Night Creature Blue Moon Chapter 38 Free Essays

I ought to have hammered the entryway, however I couldn’t. I was attached to the floor in the passage, unfit to drag my eyes from the sight before me. Clyde’s body twisted; his shoulders slouched; his legs bowed. We will compose a custom article test on Night Creature: Blue Moon Chapter 38 or on the other hand any comparative theme just for you Request Now He tossed back his head and cried. The sound destroyed ice my spine. The two-timers stopped in their flight and replied. His garments split open with a screech of severing fabric and blasting creases. His shoes appeared to detonate and paws jumped out. He dropped to every one of the fours and the hands that got him had hooks. Dark hair grew from each pore, thickening, protracting, turning out to be hide. A tail emitted from his spine. The exact opposite thing to change was his head. I detected development behind me, however I couldn’t tear my look away. I prepared myself, expecting Mandenauer to shoot. Be that as it may, he didn’t. Odd, he’d never faltered. The flying of bones, the extending of skin, caused an appalling sound. I recoiled as Clyde completed the change. His nose and his mouth extended, merging into a nose. His teeth developed; his tongue must have, as well, since it lolled out the side of his mouth. His forehead swell. At the point when he swung his head toward us his face was that of a cleaned wolf with Clyde’s eyes. Dreadful. I wanted for the hide to show up. My desire was before long conceded. Dark hair streamed over his face, clouding the bones that defaced his cinnamon skin. He shook himself as though he’d simply come out of the water, at that point moved in the direction of me. I panted. Clyde was the dark wolf that had hounded my means and frequented my fantasies. He was in all likelihood the wolf that had chomped Karen Larson and innumerable others. The gunfire made me shout and tumble to the floor, surrendering before my face. My ears rang, yet I despite everything heard Clyde scream. I didn’t need to look, however I needed to. Blazes burst from a perfect gap close to his heart. The aroma of burned hair and cooking meat filled the air. The wail of a wolf, the call of a man †he squirmed excruciatingly, winding, turning, his paws scrabbling against the boards of the patio as he kicked the bucket. I remained on the ground. I couldn’t gain my feet. Man-denauer ventured around me and pushed at Clyde wkh his boot. The wolf’s head lolled sickeningly. I inclined my back against the lodge divider. I was frail, limp. I couldn’t quit gazing at what had once been my chief. I’d loved Clyde, believed him as much as I confided in anybody †aside from possibly Zee. I couldn’t get my brain around the possibility that he’d perpetually be a wolf. That Clyde could never again spit bite or statement Clint. â€Å"Why did you let him finish the change before you shot him?† â€Å"It is simpler to clarify a dead wolf than a dead sheriff.† His look cleared the woods. â€Å"We must go.† â€Å"Go? Where? We got him.† â€Å"The sheriff was just a follower of abhorrence. The person who will become remains.† â€Å"How you figure?† Mandenauer flicked me a scornful look. â€Å"If he was the one, for what reason did he give the totem to the others?† I hadn’t thought of that. Damn. â€Å"Listen,† Mandenauer murmured. Out there the wolves called to each other. There were a greater amount of them now. The ones who had been here had joined the individuals who held up there. With their pioneer. I looked at the sky. The blue moon had not yet arrived at the pinnacle. Our night had just started. I battled to my knees, picked up my feet without assistance. I searched for Will and didn’t discover him. Had he dropped from blood misfortune? I stepped toward the entryway and Mandenauer halted me. â€Å"Your sweetheart is putting a wrap on his scratch. He needn't bother with your aid.† â€Å"You consider that a scratch?† â€Å"You do not?† â€Å"I state an opening through the arm is an injury and not a scratch.† â€Å"I state on the off chance that you can walk, at that point walk.† I tore my look from the lodge. â€Å"You attempting to let me know something?† â€Å"Follow those wolves.† â€Å"I just realized you were going to state that.† I followed inside, recovered my rifle, went scanning for Will. To damnation with Mandenauer; I wasn’t going to leave until I witnesses for myself that Will was good. I followed the blood trail to the washroom. Will attempted to secure cloth around his arm with one hand. He looked up and his eyes met mine in the mirror. He didn’t seem glad to see me. â€Å"Let me.† I ventured into the room, inclining my rifle against the divider. â€Å"It’s done.† He snatched one finish of the cloth with his teeth, the other with his free hand, and yanked. His breath murmured in strongly when the material fixed on the injury. â€Å"Maybe you ought to go to the facility and get stitches.† â€Å"I don’t need fastens. It’s only a scratch.† My lips jerked. â€Å"Scratch. Right. Shouldn't something be said about your ear?† He shrugged one shoulder. The blood that had washed his neck split, and rust-shaded bits descended upon his previously demolished garments. â€Å"I’ll live.† â€Å"Jessie!† Mandenauer yelled. â€Å"Today on the off chance that you please?† I ventured nearer and smoothed his hair away from his temple. â€Å"I need to go.† He moved unexpectedly, his body knocking against mine in manners that would have been fascinating on the off chance that he weren’t shrouded in blood and I didn’t have spots to be, werewolves to execute. â€Å"Let me change my shirt.† â€Å"You aren’t coming.† â€Å"Yes.† His eyes met mine. â€Å"I am.† â€Å"Now that Clyde’s dead they need a wolf faction part. Bringing you along would be absolute stupid.† â€Å"I can deal with myself.† â€Å"So can I. Remain here. Tidy up. Rest. I’ll return when it’s over.† â€Å"You figure I can simply stay here while you face a werewolf armed force? Hold up like a decent young man until you have the opportunity to come to me once more? I love you, Jessie. In the event that you kick the bucket, so do I.† The idea of him kicking the bucket made my palms damp and my voice sharp. â€Å"I’m not going to bite the dust nor are you. Simply let me carry out my responsibility, Will.† â€Å"Let me help.† â€Å"I don’t need your help.† â€Å"Of course not. You don’t need anyone.† His voice rose and outrage warred with the agony in his eyes. â€Å"You positively don’t need me. You never did.† â€Å"Jessie.† Mandenauer remained in the lobby. Desperation fixed his highlights. I looked at Will. I needed to remain, yet I needed to go. I needed to kiss him, however he dismissed and began the shower. â€Å"I’ll be back,† I guaranteed. He didn’t answer, and that disturbed me more than his resentment and agony had. Torn between my activity, my obligation, and my adoration, I wavered. At long last, I had no way out. I followed Mandenauer and he followed the wolves. The most effective method to refer to Night Creature: Blue Moon Chapter 38, Essay models

News Article Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

News story Analysis - Essay Example As indicated by Miller, the higher valuing pattern is decently pinpointing the absence of rivalry in the market. The constrained flexibly from not many and rising interest from numerous local people and worldwide financial specialists is making absence of rivalry here. A few providers are appreciating the high benefits by selling the apartment suites in significant expenses and are planned to cover misfortunes made because of the downturn. This idea is inferred structure the hypothesis of interest pull value climb. Since the market was indicating escalated interest for the apartment suites, the towers additionally being changed into townhouses. It is likewise making publicity among the potential purchasers as continually rising costs are making earnestness to direct an arrangement. This methodology brought about deals increment as per the letter to lawyer diary from the condominiums designer on Oct. 24, 2012. The market idea tells that not so much gracefully but rather more interest builds the costs in the market thus similar pre-emergencies showcase the merchants charging premium costs from clients. All through the articles it is mirrored that each genuine state merchant particularly in the condominiums is charging significant expenses exploiting the absence of rivalry in the market. The shortage of flexibly formed an oligopolistic rivalry in the Manhattan advertise. ... The lack of flexibly in the market is come about because of downturn as a result of which the development was brought at stop.. The downturn in the US economy influenced all the business divisions all through the nation. Each territory of US confronted a recession’s sway. The system’s issue began when the loaning limit of banks became more vulnerable due to the insolvencies of colossal multinationals and all the more explicitly banks. The chapter 11 of tremendous firms and speculation house Lehman Brothers assumed the job of nail in the final resting place and was the real purpose behind acquiring the downturn the US economy.. The home loan banks examined the circumstance and quit making more ventures on genuine state industry. Likewise, the speculators of genuine state industry postponed their arrangements of venture as a result of the diminishing interest. The genuine state speculators in Manhattan moved with pattern and diminished their interests in the genuine satis fy area of the state. Those tasks that were under development at the hour of downturn were the main gracefully for not so distant future. Likewise, genuine land constructors purchased the suffocating investors’ unit at bucks in downturn. Henceforth, when the economy began getting recuperate after the period of downturn there were just barely any providers of recently built condos were contending in the market. Likewise, for the time of next two years they were the main providers in the market. The recuperation drove the individuals of Manhattan to bring back their interests in buying townhouses which expanded interest. Land organizations expanded costs as a result of absence of rivalry or the inaccessibility of requested gracefully. The costs were accused higher of an edge of good rate and due

How Angry Birds Started and Why It Got So Successful

