Ove Arup & Partners

Hong Kong Limited

Training and
Development

HKIE Trainee Scheme A
for Civil Engineers



Objective Record
REV A


























COMMON CORE OBJECTIVES

1. Professional & General
Minimum
Required
Standard
1.1 The HKIE Activities
(a) History, role and organisation K
History




The Engineering Society of Hong Kong was founded in 1947 with the aim of
bringing together engineers of different Disciplines for their common good. The
Society flourished and as a result the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (the
HKIE), was incorporated under the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers Ordinance,
Chapter 1105 of the Laws of Hong Kong in 1975. Adapting to the needs of engineers
in Hong Kong, the Institution continues to develop and expand.
The Institution sets standards for the training and admission of engineers. It has strict
rules governing the conduct of its members and, as a learned society, it enables its
members to keep abreast of the latest developments in engineering. Many of the
learned society activities take place at the Institution's Headquarters in Causeway
Bay. It provides a venue for seminars, talks and meetings as well as the office of the
Secretariat.
An important development in 1982 was the Hong Kong Government's decision to
recognise Corporate Members of the HKIE for civil service. Most engineering
companies in Hong Kong recognise Corporate Membership of the HKIE as the key
qualification for employment of professional engineers.
On the participation of the engineering profession in public affairs, we have one seat
representing the Engineering Functional Constituency in the Legislative Council, and
among the 1,200-member Election Committee (EC) for the election of the Chief
Executive of the HKSAR, there are 30 EC members from the Engineering Subsector.
These representatives are elected by the Corporate Members of the Institution. In
addition, Corporate Members and Graduate Members of Information Technology
Division of the Institution are eligible to vote for the representatives in the
Information Technology Functional Constituency in the Legislative Council and its
Election Committee Subsector. Views of the engineering profession are well
respected both by the HKSAR Government and the community through these
establishments.
The HKIE has established close relationship with engineering institutions throughout
the world and it has signed agreements for reciprocal recognition of professional
qualifications with engineering authorities in Australia, Canada, Ireland, the
Mainland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. It has also signed agreements of
co-operation with other organisations in Europe, the Mainland, North America and
Southeast Asia.
In J une 1995, the HKIE joined the Washington Accord as one of the signatories. The
engineering degrees accredited by the HKIE are recognised by other signatories
including Australia, Canada, Chinese Taipei, Ireland, J apan, Korea, Malaysia, New
Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United
States. In 1999, Hong Kong became a founding member of the APEC Engineer
Framework. Registered Professional Engineers (R.P.E.) in Hong Kong are eligible to
register as Hong Kong APEC Engineers.
In J une 2001, the Institution became a founding signatory to the Sydney Accord.
Under this Accord, higher diplomas and associate degrees accredited by the HKIE
are recognised by other signatories including Australia, Canada, Ireland, New
Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States. On multilateral
recognition of engineers' and technologists' qualifications, the Institution is a
founding member of the Engineers Mobility Forum and the Engineering
Technologists Mobility Forum. The former is to provide a framework for the
recognition of experienced professional engineers by responsible bodies in each of
the signatory economy, while the latter is a framework that facilitates multilateral
recognition of technologists' qualifications.
Both the APEC Engineer Register in Hong Kong and the Engineers Mobility Forum
International Register of Professional Engineers in Hong Kong were launched in
April 2002. The Engineering Technologists Mobility Forum International Register of
Engineering Technologists in Hong Kong was also launched in February 2008.
In J une 2009, the Institution was admitted as a full signatory to the Seoul Accord.
The computer science degrees accredited by the HKIE are recognised by other
signatories including Australia, Canada, Chinese Taipei, J apan, Korea, the United
Kingdom and the United States.
The HKIE is an affiliate member of World Federation of Engineering Organisations
(WFEO) and a member of Federation of Engineering Institutions of Asia and the
Pacific (FEIAP).


Vision

** Sustained Excellence in the Engineering Profession **

Mission
To promote the advancement of engineering and to facilitate the exchange of
knowledge and ideas.
To provide a broad range of services to members, to assist them in
developing their careers and to play their full role in contributing to society.
To maintain a high standard of the profession, and to raise the standing and
visibility of engineers.
Organization
http://www.hkie.org.hk/docs/aboutthehkie/organisationalchart-e.pdf
(b) Participation in the HKIEs activities including G
(i) Involvement with The HKIE Committees
(ii) Attendance at AGMs, Technical Meetings, Site Visits and other activities
organised by the HKIE
1.2 Professionalism
(a) TheResponsibility of theEngineer in Society K
The engineer recognizes that the greatest merit is the work, so exercise their
profession committed to serving society, attending to the welfare and progress of the
majority. By transforming nature for the benefit of mankind, the engineer must
increase their awareness of the world is the abode of man and his interest in the
universe is a guarantee of overcoming their spirit and knowledge of reality to make it
fairer and happier. The engineer should reject papers that are intended to harm the
general interest, in this way avoid situations involving hazards or constitute a threat to
the environment, life, health and other rights of human beings. It is an inescapable
duty of the engineer to hold the prestige of the profession and ensure its proper
discharge; also maintain a professional demeanour rooted in the ability, honesty,
fortitude, temperance, magnanimity, modesty, honesty and justice, with the
consciousness of individual well-being subordinate to the good social. The engineer
must ensure the continuous improvement of their knowledge, particularly of their
profession, disseminate their knowledge, share experience, provide opportunities for
education and training of workers, provide recognition, moral and material support to
the school where he studied, in this way revert to the opportunities the company has
received. It is the responsibility of the engineer who carried out their work efficiently
and supports the laws. In particular, ensure compliance with the standards of worker
protection provided by the law As professionals, engineers are expected to commit
themselves to high standards of conduct.
(b)
The HKIE Rules of Conduct related to :-
(i) The HKIE
(ii) Employers/Clients
(iii) General Public
(iv) Colleagues
K
INTRODUCTION

The Ordinance and Constitution make it clear that members are required to conduct
themselves in a manner which is becoming to professional engineers, as may be seen
from the following general statement from clause(1) of Article 12 of the Constitution:
"Every member shall at all times so order his conduct as to uphold the dignity and
reputation of the Institution and act with fairness and integrity towards all persons
with whom his work is connected and towards other members." The Council, in
clause (3) of Article 12 of the Constitution, is required to make specific rules which
are to be observed by members, and such rules have been drawn up and approved by
the Council. These rules, given below, set the standard for the conduct of all
Institution members, though they are not wholly relevant to students. When the
masculine gender is used in the text, it is intended that this should embrace both the
masculine and feminine genders.

