Myocardial Infarction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Myocardial Infarction - Essay Example Thus, scientists do their best to make it possible to reveal the danger of myocardial infarction in patients timely in order to save their lives. This paper will seek to discuss the topic of myocardial infarction in detail, including prevention/ treatment options and recommendations for future research. Myocardial infarction can be defined as â€Å"the irreversible damage of myocardial tissue caused by prolonged ischemia and hypoxia. In simpler terms, myocardial infarction is caused by the death of one of the heart muscles which, in its turn, leads to irreversible changes in the heart function and, in many cases, to death† (Sharis & Cannon 2003). Professionals in cardiac studies usually link myocardial infarction etiology to complete focal blockage of one of the coronary arteries or their branches. The latter reflects in and leads to impaired contractility of one of the heart muscles but does not extend beyond the affected heart segment (Sharis & Cannon 2003). The myocardial ischemia begins in the inner lining of the heart, called endocardium and then spreads to the outer heart lining (epicardium); the risks of irreversible heart damage significantly increase if the complete blockage lasts 15-20 minutes (Sharis & Cannon 2003). Irreversible damage covers the affected segment and occurs within the first 2 or 3 hours following the infarction (Sharis & Cannon 2003). Restoration of the blood flow and heart activity is associated with the salvation of the heart muscle, and the earlier the salvation occurs the better the heart and blood flow will be. The size of the affected area is the determining factor of death of infarction, and increased oxygen supply to the site of blockage is believed to be a more effective instrument of salvaging the heart muscle, compared to reducing oxygen demand (Sharis & Cannon 2003). A whole set of modifiable risk factors contributes to the development of myocardial infarction risks in different population groups – smoking, diabetes,

General Motors Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

General Motors - Research Paper Example From the discussion it is clear that  General Motors Company, normally abbreviated as GM, is a United States multinational automobile company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan. The company is among the globe’s prime automakers in vehicle unit sales. It holds almost 202,000 employees, and it does business in around 157 nations. The company is split into five business divisions: GM North America, GM Europe, GM South America, GM International Operations and GM Financial. The firm produces trucks and cars in 37 countries, and services and sells the automobiles through the following brands: Buick, Chevrolet, Cadillac, GMC, Baojun, Isuzu, Holden, Jie Fang, Vauxhall, Opel and Wuling.This essay stresses that  General Motors (GM) compensation and benefits system considers the executives’ salaries based on their performance, as well as the company’s performance. As a result, a huge fraction of individual executive compensation is in jeopardy because this compensation is connected to achieving certain quantifiable results aimed at generating worth for shareholders on both a temporary and long term basis. General Motors institutes its intended compensation for the executives annually by taking into account the compensations paid to executives in related internal and external positions, the performance of the company and the challenges being faced. It offers benefits to all employees, together with the executives by considering by and large the package offered by other employees in the same position.   They also have additional benefits for executives as part of their compensation and benefits package that is in line with the labor market. This paper will examine General Motors, an organization that is experiencing challenges with its compensation and benefits systems. A brief history of General Motors will be given before assessing the current challenges it is facing. It will also review other organizations that have been in a similar situation. The paper will seek to draw from the strategy that those organizations have devised to address the issue of compensation and benefits. The paper will show theories and strategies that should be contemplated in addressing the situation. Finally, the paper will give recommendations to the GM management on how to address and resolve the situation. Review of the Literature An Assessment of GM’s Current Challenge General Motors financial crisis started in 2005 when the company posted a loss of US$10.6 billion (Martocchio, 2010). This was enhanced further when they tried to get United States’ government financial support, in 2006, for its pension liabilities, but they were not successful. Their loses, in 2007, were US$ 38.7 billion followed by a drop on sales, in 2008, of 45% and its reports indicated that it would be out of money by the middle of 2009 excluding the amalgamation of the government funding, a merger or sales of assets. At a Congressional hearing, in Washington DC, General Motors representatives and executives stated that they were in dire need of financial assistance, but unfortunately they did not succeed in their endeavor to get legislation to sanction the U.S.s’ government assistance. Instead, they were advised to come up with a new action plan to sustain the company. It eventually submitted its restructuring plan to the U.S. Senate committee in charge of bankin g and the House of Representative committee in charge of financial services, but Congress refused to act on it.

