Business Assignment Question Sample Assignment

Q1 You are the new HR manager of a national transport company. The transport company has recently updated its five year strategic plan.

After reviewing the new strategic plan, you obtain this information:

the organisation owns a fleet of trucks, cars, ships and planes which it uses to transport goods including food, grocery items and mail throughout Australia
the organisation plans to move into the Pacific and Asia region within three years; once this occurs, it will be expected that goods will be transported within and between all countries
currently, most customers telephone the organisation to request its services
if customers want an update on where their goods are, employees in the administration department review paperwork and make telephone calls to those responsible for transporting the goods
customers of the organisation are becoming more reliant on technology; within three years, the organisation plans to offer an online service for booking and tracking goods to be transported
the community is becoming more concerned with safety, and the organisation is hoping to use its safety record as a competitive advantage
the lease on the organisation’s main business premises used for administration in the centre of Sydney is soon to expire, and the organisation will be moving its headquarters to Adelaide, where rent is cheaper
findings from a recent survey indicate that those customers who deal with long-term employees are more satisfied; the organisation plans to reduce employee turnover by 10% each year of the strategic plan’s operation

Analyse the information from the strategic plan to determine what, if any, impact it will have on HR requirements. Prepare a memo to send to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the transport company in which you set out your findings and/or request further information. (200–300 words)

To: CEO

From: HR

Subject: Review of Strategic plan and its impact on HR requirements

To the CEO

After reviewing the Strategic plan the HR Department has found the following possible HR requirements:

Regarding plans to move Pacific and Asia Region and transport goods between all countries would require compliance of vehicles in both countries and possible service agreement to maintain vehicles. Compliance of new legislation and laws regarding personnel in other countries and states, training of new and existing staff and hiring and induction services.

For the short term it maybe necessary to upgrade the phone system as most customers call in their orders. As customer become more technologically advanced and to keep up with competitors a whole new Telephone and Booking system will need to be put in place to allow online orders and tracking. This will requiring sourcing IT providers, training and hiring staff and possible redundancies.

HR will need to implement new Health and Safety procedures and polices for all countries and training for staff.

As the plan is to move from Sydney to Adelaide it maybe cost effective to do some research and analysis on this move as Sydney is a more central location to operate from. What we save in cheaper rent might be lost on cost of logistics and location of being in Adelaide.

As customers prefer dealing with the same employees and the organisation wants to reduce turnover by 10% yearly. HR can complete TNA on employees for professional development training. Incentives Programs and training can help future progression through the organisation.

Areas HR will be impacted

Hiring and Induction
Compliance with legislation and laws regarding Employment, Business and Vehicles, Transport in different states and Countries
Staff Training and Incentive Program
Health and Safety Procedures, training and policies
Service Agreements to upgrade phone and booking system
Cost analysis on moving premises
Redundancies
QA

We await further details on precise premises in Adelaide to do a cost analysis and more details on the operational plan side.

Q2 Explain in one paragraph each how the following changes in the business environment described are likely to impact on organisation’s human resources requirements:

Your organisation operates a large chain of supermarkets. Having reviewed the external business environment it becomes clear that the organisation is losing customers because it does not offer customers the choice to buy their groceries online and have them delivered to the door like other supermarket chains do.

If an organisation is not moving with the times and technology their profit is showing a loss and their is no view to a change in strategy by the organisation then this will impact HR. Loss of business means a reduction of profit in turn leads to the possible HR impacts:

Staff needing to be terminated due to loss of business production and profit
Staff needing to be replaced if staff see there will be no career advancement and company is losing profit they may leave in search of more stable work
HR costs and budgets will need to be reviewed
New strategic plan and job analysis might be required, also costing more time investment from HR

Your organisation is a multinational magazine publisher that relies heavily on its IT system. In reviewing the external business environment you become aware that there is a great deal of competition for IT staff.

HR will need to look at ways to retain current IT staff. Retaining existing staff lowers costs and its easier to up skill existing staff than hiring new staff. HR can look at ways the organisation entice staff to stay will also attract new hire candidates.

Incentives – bonuses mid year or if targets reached, some incentives through the year like team building outings or vouchers
Paid training to up skill qualifications
Career progress through company
Ensure it is a good working culture in the workplace by having good procedures and policies in place

Your organisation builds roads and bridges. It relies on civil engineers to carry out the work. Having reviewed the external business environment you find that there is a shortage of qualified civil engineers in Australia.

HR will need to source candidates internationally in the short term. In the long term as an investment HR may suggest to invest in training and taking on apprentices who can then progress and learn through the company. HR would need to look at retaining existing staff by offering competitive salaries and incentives. Budgets and costs would need to be reviewed with the organisation operational and strategic plan.

Q3 Why should HR professionals consult line and senior managers about human resources needs in their areas? Provide at least five reasons.

It is important for HR professionals to consult line and senior managers regarding human resources needs in their area for the following reasons:

Line and senior managers have an insight and understanding of what HR services are required in their own departments to help them reach their objectives and will also have ideas on how best to put these into place. HR professionals can then advise line and senior manager what services they can offer (both parties benefit by working together).
HR professionals also can better manage their time on strategic planning and HR management by working with line and senior management as it can allow them (free up valuable time) to devote more time to where it is needed to achieve the organisations goals.
HR can tailor the line and senior managers needs by working with them to see what HR needs they require
HR and managers can liaise together to review future projections of their business objectives and work together to determine and meet these needs, eg. new hiring or training of existing staff to reduce turnover which benefits all departments.
Both parties have an invested interested to work together to reach goals

You are the HR manager of an organisation which operates 16 fast food outlets. Design a detailed 3–4 page questionnaire you could use to seek information from the managers of each outlet to determine their human resources needs.

The questionnaire should demonstrate that you have considered the areas where human resources might be needed in a fast food organisation and should not include generalised questions like:

What are the most significant actions HR can take to help you meet your business goals?
What should HR be doing that it is not doing now?
What is HR doing now that it should not be doing?

About the outlet:

How many employees work for the outlet?

How many managers?

What are the career opportunities for progression in the company?

Do you have an operational and strategic plan for the outlet?

Do you have HR in your outlet? If yes…….Is this looked after internally by the Manager of the outlet or outsourced?

Do you think you require assistance with your HR services now and in the future?

Do you have a staffing plan?

Number of customers visit per outlet per day

HR Questions:

Employees

What are the Salary and Working conditions for employees?

