Business Economics Essay

Cindy wants to invest in a new business that involves the installation of solar panels. In order to make an informed decision on this business venture, she will need to review potential profit/loss in the solar panel industry by considering future prospects for this type of business. Cindy also needs to decide whether she will invest her own funds or borrow the money to start the business. The imminent growth of the solar photovoltaic (PV) industry is almost certain. When observing the rising costs of coal and natural gas prices, the decrease of PV system costs, and the government support of solar technology, the PV market looks to have a significant increase in volume over the next few years. According to SolarBuzz, a website dedicated to Solar Power and Energy, The solar PV industry has reached a critical tipping point, with end-market demand hitting record levels almost every quarter. This growth is being driven by leading module suppliers and project developers that returned to profitability during 2013, and which have now established highly-effective global sales and marketing networks.† (NPD Group, Inc., 2013) The article also states that â€Å"demand in Q1’14 will also achieve record-breaking status, as the strongest first-quarter ever seen by the PV industry.† (NPD Group, Inc., 2013) The cost of production for solar panels has decreased significantly. â€Å"The average cost for tier 1 solar photovoltaic manufacturers is expected to fall 6% during 2014, continuing the downward trend set in place since 2008, bringing the overall cost to a record low of $0.20 per watt, according to the latest research from NPD. (NPD Group, Inc., 2013) Further consumer incentives include lower utility bills, increased tax credits and higher resale values. â€Å"Homes with solar-power system using photovoltaic (PV) panels sell for an average of $24,705 more than homes without PV systems, research finds.† (Tanaka, 2014) The government supports the concept of solar power and aims to make it a major energy source. â€Å"Solar power as cheap as coal†¦ that is the holy grail of the solar power industry† (R. Glenn Hubbard, 2012) Government support includes generous subsidies to the consumer and producers of the PV industry. â€Å"Government agencies, utilities and others offer a variety of tax credits, rebates and other incentives to support energy efficiency, encourage the use of renewable energy sources, and support efforts to conserve energy and lessen pollution.† (Energy, 2014) I see four main factors influencing the price elasticity of demand: †¢Availability of close substitutes. Are there many available close substitutes for solar panels? The demand will tend to be elastic if Cindy and her customer can switch among the various types of PV’s for the same desired feature. †¢Are PV’s a necessity or a luxury? Currently, PV’s would be considered an elastic form of energy because there are other forms of electricity (coal/power plants). We once considered personal computers a luxury and they are now a necessity. Perhaps PV’s will be viewed the same way in the future. †¢How much of my income will PV’s consume? A large portion of consumer’s income equals elasticity. What portion of income can your client devote to the cost of solar panels? If it is a large share (elastic), what tradeoffs will client need to consider to make it a worthwhile purchase? †¢What is the time horizon when making decisions on PV’s? PV systems have productive life cycles of 30-50 years. (Brownson, 2014) A longer time horizon is said to be elastic. Recommendations Upon review of various criteria such as elasticity of demand, cost of production, etc, I would encourage Cindy to pursue this business venture. This sector is set to grow exponentially in the future. The fall in solar PV prices as well as other incentives will cause higher demand for  installation. This will benefit Cindy’s new business venture by bringing more installation business and lower input costs. This can be seen in the demand supply figure: It also makes good economic sense for Cindy to borrow money for her solar panel business venture as the government provides various subsidies to businesses involved in clean energy. â€Å"In total, the federal energy tax subsidies will cost more than $16 billion in 2013, up from only $5 billion in 2005.† (Bastach, 2013) Cindy can benefit from a piece of the clean energy subsidy pie. Bibliography Bastach, M. (2013, March 13). Most energy tax subsidies go toward green energy, energy efficiency. Retrieved from The Daily Caller: http://dailycaller.com/2013/03/14/cbo-most-energy-tax-subsidies-go-toward-green-energy-energy-efficiency/ Brownson, J. (2014, May 25). Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering. Retrieved from Penn State University: https://www.e-education.psu.edu/eme810/node/593 Energy, U. D. (2014, may 25). Tax Credits, Rebates, and Savings. Retrieved from Energy.gov: http://energy.gov/savings NPD Group, Inc. (2013, December). Solarbuzz. Retrieved from Solarbuzz: http://www.solarbuzz.com/news/recent-findings/strong-growth-forecast-solar-pv-industry-2014-demand-reaching-49-gw R. Glenn Hubbard, A. P. (2012). Economics. VitalSouce bookshelf version. Tanaka, S. (2014, May 22). Payback Time for Solar-Power Energy Systems. Retrieved from The Wall Street Journal: http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304198504579571960667560156?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2F online.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702304198504579571960667560156.html

A critical evaluation of impressive burgers approach to expanding their operation

