Project management within organizations is important - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 20 Words: 6109 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Statistics Essay Did you like this example? ABSTRACT Which way to go? This is a question that organizations will ask themselves in a certain time, because organizations are faced with challenges of strategic direction. Some organizations are instigated by challenging opportunities, other organizations want to overcome significant threats. The business strategy can move an organization from where it is now, to where it needs to be in the future. Johnson et al (2009) states that the strategy of an organization is often likely to be complex, uncertain and mostly it affects operational decisions and requires an integrated approach. But the most typically and crucial components of strategy are change and innovation. Project management is essential for managing and reducing the inherent risk associated with change and innovation. Thats why many projects are the result of strategic decisions of organizations, because projects manage changes on an effectively and efficiently way. Changing organizations need projects for making change and for obtaining its business strategy and -objectives. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Project management within organizations is important" essay for you Create order Nowadays sustainability is a very hot (strategic) item for organizations. Organizations are integrating ideas of sustainability in their marketing, corporate communications, business strategy and in their actions. Centraal Boekhuis, a (leading) logistics service provider in stocking, storage, distribution and transportation of books, has also formulated a covering policy on sustainability for the strategy period 2009-2011 (Board of directors Centraal Boekhuis (2009)). Sustainability for Centraal Boekhuis means commitment to corporate environmental performances as well as sustainable performances on social and economic aspects. Several projects on behalf of sustainability will be conducted as well as projects will be conducted on behalf of other strategic targets. But is it possible to make project management sustainable, in order to make other projects contribute to the policy on sustainability too? In this research the relation between project management and the pursuing of the realization of business strategies will be looked at. Then the main research question will be answered: how will the business strategy influence the selection and execution of project management within organizations, and how will this in consequence lead to sustainable project management? The hypothesis is that when project management is constructed and selected in accordance with the business strategy, and more specifically linked with sustainable business strategy, projects will contribute to the realization of the business strategies as well as it subsequently will contributes to sustainability. The actual research will be executed through a web survey among several organizations as well as a case study of Centraal Boekhuis, which contains in-depth interviews with about 10 representatives project employees from Centraal Boekhuis. The research will also contain the study of qualitative data, for exampl e the study of documentation and reports that are in stock within the company about strategy, project management and sustainability. 1. INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND 1.1 Introduction To understand project management within organizations it is important to understand projects. The Prince2 Foundation (2005) defines a project as a temporary organisation that is needed to produce a unique and predefined outcome or result at a pre-specified time using predetermined recourses. In practice projects bring recourses, skills, technology and ideas together to achieve business objectives and deliver business benefits. But why is there a need for projects within organizations? Organizations are continuously striving after agility and success by for example introducing new products and services or by improving business processes or activities. Many projects are the result of organizations that wants to manage such changes on an effectively and efficiently way. According to Bryan Atkin and Adrian Brooks (2009), Change Management is the key towards innovation of organizations. In order to make progress and achieve greater efficiency and better value for money and to be more effective or competitive, organizations have to do things differently and have to make changes. Maylor (2005) stresses that Project management is essential for managing and reducing the inherent risks associated with change and innovation. Changing organizations need projects for making change. Recently Johnson et al. (2009) gives an interesting definition on business strategy. The definition describes that strategy contains the direction and scope of an organization over the long term, for achieving advantage in a changing environment throughout configuration of resources and competences with the aim of fulfilling stakeholders expectations. Aforementioned definition displays that the fundamental principle of making changes of organizations can be the result of aiming towards targets that contributes to the fulfilment of the business strategy. In practice this means that organisational changes and the application of project management for realising those changes can thus be the result of the long term direction and scope of an organization. Simply said; project management can move an organization from where it is now, to where it needs to be in the future to meets its business strategy and -objectives. As mentioned above the management of projects within organization is among other things related to its business strategy, but how will the business strategy influences the selection and the execution of project management within organizations and how can project management thus contributes to the realization of the business strategy? For example, The board of directors of Centraal Boekhuis (2009) has formulated a covering policy on sustainability for the strategy period 2009-2011. Several projects on behalf of sustainability will be conducted as well as projects will be conducted on behalf of other strategic targets. But is it possible to realize more strategic focus, by linking all projects to the business strategy of an organization? This leads to the main research question of the thesis: how will the business strategy influence the selection and execution of project management within organizations, and how will this in consequence lead to sustainable project management? Another interesting question will be: if project management is constructed and selected in accordance with the business strategy, and more specifically linked with sustainable business strategy, will projects contribute to the realization of the business strategies as well as it subsequently will contributes to sustainability? 