Importance Of High School Sports

?Many people do not realize the importance of high school sports; let me tell a story. There were two completely different kids that went to the same high school. One of them participated in high school sports from Fall to Spring. This kid kept up with his grades and kept busy with sports and homework. The other kid did not participate in any kind of school sports. The kid who didn’t play any sports went home after school every day, so instead of playing sports or doing homework in the free time available, he had to find something else to keep busy. Having all this free time led trouble.There is no need to go into more depth in the story; the point is that people do not realize that high school sports are a crucial part of being a good student and becoming a successful adult. â€Å"The evidence supporting sports participation for young people is overwhelming†¦ It has the power to combat everything from racism to low self-image, to the high-school drop-out rate† (Ca stle). One of the many benefits of playing high school athletics is that the Student has to sign a code of conduct that will keep the student athlete responsible for his or her actions.â€Å"1) Use or possession of tobacco products. 2) Being present more than 5 minutes at a function where alcohol and/or drugs are being consumed/used or have been consumed or used. 3) Use or possession of intoxicating beverages and illegal drugs or drug paraphernalia. 4) Committing unlawful acts that have or could have resulted in a misdemeanor or higher penalty. 5) Serious and/or repeated violation of school rules. 6) Serious and/or repeated unsportsmanlike conduct. † This is a list of the rules that must be strictly followed in order to participate in a sports team at Nooksack Valley High School.If any of these rules are broken during season the athlete is penalized by being ineligible to play for 60% of the season. If the code is violated during the off-season, the penalty is disqualificatio n for 40% of the season. Athletes that take their sport seriously, and hope to move on to a collegiate level know that missing 40% to 60% percent of a season will hurt their chances of being scouted substantially. The risk taken by breaking the athletic code is not worth losing a chance of a scholarship to continue playing a sport a student loves at a competitive level.The Sumner School District has a great way of explaining the code of conduct to the community. â€Å"This activities code is designed to establish a reasonable, high standard for participants in co-curricular activities that empower our participants to make appropriate decisions, rather than to be punitive and deny access to such activities. Co-curricular activities are a privilege and completely voluntary. Along with this privilege comes the expectation of a higher standard of behavior and conduct.Participants in these activities are considered to be in positions of leadership representing themselves, their families , the team, school, district and community† (Sumner Athletics). This brief blurb from the Sumner Athletics Code of Conduct represents the higher standard athletes, actors, singers, dancers, and all participants of extracurricular activities are held to. Being involved in sports does not only reflect the athlete, but is a representation of the entire student body and staff members.The responsibility of athletes to uphold this good reputation is one of the main reasons student athletes are proven to perform better in school, and stay out of trouble. Being a student athlete in high school does not only keep the student responsible, it also provides physical activity for students who have been sitting in the classroom all day. Not only does physical activity contribute to a healthy body weight and prevention of heart disease and type 2 diabetes, but also shows astounding benefits in academic performance and lowering depression.Penny McCullagh, a psychologist, found in her research that exercise has the ability to work like an anti-depressant. McCullagh states, â€Å"The most common treatments for depression, for example, are psychotherapy or medication. Psychologists have found that exercise is a third successful alternative† (McCullagh). The article states the best results to help depression comes when a combination of exercise and psychotherapy happens together. The physical exercise from sports also helps brain function.â€Å"According to a study done by the Department of Exercise Science at the University of Georgia, even briefly exercising for 20 minutes facilitates information processing and memory functions† (Physical Exercise for Brain Health). Just the exercise alone from sports is already helping with depression, brain functions, or just staying fit and in shape. There are many studies with evidence to support the benefit exercise has in the classroom. â€Å"Researchers at Saginaw Valley State University in Michigan tracked the grade s and exercise habits of 266 undergraduates.It was found that students who regularly participate in vigorous physical activity had higher G. P. A. ’s† (Parker-Pope). Regular exercise has a tremendous effect on the brain, especially in the high school years when it is still developing. Along with these benefits, being part of a sports team influences attitudes on and off the court or field. Student athletes are proven to have a stronger sense of leadership, motivation, and work ethic than their peers who do not participate in after school activities. Belonging to a team or club creates a drive in students to succeed in all aspects of life.Many Americans today are suffering from being obese or overweight. According to the American Heart Association, â€Å"23. 9 million children ages 2 to 19 are overweight or obese; 33. 0% of boys and 30. 4% of girls† (Overweight & Obesity – 2013 Statistical Fact Sheet). That means almost two thirds of all the Americans are a t an unhealthy weight. According to Centers for Disease Control, obesity brings in $147 billion in healthcare costs per year. There are many different causes for obesity such as stress, inactivity, and depression.There is one simple solution to decrease the amount of obese adults and children in America. Playing sports helps with all three of the problems. Habits are formed at a young age, so if sports are a part of a lifestyle as a young child, they will most likely be a part of their future. When some people think about exercise, they instantly think boring, tedious, painful workouts in an over packed gym. What most people don’t know is that exercise can be fun! All it takes is the motivation to get off the couch. Exercising with others increases the chance that you will stick with it.Sports teams are the ultimate example of this. When a support system is built in, with the drive to not let your teammates down, the motivation to be physically fit comes naturally. People arg ue that playing sports leaves no time for homework. However, there is a system at Nooksack Valley High School called study table. Study table is an hour long class where any missing homework can be complete before school. This system was made to give extra help to kids that are failing classes while playing sports. Nooksack Valley’s athletic director, Tom Harmon, checks the grades of each student athlete every Sunday.If any students are failing a class a study table is assigned each morning for the entire week. If the student is failing more than one class then they are not allowed to participate in any games or tournaments held that week. The phrase â€Å"student before athlete† is commonly used among coaches and staff members. Being a successful student is far more important than making touchdowns or scoring goals. Student first, athlete second is the only way to ensure students are prepared for higher education or entering the work force after graduation.Some people may argue that high school sports need to be cut due to lack of funding. Personally, I think without the opportunity to participate in sports students will lack the development of very important life skills. From experience, players can say that being a member of a high school sports team has taught them how to work hard for what they want, how to step up and be a leader, and how to communicate with others and be a team player. These skills and personality traits are all things that future employers are looking for when making hiring decisions.Managers know that people who have grown up being involved in sports teams and clubs are trained to work well with others, and have a strong work ethic. Marty Brounstein lists ten qualities of an effective team player as the ability to demonstrate reliability, communicate constructively, listen actively, function as an active participant, share openly and willingly, exhibit flexibility, show commitment, work as a problem solver, and, finally, treat others with respect and support. â€Å"Team players with commitment look beyond their own piece of the work and care about the team's overall work.In the end, their commitment is about winning — not in the sports sense of beating your opponent but about seeing the team succeed and knowing they have contributed to this success. Winning as a team is one of the great motivators of employee performance. Good team players have and show this motivation† (Brounstein). In conclusion, being actively involved in high school sports shows success on and off the court or field as well as in future career choices. Participation in sports teams is not only beneficial while in high school but in all stages of life.Skills learned from coaches and teammates can be applied in meeting new friends in college, at job interviews, and in many other instances. â€Å"We have data indicating sports and other extracurricular activities do better than academic classes in teaching leadershi p, teamwork, time management and other skills crucial for success in the workplace† (Mathews). While some may say that high school athletics need to be cut because the money spent on them could be put to better use, the evidence of many studies proves this statement to be false.Without the opportunity to be a part of a team or club, students lose out on a great learning experience that acts as a foundation for the rest of their lives. The ability to manage being a successful student as well as a good athlete takes a special skill that is developed during the high school years. There needs to be a balance between academic and athletic commitment. A student’s high school career cannot only be based on one or the other. It needs a combination of the two in order for the student to reach full potential.Michael Jordan is one of the most inspiring athletes to kids around the world. He often stems his success back to his experiences with high school sports. I believe it is sto ries like his that demonstrate the importance of being involved in sports teams, and the life lessons that are learned throughout the experience. A famous quote from Jordan states, â€Å"I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. † Importance of High School Sports Many people do not realize the importance of high school sports; let me tell a story. There were two completely different kids that went to the same high school. One of them participated in high school sports from Fall to Spring. This kid kept up with his grades and kept busy with sports and homework. The other kid did not participate in any kind of school sports. The kid who didn’t play any sports went home after school every day, so instead of playing sports or doing homework in the free time available, he had to find something else to keep busy. Having all this free time led trouble.There is no need to go into more depth in the story; the point is that people do not realize that high school sports are a crucial part of being a good student and becoming a successful adult. â€Å"The evidence supporting sports participation for young people is overwhelming†¦ It has the power to combat everything from racism to low self-image, to the high-school drop-out rate† (Cas tle). One of the many benefits of playing high school athletics is that the Student has to sign a code of conduct that will keep the student athlete responsible for his or her actions.