A Role for Theory Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

A Role for Theory - Research Paper Example Theory therefore has become the basis of further advanced learning. The group theory perspective is one important idea that could help explain public-policy origination, implementation and/or execution. At some point, this covers elemental ideas that could help explain the preferences of certain political parties (Simon, 2010, p.24). As observed, people when come into a group would usually create strong political power. In fact, when there is consensus over everything, power or voices of the majority usually prevails. More about these ideas are actually emphasized in detail through the group theory perspective. Therefore, it is important that even though theory would not become the basis of the actual truth, it could stand as a significant framework prior to the discovery of more advanced form of learning. Theory therefore could either be proven or should become the basis of improving higher form of knowledge or ideas on certain things. In the case of group theory together with its p erspectives, it is clear that it has become the basis and even stepping stone to leapfrog in the field of public policy origination, implementation and/or execution. Group theory is composed of theoretical models of group behavior which one could use to predict the kind or level of policy creation or implementation needed (Smith, 2007, p.6). In other words, with group theory one would have the chance to picture out certain group behavioral models so as to provide substantial reduction of complexity in understanding group behaviors. After all, policy creation and implementation relied on certain things and these include group reaction or its level of response. I believe that generally public policy theories have a role to play in the daily lives of policy practitioners as these would supplement their understanding of the policy-making activities aside from actual

Computer applications in management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Computer applications in management - Essay Example Excel also offers users with online help solution on Excel functions. Excel contains a tool fill handle that saves time when entering formulas and creating values. The others include; queries and reports, data structure and normalization through multiple tables, Scalability through adding more records are free, data and referential integrity, powerful analysis of large amounts of data, Easy and effective comparisons and working together with the advent of the excel web application you can now work on spreadsheets simultaneously with other users. The ability to work together encourages a person’s ability to processes and gives room for sessions with large sets of data. Tools within the task bar give one option thus giving one the most out of the sharing capabilities of Microsoft Excel. Excel can be used to make budgets, calendars, cards, forms, and invoices among many others. Spreadsheets have a number of disadvantages in the company by providing inaccurate data that is used in making strategic and real- time decisions. This is caused by information delays and data entry errors. Uses of Excel spreadsheets in a company (Porter and Stephenson ,pp 4-6). 1. Budget 2. Sales information 3. Balance sheet 4. Sales budget and schedule of cash collection 5. Sales budget formulae References Business Management. Escaping the Spreadsheet Chaos to Drive Business Performance. 27 April 2013 . Kwak, James. The Importance of Excel. 9 February 2013. 27 April 2013 . Porter, Jason and Teresa Stephenson. "Creating an Excel-Based Budget You’ll Really Use." February 2010. 27 April 2013 . Terborg, Pascal. The First Decade of Business Intelligence. August 2009. 27 April 27

Supply Treated Lumber and Poles Essay Example for Free

Supply Treated Lumber and Poles Essay As instructed, we have provided one (1) original copy of the proposal. APT makes the following certifications and guarantees regarding this proposal: * APT will comply with all contract terms and conditions as indicated in this Solicitation. * APT proposal is predicated upon the Solicitation published on June 4, 2013; * APT certifies that the prices contained in this proposal have been arrived at independently, without consultation, communication, or agreement, as to any matter relating to such prices with any other bidder or with any competitor for the purpose of restricting competition; unless otherwise required by law, the prices quoted have not been knowingly disclosed by APT prior to award, directly or indirectly, to any other bidder or to any competitor. * As Sales Manager of APT, I am authorized by Power of Attorney to negotiate on behalf of APT and shall be responsible for the management of any potential contract that may result from this procurement process. As an officer of this company, my signature has authority to bind any contract that may result from negotiations with the National Guard Bureau concerning this proposal to furnish Treated Lumber and Poles of length and class indicated. I am responsible for the costs being offered in the proposal. 2. INTRODUCTION American Pole and Timber is a manufacturer and national supplier of treated poles, pilings, timbers, and industrial commercial structural wood products. We offer unique building material solutions to our clients through our materials sourcing expertise and our vast manufacturing capabilities. You can expect timely and accurate service, customized to your project needs and cost objectives. We supply Extended Life Wood Products including SFI and FSC Certified wood products, treated timbers, ISPM 15 heat treated wood, poles, pilings, treated lumber, timber trusses, wood bridges material, pipe supports, equipment saddles and gun barrel piling, as well as vinyl bulkhead and ultra-long lasting polymer coated wood. We are highly skilled at custom manufacturing and we can assist with the design of your project free of charge when you use our materials. We are grateful for the opportunity to submit our proposal to your purchase contract and we will show you why so many construction companies across the nation choose American Pole and Timber to supply their operations and projects. American Pole and Timber was founded on the core principles of hard work, responsiveness, integrity, and innovation. As a result, American Pole and Timber has become one of the industry’s most reliable resources for all classes and sizes of wood poles, lumber, piling, and crane mats. American Pole and Timber supplies almost any size post, wood poles, or piling you would require, anywhere across the nation. Most of our supply is Southern Yellow Pine and Douglass fir because of it excellent properties of strength versus cost and its acceptance of various levels of treatments to meet your project requirements. Our Product Consultants are happy to answer any questions you may have about treated poles and lumber. 3. TECHNICAL APPROACH American Pole and Timber lumber and wood poles come treated or untreated and wet or air dried. They are used in applications ranging from utility poles, to house pilings and columns, to retaining wall pilings, and ropes and challenge courses. You can also take advantage of our custom manufacturing services to get exactly the length, cut, or shape you need. We can supply almost any size or class of treated poles or treated pilings you need. All of our poles and pilings treated .60 p.cf. or greater are air dried before treating to ensure maximum penetration of the preservative. We also specialize in pressure treated lumber products, which can be manufactured to the custom sizes to meet your project requirements. We guarantee our products will be to your specifications and in accordance with national and local regulations. 