A critical rating of Impressive Warren burgers approach to spread outing their operationImpressive Burgers PLC so is a fast nutrient concatenation that faced stiff competition from its client and must therefore maintain quality merchandises that are served in good clip to the clients. Due to an addition in its clients, Impressive Burgers PLC will necessitate to spread out its operations. Prior to making so, the fast nutrient concatenation will hold to transport out a feasibleness survey to set up the best schemes to use in spread outing its operations. Presently the bing clients are contending for the limited resources in footings of infinite and fast nutrient merchandises. Most of the clients complain that they seldom get their fast nutrient solutions met due to the limited bill of fare pick. Therefore, Impressive Burgers PLC will see increasing its bill of fare to provide for a big figure of its clients. Customers are so diverse and necessitate to be given a big assortment of picks . What one client may wish, another may loathe. All these should be considered by Impressive Burgers PLC in spread outing its operations. Impressive Burgers PLC intends to spread out its operations from the bing mercantile establishments, they have decided to engage an operations director to help in the jobs they are holding before they embark on enlargement. The first undertaking that the operations direction is required to make is the designation and the rating of the fast nutrients organisation ‘s enlargement attack. Designation of the grounds behind PLC ‘s enlargement jobs and doing recommendations based on the point identified. Harmonizing to Krajewski, Ritzman and Malhotra ( p.112 ) , the operations of a house are determined by the house ‘s effectivity in pull offing its resources. The house will hence be able to pull off its available resources for the enlargement of its operations into other aspects. Possibly the first measure in its enlargement would be to measure the figure of clients who walk into the house ‘s eating houses in the busiest subdivision. This should so be further divided into clients who eat within the premises and those who opt for takeout fast nutrient merchandises. After finding the figure of clients and their several categories, Impressive Burgers ‘ operations director should so reexamine the bill of fare in footings of the clients ‘ positions on it. This will affect undertaking a squad of cunning misss who will near the client with a questionnaire and fill in the questionnaire after the client has finished his nutrient. It would give an indicant of which bill of fare is the best and which one is the worst among those that are presently being offered. Operationss in an organisation are the duty of the operations director, fundamentally operations involves the direction of the production of goods and services. The direction of operations involves the embrace of the organisations design, planning of all operations, control and the betterment of public presentation and the preparation of operations scheme. The duties of this place affect the direction of the human resource, the direction of this resource is of import as the manner in which they are handled greatly find the success of the organisation. The operations ‘ place entails the direction of the organisations ‘ assets ; assets straight determine the production procedure of the organisation. The edifices, equipment, vehicles and even the stock are used in the production of the organisations goods and services. Proper usage of the assets means that the organisation reduces on the running cost, the proper usage of energy, from electricity to fuel used for warming or cookery is of import at the nest eggs made on assets are a net income to the organisation. Proper direction of the assets means that they cut their outgos and they avoid wastes of natural stuff in production. The operations arm of the organisation is involved in the direction of cost, they are responsible for the effectual direction of running costs of the organisation ; the production of the goods and services and the bringing of these goods and services to their consumers. Harmonizing to Barnes ( p.56 ) , the operations direction of fast nutrient eating house is gauged by its ability to efficaciously implement a thorough system of self-audits. Furthermore, the operations director should see developing the staff adequately on the best methods before spread outing the operations of Impressive Burgers PLC. This will guarantee that adequate capacity has been built prior to spread outing substructure and operations in general. At this point, the operations director would prefer to take stock of the staff Numberss and compare this with the clients that they serve. This would efficaciously take to the director finding the best manner of guaranting that the caput count is all right. In add-on, the operations director should besides guarantee that the kitchen installations are at a good province and run into the demands of the catering section. New equipment may be acquired. Finally, before implementing the enlargement, the operations director should develop a manual that stipulates how to execute fundamentally all undertakings within the fast nutrient concatenation. This manual will be used as a processs book to steer the current and new employees on the best patterns that should be utilized in developing first-class fast nutrient solutions. This will so be followed by a complete makeover of the fast nutrient eating house. The makeover will imply geting new seats and spread outing the bing sitting country to guarantee that more clients are accommodated at any given clip. Furthermore, the clients should be informed prior to this since the enlargement will impact the fast nutrient eating house ‘s operations for a twosome of yearss as the redevelopments and enlargements go on. It will merely be just to give a month ‘s notice, therefore guaranting that the clients are good informed beforehand. This may be done via the media or through postings and hoardings. Impressive Burgers PLC should besides offer a broad scope of fast nutrient merchandises and more menu solutions. This will guarantee that the fast nutrient giant serves the demands of its diverse clients. A limited bill of fare frequently turns off the clients as they seek other eating houses that offer a broad assortment of picks. Impressive Burgers PLC will hold to put in client ailments or suggestion box at the entryway of the eating house. Similarly, clients who are infuriated by the service offered to them should be handled on the topographic point and taken to a separate room where they will be offered with particular advice. This war room should be located within the eating house and should hold a dedicated staff to cater for the few complains that may be witnessed. Shim and Siegel ( p.44 ) insinuates that many organisations are so caught up in quandary when it comes to guaranting that the house efficaciously implements its enlargement schemes. The key to the success of Impressive Burgers PLC would be first-class client service. Therefore, this should be at the dorsum of every head when finding the enlargement schemes. The client is the most of import individual to be considered in spread outing the operations of Impressive Burgers PLC. Hence, it is imperative that the operations director develops a prescribed manner of managing clients therefore debaring any client ailments that may ensue in the procedure. It is so true that client service is the lone manner to guaranting that the house succeeds in its quest to stand out in the fast nutrient industry. Therefore, it is of import for the house to guarantee that there are effectual ways of pull offing enlargement schemes. Impressive Burgers PLC should spread out to new mercantile establishments by first of all bettering its operations in the current subdivisions. This will guarantee that the company emerges a success in its operations and therefore giving the best fast nutrient solutions to its clients. Rationale behind the company ‘s jobs and suggestionsImpressive Burgers PLC faces a myriad of jobs, most of which emanate from within. First and first, the company faces the job of limited bill of fare solutions. As discussed earlier, fast nutrient clients frequently seek a broad assortment of bill of fare which are largely alien in nature and unique to each client. This is because ; the clients have been to other fast nutrient eating houses and have tasted different bill of fares. They therefore seek a alone bill of fare. Most of the clients who frequent Impressive Warren burgers have complained of eating the same nutrient ever. They seek different bill of fare that will offer them a alone experience. Hence, Impressive Burgers should seek and present more bill of fares into their operations to guarantee that clients have a broad assortment of picks. The principle behind this job is that there is deficiency of flexibleness and inventions. The burden of guaranting that there is equal bill of fares solutions lies with the operations director who is charged with the duty of introducing and presenting new bill of fare into the fast nutrient eating house ‘s operations ( Slack, Chambers and Johnston, p.38 ) . This would guarantee increased success in footings of functioning clients and guaranting effectual systems for prolonging the fast nutrient eating houses. The end of Impressive Burgers is the proviso of fast take away nutrient to their clients rapidly and of a higher quality to that of their challengers. They foremost set out with a common bill of fare for all their eating houses who offered a simple bill of fare construction with a pick of six set repast options.Burger, Chips & A ; Soft DrinkCheese Burger, Chips & A ; amp ; Soft DrinkChicken Burger, Chips & A ; amp ; Soft DrinkVegetarian Burger, Chips & A ; Soft DrinkThe picks were served with picks of sizes ; regular, medium or big for each repast. The size of the french friess and drinks parts varied but the Burger size remained the same. Using this format they were able to function each client their order within 4 proceedingss from an ordination at the boulder clay to having their complete order to take away. Impressive Burgers end was met because they efficaciously served they client in 4 proceedingss, the unvarying repasts meant that the client was in a place to do a speedy order based on anterior cognition of the bill of fare. Fixed bill of fare meant that there was uniformity in their concatenation of eating houses, fixed repasts reduced on telling clip and the readying clip ; this earned them a good repute as a fast nutrient articulation and hence increasing their client base. The addition in clients meant that they had good net income borders that enabled them to spread out. They added more eating houses and more picks of nutrient on the bill of fare to give their consumers assortment and to provide for the wellness scruples clients. The scheme of impressive Burgers to spread out was good at the clip, as they felt assurance in the market. Following the enlargement of the eating houses, they were an immediate diminution in the overall public presentation of their program and net incomes started worsening with a loss in the loom. On the other manus, there have been complains from the clients sing the mode in which the staff act towards the clients. There have been studies of agitated and ill-mannered staff that are frequently insensitive to the clients ‘ demands. Harmonizing to the operations director, the staffs are underpaid therefore offering service that does non run into the criterions of a quality fast nutrient eating house. Staff may be heard hulling abuses at each other and frequently click when they are asked a inquiry by the client. This issue of staff agitation may be addressed by presenting a codification of moralss that will adhere the wonts and operations of each staff member. Stern disciplinary action should be taken against any staff member that contravenes the codification of moralss. In consequence, this would guarantee that staff members do non exhibit their differences in the unfastened. Staffs who are found to be misconducting even after subscribing the codification of moralss should hence be dismissed summarily. Similarly, first clip errors should justify warnings. The other solution to bad staff behaviour would be to present a system of self-audits where other staff would be able to measure the behaviour of the others through a good co-ordinated procedure. In other words, the procedure would be carried out often and staffs who are implicated continuously by the remainder should be summoned and reprimanded efficaciously. Harmonizing to Schroeder ( p.67 ) , concerns should implement the best patterns that are formidable to the public presentation of the company. Impressive Burgers PLC besides faces a major job with the orders made by clients. Staffs frequently have jobs presenting the requested orders ; the orders are either uncomplete or wrong, therefore taking to a waste of clip by the helping staffs. The sum of clip taken to function clients has increased enormously to 9 proceedingss from the old 4 proceedingss. Most of the clients are happening it hard to wait that long as evidenced by the frequent walk outs. It is so shocking that clients should wait for that long earlier being served. Possibly the best manner to cover with this job would be to develop the staff adequately on the ways of covering with the clients ‘ petitions. Customers ‘ petitions should be compactly acted upon. The staffs should be retrained by the operations director on the best patterns. Furthermore, the staffs should be made to be accountable for their errors. This manner, they will be able to take orders right and accurately. This will cut down the hold clip between the clip that the client makes his order to the clip they receive it. The operations director should see a alteration of staff functioning the clients. This will possibly guarantee that the clients are served with qualified and capable staffs. Capable staffs should be able to cut down the holds between the order clip and the clip the clients receives their orders. The job of waste has every bit aggravated within Impressive Burgers PLC. There is a deficiency of a clear waste direction system. It is frequently to meet foul odor at the dorsum of the eating house which is as a consequence of ungathered refuse. Waste direction is imperative since it ensures that there is sufficient direction of the refuse that emanates from the fast nutrient eating house. This is an of import portion of the operations direction ( Johnston, p.13 ) . The solution to this would be to consequence an effectual waste direction system that would guarantee that there is a waste direction system. Bettering overall operationImpressive Warren burgers should so accommodate schemes that would be imperative in bettering its overall operations. The steadfast intends to open up new subdivisions fast nutrient ironss across the state. The house will necessitate to transport out a feasibleness survey. There are several ways in which the operations can be expanded in bettering its overall enlargement scheme. It is imperative that the enlargement procedure is successful by all agencies. The overall operations would be improved by foremost guaranting that there is a clip frame to the enlargement plan of the fast nutrient eating house. Allocating a specific clip will assist maintain path of the advancement that has been made by the operations director in the enlargement of the house ‘s operations. There should so be a set of protocols that will regulate the enlargement of the fast nutrient concatenation. In bettering the overall operation, the operations director will further guarantee that there are equal staffing demands to run into the operational demands of the fast nutrient concatenation eating house. The figure of staff should be equal to be able to manage the enlargement undertakings of the house. Furthermore, the staffs should be adequately trained to be able to manage the undertakings sufficiently and with accomplishment. This will non merely limit waste, but guarantee that the undertakings associating to the enlargement of the fast nutrient concatenation are being performed professionally. There should be a good organized concatenation of bid that will steer the operations of the enlargement enterprises. Bettley, Mayle and Tantoush ( p.79 ) reveal that houses should be advanced in guaranting that they adequately meet the market demands and present first-class client solutions. The incorporation of healthier repasts in the bill of fare and a assortment of picks of nutrient in the bill of fare, attracted more clients to the eating houses. The enlargement of the eating houses did non besides involve the enlargement of the installations ; the Numberss of the workers remained the same. This meant that the same figure of workers had to utilize the same readying machines to fix more and varied repasts. At the same the assortment of repasts attracted more clients ; the same figure of workers had to function a larger figure of clients. This meant that the functioning times had increased dramatically and it now took an norm of 9 proceedingss for a client to be served. The figure of client ailments has increased ; the chief ailments include ill-mannered and agitated staff and incorrect or uncomplete orders. The ground for rude and agitated workers was the fact that they had to do more repasts with fewer resources while functioning more clients. Both client and worker were non satisfied, the worker felt over worked, the assortment in orders and the figure of clients meant that orders were served incorrect with losing ingredients or they were incorrect orders. The deficiency of an enlargement of the equipment and the add-on of the workers together with the varied bill of fare meant that the helping clip for any bill of fare doubled. Customers now complained of a whole nine proceedingss from order to functioning compared to their earlier record of four proceedingss, and even longer if the order was incorrect. The ailments of the client agitated the worker, the workers had to cover with a more complex bill of fare, the ratio of client to worker was immense, the force per unit area on the worker was great, and this caused agitation in them. The agitated worker so passed their defeat onto the client, the client felt insulted and this caused them to go forth the eating houses, doing a diminution in ingestion. Another ground for the diminution in concern was the fact that the quality of nutrient in the eating houses declined, the direction stuck to their old modus operandi of telling for goods one time in a hebdomad, while their demand for the resources increased as clients increased. They had targeted the wellness witting clients with healthier nutrients, but these nutrients are merely good if they are fresh, a wellness witting client requires fresh green goods. Foods that are delivered one time a hebdomad are non considered to be fresh. The 2nd fact was that workers were non able to work with the limited installations ; this implied that there were high losingss in the kitchen. More green goods was ordered for but they had to hive away in the same iceboxs. The demotivator workers could non bring forth quality nutrient from the fact that they were tired from the big bill of fares that required excessively many inside informations. With their productiveness down the workers served hapless quality nutrient that was both non fresh but besides severely prepared. A deficiency of using more workers to fulfill the increasing figure of consumers meant that, the workers could non efficaciously function them and the same clip maintain up with their responsibilities. This meant that the hygiene of the constitution went down. Poor hygienic criterions, bad nutrient and hapless services lead the clients to be dissatisfied. These factors lead to the diminution of the clients, a diminution in the clients and a combination of losingss from waste lead to low net incomes. In decision, Impressive Warren burgers would be able to spread out into opening new subdivisions of the fast nutrient eating houses. The fast nutrients concatenation will accomplish this through holding trained staff and adequate fiscal resources. Hence, Impressive Burgers will be able to form a perfect mix of new schemes aimed at bettering the operations of the house. The house will besides be able to cut down waste and clip taken to function its clients efficaciously. This will give the house an border against its rivals. Plants CitedBarnes David. Operations direction: an international position. Edinburgh: Cengage Learning EMEA, 2008. Bettley Alison, David Mayle, and Tarek Tantoush. Operations direction: a strategic attack. Boston: Sage, 2005. Johnston Robert. Cases in operations direction. 3rd erectile dysfunction. London: FT Prentice Hall, 2003. Krajewski Lee J. , Larry P. Ritzman, and Manoj K. Malhotra. Operations Management. 9th erectile dysfunction. Sydney: Prentice Hall, 2009. Schroeder Roger G. Operations direction: modern-day constructs and instances. 3rd erectile dysfunction. Washington: McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2007. Shim Jae K. , and Joel G. Siegel. Operations Management. New York: Barron ‘s Educational Series, 1999. Slack Nigel, Stuart Chambers, and Robert Johnston. Operations direction. 5th erectile dysfunction. Berlin: Prentice Hall/Financial Times, 2007.

