Airline labor-management conflict Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Airline labor-management conflict - Case Study Example Therefore, he was balanced in his assessment of the situation. Ott (2006) had clearly pointed out that the fate of the airline rested with the management, ALPA representatives, the industrial court and the team of arbitrators who are mandated to manage the ALPA contract in the event that both sides in the conflict failed to reach an amicable solution. According to Ott (2006), the collapse of Delta would have created a big gap in the America’s aviation industry, leaving the remaining players to heighten their competition and inherit Delta customers and clientele base. A consensus on the issue of picketing pilots who were protesting pay cuts would stem the fallout following the airline’s move to control labor expenditures. The article is extensive in the sense that it touches on the future of would-be pilots who may start to wonder how they will survive in an industry coupled with risks and lower incomes. Factually, such cuts could have had negative repercussions on the then aviators, other professionals and stakeholders in the industry as well as subsequent pilots. Ott (2006) had painted out a clear picture of the short-term and long-term impacts of the likely collapse of Delta, suggesting that an estimated 50,000 jobs would be lost immediately. And with the exit of such a significant population of human resources and profitable assets, key Delta hubs such as Jackson International Airport would be reduced to idleness due to under capacity. And whereas other busy hubs that are dominated by Delta such as Salt Lake City and Cincinnati would face a similar fate, the airline’s rivals in the market like Continental Airlines would struggle to provide alternative air transport mechanisms. Ott (2006) had foreseen that the failure of Delta’s rivals to fit in its shoes would reduce the former busy hubs to hubs for more local flights. A complete reversion to the current bee-hive of activity in those hubs from fewer regional

Which tiotropium device to use and why Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Which tiotropium device to use and why - Essay Example Health practionaers have noted that COPD belong to large group of disease that badly injursed the lungs and airways such as chronic bronchitis, in such condition air passage that lead to the lungs gets swells and in a condition like emphysema air sacs of the lungs are badly damaged (2). Tiotropium device is green-colored small inaler and it is useful for controilling COPD, but it is not meant for curing this disease, also it does not provide any benefit instantly, but it takes few weeks to make a patient remain for 24 hours and help relief symptoms for one day (3). There are two types of Tiotropium devices, on with capsulesm which contain medicated powder termed as Tiotropium bromide, medically named as Spiriva. It is a white or yellowish powder and it has specifically for muscarinic receptors (4). Another type of Tiotropium device is a cartridge type with liquid used in therapeutic dose (1). Advantages of Tiotropium Device Asthmatic patients are benefitted from tiotropium device as it is handy and easy to carry everywhere along. Tiotropium device containing Spirivia is much effective to increase the functioning of the lungs in COPD sufferers. Another advantage of its use over other competitive devices and similar methods is that it is used only once in a day unlike other drugs those are needed to be taken at least three times in a day. The content of one capsule is 18 micrograms. Its use also decreases exacerbation that ultimately reduces hospitalization procedures for the patient (4). Disadvantages of Tiotropium Device Some of the predicted disadvantages of the tiotropium device use are that some patients can experience appearance of white patches on their mouth or throat. Sometimes, patients suffer swallowing or bitter taste problems while eating as tiotropium increases the likelihood of a sore throat. Additionally, users of tiotropium can also be subjected to problems like blurred vision

Human Resource - Best Company to Work for Research Paper

Human Resource - Best Company to Work for - Research Paper Example Companies which are considered best to work with are those in which their human resource practices are fair, equal to all and that they acknowledge employees as important asset as well as resource to the company (Google company 2012). Human resource practices is used widely in the measurement in which company an employee can work best with, these practices are useful in addressing various issues affecting employees in the workplace. Companies considered best to work with have best human resource practices and policies that treat employees equally and fairly, these practices are available on demand to respond to specific situations. These human resource practices generally ensure that there is positive working environment which promote good working relationship and improved productivity. Such companies are considered best to work with because it ensures that employees are able to understand their employment terms, benefits and salaries thus there is minimal employer and employee conflicts within the company. Google Company is among the top companies which are considered to have the best human resource practices thus the best company most of the employees would like to work with. The ranking of Google Company as the best company to work with is based on the adoption of the various human resource practices that addresses to a larger extent the issues concerning the welfare of the employees both in the workplace and outside. The success of Google Company has been greatly linked with these human resource aspects which are the key factors to the increased productivity of its employees (Google company 2012). These aspects of human resource practices which have been adopted by Google Company include the following. The approach in which Google Company uses in the recruitment process is that the human resource department directly manages and carries out all the recruitment and the selection process of the new employees. In the final stages in ensuring

