Tesco’s Success Story

Tesco's success story Some of the key reasons for  Tesco’s  success include: Tesco  has been particularly successful because of its powerful brand. It has a reputation for value, low prices and for being customer focused. Its brand equity and associations have helped the company to expand into new sectors and markets. Tesco  has also been strong in public relations, advertising and building profile in catchment areas on a local level. This local approach to marketing appears to be a key driver for success. Tesco  has a good range of products, including own label products.It seeks to provide excellent customer service, and ensure high levels of customer satisfaction. The own label products have helped strengthen profits for the group, and it broad appeal through good, better, best (finest ranges) caters for the widest consumer audience. Aggressive overseas expansion has helped to keep profits high. The organisation has expanded into Eastern Europe, emerging nations su ch as China and South Korea and even the US, through mid market supermarkets known as, â€Å"fresh and easy†.Its strategy of being close to the customer has been assisted in the UK specifically, when  Tesco  developed different formats for shopping (convenience, metro, express, superstores). It has been the best retailer for format delivery and obtaining some of the best retail positions. It gained a first mover advantage when it launched  Tesco. com, which is one of the biggest and most successful online retailers. This part of the business continues to grow market share and has provided a channel to sell non-food items and other areas of the business including finance.Information technology has revolutionized the retailer, not only in stock-control and distribution worldwide, but also in terms supplier management. It has enabled better I) retailer-manufacturer innovation ii)  shorterning  of decision making and greater knowledge sharing. Tesco  is one of the mos t advanced companies in consumer understanding aided by IT (e. g. Dunhumby  and  Tesco  Clubcard  data). Consumer data has i) shaped product offerings ii) ranges iii) given  Tesco  a better understanding of consumer segments and shopping profiles and iv) helped marketing to build loyalty and develop promotion offerings that suit target groups.This level of sophistication has helpedTesco  to remain leader within the UK market. Suppliers are internationally sourced, and  Tesco  gains scale economies from its large buying volumes. This has enabled the company to keep prices down and supported its low price strategy aimed at the broad consumer market. However, the company has been criticized for its management of suppliers and clashes with the farmers union. There has been growing opposition to the supermarket because of its size, and the government (through the Monopolies and Mergers Commission) has been involved in ensuring competitive markets in the UK.Recent acquis itions such as T;amp;S stores, have led to a high concentration, with only few dominant players within the market. The organisation has a diversified product portfolio, which includes telecommunications, finance, insurance, which provides cross and up sell opportunities to customers. Profits have been invested to support research and development, and its aggressive international expansion plans. Read more:  http://www. businessteacher. org. uk/business-resources/case-study-database/tesco-case-study/#ixzz2B9gukB98

Importance of consumer centric approach marketing Essay

           A consumer centric approach is a method in marketing that focuses on the needs and wants of an individual consumer (Kaufmann & Mohammed 302). The approach does not deal with customers like the mass market. It makes constant interaction with the customers. This is done so as to get information that makes a business understand what are customers’ expectations, perceptions and desires. By acquiring all the necessary information the business is able to design new and best strategies to increase its loyalty in the services and products. The businesses also use this approach to increase the customer’s satisfaction. The customer centric is like focusing on what the customers’ value in life. After finding that value is when the business can dedicate its efforts on a particular high value customer segment. Internal and external factors associated with consumer-centric             According to Jham & Puri (3) there are internal and external factors that affect the consumer- centric method from identifying the customers’ behavior. They make it difficult for a business and its consumer to have an interaction. The external factors are the environmental influences and the internal factors are the individual differences. The external factors such as social class, personal influence, attitudes and family: complicate the consumer’s decisions (Jham & Puri 3). The internal factors include; motivation knowledge, personality, attitudes, lifestyle, consumers’ resources and values. They also affect the consumer’s decisions. The consumer resource as part of internal factors; reflects on time and money. It is difficult to establish an interaction with the consumer if he or she is not financially stable. The most crucial factor is behavior. Most of the customer’s can buy the product out of convenience not because they bel ieve in the brand. Why do we need to focus on consumers?            The customers are very important in a business. They are the ones who determine the success of any organization. When an organization focus on consumer satisfaction; it becomes easy to find some metric that it can use to improve its business. However, it also becomes easy to manage the selling of the products and services. Concentrating on consumers has advantages to the business. It helps the business identify the consumer’s loyalty (Beard 1). The consumers’ acts like advocates in a business. They can help the business grow. A satisfied customer is able to share with others the goodness of the product or a service. This help increase the rate of consumers in a certain business. They are like small marketers or â€Å"evangelists.† Unhappy customer results to a risk of losing many consumers in the business. This is because of the negative word of mouth.               Concentrating on consumer help bring differentiation (Beard 1). A market is a competitive place that every business fights to get more customers. In order to succeed in this kind of environment one need to focus customer satisfaction. The customer can only choose to associate with the business that satisfies them. They find that kind of businesses unique and different from others. Customer satisfaction reduces Churning. Poor services make customers want to experience products from the competitors. A certified customer does not find it necessary to experience the quality of other products. In a business, it is very expensive and difficult to acquire new customers. The organization may spend resources on marketing and adverts so as to acquire more customers. The best option to avoid these circumstances is by retaining customers through satisfaction. It is the only way for a business to succeed. Consumer-centric in companies          Customer centric marketing is used by many companies in the world today. The companies that use this approach become knowledgeable on ways to enhance their products and services. However, the consumer-centric companies have more qualities compared to others. They are accessible. The customers find it easy to connect with them. They are responsive. They are able to reach out to their customers by different channels and respond to their suggestions and needs. Customer centric marketing (CRM) has been upgraded into eCRM in many companies (Kaufmann & Mohammed 302). The advances in the technology have changed the way consumers such for information of the products they need. The old CRM did not satisfy the needs of all consumers.             With the help of the new technology both eCRM with traditional CRM are now used by companies to enhance consumer quality service standards. The eCRM is a new tool being used by many companies to enhance their marketing skills. This is because it allows transferring of information across channels through the data driven tools. The companies that use eCRM are able to increase consumer satisfaction, their services and loyalty. However, some of them have increased online sell through this new technology. Customer centric companies have large market share compared to others. This is because they are able to reach out the market through â€Å"customer satisfaction.† This is very important thing. Other companies that do not have CRM have small market share. The business can only have a large market share by being the heart of the consumers. Concept of relationship marketing in consumer-centric approach            Relationship marketing is a concept in the business related to Consumer-centric marketing. Its main agenda is to achieve the consumer’s loyalty. The approach makes sure the businesses have interaction and long term engagement with the consumers (Learning business 1). The approach allows open communication with customers and gives them information suited for their needs. It makes the business develop an emotional connection or relationship with the customer. This approach is same as the consumer-centric. It deals with loyalty and developing a good interaction with the consumers. It has the same agenda of satisfying consumers. The methods used in relationship marketing apply in CRM. They use methods such as; marketing campaigns. This can be used by the CRM to promote organizations, the products, special offers and the brand.             Methods such as competitive prices, excellent customer services and quality products are essential in providing a good relationship with the customers (Learning marketing 1). They lead to best buyer- consumer relationship. They are the best methods of retaining customers in a business. However, the relationship marketing monitoring methods used to ensure customer satisfaction are appropriate for CRM. Personal interview by use of questionnaires or phone calls is best to find out consumers view regarding products and services. The mystery shoppers can also be applied. They include suggestion boxes, online surveys. Customer complaints and customers’ general comments are also important. They help business know where they stand in the market. The CRM help the business to come up with the best market segmentation. It is because they can know the needs of each individual in a certain area. The fit of marketing offering in consumer-centric approach             Marketing offering is appropriate when using the consumer- centric approach. It is because it deals with additional values to the customers (Hunt 1). In order to deliver values such as availability, technical support, convenient delivery or quality service; CRM is the right approach. It deals with maintaining a good relationship with the consumers. Adding the values to CRM helps the consumers be more loyal and trust the products or services. The offering marketing fits in the CRM because before it is carried out. The business needs to understand customers’ important factors. They help understand if the products are supportive or convenient. The convenience acts like a differentiator between the values offered to that of the competitors. The offerings are determinants whether the customer can buy from a certain company or not. They also involve the customer service similar to the CRM. If a business responds to the request of customers immediately; it gives t hem confidence. Conclusion               Customer- centric is a good approach for business. It enable establish a good relationship between the business and consumers. However, it responds to customers request which a very important aspect. Customer satisfaction is a very important thing. Consumers determine the growth of the business. They are advocates. A business that practices consumer satisfaction has a competitive differentiation. However they do not experience churning since their services and products are convincing than others. CRM is related to the relationship market. All this approaches are interested in customers’ loyalty. They are approaches that help the business acquire a large market share. Customers’ are always attracted with satisfaction than any other thing in the product or service. Reference Beard, R. Why customer satisfaction is very important (6 reasons). (2014). Retrieved on 27th February 2015. < http://blog.clientheartbeat.com/why-customer-satisfaction-is-important/> Hunt, Shelby D.  Marketing Theory: Foundations, Controversy, Strategy, Resource-Advantage Theory. Armonk, N.Y: M.E. Sharpe, 2010. Print. Jham, Vimi, and Sandeep Puri.  Cases on Consumer-Centric Marketing Management. Hershey, PA: Business Science Reference, 2014. Internet resource.Kaufmann, Hans R, and Mohammad F. A. K. Panni.  Customer-centric Marketing Strategies: Tools for Building Organizational Performance. Hershey, PA: Business Science Reference, 2013. Print. Learning marketing. (2014). Relationship marketing. Retrieved on 27th February 2015.< http://www.learnmarketing.net/relationshipmarketing.htm> Source document

