PROPOSAL FOR THE DEGREE IN SOFTWARE ENGINEERING

BY: DEGREE PROGRAMME MANAGER

CONTENTS

1. Executive summary

2. Proposal Page 1-5

3. Background of the company Appendix 1

4. Comparative Costs Appendix 2

5. Course Programme Appendix 3

DEGREE IN SOFTWARE ENGINEERING.

(PART-TIME AND PARTLY SPONSORED)

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

A. General

1. The objective of the paper is to seek the management approval to hold the Degree in Software Engineering.

2. The objectives of the programme are:

- To develop specific skills and competencies in preparation for future challenges.

- To increase staff retention rate by providing career and skill pathings.

- To provide opportunity for staff growth and development.

- To contribute towards the national development of HR.

3. Programme identification and implementation were jointly done with IRMG.

4. The programme will be conducted by Centre for Advance Software Engineering

5. The participants will be staff and the subsidiaries holding Diploma and in position of Senior Programmer ( Grade E ) .

6. The students will be sponsored and to be appropriately bonded . Students will have to pay 20% commitment fees.

7. Advantage are :

- increase in staff effectiveness through increase in skill and knowledge and increase in motivation.

- controlled supply of skilled personnel as the staff will be appropriately bonded.

B. Programme Structure.

1. The program will be for the duration of two and a half years ( 21/2 ).

2. The class will be conducted on Friday 1430 hrs to 1830hrs and Saturday 0830hrs to 1730hrs.

3. The total credit hours required is 60 credit/hours= 60x15= 900 class hours.

C. Implications.

1. Effect on work areas.

Students will need time off from 1430hrs to 1730hrs on Fridays.

3hrs x 5 semesters x 15 weeks

= 225 hrs

2. Financial Implication

Assumption, -20 % of the program cost to be paid by the student.

-80 % of the program cost to be paid

Given Cost per students = RM2

Cost for 15 students =RM 3

Less 20 % staff contribution =RM 6

MAS contribution = RM 24

1998/99 = RM 6

1999/2000 = RM 12

2000/2001 = RM 6

3. Implication to the students

a. Student have to contribute 20% of the program cost i.e. RM 4

b. Saturdays will be occupied by the program.

c. study time need to be allotted for the program.

d. better chance for upgrading or promotion.

DEGREE IN SOFTWARE ENGINEERING.

(PART-TIME AND PARTLY SPONSORED)

1. Objective

The objective of this paper is to seek management approval to hold the ' Degree in Computer Science ( Software Engineering) '

2. Background

The proposal for the development of this programme arises from the following needs:

1. The needs to develop appropriate human resources in the field computer science and IT.

2. The need to provide developments for our staff.

2.1 Development of HR in computer science

The company is experiencing difficulty in recruiting suitably qualified staff in computer fields. A number of qualified staff have opted to leave MAS and a large number are experiencing career stagnation. With this background, there is the need to provide development programme to give the opportunity for the staff to enhance their skill and knowledge. This is important when we consider the present tight labour market where the suitable staff may not be readily available. The programmes have the added advantage of reducing staff turnover and contribute towards the nations' pool of qualified personnel.

2.2 Development for our staff

Staff development is critical to support the growth and expansion of the organisation. This indirectly increases the motivation and commitment of the staff.

3. Why TM

It was specially set-up as a joint-venture project between TM and Campus Thomson, France as a centre for Real-time software Engineering Technology, conforming to the highest international standard in software development. It is a specialized centre offering a range of courses from five day continuing education programmes to certificate , degree and Masters Degree. MAS had been sending staff to attend the Masters Program.

4. Benefits

4.1 To the staff - available path for growth

- personal/ professional development.

4.2 To the company - increase in level of skill and knowledge

- staff motivation

- controlled supply of skilled personnel.

5. Possible target group

5.1 internal staff - holders of Diploma in Computer Science or Engineering.

