Project Management on World Trade Organization ministerial Conference of 2005 The WritePass Journal

Project Management on World Trade Organization ministerial Conference of 2005 Executive Summary Project Management on World Trade Organization ministerial Conference of 2005 ). High Power, Low Interest Hong Kong as one of the key members of the WTO was the host to the fifth ministerial conference   in the year 2005. Though being a key member, Hong Kong has not shown much interest in the activities of the WTO and has not taken any proactive steps in issue resolution of the ongoing issues of the WTO. Be it agriculture or environmental issues,Hong Kong remains to be a silent spectator in most cases which clearly indicates the lack of interest in influencing the member states or steering them to decision making on specific issues (BBC, 2013). Low Power, High Interest The farmers and the agriculture community worldwide have high interest in the activities of the WTO as the trade agreements that are negotiated and agreed upon have a serious bearing on their livelihood and concerns. There is a growing concern relating to fairer trade markets, food security and farming subsidies. Though there is a lot of interest shown by the farming community, they do not have the power to speak and hence do not have the influencing capability. The increase in the suicide rates of farmers is also attributed to the failure of WTO to understand their concerns and the lack of transparency and inequality in dealings of the WTO (Long, 2007; Shiva, 2014). Researchers also suggest that there is a lack of understanding from the WTO committee members on the needs of the farmers and the decisions made are not in line with their demands (Anderson and Martin, 2005). Low Power, Low Interest The last type of stakeholders have the least power and are also not very much interested in the activities of the WTO.   The citizens of Hong Kong for example, belong to this stakeholder group. Given that the multilateral agreements are huge and complex, the authorities do not have the capacity and capability to scrutinise the details of all contracts. Also, the authorities of a country are not held accountable for the negotiations and agreements signed. This makes them lose interest given that they neither have the power nor the capacity to influence the decision making. Also there are restrictions that prohibit them from questioning the authority (Keohane and Nye, 2001; Scharpf, 2000). Stakeholder Management Stakeholder management is essential for the smooth communication and functioning of an organisation and also to ensure that the objectives of the organisation are achieved. Stakeholder management should be in line with the strategic management objectives of the organisation and the type of the stakeholder that needs to be satisfied should be taken into account depending on the organisation type in order to ensure that these expectations are met. It is essential to first identify the various stakeholders, their role in the organisation, the decision making authority they have in the organisation and how much their ideas or ideals would affect the success of the organisation. Once these are identified, it is essential to develop a stakeholder management strategy that is aimed at not only satisfying these stakeholders but also helps achieve the overall objective of the organisation (Freeman, 2001). In a multicultural organisation or where the organisation is huge and spans across different continents and cultures, the stakeholder management strategy becomes inevitable. It defines the communication methods and helps understanding the do’s and don’ts in each geographic location. It also helps achieve transparency in operations and facilitates better participation of the stakeholders in the decision making process. Stronger business decisions that are sustainable, long term and ethical are facilitated by a good stakeholder management approach (Carroll and Buchholtz, 2014). Communication Management Researchers believe that not all stakeholders of an organisation have equal importance. For example, in a non-governmental organisation which is aimed at helping people, the pubic might be the key stakeholder as opposed to a business organisation which aims at satisfying the primary needs of the shareholders. Hence, in a diverse world where the needs of the organisations differ, it is essential to understand the primary stakeholders who needs to be satisfied and devise a communication management plan to ensure that the communication to these stakeholders are made in near real-time and in an effective manner (Podnar and Jancic, 2006; Jacobson et al, 2009). Tuckman’s Communication Model Bruce Tuckman devised a five step communication model in the year 1975. These five steps includes: Forming Storming Norming Performing and Adjourning Forming: This is where the leader gives the guidance to the team and the initial stage in the communication process. This is a stage where the roles and responsibilities are unclear Storming: Brainstorming activities take place, compromises happen, clarity increases and the team members get a basic understanding of what is required of them Norming: The team members agree by consensus. The leader facilitates the decision making but the team members are now in a position to agree. The roles and responsibilities defined by the leader in the forming stage are now very clear and evident. Performing: The team members are strategically aware and are able to execute their responsibilities and perform better in order to achieve the goals. They work on their own and there is very little interference from the leader. The leader is called for when there is guidance required both in terms of personal and interpersonal development Adjourning: Also known as Deforming or Mourning, refers to the breaking up of the group after the successful completion of the task. This stage involves identification of good performers, the well-being of the team and also measuring the performance. (Tuckman, 1977) Conclusion This report gave a brief about the role of the project manager in the HK 2005 WTO ministerial conference and the various stakeholders, the level of interest and the power to influence the decision making of the WTO. Furthermore, this report also discussed effective stakeholder management techniques and methods, communication strategy in relation to the WTO. References Freeman (1984) Strategic Management, A Stakeholder Approach, Pitman, Boston Podnar, K., Jancic, Z. (2006). Towards a categorization of stakeholder groups: An empirical verification of a three†level model. Journal of Marketing Communications, 12(4), 297-308. Jacobson, S. K., McDuff, M. D. (2009). Communication as an effective management strategy in a diverse world. Wildlife and Society: The Science of Human Dimensions. Tuckman, B. W., Jensen, M. A. C. (1977). Stages of small-group development revisited. Group Organization Management, 2(4), 419-427. Carroll, A., Buchholtz, A. (2014). Business and society: Ethics, sustainability, and stakeholder management. Cengage Learning. Freeman, R. E., McVea, J. (2001). A stakeholder approach to strategic management. Scharpf, F. W., Schmidt, V. A. (Eds.). (2000). Welfare and work in the open economy: volume ii: diverse responses to common challenges in twelve countries (Vol. 2). Oxford University Press. Keohane, R. O., Nye, J. S. (2001). Power and interdependence (Vol. 3). New York: Longman. Shiva, Vandana (2014) Of food, farmers and WTO’s doublespeak, Available at: asianage.com/columnists/food-farmers-and-wto-s-doublespeak-972 accessed on 06/12/14 Long, Jessica (2007):â€Å"WTO Kills Farmers†: India Free Market Reforms Trigger Farmers’ Suicides, Global Research Anderson, K. and Martin, W. (2005), Agricultural Trade Reform and the Doha Development Agenda. 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