Advertising for staff

How do you advertise for new staff?

Online
Website
Sign on window
Word of mouth
Referral
Company newsletter

Job descriptions

How do you put together a job description for your employees? Who develops this?

Is there Testing – language, qualification?

Who does the Reference checks?

Is there an incentive pack in place? Eg. Employee of the month

Do you have an Orientation/induction pack in place for new employees? Who managers this?

Do you have an exit/termination interview/pack in place and who organisations this?

What is the outlets staff turnover?

What is being done to retain employees?

Is there a procedure for Conflict Management?

Is there Diversity in the Workplace and how is this promoted?

Training

What training is compulsory if any and what other training do employees have?

If there is training who organisations the training?

Is it run off site, on site, online, in a classroom or workshop environment for example?

Is there ongoing training?

Procedures and Policies

Do you have any Procedures and Policies in place for your outlet?

Code of Conduct
Health and Safety manual
Staff handbook
Discrimination and Harassment
Diversity Policy

Please the Procedures and Policies you require

Who Develops and implements your policy and procedures?

How is these promoted and available to staffs?

Legislation: Who develops and implements all the legal aspects such as Food Handling compliance as an example

Feedback

Do you have surveys in place?

Do you have Customer Surveys in your outlet?

Are there Staff Satisfaction Surveys?

How are these surveys analysed?

Are the surveys taken seriously and changed made if required due to the responses in the surveys?

Your organisation understands the need for a diverse workforce. It also understands that those organisations who are serious about achieving diversity will have a diversity policy in place. They have asked you to write that policy. You can model your response on diversity policies that can be found online; however, the policy should be your own. (1–2 pages)

Equality and Diversity Policy

Madl Pty Ltd employs locally within our community, where possible and has quite a diverse workplace that reflects the community and its different cultures. In doing so it also allows us to better understand our customers.

Our diverse workplace encourages employees to be themselves as they will be respected and valued in a safe environment. Our employees feel safe and protected in the workplace allowing them to work to the best of their potential.

We have a ‘no tolerance’ policy on any form of discrimination, harassment and bullying in the workplace. This ensures that no employee is discriminated against on the grounds of age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation or religion and is treated equally and with fairness. All employees, regardless of their position status from high management to ground floor staff have an obligation to adhere to our equality and diversity policy.

Madl Pty Ltd Diversity Policy enforces our commitment to equal and fair treatment of all employees in the workplace, where they will be respected and valued at all times. Madl Pty Ltd has supportive measures in place to assist diverse groups in the workplace such as Diversity Contact Officers.

Madl Pty Ltd is actively involved in local diversity groups to help promote and encourage diversity in the workplace, Local Youth and Women in the Workplace groups to name a few.

Our Commitment:

To have a safe and respectful working environment for all employees
Educate every employee on our equality and diversity policy in their orientation day so they are aware of what is required in the workplace and their obligations.
Madl Pty Ltd is committed to treating all employees with fairness and equality
Intimidation, bullying, discrimination and other forms of harassment will not be tolerated in any form and will be a direct breach to our policy. Disciplinary measures will be taken.
Professional development and training opportunities will be available to every employee to promote equality in the workplace
Diversity Contact Officers are available for every employee who has any concerns that need to be raised regarding a breach to this policy
Encourage every employee to treat each other with respect
Madl Pty Ltd ensures accessibility to all its employees at all its locations
Flexible working opportunities for all employees eg. Family time, prayer time to list a few
Regular revision of this policy (minimum yearly basis) to ensure practices and procedures are current and relevant to ensure fairness is maintained.

**Stake holders, employment agencies, customers, and job candidates will also be made party to this policy.

**Equality and Diversity Policy has been approved by Madl Pty Ltd Directors and Senior Managemen

2. Your organisation does not have a culturally diverse workforce. You think this is because its recruitment policies and procedures are difficult for people from other cultures to negotiate. What could the organisation do to ensure more people from different cultures are hired? Provide at least seven suggestions.

Hiring (advertising) – research shows that wording in advertising is very important on what candidates it attracts eg. Gender (is the add more targeted to men then women Expanding where the organisation advertises to reach a more diverse group to your workforce. If you want to attract candidates with disabilities, talk to local groups to gather information on your target group and maybe get some referrals.
Introduce diversity related policies in the workplace to educate employees and managers alike regarding correct behaviour re: discrimination and harassment Ensure employees understand their obligation and responsibilities regarding diversity in the workplace
Hire Equality and Diversity Officers in the workplace to assist integration, education and conflict handling.
Show the organisation is diverse to the outside world to through the organisation website and advertising material. Show diversity in your pictures and wording.
Some organisations have incentives if an employee refers a candidate from a diverse group, aged, disable, women etc
Have dispute resolution procedures in place for employees that manage breaches if behaviour is unacceptable
Flexible working options which takes diversity into consideration – for example prayer time for religious groups.

Q5 You are the HR manager of an organisation which provides a data management service. You work in Melbourne. Your organisation has been retained to review and index 600,000 documents on behalf of a client. The documents are currently stored in a Perth warehouse. They cannot be moved. Your organisation will need to employ 30 staff to complete the work within the required three month time frame.

You need to consider options for the delivery of human resources services relating to this project.

Options include:

You (the very busy HR manager) flying to Perth for the length of the project. Once there, you will obtain assistance from two junior HR employees to deliver appropriate HR products and services.
Retaining a Perth-based external human resources agency to deliver the HR services which will be required.
Assigning a manager from the Perth office to deliver the human resources services. The manager has no HR qualifications or experience, but is well-liked and very knowledgeable about the process which will be used to review, scan and index the documents.

What are the HR services and products that need to be delivered? (20–40 words)

Payroll services

Recruitment and selection (advertising, shortlisting, interviewing, selection)

Contracts

Training

Orientation and induction

Procedures and policies - ie. Code of Conduct, Occupational Health and safety

Compensation and benefit packages

You have decided to analyse the options in terms of risk and to weigh up the costs and benefits of the options.

Prepare a formal memo you could provide to the board of directors of your organisation to set out the risks, costs (in general terms) and benefits involved with each delivery option. (1–2 pages)

Memo

To: The Board of Directors

From: HR Management

Subject: Indexing 600,000 documents in the Perth warehouse

To the Board

I am writing to advise the board that our organisation has been retained to review and index 600,000 documents on behalf of our client at their Perth warehouse. As these documents cannot be moved, we will need to employ an additional 30 staff to be able to complete the task within the required timeframe of 3 months. There are a couple of options available that we have summarised with the advantages and disadvantages for you to review below:

Option 1:

HR manager will fly to Perth for 3 months. Obtain assistance from two Junior HR employees to deliver appropriate services.