5.2 External participants - with similar qualification.

5.3 The Public

5.4 Trainees

6. Programme Implementation

To plan and implement the programme, a team was formed consisting of members from various relevant department.

7. The programme

7.1 For details please refer to Appendix 1. ( not included )

7.2 Programme timing.( to be finalised)

Estimated credit hours required-- 120 ch

exemption due to Diploma = 60ch

the credit hr required---- = 60ch

1ch=15contact hours

therefore 60 ch = 60x15 = 900 contact hrs

a. Case 1 the duration is 4 semesters

The contact hr per semester = 900/4

= 225 hrs

given that 1 semester = 15 weeks

therefore contact hr per week = 225/15

= 15 hrs per week

b. case 2 duration 5 semesters

contact hr per semester = 900/5

= 180

therefore contact hr per week= 180/15

= 12 hrs

8. Costing .

Costing will be on transfer basis from the course provider. No administrative cost will be added to the internal students. For external participants, a 20% administrative cost will be added to the cost.

Subsidiaries staff.........RM per semester Total .....RM2

Non staff ............RM6 per semester Total......RM24

9. Admission Requirement

9.1 Approved Diploma in Engineering

9.2 Approved Diploma in Computer Science

9.3 Any other qualification accepted by UTM.

10. Selection Criteria

Candidates who met the criteria for the admission requirement may be required to sit for written examination and go through an interview .

11. Sponsorship/ Bonding / Liquidated Damages

11.1 It may offer the selected candidates a 80% Corporate Sponsorship or 100% loan. Such offer of sponsorship will require the candidate to enter into an agreement to serve it or its subsidiaries. The periods of service and the liquidated damages are as per the existing HR policies.

In the event the candidate is unable to continue the course of study due to his/her inability to pass the examination or examinations or in the opinion of the Company ,shows him/herself as being unlikely to achieve the results and qualifications for which the course is designed for, then the candidate will have to repay the Company the actual training cost at the point of termination of training.

During the bonding period, if candidate breaches the agreement, then he or she will be required to refund the Company the liquidated damages a sum as agreed.

11.2. In all cases, the participants will have to pay the stipulated commitment fees prior to the commencement of the programme.

11.3 For self-sponsored students, payment have to be made prior to the commencement of each semester. Students may be refused entry to the class if payment is not made.

12. Commitment fees

Participants are required to pay 20% commitment fee prior to the commencement of the program.

13. Admission

To apply for this programme, candidates must fulfil the said Admission Requirements and attach their academic results which are to be submitted through their respective Department Head and sent to :

Degree Program Manager

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organisation design in religious order

BACKGROUND- The organizations consist of priests, brothers and nuns in the Roman Catholic Church are called ‘religious order’. These orders are unique because the members feel that they are summoned by God and as such devote their life for god’s service. The members are intensely motivated. Their personal values are identified with the organisation’s mission, ideology and purposes.

Organizational structures differ from order to order. Some have democratic structure whilst other is monarchical where top leaders are elected and the lower are selected. The order was founded between fifth to 12 centuries mostly by saints. The founders were normally radical thinkers, challenging the establishment. With the movement towards centralization of Roman Catholic started in 19 century created and all religious order, the focused on internal discipline and directive authoritative leadership. Normally religious orders lived in large houses and cutoff from the world and had became very secure place.

THE SECOND VATICAN COUNCIL – The second Vatican council started as a radical reform to achieve two objectives – to return to the spirit of the founder and to read the signs of the time. The effect was a complete reformulation of the identity of the religious order. The core mission was formulated and articulated in 20^th century as a direct response to new needs caused by the changes in the environment. There were considerable exodus of members who wanted to leave the order and the number of new entrants was also reducing. By the end of the century religious order are smaller in number, the members are of old age. They were facing complex corporate choices. Some suggested that the religious order is undergoing an organizational life cycles.