â€Å"1)Use or possession of tobacco products. 2) Being present more than 5 minutes at a function where alcohol and/or drugs are being consumed/used or have been consumed or used. 3) Use or possession of intoxicating beverages and illegal drugs or drug paraphernalia. 4) Committing unlawful acts that have or could have resulted in a misdemeanor or higher penalty. 5) Serious and/or repeated violation of school rules. 6) Serious and/or repeated unsportsmanlike conduct. † This is a list of the rules that must be strictly followed in order to participate in a sports team at Nooksack Valley High School.If any of these rules are broken during season the athlete is penalized by being ineligible to play for 60% of the season. If the code is violated during the off-season, the penalty is disqualification for 40% of the season. Athletes that take their sport seriously, and hope to move on to a collegiate level know that missing 40% to 60% percent of a season will hurt their chances of being scouted substantially. The risk taken by breaking the athletic code is not worth losing a chance of a scholarship to continue playing a sport a student loves at a competitive level.The Sumner School District has a great way of explaining the code of conduct to the community. â€Å"This activities code is designed to establish a reasonable, high standard for participants in co-curricular activities that empower our participants to make appropriate decisions, rather than to be punitive and deny access to such activities. Co-curricular activities are a privilege and completely voluntary. Along with this privilege comes the expectation of a higher standard of behavior and conduct.Participants in these activities are considered to be in positions of leadership representing themselves, their families, the team, school, district and community† (Sumner Athletics). This brief blurb from the Sumner Athletics Code of Conduct represents the higher standard athletes, actors, singers, dancers, and all participants of extracurricular activities are held to. Being involved in sports does not only reflect the athlete, but is a representation of the entire student body and staff members.The responsibility of athletes to uphold this good reputation is one of the main reasons student athletes are proven to perform better in school, and stay out of trouble. Being a student athlete in high school does not only keep the student responsible, it also provides physical activity for students who have been sitting in the classroom all day. Not only does physical activity contribute to a healthy body weight and prevention of heart disease and type 2 diabetes, but also shows astounding benefits in academic performance and lowering depression.Penny McCullagh, a psychologist, found in her research t hat exercise has the ability to work like an anti-depressant. McCullagh states, â€Å"The most common treatments for depression, for example, are psychotherapy or medication. Psychologists have found that exercise is a third successful alternative† (McCullagh). The article states the best results to help depression comes when a combination of exercise and psychotherapy happens together. The physical exercise from sports also helps brain function.â€Å"According to a study done by the Department of Exercise Science at the University of Georgia, even briefly exercising for 20 minutes facilitates information processing and memory functions† (Physical Exercise for Brain Health). Just the exercise alone from sports is already helping with depression, brain functions, or just staying fit and in shape. There are many studies with evidence to support the benefit exercise has in the classroom. â€Å"Researchers at Saginaw Valley State University in Michigan tracked the grades and exercise habits of 266 undergraduates.It was found that students who regularly participate in vigorous physical activity had higher G. P. A. ’s† (Parker-Pope). Regular exercise has a tremendous effect on the brain, especially in the high school years when it is still developing. Along with these benefits, being part of a sports team influences attitudes on and off the court or field. Student athletes are proven to have a stronger sense of leadership, motivation, and work ethic than their peers who do not participate in after school activities. Belonging to a team or club creates a drive in students to succeed in all aspects of life.Many Americans today are suffering from being obese or overweight. According to the American Heart Association, â€Å"23. 9 million children ages 2 to 19 are overweight or obese; 33. 0% of boys and 30. 4% of girls† (Overweight & Obesity – 2013 Statistical Fact Sheet). That means almost two thirds of all the Americans are at an unhealthy weight. According to Centers for Disease Control, obesity brings in $147 billion in healthcare costs per year. There are many different causes for obesity such as stress, inactivity, and depression.There is one simple solution to decrease the amount of obese adults and children in America. Playing sports helps with all three of the problems. Habits are formed at a young age, so if sports are a part of a lifestyle as a young child, they will most likely be a part of their future. When some people think about exercise, they instantly think boring, tedious, painful workouts in an over packed gym. What most people don’t know is that exercise can be fun! All it takes is the motivation to get off the couch. Exercising with others increases the chance that you will stick with it.Sports teams are the ultimate example of this. When a support system is built in, with the drive to not let your teammates down, the motivation to be physically fit comes naturally. People argue that playing sports leaves no time for homework. However, there is a system at Nooksack Valley High School called study table. Study table is an hour long class where any missing homework can be complete before school. This system was made to give extra help to kids that are failing classes while playing sports. Nooksack Valley’s athletic director, Tom Harmon, checks the grades of each student athlete every Sunday.If any students are failing a class a study table is assigned each morning for the entire week. If the student is failing more than one class then they are not allowed to participate in any games or tournaments held that week. The phrase â€Å"student before athlete† is commonly used among coaches and staff members. Being a successful student is far more important than making touchdowns or scoring goals. Student first, athlete second is the only way to ensure students are prepared for higher education or entering the work force after graduation.Some people m ay argue that high school sports need to be cut due to lack of funding. Personally, I think without the opportunity to participate in sports students will lack the development of very important life skills. From experience, players can say that being a member of a high school sports team has taught them how to work hard for what they want, how to step up and be a leader, and how to communicate with others and be a team player. These skills and personality traits are all things that future employers are looking for when making hiring decisions.Managers know that people who have grown up being involved in sports teams and clubs are trained to work well with others, and have a strong work ethic. Marty Brounstein lists ten qualities of an effective team player as the ability to demonstrate reliability, communicate constructively, listen actively, function as an active participant, share openly and willingly, exhibit flexibility, show commitment, work as a problem solver, and, finally, t reat others with respect and support. â€Å"Team players with commitment look beyond their own piece of the work and care about the team's overall work.In the end, their commitment is about winning — not in the sports sense of beating your opponent but about seeing the team succeed and knowing they have contributed to this success. Winning as a team is one of the great motivators of employee performance. Good team players have and show this motivation† (Brounstein). In conclusion, being actively involved in high school sports shows success on and off the court or field as well as in future career choices. Participation in sports teams is not only beneficial while in high school but in all stages of life.Skills learned from coaches and teammates can be applied in meeting new friends in college, at job interviews, and in many other instances. â€Å"We have data indicating sports and other extracurricular activities do better than academic classes in teaching leadership, teamwork, time management and other skills crucial for success in the workplace† (Mathews). While some may say that high school athletics need to be cut because the money spent on them could be put to better use, the evidence of many studies proves this statement to be false.Without the opportunity to be a part of a team or club, students lose out on a great learning experience that acts as a foundation for the rest of their lives. The ability to manage being a successful student as well as a good athlete takes a special skill that is developed during the high school years. There needs to be a balance between academic and athletic commitment. A student’s high school career cannot only be based on one or the other. It needs a combination of the two in order for the student to reach full potential.Michael Jordan is one of the most inspiring athletes to kids around the world. He often stems his success back to his experiences with high school sports. I believe it is stori es like his that demonstrate the importance of being involved in sports teams, and the life lessons that are learned throughout the experience. A famous quote from Jordan states, â€Å"I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. †

