BRIC Relevance And Vision In New World Order

BRIC Relevance And Vision In New World Order 19. The 21st century is the century of BRIC nations (Brazil, Russia, India China) as was the 20th century of America. However one should not forget that there was a period of recession during the early part of 20th century. As per the studies carried out by the experts, there wont be continuous growth every year without any disruption. In fact, the economist were surprised by the occurrence of events in 2008-09. However, they were not surprised that such a thing has happened, as it is a cycle that repeats sooner or later in the world economy. But the fact remains that just because there was an economic crisis in 2008, the relevance of BRICs does not end. In fact it has become more relevant as the emerging economies of BRIC are now driving the world economy.  [7]  The state of the world economy in the coming decade will be largely dictated by the turn of events in the BRIC countries Brazil, Russia, India and China. As all are with large population, hungry for growth, they are alr eady influencing the global commerce and they have the potential to redefine and influence it even further. The BRIC countries have large, young populations base to further exploit this growth potential. The growing importance and influence of BRIC economies is largely due to rapidly growing market due large middle class population which offers lucrative markets for the world industries. 20. The very fact that BRIC economies have shown consistent economic growth over the last decade and their increasing role in the economic activities in the world, Goldman Sachs who first introduced the term has now become more confident on the relevance of BRIC. German economy has already been taken over by China in 2008, and Japan in 2010. As per estimates of Goldman Sachs, Chinese economy will overtake US by 2035. As per reports, India is among the first 10 of the 30 fastest-growing areas in the world, thus it is likely to influence world economy in a major way and faster than expected by the experts.  [8]   21. The leaders of BRIC nations have gained influence over the last decade as their economies have registered faster growth than those of developed countries. The BRIC countries along with the other emerging economies from the developing world have started playing important role in the decision making at various forum of trade, banking and climate change. The relevance of the BRIC economies in the present world order can be gauged from the following facts :- (a) The BRIC economies is more than 22 % of the world economy. (b) The real economic growth of China have consistently averaged at 9.75 percent since 1999, 7 percent in case of India and Russia, and 3.3 percent for Brazil. The global financial crisis of 2008 saw contraction of Russian and Brazil economy in 2009. However India and China continue to remain on a growth path, thus driving the recovery of world economy. (c) As per the experts, the BRIC economies are expected to register further growth in the coming years, thus attracting industries and FDI. (d) Brazil, being an dominating player in agricultural and mining sector, will be a major player in the world market after exploiting its oil reserves. After a period of rapid for last five years, though, its economy has gone into recession in early 2009 but has revived strongly and registered a healthy growth of 9 % in 2010. (e) Russia, being one of the worlds major oil and gas producer, has been affected by the economic slowdown of 2008, in spite of the economic slowdown its economy has registered a healthy growth of about 4 % in 2010 which is largely assisted by recovery in oil prices. (f) Indian economy is emerging strongly and is likely to grow at the rate of 8 %. The government and consumer spending is likely to further boost the growth. (g) The BRIC nations are trying to build consensus on reducing the dependence on U.S. dollar as a global reserve currency, the options of basket of currencies or a system of drawing rates has been suggested by the forum. (h) The BRIC nations have increased their influence at various forum of trade and banking and are dictating terms at these international forums, thus ensuring that their interests are addressed. (j) India and Brazil, both being considered as strong contender for permanent seat in United Nations Security Council, however a lack of consensus among the nations in UN on the issue of UNSC reforms has long stalled the reform process. (k) The BRIC economies have developed a common position on global climate negotiations, however there are differences among them on the issues of carbon footprints. Russia, has already ratified the Kyoto protocol in year 2004. However developing countries like India and Brazil are not agreeing to legally binding targets of emissions being enforced from 2013. (l) Chinese economy has already overtaken Germany and Japan in 2008 and 2010 respectively and is likely to overtake US economy by 2035. (m) As per