that are better than the competitors. This can be done through creating awareness among the customers and giving them insights on how well they know. The use of delivery vans with the company’s logo will help customers know more.

Right people

·         Induction training occurs when the business trains its employees on the firm (Hicks, Glasgow & McNary 2004). This will ensure that the employees are well educated about the nature and the quality of the job required.
·         Development is a life-long process that ends when the career of any employee ends. It included education and training. The budget allocated for the employees is 5%. There are 13 vacant positions of employees that need to be filled by 31st August.

Contingency/Situational Approach in Management

What is contingency theory?
It is a theory based on the concept of if-then. If this is the situation then this should be the solution. It is the simplest explanation of this theory. It is also known as situational approach.
Most of the theories are giving universal rules of management however that's not the reality. Reality is various organizations are having various circumstances which should be managed in a particular manner.
I have explained this theory in Urdu/Hindi.


Monday, September 23, 2019

Law assignment - Critiques on the Concept of ‘Veil of Incorporation’ and Solving the Problem on ‘Competition Law' (Australian law)

Task description & requirements
Question 1:
“The concept of separate legal entity is often referred to as the ‘veil of incorporation’ — that is, the
shareholders and the directors are completely separate and distinct from the company as though a veil
hides and separates them. In exceptional cases the courts may lift this ‘veil of incorporation’ and give
rights and obligations to parties who would not otherwise have those rights and obligations…”
Gibson, A & Fraser D 2016, Business law, 9th edn, Pearson, Melbourne, p 546
What instances can the veil of incorporation be lifted? Provide case law examples to illustrate your
answer. [15 Marks]
Question 2:
Kim, a chef from South Korea, is working in a newly-opened Korean restaurant “Sorabol” in Launceston.
A clause in his employment agreement with Sorabol states: “The employee hereby agrees with the
employer, Sorabol Restaurant of Launceston, that he will not work as a chef in any Korean restaurant in
Australia for the period of six years after leaving the employment of Sorabol. He also warrants that he
will not operate or own any Korean restaurant in any place in Tasmania or in any Eastern State of
Australia”. Kim is now considering resigning from Sorabol as he is planning to move to Adelaide with his
girlfriend from Thailand and he is planning to establish a Korean restaurant in Adelaide. He is seeking
your advice as his friend whether he can set up a Korean restaurant in Adelaide without being in breach
of his service agreement with his current employer, Sorabol, in Launceston.
Advise Kim whether he is likely to be in breach of his service agreement with Sorabol. [15 Marks]

Note:
- Adopt IRAC approach*
- Demonstrate sound awareness of the concept of “Veil of Incorporation” and exceptions to it
as shown in case law. Demonstrate excellent awareness of case laws and ability to use cases
to support analysis.
- Demonstrated sound awareness of factors used in determining the validity / enforceability of
the restraint of trade clause in employment contract and demonstrated excellent awareness
of case laws and excellent ability to use such case laws to support analysis.


Question No. 1

1.     Introduction

The following essay is going to assess the veil of incorporation law with the help of the cases where veil of incorporation was lifted and the reason behind the lift. A long while back, it was agreed that the corporation will be considered as a separate entity from their owners, directors or even shareholders, this was titled as veil of incorporation law. In this law, it is assumed that the acts of corporation are not the actions of the owners of the corporation and owners are separated from any liability for the actions of the corporation (Garner, 2001). Corporation will have its own artificial life. It can buy properties, become a party to the contract, can become answerable to debts, violate rules and it can even be sued. Furthremore, if a corporate company acts against the law and the judgement comes against the corporation then the veil which is saving the owners of the corporation can be lifted and the people responsible for that must be held responsible and must give the penalty (Bello, and Michael, 2014).

2.     Discussion

Veil of incorporation law has been uncensored in the Australian corporate law for more than one hundred years. If a company is involved in any misconduct, then, only the company is answerable for those actions , the owners or controllers of the corporate company have no liability for the actions of the company. Besides that, there have been some occasions when courts have demolished the veil of corporation for making the shareholders liable for the actions of the corporation. This can happen when the offense is huge and can not be sorted otherwise or when the company or shareholder themselves asks the court to pierce the corporate veil (Ramsay and Noakes, 2001).