1.2 The organization; Centraal Boekhuis Centraal Boekhuis is a (leading) logistics service provider in stocking, storage, distribution and transportation of books. More than 500 publishers and over 1500 booksellers use the service facilities for distribution, transportation, information and administration. For publishers is Centraal Boekhuis the entry into the Dutch and Flemish (book) markets. For booksellers in the Netherlands and Flanders, Centraal Boekhuis is the provider of the assortment of Dutch-language books, general as well as educational or scientific books, and a selected range of foreign-language books (staff directory guide Centraal Boekhuis, 2007). Besides taking care of stocking, storage, distribution and transportation of books, Centraal Boekhuis also offers administrative or financial services. For publishers the company organizes complete stock and sales recording, invoicing and debt collection. Booksellers as well benefit from a broad range of information technology services. The majority of Centraal Boekhuis services are integrated in a single automated system (CB Online), so customers have access to the operational and management information they need, focused on their companys business processes. Upon request, Centraal Boekhuis will also arrange the storage, distribution and transport of office supplies, stationary and greeting cards. All logistic activities and processes are linked with the transport centres delivery network. The centres range of services includes processing special offers and returned goods, (temporary) storage, order picking and carrying out special mailing campaigns with value-added logistics. The Transport Centre of Centraal Boekhuis organizes transport from and to countries outside the Benelux. In England is a consolidation point bounded, where shipments from 1600 English publishers intended for Dutch bookshops are collected and forwarded to the Netherlands. This enables Centraal Boekhuis to offer customers attractive services. Shipments from Germany and America are transported along similar lines. History For over 135 years Centraal Boekhuis have been the logistic partner in the Dutch book trade. In 1871 the Vereeniging ter Bevordering van de Belangen des Boekhandels (VBBB) in Amsterdam lay the foundations for Het bestelhuis van de Nederlandsche Boekhandel, presently called Centraal Boekhuis. Publishers send their boxes with books to that warehouse of books, where the boxes were distributed across the Netherlands. Many years later, in 1926, the VBBB decided to found Centraal Boekhuis in Amsterdam. Well-established publishers were obliged to store their books in the central depot of Centraal Boekhuis in Amsterdam. From now on the book stores and publishers could order their books with Centraal Boekhuis from one central point in the Netherlands. In 1973, because lack of space, Centraal Boekhuis grounded their company in Culemborg, where the company nowadays is still grounded. In that same year is Het Bestelhuis and Centraal Boekhuis merged into one company: Centraal Boekhuis B.V (Intranet Centraal Boekhuis, 2008). Organization The daily management of Centraal Boekhuis is directed by the Senior Management Team (SMT). The lead direction of the 5 Senior Managers is directed by a Chief Executive Officer, namely Hans Willem Cortenraad. They have weekly meetings to discuss the company policy and how this policy is best directed to the line managers. Centraal Boekhuis in figures (2009) Full time employees: 579 Publishers: 500 Booksellers: 1500 Available Dutch titles: 80,000 Number of copies delivered per year: 60,000,000 Number of delivery addresses per day: 2500 Number of packages transported per year: 4,500,000 Number of pallets transported per year: 300,000 2. PROBLEM STATEMENT RESEARCH QUESTION According to Project Management Institute and Morris (2006) oorganizations often want efficiency, good financial results and success and they want it fast. It is for that matter that organizations generally focus on short-term results, such as immediate realizable financial goals. However, Centraal Boekhuis for example expects also from its employees to achieve results that corresponds to the overall long term objectives of the business strategy. This contradiction pointed me in the direction to ask myself if it is possible to operate more efficiently if the portfolio of projects is continuously linked to the business strategy of Centraal Boekhuis. My hypothesis subsequently is that the overall business strategy will be the input for the project portfolio planning and in turn, project success impacts the goals and objectives of the business strategy. Nevertheless, the solution isnt that easy. For instance, organizations are nowadays more often integrating ideas of sustainability in business strategies. It is for that matter unavoidable that there will be projects related to sustainable strategy, namely environmental or social projects. However, will projects on behalf of other strategic objectives also be sustainable? Thats why I assume that when project management is constructed and selected in accordance with the business strategy, and more specifically linked with sustainable business strategy, projects will positively contribute to the realization of strategies as well as it subsequently will contributes to sustainability. [2] The main question and hypothesis will be clarified for a reasonable interpretation of the research construction and approach. In this research the relation between project management and the pursuing of the realization of business strategies will be looked at. Foresaid leads to the following research question: what is the impact of the business strategy on the selection and execution of project management within organizations, and will this possible influence in consequence lead to sustainable project management? The hypothesis is: when project management is constructed and selected in accordance with the business strategy, and more specifically linked with sustainable business strategy, projects will positively contribute to the realization of the business strategies as well as it will positively contributes to sustainability; the result subsequently is that the overall business strategy will be the input for the project portfolio planning and in turn, project success impacts the goals and objectives of the sustainable business strategy. Why is it so important to link the project management of an organization to its business strategies, in order to make projects sustainable? As stated by Johnson et al (2009) it is ultimately the fulfilling of the business strategy to aim on the fulfilling of the expectations of the stakeholders. If an organization have stated sustainability within their business strategies, stakeholders are involved in monitoring if the strategy is achieved the objectives and if there is corrective action needed. This is called strategic control and it will keep an organization in track with its achievements on behalf of its strategy (and also sustainable strategy). According to foresaid it is plausible that it is important to state sustainability in the business strategy, for making sure that projects will meet the objectives and goals of sustainable strategy. 3. GOALS OBJECTIVES I will try to find out if a business strategy, specifically a sustainable business strategy, can positive influence the way on how projects will be selected and executed, as I expect it to be. I will test the hypothesis that the overall business strategy will be the input for the project portfolio planning and in turn, project success impacts the goals and objectives of the sustainable business strategy, to see if it is possible to make project management sustainable. If so, this offers an interesting new insight in sustainable project management, which could be the basis for more research. First it is important to study literature to get familiar with the several subjects of this thesis. The several subjects that will be described are project management, business strategy and of course overall sustainability. Next I will try to describe the multifarious relative contexts between the several subjects described in the literature, in order to make my hypotheses plausible. The most important objective of the literature review is to create an elementary basic assumption for further research. Furthermore the research methodologies that I will use are a case study research and a web survey. For the execution of the case study research are various data (re)sources used, namely in-depth interviews and the study of business documentation and reports. The case study research methodology will be