Environmental factors affecting Nespresso in China Essay Example for Free

Environmental factors affecting Nespresso in China Essay The micro environment on the other hand comprises the industry and market.   Religion, education, ethnicity, education and language, age group, family, cross cultural differences. In 1978, the Chinese government introduced a birth control policy of one child per family. (Newsweek 2014) This in the long run will reduce both sales and labor availability for Companies especially foreign brands like nespresso. The business culture in china is based on strong family ties and cultural network. Guanxi is a Chinese business practice of favoring a family and close friends prior to doing business. This could be unfavorable to foreign businesses like nespresso and other western companies. LEGAL FACTORS. Foreign trade laws, land ownership laws, patent and trademark laws, piracy laws, lobbying laws. According to reports, foreign firms cannot and do not acquire land as all land remains the property of the Chinese government. However the lease system provides foreign firms and corporation access to land for about a period of 50years after which the lease can be renewed. There was a case of McDonalds in Beijing who were forced out of their property by the government during the contract period (China unique, 2013). This spells an unstable working environment for nespresso. ECONOMIC FACTORS Economic factors include, Unemployment rate, exchange rate, inflation, interest rate, consumer discretionary income, labor cost. Unemployment: According to the ministry of human resources and social security of the PRC, there has been a significant decrease in unemployment rate in China from 4. 10 in the last quarter of 2013 to 4 percent in the second quarter of 2013 (Trading economics, 2014). This will increase salaries and wages due to scarcity of labor as only few of the population are unemployed. Similarly, Chinas inflation rate as reported by National Bureau of Statistics of China was at 2. 50 percent in January 2014 (Bloomberg business week Jan. 2014). This has caused a reduction in unemployment and an increase in wages. This might mean an increase in sales for western brands like nespresso and luxurious brands. According to ban and company luxury goods purchases has slowed down by 7percent as Chinese shoppers now do their luxury shopping abroad (Ban and company 2013). This might not be too good for foreign companies in china but it shows how passionate Chinese are for luxury brands. Chinas GDP were recorded at 7. 7 percent (9. 4 trillion USD) in the fourth quarter of 2013. (Bloomberg business week Jan. 2014) The above information shows that China’s economic environment would promote and facilitate business activities. (Trading economies, 2014). Lower unemployment rate implies high purchasing power of customers. Inflation will affect nespresso because suppliers will demand more. High interest rate means high return on investment. The higher consumer’s discretionary income, the higher their purchasing power especially for premium products like the nespresso brand. POLITICAL FACTORS. Factors present in the political environment include Political Stability, government involvement, trade barriers (tariff and non-tariff) Political stability: The three decades of reform in china has led to both a political and social landscape. (China daily Feb 2014). China has a unique form of political risk which is a constant battle between the central government and local government over applicable laws. For Nespesso, this stability and a clear understanding of local law would guarantee a stable business environment in the long run. Government involvement: The purpose of this is to protect domestic firms. (Protectionism). Government may impose barriers (tariff and non-tariff) on imports or foreign investment in order to protect domestic industries and to reduce competition. Although china has continuously opened its market for foreign investors, it has also place restriction on some foreign businesses in certain industries. For instance the restriction on American producers of autos, beef and steel into its market. (Bloomberg news April 2013) TECHNOLOGY. Technology when applied to work makes it easier, quicker and sometimes more efficient. The level of technology. Technology is inputs that improves an organization’s output. Technological factors includes machinery, communication, internet penetration, transport and logistics, social infrastructure. Internet penetration and logistics. See question 2 THE MICRO ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY ANALYSIS PORTER’S FIVE FORCES. Local suppliers include; Yunnan Zheng coffee co ltd, Baoshan Yatong coffee commercial co. ltd, Dehong Hogu coffee co ltd, Yunnan Changshengda investment co. ltd, Kunming Qianxi industry and trade co ltd, Acme Fate international ltd (Alibaba, 2014). This shows that the supplier power is low because there are so many suppliers in the industry. Power of buyers (customers): With over 14million people in shanghai and other major cities of china and the tea drinking tradition of the Chinese people, there tend to be a high buyer power amongst customers. Also, the quest for luxurious band amongst Chinese consumers tend to influence buying power Competitors: The level of competition in china is high not just for coffee consumption but also for other hot drinks. In terms of luxurious coffee key players include Starbucks, costa, McDonalds, 85 degrees, pacific coffee etc. research from Mintel has shown that there has been an increase in the number of cafes from 15,898 to 31,283 between 2007 and 2012. (China briefing, 2013). Threat of new entrants: With the existence of so many players in the coffee industry it can be concluded that there is high threat of new entrants because it may seem that coffee business in China is attractive. Analysts say there will be a continuous increase in the consumption of instant coffee. (Euro monitor international). Industry rivalry: Competition is intense in the coffee industry in china as key player continue to compete in different ways. According to reports, there is a continuous fight for market share, who has more coffee shops etc. As Starbucks plans to have 1500 stores in china, costa coffee has stated their intention to increase its number to 2500 by 2018. Nestle and Starbucks has been competing for dominance of china’s coffee market for the last decade. While nestle has focused on being a ubiquitous brand, Starbucks has targeted the upper middle class. (Context china) QUESTION TWO According to reports, China has 618million internet users. 80percent of this number are mobile internet users. (ZDnet, 2014). The outbreak of mobile internet users drove the number from 500million as at December 2013. With this number of internet users, a firm would have no problem carrying out online sales, advertising, or communicating with its customers. A report by adage confirms that Taoboa and Tmall, two of china’s largest e-commerce company broke their last year’s sales record via the internet. Therefore many firms are capitalizing on the power of the internet by doing series of online promotion. (Adage, 2013) Online retail sale according to Bloomberg, went up by 2percent last year (adage, 2013). The surging internet purchase indicates that Chinese consumers are moving away from bricks and mortar outlets for their shopping. Opportunities of online CRM and sales include; Wider reach. Using the internet, nespresso can keep up with a large number of its customers on a daily or weekly bases. Advertising. Nespresso can also use the internet to advertise its product to millions of customers at the same time. This could be cheaper to operate too. Segmenting purposes. The record of customers and their previous purchase can help nespresso in automatically segmenting it customers based on purchase history Feedback and adjustment. Customer feedbacks is very important as these information can be used in making services or products better. Despite the attractive and promising nature of using the internet, investors and firms should also consider the drawbacks of using the internet for sales and communication. The Chinese government recently just imposed a new law regarding e-Commerce in China. The law stipulates that real names registration of sellers on third party platforms, strict seven days return policy, and also online payment market place must safeguard user’s privacy. (Pac net services, 2014) Another report says the government is imposing a law where all consumer to consumer online trading would have to register for a business license and  also pay taxes (China daily, 2014) Legal system. There are different legal restriction and regulation from government and regulatory bodies. Payment environment: the cash payment culture of the Chinese creates difficulties for online shopping. International credit cards are not accepted in most online shops. There is unavailability of credit card payment in most transactional websites. The online payment system in china is still at an infant stage. Logistics network environment: there is a restriction on foreign investment of logistics companies. Limited choices of delivery therefore, much more time is spent on delivery (jitm, 2007). QUESTION THREE Despite the large number of internet users I personally would recommend that nespresso adopt another marketing strategy as it will be very harmful to assume that the nespresso club would work in the Chinese market. From careful observation of the forces at work in the Chinese market environment, I can say that there is high level of government protectionism and regulation on internet businesses (Ecommerce) that tends to favor Chinese owned firms and businesses. Report has it that not only were a lot of websites blocked in china, there were also a Chinese replacement. Sites blocked include Facebook, yahoo, google, twitter, YouTube etc. according to report, the British newspaper The Guardian along with The New York times and Bloomberg news has been blocked in china for over a year. Motives for this act remains unknown (Taipei Times, 2014). Nespresso’s use of the internet is limited as not so much can be achieved due to interference by the government therefore using the internet could hinder performance as there is too much interference from the government. Nespresso should adapt its marketing mix to overcome the current situation of internet insecurity so as to reduce reliance on the internet. Though the internet can be used to position the nespresso brand image in the minds of the consumers for sales, or advertising or customer relationship but it won’t be wise business decision to apply the nespresso club concept in China because the government can decide blacklist them just like the case of Facebook. Nespresso should create more awareness about its brand to the Chinese public especially the less educated ones explaining the difference between house coffee and the nespresso brand Lastly, since there is already a tea drinking tradition amongst the Chinese population, nespresso should consider a local adaptation which involves offering other kinds of hot drinks so as to have a variety of products for it ever growing tea drinking customers.