Business Ethics Essay

Ethics is a collection of moral principles and rules of conduct accepted by part or all of the members of a society. Ethics guides behaviour based on beliefs about what is right and wrong. The source of these beliefs may be tradition, religion, or reasoned judgments about what is best for the individual and society as a whole. Business Ethics is the group of rules of conduct applied specifically to business situations. Ethics is not the same as law. Many ethical beliefs are formally reinforced by law, but many are not. Until recently, it was legal to fire almost any employee for any reason, regardless of the length of his or her service. Often the terminated employees was denied any provision for a company pension. Today, this practice is inhibited by federal law. In practice, ethics is expressed and felt as a combination of pressures that direct one to take or not to take certain actions. Decisions must be acceptable to many different elements of society. First, they must be acceptable to the conscience of the decision maker. A manager may legitimately think, â€Å" I could legally take this action, and I could probably get others to accept it, but I ought not do it because it is not right.† Managers must consider the potential effects of their decisions on the people and companies directly involved with the business operation: customers, suppliers, competitors, employees, investors, and creditors. In addition, manager must consider- and try to control- the possible effects of their decisions on the community at large. It is only recently that business has become aware of how it affects individuals and the whole society. The lassez-faire business environment of the nineteenth century promoted the belief that almost any practice that increased profits was, in the long run, good for the country. The result was cutthroat competition, fraud, deceptive marketing, price and market manipulation, worthless and dangerous products, exploitation of workers, and other practices that today are considered unethical. At the same time that so many harmful business activities were being carried on, some companies did abide by the fundamentals of good business ethics. At the height of the ruthless development of the nineteenth century, many managers still believed in producing high-quality products, honestly sold at a fair price. They felt success could be built on hardwork, creativity, and genuine customer satisfaction. It is the belief that high ethical standards are in the long run good for profits that is stressed in business today. In spite of improvements, however, there is evidence that managing a business may involve, at every level, a compromise with an individual’s ethical standards. In 1975, a major survey asked 238 managers whether they felt â€Å" pressured to compromise their personal standards to attain the company goals. â€Å" About 50 percent of the top-level executives said they did. Ethical Issues Ethical issues are not confined to court cases. All business people face them daily, and they stem from a variety of sources. Although some types of issues arise infrequently, others occur regularly. Let’s take a closer look at several ethical issues. Fairness and Honesty Fairness and honesty in business are two important ethical concerns. Besides obeying all laws and regulations, business persons are expected to refrain from knowingly deceiving, misrepresenting, or intimidating others. Organizational Relationships A business person may be tempted to place his or her personal welfare above the welfare of others or the welfare of the organization. Relationship with customers and coworkers often create ethical problems– since confidential information is expected to be kept secret and all obligation should be honoured. Unethical behaviour in these areas includes taking credit for others’ ideas or work, not meeting one’s obligation in a mutual agreement, and pressuring others to behave unethically. Conflict of interest Conflict of interest results when a business person takes advantage of a situation for his or her own interest rather than for the employer’s interest. Such conflict may occur when payments and gifts make their way into business deals. A wise rule to remember is that anything given to a person that might unfairly influence that person’s business decision is a bribe, and all bribes are unethical. Communications Business communications, especially advertising, can present ethical questions. False and misleading advertising is illegal and unethical, and it can infuriate customers. Sponsors of advertisements aimed at children must be especially careful to avoid misleading messages. Advertisers of health-related products must also take precautions to guard against deception when using such descriptive terms as â€Å" low fat,† â€Å" fat-free,† and â€Å" light.† Demand for Ethical Behaviour Businesses, governments, and the public are all paying more attention to business ethics. The Foreign Corrupt Practice Act (FCPA) of 1977 was enacted in response to disclosure that American corporations were paying bribes to high governmental officials in foreign countries. The bribes were used in an attempt to win contracts and sell products and services. In their defense, the companies argued that firms in other countries did the same thing; the American firms had to pay bribes or risk losing sales. Congress disagreed and passed the FCPA to outlaw the practice. Bribes and kickbacks have come under particularly close scrutiny lately. A kickback occurs when someome who has won a contract or made a sale through favourable treatement gives back part of the profits from the transaction to the party providing the favour. For example, a retailer hires a market researcher to find a good location for a new store. The retailer does not know that the researcher has previously agreed to recommend the property of a real estate developer. In return, the researcher will secretly receive a percentage of the first year’s rent on the property. A bribe is a payment made â€Å"up front’ to influence a transaction. Thus, a bribe occurs before a transaction and a kickback afterwards. Bribery is especially a problem in overseas dealings. Following a criminal investigation by the Justice Department, Lockheed Corporation pleaded guilty to charges of concealing payoffs to Japanese business and government officials. Lockheed was fined $647,000. In another instance, the Brunwick Corporation admitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission that it had paid bribes to two Latin American countries to win contracts. The Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company faced a 747-count federal indictment for giving kickbacks to beer retailers and distributors in exchange for their business. It later agreed to pay a $750,000 penalty. Most recently, General Dynamics, General Electric, and other large companies have been charged with defrauding the Pentagon. The illegal exploits of Ivan Boesky and other Wall Street traders sent shock waves through the Investment community in 1987. In December 1988, the Wall Street firm of Drexel Burham Lambert pleaded guilty to six felony counts of mail, wire, and security fraud and agreed to pay $650 million in fines and restitution. It subsequently filed for bankruptcy. Michael Milken, head of Drexel’s Beverly Hills junk bond office, agreed in 1990 to plead guilty to six felony counts and to pay $600 million in fines and restitution. Also in 1990, American Express publicly apologized for what it admitted was a â€Å"shameful† and â€Å"baseless† smear campaign against rival financier Edmund Safra. Among other things, the company had spread false rumours that Safra was connected to drug cartels. The company agreed to donate $8 million to charities selected by Safra. At about the same time, the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) scandal was exploding. Finally shut down by regulators in mid-1991, Luxembourg-based BCCI had been under suspicion since the 1970s. The collapse of BCCI, which operated in 73 countries, revealed fraud of historic proportion, involving bribery, corruption, money laundering, gun running, drug smuggling, terrorism, amd more than $5 billion in lost and stolen assets. COMPANY POLICIES AND BUSINESS ETHICS Within the workplace, an additional factor— the company itself– can influence ethical behaviour, if not always beliefs. As illegal and/or unethical activities by managers have caused more problems for companies, many firms have taken steps to encourage their employees to practise more ethical behaviour. The Strategies for Success â€Å" Succeeding with Ethical Business Behaviour offers some guidelines. Perhaps the single most significant thing a company can do to influence its employees is to demonstrate top management’s support for ethical behaviour. During a recent scandal at Rockwell International ‘s Rocky Flat plutonium plant, for example, executives’ unwillingness to acknowledge wrongdoing led to greater problems. If Rockwell executives had responded more openly, the company might not have lost its right to operate the Rocky Flats plant. To demonstrate their commitment to ethical business practices, many companies have adopted written codes of ethics that formally acknowledge the firm’s intent to conduct its business ethically. An excellent illustration of the power of business ethics occurred a few years ago at Johnson & Johnson. On two different occasions, several of the company’s Tylenol capsules were found to be laced with cyanide. Such a disaster would have ruined many companies. Managers at Johnson & Johnson, however, quickly recalled all of the Tylenol capsules still on retailer’s shelves and offered fortright and candid information whenever asked. The highly ethical practices exemplified by Johnson & Johnson allowed both the firm and the Tylenol brand to bounce back much more quickly than anyone thought possible. A lively current debate concerns the degree to which business ethics can be â€Å"taught â€Å" in schools. Not surprisingly, business schools have been important participants in such debates. But companies also need to educate their employees. More and more firms are taking this route by offering ethics training to their managers. Such training helps employees to assess situations in which they might have to make reasoned, ethical decisions. ETHICS AS A PRACTICAL MATTER A message from David R. Whitwam Chairman of the Board Whirpool corporation The question of ethics in business conduct has become one of the most serious challenges to the business community in modern times. At Whirpool, we share with millions of other Americans, a deep concern over recent relationships of unethical and othen illegal conduct on the part of some of this nation’s most prominant business people and corporation. The purpose of this message is not to pass judgement on any of these occurrence; each must and will be judged on its own merits by those charged with that responsibility. Rather this message is intended to place firmly on record the position of Whirpool Corporation regarding business ethics and the conduct of every Whirpool employee. It represents an irrevocable commitment to our customers and stockholders that our actions will be governed by the highest personal and professional standards in all activities relating to the operation of this business. Over the years, circumstances have prompted us to develop a number of specific policies dealing with such critical elements of ethical business practice as conflict of interest, gifts, political activities, entertainment, and substantiation of claims We aslo have a basic statement of ethics which places the ultimate responsibility for ethical behaviour precisely where it belongs in any organization†¦. on the shoulders of the person in charge: â€Å" No employee of this company will ever be called upon to do anything in the line of duty that is morally, ethically or legally wrong. Furthermore, if in the operation of this complex enterprise, an employee should come upon circumstances of which he or she cannot be personally proud, it should be that person’s duty to bring it to the attention of the top management if unable to correct the matter in any other way.† Every Whirpool manager carries the dual responsibility implicit in this policy statement, including the chairman of the board. Our written policies deals with nearly all facets of business experience. We review, revise and recommunicate them to our managers on a regular basis†¦. and we see that our managers carry on the communication throughout the company. But as a practical matter, there is no way to assure ethical behaviour with written policies and policies statements. In the final analysis, â€Å" ethical behaviour â€Å" must be an integral part of the organization, a way of life that is deeply ingrained in the collective corporate body. I believe this condition exists at Whirpool, and that it constitutes our greatest single assurance that htis company’s employees will conduct the affairs of this business in a manner consistent with the highest standards of ehtical behaviour. At Whirpool we have certain ways of doing things. They are commonly accepted practices, enforced not by edict, but rather by a mutual conviction that they will, in the long term, work in the best interest of our customers, our stockholders, the company and all its employees. In any business enterprise, ethical behaviour must be a tradition, a way of conducting one’s affairs that is passed on from generation to generation of employees at all levels of the organization. It is the responsibility of management , starting at the very top. to both set the examples by personall conduct and create an environment that not only encourages and rewards ethical behaviour, but which also makes anything less totally unacceptable. I believe this has been achieved at Whirpool. The men who founded this company back in 1911 were individually possessed of great integrity and honour. They forstered a tradition of ethical conduct in their business practices, and they perpetuated that tradition through careful selection of the people who would one day fall heir to leadership of the company. The system works. Time and time again I have witnessed its efficacy. It shows no hospitality whatsoever to those not willing to abide by its standards, and unerringly identifies and purges them. Unfortunately, the system is not automatically self-sustaining. It must be constantly reaffirmed by each new generation of leaders. In the position I now occupy, I view this as one of my most important responsibilities. As this company grows, and as the pressures upon it increase, maintaining our tradition of ethicial conduct become an increasingly difficult task. But I am confident it will be maintained, because it is necessary for continued growth, profitability and success. Sincerely, Remark: Business ethics: the study of moral behaviour, character, guiding beliefs, standards, or ideas that pervade a group, a community, a person; it deals with what is right and wrong, good and bad. The question of ethics- the branch of philosophy that deals with the â€Å" right† and â€Å" wrong† of human behaviour- has been connected with business since the beginning of commerce. In business, what determines the line between honest and dishonest methods? What is ethical business conduct? What is unethical business conduct? Answers to these questions may not be consistent because they depend upon the ethical standards of the person passing judgment, and the basic moral and beliefs of society. The guides to business ethics in our society derive primarily from religion and law. – Religious teaching spell out the requirements for moral responsibility. – Law provides codes for governing business behaviour.