used to get insights in how Centraal Boekhuis arranges its business strategy, especially how it is arranged towards its project management. Then it is important to look at how the sustainable policy of Centraal Boekhuis affects the daily operations as well as the sustainable policy affect its project management. For comparison and further research I will send a web survey to approximately 100 companies with sustainability stated in their business strategy. Hopefully this will give me insights in how other companies arrange their project management related to its business strategy and maybe they have certain methodologies to make project management sustainable, so I have some interesting data to work with. My research will focus on project management, business strategies, sustainability and sustainable project management in an attempt to find relative contexts to integrate business strategy and projects in order to facilitate development of sustainable project management. Overall I hope that the executed research will create a certain frame work for linking project management to the overall business strategy of an organization, in order to make project management sustainable. 4. LITERATURE REVIEW As mentioned earlier my research will focus on project management, business strategies, sustainability and sustainable project management. Therefore the theoretical background of my research will also be focused on foresaid topics. 4.1 Business Strategy The traditional literature about business strategy is often about the general definitions of business strategy, where organizations focus on where they want to be on the long term (mission and vision) and how this is achieved (goals and objectives) (Alblas Wijsman, 2001) in order to gain competitive advantages. The current literature about strategy describes more that strategy is about the importance of achieving advantage in a changing environment throughout configuration of resources and competences with the aim of fulfilling stakeholders expectations (Johnson et al., 2009). Aforementioned shows that the current literature on business strategies discusses the importance of the characteristic aspects change and configuration (Kloosterboer, 2005). The relative context between business strategy and changes is an important aspect that must be taken into account before I continue my research. According to Bryan Atkin and Adrian Brooks (2009), Change Management is the key towards innovation of organizations. In order to make progress and achieve greater efficiency and better value for money and to be more effective or competitive, organizations have to do things differently and have to make changes. Harvey Maylor (2003) characterizes project management as essential aspect for managing and reducing the inherent risks associated with change and innovation. Therefore changing organizations need projects for making change. 4.2 Project Management The Prince2 Foundation (2005) recognizes that organizations are continuously striving after agility and success by for example introducing new products and services or by improving business processes or activities. Many projects are the result of organizations that wants to manage such changes on an effectively and efficiently way. Furthermore Prince2 (2005) defines a project as a temporary organisation that is needed to produce a unique and predefined outcome or result at a pre-specified time using predetermined recourses. In practice projects bring recourses, skills, technology and ideas together to achieve business objectives and deliver business benefits. According to the International Project Management Association (2006), professional project management is broken down into the following three competences (see also figure one): Technical competences for project management; behavioral competences of project personnel; and the contextual competences of projects programmes and portfolio. The technical competence covers the techniques of project management, for example the practice of Prince2. The behavioral competence represents the professional behavior of the project personal, like project management skills. The contextual competence is the linkage between the project and organizations involved. The vision on project management by IPMA in the International Competence Baceline presented in October 2006 will be critically looked at for my research. This project management approach will also be studied and discussed during the master program of the Master of Facilities Management and Real Estate. The eye of competence figures the integra tion of the elements of project management as seen trough the eyes of the project manager. So the essence of project management is to support the execution of an organizations strategy to deliver a considered necessary outcome (Clifford and Gray, 2002). The research of recent literature shows us that project management is nowadays recognized as one of the primary business processes (Atkin Brooks, 2009). It is for that matter that organisational changes and the application of project management for realising those changes must be linked to the overall business strategy of an organization, in order to accomplish the business goals and objectives. Simply said; project management can move an organization from where it is now, to where it needs to be in the future to meets its business strategy and -objectives. For this thesis I will mainly focus on the SWOT analysis, because this management and strategy tool is used by Centraal Boekhuis for defining its strategy. The SWOT analysis can be used as a strategy formulation tool. It helps organizations to identify its Strengts, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT). The Strengths and Weaknesses represent the internal factors that create value or can destroy value. Opportunities and Threats are the external factors that can influence the organization value (Ahaus, 2005). 4.3 Business Strategies vs. Project Management According to Sabin Srivannaboon (2006), previous research on project management and its relation with business strategy mostly links the project management with business strategy through critical project selection, viewing it as part of the alignment process (For example Bard, Balachandra Kaufmann (1988); Cooper, Edgett Kleinschmidt (1998); Englund Graham (1999) etc). Also often displayed in previous research is project portfolio management. This is another concept suggested in the literature to ensure the strategic alignment of project management and business strategy and it is defined as a dynamic decision-making process, which an organization can update and revise its list of active projects (see for literature: Turner Simister (2000); Cooper, Edgett Kleinschmidt (1998) etc.). Current literature shows us more about the research that has been done on the alignment of project management with business strategies of organizations, for example research of Sabin Srivannaboon (2006) , Tony Grundy (2001) Peter Morris Ashley Jamison (2004) etc. 4.4 Sustainability sustainable project management On Wednesday the 4th of November, member of the House of Representatives Esmà © Wiegman talks about faith in Sustainability and vice versa, please note: in church! That sustainability has even penetrated the Christian church sais a lot. We are all confronted with it and action is expected of us. Sustainability is a hot item, that is no surprise. Looking at the quotes mentioned below you can conclude that there is no process in an organization that is not interfered with sustainability items. Managers are more and more beginning to consider the environment as an additional parameter on which they base their decisions. (North, 1997) That is what Klaus North wrote is his environmental business management introduction in 1997. And Carin Labuschagne wrote almost a decade later: Various driving forces originating from society, government employees and business partners are forcing companies to both incorporate sustainable development in their business practices as well as to align all internal operations and practices with the principles thereof. (Labuschagne, 2005). Sustainability, what does that really mean? Norwegian prime minister Gro Harlem Brundtland formulated it as followed; The development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. As Labuschagne already said, there is no process in an organization that is not interfered with aspects of sustainability. Project management is just one of these processes that cannot be ignored. That is also made clear in the APM sustainable outlooks, where is mentioned that they are considering a database with project and programme managers who have specialist knowledge, experience and expertise in sustainability issues generally or by specific sectors, locations or types of project. They also plead for the triple bottom line approach in every project. The triple bottom line approach includes environmental, social and economical sustainability (APM, sustainable outlooks). As organizations become more and more focused on environmental responsibilities, project managers cannot stay behind. (Zoyd Reed Luce) Where sustainability is grounded in almost every strategy of every large organization, this automatically is reflected in the projects of an organization. Project manager are forced to focus on sustainability these days, it becomes part of the project. 4.5 Theoretical Framework for aligning projects with strategy There are several articles expanding on the idea that there should be a certain focus on the corporate strategy when managing projects, for example the articles of Tony Grundy (2001) or Morris and Jamison (2004). Milosevic and Srivannaboon (2006) support this vision in their article and wrote an article which describes a theoretical framework for aligning project management with strategy. Milosevic and Srivannaboon have developed an empirically based theoretical framework that explains the impact of business strategy on project management and vice versa and discusses how mechanisms can be used to strengthen that alignment. As discussed earlier, strategy is about the importance of achieving advantage in a changing environment throughout configuration of resources and competences with the aim of fulfilling stakeholders expectations and defending it against competitive forces (Johnson et al., 2009). Milosevic and Srivannaboon have based their theoretical framework on the vision of Porter (1980) about Generic Business Strategies. Michael Porter states that to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage, an organization must chose a certain type of strategy. Porters generic strategies distinguishes three types of strategies, namely cost leadership, differentiation, and cost focus (see figure 3). Competitive advantage can only be achieved by choosing one of these strategies. If an organization chooses to pursue more than one generic strategy, it will perform being badly without competitive advantage and Porter refers to that as being stuck in the middle. Milosevic and Srivannaboon use cost leadership, differentiation, and best cost as the primary focus of their analysis. They also use Shenhars strategic project leadership framework which consist of project elements like project strategy, project organization, project process and tools metrics and culture. Differentiation is about organizations pursuing a differentiation strategy by offering products and services that are unique from competition in order to satisfy the desires of their customers. This differentiation allows the organization to charge a premium price (Porter, 1980). Cost Leadership is about organizations pursuing a cost leadership strategy to gain competitive advantage and increase market share by operate with lower costs than competition, for example tight cost controls e.g. efficient facilities (Porter, 1980). Best cost (also called focus niche) is about organizations creating a sustainable competitive advantage through combining cost leadership and differentiation. This can be realized by offering a unique product or service to a special market segment and seek to offer low cost products within a special market segment (fast time-to-market, superior product quality, etc.). According to Milosevic and Srivannaboon the competitive aspects of the business strategy drive the focus of the project management elements. They see a pattern in project management elements for the differentiation of business strategy. Their research indicates that organizations can align projects with business strategies into three levels, namely the strategic level, the tactical level, and the corrective emergent strategic feedback. The first level of this framework (typified as mediating process at the strategic level) is the first step of the alignment process. At level 1 organization should use their intended strategy and select projects into their portfolio to determine the right projects that would contribute to the organizations strategy. The second level (typified as mediating process at the project level) involves the further planning of project details to ensure that alignment with the project life-cycle phases (Shenhars project classification) is realized. Proper alignment of projects with strategy during the project life cycle can be classified as the planning process and the monitoring process. Managers should develop a project management plan that has a certain focus on the business strategy. The third level (mediating process at the emergent strategic feedback level) is a process which uses stages, or also called stage gates or milestone, for evaluating or reviewing the project status on time, cost, and performance. These project stages are points in the project life cycle where projects transition from one stage to another. These stages provide project teams the opportunity to realign the project to its business strategy. 5. RESEARCH DESIGN 5.1 Research methods Based on the literature of Baarde and Goede (2001), the research on behalf of this thesis is categorized in a preliminary research study, a literature review, a case study research and a web survey. For the execution of the case study research are various data (re)sources used, namely in-depth interviews and the study of business documentation and reports of Centraal Boekhuis. The preliminary research study has given multifarious insights in for example the company of the case study, but also insights about project management and the business strategy of the concerning organization. In the preliminary research study is a critically literature review completed and several managers of the human resource division have been interviewed for creating a basis for this research. The products of the preliminary research study are a defined approach of the case study research, a description of the company and a defined approach of the web-survey. The case study research can be categorized in descriptive- and exploratory research study methods (Sanders et al, 2009). The descriptive study of this case study is defined by the research of qualitative data, for example the study of business documentation and reports that are in stock within the company about project management, its business strategy and sustainability. The exploratory part of the research describes the research methods in depth interviews and a web survey. In order to test how organizations work with project management related to its (sustainable) business strategy, two steps will be carried out. First, on Tuesday March 6, I will send a web survey to approximately 15 companies with sustainability stated in their business strategy. This short questionnaire will offer me data on the way the concerning companies arranges their project management related to the business strategies, to test on how the companies makes their projects sustainable. In order to increase the number of responses and to raise the chances of the answering the questions themselves, I will keep the survey very short, and stress this in the attached e-mail. Second, I will arrange in-depth interviews with about ten representatives of project management employees of the project department of Centraal Boekhuis. In these interviews, I will attempt to learn more about the selection and execution of project management, related to the business strategy and of course elaborate on the questions of the Web Survey.