4.1. Benefits of Building with APT Treated Poles and Lumber * APT Treated Poles and lumber have long life spans due to reduced heartwood exposure. * They can be sanded, stained, or painted to match existing dà ©cor. * APT Treated poles and lumber are stronger and suffer less warping than regular dimensional timbers. * Long life span and superior strength make APT treated poles and timbers very cost effective. * Polymer wood coating significantly increases the longevity APT poles and timber. 4.2. Capabilities as Industry Leader American Pole and Timber’s approach is to analyze the Customer’s needs, stay atop industry trends and standards, and provide competitive advantages, ongoing innovation and reliable resources necessary to exceed the demands. This has helped American Pole and Timber become an industry leader and a reliable resource for: * Cross Arms * Wooden Utility Poles * Douglas Fir Poles * Piling * Treated Fence Posts * Pentachlorophenol, Creosote, ACZA And CCA Treated Products * Treated Wood Cross Ties * Western Cedar Poles American Pole and Timber provides varying degrees of pressure treatment designed to delay the decaying process and ensure pole longevity. This process will be used in this contract. American Pole and Timber sells  pressure treated utility poles and lumber for a variety of applications including piers, docks and other marine construction as well as complex foundation systems and landscaping substructures. APT is a high-quality utility pole and lumber manufacturer, supplier and producer we use both Douglas fir and Cedar Wood, identified as one of the leading renewable wood resources. APT has facilities strategically located near the Klamath and California Coast ranges where we own an abundance of Douglas fir and Cedar wood plantations, and will thus be able to supply the pole and lumber material specified in the solicitation. 4.3. Wood Treatment Recommendations Timber structures in a marine environment are subject to attack by a variety of destructive organisms. Thus, they should be properly treated with appropriate preservatives to prevent or retard this type of deterioration. The timber APT is offering as part of this proposal will be pressure treated with an appropriate preservative. The choice of preservative depends on how the timber product is to be used (pile, cap, stringer, decking, etc.) and what kind of climate exists where the installation is to be made (cold, temperate, semitropical, tropical). Thus, the requirements are greatest in warm water harbors where Limnoria tripunctata and pholads are present. Pacific Coast Douglas fir has less sapwood than Southern pine so that retention measurement of preservative is generally made in the outer 2 inches for fir as compared to the outer 3 inches for pine. APT is thus offering treated Douglas fir poles and lumber, which are best suited for the intended application and would be a signifi cant upgrade in quality over standard competitor offerings. APT follows the AWPA standards and Federal specifications for treatment which indicate the required retention level of the various wood preservatives. Wood piling should be treated according to their particular purposes, and this being a cold water marine application, APT will use pressure treatment using a preservative specified by AWPA standards and Federal specifications. Creosote, creosote-coal tar solutions, or creosote-petroleum solutions are effective preservatives, but present a possible contamination problem from being tracked onto vessels. Salt treatments are effective, but may embrittle or promote accelerated wear of the deck surface. Solutions of pentachlorophenol in oil are effective, but  they also may cause a pollution problem. Treatment with Chromated Copper Arsenate should provide protection without the contamination problems, especially when a clean surface is specified in the procurement, as it is in this case. APT will thus offer Chromated Copper Arsenate pressure treatment on the supplied Douglas fir poles and lumber, another significant upgrade in quality over standard competitor offerings. 4.4. Delivery and Distribution APT uses a Just in Time (JIT) inventory and delivery system. Benefits include: * Poles are Where you need them, When you need them. * Over 30-year track record of on-time shipments. * No need to carry large inventories. APT has a regional distribution network. Benefits and features include: * Expedited, timely delivery across town or across country * Minimal freight costs. * Keeps product pricing competitive. * Rail Capability. * Self-Unloading Trucks. APT has several years of experience in Rapid Disaster Response: * Proven capabilities in disaster situations. * Alliances ensure sufficient supply and quick response. * Ability to boost manufacturing capabilities to meet immediate needs. * Emergency Operations Plan in place for APT headquarters. 4.5. MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) 4. PAST PERFORMANCE REFERENCES American Pole and Timber has been a supplier for several large and small projects in the past that include, but are not limited to the following. * Marine Shoreline: Coastal and waterway projects from bulkheads, fender systems, and retaining walls to beach houses and marinas. * Industrial Production: Support Saddles, Trusses, Columns, Corbels, Timber Fender Systems. * Commercial: Restaurants, Golf Courses, Bridges, Theme Parks and Water Parks. Since the solicitation is for a marine environment, APT is providing a list below of (3) past references of marine projects that APT has been a supplier on. 1. Residential and commercial ocean front properties on the west end of Galveston Island. 5. RESUMES FOR KEY STAFF Xxx xxxSales ManagerAmerican Pole and Timber7100 Baker DriveTitusville, NM, 87312Ph: 800-716-0636Core Competencies and Skills * Familiarity with all aspects of supplier relationship management. * Ability to cope with dynamic market conditions and develop sales strategy accordingly. * Ability to work in high-stress environments and to make complex decisions regarding pricing. * Extensive knowledge of sales and marketing  strategies. * Excellent written and verbal communication skills including formal presentation skills. * Persuasiveness, Adaptability Innovation. * Judgment and Decision-making. * Collaboration.EducationKeller University Chicago, IL 1990 – 1993Master of Business Administration/MBA in sales and marketingBoston University Boston, MA 1988– 1989Bachelor’s degree in business administration/sales and marketingExperience20 years of experience in Sales Management.American Pole and Timber, Titusville, NM (1999 – Present)Senior Sales ManagerReport directly to the Vice-President regarding annual sales growth. Organize and manage the sales team to achieve the required sales targets.Thomasson Company, Philadelphia, MS (1994 – 1999)Sales ManagerManaging and training a hardworking, results-oriented sales force. Helping with several management functions to support sales functions.| Madeline MercadoMaterial Planning and Control SpecialistAmerican Pole and Timber7100 Baker DriveTitusville, NM, 87312Ph: 800-716-0639Core Competencies and Skills Proven ability to prepare reports, review bills of materials, oversee make/buy decisions, read drawings, perform materials and inventory control as well as monitor supply chain. Working knowledge and or proficiency in the following: * MRP * JIT * ISO9000 * ISO14001 †¢ CostPoint project management software package by Deltek * Microsoft Office including Word, Excel, PowerPoint * Financial Reports * Secret Clearance EducationCentral Florida University Orlando, FL 1995– 1999Bachelor’s degree in Accounting. Experience14 years of experience in Material Planning and Control.American Pole and Timber, Titusville, NM (2003 – Present)Material Planning and Control Specialist Monitored all production and inventory, scheduled assignments, prepared reports and communicated with management, technical staff and customers regarding potential problems, schedules and production status. Luna Flooring Inc, Oakland, California (1999 – 2002)Associate BuyerProvided direct support to sales with regard to sourcing activities. Managed ETA accuracy consistent with departmental  metrics. Ensured timely delivery of merchandise through consistent communication.