creating an effective organizational structure

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Creating an Effective Organizational Structure

INDEXSr.

No.Description Page No.

01 What is an organization

02 Organizational Structure03 Key Element of Organizational Structure

05 Types of Organizational Structure

07 The Classical Organizational Structure

08 Simple Centralized Organizational Structure

09 The Functional Organizations

10 The Divisionalized Organizations

11 Organizational Design

12 Modern Organizational Design

13 Horizontal Organizations

14 Network Design

15 The Virtual Organizations

17 Matrix Organizations

19 The Boundaryless Organizations

20 An Introduction to the Organization (Virtual University ofPakistan)

21 Organizational Structure

22 Board of Governors

23 Officers of the University

24 Mission Statement

25 Administrative Center and Virtual Campuses

26 Milestone27 Practical Study

28 As a Network Organization

29 How VU Works

30 As a Virtual Organization

31 Merits & Demerits

32 Conclusion

33 Recommendations

INTRODUCTION FIELD STUDY REPORT

In this report it is discussed in the scope of Business Policy and Strategy what are the

Creating Effective Organizational Structure. For preparation of this Field Study Report, in

the first part theoretical part of the subject is written and then this topic is examined in a business

organization. For this purpose the organization namely Virtual University selected which is

mainly involved in emerging business of Online education in Pakistan.


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WHAT IS AN ORGANIZATION?

Group of people who work interdependently toward some purpose.

A consciously coordinated social unit, composed of two or more people, that functions on a relatively

continuous basis to achieve a common goal or set of goals.

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

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Definition

"institutional arrangements and mechanisms for

mobilizing human, physical, financial and information

resources at all levels of the system

UtilityDivision of work into activities

Linkage between different functions

Hierarchy

Authority structure

Authority relationships

Coordination with the environment

Components

Complexity

Formalization

Centralization

TYPES OF ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

Now discuss different types of organizational structure.

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The Classical Organizational Structure

Simple centralized design

Functional organization

Divisionalized organization

Modern organizational Structure

Horizontal Organizations

Network Organizations

The virtual Organization

Project Design or Team Structure

Matrix Organization

Adhocracy

The boundaryless Organization

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Simple Centralized Organizational Structure

In a simple centralized organizational structure, power, decision making authority and

responsibility for goal setting are vested in one person at the top. This structure is usually

found in small and single-person-owned organizations. The basic requirement of a simple

centralized structure is that it has only one or two functions, and a few people who arespecialists in critical functions. The manager is generally an expert in all related areas of

functions and is responsible for coordination. Thus, the organization has only two

hierarchical levels. However, this structure has to become more complex for growth,

diversification or other reasons.Organizational structure refers to formalized patterns ofinteractions that link a firms

Tasks

Technologies

People

Simple structure is the oldest and most common organizational form

1. Staff serve as an extension of the top executives personality

2. Highly informal

3. Coordination of tasks by direct supervision

4. Decision making is highly centralized

5. Little specialization of tasks, few rules and regulations, informal evaluation and

reward system

Functional Structure

The organization is structured according to functional areas instead of product lines. The

functional structure groups specialize in similar skills in separate units. This structure is best

used when creating specific, uniform products. A functional structure is well suited to

organizations which have a single or dominant core product because each subunit becomes

extremely adept at performing its particular portion of the process. They are economically

efficient, but lack flexibility. Communication between functional areas can be difficult.

The most widely used structure is the functional or centralized type because this structure is the

simplest and least expensive of the seven alternatives.

A functional structure groups tasks and activities by business function such as

production/operations, marketing, finance/accounting, research and development, and computer

information systems. A university may structure its activities by major functions that include

academic affairs, student services, alumni relations, athletics, maintenance, and accounting.

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Besides being simple and inexpensive, a functional structure also promotes specialization of

labor, encourages efficiency, minimizes the need for an elaborate control system, and allows

rapid decision making. Some disadvantages of a functional structure are that it forces

accountability to the top, minimizes career development opportunities, and is sometimes

characterized by low employee morale, line/staff conflicts, poor delegation of authority, and

inadequate planning for products and markets.

Advantages

Enhanced coordination and control

Centralized decision making

Enhanced organizational-level perspective

More efficient use of managerial and technical talent

Facilitated career paths and development in specialized areas

Disadvantages

Impeded communication and coordination due to differences in values and

orientations

May lead to short-term thinking (functions vs. organization as a whole)

Difficult to establish uniform performance standards

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Divisional Structure

Divisional structure is formed when an organization is split up into a number of self-contained

business units, each of which operates as a profit centre. such a division may occur on the basis

of product or market or a combination of the two with each unit tending to operate along

functional or product lines, but with certain key function (e.g. finance, personnel, corporateplanning) provided centrally, usually at company headquarters.