[3] The project department of Centraal Boekhuis contains several layers of management and operations levels. Therefore I will interview numerous project managers as well as project members to make the outcome more reliable and suitable to analyze. The following employees of the project department will be interviewed: Egbert Guis (Sr. manager Project Management) Peter Coenen (Project manager) Jaco Wobma (Project Manager) Karel ter Burg (Facility Manager, participant in many projects) The final names and the exact number of interviews is of course dependant on the willingness of the companies to cooperate. The advantage of using the Web Survey is that I am not completely dependent on the in-depth interviews, as these might be difficult to arrange. Moreover, it provides me with data on the way other companies arrange their project management related to the business strategy, whereas the in-depth interviews will only offer me the views of a couple of representatives. Nevertheless, the in-depth interviews are a very important part of my research. In these interviews, I have the possibility to keep on asking, to get deep into the matter. Only in these interviews, the representatives can really explain how Centraal Boekhuis executes project management related to its business strategy and the relationship of sustainable strategy within project management. [4] 5.2 Analysis plan validation Besides relevant literature, the actual research will be based on a Web Survey and in-depth interviews. I will analyze the answers in the Web Survey on the basis of descriptive statistics. For each variable, I will present a frequency distribution. The results of the web survey will be compared with the current situation of Centraal Boekhuis, so it is possible to create applicable contributions and results for Centraal Boekhuis. Hopefully it is also possible, in accordance with the collected data, to create a certain frame work for linking project management to the overall business strategy, in order to make project management sustainable. The answers of the in-depth interviews will be analyzed as well. In this analysis, I will of course be looking for the answer to my research question: how will the business strategy on sustainability influence the selection and execution of project management within organizations? With face-to-face interviews, it is hard to predict what you will be analyzing exactly. However, by asking to the point questions, the interviews will be focused on the organization and its project management, which will certainly lead to answers which are relevant to my research whatever the exact answers are. 5.3 Constraints limitations The analysis plan for my statement on project management and its relation with the business strategy and sustainable business strategy is not entirely clear yet, because I do not know what kind of data I will have to work with. I will elaborate on my literature study, and I will analyze some interesting statements issued by respected managers, or other interesting statements relevant to the research. If available, I will analyze relevant data presented by organizations on sustainable policy and strategy gathered throughout the in depth interviews and the web survey. In the months June and July in depth interviews and web surveys will take place. I also will use any data related to project management, business strategy and sustainability in stock within Centraal Boekhuis, et cetera. If this data does not become available, I will look for other ways to make my statement plausible. I will analyze the results of research that has been done by others, in which the several subjects of my thesis will be attended to the matter. Moreover, I will also use research of others, such as the one on project management issued by Ashley Jamieson (2005). This paper reports on research that addressed the way how corporate strategy is developed and implemented via the management of portfolios, programs, and projects. It does so by detailing the key findings from four case studies, together with data from a survey of PMI members. The research of Sabin Srivannaboon (2006) on Linking and aligning project management with business strategies, where the research addresses three aspects of strategic management literature; A two way influence between project management and business strategy (the nature of project management/business strategy alignment). A process used for achieving the project management/business strategy alignment, and The degree to which a project is aligned with a business strategy (an alignment score). Ambidexter, a project management bureau in the Netherlands, has done research on strategy realization through using project management. They have constructed a so-called Strategy Realization Model (SRM). The research on behalf of the constructed model can also be interesting to look at. In the Master of Science program of the study Facility Management and Real Estate, the students have to make a paper describing a case study on how a selected organization applies concepts of sustainability in their projects and project management. Several of these case studies can be useful to study on behalf of my research. Which papers I will use is not entirely clear yet, because the papers arent finished when I write this proposal. 6. CONTRIBUTION VALUE It is essential that this research has a certain value for Centraal Boekhuis as well as it must have a certain contribution to the specialists fields of sustainable project management and Facility Management. Nevertheless the relevance of this research is not only interesting for Centraal Boekhuis. This research project is about project management, about business strategies, about sustainable project management. This research can be of importance for the future development of the project management profession and for the discussion to make project management sustainable, so can be seen as ultimately societal. But it can also be relevant beyond project management. It offers insights in the possible way on how business strategies can efficiently be executed throughout project management. This project can be the start of more research into unexplored fields. The relevance of this research on the field of Facility Management is limited. However, it is the responsibility of the Facility Management department to organize the companys sustainability. 