Rule 1 - Responsibility to the Profession
A member of the Institution shall order his conduct so as to uphold the dignity,
standing and reputation of the profession.
Rule 2 - Responsibility to Colleagues
A member of the Institution shall not maliciously or recklessly injure nor attempt to
injure whether directly or indirectly the professional reputation of another engineer,
and shall foster the mutual advancement of the profession.
Rule 3 - Responsibility to Employers or Clients
A member of the Institution shall discharge his duties to his employer or client with
integrity and in accordance with the highest standards of business ethics.
Rule 4 - Responsibility to the Public
A member of the Institution in discharging his responsibilities to his employer and the
profession shall at all times be governed by the overriding interest of the general
public, in particular their environment, welfare, health and safety.
GUIDELINES
Contained within the Ordinance, Constitution, Regulations and Rules of the
Institution are Rules of Conduct which are binding on the members of the Institution.
These Guidelines are to assist members with the interpretation and implementation of
the Rules.
Rule 1 - Responsibility to the Profession
A member of the Institution shall order his conduct so as to uphold the dignity,
standing and reputation of the Profession.
In pursuance of this rule a member shall, inter alia:
1.1 Discharge his professional responsibilities with integrity, dignity, fairness and
courtesy;
1.2 Not allow himself to be advertised in self-laudatory language nor in any manner
derogatory to the dignity of his profession, nor improperly solicit professional work
for himself or others;
1.3 Give opinions in his professional capacity that are, to the best of his ability,
objective, reliable and honest;
1.4 Take reasonable steps to avoid damage to the environment and the waste of
natural resources or the products of human skill and industry;
1.5 ensure adequate development of his professional competence;
1.6 accept responsibility for his actions and ensure that persons to whom he delegates
authority are sufficiently competent to carry the associated responsibility;
1.7 not undertake responsibility which he himself is not qualified and competent to
discharge;
1.8 treat colleagues and co-workers fairly and not misuse the advantage of position;
1.9 when working in a country other than Hong Kong order his conduct according to
the existing recognised standards of conduct in that country, except that he should
abide by these rules as applicable in the absence of local standards;
1.10 when working within the field of another profession pay due attention to the
ethics of that profession.
Rule 2 - Responsibility to Colleagues
A member of the Institution shall not maliciously or recklessly injure nor attempt to
injure whether directly or indirectly the professional reputation of another engineer,
and shall foster the mutual advancement of the profession.
In pursuance of this rule a member shall, inter alia:
2.1 where appropriate seek, accept and offer honest criticism of work and properly
credit the contributions of others;
2.2 seek to further the interchange of information and experience with other
engineers;
2.3 assist and support colleagues and engineering trainees in their professional
development;
2.4 not abuse his connection with the Institution to further his business interests;
2.5 not maliciously or falsely injure the professional reputation, prospects or practice
of another member provided however that he shall bring to the notice of the
Institution any evidence of unethical, illegal or unfair professional practice;
2.6 support the aims and activities of the Institution.
Rule 3 - Responsibility to Employers or Clients
A member of the Institution shall discharge his duties to his employer or client with
integrity and in accordance with the highest standards of business ethics.
In pursuance of this rule a member shall, inter alia:
3.1 offer complete loyalty to his employer or client, past and present, in all matters
concerning remuneration and in all business affairs and at the same time act with
fairness between his employer or client and any other party concerned;
3.2 avoid engaging in business, investments or activities which conflict with the
interests of his employer or client, and inform his employer or client in writing of any
possible conflict between his own financial interests, or those of his immediate
family, and the interests of his client or employer;
3.3 not accept any financial or contractual obligation on behalf of his employer or
client without their authority;
3.4 where possible advise those concerned of the consequences to be expected if his
engineering judgement, in areas of his responsibility, is overruled by a non-technical
authority;
3.5 advise his employer or client in anticipating the possible consequences of relevant
developments that come to his knowledge;
3.6 neither give nor accept any gift, entertainment, payment or service of more than
nominal value, to or from those having a business relationship with his employer or
client without the consent of the latter;
3.7 where necessary co-operate with or arrange for the services of other experts
wherever an employers or clients interest might best be served thereby;
3.8 safeguard confidential information in relation to his employer or client and not
disclose such information to third parties without his employer's or client's written
consent. A member shall not receive any gift, entertainment, payment or service from
third parties for disclosing such information nor make use of it for personal gain.
Rule 4 - Responsibility to the Public
A member of the Institution in discharging his responsibilities to his employer and the
profession shall at all times be governed by the overriding interest of the general
public, in particular their environment, welfare, health and safety.
In pursuance of this rule a member shall, inter alia:
4.1 seek to protect the safety, health and welfare of the public;
4.2 when making a public statement professionally, try to ensure that both his
qualification to make the statement and his association with any benefiting party are
made known to the recipients of the statement;
4.3 seek to extend public understanding of the engineering profession;
4.4 seek to assess the environmental consequences of work for which he is
responsible and to influence events so as to prevent or minimize damage to, and if
practicable to improve, the environment. In particular in the exercise of the
requirement to safeguard the public in matters of welfare, health and safety, engineers
should:
(a) strive to create through their projects a healthy and agreeable outdoor and indoor
environment;
(b) aim to minimise the use of non-renewable resources, to conserve energy and to
minimise the generation of waste;
(c) consider and take into account the consequences of any proposal upon public
health and local custom;
(d) assess the impacts of their proposals upon the environment, and select options that
will ensure sustainable development;
(e) consider and explain in their proposals the measures required to protect and
improve the environment;
(f) promote the concepts of interdependence of ecosystems, maintenance of the
diversity of species, resource replacement and recovery, and sustainable development;
(g) seek to balance costs with the best benefit to the environment and to human
society, to achieve the most suitable practical environmental option, by utilising the
best available technology and techniques without entailing excessive costs;
(h) encourage management to follow positive environmental policies by recognising
that a statement of intent is not sufficient to achieve legislative compliance.
(c)
Responsibilities of Professional Engineers related
to :-
(i) Ethics
(ii) Codes of Practice
(iii) Expertise
(iv) The community
K
(i) Ethics
I. Fundamental Canons
Engineers, in the fulfilment of their professional duties, shall:
1. Hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public.
2. Perform services only in areas of their competence.
3. Issue public statements only in an objective and truthful manner.
4. Act for each employer or client as faithful agents or trustees.
5. Avoid deceptive acts.
6. Conduct themselves honourably, responsibly, ethically, and lawfully so as to
enhance the honour, reputation, and usefulness of the profession.
II. Rules of Practice
1. Engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public.
a. If engineers' judgment is overruled under circumstances that endanger
life or property, they shall notify their employer or client and such
other authority as may be appropriate.
b. Engineers shall approve only those engineering documents that are in
conformity with applicable standards.
c. Engineers shall not reveal facts, data, or information without the prior
consent of the client or employer except as authorized or required by
law or this Code.
d. Engineers shall not permit the use of their name or associate in
business ventures with any person or firm that they believe is engaged
in fraudulent or dishonest enterprise.
e. Engineers shall not aid or abet the unlawful practice of engineering by
a person or firm.
f. Engineers having knowledge of any alleged violation of this Code shall
report thereon to appropriate professional bodies and, when relevant,
also to public authorities, and cooperate with the proper authorities in
furnishing such information or assistance as may be required.
2. Engineers shall perform services only in the areas of their competence.
a. Engineers shall undertake assignments only when qualified by
education or experience in the specific technical fields involved.
b. Engineers shall not affix their signatures to any plans or documents
dealing with subject matter in which they lack competence, nor to any
plan or document not prepared under their direction and control.
c. Engineers may accept assignments and assume responsibility for
coordination of an entire project and sign and seal the engineering
documents for the entire project, provided that each technical segment
is signed and sealed only by the qualified engineers who prepared the
segment.
3. Engineers shall issue public statements only in an objective and truthful
manner.
a. Engineers shall be objective and truthful in professional reports,
statements, or testimony. They shall include all relevant and pertinent
information in such reports, statements, or testimony, which should
bear the date indicating when it was current.
b. Engineers may express publicly technical opinions that are founded
upon knowledge of the facts and competence in the subject matter.
c. Engineers shall issue no statements, criticisms, or arguments on
technical matters that are inspired or paid for by interested parties,
unless they have prefaced their comments by explicitly identifying the
interested parties on whose behalf they are speaking, and by revealing
the existence of any interest the engineers may have in the matters.
4. Engineers shall act for each employer or client as faithful agents or trustees.
a. Engineers shall disclose all known or potential conflicts of interest that
could influence or appear to influence their judgment or the quality of
their services.
b. Engineers shall not accept compensation, financial or otherwise, from
more than one party for services on the same project, or for services
pertaining to the same project, unless the circumstances are fully
disclosed and agreed to by all interested parties.
c. Engineers shall not solicit or accept financial or other valuable
consideration, directly or indirectly, from outside agents in connection
with the work for which they are responsible.
d. Engineers in public service as members, advisors, or employees of a
governmental or quasi-governmental body or department shall not
participate in decisions with respect to services solicited or provided by
them or their organizations in private or public engineering practice.
e. Engineers shall not solicit or accept a contract from a governmental
body on which a principal or officer of their organization serves as a
member.
5. Engineers shall avoid deceptive acts.
a. Engineers shall not falsify their qualifications or permit
misrepresentation of their or their associates' qualifications. They shall
not misrepresent or exaggerate their responsibility in or for the subject
matter of prior assignments. Brochures or other presentations incident
to the solicitation of employment shall not misrepresent pertinent facts
concerning employers, employees, associates, joint venturers, or past
accomplishments.
b. Engineers shall not offer, give, solicit, or receive, either directly or
indirectly, any contribution to influence the award of a contract by
public authority, or which may be reasonably construed by the public
as having the effect or intent of influencing the awarding of a contract.
They shall not offer any gift or other valuable consideration in order to
secure work. They shall not pay a commission, percentage, or
brokerage fee in order to secure work, except to a bona fide employee
or bona fide established commercial or marketing agencies retained by
them.
III. Professional Obligations
1. Engineers shall be guided in all their relations by the highest standards of
honesty and integrity.
a. Engineers shall acknowledge their errors and shall not distort or alter
the facts.
b. Engineers shall advise their clients or employers when they believe a
project will not be successful.
c. Engineers shall not accept outside employment to the detriment of their
regular work or interest. Before accepting any outside engineering
employment, they will notify their employers.
d. Engineers shall not attempt to attract an engineer from another
employer by false or misleading pretences.
e. Engineers shall not promote their own interest at the expense of the
dignity and integrity of the profession.
2. Engineers shall at all times strive to serve the public interest.
a. Engineers are encouraged to participate in civic affairs; career
guidance for youths; and work for the advancement of the safety,
health, and well-being of their community.
b. Engineers shall not complete, sign, or seal plans and/or specifications
that are not in conformity with applicable engineering standards. If the
client or employer insists on such unprofessional conduct, they shall
notify the proper authorities and withdraw from further service on the
project.
c. Engineers are encouraged to extend public knowledge and appreciation
of engineering and its achievements.
d. Engineers are encouraged to adhere to the principles of sustainable
development
1
in order to protect the environment for future
generations.
3. Engineers shall avoid all conduct or practice that deceives the public.
a. Engineers shall avoid the use of statements containing a material
misrepresentation of fact or omitting a material fact.
b. Consistent with the foregoing, engineers may advertise for recruitment
of personnel.
c. Consistent with the foregoing, engineers may prepare articles for the
lay or technical press, but such articles shall not imply credit to the
author for work performed by others.
4. Engineers shall not disclose, without consent, confidential information
concerning the business affairs or technical processes of any present or former
client or employer, or public body on which they serve.
a. Engineers shall not, without the consent of all interested parties,
promote or arrange for new employment or practice in connection with
a specific project for which the engineer has gained particular and
specialized knowledge.
b. Engineers shall not, without the consent of all interested parties,
participate in or represent an adversary interest in connection with a
specific project or proceeding in which the engineer has gained
particular specialized knowledge on behalf of a former client or
employer.
5. Engineers shall not be influenced in their professional duties by conflicting
interests.
a. Engineers shall not accept financial or other considerations, including
free engineering designs, from material or equipment suppliers for
specifying their product.
b. Engineers shall not accept commissions or allowances, directly or
indirectly, from contractors or other parties dealing with clients or
employers of the engineer in connection with work for which the
engineer is responsible.
6. Engineers shall not attempt to obtain employment or advancement or
professional engagements by untruthfully criticizing other engineers, or by
other improper or questionable methods.
a. Engineers shall not request, propose, or accept a commission on a
contingent basis under circumstances in which their judgment may be
compromised.
b. Engineers in salaried positions shall accept part-time engineering work
only to the extent consistent with policies of the employer and in
accordance with ethical considerations.
c. Engineers shall not, without consent, use equipment, supplies,
laboratory, or office facilities of an employer to carry on outside
private practice.
7. Engineers shall not attempt to injure, maliciously or falsely, directly or
indirectly, the professional reputation, prospects, practice, or employment of
other engineers. Engineers who believe others are guilty of unethical or illegal
practice shall present such information to the proper authority for action.
a. Engineers in private practice shall not review the work of another
engineer for the same client, except with the knowledge of such
engineer, or unless the connection of such engineer with the work has
been terminated.
b. Engineers in governmental, industrial, or educational employ are
entitled to review and evaluate the work of other engineers when so
required by their employment duties.
c. Engineers in sales or industrial employ are entitled to make
engineering comparisons of represented products with products of
other suppliers.
8. Engineers shall accept personal responsibility for their professional activities,
provided, however, that engineers may seek indemnification for services
arising out of their practice for other than gross negligence, where the
engineer's interests cannot otherwise be protected.
a. Engineers shall conform with state registration laws in the practice of
engineering.
b. Engineers shall not use association with a nonengineer, a corporation,
or partnership as a "cloak" for unethical acts.
9. Engineers shall give credit for engineering work to those to whom credit is
due, and will recognize the proprietary interests of others.
a. Engineers shall, whenever possible, name the person or persons who
may be individually responsible for designs, inventions, writings, or
other accomplishments.
b. Engineers using designs supplied by a client recognize that the designs
remain the property of the client and may not be duplicated by the
engineer for others without express permission.
c. Engineers, before undertaking work for others in connection with
which the engineer may make improvements, plans, designs,
inventions, or other records that may justify copyrights or patents,
should enter into a positive agreement regarding ownership.
d. Engineers' designs, data, records, and notes referring exclusively to an
employer's work are the employer's property. The employer should
indemnify the engineer for use of the information for any purpose other
than the original purpose.
e. Engineers shall continue their professional development throughout
their careers and should keep current in their specialty fields by
engaging in professional practice, participating in continuing education
courses, reading in the technical literature, and attending professional
meetings and seminars.
(ii) Codes of Practices
Comply with the Code and support those who seek to uphold the Code:
A registered professional engineer must:
(a) not assist in or induce failure to comply with this Code of Practice;
(b) support those who seek to uphold the Code if called upon, or in a position, to do
so.

(iii) Expertise
3.1. Bring knowledge, skill, judgment, and care to the task:
A registered professional engineer must bring to the engineering task knowledge,
skill, judgment, and care that are of a standard which might reasonably be expected by
the public or the registered professional engineers professional peers.
3.2. Not engage in professional misconduct, or fraudulent or dishonest behavior:
A registered professional engineer must not:
(a) engage in misconduct in a professional respect; or
(b) engage in fraudulent or dishonest behaviour in the practice of engineering.
3.3. Communicate with fairness, honesty, and adequate knowledge:
A registered professional engineer must, both orally and in writing, express opinions,
make statements, or give evidence with fairness, honesty, and only on the basis of
adequate knowledge.
3.4. Not promise, accept, or give inducements:
A registered professional engineer must not:
(a) promise to give or give to any person anything intended to improperly influence
that person's decisions as they relate to the registered professional engineer's services
or to secure work; or
(b) accept from any person anything intended to improperly influence the registered
professional engineers decisions.
3.5. Work within area of competence and not misrepresent competence:
A registered professional engineer must:
(a) undertake professional engineering services only within their area of competence;
(b) not misrepresent their competence;
(c) not knowingly permit engineers whose work they are responsible for to breach
paragraph (a) or paragraph (b).
Examples of competence in an area of practice include
formal training in that area;
any previous experience or exposure in the type of work that has been supervised by
a registered professional engineer;
consultation with or reference to a person competent in the area to supervise the
task.
Code of Practice for Registered Professional Engineers in Queensland Page 6 of 6
Examples of not misrepresenting competence in an area of practice include
fully informing the client as to any limitations or legitimate concerns that a
registered professional engineer might have with regard to their competence in
relation to the clients specific project; and/or
organizing for a person competent in the area to provide supervision of or advice to
the engineer in relation to the task.
3.6. Supervision:
If a registered professional engineer supervises a person in the carrying out of
professional engineering services within the meaning of section 115 of the Act, the
registered professional engineer, in the role of the supervisor, must
(a) have sufficient knowledge of the professional engineering services carried out; and
(b) sufficient control over any outputs of the professional engineering services to
reasonably form the view that the standard of the professional engineering services is
that to be expected of a registered professional engineer; and
(c) take full professional responsibility for the professional engineering services
provided by the supervised person.
3.7. Continue to develop knowledge, skills, and expertise:
A registered professional engineer must:
(a) continue to develop relevant knowledge, skills, and expertise throughout their
careers;
(b) actively assist and encourage those with whom they are associated to do likewise.
(c) ensure that they have documented Continuing Professional
Development that can be used to verify that they meet certain minimum criteria in
respect of Continuing Professional Development that would reasonably be expected
as appropriate by the registered professional engineers professional peers.

(iv) The community
1.1. Be informed of social, environmental, economic and other possible
consequences:
A registered professional engineer must take reasonable steps to be informed, and to
inform clients and employers, of the social, environmental, economic, and other
possible consequences that might arise from professional engineering services.
1.2. Act with honesty, integrity, fairness, and without discrimination:
A registered professional engineer must act with honesty, integrity, fairness, and
without unlawful discrimination.
1.3. Take reasonable steps to safeguard health, welfare, and community safety:
A registered professional engineer must take reasonable steps to safeguard the health,
welfare, and the safety of the community.
1.4. Have regard to, and reduce effects on, the natural environment:
A registered professional engineer must:
(a) have regard to reasonably foreseeable effects of professional engineering services
on the natural environment; and
(b) take reasonable steps to reduce reasonably foreseeable adverse effects of
professional engineering services on the natural environment.
(d)
Current Professional Affairs

Keeping up-to-date with current technical
developments related to the trainees discipline.
Achieved either by:
(i) Reading Hong Kong Engineer, and relevant
local and international publications
(ii) Making use of Information Technology
(iii) Participating in Seminars, Conferences or Talks
G

1.3 General Personal Development
(a)
Keeping up-to-datewith local, regional and
international current affairs. Achieved either by:
(i) Reading periodicals, journals and newspapers
(ii) Making use of Information Technology
(iii) Participating in Seminars, Conferences or Talks
G
(b)
Involvement with local organisation or community
services

1.4 Development of Personal Qualities
(a) Innovative thinking
G
(b) Interpersonal skills
(c) Negotiation skills
(d) Time management skills
(e) Continuous Improvement
(a) Innovative thinking
Innovative thinking is thinking that goes beyond what you can see. It is imaginative. It
is the ability to look beyond the obvious. It is creative and it is different. An
innovative thinker can look at something ordinary and see the extraordinary.
Innovation is about invention. It is about being able to come up with something that
nobody has come up with before. Being an innovative thinker means you have a mind
that does not quite work like the logical, down-to-earth mind that the majority of
people have. Innovative thinking is a gift. Being able to go beyond the obvious is not
something everyone can do. Some people are naturally born with this gift, while
others have to work to train their brain to be able to think outside the box. Innovative
thinking is something that can help you out in many aspects of your life. You can use
innovative thinking to create a new outfit, come up with a good business idea or
create dinner.

Creative thinking in all areas of Engineering is a must in todays extremely
competitive world, due to the high demand of highly skilled and innovative engineers.
Creative thinking is the first step to innovation, which is a desirable feature of an
engineering graduate. Creativity (or "creativeness") is a mental process involving the
generation of new ideas or concepts, or new associations between existing ideas or
concepts. Innovation is the process of selecting/combining, refining and turning the
best creative idea(s) into reality. Both are equally important for universities and
companies to be competitive. Investing generously in education to tap into future
professionals creative capacities is view as one of the top priority items for the higher
education community.

