Our Roadmap
Document Sample


Business 310
Road Map Spring 2011
Business 310 1
Bus 310 First Night
• Introductions
• Course Overview
• Course Format
• Expectations
• Marking
• Reading and question for next class
Business 310 2
First Night Handouts
• In-class quizz
• Course Outline
• Alignment with CHRP requirements
• Sign-up sheet
Business 310 3
First Night - Our Roadmap
• Introduction and Overview
– Ch 1
• Understand your organization and people
– Ch 2 and Ch 3
• Formulate your reward and compensation strategy
– Ch 4, Ch 5 and Ch 12
• Determine your compensation values
– Evaluating Jobs Ch 7, and Ch 8,
• Evaluating your market
– Ch 9
• Constraints and Legal Frameworks
– Ch 6
Business 310 4
May 12
• In-class quiz
• Reward Model
• Goals of a Compensation System
• Case Analysis
Business 310 5
May 12 -The Business Case
• Defining the symptoms
• Defining the business issue
• Defining the behaviours we want to change
• Describing the perfect world
• Defining three options
• Considering the pros and cons
• Recommending action
Business 310 6
May 17- Framework
• Hand-in (Domain Task Environment)
• Exam date :___________
• Domain Task Environment
• Management Strategies
• Framework Part 1 (Structural)
• Sept 28 Using the organization you have chosen for your first
assignment, describe the control systems in place
Business 310 7
May 17-Framework
Contextual Managerial Structural
Variables Strategy Variables
Domain / Task
Business 310 8
May 17-Structural Variables
Job Design
Coordination and Decision Making
Departmentation and Leadership
ENVIRONMENT
Communication
Control Systems
And Information
Reward Systems
Business 310 9
May 19 Environment
Simple - single
Stable – industry
product line or
and products are
related products or
predictable
technologies
e.g . Grocery , Retail AND e.g. Dial- a- Geek
Kelly Services,
Dynamic – change
Schools
creates uncertainty
– new products,
Complex – many
competitors and
different and
rapidly evolving
unrelated products
technology
or technologies
e.g. Financial
e.g. Hospital,
investment ,
Provincial
Mobile phones
Government
Business 310 10
May 19 Corporate Strategy
Miles and Snow
Defender –dominating a
narrow product or service Michael Porter
e.g. Sears, Camosun,
Low-cost – common
Prospector – identifying OR product promoted on
and exploiting new price
opportunities e.g. Walmart, Tim Hortons
e.g. Google, Apple
Differentiator – unique
Analyzer – maintain a base product or service
of products or services and e.g. Starbucks,
exploit new opportunities
e.g. Telus, Shaw
Business 310 11
May 19 Contextual Variables
Organization
Corporate Strategy
Size
Domain
Task
Technology Work Force
Business 310 12
May 19 Technology
Perrow
Thompson Woodward
Routine
Long –linked Small batch
OR OR
Craft
Mediating Large batch
Engineering
Intensive Process
Non-routine
Business 310 13
May 24 - Maslow’s Hierarchy
Self- Motivators
Intrinsic
Actualiz
ation High
Involvement
Self Esteem
Human
Social Hygienes Relations
Extrinsic
Classical
Safety /Security
Survival
Business 310 14
May 24 Attitude and Behaviour
Job Membership
Satisfaction Behaviour
Reward Organizational Citizenship
Identification Behaviour
System
Task
Motivation
Behaviour
Business 310 15
May 24 - Behaviour
• Undesirable Consequences
• Reward Dissatisfaction
– Relative Deprivation
– Organizational Justice
• Distributive Justice
• Procedural Justice
Business 310 16
May 24 - Behaviour
• Organizational Justice
– Consistent
– Free of Bias
– Flexible
– Accurate
– Ethical
– Representative
Business 310 17
May 24 - Behaviour
• Relative Deprivation
– Discrepancy between outcome wanted and
outcome received
– Others receive more than they do
– Past experience suggests they should receive
more
– Future expectations for receiving more are low
– Believe they entitled to more
– Absolve themselves of personal responsibility
Business 310 18
May 24 Reward Dissatisfaction