Dominique Francon loves Roark yet struggles to destroy him. Why And Essay

Dominique Francon loves Roark yet struggles to destroy him. Why And how does this conflict connect to the novel's theme and meaning - Essay Example olumn seriously, and instead uses it to mock the institution that she writes for, the architects she writes about, and even the readers who read her work and actually take what she writes seriously. We might even go so far as to say that she mocks herself when she makes a mockery of her column which is a parody of what a real newspaper column should be. While she despises people such as Ellsworth Toohey and Peter Keating, she sees them socially and heaps praises on them through her writing and even marries Peter Keating at one point in the novel. The greatest contradiction that we find in Dominique Francon is her apparent love for Howard Roark and her continuous attempts to discredit and destroy him as an architect, which is to say that she seeks to destroy him as a man. But it cannot be doubted that she loves Howard Roark – from the moment they met, she became compelled to have him in her thoughts all the time. Also from the moment they met, her very existence became a struggle against wanting to go to him and knowing that she must wait for him to come to her. After leaving the countryside (and the quarry), Dominique felt that â€Å"she was not free any longer. Each step through the streets hurt her now. She was tied to him - as he was tied to every part of the city.† (Rand, 1943) However, after (officially) meeting him at a formal party and finding out that he was the architect Howard Roark, she used her column to sway the public’s sympathy away from Roark’s buildings, by seeming to take a disparaging attitude against his buildings, most notably against the Enright house. Within that contradiction is another contradiction, in the sense that Dominique chooses to disparage Roark’s work by subtly praising it, by saying that it makes all other buildings look terrible because of because of the contrast between Roark’s buildings’ marked greatness and understated dignity and everything else in the city – an act that goes unnoticed by most readers and is

Strategy Formulation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Strategy Formulation - Essay Example In this respect effective use of communication techniques within and without the organization is emphasized by strategic management experts in order to achieve these long term objectives. Communication within the organization is necessarily influenced by its leadership style and organizational culture and structure. A vertical top-down structure with an autocratic leadership style is less likely to facilitate efficient communication between different layers of the hierarchy while conversely a horizontal structure with a democratic leadership style would more likely facilitate good communication flow between departments. Strategic long term goals such as market share, profitability, an increase in the share price, quality improvements, customer satisfaction and brand loyalty have to be achieved by adopting such strategies as good internal and external communication practices, employee relations, good motivation strategies and HRM practices, sound financial management including positive cash flows and better overall performance metrics. For example there are good and bad business practices being adopted by companies in the process of planning and design of management and business strategy. Many organizations depend on the available information to make such decisions. This is strategically a bad business practice because information asymmetry often misleads managers and their subsequent decisions based on such imbalanced information could be wrong. Nowadays organizations have better approaches to such intricate problems. In the planning and design process of VRIO (value, rarity, inimitability and organization) framework businesses have adopted such revolutionary approaches. For instance Accenture, the largest strategic management consultancy in the world, places emphasis on VRIO framework in such a manner that it’s very difficult for its competitors to duplicate its VRIO environment in any meaningful manner. This example illustrates

Quality Management and Continuous Improvement Uni 1 DB SA Second Week Essay

Quality Management and Continuous Improvement Uni 1 DB SA Second Week - Essay Example ention costs the hotel should capitalize on training staff on using the hotel system reducing lead times, check in and out process times making the hotel efficient. For internal failure costs the hotel should ensure all the room services have met the quality requirements and are readily available at customer change requests. This effectively reduces lead time process and reduces time during change requests process. For external costs the hotel should ensure the all the services are available at check- in and out times. To determine the cost of quality for Hotel Escargo it’s important to use the metrics such check in and out times, change request process times and customer satisfaction. Examples of cost of quality under appraisal include a suggestion box cost for customers to give feedback on services received. For prevention costs include training and education of staff for technical use of hotel systems (Shelton, 2014). For internal failure costs include equipment and system failure costs to meet systems failures effectively. For external cost include complaints cost to timely deal with customer

A report on highest priority program Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

A report on highest priority program - Essay Example Also, the Department of Defense feels that the State has to bring back the allied forces so that the cost of maintaining such a high degree of expenditure n the troops can be minimized. Let us focus on the expenditure on the war on terror. The Department of Defense has spent an estimated amount of 4 Trillion USD. This is the highest amount of money spent by the Unites States of America upon a single agenda. The war on terror in Afghanistan and Iraq has cost us a lot of money and the results of the same have not been any fruitful. Even though the companies based out of USA have got the chance and opportunity to built industries in the areas which have been inflicted by the war, the Department of Defense in consultation with the Department of Commerce feels that the economic spending has outgrown the income received by the US based companies from doing business in the war inflicted areas. The highest priority for the United States of America is to control the high level of external exp enditure of the state. The international debt has increased dramatically in the past 3 years and the Department of Commerce in consultation with us have concluded that the war on terror has had dramatic consequences on the purchasing power parity of the Government. There are thousands of troops who have been lined up in Iraq and Afghanistan and it is imperative that we should start cutting down on the supply of our troops in those countries. â€Å"The President spent $850 billion on defense in his first year. This included $530.1 billion for the DoD base budget, and $152.7 billion to fund other departments, such as Homeland Security and the Veterans Administration.† Understanding from the above observations, it is imperative that the State is spending a lot more amount on external security than it has to. The State must recognize the fact that the spending is going out of bounds and it might become difficult to grapple with it. We must be vigilant with our money and it is cru cial that we do not allow the spending to escalate our economic debts. The Department of Defense has made this report in consultation and advises from the Department of Commerce. Moving forward, the Department of Defense categorically state that the States and the President should remove 50% of the troops from the war affected areas by 2015. By the time the country enters a safe economic zone period, it is imperative that the troops are then brought back to the country. We plan to put in a system in place where the interior troops of Iraq and Afghanistan shall be trained and provided with ammunition to counter any insurgency. We shall start the training method by July 2014 and hope to accomplish the training of at least 100000 troops in those countries so that we can then start to remove our troops gradually and place their troops instead. This will also allow those nations to manage any insurgency or attacks and shall make them self-sufficient. Once we send out our troops from the war affected areas, we shall then create a system of checks and balances which will make sure that the process of replacing our troops with their troops is seamless. By 2016 end of the year we hope to have taken away all the allied forces away from the war-ridden areas and reduce our expenditure on war by 80%. This will give the economy the much-needed impetus in terms of monetary strength. The economy will be face