Iconic Construction Projects: Issues and Controversies

Iconic Construction Projects: Issues and Controversies Introduction Construction of large, expensive, and prestigious projects is an historical obsession of the human race. Every age of human history, as well as every human civilisation, features huge architectural showpieces (Silverberg, 1965). Religions have used enormous and ornate structures, churches, mosques, and temples, to shock and awe their followers into submission. Many of the ancient and modern seven wonders, e.g., the Coliseum of Rome, the Great Wall of China, or the Taj Mahal, were architectural wonders that were built with massive doses of money, effort, time, and genius (Silverberg, 1965). It took two emperors, ten years, and extensive public taxation to build the Coliseum. The Great Wall was built, over hundreds of years, to protect the Mings against invaders, by generations of architects; who did not foresee that the opening of one of its doors would neutralise centuries of sweat and toil (Silverberg, 1965). The Taj Mahal was built over 16 years with an unlimited budget by an idiosyncratic emperor who failed to connect the irony of amputating the arms of his sculptors (after the erect ion of the Taj) with the building of a monument to the cause of immortal love (Ahmed, 1993). In modern times each of these iconic projects would have been considered to be failures in some aspects, even though they have delivered and continue to deliver numerous benefits. Such awesome projects link humanity over time and distance with common threads of ambition, grandeur, status, and prestige. The construction of the Empire State Building in New York in 1931 set off a race, albeit some four decades later, among other cities, to build something grander and taller, (Cowan, 2007), the title for the tallest building going from skyscraper to tower in different locations until it was grasped in late 2007 by the under construction Burj Dubai, an architectural and construction wonder that will be ready only in 2009. Accepting numerous design modifications and a construction delay of many months, mainly to ensure that their project does not get upstaged in its target of becoming the world’s tallest building, the creators of Burj Dubai are motivated by ambitions that are largely iconic. â€Å"Chairman Mohammed Ali Alabbar said Dubai has resisted the usual and has inspired to build a global icon, ‘it’s a human achievement without equal.†™â€  (Dubai skyscraper worlds tallest, 2008) The urge to undertake iconic construction projects, projects that are commonly associated with size, status, prestige, architectural complexity, and grandeur, is not restricted to the oil rich sheikhdoms of the Middle East, the capitalist bastion of the United States, aggressive young economies like Australia, or the ambitious Asian Tigers. The United Kingdom, long associated with restraint and the virtues of understatement, has its fair share of projects that can be termed iconic; the Millennium Dome, the London Eye, Portsmouth’s Spinnaker Tower, and London’s Wembley Stadium; to name but a few. Iconic projects are usually undertaken with diverse objectives in mind, e.g., raising the profile of a city, creating a tourist attraction, or even increasing the status of a premier football club; they are normally complex in nature and require substantial outlays of money, long construction periods, large tracts of land, sophisticated construction and construction management skills, involvement of political and non-political organisations, agencies and individuals, and numerous administrative, financial, and legal issues (Prasser, 2006). Always in the arc of media attention, their progress receives inordinate publicity; their failures and successes are widely discussed, debated and often roundly criticised. The amount of controversy and censure that invariably attaches itself to most such projects, as well as their patchy records, can well lead people to believe that â€Å"iconic projects are virtually certain to fail†. With such sweeping statements possibly appearing to be somewhat naà ¯ve to serious students of management and construction, (more so in light of the rapid strides made by the construction management industry in recent years, both in terms of technological advances and in terms of utilisation of management processes), this study attempts to investigate the issue, with the aid of relevant current examples and current construction management theory. Commentary and Analysis A meaningful discussion on the italicised topic calls for logical and relevant structuring. This analytical commentary is structured into sequential sections that take up the determination of failure, as applicable to iconic projects, the various environmental, political, economic and managerial factors that can contribute to such failures, and the measures that can be adopted and implemented to lessen the chances of their happening. The concluding section summarises the discussion and contains appropriate recommendations. Determination of Project Failure A project can be defined as a discrete and predetermined endeavour that has specific commencement and conclusion nodes and is undertaken to construct a quantifiable deliverable (Lewis, 2007). Projects can be initiated in many areas of social, economic and business life and can be classified as iconic in terms of their status, importance, glamour, media friendliness and size. With the topic of this discussion being related to construction, the commentary is focussed on iconic projects that involve substantial construction activity, e.g. stadia, buildings, roads, dams, museums, monuments and the like. Large and prestigious projects in areas like IT or brand building, which can also be truly termed to be iconic, do not find place in this study. A project can be termed to be a failure if it does not meet its objectives (Lewis, 2007). With most modern day projects, especially those that are large and complex, having aims and targets, in terms of physical, cost, and time deliverables, and expected to conform to norms of accountability, transparency, and ethics during their execution, such projects can be deemed to be unsatisfactory if they fail to meet such signposts and requirements (Lewis, 2007). Properly set project objectives, in the language of project management, are expected to meet specific SMARTA criteria, i.e., they should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-Framed, and Agreed (Lewis, 2007). Apart from such objectives, iconic projects have broad aims in terms of what they are expected to achieve and the services they are to provide (Prasser, 2006). The Millennium Dome at Greenwich in the outskirts of London, for example, was conceived as a mega project that was planned to be either a football stadium or a huge convention and exhibition centre (and an attractive tourist destination), after the completion of the Millennium Experience in December, 2000 (Maddox, 2000). The structure, which is the largest of its type in the world, whilst proving to be a huge tourist attraction in 2000, proved to be of little use thereafter. Horrendously expensive to maintain, it remained practically unused during the next five years. Most of its adjacent structures were demolished. Renamed O2 in 2005 it has since been transformed into an entertainment