Advantage:

Short term inconvenience of 3 months only (some of the HR manager work can be delegated amongst the department where possible to reduce the work load)
Will have assistance of two HR juniors
Will be on site (marks well with client) and will be able to manage any conflicts or issues as they arise.

Disadvantages:

Administration costs of travel, hotels in Perth
Cost to Melbourne office of being short a manager
Junior assistants may not be up for the workload

Option 2:

Retaining a Perth-based external HR agency to deliver the HR services required.

Advantages:

Would free up the HR Manager who has an extremely heavy workload
Lower administration costs

Disadvantages:

External agencies may not be up to the standard and quality required
No one to supervise agency (may not be reliable)
Time/ cost factor to research and select appropriate agency
Cost of external agency for 3 months
Could be breach in data sensitive information (security issues)

Option 3:

Assigning manager from Perth office to deliver the HR services. The manager has no HR experience/Qualifications, but is well liked and is very knowledgeable about the process to review, scan and index the documents.

Advantages:

From a client aspect having a manager who is knowledgeable and well liked to do the job properly and reliably is number one priority. The manager already knows how to review, scan and index documents. They will also be aware of the documents security issue and breaches and would be the best person to work with the 30 staff and instruct them.
Reflect a professional image to client, as the manager is knowledgeable in the area.
The HR manager would be free to stay in Melbourne for most of the 3 months period and could monitor any issues from a distance and flying up occasionally to handle any issues needing attention.
This reduces the cost regarding, administration and hiring external agency

Disadvantages:

HR issues arising….. as no HR manager present on site for the entire duration only periodically
HR manager may have difficulty dealing and monitoring work in Perth warehouse from a far due to time management and workload
Maybe HR conflicts that the manager can not handle

As I have listed above there are a lot of issues to consider in this service for the Perth warehouse contract we need to consider.

I would suggest and recommend option 3 as the better option. There maybe a few costs with this option but far less than hiring an external agency or sending the HR manager for the duration to Perth and the administration cost associated. Not including the issues of the managers workload falling behind.

I feel option 3 gives the client peace of mind as there is a knowledgeable manager who knows how to handle the documents and any security surrounding them as well as being able to assist new staff in training if required.

Having the HR manager to monitor the work regularly (daily, weekly) via distance, (contact with manager via phone, skype etc) has the advantage of keeping on top of things. Whilst keeping on top of the HR managers workload in the Melbourne office.

I will leave this to the Board to decide which option they would prefer and remain available for any further questions that they may have.

Regards

You are the new office manager of an accounting firm. The firm operates in your state/ territory. It is owned by 10 partners. They employ 45 accountants. Another 65 employees are employed to undertake administrative tasks.

The accounting firm retains an external provider to provide HR services. The contract is due to expire.

You have been asked to undertake a review of HR services to determine whether it would be appropriate to:

Continue utilising the services of the external provider.
Employ a manager and four people with HR expertise to provide HR services internally.
Retrain six current administrative employees without HR expertise to provide HR services internally under the supervision of a partner of the accounting firm with an interest in HR.

Prepare a detailed checklist of legal requirements that HR providers would need to take into account when providing HR services. The checklist should provide details of the actual obligations and details of specific Commonwealth and state/ territory legislation. There is no need to complete the checklist. (1 page)

A HR provider would need to take the following legal requirements into consideration:

A legal requirement that needs to be met is National Employment Standards (NES), there are 10 minimum employment entitlements that are required by law employers in Australia need to comply with.

Industrial Relations body which became Fair Work Australia 2009

Other legal requirements would be to ensure they comply with The Privacy Act 1988 with information they hold on employees

Equal Opportunity and anti discrimination legislation regarding recruitment and work conduct

Having Occupation Health and Safety policies and procedure in place and Workers Compensation legislation

Protection laws for unfair dismissals

Have policies and procedures in place for the employees re: code of conduct, staff handbook, orientation

Which option do you think would be least likely to allow the organisation to comply with its legal obligations? Why? (30–60 words)

The third option as administration staff and having HR experience and knowledge of laws and legislation are not the same thing. Having an accounting firm partner with an interest in HR also can lead to a legal mine field if there is no HR expertise. Problems with injury, unfair dismissal, discrimination, working conditions need to be dealt with according to the legislation and staff need to have those qualifications and experience.

State which option you think would be most likely to deliver a service which complies with organisational policies. Explain. (20–50 words)

The second option, hiring appropriate people with HR experience, knowledge and expertise will ensure the organisation complies with all policies required.

You are the HR manager of a large local council (Shire). The council has adequate funding for HR services delivered by a dedicated HR department.

Your organisation’s strategic and operational plans call for the council’s organisational structure to change; with the employees to be divided into new sections. This is likely to cause significant disruption and it is expected that some employees will be dissatisfied with the restructure.

Together with the HR team, CEO, managers and a selection of employees, you agree to work toward these objectives to allow for the delivery of the required HR services:

To identify current competencies – this can be identified through feedback from managers and peers, self assessment tests, comparing what competencies are required for the role/national standards with the employees current skills and experience. KPI’s can be a good measure of current competencies which can also be seen in performance appraisals. For example if in Sales, where the high and low KPI’s set obtain and if not…why not.
To develop and implement professional development programs for all employees – once competencies for the role and the employee’s current skills and experience have been identified, we will see the areas that are lacking (skills, knowledge, experience). Once gaps identified a professional development and training program can be developed and implement in accordance to the needs required.
To recruit employees as required – if the gap in competencies of current employees is severally lacking it maybe an option to look at whether it is more viable to re train existing employees or to hire new employees with the skill sets required.
To assist current employees adjust to the restructuring program - keeping the lines of communication open between management and employees to give them as much assess to information. Give them a option to discuss their concerns openly either in private with management or in weekly staff meetings where employees are updated. Giving employees the option to up skill to be more prepared for new roles can reduce anxiety in the workplace.
To provide information to line managers to help them minimise risks to the health and safety of employees. Ensuring that line managers have the most up to date information they need for to organise their department and inform their employees. Regular training for line managers prior to the change on how best to manage and minimise the risks for employees.
To develop and implement suitable health and safety policies. Working with all levels of management and knowing the operational plan will assist in putting together and developing new health and safety policies that can be implemented and training provided to minimise risks in the workplace.
To improve the management of workers’ compensation claims and facilitating return to work for injured employees. Ensuring all legislation and compliance with the Workers Compensation Board is up to date. Have a Return to Work program already in place for injured employees returning to work. Having a Coordinator who is responsible for assisting in putting a return to work plan for the employees and monitoring that is suitable and reasonable. Having policies and procedures in place so both the organisation and employees know what to expect.

