Mask of Command essays

Mask of Command essays A) What is the subject of the book' John Keegan's Mask of Command examines the unique status of the war general as he is perceived in a variety of historical and cultural settings. As war is a hallmark of all cultures, Keegan points to the universality of the general's persona. However, the author does not treat generalship solely from a psychological perspective. Rather, he sets out to place war generals in context of their times and societies. By analyzing four major historical figures that shaped not only their own cultures but that of neighboring societies and future generations, Keegan backs up his thesis with historical fact. The four war generals Keegan focuses on: Alexander the Great, Wellington, Ulysses S. Grant, and Hitler, each made a unique impact on history but was also a unique product of their particular epoch and culture. Therefore, Keegan shows that each of these major war generals deserves a different historical perspective. For instance, Alexander the Great is described by Keegan as being the quintessential hero. Especially in context of ancient Greek civilization in which heroism brings specific guidelines, Alexander embodied what it means to be a true war hero. His character seamlessly fit into his role as a war hero. In contrast, Wellington proved to be what Keegan calls an anti-hero, as he was reserved and relatively not ambitious, especially when compared with Alexander the Great. Many such generals were simply thrust into their roles as leaders because of their military know-how, intelligence, and prowess, not because they exhibited special character traits that enabled them to obtain glory for their nation. Likewise, Ulysses S. Grant is characterized by Keegan as being un-heroic: small in stature, Grant was notably modest and not prone to theatrics. His distaste for the bloodiness of war also bore testimony to the differences between him and other hist...

GRANT Surname Meaning and Origin

GRANT Surname Meaning and Origin The origins of the Grant surname are uncertain, but the following theories are the most widely accepted: A nickname from the Anglo-Norman French graund or  graunt, meaning tall, large- derived, in turn, from the  Latin grandis- bestowed due to the individuals size, or to distinguish two bearers of the same personal name, often different generations within the same family (e.g. grant denotes the elder or senior).Clan Grant says that tradition suggests that the name comes from Sliabh Grianais - the moor above Aviemore, believed to be the first land in Scotland occupied by the Grant progenitors. Grant may also be a spelling variant of the German surname Grandt or Grant Surname Origin: Scottish, English, French Alternate Surname Spellings: GRAUNT, GRAWNT, GRANTE   Where in the World is the GRANT Surname Found? According to Forebears, the Grant surname is most prevalent in the United States (used by over 156,000 people), but most common in Jamaica (where the surname ranks as 10th most common) and Scotland (ranked 29th). Grant is also common in Guyana (46th), New Zealand (49th), Canada (88th), Australia (92nd) and England (105th). Historical surname distribution data from Scotland identifies the areas where Grant was most common in 1881 as Moray, where it was the most used name, as well as Banffshire (2nd most common), Nairn (6th), Inverness-shire (9th) and West Lothian (10th). WorldNames PublicProfiler identifies the Grant surname as being especially popular in Donegal, Ireland, as well as Australia, New Zealand and most of northern Scotland.   Famous People with the Last Name GRANT Ulysses S. Grant -  U.S. general and commander of the Union armies; 18th U.S. presidentCary Grant - British-American film actorHugh Grant - British actorAmy Grant - American singer-songwriterAnne Grant - Scottish poetJedediah Morgan Grant - leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsNatalie Grant - American singer-songwriter Genealogy Resources for the Surname GRANT Clan GrantExplore a wealth of resources made available by Clan Grant, including history, genealogy, gatherings, membership and more. Grant DNA ProjectJoin over 400 individuals with the Grant surname who are interested in combining Y-DNA testing with genealogical research to help identify various Grant genetic lines and ancestries. Trace your Scottish roots back to Scotland and beyond with the steps outlined in this Scottish genealogy guide. Learn how to locate your ancestors county and/or parish in Scotland, plus access vital records, census records and parish records in Scotland. Grant Family Crest - Its Not What You ThinkContrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as a Grant family crest or coat of arms for the Grant surname.  Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted. FamilySearch - GRANT GenealogyExplore over 2.9 million historical records and lineage-linked family trees posted for the Grant surname and its variations on the free FamilySearch website, hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. GRANT Surname Family Mailing ListsRootsWeb hosts a free mailing lists for researchers of the Grant surname. DistantCousin.com - GRANT Genealogy Family HistoryExplore free databases and genealogy links for the last name Grant. The Grant Genealogy and Family Tree PageBrowse genealogy records and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the popular last name Grant from the website of Genealogy Today.- References: Surname Meanings Origins Cottle, Basil.  Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967. Dorward, David.  Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998. Fucilla, Joseph.  Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003. Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges.  A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989. Hanks, Patrick.  Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003. Reaney, P.H.  A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997. Smith, Elsdon C.  American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.    Back to  Glossary of Surname Meanings Origins