How Angry Birds Started and Why It Got So Successful © Shutterstock.com | OlegDoroshinIn this article, we will look at 1) Angry Birds â€" an introduction, 2) how Angry Birds got so successful, 3) global impact, and 4) what enterprises can learn from Angry Birds.ANGRY BIRDS â€" AN INTRODUCTIONThis video game franchise was created by Rovio Entertainment, a Finnish computer game developer. The game was inspired by a sketch of stylized wingless birds. The first release was on the Apple iOS platform in December 2009 and by October 2010 the game had sold 12 million copies on the Apple app store. At this point, the game was developed for other smartphones including those on the Android, Symbian and Windows Systems. The game has also expanded to video game consoles and PCs.The game has seen phenomenal success in all its platforms for its addictive gameplay, comical style and low price to play. The large market for game related merchandise is also present with items featuring game characters. There are also multiple spin-off games and a TV ser ies with longer terms plan for a feature film.Total downloads for the game across all platforms for all editions total 2 billion. The game is the highest downloaded game series that employs a freemium model.  The British Prime Minister, David Cameron has admitted to having a slight addiction for the game as well as other famous people such as Dick Cheney, actor John Hamm and many more.GameplayOne main reason for the games immense popularity is its simple design. There are barely any instructions or complicated controls allowing people of all ages and technical prowess to easily play the game. The game screen features the antagonist pigs to the right while the angry birds are to the left. The pig are sheltered in structures made of wood, concrete, steel or ice. The birds have to be catapulted through the air to destroy the forts and squash the pigs.The game appears simple but there is science behind it. A bird on the right trajectory can wreak havoc on the pigs while a wrong one can lead to failure and the level restarting.History of Angry BirdsAngry Birds Games and Spin offsThe game has led to many different versions. These include Angry Birds (2009), Angry Birds Seasons (2010), Angry Birds Rio (2011), Angry Birds Friends (2012), Angry Birds Space (2012), Angry Birds Star Wars (2012), Angry Birds Start Wars II (2013), Angry Birds Go! (2013), Angry Birds Epic (2014), Angry Birds Transformers (2014), Angry Birds Fight (2013) and Angry Birds Under Pigstruction (2015).Spin Offs include Bad Piggies (2012), Angry Birds Stella (2014) and Angry Birds Stella POP! (2015).Angry Birds Statistics The game has been downloaded 2.5 billion times by 1.7 billion smartphone users globally. These users have thrown 600 billion birds collectively and earned 150 billion stars across all Angry Birds games. In comparison, the Milky Way only has 100 billion stars! By the end of 2011, 300 million minutes of the game were played daily.According to The Guardian, in 2013 Rovio’s growth s talled and revenues grew by only 2.5% year-on-year. The company reported revenues of €156m ( £128.4m) for 2013 compared to 2012s €152.2m â€" which represented more than double the €75.6m that Angry Birds made in 2011. 47% percent of this revenue came from the consumer products division which includes toys, books and other licensed products.Some other interesting infographics about the game can be seen here and here.HOW ANGRY BIRDS GOT SO SUCCESSFULThe creators of Angry Birds managed to formulate the perfect recipe for a casual game with everything in just the right quantities. According to Michael Chorost, there are four main reasons for the game’s popularity. Underlying these reasons is the delicious delay between the birds being launched and the results. This feeds our primal pleasure centers.The dopamine action in your brain makes you want to know, urgently, what will happen when you fire the bird. And its extremely easy to get yourself in a position of wanting, because t he game is so simple. It gives you intermittent but extremely satisfying rewards. So you pull the slingshot again and again and again. And again and  again  and  again  and AGAIN.Another opinion is by Raph Koster who believes that a primeval skill is re-awakened in humans through the central aiming mechanism.Its evolutionarily useful that the brain fastens on challenging problems that have to do with trajectories. Physics calculations like this were extremely valuable if you made your living with a spear.Some other reasons for the game’s success are described below.Simple Yet Engaging ConceptThis may seem like an obvious combination to aim for when developing a game. But it is not always translated practically. In Angry Birds, the developers have ensured that the game is easy to pick up for a new player and factors such as age or intelligence are not barriers to enjoying the game and even doing well as it. This means that none of the challenges presented by the game are impossible and can all be overcome with some time and effort. This makes for a relaxing and low stress game which can be played at any time for any period of time.This simplicity can also be a danger to the engagement level of a game. If a game is too simple in concept, then people may lose interest faster. But because the game is based on trajectories, there is a slightly different result every time. In addition, though people quickly develop a mental model of the game’s methodology, strategy and scoring, it remains engaging because there is carefully planned expansion of this mental model through increasing complexity as the game progresses with more birds and more complex structures to destroy.Cleverly Managed Response TimeGenerally, applications will attempt to provide users with a faster response time. This is a key requirement for many products such as google, email or instant messaging. However, in other types of applications, a more prudent use of response time can actually add dept h and quality to user engagement with an interface. In Angry Birds, this response time is utilized quite cleverly where the bird is released at a leisurely pace and its trajectory is marked and observable. The pigs and their structures take their time to fall apart or be destroyed completely. This slow pace allows users to correct their errors, study what they did right or wrong and plan their strategy. It also allows the game to remain relaxing rather than nerve racking.Short Term Memory ManagementHuman short term memory is exceedingly limited when compared to other aspects of our system of memory. This short term memory allows humans to recall a small number of items, behaviors or patterns for a short time frame allowing us to operate without the more complex process of bringing in the long term memory. The Angry Birds game design manipulates this short term memory in the most intuitive way by bending it to create better engagement with the game. This short term memory loss is cre ated in a way that it does not become a negative for the player but adds to the complexity of the game. One example of this in action is when the screen loads at the beginning of each game. The player sees a quick view of the pigs in their structure before panning back to the birds, driving the structure out of mind and removing the ability to strategize. The player will then move back to view the structure again, allowing the short term memory to recharge.MysteryThe element of mystery, big or small, has the ability to keep humans engaged. Whether this mystery is in art, advertising or a movie, we tend to find these mysterious details compelling. The game is full of these little mysteries such as the presence of small bananas in some levels, the shaking of pig abodes right before the level begins, why birds sometimes somersault when released and not every time and many more. These small questions are not enough to frustrate but enough to add another layer to the engagement of the ga me.Casual Play TimeAnother appeal of the game is that it can be played for as short or as long a time period as the user wants. This means that a quick game can be taken in while waiting in a line, during a lunch or tea break or while traveling in a taxi or bus. The game is meant to be played casually but with enough goals and objectives to keep even hardcore gamers involved.SatisfactionAll the visual and audio effects of the game come together to make a satisfying and enjoyable experience for any kind of player. The game play allows for satisfaction and achievement with every successful level, whether it is finished in one try or several dozen.Popularity Breeds more PopularityHuman curiosity makes us want to try out what is deeply engaging another person. With the initial buzz of the game on its release, more and more people wanted to try out this new sensation, thus leading to increased referrals and yet more interest.GLOBAL IMPACTAngry Birds is a true phenomenon, having entered t he lexicon of the current times. Its impact can be seen extensively in all aspects of modern entertainment and culture. Some of these examples are:Television FilmThe characters from the game have been mentioned in various TV shows around the world. These include Israeli comedy show Eretz Nehederet’s satirized version of Israeli-Palestinian peace attempts featuring the Angry Birds negotiating with the pigs. Other mentions include Conan, The Daily Show and Tosh.0 as well as 30 Rock. Fans of the game include British Prime Minister David Cameron, author Salma Rushdie, basketball star Kevin Durant and actor Jon Hamm. The game was also featured in film G.I Joe: Retaliation, TV series VEEP and referenced in a parody of The Hunger Games.AdvertisingThe characters have also been featured in advertisements for different products. These include a series for Microsoft’s search engine Bing, one for Nokia’s N8 phone, T-Mobile, Finnair as well as Rovio created promotional variants for other companies. These include Finnish snack company Fazer, Spanish pizza chain Telepizza, Japanese TV network Fuji TV, Cheetos and Coca Cola.SportsFormula 1 driver Heikki Kovalinen was sponsored by Rovio in 2012 and wore an Angry Birds helmet and a promotional web-based version of the game was released in his honor. Another driver, Kimi Raikkonen also has an Angry Birds Space logo on his cap. For the 2012 Monaco Grand Prix, Rovio teamed up with the Lotus team to affix its logo on top of each Lotus Renault F1 car.An angry hockey player bird, HockeyBird was unveiled as the official mascot for the 2012 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships designed by Toni Kysenius and Rovio.Video GamesThe game has inspired knock-off and parody games which use the same basic mechanics as the original. Some of these include Angry Turds, where monkeys throw feces at hunters. Yet another is Chicks’n’Vixens where the birds and pigs are chickens and foxes. This game was released on the Windows phone platform a s a challenge to Rovio, who had not released the game for the platform.WHAT ENTERPRISES CAN LEARN FROM ANGRY BIRDSThis app can help enterprises learn about how to handle large amounts of critical data. According to Andy Gross of Basho, there is a connection between a mobile gaming app and an effective, strong enterprise infrastructure. This connection is the huge amounts of critical data as well the constant pressure to meet customer expectations.Data Customer Expectation Handling at RovioThe creators of the game have to handle more data than many enterprises do. By 2013, the game had been downloaded 2 billion times with 263 million monthly users. All these users bring in considerable data such as personal information and player stats among others. To manage customer expectations, companies such as Rovio manage critical data by keeping a focus on the key factors that have an effect on business revenue and user experiences. In this case, these are game performance and availability. This means that the game needs to be available all the time with no downtime and that users can access their data such as scores and stats at all time without any loss of data or errors. These learnings can be translated to enterprises easily.Catering to high user expectations   To ensure a perfect user experience, companies such as Rovio, Amazon and Facebook have put in place distributed systems to guarantee availability, zero data loss and zero downtime. This is possible only through distributed databases.Flexible Storage   The Rovio databases have a schemaless design as well as no restrictions on data formats. This allows all critical user data to be easily stores, managed and delivered with no unified format required.Low Latency Design  In a distributed system, data is replicated on different multiple nodes to provide a higher tolerance for hardware failure and allows the system to continue to function with no loss of critical data.Global Data Locality   A multi-datacenter repl ication makes sure that data is present close to users in order to ensure optimal performance anywhere in the world.Scalability to Manage Growth   As more users enter the fray, more data is brought in the need to scale becomes crucial to success. The Rovio infrastructure allows them to add and remove nodes and scale from tens to hundreds of servers to meet customer demand.Companies therefore, need to learn to not only capture big data but also leverage it to improve the bottom line.