Early Childhood Website Critique Essay

Earlychildhood. com is a website that provides an ample amount of information on providing the proper care and educating young kids at a low cost. This site offers teachers, caregivers and parents ideas and concepts related to child development. Moreover, the early development stages are the most crucial time for children because this is the point when they get a chance to explore the things that surround them. More so, the guardians of these children must be responsible and knowledgeable enough to gear them towards the right direction. There is a comprehensive collection of date incorporated in this website which is comprised of tips on where to buy discounted school supplies, sources for childcare, forum about enhancing the learning environment and many others. Overall, this site is like a one-stop shop for those who want to know everything about child development from learning materials to scholarly resources to the opinions or words of wisdom from fellow teachers, caregivers and parents. Among all the sections featured in the site, the Discount School Supply was the one that caught my attention. It contains a list of equipment and materials needed in educating children. Additionally, it is a 500 pages online catalogue of â€Å"arts and crafts materials for early learners with a single focus which is to offer the highest quality products at the lowest possible cost supported by an extraordinary level of service. † Also, another aspect of this section that suggests high-quality products and services is the inclusion of â€Å"e-commerce websites, a news magazine and thousands of arts and crafts materials, school supplies, educational toys and instructional materials† wherein most of these were designed for earlychildhood. com (Earlychildhood. com, 2008). I believe that this part of the website can really help in giving teachers, caregivers and parents awareness on the variety of learning products out in the market. More so, it provides free delivery to all the products that will be ordered making it an inexpensive and yet practical way of acquiring resources which are usually expensively priced, to enhance the development and progress of children. Meanwhile, in terms of strengths and weaknesses of the site, there are features that have advanced the objective of website and there were also missing elements that would have made the look of the site more professional and more interesting. For the strengths, the site had tackled the different aspects needed to properly and successfully teach adults about the significance child development for the welfare of the children. Also, the websites or the sections embedded within Earlychildhood. com were well-structured and the contents were highly-informative and very helpful to the readers. Meanwhile, for the weakness of the site, the layout of the main page was not systematically arranged and some vital information was excluded such as the background information about the site and the people behind it. In addition, it should have a site map in order for the readers or viewers to easily navigate the entire website. If these things are addressed by the website coordinator or designer, Earlychildhood. com can provide a trouble-free access to all those who want to see and obtain helpful information about proper childcare. Furthermore, this website can serve as a reliable source for a research that involves childcare and child development. It has all the necessary facts and information including current news, teaching modules, learning materials, scholarly articles and recommendations from professional or people working within the field. Through all of these, collection and dissemination of information will be uncomplicated which is very beneficial when doing research. References Earlychildhood. com. (2008). Discount School Supply. Retrieved October 3, 2008, from http://www. discountschoolsupply. com/Help/HelpFAQTopic. aspx? help_faq_id=25

A Fitness Center Where Every Body Benefits Marketing Essay

A Fitness Center Where Every Body Benefits Marketing Essay Entrepreneurship project that was assigned to us was to make a business plan of a new business venture. The report covers the core concepts that are involved in the making of and implementation of a new company’s business plan. Identifying the opportunity and taking the initiative towards something novel and different, a new venture concept that I have decided is a fitness center. This report contains about the company, identification of the target market, strategies to penetrate in the target market segmenting it to different locations, the industry analysis, marketing plan and positioning of the company, effective pricing strategy, how to promote it to clients through different strategies of advertising and promotion, the operational plan for the early stages of the company and the financial factors that are major challenges for the company THE BUSINESS Our vision: To make BODYFIT a place where every body benefits. Mission statement: Your fitness is our priority. We strive to provide you a safe, healthy and secure fitness environment. where customers can achieve their fitness goals. Our professional, expert and qualified staff is committed to the highest level dedication that ensures the satisfaction of customers’ fitness with motivation and quality Opportunity (potential business): We are going to launch new company in Islamabad, Pakistan which is basically a fitness center/club. In Islamabad, there are already few companies that are providing such services like FIT n FLEX, METAFITNOSIS, and FITNESS FIRST, ULTIMATE GYM etc. so there is a room for a new fitness center to establish and capture the market and response. As we have recently seen this trend that people are becoming conscious day by day about their health and fitness and they want such a place where they can get fitness under proper guidance from professionals. So by setting up our fitness center we can cater the needs of our customers by providing unique services under one roof, and get our market share in health industry. MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE Board of Directors: initially the board of directors will be the inside investors who providing with the necessary funding and investment to the company. Law firm: Accounting firm:KPMG Consulting firm: The management team is very crucial for any business success. Our team consists of dedicated members who strive to achieve the maximum benefit for the organization and its customers. Of them MD will play vital role in management by using his expertise and knowledge in the smooth and efficient running of the organization. He would have to oversee and control all the major departments of the company. COMPANY STRUCTURE & INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY The company would be established under the legal structure of: Private LTD Company. And the brand name would be protected through registering the company name so that it cannot be copied. As per requirement patents and copyrights would also be applied for. The company will consist of the following departments and their duties would be as follows:- Management department As our vision and mission statement, management departments’ aim is to translate vision and mission in strategic manner to achieve the targets and goals. As this department is the backbone of any organization. The managing Director (MD) will control the structure of the organization.