| Jeff CarlsonQuality Control InspectorAmerican Pole and Timber7100 Baker DriveTitusville, NM, 87312Ph: 800-716-0654Core Competencies and Skills Over 30 of experience in the lumber industry with skills including but not limited to: * Overseeing and ensuring quality, %Mc etc of lumber products * Schedule species, thicknesses, grades to be sawn. * Schedule, set sorts, grade marks, package size for Dryline breakdown * Oversee quality of lumber. Grades, thickness, manufacture of all lumber produced. * Work with Safety Personal to provide training to ensure a safe work environment. * Provide training for lumber inspectors, quality assurance initiatives and supervisory. * QC Certification by National Hardwood Lumber Association.EducationNHLA Inspector Training School Chicago, IL 1975– 1977AA degree in QA/QC Inspection.Experience30 years of experience in Lumber Industry.American Pole and Timber, Titusville, NM (2003 – Present)Lead QA InspectorResponsible for QA inspection and certification of all lumber products shipped to customers. Responsible for updating and improving QA standards and training of QA inspectors. BB Lumber Co. / Premier Hardwood Products (1991 – 2001)Lumber Operations ManagerOversee all phases of lumber operation.Oversee Inventory Traffic and Maintenance Departments| 6. COST / PRICING Based on the requirements listed in the solicitation, APT is pleased to offer you the following price quotation. Description| Size| Qty Rqd| Price| Unit| Total| Treated Lumber| 2X2X12 | 10| $410| Ea| $4,100| Treated Lumber| 4X4X16| 20| $500| Ea| $10,000| Treated Lumber| 6X6X16| 20| $600| Ea| $12,000| Treated Pole| 8X16 | 10| $250| Ea| $2,500| Treated Pole| 10X16 | 10| $300| Ea| $3,000| Treated Pole| 12X16 | 20| $400| Ea| $8,000| | | | TOTAL| $39,600| We thank you for this opportunity and look forward to working with the National Guard Bureau. REFERENCES 1. www.fbo.gov 2.â€Å"World Class Contracting – 5th Edition† by Gregory A. Garrett. 3.http://www.americanpoleandtimber.com/ 4.http://www.thomassoncompany.com/about_thomasson.php 5.www.greatsampleresume.com

Appreciation Of Ringgit Malaysia Marketing Essay

Appreciation Of Ringgit Malaysia Marketing Essay The Appreciation of Ringgit Malaysia seminar is expect to be held between 20th to 21st December 2010 addressed the appreciation of ringgit effect on exports in Malaysia. Specifically, it will bring together a dynamic group of economists, futurists, academicians and students from public as well as private sector and government to look into the future and explore ideas about the appreciation of currency or exchange rate in ways that might challenge Malaysia. This executive summary provides an overview of the judgments, insights and implications for the seminar. Objectives This seminar aimed at promoting the monetary value of ringgit Malaysia by providing experts and academicians from within our country concerned an opportunity to share knowledge and experiences and to review challenges of the ringgit appreciation in Malaysia, and to have in-depth discussions on the role and prospects of this issue. In particular, by exchanging views and sharing the most updated information on exchange rate, it aimed at strengthening against most of the worlds major currencies and thereby contributing to the nations ambition to be a high-income economy. The seminar is also intended to provide an opportunity for the Malaysian citizens to understand the status and the challenges of the appreciation of ringgit on exports. Potential Participants This seminar would be of great interest especially to economists, financial analyst, international businessman, universities students, academicians and other communities as well. Mission and Vision Statements Mission To increase knowledge about currencies. To anticipate currency devaluation or appreciation and impacts on business world. To understand the exchange or conversion cycles for local and foreign currencies. Vision Educate the society on the importance of appreciation in ringgit. To encourage the society to look at the development of managing money and wealth. To promote an understanding on how major organizations such as the IMF are influenced by monetary transactions. To provide a better understanding on exchange rate in our country. Educate the society on the impact of appreciation and devaluation of ringgit on exports and imports. Event Team The Appreciation of Ringgit Malaysia event organising members include the following groups: What will be members role(s) in the proposed event? Director He as the director will be the primary decision-maker in our event plans. His responsibilities are to manage all his other group members ensure the member are carrying out their responsibilities in their respective roles, consult lecturer for advice and suggestion as well as to maintain order in our group. Secretary Preparing letters and log reports meetings are the responsibilities. This also includes tallying with the leaders of promotion, decoration and designing and treasurer in the purpose of recording the details in every respective role. Not forgetting, they also help in preparing letters, typing out drafts of event proposal and report, booking for the events venue and drop down selected ideas in every meeting. Treasurer This division will be in charge of the financial of the event, accounts, budget limitation and allocations. The primary task is creating a budget cost of the materials and applications with its pricing, original cost and etc. They also need to plan for fund raising, in charge of sponsorship matters and do help in publicity and promotion tasks. Design Technical Info The main task is to design the fonts, background, slogan, and events image as well as compressing the contents of our events massage besides estimating the precise size of the flyers, booklet and etc. They also help the leader in their decision making and present finalize ideas of design to the rest of members. Publicity and Promotion Promotion tasks are divided among the members in the same division and responsible in planning the promotion strategy to publicize our event, with the team title Appreciation of Malaysian Ringgit efficiently. Plus, they also collaborate with the leader about the decoration and designing and also design and technical info members to discuss on how to widen our publicity range within and outside the campus. Exhibition term For the exhibition, we will prepare a storyboard, drama or video for audience to enjoy seeing the facts and figures about the economy in Malaysia, especially from the aspect of worldwide money currency. Through the storyboard, drama or video, we will inform audience about Ringgit Malaysia, the important of stabilizing our money currency and the relation between Ringgit Malaysia and countrys export. We will be persuaded audience to support our Malaysia product through the storyboard, drama or video too. By using the method of drawing, we will show the story about how the Ringgit Malaysia can be strengthen and what its effect on our export in our country. When there is an appreciation in RM, product of Malaysia will increase