2.1.  Reasons of piercing the veil of incorporation

There are a number of factors due to which an Australian court might opt for piercing the corporate veil. Most common grounds for lifting the veil in Australia are: agency, fraud, group enterprises, trust, criminal, statute etc. (Ramsay, and Stapledon, 2001). The report is going to disucss some of those reasons along with the example cases. Factors are:
a)     Agency
b)     Fraud
c)     Undercapitalization
d)     Unfairness/justice

2.1.1.                    Agency

Aency is a contract or relationship  between two parties, where one party, known as principal,  is providing authority for another party, which is known as the agent, to act on their behalf. In such a case, if an agency is not abiding by the laws then the veil may be lifted and the company as well as the shareholders will be liable for the actions of the agency  (Saxena, 2010).
An example of such case in Australian corporate law is Spreag v Paerson Pty Ltd, where parent company was held responsible for the breaches of terms of the contract between agency and the company. Paerson was not having any assets, account books or documentation and it was found that they are acting as a subsidiary for Componore. Hence, in such situation the veil of the Componore was lifted and court held the company liable for the actions of Paerson. Australian Law states that agency is a valid reason for piercing the corporate veil but there have been some cases which needs more investigation than the fact that it is the agency of a parent company (Tham, 2014).

2.1.2.                    Fraud

When the controller of a company is reported use the corporation for deceptive acts, concealing the truth or is acting against the legal obligation, then this phenomena is termed as fraud. In the common law, whenever a corporate is found in the acts of fraud then their veil will be lifted and judgement will be given accordingly (Vandekerckhove, 2007). Australian courts will lift the corporate veil if the company was formed or used for conducting fraud acitivites. Although it is necessary for the act of fraud that it must be proved on the basis of sham or façade. Sham states that a company is formed for hiding the real purpose of the corporate, which is more likely to be against the law (Kluver, 2004).
As Ramsay and Noakes (2001) stated, one of the prominent cases of Australi regarding fraud was of Re Neo, the Immigrant Review Tribunal had to review a decision of the refusal of visa application where sponsorship was given by the company, which was formed on the same day as the submission of the application of visa and that company did not conducted any business. In a case like this, company was found to be fraud and it was established that the company was only a façade for allowing non-Austalians to remain in the country.

2.1.3.                    Undercapitalization

There are three variables of undercapitalization: 1. Not enough to start a business , 2. Funds are being drained, 3. Sum of both. Most courts consider the third variable for judging a company on the basis of undercapitalization. Some academics like, Jinweir Feng and Xianchu Zhang argue that for saving the creditors of the corporate courts is willing to lift the corporate veil on the basis of undercapitalization (Wu, 2007). In a study conducted by Milton (2006), he observed that the 77.3% of cases having insufficient funds were pierced by the couts and only 22.% of such cases were not pierced. Moreover, the companies having sufficient funds were not pierced , only 7.5 percent of cases, in which companies were having significant funding were pierced.

2.1.4.                    Unfairness/Onjustice

There are times when judge orders to life the corporate veil for the purpose of making a fair and just decision. There was one case when coporate plaintiff company and Mr Lo Surdo, the shareholder of the company, both were sued for the losses of contracters, who were in contract with plaintiff. In this case weil was lifted and investigations were conducted and it was concluded that Mr Lo had no obligations in this case. The company, as a separate entity was ordered to pay millions of dollars as a penalty (Ramsay and Noakes, 2001).

3.     Conclusion

Ramsay and Noakes (2001) stated that there are various factors due to which a court might consider piercing the corporate veil of the company. The majority of the cases of the piercing of the corporate companies occur when a company itself seeks to lift the veil. Moreover, the most common factor in lifting the corporate veil for Australian companies was of agency.

Question No. 2:

1.     Facts

First and foremost, the facts that are as explained in the report are the agreement of the restriction clause i.e. Kim who has been the employee would not be working as a chef (predefined designation) in any other Korean restaurant (predefined business) after the ending of the employment from Sorabol restaurant (employer) for six years (predefined period) in Australia (predefined place) has been signed by both the parties. Secondly, the warranty of not establishing or operating a Korean restaurant (predefined business) in Tasmania or in any Eastern State of Australia (predefined place), has been given by Kim (employee). Lastly, the fact would be that the planning of resigning from Sorabol (current employer) and establishing a Korean restaurant in a settlement of Australia i.e. Adelaide.