Elements of Governance Reform Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Elements of Governance Reform - Coursework Example This act is the latest most effective regulatory reform intended to rectify major corporate misleads in future. Arthur Andersen LLP’s role in the revolutionary scandal of Enron is reflected in one important part of SOX Act which standardized requirements to ensure the independence of the auditors. Major failure in accountability and disclosure of few leading nonprofit firms and penetrated media coverage of this failure by nonprofit organizations cast the nonprofit sector in an unethical and unfavorable light. This also damaged the integrity and trust of people across the world on the nonprofit organizations along with the benefit of the nonprofits organizations. Although most of the provisions of Sarbanes Oxley Act have currently been applied to only publicly traded companies nonprofit organizations could benefit by adopting these provisions. Apart from this, voluntarily adhering to the Sarbanes Oxley Gold standards would generate more ability and credibility to appoint more e fficient members in the boards of nonprofit organizations. This also can attract many potential fund donors, foundations, and many other potential financial funding resources. The nonprofit sector that enjoyed light oversight and little regulations have now highly focused on the new demand for standardized corporate governance. If the nonprofit sector wishes to retain its higher extent of self-regulation, the board and top management of the organizations need to put accountable effort to improve the organizations in terms of corporate governance and financial transparency. If the current situation does not improve the whole sector may come down under unwanted regulations of government. Some attorneys general of states already criticized that additional SOCK provisions need to be applied to nonprofits.

Which country builds best cars, Germany or Japan (Mercedes vs Lexus) Assignment

Which country builds best cars, Germany or Japan (Mercedes vs Lexus) - Assignment Example On the other hand Japanese made Lexus has comparatively lesser models in the market (Dawson, 2011). For a better comparison we can select the two top selling Luxury models of both cars, S class Mercedes versus LS class Lexus. The choice of best build cars can be done by setting specific criteria. Customer who wants to make a decision before buying any of these two cars will consider all of the below mentioned aspects. 1. Reliability: In earlier models, Mercedes had some issues in electrical wiring, suspension and brakes but after their out-sourcing, these issues have been resolved. Speaking of today, Mercedes is no doubt a reliable car. Japanese Lexus on the other hand is not equally known for its reliability. 2. Safety: German cars are no doubt much safer then Japanese as proved by crash tests carried out on these cars. 3. Quality: Mercedes and Lexus both are comparable in terms of quality but still Mercedes has an edge over Lexus. 4. Prestige: Mercedes has its origin back in year 1 885 and is the oldest automotive brand still in demand. Over the years, Mercedes has set a bench mark for other companies and a lot of customers are willing to pay extra bucks for its prestige and brand name, while Lexus firstly introduced in 1989 is also making its way to set a better standard for their company. 5. Style: Mercedes Benz has always been famous for its stylish design. Lexus however is not very famous for this, they have few exceptional models but there are many cars which are not very famous because of their outer look. 6. Paint quality: Mercedes and Lexus fall in same category in terms of good paint quality. 7. Performance: Mercedes gives a better performance; it has a upper hand in dealing high speed controls while Lexus falls a little behind at high speed. 8. Technology: Germans pay too much focus on technology, they launch a car with special features one year and the next year same features happen to hit the market by Japanese in their new edition. That is how Jap anese keep their prices cheaper; they don’t have to spend extra on research and development. German cars are very well engineered. 9. Fuel economy: In Japan Gas prices are high, that is why they focus on fuel economy while making a car and Lexus is more fuel efficient then a Mercedes Benz. Mercedes S class proves to be heavy on fuel efficiency. 10. Interior design: Although Lexus offers a very nice interior but since it is affiliated with Toyota, much of it resembles like a Toyota. Mercedes however has a very genuine appealing Interior. It depends on personal taste but Mercedes ranks higher in interior. 11. Spare parts: If a Mercedes car breaks down then one has to pay a lot to get it fixed again in terms of expensive spare parts and labor cost but a Lexus offers much cheaper spare parts and maintenance. 12. Price: Lexus LS is way cheaper then S class Mercedes. If a customers wants features like leathered seats, universal remote transmitter, heated seats then he has to pay ex tra for a Mercedes Benz but these features come as standard in a Lexus series. In view of above mentioned criteria Mercedes leads in most of the aspects while Lexus proves to be more economical. According to Galanes and Adams â€Å"question of policy†, recommendations that can be given to Lexus for improving its market value include i) more focus on innovation and genuine designs ii) focus on safety features iii) focus on technology . Which country builds best cars, Germany or Japan? In this era of global market competitions, it becomes very difficult to make a decision about choosing a brand best suitable for you. Automobile industry over the past few years has grown tremendously but there are still some leading companies who have managed to establish their repute. Mercedes is one of those

Health Informatics in the Clinical, Administrative and Research Case Study

Health Informatics in the Clinical, Administrative and Research Settings - Case Study Example Even looking considering the estimate of 44,000,it clearly brings the impression that medical mistakes lead to higher death toll compared to 43,458 from motor vehicle accidents and breast cancer 42,297. Management of care.Continuity of care has been shown to suffer when several healthcare expertsmonitor the same patient, since all involved practitioners may have incomplete complete information about the medicines prescribed. Health IT and Quality improvement Lawwas introduced purposely to establish health IT fund program for hospital, domestic health agencies and skilled nurses (Bates et al 37). It requires human and health services to implement and establish a methodology under the care of Medicareprogram. They are basically for providing the hospitals with compensation of costs met by the hospitals as a result of implementing IT systems. Many errors may be detected and rectified through human inspection and knowledge; thisis an indication of weak fault reduction strategies.In 1995, it was demonstrated that about half of errors in medication, were associated with inadequate information regarding patient and drug. It has been found in a monitored trial that computerized general practitioner order, systems amounted to 55% reduction in critical medication errors. In another study of time series, the group found that 83% reduction in the entiremedication error was observed and 64% reduction done using a simple system. Another different category of medical decisional support is alerting systems which are computerized, they can notify physicians about occurring asynchronously. A developing body of evidence proposes that such system may reduce error rates while improving therapy and therefore improving outcome, the duration a patients spends in a dangerous state, survival, the length of staying in the hospital, costs. The research show that introduction of IT in hospital is very vital. It is associated with many factors. The