the price and will reduce the local raw material cost. In addition, this will help to increase our nations export and income. So, we will use some industries and other countries as an example to make the story more interesting. Beside, through the video, we will show some picture and explain what causes the RM to appreciate or depreciate. Factors that causing a nations currency to appreciate or depreciate include: Relative product prices Monetary policy Inflation rate differences Income changes Secondly, we will exhibit the information of Ringgit Malaysia appreciation by doing the introduction to intro the Malaysians currency. The ringgit is the official currency in Malaysia which is often known as the Malaysian dollar. The Malaysian dollar or ringgit is subdivided into 100 sens, which are known as cents in foreign markets. For the example, The Ringgit Malaysia (RM) is one of Asias best performing currencies, which in 2010 has appreciated by 6% against the US dollar, 19% against the euro and 16% against the British pound. There were several factors that contributed to the stellar performance of the ringgit. Amongst them are Malaysias better than expected economic recovery, the central banks monetary tightening policies, the New Economic Model (NEM), and speculation on revaluation of Chinas Yuan, coupled with speculative funds inflow into Malaysias financial system. The currencys strength isnt likely to affect exporters, as Europes sovereign debt crisis may increase capital flows to Asia, and inter-Asia trade is expected to keep Malaysias exports at healthy growth levels. Malaysias exports to Europe make up some 10% of its total exports. Thirdly, we will exhibit the information about our seminar and the comparison advantages and disadvantages. The Pros and Cons of Stronger Ringgit Pros: Encourages the import of capital goods, which contribute to the innovation and automation of industries in the country. Improves the living standards of the people by increasing their purchasing power through cheaper imports and lower inflationary pressure. Cons: A stronger ringgit could pose challenges to the exporters of this export-dependent Malaysia, such as palm oil companies. The stronger ringgit usually trims the refinery margins as crude palm oil feedstock for refined products is priced in the currency. Any wild swings in the ringgit hurt refiners: For every 100 basis point appreciation in the ringgit, refining margins fall by US$2-US$4 a tonne. For example, if the ringgit keeps strengthening, where previously you would collect 3.2 for every US dollar you earn, now you get only 3.1. Information is very important in seminar to develop awareness about the theme of the seminar among audience. We will prepare accurate information in exhibition from Internet, survey, book, journal, and even Malaysia economic annual report. Advantages and disadvantages will clearly state in the exhibition and the information should be in bilingual, such as Malay and English. We will also consider on international students as audience too. Furthermore, the factors that cause Ringgit Malaysia to appreciate will be exhibit in the exhibition. We will collect the information from latest news or from others resources. All the information about the factors will be state clearly in the exhibition. Besides that, the comparison of the currency and different types of graph about the Ringgit Malaysia and exports of the products will be well prepared in the exhibition too. The information that we are prepared is due to these current years. The comparison of the currency within others country will be shown too. The countries that we will be compare such as US or China. The graph such as comparison of currency with others country, comparison of exports products, comparison of the latest years for currency will be shown too. For the exports of the products, we will be deciding to put example for palm oil or furniture. There are many types of graph will be shown during the exhibition. These aspects also consider as important information for audience to understand our main theme. Also, we will be taking the information through Internet, survey, book, journal and economic annual report. Committees in the exhibition are responsible to deliver a clear message to audience. Good interpretati ons will really helps the audience to understand the theme that we intend to deliver for them. Lastly, through the teamwork among the committee and the accurate and clear information in the exhibition, we will successfully organize the seminar and message will be well delivered for the audience. Potential speakers to be invite Prof. Dr. Mohd. Nazari Bin Ismail Professor Department of Business Strategy Policy Faculty of Business and Accountancy Universiti Malaya. Associate Prof. Dr. Fatimah Binti Kari Associate Professor Department of Economics Faculty of Economics and Admistration Universiti Malaya. Dato Mukhriz Bin Tun Dr. Mahathir Minister of International Trade and Industry Malaysia. Promotional and Publicity Strategies Internet Using social network as a main promotional tool to provide seminar information to promote and educate the targeted audiences regarding our topics of exhibition and seminar. Facebook Blogspot Twitter MMU Portal Newspaper Reporters will be invited to the seminar and before the seminar conduct to promote the seminar in aim to target public audiences. Interview session between the speakers and reporters will be conduct after / before the seminar. The Star The Sun MMU Nexus Promotion Booth Booth will be open before the week of seminar and exhibition to capture the attendance of MMU students and lecturers toward our seminar and exhibition. Members on duty will introduce to the public regarding the seminar and exhibition. Class Publicity CLC concourse FBL Lobby Selling Souvenirs (key chain, T-Shirt, and etc) Flyers Changing the computer background wallpaper to the seminar and exhibition wallpaper to promote the exhibition and seminar. (to be confirm later) Co-operation with lecturers Cooperate and encourage FBL lecturers to post an announcement regarding our exhibition and seminars. Lecturers may encourage students to attend and take as class attendance. SAPS point will be provide to those who attend the seminars. Take Attendance SAPS Point MMLS Invite higher education institutions Invite STPM students, or higher education institutions in Melaka to the exhibition and seminar. Stamford Collage Secondary Schools in Melaka Invite Vendors Invite Vendors to participate on the exhibition and seminar to selling their products. Part of the profit are encourage donate to the event. Fund Raising Due to Christmas is around the corner, we have planned to sell goody packs in our campus. Our goody pack includes sweet and chocolate. We can promote it through distribute flyers, so that all students will know goody pack is available for sale here. We may sell RM4-5 per one goody pack which price is reasonable and affordable for all students. We may sell the couple T-shirts. The couple T-shirts and the goody packs will be a good match for the students. They may wear it to celebrate for the Christmas and the sweets and chocolates will be the presents for their partners. We are planning to raise fund in the restaurant or cafà © by providing the services there. We can be the part time waiters or waitresses. The earning we get will be the funds for the projects. We will also try to ask the owner to contribute the earning for one particular day to be our funds. We have planned to sell fruits such as guava, papaya, and watermelon inside or outside the campus. Believe that, there are many students are like to eat fruit in such a torrid weather. So we may sell Rm1.50-2.00, which is affordable for them.