7. REFERENCES Aaron J. Shenhar, Dragan Milosevic, Dov Dvir, Hans Thamhain, Linking Project Management to Business Strategy, Published by PMI Ashley Jamieson (2005), Moving from corporate strategy to project strategy, Publication: Project Management Journal, Date: Thursday, December 1 2005 Atkin, B. Brooks, A. (2009), Total Facilities Management, Published by Wiley Blackwell, (third edition) pp. 54-64 Baarda, dr. D.B., Goede, de dr. M.P.M., (2001), Basisboek Methoden en Technieken, Handleiding voor het opzetten en uitvoeren van onderzoek, Groningen: Wolters Noordhoff; p. 357, 360, 364 Barrett, P. Baldry, D. (2003), Facilities Management, towards best practices. Published by Blackwell publishing (second edition) pp. 221-225 Board of directors Centraal Boekhuis. (2009), Policy plan; Samen van goed naar geweldig, pp. 16-30 Centraal Boekhuis; https://cbnet.centraal.boekhuis.nl/default1.htm, Personeelsgids Centraal Boekhuis (consulted on oktober 2009) Centraal Boekhuis; https://cbnet.centraal.boekhuis.nl/default1.htm, Geschiedenis van het bedrijf (consulted on October 2009) Centraal Boekhuis; https://www.centraalboekhuis.nl/, Organizational structure (consulted on October 2009) Cramer, Jacqueline (2002), Ondernemen met hoofd en hart: duurzaam ondernemen: praktijkervaringen, Uitgeverij Van Gorcum Derek H T Walker (2004), A Balanced Scorecard approach to project management leadership, Publication: Project Management Journal, Date: Wednesday, December 1 2004 Dragan Z Milosevic Sabin Srivannaboon, A two-way influence between business strategy and project, management References and further reading may be available for this article. To view references and further reading you must purchase this article.Publication: Department of Engineering and Technology Management, Date: 22 May 2006. Dragan Z Milosevic, A theoretical framework for aligning project management with business strategies, Publication: Project Management Journal, Date: Tuesday, August 1 2006 International Project Management Association (2006), IPMA Competence Baseline version 3, pp. 9-16 Johnson, G. Scholes, K. and Whittington, R. (2009), Fundamentals of strategy, Published by Pearson Education Limited, (first edition) pp. 02-20, 276-281 Kloosterboer, P. (2005), Voor de verandering, over leidinggeven aan organisatieveranderingen, first edition, Published by Academic Service (Den Haag), 129 pages Kolk, Ans (2003), Het eind van maatschappelijk verantwoord ondernemen, of het begin?, Amsterdam University Press Labuschagne, Carin. (2005), Sustainable project life cycle management. Development of social criteria for decision making. University of Pretoria etd. Maas. G. and Pleunis. J.W. (2006) Facility Management, Strategie en bedrijfsvoering van de facilitaire organisatie, published by Kluwer (second edition), pp. 65-67 Maylor, H. (2005). Project Management, Published by Pearson Education Limited, (third edition) North, Klaus (1997), Environmental business management: an introduction, Editie: 2 204 pages. Office of Government Commerce, (2005), Managing successful project using Prince2, Published by TSO, (fourth edition) pp. 7-9 Peter Morris Ashley Jamison,Translating Corporate Strategy Info Project Strategy: Realizing Corporate Strategy Through Project Management, Publication: PM Network, Date: Saturday, October 1 2005 PricewaterhouseCoopers (2007), Transpirantiebenchmark 2007, maatschappelijke verslaglegging, ministerie van Economische Zaken, December 2007 Prince2 Foundation Office of Government Commerce. (2005). Managing successful project using Prince2 Saunders, M. Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A. (2009), Research Methods for business students, Published by Pearson Education, (fifth edition) pp. 10, 140, 145-147 Silvius, G. (2009), Its business but not as we know it, Utrecht University of Applied Sciences, published by Tuijtel, pp. 41-60 Tony Grundy (2001), Strategy Implementation Through Project Management, Published by Hawksmere Twynstra Gudde (2000) https://www.twynstragudde.nl/kennisbank (accessed on November 2009)

Domestic Violence Course Assignment Free Essays

Questions: Answer the following questions. Name three consequences for women victimized by male partner violence. ? Describe the following three theories: traumatic bonding, Stockholm syndrome, ND attachment. We will write a custom essay sample on Domestic Violence Course Assignment or any similar topic only for you Order Now How do these theories explain a victim’s entrapment in the relationship? Why can’t battered women count on the criminal Justice system to protect them from an abusive male partner? Chapter 9 Review – Abusive Heterosexual Partners: Primarily Men Discuss at least three different types of definitions of partner violence. Discuss blame. Evaluate how it affects battered women and partner violent men. Discuss what is known about female partner abuse offenders. Compare and contrast differences with male offenders. Assignment – Due: Wednesday, April 4, 2012 Discuss the meaning and importance of practice, policy and prevention issues. Evaluate agency services versus individual counseling services. What problems do agencies appear to have? Discuss cultural competence and why is it needed in practice, policy and prevention. Discuss the controversy over treatment of male abusers. What is your opinion? Assignment – Due: Wednesday, April 1 1, 2012 Chapter 4 Review – Child Physical Abuse Should corporal punishment be outlawed? Is it effective? Why or why not? List five general categories of the effects of CPA on children. Describe a prototypical adult who abuses children. Assignment #5 – Due: Wednesday, April 25, 2012 Chapter 12 Review – Abuse of Elderly and Disabled Persons How does elder abuse compare with abuse of younger adults? What is elder self- neglect? What sorts of individuals are most likely to abuse elders? What are some of the forms of abusing disabled persons that appear to be unique? What elder abuse problems and responses to abuse occur in nursing homes? How to cite Domestic Violence Course Assignment, Papers

Tacit collusion Essay Example

Tacit collusion Essay In any oligopoly structure there is a conflict between individual incentives and joint incentives. In Bertrand competition, for example, each firms individual incentive is to capture the whole market by setting lower price than its rivals. That leads to pricing at marginal cost and zero profits earned by all the firms. This equilibrium is not desirable by any of the firms their joint incentive is to earn positive profits by fixing price at some other, higher than marginal cost level. Because of this Prisoners Dilemma nature of any oligopoly structure, in equilibrium firms earn lower total profits than they could if they acted as a single monopolist. By behaving as a monopoly they could maximise total profits. It is therefore natural for the firms to establish agreements between them to enforce alternative solution such that all firms are better off than in equilibrium (Luis and Cabral (2000), p127). This type of behaviour is referred to as collusion. Collusion is an agreement among a group of firms designed to limit competition among the participants. If all firms follow the agreement, buyers will face higher prices, giving the firms profits above the normal competitive level. From the welfare point of view collusion is not desirable. The optimal outcome that maximises total welfare is for the firms to price at marginal cost. Collusion allows companies to deviate from pricing at marginal cost and to transfer some consumer surplus into producer surplus. As a side effect dead weight loss occurs that reduces total surplus. In fact, this is the main consideration of regulators and policymakers against collusion in whole and price fixing in particular (Luis and Cabral (2000), p144). We will write a custom essay sample on Tacit collusion specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Tacit collusion specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Tacit collusion specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer In this work we shall consider different forms of collusion, which can be implemented by firms in practice. Each of the forms of collusion considered in this work can set the objective to control any aspect of production: buying or selling price, quantity supplied, advertisement expenditure, level of quality, each firms territory or the level of competition with the firms that are out of the agreement. Starting with the strongest, the most powerful and most stable ones, each form will be discussed in connection with legal remedies restricting