Hair-hashish analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Hair-hashish analysis - Essay Example The controversies attracted acts of violence and occasional threats during the early years of the show, and even became a basis of legal actions when the show opened on tour and other cities. Another reason that supports the theme of the paper is the nature of themes used in the 1960 hippie movement. The themes are described in terms of targets, goals, and beliefs of the hippies. Some of the themes illustrated in â€Å"Hashish† came as a result of protests by American youths on the wrong things they saw such as: environmental destruction, racism, sexual repression and sexism, corruption in politics, depersonalization from technologies, and violence. â€Å"Hashish† illustrates restrictive gender roles and the rejection of discrimination (Horn 176). This was a symbol of equality between women and men. A popular theme illustrated in â€Å"Hashish† is the drug use. In the song, Hair Cast talks about drug use among the generation and addresses the revolution. The drug problem has been intensively addressed as a proliferation in the community of all mood altering, illicit and physically dangerous drugs. The drugs also lead to problems such as crime, threat of crime, disease, violence, loss of productivity, growing number of users in welfare of the public, over-crowding of the penal institutions, congestion of court system, diversion of tax from productive areas, erosion of our civil rights, and corruption of law enforcement agencies. Hair Cast in â€Å"Hashish† song, addresses the theme of drug scene through the aspects involved such as remorseful mood and depressed tone featured in the lyrics. Drug use was associated with nudity and sexual freedom. This was a subject of notoriety and controversy. Nudity... In summary, this research paper has addressed the themes of the song in detail and illustrated how the aspects of the song such as musical tone, structure and lyrics represent the mentioned themes. This has been done through listening to the song and analyzing the lyrics and tone and other specific aspects of the song that represent the themes. It is pivotal to note that â€Å"Hashish† by Hair Cast takes a bold approach in addressing the dissociative counter culture, drug use and scene and individual concerns such as race and tribe, sexuality among other sensitive themes in sixties. The themes are reflected through aspects of the song such as tone, structure, background, music and lyrics. This paper has illustrated an analysis of aspects of â€Å"Hashish† from Hair in sixties, and how the song relates to sixties both as a whole and as individual movement through the musical tone and structure and song background and lyrics.

What can Nigeria learn from the previous mistakes in electricity Research Paper

What can Nigeria learn from the previous mistakes in electricity liberalisation - Research Paper Example The industrial policy decisions and public finances, the physical characteristics of supply, the magnitude of capital requirement and size of industry, and the complex and close relationships between the industry and other significant economic elements all combine to impose challenges to the liberalization process. During electricity industry the liberalization in Brazil, Argentina, and Peru, various mistakes occurred, though these industries are the road to set successful models. Currently, Nigeria is liberalizing her energy industry, and may draw upon the earlier flaws of these models to fortify the sector. This paper seeks to present a discussion on the fundamental mistakes and discuss the way forward for Nigeria. Privatization is a term that evokes sharp political reactions. The concept covers a great range of policies and ideas, varying from reasonableness to impractical. Despite the variation and the somewhat unclear meaning, privatization has unequivocal political objectives and origins. Proposals for privatization not only return the service to the original private sphere but also seek to create new types of market relations and assure results superior or comparable public programs. In essence, privatization refers to the transfer of government assets or services to the private sector. The state may sell some of its assets to private investors, or alternatively lift statutory restrictions on competition between publicly and privately owned enterprises. Furthermore, by the state may be contract out services that it initially provided. The primary objective of privatization is to increase government efficiency1. Nonetheless, implementation of this concept may result in either negative or po sitive effects on government’s revenue. Essentially, privatization is the opposite of nationalization. Reasons for Privatization In general, privatization of the electricity industry in Nigeria was a result of the desire to increase efficiency and competitiveness, as well as the belief that the market place powers can achieve this more efficiently and effectively than state control. Nonetheless, given the previous history of government participation in services and goods production in Nigeria, and the prevalent history of crisis in these public enterprises, the process of privatization in Nigeria has various expected objectives. First, privatization is a way to inject market discipline to the board members, as the board must reflect the interests of shareholders, primarily the private sector investors whose interest lie with profit maximization. Second, the process results

Hello platform Report advice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Hello platform Report advice - Essay Example uiry from Booz Allen Hamitlon company that wants to know whether to continue with internal or in-house software development or acquire their social software from another company. Like many other companies, Booz Allen Hamitlon Company has to make sure all its stakeholders understand what system development means and what purposes it is meant to serve. This information should be known by both insiders and outsiders in order to make the evaluation of their decision easy to implement. This is so because effective partnership is significant in creating a close and mutual and respectful working relationship between developers and users of any software project (Maier 1998). To take the best step, there are issues that Booz Allen Hamitlon must sort out. First, the company must identify a large IT problem that needs to be solved. Jessup and Valacich (2003) advise that the problem should then be broken down into several smaller and manageable pieces that can be translated into computer programs. The social software should join each program into an overall comprehensive system that caters for the whole problem as illustrated in the below diagram by Jessup and Valacich (2003). At this point, any company can discover the complexity of the program needed and weigh options with regard to the expertise it has at hand. Where the company realizes that its personnel are not competent enough to develop such software, it should consider other alternatives (FCA 2007). Incase the company realizes that their problem needs software that their personnel can develop, then it should consider developing it in-house if the time consumed and resources needed are less than the cost of purchasing or securing the development otherwise. As Booz Allen Hamitlon Company considers the off-the-shelf software development, the evaluation process will be vital. This should be done by evaluating and analyzing the features, functions, benefits and costs of the viable options so as to develop the best

Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett - Essay Example Waiting for Godot stands alone among the rest of thirty-two dramatic works produced by the author. Outstanding value of this longest ever written by Beckett play was officially recognized by the Swedish Academy in 1969, when the author was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature. Waiting for Godot is arguably the most controversial and complex for understanding piece of playwriting produced during the last century. Actually, the whole plot and action of the play is reflected by the title - waiting for Godot. Two homeless and jobless males named Estragon (Gogo) and Vladimir (Didi) are waiting for someone named Godot on the country road. While waiting for this person, the two tramps talk to each other, discuss different things and meet two other characters of the play: Pozzo and Lucky, the master and servant. This couple and a boy whom informs Gogo and Didi that Godot will not come to meet them are the only characters of the play. The play is far from being intensive at all. The characters discuss various topics, tell jokes and do absolutely meaningless things, but the reader can feel a sort of laziness in absolutely all discussions and actions. As for Godot who is supposed to be the main character of the play, the reader never knows whom he is, what he is and why he has to meet the tramps. Despite countless interpretations ... Consequently, Beckett and other writers of that epoch tended to put their literary characters in paradoxical and absurd circumstances. From this perspective, Waiting for Godot is a typical absurdist play in which the author reveals isolation of individuals in contemporary world, absence of hopes, absurdity of life and many other universal problems of human existence. MAIN DISCUSSION In order to understand what makes Waiting for Godot an absurdist play and if it is an absurdist play we must reveal the meaning of the term 'absurdist'. The term 'theatre of the absurd' was coined in 1962 by Martin Esslin whom applied it to a group of post-war plays written by different authors. Esslin believed that the philosophical meaning underlying all those plays was common and relied upon the philosophy of Albert Camus (Esslin, 1969:18). Camus' theory of absurd is perfectly illustrated in his well-known work The Myth of Sisyphus. Sisyphus was a mythological king of the Greek city of Corinth. The gods did not like his cruelty and invented a torture for Sisyphus to suffer until the end of time. He had to roll a heavy stone up a huge hill in the kingdom of Hades, but he never reached the peak: each time Sisyphus was on the verge of rolling the stone over the top, the resistance became overwhelming and the stone rolled downhill, and Sisyphus had to start his toil over and over again (Camus, 1955). Camus thinks that the human life has much in common with the toil of Sisyphus. Men and women of the modern world are doing nearly the same the mythological king did. They try to find some universal meaning and purpose of human existence despite the fact that no universal meaning or purpose really exists. Human life is irrational and absurd, and any