Which tiotropium device to use and why Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Which tiotropium device to use and why - Essay Example Health practionaers have noted that COPD belong to large group of disease that badly injursed the lungs and airways such as chronic bronchitis, in such condition air passage that lead to the lungs gets swells and in a condition like emphysema air sacs of the lungs are badly damaged (2). Tiotropium device is green-colored small inaler and it is useful for controilling COPD, but it is not meant for curing this disease, also it does not provide any benefit instantly, but it takes few weeks to make a patient remain for 24 hours and help relief symptoms for one day (3). There are two types of Tiotropium devices, on with capsulesm which contain medicated powder termed as Tiotropium bromide, medically named as Spiriva. It is a white or yellowish powder and it has specifically for muscarinic receptors (4). Another type of Tiotropium device is a cartridge type with liquid used in therapeutic dose (1). Advantages of Tiotropium Device Asthmatic patients are benefitted from tiotropium device as it is handy and easy to carry everywhere along. Tiotropium device containing Spirivia is much effective to increase the functioning of the lungs in COPD sufferers. Another advantage of its use over other competitive devices and similar methods is that it is used only once in a day unlike other drugs those are needed to be taken at least three times in a day. The content of one capsule is 18 micrograms. Its use also decreases exacerbation that ultimately reduces hospitalization procedures for the patient (4). Disadvantages of Tiotropium Device Some of the predicted disadvantages of the tiotropium device use are that some patients can experience appearance of white patches on their mouth or throat. Sometimes, patients suffer swallowing or bitter taste problems while eating as tiotropium increases the likelihood of a sore throat. Additionally, users of tiotropium can also be subjected to problems like blurred vision

SPSS for analyzing data with one IV and more than one DV & one-way Essay

SPSS for analyzing data with one IV and more than one DV & one-way between subjects MANOVA - Essay Example at the multivariate test results, all the four multivariate tests reveal significant results and hence it is okay to conclude that group membership effects on the psychological aspects evaluated, even after the test effects of item difficulties are controlled on performance of people in the three areas. Statistics for univariate comparisons of means are designs with only one dependent variable (DV). By comparison, statistics for multivariate comparisons of means have more than one dependent variable. The MANOVA may be either one-way (one IV) or factorial (more than one IV). For these analyses, there is more than one DV. The different DVs, which are at least moderately correlated, are combined into a composite variable called a variate. The combined DVs serve to predict the between-group differences of the scores for the conditions of the IV. A challenge arises in a research design that features only one IV with only 2 conditions. If a researcher desires to analyze two or more moderately correlated DVs rather than using a t-test with one DV, the multivariate Hotellings T2 can be used instead of separate t-tests for this situation.   Instead of the null hypothesis for a t-test (M1 = M2), the null hypothesis for the Hotellings T2 is that the vectors of means for group A are the same as the vectors of means for group B. The value of Hotellings T2 can be transformed into four F-values: Wilks lambda, Pillais trace, Hotellings trace, and Roys largest root. When these F-values are significant at the alpha level determioned for the study (e.g., ï  ¡ = .05), the researcher can reject the null hypothesis.   Usually the finding of significant multivariate effects is followed by analyses where the relationship between the IV(s) and each of the DVs is analyzed separately, using a univariate method to compare means (e.g., a t-test, a one-way ANOVA, a factorial ANOVA). Because there are multiple tests for multiple DVs, every test distorts the actual alpha level. That is, the

Computing project Essay Example for Free

Computing project Essay The system will require a user name and a password to view or edit anything! Only one person is permitted to use the system, no-one else requires access   All files will also be password protected. Database   The instructor will be able to add or delete any records as needed   It will hold all necessary details Specific Objectives   The database will be able to create reports to show what stage the student is at   The database will calculate how many lessons a student has had and how much they have paid with plus if there are any outstanding balances remaining. My system is designed to help the instructor, the instructor has many problems with the current system, and many times it has cost him jobless hours. The current system is very old and has a lot of potential problems and I wish to make a system that eradicates these obvious problems. My system for a start will store the entire student details carefully and properly in line with all data protection acts. The main thing is that these details should not get lost and the instructor has access to this all the time so that he can contact the student at any time. The details should also be available so that it can be updated any time it needs to be. By having all these details stored onto the system it is kept safely and in one place rather than having paper forms lying about getting lost and muddled up, these forms will only be accessed only in one place so if the instructor needs these back in the office or at to work from at home then it is not possible to have multiple copies as it will not all be up to date. For example if a student changes the home phone number then the instructor will have to update every sheet of paper he has with the students phone number if he does not then it will be inconsistent and this can cause problems. The main reason for my proposal of this system is to ensure that the instructor does not continue double booking and not booking students at all. Currently at the end of a lesson the student asks for a booking and the instructor will look in his diary and book appropriately, many times what happens is the instructor looks at the wrong date, for example if the student asks for April 21st 2008 then the instructor may accidentally open may 21st 2008 and tell the student he is free. But in reality on that day an on that time he is busy. This is one of the things the instructor is complaining about and also another thing that has been drawn to my attention is that he misreads the time, so he tells the student that he is booked at 13:00 tomorrow but he is actually free he has a lesson at 3:00 not 13:00 so this is one way the instructor is loosing out on money. I wish to remove this issue and avoid these mistakes happening. GCE A2 Computing CPT 6 Ram Bhojani EXISTING SYSTEM Instructor Bookings | Ram Bhojani 13HAN PROPOSED SYSTEM DESIGN OVERALL SYSTEM Input Processes Student Name Calculate the number of lessons so far Student Number Calculate the total amount spent. Student Address Add a student Lesson Code Edit