district at a cost of 600 million dollars (Millennium Dome, 2008). The Spinnaker Tower at Portsmouth is another example of an iconic project that has come in for widespread criticism. Reflecting Portsmouth’s maritime history and designed to resemble a sail, the tower was completed five years after schedule, incurred expenditures far beyond what was originally forecasted, was executed poorly, developed construction defects and was found to be unfriendly towards disabled visitors (Oates, 2006). The London Wheel, on the other hand, which received lesser visitors than the Millennium Dome in 2000, belied pessimistic forecasts and went on to become a hugely successful tourist attraction, redefining London’s skyline and being featured in every Bollywood movie that was shot in London. Projects to be successful should specifically deliver on the wider planned benefits and services. â€Å"The concept of project benefits is central to project success. A project will be deemed successful if it delivers its promised benefits. What about on time and on budget? These are different questions, relating to how well the project is managed. Important as they are, these are not the focus of a quest to clarify objectives. Besides, in the end we would rather have a successful project a little late and over budget than a beautifully managed disaster which fails to deliver on promises† (Writing Project Objectives, 2008, http://www.numerix.com.au/docs/newsletter-articles/writing-project-objectives.htm). Causes for Project Failure Commercial project management, as a discipline, has enlarged significantly in recent years. Imbibing theories and concepts from various sectors of management theory like strategic, human resource (HR), financial, general and environmental management, its evolution has been helped by the progressive sophistication of project management, decision making, monitoring and control techniques (like PERT (Project Evaluation and Review Techniques), CPM (Critical Path Method), Gantt Charts, and Fishbone diagrams) (Richman, 2002). With construction having progressively become one of the biggest business activities in the world, the use of sophisticated management practices, which otherwise originated and were developed in other business sectors like automobile and steel production, is but normal (Richman, 2002). The fact that project construction, especially on the scale of what is being attempted in the modern day, is an extremely complex process that involves political decision making, activist involvement, environmental repercussions, land acquisition, financial organisation, use of sophisticated technology and complex machinery, diverse human skills, and the involvement of numerous agencies, contractors, and subcontractors, results in the emergence of numerous variables, which, individually, and in tandem with others, can lead to partial or complete failure in achievement of project objectives (Richman, 2002). Despite the existence of numerous related and independent factors that can effectively hinder the success of projects, management experts feel it advisable to group and analyse these variables under specific categories. Again, whilst project management experts and project consulting organisations by and large appear to have their own interpretation of reasons behind failures of large and prestigious projects, they are united on some major causal factors. Problems in Project Initiation The most important of these causal factors arise during the initiation of the project, a process that in the case of iconic projects is likely to include issues of political governance, harmonisation of expectations of different stakeholders, environmental requirements, cost estimation, organisation of finances, selection of management team, and crystallisation of broad project objectives, benefits, and services, as well as its SMARTA criteria (Lewis, 2007). Ambiguity about any of these factors, especially at the initiation stage can lead to the perpetuation of uncertainties in objectives, as the project progresses, and inadequate or inappropriate managerial inputs at later times (Lewis, 2007). Large projects, more often those that are public in nature, or involve public private participation, need clarity in political approach, inter-departmental involvement, and decision making; the lack of which can lead to continuing snags in project implementation. The Millennium Dome, projected as the most celebrated iconic project of the beginning of the Millennium, went over budget by more than 200 million GBP and lay idle for five years after 2000 (Millennium Dome, 2008). It was mired in political and public controversy regarding its cost, design, and content right from project inception; developments that definitely contributed to unsteadiness in its management and leadership and uncertainty in its execution. Whilst the initiation stage of the project in matters of time is often much shorter than the actual time required for its completion, it is critical for satisfactory project outcomes, because of its key processes, (all of which involve high level decision making skills), namely (a) crystallisation of project benefits (b) agreement on project implementation at governing levels, (c) fleshing out of project dimensions and project design, (d) arrangement of finance, and (e) selection of management team (Lewis, 2007). Although commercial project management does borrow many managerial and control techniques from regular management theory and practice, its finite and bounded nature poses significantly different and multifaceted challenges, especially those that arise from the need to make route corrections, if and when such need arises (Hannigan Browne, 2000). Whilst such route corrections are part and parcel of regular management projects, their occurrences in construction projects invariably lead to disruption of time, cost, and completion targets; thus the need for careful project initiation. A project well begun often leads to far easier meeting of project objectives (Hannigan Browne, 2000). The costs of the project, its construction and finance requirements, and time frame, ultimately depend upon project design, the excellence of which has a significant effect on its final success. The design for the Millennium stadium at Cardiff had to take account of variables like the proximity of the river Taff, the issue of tidal flooding and the demolition of a number of buildings with consequent compensation and relocation costs (Lowe, 2008). Mishandling of these issues could well have fatally jeopardised the outcome of this project. Project design is also inextricably linked to the land needed for the project. With land for prestigious projects invariably being substantial, and more often than not in populated areas, land acquisition is a complex exercise with political, environmental, social, and economic aspects that need to be addressed separately and competently. The Tatas, recent acquirers of Corus Steel and Jaguar Landrover, are in the process of constructing their factory for the world’s cheapest car, the 2200 USD Nano, in India. In many ways the group’s most celebrated and iconic project, the original Nano site near Kolkata in East India had to be abandoned after a year’s work and more than 100 million US dollars in expenses, after protests from local landowners, (who did not