Im and tin Study on Rd nstrutin hniqus - Research Paper Example

IMЕ АND МОTIОN STUDY ОN RОАD СОNSTRUСTIОN ТЕСHNIQUЕS Introduction Road contruction techniques have become a central part of infrastructure and value creation targets of construction companies all over the world. This is because infrastructure stands at the core of economic policy implementation at the grassroots level of company operations. Time based construction techniques are being adopted in response to the growing needs for public infrastructural works. This has meant that companies modify their various construction techniques that would keep pace with the required work, maintain, quality and deliver work on schedule. Various strategies have been applied in especially in the Chinese context which has been the introduction of overtime working, mobile technique application and laying down infrastructure using cost effective techniques. This paper discusses time based strategies for improving construction techniques by using Chinese firms in light of the growing need for the services of road construction companies globally. Strategies that are formulated around the question of time are meant to ensure that objectives and indicators of performance are tailored and realized within the determined array of time. This is meant to attach a time value to other resources within the company (Zhang & Ong 2008, no pagination). One of the viable resources that can be modeled to operate in tandem with set time strategies is human resource. This is the employee factor as the central part of the organization’s machinery of achieving objectives and realizing set performance outcomes. For better productivity, the employee factor has usually been aligned alongside identified and effective time strategies in order to make the most out of the limited duration within which objectives of performance have to be completed (Gilmore & Williams 2009, 148). This is the reason as to why this paper focuses on what contributions overtime working could make on Chinese construction firms if they were designed to integrate such a strategy in their road construction. Rationale for choice of topic Time is a resource that companies in many parts of the world tap for purposes of highlighting timelines within which certain objectives are to be accomplished. This has helped to put pressure on people in organizations to organize programs, initiatives and plans aimed at ensuring that objectives would be met on schedule. This would suggest that time as a resource could be tapped beyond mere deadline determination to ensure that resources in a company are well capitalized and used to create value to the company as shown in various performance indicators (Zhang & Ong 2008, no pagination). Time has been presented as having inherent power in it to motivate initiative taking, problem-solving and expression of ability among employees if it is well strategized in conformity to the prevailing circumstances in an organization. In further exploring the power of time and its exploitation with conscious objectives, this paper considers overtime as a strategy for designing Chinese firms. This is against a backdrop of the fact that time stands as a natural resource that needs to be exploited strategically (Delsen 2009, 112). This could save companies billions of expenses spend on other artificial resources and strategies in a bid to chase after performance (Shen 2007, 52). This informs the formation of this paper that targets the Chinese scenario of firms to explicate how overtime could redesign the said firms and put them on the path of profitability. This will emphasize time as a strategic factor in production if it would be well studied and assimilated into the programs of respective firms. Research problem China has in recent years grown into a worldwide industrial producer. This means that firms in China are now accessing markets far and wide in space and time. They are expected to produce according to the demands of various consumers of their products that are lately scattered all over the planet (Hart 2004, 219). This has implications on the production trends that are mounting pressure on Chinese firms to adapt to. However, in spite of the production pressure, the Chinese legal framework does not allow employers to expose their employees to extra hours of work beyond the stipulated 8hours a day and 40 a week (Shen 2007, 67). In fact, the legal framework is entirely rigid on this subject by not having room for salaried overtime by any means. It is not legally recognized in China that an employee under whatever agreement should work for extra time for pay on whatever contractual terms. This limits the production capacity of Chinese firms even as they set up to compete world industrial producers such as USA and EU countries that incidentally have a more flexible legal framework on the issue of overtime working for employees (Brown 2010, p. 186). Chinese firms are under pressure to adopt strategies that can enable them keep up pace with industrial competitors on the global commercial landscape. One of the strategies is to ensure that time is maximally exploited. However, regular working hours may not be sufficient in meeting the timelines set to achieve determined goals in the currently stiffening industrial competition (Brown 2010, p. 186). This is the reason as to why the need for overtime needs to be explicated in the context of China as a strategy of catalyzing production in response to the dynamic global landscape. The understanding of overtime and the implementation of the same in Chinese road consruction firms needs to be presented as a means of accelerating growth of the firms, capitalizing on available human resource and exploiting talent in a targeted manner (Hart 2004, 226). In spite of the dire need for this strategy as one of the effective ways of resource capitalization, the Chinese legal context does not recognize it. This contextual hurdle is an impediment in the strengthening of Chinese firms as strong global competitors and the factor that continues to maintain them on the margins of the global market (Hart 2004, 226). Research Questions The research questions in this investigation are formed around the possibility of applying overtime as a workable strategy in the design of firms in China. This follows the problem of the investigation that describes a Chinese context as being intolerant to overtime. 1. Can time and motion study for road construction techniques be successfully implemented in the current legal context of china? 2. What would be the likely outcomes if time and motion would found construction techniques of Chinese construction firms? 3. What impediments face the application of overtime working strategy in Chinese firms? 4. How does overtime working strategy boost the design of Chinese firms? 