a student Price Per Lesson Delete a student Date and time of next lesson Search a Student Day Booked Search Availabilities Time Booked Edit a booking File Outputs Student Details Student details Availability Details Number of lessons each student has had Total spent Balances FORMS General Name Purpose Main Menu This allows the instructor to access the student details and availability details. Student Details This allows the instructor to view all details about a student. It also allows the instructor to print a report on the student progress Availability Details. This allows the instructor to see what dates and times are available in the next two weeks and make a booking. USER INTERFACE DESIGN MAIN MENU STUDENT DETAILS MENU AVAILABILITY DETAILS DATABASE DESIGN INCLUDING ER MODEL STUDENT (StudentName, StudentNumber, StudentAddress, LessonCode, PricePerLesson, DateAndTimeOfNextLesson) Availability (AvailableSlots, NextLessonBooked) RECORD STRUCTURE Instructor Field name Data type Size format Description AvailableSlots Date/time, Date time Shows what dates and times are available NextLessonBooked Date/time, Date time Name of student and the day, date and time of their next lesson. Student Field name Data type Size/format Description Student name Text, 20 The first name and last name of the student. Student number Number, 8 A Unique number given to each student for easy reference. Student address Text, 50 Full address of student, including postal address. Lesson code Number 5 A code that determines what sort of lesson they take, they can have an hour lesson, one and half-hour or pass plus. Price per lesson Number, Decimal 5,2 How much the student pays for each lesson Date and time of next lesson Date time Date time The next lesson student has booked. VALIDATION. I will use validation on some of the fields on the tables so there is less chance of wrong data being inputted. There are only some fields that can have validation but by ensuring they have a working validation it will mean that the system will not be wrong. Things that I can validate are numbers or specific number of characters. This is to make sure that the data entered conforms to a certain standard. The user cannot see the validation rules, so when they make a mistake they find out as an error message appears. VALIDATION Field Name Validation Type Validation Rule Error message Student Number Type Check. 8 digits The student number must be 8 digits Lesson Code Type check 5 Digits The lesson code must be 5 digits. STORAGE AND MEDIA FORMAT For my system I need to know how large each file will be so I have calculated the size of each field, and multiplied that but the amount of fields ii may get, to get an estimate of how large the file could get. Storage and media format Field name Number of records Size of record/ bytes Total size of records/bytes Student name 30 32 960 Student number 30 8 240 Student address. 30 65 1950 Lesson code 30 5 150 Price per lesson 30 8 240 Date and time of next lesson 30 16 480. Available lessons 31 20 620 Next lessons booked 6 134 804 Total 5444b 5. 4kb I have calculated that the approximate maximum size that I will need for the data to be stored will be around 6kb, which is small enough to fit on almost any data storage type. The most suitable storage device for this will be the hard disk drive on the laptop to be used. This means that the system will not be lost easily as it is not a portable storage device but on a actual laptop, which would be looked after carefully. There is a large amount of space on the hard disk meaning that there will be available space for expansion if necessary. Also the laptop can be connected to a computer in the office via a USB cable meaning that the data could be backed up and if needed archived. IDENTIFICATION OF SUITABLE ALGORITHMS FOR DATA TRANSFER Process to calculate Total number of lessons so far = ([Student Lessons])*([Total]) Process to calculate Total spent so far =([Total lessons])*([Price Per lesson]) Produce report of students ready for test Search through student details with criteria field Ready students to find matching records. If there are no matching records output an error message to the user. PLANNED VALID OUTPU.T. For my system outputs I have decided to create a report for students to see their progress. This will need to be created in Access. DESCRIPTION OF MEASURES PLANNED FOR SECURITY AND INTEGRITY OF DATA. The data must be kept secure and correct as this informations is very confidential, if details of the student were to get lost or misplaced then this would be in breach of the data protection act. To keep the data secure I am going to make sure that the user backs up the data at the end of every working week and keeps this disc either safely at home or in the office. There will also be a back up of the main system so if it happens to crash or is damaged then it can be replaced. If the system does crash then the files will have to be manually transferred back into the system from the backup. DESCRIPTION OF MEASURES PLANNED FOR SYSTEM SECURITY The system will not be secured with passwords however the computer will have a password this will be set to expire every 28 days to ensure that the data is safe even if someone gains the password, the user will generally have to be careful and keep the laptop besides him at all times or lock it in a glove compartment. When the instructor goes home he can either take it with him and store it at home carefully or leave it at the office in a safe place. As my system is only designed for one person the password on the system should be a sufficient security measure. TEST STRATEGY The system must be thoroughly tested to make sure that no errors occur the system is up and running. This is logical because if errors occur when the user starts to use the system, it can cost time to get it fixed. Hopefully if my testing strategy is good enough, it will not have any errors when it goes live. I am going to use bottom up testing, to test the system. This involves testing each individual module using prepared test data, which includes normal data, extreme data, upper and lower limits and individual data after this is done I will test the program to see if every route through the program is tested, every statement is executed, accuracy of the processing and that the program fits the original specification. This will make sure that the system is running correctly as this is basically using the whole system. I am also going to test the system in a beta testing method, although this will be a small scale. I am going to give the system to the user for a week just to make sure that everything works correctly. IMPLEMENTATION Login Screen Main Menu This is the main menu of my programme from here there are three options