Essay Sample on HR Technique during Periods of Change and Uncertainty

Essay Sample on HR Technique during Periods of Change and Uncertainty It is widely believed that one can fool anybody for all time, one can fool everybody for a short time but it is impossible to fool everybody for all time. This is the focal point of the above statement. I believe that an organization is a long termed project and not just a sort termed profit making scam. To attain success in the long term and attain success an organization must look into issues that would help the organization in the long term. One such issue is to maintain sustainability over a long period of time and to attain sustainability the most important variable related to an organization is Trust with a capital T. It is this trust that helps an organization to be fruitful and develop. By using the word trust it is not meant to be applicable to any specific firm or individual. It is not only applicable towards clients and suppliers but it is relevant to everybody associated with the company or organization. This principle could be formulated into a HR technique that would yield surplus in the long run. Trust is not just about the stake holders of the company but more so it is applicable towards its employees too. There is no meaning of showing a bright future where there is none; rather it would be far more positive attitude to reveal everything that is true about the organization. It is not only a moral approach but a trust building operation that would prove to be helpful in future and a HR manager would never let go a chance to win the faith of a worker. (Mukherjee, 28) Revealing the open truth about the company is the most effective way of taking an employee into complete confidence. If you need a custom essay, research paper, thesis, term paper, dissertation on Management, Business or other discipline feel free to contact our professional custom writing service.

Journal 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Journal 2 - Essay Example Barfing is something that is universal and yet so private, which makes it a perfect symbol of identity. Myles is telling a story about her political sestina, and then she narrates a story concerning a boat of barfers. She wants to puke herself because of her poem and her own feelings for it. She wants to express her sincere emotions, like a barf would have. In real life, however, it is hard to be â€Å"real† without being judged as fake. I believe she wants to say that to puke is â€Å"to be,† in the terms of â€Å"identity.† To puke is utterly natural in a most disgusting way. Who said it is disgusting anyway? Why cannot people freely barf without being judged? In other words, why cannot people be who they are and who they want to be with without feeling the disgusted eyes of the people around them? Myles is showing the way to knowing thyself through the art of barfing the inner contents of oneself. Myles’ relationship with her mother is troubled and the center of her barfing because as her mother, she is her foundation as a person. Myles, nevertheless, admits her complex relationship with the woman who gave birth to her. On the one hand, she wants to be near her again. I want to confirm with Myles if it is for companionship. Does she want to be with her mother because of her failed relationships with other women? She might be craving for comfort from the original woman of her life. Or, Myles might be blaming her mother for controlling her life, so she might as well suffer with her. Despite the restless emotions, Myles understands that her mother has not completely destroyed her. Living with her mother has turned her into a puke hater. She must have wanted to puke because she has a hard time being who she is with her mother. Myles cannot directly express her identity to her mother. Puking is her release. It is her way of â€Å"being† without being so blatant about it. Forming and

Program and culture class in architecture Assignment

Program and culture class in architecture - Assignment Example I have particularly chosen this site because it presents a different culture from my own. I come from Indonesia and would like to experience a different culture. A sizeable number of customers attends the cafà © and as such, the number will be enough to draw meaningful conclusion. Riverside Public Library is one of the smallest libraries in the United States and I can easily access it since it is public. It is not congested like other public libraries and as such, I can easily conduct my study there. People attend the library from different cultural background and my visit there will provide me with an opportunity to mix and interact with different cultures. I will be able to identify one fellow who will introduce me to the place. The grocery is located with the Guatemalteca Bakery Restaurant and offers Guatemalan and Latin American foods. It is visited by a sizeable number of people and is accessible to members of the public. Since It is mostly attended my Latin American people, I will get an opportunity to interact with the new

