Mohammad Al yousifMGMT 3100Paisley Stidham2162017 .docx

Mohammad Al yousif
MGMT 3100
Paisley Stidham
2/16/2017
JOB DESCRIPTION AND
SPECIFICATIONS
Job Title:Management Analyst
Department(s): Human Resource Management
Level(s): Corporate
Reports to:The Manager
Position Purpose and Nature of Work:
Conducts evaluations and organizational studies, designs
procedures and systems, conducts measurement studies and
work simplifications, and prepares procedures manuals and
operations.
Job Duties and Essential Functions:
Describe each broad function of the job, how it is accomplished
and what end result is desired. Indicate in the first column the
frequency the function is performed using the codes below.
(Some items may occur concurrently.) Indicate in the second
column if you believe the function to be essential to the
fundamental successful performance of the job.
Frequency:Rarely (R)Occasionally (O)Frequently
(F)Continually (C)
Less than 1%1% to 33%34% to 65%66% to 100%
Essential Job Function:Yes (Y)No (N)
Frequency Essential
1) Document findings

F
Y
2) Prepare recommendations
O
Y
3) Conduct on-site observations
F
Y
4) Interview personnel
O
Y
5) Develop solutions
F
Y
6) Analyze data
O
Y
7) Plan work procedures

F
Y
8) Evaluate progress
F
Y
9) Conduct work simplification
F
Y
10) Design procedures
O
Y
11) Design systems
O
Y
12) All other duties as assigned
F
Y
Department Function:
Ensure that all operations are smooth and that all employees
assigned to specific duties are efficient and productive.

Internal/External Contacts:
Marketing Manager, Human Resource Specialists, Training, and
Development Specialists, Market Research Analysts and
Marketing Specialists, Fraud Examiners, Investigators, and
Analysts (O.Net, 2016). The purpose of the contact is to make
sure that everything is smooth and at the same time to guide the
management analyst on specific tasks.
Al yousif 1
Al yousif 2
January 10, 2002
Supervision Received:
Management analyst is not monitored like other employees.
However, he is answerable to the manager, and he reports to the
manager.
The direction of Others:
The Management Analyst does not involve himself with
employees. His major responsibility is to analyze and advise the
organization on management related issues. He does not give
work directions to junior employees, he only enquires and
advises.
Work Planning:
The Management Analyst documents finding and later file
recommendations on issues that are related to management. He
also interviews personnel to ensure that their qualifications are
in line with the goals of the organization. In a case of any
challenge, he looks into ways that the challenges can be
overcome and plans on the best strategies to apply.
Accountability and Impact:

The work will not be affected by any financial condition or
budget, the amount agreed upon will push through no matter the
situations or circumstances.
Problem Solving and Decision Making
Implementing an organizational change may be a problem, but
the incumbent may decide to convince the management.
Challenges
Making the right decision is a challenge putting into
consideration that a decision might fail the organization or take
it to greater heights.
Qualifications:
Minimum Knowledge, Skills, Education and Experience
required for the incumbent to be successful on the job:
1) Must be an active listener
2) Should be good in judgment and decision making
3) Must have knowledge of employees' education and training
(O.Net, 2016)
4) Must be good in English; reading, writing and speaking
5) Must have the ability to hold on to conversation and to
persuade
Preferred Knowledge, Skills Education, and Experience which
would enhance the incumbent's success in the job:
1) Should be equipped with modern technology skills
2) a master’s degree will be an added advantage
Other Job Requirements:
From the list below indicate those actions or processes which
would typically be performed by an incumbent in this job.
Indicate in the first column the frequency of the action or
process. Indicate in the second column if the action or process
is essential to the performance of the job. Provide a
description of those which are performed more than rarely

Frequency:Rarely (R)Occasionally (O)Frequently
(F)Continually (C)
Less than 1%1% to 33%34% to 65%66% to 100%
Essential Job Function:Yes (Y)No (N)
Mental
C1)Interaction with others/communication skills: Y
The job of the incumbent is to observe and to enquire.
Therefore, communication skills are a necessity.
O2)Multi-task orientation: Y
There is no guarantee that the incumbent will only be handling
one task and therefore it is important for him to be prepared.
O3)Time/deadline/shift/overtime requirements: Y
In the case of new implementations, the incumbent will be
needed to spend more time at work so as to make observations
and to provide guidance.
O4)Highly repetitive work: Y
To ensure that the best observations are captured, the incumbent
will be needed to repeat his observations time after time.
C5)Attention to detail: Y
The organization cannot afford to miss on the finer details.
Attention to detail will be compulsory.
C6)Reasoning: Y
The reasoning of the incumbent must always be at its best.
C7)Work independently: Y
In most cases, a management analyst is not supervised so he
must be ready to work independently.
R8)Other psychological demands: N
Physical
O1)Sitting: Y
Sometimes the incumbent will be expected to plan on the
progress while sited.
O2)Standing/walking: Y
During observations, the incumbent will be required to walk
around the premises to observe the progress.
R3)Crouching: N
R4)Stooping: N