experts, India will achieve its highest economic growth rate in next few years which will be higher than that of China and will overtake Japanese economy by 2030. (n) As per economic experts, the currencies of BRIC countries will be appreciating upto 300% in next three to four decades, thus likely to be the favourite destination for investment in future this will give further boost to BRIC economies in coming future. (o) In next three to four decades, the BRIC economies, taken together will overtake the economies of United States and the developed economies of Europe. (p) In BRIC countries, a population of about 200 million with incomes above $ 15,000 is likely to get added in the world economy, giving boost to the global economic growth. This is equal to the populations of UK, Germany and France taken together. (q) The BRIC countries together represents almost 42% of the worlds population; This offers a lucrative market of about 2.7 billion people to the world industries, thus making them a favourite destination for investment. These market also represents enormous future purchasing power, which is yet to be tapped. (r) Reduced reliance on foreign debt. The consistent growth rate registered by BRIC economies over the last few years has helped them repay loans taken during the period of previous economic crisis, however with the increasing FDI in these countries, the reliance on foreign debt is getting reduced. (s) Riding the roller coaster. The BRIC economies have registered consistent economic growth rate even during the economic crisis of 2008, however experts wonder that how long these economies can register positive growth rate without a dip and why these economies have not been affected by the slowdown. The world-wide slowdown in economic activities could not have a significant impact on investments in these countries. The reason identified by the experts is that as these are emerging markets with strong economic status and purchasing power, thus they have become the favourites FDI destinations, boosting their economic growth rates and increasing economic activities in these countries. 22. As per studies carried out by Goldman Sachs which predicts that India and China, respectively, will remain major global player for considerable time as suppliers of services and manufactured goods, while Brazil and Russia would emerge and established themselves as major suppliers of raw materials. Thus the BRIC economies are complementing each other with Brazil and Russia together forming the natural commodity suppliers to Indian and Chinese industries. The economic analysts at Goldman Sach released a follow up report which is further to its initial report of 2004 on BRIC. As per this report,  [9]  the number of people in BRIC countries with an income of $3,000 and above will get doubled within next three years and reach a figure of 800 million by 2020. This rise in people with an income of $ 3000 and above represents a massive increase in the middle class in these countries. This rise represent further rise in demand of commodities which will not be restricted to only basic commodities but also have an impact on the demand of expensive goods. The analysts further predicts that between 2007 and 2020, per capita GDP in Indias will quadruple in terms of US$. It further predicts that the Indian economy will overtake US economy by 2050 and BRIC nations as a bloc will overtake economies of G7 nations taken together by 2032. Vision 25. India and China both are driving the world economy, thus helping in recovery of world economies from the effects of the economic crisis and being close neighbours, have become major trading partners. The BRIC nations have exploited the global economic crisis, as a means to improve their economic relationships and co-operation with the poorer developing countries. The BRICs have considerably increased their economic presence in the African countries as well as granted loans to African countries. India has provided loans of more than $200 million at the same time China has invested approximately $4000 million as foreign direct investment. Russia and Brazil has invested more than $3000 and $4000 million in Africa. Through huge economic assistance, the BRICs are not just providing aide to these countries, but also showing their capability to provide financial help to the developing world. This has helped in improving trade ties and getting access to the markets of the poorer economie s which are likely to evolve more strongly in coming future. 