Project Report and Personal Summary (Option 1)
1. Project Report
Case Study of Wing Han Imports and Exports Trading Co. Ltd.
1.0 Abstract
Based on the conducted departmental situational analysis and skills audit inside the Accounting Department, it was discovered that several trainings are needed. Competency, management effectiveness, communication, goals and processes are the areas that must be given priority. In undertaking such training program, the Accounting would be able to improve the performance of the accounting staff, to update their skills and to promote job competency. The organization, department and employees are expected to benefit from these training programs especially in aspects of administration and talent management. As recommended, there are specific competencies that must be developed which are knowledge, commercial, intellectual, socioemotional and interpersonal competencies. Such competencies could possibly progress by implementing competency development and management training, accounting skills, advancement training, managerial effectiveness training, departmental goal-setting training and process mapping training.
2.0 Introduction
Competence development and workplace learning is critical for modern organisations as it could determine the long-term survival and existence of the organisation and the effective functioning of the people. From instructional and developmental focused, learning and development become more strategic in nature. However, organizational training and development is increasingly becoming decentralised. In this paper, a project report on workplace learning and development internal to Wing Han Imports and Exports Trading Co. Ltd will be considered. Specifically, the project will focus on the Accounting Department. Issues to be discussed will include how the accounting staff and the organisation perceive the purposes of learning, the departmental competencies needed and what training needs should be employed.
3.0 Methods
Majority of the information are taken from structured observation approach as I was an intern whose job description as an Accounting Officer allows me to observe the conduct of the Accounting Department. Investigation of the current practices are also carried out through informal interview and surveying. In part, this is an action research where I partaken and collaborated with the supervisor, manager and other accounting staff in dealing with their daily activities. Through constant interface with them, I was able to collate the necessary data leading to this case study. Secondary research was also done in order to apply theories into practice. Published materials were consulted to support the assessment and analysis of the gaps in competence and expertise in the Accounting Department.
4.0 The Case Context
Wing Han Imports and Exports Trading Co. Ltd., or simply WHIE or the Company, is an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and original design manufacturer (ODM) as well as an agent of toys. These products are then shipped to leading suppliers, wholesalers and mass retailers in North America and Europe. Examples of well-known companies that WHIE is supplying are Walmart, Target, K-Mart, JC Penney and KB Toys. WHIE provides an integrated service from concept to prototyping to delivery of final product on time and on budget. Such process is made possible by 5 factories in Southern China which employs over 2, 500 factory workers, one of which accepted me as an Intern. As such, these factories housed production capabilities ranging from injection to rotational to blow molding and also tooling, die casting, cut-and-sew and other decorating techniques as silk screening, pad painting and spray painting.
With this complicated process, a mistake that the accounting officer will cost the Company much especially in aspects of billing for labor, equipment, contracts and others, tracking invoices and keeping accurate accounting information. It is a must then for the Accounting Department to be efficient in bookkeeping and cash flow management, budgeting and forecasting, credit and collections, financial management and reporting and consolidating financing. The implication of this is that the accounting staff must be equipped enough with the new information, competence, skills and expertise in the business environment so as not to lag behind the competitors especially in aspects of utilization of accounting technologies inside the department.
5.0 Current Practices
The Accounting Department housed at least 20 people excluding the Interns and other OJTs. As noted, inside the Accounting Department the people are very task-oriented. The problem lies in the fact that accounting staff always encounters repetition of works, resulting to overlapping responsibilities. There are also people who are given the wrong task or when they are given tasks for the day they find difficulties performing it, simply because they did not know what to do. When an accounting staff is absent, late or in half-day and there are urgent tasks that must be accomplished such as checking purchasing orders, no other staff is available for a substitute. Either because, they have no idea of how they are going to go about the task or they know little about how to use the system. Notably, the department is not understaff; in fact, there are free riders who depends on the result of other people’s work and only goes to work to get their salary. These problems could eventually lead to non-efficiency because of the lost times that should be otherwise devoted to more productive efforts. Another thing, those who are deserving of a position is not given the opportunity because seniority prevails. Although this conceptualization is inescapable in a Chinese firm, still there must be an incentive for the organization to recognize the capability of an employee for the purpose of individual growth.
Likewise, there is an apparent indifference between accounting department leaders and staff. The only reason I could thing is the autocratic style of leadership employed. Autocratic leadership refers to the strong control through directive approach. The activities are determined by the leader and dictated to the followers with no input from the followers regarding decision-making (Goethals et al, 2004, p. 70). There is the budding alienated culture inside the department which needs dramatic changes because it affects the people’s performance. It increasingly becomes usual for the accounting staff to talk about the whereabouts of the bosses; the accounting general manager and supervisor, that is, as well as their shortcomings due to persistent mistakes in delegating tasks and forcing people to perform tasks not matched with their capabilities. Another source of complaints among the staff is the high salaries of these people as compared to them especially when they think that these people are not deserving of what they are getting, which is rather unfair for the bosses and to themselves also.