R5)Reaching: N
R6)Twisting/turning: N
R7)Climbing: N
R8)Crawling: N
R9)Kneeling: N
R10)Leg/foot: N
R11)Handling: N
R12)Fingering/Feeling/Grasping: N
R13)Balance: N
R14)Pushing/Pulling: N
R15)Lifting/carrying or otherwise transporting: N
R16)Repetitive motion: N
R17)Operation of equipment/tools/vehicles: N
O18)Work extended hours (more than 8 hours in a day), varying
shifts or unpredictable break periods: Y
When there is much work to be done, the incumbent will be
required to remain behind till the work is done.
Use of Sense
F1)Talking in person/by phone: Y
The incumbent will be expected to answer phones that are
relevant to his duties.
F2)Hearing in person/by phone: Y
The incumbent will be the one receiving the phones that are
directed to him.
O3)Vision (near/far/depth perception): Y
The incumbent must have a clear vision.
R4)Color vision: N
R5)Smell: N
Environmental & Safety
O1)Safety requirements (i.e., equipment used, activities
performed): N
The incumbent must be in a protective gear whenever he is out
in the field.
R2)Exposure (fumes, chemicals, vibrations, humidity, cold,
heat, dust, noise): N
R3)Work in confined spaces: N

F4)Required hygiene standards: Y
The incumbent must maintain a high level of personal and
environmental hygiene.
Working Conditions
R1)Available to work variable schedule, 24 hrs. A day, seven
days a week: N
R2)Work in inclement weather, including extremes in
temperature
and precipitation: N
O 3) In-state and Interstate travel: Y
The incumbent might be required in other organization’s
branches outside the state and that will lead to him traveling to
the specific locations.
Conditions of Employment
C1)Successful completion of background check, including MVR
search: Y
There must be proof that the background of the incumbent is
clean.
C2)Drug screen urinalysis as required by company customer or
governmental policy:Y
The incumbent must always be sober, and that is why a drug test
will be continually done.
C3)Successful completion of functional capacity test:Y
The incumbent must complete all the person tasks.
This position will be subject to Annual Performance Review, as
dictated by Company Policy.
Employee Signature Date
Supervisor Signature Date

References
O.Net. (2016). O.Net Online. Retrieved
fromhttps://www.onetonline.org/find/quick?s=business+adminis
tration+management
Pató, B. S. G. (2015). The 3D job description. Journal of
Management Development, 34(4), 406420.
Baker, T. (2016). The Job Description and the New Contract. In
The End of the Job Description(pp. 63-78). Palgrave Macmillan
UK.
Running Head: PERFORMANCE STANDARDS
1
PERFORMANCE STANDARDS
4
Performance standards
Name

Date
University Affiliation
Performance standards provide employees with performance
expectations from major duties. They are behaviors and actions
which demonstrates how the job is to be done and the results
expected for a satisfying performance. Working in an
organization’s customer service unit comes in handy. It is one
of the most essential basis for company performance. There are
service expectations where one is supposed to know the
experiences of customers. Every part of the service model
should be accessed from the perspective of the customer. One
has to be keen on return policies, refund exchange guidelines,
wait times and employees’ interaction, and also put into
considerations the ability of your stuff in meeting deadlines,
filling orders in the time required and in the right manner,
handles the customer’s needs in a friendlier and knowledgeable
way (Hextall, 2013).
Procedures and policies should be set so that employees will be
effective in delivering good services to the customers, ensure
that the employees have adequate working knowledge of the
business policies and procedures provided for customers’
interactions. This may require starting training programs or
starting a program about job shadowing in order to develop a
stable working knowledge and bringing out the best practices in
providing services to the customers. It also involves carrying
out performance of customer service by reviewing the feedbacks
from customers which will result to better service provision
(Hextall, 2013).
Communication is very important because exchange of
information with customers establishes the standards of
performance. This involves interaction with one another, also
may include communication through emails, telephone and
written communication exchanges. Acceptable parameters
should be developed for holding and turning around for

electronic communication response, wait time and returning
calls. There should also be empowerment of employees which
will result to provision of better and quality customer service,
in some circumstances employees will be needed to depart from
rules. The employer should ensure that the employees knows
how to handle customers (Hextall, 2013).
References
Hextall, I. (2013). Performance standards (1st ed). London.
Hoboken.
Performance Management and Innovative Human Resource
Training Through Flexible Production
Systems Aimed at Enhancing the Competitiveness of SMEs
29
Performance Management and Innovative
Human Resource Training Through Flexible
Production Systems Aimed at Enhancing
the Competitiveness of SMEs
© 2015 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
Nunzio Casalino1, Maurizio Cavallari2, Marco De Marco3,
Maria Ferrara4,
Mauro Gatti5 and Cecilia Rossignoli6
In the current knowledge economy, companies need to develop
competitive advantages based on an
adequate and intensive use of innovation processes and
Information and Communication Technology
(ICT) that are becoming essential elements of business success

in today’s European market. The
purpose of this paper is to introduce and discuss the benefits of
online training on automation and
innovation fields and try to explain their organizational impact
on Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises
(SMEs). Besides, it tries to understand the main barriers to
SMEs with respect to the realization of their
innovative potential and their capacity to improve internal
processes by ICT adoption and organizational
change. They are becoming particularly important for achieving
greater productivity, lower operational
costs, and higher revenues (usually characterized by reduced
access to external finance, unavailability of
wider distribution channels, low internationalization, etc.). The
goal of the paper is also to synthesize the
experience and the benefits of e-learning and of a specific
professional environment in the training
process. The described project provides training contents to
enhance the participants’ background and
some innovative simulations to improve effectively the
specialized knowledge of the employees on industrial
automation systems.
1 Associate Professor of Business Organization, Università
LUISS Guido Carli, Rome, Italy; and is the corresponding
author. E-mail: [email protected]
2 Adjunct Professor of Business Organization, Università
Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy.
E-mail: [email protected]
3 Full Professor of Business Organization, Uninettuno, Rome,
Italy. E-mail: [email protected]
4 Full Professor of Business Organization, Università degli
Studi di Napoli “Parthenope”, Naples, Italy.
E-mail: [email protected]
5 Full Professor of Business Organization, Università La