In engineering education, creativity, according to is classified as a Higher Order
Thinking Skills. Encouraging this type of skills is a desirable teaching goal in every
engineering design class. Creativity is also considered as one of the 13 fundamental
objectives of Engineering Instructional Laboratories, such as: proper use of
instrumentation, ability to perform experiments and data analysis, team work, learning
from failure, etc. Objective 7 states: Creativity: Demonstrate appropriate levels of
independent thought, creativity, and capability in real world problem solving.

(b) Interpersonal skills
Interpersonal skills are the life skills we use every day to communicate and interact
with other people, individually and in groups. Interpersonal skills include not only
how we communicate with others, but also our confidence and our ability to listen and
understand. Problem solving, decision making and personal stress management are
also considered interpersonal skills.

People with strong interpersonal skills are usually more successful in both their
professional and personal lives. They are perceived as more calm, confident and
charismatic - qualities that are often endearing or appealing to others. Being more
aware of your interpersonal skills can help you improve and develop them. We all
learn how people are likely to react to what we say, how we say it and what we do, as
well as how these actions make others, and us, feel. These skills are easily further
developed with a little time and effort spent working, thinking and practising them.
Remember it is worth spending time developing these skills as good interpersonal
skills can improve many aspects of your life.

Here, you can find out how to develop specific interpersonal skills including:

Learn to Listen
Listening is not the same as hearing. Take time to listen carefully to what others are
saying through both their verbal and non-verbal communication. (More on Listening
Skills)

Choose Your Words
Be aware of the words you are using when talking to others. Could you be
misunderstood or confuse the issue? Practise clarity and learn to seek feedback to
ensure your message has been understood. Encourage others to engage in
communication use appropriate questioning to develop your understanding. (More on
Verbal Communication, Questioning and Effective Speech)
Understand Why Communication Fails
By learning about the various barriers to good communication you can be aware of -
and reduce the likelihood of - ineffective interpersonal communication. (See Barriers
to Communication)

Relax
When we are nervous we tend to talk more quickly and therefore less clearly. Being
tense is also evident in our body language and other non-verbal communication.
Instead, try to stay calm, make eye contact and smile. Let your confidence shine.
(Learn about Non-Verbal Communication, Personal Appearance and some top tips for
Dealing with Stress also see our page on Coping with Presentation Nerves.)

Clarify
Show an interest in the people you talk to. Ask questions and seek clarification on any
points that could be easily misunderstood. (See Reflection and Clarification)

Be Positive
Try to remain positive and cheerful. People are much more likely to be drawn to you
if you can maintain a positive attitude. (More on Personal Presentation and Building
Confidence)

Empathise
Understand that other people may have different points of view. Try to see things
from their perspective. You may learn something while you gain the respect and trust
of others. (More on Active Listening and read or article: What is Empathy?)

Understand Stress
Learn to recognise, manage and reduce stress in others and yourself. Although stress
is not always bad it can have a detrimental effect on the communication process.
Learning how to recognise and manage stress, in yourself and others, is an important
interpersonal skill. (More about stress.)

Learn to be Assertive
You should aim to be neither passive nor aggressive. Being assertive is about
expressing your feelings and beliefs in a way that others can understand and respect.
Assertiveness is fundamental to successful negotiation. (Learn more about
Assertiveness | Negotiation and Confidence)

Reflect and Improve
Think about previous conversations and other interpersonal interactions; learn from
your mistakes and successes. Always keep a positive attitude but realise that we can
all always improve our communication skills. (See our article on Improving
Communications Skills)

Negotiate
Learn how to effectively negotiate with others paving the way to mutual respect, trust
and lasting interpersonal relations. (Negotiation Skills)

Working in Groups
We often find ourselves in group situations, professionally and socially. Learn all
about the different types of groups and teams in our article: What is a Group. Further
articles about groups include: Group and Team Roles, Group Life Cycles, Building
Group Cohesiveness and How to Recognise and Avoid Problem Behaviours in
Groups.

(c) Negotiation skills
Negotiation is a method by which people settle differences. It is a process by which
compromise or agreement is reached while avoiding argument. In any disagreement,
individuals understandably aim to achieve the best possible outcome for their position
(or perhaps an organisation they represent). However, the principles of fairness,
seeking mutual benefit and maintaining a relationship are the keys to a successful
outcome.

Specific forms of negotiation are used in many situations: international affairs, the
legal system, government, industrial disputes or domestic relationships as examples.
However, general negotiation skills can be learned and applied in a wide range of
activities. Negotiation skills can be of great benefit in resolving any differences that
arise between you and others.

Why Negotiate?
It is inevitable that, from time-to-time, conflict and disagreement will arise as the
differing needs, wants, aims and beliefs of people are brought together. Without
negotiation, such conflicts may lead to argument and resentment resulting in one or all
of the parties feeling dissatisfied. The point of negotiation is to try to reach
agreements without causing future barriers to communications.
Stages of Negotiation
In order to achieve a desirable outcome, it may be useful to follow a structured
approach to negotiation. For example, in a work situation a meeting may need to be
arranged in which all parties involved can come together. The process of negotiation
includes the following stages:
1. Preparation
2. Discussion
3. Clarification of goals
4. Negotiation towards a WIN-WIN situation
5. Agreement
6. Implementation of a course of action

1. Preparation
Before any negotiation takes place, a decision needs to be taken as to when and where
a meeting will take place to discuss the problem and who will attend. Setting a
limited timescale can also be helpful to prevent the disagreement continuing

This stage involves ensuring all the pertinent facts of the situation are known in order
to clarify your own position. In the work example above, this would include
knowing the rules of your organisation, to whom help is given, when help is not felt
appropriate and the grounds for such refusals. Your organisation may well have
policies to which you can refer in preparation for the negotiation.

Undertaking preparation before discussing the disagreement will help to avoid further
conflict and unnecessary wasting time during the meeting.
2. Discussion
During this stage, individuals or members of each side put forward the case as they
see it, that is their understanding of the situation. Key skills during this stage are
questioning, listening and clarifying. Sometimes it is helpful to take notes during the
discussion stage to record all points put forward in case there is need for further
clarification. It is extremely important to listen, as when disagreement takes place it
is easy to make the mistake of saying too much and listening too little. Each side
should have an equal opportunity to present their case.
3. Clarifying Goals
From the discussion, the goals, interests and viewpoints of both sides of the
disagreement need to be clarified. It is helpful to list these in order of
priority. Through this clarification it is often possible to identify or establish
common ground.

4. Negotiate for a WIN-WIN Outcome
This stage focuses on what is termed a WIN-WIN outcome where both sides feel they
have gained something positive through the process of negotiation and both sides feel
their point of view has been taken into consideration. A WIN-WIN outcome is usually
the best outcome, however it may not always be possible but through negotiation it
should be the ultimate goal.

Suggestions of alternative strategies and compromises need to be considered at this
point. Compromises are often positive alternatives which can often achieve greater
benefit for all concerned rather than holding to the original positions.
5. Agreement
Agreement can be achieved once understanding of both sides viewpoints and
interests have been considered. It is essential to keep an open mind in order to
achieve a solution. Any agreement needs to be made perfectly clear so that both
sides know what has been decided.
6. Implementing a Course of Action
From the agreement, a course of action has to be implemented, to carry through the
decision.
Failure to Agree: If the process of negotiation breaks down and agreement cannot
be reached, then re-scheduling a further meeting is called for. This avoids all parties
becoming embroiled in heated discussion or argument, which not only wastes
valuable time but can also damage future working relationships.

At the subsequent meeting, the stages of negotiation should be repeated. Any new
ideas or interests should be taken into account and the situation looked at afresh. At
this stage it may also be helpful to look at other alternative solutions and/or bring in
another person to mediate.
Informal Negotiation: Apart from situations when it is appropriate to employ this
more formal process of negotiation, you will no doubt encounter one-to-one situations
where there is a need to negotiate informally. At such a time when a difference of
opinion arises, it might not be possible or appropriate to go through the stages set out
above in a formal manner. Nevertheless, remembering the key points in the stages
of formal negotiation may be very helpful in a variety of informal situations.

(d) Time management skills
'Time Management' is a misleading term. Although science fiction has long been
fixated with the concept of managing time in various ways (for example, time travel
and the ability to alter the speed of the passing of time) nobody can manage time. All
we can hope to achieve is to manage the events in our lives as efficiently as possible
so that we have enough time available for everything we want to accomplish. Time
manages itself.

There may be periods in our lives when we wish for more time, and others when we
want time to pass more quickly. Sometimes time flies and at other times it can
appear to drag people complain that holidays pass too quickly, while their time at
work or school can drag. Such illusions are merely how we react to different
environments and emotions. There are always 24 hours in a day. Research suggests
that if the brain is engaged in many activities then it has less capacity to notice the
passing of time, conversely when the brain is less stimulated it concentrates more on
monitoring of the passing of time.

We protect our money; we aim to use it wisely, trying to avoid waste. We budget;
balancing what money is earned against what is spent. Rather like money, time is a
valuable and limited resource; the skills we need to manage time are therefore similar
to those needed to successfully manage money - planning, evaluation, and
self-control.

Like money, what we do with our time is unique to us we all have different
priorities, different goals and aspirations. Therefore, finding a suitable time
management strategy that works well for you is an important personal skill. Your
ability to manage the things in your life effectively will depend on your personality
and levels of self-discipline and self-motivation. Some of the benefits of learning
good time management techniques include:

Being more productive and getting more things done
Feeling less stressed and anxious
Having more time to do the things you enjoy
Increased self-confidence
Better, more positive relationships with others

Learn to Prioritise
Correctly prioritising tasks is fundamental to successful time management;
unfortunately many of us are not very good at successful prioritisation. In order to
prioritise we have to be able to recognise the difference between tasks that are
important and those that are urgent. The most important tasks are very often not the
most urgent tasks. For many people being reactive is easier than being proactive,
urgency (or perceived urgency) takes priority over importance. Take the example of
an office worker who has to get a report finished by a tight deadline an important
task. Whilst busy working on the report the phone rings, many people in this
situation will answer the phone a ringing phone shouts urgent, urgent. This is a
reactive behaviour. The phone call probably isnt that urgent, if it is then the caller
will leave a message or attempt contact in another way. The proactive person has
prioritised the report writing and doesnt answer the phone they may have even
recorded a message to say they are busy and will return the call later or simply turned
the ringer off. Try to be less reactive to urgent tasks, concentrating first on the
important tasks. The longer you leave an important task the more urgent it becomes,
unless it wasnt really important in the first place!
One of the easiest ways to prioritise tasks effectively is to make a to do list. Such
lists are easily created on a computer, tablet, smart phone, PDA or simply on a piece
of paper. The advantage of creating digital lists is that they can be synchronised
across different devices and can actively remind you of what you need to do. Some
basic rules of effective to-do lists include: do not keep multiple lists in different
places or on different devices, have one master list. Create a list that is suitable for
your lifestyle, daily, weekly, monthly or even annually. Rank items on the list in
order of importance and urgency, some people find colour coding items
useful. Things that are neither important nor urgent should not be on your list. Tick
items off the list once they are completed, the goal is not to tick off lots of items but to
remove high priority items. Removing items from a to-do list can be most
satisfying, often boosting confidence and motivation.
Get Organised
Spend some time organising your environment. A cluttered environment will slow
you down:
Clutter can be a distraction
Youll take longer looking for things, things get lost
Youll read the same information over and over
Cluttered environments can reduce feelings of self-confidence and motivation
Create three piles to help you sort the important stuff from the clutter. One pile for
keep one for give away and one for throw away. Anything that you dont need
and that has no value to anybody else should be put on the throw away pile and
thrown away! Things that you could delegate, give to somebody else or sell should
go onto the give away pile. Then make sure they are given away or sold at a
car-boot or yard sale or on eBay. Only things that you need/want to keep should go
onto the keep pile. Things in the keep pile should be added to your to-do list,
filed while waiting for more information or filed permanently. Once completed,
things in the keep pile can be added to either the throw away or give away piles.
Schedule
Take some time to think about when you are at your most productive during the
day. Some people are most productive first thing in the morning, some in the
evening. Some people feel lethargic after lunch but productive by the middle of the
afternoon. Work out your most productive times.
Arrange suitable times to complete your most important tasks. Aim to complete your
important tasks during your most productive time of the day. Block time off in your
diary or digital calendar to ensure that you get what is important done. Many
organizations let staff share their digital calendars with colleagues and line managers,
this can be very useful when you need to block off time for working on specific
tasks. Scheduling is not all about things you have to do for work, make sure you also
schedule things you want to do. If you know you are going to have some down-time,
for example whilst commuting, then schedule some simple tasks, like updating your
to-do list so that you dont waste time later.
Dont Put it Off
Procrastinating is a common problem; we may be putting off tasks for a variety of
reasons. Perhaps the task seems overwhelming, unpleasant or boring. Usually it is
possible to break down big tasks into smaller sub-tasks. These sub-tasks require less
time commitment and result in specific, realistic deadlines. If youre finding it hard
to get started, you may benefit from completing a preparatory task collecting and
organising the materials needed to complete the task, for example. Minor rewards can
also be positive reinforces to get tasks done treat yourself to something to mark
important milestones in task completion.
Do one thing at a time
Computers may be good at multi-tasking but people are not. Contrary to what you
may think, trying to do more than one thing at once is nearly always less productive
than concentrating on one task at a time. It takes time for our brains to switch from
one task to another, resulting in a loss of productivity. Concentrate, stay focused and
do one thing at a time youll get more done and to a higher standard in the long run.
Stay Calm
Perhaps the most important thing to remember is to stay calm. Although a little stress
can sometimes be useful in completing tasks too much stress can be
detrimental. When were stressed we tend to be less productive, more easily
distracted and pay less attention to detail. It may be difficult sometimes but include
time to relax in your schedule, do something that you enjoy to take your mind off
other tasks for a while. Even short breaks can help lower stress levels and improve
motivation and production.