Teen-age pregnancy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Teen-age pregnancy - Research Paper Example Nowadays, percentage of the high school males and females that have sexual intercourse is 48 and 45 respectively (CDC cited in Klein). These factors could be alleviated with the ready access to free condoms through schools and other agencies. For a lot of African American girls, the academic career culminates in the teenage pregnancy. Most parents don’t educate their daughters further after she becomes pregnant. The pregnant teenagers invite the wrath of the family and incur societal insult and embarrassment. Many countries have very strict rules in place regarding the division of responsibility of teenage pregnancy between the teenage boy and the girl that have had sexual intercourse. In most of the cases, the boy has to assume the role of financial provider for the family. Teenage sexual intercourse exposes both sexual partners to a lot of health risks. More than 9 million of the total 19 million cases of the sexually transmitted infections (STIs) that surface on the yearly basis occur in people that are aged between 15 and 24 years (â€Å"Teenage pregnancy†). These STIs include but are not limited to Syphilis, Chlamydia and HIV. â€Å"Nationwide, 12.7% of students had been tested for HIV, not counting tests done when donating blood† (CDC 23). Teenage pregnancy often causes unfavorable outcomes for the baby. Health of the fetus is fundamentally dependent upon the health of the mother. In addition to the natural immaturity of the body, several internal and external factors also play an important role in the undernourishment of the girl and the fetus. Such factors include but are not limited to embarrassment, anxiety, poverty and lack of responsibility. Many of the babies born in the teenage pregnancy have a low birth weight. â€Å"11.7 percent of 15-year-old mothers had a low-birthweight baby in 2006; 18,403 babies were born to girls this age, with 2,153 of low birthweight† (Martin et al). Most teenage mothers want to have the

The problems of the management of Kodak Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

The problems of the management of Kodak - Essay Example This is so because success is based on an organisation's ability to create, rather than predict the future by developing those products that will literally transform the way the world thinks and view it self and the needs (Kanter 1995:71). Within the context of today's global competition, businesses and firms no-longer compete as individual companies but try to corporate with other businesses in their activities (Wu & Chien 2007:2). These researchers went further to argue that, this strategy has become quite common in many businesses including the retail clothing chain stores. The conventional vertical integrated company based business model is gradually being replaced by collaborative relationship between many fragmented, but complementary and specialized value stars and constellation (Wu & Chien:1). An alternative approach towards organisational success, one which is becoming increasing prominent and has attracted the sustained attention of both domestic and international business scholars are core competences, capabilities and resources (e.g. Madhok 1998, Prahalad & Hamel1990, Hamel & Prahalad1994 ). In today's global business environment it is no longer sufficient simply to meet customers demand as time quality and cost have become increasingly important in the phase of increasing competition (Petts 1997:551). 1.1 Capability and Competence of Eastman Kodak Client Focus and Problem Solving and Judgement Staffs are highly motivated, and the number of customers per employee ratio is high, the workforce is unionised. The company has access to financial market, which is not so easy to other competitors. The leverage ratio is very high (Debt to Equity ratio). As one of the organisations objective, to establish long term relationship with it customers through reliable and efficient services. The company is so effective in after sales and repairs services. Competencies provide a means of looking at those behaviours that differentiate the "best from the rest" and a common language for talking about critical on-the-job behaviours. Innovation and Strategic Thinking Being a pace setter in the industry with the ultimate vision to be a world leader in photographic equipments, Eastman Kodak capabilities include, continuous innovation and strategic thinking in different markets, Because of the higher level of motivation, and self-management encouraged in the workforce, employees are able to come up with new features, and suggestions to management to developed new equipments. The company brand identity, it salient features associated with quality and general brand awareness in the market. The company's reputation for film quality was (as it still is) regarded as one of the company's key assets Leadership and Results Orientation The management style and culture of the organisation are more family oriented. This has been responsible for the high level of profit being experienced by the company from creation, until the slump. With the leadership and technical know how of it founders and subsequent executives, the company developed it competences in innovation, product line extension and differentiation. The company was able to develop it core products and capabilities which included high end copiers, single use cameras, .In addition, the company had a