The divisional or decentralized structure is the second most common type used by American

businesses.

As a small organization grows, it has more difficulty managing different products and services in

different markets. Some form of divisional structure generally becomes necessary to motivate

employees, control operations, and compete successfully in diverse locations. The divisional

structure can be organized in one of four ways: by geographic area, by product or service, by

customer, or by process. With a divisional structure, functional activities are performed both

centrally and in each separate division.

Advantages

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of general Separation of strategic and operating control

Quick response to important changes in external environment

Minimal problems of sharing resources across functional departments

Development management talent is enhanced

Disadvantages

Can be very expensive

Can be dysfunctional competition among divisions

Can be a sense of a zero-sum game that discourages sharing ideas and resources

among divisions

Differences in image and quality may occur across divisions

Can focus on short-term performance

Divisional structure by geographic area

A divisional structure by geographic areais appropriate for organizations whose strategies need

to be tailored to fit the particular needs and characteristics of customers in different geographic

areas. This type of structure can be most appropriate for organizations that have similar branch

facilities located in widely dispersed areas. A divisional structure by geographic area allows local

participation in decision making and improved coordination within a region.

Divisional structure by product

The divisional structure by productis most effective for implementing strategies when specific

products or services need special emphasis. Also, this type of structure is widely used when an

organization offers only a few products or services, or when an organization's products or

services differ substantially. The divisional structure allows strict control and attention to product

lines, but it may also require a more skilled management force and reduced top management

control.

When a few major customers are of paramount importance and many different services are

provided to these customers, then a divisional structure by customer can be the most effective

way to implement strategies. This structure allows an organization to cater effectively to the

requirements of clearly defined customer groups. For example, book publishing companies often

organize their activities around customer groups such as colleges, secondary schools, and private

commercial schools. Some airline companies have two major customer divisions: passengers and

freight or cargo services. Merrill Lynch is organized into separate divisions that cater to different

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groups of customers, including wealthy individuals, institutional investors, and small

corporations.

Divisional structure by process

A divisional structure by process is similar to a functional structure, because activities are

organized according to the way work is actually performed. However, a key difference between

these two designs is that functional departments are not accountable for profits or revenues,whereas divisional process departments are evaluated on these criteria. An example of a

divisional structure by process is a manufacturing business organized into six divisions: electrical

work, glass cutting, welding, grinding, painting, and foundry work. In this case, all operations

related to these specific processes would be grouped under the separate divisions. Each process

(division) would be responsible for generating revenues and profits. The divisional structure by

process can be particularly effective in achieving objectives when distinct production processes

represent the thrust of competitiveness in an industry.

The Strategic Business Unit (SBU) Structure

Strategic Business Unit or SBU is understood as a business unit within the overall corporate

identitywhich is distinguishable from other business because it serves a defined external market

where management can conduct strategic planning in relation to products and markets. When

companies become really large, they are best thought of as being composed of a number of

businesses (or SBUs).

These organizational entities are large enough and homogeneous enough to exercise control over

most strategic factors affecting their performance. They are managed as self contained planning

units for which discrete business strategies can be developed. A Strategic Business Unit can

encompass an entire company, or can simply be a smaller part of a company set up to perform a

specific task. The SBU has its own business strategy, objectives and competitors and these will

often be different from those of the parent company.

As the number, size, and diversity of divisions in an organization increase, controlling and

evaluating divisional operations become increasingly difficult for strategists. Increases in sales

often are not accompanied by similar increases in profitability. The span of control becomes too

large at top levels of the firm. For example, in a large conglomerate organization composed of 90

divisions, the chief executive officer could have difficulty even remembering the first names of

divisional presidents. In multidivisional organizations an SBU structure can greatly facilitate

strategy-implementation efforts.

The SBU structure groups similar divisions into strategic business units and delegates authority

and responsibility for each unit to a senior executive who reports directly to the chief executive

officer. This change in structure can facilitate strategy implementation by improving

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coordination between similar divisions and channeling accountability to distinct business units.

In the ninety-division conglomerate just mentioned, the ninety divisions could perhaps be

regrouped into ten SBUs according to certain common characteristics such as competing in the

same industry, being located in the same area, or having the same customers.