its use. Particularly, an assumption will be tested that more powerful and stable forms of collusion are more difficult to enforce and use in practice because of greater antitrust restrictions. Forms of collusion There are three main forms that collusion between firms can take: cartels, secret agreements, and tacit collusion. Each type will be discussed here one by one. Cartels Oxford dictionary provides the following definition of a cartel: a national or international association of independent enterprises formed to create a monopoly in a given industry1 There are many varieties of cartels. Full cartel is behaving very much like monopoly, controlling all aspects price, output, investment, product mix and profits. Less complete cartel, often called the marketing cartel controls all its members sales and revenues (Shepherd (1979), p307). The most well known example of cartel is the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). It is an international organisation consisting mainly of oil-rich Middle East Arab countries2. It has a significant power in determining the world oil prices by controlling its members joint oil production. It first achieved success in 1973 by raising the world oil price from $3 to $11, and then to about $30 in 1979. The Diamond Cartel, DeBeers, is another well-known example. It has a significant power of control over world diamond industry. Now more than 80% of the worlds diamonds are processed through DeBeerss Central Selling Organization. In 1981, it flooded the diamond market to punish one of its members for defecting from the cartel and managed to reduce the price form $3 to $1.80 3 Among all types of collusion cartel is the strongest and most stable one. It is the most powerful in terms of determining the price or any other aspect a cartel controls. For this reason cartels are largely illegal (in Europe by Article 85 of the Treaty of Rome; by Sherman Act in the United States). So, if firms want to communicate directly, they may do so secretly. Secret agreements Secret agreements are illegal also, but these agreements are less obvious than cartels. It takes a great deal of effort to detect if a price change, for example is a result of agreement between companies or it is just due to the demand change. Secret agreements are easier to implement than to form a cartel. For this reason, firms have an incentive to make secret agreements to fix the price that would maximise their joint profits or to control any other aspect like quantity, advertisement etc. One recent example of secret agreements is a case of credit card firms colluding to compete against debit card rivals. Visa and MasterCard actively discouraged the use of rival debit cards to push the use of their own more expensive versions, raising costs for merchants and customers (see Appendix 1). If this anticompetitive behaviour is proved, firms will be heavily penalised. Another recent example of illegal secret agreement is commission fees fixing by two well-known auction houses. A fine of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½20.4 million has been imposed by The European Commission on the auction house Sothebys for colluding with its rival Christies. The EU case against the auction houses follows action in the United States where Sothebys was sentenced to pay $45 million. Christies escaped both EU and US fines because it provided evidence to European and American investigators that enabled them to prove the existence of the agreement.4 Secret agreements are very risky in the sense that once the existence of such agreements is detected and proved, it may result in fines or jail time. In real world, a lot of firms seeking to collude do not want to bear such a risk. Therefore, they have to find some other ways to communicate with each other.

Free Essays on Virgina Satirs Humanistic Therapy Theory

Virginia Satir differed from other family therapy theorists in that her methods focus on the positive or healthy aspects of the family rather than the â€Å"problem†. She believed that the â€Å"problems† that arose within a family were based upon the healthy intentions of its members, which were not expressed in an authentic manner. This resulted in a variety of communication breakdowns in the family and the inability of the family members to express their feelings in an authentic manner. Satir used therapy to build self-esteem and to allow the clients to grow in a healthy way through various therapeutic techniques (Lawson & Prevatt, 1999). In Satir’s model there are four communication styles that are adopted by family members when they are afraid to voice their true feelings. She labels these as poses and it is the therapist’s job to allow the family to feel comfortable enough to be able to recognize the poses and show their authentic feelings. The poses are placating (weak, dependent), blaming (superior, accusatory), computing (cold, analytical), and distracting (refuses to acknowledge situation). Gentle, guiding techniques are used in this therapy (Lawson & Prevatt, 1999). To help the family members recognize the poses they assume and help them to discuss their authentic feelings, Andreas (1991) reviewed and identified seven main themes for a therapist to follow when using Satir’s approach: 1. Focusing therapy on the positive outcome rather than the traumatic past event or problem. 2. All people are inherently good and most intentions are positive even if they appear not to be; thus the therapist needs to develop a gentle and comforting relationship with the clients. 3. Look to develop healthy interactions between family members rather than fixate on destructive behaviors. 4. Therapists are more like life coaches than authoritative dictators in therapy. The more gentle the therapist, the more comfortable the cl... Free Essays on Virgina Satirs Humanistic Therapy Theory Free Essays on Virgina Satirs Humanistic Therapy Theory Virginia Satir differed from other family therapy theorists in that her methods focus on the positive or healthy aspects of the family rather than the â€Å"problem†. She believed that the â€Å"problems† that arose within a family were based upon the healthy intentions of its members, which were not expressed in an authentic manner. This resulted in a variety of communication breakdowns in the family and the inability of the family members to express their feelings in an authentic manner. Satir used therapy to build self-esteem and to allow the clients to grow in a healthy way through various therapeutic techniques (Lawson & Prevatt, 1999). In Satir’s model there are four communication styles that are adopted by family members when they are afraid to voice their true feelings. She labels these as poses and it is the therapist’s job to allow the family to feel comfortable enough to be able to recognize the poses and show their authentic feelings. The poses are placating (weak, dependent), blaming (superior, accusatory), computing (cold, analytical), and distracting (refuses to acknowledge situation). Gentle, guiding techniques are used in this therapy (Lawson & Prevatt, 1999). To help the family members recognize the poses they assume and help them to discuss their authentic feelings, Andreas (1991) reviewed and identified seven main themes for a therapist to follow when using Satir’s approach: 1. Focusing therapy on the positive outcome rather than the traumatic past event or problem. 2. All people are inherently good and most intentions are positive even if they appear not to be; thus the therapist needs to develop a gentle and comforting relationship with the clients. 3. Look to develop healthy interactions between family members rather than fixate on destructive behaviors. 4. Therapists are more like life coaches than authoritative dictators in therapy. The more gentle the therapist, the more comfortable the cl...