5. In exploring the benefits of overtime working, could it be the strategy that boosts the productivity of Chinese firms? These research questions desire responses that will demonstrate the need of overtime as a strategy for use in Chinese road construction firms. This is based on the fact that the strategy has not been appreciated in the country and in fact has legal impediments that undermine its implementation. Literature Review In the wake of dynamic commercial and organizational practices, a state of competitiveness has been occasioned; a firm with others and a country with others. This means that there are certain practices that one firm applies that another does not. There are also certain strategies that have been modeled in other parts of the world and implemented that have not yet been applied in others. This is accredited to the state of contextual difference between one country and another. In this regard, overtime working has been a strategy that has been in use in western countries for decades now. The major motive behind the adoption of the strategy is to boost productiveness to the levels demanded by the market [Coo13]. This is because markets are now global and firms operate with global consciousness. More than any other time before, companies are now forced to content with a competitive environment of business and to face competition from local , regional as well as multinational corporations [Bly14]. This is because they are exposed to international influences of marketing as firms seek markets and new areas for business to the most remote regions. This is necessitating a revitalization of production strategies in order to stave the vibrancy of international competition and maintain viability as potent business firms that claim a considerable share of the market size [Eyf06]. One of the key areas to be targeted in improving the performance of Chinese firms against those of competitors is production. Production is a function of profitability as the tempo and volume of production determines the dynamism of distribution and sales. This then ultimately counts on the profitability scale of the shareholder. A vital factor of production is human resource and employees, categorically stating. The hours of productivity are now being expanded either through us of automation or dynamic employee practices. Automation is adopted in firms that have set in to ensure that production happens round the clock which is a mode of operation inappropriate for humans [Eyf06]. Robots have been used in this respect to continue production operations in the late hours of the night and this has come with raging financial implications. However, dynamic employee practices have also been tested and adopted in other respects where automation is not possible or where firms fall short of the financial muscle required to purchase the automation option. One of the ways through which firms have tried to ensure continued production is through the use of shifts. This means that a cycle of people are required to be on duty to perform certain responsibilities for a certain while after which they hand over to others to proceed [Coo13]. This strategy is costly as it calls for the employment of many people in order to facilitate a successful and smooth shift cycle. Methodology The research design will majorly be based on exploration of case studies. A case study research design is highly effective especially in addressing issues of strategy that are to be recommended for application in a new setting. In this case, the research problem shows the troubles firms grapple with in production. The study is seeking for grounds to or not to recommend overtime working in China. It would only be beneficial to the inferential section of the study that the paper builds its premises based on cases of places where overtime working strategy was used and how it was implemented. In doing this, the study will focus on exploring any contextual similarities and differences that could either facilitate or impede the implementation of overtime in the design of Chinese firms. This means that rather than basing on statistical design entirely that could yield results that do not demonstrate the workability of the strategy with respect to contextual considerations, cases of companies that have applied the strategy can be captured. The circumstances that could have motivated the action of adopting over time working and the various legal and contextual factors that could have had an influence on the process of implementation are supposed to be brought on the surface when adopting methodologies based on the case study design. Sampling design Having identified the research design as case study based, it follows that the sampling design would be stratified. Since the objective of the study is known and the characteristics to be manifested as the basis of making inferences, the subjects of study will be companies, firms and organizations from various parts of the world that have a reputation of using the overtime working strategy. The stratified sampling strategy is largely based on the discretion of the researcher and their knowledge regarding the subjects of their study. For stratified sampling, prior knowledge is the determinant of what and which population or community becomes a sample to be explored. Overtime working has been effectively used in some of the American firms already. There are various contextual factors that favour the application of this strategy. In using this sampling strategy, companies will be picked as samples depending on the various overtime schedules and modalities they apply. This would be done in an investigative manner such that points of comparison between the Chinese firms and the sampled companies for the case study are established. This will help bring to the surface various underlying factors that could determine the effectiveness of applying a strategy and the various preconditions that may have an implication on the application of overtime working in the design of firms in other regions such as China. Data Collection Internet search The stratified sampling for companies will be done through the study of their profiles to be accessed online. This is because the sampling strategy is basically stratified and hence information regarding a sample is what merits it as a case to be focused on for study. The details for corresponding with company officials from the companies to be used in the case study will be as such accessed from their online information. The use of online search will also be for purposes of accessing information regarding the contextual factors that facilitate the integration of over time working for companies. This is because contextual differences such as can be caused by the legal and legislative differences are important in determining the viability of overtime working if integrated in the design of Chinese companies. Archival study Theoretical and scholarly perceptions of various authors and authorities on a subject such as this can come in handy in forming a basis for inference and recommendations. This is because organizational strategies have theoretical as well as idealist principles that underlie their usage. This is the reason as to why reviewing existing