Violation of
Psych Contract
Perceived
Inequity Reward
Dissatisfaction
Relative
Deprivation
Lack of Org
Justice
Business 310 19
May 24 - Behaviour
• Reward Dissatisfaction
– Increase Rewards
• Demand higher pay
• Find another job
• Increase effort
• Acquire illicit rewards
• Demand improved job duties
– Decrease Contribution
• Reduce job duties
• Reduce performance
• Increase absenteeism
• Find less demanding job
Business 310 20
May 24 - Behaviour
• Membership Behaviour
– Affective commitment (good)
– Continuance commitment (not so good)
– Job security (Maslow)
– Salience
• The amount of need deprivation
• The importance of the need
Business 310 21
May 24 - Behaviour
• Task Behaviour
– Expectancy Theory
– Reinforcement Theory
• Citizenship Behaviour
– Organizational Identification
• Integration of goals and values
• Belongingness
• Trust (e.g. procedural justice)
Business 310 22
May 24 - Behaviour
• Membership
– Salience
– Need (Maslow)
Business 310 23
Oct 12 Rewards
INTRINSIC EXTRINSIC
BASE PERFORMANCE INDIRECT
•Wage
•Salary
•Minimum
•Market
•Pay for Knowledge
Business 310 24
May 26 Base Pay
MINIMUM WAGE as of Oct 1, 2010
• Alberta $8.80 • Ontario $10.25
• BC $8.00 • Quebec $9.50
• Saskatchewan $9.25
• Manitoba $9.50 • New Brunswick $9.00
• Nova Scotia $9.65
• NWT $9.00 • Newfoundland $10.00
• Nunavut $10.00 • PEI $9.00
• Yukon $8.93
• Washington State $US 8.55
Business 310 25
May 26 - Base Pay
• Wage
– pay for time provided
– Usually quoted on hourly basis
– Usually refers to included (unionized) workers
• Salary
– Pay for services provided or outcomes
– Usually quoted on annual basis
– Usually refers to excluded management workers
Business 310 26
May 26 Pros / Cons of Base Pay
• Pros • Cons
– Simple – Fixed cost
– Predictable – Not a motivator
– Attributable – Does not
– Controllable contribute to
– Preferred by citizenship
many potential behaviour
EE’s – Not self correcting
Business 310 27
Oct 12 - Step Progression
START 6 MONTHS 12 MONTHS 24 MONTHS 36 MONTHS
Hourly rate $8.00 8.50 9.25 10.00 11.00
% of Job 73% 77% 84% 91% 100%
Rate
Incremental 6.3% 8.8% 8.1% 10%
Increase
JOB RATE
Business 310 28
Oct 12 - Salary Range
MINIMUM MIDPOINT MAXIMUM
ANNUAL SALARY $60,000 $75000 $90,000
Range 80% JOB RATE 120%
New and Employees meeting Longer term
developing all the job employees and/or
employees standards high performers
Business 310 29
Oct 12 Pay for Knowledge
Example for Court Services Example
BANK- ADOPTION PROBATE DIVORCE FAMILY SMALL
SERVICE RUPTCY CLAIMS
D
C
B REGISTRY CLERK
A REGISTRY ASSISTANT
Business 310 30
May 26 Courts Example
• ASSISTANT – have already been introduced to government standards of office
administration, ministry structure, financial processes and records management
• CLERK – demonstrates a basic knowledge (LEVEL B) of all components of the court
registry; informs clients of appropriate forms, court contacts and procedural steps;
ADMINISTRATOR – demonstrates knowledge (Level C) of two components of the
court registry, responds to exceptions and client queries for a minimum of three
years, leads administrative projects improving services and systems of the court
• LEAD ADMINISTRATOR – demonstrates seasoned knowledge (Level D) of two or
more components exceptions and precedents acquired over five years; advises,
directs and develops Clerks and Assistants.
• SENIOR ADMINISTRATOR – demonstrates seasoned knowledge of three or more
components, exceptions, and precedents acquired over seven years; recruits,
develops and assigns work to Court Staff
• Each level of knowledge is complemented by formal training in leadership skills
and knowledge and supported by sufficient time in position to demonstrate
competency.
Business 310 31
Pay Ranges
Business 310 32
May 26 - Sample Exam Question
• Managers within large companies usually
have little control over extrinsic rewards.