Two disadvantages of an SBU structure are that it requires an additional layer of management,

which increases salary expenses, and the role of the group vice president is often ambiguous.However, theselimitations often do not outweigh the advantages of improved coordination and

accountability. Atlantic Richfield and Fairchild Industries are examples of firms that successfully

use an SBU-type structure.

The Matrix Structure

A matrix structure is the most complex of all designs because it depends upon both vertical and

horizontal flows of authority and communication (hence, the term matrix). In contrast, functional

and divisional structures depend primarily on vertical flows of authority and communication. A

matrix structure can result in higher overhead because it creates more management positions.

Other characteristics of a matrix structure that contribute to overall complexity include dual lines

of budget authority (a violation of the unity-of-command principle), dual sources of reward and

punishment, shared authority, dual reporting channels, and a need for an extensive and effective

communication system.

Despite its complexity, the matrix structure is widely used in many industries, including

construction, healthcare, research, and defense. Some advantages of a matrix structure are thatproject objectives are clear, there are many channels of communication, workers can see visible

results of their work, and shutting down a project can be accomplished relatively easily.

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Advantages

Facilitates the use of specialized personnel, equipment and facilities

Provides professionals with a broader range of responsibility and experience

Disadvantages

Can cause uncertainty and lead to intense power struggles

Working relationships become more complicated

Decisions may take longer

The Boundaryless Organization

An organization that seeks to eliminate the chain of command, have limitless spans of

control, and replace departments with empowered teams.

The boundaryless organization seeks to eliminate the chain of command, have limitless

spans of control, and replace departments with empowered teams. And because it relies

so heavily on information technology, some have turned to calling this structure the T-

form organization.

Network Design

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The network design goes beyond even horizontal structure and totally abandons the

classical, hierarchical, functional structure of organizations. The bureaucratic model

worked fine in the previous era when there was less competition and more stable marketconditions, and before the now boundaryless conditions of advanced information

technology and globalizations.

Example

Firm such as Ford is not just redesigning in the Greenfield sense or rediscovering and

extending their past. Instead they are undergoing efforts to disaggregate and partner. In

the network approach, the firm concentrate on where it can add the greatest value in the

supply chain and it outsourcers to upstream and/or downstream partners who can do a

better job. This network of the firm and its upstream and downstream partners can be

optimally effective and flexible. An other network approach is to require internal units of

the firm to interact at market prices.

The Virtual Organization

In a virtual world (such as Second Life) organization is understood as planned,

coordinated and purposeful action of human beings and computer In order to construct

and/or compile a common intangible product or service to its community. Just as "an

organization in sociology" this action is usually framed by formal membership and form

(institutional rules). As in Second Life an organization is usually used for making money

(i.e. Power Products inc. - or like in World Of Warcraft: the clan Farmers Organization-)

and security, some are also wicked and evil organizations- usually called griefer/troller

groups/organizations such as the Pirates of Tibia that roams Tibia. Many fail to realize

that Wikipedia is a wiki, and thus subject to the review and editing of others, and alsothat they will be aware of any slander put upon them in this medium. These would not be

classified as organizations in the "real world" because they are not truly "alive". Someorganizations in Virtual Worlds have a very important roles in Real Life activities.

Some of these "clans" exist between virtual worlds, sometimes migrating between them,

as newer versions of software come out, or games better suited to the system of clans.

Some games, such as the aforementioned World of Warcraft and Dungeon Siege have

extensive clan systems, consisting of hundreds of members. This gives rise to entire

"mini societies", where you can buy and sell equipment, using real world or virtualmoney.

In structural terms, the virtual organization is highly centralized, with little or no

departmentalization. The prototype of the virtual structure is todays movie makingorganization. Now a days most movies are made by a collection of individuals and small

companies who come together and make films project by project.

When a large organization use the virtual structural, they frequently use it to outsourcemanufacturing. Cisco, for instance, is essentially a research and development company

that uses outside suppliers and independent manufacturers to assemble the internet

routers that its engineers design. The virtual organizations have created networks of

relationships that allow them to contract out manufacturing, distribution, marketing, or

any other business function for which management feels that others can do better or more

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Lifehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Product_(business)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Servicehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Of_Warcrafthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clanhttp://www.piratesoftibia.com/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tibia_(computer_game)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_of_Warcrafthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeon_Siegehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Lifehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Product_(business)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Servicehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Of_Warcrafthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clanhttp://www.piratesoftibia.com/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tibia_(computer_game)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_of_Warcrafthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeon_Siege


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cheaply. The virtual organization stands in sharp contrast to the typical bureaucracy that

has many vertical levels of management and where control is sought through ownership.