The Dynamics Of Political Correctness Essay - 1694 Words

Correctly Political: A Look into the Dynamics of Political Correctness nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Every American probably knows what it means to be politically correct. After all, we hear about it on the news almost every night. We have to be constantly aware of whether or not something we say or do is going to offend someone. This mode of communication is present in every aspect of our lives, from the most formal to the most informal situations. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;This paper will answer questions on the origin of the term ‘politically correct and the applications of the communication pattern it refers to: who started it, who is doing it, and why. Is political correctness a good idea? Is it too pervasive?†¦show more content†¦It evolved into a term of disapproval among leftists for those whose line-toeing fervor was too much to bear. (Richer and Weir 53) Thus, the expression went from having a positive meaning to having a negative meaning. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;What we think of today as political correctness (PC) began in a recognizable form during the social movements of the late 1960s. PC was used as a self critique by social movements, each saw itself as politically/ethically correct. PC referred to the culture or practices of the womens movement or gay liberation or a Marxist party, but not to a common culture cross-cutting these movements. There existed a shifting line of conflict between movements, and groups could signify affinity or hostility with another group by proclaiming these movements politically correct. (Richer and Weir 53) Paul Berman, a well- known essayist, has a very interesting view of the social movement culture of the 1960s: nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;â€Å"The left wing uprising of circa 1968 had two phases, which were in perfect discord. The first phase was an uprising on behalf of the ideals of liberal humanism -- an uprising on behalf of the freedom of the individual against a soulless system. The second phase was the opposite, at least philosophically. It was a revolt against liberal humanism. 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Project planning, management and control - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 30 Words: 8899 Downloads: 6 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Statistics Essay Did you like this example? Introduction: Project Management (BS 6079, 1996) is the planning, monitoring and control of all aspects of a project and the motivation of all those involved in it to achieve the project objectives on time and to the specified cost, quality and performance. For any project to become a success, team work plays a major role. One of the most renowned and widely used practical and management team developments is the Belbin team roles. The argument from Belbin is that team composition plays a major factor in influencing the performance of the team (Water et al, 2008). Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Project planning, management and control" essay for you Create order The fundamental aspect of human existence is the working together as groups. The main purpose of this is to survive, adapt and thrive to different situations by using individuals intellect and co-operation (Riding and Rayner, 2001). The team roles are classified into organisational roles and the functional roles (Atkinson, 1999). A team role is a set of behaviours grouped in a cluster (Belbin, 1993). The main objective of this essay is to evaluate the teams performance based on the Belbin self perception theory discussing the teams roles, team life cycle and other aspects with respect to the project management exercise. Belbin Team Roles: Team roles are defined as a pattern of behaviour characteristic of the way in which one team member interacts with another (Belbin, 1981). Every individual will take preferred roles in the management exercises and the outcome purely depends on the balance in the team (Riding and Rayner, 2001). It is always a good team with a good balance of individuals will result in a good outcome and vice versa (Belbin, 1993). Belbin has differentiated nine team roles based on the behaviour of people and is classified by feeling, will power, thinking and decisiveness. In the Belbin later research, he added one more role called as SP (Specialist) which refers to single mindedness, acting always alone and dedicated to specialism. The main function of this role is that people will behave in a extremely silent, introvert and will not contribute other than their special interest areas. This is considered as the negligible contribution to the team (Atkinson, 1999). Belbin uses an instrument for quantifyi ng the team role preferences which is called as the Self Perception Inventory. This consists of 70 points by evaluating seven statements in each questions. For each question 10 statements are given and can be prioritised based on the individual behaviour in which 10 points can be distributed. In predicting the performance of the team Belbin succeeded based on the information from the role profiles of each member. In this view a team is balanced when each role appears in atleast one team members profile as high-scoring role (Atkinson, 1999). From the Henley workshops, Belbin was able to specify the composition of the team and arrived at conclusions. This was characterised by (Furnham, 1992): attributes of a leader are similar to chairman profile (CH) now called as Co-ordinator (CO) and the team should have a range of mental abilities which includes a person generating creative ideas and giving practical solutions to the problems encountered. The team should include one Completer Finisher (CF), Implementer (IM) and the members can suit the other team roles based on their personal characteristics and ultimately the team which can identify and improve on their competencies by doing mistakes is considered as the best team (Riding and Rayner, 2001). Teams Belbin profiles: For the project management exercise, the teams were divided based on the Belbin team roles. As said earlier, in a team it is must to have a Completer Finisher (CF) and Implementer (IM). The team were asked to choose from Team Workers (TW). Person having primary reference as Team Workers are few and so persons having secondary and tertiary references as Team Workers were called for choosing the team. Evaluating the team roles and functions: First, from the team balance sheet it is clear that the team has no primary references for SH, PL, RI, TW, CF and can be considered as scarce for the team. This team has three implementers (IM) which is good in terms of delivering the project fast. Having more implementers is not a problem in any team as they move towards implementing the project. But having more shapers is a problem because of their characteristics. Person 1 who is ME can act as a CF and TW because of his secondary and tertiary preferences. Person 1 shows major characteristics of ME because of the feasibility characteristics. In this exercise, person 1 is very much interested in calculating the Critical path, always analysing the situations, showing temperament and whenever anything goes out of plan again doing the critical path whether there is feasibility of completing the project on time. The main advantage with person 1 is that he maintains good temperament in all the situations even if it is good or bad. The disadvantages is that in some situations person 1 whose Belbin profile shows weakness as decision making is very true. Sometimes person 1 took some hasty decisions which have affected the teams profit (decision of choosing the manufacturing subcontractor). Always took more time in making next moves since the basic nature of ME is analysing situations. Sometimes person 1 also did the role of CF when it comes to planning the project. The project plan was for 140 days with 7 periods of 20 days. One of the persons in the team were modifying the plan for days and the person striked the number of resources and wrote the new allocation of resource. Person 1 thought that this can make confusions and he acted as a CF by rubbing of the resources and wrote the allocation as clear as possible so that everybody can understand. Person 2 who is CO acted as a RI and PL in the initial phase of the exercise. As depicted by Belbin, RI used to interact a lot with the external environment is very true. Person 2 whenever any problems are faced by the team, he used to interact more with the teacher understanding the problem and gives new ideas to solving the problem. Person 2 organises well with the resource facilities for the game with the flip charts, pens and other requirements for smooth functioning of the game. At only one stage person 2 acted as a CO in the decision of choosing suppliers. Person 2 behaves more as RI and PL in this exercise. Person 3 who is IM, SP and has two tertiary references as CO and ME has shown good characteristics of implementer role in this exercise. Sometimes person 3 behaves more as ME than CO which is good for the team, because one or more COs have different approaches for the project. Person 3 is always striving hard to implement the project on time and sometimes showed good character for team worker. Person 3 always strives hard to stick to the plan and whenever plan changes, organises well for implementing the plan. The disadvantage is that this person lacks flexibility sometimes when it comes to implementation. Person 4 who is IM, secondary is CF and tertiary is SH initially has shown SH characteristics by challenging and arguing the facts that were made by the team. Person 4 is always interested in results and sometimes behaved as CO by taking decisions. Person 1 and 4 since showed shaper characteristics sometimes had difference of opinion but were well managed by team members. Person 4 showed good implementer characteristics in the final stages of the exercise. Person 5 who is IM, ME as secondary and CF as tertiary initially were helping the team with PL characteristics, sometimes RI when CO has to take decisions by going to the external world and discussing with people. Very sincere, hard working when it comes to implementation. Main advantage is that very well organised in implementing things, interested in sticking to the plan and sometimes resources were provided by him. Person 5 showed a major of Team Worker in many aspects because of the fact that TW always want to harmony among the teams. The team Belbins profiles helped a lot in choosing a balanced team and are 60% accurate with respect to our team. For a project to become a success, it is always helpful with people taking new roles under a good leadership. Finally, good team work will always succeed and makes the project success. Persons took roles which are not their primary, secondary or tertiary references sometimes worked out well and made benefits to the team but many of the times it failed. The people showed majority of the characteristics as depicted by Belbin and is helpful in the teams success. One important learning with Belbin self perception theory is that having two or more shapers in a team is dangerous and will lead to poor project management. It is always helpful to have one PL and one CO as their primary reference. Team Life Cycle: The basic behaviour of any team is that they are dynamic. As an individual, they can perform effectively but as a team they can fail and vice versa. Attention and maintenance are always required for the teams. The first person