availability details and student details. Finally you can exit. Testing Test ID Test Data Test/Type Reason for test Expected Results Actual Results Data Entry 1. My system does conisit of tables and menus, both the student details and availability detail screens are very simple, it just displays details about these two entities. The booking screen is more complex because it needs to be live, so when the instructor makes a booking it needs to update on the next lesson booked screen and the availability screen. PROCEDURE AND VARIABLE LIST/ DESCRIPTIONS FOR PROGRAMS OR LIST OF PACKAGE ITEMS DEVELOPED Type of item Item Name Descriptions Table Student Details Holds all the details of the students that the instructor teaches, this includes first name, last name, address, phone number and the details of their next lesson that has been booked. Holds the details of all the available time slots in the coming fortnight, this allows the instructor only to see what is available, he can liaise with the student and once a slot is agreed a booking can be made. Form Make A Booking This form allows the user to make a booking for a lesson, he will need to enter the student number, and then first of all select a time and then the date. Once all these are selected the appointment is made. Form Next lesson Booked Has a list of students and the date and time of their next lesson, so the instructor can check on this if he receives a query from the student. CREATION AND CUSTOMISATION OF THE DATABASE TABLES I created all my tables in Microsoft access; I then linked it up to visual basics, The table below is the Student Details table. It consists of mostly text and one field of number, the reason that the telephone number is a text field rather than a number is because telephone numbers usually start with a 0 and if I put the data type as numbers then it will not let me add a 0 at the front. USER MANUAL BRIEF INTRODUCTION The instructor database is a simple system to handle bookings given to the instructor. The system allows the instructor to control appointments already made and allows him to make new appointments. It allows him to keep electronic records of all students, past and present. The students all have unique student numbers that the instructor can use to search for them. It stores details about students names, addresses, telephone numbers and the lessons they have booked. There is a very easy to use form that allows the instructor to make a booking. Microsoft Access 2007 or later. To install the system one must either move the file onto the hard disc of the computer. This can be done by selecting the file Instructor Database System and copying and pasting it into an empty folder on the hard disc, this maybe the best idea as there is a possibility a removable storage device could get lost or corrupt. This system could be also run from a removable storage device by opening the file and run it straight away. To back the system up the system the database file can be copied onto a USB pen or CD-R. When the system is going to be backed up, the file should be copied onto the USB pen, when this done a message box may appear asking if you want to replace the existing file just select yes or yes to all. This would mean that the backup would be separated from the main system, meaning less chance of losing both the original and the backup. USING THE SYSTEM Here is a simple short set of instructions to use the system. When the instructor opens up they will be asked to log on, The username at the moment is Ian and the password is Burleigh. Once they enter all these details correctly it allows them to use the system. Once the instructor logs on, he will come to the main menu of the system, I am going to show him to basic things in this tutorial, how to find the phone number of a student and then how to make a booking. Below is the main menu, to get to the student phone number he has to select the student details button, then the screen will have three buttons saying details, he can select any of these three, they all do the same job. Once that is selected at the screen below will appear, there are no details at the moment, but once show details button is pressed all the details will appear. The instructor now needs to press the back button until he arrives back at the main menu, and then select availability details. Then select make a booking. Once the make a booing screen appears first he has to select the date that he wants, then the time and finally the student number. Once that is done press save and then it is saved. Appraisal Comparision of project performance against objectives. To compare the objectives and the performance , I will put the original objectives down and compare against each one. General Objectives Security. The database will be able to create reports to show what stage the student is at   The database will calculate how many lessons a student has had and how much they have paid with plus if there are any outstanding balances remaining. My system is designed to help the instructor, the instructor has many problems with the current system, and many times it has cost him jobless hours. The current system is very old and has a lot of potential problems and I wish to make a system that eradicates these obvious problems. My system for a start will store the entire student details carefully and properly in line with all data protection acts. The main thing is that these details should not get lost and the instructor has access to this all the time so that he can contact the student at any time. The details should also be available so that it can be updated any time it needs to be. By having all these details stored onto the system it is kept safely and in one place rather than having paper forms lying about getting lost and muddled up, these forms will only be accessed only in one place so if the instructor needs these back in the office or at to work from at home then it is not possible to have multiple copies as it will not all be up to date. For example if a student changes the home phone number then the instructor will have to update every sheet of paper he has with the students phone number if he does not then it will be inconsistent and this can cause problems. The main reason for my proposal of this system is to ensure that the instructor does not continue double booking and not booking students at all. Currently at the end of a lesson the student asks for a booking and the instructor will look in his diary and book appropriately, many times what happens is the instructor looks at the wrong date, for example if the student asks for April 21st 2008 then the instructor may accidentally open may 21st 2008 and tell the student he is free. But in reality on that day an on that time he is busy.