Anonymous – Creative Writing

The powerful low winter sun illuminated the seemingly endless road. The glass glistened like walls of diamonds; the highly polished doorknobs that led to the place of ones dreams were glowing like hot molten lava that had just erupted from the brittle and frozen pathway. The place would have been perfect if it weren't for the thick yellow lines that ran parallel with the crisp frozen pathway and the people who waltzed up and down it with no time to stop and look at the wondrous beauty, to time to stand and talk and no time to care about other people. Berny took one long deep breath of the cool refreshing air and filled his lungs with courage, for he knew he was going to need a lot of it. He stepped out onto the frost-covered pavement and immediately became one of those people. Yet secretly, he was taking in all of the smells of this beautiful street. He was secretly admiring the way the glass glistened and the doorknobs glowed. He wondered if he would ever be able to visit this wonderful place again and if so why. He reached the end of the street he loved so much. He knew this because there were now cars, vans and big red buses ploughing through the wide streets that were full of even more people that only cared about themselves. Berny started tapping his feet as he waited for the eyesore that changed the speed of the mercurial vehicles to tell him it was now safe to cross. Safely across the energetic and hectic road Berny opened the door of the inconspicuous Lexus that was parked waiting for him. As he slipped inside the nondescript, matt black box he was greeted by three men who he had never met. Although he had never met them he knew their names, well what they were called anyway. Even they probably couldn't remember their real names anymore. No one spoke as they were going through the dense traffic. The only sounds were that of buses stopping with a hiss or ambulances flying past with their sirens on; other than that there was nothing except for the heavy breathing of the three men he had the pleasure of travelling with. Whilst adjusting himself for the third time on the luxurious cream leather seta, he got a whiff of the man in front of him, the driver. He was obviously a bit of a chain smoker and it showed, as around his mouth there were wrinkles so deep Berny was sure he could see dust in the great canyons between them, or perhaps it was ash from the little white sticks he put in his mouth. He had tried to cover up the fact he was addicted to the little white sticks, by covering himself in a strong fragrance, it was too strong, he had probably got it half price in Superdrug. Berny despised cigarettes and felt no pity for the people who put them in their mouths and then complained of lung disease or some other illness caused by them. There was one reason for this; Berny's father had been a heavy smoker and died of cancer as result when Berny was still young. The only memory of his father was the strong smell created by the toxic smoke. Berny had blamed his fathers death for ruining Berny' life and getting him in to such a mess. A single tear had appeared from the bottom of his right eye. The salty liquid was stinging his eye and made it feel like he had been hit. He turned his head to the one-way window and right on cue the saturated tear ran down the harsh, bold contours of his face; over the faded ink scar he had been given by an energetic broom handle. He made no effort to stop the acidic liquid and it fell to the floor like a snow onto ice. He turned to face the person next to him; it was Knuckles, very original, so called because he had none. He was a thug and he looked like one, he had a shaved head, a prominent brow and very heavy shoulders. He looked uncomfortable in his pin-striped suit, and would have probably preferred to be wearing a leather jacket. As Berny looked at him, Knuckles' jaw twitched quite sporadically, his jaw seemed to be having a fit. Berny chose to ignore it and returned to looking out of the window. They had stopped at another ghastly set of poles with lights on when a police van containing enough policemen to storm The Ritz pulled up beside their box on wheels. This seemed to make the three men nervous, as far as Berny knew they had no reason to be, as they weren't in any trouble and hadn't done anything wrong, yet. The lights changed and the car and the threatening van went their separate ways. They were reaching the edge of the crowded and over populated city when Knuckles' phone rang. It was one of those really annoying tones Berny loathed, but everybody else seemed to love. Knuckles brought the inconspicuous brick out of his jacket pocket and put it to his ear. He did not talk, he just listened. Towards the end of the conversation, he spoke softly into the mouthpiece and said â€Å"Yes that's fine, see you tomorrow†. Berny had never heard him speak before. He had a timid but clear voice that would have been more suited to a poet rather than a football hooligan. â€Å"The plan's changed Bob† Knuckles said softly. â€Å"Where to now then?† Bob, the driver bellowed in a coarse Northern accent, which would have suited Knuckles much better than his existing one. â€Å"The barn† he replied as if he had rehearsed it. â€Å"K† was the acknowledgement he gave back. Berny sat thinking, the barn? He didn't know of any barn, was it actually a barn or was it code for something? He'd know soon enough. As they left the smog of the city behind them the eerie tension lifted also. â€Å"Alright chaps?† Al the man in the front passenger seat asked. Of all of the men he was travelling with Berny liked Al the best, he did not know why, he just did, perhaps it was because he was he was older than the other three and reminded Berny of his father. Knuckles gave a squeak that Al seemed to understand as â€Å"Everything is fine†. â€Å"Good† was Al's reassurance. â€Å"How you doing Berny? Long time no see mate† Berny didn't quite know what this meant as he had never seen Al before, he had spoke to him, many times they had spoken on the telephone and on internet chat rooms. In fact they knew each other so well it did feel like they had known each other for a very long time, they knew each other well but not too well as there were things they did not want to know about each other, these things were never discussed. â€Å"I'm fine. Still not sure what we're meant to be doing.† Replied Berny. Berny had dropped that question in as he did not want to confront Al directly about it. â€Å"We're going up North to see someone who would like to talk to you† was the answer to his cleverly disguised question. They were on a motorway now. The fields either side were empty except for the thin layer of ice that was preventing the rich soil underneath from being exposed to the harmful rays of the sun. they were going slower than the other polluting vehicles. This gave Berny a chance to get his bearings. The land was flat with small rolling hills. The clouds were lightly spread and presented no threat, allowing the powerful rays of the sun to shine off anything that was stupid enough to get in their way. Bob broke the silence â€Å"Off here Al?† â€Å"Yep† was the well thought out reply. Berny couldn't see anywhere to turn off. But Bob found the small lane and directed the car down like a heron swoops in on a fish. The lane was bordered by a hedge, which had lost all of its leaves and was now just one big mess of tangled branches. There was one on both sides. They grew over the road and touched once or trice in the middle. This place must look really beautiful in the summer or early autumn when the leaves are crisp and brown. Berny wished it wasn't winter, because now the mess of twigs were bare, they looked evil, each one trapping itself around the other starving it of the precious light there was. The peaceful little lane had now turned into a spiralling labyrinth of sharp bends and deep gully's. Berny leant to his left so he could see out of the front windscreen. Left right left again, the bends were getting closer together. Some of them you couldn't tell which way they went until the last second. Bob must have been a rally driver in a past life. Bob was now accelerating on every bend. It was as if he wanted to tip the car over. He was making it very hard for himself. Perhaps he liked a challenge. Everyone else started looking worried. It wasn't just Berny who thought Bob was taking the corners too fast. Al screamed to Bob â€Å"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?† Bob didn't hear, or didn't want to hear. He was in a trance. It was knuckles turn now â€Å"SLOW DOWN YOU'RE GANNA KILL US ALL!† This provoked no reaction either. Berny felt obliged to have a go â€Å"BOB STOP IT NOW† Bob must have heard this but it did not prompt the response they were all looking for. Instead it made Bob speed up even more. The corners were getting sharper, the speed was getting faster. There was nothing they could do except hold on and hope Bob would come to his senses. Bob was now finding it hard to see the corners. He was leaning forward. He was squinting to get a better look. His breathing was shallow and very fast. His arm started first. Then his leg, his hands and finally his neck. Bob had no hands on the wheel. He curled into a ball against the side of the car and started rocking like a pendulum going three times faster than it should. A thick froth had formed at his mouth and was now coming out of every hole on his body, including the tiny holes in his skin. Berny knew what was going to happen. He saw it first. It was a great oak. The most beautiful and overpowering tree he had ever seen. It did not feel like he had imagined it would. He was slammed into the seat in front of him. His legs hurt the most, there was a loud hiss. He was alive, well he thought he was. It was hard to tell. He looked at his legs, they were still there. He looked around him. Knuckles was covered in blood and stuck between the two seats. Berny did not even try to see if he was still alive and if he was what kind of life would he be able to live as his neck was at an angle that should b impossible to put it in. Where were Bob and Al? They weren't there, they couldn't have got out. Where they would have been sitting was now just a mess of tangled metal. The door opened first time, Berny slipped though the small inviting gap and found himself in a pool of liquid. As he inspected the liquid he found some of it was petrol and the rest a deep scarlet of red blood. Whose blood he did not know, he did not care either. The petrol and the blood did not mix, the blood sat in the centre surrounded by the strong smelling, flammable fuel. Berny pulled himself away from the wreckage. He sat in the road covered by blood and fuel. The birds sang almost as if trying to comfort him. Berny tried to take in what had happened. Was it his fault? What should he do now? Where will he go? Before he had time to answer any of those questions a face appeared in the wreckage. It was Al. He smiled and winked. His pleasant face was now a blur of deep red and pale yellows. Berny rushed over as fast as his crippled legs would take him. He was halfway when he heard it, a loud click. He was pushed back by the heat of the monstrous flames. Berny sat watching the overpowering flames take over the wreckage. He sat in his pool of fuel and blood and a single tear formed in his right eye.

Religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Religion - Essay Example However, science is yet to make a clear definition of the ultimate reality. Religion however has attempted to find answers leading to ultimate reality. In According to Cobb, he characterizes God as â€Å"Emptiness† because he considers God to be a being â€Å"without limits.† Cobb’s idea of ultimate reality is that all the other property has limits, but in the case of God there are no limitations because God has no nature or properties and allows other beings to exist. Avicenna’s view on ‘ultimate reality’ is based on â€Å"The Nature of God.† In relation to this, he has two points of view. The first one Is about ‘contingent beings’ whose property is having been caused by the existence of another being. The second is about a ‘necessary being’ â€Å"does not need to be caused by any power for its existence. This being has no beginning and is in existence from the creation of the universe. Ultimate reality According to Avicenna is that God is a necessary being who is perfect and complete and cannot change because the properties of a necessary being are eternal. This means that according to God’s nature, it cannot be created nor destroyed. ‘Ultimate Reality’ is based on a dualistic ontology (Buddhists) which holds the view that a Non- being’ is as essential as being because both being and non- being are two incompatible states of reality. Therefore, ‘ultimate reality’ can have neither properties nor nature and that is what God is. Since God is considered as the ‘ultimate reality’ and the basis or foundation for all other beings, God does not possess any properties. God is in a totally new dimension altogether â€Å"himself† and is beyond dualism and properties. In relation to ‘ultimate reality’ Cobb says that Christianity tries to make an understanding of â€Å"rightness† and try to cultivate habits from worse to the

Which Criteria Might Be Most Appropriate for Assessing the Essay

Which Criteria Might Be Most Appropriate for Assessing the Sustainability of Building Materials - Essay Example The resources used to fuel this economic growth (fossil fuels, minerals, fresh water, wood etc.) are being depleted at a very alarming rate. Issues such as global warming, pollution etc. has raised concerns about the future of life on the planet. Realizing the gravity of the situation, the community of scientists and engineers are now promoting sustainable practices in the various fields of engineering (Braganca, Mateus and Koukarri, 2010). This includes lesser dependence on the fossil fuels with increased power production from renewable energy resources, energy conservation through more efficient production systems and building designs and the use of sustainable and recyclable materials in construction industry and consumer goods. The construction industry currently consumes a huge amount of resources mainly the building materials such as structure steel, concrete, cement, sand, gravel, wood, and glass etc. The current annual consumption of structure steel in USA alone is 7.1 millio n metric tones. On the completion of its lifecycle, as the building is destroyed for renovation or incorporation of new designs, this material is usually dumped in waste land and creates environmental issues. Moreover, the materials traditionally used for construction such as masonry bricks and concrete are good conductors of heat and hence they significantly increase the energy consumption for cooling and heating the building. Operation and maintenance of buildings is also a very important concern while selecting the building materials. Deterioration of traditional building materials causes waste materials to escape in to the atmosphere. The maintenance of buildings usually causes use of the same materials with the same drawbacks. It is also reported that the traditional construction materials are responsible for toxic emissions to both outdoors and indoors of the building causing damaging effects on the human health. The above discussion shows that the traditional practices involv e wastage of materials and energy and in most of the cases has deteriorating effects on the environment. It is hence of great importance that the materials used for construction must be environment friendly and sustainable. When it comes to engineering design and material selection process, it is important that the decisions are made on the basis of quantified data rather than abstract observations and experiences. It is important to measure how much a material is environment friendly or to what extent it has the damaging effect on the environment. Hence as the first step towards the use of sustainable materials in the building design, the criteria on which the sustainability of a building is measured should be specified. This paper discusses the research made in this regard and summarizes the criteria used by different researchers and in different regions around the globe. According to Oxford dictionary sustainability is defined as the ‘conservation of the ecological balance by avoiding depletion of natural resources’. With reference to the building materials, the term implies that the selection of building materials should be made considering the environmental effect of their production and usage. Such materials should be given preference which are recyclable, have none or negligible emissions, have very low carbon foot print during their production and transportation. There are several different properties which are desirable in building materials in order to increase their sustainability. The manufacturing processes for the materials should involve minimum green house gas emissions or other harmful environment effects. The emissions from the building mate

Hinduism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 6

Hinduism - Essay Example This process will continue until a person gets salvation. The activities of a person in his present life and in his previous birth are labelled as Karma. A person’s life after death is decided based on his activities (karma) in the present and past life. It is not necessary that a person take rebirth in the form of human itself. Based on karma, his rebirth could be as an animal, insect or bird. Avatar in Hindu mythology represents descent of God in human or animal forms. Hindus believe in multi God theory (Trimurti). In other words, they believe in three Gods, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiv. Brahma is responsible for creation, Vishnu is responsible for maintaining creation and Shiv is responsible for destruction. Hindus believe that these Gods take different avatar time to time to execute certain jobs. For example, Vishnu is the Krishna Avatar. The major function of avatars is to work as a mediator in between God and humans. It is not necessary that avatars should be God always. In fact the duty of avatars is to pass the message from the God to the humans. Hinduism is a religion which always believes in peace and harmony. They always respect other religions and that is why India is still a secular country even though majority of Indians are Hindus. Hindus believe in the doctrine of ahimsa or nonviolence. Even the killing of animals for food is considered as a sin by Hindu religion. Majority of the Hindus are vegetarians. Even though some of the doctrines of Hindu religion seem to be superstitious, the core of Hinduism is to spread love all over the world. Kali is the ferocious form of mother goddess. â€Å"Mother Kali is the consort of Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva is the silent aspect of the Transcendental Reality, and Mother Kali is the dynamic aspect of the Transcendental Reality. Truth is complete when it is both dynamic and silent† (The Relationship Between Mother Kali and Lord Shiva, N.d.) â€Å"Puja is the ceremonial act of showing reverence to a God or

Elements of Design in Hectors Final Battle Research Paper - 3

Elements of Design in Hectors Final Battle - Research Paper Example The production designer is the one in charge of the overall look of the film. Production designers have to closely coordinate with the director and the producer (in terms of budget constraints) in order to select the most appropriate settings and style that would enable the film to tell the story (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2011). Especially during pre-production, the production designer works closely with the film director to establish the particular aesthetic needs and the intended visual feel of the film. The production designer likewise works closely with the costume designer, the hair and make-up stylists, the special effects director, and the location manager to ensure the unified visual appearance of the movie. The role of the art director tends to blur with the responsibilities of the production designer. However, the art director’s main goal is to unify the overall visual appearance of the scenes in the film, making sure that these scenes are able to stimulate moods, contrast features, and appeal to the target audience psychologically (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2011). In the particular movie clip chose, the scene took place on an arid desert, presumably under the burning heat of the sun and the lighting used in this scene made the audience feel the â€Å"heat of the battle† even more. Thus, the sharp light of the sun conveyed feelings of passion and sheer hatred, which were the very feelings that Achilles felt at that moment, owing to the untimely death of his cousin. This particular setting likewise conveys the burning emotions in the hearts of the characters, from the anger in Achilles, to Hector’s desire to defend his honor, and even the pain felt by Hector’s family as they watch Hector walk into his death. All these aspects convey the message of the movie in terms of passion and honor. As the scene takes place in Ancient Greece, the costume designers no doubt took extra care and effort to make the characters’ costume as authentic as possible. Hector’s armor clad body signifies that he is a methodical fighter who takes great efforts to ensure that he is well protected in battle.