Urban Legend of Pemberton Park :: Urban Legends Ghost Stories

Salisbury’s Pemberton Park in the Dark Since I come from the Eastern Shore of this state, I was surprised to hear a ghost story I was previously unaware of. The story takes place in a park in Salisbury. The person who told me the story is a 19-year-old sophomore at the University, and we spoke about it one evening after dinner. He believes it to be true, because one of his friend’s siblings has apparently experienced the ghost firsthand. I tape-recorded his narrative: In Pemberton Park, about 30 years ago†¦exactly 30 years ago in a few weeks, actually, a young student got his heart broken. His girlfriend had loved him, or so it seemed, but†¦she found another guy. And the girl he had loved so much told him that their love was now dead. So he decided that he would be dead also. He walked to Pemberton Park and took a stroll along the lake, far away from everyone else, especially the girl who had hurt him. He was happy there, alone. But he dragged a heavy rope behind him anyway. He found a perfect tree above the bridge on the river. That night he hung himself out of hurt and hatred. But just as he jumped, he realized that he didn’t hate it there. He awoke the next day and saw a strange sight—his own body! He soon realized that he had died of sadness in a place of happiness, and he was destined to remain there the rest of his life, alone. But then something happened—Pemberton Park became popular. Especially among couples. Lovers would walk holding hands and the young man would sit silently, jealous and mad that they were invading his space. It happened more and more, but he did nothing. Nothing†¦nothing†¦until one night, almost twenty-five years ago, when his old girlfriend came to Pemberton Park with her new lover. When he saw her, he was filled with rage. He could not take it any more. Night fell, and his old girlfriend kissed her new boyfriend. It was her last kiss. After a huge manhunt, the police found her body, with her boyfriend’s, hanging over the river by the bridge. That’s why you aren’t supposed to wander deep into Pemberton Park this time of the year†¦and especially not with someone you love.

How to refine Tai Lin Radio Service Ltd to the market leader position in the electrical appliances retail industry :: Strategic Business Management Strategy

1.0 Executive Summary Electrical appliances are an indispensable part of our daily. Hong Kong's electrical appliances retail trades vigorous development in recent years, because present is age of technical and information, many technical products arose at this historic moment. They are providing a wide array of quality and fashionable digital products, including consumer electronics, computers and communication items, enabling trend-seeking customers to enjoy a vibrant digital lifestyle. In the electrical appliance stores, the product type are more and more on selling, as the same time, the electrical appliance outlet or specialty shop are rapid increase. Which making tomorrow’s dream of smart living today’s reality for people in Hong Kong. Recently, electrical appliances store mostly with chain management, also have the magnificent decoration and be stationed in Hong Kong or Kowloon each famous plaza or shopping mall. These forces the electrical appliances retail trade arrive to a period which â€Å"The powerhouse retains, the weak one eliminates† .Many old shops replaced by new competitor or reformed because they are lack of reform. This report based on the Tai Lin Radio Service Ltd present condition, though the multiple analyses and the suggestion, hope this marketing plan creates a long-term growth model for their retail success. 2.0 Introduction 2.1 Company background and highlighting Tai Lin Radio Service Limited had it's beginnings in 1946, being one of the earliest electrics appliance store in Hong Kong. By serving the communities for sixty years, Tai Lin has established trust and esteem with customers. Retailing and repairing radios were the core early stage business of Tai Lin, by growing of the business, product range expanded broadly to televisions and electronic appliances. In 1975, Tai Lin even introduced the first stereo Hi-Fi to Hong Kong. In order to cope with the rapid growing populations in the 60's, Tai Lin broadly expanded their business by opening shop outlets in different areas of Hong Kong and varies shopping arcades. Tai Lin Radio Service Limited was officially trademarked in 1976 and as their name implied "Service Orientated" as the company's focal point. For the generations to come, Tai Lin would carry on their aim serving the communities with the latest electrics and the greatest sincere. Year 2006, Tai Lin is going to celebrate their 60th anniversary. By renovating their branches, rearranging the products mixture and opening more shop outlets in the near future, Tai Lin is going to present a completely revitalized new appearance. Nowadays, Tai Lin Radio Service Ltd has 10 branch stores in 8 locations - Tsuan Wan, Yuen long, Sha Tin, Mong Kok, Jordan, Kwun Tong, Causeway Bay and Central.