6.0 Findings and Discussion
Based on initial situational analysis and skills audit inside the Accounting Department, there are problems that implicate the requirement for departmental trainings. Apart from bureaucracy, which is something that I cannot change basically because it is a part of the organizational culture of Chinese firms, I found out that there are key areas in which the department needs to focus on. These are: competency development and management, accounting skills advancement and managerial effectiveness. In addition, the department should also engage in departmental goal-setting and process mapping in order that they will be able to determine what collegial and personal goals must be accomplished and what part of process needs intervention. Trainings will be based on these areas of priority.
There are three rationales for these programs. One is to improve the performance of the accounting staff. Training programs are considered to remove current and avoid future career deficiencies. Though trainings are not a panacea to ineffective performance, a sound training program could be instrumental in minimizing the problems. To update the skills of the accounting staff points to the second rationale. This should be done for the purpose of keeping up with the advances and changes in the external and internal environment. Through training employee skills could be updated and that changes could be successfully integrated into the department. Third, job competency must be at all times promoted especially for new employees. Training will enable the Accounting Department to fill the gap between the perceived performance and actual performance of accounting staffs.
The benefits of learning are three-fold: for the organization, for the department and for the employees (Zacarelli and Hayes, 2004, p. 3). For the organization, learning through trainings could lead to improved profitability and more positive attitude toward profit orientation. Aside from this, there will be an improvement in the job knowledge and skills and the morale of the workforce. Trainings could also assist employees to identify with organizational goals (Sims, 1990). For the Accounting Department, the benefits would be the improved efficiency and effectiveness while also facilitating departmental changes. Effective ways in adapting to changing market conditions/environment and improving employee performance could be also achieved. Lastly, learning and training could benefit employees through assisting them in making better decisions and effective problem solving, in encouraging and achieving self-development and self-confidence, in proper handling of stress, tension, frustration and conflict, increasing job satisfaction and recognition and moving a person toward personal goals while improving interaction skills (Sims, 1990).
7.0 Recommendations
7.1 Competencies
There are five competences that the Accounting Department must develop: knowledge, commercial, intellectual, socioemotional and interpersonal.
7.1.1 Knowledge Competencies
This is a threshold requirement for accounting staff. The certain amount of knowledge ensures superior and efficient performance.
7.1.2 Commercial Competencies
The accounting staff must develop efficiency orientation and proactivity. The former refers to the development of continuing interest in doing things better and finding the best combination of resources. The latter deals with the development of the urge to initiate action.
7.1.3 Intellectual Competencies
There are three components to intellectual competencies: logical thought, conceptualization and diagnostic skills. The first is central on developing the dedication to placing events in a causal sequence. Conceptualization imparts the development of the ability to assemble information and seemingly unrelated ideas and events into a pattern. The development of the ability to apply concepts and theories to real-life situations is the core concept of diagnostic skills.
7.1.4 Socioemotional Competencies
Self-control, spontaneity, perceptual objectivity, accurate self-assessment and stamina and adaptability are the ideas under socioemotional context. Developing self-control suggest that employees must be able to place organizational needs above personal reactions while spontaneity is the ability to express ideas freely and easily. The development of perceptual objectivity centers the ability to understand and present contrasting points of view skillfully especially in conflict situations. An awareness of own strengths and weaknesses must be also developed. Similarly, high energy levels and the ability to function effectively under pressure must be a also a priority of the Accounting Department.
7.1.5 Interpersonal Competencies
There are eight areas that the accounting staffs must ponder on including self-confidence, developing others, concern about impact, unilateral power, socialized power, oral communications, positive regard and managing group processes. In sum, the key points are: self-confidence – compelling faith in own ability to attain goals; development of others – conviction about responsibility to help others, to seek and develop disciplines and to coach and counsel; concern about impact – awareness of ‘what I say and do’ which affects the department and the workmates; unilateral power – personal ability to get others to go along with prescribed directions, commands, policies and procedures; socialized power – ability to build a network of alliances and support within and outside the organization; oral communications – ability to speak so that others can understand; positive regard – deeply rooted belief in the ability of others in the department to perform effectively when given a reasonable chance; and management of group processes – ability to inspire teamworking, cooperation and direct coordination.
7.2 Trainings
Furthermore, the training program intended for the accounting staff are as follows:
7.2.1 Competency Development and Management Training
The competency-based training refers to the assessment of the elements that affects the role and the performance of an employee. Examples of these elements are skills, jobs, attitudes and behaviours. Since competencies shape the future of organizations, trainings must further these competencies in order to take advantage of the opportunities that the business environment provides. The training will provide the Accounting Department to identify the key components of their respective competencies and identifying barriers in developing new competencies.