to bring a chart for teams progression is Tuckman. He has identified four stages in a teams development which are forming, storming, norming and performing (Kakabadse et al, 2004). In the forming stage, team members got to know about each other and started establishing their relationships. The learnings are based on the organisations culture and standards. Project task behaviours and interpersonal relationships are very important in binding the team together. In the storming stage, a person starts expressing the views and there is a chance of difference in opinion. Leadership challenges occur and may lead to rivalry between people because of their behaviours. Because of these conflicts, the main objective of the organisation cannot be met which lead to separation of groups. In the norming stage, groups will start gelling towards one another and each strengths and weaknesses can be known. The teams will set their standards and roles can be clearly defined at this stage. In the performing stage, actual team working takes place and people starts performing their tasks together. If the team loses the energy or support, then a stage called restoring or declining stage may follow. Further in this stage, the strengths, weaknesses of the team is analysed with respect to the task is discussed and learnings are recorded for effective project management in future. Evaluating the teams life cycle: In the project management exercise, different sets of problems are encountered by the team and creative solutions are identified to solve these problems. Some of the solutions clicked and some lead to major failures for the team. The forming stage provided opportunities for the new team to understand each other and gave different settings. When first given the exercise, some team members easily understood the process and some found difficult to understand the process. In the initial stages it took more time for the team to decide the strategy for proceeding with the project. Person 1, 3 expressed their views which were not agreed by the team whereas person 2, 4 had expressed their concerns which again not accepted by the team members. Finally, a conclusion has been made with the project plan and the identification of first, second and third critical paths are identified. This stage is all about trusting and building confidence on other team members. The team lacks leadership in this phase. A leader is clearly needed in this phase to provide direction and guidance (Lee, 2008). The storming stage provides openness for feelings and the team discusses the issues very seriously even if the point is not valid. The existing plan with respect to the actual working is modified and refined well. Person 1, 4 had conflicts in choosing the suppliers whether to go for delivery or quality. Person 2, 3 and 5 also contributed but a single decision has to be taken by the team. The team debated on these issues and finally person 1 compromised person 4 for going to a quality supplier by explaining with the fact which will not affect the delivery of the product. The teams weaknesses are that for first three periods did good jobs but didnt celebrate any success. The other weaknesses are builds, integration points between team members, conflicts within the team and sometimes role conflicts. In the norming stage, the teams had fewer conflicts and started communicating more effectively with others. The team emerged with good practices; loop integration exists because of better communication, the person understands their balance and develops their required skills and role clarity is clearly defined. Person 1 decision will be treated as final since some of the decisions worked out well in the earlier periods and didnt analyse the strengths and weaknesses of the decision which lead to a disaster in period 4, 5. The team didnt properly review the operation in a regular basis which also leads to a failure (not delivering the product on time). The team didnt celebrate success in this stage also. In the performing stage, since person 1 decision went wrong it is important for the team members to chip in with leadership and person start taking responsibilities for leadership which is a very good sign for the team. This allows rotation of leadership and helps team members to grow their own skills. The team started to treat seriously the views from team members as well as outside members which is done for the betterment of the project work. Finally, the team made a little profit and starts celebrating the success which has to be done earlier. In this stage it is always good to have an outsider to comment on the teams performance which helps in identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the team. In the last stage, the team learnt their mistakes and starts working on improving individual competencies and the advantages of team work. Every individual is important for a team and it is the individuals who are building the team. The project management exercise can be done more effectively if the same team is given one more chance based on their learnings. The output required from this phase is the prevention of failures for a future project. Decision making procedures: The teams success depends on the decision making and it is the key factor in project management. The working definition of decision making (Ullman, 2006) is that Decision making is a process that commits resources to resolving an issue. Making a decision is not an event; it is a process for arriving at the correct decisions based on uncertain, incomplete, incomplete, inconsistent and evolving information. It is important for the team to get the best out of these results. In practice, every decision the team trying to make must address two issues: Merit decision quantitative way of taking the decision based on merits Acceptance decision acceptance by the people by the decision taken by the team. A decision is a choice made from several alternatives (Lewis, 2004). The decision is going to be effective when merit and acceptance are considered. For any decision the important criteria is to understand the problem and issues are to be clarified. Then as a team alternatives are generated and criteria are developed for robust decision making. The next important step is the evaluation part which tells the importance of the criteria. This also generates value to the alternatives that are developed for the criteria. Fuse is the next step in decision making which generates decision measures by evaluating process. The last stage is what to do next which reduces consensus, uncertainty, criteria and further revising the alternatives. Hence, (Ullman, 2006)A robust decision is the best possible choice, one found by eliminating all the uncertainty possible within available resources and then choosing with known and acceptable levels of satisfaction and risk. Some of the problems that are encountered during the decision making are team members have different judgement and their outcomes may be different due to different knowledge level, preferences. In order to evaluate a decision, managers have to choose a proper method (Fan Fu-Rong et al, 2008). Consultative approach is the most widely used approach for decision making. For handling group decision, the rules are shown in the below table 2. Evaluating the decision making procedures: Decisions taken in project management exercise by the team sometimes based on merit and sometimes based on acceptance and sometimes a combination of both. A consultative approach is followed when taking a decision. Initially for the first two decisions, it took more time for the team to understand the problem and team is not clear in the issues. The project delivery time is 140 days and the CPM shows that there is 285 days for the product to come out. A project plan is made for getting the product on time and it is always difficult to stick to the plan. Team members initially found difficult to generate alternatives for the decision and initially the team followed a consensus with team members. The first decision is based on merit as to reduce the lead time from 285 to 140 days. The teams weaknesses in the understanding phase are took more time for taking a decision, no clarity on problems, no criteria developed for taking the decision. Also, initially since team members are of diffe rent competencies it took time for gelling together. Then after the decision the team started to develop criteria for the decisions. The team in evaluating phase started to understand the importance of criteria developed and started generating alternatives for the criteria. One important thing is that decisions are always subject to change and it is important to review the earlier decisions. In the exercise, the team decided to go for good quality suppliers which actually paid very well for the team. When it comes to manufacturing sub contractors, due to cost pressure some compromise has to be made by the team and went ahead with the cheap sub contractor. The team took a risk but didnt work out well. The teams decision is partially a combination of merit and acceptance. The teams weakness in this stage is that it never had a backup plan till the failure has happened. In this stage, the resources are shuffled inorder to deliver the product on time which is a good move based on earlier decisions. But in actual practice it is difficult to execute as per the plan and is important to review the decisions as a team by d iscussing the merits and demerits of the team. In Fuse stage, the result from the earlier decisions gives the team of measuring the decisions. In the initial stage, Person 1 took the decision of going ahead with the good quality suppliers and convinced the team members, since it clicked the team went ahead with that persons decision for the future also. Every time when a decision is taken it is important to discuss as a team by evaluating the results of the decision and have a backup plan if that decision went wrong. During the periods 4, 5, 6 the teams took decisions in a fast, accurate way by learning from the mistakes earlier. It is important to learn from mistakes as a team. Finally, in the decide stage, the team started looking at the future in what has to be done next by reducing the uncertainty, refining the interpersonal skills. In this stage, the team started to work on a consensus basis. Even a single member points are taken seriously and started discussing the merits and demerits with refining the criteria. The team started to work on the alternatives and focus more towards for addressing the next issues. The team weakness in this stage, it is important to document the deliberation so that these failures cannot happen in the future. The key learning from the decision making procedures are decisions are subject to change and have to be reviewed consistently. Consensus approach has to be followed inorder to make a decision which can be based on merit and acceptance. Conflict within the team: Many organisations have changed to project management structures because of their inability to resolve conflicts. In a project life cycle, conflicts are part and parcel of life and can happen at any levels of the organisation. The project manager is often described as a conflict manager (Kerzner, 2001, 2009). Conflicts generally happen because of misunderstanding between team members and have different interpretations of companys objective. Inorder to avoid that, projects have to be defined in a clear way so that it can be understood by all the team members. Some people use SMART criteria for defining the project which says; S-Specific M-Measurable