What are intrinsic rewards and give two
examples of what managers can do to
enhance intrinsic rewards for their
employees? (3 marks)
Business 310 33
May 31 - Rewards
INTRINSIC EXTRINSIC
Performance
Base
•Commission INDIRECT
•Piece Rate
•Bonus
•Gain sharing
•Profit sharing
Business 310 34
May 31 - Attitude and Behaviour
Job Membership
Satisfaction Behaviour
Reward Organizational Citizenship
Identification Behaviour
System
Task
Motivation
Behaviour
Business 310 35
May 31 Variable Compensation:
• Piece Rates • Stock Bonus
• Commission • Stock Purchase
• Merit Raise • Stock Option
• Merit Bonus • Long Term
• Profit Sharing Incentives
• Gain Sharing • Non-Monetary
• Goal Sharing
Business 310 36
May 31 - Incentives
• Individual
– Low interdependence
– Results attributable to one
– Output focused (Results oriented)
– Builds personal ownership
• Group
– High interdependence
– Results attributable to more than one
– Build collective ownership
Business 310 37
May 31 – Piece Rate
1. Workers control their own production
2. Interdependence between workers is low
3. Each unit of production can easily be
measured and priced
4. Tasks do not change frequently
5. Increased productivity will not cause lay-offs
6. Monitoring quality is easy
Business 310 38
May 31 Designing Performance Pay
• Underlying concepts
– Reward the behaviour and it shall be repeated
(reinforcement)
– share the projected wealth (Expectancy should
translate into reality )
– Bonus must be predictable
– Windfalls are not part of the game
Business 310 39
May 31 Incentive Categories
– Increased Sales
– Increased Productivity
– Reduced Costs
• Reduced Absenteeism
• Suggestions leading to Improvement
– Increased Operating Profit
– Increased Net Profit
Business 310 40
May 31 - Targeted Incentives
• Attendance
– Attribution theory eliminating the intrinsic reward
with a less salient financial reward
– Resolving attendance through dealing with the
root problem
• Suggestion Programs
– Token or Commission?
– Individual or Group?
Business 310 41
May 31 Piece Rate
• Minimum wage is $8.00
• Target average wage is $12.50/hour and eight
hour day
• Tight piece rate to cut and sew a finished tie is
48 minutes
• What is my piece rate incentive?
• What is minimum rate of productivity
acceptable from an employee?
Business 310 42
May 31 - Linking Pay to
Performance
Does individual performance vary?
Can individual control it?
Can performance be measured?
Will pay be linked to performance?
Is this the only way?
Are there risks to be managed?
Does it fit our management strategy?
Business 310 43
May 31- Calculating a Bonus
• You need:
– Average salary
– Number of participants
– Target pay-out
– Target Factor(S)
– Expected distribution of performance
– Rate of turnover
– Rule
Business 310 44
May 31 - Average Store Manager
Budget for 2009/10
• Year 2009 2010
• Sales 1,180,000 1,250,000
• (Cost of Sales) (950,000) (1,000,000)
• (Store expenses) (95,000) (100,000)
• Operating Profit 135,000 150,000
• (Corporate Expenses) (61,000) (62,000)
• Net Profit 74,000 88,000
Business 310 45
May 31 - Bonus Information
• 25 store managers
• Average Salary: $60,000 (range: $50:$70K)
• Bonus target payout of $5,000
• Normal distribution of success (i.e. will hit
operating profit target SD: $5,000
• Employee Turnover: 20%
Business 310 46
May 31 - Example Rule:
• Under current Operating Profit: 0%
• Over 2009 actual OP: 30%
• Over 2010 planned OP: 40%
• You must work the whole year to qualify
• Bonus Cap = $10,500
Business 310 47
Oct 19 - Calculating the Cost
• 25 mgrs (less turnover) =20
• Avg Salary = 60,000, Bonus=$4,500
• Company Target cost = $90,000
• Success of managers = 50% will meet the
target annual operating profit target
• Half managers will earn an average $1,500
• Half managers will earn an average $6,000
• Overall managers will earn $4,500
Business 310 48
Risk of Bonus Payout
Risk High
of
Pay
out Employee
Risk Employer Risk
Low
Individual or Group or Organization or Long term
Task Product Profit Outcome
Control over Results
Employee risk of not earning a bonus increases as they lose control of the results and
more and more people are involved in the outcome
Employer risk of paying a bonus not resulting in bottom line profits decreases the
closer the bonus is tied to that bottom line result
Business 310 49
May 31 - Designing a Reward
System
• Define the behaviour
• Determine employee attributes and qualifications
• Identify the salient needs
• Develop rewards
• Ensure a positive valence
• Link rewards to behaviour
• Confirm employee perception of fairness
• Provide the right conditions
• DWYSYWGTD
Business 310 50
Jun 7- REWARDS
INTRINSIC EXTRINSIC
INDIRECT
•Mandatory
BASE PERFORMANCE •Retirement
•Health
•Time not Worked
•Employee Services
•Miscellaneous
Business 310 51
Jun 7- Non-Monetary Rewards
• Social reinforcers
• Merchandise Awards
• Travel Awards
• Symbolic Awards
• Time
Business 310 52
Jun 7- Why Offer Benefits?