Sapienza, Rome, Italy. E-mail: [email protected]
6 Full Professor of Business Organization, Università di
Verona, Verona, Italy. E-mail: [email protected]
Introduction
Information and Communication Technology (ICT), automation
and robotics are changing
the manufacturing processes and industrial competitiveness. In
parallel, educational
institutions are also integrating several aspects of information
systems, logistics, mechanics,
electronic processes (mechatronics) and technologies to improve
their business courses.
mailto:[email protected]
The IUP Journal of Knowledge Management, Vol. XIII, No. 4,
201530
This element is especially relevant for Small and Medium-Sized
Enterprises (SMEs), whose
survival depends, among other factors, on the use they make of
ICTs to develop new
organizational models, compete in new markets or enhance their
internal and external
communication relationships. Nevertheless, many small
enterprises have rather conservative
approaches toward new technologies and thereby miss many
opportunities of utilizing
improved technologies (Armenia et al., 2008). SMEs need
highly qualified staff with strong

competencies for operating new industrial machines and
managing sophisticated production
processes (Casalino et al., 2012). The project results analyzed
in this paper can help managers
and trainers to address and go over the problem of low
knowledge about possibilities offered
by flexible industrial automation systems. The project, which
will be described in depth later,
adapts and develops an innovative approach and learning
contents (Uskov and Casalino,
2012) targeted specifically at SMEs to qualify managers and
staff on industrial automation
systems. There have been significant debates about the impact
of new ICTs on economic
performance (Jin, 1999) and competitiveness in general, and on
productivity, efficiency, and
innovation in particular (Metallo et al., 2012). The diffusion of
automation can produce new
opportunities to SMEs. It overcomes the concept of traditional
organization and emphasizes
the interdependence between the organization of jobs and
technology (Fontana and Caroli,
2013). Notably, in seeking an explanation for the acceleration in
productivity and economic
growth experienced in many industrialized countries, many
economists have looked at the
development, application, and utilization of ICT as a critical
success factor. Hence, at the
firm level, the expectations are of greater efficiency, lower
costs, and access to larger and new
markets, while governments see the application and use of ICT
as generating higher
productivity and competitiveness (Agrifoglio et al., 2013). This
paper provides an analysis of
automation and innovation fields and tries to explain their
organizational impact on SMEs.

Besides, it tries to understand the main barriers to SMEs with
respect to the realization of their
innovative potential and their capacity to create employment
(reduced access to external
finance, unavailability of wider distribution channels, low
internationalization, etc.). Moreover,
as first argued by New Growth Theory (Romer, 1986), the
capacity of continuous innovation
has become a key factor in the global competition of high-
income regions in order to acquire
additional factors of production and the new value-adding
processes which are necessary to
keep an economy on a sustainable growth path (Ricciardi and
De Marco, 2012). SMEs seem to
be the ideal vehicle to promote both goals—sustainable
innovation-based economic growth
and employment creation—without trade-offs, given, as
frequently assumed, the high flexibility
as well as the relatively labor-intensive mode of production in
SMEs. However, the issue as to
how realistic these expectations are is anything but resolved.
Despite the experience with a
different number of SME promotion programs, it is still debated
as to which specific policy
measure is really suitable to guarantee undistorted competition
by compensating firm-size
specific disadvantages, such as the SMEs’ restricted access to
public resources.
Organizational Impact of ICT and Automation: Reason for the
Change
The relevant literature has traditionally suggested different
perspectives or aspects of ICTs
that must be considered in the study (Brady et al., 2002). From
an economic and management

31
viewpoint, ICTs have been regarded as: (i) a social
construction; (ii) an information provider;
(iii) an infrastructure—hardware and software; and (iv) a
business process and system. From
a marketing point of view, ICTs have also been viewed as: (i) a
variety of separate applications
(Internet, Databases, PowerPoint); (ii) a marketing channel; (iii)
a communication/
promotional medium; (iv) a marketing technique; and (v) a tool
for relationship marketing.
ICT adoption and organizational change are becoming essential
for achieving greater industry
productivity, lower operational costs, and higher revenues. The
close correlation between
these dimensions of improved economic performance from ICT
and organizational change
corresponds well with the findings from other studies on the
impact of ICT on firm
performance. Therefore, ICTs can be viewed as a collective
term for a wide range of software,
hardware, telecommunications and information management
techniques, applications and
devices, and are used to create, produce, analyze, process,
package, distribute, receive, retrieve,
store and transform information (Barba-Sánchez et al., 2007). It
has thus often been argued
that the effective utilization of ICT requires more horizontal
organizational structures with

greater levels of responsibility for the overall coordination of
work placed on the individual
employee. It also requires the implementation of clear
functional descriptions of tasks. All
this often requires a complete reshaping of the organizational
structure of the firm where all
aspects of the organizational development are consequently
given attention. Hence, it is
important to note that the firms are going through a period of
rapid modernization,
emphasizing improved production processes and flexible
organizations that can address the
needs of the market, as part of transformation of the
socioeconomic fabric to a market-
driven economy. This may in part explain why ICT is combined
with other factors, such as
new marketing strategies and organizational change. Today,
there is a strong need for collecting
more revealing data on ICT utilization and its impact on SMEs,
for more rigorous analysis of
how ICT investment and use affects innovation (Iannotta et al.,
2014), and for better
understanding how this can translate into productivity
increasing and enhancing
competitiveness (Figure 1). How to correlate SMEs in the
internationalization processes or
whether they only function as suppliers in global value chains,
dominated by large-scale
transnational enterprises, is an open question. Without doubt,
the current wave of
internationalization is accelerating the diffusion of innovation
across industries (Kaplan,
Figure 1: Sub-Goals of a Company and Efficiency Indicators
Goal of the Company