agree with the land acquisition price negotiated by the concerned state government), led to riots and violence (Misery Is the Price Farmers Must Pay for â€Å"People’s Car†, 2008). The project, whi ch has been resumed in a totally different location, is now substantially behind, both in terms of costs and time, and only the future will tell whether the Tatas will be able to keep their price commitment. Provisioning of finance, its estimation, its sources, and its arrangement form another crucial component of project initiation activities. Project financing, especially in public private partnerships is a complex process, with different sources of finance carrying different cost and repayment commitments. Whilst the Millennium Commission projects were by and large funded by the national lottery, most projects are not so lucky and need to be funded adequately to ensure against work delays on account of financial inadequacy. The Spinnaker Tower, the showpiece of Portsmouth Harbour, suffered from underestimation of cost as well as under-arrangement of finances, leading to an overrun of 36 million GBP and the need to use taxpayers’ money, an avenue that was specifically not considered at the time of the project decision (Oates, 2006). With financial inadequacy likely to arise both from poor financial management and from wrong cost estimation, it is important to get the financials right before the start of a complex and expensive project. Activities like the estimation of finance and the coordination of design activity are the responsibility of the commercial management team of the project, the selection of which, along with that of the commercial manager, is critical to project success. Subject to the necessary provisioning of required inputs from the project owners, the functioning of the commercial management team assumes enormous responsibility for successful project execution. Commercial Management Commercial management of projects is a complex and multifaceted discipline requiring numerous managerial skills and inputs. The execution of large projects is possibly among the most challenging of modern day management tasks, an area of work that is distinguished by two main features, first the sheer number of variables that need to be controlled and issues that need to be attended, and second the minimal scope for wrong decisions or operational blunders (Frame, 2002). The commercial management function is underpinned on theory that is drawn from diverse disciplines like social sciences, management, economics, law, accountancy and finance, in addition of course to project management and supply chain management (Lowe, 2008a). Commercial managers of construction projects have extensive responsibilities that commence from the time of initiation and need to be appointed as soon as a final decision on project implementation is taken (Frame, 2002). Whilst commercial managers are not involved in much of the initial decision making that concern areas of political governance, environmental and ecological issues and sourcing of avenues of finance, their involvement at this stage can be rewarding because of their managerial expertise and their previous experience (Frame, 2002). Commercial managers are more often than not senior practicing managers with significant project experience and are expected to be competent in areas of technical and financial knowledge, budgeting, forecasting and monitoring, law, human resource management, supplier chain management and above all leadership and general management. They need to be selected with the utmost of care as much of the proper execution of projects depends upon their knowledge and competence. Whilst they are generally provided with adequate support in both line and staff functions, their own knowledge of finance management, HR management, supplier chain management and project management is under constant challenge and test; successful project progression depends significantly upon their own interpretation of cash flows and assessment of contractors and subcontractors for project jobs. With the overwhelming majority of project work being carried out by contractors who are chosen for and assigned specific jobs, the most important constraint and critical variable in successful project execution arises from the need to appoint, instruct, monitor and control them (Lowe, 2008a). Unlike regular business organisations, where the bulk of the work is handled by company employees, the majority of project work is undertaken by external contractors who are supervised by project managers with the help of support staff and project accountants, a phenomenon that leads to the emergence of numerous uncertainties and project risks. Much of the delay in the construction of the Wembley stadium, which was finally opened in 2007, more than a year after schedule, can be related to unsatisfactory working of Multiplex, the main contractor (Lowe, 2008a). Contractors are used for every conceivable function and service, from providing designing and architectural services to erection, masonry, electrical work, provisioning of machinery and vehicles, and secretarial and canteen services. A comparison of the nature of project work with that of the currently growing trend of outsourcing in routine business operations is apt. Outsourcing, a process by which internal operations of the company, is handed over to outsiders in return of cost and efficiency advantages, can make a company vulnerable to external factors and is handled by most organisations with utmost circumspection and care. It is used only for repetitive and low skills work and the credentials of service providers are literally tested with fire before they are engaged. The complexities associated with running a company where practically every activity is outsourced can be realistically compared with the challenges faced by commercial managers of large, iconic, projects. Whilst appointing contractors it is essential to gauge their competence and ability for fulfilling proposed responsibilities by assessing their size, competence, availability, financial position, and readiness to work (Frame, 2002). Although such contractors are routinely appointed in Asian countries on the basis of their closeness to and intimacy with the commercial management team (leading to informal and trust based client-contractor relationships), such relationships in Anglo American environments are governed by detailed contracts, and most commercial managers use sophisticated legal help to draw out elaborate agreements with their contractors (Frame, 2002). It needs to be mentioned here that few of the contractors who are engaged in large projects represent small one man organisations. Most of them are medium sized or even large, (where the requirement is substantial, involves the use of expensive machinery or large numbers of people), organisations employing thousands of peopl e. Some are joint stock or privately held companies, and many operate a number of projects simultaneously. In many cases main contractors engage sub-contractors to carry out different jobs that fall under their area of responsibility. Apart from contractual obligations, contractors are controlled by regular monitoring, quality checks, and financial incentives and penalties. Despite the use of legal and managerial methods for progressing work, advancement