7.2.2 Accounting Skills Advancement Training
This training is intended for lower-level the members of the Accounting Department. The focus of the program is the understanding of the financial dynamics of the business for proper and better projection of business results. Specifically, the training covers financial modeling, operating leverage, financial leverage and financial growth plans. Such training purports on gaining the necessary technical expertise to be apply in the workplace. In addition to this, accounting must develop knowledge about auditing, budget analysis, financial, management accounting and taxation. Conspicuously, modern accounting is more computerized now thereby the requirement to take computing technology training.
7.2.3 Managerial Effectiveness Training
This training program is intended for top level personnel within the Accounting Department. The focus of this training program is on being aware of oneself and knowing how individual behaviour affects both managerial effectiveness and employee performance. Accounting manager and supervisor who desire to enhance their managerial effectives are expected to attend. The primary goal of this training program is learning the importance of working as a ‘cohesive unit’ within the organisation and how understanding others could lead to more effective managerial effectiveness. The benefits of the training program are aligning motivation with work; anticipate and resolve conflict situations; instill a culture based on trust, partnerships and respect; increase dialogue and constructive feedback for optimum managerial effectiveness; and use delegation to increase performance and individual growth.
7.2.4 Departmental Goal-Setting Training
This training program is intended on learning how to set goals in collegial level. Such training program teaches participants how to set goals by using organisational objectives, statement of values and vision and mission statements. Learning how to implement strategic goals in the workplace is the main objective of this program. Strategic goal setting skills are the intended outcome of this training program. This training program is also intended for sequencing the steps for putting organisational goals into action and applying visualisation techniques.
7.2.5 Process Mapping Training
Process mapping refers to a visual tool used to illustrate the core businesses. Process maps are also regarded as communication tool, planning tool and a tool that effectively cuts cost for organisations. The benefits of this training program is to improve the understanding of processes internal to the Accounting Department and boosts management group’s understanding of the business and operational performance. Provided that processes are the most effective way to manage the organisation, processes then directly supports the organisational goal. This training program’s objectives are to improve effectiveness and quality of work through identifying critical areas of improvement and to rediscover core processes through analysis of organisational complexities.
8.0 Conclusion
Indeed, learning and development in the workplace can never be ignored as these serves to be instruments of the future. Towards becoming more strategic, the Accounting Department of host organization which is the Wing Han Imports and Exports Trading Co. Ltd must engage in distinct but beneficial training program. There are five departmental competencies that the accounting must embrace. These are knowledge, commercial, intellectual, socioemotional and interpersonal. These could be achieved by means of specific training intended for developing competency, communication, management, setting goals and mapping processes.
9.0 Bibliography
Goethals, G. R., Sorenson, G. J. and Burns, J. M. (2004). Encyclopedia of Leadership. London: Sage Publications, Inc.
Sims, R. (1990). An Experiential Learning Approach to Employee Training Systems. New York: Quorum Books.
Zacarrelli, H. E. and Hayes, D. K. (2004). Training Managers to Train: Developing Diverse Talents. Thomson Crisp Learning.
10.0 Appendices
No appendices.
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Personal Summary
2. Presentation of a brief profile of the host organisation.
Wing Han Imports and Exports Trading Co. Ltd , the host organization, is a leading OEM and ODM in China. WHIE, as what it is often regarded as, produces toy products to US customers, with Reeves International Inc as the major supplier. Reeves is located in Pequannock, New Jersey. Prior to becoming an accounting assistant in one of the five factories in China, I always believed that the organization is so experienced enough that is why they were able to penetrate the foreign markets. WHIE is belongs to Wing Han Group which focuses on 15 niche companies including import and export. Well, they are. But like any other organization, they also have issues as continuous improvement of process so that the people will continue as the company grows. I came to know that learning is so critical in every organization since it can and will determine the capability of the company to continuously exist in their respective industry. If before, my knowledge about competitive advantage and its importance is very limited now I came to realize the degree of importance that should be given to acquiring this. This is because this competitive edge will set the company apart from the rest. I understand more clearly now also that each company has its own peculiar and distinct set-up. No two companies are the same, even under a single industry or sector. Through this internship, I now know that a company, with emphasis on manufacturing companies, is distinct at its own right and must be respected especially that coordinating all the processes is no joke just to produce something utilizable for the people.
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3. Project Outline
Case Study of Wing Han Imports and Exports Trading Co. Ltd.