(e) Continuous Improvement
Individual development plan or personal development plan, what are they and
why bother?
A personal development plan is applied self-improvement and may be thought of as
having the following aims:
* to make explicit a commitment to proactive action and change
* to facilitate an investment in your personal growth (a bit like continuous
improvement for you)
* to be a really useful aid to successful career planning
* to help in releasing and realising more of your potential, which may be quite a
transformation, and
* to create a means of enhancing your capacity to create your own future
(which is the definition of learning we use in self improvement).
Individual development plan - why bother?
Increasingly in todays world and, almost certainly, in tomorrows world:
* there are no guarantees (e.g. of security in a job)
* no one owes us a living or will do it for us its up to us to be proactive
* the only unchanging thing is change and the best way to manage change is to help
create it (e.g. by investing in an individual development plan)
* becoming a victim is self-hurting in the long run, and dependency and spoon
feeding creates victims.
So, if the world is changing, so must we - we must invest in an individual
development plan, which, in practice, means we must learn to move:
* from: expecting a job for life to: no job is safe or unchanging over time (e.g.
we must keep learning new skills)
* from: relying on a single skill to: developing multiple skills
* from: attitudes such as, keep your head down, its only a job to: take
ownership, contribute, initiative, innovation & continuous improvement
* from: being employed by a single employer to: working for multiple employers
* from: having a career planned for us to: planning our own career and
development
* from: training in narrow specific tasks to: lifelong learning
* from: certainty to: ambiguity, uncertainty
* from: a leave me alone, thats your job mindset to: working in teams and
inter-dependency with others
* from: having a job (or technical) focus to: having a customer and business focus
* from: negative thinking in terms of limitations to: positive thinking in terms of
possibilities.

how do you do an individual development plan?
The good news is that creating your individual development plan is simple. You only
have to do five things:
1. take stock of where you are right now.
This will involve a good, healthy "look in the mirror" about yourself.
No cheating, no being too kind or too cruel on yourself, no defensiveness etc. etc.
Simple, but not necessarily easy. Here's a couple of suggestions that might help:
* use your journal or learning log to list out your existing skills, knowledge,
relationships, contribution etc.
* do a self-diagnosis exercise and use the self diagnosis summary to explore
self-improvement opportunities from the resulting pattern of strengths and weaknesses
* if appropriate, (e.g. career planning or thinking about change or promotion in your
work) prepare a resume that includes responsibilities and achievements (rather than
just job titles) or write a story of your career to date
* go and seek some feedback from trusted others who you know will be ok with
giving feedback and valuable insights and help with your individual development
plan.
2. consider where do you want to be in the future?.
Think about the future you want to create and what it will mean in terms of your
personal growth (and career planning?) and personal development plan.
What does this future look like? Use visualisation techniques to make the picture as
sharp and real as you can.
Again, capture this in your journal and / or ask a trusted other to facilitate your
thinking here (e.g. try thinking differently, "out of the box", in terms of possibilities,
rather than limitations).
When you've got a "big picture", an overall purpose, turn it into a series of SMART
goals
3. what do you need to learn or change to move from 1. to 2?.
This step will produce your personal development plan of action based on your
learning and change needs.
It will usually require you to:
* list out WHAT you need to learn and change
* for each item, identify HOW you will do it.
That is, what learning methods will you use? (e.g. courses, self study on the web,
coaching, shadowing someone else, reading, mentoring, self help DVDs).
And, what habits or behaviours will you change? (e.g. here you may want to use the
i-c-s-i process or self hypnosis - click here for an example self hypnosis script).
For steps 1, 2 and 3 above it is usually very helpful to get others perceptions through
giving feedback processes such as:
* 1-to-1 conversations
* 360 feedback sessions
* team look-in-the-mirror sessions
* x-team feedback sessions
* self review and appraisals.
4. just do it.
That is, implement your individual development plan.
J UST DO IT, close the loop (and review your progress) and go to step 1. again so that
this becomes an annual cycle and never ending process.
Keep it simple and keep your personal development plan objectives clearly in mind
to develop yourself so that you can make a better contribution in the short-term
present AND for your personal growth over the longer term (e.g. enhance your
capacity to survive and thrive in an ever changing future, rather than be a victim).
5. control and learn.
That is, check out how well you have achieved your goals and closed the gap between
(1) and (2) above - control.
If needed, make modifications to your individual development plan and "just do it"
again and again until you get the outcome you want.
It's unlikely that you will have considered everything, or predicted everything
perfectly, so be sure to see this process positively - it is not a failure.
Failure would be to NOT modify and improve and persevere.
Then be sure to take some reflection time and use your learning log or journal to
capture your learnings from the experience.
Do this for the two key aspects of your personal development investment:
1. the content - e.g. WHAT have you achieved? what has been the return on your
investment in an individual development plan?
2. the process - e.g. HOW did you do it? if you were doing it all over again, what
would you do differently / better?
1.5 Occupational Safety & Health
(a) Relevant Legislation K
The following Hong Kong regulations and codes are applicable:-

The Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance (Cap 59, Sections 6A & 6B)
The Construction Sites (Safety) Regulations, Cap 59I
The Factories and Industrial Undertakings (Lifting Appliances and Lifting Gear)
Regulations Cap 59J
The Factories and Industrial Undertakings (Safety Officers and Safety Supervisors)
Regulations Cap 59Z
The Factories and Industrial Undertakings (Suspended Working Platforms)
Regulations Cap 59AC
The Factories and Industrial Undertakings (Confined Spaces) Regulation Cap 59AE

The Factories and Industrial Undertakings (Safety Management) Regulation Cap
59AF
The Buildings Ordinance and the Subsidiary Regulations, Cap 123
The Dangerous Goods Ordinance (Cap 295, Section 6)
The Electricity Ordinance (Cap 406, Part VII)
The Electricity (Wiring) Regulations Cap 406E
The Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance Cap 509
The Occupational Safety and Health Regulations Cap 509A
The Occupational Safety and Health (Display Screen Equipment) Regulation Cap
509B
Smoking (Public Health) Ordinance, Cap 371
British Standard Code of Practice for safe use of Cranes, BS7121: Part 1: 1997
Code of Practice for Safe Use of Mobile Cranes and Tower Cranes from the
Occupational Safety and Health Branch of the Labour Department, March 1998
British Standard Specification for Automatic Safe Load Indicators, BS 7262:1990
Code of Practice for Safety Precautions in the Construction of Large Diameter
Boreholes for Piling and other Purposes, BS8008:1996
Code of Practice for Scaffolding Safety, Labour Department
Code of Safe Working Practices for Hand-dug Caissons, Occupational Safety &
Health Council
Guidance Notes on Hand Dug Caissons, Hong Kong Institution of Engineers
S.S. No. 5 to Gazette No 7/97, Technical Memorandum for Site Safety Supervision
Plans
Code of Practice for Site Safety Supervision issued by the Building Authority
Relevant AP/RSE Practice Notes
(b)
Responsibilities of Professional Engineers to:-
(i) Employers
(ii) Employees
(iii) General Public
K
(i) Employers Responsibilities
Health and safety criminal law in Hong Kong, predominantly the Occupational Safety and
Health Ordinance and Regulations, is generally written in terms of the responsibilities of
employers and employees, although controllers of premises also have significant duties.
Employers owe a general duty not only to employees, but also to others not in their
employment who may be affected by their work. Therefore, in order to define these
duties and to enable all staff to comply with requirements Arup will:
Prepare and maintain a statement of policy with respect to health and safety at work
and bring this to the attention of all employees.
Provide such information, instruction, training, supervision and safe working
equipment as is necessary to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and
safety at work of all employees.
The firms health and safety policy, organization and general arrangements for the
management of health and safety are set out in the Health and Safety Handbook.

Reporting of Injuries and Diseases
Injuries

All injuries causing incapacity for more than 3 days, which result from accidents at
work, must be reported by the firm to the Occupational Safety Officer within 24
hours. Details of information required are given in appendix III.
Reporting procedures for sites are laid down for Government projects in the Project
Administration Handbook Volume III clause 11.5 and in the Public Works
Construction Site Safety Manual chapter 9. Normally the Contractor will complete
these but site staff should satisfy themselves that the procedures are being followed.
The statutory responsibility for reporting an injury lies with the injured persons
employer, so a full recording and notification procedure must be followed in every
case involving Arup staff.
Resident site staff are required to inform the Project Director immediately in the event
of a serious accident on site whoever is involved in case there are insurance
implications. In the event of the accident involving a member of Arup staff a report
must be sent back to the Human Resources Department immediately, followed up
with a detailed report within three days. HRD will co-ordinate the necessary action.
Diseases

In the event of certain diseases related to specific work activities (eg. decompression
sickness related to breathing gases at increased pressure) as specified in schedule 2 of
the OSH Ordinance being diagnosed the medical examiner responsible is required to
make a report to the Occupational Safety Officer. Although not our duty we should
be aware of this requirement.

Reporting of Dangerous Occurrences
The Dangerous Occurrences of the types defined in Schedule 1 of the OSH Ordinance
are required to be reported in writing within 24 hours.
For construction, such events are likely to be associated with:-
The collapse, overturning or failure of lifts, hoists, excavators or cranes.
The explosion or bursting of pressure vessels, boilers etc.
Electrical faults attended by fire or explosion.
A collapse or partial collapse of scaffolding over 5 metres high.
The collapse of buildings or falsework under construction, alteration or demolition.
The responsibility for reporting dangerous occurrences lies with ....the person who
has any degree of control over the premises or workplace..... The majority of
incidents of this nature will occur on premises or construction sites controlled by
others, in which case Arup will not be responsible for their reporting.
The Administrator should seek to ensure that for any dangerous occurrence which
takes place on premises controlled by Arup, the Office Safety Officer completes the
appropriate report. Copies of completed reports should be sent to the Human
Resources Department.

Non-Injury Incidents
Incidents which had the (unfulfilled) potential to cause an accident or dangerous
occurrence should also be reported to the H&S Manager. Knowledge of these
incidents will better inform the risk management process.

(ii) Employee

The Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance states: It shall be the duty of
every person .... to take .... care for the health and safety of himself and others who
may be affected by his acts and omissions ....
The Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance states: An employee .... must ....
take care for the safety and health of persons .... who are at the employees workplace
and who may be affected by the employees acts or omissions ....
The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers, Rule 4 states: A member of the
Institution in discharging his responsibilities to his employer and the profession shall
at all times be governed by the overriding interest of the general public, in particular
their environment, welfare, health and safety.
The Institution of Civil Engineers, Code of Conduct item 1 states: A member, in
his responsibility to his employer and to the profession, shall have regard to the public
interest, particularly in matters of health and safety.
Arup staff are expected to take an interest in safety matters and to keep themselves
abreast of current safety issues. In general this will involve them in the following
activities:-
To take reasonable care for the health and safety of themselves and of other
persons who may be affected by their acts or omissions at work.
To conscientiously use the protective clothing and equipment provided, and to
immediately report its loss or damage.
To comply with any duty or requirement imposed upon Arup by relevant
statutory provisions, and
To inform Arup of dangerous situations at work, or shortcomings in the
arrangements for health and safety.
The duty to others who may be affected by your acts or omissions is also owed as a
duty of care under civil (common) law. Essentially, if you see someone in danger
you are obliged to do your best to help them. The degree of your responsibility
under civil law will be a function of your knowledge and experience.
As well as general duties, you are also likely to have ascribed to a professional code
of conduct, as above, and will be required to comply with the Contractors site rules.
In some cases these may be contained in a health and safety plan or site supervision
safety plan.
Statutory responsibilities and your duty of care are independent of the conditions of
contract.
J ust as Arup is required to provide information and instruction to its employees on
safety matters, each employee must have regard to this information and instruction in
all his or her activities.
Arups statutory responsibilities and procedures are outlined in the preceding section
and in the office Health and Safety Handbook.
To enable the firm to fulfil its duties under the various regulations, it is important that
staff acquaint themselves with the firms procedures and take steps to comply with
them, including the provision of relevant feedback information.

(iii) General Public
Many construction sites cannot completely exclude non-workers. Road construction sites
must often allow traffic to pass through. This places non-workers at some degree of risk.
Road construction sites are blocked-off and traffic is redirected. The sites and vehicles are
protected by signs and barricades. However, sometimes even these signs and barricades
can be a hazard to vehicle traffic. For example, improperly designed barricades can cause
cars that strike them to roll over or even be thrown into the air. Even a simple safety sign
can penetrate the windshield or roof of a car if hit from certain angles. The majority of
death in construction are caused by hazards relating to construction activity. However,
many deaths are also caused by non construction activities, such as electrical hazards. A
notable example of this occurred when Andy Roberts, a father of four, was killed while
changing a light bulb at a construction site when he came into contact with a loose bare
wire that was carrying two thousand volts of electricity and died. (August 1988 New York
(U.S.A)). Events like this motivated the passing of further safety laws relating to
non-construction activities such as electrical work laws.