26. The globalization and ever growing demand for energy and other raw material, along with the trend of outsourcing helped stimulate the BRICs economic growth. India dominating in service outsourcing sector, termed as back office of the world. Brazil and Russia have vast energy and mineral resources, and China has emerged as worlds manufacturing plant, being termed as shop floor of the world by experts. Indian economy is presently growing at the rate of 8.5% a year, and Chinas at more than 10.5%, and the combined GDP of BRIC countries is US $ 5.2 trillion in 2006 and is growing even stronger day by day. 27. The BRIC thesis proposed by Goldman Sach suggests that, India and China will emerge as the leading players in the field of services and manufactured goods, respectively, similarly Russia and Brazil will become key suppliers of raw materials thus complementing India and China. Thus BRIC countries have the potential to form a dominating economic bloc in which all members complement each other thus boosting each others growth. The BRIC forum in present form cannot be considered as a political alliance or a formal trading association. The leaders of BRIC nations have taken steps to further increase political and economic co-operation, with a view to increase their influence on major trade accords, or as a means of gaining political concessions from the US, civil nuclear deal between India and US is an apt example of success story of this policy. 28. Goldman Sachs  [10]  suggests that the economic potential of BRIC countries has the potential of making them the four most dominant economies in next three to four decades. The BRIC thesis was first proposed by Jim ONeill, global economist at Goldman Sachs. The BRIC countries together accounts for almost 40% of the population and encompass 25% of land in the world. Taken together they hold a combined GDP of approximately 16 trillion dollars. As given above, in almost every field, the BRIC countries are emerging as the leading players in the world. These countries are among the fastest growing economies and emerging markets. 29. The opportunities that the BRIC have for further economic integration in various sectors are evident. Brazil and Russia will continue their leadership roles in developing and trading natural resources, while India and China will remain global leaders in manufacturing, services and technology. All four economies have bounced back from the recession and are now sustaining the global recovery. On current trends, the groups combined share in global gross domestic product should reach 60 percent by 2050. The countries growing economic weight has turned BRIC into a formidable bloc in the new multi-polar world order. 30. The rapid expansion of the emerging economics and BRIC in particular, present both opportunities and challenges in the new world order. There are significant opportunities to form new alliances as BRIC economies present potential growth which will spread the benefits of their development and robust economy to other regional economies as well. However the BRIC economies have to maintain the sustained growth rate to catch up with the more developed economies of the world. 31. The BRICs are becoming superpowers in the economic world. There is no doubt, that they have become much more important today than ever before. But whether they would surpass the expectations is to be seen in near future. However the fact remains that BRIC economies will be playing a key role in global efforts to tackle climate change. Though, it is true that today developed economies are responsible for the majority of greenhouse gases (GHG) already in the atmosphere, however developing countries are expected to account for 75% of GHG emissions over the next 25 years. Owing to its rapid industrialisation and growth, China has emerged as the worlds second-largest emitter of carbon dioxide, and is likely to be the highest emitter by 2020 surpassing US. As per experts, its in the BRICs own interest to reduce their emissions and pollution, and to pursue a cleaner path of development. The BRICs already face a number of environmental problems, including air and water pollution, rising strains on water supplies and resource depletion. 32. Though the BRIC countries have differences on various issues, however economic experts feel that they will play a important role in international politics in near future. As the debates on the implementation of emission control by developing countries and Kyoto Protocol are still on, it is believed that the BRIC countries are the ones who will be most affected in future, and therefore should play an essential role in the new developments on these issues. But the question remains whether these countries will be able to develop an alternate world order? Will they be able to reduce the level of US presence in their own region? BRIC has successfully taken its toddler steps and it will depend on the participating countries to develop it further. 33. Indias membership of BRIC bloc and India Brazil and South Africa, IBSA bloc and its effort for a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council is part of grand strategy for the evolving multi-polar world order. India has a tremendous potential to shape and influence the emerging multi-polar world order as well as playing dominant role in it, through its strategy of multi-alignment. However, it will have to be less ideologically driven and more strategically savvy to achieve this goal.

