BSBSTR401 Case Study

King Edward VII College was established in 2010. The College is based in Melbourne CBD and offers a range of courses in management, marketing, human resources and international business. It currently has around 500 students enrolled across all of its courses.

The College is very popular due to its competitive pricing structure, great teaching staff and state of the art student facilities. The college has a warm and embracing culture which is collaborative in nature and employs staff members from a diverse range of backgrounds and skill sets.

King Edward VII College aims to be one of the leading VET providers who responds to the changing workplace through leading by example and adopting innovative work practices and technologies.

Current organisational goals include:

• To be a leader in vocational education and training, on campus and in an online environment.
• To be an employer of choice, committed to the ongoing development of a highly capable and diverse workforce.
• To be an outstanding partner for industry, government and the community facilitating quality placements of students.
• To be a college committed to achieving environmental sustainability and fostering education for sustainability.

The College currently employs 24 staff members. Positions can be seen by viewing the company’s organisational chart.

Organisational Chart

You have been appointed by the CEO to lead a project team to identify opportunities for innovation in the work environment and implement the necessary procedures and practices to bring about change in line with the organisation’s objectives.

You will select the best team for the project consisting of no more than four people, including yourself. Your team will identify opportunities for innovation and develop procedures and practices to promote innovation within the organisation.

Background information

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there have been major shifts in demand for VET organisations to be more responsive, flexible and relevant in the teaching and training they deliver. To stay competitive the CEO increased the number of online courses on offer. This has affected the workload of the Learning and Development team, resulted in long hours and unhappy employees. The CEO is concerned about the team maintaining a good work-life balance and has expressed the need for working conditions to be investigated as policies and procedures are not currently supporting flexible working arrangements. During a recent Covid-19 lockdown, staff members were forced to work from home and had to use email as a primary way of collaborating with other members of staff. Staff have expressed the need for establishing practices to use collaboration tools for file sharing and online meetings tools such as Zoom.

Meetings are held regularly as part of the basic work practices at King Edward VII College and are supposed to be providing an opportunity for staff to share their creative ideas, however, staff members are intimidated by the formal meeting processes that have been set in place by management. and would like to work in a more relaxed environment and have spaces for collaboration.

The results of a recent staff survey showed that the office staff find their office environment oppressive and depressing. There is a lack of natural light in the building, the office furniture is outdated and some of the desks are damaged. Furthermore, staff are working in claustrophobic cubicles and there are three large private meeting rooms that are rarely all occupied at the same time.

The policies and procedures for ensuring environmental sustainability in the office environment is outdated and no procedures exist for reducing office waste.

There is a budget of $15 000 available for establishing an innovative work environment.

Purpose

The purpose of this policy and procedures is to ensure that all meetings are organised and conducted effectively, and according to established procedures.

Scope

King Edward VII College convenes a range of meetings including regular staff meetings, meetings to discuss specific projects or issues, management meetings and client meetings. Such meetings are considered to be formal meetings. This policy and procedure document applies to all staff with responsibility for organising and attending meetings at King Edward VII College.

Code of conduct

The meeting code of conduct is as follows:

• Everyone is expected to be on time for the meeting.
• Meetings must be entered into all staff calendars to ensure that they are not forgotten.
• Mobile phones must be turned off in meetings.
• Laptops may only be used during the meeting to make notes or to refer to relevant sources of information.
• Everyone’s point of view must be respected.
• Meeting participants must not promote any ideas related to self-interest or conflict of interest.

Our code of conduct ensures that all ethical requirements are met.

Identifying meeting participants

Relevant staff are to be identified for participation in meetings.

The following guidelines are to be followed in order to identify and then invite relevant staff that are required to participate in meetings:

• Staff meetings: all staff to be invited
• Management meetings: CEO, Human Resources Manager, Marketing Manager, IT Manager, Finance and Administration Manager
• Trainer meetings: Training Manager and all Trainers

Meeting agenda

The purpose of an agenda for a formal meeting is to inform the staff of when and where the meeting will be, as well as what will be discussed and done at the meeting.

The person organising the meeting must develop the agenda.

The King Edward VII College Meeting Agenda Template must be used ensuring that:

• each agenda item is numbered
• each agenda item is allocated an amount of time e.g. 9.00 am – 9.15 am and that this is enough time for the item to be discussed
• there is a short summary of what will be discussed under each agenda item.

Agendas must be sent by email to each meeting participant at least three working days prior to the meeting.

Notice of meeting

The following procedures should be followed for formal meetings only.

A notice of meeting must be sent to all staff at least ten working days prior to the meeting, except in the case of emergency meetings. This notice must be sent by the person organising the meeting.

The notice should be addressed to participating staff members and must be sent via email. It must identify:

• the type of meeting (for example, face to face or teleconference)
• the purpose of the meeting and any additional requirements
• the place, date and time of the meeting
• advice that the agenda will be forwarded within three working days of the meeting.

Staff members who are unable to attend are expected to respond via email advising that they are unable to attend.