2.     Issues

The problem identified in this case assignment has been the restriction of employment and competition in a predefined place. Moreover, there has been an employer i.e. Sorabol restaurant that had an issue of competition and employment like if the employees of the restaurant works or own any other relevant business then there might be an issues of increased competition, replication of recipes, and the SOPs used in the restaurant. However, there has been an employee named Kim who had planned to resign from Sorabol and set up his own business i.e. a Korean restaurant in Adelaide but the issue would be the agreement he had signed with Sorabol . He had been in a deep dilemma to decide whether to go ahead or not. In addition, the area of law that would govern the decision of this problem would be the restraint of trade clause under the Employment law.

3.     Rules or Relevant Law

The legal principles that would be used to tackle this problem would be the factors for the enforceability and validity of restraint to trade clause that would come under the Employment law. More specifically, the non – compete clause and its enforceability and validity factors would be studied to solve this problem. Moreover, the reason of choosing this clause has been the relevancy of the clause with the current problem as it prevents an individual from competing with its former employer for a particular span of time (Butlers Lawyers, 2017). The legal principle could be taken from the case of Buckley v Tutty (1971) 125 CLR 353 at 380 in which the high court of Australia stated that the enforceability of unreasonable constraints are not valid and it has been seen as contrary to public welfare as it has been preventing someone from earning a living (Jewell, 2018). However, in another case of Southern Cross Computer Systems Pty Ltd v Palmer (No 2), the Victorian Supreme Court prevented an IT professional from working for a competitor as sale of shares were included in it. Moreover, there were many different factors that has been taken into account such as the restraint period, the designation of the employee, the geographical location, the intensity of the confidentiality and the amount given to the employee after the resignation, etc (Butlers Lawyers, 2017).

4.     Application

As per the study of the Employment law and the relevant precedent cases the restriction by Sorabol from working as a Chef in any other Korean restaurant for six years in Australia could be enforceable and Kim will have to face consequences if he breaches it. The reason behind its enforceability would be the confidentiality as the restaurant business has been fully dependent on the recipes and taste it offers and if Kim started working in any other Korean restaurant in Australia then there would be a replication of taste and recipes that would decrease Sorabol revenue and value, and increase competition with a wrong means. Nevertheless, the similar act happened in the case of Southern Cross Computer Systems Pty Ltd v Palmer (No 2), where the judge prevented the IT specialist from working for the competitors for a predefined period. Moreover, the enforceability also depends on the amount of money given by Sorabol to Kim because if it’s restricting him to work somewhere else then it should be providing a handsome amount of money to fulfill his living (Butlers Lawyers, 2017). Secondly, the warranty given by Kim to Sorabol had not been valid or enforceable as he had been planning to start a Korean restaurant in Adelaide that has been in the South Australia and the warranty was for Tasmania and other Eastern states of Australia. However, Kim could establish a Korean restaurant in Adelaide as no clause was mentioned in the agreement about this location by Sorabol. On the other hand, according to the statement of Australian high court in the case of Buckley v Tutty (1971) 125 CLR 353 at 380 it has not been enforceable to restrict someone from earning a living (Jewell, 2018) and an employer can not restrict an employee from starting a new business in the states of Australia in which the employer has not been operating that was mentioned in the case of Southern Cross Computer Systems Pty Ltd v Palmer (No 2) (Butlers Lawyers, 2017).

5.     Conclusion

As per the writer’s understanding and observation, Kim would not be in any breach of service agreement with his current employer Sorabol as he has not been employed as a Chef in any of the Korean restaurant in Australia so he has been not breaching the employment clause at all. However, as far as the ownership and operations clause is being concerned, it was clearly warranted by Kim to Sorabol that he would not be operating or starting a Korean restaurant in Tasmania or any Eastern state of Australia. However, he had been planning to establish a Korean restaurant in Adelaide which was situated in South Australia and as per the previous case Sorabol couldn’t restrict him from starting a new business all across Australia or in the areas in which they are not operating. So, it could be said that Kim had not been in any breach if he chose his current plan but he would face certain consequences if he would go for employment as Chef in any other Korean restaurant in Australia for the period of six years.