A-Attainable R-Realistic or Relevant T-Tangible or time bound (Kerzner, 2009). Time management is crucial in any project and it is important to manage time by avoiding conflicts. Some conflicts are relevant and provide valuable results. Most common types of conflict involve in the allocations of manpower resources, using the equipments and facilities, expenditure on capitals, cost and technical opinions and trade offs (Kerzner, 2001, 2009). Moreover the seven potential sources of conflicts are shown in the Fig 4. Goal, Plan and Belief conflicts are the three types of conflicts (Jain et al, 2007). If a conflict happens in a project, there are five different ways of resolving the conflicts which are shown in fig 5 which are confrontation, compromise, smoothing, forcing and withdrawal. Evaluation of conflicts: The team initially had conflicts in allocating the man power resources like employing in design, assemblers and testers. The team had a conflict over schedules in attaining the project on time. The team members person 1, 2 and 4 had difference of opinions in schedules and the resolution mode of compromise is used to resolve that issue. Person 1, 3, 4 had conflicts in priorities in choosing the suppliers. Person 1 suggested a supplier part can be taken just before the assembly but the team members took a decision by smoothing mode. In case if anything fails the team need to reorder again this may take time. Inorder for the project manager to be effective an understanding of how to work with various employees who must interface with the project is necessary (Kerzner, 2001, 2009). The various members in the team include upper management, functional managers etc and it is important to understand the sub ordinate and functional conflicts. The relationship between conflict causes and sourc es is shown in the figure 6. The teams strength is that none of the members in the team had personality conflict which is very important for project success. When deciding the manufacturing sub contractor person 1 suggested for a reliable sub contractor, but all the other members in the team are cost conscious in which person 1 and other members had a conflict over cost. The teams choice of choosing a good quality supplier had a conflict with other members which is a functional conflict provides good benefits for the team in terms of quality, time and cost. During the period 3, 4 the team members had a conflict of allocating the inspectors which is the conflict over schedule and had a good result during the period. But during the period 5, the team had a conflict on schedule in resource allocation of assemblers but not with the inspectors. All the five resolution modes of conflicts are used for resolving conflicts in almost all the stages. The team weaknesses include conflicts have to happen and has to be resolv ed systematically. But as a team, conflicts at the initial stages of the project give good results and when it comes to final stages conflicts started coming down. The figure 7 shows the conflict intensity in the team during the project life cycle. The key learnings from the project management exercise are that time management is important and the conflicts have to be resolved within the time. Team members have to understand the sub ordinate and their opinions and have to be evaluated inorder to get a good result in the project. It is important to have a plan for resolving conflicts in the planning phase itself. Constant communication of the project objectives to the team members will help in minimising or even eliminating the conflicts. Sometimes direct contact with people will reduce the conflicts. In project management hierarchical issues are to be resolved and there shall not be any domination from the project manager or the functional mangers. Companywide policies can be adapted for resolving the conflict issues for smooth functioning of the project. Role clarities have to be clear which will reduce the conflicts. Team Leadership: Team leadership is one of the main aspects in the project success. In any projects, leadership becomes a problem because project management involves group of people who are frequently in interaction for a specific project. The following tasks are required for a leader to achieve the tasks; Tasks are defined and shall be achieved Team shall be build and can be properly co-ordinated Leader shall satisfy individual team members Task needs It is important for the leader to clearly define the objectives of the project and leadership shall aim at achieving these goals. Team needs The element of leadership shall hold the team together inorder to produce efficient results for the project. If the team have conflicts, then it is the leader who has to convince the team members effectively. Individual needs The performance and contributions of the project by every member of the team have to be understood by the leader and sometimes can reward for good work (Reiss, 1995). From the moment the leadership is taken it is important for the leader to ensure that the project is heading in correct direction (Heerkens, 2002). The biggest problem that a leader is facing in the project management is that managing the anxieties which were developed by the team members. Sometimes if it is not evaluated may lead to slow down the project and work output. The anticipation by the leaders when questioned by the team members are: Whats in it for me? What will be expected out of me? What will life on your team like? (Heerkens, 2002) Evaluation of team leadership: In the project management exercise, the team leadership was with no one and totally a team effort. But it is always important to have a leader for the team for the above reasons stated. Sometimes Person 1 took the leadership in choosing the suppliers, sub contractors, person 2 took the leadership in periods 4, 5 of the project. Person 4 took the leadership in the periods 6, 7 and person 3 during the period 2 of the project. The teams strength is that everybody in the team understands the leadership attitudes which are important for project success. The anxieties by the team members can be reduced by having conversations within the team. The team members frequently had meeting openly for achieving the following: Project objectives were reviewed (the true need for the project) and the justifications were explained as a team (benefits). Project planning and its proposal were reviewed (the solution) and the team leader took a decision for the preferred approach. Initially the team faced problems of leadership and all members expressed their views and constraints. Roles and responsibilities are not clarified clearly by functional categorisation which leads to some problems within the team. This is considered as one of the teams weaknesses. It is important to honestly characterise the style of leadership (free, open, trusting, reacting to situations) The leader has to explain the expectations that are required from the team members regarding the delivery by frequent conducting of meetings. Communication plays a major role in leadership and the leader has to explain the behaviour style. (Adopted from Heerkens, 2002 Modified for Project Management exercise). The team initially went ahead with no leader and later person characterised by Belbin as CO started taking leadership which was helpful for the team. The team had good mutual relationships with other members and used visual charts when sketching the plan, reviewing the plan. Professional ethics are maintained throughout the project which is the biggest advantage for the project success. Celebration of project milestones and its success are very important to improve the morale of the members is considered to be one of the team weaknesses. Any team before starting the project must have a leader and it is the leader who assigns the roles and responsibilities of the team members clearly. One of the main leadership qualities is the flexibility in their approach, style in adapting to the situations, communications with the team members. It is not always necessary that leader should have technical skills, but a little amount of knowledge in the particular field is sufficient for managing the project. Conclusion: Organisational behaviour is very important for project management and using Belbin profiles in dividing the organisation is helpful in achieving the objectives. Team work is important for the project to succeed and lies on every individual of the team. It is important for the leader to motivate the members and constantly encourage them for the effective functioning of project teams. Belbin team life cycle shows that evolution of teams and tells the effective functioning of teams. The decision making procedures are important for projects success and has to be reviewed consistently. Project planning is considered to be the important phase in project management and plan gives only the direction. It is important for the team to learn from mistakes. Introduction TVS Motors is the third largest two wheeler manufacturers in India and one among the top ten in the world with annual turnover of more than USD 1 billion 2008-2009 and is the flagship company of the USD 4 billion TVS group. The company has four plants located in Hosur and Mysore in South India, Himachel Pradesh in North India and one in Indonesia. The company has a production capacity of 2.5 million units per year. TVS strength lies in the design and development of new products. TVS delivers total customer satisfaction by anticipating customer needs and presenting quality vehicles at the right time and right price. The customer and his ever changing need is our continuous source of imspiration.TVS always stood for innovative, easy to handle, environment friendly products, backed by reliable customer service. TVS manufactures a wide range of products as shown below. Motorcycles Apache RTR, Flame DS 125, Flame, Jive, Star City, Sport Variomatic Scooters Wego, Scooty Streak, Pep+, Teenz Mopeds TVS XL Super, TVS XL Heavy Duty Step thrus TVS Neo, Rockz (TVS Motors, 2010). The main objective of this essay is to evaluate the project management of a sub system (Fit and Finish Engineering section part of RD) in the TVS Motors and suggesting improvement points for betterment of the project management. Organisation Structure Any organisation exists to achieve the objectives by maintaining good relationships with its customers and its employees. The main objective of organisation is profitability. TVS Motor Company Mission Statement We are committed to being a highly profitable, socially responsible, and leading manufacturer of high value for money, environment friendly, life time personal transportation products under the brand, for customers predominantly in Asian markets and to provide fulfilment and prosperity for employees, dealers and suppliers. (TVS Motors, 2010). TVS Motors has various departments and each department based on their requirements uses different organisation structures. The most widely used organisation structures in TVS Motors are, Mechanistic structure Functional organisation Product / Project organisation Matrix Organisation (Bresnen, 1990). In this essay, the main focus will be on the fit and finish engineering section which is a part of RD and the various tools, techniques that are used by that section for project management. Objectives and factors of project management The objectives of project management related directly to the project are: Functional satisfaction Aesthetic satisfaction Completion on time Completion within budget Value for money (Walker, 2007). Design Brief In this essay, a product is