1.0 Abstract
2.0 Introduction
3.0 Methods
4.0 The Case Context
5.0 Current Practices
6.0 Findings and Discussion
7.0 Recommendations
7.1 Competencies
7.1.1 Knowledge Competencies
7.1.2 Commercial Competencies
7.1.3 Intellectual Competencies
7.1.4 Socioemotional Competencies
7.1.5 Interpersonal Competencies
7.2 Trainings
7.2.1 Competency Development and Management Training
7.2.2 Accounting Skills Advancement Training
7.2.3 Managerial Effectiveness Training
7.2.4 Departmental Goal-Setting Training
7.2.5 Process Mapping Training
8.0 Conclusion
9.0 Bibliography
10.0 Appendices
The trainings recommended could facilitate workers productivity. Such trainings inside the Accounting Department will provide assurance to Wing Han Imports and Exports Trading Co. Ltd. that employees are aligned with corporate practices and procedures. As such, these trainings could reduce costly human errors that could result in operational interruptions. These proactive training programs could enhance the perception of accounting staff about their company orientation and be motivated to contribute what they can. Process and people optimization leading to higher efficiency and profitability are the benefits of these programs for Wing Han Imports and Exports Trading Co. Ltd.
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4. Methodology.
The methodologies that I used are:
Informal Survey – I asked my workmates regarding their perceptions about the company, the department and the people inside the department while taking notes of their answers. Examples of the questions are: How do you feel about the boss? Are they strict? What is wrong with the department?
Informal Interview – Surveying is accompanied by spontaneous interviewing so that I can dig deeper on to their answers. Questions starting with why and how made up my informal interview session with them which happens during lunch breaks and free time.
Structured observation – I have a checklist of what an ideal organization should look like based on what the books are saying. As I observed, I constantly referred to my checklist and provided some remarks.
Action Research – Given that I already have an idea of what is going on inside the department, action research would be the most appropriate method to apply. It allows me to reflect on the processes while I was accomplishing my sessions.
Secondary Research – I have consulted a lot of published – electronically and otherwise – materials. Some are:
Goethals, G. R., Sorenson, G. J. and Burns, J. M. (2004). Encyclopedia of Leadership. London: Sage Publications, Inc.
Sims, R. (1990). An Experiential Learning Approach to Employee Training Systems. New York: Quorum Books.
Zacarrelli, H. E. and Hayes, D. K. (2004). Training Managers to Train: Developing Diverse Talents. Thomson Crisp Learning.
Others are:
Blundel, R. (2004). Effective Organisational Communication: Perspectives, Principles and Practices. (2nd Ed.). Financial Times Prentice Hall.
Gilley, J. W. and Maycunich, A. (2000). Beyond the Learning Organization: Creating a Culture of Continuous Growth and Development through State-Of-The-Art Human Resource Practices. Cambridge, MA: Perseus Books.
McLagan, P. A. (2003, January). The Change-Capable Organization. T&D, 57(1), 50.
Prusak, L. (2001). Where did knowledge management come from? Knowledge Management, 40(4).
Senge, P.M. (1990). The Fifth Discipline. New York: Doubleday.
Sims, R. (1998). Reinventing Training and Development. Westport CT: Quorum Books.
Sims, R. (2002). Organizational Success through Effective Human Resources Management. Westport CT: Quorum Books.
‘How to’ Websites are also consulted. These are:
How to Conduct a Simple Training Needs Assessment
http://humanresources.about.com/od/trainingneedsassessment/ht/training_needs.htm
Complete Guidelines to Design your Training Plan
http://www.managementhelp.org/trng_dev/gen_plan.htm
Additional informations about the company are accessed from the corporate websites.
http://www.winghan.com/history.php
http://www.winghan.com/whie.htm
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5. Evaluation of the success of the internship
As I searched the Internet about the meaning of success, I have discovered that success is a word that is so hard to describe. I came across an explanation of the concept of success which I find the most appropriate. According to Firebaugh (2006), you can never define success without knowing the meaning of accomplishment. Accomplishment is simple the engagement in task or action that you attempted and have obtained the desired results. Success is an ongoing string of accomplishments that when put together adds up to major obtainment. Realizing this, success then is an ongoing process achieving your intention; a realization and obtainment of worthy results. If I am going to evaluate the success of my internship experience based on this definition, I would say that it is truly a success. Why? Because I have realized and obtained what I desired for, which is to learn. To learn how am I going to deal with other people. To learn how to do my tasks. To learn how to work inside a group, under close scrutiny of more experienced people. To learn how am I going to apply what I learned in the University. To learn to distinguish my capabilities. To learn the feeling of being measured up to others. And the list goes on. What I am trying to say is that I have learned a lot. It’s just that I am a completely new person now. Well, I am, and not only that. I also learned to respect education and those people who put their dedication in making other people learn as well.
The title of the article is Success to Success – What is the meaning of success in life? By Doug Firebaugh. 2006.
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Total mark for assignment 3 (out of 50 marks)
This mark represents 50% of the assessment in the unit.
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