Using Grounded Theory Methodology and Rich Picture Diagrams in Analysing Value Creation in Houses of Culture Projects in Sweden

The Built & Human Environment Review, Volume 3, Special Issue 1, 2010 Using Grounded Theory Methodology and Rich Picture Diagrams in analysing Value Creation in Houses of Culture Projects in Sweden Laurell Stenlund, K. Kristina. [email  protected] se Lulea University of Technology, Lulea, Sweden Abstract What kind of value does a public building for cultural activities create for clients, construction professionals and users? One approach to understand the complexity of ongoing processes over time is by identifying value-adding activities in building processes.However, value added activities are difficult to analyse especially when related to resources that have an immaterial character, e. g. knowledge, know how and social relations. Based on an indepth case study of stakeholders’ evaluation of a construction project, grounded theory methodology (GTM) and rich picture diagrams (RPD) were used in analysing stakeholder and end-user value. Data was collected by semi-structured interviews with actors, public client, project manager, architect, contractor, employee and visitors of the building and during a workshop with representatives for different stakeholder groups.The results from the analysis show that building a house of culture creates stakeholders’ and end-users’ value that can be categorised into human, organisational and social capital. The strength of combining GTM and RPD is demonstrated in its ability to study complex organisational structures and relations between different actors, and specific as shown in this case, when analysing value creation in a construction project with many stakeholders with different interests and value. Keywords: case study, grounded theory method, intellectual capital, rich picture diagramsIntroduction Discussions during the last few years (e. g. Egan 1998; Finch 2000; Spencer and Winch 2002; Saxon 2005) have shown that integrating design and construction potentially delivers better value for money as well as better buildings, particularly when attention is paid to the full costs of a building over its whole lifetime. Research on how buildings deliver better value for money during their lifetime involves complex data analysis of activities and processes. Value-adding activities consist of complex building processes performed over time.A condition for activities to be value-added is that they are supported by resources that are utilised and developed in a positive way (Laurell Stenlund and Horte, 1999). According to the resource-based view, the resources that are difficult to imitate and replace create a competitive advantage to companies (e. g. Penrose, 1959; Grant, 1991; Hamel and Prahalad, 1994). The characteristics of these resources are described as dynamic organisational capabilities (Dosi et al. , 2008). However, value-added activities are more difficult to analyse. Resources that are immaterial, e. g. knowledge, know-how and social relations (e. g.Sveiby, 1997; Edvinsson a nd Malone, 1997) are difficult to 17 The Built & Human Environment Review, Volume 3, Special Issue 1, 2010 describe and measure. Sutrisna and Barrett (2007) argue that rich picture diagrams are tools suitable for analysing complex building processes. The purpose with this paper is to describe how grounded theory method (GTM) and rich picture diagrams (RPD) were used in analysing stakeholder and end-user value when developing and constructing houses of culture. Empirical evidence is developed from a single in-depth case study where data was collected by interviews, archives, documents and during a workshop.In the next section GTM and RPD methods are discussed in relation to the case study. The results from the analyses are finally presented and concluded. Theories and General Conclusions from Case Studies A researcher’s choice of methodology is not only a matter of strategy. Researchers argue that their â€Å"Weltanschauung† (ontology, i. e. our view on how the world is constructed) and opinion of how knowledge is developed (epistemology) are behind the planned or unplanned choice of methodology and research methods.Management studies involves people’s decisions and activities and are thus influenced by rules and structures built in society as well as in the specific organisation. The industry and the context of the studied processes are therefore important to consider (Chroneer and Laurell-Stenlund, 2006). The specific structure of construction industry, mainly project oriented organisations must find other solutions and concepts for improving performance and efficiency according to Segerstedt and Olofsson (2010).Inter-firm processes in construction industry could be identified by the supply chains and networks consisting of different supplying construction companies, e. g. architectural offices and contracting firms, engaged in the early phases of the construction project (Brochner and Kadefors, 2010; Segerstedt and Olofsson, 2010). In th e early phases of a construction project, these inter-firm processes may create a creative chaos developing new ideas of buildings and constructions. According to Gray and Hughes (2001), the collaboration between individuals is a part of the wider collaboration between firms in the construction sector.Describing and developing a deeper understanding of these networks also requires new research methods. Case studies are commonly accepted in management studies. Yin (1994) argues that a case study with one or more cases and with different methods for data collection, both quantitative and qualitative, can be theorised and generalised. A single case study makes it possible to capture different angles and perspectives in depth based on an inductive research strategy open for analytical generalisation and implications from a theoretical perspective rather than comparison with other cases (Eisenhardt, 1989).Selection of the Case The case presented in this study is selected by the uniquenes s of the building itself according to its special functional design and conditions of combining different cultural activities in one building involving art professionals with different goals. The House of Culture in Lulea was selected due to the researcher’s access to data as well as to the interest from the public client and the construction professionals. Previous studies (for example Short et al. 007) have discussed how arts clients require additional commitment from construction professionals. Building a house of culture is in this sense an interesting cultural construction project to study. Qualitative Research Based on GTM Qualitative data analyses with GTM are here applied to describe regularities and sequences (Glaser and Strauss, 1967) for certain building projects in a given situation creating common knowledge within a specific area. 18 The Built & Human Environment Review, Volume 3, Special Issue 1, 2010Grounded theory was developed in the 60s by Glaser and Strauss in social medicine (Bryant and Charmaz, 2007). After a couple of years, Glaser and Strauss went in two different directions. Strauss revised the methods where data was interpreted by the researcher (Alvesson and Skoldberg, 2000). Glaser, on the other hand, continued to develop the ‘classic’ grounded theory with analytical methods for qualitative data coding with an inductive approach but also including methods for deduction and abduction, i. e. methods for developing and testing theories (Glaser, 1992).Grounded theory refers to the result of using grounded theory method according to Bryant and Charmaz (2007). The results should be traceable back to the empirical data and the studied phenomena (Sutrisna and Barrett, 2007). In this paper GTM is applied with an inductive approach (Miles and Huberman, 1994). The purpose of using GTM in this study was to investigate what kind of stakeholder value is created when building a house of culture. Stakeholder value is the key vari able in this study with the purpose of visualising stakeholders’ different value in the building process.Data collection and data analysis based GTM Both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods were used in the case study. The total data collection was broad and open based on several methods, i. e. integrative focus groups, participatory observations, archive data, documents, semi-structured interviews and a survey (Yin, 1994, p. 80). According to the Swedish principle of free access to public records all archive data from the construction project was available and could be analysed.The analyses presented in this paper are mainly based on 17 semi-structured interviews with actors with different interest in the construction project, building documents and data from a workshop with internal and external stakeholders (Table 1, Appendix). The interviews were recorded and transcribed. After transcription, the interviews were analysed by coding the respondents’ activities chronologically in building processes. The interviewed respondents were belonging to different stakeholder groups with different roles in the construction sector as well as in society.Internal stakeholders, active in the construction sector may on the one