Efficiency of
Coordination
Efficiency of
Motivation
Sub-Goals
Efficiency
of Process
Efficiency of
Resources
Efficiency of
Delegation
Efficiency
of Market
201532
1999). Yet it is unclear whether SMEs are driven by
globalization or whether they are a
driving force in this process.
It is clear from our study that ICT utilization is already having
an impact on the economic
performance of firms. This is reflected in the findings on the
impact of ICT on economic
performance, where it is evident that ICT is a substantial
contributor to productivity,

profitability, and growth. Accordingly, a new marketing
strategy is particularly relevant for
translating the introduction and use of ICT into improvement of
profitability (De Marco
and Sorrentino, 2007). This is mainly because the use of ICT
together with new marketing
initiatives enables firms to strengthen their position in existing
markets or enter new markets,
thereby improving profitability. ICT is particularly important
for lowering operational costs
and increasing revenue. In addition to identifying the immediate
impact of ICT on the
economic performance of SMEs, it is possible to identify how
firms use ICT to improve their
future performance, namely, through innovation. ICT is only a
minor facilitator of innovation;
it only becomes powerful in combination with a number of other
complementary factors.
The main factors contributing to innovation in SMEs are:
• Changes in salary structure;
• Training of staff;
• Capital investment in equipment;
• Organizational change; and
• New market strategy.
In most of the sectors surveyed, ICT contributes more to
process innovation than to
product and relational innovation. The use of ICT is thus mainly
for changes in production
processes within the organization, rather than the development
of new products or the

furthering of relationships, especially with suppliers. It was
found that relatively fewer firms
report decreasing costs because of ICT (Rossignoli, 2004).
Automation is the adoption of
control systems and ICT to reduce the need for human work in
the production of goods and
services. In the scope of industrialization, automation is a step
beyond mechanization. While
mechanization provides human operators with machinery to
assist them with the muscular
requirements of work, automation greatly decreases the need for
human sensory and mental
requirements as well. Automation plays an increasingly
important role in the world economy
and in daily experience. Automation has had a notable impact
on a wide range of industries
beyond manufacturing (where it began). In general, automation
has been responsible for the
shift in the world economy from industrial jobs to service jobs
in the 20th and 21st centuries.
The result has been a rapidly expanding range of applications
and human activities. Design
and manufacturing of products are important for information
technology industry and can
assist in the design, implementation, and monitoring of control
systems.
Automated teller machines have reduced the need for bank
visits to obtain cash and carry
out transactions (De Marco, 2004). Engineers now can have
numerical control over automated
devices. Computer-Aided Technologies (or CAx) now serve the
basis for mathematical and
organizational tools used to create complex systems. Notable
examples of CAx include

33
Computer-Aided Design (CAD software) and Computer-Aided
Manufacturing (CAM
software). The improved design, analysis, and manufacture of
products enabled by CAx have
been beneficial for industry information technology, together
with industrial machinery and
processes; and can assist in the design, implementation, and
monitoring of control systems.
One example of an industrial control system is a Programmable
Logic Controller (PLC).
PLCs are specialized hardened computers, which are frequently
used to synchronize the flow
of inputs from (physical) sensors and events with the flow of
outputs to actuators and events.
Human Machine Interface (HMI) or Computer Human Interface
(CHI), formerly known as
man-machine interface, is usually employed to communicate
with PLCs and other computers.
Service personnel who monitor and control through HMIs can
be called by different names.
In industrial process and manufacturing environments, they are
called operators or something
similar. Some automation tools that could be adopted in SMEs
are:
• ABNN – Artificial Business Neural Networks;
• DCS – Distributed Control Systems;

• HMI – Human Machine Interface;
• SCADA – Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition;
• PLC – Programmable Logic Controllers;
• PAC – Programmable Automation Controllers;
• Motion Control Systems; and
• Advanced Manufacturing Systems.
Innovation and Technology Transfer
Joseph Schumpeter is often mentioned as the first economist to
have drawn attention to the
importance of innovation (Johannessen et al., 1999), defining
five types of innovation ranging
from introducing a new product to changes in industrial
organization. The Oslo Manual
provided two more technical definitions, but still it appears that
“innovation” is not easy to
define precisely. In 1999, in his keynote speech, Mills gave
some simple definitions:
• Science: how to understand things;
• Technology: how to do things;
• Management: how to get things done;
• Creation: bringing into existence;
• Invention: devising something new or a new way to do things;
and

• Innovation: turning an idea into income.
According to David Archibald, innovation is a science and
explains what innovation
and creativity mean by these simple formulas:
Creativity = Idea + Action
By this, Archibald means that the “idea” is just the beginning to
create something. People
must do something to bring the idea and create something.
201534
Innovation = Creativity + Productivity
In reality, the sequence is: get an idea, test or prototype it,
produce a finished item and
bring it into use. In the case of artists, this corresponds to: get
inspiration, sketch it, put it
down on canvas, and finally exhibit the work. For many
businesses, the ultimate goal is the
idea to produce profit. In this case, innovation must come from
ideas that lead to sales.
Profitable Innovation = Innovation + Marketing
The innovation process is a combination of various activities
starting from research but
including design, market investigation, process development,
and may include organizational
restructuring, employee development, etc. Innovation implies
creativity and dynamism that