US taxes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

US taxes - Essay Example Ruane William reported that income tax is excluded for foreign income that is less than $ 95, 100 but in mid-December 2011, a minimum tax was imposed on foreign currencies that these companies earn from all the outsourced jobs and other operations (18). Tax increase on wealthy U.S citizens is intended to create a cash reserve for creating jobs for millions of unemployed American youths. This concept will prevent another recession that hit the U.S. in 2010 where a large number of citizens especially in the middle class lost their jobs, unemployment rose drastically and small businesses folded. In the past, the wealthy citizens paid less that 28% of their total earnings as tax while the middle class paid more tax. Job creation using tax reforms will improve the economy of the U.S and that of each household. American companies that outsource their jobs and operations to foreign countries because of cheap labor will be forced to create jobs in the U.S because they will incur losses because of reduced tax on foreign money that they earn. Americans require companies that outsource jobs to foreign countries to create jobs in the U.S and improve both income and working

War on Drug Crimes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

War on Drug Crimes - Essay Example They are mostly the cause of many social problems we are facing these days in our society such as; rape, assault, reckless driving est. These drugs are mostly illegal drugs and when used often can lead to very server addiction, which is very difficult to overcome. Example of such drugs include cocaine, heroine est. The problem of wiping out these drugs from the system has become a global concern since trades in these drugs are now done even across. Many governments therefore are trying so hard to structure out very effective ways of preventing their countries from being used as trading grounds or safe passes by people trading in these illegal drugs since it poses a great to their country. These drugs have very negative effects both on individuals and the society and the society at large. These effects include addiction on the part of the individual. As mentioned earlier on, these drugs have very addictive potentials. Therefore when one takes these drugs two or three times, it is possible for that person to become addicted to them. Addictions to these drugs cause a lot of harm to the human body. Once people get addicted to these drugs, they will risk anything; either their education, job est. in other to get these drugs to take.

No confidences in me as a officer Research Paper

No confidences in me as a officer - Research Paper Example If I am given â€Å"vote of no confidence† I would accept the fact that things have gone on my side. I understand that the police union and my authority have lost confidence in me and there is not much I can do about it. Once in a profession you show you incapability it is not easy to repair it. However, I would communicate with the police union leader and my higher authority and enquire as to whether I would have any chance to retain the position. I would request them to offer me a chance where I can prove that I have the skill and ability to do justice to my position as a police officer. Now I would also ask them what are cases which made them suspect that I have failed to perform. If there is a situation where I had any reasons to offer like health, family or work place issue then I would go forward and explain it to them. I would definitely introspect on what basis they have taken this decision. I would definitely ask if they think if I were given a chance then they had the confidence in me that I would do better. Many a times, some misconceptions can give way to wrong results. So I would communicate well with union members and my authorities that I am being give â€Å"vote of no confidence† on the basis of reasonable facts. I would also extract information about the people who has some confidence in me. I would put them together and explain it to others about my chance to regain my position. I believe that somewhere in my career I have expressed unprofessional attitude and I would not consider that this action was baseless. That would be like closing my eyes towards the truth. Votes of no-confidence occur for variety of reasons, but if all agency personnel are holding the same values and following the same principals of behavior, it is the hope that these measures could be avoided.If I am convinced that the problem is entirely on my part and that I have violated the principles and values then I would try by level best to

Religious Differences in the Early New England Colonies Essay Example for Free

Religious Differences in the Early New England Colonies Essay New England Colonies were established by people who were exile because of their religious beliefs, Most were known as separist. Most wanted to escapes and break free from the Anglican Church which was also known as the Church of England. They wanted the freedom to worship God in their own way. Yet, they however did not want to extend the freedom to everyone. Those who wanted to â€Å"purify† the Church of England were known as the puritans. They believe the Church of England was too similar to the Catholics in structure and ceremony. The puritans specially were intolerant to those who did not believe in their beliefs. The puritans were known as the non separists, the separists were people who wanted to completely break free from the Church of England. Also there was a group called the Antinomians in which Anne Hutchinson and her supporters opposed to the rule of law. The Quakers whom believed that they did not need to learn from ministry, since one person’s interpretation of the scripture was as valid as anyone else’s. It was religions such as these and others that caused different people to break free and go to different parts of the New World so that they can be free to practice their beliefs, In the new world most were able to practice their own beliefs while yet some were exiled, driven out, or accepted into their colonies. Regardless of which, religion was the common factor for people leaving the old world and forming New England Colonies in the New World.

Eeoc Paper Essay Example for Free

Eeoc Paper Essay The purpose of this paper is to go over a lawsuit that was filled by the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The paper will cover who the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) is and their role in the lawsuit. It will go over whether or not the lawsuit promotes social change. The paper will also go over how the EEOC as well as other news groups released information about the case to the public. I will then give my take on how I would implement new strategies to make sure the problem does not come up in the workplace again. A description of the compliance issue that led to the lawsuit The lawsuit that I have chosen is about a company not hiring someone because of their race. Tyeastia Green sued Alliant Techsystems, Inc. (ATK) because they did not hire her due to her race. A recruiter for ATK initially told her that she had gotten the job, later ATK rejected her and hired a while male instead (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2012). A brief Summary of the functions of the EEOC According to U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (2012), the EEOC is responsible for enforcing federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or an employee because of the person’s race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information† (Aerospace and Defense Manufacturer Rejected Applicant on Racial Grounds, Federal Agency Charged). The EEOC investigates charges of discrimination against employers who are covered by the law. Their role is the fairly and accurately assess the allegations in the charge and make a finding. The EEOC also works to prevent discrimination before it happens by offering education and technical assistance programs. The EEOC’s role in this lawsuit The EEOC’s role in the lawsuit was to find out whether or not the claim was valid. Once they decided that the claim was valid, they tried to settle the charge in a pre-litigation settlement. Since ATK did not want to settle, the EEOC filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2012). Whether or not this lawsuit promotes social change and reasons I do not believe that this lawsuit promotes social change. I believe this because I do not believe that this was a real discrimination due to Tyeastia Green’s race. According to Stych (2012), the recruiter asked her to take out her braids to appear more professional. Tyaestia did take out her braids but later put them back in before she got hired on. I believe that the company was not trying to discriminate against her. They asked her to do something to look more professional. The company does not have the right to tell her how she should wear her hair, but I do not believe they didn’t hire her because of her race. I think that they didn’t hire her because she didn’t comply with how they thought a profession person should look. A comparison of the EEOC press release to the news item The EEOC’s press release was not very informational. It did not give much detail on how the company discriminated against Tyeastia Green. The press release just said that ATK did not hire her because of her race. It also said that the company will pay $100,000 and furnish other relief to settle the race discrimination lawsuit filed by the EEOC (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2012). The article written by Ed Stych for the Minneapolis/ St. Paul Business Journal went into more detail on what happened that lead to the lawsuit being filed. The article said that a recruiter asked Tyeastia to take out her braids to look more professional and that they set up an interview with the company’s information technology director and asked that she came to that interview the same way, without the braids (Stych, 2012). What accounts for the differences? I think that the reason they are different is because the EEOC has a privacy policy where they are not allowed to release certain information about the case. Other news groups on the other hand do not have a privacy policy. They write as much as they know in their articles. The Business Journal wanted the public to know why the lawsuit was filed and what lead up to the lawsuit. Strategies for ensuring inclusion in multicultural workplace If I was a senior manager at ATK, I would make sure that I specified how I believe the company’s image is displayed properly. I would make sure that everyone would be treated equally. I would make sure that all of the managers make everyone feel at home in the workplace. I would give classes to the managers and the recruiters on how to prevent discrimination in the workplace. I would also make sure that the recruiters learn how to talk to people without discriminating against them. Conclusion This paper has gone over the lawsuit that was filed by the EEOC. It also went over who the EEOC is and what their role is in the lawsuit. It also went over how the EEOC’s press release and the Minneapolis/ St. Paul Business Journal articles different. I have learned that employers need to watch what they say and be more specific on how they say things to people as well. I think that if the recruiter has just explained better on why they did not want her to have her braids, things might have gone a little better. If I was Tyeastia, I would have waited until after my final interview to put the braids back in. They asked her to take them out and she did, then they asked her to come looking just like that to the meeting with the information technology director and she didn’t. I think that both parties are at fault in this situation. References U.S. Equall Employment Opportunity Commission. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/newsroom/release/11-27-12b.cfm Stych, E. (2012). Mineapolis St. Paul Business Journal. Retrieved from http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/news/2011/09/29/atk-sued-eeoc-for-racial-discrimination.html