hand act as clients, financiers and users, on the demand side, and on the other hand act as architects, engineers, contractors and materials suppliers, on the supply side, in the specific construction project (Winch, 2002, p. 67). External stakeholders also have a direct interest in the project and can be broken down into private actors (e. g. local residents) and public actors (e. g. local government) (ibid. ). In Table 1 the respondents are presented together with their stakeholder classification and role in the project by their title.Table 1: Data collection the House of Culture Semi-structured interviews, no 17 Internal stakeholder/Public client-Municipality: Municipal commissioner (Cmc080401) Municipal employee (Cme 070905) Project manager (Chp080117) Participants, Workshop 20090331 Client: Municipal commissioner (Cmc) Client/End-user: Municipal Culture Chairman (CEcc) Secondary data Feasibility study A 2002-08-15 19 The Built & Human Environment Review, Volume 3, Special Issue 1, 2010 Project leader (Cpl080220)Client/End-user: Cultural manager (CEcm) Client/End-user: – Municipal Technical chairman (CEtc) Client: Project manager (Chp) Designer: Architect (DA) Constructor: Manager construction company (Com) Constructor: Project leader in construction company (Cop) Industry: The Swedish Construction Federation, Region North (BI) End-user: Concert Hall manager (Echm) End-user: Art Hall manager (Eam) Feasibility study B May 2003 Internal stakeholder/Municipal and cultural organisations: Cultural manager (CEcm070601,080117,080925) Library manager (Elm081006) Concert Hall manager (Echm081005) Art Hall manager (Eam081015) Planning document 2003-12-22Project directive 2003-10-20 External stakeho lder/Contractor: Manager construction company (Com071004) Project leader in construction company (Cop080930) Brief for architectural competition 2003-12-22 External stakeholder/Designer: Architect (DA081002) End-user: Tourist manager (Etm2) End-user: 2 Peoples Parks and Community Centres (Eppc) End-user: Orchestra member (Epo) External stakeholder/ End-user: 2 citizens (Eci) Commercial organisations : Tourist manager (Etm081022) Business manager (Ebm081023) End-user/Citizens, public and visitors: Orchestra member (Epo070905), Public (Eci, 2090330) Reference Group MeetingsThe public client as well as the construction professionals participated in the process of evaluating the effects of the construction project and the use of the building. They participated in so called reference group meetings and focus group interviews. During the research project four reference group meetings were carried out with two representative from the public client; one initiating the project and one intern al end-user of the building, one representative from the construction company, two representatives from construction industry and one representative from a non-profit cultural organisation together with three academic researchers.During these meetings the first evaluation results were presented and discussed. The relevance of the results was discussed and new questions developed for further investigations. 20 The Built & Human Environment Review, Volume 3, Special Issue 1, 2010 Focus Group Interviews The empirical data was first coded and summarized and then confirmed and discussed by the practitioners. The focus group interviews were conducted more specific regarding a subject where the participants were asked a question that was answered individual in the group, by each of the respondents and then discussed within the group.The five focus group interviews were performed in accordance with the reference group meetings and one at another time. Workshop A workshop was performed with respondents representing the stakeholders of the construction project as presented in Table 1. The workshop consisted of two parts. The first was to present the results from the descriptive analysis of the construction project to implement the results back to construction industry. The second part was to develop a story line of the construction project based on the stakeholders’ successful factors describing the success of the building.Open coding – First Level From the data analysis based on the interviews, a story of the building process emerged. This story was built by the respondents and confirmed by all respondents when summarized in a case study report (Laurell Stenlund, 2010). Within this story different activities were specifically mentioned by different actors due to their significant influence on the performance of the construction projects as well as on the effects of the final building according to the respondents. These activities were confirmed by archive data and found in the construction projects documentation.There are different views about how categories emerge from the analysis, e. g. let the data ‘talk’ or if the researcher is shaping the categories (Bryant and Charmaz, 2007). In this study, no specific and objective theoretical frameworks were ready to pick. They were instead developed during analysis. Coding was in the first step based on a preliminary theoretical framework consisting of different phases of the building process. The activities were then categorised, based on their empirical characteristic, first in relation to the different stages in the construction project, e. . communication during design between architect and library manager and secondly in themes due to their organisational belonging, i. e. the content of the activity, for example, communication regarding specific functional solutions within the library between the architect and the library manager: strategic briefing during the design phas e. The resulted value-adding activities are presented in Table 2 below. Table 2: Value-adding activities in building houses of culture Activities in the briefing process related to strategic briefing The feasibility study 2002 and 2003 a. he rejection of the first proposal consisting of private and public investors in the construction project b. the development of the second proposal of combining different cultural activities in one building The political decisions 2003 a. political agreement on building a new house for the existing public library, the public art gallery and a new concert hall 21 The Built & Human Environment Review, Volume 3, Special Issue 1, 2010 b. political initiatives of starting the construction project The development of the project directives with requirement regarding a. ost b. time c. responsibilities The development of the strategic brief a. overall vision and goals for the building and building performance b. end-users’ functional requirements, ne eds and desires c. qualifying criteria for participating in the architectural competition d. order-winning criteria for the architect The client’s procurement decision a. design-bid-build based on a architectural competition b. architect creating a design team with client c. contractor’s relation to client during construction Open coding – Second LevelThe second analysis was based on a preliminary theoretical framework (Values surrounding the House of Culture, developed from Boyd and Chinyio, 2006:80) where the client’s requirements were coded to different stakeholder groups, and stakeholders’ value were coded in relation to project and product (Laurell Stenlund et al. , 2009). Coding into rich picture diagrams and general themes The third categorisation was an analysis of the value-adding activities performed by actors within the construction project as well as by end-users in the final building.Here the general themes developed by Sutrisna and Ba rrett (2007) were applied when coding the data into the rich picture diagram for further analysis of developed intellectual capital. This analysis is presented in the following section. Intellectual capital in rich picture diagrams Sutrisna and Barrett (2007) found that the use of the multiple case study approach was in agreement with the principles of GTM, i. e. that it relies on multiple sources and constant comparison of empirical data for the purpose of theory building.However, when using multiple case studies and GTM, the cross-case analysis can be found overwhelming and difficult to grasp all at once, according to Sutrisna and Barrett (2007). Therefore the rich picture diagram is suggested by Sutrisna and Barrett (2007) as an analytical tool in data analysis and here applied when analysing the development of intellectual capital in construction projects. 