will benefit the company and result in a higher standard of
living. However, as a conclusion,
it must be kept in mind that measurement of innovation is very
difficult. Technology transfer
is the process by which existing knowledge and capabilities
developed under public R&D
funding are used to fulfill public and private needs. Besides, an
organization must become a
learning organization and there must be a constant and
unstinting market focus. Market and
learning orientation are less formal, less structured, and less
sequential in SMEs. According
to Baker and Sinkula (1999), learning orientation “is a
mechanism that directly affects a
firm’s ability to challenge old assumptions about market and
how a firm should be organized
to address it”. SMEs have a natural advantage in that it is easier
to create a learning
environment in smaller organizations. Specifically,
organizational learning is a workplace
learning, which is a lower-level learning style involving the use
of existing knowledge to
enhance operational efficiency in SMEs. To expand, a learning
organization can be described
as possessing:
• Commitment to learning: The degree to which an organization
values and promotes
a learning culture by believing that learning is key to
improvement and competitive
advantage;
• Shared vision: An organization-wide focus on learning or
direction of learning
that is evident across all levels of an organization;

• Open-mindedness: Willingness to critically evaluate the
organization’s operational
routine and to accept new ideas by continually judging the
quality of decisions and
activities taken and perceptions about marketplace; and
• Intra-organizational knowledge sharing: Collective beliefs or
behavioral routines
related to the spread of learning among different units within
the organization by
having mechanisms for sharing lessons learned in organizational
activities from
department to department (unit to unit, team to team).
Organizational Structure and Human Resources
A new flexible production system involves many changes in
firm’s organization chart with
the increasing use of automation, often pointing out the problem
of the lack of trained staff
35
(Rossignoli, 2009). Indeed, very few workers are able to
actively practice with new technology.
The structure has to be modern and efficient and its staff have
to be extremely skilled. Staff
has to use the best technology available now in the market
(PLC, systems control, numerical
controls, systems of automation distributed, industrial PC,
barriers of protection). The business

structure must integrate and elaborate information coming from
different sources (Kessler
and Chakrabarti, 1997). As regards the different business
functions, they must be shaped so
that results are accessible from this information. It is necessary
to improve competences to
allow solutions of personalized automation. We analyze in
detail the main competences. The
technical person must also take care of the management of the
cars related to specific phases
of the production trial and must verify the conformity of the
result in comparison to the
standards affecting the necessary regulations and intervening on
possible anomalies. The
technical staff must be able to use the principal programming
languages and application,
developing the ability to work in team and for objective, using
different methodologies, as for
instance, the project management. The principal occupations are
assembled in the technical
offices and in the centers of research and development. Some
unit profiles are:
• The technician, in collaboration with administrative personnel,
develops
experimental researches using all necessary competences for
carrying out the
activities;
• The engineer of trial is the person who knows the trial that
must be automated. In
most cases, he coincides with the planner (mechanic) head;
• The electric planner designs the structure of the electric
system and the different
uses of the production trial;

• The expert of field defines typology, position and technical
specifications of several
sensors and essential actuators to check and watch the trial;
• The planner of automatic controls is traditionally also an
expert of measures and
covers the necessary competences of an expert of field. They
define the control
system architecture and the specifications;
• The person responsible for maintenance is another figure
whose role is increasingly
growing; and
• The person of maintenance of automation must know how to
distinguish between
corrective maintenance and improved maintenance.
Then the role of management is to improve the quality of the
products and the flexibility,
to reduce the time of production, to adjust laws and rules and to
improve the use of the
available resources. This is possible by means of suitable
choices of investment, actions of
marketing and naturally through an adjusted plan of production.
This last phase must be
managed through a fit allocation of human resources and with
the control of the productive
trials making use of automation. As regards the control of the
production trials, the principal
problem is the quick obsolescence of the firm’s products. The
solution is therefore the use of

201536
flexible systems of production that develop, in an automatic
way, different products. Therefore,
we can distinguish four types of competences to recognize
industrial automation:
1. Methodological competences: The figures have technical
competences, tied to the
routine of automation;
2. Technological competences: Methodological competences are
realized in solutions
implemented through technologies, therefore technological
competences are
necessary for those who are working with industrial automation;
3. Competences of trial: Automation requires knowledge on the
trials to automatize.
Rather, experience shows that the automation of a productive
trial often induces
to find formal and general descriptions of the same process; and
4. Technological complexity: Technological complexity should
not be too far ahead
of scientific understanding as it would limit the commercial
viability of the
innovation by being too sophisticated for the end-user.
The Research Project
SMEs are generally resistant not only to training but also to
other forms of wider participation.
Generally, SMEs also engage in less management development
activities than larger firms.
Managers in SMEs are much less likely to have formal

appraisals or discussions on their
training needs. SMEs must still provide the ability for managers
to learn by experience,
bringing their knowledge, skills and values into the workplace
and putting them into practice.
Inevitably, these resources are limited and sometimes
inadequate (Ward, 1996). This can be
potentially harmful for an organization, sacrificing the strength
and consistency of its culture
to achieve short-term gain. The AutoMatic project, titled
“Development of Curriculum and
Innovative Training Tools for Industrial Automation Systems
for People Employed in SMEs”
addresses the problem of low or missing overview about
possibilities offered by industrial
automation systems. It develops approaches and learning
materials directed specifically to
SMEs to qualify staff in terms of industrial automation systems.
AutoMatic has been selected
for co-financing under the Lifelong Learning Program,
Leonardo da Vinci, Transfer of
Innovation Projects (2009-1BG1-LEO05-01640-24 months). The
project is available on
www.automatic-project.eu.
The project has developed an innovative training approach, e-
learning platform, several
learning contents and specific simulation tools in the field of
industrial automation systems,
which are applicable to European SMEs. AutoMatic builds upon
an existing approach
developed in the pilot project “International Curricula of
Mechatronics and Training Materials
for Initial Vocational Training” for vocational schools
developed by Tallinn Technical
University, Estonia. The project consortium is composed of