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), â€Å"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. G., Croome D.C and Jeronimidis G. (2005), Sustainable building solutions: a review of lessons from the natural world. Building and Environment, 40(3): 317-326. Khang D.B and Moe T.L, (2008). Success Criteria and Factors for International Development Projects: A Life Cycle-based Framework, Project Management Journal, Vol. 39, No. 1, pp. 72-84. Klunder G. (2004), The Search for The Most Eco-efficient Strategies for Sustainable Construction; Dutch lessons, Journal of Housing and The Built Environment pp 111126. Langston, C. A. & Ding, G. K. C. (2001) (Eds.), Sustainable practices in the built environment, Langston, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford. Larasati D. (2006).Towards An Integral Approach Of Sustainable Housing In Indonesia With An Analysis Of Current Practices In Java. Delft University Of Technology – The Netherlands Lim, C.S. and Mohamed, M.Z (1999), â€Å"Criteria of project success: an exploratory reexamination†, International Journal of Project Management, Vol. 17 No. 4, pp. 243-8. Liu, A.M.M. and Walker A. (1998), Evaluation of project outcomes. Construction Management and Economics; Vol. 16 No.2, pp. 209-219. Malaysian Government (1999), Seventh Malaysia Plan, Percetakan Nasional Berhad, Kuala Lumpur. Malaysian Government (2001), Eight Malaysia Plan, Percetakan Nasional Berhad, Kuala Lumpur Mylor H. (1999), Project Management, 2nd ed. London: Financial Times. Meldon, J. (1998), Learning Sustainability by Doing – Regional Integration by the Social Partners, European Commission and the Department of Environment and Local Goverment, Dublin. Mobey A, Parker D (2002). Risk evaluation and its importance to project implementation. Int. J. Productivity and Performance Manage., 51(4): 202 – 208. Moles R. Kelly R., (2000), Towards Sustainable Development in The Mid-West Region of Ireland. Environmental Management and Health, Vol. 11 No.5 pp 422-432. Muller R, Turner JR (2003). On the nature of the project as a temporary organization. Int. J. Project Manage, 21(1): 1 Muller R, Turner JR (2005). The project manager‟s leadership style as a success factor on projects: A literature review. Project Management Journal,36(2): 49 – 61 Muller R., Turner R. (2007), â€Å"The influence of project managers on project success criteria and project success by type of project.† European Management Journal Vol. 25 (4), pp. 298-307 OECD. (1998) Towards Sustainable Development – Environmental Indicators. OECD Code 971998031P1. Olejado, E.O. (2003), Implication of Designs and Material Specifications on Housing Development. Proceedings: Housing Development in Nigeria – Which Way Forward, Lagos State of Nigeria. 1st & 2nd April, 2003. Pinto JK, Slevin DP (1989). Critical success factors in R & D projects. Research Technology Management, 32(1): 31 – 36 Pinto JK. (1986). Project Implementation: A determination of its critical success factors, moderators, and their relative importance across the project life cycle (Doctorate dissertation, University of Pittsburgh, 1986). Pinto, J.K., Slevin, D.P. (1987), â€Å"Critical factors in successful project implementation†, IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, Vol. 34 No.1, pp.22-7. Pinto, J.K., Slevin, D.P. (1988), â€Å"Project success: definitions and measurement techniques†, Project Management Journal, Vol. 19 No.1, pp.67-71. PMI (2004) Guide to the project management body of knowledge. (3rd edn.). Project Ramabadron, R., Dean, J.W. Jr and Evans, J.R (1997) Benchmarking and project management: A review and organizational model, Benchmarking for Quality Management of Technology, vol. 4, pp. 47-58. Redclift, M. (1987), Sustainable Development: Exploring the Contradictions, Routlegde, London. VROM (Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning, and the Environment); The Netherlands. 2005. Sustainable Refurbishment of High-Rise Residential Buildings and Restructuring of Surrounding Areas in Europe. Report for EuropeanHousing Ministers‟ Conference held in Prague, Czech Republic, 14 -15 March 2005. Winston N., Pareja M., (2008). Sustainable Housing in the Urban Context: International Sustainable Development Indicator Sets and Housing, Social Indicators Research; Vol. 87 Issue 2, p211-221 World Commission on Environment and Development (1987), Our Common Future, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Zinkernagel.R (2001), Indicators to measure sustainable development in urban residental areas. Thesis for the fulfillment of the Master of Science in Environmental Management and Policy. Lund University : Lund, Sweden.