For informal meetings, a notice of meeting should be sent in the form of an email at least two working days prior to the meeting. The notice should include the date, time and duration of the meeting, as well as a brief summary of the meeting and key items that will be discussed. This replaces the need for a formal agenda. Thus, the following section on Meeting agenda’s does not apply to informal meetings.

Meeting arrangements

All meetings should be held in meeting room. No catering is required for informal meetings.

Meetings will generally be up to around an hour. However, for longer meetings, those expected to last longer than 2 hours, refreshments should be organised. Depending on the time of day this might be breakfast, morning tea, lunch or afternoon tea.

A maximum cost of $10 per person is allowable for morning or afternoon tea or $15 for breakfast or lunch.

All catering is to be organised through Crave Catering:

http://www.cravecatering.com.au/

For client meetings involving more than 20 people, a venue will need to be organised:

http://venuemob.com.au/corporate-function-venues/melbourne

There will need to be a projector and screen for power point presentations.

Travel to the venue should be organised for all staff. Organise taxis through:

https://www.13cabs.com.au

Chairperson

A formal meeting must have a chairperson to chair the proceedings. This will usually be the person who organises the meeting and sends out the agenda.

The chairperson is required to control the meeting procedures and has the task of:

• nominating or requesting a staff member to take notes of the meeting so the minutes can be prepared
• making sure proper notice is given and that there is an agenda, listing all items that need to be covered
• introducing the meeting, including, welcoming, stating purpose of meeting, advising of meeting time frame and encouraging all to participate
• checking (and, usually, signing) the minutes of previous meetings if applicable
• keeping time (to ensure the meeting gets through its business in the allocated time)
• dealing with the order of business
• facilitating discussion through encouraging all to participate
• keeping order by focussing only on agenda items
• ensuring everyone has an opportunity to speak
• limiting the amount of time each staff member can have to speak on a matter
• making sure that decisions are reached on issues that are discussed and that everyone understands what the decisions are
• declaring the meeting closed.

For informal meetings, the person organising the meeting will still act as the chair albeit on a much more informal basis.

Minutes

It is essential to keep accurate minutes of all formal meetings as follows:

• At the outset of a meeting, the Chair is to nominate or request a staff member to take notes of the meeting so as to develop the formal meeting minutes following the meeting. The Chair is also required to take notes but these will be brief dot points to have a record of the meeting contents. They will generally be handwritten dot points.
• A laptop and the Meeting Minutes Template is to be provided to the staff member taking the notes of the meeting. The notes can be entered into the meeting minutes template or into a word document.
• The staff member should be advised that notes of the meeting must be saved according to the subject of the meeting and the date and saved in a specific project file or under existing files.
• The staff member should be advised to note down the key points of the meeting.
• The notes must be provided to the chair following the meeting so as to develop the formal meeting minutes.
• Meeting minutes must be developed by the Chair following the meeting as follows:
  • It is important that the minutes record any resolutions or decisions made at a meeting.
  • Minutes should be as brief as possible without jeopardising accuracy and credibility.
  • Attendances and any apologies must be noted. This is usually done at the beginning of a meeting, although if people leave early or arrive late, keep a note of this in the minutes.
• Meeting minutes must be saved according to the subject of the meeting and the date of the meeting. The meeting minutes will be saved in a specific project file (e.g. Conference Folder YEAR folder or under a general folder such as Marketing Materials or such as staff meetings).
• Minutes must be provided by the minute taker to the Chair within 2 working days of the meeting.
• Minutes will be distributed via email by the Chair to all attendees within 5 working days of the meeting.
• For informal meetings, a record of the meeting should be sent via email summarising the key outcomes of the meet

Structure

Each meeting is to be opened by the meeting chair.

They should begin the meeting with:

• A brief overview of the meeting’s purpose and anticipated outcomes
• An acknowledgement (and introduction if necessary) of all the meeting’s participants.
• An acknowledgement of any apologies from people who were invited to the meeting but could not participate.
• Ask if there are any additions to the distributed meeting agenda
• Approval of the meeting agenda
• If appropriate, approval of the last meeting’s minutes as distributed

The chair leads a discussion of the meeting’s agenda items within the time allocated.

For items that involve formal approval, the chair will hold a verbal (unless otherwise specified) vote among the participants.

Proxy votes can be included as appropriate.

The results of all votes are to be recorded in the meeting minutes.

To complete the meeting, the chair should:

• summarise the outcomes of the meeting’s agenda items
• outline what needs to be achieved prior to the next meeting
• tell the participants when they can expect to receive
• the minutes of the meeting
• the agenda for the next meeting
• establish the place, date and time of the next meeting
• thank the participants for attending the meeting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Purpose

• To provide staff with inspiration and guidelines on sustainable practices to be conducted within the college.
• To ensure staff engage in environmentally friendly practices wherever possible.
• To promote our college as a leader in environmental sustainability.

Scope

This policy has been developed for all staff.