taken from TVS Motors and is evaluated with respect to Fit and Finish Engineering section in the aspects of project management. Project brief (Young, 2007) is the summary document that contains the foundation design for the project. A clear definition of the project is critical to success. There are five essential documents required for defining a project and are: A statement of requirements A stakeholder list A project brief A scope of work assessment A risk assessment (Young, 2007) The key words in the project brief which is taken from TVS are, Male, self employed urban commuter bike Learning points The main learning points that can be incorporated in the design brief are that it should define all the requirements and constraints. In this design brief the requirements are not clearly defined in the case like as per style sign off, same as earlier product which can be converted into an objective requirement in terms of cost, performance and time scale for better clarity of understanding the product. TVS faced layout constraints in the pillion handle when using the same part for the new product which can be mentioned for better understanding of the product. The product definition document is reviewed on a continuous basis and the changes are made which are to be communicated for designers to ensure smooth functioning of the project. Project management process TVS Motors follow a project management process similar to the figure 11. Every project life cycle has various activities and phases which are the definition phase for defining the objective, analysis phase for recruitment and budget, synthesis phase for targets, plans and schedule, implementation phase for monitoring, re-scheduling and the completion phase for review, evaluation and storing the relevant data. Communication and negotiation skills are definitely required for a project manager. Project Planning Project manager description is to bring a project to completion on time, within the budget cost, and to meet the planned performance or end product goals (Simpson, 1987). These tasks are assumed to have performance or end product goals clear and are well defined in advance. The project manager has to prepare a solid plan and has to be followed for the projects success (Dvir et al, 2003). When defining the project plan there are three basic needs required which are the quality, time and the cost. Many projects have failed due to the inadequate understanding of customer requirements, revenue or profit. The methodology of practical project management is shown in figure 12. Project manager has to decide the plan for the project and based on his priorities one can take decision aligning with the organisational objectives. Project has to be defined based on the SMART methodology (S-Specific, M-Measurable, A Achievable, R Resource Driven, T Trackable). Then allocate the resources by splitting into IPTs (Integrated Project Teams) by following a project business process according to the organisation objectives. The IPT can be either a high performance IPT or a good IPT. These people are responsible for the understanding customers needs till the lead time of the product. The success of the product depends on these IPTs and headed by project manager. As said earlier, planning is very important for any project and is made by using a technique called Structured Decomposition or Work Breakdown Structure. This helps in successful interface with other people and assigns responsibilities, the size and completeness of the project. Build a project schedule based on the WBS. Keep tracking of the activities that are held and plan for further actions to bring the product at the right time. Based on these project milestones, a design and development plan is arrived and is shown in figure 14. Design and Development plan consists of list of parts, the various stages that it has to undergo, part numbers and the planned, actual dates of completion. The techniques used widely are Gantt charts and WBS. Management styles There are two types of management styles depending on the project used in TVS Motors. They are the: Reactive management style in which project managers work towards achieving the goals and objectives. This is a short range project perspective Proactive management style long range perspectives are taken in the earlier by considering the risk, contingency plans. It is always better to use proactive management style in a project management. Project planning tools and learnings Work Breakdown Structure: Planning, monitoring and managing all the facets of the project can be done by Work Breakdown structure. The project facets that are done in TVS using WBS are: Work definition Estimation of cost Budgeting Estimation of time Scheduling Allocation of resources Expenditures Changes to the project plan Productivity Performance (Rad and Anantatmula, 2005) The key learning points in WBS or Structured Decomposition is that division change of each level has to be from the following: ÃÆ'Â ¼ Deliverables ÃÆ'Â ¼ Schedules ÃÆ'Â ¼ Resources The following table shows the transition of each level by using any of the above three as the base. Work Breakdown Structure Gantt Charts: TVS Motors uses Gantt chart for displaying the plan and is the most widely used project management tool. Gantt chart helps the manager for concentrating the objectives, avoiding delays and to concentrate on the attention and promises made for the project. It is helpful for the following: Whole process is considered for planning and controlling for its horizon. Gantt charts are based on providing solutions for which the plan is constructed. Scheduling can be done day to day basis for accurate planning and control. (Wilson, 2003). A key feature of Gantt chart was its focus on systemic rather than algorithmic solutions to utilisation problems (Wilson, 2003). There are few more techniques of project management that are used in TVS Motors are Critical Path Method and PERT which are not used in RD Fit and Finish Engineering Section. Gantt charts are to reviewed and updated regularly for continuous monitoring of the project. The benefits of project management that Gantt charts result in are: Project cost control and decrease in time scale Co-ordination and planning of expenditures Idle time elimination (Gantt chart, 2010). The key learning points are: TVS Motors Design and Development Plan can be updated as shown in the figure 16 so that the project can be tracked easily. DD plan has to be reviewed and updated frequently. It is difficult to stick to the plan but considering the variance, the plan has to be provided. Project control entails continuous monitoring of project progress and has to be taken up from the early stages of the project. More focus shall be on the details of the project. The responsibility of controlling the project lies with the project manager. CPM can be used for allotting the man power resources for the project which can be key factor. (Frame, 2003). Integrated Project Teams: The key learning is that IPTs can be formed by using Belbin profiles. TVS Motors in RD Fit and Finish Engineering Section, Belbin profiles are used for identifying the strengths and weakness of the particular member and are not used for assigning the project. In a team a project manager has to be CO with one or two SH, one CF, one ME and two to three IM which will be a perfect project team mix for the success of the project. Project Cost Management Cost management is a process used to minimise the cost of the project while maintaining acceptable levels of quality as well as the scope of the deliverables for the duration of the project (Rad, 2002). This involves estimating the resources cost including the people, equipment, materials, travels and other details. After analysing these details, budgeting and tracking are done for costs to maintain the project within the budget. The most common causes of project failure are that sponsor wants to finish the project in certain time, certain job within the budget. The relationship between the four constraints of PCTS is that C = f {P, T, S} Cost is a function of time, performance and scope. (Lewis, 2007) Terminologies for cost estimation TVS TVS Motors uses various terminologies for estimating costs and are: Absorption costs Below the line costs Cost escalation Direct costs Cost of sales General and administrative costs Indirect costs Labour burden Materials burden Overhead rate Prime cost Standard costing Variance (Lock, 2007) Assumptions in cost estimating In TVS Motors, the following assumptions are made while estimating the cost and are: The starting date and the finishing date are to be planned Deliverables are in the form of hardware, software, documents, spares, training, support and warranty Locations are based on work, customer and delivery Testing, prototype and customer acceptance level Requirements from quality and reliability Inflation and exchange rates, raw material increase Assumptions based on productivity Rates of overhead These assumptions are properly documented at the start of the project for effective functioning of project management. Cost Estimating process Develop the WBS For projects in TVS, initially selling price will be decided and then an overall vehicle price which is then split into many subsystems of a two wheeler. Schedule the tasks After arriving at the WBS, tasks will be scheduled for achieving the target cost plan Retrieve Historic Cost Data All the benchmark costs are taken from the earlier products Develop Cost relationships Then a relationship is obtained from the overall vehicle comparing the earlier to the new project. Allow for learning TVS follows a continuous learning cycle and it is important to review from the each part cost Identify skills and Wage rates Develop labour and material costs Develop overhead and Administration costs Apply escalation and inflation Estimate calculation Analyse, adjust and support for the costs Publish the cost results Cost target sheet for style parts in TVS After estimating for the overall vehicle, the cost will be split into various subsystems and the following figure shows a typical cost sheet for style parts. Cost will be estimated based on parametric estimating, cost estimating. Indexing, cost capacity and factorial estimating are rarely used in TVS. Cost estimating is the most accurate method for calculating costs and is used for arriving the cost of each part either based on benchmarks or from the earlier product. The table has part number, part description, material used, finish (painting or texturing), volume, surface area and mass. Then for the earlier products technical specifications of volume, surface area and mass will be there. Then based on the overall project estimate a cost target will be assigned for that particular part and the design has to be within that cost. Design to Target cost is becoming important and more weightage are given for target cost. For any product, it has three costs basically the raw material cost, the manufacturing cost and the labour cost for each part. Costs are calculated on that basis for each of the parts based on the mass of each part. Raw material costs since it is a varying one, for target cost raw materials cost are taken on that particular date and published. Cost profiles In the design phase, the cost increases in the early stages and finally when it comes to the next stage design stage will be constant, whereas in the manufacturing part it increases gradually because this involves tooling cost, raw materials cost which is not a constant one. In the materials phase, the cost will be stagnant when starting for