2 Choose one short-term project and one long-term project which you would like to complete. You could select a project to obtain a new job you would like to have but for which you are not currently qualified. You might select a house renovation. You could refer to celebrations for an upcoming 21st birthday or engagement party. You might choose a project to restore an old boat or car.

Develop a detailed action plan you could use to help you achieve the required short- and long-term goals.

Short Term Action Plan – making funds available and getting ready to move overseas

Brief: Currently unemployed, no vehicle or savings.

Action 1:

Ensure CV is up to date and ready to go with references and updated information
Find a job. To accept any job if not necessarily the dream job to acquire money to be able to save.

Where to look: employment section of local newspapers, local job websites/ recruitment agency websites, ask around town and local stores if hiring

Register with local recruitment agencies
Attend Interviews
Obtain Job

Action 2:

Budget – work out what percentage of salary can be saved every week and put aside
Open a special savings account for the car and moving
Save weekly as per budget

Long Term Action Plan – Plan move overseas and buy a car and organise pet transport

Brief: Savings for travel and car put aside, need to organise personal items for move and pet transport

Action 1:

Ask local mechanic to keep an eye out for any good second hand cars, and if he can check out any cars I find that maybe of interest
Ask a friend if they know about cars and what to look for
Check out car websites and local dealers
Find car
Get car mechanically checked
Get a certificate and register

Action 2:

Purchase packing boxes and tubs for transport
Start one room at a time and sort. Sort items to keep, items to throw out, items to donate or give to friends
Pack items and clearly mark item list on box, number and weigh boxes
Make a list of last minute items to take that can not be packed straightaway
Make a list of things needed to do a couple of months before departure working down to the last few days

Action 3:

Contact Pet Transport agencies found through website search or through recommendations of friends and family
Have all the details ready to obtain a quote such as

Pet description
Weight
Vaccination (already have)
Addresses and contact numbers of where and from
Travel dates

1Obtain quotes and measure up the best option

Service
Quality
Price
Feedback reviews

Select best company and put together a list of what needs to be done from my end from a week to week schedule until departure
Organise pet passports, official test, vaccines and paperwork up to the date of departure as per schedule

1. Assist

manage

retrieve

record

liaise

transfer

maintain

undertake

update

order

The way it is written could be more specific in the description of the role

The sentences could be written in a more professional manner

Job purpose could have more information regarding the role - why there is this role, the importance of the role

Important overview of the role and its reporting levels

Roles and responsibilities broken down in different areas and then sub-categories

An overview of the company

An overview of the department

Strategies/objectives in general of the department and the role this position plays within

Assist with the processing of incoming and outgoing mail for the human resources (HR) department. ( changed to) - You will play a vital role in the processing of incoming and outgoing mail for our department this will include external and internal correspondence.

Job Purpose - to provide administrative and clerical support to ensure smooth running of the HR department. Your role will be to support the team and report to the HR Supervisor in your team. You will be handling the daily mail and incoming calls for the department as well as dealing with records, filing and other clerical responsibilities.

Requirements of the role - at least 2 years experience in a similar role, excellent communication and organisational skills, Cert 4 in Clerical Assistant, Working knowledge of Microsoft Office, touch typing (would be an advantage)

Your role will be to assist with the general operation in the administration area under the clerical team. You will be reporting to the team supervisor and the level under will be your team leader for your day to day reporting.

Our company is a HR specialist group delivering HR services to various organisations. We need to run a smooth and efficient operation and rely on our professional staff to work as a team to achieve our objectives. Our company has over 300 staff members and 10 branches throughout Australia.

Our department works with various organisation in various industries providing our HR delivery service so we require to be able to multi task and be organised to provide an efficient and professional service at all times.

Our company has a set of operational objectives that need to be reach and you will play a vital part in the organisation reaching its goals with your hard working attitude and skills you bring to the team.

4 – job description

1. Memo: Internal Stakeholders

From: HR Manager

Subject: Health and Safety Training for all Employees involved with grooming dogs

As mentioned above, I am writing to request a Health and Safety training for all employees who are directly involved in grooming dogs for the organisation.

As we have a chain of mobile dog grooming services its is imperative that we have an official and mandatory Health and Safety Training police in place. There are two very important options to consider for this being put in place immediately.

Some of the risks employees can face:

Different dog behaviour

Constant barking
Growling
Attack or fear of an attack
Being bitten by a dog
Anxious dogs
Fearful dogs
Angry dogs
Aggressive dogs

Physical risks employees can face grooming dogs:

Physical strain of lifting and carrying dogs
Bending over for long periods of time
Lifting and dealing with chemicals
Safety with hazard chemicals
Noise (from dogs)
Slips and falls

Risks dogs can face coming to grooming service:

Escaping from premises
Allergic reaction to products
Being injured by another dog or by person grooming dog

As you can see there are a number of risks associated with grooming dogs. There is always the possibility of a dog directly hurting an employee or vice a versa, mishandling products to accidents in the workplace.

Health and Safety Training ensures all employees would have the appropriate tools and were equipped to handle situations that may arise correctly. It will also ensure they have the competencies to handled the day-to-day role.

When we weigh up the fact that if our employees are seriously injured or liable regarding clients complaining about hurting or not correctly handling their dogs, the costs compared to the risk analysis is clearly justified.

This would be a cost saving in the long term for the organisation, ensure the safety of our employees, ensure safety of the dogs (which keeps the clients happy and returning), ensures we have a good reputation and lowers risks of liability and workers compensation claims.

2. Do you think it would be acceptable to provide this information verbally rather than in writing? Explain. (75–150 words)

I think it would be best to provide all the information in writing the first time to communicate all the details and information to the internal stakeholders, which they would be able to read and consider in their available work time. It maybe hard to organise a meeting for this and have everyone available and present.