References

  • Ballantyne Suites Pty Ltd v Ballantyne Chambers Pty Ltd (In Liq) (2014) VSCA 223.
  • Bello, S.A. and Michael, O.C., 2014. Piercing the Veil of Business Incorporation: An Overview of what Warrants It. Review of Contemporary Business Research, pp.117-138.
  • Butlers Lawyers. (2017). What is a reasonable restraint of trade clause?. [online] Available at: https://butlers.net.au/employment-update-restraint-trade-clause/ [Accessed 3 Sep. 2018].
  • Garner, B.A., 2001. A dictionary of modern legal usage. Oxford University Press, USA.
  • Jewell, A. (2018). Restraints of trade: non-compete clauses, are they reasonable?. [online] Seek Insights and Resources. Available at: https://insightsresources.seek.com.au/restraints-trade-non-compete-clauses-reasonable [Accessed 2 Sep. 2018].
  • Kluver, J., 2004. Entity vs. Enterprise Liability: Issues for Australia. Conn. L. Rev.37, p.765.
  • Knutsson, P., 2018. Piercing the corporate veil: limits of limited liability.
  • Milton, D., 2006. Piercing the corporate veil, financial responsibility, and the limits of limited liability. Emory LJ56, p.1305.
  • Ramsay, I. and Noakes, D., 2001. Piercing the corporate veil in Australia.
  • Ramsay, I. and Stapledon, G., 2001. Corporate groups in Australia.
  • Saxena, H., 2010. Lifting of Corporate Veil.
  • Tham, S.S., 2014. Piercing the corporate veil: Australia and China (Doctoral dissertation, Murdoch University).
  • Vandekerckhove, K., 2007. Piercing the corporate veil. Eur. Company L.4, p.191.
  • Wu, M., 2007. Piercing China's Corporate Veil: Open Questions from the New Company Law. Yale LJ117, p.329.
  •  


Sunday, September 22, 2019

Interview/Test Questions Answered


Information seeking

  • If   you were dealing with a query related to the local labour law how would you go about finding the relevant information needed to come up with an accurate and coherent response?

Answer:
Labor laws are designed for keeping the workers safe and to make it certain that they are treated fairly. These are made by regulatory bodies of the country. If I am facing any issues regarding local labor law then I will make sure to get labor law’s documents from their own respective websites or offices and then I will compare it with the documents of our company to see if there was a mistake made by us and if there was then I will respond accordingly.
  •  Tell us about a research project you were responsible for carrying out.  What was the project?  What type of research did you carry out?  How did you organize your research work?  What problems or difficulties did you encounter along the way?  What were the results of your efforts?

Answer:
I was asked to conduct research on the market entry of Penfolds in China. For this I conducted secondary research, mostly from different research articles. For the organization of my work I first found the relevant information and pasted it on the word document and then I worked on it accordingly.  First I wrote different entry methods along with their advantages and disadvantages and then I stated one way through which Penfolds can enter the market. I had difficulty in finding ways of entering the Chinese market as a wine product but other than that I had no issues in this project. The final result was that Penfolds should enter the market as a Joint Venture.
 Judgement

  • You are working at the company and you have a conflict with a colleague that is affecting your ability to do your job.  How do you attempt to resolve this situation?

Answer:
I will take that colleague on a lunch or coffee for talking about our issues. In that lunch I will try to talk to the colleague about our conflicts, listen to his side along with letting him know my side of the story and then we will mutually to resolve our conflicts so it will stop affecting our work. 

  • Clear instructions have been given that work order requests, which could be for maintenance services, requests for materials and supplies, or other items, are not to be actioned without the prior approval of the authorized officer.  This is considered Standard Operating Procedure.   None of your superiors are around, and so there is nobody with the authority to approve requests.  You get a call from a worker at the home of one of the company staff saying that a water pipe has burst in the kitchen.  What do you do?

Answer:
I will try to call all the supervisors and if I can’t reach them then I will ask my fellow co-workers if such a situation has occurred before and can we approve this work order or not. Then I will act accordingly. 
Setting priorities/organizational skills

  • You report directly to the manager, who in turn reports to the CEO.   You arrive at work and are advised that both are away and cannot be contacted for the day.   Both have left instructions for you to prepare a (different) report for Ottawa office, and both reports must be prepared and sent by the end of the day.  There is not enough time to deal with both of them.  What do you do and why?

Answer:
I will try to find someone else who might have authority and knowledge of these reports and I will ask them if any of them can be delayed. If I do get an answer then I will leave that report and work on the important and urgent one first but if I don’t get any answer then I will complete both reports by doing overtime this time but I will let my manager know once I am able to contact him about the issue I faced and how should I act if this happens next time. I will request him to try not to repeat such a mistake because it creates a lot of trouble for me in fulfilling my other obligations.    

