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College Case Study

College Case Study

Introduction

Swansea College was established in the year 1825. The college was mainly established as the college of further education. However, due the rapid expansion, the college relocated to Tycoch in the year 1971.  Moreover, in August 2010 the college merged with Gorseinon College to form Gower College Swansea. This was in line with the objectives of the management to ensure that the college continues to be the choice of many students in providing higher education. Due to the increase in the student population the management of the college has decided to share some facilities with Middlesex University. This is to help ensure that the college continues to offer quality education to its student. In addition the college intends to use the shared facilities to help ensure that it continue to offer a good working environment to its staff members.

Background of the study

In order to facilitate sharing of facilities between the two institutions, a joint facility management committee was formed constituting of the top management officials of the two colleges. The main role of the committee was to help ensure that the interests of the two institutions are incorporated in the shared facilities. Moreover, the joint management committee was to help ensure that the shared facilities are well maintained to ensure that they continue delivering quality services to both the staff and student. The management of the college appointed me to act as the facility manager and ensure that I represent the interest of the college in the joint committee. This report therefore wishes to explain my roles in the joint committee Moreover; the report also wishes to explain the role of ethics in the management of the shared facilities. In addition the report also wishes to highlight the role of the importance of maintain health and safety in the shared facilities. Finally, the report also wishes to critically analyze any other issue related to the management of the shared facilities. The finding from this report will therefore be tabled to the join management committee, who will then implement the various issues highlighted in the report.

The college

Swansea College offers variety of courses to its student ranging from tourism, business, law, mathematics among others. Most of the courses in the college normally take duration of three years comprising of six semesters. The college currently has a student population of approximately 15000 and a staff population of about 1000. In order to ensure that the college continues to offer quality education to its student the management of the college has implemented various facilities. First, the management has implemented a multi media learning resource center that helps to offer student with a peaceful place to undertake their studies. Second, the college offers good sporting facilities to its student. This is to help nurture the student with the student with sporting talent. Moreover the college offers a variety of refreshment areas for both its student and the staff. In addition, the college charges most of its courser at a lower fee. This has allowed the college to attract student from even the low-income families. The college also offers scholarship opportunities from the poor and the needy the student. Another important thing to note about the college is that the management has allowed the student to form their own student organization. These organizations have helped to advocate the rights of student in the management of the college. This has in turn helped to reduce the number of strikes that normally occurs due to the conflict between the management and the student.

Shared facilities

The two institution wishes to first share some of the most essential services such as security and cleaning of the various premises. Moreover, the two institutions also wish to share car parking space, this is to help ensure that both the staff and the institutional visitors get enough space to park their car. Due to the increase in the student population the two institutions will also share the room allocation and space planning.  This is to help ensure that the entire student and staff population get enough catering and accommodation services. In addition the two institutions also will also share the front office services, reception activities, portage and janitorial services.

Important definitions

Facility management- can be defined as the practice and art of coordinating people  and the various work process in an organization with the  various physical facility available (Stahl, 2004,p.203).This coordination may be simple such as involving providing support services to the organization.

Space planning - can be defined as the process in which management of an organization optimizes the layout of a building in order to suit the business needs of an organization (Ferreira, Erasmus & Groenewald, 2009, p.206)

Facility management

The facility management is an important department in any organization, this is mainly because it helps to integrate and coordinate various activities and physical facility available in an organization (Stahl, 2004, p.203). It is also evident that the facility management department in any organization helps in the employee of an organization to adapt to the various physical facilities. Moreover the facility management department is also involved in the routine management of the various facilities available in an organization. In addition, the facility management department in an organization is also involved in ensuring that the health and safety are maintained in the management of the facilities.  The facility management therefore helps to improve the performance of an organization. On the other hand poor management of the physical facility also may lower the performance of an organization. In the case of a college like Swansea poor facility management may lead to increase in the number of strikes from the student.