Introduction to International Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Introduction to International Business - Essay Example Memo: Selling Portable Water Filtration System in China China boasts the world’s largest population with more than 1.3 billion people (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010). Many of them are hard working and honest, but lack what industrialized nations should have: access to potable drinking water from the tap. For this reason, it is imperative that Brita International, market its portable filtration devices to them before other companies with an equal ability to penetrate the market do so. The key demographics include wealthy, health-conscious households as well as manufacturing workers. The wealthy families will be inclined to purchase a larger array of products, such as countertop systems for the family as well as canteen water bottles. As for the latter group, China’s manufacturing workforce boasts more than one-hundred-twelve million people whose wages have increased at an average of 9% over the past five years (Foshan, 2010). These workers put in long hours and are not always in the best conditions due to their lack of formal support as many of them are migrant workers and not part of a formal union. The factories are likely not to be any better than residential areas, and perhaps worse, making the need for clean water all the more paramount to the lives and livelihood of the people who work in them. While there is some apprehension from other companies to do business in the world’s most powerful communist country, it should be noted that of the thirty-two regions in the nation, five are autonomous and four are municipalities, showing that while China may have certain governmental preferences, it is obviously a nation governed by people who are understanding of the variances in leadership styles as well as government operations. In the judicial system, Chinese courts have a hierarchy much like the United States, but rather than it being separated as a structure of municipal, state, and federal courts, there is the Basic, Intermediate, Higher, and Supreme courts. Unlike the United States, though, â€Å"litigants are often limited to one appeal† in the event that their case goes unfavorably (Fischer). Like in the United States, in some cases, a person wanting to be heard by the kind of judge who may have the power to enact what he or she needs, may not be able to do so simply on the basis that this system of the people can work against those it is said to serve the most. The government of China is very much involved in the economy of the nation, but not to the extreme that Karl Marx envisioned of the communist paradise where there would be no personal property or rights to inheritance (Marx, & Engels, 27). Instead, the people do own property to include homes and businesses. This occurs more so in areas like Hong Kong, which does not follow the strict communist rule of the mainland, and while there are more provinces (twenty-three) under the rule of the more centralized and controlling regime than there are under the le ss strict rule of law, this does not mean that Brita International should not do business there since nationalization is not going to be an issue as the products can be moved from the Deutschland offices, and while the method of governing the people of this country may not be to the preference of some, the people who are in need are not a government, but citizens who are

Personality Psychology Essay Example for Free

Personality Psychology Essay Abstract:  Capturing a portrait of life reveals the keys to unlocking the potential or positive self-schema of emphasizing knowledge of your self-worth and the worth of others, utilizing your own interpretations of the world through life situations, film, spiritual enlightenment and our own perceptions. Which questions us to decipher the defense mechanisms that we to better decipher the defense mechanisms we acquire only making us handicap toward viewing and interacting with society. Introduction-That’s the Glory of, that’s the Story of Life Secretly we all want to be beautiful or handsome, equally talented, the center of attention just for once in our lives. The extravagantly creative are loners, the amazingly attractive are too conceited, and the king or queen of our dreams are nowhere in sight. But what makes us that social butterfly, that person who creates connections all across the world as their smile lights up the room, does this person reveal their true selves in society or is it just an illusion? The hard work and efforts we make to gain respect, insight and a positive imagine in our life might take more than just a decent gesture or a firm handshake, we sometimes have to be untruthful about who and what we are and simply what we do. Within our own crowded closets we hide our skeletons so perfectly that no one is aware of all those deadly fears, baggage, and overall unappealing factors that might make society feel like we are the unwanted or