I also feel once the information is in writing the stakeholders can put down their ideas and reasons as to why they like or dislike the idea, suggestions and questions.

All this can then be emailed back to HR who can write down a list of concerns and then it maybe an option to have a meeting and discuss the final points verbally.

9 service agreement and flowchart

Q10

Training Needs Analysis shows HR what skills, knowledge and experience the employee currently has in their role and the gap between this knowledge and skills set needed to reach the organisations objectives. Its a process that accesses current competencies and gap between competencies needed.

Once the missing competencies are identified in knowledge/skills is HR can look at what training is required to bring the employee up to the standard of competency required by the organisation.

Three training methods that I think would work best for me

Job/Work Shadowing - Actually being able to see how what is done in the job would be most effective as my training style as I am a visual learner and like to see how things are done. I would be able to take notes whilst seeing how to actually complete the task. Visual learners like to see how things are done, have notes to refer too and so forth.

One on One - I feel as a visual learner this would best be suited as a training method as it is tailor made for the individual needs

Off site training - where I am actually out of the organisation and can have my attention fully on the training is another preferred method for that reason.

Three training methods that I think would be the least effective for me would be

Action Learning as this is more about 'doing' more for the kinesthetic learner than for a visual learner for myself where I need to see, take notes, see presentations, handouts etc

Self Assignment would not be suitable for my training methods as I need something that is planned organised and structured which I can work from...already prepared. I dont think I have the motivation to go out and find the information myself with no structure learning plan to go by.

On site training is another method I dont find effective as I find from past experience, when you are on site even though you may not be accessible to staff there is always an interruption if not during the training then it is between breaks where you are called away for something urgent and your mind is always on the job rather than focused on the training at hand.

q10 part 3 formative assessment doc

Self study - the individual manages their study by doing online training, reading training books, watching videos and hands on experience.

On-Site training - the trainer comes to the workplace (organisation) and provides all the training needs

Off - Site training - employees go to a training provider at another location where all training is given

One on One training - personalised training between employee and instructor

Mentoring - a person who passes on their knowledge and experience of the job, an additional source to the actually training you would receive elsewhere. They help develop and improve skills and abilities to improve performance.

Action learning sets - based on putting learning into practice. The task becomes the lesson where employees get to practice as they learn. A small group of people learning from their experiences.

Job rotation - Being moved into the job to learn new skills and knowledge about the role and put it into practice allowing employees to gain skills and help employers when they are short if employees are away

Job shadowing - watching and following the person who is in the position to see how the job and tasks are done in reality whilst being able to ask questions in the process

Q11

Reports - reviewing reports to identify if service is being delivered and any potential or current problems arising.

For example:

Meetings and minutes

Performance reviews

Interviews - gather information from employees regarding information sharing, their opinion on the service delivery and problems they have, ideas, suggestions, training, are needs being met

Surveys and questionnaires: sending out regular questions and surveys to gather information from external and internal sources such as customers, clients, staff, managers

Reviewing procedures and policies to ensure compliance is met and is up to the standard by law

Speaking to the customer directly

1. see attached monitor services deliver doc

2 Quality assurance standards (or QA for short) are standards that set the level of quality of products and services delivered and also a step by step process of the delivery. Its a way of avoiding errors, defects in manufacturing products or problems when delivering solutions and services to customers. It provides assurance that requirements will be fulfilled.

3 What are eight of the things the person/s carrying out the quality assurance role needs to do?

Put into place policies and procedures to set a standard and review theses if standards are not met.
Data Collection - (from reports, meetings, employees, client satisfaction, surveys, feedback) review and report findings
Complaints - identify why and solve and prevent future complaints
Non Compliance -identify and rectify
Service level in quality/quantity/time/cost not met - find solutions and report
Report internal audits, findings to be improved or adjusted as required, are services and delivery being met, monitoring of services
Confirm training provided is adequate
Be objective, observant, have good communication skills and reporting and problem solving skills

Q12

Staff Induction and orientation
Selection and Recruitment of staff
Developing and finalising the service agreement
Ensuring compliance and monitoring with services and delivery
Complaints handling
Quality Assurance - ensuring and monitoring services are delivered as per agreement
Compliance with legislation, laws and regulations
HR policies and procedures (code of conduct, ethics)
Health and Safety
Employee support (performance reviews, responsibilities, duties, issues in the workplace, training)

Skills, Knowledge, experience, qualifications and abilities necessary for an Employee Assistance Program worker would be the following:

Qualifications: generally they are required to have a Masters or Degree in Human Resources or Business Administration with an addition to either a counseling Diploma/Degree, with a specific study for example drug and alcohol.

Skills: Excellent communication skills, empathy, and be able to identify and assess the person while remembering the professional boundaries, they need to be able to communicate with all levels of employees to senior managers and people from all cultures and backgrounds. They need to be discreet and have great people skills. The most important thing is to remain objective and confidentiality is a must.

Knowledge and experience: they need to have worked in the field of mental health and issues to be able to know how to hand conflict and difficult situations, be able to discuss a wide range of topics. They need to be willing to update their skills in various areas continually. The ability to separate work from home and keep boundaries. They also need to have the ability to keep calm in crisis situations and manage stress.

No I do not agree with this statement. I think it is imperative to do research on the best service provider before entering into a Service agreement. The service agreement does not guarantee to select the best suitable service provider for your organisation, it does not guarantee the best choice in quality, service, product or cost effective needs of your organisation.

Service agreements are in place to make things legal between the two parties and that standards and requirements are adhered to by a set time frame.

By taking the time to research an appropriate service provider it reduces the chances of every having to have the need for the dispute resolution mechanism that is in place in the Service Provider agreement. If the time is not taken to do the research it increases the chances that the service provider is not what is best matched to your needs thereby increasing the chances of dispute and not being happy with the service.

Q13

1. First action would be to contact the agency manager and discuss the concern of under performing and try to find the root/cause of why they are under performing. Normally it should be able to fix the problem if it is just something that is lacking - eg. manuals provided to staff to be able to use a new system. Agency identify they have had trouble with the printing company but have changed suppliers and should have the manuals in the next 3 days. Solution found no further action.

2. If the problem is staff related - eg. staff are often absent....cause needs to be identified....in this case it maybe they are seriously understaffed and this is putting a lot of stress on employees. Action: review agreement with agency to add extra staff to help ease the workload.