CHANGE THROUGH ORGANISATIONAL DEVELOPMENT. OD had proven to be compatible and suitable to the change processes in the religious order. Framework for organizational levels by Rashford and Coghlan’s is particularly useful. At individual level, the individual’s moral relationship to the order is significant as the basis of thinking and action and at more complex level is the individual participation in the ministry teams. At third level or the regional level, multiple ministries form a unified coordination. The forth level is the unified effort in the contemporary world.

CORPORATE STRATEGY. Strategic formulation and implementation has become significant in the renewal process of religious ministry. Research had shown that the concept of corporate strategy is widely used by religious order as a way to lead into the future. The strategy is defined in the context of religious order as a pattern of decisions that produces the principle policies and the plans to achieve it.

The ingredients of the strategies process are strategic thinking, strategic planning and management. These functions had been performed by the religious order whether they are conscious of the concept or not. The core mission comes from its constitutions and the early history. The founder’s vision and expression in contemporary term had been the building block on religious order.

The internal review consists of evaluation of the past performance, distinct competencies, and future projections. Quantitative dimensions, uses numbers, ages and skills and qualitative uses quality of the activity, assess the strength and weakness. The strategic posture is the position of having a concrete set of guidelines, criteria and norms serving as immediate challenge for development of strategic proposals. It intends to address the primary issues in the next five years. In religious order, discernment is widely used in the core decision making. Discernment is the process that integrates the prayer and decision making. It give the sense of promptings the Holy Spirit is key in strategic posture.

Many changes are located in chapters, which are assemblies of elected representatives who meet every three, four or five years. They are the major legislative bodies of most orders and they employ consultants and spread the preparatory work over a year. Organisation Development projects in religious order is sparse. Bartunek reported of the process of changing its interpretive schemes and structure.

OD INTERVENTION

OD consultant planned and implemented a wide range of intervention. At individual level, seminars and courses are given to develop the members spiritual awareness. Frequently, work with leadership involved the team called ‘the council’ and process consultant. Consultant may be used in the OD intervention for example, one consultant work with nuns to for nearly a year before deciding to close a school. One order used a consultant to identify the attitudes , beliefs and norms of the members and used OD to facilitate the changes.

The regional leader of an order of nuns invited the whole region together for ten days to discern its future. She had the sense that the continual existence was at stake as the leadership continually met resistance to change. The group discussed for about eight months on the different elements of the order. OD consultants were used to structure and direct the process. More than 119 participants attended the process that lasted for about ten days. The program consists mainly of prayers, group discussion, cluster group and linkage to the mission. This process allowed its group to uncover the underlying assumption the identity.

Religious order engaged in the strategy formulation through four processes, the mission of the order, environmental scanning, internal review and strategic posture which articulate the strategic goals in a given time. OD practitioners were invited to facilitate on the process of strategic awareness and choices. In one example, the consultant trained a team of internal consultants to administer the process. Each community identifies the critical domains and project responds. Working parties were formed for each domain.

CONSULTATION

RO used external consultants a lot when faced with complex pattern of change. Various models had been used including the services based on particular expertise, such as cannon law. However the major area of consultation is the process approach for organisation diagnosis and problem solving. In this approach, consultant help client to uncover the needed information and to make the appropriate choices. Coghlan sited several cases how OD consultant work with religious order. It was emphasized that religious order are special organisation where decisions are based on religious value which may not be financially rational.

CONCLUSION

Religious orders are unique and influential form of not-for-profit organisation. It is unique because of the sense of personal mission the individual have with God, and the service nature of the corporate mission. Traditional OD theory and practices has been generally successful in this culture.

The constructs of organizational levels provides a valuable framework for mapping the organizational change. There is a link between individual mission and religious order. The changes require conscious management of the transition period and affected by both internal as well external factors. The Internal factors are the decline of membership and the member culture and the external the politics and environmental issues. Many religious orders use OD and OD consultant in their planned change.

CRITICAL REVIEW

The article gives a glimpse of the use OD in the religious order. As expected, the article was written by an OD person, he will give the good view from the OD perspective.

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