Roles and Responsibilities of Occupational Health and Safety Professionals

The roles and responsibilities of OSH professionals vary regionally, but may include
evaluating working environments, developing, endorsing and encouraging measures that
might prevent injuries and illnesses, providing OSH information to employers,
employees, and the public, providing medical examinations, and assessing the success of
worker health programs.
Europe
In Norway, the main required tasks of an Occupational Health and Safety Practitioner
include:
Systematic evaluations of the working environment
Endorsing preventative measures which eliminate reasons for illnesses in the
work place
Giving information in the subject of employees health
Giving information on occupational hygiene, ergonomics and also
environmental and safety risks in the work place
In the Netherlands, required tasks for health and safety staff are only summarily
defined, and include:
Voluntary medical examinations
A consulting room on the work environment for the workers
Health check assessments (if needed for the job concerned)
The main influence on the Dutch law on the job of the safety professional is through
the requirement on each employer to use the services of a certified working conditions
service to advise them on health and safety. A certified service must employ
sufficient numbers of four types of certified experts to cover the risks in the
organizations which use the service:
A safety professional
An occupational hygienist
An occupational physician
A work and organisation specialist.
It shows in Table 1 (based on the European Network of Safety and Health Practitioner
Organizations [ENHSPO] survey to) that in Norway, 37% of Health and Safety
practitioners had a MSc education level, and 14% in the Netherlands; 44% were BSc
graduates and 63% in the Netherlands; and 19% were of a Technician level and 23%
in the Netherlands.
USA
Leather craftsman gloves, safety goggles, and a properly fitted hardhat are crucial for proper
safety in a construction environment.
The main tasks undertaken by the OHS practitioner in the USA include:
Develop processes, procedures, criteria, requirements, and methods to attain the best
possible management of the hazards and exposures that can cause injury to people,
and damage property, or the environment;
Apply good business practices and economic principles for efficient use of resources
to add to the importance of the safety processes;
Promote other members of the company to contribute by exchanging ideas and other
different approaches to make sure that every one in the corporation possess OHS
knowledge and have functional roles in the development and execution of safety
procedures;
Assess services, outcomes, methods, equipment, workstations, and procedures by
using qualitative and quantitative methods to recognise the hazards and measure the
related risks;
Examine all possibilities, effectiveness, reliability, and expenditure to attain the best
results for the company concerned
Knowledge required by the OHS professional in USA include:
Constitutional and case law controlling safety, health, and the environment
Operational procedures to plan/develop safe work practices
Safety, health and environmental sciences
Design of hazard control systems (i.e. fall protection, scaffoldings)
Design of recordkeeping systems that take collection into account, as well as storage,
interpretation, and dissemination
Mathematics and statistics
Processes and systems for attaining safety through design
Some skills required by the OHS professional in the USA include (but are not limited
to):
Understanding and relating to systems, policies and rules
Holding checks and having control methods for possible hazardous exposures
Mathematical and statistical analysis
Examining manufacturing hazards
Planning safe work practices for systems, facilities, and equipment
Understanding and using safety, health, and environmental science information for
the improvement of procedures
Interpersonal communication skills
(c)
Safety Management Systems related to the trainees
discipline
E
OHSAS 18001 is a British Standard for occupational health and safety management systems.
It exists to help all kinds of organizations put in place demonstrably sound occupational
health and safety performance. It is widely seen as the worlds most recognized occupational
health and safety management systems standard.
Origins
Organizations worldwide recognize the need to control and improve health and safety
performance, and do so with occupational health and safety management systems
(OHSMS). However before 1999 there was a proliferation of national standards and
proprietary certification schemes to choose from. This caused confusion and
fragmentation in the market; undermined the credibility of each individual scheme;
and potentially created trade barriers.
Development
Recognizing this deficit, an international collaboration called The OHSAS Project
Group was formed to create a single unified approach. The Group comprised
representatives from National standards bodies, academic bodies, accreditation
bodies, certification bodies and OSH institutions, with the UKs national standards
body, BSI Group, providing the secretariat.
Drawing on the best of existing standards and schemes, the OHSAS Project Group
published the OHSAS 18000 Series in 1999. The Series consisted of two
specifications: 18001 provided requirements for an OHS management system and
18002 gave implementation guidelines. As of 2005, around 16,000 organizations in
more than 80 countries were using the OHSAS 18001 specification.

By 2009 more
than 54,000 certificates had been issued in 116 countries to OHSAS or equivalent
OHSMS standards.
Adoption as British Standard
The 18001 specification was updated in J uly 2007. Among other changes, the new
specification was more closely aligned with the structures of ISO 14001:2004 and
ISO 9001:2000 so that organizations could more easily adopt 18001 alongside
existing management systems. Additionally the 'health' component of 'health and
safety' was given greater emphasis.
Shortly later, BSI Group decided to adopt OHSAS 18001 as a British standard, hence
BS OHSAS 18001. BSI Group subsequently adopted the updated 18002 guidance
specification for publication as BS OHSAS 18002 in 2008.
How they work
Its proponents claim that an occupational health and safety management system
(OHSMS) promotes a safe and healthy working environment by providing a
framework that helps organizations to: consistently identify and control health and
safety risks; reduce the potential for accidents; aid legislative compliance; and
improve overall performance.
The OHSAS 18000 standards provide organizations with the elements of an effective
OHSMS that can be integrated with other management requirements and help
organizations achieve better occupational health and safety performance and
economic objectives.
BS OHSAS 18001 specifies requirements for an OH&S management system to help
an organization develop and implement a policy and objectives, which take into
account legal requirements and information about OH&S risks. It applies to all types
and sizes of organizations and accommodates diverse geographical, cultural and social
conditions.
BS OHSAS 18002 provides generic assistance for establishing, implementing or
improving an OH&S management system, and demonstrates successful
implementation of BS OHSAS 18001.
OHSAS 18001 can be aligned with existing ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 management
systems. Historically many organizations start with a quality management system
(ISO 9001) and then add the environment management requirements from ISO 14001.
They then look at their health and safety risks and add OHSAS 18001. More recently
many organizations look at implementing all three standards at the same time which
can be cost-effective and minimizes disruption. The standards can be integrated using
a standard such as BSIs PAS 99.
Disambiguation
The OHSAS 18000 standards were written and published wholly outside of the
International Organization for Standardization (ISO) framework. At time of writing
(November 2010) ISO has no plans to adopt the standards. To avoid confusion, ISO
18000 does exist but it is a radio frequency identification standard.
1.6 Environment
(a) Relevant Legislation related to the trainee's discipline K
Legislative Framework
EIA Ordinance
EIA Ordinance (Amendment of Schedule 2) Order 1999
Regulations
Technical Memorandum
EIA Ordinance
PART I Preliminary
1. Short title and commencement
2. Interpretation
3. Application
PART II Environmental Impact Assessment
4. Certain projects to be designated projects
5. Application for brief or permission to apply directly for environmental permit
6. Environmental impact assessment report
7. Public inspection of reports
8. Approval of environmental impact assessment report
PART III Environmental Permits
9. Prohibition against carrying out designated project unless environmental
permit has been issued, etc.
10. Application for environmental permit
11. Surrender of permit
12. Issue of further environmental permit for a project
13. Application for variation of an environmental permit
14. Cancellation or variation of environmental permit by the Director
PART IV The Register
15. The register
PART V Technical Memorandum
16. Technical memorandum
PART VI Appeals
17. Appeals
18. Appeal Board panel
19. Constitution of Appeal Board
20. Supplementary provisions
21. Case may be stated for Court of Appeal
PART VII Enforcement
22. Authorized officers
23. Powers of entry and inspection, etc.
24. Cessation order
25. Recovery of costs
PART VIII Offences
26. Offences relating to environmental permit
27. Offences in relation to enforcement
28. Offence to disclose confidential information obtained officially
29. Directors of body corporate liable in certain circumstances
PART IX Miscellaneous
30. Exemptions
31. Protection of Government and public officers
32. Regulations
33. Power of Director to set forms
34. Service of notices
Schedule 1 Interpretation
Schedule 2 Designated projects requiring environmental permits
Schedule 3 Major designated projects requiring environmental impact assessment
reports
Schedule 4 Matters that may be specified in environmental permit
(b)
(b) Inter-relationship of technology with the
environment in:-
(i) The work place
(ii) The Society
K
To this end, committed to the following principles:
Improve environmental quality by minimizing waste and emissions, reusing
and recycling, reducing the use of natural resources and promoting pollution
prevention efforts throughout our company.
Operate our facilities in compliance with all applicable environmental laws
and regulations, in a way that is protective of the health and safety of its
employees and the surrounding communities and environment.
Review our facilities and programs on a regular basis and shall establish goals
for continuous improvement in the environmental arena.
Encourage the integration of environmental considerations into business
planning and decisions, including design, procurement, development, facilities
management and product support.
Promote a workplace in which all employees are properly trained to comply
with applicable environmental laws, regulations, and procedures, to meet
environmental program goals and to take personal responsibility for protecting
the environment.
Work with our customers in ascertaining and meeting their environmental
needs and goals consistent with AgilQuests environmental compliance and
management programs.
Management at all levels is responsible for ensuring that this policy is adhered to by
all employees and subcontractors.
1.7 Communication
Ability to communicate (in English, and preferably also in Chinese)
confidently and accurately:-
C
(a)
Orally
(i) Informal occasions
(ii) Presentations
(iii) Meetings
(i) Since there are many foreigner colleague in my team, we also communicate
in English for the discussion of technical questions or even general talks
during lunch hours or after work for the gathering.
(ii) There is a technical meeting held within our team for every other Tuesday
morning to share the working experience with other colleagues. I have been
involved to give the presentations in this meeting three times. I gave a ten to
fifteen minutes talk on the subject that related to my design work to my
colleagues and then left a Q&A section to the open discussion. In addition, I
also attend the Arup University module Basic presentation skills to
enhance my skills.
(iii) I attended several meeting for different projects. For example, for the Zhuhai
Bridge 5 Project, I attended the internal meeting with Arup Shenzhen
Architectural Team to present the result of structural preliminary study for
the bridge scheme design in English. Moreover, for the Gerald Desmond
Bridge Replacement Project, I needed to attend the weekly meeting. In the
meeting, I had to report the progress of the work that I was responsible for in
English to the project leader.
(b)
Written
(i) Memos
(ii) Letters
(iii) Instructions
(iv) Reports
(v) Resumes
(vi) Technical Papers
C
(i) XXX.
(ii) While working on wind buffeting analysis in RmBridge, I found there were a
few issues related to the programme. In order to clarify if the analysis was
conducted in a correct way, I was responsible to draft the letter to the
programme support team for clarification by email. And we communicated
via the email to deal with the further queries.
(iii) For the Gerald Desmond Bridge Replacement Project, I was working closely
with the drafting team to develop a 3D model for the bridge. On top of the
oral communicating in person, I also gave instruction by directly writing to
drafting team to illustrate the tasks needed to be carried out at different
stages.
(iv) In addition to the reports written for the HKIE Scheme A training, I also help
to prepare the design reports for various project. For the Zhuhai Bridge 5
Project, I helped to prepare the scheme design report submitted to the client
in Chinese about the part I did the analysis. And also for the Independent
checking of Cao Lanh Bridge, I was responsible for the final checking report
about the approach part which I had been working on. Also for the Gerald
Desmond Bridge Replacement Project, I participated in writing part of the
wind engineering study report.
(v) I updated my latest resume on the Arup People. And I submit this resume to
the admin to prepare for the site training.
(vi) I prepared a few technical filenotes during working on the Gerald Desmond
Bridge Replacement Project to state the assumption for the design, the
calculation process, result summary and conclusions to record down the
analysis work I had done.
1.8 Human Resources Management
(a) Employment criteria K
In order to recruit suitable staff for the work, the company usually put recruitment ads
on media ranging from newspaper to social network to attract the attention of interest
parties. Where the recruitment requirements would be specified clearly for particular
post. There are different classes of posts in the recruitment ads. What they have in
common are the relevant experience and qualification which is the minimum
requirement. Taking the graduate engineer for example, though it is not necessary for
the applicants with working experience in advance, internship experience would be a
beneficial condition since they may know a bit more about the construction industry.
And the higher the position it is recruiting, the more important the working experience
will be.
The other requirement is the qualification for the post. For recruiting the graduate
engineer, it requires the university degree holder from relevant disciplines in Hong
Kong Institute or equivalent education level. When it comes to the engineer level or
above, membership recognized by professional engineering body such as HKIE would
be essential.
It is important to set the recruitment requirement fit the post. Both setting the criteria
too high or too low would cause trouble for the personnel placement and remuneration
issue. While recruiting people with higher quality than requirement, the payment
would be beyond the budget, the lower quality people may not be able to suit
themselves to the jobs.
(b) Labour Deployment K
Basically it item means the formation of a new team or fit the new employer into an
existing team. The core of labour deployment is to get right people to fit the right
position. There are two main aspects dominating this item.
The first factor is required expertise. When forming a new team or fitting in the
existing team, the labour deployed have to be in the right discipline to ensure they are
capable of the work. For example, when deploying someone for a bridge team, it
would be necessary to find candidate with bridge engineering background to take this
position rather than finding someone with other technical background. Also, the level
of skills is crucial to the deployment as well. It depends on what kind of position
required for the deployment. If it is a senior position, a person with high level of skills
should be arranged while it is not the case for a junior position such as graduate
engineer.
The other factor that may matter is the required work load which may determine the
quantity of manpower needed in reality. To get adequate manpower for a project is the
key to success to ensure things can be done in reasonable schedule while too less
manpower may face to a serious delay. Nevertheless, too much manpower may also
cause undesirable consequence since the total cost of budget may increase a lot due to
the redundant people. Also too much manpower may not necessarily imply a higher
working efficiency, when sometimes it could make things worse.
(c) Staff Training K
There are two goals in implement the staff training at the company level. The first
goal is to transfer the post specialist skills to new staff. Some senior staff may have
special technique for a certain field. But due to some reasons, such as retirement, they
may not be able to put it into practice any more in person. So as to continue the skills
in the company, passing on the knowledge to younger generation by staff training is a
good solution for retaining the specialist skills.
The second goal is to keep the advantage of company special skills which is not
learned by the staff in the university or elsewhere. To avoid taking the risk for wrong
design by its staff which may adversely affect its own reputation, staff training is
useful to achieve this. There is also risk of senior staff losing their loyalty and
switching jobs. So pulling up young engineers by staff training may save cost of
hiring new skilful people. It may cultivate the loyalty of young staff to the company
which may increase their chance of staying.
1.9 Leadership & Management
(a) Qualities required of a leader K
Here are the Top 10 Qualities.