Health and safety

Health and safety is an important aspect in the management of the various physical facilities. The joint management committee should ensure that they implement various health and safety management of the shared facility. The joint management committee should ensure that all the shared facilities are properly ventilated. This can help to prevent some air born diseases that occurs due to poor ventilation. Moreover the joint management committee should ensure that the various rooms are installed with fire extinguishers and first aid kits. This can help to fight fire incase there is a fire outbreak.  Moreover, the joint management committee should ensure that they offer health and safety training to both the student and the members of the staff. This can help to ensure that the entire college populations are equipped with the knowledge on the various health and safety practices. In addition, the facility management committee should ensure that the entire student and staff population are provided with medical insurance covers. This can help to ensure that individuals are compensated incase an accident occur while using the shared facilities.      

Ethics

Ethics refers to the various accepted code of conduct (Rondeau, Brown & Lapides, 2006, p.27).  The joint management committee should therefore ensure that they adhere to the various codes of conduct in the management of the shared facilities.  This implies that the committee should ensure that there is equality in the service delivery from the facility. Moreover, the committee should ensure that there is no discrimination based on sex, or race in the service delivery. In addition the facility management committee should ensure that they carry out the management of the facilities in an open and transparent manner. This can help to ensure that the funds allocated for the maintenance of the facilities are properly utilized. Moreover, the joint management committee should ensure that they organize training programs on the importance of maintaining ethics in the shared facilities. This can help to equip the both the student and the staff on the importance of ethics in the facility sharing.

Methodology of the case study  

The methodology of the case study involves the top management of the two institutions coming together and laying out various strategies required to facilitate sharing of the facilities. The joint management should ensure that the interests of the two institutions are fully represented in the management of the shared facilities. This can help to prevent any future conflict of interest that may arise in the management of the facilities.

Benefits of the case study

The report helps to explain the role of the facility manager in the shared facilities. Moreover the report highlights how to institutions can be able to share facilities and ensure that each institution benefits from the shared facilities. It is also evident that the report helps to highlight the importance of ethics in the management of the shared facilities. In addition, the report highlights the importance of marinating health and safety in the shared facilities. The report can also be used to show the importance of space planning in the facility management. Finally, the report also helps to analyze the importance of facility manager in the shared facilities.

Limitation of the case study 

The report has several limitation, this is mainly because the report only analyses a simple case where two college share facilities. Another limitation of the report is that it only analyses provide a theoretical analysis of how the two institutional can be able share facilities which may not be easily applicable in the reality. This is because in reality sharing of facilities may involve several procedures which are not outlined in the case study. It is therefore evident that more research needs to be done to establish effectively how two institutions can be able to share facilities.

Role of facility management

Facility management is entitled to several functions within an organization. The role of maintaining an effective environment falls under the responsibility of the facility management team. In this case, the facility management should work to ensure a healthy and clean environment. For example, toilets, kitchens and wash rooms should be kept in a high degree of cleanliness. Moreover, the facility management team has the responsibility of coordinating as well as initializing tight security measures to ensure that the organization is free from any security breach either internal or external (Mann, 2009, p.1). Security measures will include employing well qualified personnel and effective tactics in the security department. 

Another responsibility concerning the management facility team includes maintenance and renovation of the organization structures. In this case, the management facility team needs to carryout renovations like painting and repairing feeble walls together with replacing old structures with new ones (Atkin & Brooks, 2009, p.35). Moreover, the facility management team has the responsibility of determining whether the shared facility within the organization generate any revenue. For example, shared facilities like cafeterias should generate some profit. In addition, the facility management team has the responsibility of evaluating the projects under construction together with outsourcing qualified personnel for constructing the projects.

Business and space planning

A well planned organization should have enough and well planned space in ensuring that operations within the organization carry on following the desired manner. In this case, the college and the university share some space especially office space and parking space. The facility management should avoid conflicts by ensuring that the shared space is enough. Therefore, the manager of the facility management team needs to destroy old and unwanted structures to free more space which can be used to erect other structures or maintain more space (Karlen, 2009, p.118). Moreover, the facility management team needs to ensure that the available space can comfortably cater for the operations within the organization. In this case, functions like conferences or games which might be held within the organization continue without any problem of space limitation. Occasions like peak periods where students visit the organization in large number seeking for admission permits require amble space to hold the operation successfully.