• Cost Assurance
• Income Protection
• Competitive Demand
Business 310 53
Jun 7 MANDATORY BENEFITS
• Canada Pension Plan
• Employment Insurance
• Workers Compensation
• Severance (in BC)
Business 310 54
Jun 7 - Canada Pension Plan
• Canada Pension Plan
– 4.95% / 4.95%
– $46,500 maximum income
– Age 60 or 65
– Pension, Survivor Benefit, Disability Benefit
Business 310 55
Jun 7 - CPP
1. Retirement Pension (approx 25% of annual insurable income
As little as one valid contribution to the Plan creates entitlement to a Canada Pension Plan
Retirement Pension available as early as age 60.
2. Survivor Benefits, which include:
Lump Sum Death Benefit to the estate of the contributor. Where there is no will or estate, it may
be payable to the person(s) responsible for funeral costs, the survivor or the next of kin in
that order;
Monthly Survivor's Benefit to the eligible spouse or common-law partner even if the survivor
remarries;
Monthly benefit for children under age 18 or between 18 and 25 and in full-time attendance at a
recognized institution.
3. Disability Benefits, which include:
Monthly Disability Benefit to eligible contributors;
Monthly Contributor's Child's Benefits to children under age 18 or between ages 18 and 25 and
in full-time attendance at a recognized institution
Business 310 56
Jun 7 - Employment Insurance
• 1942 - EI fully in place
• 1971 – Legislation amended to extended to shortage of work
sickness and pregnancy.
• 1984 - Legislation extended to pay benefits to adoptive
parents
• 1987 - paternity benefits in special circumstances were
introduced
• 1990 - Parental benefits replaced adoption and paternity
benefits
• 1997 – Change from insured weeks to insured hours
• 2000 – Definition of spouse changed to include same sex
Business 310 57
Jun 7 - EI Premiums
• Employee Rate as of 01/01/2009 = 1.73% of
insurable earnings.
• Employer Portion = 2.42%
• Annual maximum insurable earnings = $41,100
• Maximum annual premium for the year = $731.79.
Business 310 58
Jun 7 - WORKSAFE BC
• Benefit for Employer – cost certainty
• Benefit for Employee – no fault insurance and
income protection
• Premium determined by industry sector
accident history
Business 310 59
Jun 7 - Defined Benefit Plan
• Employee contribution matched in some proportion
and invested by the company to generate a pay-out
at time of retirement
• Formula driven: (yrs of service) X (fixed %) X (salary
at time of retirement)
(35 yrs) X (1.5%*) X (50,000) = $26,250
• Employer – investment gains/losses /life expectancy
• Employee – income certainty
Business 310 60
Jun 7 - Defined Contribution
• Employee contribution matched by employer
and invested in third party fund
• Retirement income determined by value of
fund at time of retirement
• Employer - cost certainty
• Employee - portability
Business 310 61
Jun 7 - Cost Controls
• Don’t offer it
• Maximum benefit
• Eligibility limits
• Employee premium
• Deductibles
• Time frames
• Education
• Incentives / Penalties
Business 310 62
Jun 7 - Case Analysis:
• Identify the symptoms
• Define the business issue(s)
• Define the HR issue(s)
• Define the Compensation issue(s)
• Describe the perfect world (goal or vision)
• Identify your options
• Analyze the pros and cons
• Present your conclusions
Business 310 63
Henderson Printing
Business 310 64
Jun 9 - Job Description
• Header
• Summary
• Specific Responsibilities/Outputs/Outcomes
• Dimensions
• Organization Chart
• Education/Certifications
Business 310 65