1. Has Personal Integrity Deals Honestly and Gains Trust

Honest dealings, predictable reactions, well controlled emotions, absence of tantrums
and emotional blackmails, respect for others all these characteristics help a manager
gain the trust of his people. What is the use of conquering the whole world if you have
lost your soul? A person without personal integrity will not be able to predict his own
reactions to various situations.

2. Has Clear Long Vision; Executes First Things First; Inspires Others to Action

A great leader has the capacity to visualize the future, to imagine himself already
having accomplished his goals and going on to the next set of goals. The further a
person can see into the future, the greater his leadership abilities. The leader is able to
direct his actions and that of his team towards the visualized future. The great leader
has both vision and discipline to work towards achieving his vision.

The key is to ACT and to inspire others to action. Being a mere dreamer will not
get results. It is only when the leader disciplines himself and his team to take action
with patience and perseverance that sweet fruits can be achieved.

3. Is Positive Enthusiastic Committed; Has Focus-ability

Having gained the teams trust, the manager needs to keep them motivated,
enthusiastic about the task on hand. The best way that he can do this is by example.
Therefore a manager should be positive and enthusiastic if he wants to become a great
leader. A great leader is able to Focus on the right activities. He communicates,
educates and teaches his group members to Focus on the important things. Sometimes
he directly tells them what to focus on; at other times he gently leads them towards
the right activities.

4. Is Solution-oriented Creative; Makes Top Management Efficient; Empowers Others

The great leader admits his handles any problem in this manner: He is always
innovative & creative in his thinking, encourages and fosters creativity in others,
teaches his team to be take bold, calculated risks. A great leader focuses on searching
for and discussing solutions and does not harp on the reasons for the problem. This
solution-oriented thinking results in a feeling of abundance and plenty from which the
great leader operates.

This attitude empowers others to think positively and discuss their suggestions a
participatory decision-making environment prevails where people are not blamed; nor
are victims or scapegoats slaughtered. Together the team compiles a list of possible
solutions. Next, they brainstorm the pros and cons of each suggestion and narrow the
list to the 3 most attractive solutions. The top 3 list, along with the pros and cons, will
help Top Management to make better decisions faster.


5. Is A Catalyst; Creates Pygmalion Effect; Fosters Self Motivation

People love to achieve more than they thought they were capable of. Going through
this process of over-reaching himself (while in the presence of his leader) just once in
his lifetime is very often sufficient to ensure that the staff member acquires the habit
of driving himself to greater heights.

This leads to self-motivation, removes the dependence on the leader and feeds back
into the cycle of excellent performance. Thus People will forget what you said,
people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them
feel.

6. Strives for Excellence Always; Is a Transparent Influence

A great leader exhibits excellence in his activities and expects only the best of outputs
from others. He will not tolerate ship-shod work, negligence and oversight. He will
create the environment where lack of knowledge is bridged through training,
mentoring or coaching. Once this is done, he will not tolerate incompetence and
carelessness.

You may have noticed 4, 5 and 6 are three phases in the maturing of the leader and his
team members. At first in step 4 the manager creates a participatory environment and
empowers subordinates, peers and superiors alike. In Step 5, the leader is a catalyst
helping to speed up the process of progress and success. Finally in Step 6, the leader
goes completely into the background and his presence is not noticed except as a
feeling of security and existence of a safety net.

7. Is a Good Communicator; A Great Negotiator; Nurtures Relationships
Knowing what you want accomplished may seem clear in your head, but if you try to
explain it to someone else and are met with a blank expression, you know there is a
problem. If this has been your experience, then you may want to focus on honing your
communication skills. Being able to clearly and succinctly describe what you want
done is extremely important. If you cant relate your vision to your team, you wont all
be working towards the same goal.
Training new members and creating a productive work environment all depend on
healthy lines of communication. Whether that stems from an open door policy to your
office, or making it a point to talk to your staff on a daily basis, making yourself
available to discuss interoffice issues is vital. Your team will learn to trust and depend
on you, and will be less hesitant to work harder.
8. Is Kind-hearted Generous and Giving; Serves Others


9. Balances Confidence with Caution; Adapts Management Styles for War & Peace

A great leader can balance confidence in his abilities & that of his team with the fuzzy
information available to him. He can take good decisions in a timely manner, adapting
his decisions according to the level of information (High/Low) available and the
confidence level (High / Low).

With High Confidence and High certainty, the leader says Our plan is on target. I
have every confidence that we are on the right track and decide to accept the task.
With High Confidence and Low certainty the leader says We have never done this
before, but together we can get through it, estimates the margins for error and
decides to accept the task.

With Low confidence and High certainty, the leader says I know what to do. But
they will find it difficult to execute it. This will not work and decides to drop the
task. With Low confidence and Low certainty the leader says This is hopeless. No
one knows what theyre doing and drops the task.

The needs of War & adverse business situations requires a management style very
different from that required during times of peace & prosperity.

During adversity, the leader should feel the pulse more often, make and break
decisions frequently; manage the resultant change and turmoil; take a more active part
in operations; remain optimistic and resilient; combine the capability to adapt to
change with the ability to size up situations and people in ways that help them make
good choices and avoid pitfalls.

In a stable environment, a great leader should (a) have all the answers yet be willing
to empower people (b) be in charge yet delegate effectively (c) set clear directions and
guidelines and then get out of the way allow subordinates and peers to manage the
operations (d) develop strategic plans that remain valid over a longer period of time.

10. Rejuvenates Self; Sharpens his axe; Transforms his Strengths into Talents
Leadership can be defined as one's ability to get others to willingly follow. Every
organization needs leaders at every level. Leaders can be found and nurtured if you
look for the following character traits.
A leader with vision has a clear, vivid picture of where to go, as well as a firm grasp
on what success looks like and how to achieve it. But it's not enough to have a vision;
leaders must also share it and act upon it. J ack Welch, former chairman and CEO of
General Electric Co., said, "Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the
vision, passionately own the vision and relentlessly drive it to completion."
A leader must be able to communicate his or her vision in terms that cause followers
to buy into it. He or she must communicate clearly and passionately, as passion is
contagious.
A good leader must have the discipline to work toward his or her vision
single-mindedly, as well as to direct his or her actions and those of the team toward
the goal. Action is the mark of a leader. A leader does not suffer "analysis paralysis"
but is always doing something in pursuit of the vision, inspiring others to do the same.

Analysis
Integrity is the integration of outward actions and inner values. A person of
integrity is the same on the outside and on the inside. Such an individual can be
trusted because he or she never veers from inner values, even when it might be
expeditious to do so. A leader must have the trust of followers and therefore must
display integrity.
Honest dealings, predictable reactions, well-controlled emotions, and an absence of
tantrums and harsh outbursts are all signs of integrity. A leader who is centered in
integrity will be more approachable by followers.
Dedication means spending whatever time or energy is necessary to
accomplish the task at hand. A leader inspires dedication by example, doing whatever
it takes to complete the next step toward the vision. By setting an excellent example,
leaders can show followers that there are no nine-to-five jobs on the team, only
opportunities to achieve something great.
Magnanimity means giving credit where it is due. A magnanimous leader
ensures that credit for successes is spread as widely as possible throughout the
company. Conversely, a good leader takes personal responsibility for failures. This
sort of reverse magnanimity helps other people feel good about themselves and draws
the team closer together. To spread the fame and take the blame is a hallmark of
effective leadership.
Leaders with humility recognize that they are no better or worse than other members
of the team. A humble leader is not self-effacing but rather tries to elevate everyone.
Leaders with humility also understand that their status does not make them a god.
Mahatma Gandhi is a role model for Indian leaders, and he pursued a
"follower-centric" leadership role.
Openness means being able to listen to new ideas, even if they do not
conform to the usual way of thinking. Good leaders are able to suspend judgment
while listening to others' ideas, as well as accept new ways of doing things that
someone else thought of. Openness builds mutual respect and trust between leaders
and followers, and it also keeps the team well supplied with new ideas that can further
its vision.
Creativity is the ability to think differently, to get outside of the box that
constrains solutions. Creativity gives leaders the ability to see things that others have
not seen and thus lead followers in new directions. The most important question that a
leader can ask is, "What if ?" Possibly the worst thing a leader can say is, "I know
this is a dumb question ... "
Fairness means dealing with others consistently and justly. A leader must
check all the facts and hear everyone out before passing judgment. He or she must
avoid leaping to conclusions based on incomplete evidence. When people feel they
that are being treated fairly, they reward a leader with loyalty and dedication.
Assertiveness is not the same as aggressiveness. Rather, it is the ability to
clearly state what one expects so that there will be no misunderstandings. A leader
must be assertive to get the desired results. Along with assertiveness comes the
responsibility to clearly understand what followers expect from their leader.
Many leaders have difficulty striking the right amount of assertiveness, according to a
study in the February 2007 issue of the J ournal of Personality and Social Psychology,
published by the APA (American Psychological Association). It seems that being
underassertive or overassertive may be the most common weakness among aspiring
leaders.
A sense of humor is vital to relieve tension and boredom, as well as to defuse
hostility. Effective leaders know how to use humor to energize followers. Humor is a
form of power that provides some control over the work environment. And simply
put, humor fosters good camaraderie.
Intrinsic traits such as intelligence, good looks, height and so on are not necessary to
become a leader. Anyone can cultivate the proper leadership traits.
(b) Responsibilities of a leader K
1. Keep the vision: You draw on your knowledge of the environment and
understanding of the organization and where they are to create and articulate a vision,
seeing all the elements customer, environment, where people inside want to go. A
leader must have and articulate broad vision as well as small vision see big and little
roots in the path and broad mountain vistas.
2. Interface between the organization and the world: You are the linchpin. You
are the one that needs to understand the broader context within which your organization
works, including the current and future situation. I know I need to look around the
curve to see whats coming and bring the organization along so they dont shoot off the
curve in the road thats coming up.
3. See the whole, including the unknown: The leader has the broadest level of
accountability, accountability for the entire organization. The leader has to see all the
pieces, as well as how they fit together. For the leader, much is unknown and
uncertain. Most of the decisions they face have no perfect answer, so they bear the risk
of uncertainty more than anyone else.
4. Understand your industry: Leaders need to have the appropriate technical
knowledge and strategic knowledge for their field. This includes fiscal health. People
have to have confidence that their leader knows a lot, and also knows enough to
surround themselves with others who know a lot. Leaders also need systems
knowledge, how people, teams, and organizations work best.
5. Craft culture: The manner in which you lead needs to embody the values and
behaviors you want in the culture. My role is to model the behaviors that I expect to
see in others; walking the talk. This is really important especially today with younger
people. Its really important in the effectiveness of a leader. If I want the team to
execute on the purpose and values I need to execute on that in every way. Leaders
need to be intentional about creating a culture that allows people and their work to
flourish.
6. Define success: The leader helps determine success measures and metrics. Im
always looking for ways to measure. If I can create a metric it might be more self
sustaining so I dont have to focus there as much. While the stakeholders measure
success, the leader must assess from both business and people metrics. One leader
used fiscal health as a measure that is easy for the organization to look at but believed
that true success was bringing out the highest potential in each individual.
7. Coach and teach: The leader has the responsibility to inspire people to perform at a
higher level and tap into a potential they maybe didnt even know they were capable
of. They need to create future leaders. The best leaders Ive seen had a way of
helping peoples creativity and innovation. Creativity comes from not just meeting a
standard but allowing and inviting and creating the conditions for more to come
out. This applies not only to those with whom you work directly but also to the whole
organization. My legacy is about creating a culture of leadership.
8. Develop oneself: Leaders must develop their self-awareness. The role of leader
intensifies the impact of anyones presence. Pay attention to the difference between
your intent and your impact. Develop clear values and ethics, holding yourself
accountable to the highest standards. Work on staying open to feedback about your
behavior and your ideas. Seek out opportunities to grow and learn both technical
skills and leadership skills. Get support. It is my personal responsibility as a leader
to do my internal work in order to do the work of the organization.
9. Hold onto optimism: Leaders must keep their sense of optimism, their sense of
possibility. Unless people believe something is possible, they wont create the
conditions for success. (Think of how many people ran faster than the 4-minute mile
once that record was broken.) Leaders need to be looking for success wherever it sits in
the organization and build on it. It all boils down to believing in people. Trusting that
others are going to exceed your expectations. You still need to track
performance. Trust and track.
(c) Management skills K
Leadership Skills
Construction projects require a significant amount of oversight. The manager must
have exceptional leadership skills. She has to have the ability to manage the process
while not overloading or crowding the space of her skilled workers. She must also
have a knack for being able to recognize a problem in the process (such as a worker
who is slacking) and correct it so that the project can proceed as planned and stay on
schedule.
Engineering Skills and Knowledge
A construction project manager must have knowledge of engineering and building
construction and skills related to these subjects. If the project demands an urgent,
last-minute decision, he must be able to evaluate the situation and make a decision
that will ensure the safety and integrity of the structure. The manager must also be
able to read blueprints.
Communicate with Construction Workers
A construction project manager must be able to communicate orally with her crew
members, effectively. She must understand the various personalities of blue collar
workers and encourage all workers to complete the task on schedule in an efficient
manner while allowing them to independently perform the skilled labor. Construction
workers are well trained and do not usually need to be coddled or instructed while
performing these tasks.
Additionally, the manager acts as a conduit of information between the workers and
the client or architect, so she must be able to communicate effectively over the phone
and Internet and by writing letters.
Organize Workers and Multiple Projects
A construction manager assigns the various workers on a crew to specific tasks based
on each worker's individual skills. So he must have superior organization skills and
knowledge of each worker's strengths. Also, there are times when a construction
manager must manage several projects (and crews) at a time. He must also be able to
organize and distinguish the requirements for each of these jobs.
(d)
Relationship between good leadership and good
management skills
K
Management and leadership skills are often regarded as one and the same to many
businesses. While the two inherently share many similar characteristics, they differ in
that not all managers are leaders, but all leaders are managers. They are complementary
qualities inexorably linked to each other, and any attempt to extricate one from the
other is impossible. Whereas the manager exists to plan, organize and coordinate, a
leader serves to inspire and motivate. Militarily speaking, a manager is the battlefield
general while the leader is the commander-in-chief.
Qualities of a Manager
A manager is considered a copy of the leader, responsible for communicating the rules
and philosophies of the company to individual employees, and insuring that they abide
by them. For a manager, his or her relationships with employees are determined by a
hierarchical management system, and rarely through personal ones. They are
responsible for maintaining the day to day operations of the company so the cogs of the
operation stay well-oiled. Managers are generally more concerned with the quarterly
bottom line, and will often base decisions based on these calculations. Good managers
are often considered good soldiers in that they rarely question the decisions of the
higher echelons of the company, and only serve to enforce the execution of its policies.
Qualities of a Leader
In contrast, a leader focuses on interpersonal relationships with other important
contacts in other companies, as well as promoting promising individuals within the
company to foster innovation. A leader bases his or her decisions on reports from
department heads to assess the entire companys situation, and future strategies. A
true leader will also be willing to ignore the companys quarterly bottom line for
several quarters much to the chagrin of shareholders and make investments for a
long-range growth perspective. A leader is considered a fearless innovator in that he
or she challenges the status quo and is unafraid to take high risks in search of high
rewards, for customers, employees and shareholders alike.
Comparison Between Managers and Leaders
It is said that a manager asks how and when, whereas a leader asks what and
why. In many professions, managers and leaders assume the same role. However, if a
leader of a business simply manages a company rather than challenge its true
potential then it will likely fall behind its industry peers. Likewise, if managers
overstep their bounds and attempt to revolt against the company, then they may soon
find themselves out of the job. In some cases, where micromanagement is essential to
maximize efficiency, nurture skills and keep employees organized, strong managers
are an absolute necessity to prevent high turnover rates and the brain drain of a
skilled workforce. A good leader will also stay in the front line of battle, and be
familiar with every aspect of the company, leading through inspiration rather than
coercing through hierarchical control. A perfect manager who attains the status of a
true leader will be able to lead people effectively and draw on the correct strengths
and knowledge of every key individual in the company. Many managers will struggle
for their entire careers and never attain this, but a skilled few will evolve into true
leaders.
(e) Teamwork and Partnering Skills K
Innovation
Best Practice
Productivity
5
What is teamwork?
Teams are groups of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common
purpose and hold themselves mutually accountable for its achievement. Ideally, they
develop a distinct identity and work together in a co-ordinated and mutually supportive
way to fulfil their goal or purpose. Task effectiveness is the extent to which the team is
successful in achieving its task-related objectives. Shared goals are most likely to be
achieved through working together and pooling experience and expertise.