Policy

We will strive to minimise its environmental impact and carbon footprint, providing leadership in environmental management by ensuring environmental sustainability is integral to all of its activities as outlined below.

• Demonstrating best practice: we will integrate sustainability into all its aspects and functions. It will be embedded into all operational policies and procedures; considered in all strategic and operational planning; and enabled through sustainable practices.
• Shared responsibility: All members of our staff are responsible for our sustainability performance and as such will be made aware of their role through induction, professional development, the provision of necessary information and educational resources, as well as ongoing training and awareness. Sustainability will form an important part of key performance indicators as a matter of process over time.
• Participation: Staff participation in decision-making about activities is valued and will be sought whenever possible in the development and implementation of our sustainability agenda.
• Openness and transparency: Actions and processes will be transparent, and progress against identified indicators and targets will be discussed with staff on a regular basis. These reports will be made publicly available.
• Innovation and creativity: Creative and innovative approaches will be employed to find solutions to and eliminate unsustainable practices.
• Self-sufficiency: Where possible, we will use resources generated on the premises, with residual needs met using a sustainable procurement policy.
• Whole systems approach: A whole-systems approach will be implemented to create successful change towards sustainability.

Procedures

Water

Save water by switching the tap off properly after use.

Save water by watering the office plants with water that is still in the kettle at the end of the day.

Electricity

Turn off all lights at the end of the day.

Wherever practical, equipment should be turned off completely at the end of the day rather than leaving it on standby.

Waste

Staff should avoid waste or minimize it where avoidance is not possible.

Printing

Documents should only be printed when they need to be proofread or used as hard copy.

Where possible, non-final draft documents that need to be printed should be printed on the back of old documents.

Double-sided documents should be used wherever possible.

Suggestions for more sustainability procedures should be given to the Operations Manager for consideration.

 

 

 

Purpose

This code aims to guide the conduct of staff in the performance of their duties as an employee of King Edward VII College. It is intended to provide practical assistance for staff faced with ethical challenges.

Overview

All staff of the college are expected to perform the duties associated with their position skilfully, impartially and diligently in order to contribute to the efficient and economic achievement of college goals.

Staff should be guided in their conduct by the principles established by this code. If there is any doubt as to the applicability of the code, or the appropriate course of action to be taken in certain circumstances, the matter should be discussed with a senior member of staff.

Code

Ethical principles

The fundamental ethical principles on which this code of conduct is based are:

• respect for others
• integrity
• diligence
• economy and efficiency.

Respect for others

All staff are expected to treat others, including other staff and students, with fairness and respect. This involves:

• courtesy and responsiveness in dealing with others
• being sensitive to and respecting the rights and dignity of others
• making reasonable, fair and consistent decisions
• avoiding behaviour which might reasonably be perceived as harassment, victimisation or intimidation
• avoiding discrimination on grounds such as age, race, sex, pregnancy, sexuality, ethnic background, nationality, disability, political conviction, religious belief, or other grounds covered by relevant legislation
• allowing alternative points of view to be expressed and reasonably debated.

Integrity

All College staff have an obligation as a citizen and as an employee to observe the laws of the State and the Commonwealth.

Staff are required to be familiar with, and comply with, all relevant College policies, procedures and codes of practices of the organisation.

Conflicts of interest

Staff should be honest in performing their role and avoid conflicts between their private interests and those of their responsibilities to the college.

Conflicts of interest may arise when a staff member is in a situation where personal circumstances are affected by the decisions or duties carried out in their role. A conflict may arise when any of the following are involved:

• financial interests
• personal or sexual relationships
• personal beliefs
• outside employment
• political participation
• use of confidential information
• use of facilities, equipment and resources
• acceptance of gifts or benefits.

All staff must act responsibly and report any actual or perceived conflicts of interest that arise as part of their role. If there is any question as to whether a conflict exists, staff must discuss the circumstances with management to determine whether a conflict exists. Appropriate strategies will be developed to manage any reported or perceived conflicts of interest.

Diligence

Staff are expected to carry out their duties in a professional, ethical and diligent manner at all times. This means staff must:

• make decisions fairly, impartially and without bias, using the best factual information available
• keep records and documentation to support their decisions
• always aim to achieve the highest possible standard of performance
• continuously develop their knowledge in their professional fields and areas of responsibility. Trainers and assessors must continue developing their vocational competencies to support continuous improvements in the delivery of the services provided by the college
• exercise best judgment in the interests of the college
• maintain adequate documentation to support decisions made
• ensure outside interests do not interfere with their ability to meet the responsibilities of their role
• adhere to professional codes of conduct and standards of ethics
• act responsibly when becoming aware of any unethical behaviour or wrong doing by any other person. This may involve a report to a senior member of staff or to external authorities.

Economy and efficiency

Staff should use college resources, facilities and intellectual property only for legitimate purposes related to their role with the college.

Staff should maintain sufficient security and protection of college property, facilities, resources and intellectual property.