  • In this position there is a requirement to deal with a number of activities and events at once. As well, there are frequent deadlines, some of which change at the last minute.  Describe the tools and/or steps you would use for time management and organising your workload in this type of position

Answer:
In such a position, I will make a schedule of all the work according to their deadlines. I will keep the work with urgent deadlines on the priority and the rest of the work will be kept accordingly. This schedule will be made on Evernote where I can change it if any changes occur in the deadlines of the work. Moreover, I will assign a specific time for each work and Evernote will give me the reminders of the work and time according to my preference. 
Client focus

  • How would you handle an angry supplier who claims that he/she sent an invoice 2 months ago and has not yet received payment?

Answer:
I will talk to the supplier in a calm manner and I will apologize to him first for the inconvenience. After that I will let him know that his issue has been received and I am working on it. I will call him back as soon as I get the information regarding the issue. After that I will contact the departments who is responsible for the payments and ask them the issue that is occurring then I will tell the supplier his what exactly is happening and why his payment was delayed.  

  • Tell us about how you establish and maintain effective relationships with clients and gain their trust/respect.

Answer:
For gaining the trust/respect of the clients we have to first focus on the communication. Efficient communication with the clients will make them trust our organization and it will make him satisfied. Along with that we have to always show them a positive attitude and talk to them as an individual more than just a client. Moreover, setting realistic expectations for the client and full filling those expectations will make your client trust you. 
Office Procedures and Practices

  • Taking an example from your previous experience in Finance, Human Resources, Purchasing, Property and/or Government Administration, describe the manner in which you successfully completed very important or large scale project or task. You should describe both the internal and external procedures you had to administer or oversee in order to complete the task.

Answer :
There was a time in past when I had to hire two people at a time for the position of Assistant to a CEO and a manager. For that first I identified the job requirements and expectations and then using them I created a job description along with the requirements of the employees. Then I created a job posting which was posted on all the relevant job portals online and offline. I also asked our existing employees that if any of them knows someone who will be interested in this position. Furthermore, all the people who arrived were screened and selected people were called for an interview with their respective bosses. After that the selected people were called by me and the whole process of their documentations to joining was done by me. 

  • Describe a time when you set new, or worked to revised, specific operating standards and procedures. How did you implement and communicate these standards? 

Answer:
There was no set standard for maternity leaves of women. Hence, I had to set a new SOP regarding maternity leaves. For that I kept these leaves of 5 months in which 85% pay will be given to the employees. Only permanent employees can take these leaves and they have to inform the HR at least 2 month before taking the leave and if failed to do so then only 50% of the pay will be given to the employee as a penalty. These were the new standards and I communicated them through sending the memorandums to all the departments and existing employees.  
Setting Priorities/Organisational Skills

1-     Assume that you have been working as the Administrative officer for several months already.  When you arrive at work one Monday morning at 8:30, you find yourself facing the following situations.  For each situation, indicate what level of priority you would assign (high, medium or low priority), your justification for selecting this level of priority, and what you would do to address this situation. An example has been provided of how to structure your answer.

Example:
Today is Wednesday; you have an email message from companies HQ in Canada, from late Tuesday night.  They indicated that they want to a status report on company's finances by the close of business on Wednesday. You finished your report yesterday, so it’s just a matter of reviewing it and sending it of, however, you see your boss as sent you an email asking for a briefing before you send your updates.

Sample Answer:
Medium priority.  I will have to brief by supervisor in the morning to be sure to have enough time to accommodate any feedback. Because of the 5-hour time difference with Ottawa, I can send it before I leave today, and focus on other time sensitive priorities. 

Situations

a)     A faxed purchasing approval sent by Toronto (HQ) is sitting on the fax machine allowing you to purchase a very important lighting system. This will allow you to pay finalise the purchasing order with the local vendor.  You have been waiting for this approval for a few weeks and you know the procurement of this is very important to the company's operations.

b)     A voicemail message from one the assistants on your team, sent that morning at 7 am

c)     A communiqué has been sent to you to be proof read for a media deadline of 12 pm today.

d)     You received a reminder for a 2 pm (14h) briefing with the CEO regarding the mid-year financial budget. You will have to produce a few tables and graphs, and have yet to do so.
e)     You find out that a member of your team is going on maternity leave, and will require you to find someone to fill her position while she is absent.

Answer # 11(a)
Medium priority. If there is no other urgent work then I will finalize the purchasing order with the local vendor first and then I will start other work but if I have some urgent work then I will complete that work first.

Answer # 11(b)
High Priority. I will listen to the voicemail first because it might be having some urgent work or some complication which has to be resolved.