unnoticed. Whether we know it or not it is our self-sabotaging state of mind that leads us to the helplessness of being important and the desire to be socially acceptable; as we hold importance on self-image or self-schema we are sometimes left with our thoughts within our intriguing minds wondering how to get there and what we must become. We then began to shield our true emotions and feelings with defense mechanisms that stand as our guard facing the factors that we are only human and have faults. Looking At the Man in the Mirror –Finding Me, My Own Self-image Within The steps toward grasping our self-image must come from within as we look in the mirror,† we ask ourselves who are we to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? † Meanwhile the question answers itself saying â€Å"who are we not to be as a Child of God our playing small does not served the world, as we come to the realization that there is nothing enlightening about downplaying our own personalities so that other people won’t feel insecure around us. In life upon society we are meant to shine as we are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within, as everyone has that chance to shine but if we let our lights shine we give others the ability to unconsciously to do the same. Finally we are liberated from the fears that had us bound as we break those chains of negativity just simply by our presence we free others. (Williamson, 2013) This factor is known as cognitive schema or cognitive psychology; we define self-schema or self-image as the mental process with the efficiently processing and organization of incoming information. We find that our knowledge, beliefs, and past experience are stored into our long-term without intervening with our conscious thoughts. Although we equally process information about ourselves schematically this happens when our brains store memory feedbacks that we receive from the sources from our peers, senses and bodies which also interlinks with â€Å"our emotions and physiology in a complex way that interconnects with self-systems that triggers automated scripts or actions that respond well to the situation. It is the cues of the environment that prompt a schema that sets into motion an automated sequence of cognitive, emotional and physiological responses. Are we really the product of our own environment? Looking within our own past we find that our own self-schema is developed in our childhood, the thoughts of feeling unwanted, loved, unlovable, unattractive, unintelligent and other factors increasingly set into this motion that become negative and harmful in a person’ s life. With no reassurance from our peers, family or partners the emotions and behaviors that seem to deeply affect us makes it hard to conceal those wounds which prompt us to make additional self-schemas that seem to be more destructive than others. When we create the perfect self-schemas we initiate some matters more than others igniting a chain reaction of thoughts, feelings, perceptions and actions that are dangerous to us. It seems to me that we justify what’s harmful to us but not what’s harmful to others as we view other people and categorize them in ways that are negative which being stereotypical, prejudice or even discrimination about ones creed or color seem to reveal the way we truly feel about people different than us. Although our own self-schemas we have about ourselves can cause suffering there nothing less than cognitive constructs within our minds especially when thinking, feeling and behaving in a certain way. However, self-schemas are useful to us in our daily lives forcing us to be consciously being aware of important decisions and guide us on the right path so that we can behave appropriately in different situations and among people. Also they help us understand and interpret the way we use the information for example as we receive facts it activates specific cognitive, verbal and behavioral action sequences which are called scripts and action plans which makes it possible for us to meet goals more efficiently. The Spiritual Self-Schema, 2013) The Battle within Ourselves In place within ourselves, we fight the good fight but it seems like we are our own worst enemy but what truly lies within our own unique battles is the willingness to change. But does that underlying promise go unheard? For our interpretive frameworks for understanding our own are the schema that is related to the behaviors of others; could it be the self-relevant experiences, situations and events that are relevant to a person’s self-definition that gains our focus or our attention? Although we are only human our minds seem to always be consumed by the future, transformation and fears thereof. In reference to self-schema a film like Bicentennial Man portrays the story of the battle within us paint an intricate picture of how a blank canvas can turn into a magnificent masterpiece, whereas the story of Andrew Martin, expressed his endeavors in his transformation from robot to human and all the emotions and feelings involved. Andrew Martin played by Robin Williams reveals how people understand the behaviors of others in certain situations, experiences and events. (imdb. om, 2013) As he learned more and more about the human experience and behaviors and why we do the things we do he gained insight that maybe the image he saw of him was merely human. Martin, an android who was glad to be of service saw that life was more than being a mere machine but the utmost feeling of being a human was satisfying in ways