of project activity in line with forecasts and schedules are often affected adversely due to a number of operational reasons. Commercial mismanagement of projects occurs, in the opinion of experts mainly because of (a) lack of commercial and project management skills with the implementing management (b) inability to assess and control risks (c) lack of attention to breaking development and implementation into manageable and discrete steps, (d) lack of understanding and contact with the supply industry at senior levels and (e) lack of effective project team integration between the commercial management team, the subcontractors, and other participants of the supply chain (Frame, 2003). Experts are also quite clear in arguing that many of the problems that arise in p roject management occur because of overworked commercial managers. Project owners rarely understand the extent of detailed and complex work that is natural to commercial management of projects, a phenomenon that leads to unsustainable loads on executives and to consequential errors and delays (Frame, 2003). Failure of Iconic Projects Project execution is essentially a complex exercise and is affected by the inter-play of a host of variables, many of which arise from issues and developments that are not under the direct control of the project execution team. Project delays and cost overruns, are common to both the private and public sector, and continue to happen despite the increasing sophistication of project and commercial management techniques and methods. Project failure in the IT industry, for example, is an unhealthy 85 %! â€Å"Research highlights that only one in eight information technology projects can be considered truly successful (failure being described as those projects that do not meet the original time, cost and (quality) requirements criteria† (McManus and Wood Harper, 2008) The situation becomes even more complex in case of iconic projects. Such projects in the public or public-private domain arise because of a continuing historical obsession of decision makers with size and grandeur and often occur at the expense of more essential infrastructural projects like roads, hospitals, power and public transport. With the origins of such projects often mired in controversy and public disapproval, their approval leads to difficulties in balancing of public budgets and slashing of other required expenditure; the stated benefits of such projects often have to be related to the reduction of benefits from other areas that need to be cannibalised. Iconic projects, all over the world, irrespective of their location in the UK, Australia or the United States involve enormous costs and stress on size as a feature rather than as a requirement. They extol form over function and their benefits are more symbolic than measurable. Often large scale in nature they are taken up for boosting economic or tourism activity, (Millennium Dome), hosting huge sporting events, (Beijing and London Olympics), lifting regional prestige (The Millennium Stadium at Cardiff and Spinnaker Tower at Portsmouth), and symbolising governmental achievement (the magnificent Parliament House at Canberra). The Beijing Olympics led to an enormous demand for global steel and the intensification of a commodity super cycle, a phenomenon that now lies buried under the debris of the sub prime crisis. The London Olympics are similarly expected to generate 60,000 person years of employment during construction. With decisions for undertaking such projects often being founded on peripheral considerations, they are subject to excessive political interference, have unclear and ill defined objectives, over optimistic considerations, and inflated viability. More often than not they are driven by considerations of supply rather than demand and suffer from the â€Å"Build it and they will come† syndrome (Fenn, 2002). It is difficult to assess today whether the huge infrastructure that has been created at Beijing or is being created at London will be utilised in future after the dust of the three week Olympic spectacle subsides. With England in the middle of a severe economic crisis, the pound losing against all world currencies, and unemployment expected to rise, the justification of continuing with such massive expenditure at the cost of economic measures that could help overcome the recession appears to be difficult. Critics also associate iconic projects with poor governance, symbolised by secrecy, lack of transparency, minimisation of risk assessment, fudging of budgets, and political expediency. The Federation Square project at Melbourne had major icon implications. It had high profile and high visibility during construction and a complex architectural design. The haste shown in its construction led to construction activity moving ahead of detailed design work and its lack of transparency was revealed in the cost overrun of more than 350 million when it was inaugurated in 2002, two years behind the opening deadline and in a still incomplete state (Prasser, 2006). The project was affected by cost variations, trade disruption and contractor delay claims, increases in contracting costs, extra project costs, hidden design changes, and post completion changes (Prasser, 2006). Whilst examples of poorly executed iconic projects are not difficult to find, tarring all top drawer projects with the same critical brush appears to be cynical; there also being projects that have been handled and executed with utmost transparency and brilliance. Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium at Islington, completed in 2006, is an example of brilliant project visualisation and construction. Awarded the Building Project of the Year at the Annual Building Awards, the judges described it thus: â€Å"The whole process was an example of how important teamwork should be to a project, with everyone from the client to the contractor and subcontractors coming together and working successfully to ensure the project was completed on time and under budget. The way that this team tackled design changes should be a lesson to the industry† (Lowe, D, 2008, 21). Conclusion Much of the perceptions associated with the â€Å"failure† of large â€Å"iconic† projects arise out of their being over budget and behind schedule. The execution of such projects is in common perception also associated with poor risk management, bureaucratic thinking, and poor project execution. Whilst a number of big ticket projects have been rightly criticised for their failure in meeting of project objectives and underdelivery of promised benefits, the basic issue about viability of iconic projects is prone to becoming clouded by media publicity and public debate. Project conception and management are by themselves extremely complex tasks and it is not difficult to understand the reasons behind their execution problems. The private sector also witnesses numerous incidences of project failure, a fact that possibly does not come to light because of the shroud of confidentiality that covers much of private sector working. Successful project execution involves two discrete and distinct components, first, the conception and visualisation of and the decision to undertake a project and second, its actual physical execution and completion. The actual progression of a project is largely carried