In such organizations, research and development are done in house, production occurs incompany owned plants, sales and marketing are performed by the companys own

employees. To support all this, management has to employ extra staff, including

accountants, human resource specialists, and lawyers. The virtual organization however

outsource many of these functions and concentrate on what it does best.

A virtual organization

Different from traditional mergers and acquisitions, the partners in the virtual

organization share costs, skills, and access to international markets. Each partner

contributes to the virtual organizations what it is best at its core capabilities. Briefly

summarized. Here are the key attributes of the virtual organization:

TechnologyInformational networks will help far-flung companies and entrepreneurs link up and work

together from start to finish. The partnerships will be based on electronic contracts to

keep the lawyers away and speed the linkups.

OpportunismPartnerships will be less permanent, less formal, and more opportunistic. Companies will

band together to meet all specific market opportunities and, more often than not, fall apart

once the need evaporates.

No BordersThis new organizational model redefines the traditional boundaries of the company. More

cooperation among competitors, suppliers, and customers makes it harder to determine

where one company ends and another begins.

TrustThese relationships make companies far more reliant on each other and require far more

trust than ever before. They share a sense of codestiny, meaning that the fat of each

partner is dependent on the other.

ExcellenceBecause each partner bring its core competence to the effort, it may be possible to

create a best of every thing organization. Every function and process could be world

classsomething that no single company could achieve.

A Project-type organization

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When a management uses teams as its central coordination device, you have a horizontal

organization or a team structure. The primary characteristics of the team structure are that

it breaks down departmental barriers and decentralizes decision making to the level of thework team. Team structure also require employees to be generalists as well as specialists.

In smaller companies, the team structure can define the entire organization. For example

Whole Foods Market, Inc. the largest natural food grocer in the United States, is

structured entirely around teams. Every one of Whole Foods stores is an autonomous

profit center composed of an average of 10 self managed teams, each with a designatedteam leader. The team leaders in each store are a team, store leaders in each region are ateam, and the companys six regional presidents are a team.

More often, particularly among larger organizations, the team structure complements

what is typically a bureaucracy. This allows the organization to achieve the efficiency of

bureaucracys standardization while gaining the flexibility that team provide.

PRACTICAL STUDYI visited the virtual campus Wah Cantt and meet the Advisory Committee.

IntroductionThe Virtual University, Pakistans first University based completely on modern Information andCommunication Technologies, was established by the Government as a public sector, not-for-

profit institution with a clear mission: to provide extremely affordable world class education toaspiring students all over the country. Using free-to-air satellite television broadcasts and theInternet, the Virtual University allows students to follow its rigorous programs regardless of their

physical locations. It thus aims at alleviating the lack of capacity in the existing universities

while simultaneously tackling the acute shortage of qualified professors in the country. By

identifying the top Professors of the country, regardless of their institutional affiliations, andrequesting them to develop and deliver hand-crafted courses, the Virtual University aims at

providing the very best courses to not only its own students but also to students of all other

universities in the country.The Virtual University of Pakistan holds a Federal Charter, making its degrees recognized and

accepted all over the country as well as overseas.

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The University opened its virtual doors in 2002 and in a short span of time its outreach hasreached over sixty cities of the country with more than a hundred associated institutions

providing infrastructure support to the students. Pakistani students residing overseas in several

other countries of the region are also enrolled in the University's programs.The launch of university is a historical milestone for Pakistan in the field of higher education. It

is expected to have a great impact on the socio-economic growth of Pakistan. The idea of the

virtual university of Pakistan is to extend affordable, quality higher education to all areas of

Pakistan, based on the existing telecommunication infrastructure.The feasibility study for the establishment of a virtual IT university (VITU) was carried out in

2001 and it quickly evolved into the project proposal for the virtual university of Pakistan, which

was designed to be a full-fledged university, not limited to any particular field. The Govt. has putit as a high priority project in its policy. As the name indicate, the virtual university delivers

education with a modern approach, it combines broadcast television and the internet to deliver

quality education.The driving force behind the concept of virtual university is the lack of IT faculty in particular

and other fields in general, at any academic institution in Pakistan. This severely compromises

the quality of education being imparted. Additionally, quality staff is only present at a few veryhighly ranked intuitions where, access is not easy and the cost of education is out of reach for the

common man. Virtual university of Pakistan collects the scattered intellectual resources on asingle platform, and then makes their expertise available to students across the length and

breadth of the country as well as to students overseas, all at a very affordable cost.