beyond measure. As years and years progressed his family life throughout serving as a butler, a teacher, a maid, a cook and an instructor made him yearn for something more and more each day as he soon found his talent with wood and creating clocks, whatnots and other masterpieces. Could this be the element he was looking for something more that proved to him not only to be an android but a person full of talent, dreams and aspirations that no upgrade within his system could create? Time took a toll at the Martin’s residence whereas everyone was getting older and Andrew was no longer needed in the household but his bond with Sir Richard Martin and Little Miss provoked an idea to explore other remarkable experiences as he did with the Martin family. His journey did not stop there; his search drove him to find another android like him with more drive, passion and personality than he ever known. After years and years of searching for answers it took years for him to understand to be human was to live, to love, to cry, to laugh and utmost experience of fulfilling one’s life dream which was to look back at the moments of life and have no regrets dying peaceful as a human. Even though Andrew Martin was just a robot his future of being something specular was obviously his fate as he altered himself becoming, enjoying the human experience to its fullness this exposed the true meaning of self-knowledge with knowing his past selves, possible selves, aging and his outlooks toward the future. This is also the conflict we constantly have in life as we have trouble with seeing the our actual selves but yearn for the day of becoming something more sufficient than we see upon life’s mirror, it is very crucial that we accept things that we cannot change but have the willingness and drive to not be afraid to change the things that are changeable which start with loving ourselves as we would love our neighbor. Self-Schema, 2013) Healing Wounds, Love Thy Self as Thy Neighbor Have you ever noticed it is just the norm people to criticize others who are different than them, but if it’s inside there typical safe zone then they figure it not as much as a taboo? Within transforming ourselves we try to fix things that we do not like about ourselves as far as self-image, personality, self-schema but not our own interpretation of how we view the world. The paragraph stated before, but I must reiterate that our knowledge, beliefs, and past experience are stored into our long-term without intervening with our conscious thoughts; but isn’t it our own self-schemas we have about ourselves or others that can cause suffering there nothing less the cognitive constructs within our minds especially when thinking, feeling and behaving in a certain way. Another film that coincides with the known factor of not understanding the unknown, it is the film entitled, â€Å"Powder† where Sean Patrick Flanery portrays a young boy named Powder; who is an albino with a unique powers but as the more attention that receives the more he shakes up the rural community he lives in. (imdb. com, 2013) The looks, the stares and the comments reminds me of how people act when they see someone with deformities or let alone someone who is considered not normal in society. The story holds many different meanings and concepts just as the story of Jesus does when God brought him down to earth to die for our sins to save humanity. Although these too stories are quite different you cannot help but to see how this film and the life of Jesus simply coincide with each other, both being spiritual in nature but still different nonetheless. Powder was born with a gift, his unique talent of telekinesis, odd attraction to electricity, and knowing things about people with simply a touch, shows exactly how different he was from most of the people that were in town. It became a proven fact that he was the center of attention but it was unwanted for people like himself do not want to be mocked, criticized or ridiculed, as the movie progresses we find that although Powder is seen as a person of rare intelligence no one fully understands him. For he views his self-schema or self-image in a negative way, for he sees himself as unattractive, odd and is an individual who is deeply wounded with doubts, regrets and feeling of being unwanted his whole life. How can someone so passionate about life and its surroundings be deeply wounded inside, does his factors of his childhood impact his self-schema as he was told he was different not unique, disfigured not handsome, or even strange but not extraordinary? The day by day taunting of others and the cruelness seemed to take a toll on what Powder thought life would be like from living in a small basement as his only friends where his grandparents and his books, it became obvious that this young, ingenious soul could not cope. Deeply saddened by society and the people in it he chose to leave the world as much as Jesus did but only difference was he (Jesus) left on a cross and Powder upon the electrocution from a thunderstorm. Whether we know it or not the keys to unlocking the age old question to humanity is written deep within our hearts in souls, which it is to love thy neighbor like we love ourselves. If we took a closer look at the people as we go about the our daily hustle and bustle of our lives it seems that we are not truly focused on the importance or purpose of our own life which is to help our fellow man. When we look in the mirror do we see ourselves as a normal person with normal lives and ordinary