Quality Standards Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Quality Standards - Essay Example The paper further provides a comparative analysis of the strategies adopted by the department before and after the abolishment of the CAAs. Introduction According to Cote (2009), the Quality Assurance (QA) systems used by the Nottinghamshire Fire & Rescue Services (FRS) have traditionally been developed from several important commitments and principles outlined by the government with regards to public services. The framework for QA is based primarily on developing long-term policies and strategies that deliver tangible outcomes without focusing solely on short-term issues. The quality of service provided is measured with respect to the satisfaction levels among citizens and whether they full all their requirements. As such, QA procedures and systems used by the Nottinghamshire FRS do not give any special preference towards providers. Improving efficiency and providing quicker services without any room for mediocrity are also other parameters that have been given due importance by the QA systems (Odpm, 2009). As the subsequent paragraphs will demonstrate, the Nottinghamshire FRS also realizes the crucial role of technology in its operations and has made some important investments to include technological developments within its internal workflows. From an economic perspective, Nottinghamshire has faced two major challenges over the preceding decade. PAC (2009) says that the region faces a low level of innovation and income levels when compared on a national scale which has resulted in fewer jobs within the private sector. Between 2008 and 2009, the local economy faced the greatest challenge from the financial crisis and global recession. This has increased unemployment and has affected several industrial sectors within Nottinghamshire. In this scenario, the public sector has emerged as a major provider of jobs in the country. In the case of the Nottinghamshire FRS, the situation presents a challenge in terms of providing quality service to citizens, planning for future expenses more carefully and creating more jobs within the existing financial constraints (Wilkinson, 2010). Another issue that faces the region is the rapidly aging population, which is expected to double by 2025 (Hessami, 2009). These demographic trends have prompted a long-term challenge to the Nottinghamshire FRS when planning future services. The FRS notes that elderly people are prone to depend more on rescue services then other age classes. Besides, the pressure from a larger elderly population, enhanced by age-related health problems and pensioner poverty, is only likely to increase their dependence on the FRS. The department has been working towards improving its response times in such cases and is contemplating several educational programs to instruct elderly people on the danger of dwelling fires, which have been noted as primary causes of mishaps among people aged above 80 (National UK Fire Statistics, 2009). This paper provides a discussion of the agency’s quality assessment performance before and after the abolition of the Comprehensive area assessments (CAA) introduced in 2009. Methodology The

Multimedia learning proposes Essay Example for Free

Multimedia learning proposes Essay Multimedia learning proposes ways of going beyond the pure verbal messages which have been used in lectures and printed lessons for hundreds of years. Multimedia learning as Thomas Edison predicted has proved to be an effective method of teaching, has revolutionized our educational system and has supplanted the use of textbooks. Multimedia presentations are known to help learners. The newly developed multimedia technologies which incorporate simultaneous presentations of narration, images and text make the possibilities for instruction vast. Yet how should educators use these technologies to ensure that there is optimal learning? The answer is that the multimedia messages should be designed in the best way using the eight principles for multimedia design as a guideline. Background to the multimedia principles: Mayer is known for his research in the field of cognitive theory. According to Mayer, a multimedia instructional message is a presentation which involves words (such as spoken or written text) and pictures (such as animation, video, illustrations, and photographs) in which the goal is to promote learning. Mayer links cognitive learning theory to multimedia design issues, validating three theory-based assumptions about how people learn from words and pictures: the (1) dual channel assumption which is based upon the theory that pictures are seen by eyes and are processed as pictorial representations in the visual-pictorial channel. Spoken words on the other hand enter through ears and are processed in the other channel of human cognition, the auditory-verbal channel. (2) Limited capacity assumption is demonstrated by auditory- verbal overload. Because each channel in the human cognitive system has a limited capacity for holding and manipulating knowledge, presenting too many visuals and a lot of sounds at the same time causes the auditory-visual channel to become overloaded. And the (3) Active processing assumption implies that optimal learning occurs when learners engage in active processing within the channels which include relevant words and pictures organized into coherent pictorial and verbal models and integrated with each other and other knowledge. The discovery of the eight principles of multimedia design was a result of Mayers research. Each principle was based on the cognitive theory and was supported by the finding of the research. The multimedia principles discussed with good and bad practice examples: These eight principles are explained as follows in more detail, along with their applications. Multimedia Principle: This principle states that carefully and selectively chosen words and pictures enhance a learner’s understanding of an explanation better than words alone. Mayer tells us that deeper understanding occurs because students mentally connect pictorial and verbal representations of the explanation. A study was conducted in which students viewed a narrated animation about pumps or brakes or simply listened to a narration; the students who viewed the narrated animation scored substantially higher. There are numerous examples of the multimedia principle. Desktop publishing programs and the illustrative capabilities of Microsoft Word and PowerPoint adding pictures to a multimedia presentation has become relatively easy. A good practice example would be to use an animation of how an earthquake occurs to support the textual and/or verbal description: when the frictional stress of gliding plate boundaries goes beyond a certain value and causes a failure at a fault line, which results in a violent dislocation