Jun 9 - Compensable Factors
• Skill
• Effort
• Responsibility
• Working Conditions
Business 310 66
Jun 9 - Specific Responsibilities
• This position …
• Achieves an output or outcome …
• For clients or stakeholders …
• By doing or taking the following actions
Business 310 67
Jun 9 Ex. Specific Responsibilities:
• Meet the research needs of learners, Faculty and staff by
coordinating schedules, work assignments, and providing
alternative solutions to more complex questions as staff
provide advice and guidance face to face or online,
asynchronously or in real time;
• Coordinate Bankruptcy application processes by assisting
clients with application procedures, developing application
information packages for clients and staff; opening and
monitoring case files, preparing application files for court
hearings and processing Orders resulting from hearing
proceedings
Business 310 68
Jun 9 - Example Summaries
• The Supervisor - Probate, Adoption and Bankruptcy assesses and
processes Probate, Bankruptcy and Adoption applications, advises
applicants and their agents of the proper administrative steps to process
their applications, develops standardized administrative practices for
Registry staff, and recommends related content as Policies and legislation
change
• The Librarian increases the ability of learners, faculty and staff to
effectively research, extract and attribute sources of information by
coordinating the design and delivery of instruction for research skills. The
Librarian also coordinates Access Services (staff recording, releasing and
retrieving print and digital materials and managing access to print
materials held in reserve collections.
Business 310 69
Jun 9 - Job Evaluation Methods
• Whole Job Methods
– Ranking or Paired Comparison
– Classification /Grading
• Job Factor Methods
– Factor Comparison (statistical)
– Point Factor
Business 310 70
Jun 9 - What You Need:
• Job description for subject position
• Organization chart
• Job Evaluation Plan
• Benchmark job descriptions
• Knowledgeable Committee
Business 310 71
Jun 14- Pitfalls of
Job Evaluation Design
• Inconsistent Construct Design
– Ambiguous Factor Definitions (pg 290)
– Inconsistent Factor Definitions (pg 290)
– Inconsistent Degree Statements (pg 291)
– Factor Overlaps (pg 291)
• Hierarchical Grounding
Business 310 72
Jun 14 Pitfalls of Job Evaluation
• Gender Bias
• Different Job Families
• Stereotyping
• Ignoring factors common to female dominated
jobs
• Insufficient range of degrees (pg 294)
Business 310 73
Jun 14 Point Factor Job Evaluation
• Pay Equity
• Factor Construction
• Weighting
• Benchmarks
• Committees
Business 310 74
Jun 16 – The Market
• Geographical Area
• Industry Competitors
• Define what you are comparing
– (Apples to Apples)
Business 310 75
Jun 16 - Market Pricing
• What is the market?
• What is the job?
• Where is the equity?
Business 310 76
Jun 16 - Surveying the Market
• Informal means
– Tracking external candidates’ actual pay
– Immediate contacts
– Internet
– Newspaper or Internet job postings
• Formal
– Association or Industry Survey
– Government survey
– Consultant survey
– Your own survey
Business 310 77
Jun 16 - The Market
The National Occupational Classification (NOC)
• Nationally accepted reference on occupations in
Canada
• 30,000 job titles into 520 occupational groups
• Used to compile, analyze and communicate
information about occupations
• Partnership with Statistics Canada according to 5-
year Census cycles.