Successful teams are characterised by a team spirit based around trust, mutual respect,
helpfulness and at best friendliness.

Simply bringing people together does not necessarily ensure they will function effectively
as a team or make appropriate decisions. Teams are composed of people who have a variety
of emotional and social needs which the team can either frustrate or help to meet.
Teamwork indifference failing to take action to promote good teamwork is a strategy
likely to result in mediocre performance.

Effective teamwork results from:
a team whose membership, size and resources match the task
good leadership and attention to team-building
commitment by team members to understand and identify with one another's goals
the development of team goals a shared vision
a sense of common ownership of the task at hand and joint responsibility for its
achievement
co-ordinated effort and planned sharing of tasks evenly across the team
the open exchange of information within the team
honesty and frankness among team members.

Effective teamwork may be undermined by a variety of problems, for example:
disorganisation, poor communication, misunderstandings or inadequate procedures for
problem-solving. Team functioning can be weakened by obstacles faced by individual
members within the team, as well as by difficulties linked to the task.
1.10 Own Organisation
(a) Size, History and Culture K
General Description

Arup is the creative force at the heart of many of the worlds most prominent projects
in the built environment and across industry. From more than 90 offices in over 38
countries our 11,000 planners, designers, engineers and consultants deliver innovative
projects across the world with creativity and passion.

Established in 1976, the Hong Kong office serves as Arups East Asia regional
headquarters, providing the firms full spectrum of design, engineering, consulting,
planning and specialist technical services in building, consulting, and infrastructure
sectors.

The Hong Kong office benefits from Arups global network of offices around the
world and draws upon global resources and expertise to solve any problems requiring
specialist skills.

The office has undertaken a huge range of projects throughout the territory that have
contributed both to the skyline itself and to a host of transportation and public
projects. Our iconic projects in Hong Kong include Two International Finance Centre,
International Commerce Centre, Hong Kong International Airport and Stonecutters
Bridge.

We are also involved in some of the largest cross-border projects that are helping to
forge closer economic ties between Hong Kong, Macau and the mainland, including
the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link, the Hong
Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and the Hong Kong-Shenzhen West Corridor.

Having long worked with both private and public clients on different scales of
projects, we bring the finest experts and experience to any project in the region.

Hong Kong Personnel

Total 1242
Chartered Engineers / Qualified Engineers 473
Graduate / Assistant Engineers 557
Technicians / Draughtsmen 105
Clerical Staff 107

Field of Specialization

Structural Engineering
Building Services Engineering
Geotechnical Engineering
Traffic & Transport
Roads and Bridges
Water Engineering
Port and Coastal Engineering
Industrial Engineering
Economic Consultancy
Acoustics
Environmental Engineering
Fire Engineering
Facade Engineering
Materials Technology

Typical Projects

HONG KONG
Current and recent projects undertaken are in the fields of housing, education,
medicine, commercial developments, roads and bridges, traffic and transport, power
generation, railway works for MTR, LRT and heavy rail systems, airport, industrial
projects, tunnelling, drainage, deep excavations, basement structures, site
stabilization, environmental assessment and engineering. Our signature projects
include International Commerce Centre, Stonecutters Bridge, Hong
Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, Express Rail Link, Habour Area Treatment Scheme
Stage 2A, Hong Kong International Airport 3rd Runway and Lok Ma Chau Loop
planning.

ASIAN REGION
The Hong Kong Office also carries out its range of consultancy work in the Asian
region and offices in mainland China, Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Korea, J apan
and Singapore. Commissions are also being undertaken in Malaysia, Macau, Vietnam
and Taiwan. Our portfolio includes the Beijing Olympics venues, Shanghai Expo
pavilions, Canton Tower, Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort, Yongsan International
Business District development and Taipei Performing Arts Center.
(b)
Relationships with Government Departments and other
organisations
K

(c) Organisation Structure and Functions K
Organization chart
(d) Office Manuals, Procedures and Practices K
Ovacode, health and safety manual, conduct of performance
(e) Communication Systems K
Lync,
Letter delivery
(f) Training and Career Developments K
Mobility (Short Term Assignment, Long Term Assignment)
Arup university
(g) Quality Assurance System K
ISO9001:2008 Quality management systems
ISO14001 Environmental management
OHSAS 18001 Occupational health and safety management systems
1.11 Business Operations
(a) Intellectual Property Rights G
Protecting intellectual property is important because it ensures that creativity can
flourish and business can be conducted in a fair manner. Here you can learn more about
the relevant ordinances, what constitutes infringement, and how one can avoid breaking
the law.
Intellectual Property Defined
Intellectual property is the collective name for a range of intangible property rights,
including trade marks, patents, copyright, designs, plant varieties and the layout
design of integrated circuits.
In the digital environment, intellectual property such as copyright subsists in music,
movies, television shows and computer software. The copyright owner enjoys the
exclusive rights to carry out acts restricted by the copyright, which means that the
material cannot be copied or distributed without the copyright owners permission.
More on intellectual property rights in Hong Kong
Intellectual Property Right Protection
Intellectual property rights are protected in Hong Kong under various ordinances,
which include:
Copyright Ordinance
Prevention of Copyright Privacy Ordinance
Trade Marks Ordinance
Trade Descriptions Ordinance
Patents Ordinance
Registered Designs Ordinance
Plant Varieties Protection Ordinance
Lay-out Design (Topography) of Integrated Circuits Ordinance
Under the Copyright Ordinance, copyright owners can take legal action against anyone
or any organisation that copies or distributes the copyrighted work without his
permission.
More on laws related to intellectual property
More on Lay-out Design (Topography) of Integrated Circuits Ordinance
Intellectual Property Right Infringements
One of the more common instances in which intellectual property rights are infringed
in Hong Kong is through computer software piracy.
Under the Copyright Ordinance, simply using pirated computer software for private
and domestic use is not an offence. However, the copyright owners can still claim
damages against the infringers through civil proceedings. Penalties under the
Copyright Ordinance, including fines and possible imprisonment, mainly relate to
possessing or distributing pirated software for commercial purposes.
For example, an Internet caf or computer games centre that conducts its business
using pirated copies of computer software will be penalised.
It is also important to note that a person will incur criminal liability if he distributes
the pirated software to such an extent as to affect prejudicially the owner of the
copyright, even though he may not be distributing the pirated software for commercial
purposes.

Other works such as digital images, films and sound recordings that are found in
interactive digital entertainment products are also protected under the Copyright
Ordinance, and cannot be copied, distributed, sold or used without permission from
the copyright owner.
The Court of Final Appeal on 18 May 2007 dismissed the appeal of an appellant, who
had been convicted and sentenced to three months' imprisonment for uploading
copyright-infringing films to the Internet using the BitTorrent (BT) peer-to-peer
file-sharing program. This was the world's first ever enforcement operation leading to
conviction and imprisonment of a person who distributes infringing copies of films
using the BT program.
The judgment reaffirms that the uploading of infringing copies of copyright works to
the Internet using the BT peer-to-peer file-sharing program for downloading by other
Internet users is a criminal offence under the Copyright Ordinance in Hong Kong.
The Customs and Excise Department, which is responsible for taking legal action
against intellectual property right infringement, monitors activities on the Internet
round the clock, including copyright piracy involving the use of peer-to-peer
file-sharing programs.
Under the Copyright Ordinance, a person commits an offence if he/she, without the
licence permission of the copyright owner, distributes an infringing copy of a
copyright work to such an extent as to affect prejudicially the owner of the copyright
even if it is not for the purpose of trade or business. The maximum penalty is a fine of
$50,000 per infringing copy and imprisonment for four years.
In addition to the above, trade marks may be included in computer software. Under the
Trade Marks Ordinance, the owner of a registered trade mark has an exclusive right to
use the mark on the goods or services for which the mark was registered. The owner can
take legal action against anyone using his registered mark in relation to those goods or
services without his consent. You should therefore bear in mind the potential liability
for trade mark infringement as well.
Frequently asked questions on intellectual property rights for interactive digital
entertainment products (pdf file)
Preventing Infringement
The Customs and Excise Department combats intellectual property right
infringements on three levels:
Wholesale: the main focus is on halting the importation of pirated products into Hong
Kong, the manufacture of pirated products for exportation, and the wholesale and
distribution of pirated products within Hong Kong
Retail: action is being taken repeatedly against the sale of pirated products at the street
level, with surveillance and seizures leading to prosecution
Internet: to address the emerging trend of online copyright infringement, two
Anti-Internet Piracy Teams and a Computer Forensic Laboratory have been established.
Respect for Intellectual Property Rights
One of the most common instances of intellectual property right infringement is
through file sharing on peer-to-peer (P2P) networks. File sharing services such as
Kazaa, WinMx, LimeWire and BitTorrent (BT) offer software for downloading that
can link your computer to others in a network for direct sharing of any type of
electronic file. Please note however that:
File-sharing software can open your computer to viruses and spyware, small programs
that watch what happens, sometimes recording keystrokes and sending information on
passwords and credit card numbers to a third party.
Unless you are sharing music, programs or videos of your own creation, you are probably
violating someone elses intellectual property rights. Parents can be held responsible for
what their children have done on the family computer, even if they are not themselves
engaged in illegal activity.
Securing musical works online is not necessarily a legal offence. In fact, many retail
websites allow you to buy various types of music from many periods. You can also
legally download sample tracks from the websites of many artists without the need to
pay.
More on Guide to Young People, Music & the Internet
Consultation on Copyright Protection in the Digital
Environment
From December 2006 to April 2007, the Government consulted the public on whether
our copyright protection regime should be enhanced to provide for effective
protection in the digital environment, and if so, how. The discussion covered a wide
range of areas outlined in a consultation document, including:
Legal liability for unauthorised uploading and downloading of copyrighted works
The role of online service providers in combating Internet piracy
Measures to help copyright owners take legal action against online infringement
The Government is carefully considering the views received and will formulate
proposals by early 2008.
More on copyright and its protection in Hong Kong
(b) Productivity G
Business arena is all about learning and improving, but active participation is
important to reap the harvest. Identifying and resolving the problems that arise within
and outside the organization is important to uplift business productivity. If you intent
to improve your marketing return on investment, you need to implement new
strategies and update them frequently to meet the expectations of the clients and
changing market condition. Outdated and inefficient strategy will not move your
business ahead but in turn degrades your overall output. So, you need to implement
different effective strategies to boost your business production.

