ITM301 CA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

ITM301 CA - Essay Example Following is the list and brief description of important strategies that a company should follow in order to ensure that its IT users get adequate technical support: 1. Consolidation of the help-function: It is a good strategy to keep your help-desk system consolidated in one geographical location in order to eliminate the misunderstandings over â€Å"who to call† and to decrease the requests of support staff from direct approaches. A consolidated help desk boosts improved communication between IT specialists that were previously working in distinct groups. It also helps in developing economies of scale in terms of equipment and data sharing. 2. Use of help-desk software or IT tools: There are a number of software packages (over 200 in the market) available that have customizable solutions for creating knowledge bases, expert systems, problem management and change management. Also, these IT tools are now supported with databases of problems already configured in the set-up CD- ROMs, which can be easily integrated into help-desk software. Examples of such help-desk software include LiveTime Support, WonderDesk SQL, Numara Footprints, IncidentMonitorâ„ ¢, Simple Help Desk etc. ... 3. Develop standard procedures for help-call cycle and communication: In order to have a good and competent technical support system, it is important that the organization defines standards both internally in terms of procedures and training of help desk staff via ISO 9000; and externally via the establishment of service-level agreements. 4. Performance Management: The performance of help-desk personnel should be measured and analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative data such as Call statistics (Call volume, call capture, call length, waiting times, resolution times, number of calls closed), Customer Feedback (by user surveys or random follow-up calls), Mystery caller (Tester questions posed anonymously and evaluated) and Benchmarking (by a consultancy company). 5. Encouraging Professionalism: To gauge and improve professionalism amongst the help-desk staff, it is important that they understand the need and value of their work. They should more than just â€Å"technical peop le† and be treated as any other employee of the company. Hence, the organization should invest in proper training, certification or national vocational qualification developed specifically for support staff. 6. Outsourcing: In cases of large multi-national corporations, it is often times cost-effective to outsource the help-desk division to another geography. The experience of some cases shows that, while there may be advantages to outsourcing, such a strategy must be used upon proper consideration and with care. Yes, the help desk or technical support personnel is a relevant case of socio-technical system where the usual scenario of work between the client (technology user), the help-desk personnel (IT user/problem solver) and

What Steps Have Been Taken To Enhance The Stability Of The Financial Essay

What Steps Have Been Taken To Enhance The Stability Of The Financial System In Singapore What Are The Main Steps That Remain To Be Taken - Essay Example FSAPs are designed to assess the stability of the financial system as a whole and not that of individual institutions. They have been developed to help countries identify and remedy weaknesses in their financial sector structure, thereby enhancing their resilience to macroeconomic shocks and cross-border contagion. FSAPs do not cover risks that are specific to individual institutions such as asset quality, operational or legal risks, or fraud. The views expressed in this document are those of the staff team and do not necessarily reflect the views of the government of Singapore or the Executive Board of the Singapore; the name inspires respect and trust. Today, it is looked upon with awe by people from all over the world, both from developed nations and the developing world. It is considered as a role model by the Asian countries. This has been possible because of Singapore's stable and slightly conservative economy, which has withstood the test of economic downturns and sudden asset price declines. Singapore's financial sector, which is dominated by the banking sector, remains robust despite a series of economic downturns and substantial asset price declines. Even when faced with a series of economic jolts and decline in asset price, the economy has stood on solid ground in the past few years. The local banks and insurance companies are endowed with huge capital and making considerable profits. Stress test results indicate that Singapore's systemically important banks and insurance companies could withstand further significant shocks. -Problem Statement What steps have been taken to enhance the stability of the financial system in Singapore What are the main steps that remain to be taken It would be our endeavour here to analyse the running of the financial system in Singapore, study the factors that contribute positively to it and also try to find if anything else needs to be done to create a positive impact on the financial system. Singapore's financial stability can be attributed in large to the smooth running and well organized set-up of the banks and their branches; both local and foreign. The insurance sector also plays a major role in contributing to this stability as it is also capital rich and highly profitable. It has weathered three major shocks: the Asian crisis in 1997-98; a sharp drop in electronics exports in 2000-01 (resulting in the worst recession since independence); and the outbreak of SARS in early 2003. This stability in the face of such downturns can be contributed to sound fiscal and monetary policies, long-standing external current account surpluses, significant external assets and reserve positions, the healthy corporate sector high household wealth, and conservative financial regulatory and supervisory practices. Conceptualization The steps been taken to enhance the stability of the financial system in Singapore include the following: 1. Banks dominate the financial sector Local banks, which hold more than one half share of domestic banking assets, are profitable and well capitalized. They are also liquid, have enough back up for non performing asset exposures, and conservative in their management practices. The insurance sector, though contributes only 6% to the total assets of the system, too is well capitalized and doing good business. Systemically important banks (including major foreign bank branches) and insurance companies have been shown to withstand major shocks under test conditions. 2. Systemic liquidity is well managed The Monetary Authority of Singapore