3. Review of the KPI's shows that all staff are under performing and not meeting targets. Reports show lots of errors being made in system. Problem: After discussing with agency and interviewing staff it seems they dont know how to use the system. Identify the problem is lack of proper training. Action : Request more training be provided and negotiate with agency to review schedule.

4. Staff maybe be spasmodic in their work which bring down performance. Problem: identified after speaking to employees and managers can identify issues relating to a supervisor/ manager - discrimination issues in the workplace. Action: speak to HR and agency. It maybe necessary to have more clearer training on code of conduct. Also Identify the problem with supervisor if they are the cause and if after warnings and extra training the person may need to be replaced.

5. Problem of lots of errors and misuse of system identified. Speak to agency and reports of employees, identified there is a problem with the instructions in the operation manual. Action: speak to agency to rectify problem and add extra training.

Date

Address

RE: Service Agreement and performance issues

To Mr…….

I am writing in regards to our Service Agreement and after a 12 month review of your services delivered it seems there are a few performance issues I would like to bring to your attention.

As per clause 4.1 PFY has not met obligations. I have been informed your website is very popular but this is still a breach of conditions as it was never discussed or approved by our organisation. No permissions where given. If your website is very popular and you feel this is a better option we are open to receiving a written proposal with all details to look over. At this stage you are to follow the original agreement.

As per clause 6.2 unsuccessful applicants are not being notified with the 24 hours timeframe agreed upon. There other forms of notifying clients such as telephone and email which are faster. Please ensure this is rectified immediately.

As per clauses 7.1 and 7.4 of our agreement PFY has not always conducted an initial screening interview nor sent a representative to attend the second interview. I understand on 12 occasions a Junior assistant has been a replacement for the second interview and has read a book through the process as they were only there for terms of the agreement. This is unacceptable conduct by PFY and makes our organisation look unprofessional. Please ensure as per clause 7.1 is followed through if you are unable to have a representative available at the time please contact us immediately and we will send one our qualified staff as a replacement.

As per clause 9, once again this service has not been thoroughly followed through with no recall of the reference if they are not reached the first time. An easy solution is to email the referee to complete a form or leave a message so they call back.

There is a lot of performance and delivery issues not being met and being totally disregarded. According to clause 15 any variations to this agreement need to be in writing and signed by both parties which is not the case as you can see from the points sited. PFY has breached this clause in more than 1 occasion; this is misconduct on PFY and a breach of several clauses.

I sincerely hope that the points mentioned will be rectified immediately and we will be able to continue working together. If however these breaches continue we will be forced to terminate this contract.

ROI is return on investment. Its a mathematical formula that allows you to measure the return on your investment but does not take into consideration non financial aspects of the investment.

ROI can be difficult to calculate when it comes to HR services as these services are not always quantifiable data or measurable results. You can use ROI on measurable data for example if a training program worked to reduce incidents of sexual harassment in the workplace. It doesnt measure whether it was worth the investment and cost of training it only measures incidents and numbers of incidents.

Its important to make an effort to calculate ROI in relation to HR services as it allows HRS to see the benefits of whether a service is working and worth the cost.

Q14

Quantitative information is based on numbers. Data is collected and analysed in a way of how often, how many and how much for example something has occurred. For example an organisation might want to know how many sexual harassment cases they have had in the last 12 months. The data collected can be converted to number form. Data collected is normally in the form of multiple-choice questionnaires or with ‘yes or no’ responses.

In comparison Qualitative is more based on opinions and feelings. Collection of data is more open-ended question such as the point of view of people questioned and how they feel. Some of the data collected can be converted to number form after being analysed and percentage formats can be achieved. For example 10% of employees where unhappy with the last nights requested of them regardless of pay increase.

Whether there are policies and procedures in place for the workplace to follow such as

is there an evacuation plan in place in case of a fire/bomb threat or other?
Is the evacuation plan clearly displayed? Do all employees have access to the information
Is there a checklist of steps to follow in case of an emergency such as fire or bomb threat or other

Is there adequare fire and safety equipment such as helmets, hoses, extinguishers?

Are exit doors clearly marked

Do staff receive regular training as fire wardens and general training in an emergency?

Are there medical facilities on site such as a first kit?

Are there signs clearly marked for safety

Speaking to the Safety officer, HR, and factory or other manager for more information and employees would be a way to gather information and inspecting the premises to see what is available.

Q15

Client Satisfaction surveys:

These are used to see how clients are with a service or product. Are they happy or unhappy, satisfied or unsatisfied. This allows organisations to fix problems an issues and work on the good points to keep happy customers happy and help change unhappy customers to happy satisfied ones.

1.example question - How likely are you to recommend our service/product to friends and family (on a scale 1 to 10.....1 being lowest, 10 highest)

example question - Please rate your experience with your consultant today ( you were very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, neutral, somewhat unsatisfied, extremely unsatisfied.

Service Usage Surveys:

These surveys helps organisations determine client awareness regarding their products and services such as their habits, preferences and tastes for example.

example question - How often do you use our product? (daily, weekly, 1- 2 a month, yearly)
example question - Do you prefer using our (product) or one of our competitor products listed below?

Brand Awareness survey:

Helps the organisation focus their sales and marketing focus and measure if it is effective on clients.

example question - do you recognise any of these cleaning products (10 images of known brands are displayed for client to select
example question - please select the product listed below where you recall seeing an ad on TV for

Q15

I agree that the biggest problem with surveying clients is the difficulty in obtaining responses from them. However, I disagree that nothing can be done to increase the response rate.

I find the biggest problem is that clients get bombarded with surveys via email or in their mailbox and it gets lost with all the other information received.

How to obtain a better response rate:

I think where possible if you are able to advise clients a survey is coming out to them this can increase the chances of a response.
Clearly personalise the survey as possible with the clients name and address
Have the company logo clearly marked so it doesn’t get mixed up with other information received
Have an incentive program for clients who respond. The company could give them a voucher or extra points on their loyalty cards.
Surveys should be short, clear and precise
Don’t send surveys every month otherwise clients will just ignore them
Timing is also important, ensure they are not sent out during holiday season for example
Having person to person interviews/surveys where possible

Surveys need to be personalised, frequencies need to be researched and timing are all important factors of obtaining a better response rate. The biggest bonus for clients is receiving something in return for their time so incentives really help get more responses.