Answer # 11(c)
High Priority. It has a deadline of 12 pm and I must proof read accurately because it will go for publication and mistakes in the communiqué can’t be afforded by the company.

Answer # 11(d)
Medium priority. The briefing is at 2 pm and so I have enough time to produce the remaining tables and graphs. I will do it but it is not something which is to be done right in the moment.

Answer # 11(e)
High Priority. I have to start working on this immediately because it takes a lot of time in hiring the right person for the job and if I will start working on it now then only will I be having enough time to make a wise decision. 
Action Management

  • Please describe what you feel are sound principles for operating a successful organisation? 

Answer:
Some of the guiding principles through which a successful organization can be operated are:
·       Organizations objective should be constant and clear
·       Specialization in the work
·       The line of authority should be clear
·       Functions of the employees and departments should be known
·       Cooperation and coordination among them employees is important

  • What are best practices of good financial budget planning?
Answer:
There should be flexibility in the budget if it requires. Budgeting methods should be standardized. Budgets should be based on the business drivers. Moreover, active engagement of the business is necessary in the budgeting process. 

Problem-solving in an office environment

  • You are the supervisor in a department - you notice that three of your employees have been arguing with each for a long time and are not as productive as they used to be.  Moreover, on a daily basis one or another of them will come and complain about the others for some reason or another.  How will you cope with this situation?

Answer:
I will talk to them individually and make them understand that why is it necessary to solve their conflicts. I will tell them to solve their conflicts on their own. If they are unsuccessful then I will interfere in the matter and I will make them sit together and let each person talk and make them resolve their issues. 

Question:

  • You report to the head of the Property Section and are responsible for two Property Assistants and two Handymen.   It is Monday morning.  You were away on leave on Thursday and Friday.  The following is waiting for you on your arrival in the office.
  •  A voice mail from one of the handymen asking which vehicle he should take to a job he has been assigned today.
  •  A file of invoices has been placed on your desk for review.
  • You have 55 messages in your Inbox, including one which appears to be a request for plumbing work and another which appears to be a complaint about something that happened in your absence.
  • You have an ongoing high-priority project that must be completed in 6 weeks and is under tight timelines.
  • One of your Property Assistants is upset about something that happened while you were away.  She stopped you in the hallway on your way in, but you didn’t really get a sense of what the problem was.
  • There was a terrible storm over the weekend and you have 12 SQs without access to internet, telephone or television.
  •  You have a team meeting scheduled for 11:00.
  • The material in the attached envelope is still outstanding from last week.  


1.   Please describe to the assessors how you will approach the work and issues awaiting you.   Please address the relative prioritisation of work, time management, and the manner in which you will handle each item. 

2.   You subsequently learn that while you were away, an argument arose between the Property Assistant (Kim) and one of the Handymen (George).  The argument arose after the CEO called to ask about plumbing work scheduled to start the same day at his residence.   You surmise that there was a communication and/or scheduling problem and that the plumber was not present at the expected time.   Other colleagues tell you that they heard Kim and George shouting at each other in Kim’s office.   Please describe to the assessors how you would approach this situation in order to understand and deal with it.

3.   You have been asked to create a mission policy regarding the use of the shared kitchens.  There are issued related to dirty dishes, rotten food in the refrigerator, and the amount of time that the cleaners need to spend dealing with the kitchens.   Please provide your analysis and recommendation to the assessors on what the policy should include.   Please also consider how the policy should be communicated and how it will be administered and/or enforced.  

Answer (1)
First priority will be to tell the handymen which vehicle he has to use so he can go and finish his job. This wouldn’t take long and after that I will resolve the issues caused by storm because they are affecting the continuity of work and it must be solved ASAP. Then the attached envelope’s outstanding work will be done and I will review all the invoices. Following that I will get a check and balance on the ongoing high-priority project. I will make sure everything is as it should be. After that I will check the inbox messages then there will be a meeting and afterwards I will talk to the Property Assistant.
Answer (2)
I will make George and Kim resolve their issues by letting them speak to each other. I will highlight the communication issue that started this dispute and will let them make amends.
Answer (3)
Cleaners should utilize 35% of their time in the kitchen because kitchen is one of the place which needs most of the cleaning and most of the times. Each person using the dishes must clean them and keep them back at their specified place so that kitchen remains clean. Food in the refrigerator must be checked by cleaners at the end of the day and the rotted food should be disposed and the one which is soon to be rotted shall be given to low privileged people.