The Critical Success Factors Of Scope Management Information Technology Essay

The Critical Success Factors Of Scope Management Information Technology Essay Until today, the ICT project success has yet to demonstrate an excellent track record. Findings from a research done by Standish Group from 1994 until 2009 revealed that the percentage for challenge and failure IT projects was still high as compared to that of a successful project [4]. There are many reasons which contribute to these failure. One of the main reasons is the poor PSM ([3],[5]). According to many researchers, PSM is a critical area which needs to be given attention in ensuring the success of a project ([6]-[11]). Based on the literature review, it has been found that none of the research done applies the concept of CSF in ICT PSM in order to upgrade the ICT project success. Therefore, this research was conducted with the intention to identify the CSFs in PSM, which could contribute to the ICT project success, in terms of stakeholders satisfaction, time estimation accuracy and cost estimation accuracy. It was expected that this study would give researchers some new insights on PSM CSFs for ICT project success. This paper consists of four sections, which are background, research methods, results and discussion, and conclusions. II. BACKGROUND This section explains briefly two main concepts in this research, which are ICT Project Scope Management and CSF. Then, a brief explanation will be given on the research factors which are obtained from the combination between failure factors and success factors in PSM. These factors have the potential to contribute to the ICT project success. ICT Project scope management In this research context, ICT Project Scope Management is defined as the processes required to ensure that the ICT project includes all the work required, and only the work required, to complete the project successfully [12]. Meanwhile, ICT is defined as any product that will store, retrieve, manipulate, transmit, or receive electronically in a digital form, which comprises of technology, communication and application [13]. PSM is one of the nine project management fields of knowledge [12]. It is very crucial in ensuring the project success as compared to the other eight fields of knowledge [6]. PSM includes the process of scope planning, requirements collection, scope definition, WBS creation, scope verification and scope control. All these processes are needed to ensure that only the required work will be carried out. Any unnecessary works is a waste and can increase the risks in project management [15]. Incomplete and vague project scope could cause requirement creep and scope creep [5] which could cause the project to be incomplete on time and at a predetermined cost. It could also cause the delivery produced (product, service or result) could not satisfy the stakeholders. The Critical success factor approach In 1979, Rockart introduced the CSF method and concluded that CSF is an effective and efficient method to assess data requirements [19]. This method has been studied until it becomes more stable ([20]-[21]) and it has been applied widely in various industry sectors and domains [22]. Bullen and Rockart defines CSF as the limited number of areas in which satisfactory results will ensure successful competitive performance for the individual, department, or organization. CSFs are the few key areas where things must go right for the business to flourish and for the managers goal to be attained [20]. According to them, each CSF set is created uniquely and differently based on the environment where this method is applied. In IT/ICT project management field, CSF method is applied as an effort to upgrade the ICT project success such as to plan, develop and implement the software project ([23]-[24]) and data depository execution [25]. Success Factors in ICT Project Scope Management Based on a thorough review done on academic and practitioner literatures, it has been found that there was no formal research that has been carried out to identify CSFs in ICT Project Scope Management. However, there were success and failure researches in ICT projects such as software projects, development and implementation projects of information system, web-based project and network installation project which involve project scope ([6],[23],[26]-[33]). From these researches, the factors which have the same criteria were combined according to three dimensions: Project, Process and People. To determine the project success attributes which reflect the whole perception on an ICT project success, PMBOK guidelines were used which demonstrate the essential relationship between PSM and Project Time Management, and between PSM and Project Cost Management [12]. Based on the stakeholders role and responsibility in managing project scope, the stakeholders satisfaction as an ICT project success attribute was taken into account ([12],[14],[34]-[35]). Table 1 shows the summary of the attributes used in this research. TABLE 1 SUCCESS ATTRIBUTES Dimension Attribute Overall perceived level of success Stakeholders satisfaction (Stakeholders are satisfied, accept and approve with the project scope planned, defined and implemented; All the deliverables produced by the project were accepted and approved by the stakeholders). Time estimation accuracy (All the work that has to be carried out (project scope) for a project helps successfully in estimating the time needed to complete a project; Clear main deliverables (product, service, result) helps successfully in estimating the duration of time needed to complete a project. Cost estimation accuracy (All the work that has to be done for a project (based on the scope) helps successfully in estimating the cost needed to complete the project). III. METHODOLOGY This research was an exploratory survey which used quantitative method. The instrument used was a questionnaire and it was developed based on the combination of failure and success factors gained from the literature review. Reliability test, factor analysis and regression analysis have been conducted to determine the critical success factor using SPSS version 17. Survey questionnaire In this study, a survey questionnaire was employed as the method of data collection. A structured questionnaire was constructed to capture the respondents perception of the questions. The survey instrument consists of six sections. The first section was on respondents profile and demographic information. The second, third and fourth sections were on success factors related to project, process and people. The fifth section was on perception of ICT project success. The last section was for additional comments, where respondents were invited to give any feedback or thought related to the questions stated. To measure the importance of success factors and perception of ICT project success, a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1= strongly disagree to 5=strongly agree was adopted to solicit the perceptions on the degree of importance for the identified success factors relative to the ICT project success. An in-depth discussion about the questionnaire was done with five experts in ICT project management, who were two experts from the public sector, two experts from the private sector and one expert from academia. All five experts have experience of at least five years in ICT project scope management and more than ten years of experience in ICT project development. The purpose of this discussion was to obtain opinions, views, suggestions or comments about the survey instrument content validity and face validity. Feedback from the expert was used to refine the clarity of the questionnaire items by rephrasing the items as necessary. The internal consistency reliability of the items in the questionnaire was tested by conducting a pilot study. The respondents for pilot test were ICT officers working in Malaysian public sector. A pilot survey was administered to five public sector agencies with the distribution of ten sets of questionnaires for each agency. 31 respondents returned their feedback after waiting period of 20 days. Cronbachs alpha was used for the internal consistency reliability testing. The results of these tests shows that the values for the entire construct were greater than 0.8. Thus, it shows that the items in the questionnaire have a good degree of reliability [36]. This indicates that there were no problems with the internal consistency reliability. Data collection method The target population for this study was ICT professionals in Malaysian public sectors. One thousand questionnaires, delivered personally by hand, were administered from 1st March 2010 among Malaysian public sector ministries, departments and agencies located in Putrajaya and Cyberjaya. For other locations, three hundred questionnaires were distributed using web-based survey method from 8th March 2010. The questionnaires used for both methods were the same. After six weeks of survey period, a total of 561 valid questionnaires, representing response rate of 43.15%, were received (531 were collected personally and 10 were collected through web-based interface). Data analysis method Factor analysis and stepwise multiple regression were used to analyze data from the survey questionnaire. Factor analysis was conducted in three stages [37]. The first stage was the assessment of the suitability of the data. The correlation among the factors was identified by examining the correlation matrix among items, Bartletts Test Sphericity and Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure of sampling adequacy (KMO MSA). The second stage was factor extraction. Common factor analysis and principal axis factoring technique were used to extract the factors. Kaisers criterion or eigen value rules were used to determine the number of factors to be retained. The third stage was factor rotation and interpretation. The orthogonal rotation approach with Varimax method and cut-off loading point 0.4 [38] were used to clarify the factor structure. Factor extraction and rotation will be repeated until there were no cross-loading factors or no factor loading value less than cut-off loading point. Items with fa ctor cross loading or factor loading less than cut-off loading point were eliminated [38]. Stepwise regression solution procedure was used to determine the CSFs of PSM which contribute to the ICT project success. Through this procedure, only significant success factors were used in the model. The general multiple regression model is: Y = A + B1X1 + B2X2 + à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ + BkXk where Y is the dependent variable (DV), A is the Y intercept, the Xs represent the various independent variables (IVs) and Bs are the coefficients assigned to each of the IVs during regressions [39]. In this research, the IVs were the success factors of ICT project scope management and the DVs were the stakeholders satisfaction, time estimation accuracy and cost estimation accuracy. IV. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Factor analysis The result of factor analysis as shown in Table 2 shows seven factors with 45 attributes which were included in the structure and explained 60.57% of the total variance. All the seven factors were translated according to the items included in the factors. The first factor was called stakeholders commitment which consists of 12 items. The second factor was called Work Breakdown Structure which consist of 11 items. The third factor was called project objective and justification definition which consists of 9 items. The forth factor was called change control which consists of 4 items. The fifth factor was called project constraint definition which consists of 3 items. The sixth factor was called realistic project assumption which consists of 3 items. The seventh factor was called business knowledge which consists of two items. TABLE 2 FACTOR STRUCTURE FOR PRINCIPAL AXIS FACTORING EXTRACTION AND VARIMAX ROTATION ON PSM SUCCESS FACTORS ITEMS Item Factor 1: Stakeholder commitment Percent of variance explained = 43.381, Cumulative percent of variance explained = 43.381 The project received strong top management support during the process of project scope management. The project had a cooperative and supportive process owner during requirements elicitation. The Steering Committee is committed to the meeting scheduled Users are able to explain their needs or requirements to project team or project developer. Project manager have the communication skills to communicate with all stakeholders involved in the project scope management. Project Team meetings held regularly to manage the project scope processes. Project Champion commitment, especially during a crisis in managing the project scope Project team members fully responsible in managing the project scope. Method of brainstorming or face to face is used to obtain user requirements. Project manager fully responsible in managing the project scope. Project team members have knowledge in ICT field that will be required for the development and implementation of the project. Roles and responsibilities of project team is determined and clearly defined Factor 2: Work breakdown structure Percent of variance explained = 4.892, Cumulative percent of variance explained = 48.272 The infrastructure (hardware, networking, telecommunication) specification is compatible with the product (system) to be produced. The software specification is compatible with the product (system) to be produced. The system development methodology is suitable to the product (system) to be produced The application specification is complete and clearly defined The user requirements are realistic. User requirements specific to the project objectives to be achieved. Each user requirements meet business requirements embodied in the project. User requirements can be implemented in accordance with the stipulated time period. Human resources responsible for carrying out each of work activity is clearly mapped in the WBS hierarchy. Distribution of activities in the WBS is well planned and precisely defined. The WBS defined the project overall scope. Factor 3: Project objective justification definition Percent of variance explained = 3.460, Cumulative percent of variance explained = 51.732 Specific and clear project objectives Realistic project objectives Achievable project objectives Acceptable project objectives by main stakeholders Measurable project objectives Justification stated the importance or benefit of the project implementation. Justification focuses on the organization goal to be achieved. Clearly defined works that included in the project. Justification stated the improvement of employees skill with the implementation of the project. Factor 4: Change control Percent of variance explained = 2.601, Cumulative percent of variance explained = 54.333 Coordinating Committee set the action to be taken for the change request. Decisions and actions taken for the change request was agreed by all members of the Coordinating Committee. Decision made by Coordinating Committee is well recorded Coordinating Committee taking into account the interests, benefits and negative affects for each of the change request. Factor 5: Project constraint definition Percent of variance explained = 2.409, Cumulative percent of variance explained = 56.742 Clearly defined uncontrollable project constraints. Clearly defined controllable project constraints. Source(s) for each constraint (controllable or uncontrollable) are clearly described. Factor 6: Realistic project assumption Percent of variance explained = 2.187, Cumulative percent of variance explained = 58.929 Realistic project deliverables (product, service, results) Realistic technical assumptions Realistic assumptions of project management organization Factor 7: Business knowledge Percent of variance explained = 1.644, Cumulative percent of variance explained = 60.573 Project team members have knowledge in business processes related to the project. Project manager have knowledge in business processes related to the project. The seven factors were translated into seven main hypotheses. The hypotheses were numbered from 1 to 7. Since there were three success dimensions for each factor, the corresponding success dimensions were identified by the letters a, b and c. As a result, there were a total of 21 hypotheses, from 1a until 7c as stated above. Hypotheses related to the Project dimension: H1: The existence of well-defined project objective and justification is a PSM CSF that contributes to the success of ICT project in terms of (a)Stakeholder satisfaction, (b) Time estimation accuracy, (c) Cost estimation accuracy. H2: Having realistic project assumptions is a PSM CSF that contributes to the success of ICT project in terms of (a)Stakeholder satisfaction, (b) Time estimation accuracy, (c) Cost estimation accuracy. H3: The existence of well-defined project constraints is a PSM CSF that contributes to the success of ICT project in terms of (a) Stakeholder satisfaction, (b) Time estimation accuracy, (c) Cost estimation accuracy. Hypotheses related to the Process dimension: H4: The existence of complete WBS is a PSM CSF that contributes to the success of ICT project in terms of (a) Stakeholder satisfaction, (b) Time estimation accuracy, (c) Cost estimation accuracy. H5: The practice of correct change control procedure is a PSM CSF that contributes to the success of ICT project in terms of (a) Stakeholder satisfaction, (b) Time estimation accuracy, (c) Cost estimation accuracy. Hypotheses related to the People dimension: H6: Having project team that is knowledgeable about the business process is a PSM CSF that contributes to the success of ICT project in terms of (a) Stakeholder satisfaction, (b) Time estimation accuracy, (c) Cost estimation accuracy. H7: The existence of strong stakeholder commitment is a PSM CSF that contributes to the success of ICT project in terms of (a) Stakeholder satisfaction, (b) Time estimation accuracy, (c) Cost estimation accuracy. Regression analysis A stepwise multiple regression was conducted between the three ICT project success dimensions (stakeholder satisfaction, time estimation accuracy and cost estimation accuracy) as the dependent variables and seven underlying PSM success factors as independent variables. TABLE 3 SUMMARY OF OUTCOME FROM STEPWISE MULTIPLE REGRESSION ICT project success dimensions R2 ANOVA Selected variables ÃŽÂ ² value Stakeholder satisfaction 0.614 F(3,527)= 144.3, P Strong stakeholder commitments 0.519 Complete Work breakdown structure 0.227 Well-defined project objective and justification 0.111 Time estimation accuracy 0.451 F(3,527)= 144.3, p Strong stakeholder commitments 0.346 Complete Work breakdown structure 0.318 Well-defined project objective and justification 0.100 Cost estimation accuracy 0.380 F(3,538)= 110.066, p Strong stakeholders commitment 0.390 Well-defined project constraints 0.225 Change control 0.104 Table 3 shows significantly three factors which were strong stakeholders commitment, complete WBS, and well-defined project objective and justification as the CSFs of PSM which contribute to 61.4% variant changes to ICT project success in terms of stakeholder satisfaction. The finding also reveals significantly that the three similar factors, were the CSFs of PSM which contribute to 45.1% variant changes to ICT project success in terms of time estimation accuracy. For the ICT project success in terms of cost estimation accuracy, the result demonstrates significantly that strong stakeholders commitment, change control and well-defined project constraint were the CSFs of PSM which contribute to 38% variant change to ICT project success in terms of cost estimation accuracy. With the above observations, the results of the hypotheses testing can be finalized as follows: out of 21 research hypotheses, a total of 9 hypotheses were supported, while the remaining 12 hypotheses were rejected. Those hypotheses were rejected due to their low coefficient values and high probability level for their corresponding null hypotheses. It means that the presence of those factors did not make a significance difference to the value of ICT project success dimensions. V. CONCLUSION In carrying out this quantitative research, a questionnaire survey method was used to determine the CSFs of PSM which contribute to the ICT project success. ICT project success was investigated in terms of stakeholders satisfaction, time estimation accuracy and cost estimation accuracy. A total of 557 usable data were successfully collected from the respondents who were the public sector ICT professionals. Seven success factors of PSM have been extracted through the factor analysis. The factors were strong stakeholders commitment, complete WBS, well-defined project objective and justification, change control, well-defined project constraints, realistic project assumption and good business knowledge. With the use of stepwise multiple regression analysis, it can be concluded that strong stakeholders commitment, complete WBS and well-defined project objective and justification were the PSM CSFs which contributed to the ICT project success in terms of stakeholders satisfaction and time estimation accuracy. Strong stakeholders commitment, change control and well-defined project constraint were the PSM CSFs which contributed to the ICT project success in terms of cost estimation accuracy. Strong stakeholders commitment factors were the main contribution to the three aspects of ICT project success. Realistic project assumption and project team business knowledge were failed to be proven as th e critical success factor for any aspect of ICT project success. All the critical success factors which have been discovered for each aspect of ICT project success are the main contribution from this research. These factors should be given attention by practitioners while managing ICT project scope so that the project scope that is being managed: 1) could produce deliveries (product, service and results) which successfully give satisfaction to the stakeholders, (2) successfully helps in making time estimation accurately, and (3) successfully helps in making cost estimation accurately.