Q16

1 The Audit Method - This method helps show the outcomes of HR ideas implemented and services. Data is collected through Key Performance Indicators and client satisfaction surveys and questionnaires. The KPIs helps so problem areas and what areas need to be improved. HR services can also use this information to help plan future services delivered. This method helps to show the effectiveness of the services and this can then be compared to competitors and other like organisations.

The Analytical Method - This method shows if the desired outcome has been achieved whilst measuring the between costs and benefits. This data is collected through calculation of financial data and statistics data. It identifies the financial impact of a particular outcome....for example on training new staff.

The Budget Method - This method shows the how much was spent on HR services. This is done by creating budgets and examining existing ones. It does not show if the services are appropriate but how much was spent.

The Ratio Method - This method uses both the Audit Method and the Budget Method. It compares how much is spent and employee numbers

The Balanced Scorecard -This method measures four areas finance, client/customer, internal business process and learning. It helps get a whole or big picture of how that area is performing or not performing which in turn helps assist the organisation (or that particular area) to make any necessary changes. This method also helps with future strategic planning.

I would use the Balanced Scorecard as this method looks at four different areas which I feel gives a better overall picture of possible issues and problems which can be caught and solutions found within the organisation. As it can be easy to focus on one area and let other areas lapse and not see problems in time which can be costly and time consuming for the organisation. The bonus is that it helps in the future strategic planning for the organisation and reporting.

Q17

Benefits of encouraging line managers participation and involvement when variations are proposed are:

Involves and engages participation where they have a vested interested they are less resistant to change.
It avoids unnecessary changes that may not meet the required needs and then having to go back and make further changes that can be costly and time consuming to the organisations.
Assists in obtaining approval from managers so they accept changes more readily
Not only allows them to take part and be involved but encourages them to put forward their ideas and suggestions before implementation of the plan.
They have first hand knowledge and experience of what services are needed which can assist to better adapt the plan to what is required
They can identify problems and provide solutions and feedback for better outcome
Gives them a better understanding of why and how to the changes also making them more open to change
Creates good working environment and teamwork
They can get an understanding as they have an explanation and working knowledge as to why some of their ideas where not implemented also aiding with less resistance to the changes
Managers can then assist with the change by themselves being involved and understanding the whys and hows they can then help their team and employees understand the change and be less resistant as well as answer any questions.

How to better manage change and resistance to change.

Change can be unsettling for most people but even more so for line managers as it can bring with it a tidal wave of emotions from fear of the unknown, lose of control and whether they are adequate to deal with the change.

It is important to include managers from the start of coming changes as if there is a lack of communication this can cause misunderstanding regarding changes. Not knowing the ‘hows and whys’ of the coming changes can cause a lot of stress. They can experience feelings of being overwhelmed, and have self doubt (am I qualified enough) to deal with the changes. There can also be the added stress of employees not understanding the changes and managers not being able to answer questions and deal with the situation if they don’t understand themselves.

Signs of resisting change can be simply refusing to participate in the changes or approving the plan. Managers can refuse to attend meetings or respond to correspondence regarding changes. They may turn employees against the changes or make a scene challenging changes.

Some possible strategies to overcome resistance to change could be:

Organise a meeting with the line managers and clearly state the up coming changes
Explain the why and how, communicate their part in the change and what is needed or expected from them
Answer any questions they might have
Advise them they play an important role with their first hand knowledge, suggestions, ideas and assistance with possible solutions
Changes wont go ahead without their full approval
Training will be provided for them if required and their staff

Q18

Describe 3 behaviours you could display to ensure and reflect the organisation values

A Caring for others

helping others
being encouraging and supportive
showing you are interested by the way you communicate and body language

B Civic Virtue

Volunteering
Joining in and participating
Organising social club at work for example
Promoting the organisation outside work

C Justice and fairness

Treating someone with fairness
Treating them as an equal
Following rules
Justice – example – managers being consistent and open

D Respect

Treat other with politeness and kindness
Listen to others opinions and ideas
Not insulting and talking over others

Q18

Undertake your own research to locate three newspaper or magazine articles about people who have acted unethically.

Summarise each article. In what way do you consider their actions to be unethical? What should they have done to ensure they acted ethically? (250–300 words)

Source: Nine.com.au website (World News Headlines 7/1/2018)

Headline : Town encourages children as young as five to smoke

Brief: Town celebrates annual Epiphany in a Portuguese Village called Vale de Salgueiro, which is very isolated from anywhere and follow old traditions. No one really knows why they have this tradition of encouraging children to smoke as part of the celebrations and what it represents but they continue it to this day.

Thoughts and what should be done:

I find this unethical that parents willingly encourage young children to smoke as a parent has a minimum code of conduct in a sense to keep their children safe and healthy and need to be responsible. Tradition or not if it is going to affect the health of a young child that really doesn’t know what they are doing at 5 years of age or the consequences, parents should not encourage this (especially considering they don’t even know why its part of the tradition ironically).

I think they can celebrate their traditions as long it is harm to none, and maybe have children who are legally allowed to make an inform choice to decide if they what to smoke on the day but not push it on 5 year olds.

Source: www.nbcnews.com (Business News 7/8/2017)

Headline: Donald Trump is Ruining Workplace Morale

Brief: In a nutshell Donald Trump favourite past time has been to destroy political correctness and his constant bad behaviour is destroying what is a ‘norm’ of acceptable behaviour in the workplace. People are starting to act badly in the workplace and this is becoming more of the norm and acceptable now as its acceptable for the leader of the country to do it.. An increase of 46% of employees surveyed By Workplace Bullying Institute said their relationship with co workers had deteriorated since the election.

Thoughts and what should be done:

I think this is unethical as it is telling society it is acceptable to behaviour badly in the workplace and outside of it. Society norms are changing to accept bullying, discrimination, speaking and treating employees badly in a workplace as the new norm.

Obviously this is not going to happen but in theory it would be best to educate Donald Trump as what is acceptable and not acceptable in society and even more so in his position as president. He needs to lead by example.

Source www.cbsnews.com (News 5/1/2018)

Headline: Twitter statement reveals why it wont ban Trump over his controversial tweets

Brief: Tweeter trying to justify itself for not removing Trump tweets that users say encourage violence, and stoke fears of a nuclear war between US and North Korea.

Tweeter says it is a freedom of speech and important information would be hidden if they banned certain posts from leaders. Tweeter has come under fire previously for its falling short of threats and bullying in tweets.