Engage in personal development in health Essay Example for Free

Engage in personal development in health Essay Outcome 1 1. Within my role as a support worker it is my duty to support an individual to complete everyday tasks. This can be activities such as food shopping, house chores, preparing food and drinks, making and attending appointments, attending college or day centre facilities, or participating in clubs for people with special needs. I have a responsibility to ensure the activity is achievable for the client and that I am providing the right support to achieve this. 2. As a support worker I have a duty to adhere to the codes of practice set out by my employers and also to ensure I adhere to the regulations set out by law. National Occupational Standards (NOS) ensure I give the appropriate support and care to an individual. Outcome 2 1. Reflective practice means thinking about and evaluating what I do and discussing any changes which could be made. Thinking about how I could have done something differently, what I did well and what I could have done better. It also means reflecting our own values, beliefs and experiences which shape our thoughts and ideas. By continuously evaluating my performance I am able to ensure I am providing the expected level of service set out within the companys guidelines. 3. Everyone has different values, beliefs and experiences. We are more likely to be friendly and welcoming to people that share the same values and beliefs as us and less friendly to those that do not. However within my role it is expected that I provide the same level of care to every individual. Identifying your own beliefs and values will enable you to be aware of your reactions to others and enable them not to impact on the way you work. This is an important part of personal and professional development. Outcome 3 1. Codes of practice are put in place to enable you to understand your role and your responsibilities. Care plans are in place for each individual and the support I am required to provide is person-centred. I have a duty to ensure I am aware of each individual’s needs and to highlight any area I believe needs refocusing. Training should be relevant to the needs of individuals and provided by the company to ensure I adhere to regulations set out by law and the policies and procedures in place adhere to the current NOS guidelines. Outcome 4 1. Planning and reviewing my development usually takes place during planned supervision with my manager and my yearly appraisal. However I can approach either of my team leaders if I believe I require further training that is relevant to my role, they will speak with management on my behalf. Outside sources of support such as care managers, learning disabilities team or CQC may also highlight areas they feel further training is required if it is relevant to an individual I am to provide support too. Outcome 5 1. Attending training courses has enabled me to provide a level of care that is specific to the needs of the individual I am providing support too. During team meetings we may discuss serivce users and their needs. If a colleague has found something that works for them they will highlight it and it may be something I can use when working with that individual.

Academic Motivation, Resilience and the At-Risk Student

Academic Motivation, Resilience and the At-Risk Student Introduction The topic of investigation was academic resilience and motivation and how it relates to the at-risk student. Motivation and resilience are two key factors students need in order to achieve academic success. Students with motivation and resilience perform well in school and have a developed sense of self-efficacy. Successful students can see the connection between school and future goals, and are more likely to perform tasks even when they become difficult (Berger, 2013). This is characterized as resilience. These students are able to achieve academically and will most likely persist to graduation. Students who are not succeeding academically have a higher potential of failing or dropping out of school (Donnelly, 1987). These students are considered at-risk. Characteristics of the at-risk student include: low academic achievement, low self-esteem, males, minority, and low socioeconomic status (Donnelly, 1987). How does family background affect the at-risk student? According to Donnelly, Students who are both low income and minority status are at a higher risk [of failing]; their parents may have low educational backgrounds and may not have high educational expectations for their children (Donnelly, 1987). Berger states, at-risk students are more likely to experience behavior issues, lower attendance rates, poor grades, lack direction, and fail to use self-regulation strategies (Berger, 2013). If students are engaged in school are they less likely to drop-out? Berger (2013) suggested when students are engaged in school and have positive connections they may be able to overcome many of the barriers that exist in order to achieve success while in school and persist until graduation. How does motivation and resilience effect graduation rates? While much work has been done to improve graduation rates over the past eight years, resilience and motivation are two essential characteristics students need in order to persist in school academically. When students experience positive interactions with teachers and other adults, motivation and engagement will increase (Berger, 2013). Students want to see the connection between the task and how it connects to their future. Students need to feel supported in order to be successful; positive connections with parents and teachers are imperative in order for students to succeed. Statement of the Problem At-Risk students are more likely to fail and drop-out of school because they lack motivation and resilience academically. When students leave school before completing requirements, the consequences are dire. Students who leave school early are often left with little options later in life. They more likely to experience lower wages in life, and are less likely to attend college. Should the at-risk student attend college, they are much less likely to complete school compared to their peers, who are 83% more likely to finish (Berger, 2013). When are students mostly likely to fail? According to Finn and Rock (1997), investigating early behavior and academic patterns one may be able predict academic success in later years. Reaching students early is important when confronting barriers. Forming positive connections with caring adults is also necessary for students to build resilience and motivation. The purpose of this study is to investigate counselor intervention programs and the effect of motivation and resilience in at-risk 9th grade students. At-risk is defined as students who are under-achieving academically, have lower attendance rates and who have experienced behavior issues. Will students who have positive attachments to teachers or counselors perform better than students who do not? Statement of the Hypothesis Prior research has shown that positive school experiences and encouraging relationships at school have had a positive effect on at-risk students engagement and motivation (Scheel et al., 2009). Therefore, it is hypothesized if at-risk students are involved in a counseling intervention program then there will be an increase in academic achievement, students will experience less behavior problems, and students will experience an increase of motivation academically. References Berger C 2013 Bring out teh Brilliance: A Counseling Intervention for Underachieving Students.Berger, C. (2013). Bring out the Brilliance: A Counseling Intervention for Underachieving Students. Professional School Counseling, 17(1), 86-89. 201703241158141438499809 Donnelly M At-Risk Students. ERIC Digest [Supplemental material].20170325140827109581351Donnelly M 1987 At-Risk Students.Donnelly, M. (1987). At-Risk Students. ERIC Digest, 21. Retrieved March 25, 2017, from https://www.ericdigests.org/pre-928/risk.htm 20170325141053517867326 Finn J D Rock D A 1997 Academic Success Among Students At-Risk for School Failure.Finn, J. D., Rock, D. A. (1997). Academic Success among Students At-Risk for School Failure. The American Psychological Association, 82(2), 221-234. 201703241224041284194231 Scheel M Madabhushi S Backhaus A 2009 Academic Motivation of At-Risk Students in a Counseling Prevention Program.Scheel, M., Madabhushi, S., Backhaus, A. (2009). The Academic Motivation of At-Risk Students in a Counseling Prevention Program. The Counseling Psychologist, 37(8), 1147-1178. 20170324122636560129761