Wayne Williams (Atlanta Child Killer) Case Study

Wayne Williams (Atlanta Child Killer) - Case Study Example The deaths were as a result of asphyxiation and strangulation. On each of the recovered victim, there were varying types of microscopic evidence ranging from dog fur, carpet fibers, and blanket fibers. It was noted that once the facts about the killings were publicized by the press, the killings went on, but the victims started appearing nude or partially nude in the Chattahoochee River (Nickell, 2011). The change in the killer’s way of handling the victims was a clear indication that the killer was keen on the media’s reports regarding the killings and was determined to clear any signs of trace evidence (Mallard, 2009). In May of 1981, intelligence officials were in high hopes of getting the killer whereby they launched surveillance along the Chattahoochee River. As they were carrying out surveillance, intelligence officers heard a loud splash and then saw a station wagon in the area along the river. At the time of the splash, there was no immediate discovery of any body. However, the intelligence offers went on to question the 23-year-old male driver who admitted that he had dropped a bag of garbage into the water. On the second day after the questioning of the driver, the body of a young black male was discovered in the Chattahoochee River at a location downstream from where intelligence officers questioned the driver (Lester, 1995). Forensic examination of the identified body revealed that the body had unique man-made yellow and green carpet fibers. This crucial evidence was found on the victim’s hair, and it matched fiber evidence identified on other victims. This piece of evidence made intelligence officers conduct a search in Wayne Williams’ house, where yellow and green carpet material was identified across many areas of the house. Convinced by the discovery of fiber that matched that found on Wayne’s carpeting material, intelligence officers were in no doubts that the killer they had been

Financial control Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Financial control - Essay Example These standards can at best be called current standards, as they have taken into account only the current four months conditions only. Sales activities have been started with a level 500 unit of product for first two months, which rose by 100 units of products in next two in each month. Accordingly the level of activity is assumed to be rising at the rate of 100 units of product after every two months performance. Thus level of activity is currently set at production rate increasing by 100 units after every two months till the activity reaches the optimum level of the use of total capacity over a period of time, say between one to two years. Being variable in nature, the cost per unit of the product has been set $ 30.This is based on the fact that products consumes one hour of labour time for producing one unit of product. As the wages rate for the type of production labour involved is $ 30 per, the current direct labour cost standard is set at $30 per unit of product. Salary of administrative staff has been found to be costing at the rate $10 per unit of product. General expenses after apportioning on basis of total production during a period of one month have found to be costing $8 per unit of the product. Depreciation being treated as fixed overhead has been calculated on basis of ‘units of production’ over the useful life of assets involved. This has given a result of $2 per unit of product and thus that is the standard set for the current period. The gross margin (i.e. contribution) has given a performance of 60% during the first four months of the performance. It appears to be a little very optimistic. As the production capacity has not been settled up to an optimum level, there will be major fluctuations in the gross margin or contribution till it finally settles at its normal level at the optimum level of production. A full year of performance may put a proper light in this respect. The

Rhetoric in Protest Music Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6000 words

Rhetoric in Protest Music - Case Study Example A Vietnamese gun boat was rumored to have attacked an American ship. The resolution allowed the United States a carte blanche to invade Viet Nam. For the better part of 16 years, the North Vietnamese Viet Cong fought against South Viet Nam in a bloody battle that claimed roughly six million Asian lives, and 59,000 American lives.1 Although one cannot compare tragedies, Viet Nam was the Holocaust of Asia. The music that encompassed this era was naturally going to be very anti-war. As young men from the countryside, poorer whites, and minorities got shipped off to war in Viet Nam, people in Congress and in Washington sat around and debated and had moral quibbles about whether or not the U.S. should have been in the war in the first place. One rock band which was "most widely known for musical protests against the Viet Nam War"2 was Country Joe and the Fish. There were riches in a mountain, and one of the peoples talked about sharing the riches. The other people, however, took the mountain by force and found a message in lieu of riches that said "Peace on Earth." However, by this time the invading people had "destroyed the treasure in pursuit of it."5 There was another protest song, called "Universal Soldier," written by Canadian singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie.6 This song was essentially about how people have personal responsibility for war and how fighting hurts everyone. Another protest song, "Eve of Dest... There were riches in a mountain, and one of the peoples talked about sharing the riches. The other people, however, took the mountain by force and found a message in lieu of riches that said "Peace on Earth." However, by this time the invading people had "destroyed the treasure in pursuit of it."5 There was another protest song, called "Universal Soldier," written by Canadian singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie.6 This song was essentially about how people have personal responsibility for war and how fighting hurts everyone. Yet another protest song, written by folk singer Bob Dylan, is entitled "Blowin' in the Wind."7 The song asks many deep questions, basically all about "peace, war, and freedom."8 Another protest song, "Eve of Destruction," is a protest song written by P.F. Sloan in 1965.9 The song has to do with the end of the world. It represented the feelings that people had during the Viet Nam war era, in terms of what the United States was facing on a daily basis, seeing their youth be ground to bits in a senseless land war in Asia. One of the most frequently used lines today from the song is "You're old enough to kill, but not for votin'," which "refer[red] to the fact that in the United States, men were subject to the draft at age 18, while at that time the minimum voting age (in all but four states) was 21. Additionally, "The song makes reference to Selma, Alabama, where Bloody Sunday took place'According to Sloan, the lyric 'The pounding of the drums the pride and disgrace' relates to the Kennedy assassination."10 The song "If I Had a Hammer" was written by Pete Seeger and Lee Hays.11 Written in 1949, this song did not have enormous popularity when it was first released. Rather, it was recorded 10

CONSTITUTIONAL LAW Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

CONSTITUTIONAL LAW - Term Paper Example Prior to the HR Act 1998, any individual seeking to challenge the government on breach of rights as provided by the Convention, usually sought refuge at the European Court of Human Rights at Strasbourg, after proving that there was no remedy in the courts in the United Kingdom. From the perspective of individuals, the HR Act 1998 has implications at the workplace, in the development of legislation, ministerial decisions and use of government policy regarding prosecutions or the enforcement of law (Home Office, 2000). Implications of HR Act 1998 The HR Act 1998 came into force in 2000. From the time it came into force it strengthens and gives effect to the rights and freedoms that are available to all citizens through the ECHR. The HR Act 1998 on its own has not created any new statutory or common law rights, but it places the onus of responsibility on public authorities like government departments, local authorities, borough councils, health authorities and the law enforcement agenci es to take actions in such a way that it is compatible to the rights provided to individuals by ECHR. Furthermore, the HR Act 1998 also makes courts and tribunals duty bound to take into consideration any relevant judgment, decision, declaration or advisory opinion of the European Court of Human Rights into consideration when settling disputes over ECHR conferred rights in the United Kingdom. In such an exercise, it is also necessary for the courts to take into consideration any opinion or decision of the European Commission for Human Rights and the decision of the Committee of Ministers under Article 46 on the jurisdiction of the European Commission for Human Rights. In addition, the reading of primary and subordinate legislation in the United Kingdom must be read in such a way as not to reduce their validity, continuing operation and validity and given effect in a compatible manner to the ECHR (Chandler, 2003). An important distinction has to be borne in mind in that the HR Act of 1998 has only vertical direct effect. This means that only civil servants and public sector undertaking employees can sue their employees, which include government departments, local authorities, borough councils, the police and other public or quasi-public authorities for damages for any believed breaches of their rights guaranteed under ECHR. This avenue is not available for private sector employees. Workers in the private sector having grievances with regard to breach of one or more of their statutory or contractual rights may pray on the basis of a particular right as provide by the ECHR, but cannot bring proceedings against employers solely on the basis of the alleged breach of this right provided by ECHR. However, the can expect the courts in the United Kingdom to interpret the law in a way that foes no harm to their rights guaranteed trough ECHR (Chandler, 2003). Thus full implications of the HR Act 1998 to a certain degree will depend on the manner in which interpretation o f primary and subordinate legislation in the United Kingdom is read against alleged breaches of human rights as guaranteed by the ECHR. Criticism of the HR Act 1998 lies in this aspect, for it is not clearly worded and the English judiciary has been used to examining words in detail, but will now have to examine and interpret on the basis of purpose and intent and also take into consid