literature in order to understand various theoretical postulations by various authors is vital. This will help in rationalizing findings and in balancing any information that may be inconsistent with prevailing principles. Literature on overtime working will for instance posit significant insights regarding the preconditions that have to be met to provide a facilitating grounding for the scheduling of overtime working strategy. These can also extent to considerations regarding the power of over time working in influencing the motivation of employees, their creativity and organizational commitment behaviors. This means the employee needs in Chinese firms will be assessed based on the insights provided by literature on the matter and hence weigh the feasibility of applying the strategy. Interviews Based on the fact that it may not be possible to arrange face to face interviews, technologies that can still facilitate this will be considered. This will entail video conferencing that can help arrange interviews with identified individuals from the organization without necessary incurring costs of travel and logistics. Interview is a method that can help gather firsthand information from the horse’s mouth. Rather than relying on the written word that may at times be biased and partial, interview will offer the researcher an opportunity to interrogate information, seek clarifications and immediate feedback. Besides, it is possible to track implementation procedures of overtime working based on the experience as told by a manager of an organization that is a subject of study. Besides relating the challenges encountered, the interviewee will explicate the benefits of the strategy to the company and as well give their take on its workability in china if they were working in such a context. There are also other formal and informal platforms of contacting interviews that entail use of social network provisions. This is through email conversations, Facebook among other such avenues. This will also provide convenience and save the researcher of costs of logistics, travel and organizing one-on-one interviews. Questionnaire distribution In understanding how CEOs and other managers understand overtime working in the context of China, questionnaires will be distributed to those sampled for participation in the study. A questionnaire is one of the most precise tools that can fetch categorical responses from respondents. The design of the questionnaires will be based on tested existing formats that are recommended for tools. The testing for reliability and validity of the tool will be as approved by experts in questionnaire design. The language to be used will be according to the understanding of various personalities regarding whether they have conversance with English or not. As such, translations to prompts on the questionnaires will help facilitate better understanding and elicitation of relevant responses form respondents. The questionnaires will be mailed to respondents with directions of how they will be collected. The convenience of questionnaires is that it allows for the respondent to create time from their busy schedules to answer them accordingly. Presentation of data There will be various ways of presenting data and information depending on their nature. Empirical data will be presented in form of tables but annotated in the discussion in order to attach their related significance. Other data will be presented as graphs too while other will be presented in discussion discourse form. The discussion discourse will be seeking to form a basis for making recommendations and conclusions regarding the need for integration of overtime working in the design of Chinese firms. Ethical Considerations There are various ethical considerations this research raises in the investigative stages. This is mostly when it comes to the use of qualitative methods that may require the consent of respondents. In cases where naturalistic observation has to be used on those who have the condition, this may appear to be infringement on people’s rights of informed consent. Besides this, the information collected may be exaggerated based on the alignments of the literature reviewed by the researcher. This will lead o the collection of biased information and data that does not represent the actual state of things on the ground. The methods used have to be proven to work and instruments valid and reliable. Development of instruments of research should be in the hands of competent researchers in order to avoid gathering of flawed data. Unreliable instruments and methods rise ethical issues relating to objectivity of the inferences made based on them. This means that methods have to be kept as scientific and valid as possible in order to prompt accurate results. Milestones Date Event/activity 29th march- 3rd April 2015 Topic identification Hypothesis creation Proposal writing 3rd -12th April 2015 presentation of proposal and assessor approval 15th- 21st April 2015 Sampling using the stratified method Archival study Collection and review of literature 23rd-25th April Internet search for company information for the sampled organizations 26th-28th April Conducting interviews with top managers and organizational representatives identified. 28th – 8th May Distribution and mailing of Questionnaires 10th – 16th may Collection of questionnaires 19th – 25th may Analysis of data 29th- 15th June Preparation of a draft paper 16th- 25th June Compilation of final draft with presentation of all findings and recommendations. Conclusion On the whole, the investigation will be seeking to test if the application of overtime working can help strengthen the competitiveness of Chinese firms. This is because Chinese firms need to find ways to increase their production capacity to meet the global needs of consumers. This is a need that comes in the wake of tightening competition from reputable firms from other countries. Overtime working is therefore supposed to be tested if it can help improve the production in Chinese firms like it has done for firms in western countries. The contextual considerations that could affect the application of this strategy also have to be put on the surface. This is because legal and legislative environments for different firms in different areas are not always the same. This is the reason as to why the investigation will adopt a case study design in order to explore factors that may either facilitate or impede overtime working integration in the design of firms in China. Bibliography Anderson, R.C. and Klofstad, C.A. (2012) Preference for leaders with masculine voices holds in the case of feminine leadership roles. Plos One. 7 (12), e51216. 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What hampers part-time work?: an empirical analysis of wages, hours restrictions and employment from a dutch-german perspective. Heidelberg [u.a.], Physika-Verl. [u.a.]. Coo13: , (Cooney, Biddulph, & Zhu, 2013, p. 332), Bly14: , (Blyton, 2014, p. 221), Eyf06: , (Eyferth, 2006, p. 45), Read More