Training And Development In Infosys Management Essay

Training And Development In Infosys Management Essay This essay aims to provide a critical review of Performance Management and Training and Development of HRM in a typical high-tech company: Infosys. Infosys is a Fortune 500 company which specializes in IT services. The company has clients all cross the world and provide expertise in various industry sectors. Infosys integrates its Performance Management and Training and Development to better facilitate its workforce and to help the firm achieve its strategic goals. 1.2 Aim of this essay This essay aims to provide a critical review of Performance Management and Training and Development in Infosys. It identifies the strengths and weaknesses of the integration of Performance Management and Training and Development in Infosys, and provides proper recommendations for future improvement. 1.3 Structure of this essay Chapter 1 gives a brief background and the aim of the essay. Chapter 2 gives introduction of Infosys. Chapter 3 talks about Performance Management and how this part of HRM functions in Infosys. Chapter 4 deals with Training and Development and its function and role in Infosys. Chapter 5 provides a critical review of the Integration of Performance Management and Training and Development in Infosys. Chapter 6 offers some recommendations for future improvement of Infosys Training and Development as well as Performance Management. Chapter 7 is the conclusion of the whole essay. 2. Brief Introduction of Infosys Infosys was started in 1981 by seven people with US$ 250. Today, they are a global leader in consulting, technology and outsourcing with revenues of US$ 7.075 billion (LTM Q1 FY13). Many of the worlds most successful organizations rely on Infosys to deliver measurable business value. Infosys provides business consulting, technology, engineering and outsourcing services to help clients in over 30 countries build tomorrows enterprise. Infosys has a global footprint with 68 offices and 70 development centers in US, India, China, Australia, Japan, Middle East, UK, Germany, France, Switzerland, Netherlands, Poland, Canada and many other countries. Infosys and its subsidiaries have 151,151 employees as on June 30, 2012. Infosys helps companies derive the measurable business value that they have always been looking for from business and IT investments. The company delivesr measurable business value in 3 ways: 1. Transform Infosys can transform the fundamental shape of your business PL. Regardless of which team our clients engage with; the company has a best-practice process for delivering value. In Infosys it is called IMPACT to ensure a clear line of sight from process change to bottom-line impact, ensuring that you receive the business value you were promised. 2. Optimize Beyond transformation and innovation, it boils down to execution delivering on time, on budget and on value. Infosys can optimize clients core operations to drive best-in-class efficiency and help fund the transformation and innovation. 3. Innovate Infosys can inject a level of product and service innovation into clients business to create new revenue opportunities through collaboration and co-creation. The foundation of its innovation capability is our core lab network Infosys Labs and the new thinking that our team of over 600 researchers brings to the table. The Vision and Mission of Infosys are: Vision We will be a globally respected corporation. Mission Strategic Partnerships for Building Tomorrows Enterprise. 3. Performance Management and its Function in Infosys 3.1 Academic review of Performance Management Levit (2008) suggest that performance is a multi-layer structure, and depending on different measuring factors, the results may be different also. Thus, if we want to measure and manage performance, we must first define it and know exactly what performance management means. Usually performance management can be defined from three perspectives, and with different perspective, the contents, influencing factors and measuring methods that performance management includes differs. From the individual perspective, the definition of performance management has not come to a universal conclusion as various experts on HRM give their own definitions. At the current stage, there are two main views. One view believes that performance is equal to result; while another view suggests that performance equals behavior. Bernadin (1995) suggest that performance should be defined as the outcome of work, because these outcomes of work are closely related to organizational goals, strategies, customer satisfaction and investment. Kane (1996) points out that performance is the things that an individual leaves, and such things relatively independently exist. Hence, it is not difficult to see that the view of performance is equal to result believes that the outcomes that performan ce gets are the records of how well one employees work is. The relative concepts about performance results include: Accountabilities, Key Result Areas, Results, Duties, Tasks and Activities, Objectives, Goals or Targets, Outputs, Critical Success Factors. Nowadays, however, an increasing number people have accepted the concept that performance equals behavior, and they have posted challenges against the view of performance is equal to result. Campbell (1990) suggests that performance is a set of behaviors that are related to the organization that a person works for or the goals that the organization has. His definition of performance in 1993 is that performance is the synonym of behavior, and it is peoples actual behaviors and it can be observed and measured. Performance management is the process through which managers ensure that employees activities and outputs are congruent with the organizations goals. It is used to establish measures of performance to allow clear targets to be set and is a continuous process that enables us to improve delivery of business. Performance management plays a key role in Human Resources Management because an organizations performance goals are designed according to the organizations development plan, strategy and organizational goals. Today there are various tools for how to manage performance such as Balance I believe that in practical performance management, the broader concept of performance should be employed that is, the concept of performance should include both two aspects