The Battle Over Term Test Papers and How to Win It

The Battle Over Term Test Papers and How to Win It It's however imperative not to trust any company online. The Internet may be your very best supply of information. however, it isn't always enough. Also, years from now, you might forget the particulars. Furthermore, the narrative papers aren't written according to clients instructions. How to Find Term Test Papers Online You are going to be surrounded by writing professionals throughout the plan of order placement, and when you choose to purchase essay and select an allocated writer, things will get even more exciting. Actually, a seasoned writer can do the job much faster than any student as they've been writing academic assignments during their entire life. It is not worth mentioning that the majority of the things that I showed in the interview proved not needed during the job. As our group of writers is pretty big, we always have free writers eager to bring a manageable and well-paid purchase. On-line physician typic ally offer some type of access to care 24 hours per day, seven days per week, even on holidays. On this page, you will locate a list of soft foods and suggestions on preparing meals. Children change an extremely wonderful deal in a brief space of time and with a small support and encouragement huge change is possible. There ought to be lots of time to repair things and help your son or daughter perform to their whole ability. It is crucial to use the sources of information which are related to the title of narrative papers. Some papers may also include a thesis statement that's written as the previous sentence of the introduction part. Writing Term Papers properly cannot be completed in one day, it needs a terrific period of time and effort to compose a proper Term Paper. Informative speech papers can be written on various topics and thus the very first is step is selecting the most appropriate topic for your paper. Whether you've got to make a paper of one-of-a-kind flawlessness, just purchase an essay here and our writers will provide help. Writing without a citation is exactly like stealing! The very first section of the expression paper is introduction. The paper is delivered in time. It's not difficult enough how to compose a very good term paper. It's different from having to finish the paper yourself. Using Term Test Papers Use this site in order to study all of the grammar and vocabulary you should pass English exams. Our quizzes can be finished anywhere! Therefore, students get a great evaluation of their education. The student should adhere to a suitable format for it. In KS3, you'll see the stuff you tackle is a small bit trickier. Once you have submitted your answers you'll be given an estimation of your present degree of English. Grade 7 students are in the first stages of learning. Grade 8 students always attempt to do their very best. Term Test Papers Secrets If you aren't sure of your level, take the totally free level test. Each amount of the handshake can result in a deeper and deeper trance. The test is offered by Digitalsparet.se. It has been developed by Studieframjandet. Finding the Best Term Test Papers Santa's core advertising term isn't built solely on consistent branding but in addition on an incredibly hard-nosed differentiation. It is possible to also choose to include interesting info in the decision of your paper, one that is going to leave a long-lasting impression on your audience. The procedure for writing informative speech papers ought to be accorded a significant period of time and effort as a way to develop a h igh quality and successful papers. Students who do not complete narrative paper writing assignments should seek out assistance from custom writing companies. The Dirty Truth on Term Test Papers As a consequence, you will be given a compulsory higher result. Continue this method with every one of the remaining 11 body systems and you'll begin to observe a big improvement in your test scores. Providentially, the expression is wildly misused in many circumstances. There are things which can be done to alleviate even long-standing difficulties. It is also simpler to filter out unnecessary tokens. Don't forget it is the initial sound and not the spelling that's important. Picking out the proper English language test is chiefly based on the person's need and capability to experience the test successfully.