out by experienced professionals with the aid of experienced contractors and it would be nothing short of uncharitable to lay the blame for unsatisfactory project execution to the inferior project management skills of managers of iconic projects. Brilliantly executed iconic projects like the Emirates Stadium at Islington confirm that large and top drawer projects can indeed be successfully completed. Iconic projects, especially those that occur in the public space, are usually visualised by political leaders, who, whilst capable of feeling the public pulse and conceptualising ambitious and extravagant plans are not fundamentally strong in commercially complex areas of project management. Being impatient doers they tend to rush through the initiation stages of such projects without paying detailed attention to the greater practical ramifications of project execution, thus building in inherent weaknesses that lead to difficulties later. Iconic projects have a far greater chance of being successfully executed if such errors can be minimised by more transparent and participative working in the initial stages without sacrificing the project’s grand vision. The widely publicised aims and benefits of iconic projects are essentially subjective and their assessment in terms of right or wrong is beyond the scope of this commentary. Being public and long term decisions their benefits are judged more by posterity than by current applause or criticism and on many occasions assume dimensions that make issues like cost and time overruns trivial matters of detail and quibble. The public perception of success of iconic projects could however improve radically if their initiation and execution were tackled with clarity, conservatism and attention to detail. The responsibility for this lies essentially with the project owners, the people who conceptualise and decide upon the project, than on anybody else. Word Count: 4691 References Ahmed, A. S. (1993, May). The Taj Mahal, History Today, 43, 62+ Ali, M. M., Moon, K. S. (2007), Structural Developments in Tall Buildings: Current Trends and Future Prospects. Architectural Science Review, 50(3), 205+ Boss Stuck in Lift as Tower Opens. (2005, October 18). The Evening Standard (London, England), p. 9

cuba :: essays research papers

Fidel Castro Liss, Sheldon B. Roots of Revolution: Radical thought in Cuba. Lincoln: University of   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nebraska Press, 1987, The document that I chose is the picture of Fidel Castro and his band of revolutionaries at a secret camp somewhere in Cuba. The picture was taken in 1957, on January 1st 1959 Castro and his army took over the authoritarian government of Fulgencio Batista. In the picture all the men are holding rifles and look like they have been fighting in their Guerilla warfare style. Guerilla warfare is where you use your surroundings to your advantage. It often uses sneak attacks, ambushes, hit and run tactics and is known to be extremely brutal. Guerilla warfare does not require a big well trained army, which works to Castro’s advantage because it allowed him to arm the peasants who were fighting for revolution.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  January 1st 1959 is one of the most important days in Cuba’s history and has had substantial effects on many other countries. When Castro over took Batista’s government Castro was gaining in popularity, especially with the middle class and peasants who wanted change. Two of the countries most affected by the take over were the Soviet Union and United States. After the take over the Soviet Union paid one hundred million credits for Cuban sugar, it’s primary export. Over the next few years Castro and the Soviet Union became closer. On December 2 1961, Castro publicly announced that he was a Marxist-Leninist and would remain that way until the day died. Cuba became the first Communist country in the Western Hemisphere, and this worried the United States who was in the midst of the Cold War with the Soviet Union In October of 1960 The United States declared a trade embargo against Cuba. Then on January 3, 1961, the United States broke all diplomat ic relations with Cuba. This pushed Cuba closer to the Soviet Union and led eventually to the Cuban missile crisis. The United states has been obsessed with the idea that the Soviet Union is using Cuba as a surrogate foster of Marxist subversion throughout the Caribbean, Central and South America   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Cuban revolution is seen as a bad thing to Americans, but it did give the Cuban people some social gains. Castro was always liked my the peasants and middle class because he promised to improve their living conditions. Two areas that improved were health care and education. cuba :: essays research papers Fidel Castro Liss, Sheldon B. Roots of Revolution: Radical thought in Cuba. Lincoln: University of   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nebraska Press, 1987, The document that I chose is the picture of Fidel Castro and his band of revolutionaries at a secret camp somewhere in Cuba. The picture was taken in 1957, on January 1st 1959 Castro and his army took over the authoritarian government of Fulgencio Batista. In the picture all the men are holding rifles and look like they have been fighting in their Guerilla warfare style. Guerilla warfare is where you use your surroundings to your advantage. It often uses sneak attacks, ambushes, hit and run tactics and is known to be extremely brutal. Guerilla warfare does not require a big well trained army, which works to Castro’s advantage because it allowed him to arm the peasants who were fighting for revolution.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  January 1st 1959 is one of the most important days in Cuba’s history and has had substantial effects on many other countries. When Castro over took Batista’s government Castro was gaining in popularity, especially with the middle class and peasants who wanted change. Two of the countries most affected by the take over were the Soviet Union and United States. After the take over the Soviet Union paid one hundred million credits for Cuban sugar, it’s primary export. Over the next few years Castro and the Soviet Union became closer. On December 2 1961, Castro publicly announced that he was a Marxist-Leninist and would remain that way until the day died. Cuba became the first Communist country in the Western Hemisphere, and this worried the United States who was in the midst of the Cold War with the Soviet Union In October of 1960 The United States declared a trade embargo against Cuba. Then on January 3, 1961, the United States broke all diplomat ic relations with Cuba. This pushed Cuba closer to the Soviet Union and led eventually to the Cuban missile crisis. The United states has been obsessed with the idea that the Soviet Union is using Cuba as a surrogate foster of Marxist subversion throughout the Caribbean, Central and South America   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Cuban revolution is seen as a bad thing to Americans, but it did give the Cuban people some social gains. Castro was always liked my the peasants and middle class because he promised to improve their living conditions. Two areas that improved were health care and education.