of the Earth’s crust. At this point, elastic strain energy is released causing elastic waves to be radiated, leading to an earthquake. The goal of this principle is best achieved when graphics used are meaningful and illustrative in juxtaposition with text. Images which convey meaning, not simply multitudes of clip art images with no instructional purpose. It would be bad practice heaps of pictures which show destructions caused by earthquakes are used when explaining how earthquakes occur. It would actually be a hindrance in the process of learning as it would take focus off the topic and instead bring the costs of the earthquake into discussion. A good use of this principle would be when pictures and animations are used for presenting instructional content where there are used as lesson interfaces and not for any decorative purpose. Contiguity Principle: The contiguity principle examines how words and pictures should be coordinated in multimedia presentations. This principle states that there is more effective learning when the narration and animation are presented simultaneously rather than successively. Also, words and associative pictures should be close each other and presented at the same time so that when the narration or words describes a particular process or action, the animation or picture shows it at the same time. A good practice example of the contiguity principle would be showing a car assembly procedure where narration and video are presented simultaneously. Students would learn better when the two things are coordinated than otherwise. It would be bad practice if the entire textual description or narration of the car assembly procedure which has 23 stages is presented first, prior to the animation or when the animation is played prior to the verbal description. A good idea is to display the narration and animation in close time proximity so that when words describe the action, the visual depicts the same action at the same time. This will make it more likely for the learner to build mental connections linking the verbal and visual representations. Modality Principle: This principle states that students learn more deeply and effectively when words are presented as narration rather than on-screen text. Using animation and text is a method most people use when designing PowerPoint presentations. According to Mayer when both pictures and words are used are displayed in multimedia, only the visual channel is utilized and it easily becomes overloaded. A good idea therefore is to use both processing channels; the visual/pictorial channel and the auditory/verbal channel. When the narration presented is auditory, it is processed by the auditory channel allowing the visual channel the resources to process the graphical content without it becoming overloaded. A good practice example of this principle would be to present an animation of how a bicycle tire pump works together with the narration of the explanation. Presenting some information in visual mode and some in auditory mode will expand working memory capacity and reduce excessive cognitive load. It would not be a good idea to play the narration after or before the animation. Redundancy Principle: This principle states that students learn far better from multimedia presentations consisting of animation and narration than from animation, narration, and text. The redundancy principle rejects the idea of presenting duplicate instructions in different forms. Unless it is necessary, presenting the same information both in narration and on-screen text hinders the process of learning rather than facilitating it. Some people think presenting the same information in multiple forms is safe and at best advantageous. However we must understand the architecture of human cognition. When dealing with new and technical instruction, working memory is very limited and presenting the same information in narration and on-screen text will mean that not all information will be processed. A good practice of this principle would be when a lecturer uses presentations to deliver his lectures. He can narrate the instructions while his presentations present animation and pictures. It would not be good practice if the lecturer has text heavy-slides and yet continues to try to maintain the attention of the audience. This redundancy causes the learners or audience to become wrapped up in either the verbal presentation or the textual material and miss the other. Even worse the learner may decide to not pay attention at all when he is being bombarded with so much information. Coherence Principle: This principle states that students learn better from multimedia presentations when irrelevant material is excluded rather than integrated. Irrelevant words and pictures, interesting but irrelevant sounds and unnecessary words huts the students learning process. Learners throughout the multimedia presentation try to make sense of the material by building a coherent mental representation and any irrelevant information that comes out of nowhere is likely to disturb the process. A good practice example of this principle would be that when discussing the issue of widespread public display of affection and whether there should be laws imposed against it. It would be a good idea to stick to the topic and present points for or against the argument and the reach a conclusion. If however a person is tempted to spice up the presentation, it would be bad practice. Including dramatic stories of politicians engaged in the art of public affection and video clips where couples are seen showing affection in public would be highly entertaining but off topic and the audience might get upset if they do not make out anything from the four hour long presentation. It would also not be a good idea to include any other non instructional material such as unrelated clip arts, background music, sound clips or detailed textual descriptions. Personalization Principle: The personalization principle