Marketing Analysis Report on Steinway Sons - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 6 Words: 1672 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Marketing Essay Type Analytical essay Did you like this example? Memo #3: Steinway Sons Kerry Cramer MGT 321.2 Spring 2014 Steinway Sonsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ founder wanted to à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“build the best piano possible and sell it with the lowest price consistent with qualityà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ . In doing so, they are now seen as the leader in the manufacturing of high quality Grand pianos. The company was able to prosper quickly, due to their technical superiority and their solid knowledge of their target market, value proposition, and competitive advantage. Target Market: Steinway Sonsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ target market consisted of two different segments of consumers, private and institutional. The Grand pianos were targeted to wealthy, affluent individuals in the United States, specifically to those with an income over $100,000 and aged 45 and older who were interested in music and looking for something to showcase their wealth. The pianos were also targeted towards musicians, who wanted the best quality instrumen ts. The second segment was institutions, like musical performance halls, hotels, and universities who also wanted the best of the best when it came to musical instruments. Value Proposition: Steinway Sons understands the importance of high quality, superior sounding Grand pianos that individuals and professional musicians alike could consistently count on for providing superior service. All Steinways are assembled by craft methods with little use of assembly-line technique with only the finest materials used and each one has its own unique features and sound. The award winning pianos are seen as being the best in the world and serve as a status symbol representing a high prestige among anyone that owns one. Competitors: Although Steinway Sons face increasing competition from Japanese piano manufacturers like Yamaha and Kawai, as well as U.S competitor, Baldwin, they have remained superior in the production of Grand pianos due to the durability of their product, their innovat ive cross-stringing technique, the high quality materials used, along with the extremely skilled labor who were employed throughout the production process. Unlike their competitors who utilized more automation processes when mass producing their pianos, Steinways were assembled by hand, making each piano unique and building only a limited number of handmade pianos. This allowed them to be able to command higher prices than their competition as well as maintaining the reputation of being the best in the world. Recommendations for Steinway Sons: Product: Steinwayà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s main product was the Grand piano which is handcrafted and typically takes around two years to produce. Due to the intricate and long process of producing the Grand pianos, the company was able to produce on average, only 3000 pianos in a given year. Steinway increased their product line to include Boston pianos, Limited Editions, and the Crown Jewel Collection. The Boston pianos were designed by Stei nway Sons but manufactured in Japan by Kawai. These pianos sold for about half of a Steinway Grand piano. The Limited Edition Collection was a specially-designed piano, marking the 140th anniversary. It was so successful that they decided to introduce a Limited Edition piano every two years. The Crown Jewel Collection were traditional Steinways that were finished in exotic woods like African pommele or East Indian rosewood and were sold at a premium price of 20-30% more than the traditional Steinways. Steinway is a strong and exclusive brand with a brand identity that majorly focuses on concert Grand pianos. They should continue production of these pianos and continue targeting musicians and musical institutions and universities, while also focusing on differentiating themselves from their competitors. If Steinway wants to keep producing Boston pianos, they should establish it as a different brand, differentiating it from the Steinway brand name. This needs to be clear to the customer that they are two different brands since it doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t make sense from a branding standpoint for Steinway to design Boston pianos. They should target the emerging Asian market with this piano, while improving the distribution network in these markets through dealers and then by opening their own stores. The Limited Edition pianos were highly successful and they should continue to produce those every two years as well as the Crown Jewel Collection. Steinway should also take advantage of the used piano market that is growing fast by offering trade-ins of used pianos on the purchase of new ones. They can then re-sell used pianos as well as new ones to increase their revenues. Price: Steinwayà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Grand pianos are at the premium end of the piano market in terms of quality and price. Retail prices in 1996 ranged from $30,000 to $111,000 in the United States. Many factors contributed to this high price. Steinway pianos were assembled by handcraf t methods with limited use of assembly-line techniques which caused the Grand piano to take around two years to manufacture. The piano consists of over 12,000 individual parts and the company had higher costs associated with high quality of raw materials used in the production. Steinway has never reduced their prices, and in keeping with their high quality product, they are able to command the highest prices in the industry, nearly double that of their competitor, Yamaha. In order for Steinway to be seen as a prestigious brand, they can never lower