Katherine Mansfield :: essays research papers fc

Katherine Mansfield Katherine Mansfield, who lived from 1888 to 1923, is considered to be one of the most remarkable short story writers of her time. Using her life experiences as an inspiration for her short stories, Mansfield sculpted her ideas into masterful pieces of literary work. Mansfield's life was full of interesting experiences that shaped her outlook upon life. The diversity of friends and acquaintances Katherine Mansfield had over her lifetime also had a great influence on her career. Even as a child, Mansfield made decisions about her life that would create a path for her career to start on. Katherine Mansfield was born Kathleen Mansfield Beauchamp to Harold and Annie Dyer Beauchamp on October 14, 1888. The Beauchamp family called New Zealand their home. "A Sea Voyage", written by the young Kathleen Beauchamp, won first-place at the Karori Village School, the grammar school she first attended (Nathan 1). This accomplishment encouraged young Beauchamp to continu e on writing. After attending grammar school, Kathleen went on to attend Miss Swainson's Secondary School. During this time, she is acquainted with Maata Mahupuka, a native Maori. Her interest in Mahupuka later grew into a brief love affair with him (Nathan 1). After graduating from secondary school, Miss Kathleen Mansfield Beauchamp left New Zealand. She decided this after thwarting the idea of a career in music. Beauchamp went on to attend London's Queens College and study literature. While in attendance at Queens College, Kathleen made a friend in Ida Baker. Ida Baker, like Beauchamp, was an avid writer. Kathleen gave the pen name "Lesley Moore" to Ida, after Beauchamp's brother Lesley (Sampson 308). In the spring of 1907, Miss Beauchamp held in garden party and invited many of her acquaintances from college. The party was a complete success until it was discovered that a cottager who lived on the property had been accidentally killed (Nathan 1). This event spawned to b ecome "The Garden Party", Beauchamp's first major work (Encarta). In 1909, Kathleen Beauchamp became acquainted with a man by the name of G. C. Bowden. After only a brief period they became engaged and married. The evening after their marriage, Kathleen left Bowden (Disc. Authors 1). Leaving Bowden, she ran away with her longtime friend Garnet Trowell. Trowell was from Wellington; she was a fairly well known cellist. While running away with Garnet Trowell, Kathleen had an affair with a man who ultimately impregnates her.

Freudian approaches to Tennessee Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Essay

I will discuss how Freudian theory ties in with the issues featuring in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Sigmund Freud the founder of psychoanalysis came up with a theory of the unconscious mind, he identified that sexual desires are the primary motivational energy of human life. William shows this in play by Margaret’s sexual desires for Brick keeps her energy up and gets her to keep trying to get Brick’s affection. Big Daddy and Big Mama have fears and anxieties about Margaret and Bricks lack of children, and so does Margaret herself because she wants a share of the plantation. However this does not worry Mae and Gooper who are more than happy that they are prime candidates to become the owner of the plantation, Mae especially enjoy sneer at the fact that Margaret is childless â€Å"Mae: she’s childless because that big beautiful athlete of hers won’t go to bed with her† (97). The family especially Big Daddy and Maggie have doubts about Brick’s sexuality and try to confront him about it. Brick: â€Å"You think that me and Skipper were a pair of dirty old men?† (pg 77). Symbolism definitely shown in ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’, Bricks crutch can symbolise that he needs support, â€Å"Brick: no just give me my crutch† (27). The crutch can be seen as symbol that Brick is weak without skipper hence needs support. But it can also represent the fact that Brick has lost his masculinity ‘Brick: I’m getting softer Maggie’ (pg 31) and the crutch is his masculinity hence why he cannot go anywhere without it. The alcohol symbolises that Brick is trying to escape reality by making himself unconscious or in his words the ‘click’ which he says to be when he is peaceful with himself. However the excessive drinking by Brick can also mean that Brick cannot cope without Skipper. Repression of homosexuality in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof ties in with Sigmund Freud ideology, as Brick represses his feeling towards Skipper Brick: â€Å"I had friendship with Skipper – you are naming it dirty!† (pg 42).Repression is a defence mechanism and there are two stages, firstly the desires are pushed out from conscious into unconscious but this does not work for Brick as his feeling still surface. So the second line of defence is started this is where Brick is at in the book. Williams shows Brick as being reluctant to come out about his sexuality because he is brought up in an upper class family. One type of second line defence is overcompensation which is when a weakness is covered up by overcompensating on something else, in Bricks case is excessive sport. Then comes projection which is when you blame someone else; Brick blames â€Å"Maggie(79)† because she got â€Å"the idea (79)† that Brick and Skipper relationship was abnormal and that one reason why Skipper committed suicide. Then comes denial when protecting you from unpleasant reality which is seen in Brick as he tries to deny the truth when Big Daddy talks about it. Brick â€Å"YOU THINK SO TOO? You think me an skipper did sodomy†(77). Brick tries to justify it was Maggie who put dirty things into Skipper minding doubting himself about his sexuality, Brick trying to repress any arguments down to Margaret being jealous. Brick comes from an upper-class family who are highly respected from other people. The time when the story was set (1955) was a time when homosexuals were looked down upon and brought shame to their family. Brick is from a rich family, so he hides his sexuality so not to embarrass himself or his family, and marries Maggie to show that he is a man and tries to show his masculinity by being an athlete. Death features massively in the play, especially for Big Daddy who has cancer yet has been lied to by the family saying that he has a spastic colon. Big Daddy is also in denial because he himself knows everything is not alright because of the pain yet is putting a front on. Big Daddy and Big Mama have been told that he does not have cancer when he does and the only people that know are Mae and Gooper and Brick and Maggie. Big Mama is told her husband still has cancer later, but she says â€Å"it’s all a mistake† (93). Skipper is dead which makes Brick angry and blames his wife for the death. Margaret say is begging for Brick attention when she says â€Å"Skipper is dead! I am alive!†, but Brick does not want to believe that Skipper is dead â€Å"I tried to kill your Aunt Maggie, but I failed.† Brick definitely does not love Maggie and is shown in different way for example[She kisses Brick on the mouth which he immediately wipes with the back of his hand, (55pg).Bricks sexual desire keep surfacing no matter how much he is trying to suppress, so he tries to get his manhood back by jumping hurdles at the school athletic field but ends up fracturing his ankle. It shows that Brick is weak and helpless without Skipper. But also can be also interpreted to show Freud theory of sexual desires becomes energy for human life. Freud theory can relate to Cat on a Hot Tin Roof because unconscious and sexual desire relate to the character Brick who is trying to suppress his abnormal feeling from conscious to unconscious. In addition there is fear of death by Big Daddy and there are sexual desires.