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

ChancellorGeneral Pervez Musharraf, Nishan-i-Imtiaz (Military),Tamgha-i-Basalat President, Islamic Republic of Pakistan

The Board of Governors is the apex body of the University, responsible for the generalsupervision and control of administrative, academic and financial affairs and the power to lay

down the policies of the University.

The Rector is the Chief Executive and academic officer of the University whose responsibility isto ensure that the provisions of the Virtual University Ordinance, the Statutes, the Regulations

and Rules are faithfully observed in order to promote teaching, research, administration, general

efficiency and good order of the University.

Authorities of the University include the Executive Council, the Academic Council, the Boards

of Studies, the Advanced Studies and Research Board, the Selection Board, the Finance and

Planning Council and the Affiliation Committee.Officers of the University include the Registrar, the Director Finance, the Controller of

Examinations and the University Auditor.

BOARD OF GOVERNORS

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Secretary, Ministry of Information Technology Chairman

Govt. of PakistanChairman, Highier Education Commission Member

Rector, Virtual University of Pakistan Member

Secretary, Ministry of Information and Member Media development

Secretary, Ministry of Education Member

Chairman, National Telecommunications Corporation Member

Mr. Justice (Retd.) Fazal Karim Member Dr. S.M Junaid Zaidi, Rector, Member

COMSATS Institute of information Technology

Dr. Farid Malik, Chairman, Pakistan Science Foundation Member Mr. Zaheer Aslam Kidvai, CEO, Member

Beyond Information Technology Solutions

Mr. Naveed A. Khan, Country Manager, ABN-AMBRO Bank Member Registrar, Virtual University of Pakistan Secretary

OFFICERS OF THE UNIVERSITY

Dr. Naveed A. Malik Rector Mr. Tajdar Aslam MD Virtual Television Network

Dr. Sadaqat Mehdi Registrar

Mr. Abrar A. Khan Director FinanceDr. Naveed A. Malik Rector

Dr. Shafaat Bokharee Director Administration

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MISSION STATEMENT Vu will provide world-class education at an affordable cost across the length and breadth

of the country through a uniform education environment without differentiating between

large cities and smaller towns.

VU will offer academic programs that are equivalent or better in content and quality to

those offered by leading institutions of higher education in the country.

VU will admit students solely on the basis of their educational qualifications regardlessof race, color, gender, religion, disability, geographical location or their age.

VU will provide its students with a rich and challenging educational experience that

fosters their personal growth and supports their transition to responsible adulthood in arapidly shrinking world.

VU will integrate liberal studies and professional education to give its graduates both

breadth and specialization.

VU will give its graduates an education that enables them to comprehend the complexity

and dynamic of cotemporary global processes and empowers them to guide those

processes in constructive directions.

ADMINISTRATIVE CENTER AND VIRTUAL CAMPUSESThe virtual university of Pakistan has established one Administrative center which acts as the

hub, coordinating all activities of the university. This administrative center houses themanagement as well as the basic electronic infrastructure for the activities of VU. This includes,

but is not limited to, servers, communications equipment, control development work stations, CD

writers and print media duplication facilities, as well as full fledged state of the art digitaltelevision broadcast station alongwith its associated studios.

The VU has established its own virtual campuses at Sukkur, Ghotki, and Dera Ghazi Khan andmore are being established in all four provinces as well as in the capital area. With the

participation of existing public and private sector institutions, an annual enrollment capacity of

over 20,000 students is anticipated. The virtual campuses are equipped with state of the artmultimedia projectors and screens, multimedia equipped personal computers in a LANconfiguration as well as UPS and generators. The LANs are interfaced to the internet, thereby

allowing VU students to gain immediate access to the on line learning environment. Video

equipment to receive television broadcasts and display via multimedia projectors is alsoprovided.

The VU has also established Private Virtual Campuses (PVCs) in collaboration with its privatesector partners in over 65 cities of the country. The PVCs are equipped with the latest computers

and uninterrupted internet connectivity. The campuses also have audio-visual lecture theaters to

receive television broadcasts.

VU students attend lectures in electronic classrooms at these centers, where lectures delivered

over broadcasts television are screened. The formal class room equipment allows students to

participate in active discussion groups and enjoy a campus-like atmosphere which is quite acontrast to the normally isolated traditional e-learning environment. Adult mentoring and

guidance is also provided by the management of these virtual campuses.