Thoughts and what should be done:

I think tweeter is being irresponsible by not censoring certain tweets no matter who the person is that has posted it. If it insights fears and violence, bullying and discrimination surely this goes against their Code of Conduct and duty of care regardless of freedom of expression their platform.

Tweeter and Trump as an example should be speaking through the appropriate channels to other leaders not through a tweet especially with something as important as possible nuclear war. Ethically speaking in fairness it is not educating or informing the public and there is no integrity in the tweets. Attacking cultures, religions, race, sex is all against general Code of Conduct and the ethical rules society follows.

Q19

Isolating Liza is not in accordance with the organisational values as other employees are not assisting Liza in anyway or trying to work through the situation with fairness and treating her fairly. Employees should either speak to Liza directly or discuss this with a supervisor first. Employees are making it personal which works against the values of assisting members of the team. So I think this is unethical. Liza is also not fulfilling her part of being responsible for her work partly and should speak to her manager if having problems.

Bit of an ethical dilemma...in one way it is a work function that put its residents first and they are conservative so a gay couple could cause a problem. On the other hand it is work the policy does say that employees have to approach residents with respect and regard of their individual situations. In this case if the residents find it shocking then the organisation does have the right to say no to Joey's attending with her partner. But I think it is unethical as it is discriminating against Joey personal sexual preferences.

In part Yudi should have checked before applying when the selection committee was due to meet. If the selection committee is held outside working hours I say there is no ethical issue. But if it is during working hours as the company allows him time off I think it maybe an ethical issue as it would seem the selection committee is working against the what the company has already approved.

This would be a breach due to the confidentially side, unless the counsellor deems the patient/client is going to harm themselves or others they are not allowed to give out personal information unless they have asked the patient/client first for their authority. So under the privacy side it would be unethical for the counsellor to give out this information even if it is to her husband.

Q19 steps in developing code of conduct

PLANNING:

Have a chosen person to collect all relevant information and who will speak to the different level managers to collate information relevant to each department and problematic issues. This ensures all areas and all topics needed are covered in the code of conduct.

The code of conduct will always have the obligatory rules and regulations required such as privacy and confidentiality but it is important to tailor make the Code of Conduct specific to the need and culture of the organisation.
Having an opening note from organisation showing that they are behind the code of conduct and fully support it and expect all employees to do so.
Explanation of the purpose for the code, why it is important to all employees
Identifying issues to put in the code of conduct
List the values and expectations with a brief explanation, written for the employees in simple straight forward and easy to understand language
Additional Resources for employees to access if needed. For example the support groups or governing bodies such as the Anti-discrimination board
Easy to following step by step information on steps that will be taken (disciplinary action) when and if required as well as how to report any behaviour in the workplace that may not be appropriate.

DRAFTING AND CONSULTATION:

Once the information is gathered it is important to have a meeting with all the heads of department got them to review the draft.

In the draft stages all suggestions, ideas, changes can be made and discussed.

QA can be checked to ensure it is compliant with regulations and Acts.

IMPLEMENTING: Ensure it is understood and accepted by employees. They could sign after reading through the Code of Conduct before they start working for the organisation. HR could run training programs to ensure it is understood.

COMMUNICATE AND EDUCATE: Not only is it important to communicate at the start of developing the Code of Conduct in the drafting and planning stages but it is also important to communicate it to the employees in the workplace.

A copy of the Code of Conduct needs to be available to all staff at all times. It can be visible on organisation websites or intranet, emailed to all employees, and have relevant booklets and flyers around the office and lunch rooms.

New employees should read, understand and accept the Code of Conduct by signing their agreement on their first day.

This can be done through role playing workshops, online quiz.

REVIEW:

Review and update regularly, once signed off and approved it can be distributed.

Have it available for all staff throughout the office via website and notice boards.

Q20

Bowen is in total breach of his role as a HR Manager. He breached confidentiality and privacy:

Speaking on his mobile on the train stating the company he worked for and telling the caller they were going to be terminating people from the archive department. He shouldnt be speaking to anyone regarding this topic let along a competitor and speaking of confidential matters on a train on the phone.

He should be speaking of this matter only to the people concerned and in a formal workplace environment. At the very least not give specific details such as department, people, reason etc. He could have just said there maybe some positions becoming available in his workplace and would be advertised shortly.

Bowen should not be contacting candidates personally.

He should be advising any potential candidates to apply through the regular channels when the job is advertised.

He should be meeting potential candidates in his office in the workplace only not in a social content (cafe, their house is not professional a breach)

He should not be removing confidential documents from the workplace (avoiding it being lost), or leaving them lying around on a printer for anyone to see or faxing it to a public place also for everyone to see.

He should have looked at the file he needed in the office, where it could then be put away and met the candidate in his office.

He should be advising candidates of work offers formally through the organisation and waiting for a formal response of the like not going to their house.

6. Bowen and Joe are both in breach of confidentiality by swapping personnel files with each other.

Bowen should have called and checked the candidates work performance by doing a reference check.

Q20

Prepare a presentation that describes how privacy legislation can have an impact on the collection, retention, use and disclosure of HR information. The presentation must be suitable for use by employees of a HR department in a large non-government organisation (more than 100 employees). (250–350 words)

See document

Q21

1 10 examples of unethical conduct in workplace

Misuse of organisations vehicles (going on personal trips for example), fuel cards (using for personal use)

Disclosing confidential sensitive information (regarding personnel or the company) to a third party

Bullying and discrimination

Lying about work hours (saying you have done more than you actually have)

Taking credit for someone others work

Accessing pornographic images during company time and transmitting them

Sexual Harassment

Not advising when there is a conflict of interest

Stealing

Assaulting someone

Q22

Identify five things that HR managers can do to ensure that HR employees are aware of the ethical expectations of their behaviour.

HR can clearly define the rules and guidelines about what is acceptable and tolerated behaviour in the workplace and what is not acceptable in the Code of Conduct. Trying to refer to this on a regular basis while working helps to reinforce standards.

Ongoing training for senior managers and leaders as they set the standard and example to employees. If managers act responsibly and lead by example with their ethical behaviour employees can follow as an example.

Ensure employees understand and agree to the Code of Conduct by signing their agreement

Having the code of conduct available in different formats in the office, booklet, flyers, in lunch rooms, intranet and the company website. Having incentives for ethical behaviour in the workplace.

Ongoing training of the whole organisation that is updated and fun with activities for employees to actively participate in to maintain awareness on ethical expectations.