of behaviors and results. Such a perspective is well reflected in the definition of performance according to Brumbrach (1998): performance means results and behaviors. It tells us that when we conduct performance management, we should take into consideration of both input(behaviors) and output(results). Performance management should include the two aspects of what to do and how to do. 3.2 Performance Management in Infosys Infosys is a Fortune 500 company whose main service is in IT industry. Today it is the leading firm on the market providing various IT solutions to its clients. The business scope of Infosys ranges from Telecommunication, Banking, Financing, Retailing to Manufacturing. Like most international firms, Infosys has a matrix organizational structure. The companys base is in India, but it is not strictly the headquarter of the company. Its various braches across the world work together to reach the organizations strategic goals. The types of employees in Infosys are divided into two catalogues: regular employee and contractor. Thus, performance management in Infosys has two different management methods for regular employees and contractors. Infosys definition for Performance Management is that performance management is a constant, on-going process of communication. During this process, employees and managers reach a consensus on the following questions in forms of collaboration partners: Tasks that employees should complete; How can the work that employees do make contribution to realizing the companys goals; Use detailed content to describe how to do job well; How can employees and managers work together in order to help employees to improve their performance; how to measure performance; The obstacles that hinder the development of performance and how to conquer them. Meanwhile, Infosys believes that performance management is: The core part of the companys overall human resources strategy; One method to measure an individuals performance; Emphasis is put on the process of improving employees integrated skills; A tool to connect individual performance with the companys strategy and goals. There are three aspects in Infosys performance management: Performance Plan. In this part, managers and employees reach a consensus on following questions: What should employees do? How should work be completed? Why this work item should be done? When should this work item be done? Other relevant questions: working environment, capability, career prospects, training etc. During this process, managers and employees constantly communicate about above questions, and eventually sign on the records of their communication, and use it as the performance goals of the employees. These performance goals are the base of the whole performance management and performance measurement; thus they play a pivotal role in performance management. The process of setting performance goals usually takes a quarter of the year. Performance goals usually include two parts: one is Business Goals; the other is Behavior Standard. According to Pinson (2004), a business plan is a formal statement of a set of business goals, the reasons they are believed attainable, and the plan for reaching those goals. It may also contain background information about the organization or team attempting to reach those goals. business plans may also target changes in perception and branding by the customer, client, taxpayer, or larger community. When the existing business is to assume a major change or when planning a new venture, a 3 to 5 year business plan is required, since investors will look for their annual return in that timeframe. Infosys uses business goals as part of employees yearly performance goals, and they help enhance employees performance and help achieve organizational goals. 2. Constant Communication of Performance. Communication should be through the whole process of performance management. Only once or twice communication between employees and managers are far from enough, and it does not obey the principles of performance management. As Montana Charon (2008), a business can flourish when all objectives of the organization are achieved effectively. For efficiency in an organization, all the people of the organization must be able to convey their message properly. 3. Performance Appraisal Meeting. Infosys performance appraisal meeting is highly efficient, and it is normally held within an hour when all managers get together to discuss yearly performance evaluation. It mainly includes four aspects: 1) Employees self-evaluation; 2) Reaching a consensus on employees performance, according to facts instead of impressions; 3) Deciding performance levels; 4) It is not only to evaluate employees; it is also a good opportunity to solve problems. Cederblom (1982) suggests that a performance appraisal is typically conducted annually. The interview could function as providing feedback to employees, counseling and developing employees, and conveying and discussing compensation, job status, or disciplinary decisions. It is often included in performance management systems and performance management systems are employed to manage and align all of an organizations resources in order to achieve highest possible performance. 4. Training and Development and its Function in Infosys 4.1 Academic review of Training and Development Training and development (TD) is an indispensable part in human resource management, with the purpose of enhancing the performance of individuals and groups in organizations. Training and development has a number of names, such as human resource development, and learning and development. As to its definition, there are several popular explanations. According to Rothwell Kazanas (2004), training and development, part of human resource development, is the process of changing an organization, its employees, its stakeholders, and groups of people within it, using planned and unplanned learning, in order to achieve and maintain a competitive advantage for the organization. The main body of training and development is adults, and the way adults learn and develop is different from the way students do. Adults training has more specific purposes, and is usually more practical, with the aim to solve practical questions. Hence, the organization or department that are responsible for developing training programs need to know about theories of adult learning. In the 1950s, Malcolm Knowles