Last Names or Surnames in Spanish

Last Names or Surnames in Spanish Last names, or surnames, in Spanish arent treated the same way as they are in English. The differing practices can be confusing for someone unfamiliar with Spanish, but the Spanish way of doing things has been around for hundreds of years. Traditionally, if John Smith and Nancy Jones (who live in an English-speaking country) get married and have a child, the child would end  up with a name such as Paul Smith or Barbara Smith. But its not the same in most areas where Spanish is spoken as the native language. If Juan Là ³pez Marcos marries Marà ­a Covas Callas, their child would end up with a name such as Mario Là ³pez Covas or Katarina Là ³pez Covas. How Do Spanish Last Names Work? Confused? Theres a logic to it all, but the confusion comes mostly because the Spanish surname method is different than what youre used to. Although there are numerous variations of how names are handled, just as there can be in English, the basic rule of Spanish names is fairly simple: In general, a person born into a Spanish-speaking family is given a first name followed by two surnames, the first being the fathers family name (or, more precisely, the surname he gained from his father) followed by the mothers family name (or, again more precisely, the surname she gained from her father). In a sense, then, native Spanish speakers are born with two last names. Take as an example the name of Teresa Garcà ­a Ramà ­rez. Teresa is the name given at birth, Garcà ­a is the family name from her father, and Ramà ­rez is the family name from her mother. If Teresa Garcà ­a Ramà ­rez marries Elà ­ Arroyo Là ³pez, she doesnt change her name. But in popular usage, it would be extremely common for her to add de Arroyo (literally, of Arroyo), making her Teresa Garcà ­a Ramà ­rez de Arroyo. Sometimes, the two surnames can be separated by y (meaning and), although this is less common than it used to be. The name the husband uses would be Elà ­ Arroyo y Là ³pez. You may see names that are even longer. Although it isnt done much, at least formally, it is possible also to include grandparents names in the mix. If the full name is shortened, usually the second surname name is dropped. For example, Mexican President Enrique Peà ±a Nieto is often referred to by his countrys news media simply as Peà ±a when he is mentioned a second time. Things can get a bit complicated for Spanish-speaking people living in places such as the United States, where it is not the norm to use two family names. One choice many make is for all family members to use the fathers paternal family name. Also quite common is to hyphenate the two names, e.g., Elà ­ Arroyo-Là ³pez and Teresa Garcà ­a-Ramà ­rez. Couples who have been in the United States a long time, particularly if they speak English, are more likely to give their children the fathers name, following the dominant U.S. pattern. But practices vary. The practice of a person being given two family names became the custom in Spain largely because of Arabic influence. The custom spread to the Americas during the years of Spanish Conquest. Spanish and Mexican Last Names With Celebrities You can see how Spanish  names are constructed by looking at the names of several famous people born in Spanish-speaking countries. Fathers names are listed first: The full name of singer Shakira is Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll. She is the daughter of William Mebarak Chadid and Nidia del Carmen Ripoll Torrado.The full name of actress Salma Hayek is Salma Hayek Jimà ©nez. She is the daughter of Sami Hayek Domà ­nguez and Diana Jimà ©nez Medina.The full name of actress Penà ©lope Cruz is Penà ©lope Cruz Snchez. She is the daughter of Eduardo Cruz and Encarnacià ³n Snchez.The full name of Cuban President Raà ºl Castro is Raà ºl Modesto Castro Ruz. He is the son of ngel Castro Argiz and Lina Ruz Gonzlez.The full name of pop singer Enrique Iglesias is Enrique Iglesias Preysler. He is the son of Julio Josà © Iglesias de la Cueva and Marà ­a Isabel Preysler Arrastia.The full name of Mexican-Puerto Rican  singer Luis Miguel is Luis Miguel Gallego Basteri. He is the son of Luis Gallego Sanchez and Marcela Basteri.The full name of Venezuelan President Nicols Maduro is Nicols Maduro Moro. He is the son of Nicols Maduro Garcà ­a and Teresa de Jesà ºs Moro.The full name of singer and actor Rubà ©n Blades is Rubà ©n Blades Bellido de Luna. He is the son of Rubà ©n Darà ­o Blades and Anoland Dà ­az Bellido de Luna.

Has Persuasion Become a Key Function of Democratic Governments Essay

Has Persuasion Become a Key Function of Democratic Governments - Essay Example This essay stresses that a great deal of understanding of the processes of the psychology and processes of persuasion has taken place. Communication is moving from mass media to narrowcast, which is becoming increasingly possible through developments in mobile telephone, internet, wireless and interactive technology. The development of narrowcasting requires action by the individual, even something simple like opening and reading an email, and this personal involvement gets them involved in the frame being presented and therefore more likely to accept it. The use of frames and framing in message design form part of the methodology by which this is achieved. This is evidenced by the large amounts of money spent by governments on public relations firms, and the creation of special government agencies vested with the brief of framing and presenting persuasive, legally defensible messages that clearly differentiate the government’s position from that of its opponents. This paper makes a conclusion that the claim that the practice of persuasion is a key function of government and that it has changed the very nature of democracy is true. The threat to democracy occurs when the focus is on winning the elections or gaining from political power rather than maintaining the democratic form of government. Negative political persuasion has increased over the years. A set of rules to be formulated and followed strictly by the candidates alone can help restore the democratic system.

I enjoy running Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

I enjoy running - Essay Example This is because running has had such a tremendous effect on my life in all spheres, it has, in a nutshell completed me wholly. Running has provided me with many precious opportunities, sticking to many different paths always took me to different places, that translated to many different faces. I would jog until i find a dead end, and so I would humbly scan for any person around for directions, often times a simple enquiry for directions would result in a twenty minutes talk as we’d discuss various issues as pertained the occasion, also, through running I have been able to develop my social skills with other joggers and also acquired great communication and interpersonal skills which are needful in one way or another in organizing jogging events or even sharing our personal opinions on our hobbies. Nowadays I find that am a lot talkative than I was earlier since there is always a fire within me that seeks to express myself to others with hope that I shall get to hear what drives them as well. I have also realized that it has become so easy for me to create rapport with other people as compared to my e arlier years. In consequence, running has had such a wonderful effect on me, it has enabled me to appreciate people as they are and respect them for who they are, jogging alongside people of all ages early in the morning before rushing to class has taught me how to appreciate company, do it with a team. Another effect that running has had on me is the development of perseverance and commitment, since I have always set imaginary goals on all my jogging activities, I have always tried so hard to reach my targets, though I have failed severally in the past, I have come to know that nothing is impossible for a dedicated person who is committed to achieving his/her goal. I have smashed my jogging record severally in a bid to astonish myself. I