mass production, the stocks will be taken up and then the flow will be a constant one and then again it increases. Regarding the management and overhead cost it is an exponential curve as shown in the figure 21. Potential sources of Estimating error There are many causes for estimating error in a project. Some of the causes of estimating error in TVS Motors are inflation or escalation in raw material price which can be controlled by adjustment in price or agreeing for a variation in price. An exchange rate plays a major role in estimating error which can be taken up by opting forward in currency foreign rates. Inexperience in estimating errors can be solved by hiring consultants, training. Clarity in design brief also plays a major role which can be solved by force clarification. Overdesign can be taken upfront in design which can be solved by Value Analysis tools. Cost sign off has to be done before starting the design. Supplier quotes and the suppliers have to be finalised at the early stages of design. Risk and uncertainty can be taken up by rigorous analysis of risk management. Learning points Cost collection has to be accurate and effective while fixing the design cost. Proper analysis of past products has to be considered. Work Breakdown structure has to be perfectly done. Process has to be tried and tested with respect to people, behaviour and teams. Discipline is an important aspect with defined process and stick to the plan while execution. New innovative works are always dealt in order to create wonders in the project. Cost estimation can be done by Earned Value Analysis (EVA) which can be taken as an effective input for TVS Motors. Risk Management Project risk is defined as undesired events that may cause delays, excessive spending, unsatisfactory project results, safety or environmental hazards and even total failure As an experienced project manager there is no risk free project (Raz et al, 2002). Risk management is the means by which uncertainty is systematically managed to increase the likelihood of meeting the project objectives. Systematic is the key word because more disciplined the approach the more the risks can be managed (Verzuh, 2003). Often risks can be taken but has to be manageable risks. In TVS Motors, risk management plays a vital role and is important to consider all the risks related to design and development process. It is not about negative thoughts but it is the accurate way of running the project for better results (PPMC Notes, 2010). Advantages of risk management TVS Unexpected problems always arise in any project and are important for the project manager to get ready for this. In TVS Motors related to Fit and Finish Engineering Section RD the various risks can be input from other departments, manpower allocation, design iterations, over design etc which ultimately affects the lead time of the project. Known unknowns represents identified potential problems like discussed earlier Unknown unknowns which are the real threat for the project if this issue can be predicted then it will give good results in project management (Verzuh, 2003). Relationship between risk and project management TVS In the definition phase, the project is defined based on the business objectives. Then comes the planning phase, which contains two parts risk management and scheduling. In this phase, project deliverables, WBS are arrived. It is important to have a risk management plan and then to the control phase which executes the risk plan and identifying the new risks. It is a continuous learning cycle and based on the new risk opportunities the risk management plan is updated. Methodology and contentions in risk management TVS The following five practices are followed in TVS for risk analysis and are: 1) Risk identification is done systematically based on documentation reviews, SWOT analysis and experience from the earlier products. 2) A risk when it is captured the likelihood of that risk is analysed and the consequences are studied. 3) To prevent the possibility of adverse or consequent effects, a risk contingency plan is made for uncertainty. 4) A detailed risk mitigation plan is made by proper method of trade off analysis. 5) The project manager is considered as the risk manager (Raz et al, 2002). Role of project management in NPI Project management consists of several activities which market research is the first one followed by technical and production activities. Risks will be increased when a new project goes through several phases. There is a more chance of risk in technical activities compared to marketing and other activities. It is better to have low risk when it comes to final stages of the project as shown in the figure 26. Risk analysis TVS Risk analysis is done systematically in TVS by considering the ratings for severity, prevention control and occurrence as shown in the table. Learning points Risk management is a very important aspect of project management and has to be incorporated in TVS NPI process as a stage gate process. Team work and communication plays a major role in risk management and has to be effectively done for better efficiency of project management. The purpose of risk management is to bring the product on time with cost and quality as the backbones. Blame culture has to be removed in project management. Risk mitigation plan shall be incorporated for each aspect of the risk analysis in TVS. Risk contingency plan shall be incorporated if the risks are manageable and take proactive measures. Mitigation activity has to be incorporated directly to the project plan. Contingency plans and the contingent mitigation plans are held against the risk plan and when an impact occurs contingency plans shall be moved. Then, the implemented contingency plan becomes a part of project plan. Thorough reviewing of risk management is required and it is important to take the learning points for the next project. Based on the benchmark data or previous risks, the risk plans for the new project can be taken up for identifying the bottleneck resources. Suppliers, Manufacturers and Purchase team members have to own their risk plans and has to be given to TVS. Unused risk provisions shall be given with great care for the full impact of cost of remaining risks. It is the responsible of a project manager to have full ownership of the risk mitigation and risk contingency plans. Conclusion Thus, project management plays a major role in any organisation and is one of the important aspects in attaining the business objectives. Project management gives equal importance to quality, cost and delivery. In TVS, project management principles are followed widely throughout the organisation and a part of it related to Fit and Finish Engineering Section of RD is taken as the case study. The learning points and the take away points are discussed for better functioning of project management related to project planning, organisation structure, project cost management and risk management. References Atkinson, R. (1999). Project management: cost, time and quality, two best guesses and a phenomenon, its time to accept other success criteria. International Journal of Project Management , Vol 17 (6), pp 337-342. Belbin, R. (1981). Management Teams: Why they succeed or fail. London: Heinemann. Belbin, R. (1993). Team Roles at Work. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann. Bresnen, M. (1990). Organising construction: project organisation and matrix management. Worcester: Mike Bresnen. BS6079. (1996). British Standards in Project Management 6079. Dvira, D. Razb,T.,Shenharch.A.J., (2003). An empirical analysis of the relationship between project planning and project success. International Journal of Project Management , Vol 21 (2), pp 89-95. Fan Fu-Rong, Zhao Xi-Nan, Wang Q.Mang, (2008). A model of project evaluation based on group decision making. Chinese Control and Decision Conference, 2008, CCDC 2008, p 2005-2008, 2008, Chinese Control and Decision Conference, 2008, CCDC 2008 . Frame, J.D (2003). Managing Projects in Organisation: How to make the best use of time, techniques and people (3rd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey Bass. Gantt Chart Project management resources. [online], https://www.visitask.com/gantt-chart.asp [accessed on 14th January 2010] Heerkens, G. (2002). Project Management. New York: The McGraw Hill Companies. Jain, V., Benyoucef,L.,Deshmukh,S.G., (2007). A new approach to model goal and plan conflicts in a dynamic supply chain. 2007 IEEE International Conference on Service Operations and Logistics, and Informatics, SOLI, 2007, 2007 IEEE International Conference on Service Operations and Logistics, and Informatics, SOLI . Kakabadse, A. Bank,J.,Vinnicombe,S., (2004). Working in Organisations (2nd ed.). Hants, Burlington: Andrew Kakabadse, John Bank, Susan Vinnicombe. Kerzner, H. (2001). Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling. New York: John Wiley Sons. Kerzner, H. (2009). Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling (10th ed.). Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley Sons Inc. Kliem, R. Ludin,I.S., Robertson,K.L. (1997). Project Management Methodology: A practical guide for the next millenium. New York: Marcel Dekker. Lee, E. (2008). Forming to Performing: Transitioning Large-Scale Project Into Agile. Agile Conference 2008 , pp 106-111. Lewis, J. (2007). Fundamentals of Project Management. New York: AMACOM. Lewis, J. (2004). Team Based Project Management. Washington: James P.Lewis. Lock, D. (2007). Project Management (9th ed.). Hampshire: Gower Publishing Company. Loosemore, M. Raftrey,J.,Reilly,C., (2006). Risk management in projects. Oxon, Newyork: Taylor Francis. Orr, A. (2004). Advanced Project Management A complete guide to the key processes, models and techniques. London Sterling: Kogan Page Ltd. Project Planning,Management and Control Module Notes, (2009). Rad, P.F. (2005). Project Planning Techniques. Vienna: Management Concepts Inc. Rad, P.F. (2002). Project estimating and cost management. Vienna: Managements Concepts Inc. Raz, T, Shenhar,A.J, Dvir,D., (2002). Risk management, project success and technological uncertainty. R D Management , Vol 32 (2), pp 101-109. Reiss, G. (1995). Project Management Demystified: Todays Tools and Techniques. London: Routledge. Riding, R.J, Rayner,S.G (2001). International Perspectives on Individual Differences (Vol. II). USA: Richard J.Riding and Stephen G.Rayner. Simpson, WD. (1987). New techniques in software project management. New York: John Wiley. Ten Haaf, W. Bikker,H., Adriaanse,D.J., (2002). Fundamentals of Business Engineering and Management: A Systems Approach to People and Organisations,. Delft: DUP Science. TVS Motors TVS Motor Company Limited. [online]. https://www.tvsmotor.in/tvsbrief.asp [accessed on 12th January 2010]. Ullman, D. (2006). Making robust decisions:decision management for technical, business and service teams (1st ed.). Victoria: David Ullman. Verzuh, E. (2003). The portable MBA in project management. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley Sons Inc. Walker, A. (2007). Project Management in Construction (5th ed.). Oxford, Malten, Victoria: Blackwell Publishing. Water, H.V.D., Ahaus,K.,Rozier,R.,. (2008). Team roles, team balance and team performance. Journal of Management Development , Vol 27 (5), pp 499-512. Wilson, J.M (2003). Gantt charts: A centenary appreciation. European Journal of Operational Research , Vol 149 (2), pp 430-437. Young, T. (2007). Handbook of Project Management: A Practical Guide to Effective Policies, Techniques and Process (2nd ed.). London: Philadelphia Kogan Page.