their prices or offer discounts. This would be seen as discounting the brand and would be bad for their brand image. In order to reach other individuals who may not be able to afford the high price of the Steinways, they should offer some kind of assistance or loans to aspiring musicians. Also, Steinway could target the middle class groups by providing low-interest financing options or payment plans so other customers who may not be able to afford the pianos, could pay it off over time. Place: Steinwayà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s products are sold to professional and amateur musicians, as well as orchestras and educational institutions, through its worldwide network of dealers. The majority of the companyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Grand pianos were sold in the United States, through Steinwaysà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ sales offices and a large network of independent dealers. Customers purchase Steinway pianos either through one of the companyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s retail stores in cities like New York or London, or through independently owned dealerships. There is a huge, growing Asian market that Steinway has yet to target. Their competition, Yamaha and Kawai have already taken over this market. Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s important for Steinway to enter this market with their Boston pianos to compete with Yamaha and Kawai, and then slowly introduce their high-end Steinway Grand pianos to this market. The Asian market is rife with indi viduals with high disposable income, who would be interested in owning a piano that comes with status and affluence from the United States. They should also look into expanding internationally, like the Middle East, specifically Dubai or Saudi Arabia which also has many individuals with high disposable income. In addition to expanding internationally, Steinway should think about establishing a better online and digital presence and experiment with selling their pianos online. This would open them up to a younger demographic who use the Internet more regularly to purchase products, especially higher-end products. Promotion: In the early years, Steinway promoted their brand by building a large factory in New York where two main Railroad cars passed by making thousands of people aware of the Steinway name. They also opened Steinway Hall, which served as New York Cityà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s main concert hall. Steinway promoted its pianos with famous musicians using its à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…†œConcert and Artist Programà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  to attract top artists from around the world. In any given year, over 90% of all classical music concerts featured a piano soloist performing on a Steinway Grand piano. Steinwayà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s marketing messages must be consistent with what the brand stands for: affluence and prestige. Steinwayà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s advertising has highlighted that one does not buy, but invests in a Steinway, and that a Steinway piano is always made just a little bit better than necessary. Their advertising emphasizes family values, the contributions to art and music of Steinway Sons, and their technical excellence. The timeless excellence of Steinway has always been emphasized and ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s important for Steinway to keep up these marketing messages. Steinwayà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s brand name is so widely known and popular, that they do not need to do more brand promotion since people are already so familiar with it and what it stands for. S teinway should continue to use musicians who are loyal to the Steinway brand in helping promote their pianos. These musicians could help to promote to musical institutions or other aspiring musicians in the industry. In addition to relying on famous musicians for promotions, Steinway should look into developing business partnerships with hotels and other entertainment venues to display only Steinway pianos at their facilities. They should also venture into product placement with movies and TV shows, portraying the Steinways in films and on popular television shows. Non-musician celebrity endorsements could help them tap into consumers who are not familiar with the pianos, but want the prestige of owning something that other celebrities have. Steinway should also consider using other forms of promotion, like digital and online marketing to get the word out about their pianos. They should leverage social media and YouTube campaigns to target to a younger demographic who may not be ready to purchase one of their pianos yet, but will likely in the future. In conclusion, Steinway Sons should focus on the following recommendations. They should consider producing the Boston pianos under a different brand name separate from the Steinway name and start targeting the Asian market. They should continue to produce the Limited Edition and Crown Jewel Editions since they proved successful. Secondly, they should continue to command a high premium price over their competitors, but look into offering financing or payment plans for the middle class demographic, opening up their target market and the potential for more revenue. Thirdly, Steinway should expand internationally into the Asian and Middle Eastern markets to take advantage of an untapped growing market. Lastly, the company should experiment with different promotional avenues like product placement, social media, and celebrity endorsements. Reference Gourville, J Lassiter, J. (1999). Steinway Sons: Buying A Legend, (pp. 1-23). Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Marketing Analysis Report on Steinway Sons" essay for you Create order