22 The Built & Human Environment Review, Volume 3, Special Issue 1, 2010 Rich picture diagrams Firstly, the value-adding act ivities of the ‘successful’ construction project, were used as a basis to develop a rich picture diagram.The activities were coded in accordance with the general themes developed by Sutrisna and Barrett (2007). Secondly, the results from the workshop were included into the rich picture diagram. During the workshop, each stakeholder representative presented their three most important success factors, written on ‘post-it’-notes in four dimensions, namely strategic with external (market) perspective; strategic with internal (vision and financing) perspective; operational with external (customer) perspective and operational with internal (organisational and cost) perspective.For the purpose of the workshop, the four dimensions were related to the general themes developed by Sutrisna and Barrett (2007). The notes were then transformed into the same rich picture diagram as the story line of the construction project. Intellectual Capital The intellectual capital m odel consists of identifying financial, human, social, customer and organisational value (Sveiby, 1997). Identifying and visualizing intellectual capital are problematic and discussed for many years. Research with focus on intellectual capital started intensively during the 90s within the field of accounting.The Balanced Scorecard, developed by Kaplan and Norton (1993), The Intangible Assets Monitor, developed by Sveiby (1997) and The Skandia IC model with the world’s first public intellectual capital annual report, as a supplement to the financial report (Edvinsson and Malone, 1997), are examples of management models categorising, measuring and valuing companies’ tangible and intangible resources and assets. Edvinsson and Malone (1997) describe the company’s intangible assets as â€Å"those that have no physical existence but are still of value to the company.Typically, they are long term and cannot accurately be valued until the company is sold. † Measu rement of intellectual capital is thus difficult. According to Mouritsen (2009), it is not possible for an organisation to copy its intangible properties in a number; yet it is necessary because it allows intervention to happen since it develops a wholly new set of dimensions to manage. Measuring size, value and effects of intellectual capital does not yield definitive measures, yet the measures are comforting because they help develop the actions that can be made in the name of intellectual capital (Mouritsen, 2009).Analysing Intellectual Capital in Rich Picture Diagrams In the rich picture diagram value-adding activities in the building process together with stakeholders’ value of the construction project and building in use are pictured in a story line of building a house of culture as presented in Figure 1. In Figure 1, number 1 describes activities creating human capital in the municipality. Here the municipal commissioner played an important, entrepreneurial client role . This is seen as a distinctive feature in the case.Human capital was developed in a creative process of finding a new solution to an old demand, the need of a concert hall, and also driving the political process to a building decision of building a house of culture by combining the library, the hall of arts and the concert hall. The decision was a result of a more than 60-year-long discussion in the municipality, where special interest organisations argued for and against a new concert hall in the city. Human capital is measured in the individual’s knowledge and experiences creating a capability within the organisation (Sveiby, 1997; Laurell Stenlund, 2004).The development of construction industry, with advanced technol- 23 The Built & Human Environment Review, Volume 3, Special Issue 1, 2010 ogy put a pressure on actors’ capabilities to adapt to these new technologies. However, construction industry also relays on actors’ capabilities to create new ideas, new technologies and new types of buildings, as shown in this case were the public client was using his competence, based on political experience as well as on his skills from construction industry.Figure 1: The story line of a successful construction project visualising created intellectual capital Number 2 in the figure describes the activities related to the development of the brief for architectural competition, based on the vision of the building together with the transformation of the public client’s requirements into building programmes, e. g. functional and technical specifications. The public client's role during the development of the building programme was important.Different employees in the client's organisation were involved in the development of the feasibility studies taking political decisions and developing the project directives with requirements regarding cost, time and responsibilities. In the brief for architectural competition, the public client formulated the overall vision and goals for the building and the end-users’ functional requirements. People from the artistic organisations were partly involved in this strategic briefing process.The process, in the figure illustrated with dotted arrows, illustrates how the client’s representatives, foremost the project manager together with the architect, worked together with actors responsible for art and library activities. This work should also be seen as a strategic briefing process performed in the project during the design phase. The public client’s procurement decisions regarding the architectural competition made it possible for the architect to create a â€Å"dream-team† of consultants working together with designing the building.The bid-to-build procurement decision engaged a contractor, with the ambition to develop new knowledge within their own construction organisation concerning technical solutions in the building of concert halls. Here the municipali ty created organisational capital in measures of communication, trust and business relations (Sveiby, 1997) between actors in the local construction industry. The organisational capital belonging to the public client has created new construction projects in the community, even during recession, when normally no construction projects should have stated.Finally number 3 in the figure describes how the public client's decisions had an impact on creating social capital in the community. This is closely related to the client’s ambitions to create a building with symbolic value and also to the distinctive feature of having created future beliefs in the city. Social capital is described in terms 24 The Built & Human Environment Review, Volume 3, Special Issue 1, 2010 of change in attitudes, but also in terms of economic value regarding new job opportunities, development of organisational and business activities.End-users participating at the workshop expressed their view of the buil ding in use in terms of social value. They valued the multitude of cultural activities in the building as well as the building is easy accessibility, aesthetics, comfort, safe with a central location in the city. The social capital developed by building a house of culture in the community is described by the public client as valuable for the cities development in the future, not only because of its cultural activities, but also because of the buildings architecture and location. DiscussionFrom the results of analysing value-added activities and stakeholders’ value in a story line, the distinctive features for this specific construction project illustrates three key competencies generating human, organisational and social capital; firstly the human capital based on the public clients political and construction knowledge and skills in the pre-phase of the construction project; secondly the organisational capital based on the actors competencies of interacting when developing th e strategic brief involving internal and external stakeholders goals and visions, during the onstruction project; and finally the social capital based on the building’s multifunctional activities, its architectural design and its central location in the city, when building in use. From the results, one could determine certain success factors and key competencies that should be maximized. These success factors and key competencies could in turn be grouped into a number of distinct areas of focus such as financial, human, customer, process, renewal and development. Within each of these areas of focus, one could identify numerous key indicators to measure performance.Previous research studies have shown that companies and organisations have to identify their own relevant key indicators and success factors and relate them to their specific activities and resources when making the tools usable in management decisions (Laurell Stenlund, 2004; Anumba et al. , 2005; Roos et al. , 200 5). Measuring size, value and effects of intellectual capital does not yield definitive measures, yet the measures are comforting because they help develop the actions that can be made in the name of intellectual capital (Mouritsen, 2009).Conclusions Stakeholder value is the key variable in this study with the purpose of visualising stakeholders’ different value in the building process. From the results of the study, intellectual capital developed during the construction project has been visualised in terms of human, organisational and social capital. Houses of culture, public buildings for cultural activities, enable meeting places for citizens as well as they provide places for cultural events and spaces for creativity as well as they contribute to the development of new cultural activities.The outcomes were found useful when implementing the results back to the studied client organisation and the actors in the project team as well as they can be used to better understand t he situation, formulating improvement as well as a platform for future research. 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