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MILESTONES

Initial funding released by Government of Pakistan November, 2001

President of Pakistan inaugurates the Virtual University March 23, 2002

Classes of first cohort of students start March 25, 2002

Federal Charter granted by Government of Pakistan September 11, 2002

Virtual University starts broadcasts over its own TV channels June 15, 2004

University starts lecture recordings in its own studios July 1, 2004

Launch of MCS, MIT and MBA programs March, 2006

Launch of two new channels VTV3 & VTV4 September 25, 2006

VU becomes Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) Member November 07, 2006

VU Agreement with Ujala TV Dubai November 30, 2006

Launch of BA, BCom and BBA programs September, 2007

Launch of MS program in Computer Science September, 2007

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NETWORK ORGANIZATION

How VU Works (way of education)?

The Virtual University of Pakistan delivers education through a judicious combination of

broadcast television and the Internet. VU courses are hand-crafted in meticulous detail byacknowledged experts in the field. Lectures are then recorded in a professional studio

environment and after insertion of slides, movie clips and other material, become ready forbroadcast. Course lectures are broadcast over free-to-air television and are also made available in

the form of multimedia CDs. They can also be made available as streaming media from the

Virtual Universitys servers. The multiple formats allows for a high degree of flexibility forstudents who may view the lectures at a time of their choosing within a 24-hour period.

Additionally, students can use the lectures to review an entire course before their examinations

a facility simply not available in the conventional face-to-face environment.

In addition to the prescribed texts, comprehensive reading material / lecture notes in the form ofweb-enabled content are provided through a comprehensive Learning Management System

(LMS) hosted on the VU Web Servers and accessible over the Internet. The full power ofhyperlinks is utilized for making the on-line experience a truly powerful one. The LMS alsoprovides an e-mail facility to each and every student as well as discussion boards for interaction

within the VU community.

An important feature of the LMS is a Question/Answer board where VU faculty providesanswers to questions posed by students on the subject matter covered in the lectures. The

Question/Answer board (also known as the Moderated Discussion Board) is extremely fine

grained, providing separate sessions for each lecture of each course. In addition, read-only access

is made available to previous question/answer sessions and this constitutes an extremely usefulstudy resource for students. VU faculty monitors this board on a continuous basis and answers to

student questions are provided within a short space of time.

Assignments are handed out through the LMS and also submitted by the students through thesame mechanism. Pop-quizzes and practice tests are also conducted through the LMS.Midterm and Final Examinations for every semester are conducted in a formal proctored environment at exam

centers designated for the purpose throughout the country. Invigilators appointed by the University conduct the

exams. The formal examination atmosphere assists in critical quality assurance of the student assessment system.

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AS A VIRTUAL ORGANIZATIONVirtual University of Pakistan is working as virtual. It has an excellent telecommunications

network with a redundant fiber-optic backbone. A high priority project of the Govt. is the

Pakistan Education and Research Network (PERN), which is being laid down to interconnectuniversities and allow them to share academic content as well as provide a convenient platform

for collective research. VU being the predominant provider of electronic academic content in

Pakistan is making its assets available over this intranet to its sister institutions in the country, in

addition to their availability to VU students over the internet. VU is also expanding its operationsby offering professional development courses as part of its contribution to continuing education.

Merits

The Virtual University of Pakistan delivers education through a judiciouscombination of broadcast television and the Internet.

VU provides world-class education at an affordable cost across the country.

VU is offering academic programs that are equivalent or better in content and qualityto those offered by leading institutions of higher education in the country.

VU admit students solely on the basis of their educational qualifications regardless ofrace, color, gender, religion, disability, geographical location or their age.

VU provides computer and internet facility to all the students at their campuses.

Lecturers can be listened again and again from CDs.

Demerits

Some VU campus have not computer facility for all the students.

VU campus have not still established through out the country.

There is not facility of competent consultant person at the regional campuses..

Students can not describe their problems through net.

CDs of the lecturers are not available easily.

Every student require personal computer to listen the lecturers and performingother relating work

Conclusions

VU is gaining popularity across the country, and hence university has to

establish campuses throughout the country.

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Recommendations:

VU should establish regional campuses across the country.

University should depute a competent/qualified person at the regional campuses forconsultancy. .

University should provide prior training to the students regarding internet, assignmentsand examination procedure.

Availability of computers to every students should be confirmed at the regionalcampuses.

Reference:

WEB SITE: http://www.vu.edu.pk

creating an effective organizational structure

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