Skateboarders Nationwide Restless; A Problem That Needs Attention? :: essays research papers fc

Skateboarders Nationwide Restless; A Problem That Needs Attention? Skateboarding. A sport that only requires a board and four wheels. One needs only seventy to one hundred dollars to get one. It seems pretty simple, doesn't it? Well it's not, and for one important reason. On a typical day, a skateboarder usually gets up at about 10a.m., throws their board in the trunk of their car, puts a Bad Religion tape in the tape player, picks up several other skaters and sets off to find a good spot to aggressively push their bodies to doing the unthinkable. Defying gravity, stretching the laws of physics and subjecting themselves to much physical pain and discipline all in a day's work. Everyone takes turns trying new moves and cheering each other on, a sport with no pressure to do better than anyone else, there are no winners or losers. You skate until you are exhausted, and go to bed early only to wake up and repeat the process the next morning. Skateboarders are mostly straight-edge, which means that they do not use drugs, or alcohol. This is because skateboarding, and improving requires almost constant practice. This determination in only clouded by the effects of drugs. Anyway when one performs an intricate maneuver flawlessly, the rush is greater than any pot or coke. Unfortunately, this cannot happen when a skater is denied access to their sanctuaries, there favorite spot. A good example is given by Johnston foster- "Last summer, me and some friends were skating at Phi Beta Kappa Hall, the theater at the College of William and Mary. I pulled a phat 360 kickflip down the three steps out front. The session was hot, we were all on (landing most attempted tricks) and it wasn't too hot out side. We all sat down to rest and then heard sirens in the distance. We saw a blue and white William and Mary Police officers' car pull into the parking lot. We got ready to run, but then realized it was too late. The officer made generalizations and decided that we are the skateboarders that previous complaints had been made about. Not listening to our sides of the story, the officer proceeded to write me and five others, ages ranging from 11-17 trespass warnings, stating that we are not allowed to be on the William and Mary campus for a year. The thing that sucks is that we had never been asked to leave by anyone before, no one at Phi Beta warned us and no signs were posted. How could she do that?

Alcohol on Academics :: essays research papers

Alcohol, when consumed in reason, can be fine. But when it is taken in great quantities it can be very detrimental to a student. Heather Wilson and Jeremy Foster wrote a perspective on drugs and alcohol in a book aimed to warn people about the dangers of alcohol and drugs. Here is there account. "During parents weekend, she, her roommate, and their parents went to her best friend's room and found her soaked in blood and tears on the dorm-room floor. Heather's friend had a history of depression, and the combination of this, a bottle of Jack Daniel's Black Label, and too much cold medicine left her ravaged and suicidal"(Kuhn 21). The girl in the story turned out to be ok. She had tried to slit her wrists the night before. The story went on to say that, "They found her in time to save her, but she will always carry the scars where she cut her wrists"(Kuhn 21). In this paper I intend to prove how alcohol is detrimental to college students. Our brain controls everything we do. Without it we wouldn't be able to perform the simplest of tasks It is one of if not the most important thing we have as a person. As a college student I rely heavily on my brain to help me with all of the assignments for my classes. But what if my brain didn't work properly? When alcohol is inputted into the brain, it induces many output actions such as; impaired judgment, extreme emotion, and slowed behavior (Alcohol and its effects). Not only are the short term effects enough to side track any academic student, but the long term effects could have serious implications on your life. Long-term effects include damage in cognitive behavior, difficulty in learning new material, deficits in abstraction, problem solving, and reduced visuospatial abilities (Alcohol and its effects). One of the long term effects listed was difficulty in learning. Now if you start drinking in high school, like most college aged students do, you already have a disadvantage against everyother person who choses not to drink. Researchers have found that the brains of alcoholics are smaller and have an increased number of brain tissue loss then a nonalcoholic(Alcohol and its effects). This would lead someone to believe that somebody who is the same age and does not drink would be faster and quicker in cognitive abilities(Alcohol and its effects).