developed a new theory for adult learning, which is called Andragogy. Andragogy is in the context of adult learners which is contrasted with definition of childs learning (called pedagogical learning). Michael (2007) suggests that the central idea in the context of adult learning is that it is only after convincing oneself of the rationale of learning that an adult will decide to (and be able to) learn. Hence, adults cannot be treated like children if one hopes to see learning. Therefore it is assumed that workshops and seminars organized by the students themselves create a better learning environment than those organized externally. This has led to a flurry of recent teaching innovations like student-led tutor groups and supplemental instruction programs led by above average students. Another important theory about training and development is Learning Organization which was created by Peter Senge. Pedler Boydell (1997) defines that a  learning organization  is the term given to a company that facilitates the learning of its members and continuously transforms itself. There is no a single model of learning organization. Learning organization is about an attitude toward or ideology of employee and organization and is a new way of thinking about organization. In leaning organization, everyone needs to identify and solve problems, so that the organization is able to constantly try new things, enhancing and improving its capability. The basic value of learning organization is solving problems, whereas in contrast, the focus of traditional organization is efficiency. In any learning organization, employees need to take part in identifying problems, which means that employees need to understand customers requirement. Employees also need to solve problems, and this m eans they need to think about customers requirement in a unique way. Learning organization enhances organizations value by new ideas and information, instead of material production. 4.2 Training and Development in Infosys Training and development is mainly carried out in Infosys by its HR department. Currently the whole company has more than 20,000 employees, and training and development has always been a key function of all HR department in all branches. The company is willing to provide excellent training opportunities for its employees. Though the leading department of training and development in Infosys is its HR department, other departments also take part in and collaborate with HR department. Training and development is carried out by HR personals according to various requirements of different departments which are located in different geographic locations. There are training and development specialists who are responsible for certain training contents, such as technology, business knowledge, company policies, marketing etc. HR department plans yearly training and development schedule together with experts from other departments, and is responsible for carrying out these training schedules. Training courses in Infosys are presented by subject matter experts(SMEs) in the company or by experts from other organizations and universities. Training specialists need to record teachers performance during the training sessions. After training sessions, feedback from employees are collected and analyzed, in order to better the quality and efficiency of the companys training programs. The company creates its training policies which is part of the companys HR policies. And violation of training policies will be reported to the employees reporting manager. This ensures the quality of training and development in Infosys. Training and development plays an important function in Infosys daily operation and strategy development. The HR department divides training and development mainly into four levels. The first level is for senior management and candidate senior management; the second level is for normal employees and normal managers; the third level is for first-line sales personals; the forth level is for new hires and fresh graduates. According to the needs and requirements of different levels, training sessions are designed by different teams. Garavan, Costine, and Heraty (1995) notes that training and development (TD) encompasses three main activities: training, education, and development and that these ideas are often considered to be synonymous. In Infosys, training and development can also be view from these three parts: 1. Training: This activity is both focused on the job tasks that an employee currently handles. It is usually conducted through the form of classroom training, on-the-job training, and competition in Infosys. 2. Education: This activity focuses upon the jobs that an employee may potentially handle in the future. Infosys provides books and self-pace learning courses for such activity, and employees have more flexibility to study on their own paces and they can choose to learn during work time or at weekends. 3. Development: This activity focuses on the activities that the organization employing the individual. In Infosys, every new employee needs to attend the New Hire Orientation Development Program within the first three month after they are employed by the company. Such activity helps new employees know about the corporate culture, policies, dress code and so on and so forth. At the end of each year, Infosys holds several lectures to summarize the whole training and development programs in the passing year, identifying any problems and figuring out solutions to these problems. This helps HR department better plan next years training programs, thus helping the company achieve its short-term and long-term strategic goals. 