Good Readers and B Free Essays

Good Readers are Re-Readers 1. The introduction ends after the first paragraph. The method of introduction that Vladimir Nabokov uses is using interesting quotes to reel the reader in. We will write a custom essay sample on Good Readers and B or any similar topic only for you Order Now 2. The thesis is that to be a good writer, you must be a good reader. This has no real location in the writing, because it is not directly said. This makes the thesis implicit. 3. The author’s tone in this piece sounds very critical of writers at the beginning, but near the end his tone becomes just instructive instead. 4. The rhetorical devices Nabokov uses are plentiful in the section. He uses point of view, compare and contrast, rhetorical questions, metania, and amplification of the word reader and writer. 5. Passages that capture my attention and arouse reaction would be the third paragraph (because of its skepticism and amount of rhetorical questions), the fourth paragraph (because of its contrast of minor and real authors), the seventh (because it says what characteristics a good reader must have), and the third from last one (because of the other things a write should be, and the contrast between minor and major writers). . According to Nabokov, a good writer is one that is a good reader. He must also create a whole new world in his work, ponder how the mind works, and be an inventor, a storyteller, a teacher, and an enchanter. 7. The author’s organization is when describing one aspect of being a good reader or writer, it somehow ties into the topic of the next paragraph. This is how he connects the different parts. 8. Even though there is no real conclusion to the essay, the author wraps it up by explaining the four keys to being a good author. 9. Nabokov uses humor in the essay to keep the readers attention. Examples would be when he explains the good-reader list and explaining that experiment and the examples of the boy who cried wolf. 10. Vladimir Nabokov mentions that he was on a lecture tour, which means he is an admired professor. This gives you some credibility in your mind. But, he also uses point of view, which means that the things he is saying is not the end all and be all characteristics of good readers and writers. 11. From reading this essay my reaction is more from an educational standpoint than one of emotion. I learn that that to be a good writer, I must be a good reader. I like how Vladimir is skeptical and a little cynical like myself. I also liked how he used some fluff, but it wasn’t enough where I was bored. I was entertained throughout the essay. How to cite Good Readers and B, Papers

Global Concepts in Residential Fire Safety

Question: Discuss about the Global Concepts in Residential Fire Safety. Answer: Introduction: The fire service has been existent in the Australian continent for a very long. Historically, it has been observed to be a profession dominated by males. Women form a very small percentage of the rank of fire-fighters. It is to be understood that the barriers that women face in a blue-collar job like that of a fire-fighter might be behavioural, attitudinal and even structural in nature (Chikerotis, 2006). These barriers often act as a hindrance in the path of progress for many women in any blue-collar male-dominated job. As per researches the major perspectives that helps in explaining the development of barriers based on the gender are The organisational structure The gender-centred perspective Social role theory Masculinity theory. The perspective centred on the gender states that the internal differences that arise between women and men are directly related to the male to women ration in the post of the senior management. It is to be noted that the identity of an individual in the social norm is formed at a very young age and that the different genders are allocated tasks based on the difference. It is a common known fact that the society in large believes men in having the traits pertaining to masculinity, which supposedly helps in the post of a higher authority (Global concepts in residential fire safety, 2008). The very differences presumed causes difference in aspirations between the two genders and brings forth the rift in mentality to involve women in jobs requiring male attributes. Yes this mentality can be changed by proper education and training of all males within the specified job and by giving the men to have the role of mentors to their women counterpart. The media is considered to be a medium for change, although it generally refers to a medium that spreads and forms norms and ideologies. The media makes use of various words, images, personae or characters for conveying their own values and ideas. Thus it can be safely assumed that the representations by the media are neither objective nor neutral in nature. These representations by the media are constructing a play and are playing an important part in giving out ideas (Gorman, Gorman, 2010). Thus the question arises at this point, is the media really producing the different ideologies or are they just reflecting the ideologies of the present society. In this modern age it is very difficult to segregate the mirrored reality from the created reality. These days the media is omnipresent. It is composed of various forms of modern day technology and communication methods. We are growing up in a world that cannot be devoid of media, especially digital media. The major question that makes round nowadays is whether the media is helping in forming a self identity which lacks any self esteem. It is a widely known fact that Face book is one of the most used social sites in the modern world. Professionals and psychiatrists believe that we are hooked onto a social website as it helps to portray us in a manner which increases our self esteem (Kleinberg, McMahon, Barrett, Nelson, 2005). Thus it can be observed that the media has a huge role to play in forming our identity as well as forming our ideologies and beliefs. Example of gender discrimination in media can be obtained from shows such as FATHER KNOWS BEST or LEAVE IT TO BEAVER, moreover the newspapers and any other print media would use a huge amount of gender stereotype while advertising certain products. The primary task for any teenage for improving on their self-esteem is to change the image that they have of themselves. The self-concept is one of the primary factors that are affecting the ability of a woman to retain their job and progress in any blue-collared male-dominated profession in the labour market. The second important aspect is to have belief in their abilities in performing a task in the labour market (Mitchell, Larson, 1987). It is often found that the teenage girls have a preset idea about a particular profession and they can only visualise a male workforce working in that profession, this visualisation acts a decremented factor for the self-esteem of the teenage girls. It has been observed that steps are being taken by various organisations and institutions to educate the teenage girls about the skills that are necessary for an individual trying to enter the present male-dominated labour market. Although there has been a increase in girls in schools and higher educa tion system, yet the number of women in the working environment has not increased as expected. This is primarily due to the lack of proper job oriented training for the women and the teenage girls (Protective clothing for fire-fighters, 2006). Thus it is pertinent to state that with proper job oriented training and embedding proper skill necessary for the present labour market it will be much easier for women to enter the labour market. In terms of psychology, an identity of an individuals is considered to be beliefs, the qualities, the personalitys expressions and the looks of an individual. Identity of an individual can be segregated into two forms one being the self-identity, which is the identity that the individual has of their own self, while the other being a social identity (Wheeler, 2003). Generally the term psychological identity is referring to ones self-image their individuality and their self-esteem. Gender identity is also an important aspect, which to a certain degree forms an idea about oneself and their abilities. Other sources of identities can be based on religion, race, occupational, ethnic and various other sources. Through researches in sociology it has been observed that an identity of an individual is often formed through their own personal experiences in the role that they play in the social circle. This process is basically a step wherein an individual is trying to negotiate with the societ y and form an identity of their own through their roles within the society. Yes it is true that the nature of a job such as that of male-dominated blue-collared jobs do have an effect on our identities (Whiting, Rawlins, 2010). This is because we try and relate ourselves with the predetermined ideas that we have about the job, thus through that mode of comparison we are setting our own characteristics and identity. References Chikerotis, S. (2006).Firefighters from the heart(1st ed.). Australia: Thomson Delmar Learning. Global concepts in residential fire safety. (2008) (1st ed.). Arlington, Va. Gorman, J., Gorman, J. (2010).Firefighters(1st ed.). New York, NY: Gareth Stevens Pub. Kleinberg, N., McMahon, K., Barrett, J., Nelson, M. (2005).Firefighters!(1st ed.). New York: Random House. Mitchell, T., Larson, J. (1987).People in organizations(1st ed.). New York ; Montre?al: McGraw-Hill. Protective clothing for firefighters. (2006) (1st ed.). Sydney, NSW. Wheeler, J. (2003).Firefighters(1st ed.). Edina, Minn.: Abdo Pub. Whiting, S., Rawlins, D. (2010).The firefighters(1st ed.). Newtown, N.S.W.: Walker Books Australia.