dreams and goals but does the question ever come up in our minds about who did we have to step over to get on the climb on that ladder of success? Was it the people that we see every day that make an effort to become an impact in ones lives, someone will morals, a upbeat personality along with a sound mind and character? How do we love our neighbors like we love ourselves when we are so consumed by money, power, greed and success? What drives the engine inside us that we could be so cruel, closed-minded and let alone numb to the world. In society there must be something inside us that stops us and reminds us that it is those cognitive constructs within our minds and our self-schema that make it useful to live our daily lives as we are forced to be aware of the important decisions that we choose. This guides us on the right path so in every situation with each person we meet no matter what race, creed, color, orientation or abnormalities to behave the way we should, as we love our neighbor like we love ourselves. The factor of our own desires to have a close connection with our spiritual side interprets who and what we are. The Spiritual Self-Schema, 2003) Spiritual Self-Schema- What Would Jesus Do? Our own interpretation of life is immensely influenced by our culture, religion, environment and overall self-schema is basically how you are impacted by life or society. In a sense we all claim to be the seekers of our own destinies, as we search for our truest, strongest and deepest self we earn our stake to redeem ourselves. Otherwise in this fast-paced society it behooves us to analyze the construction of our patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving which occupies our unique characteristics as individuals. When life brings us misfortune we totally focus vastly on religion because it makes the path smoother which lifts our spirits, although our spiritual self-schema is known as a â€Å"cognitive structure† that can construct and maintain an ultimate experience full of qualities and characteristics that are attributed to it. As these things interconnect with all living things or Supreme Being or a higher power this position propose individuals who solely seek the will of spiritual nature in the total aspect of being compassionate, and peaceful in nature. During the route to spiritual self-scheme we discover our own spiritual path that relieves us from suffering and give us the ability to cope with adversity and the ability to change behaviors that harm ourselves or others. At that swift moment of instability we find courage, inspiration, and enlightenment through our spiritual self-schema as it molds us to become who and what we are; we face another factor in our lives which is our defense mechanisms that we thrive on to hide our true selves from the world concealing the hurt that we’ve experienced along with the pain. Spiritual Self-Schema, 2003) Dealing With Life, I Have a Big Ego Sigmund Freud described a number of ego defenses in his written works; he once said that â€Å"Life is not easy! The ego—the â€Å"I† –sits at the center of some pretty powerful forces: reality; society, as represented by the superego; biological, as represented by the Id. As the conflicting demands of society upon the poor ego seem to be understandable if you are threatened, overwhelmed or have that feeling of anxiety. It is that proof that only explains ego as one thing â€Å"survival† which might cause something else to be in danger. The way we deal with life, conflict and problems totally depends on our ego which engages the defense mechanisms we have on an unconscious level which helps us ward off anxiety and brings peace back to our situation or circumstance. â€Å"The ego, driven by the id, confined by the superego could be disgusted by reality and fights to control the tasks of displaying peace among the forces and influences that might be working in and upon it. Otherwise the ego must admit its weakness in order to break those â€Å"chains of anxiety regarding the outside world, as moral anxiety regarding the superego and neurotic anxiety regarding the strength of the passions in the id. † When our memories of the unconscious along with drives or urges still are existent, they continually apply to the â€Å"powerful influence on behavior, as the forces itself fight to keep painful or socially undesirable thoughts and memoires out of the conscious mind which are known as defense mechanisms. This â€Å"battle between the wish, repressed into the id and the so called defense mechanisms†; although we use defense mechanisms to â€Å"protect ourselves from feelings of anxiety or guilt that arises because an individual might feel vulnerable because our id or superego becomes too demanding, seem like they are not under our conscious control, and are very non-voluntaristic. The â€Å" ego† within our â€Å"unconscious will use several different methods to protect us when we come up against the stressors in our lives. † If we know or not our â€Å"ego-defense mechanisms that are natural and normal but soon as they get out of hand our neuroses develop for example anxiety states, phobias, obsessions or hysteria. †

Commercial Management And Project Management Construction Essay