5. Integration of Performance Management and Training and Development in Infosys 5.1 How Performance Management and Training and Development work together in Infosys In Infosys, Performance Management and Training and Development are closely linked. The company creates a computer-based system to manage performance and career development of staff. It is easy for managers to see at what level the employee is currently performing and what kind of training the employee needs to take. This system also helps with a staff training and development strategy to enable employees to help them progress to the top level possible in their current job. It can also provide guidance about the possibility of further training and/or mentoring to assist them to develop their career within the organisation. Employees performance is evaluated according to several aspects, and among these aspects, employees training and development is taken into consideration and could affect employees final performance appraisal. Infosys require its regular employees to take at least five training sessions in one years, to make sure every employee is equipped with latest skills and knowledge so that they can better make contribution to the company and help the company achieve its strategy goals. Employees need to complete the Job Skills Workbook which includes the skills that employees must have to complete their job tasks. This workbook is used as the basis for the performance evaluation. Both employees and managers will have to agree on the type of skills that are included in the Job Skills Workbook and which training level the employee needs to take. Besides, a group of employees can work together to identify their individual and collective training and development goals. Then these goals will be disc ussed with training specialists and their managers, and HR department will try to arrange according training programs for these employees. This, without a doubt, strengthens the companys capability and improves productivity. In Infosys, several activities are undertaken each year in order to develop key skill elements identified. These could include new work experiences, responsibilities and challenges, mentoring, coaching or more formal training. Once identified, these elements will also be included in the performance evaluation of employees. So training and development help identify new skills and responsibilities of employees, and performance management functions as a monitor and evaluation mechanism for these new training and development needs. After training sessions, the manager or team leader needs to provide the employee with feedback about their current performance and their goals for the next agreed time period which is usually one year. Finally, at the end of the agreed time period the employee needs to once again talk with his or her manager or team leader and discuss how they have performed and whether there are any changes in their training and development schedule. 5.2 Strength and Weakness of the integration of Performance Management and Training and Development in Infosys Such integration of Performance Management and Training and Development in Infosys has several strengthens: 1. It creates a multi-level mechanism for performance management. By discussing with managers about what kind of skills and performance employees agree to achieve in advance, employees can know clearly what both them and their managers expect from them. Employees can attend various training programs to reach their goals and use what they have learned in their daily jobs, thus improving their productivity and job performance. 2. Employees have more choices about what they want to develop in Infosys and what their career paths are. The value of Infosys is to make every customer satisfied. It is only through excellent work that the company can win high trust from customers. When Performance Management and Training and Development work closely together in Infosys, each employee can have the choice to decide which career path they like to take, such as technical experts, people managers or delivery managers etc. With a clear target and purpose in mind, employees are more motivated to take training and development programs provided by the company and their learning results are later directly reflected in performance evaluation in performance management of the company. On the other hand, however, there are some weakness of the integration of Performance Management and Training and Development in Infosys: 1. It puts too much focus on job skills but ignores management skills. Infosys is a large international company and its services in IT industry are among the best. The company focuses too much on the skills of its first-line employees, and almost 80% of the training and development program are about job skills. The performance evaluation of employees also mainly evaluates what new skills employees have learned through such training programs and how they perform. But in the long run, management skills are also required by employees as some of them are potential managers in the future. 2. The training sessions in Infosys are only for regular employees, not for contractors. So the result is that contractors, that occupy more than 40% of all employees, cannot receive proper training in time. Because contractors are not allowed to participate in the training and development activities, when they discuss with their managers about their performance evaluation, there is no section for training and development. This hinders contractors from developing their skills and could probably hinder the companys strategy development in the long run. 6. Recommendations Based on the strengths and weaknesses of the integration of Performance Management and Training and Development in Infosys, these recommendations could be taken into consideration when the management makes future decisions. 1. Management skills should also be included in Infosys training and development activities, and more first-line employee should have access to it. These employees would become managers in the future, and providing proper training programs on management skills would enhance their productivity and make their work more efficient and effective. 2. Training and development should cover contractors. In Infosys, there are two types of employees: regular employees and contractors. Currently most training and development programs are for regular employees only. By providing contractors the same training and development opportunities, the overall workforce of Infosys can be strengthen, and the companys productivity on the whole can be enhanced. 7. Conclusion This essay reviews both the Performance Management and Training and Development in the company of Infosys. It first provides academic review of the concepts and theories of Performance Management and Training and Development in HRM, then links the concepts and theories with the actual case of Infosys. It provides a critical review of how Performance Management and Training and Development work together in Infosys and analyzes the strengthens and weaknesses of these two HRM functions integrating in Infosys and provides relative recommendations.