(Figure 2):
• Gabrovo Technical University, Bulgaria, www.tugab.bg
(project promoter);
• ECQ – European Center for Quality, Sofia, Bulgaria,
www.ecq-bg.com (project
coordinator);
http://www.automatic-project.eu.
http://www.tugab.bg
http://www.ecq-bg.com
37
• Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia, www.ttu.ee;
• LUISS Guido Carli University, Rome, Italy, www.luiss.it; and
• Multidisciplinary European Research Institute Graz, Austria,
www.merig.org.
Target groups are practitioners in SMEs who intend to get an
introduction and overview
about industrial automation processes and are the main target
group of AutoMatic. The
project also addresses students in vocational education as end
users as well as teachers and
trainers as intermediates. The developed products can support
SME employees who want to
improve their qualification or requalify and need to increase

their flexibility with respect to
market demands and successful realization on the common labor
market. Between the results
achieved, interactive training tools (Yamasaki and Baba, 1996)
for industrial automation
systems are developed. More specifically, innovative curricula
and the following five training
modules are targeted at SME management and staff:
1. ICT-based means for automation and innovation;
2. Sensors in industrial automation;
3. Actuators in industrial automation;
4. Application of PLC in industrial automation; and
5. Industrial networks and interfaces in automation systems.
In the AutoMatic platform, a “virtual teacher” was integrated
that speaks slowly, with a
clear voice and a perfect intonation. Therefore, AutoMatic
proposes an innovative approach
for the training with a virtual teacher that holds the lessons, so
that the distance training is
combined with a similar direct contact. AutoMatic platform also
offers auto-evaluation
forms through which the learners can verify the acquired
knowledge level. Such forms, at the
Figure 2: The Project Website
http://www.ttu.ee;
http://www.luiss.it;
http://www.merig.org.

201538
end of every subject, allow the worker to immediately verify the
acquired knowledge through
the portal. Four different sections are developed for each
training module (Figure 3):
1. Training courses;
2. Exercises;
3. Self-assessment; and
4. Links and references.
The learning tools and materials are available in five languages:
English, Bulgarian,
Estonian, German and Italian. The learning tools and materials
are available online, on DVD
and on traditional booklets. Some main results achieved
(Casalino, 2009) are:
• Increased flexibility of SME employees who want to improve
their qualification;
• Increased motivation of target groups and their commitment
for life-long learning
and career planning; and
• A good impact on the quality of vocational training and
international cooperation
in the area of industrial automation systems by providing time-
saving and user-
friendly approaches.

Conclusion
Studies on the process of information technology acquisition
clearly show that these systems
go through several evolutionary stages. During this
development, the priority in order to
succeed does not seem to be tied only to the acquisition process,
but mainly to the paths of
learning and organizational change. Experience suggests that
these paths should be designed
and carefully managed in order to allow the acquisition and
effective use of ICT applications
by the users and the whole enterprise. The traditional
methodology for training, in fact, has
failed to furnish a suitable medium in the professional training
field, because of dynamic and
Figure 3: An Exercise for the Self-Evaluation in the Field of
Business Organization
39
continuous changes in the ICT sector and the increasing demand
for more and more knowledge
in the quality field (Casalino and D’Atri, 2005). AutoMatic can
contribute to the success of
the SMEs. The strategy is based on the creation of a system for
the training that combines the
distance learning objectives with the traditional benefits;
therefore, the two different

methodologies are integrated. In fact, on the one side, the
distance statement is a comfortable
method for the training of a vast entourage of people within
automation, but on the other
hand, many people does not believe in the effectiveness of such
method of statement
(Sorrentino and De Marco, 2010) because of the lack of a
teacher in the method that mostly
involves trainees. This research project includes the analysis of
some indicators and specific
key aspects that regard the current situation of automation and
innovation culture in the
European SMEs. These are:
• What is the current situation of quality aspects dissemination
through online
courses?
• How are the main models used and applied?
• What role can national agencies or institutions, such as
universities, have in the
diffusion of innovation culture or the implementation of
automation for SMEs
through both traditional and web-based learning?
• How do organizational and cultural specificities affect
automation implementation?
The importance of automation is increasing due to the fact that
impediments such as lack
of quality control and assurance systems, lack of accreditation
and certification procedures,
and poor conformity marks are still widespread (Casalino et al.,
2013). Such impediments are
considered as major potential and unnecessary technical barriers

to trade, especially concerning
international competitiveness and globalization. It is important
to underline that SMEs
have to meet the challenges of globalization and the new
knowledge-driven economy aims.
Consequently, in the knowledge society, SMEs need to develop
competitive advantages based
on an adequate and intensive use of ICT, which is an essential
element of success in today’s
m
References
1. Agrifoglio R, Metallo C, Varriale L et al. (2013), “Assessing
Individual Learning and
Group Knowledge in a Wiki Environment: An Empirical
Analysis”, in E P Klement,
W Borutzky, T Fahringer, M H Hamza and V Uskov (Eds.),
Proceedings of Web-Based
Education-WBE 2013 Conference, IASTED-ACTA Press,
Zurich, Innsbruck, Austria.
2. Archibald R D (2003), Managing High Technology Programs
and Projects, Vol. 1, pp. 24-89,
John Wiley & Sons, New Jersey.
3. Armenia S, Canini D and Casalino N (2008), “A System
Dynamics Approach to the
Paper Dematerialization Process in the Italian Public
Administration”, in A D’Atri,
M De Marco and N Casalino (Eds.), The Interdisciplinary
Aspects of Information Systems
Studies, pp. 399-408, Physica-Verlag, Springer, Heidelberg,
Germany.