Project management success factors Essay Example for Free

Project management success factors Essay Housing is the critical issue in global urbanization which have a tremendous impact on the environment – both during construction and through out their. As the key element in urban development, housing plays a vital role in attaining the goal of sustainable development. Effective of project management is becoming increasingly important for sustainable housing to remain competitive in today‟s dynamic business environment. This paper attempt to establish a theoretical framework for project management success factors in sustainable housing development. Review on past literature on the subject were carried out to build the existing research works on the area and to establish critical success factors of project management best practices. At the end of this paper, a new area of managing sustainable housing for future direction of this research was identified. A list of critical success factors for project management practices for sustainable housing development was established. Keywords: Sustainable Housing, Sustainable Development Project Management, Critical Success Factors. 1.0 INTRODUCTION Housing, as human basic need, is a very important issue of people‟s everyday life. In 1948, the United Nations, in its Universal Declaration of Human Rights, stated that â€Å"everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services†¦Ã¢â‚¬  . Housing provision is one of the major challenges facing developing countries. Under the Seventh Malaysia Plan (1999-2000) and Eight Malaysia Plan (2001-2005), Malaysian governments are committed to provide adequate, affordable and quality housing for all Malaysian, particularly the low income group. This is in line with Istanbul Declaration on Human Settlement and Habitat Agenda (1996) to ensure adequate shelter for all. In order to be sustainable, housing initiatives must be economically viable, socially acceptable, technically feasible and environmentally compatible (Choguill, 2007). In the other hand, housing encompasses the immediate environment, sanitation, drainage, recreational facilities, and all other economic and social activities that make life worthwhile (Olejado, 2003). The World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED, 1987) report, Our Common Future has led to a world-wide notion of the concept of sustainable development (Meldon, 1998). However, it has been argued that the history of the concept of sustainability can be traced back to the terms â€Å"stationery† or â€Å"steady state economy† used by the nineteenth century political economist (European Environment agency, 1997). Today there are over 300 published definitions of sustainable development, the products of diverse world views and competing vested interests (Moles and Kelly, 2000). Fundamentally, sustainable development addresses three major areas; I. People living today are entitled to justice and equal rights; II. Environmental degeneration must be alleviated or eliminated; and III. Future generations must not be impoverished as a result of current actions (Redclift,1987). Our Common Future explores how sustainable development â€Å"is not a fixed state of harmony but rather a process of change in which the exploitation of resources, the orientation of technological development, and institutional change are made consistent with future as well as present needs† (Moles and Kelly, 2000). In other words, (WCED, 1987, 8) it‟s defined as â€Å"development which meets the needs of the present without comprising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs†. The Commission not only observed that environmental problems need to be addressed, but also socials problem, such as inequity, property, non-prosperity and the violation of human rights, that are related to explosive population growth and the enormous expansion of environmental harms caused by human activities. According to the Commission, solving these problems requires global economic growth whilst respecting ecological constraints (Klunder, 2004). Other studies, (Ding, 2008) defined sustainable development is as a concern of attitudes and judgment to help insure long-term ecological, social and economic growth in society. While the term of sustainable development is well known and widely used, there is no common understanding and approach for it. The perception of sustainability especially when it comes to what â€Å"needs† is regarded as important varies much by different nation and even different people with different points in time, economic, social and cultural backgrounds (Zinkernagel, 2001). The detail of what comprises sustainable development is very context – specific and the same condition and practice cannot apply everywhere. Therefore, sustainability has its diverse implications in every corner of the world and in every sector of a society (Bell and Morse, 2003). For construction sector, the Dutch Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment (1990) explains sustainable as directed towards the reduction of the environmental and health impacts consequent to construction, buildings and the built environment. Such construction processes would bring environmental responsibility, social awareness, and economic profitability objectives to the fore in built environment related projects (Langston and Ding, 2001). There are various definitions of sustainable housing; The European Union defined sustainable housing in the following perspective: construction (e.g. Quality of construction), social and economic factors (e.g. Affordability and psychological impacts) and ecoefficiency (e.g. Efficient use of non-renewable resources) (VROM, 2005). Previously, IHBC (1998) definitions  present the general factor of a sustainable housing practice that is applicable under various circumstances, depending on the conditions where it‟s implemented (Larasati, 2006). Basically, all these definitions were carry out the idea of Principle 15 of the Declaration of the United Nations Conference on The Human Environment: â€Å"Planning must be applied to human settlements and urbanization with a view to avoiding adverse effects on the environment and obtaining maximum social, economic and environmental benefits for all† (UNEP, 1972). A sustainable house is cost-efficient over time, comfortable, cheap to maintain and complements our unique environment (Queensland Government, 2004). â€Å"Sustainable Housing† is a new concept in developing countries and unearthing projects covering all aspects of sustainability proved to be difficult (Ebsen, 2000). For housing that make up a great proportion of building, sustainable housing could be defined as housing practices, which strive for integral quality (including economic, social, and environmental performance) in a broad way (John, Croome Jeronimidis, 2005). The focus on sustainable housing implies a perspective of flows (Klunder, 2004). From this viewpoint, a sustainable  housing is characterized by the minimization of the environmental impacts of material use, energy consumption and water consumption during the whole service life of the building. 2.0 PROBLEM STATEMENT Malaysia is a developing country heading towards industrialization. The growths of industries bid rapid housing expansion due to the high demand from the customer. A good housing area has to fulfill the health aspect from the building, drainage, clean water supply, domestic waste management and suitable ventilation. The quality of housing and it‟s social, economic and environmental performance is critically important to sustainable development. However, the lacks of practices of project success factors in housing development activities may often bring about water, air and land pollutions thus affecting the natural environment, health and quality of  life. These issues are often raised today as problems of uncontrolled development of housing growth as concern for the environment is not considered. With this concern in mind, housing and other social services become priority in today‟s development programmes which aimed at improving the quality of life and contributing towards the formation of a caring society. However, the issue of sustainable housing are still new and not that familiar in our country. With referring back the house being built in the past decade, those houses were not meeting the essential criteria of sustainability and unfortunately, there are little to none; in depth studies for this matter. Although the homes that create may look good and be cheap to build, they are poor value if they weather poorly, have high energy and other running costs, are expensive to maintain and cannot adapt to changes in use. According to Maylor (1999) those organizations that are most resourceful in seeking out best practices and making those aspects work for them will be the most successful. Although project management has proved its success in many construction projects, there is however some problems associated with the manner in which the system has been selected and/or implemented (Noum S. et al., 2004). Here, critical factors of successful project management were establish to develop a new area of managing sustainable housing for further studies of this research to ensure its potential for future sustainability. 2.1 RESEARCH QUESTIONS Based on the problems stated above, two main questions are formed as below: 1) What are the critical factors that are required for the successful implementation of sustainable housing practices? 2) What are the critical factors project management best practices in sustainable housing development? 2.2 OBJECTIVES There are two objectives for this paper: 1) To identify factor that are required for the successful implementation of sustainable housing practice. 2) To establish the success factors that determines the best practices for project management in sustainable housing. 3) To establish guideline for project management best practices for sustainable housing. 3.0 FACTORS EFFECTING PROJECT SUCCESS Nowadays, companies are increasingly using projects in their daily work to achieve company goals. The only way organizations can be driven to achieve excellence is by keeping an eye on competition and world best practice in all aspects of the business (Bendell et. all, 1998). Recently more and more organizations are recognizing that translating corporate strategies into actions requires project management. Consequently, it is vital that projects are successful (Baccarini, 2003). Critical success factors are important influences that contribute to project success. So, critical success factors are the set of circumstances, facts or influences which contribute to the project outcomes. According to Mobey and Parker (2002), to increase the chances of a project succeeding it is necessary for the organisation to have an understanding of what are the success factors, to systematically and quantitatively assess these factors, anticipating possible causes and effects, and then choose appropriate methods of dealing with them. Once identified, the success of the project can be achieved. Generally, the success of a construction project depends on a number of factors, such as project complexity, contractual arrangements, and relationships between project participants, the competency of project managers, and the abilities of key project members (Chua et al., 1999). Bayliss, (2002) in his report said that successful project delivery requires the concerted effort of the project team to carry out the various project activities, but it is the project manager who, at the center of the project network, is responsible for orchestrating the whole construction process. Possessing the core project management competence would help to define the ability of project managers to deliver good performance towards the attainment of project success. The search for factors that influence project success has been growing interest over the past decade. Among researchers that have tried to a certain extent to identify success factors for project management are Pinto and Slevin (1987,1989), Cooke-Davis (2002), Muller and Turner (2003), Belassi and Tukel (1996) and etc. Success factors are those input to the project management system that lead directly or indirectly to the success of the project or business. Belassi and Tukel, 1996, categorized success factors into four main group. These are factors relating to the project, project managers, organization, and external environment. Others researcher, Chan et al., 2002 identify a set of project success factors; project team commitment, contractor‟s competencies, risk and liability assessment, client‟s competencies, end-users needs and constraints imposed by end user. As referred to the ten critical success factors developed by Pinto and Slevin (1986), Pinto and Mantel (1990) suggest that â€Å"these critical success factors were found to be generalisable to a wide variety of project types and organizations†. Their model is one of the most widely quoted lists of critical success factors (Muller and Turner, 2007). However a single set of project success factors may not be suitable for all industries (Lim et al, 1999; Hartman et al, 1996). Liu and Walker 1998 suggest that as industries operate differently, â€Å"a set of critical success factors may not be transferable from one project to another project†¦only generic areas can be identified and used as broad guidelines.