Business 310 78
Jun 16
NOC – Accounting & Related Clerks
• Costing • Accounts receivable
• Ledger • Invoice
• Audit • Deposit
• Accounts payable • Tax
• Freight-rate
Business 310 79
Jun 16 - NOC Titles
1212 Supervisors, Finance,
Insurance Clerks 1431 Accounting and Related Clerks
• accounting supervisor • senior accounting clerk
• supervisor, bookkeepers • accounting assistant
and accounting clerks • accounting clerk
• supervisor, financial • accounting machine
accounting operator
• head, accounting section • accounting and auditing
• accounting clerks supervisor clerk
1231 Bookkeepers • cost accounting clerk
• accounting bookkeeper • revenue accounting clerk
• accounting technician
Business 310 80
Jun 16 - Limitations
• Questionable quality of job matches
• May omit important information
• Cannot surmise the compensation strategies
of individual competitors
• Data may not align with all positions of the
organization
Business 310 81
Jun 16 - Designing the Survey
• Define the job (benchmarks)
• Determine the market or frame of reference
• Prepare your survey tool (pg 320)
– Face to face
– Telephone
– Paper or electronic
• Collect your data
• Analyze your findings
• Report out
Business 310 82
Jun 16 - Market Stats
• Mean
• Average
• Median
• Quartiles
Business 310 83
Jun 16 - Terms
• Aging the data
• Compa-ratio
• Quartile
• Mean
• Simple average
• Weighted mean or weighted average
Business 310 84
Jun 16 - Terms
• Benchmark
• Compression
• Red circling
• Reliability
• Validity
Business 310 85
Jun 16 - Quartiles
• Example 1
– Data Set: 6, 47, 49, 15, 42, 41, 7, 39, 43, 40, 36
– Ordered data set: 6, 7, 15, 36, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 47, 49
– Q1= 15 Q2= 40 Q3 = 43
• Example 2
– Ordered data set: 7, 15, 36, 39, 40, 41
– Q1= 15 Q2= 37.5 Q3 = 40
• Example 3
– Ordered data set: 1, 2, 3, 4
– Q1= 1.5 Q2= 2.5 Q3 = 3.5
Business 310 86
Jun 16 - Quartiles
• First quartile = lower quartile= cuts off lowest 25% of
data = 25th percentile
• Second quartile = median = cuts data set in half =
50th percentile
• Third quartile = upper quartile = cuts off highest 25%
o data or lowest 75% = 75th percentile
Business 310 87
Jun 21 - Implementing your Survey
findings
• PEST Analysis
– Political
– Economic
– Social
– Technological
• Internal Equity
• Proximity factor
• Communication Plan
Business 310 88
Nov 30 - Constraints
• Product / Service
• Financial Constraints
• Labour Market
• Management Strategy in place
Business 310 89
Nov 30 - Constraints
• Employment Standards Act
• Labour Relations Act
• Canada Labour Code
• Workers Compensation Act
• BC Human Rights Code
• Tax Act
Business 310 90
Jun 21- Employment Standards Act
• Pay Days - at least semi monthly and within 8
days of the end of he pay period
• Clothing - special clothing must be supplied,
cleaned and maintained by the ER
• Meal Breaks – 30 minutes unpaid unless
required to work or be available to work
• 40 hour week - 8 hour day or an average
determined over 1, 2, 3 or 4 weeks
Business 310 91
Jun 21 - Employment Standards Act
• Vacation – 4% during the first 12 months and 6% after the
fifth anniversary
• Overtime – 1.5 X after 8 hours and 2X after 12 hours
• Statutory Holiday Pay – 1.5X plus day off or pay in lieu
• Family Leave – up to 5 days unpaid
• Termination - one week's notice after 3 consecutive months of
employment;
• (ii) 2 weeks' notice after 12 consecutive months of employment;
• (iii) 3 weeks' notice after 3 consecutive years of employment, plus one
additional week for each additional year of employment, to a maximum of
8 weeks' notice
Business 310 92
Jun 21 – Labour Relations Act
• 18 If a collective agreement is not in force and a trade union is
not certified as bargaining agent for a unit appropriate for
collective bargaining, a trade union claiming to have as
members in good standing not less than 45% of the
employees in that unit may at any time, subject to the
regulations, apply to the board to be certified for the unit.
• 24 (1) If the board receives an application for certification
under this Part and the board is satisfied that on the date the
board receives the application at least 45% of the employees
in the unit are members in good standing of the trade union,
the board must order that a representation vote be taken
among the employees in that unit.
Business 310 93
Jun 21 - BC Human Rights Code
• Discrimination in wages
• 12 (1) An employer must not discriminate between
employees by employing an employee of one sex for work at
a rate of pay that is less than the rate of pay at which an
employee of the other sex is employed by that employer for
similar or substantially similar work.
• (2) For the purposes of subsection (1), the concept of skill,
effort and responsibility must, subject to factors in respect of
pay rates such as seniority systems, merit systems and
systems that measure earnings by quantity or quality of
production, be used to determine what is similar or
substantially similar work.
Business 310 94
Jun 23 - Summary
• Course Highlights
• Chapter Review
• Return Assignment 2
Business 310 95
Get documents about "