states that students learn better when words are presented in a conversational style than in a formal or expository style. Students or audience responds better when a more personalized tone is used in narration. A good example of this principle is when explaining how a human respiratory system works, there is a use of your instead of the. For example instead of saying During inhaling the diaphragm move down creating more space for the lungs we say When you inhale, your diaphragm moves down creating more space for your lungs. Also when addressing community issues using multimedia presentations it is always a good idea to use your community rather than the community. It will help the learners see that it is his community that has issue and not some other community and will provoke him to take action or become a responsible member of the community. Segmenting principle: This principle states that lessons should be divided into manageable segments. When an unfamiliar learner is introduced to a continuous presentation with a lot of inter related concepts which are complex it is easy for the cognitive system to become overloaded. A good practice of this principle would be when a lecture breaks down complex geometry problems into segments rather than present them as a single solution. This helps learners learn at their own pace. Pre-training principle: This principle suggests that people learn better from multimedia presentations when they are familiar with the names and idea of the core concepts. There is a better transfer of knowledge when the audience is trained on the components the presentation would use preceding a narrated animation. A good practice of this example is when explaining the phenomenon of global warming to children, it would work better when terminologies such as green house gases are explained and smaller concepts are built before proceeding to the presentation. This will help the children integrate their built in concepts into understanding the main problem of global warming. It is not good practice to start with the subject before providing the learners with an appropriate start up knowledge neither would it be a good idea to stop in the middle of the lecture to explain some terminology or a hidden concept. Conclusion: Multimedia enhances learning but for learning to be optimal, there should be effective use of animation, narration and on-screen test in multimedia presentations. Techniques to increase working memory by reducing cognitive load have been proposed by many theorists. These techniques improve instructional design, learning efficiency, and effectiveness. Richard E. Mayer and his Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning has highlighted well-established principles of multimedia learning which the research continues to support, including (a) the multimedia principle, (b) the contiguity principle, (d) the modality principle, (e) the redundancy principle, and (f) the coherence principle and (e) the personalization principle. These principles aid users to design effective multimedia presentations. References Clark, R. C. Mayer, R. E. (2003). e- Learning and the science of instruction: Proven guidelines for consumers and designers of multimedia learning. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer.

Climate Change: A Greenland Perspective Essay -- Global Warming Envir

Climate Change: A Greenland Perspective Works Cited Not Included Climate change is the alteration of temperature and precipitation patterns over an extended period of time. Across the globe, scientists are identifying climate change in relation to the greenhouse gas emissions and solar cycles. While most researchers believe that the increase of atmospheric CO2 is effecting global warming, others are endorsing the concerns of another Ice Age, which is likely to occur due to orbital variations of the Earth. In his article, Abrupt Climate Change, Richard Alley titles one section, ?Chilling Warmth,?15 which perfectly describes the angst of many people who foresee a deadly warming trend, and also the paradox of global warming causing another ?Little Ice Age.? These competing discourses are extremely pertinent to the country of Greenland, which is at the forefront of the climatic change debate. Greenland and other Arctic countries continue to be at the head of the discussion on climate change, whether due to melting ice caps, or advancing glaciers. Our understanding of climate change across the world has been possible due to Greenland?s ice cores; proxy records, such as O18 dating, reveal atmospheric air temperatures at which the sheets of ice were formed.16 Oxygen in the ice cores can also reconstruct the history of precipitation. Greenland remains a critical story teller of cooling and warming trends, since the 1990s, when scientists first started to extract from the gigantic sheets of ice.17 Scientists who view increased CO2 emissions as directly related to a warming climate are radically concerned for the outcomes of warming oceans, rising sea levels, and higher precipitation levels. For example, in an article for Nationa... ...ric air temperature, but in contrast to Amos? belief that Arctic temperatures in Greenland have decreased by 1.29 degrees Celsius, since 1985, Peter Spotts of The Christian Science Monitor, documents a seven degrees Fahrenheit increase in Alaska, western Canada, and Russia over a fifty year period.33 From the research that I have conducted, I have realized how integral Greenland is in the dialogue on global warming and abrupt cooling; furthermore, I recognize that climate change needs to be of global concern, not only to scientists, but to the government and all citizens; every regional climate change in the Northern Hemisphere directly influences temperature and precipitation in the Southern Hemisphere. We are all connected, and it is imperative that humans intervene and become aware of how their environmental choices may affect biodiversity around the world.