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4. Baker W and Sinkula J (1999), “Learning Orientation, Market
Orientation, and
Innovation: Integrating and Extending Models of Organizational
Performance”, Journal
of Market Focused Management, Vol. 4, No. 4, pp. 295-308.
5. Barba-Sánchez V, Martínez-Ruiz M and Jiménez-Zarco A
(2007), “Drivers, Benefits and
Challenges of ICT Adoption by Small and Medium-Sized
Enterprises (SMEs):
A Literature Review”, Problems and Perspectives in
Management, Vol. 5, No. 1, p. 12.
6. Brady M K, Cronin J and Brand R (2002), “Performance-Only
Measurement of Service
Quality: A Replication and Extension”, Journal of Business
Research, Vol. 55, pp. 27-31.
7. Butler J (1999), “A Practical Model for Technology and
Innovation Management”,
Proceedings of the Portland International Conference on
Management of Engineering and
Technology (PICMET), Vol. 1, pp. 103-105.
8. Capriglione F and Casalino N (2014), “Improving Corporate
Governance and Managerial
Skills in Banking Organizations”, International Journal of
Advanced Corporate Learning,
Vol. 7, No. 4, pp. 17-27.
9. Cardinal L B, Alessandri T M and Turner S F (2001),
“Knowledge Modifiability, Resources,

and Science-Based Innovation”, Journal of Knowledge
Management, Vol. 5, No. 2,
pp. 195-204.
10. Carneiro A (2000), “How Does Knowledge Management
Influence Innovation and
Competitiveness?”, Journal of Knowledge Management, Vol. 4,
No. 2, pp. 87-98.
11. Casalino N (2006), Innovazione e organizzazione nella
formazione aziendale, Vol. 10,
pp. 1-212, Cacucci, Italy.
12. Casalino N (2009), “An Innovative Model of Trans-National
Learning Environment
for European Senior Civil Servants—Organizational Aspects
and Governance”,
Proceedings of 11th International Conference on Enterprise
Information Systems, pp. 148-153,
INSTICC, Milan, Italy.
13. Casalino N (2012), Piccole e Medie Imprese e Risorse
Umane nell’Era della Globalizzazione,
Vol. 90, pp. 1-273, Wolters Kluwer, Cedam.
14. Casalino N (2014a), “Simulations and Collective
Environments: New Boundaries of
Inclusiveness for Organizations?”, International Journal of
Advances in Psychology, Vol. 3,
No. 4, pp. 103-110.
15. Casalino N (2014b), “Learning to Connect: A Training
Model for Public Sector on
Advanced E-Government Services and Inter-Organizational
Cooperation”, International
Journal of Advanced Corporate Learning, Vol. 7, No. 1, pp. 24-

31.
16. Casalino N and D’Atri A (2005), “Quality, Usability and
Economical Aspects in a
Medical Web-Based Training Service”, Proceedings of the 4th
IASTED International
Conference on Web-Based Education, Vol. 1, pp. 304-310,
ACTA Press, Grindelwald, Swiss,
Zurich.
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17. Casalino N and Di Persio F (2004), “Integrating Medical
Services, Training and Education:
The Hermes Project Platform”, Advanced Technology for
Learning Journal, Vol. 1, No. 2,
pp. 71-80.
18. Casalino N, D’Atri A and Manev L (2007), “A Quality
Management Training System on
ISO Standards for Enhancing Competitiveness of SMEs”,
Proceedings of the 9th International
Conference on Enterprise Information Systems, June 12-16, pp.
229-235, INSTICC, Funchal,
Madeira, Portugal.
19. Casalino N, D’Atri A and North-Samardzic A (2011), ICT-
Based Means for Automation
and Innovation, Leonardo da Vinci 2009-1-BG1-LE005-01640,
Neo Pub. Ltd., Sofia,

Bulgaria.
20. Casalino N, Buonocore F, Rossignoli C and Ricciardi F
(2013), “Transparency, Openness
and Knowledge Sharing for Rebuilding and Strengthening
Government Institutions”,
WBE 2013, Vol. 10, IASTED-ACTA Press, Zurich, Innsbruck,
Austria.
21. Casalino N, Ciarlo M, De Marco M and Gatti M (2012),
“ICT Adoption and
Organizational Change: An Innovative Training System on
Industrial Automation
Systems for Enhancing Competitiveness of SMEs”, Proceedings
of the 14th International
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Poland, L Maciaszek, A Cuzzocrea
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288.
22. Chesbrough H (2003), “The New Business Logic of Open
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Innovation, Vol. 1, pp. 11-15.
23. De Marco M (2004), Le metodologie di sviluppo dei sistemi
informativi, Franco Angeli, Milan.
24. De Marco M and Sorrentino M (2007), “Sowing the Seeds of
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Service Organisations”,
ASK THE EXPERT
Options in Employee Training