Problem with room allocation

Both the University and the College face a severe problem of room shortage, a situation which forces the students to share the available rooms. Room allocation entails the responsibility of the facility management team whereby the there is need to construct more rooms to support the increasing number of students and employees. Moreover, students from both institutions are forced to share lecture rooms whereby a position timetable indicates shifts of classes in different rooms. The students need to complete their syllabuses as early as possible to have enough time for revision. Their dream of completing the syllabuses as required is hindered by the factor of limited lecture rooms. The facility management team therefore should allocate finances for constructing new rooms so that the institutions achieve their education targets without the impending factor of room allocation. Students also need enough rooms for sleeping since the current situation only forces them to share rooms in big numbers which might not be hygienic. If more than two students share rooms then it reveals that the organization is in a critical condition which needs immediate attention. Constructing new rooms with amble space will ensure high degree of hygiene within the two organizations.
Health and safety in shared facility

Health within any organization entails an important aspect since poor concentration on health issues can lead to serious invasions of different diseases. Moreover, health is the most important parcel of human life. The management facility manager needs to ensure that cleanliness prevails among all other aspects. Regular cleaning and disinfecting of the critical areas of the organizations like toilets entail a major concentration field.  Regular cleaning will ensure that the organization stays free from all diseases arising from health and hygiene. Moreover, it is the responsibility of facility management to ensure safety within the entire organization. In this case, safety measures like installation of fire extinguishers and room ventilators ensure the welfare of the students together with employees is under consideration. Emergency exits are also measures for consideration when it comes to safety of the organization. Health and safety work hand in hand in ensuring that both institutions enjoy a well planned organization and this will ensure that the organization is secure healthy and safety wise.

Ethics in shared facilities

Ethics refers to the aspect of behavior and co-existence of people as a community or the standard protocol followed to ensure people live peacefully. In this case, trust entails one of elements which build ethics whereby trust within both organizations will ensure that shared facilities are managed in the right way. Moreover, ethics includes of other elements like honesty whereby existence of honesty between the two institutions will ensure that facilities are shared responsibly without conflicts. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the facility management to ensure that education concerning the importance of maintaining ethics.  Peace and harmony are brought through consideration of ethics as an important factor within every organization. This helps people to exercise responsibility and accountability to the actions they perform.

Recommendation

Shared facility committee should consider the problems affecting the well being of students and employees in both institutions as well as identifying the possible solutions. Problems like shortage of rooms affect the performance of both the institutions since students cannot get the required lectures the right time since they have to shift for classes. In this case, the solution for this problem will be that the shared facility committee needs to allocate enough funds to building more rooms with more space. Again, the institutions are facing the problem of space whereby there is shortage of enough space for the students and employees to carry on their duties as required. The solution is that better planning of the available space can provide enough space.

Conclusion

The above information explains different tasks which belong to the facility management team. The facility management committee needs to address the fatal areas like security, health, safety, space and ethics in order to promote efficiency within the organization. Therefore, the facility management committee holds the most important functions in ensuring that welfare of the people within the organizations is under control. Ethics governs co-existence of employees and employers within every organization.  In general, the facility management team or committee is accountable for ensuring the possible efficiency of operation within an organization through observing the required measure in different departments.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Atkin, B., & Brooks, A. 2009. Total facilities management. Chichester, U.K: Wiley-Blackwell.

ferreira, E. J., Erasmus, A. W., & Groenewald, D. 2009. Administrative management. Lansdowne [South Africa: Juta Academic.

Karlen, M. 2009. Space planning basics. Hoboken, N.J: John Wiley & Sons.

Mann, D. 2009. Facility Management. New Delhi: Newcastle India Publications.

Rondeau, E. P., Brown, R. K., & Lapides, P. D. 2006. Facility management. Hoboken, N.J: John Wiley & Sons.

Stahl, M. J. 2004. Encyclopedia of health care management. Thousand Oaks, CA [etc.: Sage.

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