operation overlord Essay -- essays research papers

Operation Overlord   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  By 1944 World War II had lasted nearly four and a half years. The entire war now depended on the success or failure of an invasion of France. The first three years of the war had almost entirely been a chain of Nazi victories. They had succeeded in crushing Poland and forcing France to surrender. Hitler’s attempts at capturing England were halted by the RAF, Royal Air Force. After the devastating Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hitler declared war on the United States and forced Italy to follow.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  By November of 1942 Hitler began to pay for his string of mistakes. In Egypt his favorite General, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, had been defeated at The Alamein by the British Eighth Army, after being trapped between two armies. Hitler, fearing he would be captured, ordered him back. The fighting in Russia had been so severe and deadly that Marshal Stalin was demanding an allied landing in France, so as to force Hitler to move his troops from Stalin’s divisions in the East. The line of trust between Stalin and the allies was thin, but fearing Russia would leave the was, the United States and Britain send Canadian soldiers and British commandos to raid France’s Port of Dieppe. Nearly five-thousand troops were either dead, wounded or captured by the alert German forces, it had been a disaster.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Britain and the United States were butting heads on whether to invade Europe at the earliest possible opportunity. Britain argued that a failure of not capturing a strong hold on a beachhead could set them back two years. In August of 1943, Roosevelt and Churchill met in Quebec, Canada and the invasion was approved. The plan included the landing of allied troops on different beaches, and also the battles that would follow, on the quest for Berlin. The shortest route would be Dover to Calais, but that would be a place where Germany would expect an invasion and would be heavily guarded. Now all eyes were pointing towards Normandy. The distance was almost twice that of Dover to Calais.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The final review of Operation Overlord was held on May 15,1944 at the St. Paul’s school in West London. The plan had taken nearly two years to plan. Attending the review was everyone who had a role i... ...o late, the Germans had waited too long. The Germans fought to reach the gap and the British fought to reach Caen. Allied planes came to relieve some troops in the Cotentin, and planes and naval gunfire cut off the Germans. It was a stalemate. When Hitler awoke and released the two divisions, he thought it would be enough to rid the allies in Normandy. The Panzer divisions got word at 5 p.m. and were ordered to move out at first light. It was too late. By June 8th, the holds on the beachheads were strong. 155,000 soldiers were poured into Normandy on the first day alone.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  No accurate number of how many allied troops died in Normandy can be determined. After fifty-five days the allied troops had reached where they should have five days after the initial invasion. Still they prevailed. D-day had been the beginning of the end for the German rule. Today signs of the massive, and deadly battles that took place on the Normandy beaches can still be seen. Rusting hulks of ships still sunk in the sea can be seen. But the most visible, is the military cemeteries and the rows of carefully placed white crosses that remind people the cost of the invasion that day. operation overlord Essay -- essays research papers Operation Overlord   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  By 1944 World War II had lasted nearly four and a half years. The entire war now depended on the success or failure of an invasion of France. The first three years of the war had almost entirely been a chain of Nazi victories. They had succeeded in crushing Poland and forcing France to surrender. Hitler’s attempts at capturing England were halted by the RAF, Royal Air Force. After the devastating Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hitler declared war on the United States and forced Italy to follow.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  By November of 1942 Hitler began to pay for his string of mistakes. In Egypt his favorite General, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, had been defeated at The Alamein by the British Eighth Army, after being trapped between two armies. Hitler, fearing he would be captured, ordered him back. The fighting in Russia had been so severe and deadly that Marshal Stalin was demanding an allied landing in France, so as to force Hitler to move his troops from Stalin’s divisions in the East. The line of trust between Stalin and the allies was thin, but fearing Russia would leave the was, the United States and Britain send Canadian soldiers and British commandos to raid France’s Port of Dieppe. Nearly five-thousand troops were either dead, wounded or captured by the alert German forces, it had been a disaster.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Britain and the United States were butting heads on whether to invade Europe at the earliest possible opportunity. Britain argued that a failure of not capturing a strong hold on a beachhead could set them back two years. In August of 1943, Roosevelt and Churchill met in Quebec, Canada and the invasion was approved. The plan included the landing of allied troops on different beaches, and also the battles that would follow, on the quest for Berlin. The shortest route would be Dover to Calais, but that would be a place where Germany would expect an invasion and would be heavily guarded. Now all eyes were pointing towards Normandy. The distance was almost twice that of Dover to Calais.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The final review of Operation Overlord was held on May 15,1944 at the St. Paul’s school in West London. The plan had taken nearly two years to plan. Attending the review was everyone who had a role i... ...o late, the Germans had waited too long. The Germans fought to reach the gap and the British fought to reach Caen. Allied planes came to relieve some troops in the Cotentin, and planes and naval gunfire cut off the Germans. It was a stalemate. When Hitler awoke and released the two divisions, he thought it would be enough to rid the allies in Normandy. The Panzer divisions got word at 5 p.m. and were ordered to move out at first light. It was too late. By June 8th, the holds on the beachheads were strong. 155,000 soldiers were poured into Normandy on the first day alone.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  No accurate number of how many allied troops died in Normandy can be determined. After fifty-five days the allied troops had reached where they should have five days after the initial invasion. Still they prevailed. D-day had been the beginning of the end for the German rule. Today signs of the massive, and deadly battles that took place on the Normandy beaches can still be seen. Rusting hulks of ships still sunk in the sea can be seen. But the most visible, is the military cemeteries and the rows of carefully placed white crosses that remind people the cost of the invasion that day.

Product Life Cycle Essay

Definition: Products come and go. A company’s challenge is to hold on to its customers longer than it holds on to its products. It needs to watch the market life cycle and the customer life cycle more than the product life cycle. Someone at Ford realized this: â€Å"If we’re not customer driven, our cars won’t be either.† One selects marketing tools that are appropriate to the stage of the product’s life cycle. For example, advertising and publicity will produce the biggest payoff in the introduction stage of a product; their job is to build consumer awareness and interest. Sales promotions and personal selling grow more important during a product’s maturity stage. Personal selling can strengthen customers’ comprehension of your product’s advantages and their conviction that the offering is worthwhile. Product Development and Life-Cycle Strategies: In the face of changing customer needs, technologies and competition, product innovation or the development of new products has become vital to a company’s survival. Introducing new products, however, is not sufficient. The firm must also know how to manage the new product as it goes through its life cycle: that is, from its birth, through growth and maturity, to eventual demise as newer products come along that better serve consumer needs. This product life cycle presents two principal challenges. First, because all products eventually decline, the firm must find new products to replace ageing ones (the problem of new-product development). Second, the firm must understand how its products age and adapt its marketing strategies as products pass through life-cycle stages (the problem of product life-cycle, strategies’). We therefore look initially at the problem of finding and developing new products, and then at the challenge of managing them successfully over their life cycles. Innovation and New-Product Development: Given the rapid changes in taste, technology and competition, a company cannot rely solely on its existing products to sustain growth or to maintain  profitability. The firm can hope to maintain market and profit performance only by continuous product innovation. Product innovation encompasses a variety of product development activities – product improvement, development of entirely new ones, and extensions that increase the range or number of lines of product the firm can offer. Product innovations are not to be confused with inventions. The latter are a new technology or product which may or may not deliver benefits to customers. An innovation is defined as an idea, product or piece of technology that has been developed and marketed to customers ‘who perceive it as novel or new. We may call it a process of identifying, creating and delivering new-product values or benefits that were not offered before in the marketplace. In this chapter we look specifically at new products as opposed to value creation through marketing actions (such as product/brand repositioning, segmentation of current markets). We also need to distinguish between obtaining new products through acquisition – by buying a whole company, a patent or a licence to produce someone else’s product – and through new-product development in the company’s own research and development department. As the costs of developing and introducing major new products have climbed, many large companies have decided to acquire existing brands rather than to create new ones. Other firms have saved money by copying competitors’ brands or by reviving old brands. These routes can contribute to a firm’s growth and have both advantages and limitations. In this chapter, we are mainly concerned with how businesses create and market new products. By new products we mean original products, product improvements, pnxhict modifications and new brands that the firm develops through its own research and development efforts. Risks and Returns Jri Innovation Innovation can be very risky for a number of reasons: 1. New-product development is an expensive affair – it cost Tate & Lyle around  £150 million to develop a new sugar substitute; pharmaceutical firms spend an average of . £100-50 million to develop a new drug; while developing a super-jumbo project could cost billions. 2. New-product development takes time. Although companies can dramatically shorten their development time, in many industries, such as  Pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, aerospace and food, new-product development cycles can be as long as 10-15 years. The uncertainty and unpredictability of market environments further raise the risks of commercialization. Roots had to withdraw Manoplex, a heart drug, less than a year after its launch in the United Kingdom, after a trial on 3,000 patients in the United States and Scandinavia suggested an adverse effect on patient survival. The pharmaeeudeals division lost about  £200 million on the drug, which cost nearly  £100 million to develop over a period of 12 years, and about S20 million was spent on promoting and marketing it. 3. Unexpected delays in development are also a problem. History is littered with grand pioneering engineering projects which have failed to satisfy the original expectations of bankers, investors and politicians. The Seikan rail tunnel, connecting the island of Hokkaido to mainland Japan, was completed 14 years late and billions of pounds over budget; the S10 billion cost of the Channel tunnel, which opened on 6 May ] 994, a year later than originally planned, is more than double the  £4,8 billion forecast in 1987. 4. The new-product success record is not encouraging either. New products continue to fail at a disturbing rate. One recent study estimated that new consumer packaged goods (consisting mostly of line extensions) fail at a rate of 80 per cent. The same high failure rate appears to afflict new financial products and services, such as credit cards, insurance plans and brokerage services. Another study found that about 33 per cent of new industrial products fail at launch. Despite the risks, firms that learn to innovate well become less vulnerable to attacks by new entrants which discover new ways of delivering added values, benefits and solutions to customers’ problems.