† A comprehensive review of the literature research on success factors of project management was conducted. Table 1 gives lists of the critical success factors developed in the various literatures. Several researchers have identified the factors that significantly determine project management success. Based on the frequency analysis, the critical success factors are prioritised as shown in Table 2. Table 1. Summary of literature reviews from various author‟s for project success Author‟s Pinto Critical Success Factors Belassi Cooke- Baccarini Andersen Hyvari Turner Khang Slevin Davies (1999, et al., Muller (2002) 2003) (2006) (2005,07) Moe (1987,89) Tukel (2006) (1996) (2008) Project Understanding √ √ Top Management Support √ √ Information/Communication √ √ √ √ Client Involvement √ √ √ √ Competent Project Team √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ Authority of the Project Manager/Leader Realistic Cost and Time Estimates √ Adequate Project Control √ √ √ √ √ √ Planning/Controlling Project mission /common goal √ √ Project Ownership √ √ √ √ √ √ √ feedback √ √ √ √ √ √ √ or empirical basis. Table 2: Prioritisation of CSFs Critical Success Factors Prioritised Occurrence No. Frequency of Rank 1 Competent Project Team 8 1 2 Authority of the Project Manager/Leader 6 2 3 Project Understanding 5 3 4 Top Management Support 5 3 √ √ Remark: â€Å"√ † critical success factors that is determined by the authors either on a conceptual Sr. √ √ √ Monitor performance and √ √ √ Adequate Resources √ √ √ Risk Management √ √ √ Problem Solving Abilities √ √ 5 Client Involvement 5 3 6 Project mission /common goal 5 3 7 Adequate Resources 4 4 8 Realistic Cost and Time Estimates 4 4 9 Information/Communication 4 4 10 Project Ownership 3 5 11 Monitor performance and feedback 3 5 12 Planning/Controlling 3 5 13 Risk Management 3 5 14 Adequate Project Control 2 6 15 Problem Solving Abilities 2 6 The frequency analysis in Tables 1 and 2 revealed that there are only one critical success factors in all frameworks in common which is competent project team. The analysis also showed that authority of the project manager/leader is prioritised in rank 2. The analysis further revealed that 5 out of the 8 frameworks have four critical success factors in common: Project Understanding, Top Management Support, Client Involvement and Project Mission/common goal. The Adequate Resources, Realistic Cost and Time Estimates and information/Communication success factors have their presence in forth frameworks respectively. The other critical success factors (namely, Project ownership, Monitor performance and feedback, Planning/Controlling and Risk Management) are presented in very few frameworks (Table 1 and 2). Meanwhile, the other two factors were not commonly found in the literature which is adequate project control and problem solving abilities. 4.0 FACTORS OF PROJECT SUCCESS FOR SUSTAINABLE HOUSING The subject of project management is vast and numerous authors continuously add to the body of literature on the subject. According to the Project Management Institute (2004), the discipline of project management can be defined as follows: Project management is the art of directing and coordinating human and material resources throughout the life of a project by using modern management techniques to achieve predetermined objectives of scope, cost, time, quality and participation satisfaction. Project management best practices may be described as optimum way of performing work to achieve high performance (Ramabadron et all., 1997). According to Dey (2002), current project management practices of organizations in the industry sector do not always ensure success. The main problems with projects planning and implementation have been cost and time overruns and quality non-achievement. Dey (2002) stated that the main contributing factors are: ï‚ · Expansion of the scope and subsequent quality increases of input resources; ï‚ · Engineering and design changes; ï‚ · Underestimation and incorrect estimation and ï‚ · Unforeseen inflation ï‚ · Project size and complexity and etc. Dey, (2002) illustrates projects management growing popularity has stimulated interest in how companies compare in their application of project management process, tools and techniques. Successful project management can contribute towards project success but is unlikely to be able to prevent project failure (de Wit, 1988). The various variables affecting the success factors are identified in the  previous section. There are Project Understanding, Top Management, Support Communication, Client Involvement, Competent Project Team, Authority of Top Level, Realistic Cost and Time Estimates, Adequate Project Control, Problem Solving Abilities, Risk Management, Adequate Resources, Planning/Controlling, Monitor performance and feedback, Project mission /Common goal, and Project Ownership. Furthermore, a new conceptual framework that includes the indentified variables of project success is shown in Fig. 1. Its show that variables project success can influence a variable of criteria measuring sustainable housing. Figure 1: Framework of Project Management Success Factors in Sustainable Housing. Project Management Success Factor Criteria Measuring Sustainable Housing: Competent Project Team Authority of the Project Manager/Leader Project Understanding Top Management Support Client Involvement Project mission /common goal Adequate Resources Realistic Cost and Time Estimates Information/Communication Project Ownership Monitor performance and feedback Planning/Controlling Risk Management Adequate Project Control Problem Solving Abilities ï‚ · Energy Efficiency ï‚ · Use of Materials ï‚ · Water Efficiency ï‚ · Disposal ï‚ · Site Issues ï‚ · Green ï‚ · Traffic ï‚ · Outdoor environment and Indoor environment Project Management Success Factors in Sustainable Housing Economically ; are cost-efficient over the lifespan of the dwelling Environmental/Ecology ; are resource efficient in terms of materials, waste, water and energy Social/Community ; are safe, flexible and comfortable for people with varying abilities * Critical success factor of project management were establish to come out the best practices in new area in Sustainable Housing. An extensive literature survey on sustainable housing also has been carried out to select criteria measurement frameworks for this study. The relevant literature has revealed that different researchers have adopted similar sustainability criteria‟s framework that consider on three basic themes of the sustainable construction; social, environmental, and economic. Below, there are a few literatures findings in term of criteria of measuring sustainable housing: 1. Winston (2007) have carried out some important characteristics of sustainable housing include: sustainable land-use planning; resisting scattered settlements; housing close to employment and public transport; higher residential densities; sustainable construction; high standards of energy efficiency in use of dwellings; housing availability, affordability and quality; access to green space, and a high quality residential environment. Many sustainable building indicator sets are derived from conceptual models (Winston and Pareja, 2008). 2. Blaauw (1997), the following environmental theme are derived from a workbook for sustainable building and housing: Energy, Use of Materials, Water, Disposal, Site, Green, Traffic, Outdoor environment and Indoor environment. 3. Building Environmental Science Technology (B.E.S.T), formulated residential green building guidelines: Emphasize the reduce, recycle, re-use, renewable; use energy, water and resource efficiently; healthy indoor air quality; building has affordable community; development creates a sense of well-being; the home remains reasonably affordable and cost effective. 4. (Bennett and James, 1999) Effective sustainability measurement should consider the complete triple bottom line of economic, environmental, and societal performance which is: a) Social Sustainability ï‚ · Healthy internal environment ï‚ · Safety (personal, household and environmental) ï‚ · Provision of social amenity ï‚ · Provision of recreation amenity ï‚ · Accessibility to jobs and amenities b) Economic Sustainability ï‚ · Cost efficient over time ï‚ · Adaptability with min. cost ï‚ · Affordability ï‚ · Job creations and local economy c) Environmental Sustainability ï‚ · Energy efficiency ï‚ · Water efficiency/Conservation ï‚ · Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions ï‚ · Waste management / recycling ï‚ · Material efficiency ï‚ · Pollution prevention– noise, water, air ï‚ · Optimization conservation of land ï‚ · Protect and enhance biodiversity ï‚ · Reduction of car dependency 5. Green Building Manual from the US Department of Energy (DOE) Public Technology, Inc. (PTI) include the following points: ï‚ · Site Issues: selection of building sites, landscaping, watershed, site materials and equipment ï‚ · Building Design: building systems (heating, ventilating, air-conditioning, electrical and plumbing systems) and indoor environmental quality ï‚ · Construction Process ï‚ · Operations Maintenance ï‚ · Economics Environment: energy and water efficiency, waste reduction, construction costs, building maintenance management savings. For the purpose of this research, eight aspects of criteria sustainability that can be used to analyze sustainable housing , were derived from the six environmental themes that are distinguished The National Measures for Sustainable Building (Hendriks, 2001): ï‚ · Energy: reducing the demand for energy, promoting the use of sustainable energy resources and using energy efficiently ï‚ · Materials: more efficient use of materials, reducing waste and removing it responsibly ï‚ · Water: reducing water usage, preventing land drying up, and protecting water quality ï‚ · Indoor Environment: improving air quality, improving thermal comfort, and reducing noise levels. ï‚ · Surrounding Environment: supporting bio-diversity, strengthening the perception of the environment (including maintaining old townscapes) and reducing nuisance (noise, wind, odor) ï‚ · Miscellaneous: improving the flexibility of the home with regard to accommodating new functions and improving safety It is expected that study of project management best practices in the extent of project success could lead toward meeting criteria of sustainable housing. This approach in sustainable housing area will provide much needed information to local authorities to take more effective control of housing issues. 5.0 CONCLUSION The implementation of success factors for project management in sustainable housing is important in other to ensure project success. Apparently, the sustainable housing is one of the major contributors to the development of any country. Unfortunately, in our country Malaysia, the issue of sustainable housing development is still new and not yet the proactive action had been taken to develop the housing sector in sustainable way. Thus, this research is proposed to identify success factors for project management in sustainable housing area. At the end of this paper, a new area of managing sustainable housing for future direction of this research will identified. A list of critical success factors from various authors for project management success for sustainable housing development in Malaysia was established. Further work is needed to explore in more detail which factors are important and to understand how the factors interact with each other in sustainable housing area. 6.0 REFERENCES Andersen, E.S., Jessen, S.A. (2000), Project evaluation scheme, Project Management, Vol. 6 No.1, pp.61-9. Baccarini D. (2003), Critical Success Factors for Projects. Faculty of The Built Environment, Art and Design Curtin University of Technology, Australia. Belassi W, Tukel OI (1996), A new framework for determining critical success/failure factors in projects. International Journal of Project Management. 14(3): 141-151. Bell, S and Morse, S (2003), Measuring Sustainability: Learning from Doing. Earthscan: London, UK. Bendell, T., Boulter, L. and Kelly, J. (1998), Benchmarking for Competitive Advantage, Pitman, London. Bennett M., James P. (1999). Sustainable Measures: Evaluation and Reporting of Environmental and Social Performance. Greenleaf, Sheffield, UK. Blaauw, drs. F.J. (1997), Werkboek Duurzaam Bouwen en Wonen. Alphen aan de Rijn: Samsam HD Tjeenk Willink bv. Building Environmental Science Technology (B.E.S.T.). „Green Building‟ – http://www.energybuilder.com/greenbld.htm#top Chan, A.P.C., Scott, D. and Lam, E.W.M. (2002) Framework of Success Criteria for Design/Build Projects. Journal of Management in Engineering Vol. 18 (3), pp. 122128. Choguill, C. L. (2007), The search for policies to support sustainable housing. Habitat International, pp 143-149. Chua DKH, Kog YC, Loh PK (1999), â€Å"Critical success factors for different project objectives.† Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, pp. 142-150 Cooke-Davis, T. (2002). „The â€Å"real† success factors on projects‟, International Journal of Management, 20 (3), pp. 185-190 de Wit, (1988), â€Å"Measurement of project management success†, International Journal of Project Management, Vol.6 (3), pp. 164-170. Dey, P.K. (2002), â€Å"Benchmarking project management practices of Caribbean organizations using analytic hierarchy process†, Benchmarking: An International Journal, Vol.9 No.3, pp. 326-356. Ding, G.K.C (2008), Sustainable Construction-The role of environmental assessment tools. Journal of environmental management, 86, 451-464. Dutch Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and The Environment (1990), Nationaal milieubeleidsplan-plus; notitie instrumentarium + duurzaam bauwen, Sdu. Den Haag. Ebsen C., Ramboll B. (2000). International Review Of Sustainable Low-Cost Housing Projects Proceedings: Strategies for a Sustainable Built Environment, Pretoria, 23-25 August 2000 Green Building Manual from the US Department of Energy (DOE) Public Technology, Inc. (PTI) Hartman F, Ashrafi R. (1996). Failed successes and failures. PMI Annual Seminar/Symposium, Boston, PD 35, 1-5, Hendriks, (2001). Sustainable Construction. Boxtel, The Netherlands : AEnas technical publishers. John. 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Leadership Is A Relationship Education Essay