Commercial Management And Project Management Construction Essay Kalifomatos Consultants is a Quantity Surveying firm with a wide range of services provided for the potential Client. One of the fields KCQS specializes in is Project Management. Project Management aims to deliver any given Project ensuring the desired balance between Time, Cost and Quality. Feasibility reports, according to Douglas (1999), test whether the requirements initially set out can be actually met or not. Boyle (2003) suggests that feasibility reports can take different forms. Functional feasibility amongst others refers to physical requirements as well as soil conditions. Technical feasibility refers to the statutory consents as well as the time constraints whereas financial feasibility deals with the costs of the development and in essence creates a budget for the Client to decide on whether he can follow it or not. In addition to the above, business feasibility deals with the strategic brief analysis indicating if the qualitative aspects of the development match the business model of the Client. In this stage, the initial statement of requirements is developed into the design brief on behalf of the Client confirming the key requirements and constraints for the development, following the feasibility analysis taken earlier. The next step that follows is the identification of which procurement method is better for use which sufficiently meets the Clients requirements; the Project Manager could do this. The last step of the Design brief is to assemble the people that need to be involved in the development process which comprise of Architects, Quantity Surveyors etc. (Boyle 2003) According to the information our firm has been provided with, the borehole records the Client is said to have in his possession are of a neighboring site to the proposed one. The fact that a neighboring site has previously undergone a site investigation does not guarantee that for example the soil conditions for the proposed one will be the same. The strata could vary as well as the depth of the water table; maybe a new site investigation for the proposed site reveals that the site has been bombed during the war, resulting to a distortion of soil conditions in the site. This could be seen as a possible constrain which would have been identified if a site investigation had been undertaken. Another activity that has been undertaken was the acquiring of the site. Following the previous point, as well as the fact that our company has not been presented with an actual investigation for the proposed site, the site could be rendered as completely useless for the purposes its needed. Taking into consideration the fact that the Clients directors have previous development experience for some years, the acquiring of the site with no site investigation undergone could be seen as a very naà ¯ve move. According to Hacket (2007), Management Contracting and Construction Management are very similar in many aspects, nevertheless, there is one essential distinguishing characteristic which is fundamental to the understanding of the two systems; the contractual arrangements between the parties involved. In Management Contracting, the subcontractors are in contact with the Management Contractor whereas in Construction Management they are in direct contact with the employer; none of the subcontracts are entered into by the Construction Manager. The difference is illustrated by comparing the two diagrams provided. The most important requirement the Client has set out was that the quality level is to be prestige. The best quality is offered from traditional procurement method. Another requirement set out by the client is the flexibility of the design; also traditional procurement is the best suited for this but Design and Manage offers a high utility for this section as well. However, when it comes to high complexity of the design, Traditional procurement does not best suit the description whereas all the other methods do. The next requirement set out is asap completion; Traditional Procurement does not offer that whereas again, all the other methods do. Furthermore, Design and Manage offers the single point responsibility the Client is looking for as well as Design and Build. This feature would not be available with Traditional Procurement method nor with the Design and Build or the Management Contracting as illustrated in the previous schematics. Furthermore, two of HRD2010s directors have pr evious development experience, so the fact that in order to use Design and Manage one needs previous experience is seen as a disadvantage, is easily one to overcome here. The main reason Construction Management has been rejected even though it is very similar to Design and Manage, was the single point of responsibility required by the Client; thus total utility offered in the chart is 450. And last but not least, the Client welcomes the sharing of risks; Design and Manage can also satisfy that requirement. Based on the RIBA task allocation, the Client has not performed properly the Preparation stage. Vital points have been left out which could have major impacts on the projects development. KCQS has provided the Client with some recommendations for the successful progression of the development. These would be the immediate conduction of a site investigation for the proposed developments site in order to be able to proceed accordingly. The Client has failed to provide a proper feasibility report (recommended) which is vital in assessing the quality of the proposed development, its costs as well as the need to meet statutory consents. Following the above, the Client should be able to address to possible constraints with regards to the development and overcome them in due time. It is also recommended that the people that are to be involved in the development process are to be identified.