Infosys Case Study

Oracle Customer Case Study Infosys Goes to University to Build Business Worldwide â€Å"The quality of the courses is very good and the materials are extremely well designed. We have also had extremely strong feedback from Infosys staff who have completed courses at Oracle University. † – Dr Subhash Chandra Rastogi, Head, Enterprise Solutions Academy, Infosys Technologies Ltd Infosys Technologies Ltd (NASDAQ: INFY) defines, designs, and delivers IT-enabled business solutions. These solutions focus on providing clients with strategic differentiation and operational superiority. Infosys creates these solutions by leveraging its domain and business expertise to offer a complete range of services. For the fiscal year ending March 31, 2007, Infosys recorded revenues of more than US$3 billion with net income of over US$850 million. Infosys is a NASDAQ 100 company. Infosys uses a global alliance with Oracle to deliver Oracle-based systems and services to clients worldwide. These enable businesses to build a more flexible architecture to support faster deployment of new applications, achieve a consolidated view of their global supply chain, reduce costs by leveraging global sourcing, or employ predictive capabilities to exploit emerging opportunities or avert looming obstacles. To support Infosys’ status as a Global SI Partner—recognized at the Worldwide Certified Advantage Partner level—Oracle has provided extensive training support through its Oracle University educational resource. More than 3,000 Infosys employees globally have benefited through Oracle University-based knowledge, enabling them to deliver Oracle products and services to a high level of expertise. Oracle University courses typically run between five and 15 days, depending on the complexity of the product and associated business process changes. â€Å"The quality of the courses is very good and the materials are extremely well designed,† said Dr Subhash Chandra Rastogi, head of the Enterprise Solutions Academy at Infosys. We have also had extremely strong feedback from Infosys staff who have completed courses at Oracle University. † Copyright  © 2008, Oracle. All rights reserved. Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners. Published February 2008 Infosys Technologies Ltd Bangalore, India www. infosys. com Industry: Professional Services Annual Revenue: US$3. 09 billion Employees: 80,500 Orac le Products & Services: Oracle University Key Benefits: Ensured more than 100 staff are certified in Oracle E-Business Suite, qualifying them to deliver the solution to customers worldwide Provided feedback into the beta version of Oracle E-Business Suite Enabled staff around the world to undertake training in their own time via online courses Enabled more than 3,000 employees to take various Oracle University learning programs through a range of delivery modes Oracle Customer Case Study Upskilling Delivers Results Infosys is one of the world’s most rapidly growing consulting and information technology services companies. In 2007, the company’s revenues crossed US$3 billion. Key to the company’s success is its low-risk, high-quality Global Delivery Model, whereby work is broken up into logical components to be completed in the most efficient location. With staff numbers rising sharply, in 2003 Infosys created an Enterprise Solutions Academy (ES Academy) within the company to manage the educational requirements of everyone from new recruits to 20-year veterans. The ES Academy currently has to service an annual intake that reached 1,740 engineers and MBA graduates in 2006. â€Å"This is a very different concept for a systems integrator, but we had to ensure our staff could get the expertise nd certification needed to service our clients to the very highest level,† said Dr Rastogi. While the ES Academy itself provides an extensive portfolio of training and certification courses, the academy has partnered with Oracle University to provide its consultants with training in Oracle products. â€Å"Oracle is constantly growing its portfolio of solu tions, upgrading existing products, and acquiring new product companies,† said Dr Rastogi. â€Å"Oracle University provides expert, in-depth training across the Oracle suite of products and services. There is no point in us trying to duplicate this effort or invest in something we don’t need to,† he added. Participating in the Oracle University program brings benefits to Infosys other than a more skilled workforce. As a strategic partner to Oracle, Infosys can also contribute knowledge to the development of new Oracle products and services. â€Å"We did contribute to the beta certification of Oracle E-Business Suite, with more than 150 Infosys consultants providing input to Oracle University as to where the product could be improved,† said Dr Rastogi. We now have more than 100 people certified in Oracle E-Business Suite—more than anyone else in the world— and they continue to provide lots of input to Oracle as well as staying appraised of new developments. † Copyright  © 2008, Oracle. All rights reserved. Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners. Published February 2008 Oracle Customer Case Study Oracle University Reviews Infosys Curriculum It often becomes viable for the ES Academy to deliver Oracle courses internally based on the level of demand, or for some basic products. For example, 85% of consultants that specialize in relatively ‘vanilla’ products such as Oracle9i Database are trained in-house, with the remaining 15% undertaking courses at Oracle University. â€Å"To ensure quality, we engaged Oracle University to review our curriculum content, materials, and questions for course attendees,† said Dr Rastogi. â€Å"They give us sound advice that ensures we deliver the best possible internal courses. † These courses do not cover newer products, or products taken on through acquisition of companies such as Hyperion or Demantra. About 95% of consultants that specialize in these new areas take the relevant courses from Oracle University. Overcoming the Tyranny of Distance Infosys’ burgeoning growth within India and worldwide has created a geographically distributed organization that makes delivering face-to-face training, a sometimes costly exercise. â€Å"This has posed a problem for us because people in India are not used to alternatives such as e-learning,† said Dr Rastogi. â€Å"People prefer to come to a classroom. â€Å"In addition, the firewall we apply across our systems prevents Infosys employees from viewing streaming audio and video. To create more flexibility for staff to access the online courses available through Oracle University, Infosys is establishing e-libraries in offices in Pune, Mangalore, and Hyderabad. These currently include 20 PCs where staff can access streaming audio and video. This number is expected to grow to 100–150 by late 2008 across various locations i n India. Employees working in Europe and the U. S. are already benefiting from streaming audio and video. The availability of online courses through Oracle University means staff will be able to undertake training without disrupting their client work. The benefits of e-learning apply to staff outside India as well. â€Å"Our certification program applies to employees regardless of Copyright  © 2008, Oracle. All rights reserved. Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners. Published February 2008 Oracle Customer Case Study country,† said Dr Rastogi. â€Å"We have 25 to 30 staff who specialize in Oracle E-Business Suite who work in Europe or the U. S. † Helping Ambitious Employees to Get Ahead A certification from Oracle University can provide ambitious employees with an edge in the competitive Infosys culture. Because it’s an external certification, it provides good branding for an employee,† said Dr Rastogi. â€Å"They become of greater value to Infosys and to our customers. † Infosys Technologies Ltd (NASDAQ: INFY) defines, designs, and delivers ITenabled business solutions. For the fiscal year ended Marc h 31, 2007, Infosys recorded revenues of more than US$3 billion with net income of over US$850 million. Copyright  © 2008, Oracle. All rights reserved. Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners. Published February 2008 Infosys Case Study Oracle Customer Case Study Infosys Goes to University to Build Business Worldwide â€Å"The quality of the courses is very good and the materials are extremely well designed. We have also had extremely strong feedback from Infosys staff who have completed courses at Oracle University. † – Dr Subhash Chandra Rastogi, Head, Enterprise Solutions Academy, Infosys Technologies Ltd Infosys Technologies Ltd (NASDAQ: INFY) defines, designs, and delivers IT-enabled business solutions. These solutions focus on providing clients with strategic differentiation and operational superiority. Infosys creates these solutions by leveraging its domain and business expertise to offer a complete range of services. For the fiscal year ending March 31, 2007, Infosys recorded revenues of more than US$3 billion with net income of over US$850 million. Infosys is a NASDAQ 100 company. Infosys uses a global alliance with Oracle to deliver Oracle-based systems and services to clients worldwide. These enable businesses to build a more flexible architecture to support faster deployment of new applications, achieve a consolidated view of their global supply chain, reduce costs by leveraging global sourcing, or employ predictive capabilities to exploit emerging opportunities or avert looming obstacles. To support Infosys’ status as a Global SI Partner—recognized at the Worldwide Certified Advantage Partner level—Oracle has provided extensive training support through its Oracle University educational resource. More than 3,000 Infosys employees globally have benefited through Oracle University-based knowledge, enabling them to deliver Oracle products and services to a high level of expertise. Oracle University courses typically run between five and 15 days, depending on the complexity of the product and associated business process changes. â€Å"The quality of the courses is very good and the materials are extremely well designed,† said Dr Subhash Chandra Rastogi, head of the Enterprise Solutions Academy at Infosys. We have also had extremely strong feedback from Infosys staff who have completed courses at Oracle University. † Copyright  © 2008, Oracle. All rights reserved. Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners. Published February 2008 Infosys Technologies Ltd Bangalore, India www. infosys. com Industry: Professional Services Annual Revenue: US$3. 