Leadership Is A Relationship Education Essay When it comes to this sentence: Leadership is a Relationship, we feel a bit puzzled. At first glance, such a topic sounds like a joke. Traditionally, the definition of leadership  is described as the process of  social influence  in ¼Ã…’which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task. But here, we must emphasize the relationship between leadership and relationship. Some people hold the opinion that leaders, like husbands or wives, occupy roles only as long as they are alive. (Is Leadership a Relationship? by Mitch McCrimmon, Ph.D., 2010) Leaders and leadership is a topic being discussed for a long time. The desire to call leadership a relationship is well intentioned. Generally speaking, leadership is a relationship because one cannot lead without followers. The very meaning of leadership, to some extent, is a relationship and the interaction between leaders and followers. Leadership is an ongoing relationship between the leader and superiors, leaders and colleagues, leaders and consumers, and especially between leaders and followers. (Leadership is the Relationship by Kenneth Rice, 2006) Now the concept of leadership is no longer conventional type, it isnt limited to fixed roles and whats more, group boundaries are breaking down. In my point of view, leadership cannot take effect alone. To put it another way, leadership needs the aid of relationship. Because the personal relationship defines the existing quality of interpersonal interaction between the leader and would-be followers, followers will not join the leader without the requisite relationship. Leadership is the relationship.(The 9 Natural Laws of Leadership P.12- by Blank, Warren, 1995) Without good relationship in a team, a leader, if not supported by his team members, he cant accomplish the task successfully. It is just like a war. Even the bravest General cannot win the battle by his own, because he is just a drop in the sea. Only when he commands and cooperates with his soldiers will it be possible to win. In fact, leading is more than a relational concept. It is a relational term, and it does not imply a personal relationship between people. Instead, it means that leadership is a relationship is based on confusion or a failure to understand how relational concepts work. There are too many outstanding leaders in the history around the world; I am just a small role. Leadership is an art. We can see the common points shining on those famous leaders: The speeches of Sir Winston Churchill showed his constancy of purpose; in 1863, General Pickett earned the trust of the soldiers he sent up the hill, though everyone knew they would die; Mohandas Gandhi was a pioneer of Nonviolent Protest, his views were the most enlightened of all the political men in 20th century; The influence from Martin Luther Kings I have a dream, witnessed great changes of the whole USAà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦It is well recognized that a qualified leader needs the skills as follows: Good Communication Skills; Good Motivation Skills; Adaptability; Know Your People; Work Delegation; Decision Making; Passion. I remember my first time to be a leader. I would like to exemplify the notion above by my own experience. It was an unforgettable summer. I joined a youth camp in a remote village as a volunteer teacher. There were tens of youngsters of my same age, and what we were going to do is teach the students in the school some basic knowledge of preventing AIDS. I was seldom a leader and I didnt have much experience and talent of being a leader before. I used to think that leader must be those who have strong power of public appeal and are bold and resolute in action. To my surprise, I was chosen to be a leader on the first day I arrived. At that moment, I was both excited and timid: I was afraid that I couldnt be a good leader, but it was really an opportunity for me to have a try. At first, I was too anxious to speak in front of the crowd. When I stood on the stage and said Hello to those kids, I shivered and couldnt utter more words. Students were aged around 10 years old, and they were curious as well as surprised. They couldnt imagine such a coward would be there leader, but of course, they couldnt imagine what this leader would bring to them in the following two weeks. Adaptability is the key to succeeding in our ever changing environment. I adapted to this new environment soon and I thought I could adapt to any unpredictable situation that may arise, too. There are two kinds of leaders; those who want to be liked and those who want to be respected.   If you are respected but not liked, your leadership might be wanted, but it will probably be short lived.   It is possible to be both respected and liked and we should strive for both. Building relationships is one of the most important things we do in life on a personal and professional level. (Leadership Through Relationships by Richard. R. Ramos, 2009) I knew that to get in touch with the students mush first become their friends. I was a leader, but I was like a friend more. I played with them, talked with them, shared jokes and funny experiences with them. We soon knew each other well. Though I was the teacher, I gave each of them equal opportunity to express what they thought. I encouraged them to air their own opinion. As a result, I also earned their respect and credibility. Trust is built on honesty and integrity. (The Essence of Leadership by Stever Robbins, 2003) To build trust, involvement and communication is the key contributor. I always believe in that What you say and what you do must match up. There are five trust techniques: Share thoughts, feeling and rationales; Make commitments you can make; Admit mistakes; Request and accept feedback; Test assumptions. I know that to respect and maintain self-esteem of my students sincerely is vitally important in the process of getting their trust. Every time when they got some accomplishments or made some contributions, I would recognize what they have done and praise them. Otherwise, I listened and responded to them with empathy to show my understanding of their feeling with attention, so they were all willing to talk to me and express their ideas. For some relatively inactive children, I asked them for their help and encouraged them to involve. I valued their opinions and ideas, I was willing to share credit for achievements, and I valued their personal performance more than the results. They soon became optimistic and positive, and are more willing to join us in various activities. A good communication skill is necessary for a leader to listen to the opinions of others, and quickly convey their thoughts. We became close friends, and this is a progress beyond leadership. If we say leadership is the matter of relationship, we can also say that relationship is the source of influence, which is the foundation of leadership. To put it another way, leadership can be defined in one word: Influence. Effective leadership needs influence, and in order to get influence, a strong relationship is needed. We cant deny that the essence of leadership is the art of influencing people. Relationship is the key mechanism for bringing out the best in people from the ordinary, both as individuals and teams. Also, this is the core purpose of leadership can only be achieved through strong relationships. (The Leadership Relationship: Building High-Impact Relationships by Corporate Master, A Division of Integral Master Center) Things went on smoothly. We not only taught children knowledge of AIDS but afterward sang songs and shared our outlook for the future. When the children were asked what are you going to do when you grow up, they have various answers. I remembered some girls said they wanted to be designers because they liked beautiful clothes; some boys who have special interest in architecture hoped to be engineers; some of them dreamt of being professors; but what impressed me most is a boy who desired to be a leader. Gradually, I had more topics with those children and I got their trust. At that time, I felt that perhaps being a leader is better than what I had perceived before. A leader is supposed to have a passion to perform. Being passionate about my work would empower me to find almost impossible solutions be it invention, discovery, or innovation. Also, to me and to my students, passion was one of the sources of our joy and fun. In our class and in our life, passion made us happy and optimistic. For me, as a so-called leader and a voluntary teacher, in addition to my colleagues, my students were also my workmates because I need their aid and cooperation in my job. My colleagues helped me with my lectures and students performance would give me more confidence. I devoted myself into being a leader and I tried my best to be a better leader. After a few days of getting together, those students trusted me and relied on me. Once I was able to give your personal touch to them, I found amazing benefits from these efforts. Their personal lives had a great impact on the each of them. We talked about interesting news, anecdotes and stories together. I was attached to my colleagues and my students. Trust was really the best thing which could give me a warm feeling as the sunshine in winter. We were just like a big family. I had never felt that kind sense of success as well as commitment. Relationship behavior is the extent to which the leader engages in two-way or multi-way communication. It includes listening, encouraging, facilitating, providing clarification, and giving socio-emotional support. (Jossey-Bass Higher and Adult Education Series by Bolman and Deal, 1997) I reminded myself that I was a leader every moment. I must set a good example in front of them so I behaved like a leader and played am exemplary role in my class. In the conversations with the children, I came to know their characteristics and their hobbies. They were really cute, frank, and innocent. Just as technical research and development is essential for continued excellence and a competitive edge, so mush coaching and development become the leaders focal point for leveraging the organizations human capital. Coaching is the process of equipping people with the tools, knowledge, and opportunities they need to develop themselves and become more effective. Coaching conversations involve finding out peoples vision or destination, where they are starting from, and the direction they need to move in order to get there. ( Coach and Develop People by Gebelein, S.H., Stevens, L.A., Skube, C.J., Lee, D. G., Davis, B.L., Hellervik, L.W. Successful Managers Handbook. 6th ed. Minnesota: Personnel Decisions International Corporation. 