Project Management and Business Strategies

Project Management and Business Strategies ABSTRACT Which way to go? This is a question that organizations will ask themselves in a certain time, because organizations are faced with challenges of strategic direction. Some organizations are instigated by challenging opportunities, other organizations want to overcome significant threats. The business strategy can move an organization from where it is now, to where it needs to be in the future. Johnson et al (2009) states that the strategy of an organization is often likely to be complex, uncertain and mostly it affects operational decisions and requires an integrated approach. But the most typically and crucial components of strategy are change and innovation. Project management is essential for managing and reducing the inherent risk associated with change and innovation. Thats why many projects are the result of strategic decisions of organizations, because projects manage changes on an effectively and efficiently way. Changing organizations need projects for making change and for obtaining its business strategy and -objectives. Nowadays sustainability is a very hot (strategic) item for organizations. Organizations are integrating ideas of sustainability in their marketing, corporate communications, business strategy and in their actions. Centraal Boekhuis, a (leading) logistics service provider in stocking, storage, distribution and transportation of books, has also formulated a covering policy on sustainability for the strategy period 2009-2011 (Board of directors Centraal Boekhuis (2009)). Sustainability for Centraal Boekhuis means commitment to corporate environmental performances as well as sustainable performances on social and economic aspects. Several projects on behalf of sustainability will be conducted as well as projects will be conducted on behalf of other strategic targets. But is it possible to make project management sustainable, in order to make other projects contribute to the policy on sustainability too? In this research the relation between project management and the pursuing of the realization of business strategies will be looked at. Then the main research question will be answered: how will the business strategy influence the selection and execution of project management within organizations, and how will this in consequence lead to sustainable project management? The hypothesis is that when project management is constructed and selected in accordance with the business strategy, and more specifically linked with sustainable business strategy, projects will contribute to the realization of the business strategies as well as it subsequently will contributes to sustainability. The actual research will be executed through a web survey among several organizations as well as a case study of Centraal Boekhuis, which contains in-depth interviews with about 10 representatives project employees from Centraal Boekhuis. The research will also contain the study of qualitative data, for exampl e the study of documentation and reports that are in stock within the company about strategy, project management and sustainability. 1. INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND 1.1 Introduction To understand project management within organizations it is important to understand projects. The Prince2 Foundation (2005) defines a project as a temporary organisation that is needed to produce a unique and predefined outcome or result at a pre-specified time using predetermined recourses. In practice projects bring recourses, skills, technology and ideas together to achieve business objectives and deliver business benefits. But why is there a need for projects within organizations? Organizations are continuously striving after agility and success by for example introducing new products and services or by improving business processes or activities. Many projects are the result of organizations that wants to manage such changes on an effectively and efficiently way. According to Bryan Atkin and Adrian Brooks (2009), Change Management is the key towards innovation of organizations. In order to make progress and achieve greater efficiency and better value for money and to be more effective or competitive, organizations have to do things differently and have to make changes. Maylor (2005) stresses that Project management is essential for managing and reducing the inherent risks associated with change and innovation. Changing organizations need projects for making change. Recently Johnson et al. (2009) gives an interesting definition on business strategy. The definition describes that strategy contains the direction and scope of an organization over the long term, for achieving advantage in a changing environment throughout configuration of resources and competences with the aim of fulfilling stakeholders expectations. Aforementioned definition displays that the fundamental principle of making changes of organizations can be the result of aiming towards targets that contributes to the fulfilment of the business strategy. In practice this means that organisational changes and the application of project management for realising those changes can thus be the result of the long term direction and scope of an organization. Simply said; project management can move an organization from where it is now, to where it needs to be in the future to meets its business strategy and -objectives. As mentioned above the management of projects within organization is among other things related to its business strategy, but how will the business strategy influences the selection and the execution of project management within organizations and how can project management thus contributes to the realization of the business strategy? For example, The board of directors of Centraal Boekhuis (2009) has formulated a covering policy on sustainability for the strategy period 2009-2011. Several projects on behalf of sustainability will be conducted as well as projects will be conducted on behalf of other strategic targets. But is it possible to realize more strategic focus, by linking all projects to the business strategy of an organization? This leads to the main research question of the thesis: how will the business strategy influence the selection and execution of project management within organizations, and how will this in consequence lead to sustainable project management? Another interesting question will be: if project management is constructed and selected in accordance with the business strategy, and more specifically linked with sustainable business strategy, will projects contribute to the realization of the business strategies as well as it subsequently will contributes to sustainability? 1.2 The organization; Centraal Boekhuis Centraal Boekhuis is a (leading) logistics service provider in stocking, storage, distribution and transportation of books. More than 500 publishers and over 1500 booksellers use the service facilities for distribution, transportation, information and administration. For publishers is Centraal Boekhuis the entry into the Dutch and Flemish (book) markets. For booksellers in the Netherlands and Flanders, Centraal Boekhuis is the provider of the assortment of Dutch-language books, general as well as educational or scientific books, and a selected range of foreign-language books (staff directory guide Centraal Boekhuis, 2007). Besides taking care of stocking, storage, distribution and transportation of books, Centraal Boekhuis also offers administrative or financial services. For publishers the company organizes complete stock and sales recording, invoicing and debt collection. Booksellers as well benefit from a broad range of information technology services. The majority of Centraal Boekhuis services are integrated in a single automated system (CB Online), so customers have access to the operational and management information they need, focused on their companys business processes. Upon request, Centraal Boekhuis will also arrange the storage, distribution and transport of office supplies, stationary and greeting cards. All logistic activities and processes are linked with the transport centres delivery network. The centres range of services includes processing special offers and returned goods, (temporary) storage, order picking and carrying out special mailing campaigns with value-added logistics. The Transport Centre of Centraal Boekhuis organizes transport from and to countries outside the Benelux. In England is a consolidation point bounded, where shipments from 1600 English publishers intended for Dutch bookshops are collected and forwarded to the Netherlands. This enables Centraal Boekhuis to offer customers attractive services. Shipments from Germany and America are transported along similar lines. History For over 135 years Centraal Boekhuis have been the logistic partner in the Dutch book trade. In 1871 the Vereeniging ter Bevordering van de Belangen des Boekhandels (VBBB) in Amsterdam lay the foundations for Het bestelhuis van de Nederlandsche Boekhandel, presently called Centraal Boekhuis. Publishers send their boxes with books to that warehouse of books, where the boxes were distributed across the Netherlands. Many years later, in 1926, the VBBB decided to found Centraal Boekhuis in Amsterdam. Well-established publishers were obliged to store their books in the central depot of Centraal Boekhuis in Amsterdam. From now on the book stores and publishers could order their books with Centraal Boekhuis from one central point in the Netherlands. In 1973, because lack of space, Centraal Boekhuis grounded their company in Culemborg, where the company nowadays is still grounded. In that same year is Het Bestelhuis and Centraal Boekhuis merged into one company: Centraal Boekhuis B.V (Intranet Centraal Boekhuis, 2008). Organization The daily management of Centraal Boekhuis is directed by the Senior Management Team (SMT). The lead direction of the 5 Senior Managers is directed by a Chief Executive Officer, namely Hans Willem Cortenraad. They have weekly meetings to discuss the company policy and how this policy is best directed to the line managers. Centraal Boekhuis in figures (2009) Full time employees: 579 Publishers: 500 Booksellers: 1500 Available Dutch titles: 80,000 Number of copies delivered per year: 60,000,000 Number of delivery addresses per day: 2500 Number of packages transported per year: 4,500,000 Number of pallets transported per year: 300,000 2. PROBLEM STATEMENT RESEARCH QUESTION According to Project Management Institute and Morris (2006) oorganizations often want efficiency, good financial results and success and they want it fast. It is for that matter that organizations generally focus on short-term results, such as immediate realizable financial