Susan Schniepp, distinguished fellow at Regulatory
Compliance Associates, discusses training personnel on a
limited budget.
Q* l am in charge of training for a contract-manufacturing ■site
with approximately 350 employees. The budget for
my department was recently cut, and now l am struggling to
get my employees to training. I know that this will become a
potential item when my clients inspect me. Do you have any
suggestions on what l can do to remedy this situation?
A This is a great question. It seems cutting the training and
travel budgets are the first austerity measure
companies take when they are facing some budgetary
difficulties. In my opinion, training should probably be one of
the last areas that should have its budget cut because training
is one of the key elements management can use to assure
their commitment to consistently producing a high-quality
product. It is also a GMP requirement.
The United States regulations, 21 Code o f Federal
Regulations (CFR) 211.25, define personnel qualifications and
state, "Each person engaged in the manufacture, processing,
packing, or holding of a drug product shall have education,
training, and experience, or any combination thereof, to enable
that person to perform the assigned functions.. Training shall
be in the particular operations that the employee performs
and in current good manufacturing practice (including the
current good manufacturing practice regulations in this
chapter and written procedures required by these regulations)
as they relate to the employee's functions. Training in current
good manufacturing practice shall be conducted by qualified
individuals on a continuing basis and with sufficient frequency
to assure that employees remain familiar with CGMP
requirements applicable to them" (1).

Webinar training
Just because your budget is cut, however, doesn't mean you
can't make sure employees receive meaningful training. There
are many organizations and companies that offer webinar
training on topics ranging from "How to Write Effective SOPs"
to "How to Perform an Effective Technology Transfer" to
Risk Management Strategies for Quality Management in the
Pharmaceutical Industry." Some of these webinars are free and
some require a registration fee. They are usually 90 minutes
in length, and many offer an opportunity to ask the speakers
questions through a chatroom feature. If you are unable to listen
to the webinar live, you may have the option to purchase a
recording of it and listen to it at your convenience. The
recorded
option offered with these webinars can be valuable for training
employees who work on the second and third shifts that can
often be challenging. The companies offering these webinars
advertise them well in advance of the event and often send out
multiple reminders. The advertising for the webinars highlight
who will be speaking, their qualifications, what they will cover
in
the training, and what you will learn as a participant. In
addition,
they will also make recommendations on who should attend
so you can determine if this is appropriate training for your
employees. In some cases, the webinar may offer continuing
education credits for attending. This information should be
printed out and used to demonstrate the appropriateness of the
training during an audit.
Even though your budget
has been cut, there are still
opportunities to get your
employees the required

needed training.
Available FDA training
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also offers
training
through the FDA Learning Portal for Students, Academia and
industry at www.fda.gov/Training/learningportal. This training,
FDA reports,"... provides educational resources related to
FDA's
regulatory, product quality, and safety responsibilities. In each
section you'll find educational materials such as lectures and
courses as well as web pages related to the particular topic."
Some of the topics available include courses titled FDA 101,
FDA's Regulatory Framework, Current Initiatives, Human Drug
Approval and Post-marketing. The modules also provide a
course objective so you and your employees will understand
what they should know after completing the training. For
example, there is also a module called A Tour of FDA, which,
fda states, will provide an understanding of FDA's public
health mission and how the agency is organized to carry out its
mission (2). FDA also broadcasts some of its public meetings
depending on the topic. The agency's public meeting regarding
its Request for Quality Metrics Guidance for Industry was a
great way to learn about the new guidance and what industry
colleagues were thinking. This is another way employees can
keep up-to-date on the current issues facing the industry.
Pharmaceutical Technology Europe December 2016 65
http://www.fda.gov/Training/learningportal
A S K THE EXPERT

Training from within
Finally, for some employee groups, internal training
consisting of discussions of current topics that can be
found from industry warning letters, 483s, or new guidance
documents may be a low-cost alternative to a formal training
experience. These discussions can be led by qualified
company personnel and can cover not only the specifics of
the issues but the rationale behind them. As with all other
training, these discussions should be documented in your
training system.
The bottom line is even though your budget has been
cut, there are still opportunities to get your employees the
required needed training that will satisfy your customers
in audits. You should sign up to receive emails from
companies and organizations that offer online training,
review them to determine if they are applicable to your
operations, determine who should attend from your
company, and make sure you document their attendance
for their training record. In addition, you should also
monitor the FDA website for potential upcoming webcasts,
past webcasts, and other public offerings that will help you
and your employees receive the necessary training even
with a limited budget.
join PTE's community
Join the PharmTech group on Linkedln™
and start discussing the issues that
matter to you with your peers
Go to PharmTech.com/linkedin
Linked)
*The linkedln logo is a registered
trademark of Linkedln Corporation
and its affiliates in the United States
and/or other countries

To stay up to date with the latest headlines from across
the bio/pharmaceutical industry, follow us on Twitter at
www.PharmTech.com/Follow
References
1. 21 CFR 211.25, Personnel Qualifications, 1 Apr. 2016.
2. FDA, FDA Education and Resources by Subject,
www.fda.gov/
Training/learningportal/ucm417363.htm#overview, accessed 30
Nov. 2016. PTE
Your opinion matters.
Have a common regulatory or compliance question?
Send it to [email protected] and it
may appear in a future column.
Ad Index
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Baxter Healthcare
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Catalent Pharma

Solution
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Letzner Pharmawasseraufbereitung GmbH..........................
19,55
Mueller
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COMPANY___________________________________________
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Powder Systems
Ltd................................................................39, 57
RommelagCMO.......................................................................

23,58
Rommelag Engineering.
Shimadzu Europe.........
Starna Scientific...........
TASl TEST-Sepha, Bonfiglioli &
Alps....................................... 45,62
Umicore AG & Co.
KG..............................................................13,63
Veltek Associates Inc.............................................................
7.64
66 Pharmaceutical Technology Europe December 2016
PharmTech.com
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