1. Maintain a proper interaction with the clients. This is the first and foremost thing
that must be executed properly to improve your business output. If you want to retain
the potential clients and gain many new clients, you should develop many visitor
engagement strategies. You must reply to the clients emails clearly and in time.
Collect feedback from them to avoid unnecessary disputes and prevent clients from
moving away. Besides, feedback will also help you to improve the quality of the
services and products.
2. Create monthly newsletter to keep in touch with the clients. You have to convey
some useful tips like how to save money and current market analysis to the clients
through newsletter. This can build a strong relationship with the clients.
3. Monitor your Room periodically to examine progress of your organization. This
frequent analysis will help you to resolve small issues that may arise in different
sectors before its get too complicated. Besides, you can also identify the inefficient
strategies and replace them with new strategies which will ultimately increase the
business production.
4. Check out the employees performance, issues and requirements. J ust interacting
with the clients will decline the performance within the organization, so you need
have an eye on employees efficiency and problems too. Employees may start to
resign, if you are not showing proper concern towards them. So, you need identify the
employees problem and resolve it without any delay. Reward them frequently for
their dedication and hard work which ultimately boosts their performance and brings
a good impression about your administration.
5. Conduct training sessions to upgrade the performance of the employees. This
training will assist the employees to handle new equipments and perform works more
efficiently.
6. Incorporate efficient business developing tools like business decision support
systems to minimize the work load and enhance the overall performance in
different sectors. You need to constantly keep in touch with changing market
conditions to move your business smoothly.
7. Create a proper communication channel within the organization to identify the
problems that are arising among the employees. This systematic approach will
encourage the employees to share their personal views without any difficulties.
(c) Information Technology G
Computers and information systems are essential parts of every business today. Like
accounting and legal, every business needs to invest in technology to compete.
Technology is both a cost of doing business, and an opportunity to do more business.
Most people I talk with recognize the necessity of having a computer, an email
address, and a web site, but still look at the upfront cost more than other issues.
After spending some time working with dozens of businesses, I think it's time to take
a step back and look at the big picture of technology in business. Let's take a reporter's
view of the topic, and ask the basic questions: who, what, where, why, when, and how
much?
For today, we'll keep this short, but each of these questions deserves a more complete
article in the future.
Why?
What are the benefits of technology for a business? There are many, but most fall
under a few categories:
Reach more potential customers, develop a business relationship with
potential customers
Streamline operations, reduce costs, improve efficiency, maximize
profit, minimize waste, devote talent to core business instead of overhead
Provide better service to customers
Support better relationships with key partners
Allow customers to better guide the business
The very first question businesses should ask before spending any money or time on
technology is, why am I doing this? If there is not a core business benefit to be
gained, why do it in the first place?
How Much?
Established businesses outside the technology industry typically spend between
percent and 10 percent of their annual revenue on technology spending, depending
mostly on the industry. Manufacturing and retail are typically at the low end of this
range, while finance and health care are typically at the high end.
If you're at the low end of technology spending for your industry, you may be missing
out on some key benefits technology can provide. If you're at the high end, you may
be spending more than you need to on proprietary solutions, or you may be leading
your industry with some strategic investment.
What?
What costs do you need to consider as part of your technology budget? These break
down into several categories:
Initial costhardware and software, and training
Ongoing costmaintaining systems, including licenses for proprietary
software, hosting, and support
Upgrade costcost of upgrades, and expected lifespan of
systems/frequency of upgrades
Value propositionhow much employee time will the system save?
How much new business could the system generate?
Opportunity costhow much potential revenue is lost by not
implementing a system? What are your competitors doing in this area?
Riskwhat are the risks of a particular system? What does it cost to
mitigate those risks?
Where?
Should you spend most of your technology budget on infrastructure, hosted
applications, custom line-of-business applications, or what? The answer to this
depends a lot on your industry, but even more on your specific business. Generally,
most businesses spend around half of their technology budget on
infrastructurecomputers, networking equipment, and Internet Service Providers
(ISPs). As the world moves more and more online, and open source software becomes
more compelling, there are huge opportunities for savings in these areas, for
businesses that can take advantage of them.
When?
There's a fine line between too much and not enough. Spend too much on technology,
and it will consume your time and budget, leaving you ill prepared to do anything else
on your business. Spend too little and your competition may improve their business to
the point that you can't compete.
You need to implement enough technology to see a real benefit, prevent the worst
disasters, and not miss out on any major opportunities, while not spending more than
you can handle.
Technology has a cost not just in dollars, but also in the time you and your employees
need to spend adapting to it. Bite off too big a chunk and technology becomes
counter-productive. Nearly always, small, incremental, ongoing chunks are a better
way to bring technology into your business than large all-or-nothing systems that
promise to do everything right away.
Who?
Finally, you need to decide who to help you implement technology in your business.
Will you do it yourself? Do you purchase an off-the shelf product? Do you use free
software? Do you hire a programmer to create a custom system? Do you use a hosted
system? Do you hire a consultant to help?
Obviously, as an open source consultant, I think the answer is usually hire a good
consultant to help you use as much quality free software in your business as possible.
Whether or not to use a hosted system depends on your specific business needs.
Off-the-shelf proprietary products are quickly becoming the least favorable way to go,
but there are still a few niches where there isn't a viable alternative.

Many businesses are stuck at a tactical level, trying to stay ahead on cash flow and
payroll, and don't have time to think about technology in a strategic way. But a strong
plan for technology should be a part of every business plan, and re-evaluated
whenever taking a strategic look at a business.
(d) Research and Development G
A research and development (R&D) department is responsible for innovations in
design, products, and style. This department is responsible for creating innovative
new products to keep companies a step ahead of the competition. Many companies
also rely on the R&D department to improve existing consumer products, and to
explore new ways of producing them.

Companies thrive and succeed by creating innovative products, as well as by
increasing company profit and utilizing cost-efficient methods. A research and
development department is primarily responsible for ensuring that these goals are met.
This is an especially important function in the fields of manufacturing and
pharmaceuticals, but can be applied to virtually any industry.

Often, research and development works closely with the marketing department.
Marketing studies consumer trends by surveying and researching consumer demands,
purchasing methods, product sales, and the existence and development of technology
across the relevant market. The marketing department gathers all the data, and makes
this information available to the R&D department, which will take action in response
to the findings and proceed to keep the company on top of current market needs.
Consumer demands often change very quickly, and the research and development
department must be alert and adapt to these market fluctuations accordingly.
Companies often allocate millions of dollars to research and development so that they
can continually modify and update their products to preserve a brand's position within
the market. Leading products whether a drug, or a laundry detergent, or anything
else usually will not remain in the number one market position forever without some
type of improvement and advancement.
An R&D department may also be tasked with ensuring that products are manufactured
within an appropriate time frame, and that they meet specific quality and cost
requirements requirements. For example, a particular ingredient or component of a
product suddenly may become too expensive or outdated, and the department will need
to explore other means to replace the missing pieces. Therefore, R&D departments
often maintain close ties with engineers, chemists, and other product specialists.
Research and development departments will provide advancements in products that
range from simple updates of features to dramatic discoveries of new cures for diseases,
depending on the field and the company's needs. The aim, in most cases, is to ensure
that each product meets all regulations, legal requirements, and the highest standards in
quality control. Research and development works in conjunctions with other
departments to achieve these aims.
(e) Finance G
Finance is the money available to spend on business needs.
Right from the moment someone thinks of a business idea, there needs to be cash. As
the business grows there are inevitably greater calls for more money to finance
expansion. The day to day running of the business also needs money.
The main reasons a business needs finance are to:
Start a business
Depending on the type of business, it will need to finance the purchase of assets,
materials and employing people. There will also need to be money to cover the running
costs. It may be some time before the business generates enough cash from sales to pay
for these costs. Link to cash flow forecasting.
Finance expansions to production capacity
As a business grows, it needs higher capacity and new technology to cut unit costs and
keep up with competitors. New technology can be relatively expensive to the business
and is seen as a long term investment, because the costs will outweigh the money saved
or generated for a considerable period of time. And remember new technology is not
just dealing with computer systems, but also new machinery and tools to perform
processes quicker, more efficiently and with greater quality.
To develop and market new products
In fast moving markets, where competitors are constantly updating their products, a
business needs to spend money on developing and marketing new products e.g. to do
marketing research and test new products in pilot markets. These costs are not
normally covered by sales of the products for some time (if at all), so money needs to be
raised to pay for the research.
To enter new markets
When a business seeks to expand it may look to sell their products into new markets.
These can be new geographical areas to sell to (e.g. export markets) or new types of
customers. This costs money in terms of research and marketing e.g. advertising
campaigns and setting up retail outlets.
Take-over or acquisition
When a business buys another business, it will need to find money to pay for the
acquisition (acquisitions involve significant investment). This money will be used to
pay owners of the business which is being bought.
Moving to new premises
Finance is needed to pay for simple expenses such as the cost of renting of removal
vans, through to relocation packages for employees and the installation of machinery.
To pay for the day to day running of business
A business has many calls on its cash on a day to day basis, from paying a supplier for
raw materials, paying the wages through to buying a new printer cartridge.
A business needs to assess the different types of finance based on the following criteria:
Amount of money required a large amount of money is not available through some
sources and the other sources of finance may not offer enough flexibility for a smaller
amount.
How quickly the money is needed the longer a business can spend trying to raise the
money, normally the cheaper it is. However it may need the money very quickly (say if
had to pay a big wage bill which if not paid would mean the factory would close down).
The business would then have to accept a higher cost.
The cheapest option available the cost of finance is normally measured in terms of
the extra money that needs to be paid to secure the initial amount the typical cost is the
interest that has to be paid on the borrowed amount. The cheapest form of money to a
business comes from its trading profits.
The amount of risk involved in the reason for the cash a project which has less
chance of leading to a profit is deemed more risky than one that does. Potential sources
of finance (especially external sources) take this into account and may not lend money
to higher risk business projects, unless there is some sort of guarantee that their money
will be returned.
The length of time of the requirement for finance - a good entrepreneur will judge
whether the finance needed is for a long-term project or short term and therefore decide
what type of finance they wish to use.
(f) Business Development G
Business development is a broad term applied to the process of strengthening ties with
existing clients as well as cultivating customers in other sectors of the consumer
market. The traditional barriers between sales, marketing, customer care, operations,
and management are often crossed in order to promote this process of expansion on
more than one level. This means that a specialist in the field must exhibit a degree of
competence in many different areas in order to identify and capitalize on growth
opportunities.
One of the foundational aspects of busdev, or business development, is to assess the
current assets of the company as they relate to the maintenance and expansion of the
business. To this end, a specialist will work closely with sales and marketing
professionals to identify the degree of penetration already enjoyed by the company in
various sectors of the consumer base.
At the same time, he or she will also work with customer care professionals to assess
the feedback gathered from existing clients on the perception of the company and its
products. This type of activity can often identify ways to refine current sales and
marketing techniques in order to capture a wider share of consumers within sectors
where the business already has a presence. At the same time, the addition of the data
acquired through customer care contacts may help identify applications for the product
line that are not promoted at present and could lead to capturing new markets if
marketed properly.
It is important to note that the successful business development specialist is not
focused only on making sales or keeping current customers happy. While those
aspects are part of the overall picture, he or she will also be concerned with making
the best use of the company's resources, refining the process and function of
management and various departments, and addressing any legalities that must be
observed as the company continues to move forward. In many organizations, this
gives the specialist a wide range of authority to solicit information from anywhere
within the corporate structure and to influence every aspect of company function.

The process can be applied to just about any corporate situation. Even companies that
are small need this type of activity in order to remain stable and to achieve growth
over time. Often, the inclusion of at least one person who is focused on development
activity makes it possible to capture a view of the company that is hard for people
with responsibility for specific functions with the organization to achieve without
help.

Business development may take place by creating an arm or department of the
corporation that carries out these functions. It is also possible to contract with a
consultant in order to evaluate the company's current circumstances and identify
strategies for future growth.