2000.369-396) Development is vitally important in acquiring the skills and learning the knowledge needed to achieve the goals. I know that the role of a leader is also to be a coach. In order to equip them with more knowledge they couldnt learn from the textbook, I brought then to the park, to the field, and went picnic in the open air. I told them how to observe an insect or a butterfly; I taught them how to draw an oil painting; we played basketball together and competed with each otherà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Coaching forged our partnership, which was another example proving that Leadership is relationship, and in other words, this was one of the sources our trust came; coaching inspired commitment of me and the students; coaching grew my managing skill and their learning skills, too; coaching promoted persistence of each one and finally shaped the environment we enjoyed this harmonious environment very much. Whats more, coaching is a continuous process rather than an occasional conversation, so we kept practicing during my stay with them. But things have gone wrong sometimes. In the last few days before the youth camp came to the end, we had prepared for a welfare party. I arranged a chorus for the students and rehearsed for them time by time, day by day. For these kids, rehearsal was the most boring thing in the world and they got tired soon. They rejected and tried to give up, which disappointed me very much. I was so desperate because I felt that the time and toil I paid was futile and would never reward. I tried hard to persuade and comfort them. However, nothing had a turn for the better; instead, they were more impatient and even shouted to me. I was helpless and sad. I recalled every picture that left impression in my brain but it didnt work at all. I was totally disappointed: They were my dearest but they even didnt respect me. I doubted my ability of management as a leader: I didnt succeed in managing a group of children well, let alone other adults. I tried hard to keep myself calm but things went worse. Tho se kids seemed pay no attention to me and made me more distressed. Consequently, I got angry and raged. I had never been so furious that I pounded the table angrily with a great thump. At this moment, those clamorous kids were shocked and astonished and kept silent immediately. There was not a bit voice. The whole classroom seemed isolated and time seemed to have ceased. I didnt know what they were thinking and I was not sure if they were scared of me or repented of what they had done. It was the worst memory in the process of being a volunteer teacher, but when I reflect it now, I came to realize that it was this bad experience that made me grow more mature. It was clear that I needed to implement the essential ingredients of effective persuasion: I knew and concerned their perspectives; I considered my position from every angle; I listened to them actively and patiently; I shared solution with them and tried to make it better; and what more, I insisted that communication do make changes. So I still believed that a leader should not give up first. I am a leader. I told myself at the bottom of my heart. After about one minute, I asked them, Is there anyone want to quit? Nobody answered. If anyone wants to quit now, you can stand out and tell me. Still nobody answered. I continued, Yes, the rehearsal, it is indeed a piece of tiring work. But if you insist staying in our group, please do your best or you will let us down, let yourself down. Those children were upset. One of them asked me in a low voice, It is so boring. We dont want to play it. Maybe it was the rehearsal that deprived them of their leisure. I stopped for a moment, anxiously thinking of this problem. No one knows how hard I struggled in my mind. I pondered for a while, and explained slowly to them, Only when we spare no effort and try our best will the rehearsal be successful. Only when we encounter difficulty and sweats will the result be satisfying. I hoped that every one of you will perform the best in the welfare party. But at present, there is still much to be improved. And I continued, Listen, my dearest kids, now we must believe that we are the strongest and we can be the best! I have full confidence on all of you! Some of them nodded their heads. A leader is the one not only commands and leads toward the victory but the one who comforts and encourages team mates when the morale of the troops is sinking low. Most of them stood and listened with their heads low, but their eyes were filled with a desire to success. One girl approved me, Yes, you are right. I think I didnt sing well enough. I will definitely work harder. Do you believe in yourselves? I asked them, and embraced them. Yesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Though their voice was low, I could still hear their courage and persistence. How about having fun when we finished the performance in welfare party? Then I will cook you delicious food to celebrate! I added. They seemed much satisfied. Her words were like ripples and most children expressed their agreement. They promised that they would exert themselves and never be on strike again. Some of them even proposed to play an important role in the chorus. I gave them a big smile and so did they. The crisis had gone and our trust came back again. Have a good rest, guys! This is the end of todays rehearsal, but tomorrow we must train harder. I reminded them. I rewarded each one of them an ice cream and of course, they were pleased and contented. Leaders require many skills in managing relationships, such as communication, interaction, crisis management, etc. The purpose of the relationship is not only to manage team mates in a good order but also to give each person the opportunity to grow and to contribute to his or her fullest potential and whats more, to build strengths in the midst of differences. According to my students strength and characteristics, I divided them into three groups in the chorus so that each one of them can achieve their best. Every time they rehearsed, I accompanied them, recorded and played to attain improvement. I couldnt do everything on my own. This was our combined effort. I also needed to give personal responsibility of the work to my students individually, and then keep track of their progress regularly. I found this process interesting and rewarding: They were like young trees and I was just the gardener. I saw them sprout, grow and bloom. After many days of cultivation, the day of farewell party would be the day these young trees fruit. Frankly speaking, it is of the utmost importance for me to motivate them to accomplish objectives. A real leader utilizes the most efficient approach for doing this leading by setting an excellent example. Behind the scene, my students seemed anxious. In fact, I was the most anxious one. I concealed my emotion of anxiety. They constantly asked me, Is my clothes tidy? or Am I look good? I gave each of them smile and some encouraging words. You look superb! Come on, your performance is fantastic! Gradually, these words had positive effect on me, too. I was encouraged by my words: I should be sure that they would be the most confident and competent team! Before the performance, I gave each one of them a hug. The whole class embraced together and made a nice wish. Then they step on the stage confidently. They were so calm and devoted in the spot lights. The melody impressed every audience and finally the whole auditorium was filled with applause. They had made it! That was the most wonderful performance they ever had! They were so excited and they ran toward me and hug me tightly. Leadership is a relationship and an act of influence as well as an impact. Albert Einstein once said, We should take care not to make the intellect our god; it has, of course, powerful muscles but no personality. It cannot lead; it can only serve. I used to presume that leadership is just for people at the top but I realized I was wrong.  In fact, every one of us can learn to lead by discovering the potential that lies within ourselves, in order to make a difference of our life. After two weeks, I had to go back to my city and continued my life and study. Those kids were all reluctant to see me leave. They held me tightly, and some of them even cried. Some students called me even Professor to express their affection and thanks for me. I got many presents made by their own: paper flowers, pictures, chocolates, candies, and cards. Though cheap, they were exquisite and meaningful. At that moment, every scene and every moment we spent together was shown in my head again and again. I recalled everything from the first day I came to the last day I left. I didnt quite understand if this was power of leadership at that time, but there must have been something changed. When I reflected this experience after learning this course, I gradually realized it was myself who has changed. I changed from a student without any experience of being a leader to a real leader! Leadership is like wine, only when time passes will it be the finest and the best. Being a leader is absol utely a difficult thing; it is never a piece of cake. However, the feeling of being a leader is extraordinary and terrific, though sometimes it was great pain and stress. I felt that the new me is more courageous and confident; maybe it is because this volunteer experience has taught me a lesson and refined my soul. If we say Leadership is relationship, I am sure that my leadership experience has won me not only relationship but also friendship, which has more profound meaning than only relationship. The students became my friends. They gave me beautiful memory. To me, leadership is applicable to all facets of my own life and they are all beneficial: With the development of my self- awareness and confidence, I can gradually expand our perspective with a competency; I focus more on a goal and set the context of it; I understand the dynamics of human behaviors; I take the initiative to be the real me. Generally, leadership development is not an event.  Rather, it is a constant process. On one hand, leadership excellence is one of the most critical challenges facing not only organizations but small groups or individual nowadays. Leadership is not an easy job, so does to be a great leader. It requires commitment, talent, effort, guidance, and a most difficult thing charisma. There is no doubt that leaders will face a great deal of pressure, which can be quantified. Nevertheless, after accomplishing a great mission or task together with those followers, a sense of achievement and fulfillment is more important than the actual rewards. On the other hand, when we say leadership is relationship, that means relationship has profound influence in todays society, too. I emphasize that the relationship here has nothing to do with bribery and corruption. I truly with that the competition is equal enough. We can safely draw a conclusion that nowadays, especially in a competitive society, no one can battle alone. A wise leader with a strong organization as his or her supporters is more prone to succeed. Only if everyone in the team or organization is supposed to exert his or her utmost effort will it be possible that they have a happy end. In all, to be a volunteer teacher in the village left me a valuable fortune. This was my precious experience that worth remembering all my life. I tasted the sweetness and the bitterness in the short two weeks. Though there were difficulties and crisis in this process, I won the respect and built firm relationship with my students. Leadership is relationship, it is true. I did what a leader was supposed to do, and I had no regret at all. Those students have been my greatest friends because they also taught me a valuable lesson. This was my first time to be a leader, but I have learnt a lot from this experience. What I should do is keep self-improving and never give up. I am still on my way to learning to be a good leader. On this way, there are still a lot of obstacles and much to learn. References: Leadership is the Relationship by Kenneth Rice (2006) Is Leadership a Relationship? by Mitch McCrimmon, Ph.D. (May 2010) The 9 Natural Laws of Leadership P.12- by Blank, Warren (1995) Jossey-Bass Higher and Adult Education Series by Bolman and Deal, (1997) Coach and Develop People by Gebelein, S.H., Stevens, L.A., Skube, C.J., Lee, D. G., Davis, B.L., Hellervik, L.W. Successful Managers Handbook. 6th ed. Minnesota: Personnel Decisions International Corporation. 2000.369-396) The Essence of Leadership by Stever Robbins (2003) The Leadership Relationship: Building High-Impact Relationships by Corporate Master, A Division of Integral Master Center Leadership Through Relationships by Richard. R. Ramos, 2009