09 billion Employees: 80,500 Orac le Products & Services: Oracle University Key Benefits: Ensured more than 100 staff are certified in Oracle E-Business Suite, qualifying them to deliver the solution to customers worldwide Provided feedback into the beta version of Oracle E-Business Suite Enabled staff around the world to undertake training in their own time via online courses Enabled more than 3,000 employees to take various Oracle University learning programs through a range of delivery modes Oracle Customer Case Study Upskilling Delivers Results Infosys is one of the world’s most rapidly growing consulting and information technology services companies. In 2007, the company’s revenues crossed US$3 billion. Key to the company’s success is its low-risk, high-quality Global Delivery Model, whereby work is broken up into logical components to be completed in the most efficient location. With staff numbers rising sharply, in 2003 Infosys created an Enterprise Solutions Academy (ES Academy) within the company to manage the educational requirements of everyone from new recruits to 20-year veterans. The ES Academy currently has to service an annual intake that reached 1,740 engineers and MBA graduates in 2006. â€Å"This is a very different concept for a systems integrator, but we had to ensure our staff could get the expertise nd certification needed to service our clients to the very highest level,† said Dr Rastogi. While the ES Academy itself provides an extensive portfolio of training and certification courses, the academy has partnered with Oracle University to provide its consultants with training in Oracle products. â€Å"Oracle is constantly growing its portfolio of solu tions, upgrading existing products, and acquiring new product companies,† said Dr Rastogi. â€Å"Oracle University provides expert, in-depth training across the Oracle suite of products and services. There is no point in us trying to duplicate this effort or invest in something we don’t need to,† he added. Participating in the Oracle University program brings benefits to Infosys other than a more skilled workforce. As a strategic partner to Oracle, Infosys can also contribute knowledge to the development of new Oracle products and services. â€Å"We did contribute to the beta certification of Oracle E-Business Suite, with more than 150 Infosys consultants providing input to Oracle University as to where the product could be improved,† said Dr Rastogi. We now have more than 100 people certified in Oracle E-Business Suite—more than anyone else in the world— and they continue to provide lots of input to Oracle as well as staying appraised of new developments. † Copyright  © 2008, Oracle. All rights reserved. Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners. Published February 2008 Oracle Customer Case Study Oracle University Reviews Infosys Curriculum It often becomes viable for the ES Academy to deliver Oracle courses internally based on the level of demand, or for some basic products. For example, 85% of consultants that specialize in relatively ‘vanilla’ products such as Oracle9i Database are trained in-house, with the remaining 15% undertaking courses at Oracle University. â€Å"To ensure quality, we engaged Oracle University to review our curriculum content, materials, and questions for course attendees,† said Dr Rastogi. â€Å"They give us sound advice that ensures we deliver the best possible internal courses. † These courses do not cover newer products, or products taken on through acquisition of companies such as Hyperion or Demantra. About 95% of consultants that specialize in these new areas take the relevant courses from Oracle University. Overcoming the Tyranny of Distance Infosys’ burgeoning growth within India and worldwide has created a geographically distributed organization that makes delivering face-to-face training, a sometimes costly exercise. â€Å"This has posed a problem for us because people in India are not used to alternatives such as e-learning,† said Dr Rastogi. â€Å"People prefer to come to a classroom. â€Å"In addition, the firewall we apply across our systems prevents Infosys employees from viewing streaming audio and video. To create more flexibility for staff to access the online courses available through Oracle University, Infosys is establishing e-libraries in offices in Pune, Mangalore, and Hyderabad. These currently include 20 PCs where staff can access streaming audio and video. This number is expected to grow to 100–150 by late 2008 across various locations i n India. Employees working in Europe and the U. S. are already benefiting from streaming audio and video. The availability of online courses through Oracle University means staff will be able to undertake training without disrupting their client work. The benefits of e-learning apply to staff outside India as well. â€Å"Our certification program applies to employees regardless of Copyright  © 2008, Oracle. All rights reserved. Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners. Published February 2008 Oracle Customer Case Study country,† said Dr Rastogi. â€Å"We have 25 to 30 staff who specialize in Oracle E-Business Suite who work in Europe or the U. S. † Helping Ambitious Employees to Get Ahead A certification from Oracle University can provide ambitious employees with an edge in the competitive Infosys culture. Because it’s an external certification, it provides good branding for an employee,† said Dr Rastogi. â€Å"They become of greater value to Infosys and to our customers. † Infosys Technologies Ltd (NASDAQ: INFY) defines, designs, and delivers ITenabled business solutions. For the fiscal year ended Marc h 31, 2007, Infosys recorded revenues of more than US$3 billion with net income of over US$850 million. Copyright  © 2008, Oracle. All rights reserved. Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners. Published February 2008