FINANCE


FIN#1
How would you go about managing the company's finances?  What are best practices of good financial budget planning?

/
FIN
#2
MULTIPLE CHOICE –
PLEASE CIRCLE YOUR ANSWER(S)

/1

Which of the following tasks can an employee who prepares bank deposits do?


a)     Receive deposit slips or corrections from the bank
b)     Maintain a petty cash fund
c)     Audit claims and statements
d)     a and c
e)     None of the above




FIN
#3
Define the term Segregation of Duties?  What are four broad categories of duties, briefly explain them?
/2
FIN
#4
TRUE (T) OR FALSE (F)
Which of the following are TRUE (T) or FALSE (F)
/2

A bank reconciliation statement is prepared by the Bank


Bank reconciliation is prepared to reconcile the bank balances as shown by the mission’s financial system, and the bank statement.


A bank reconciliation statement can be prepared at any time.


An employee who prepares a document can approve the same one

FINANCE
Answer # 1
For managing the company’s finance I have to create a cash flow budget, manage your credits and keep your payables updated. I will reduce the expenses and use credit effectively. Financial budget planning must be standardized and it should be on the basis of the business drivers along with the active engagement of the business.
Answer # 2
(d). a and c
Answer # 3
Segregation of Duties is to divide a task into small tasks, and then assign those small tasks to different people. There are four broad categories of duties: authorization, custody, record keeping and reconciliation. Authorization is the task of reviewing and approving transactions. Custody is the access to the assets. Maintaining the records of transactions is record keeping and reconciliation is the process of verification of all the activities.
Answer # 4
  • a.      False
  • b.     True
  • c.      True
  • d.     False


HUMAN RESOURCES


HR
#2
Can you describe the different steps of a staffing
process, from the advertisement to the hiring?
/5





PROPERTY MANAGEMENT


PROP
#1
Tell us what you know about property/asset management,
/2
Human Resource
Answer # 1
Steps of Staffing Process:
a.      Determining the hiring needs
b.     Planning and advertising
c.      Identifying feasible candidates
d.     Initial screening
e.      Interview
f.      Offering the employment
g.     Hiring the candidates
Property Management
Answer # 1
Asset managers develop, operate maintain and upgrade the assets in a cost effective manner. Their aim is to help you in maximizing your money.
Answer # 2
6 phases of the project delivery are:
a.      Strategic plan phase
b.     Project launch phase
c.      Design phase
d.     Construction phase
e.      Transition phase
f.      occupancy phase
Answer # 3
These things should be considered while choosing employee quarters
a), c), d), f) 
Procurement
Answer # 1
The process of selecting vendors, deciding terms of the payment, selection, negotiation and the actual purchase of goods and services is known as procurement.
Answer # 2
a.      (b)  Offers which are similar enough to allow a selection based on price
b.     (e) All of the above
Answer # 3
a.      True
b.     True
c.      False
d.     True
Project Management
Answer # 1
Recently, I was the leader of a team who had to prepare a series of presentations for the clients. I had to assign presentations to the team member along with the deadlines. Moreover, I had to assess their work as well. The software that we used was Prezi, limitation was of the source of the material and we had to complete these presentations within a week. I learned how to lead a team and how to coordinate and cooperate with the people.
People Management
Answer # 1
First thing that I have to do is acknowledge the conflict and then I will do my own research and try to understand the basis of the conflict. After that I will tell them to sit together and resolve the conflict.
Answer # 2
In past, I had to work with a team for preparing series of presentations for their clients. For that I distributed their work and gave them deadlines and then I let them do their things but I was always available for their assistance with them.
Setting Priorities/Organization skills
Answer # 1
First thing that I will do is that I will skim through the 20 emails and reply to the important emails. I will email the manager letting him know that I will complete this review in the evening. After that I will review the policy document and then I will respond to the colleague. Later on I will analyze the required reports and then I will do the contingency plan’s review.
Initiative
Answer a) the issue was of decreased output in the production.
Answer b) Yes
Answer c) the problem was that employees had no time set for breaks and they were having less efficiency due to that. Hence, half-hour’ time was set for the employees to have a break. Moreover, I suggested to create additional after-hours shifts.  
Answer (d) yes, we did.
Answer (e) the productivity of the employees was increased.
Integrity
I will forward this offer to my manager or CEO of the company and let them decide what they want to do with this offer.