goals. However, Centraal Boekhuis for example expects also from its employees to achieve results that corresponds to the overall long term objectives of the business strategy. This contradiction pointed me in the direction to ask myself if it is possible to operate more efficiently if the portfolio of projects is continuously linked to the business strategy of Centraal Boekhuis. My hypothesis subsequently is that the overall business strategy will be the input for the project portfolio planning and in turn, project success impacts the goals and objectives of the business strategy. Nevertheless, the solution isnt that easy. For instance, organizations are nowadays more often integrating ideas of sustainability in business strategies. It is for that matter unavoidable that there will be projects related to sustainable strategy, namely environmental or social projects. However, will projects on behalf of other strategic objectives also be sustainable? Thats why I assume that when project management is constructed and selected in accordance with the business strategy, and more specifically linked with sustainable business strategy, projects will positively contribute to the realization of strategies as well as it subsequently will contributes to sustainability. [2] The main question and hypothesis will be clarified for a reasonable interpretation of the research construction and approach. In this research the relation between project management and the pursuing of the realization of business strategies will be looked at. Foresaid leads to the following research question: what is the impact of the business strategy on the selection and execution of project management within organizations, and will this possible influence in consequence lead to sustainable project management? The hypothesis is: when project management is constructed and selected in accordance with the business strategy, and more specifically linked with sustainable business strategy, projects will positively contribute to the realization of the business strategies as well as it will positively contributes to sustainability; the result subsequently is that the overall business strategy will be the input for the project portfolio planning and in turn, project success impacts the goals and objectives of the sustainable business strategy. Why is it so important to link the project management of an organization to its business strategies, in order to make projects sustainable? As stated by Johnson et al (2009) it is ultimately the fulfilling of the business strategy to aim on the fulfilling of the expectations of the stakeholders. If an organization have stated sustainability within their business strategies, stakeholders are involved in monitoring if the strategy is achieved the objectives and if there is corrective action needed. This is called strategic control and it will keep an organization in track with its achievements on behalf of its strategy (and also sustainable strategy). According to foresaid it is plausible that it is important to state sustainability in the business strategy, for making sure that projects will meet the objectives and goals of sustainable strategy. 3. GOALS OBJECTIVES I will try to find out if a business strategy, specifically a sustainable business strategy, can positive influence the way on how projects will be selected and executed, as I expect it to be. I will test the hypothesis that the overall business strategy will be the input for the project portfolio planning and in turn, project success impacts the goals and objectives of the sustainable business strategy, to see if it is possible to make project management sustainable. If so, this offers an interesting new insight in sustainable project management, which could be the basis for more research. First it is important to study literature to get familiar with the several subjects of this thesis. The several subjects that will be described are project management, business strategy and of course overall sustainability. Next I will try to describe the multifarious relative contexts between the several subjects described in the literature, in order to make my hypotheses plausible. The most important objective of the literature review is to create an elementary basic assumption for further research. Furthermore the research methodologies that I will use are a case study research and a web survey. For the execution of the case study research are various data (re)sources used, namely in-depth interviews and the study of business documentation and reports. The case study research methodology will be used to get insights in how Centraal Boekhuis arranges its business strategy, especially how it is arranged towards its project management. Then it is important to look at how the sustainable policy of Centraal Boekhuis affects the daily operations as well as the sustainable policy affect its project management. For comparison and further research I will send a web survey to approximately 100 companies with sustainability stated in their business strategy. Hopefully this will give me insights in how other companies arrange their project management related to its business strategy and maybe they have certain methodologies to make project management sustainable, so I have some interesting data to work with. My research will focus on project management, business strategies, sustainability and sustainable project management in an attempt to find relative contexts to integrate business strategy and projects in order to facilitate development of sustainable project management. Overall I hope that the executed research will create a certain frame work for linking project management to the overall business strategy of an organization, in order to make project management sustainable. 4. LITERATURE REVIEW As mentioned earlier my research will focus on project management, business strategies, sustainability and sustainable project management. Therefore the theoretical background of my research will also be focused on foresaid topics. 4.1 Business Strategy The traditional literature about business strategy is often about the general definitions of business strategy, where organizations focus on where they want to be on the long term (mission and vision) and how this is achieved (goals and objectives) (Alblas Wijsman, 2001) in order to gain competitive advantages. The current literature about strategy describes more that strategy is about the importance of achieving advantage in a changing environment throughout configuration of resources and competences with the aim of fulfilling stakeholders expectations (Johnson et al., 2009). Aforementioned shows that the current literature on business strategies discusses the importance of the characteristic aspects change and configuration (Kloosterboer, 2005). The relative context between business strategy and changes is an important aspect that must be taken into account before I continue my research. According to Bryan Atkin and Adrian Brooks (2009), Change Management is the key towards innovation of organizations. In order to make progress and achieve greater efficiency and better value for money and to be more effective or competitive, organizations have to do things differently and have to make changes. Harvey Maylor (2003) characterizes project management as essential aspect for managing and reducing the inherent risks associated with change and innovation. Therefore changing organizations need projects for making change. 4.2 Project Management The Prince2 Foundation (2005) recognizes that organizations are continuously striving after agility and success by for example introducing new products and services or by improving business processes or activities. Many projects are the result of organizations that wants to manage such changes on an effectively and efficiently way. Furthermore Prince2 (2005) defines a project as a temporary organisation that is needed to produce a unique and predefined outcome or result at a pre-specified time using predetermined recourses. In practice projects bring recourses, skills, technology and ideas together to achieve business objectives and deliver business benefits. According to the International Project Management Association (2006), professional project management is broken down into the following three competences (see also figure one): Technical competences for project management; behavioral competences of project personnel; and the contextual competences of projects programmes and portfolio. The technical competence covers the techniques of project management, for example the practice of Prince2. The behavioral competence represents the professional behavior of the project personal, like project management skills. The contextual competence is the linkage between the project and organizations involved. The vision on project management by IPMA in the International Competence Baceline presented in October 2006 will be critically looked at for my research. This project management approach will also be studied and discussed during the master program of the Master of Facilities Management and Real Estate. The eye of competence figures the integra tion of the elements of project management as seen trough the eyes of the project manager. So the essence of project management is to support the execution of an organizations strategy to deliver a considered necessary outcome (Clifford and Gray, 2002). The research of recent literature shows us that project management is nowadays recognized as one of the primary business processes (Atkin Brooks, 2009). It is for that matter that organisational changes and the application of project management for realising those changes must be linked to the overall business strategy of an organization, in order to accomplish the business goals and objectives. Simply said; project management can move an organization from where it is now, to where it needs to be in the future to meets its business strategy and -objectives. For this thesis I will mainly focus on the SWOT analysis, because this management and strategy tool is used by Centraal Boekhuis for defining its strategy. The SWOT analysis can be used as a strategy formulation tool. It helps organizations to identify its Strengts, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT). The Strengths and Weaknesses represent the internal factors that create value or can destroy value. Opportunities and Threats are the external factors that can influence the organization value (Ahaus, 2005). 4.3 Business Strategies vs. Project Management According to Sabin Srivannaboon (2006), previous research on project management and its relation with business strategy mostly links the project management with business strategy through critical project selection, viewing it as part of the alignment process (For example Bard, Balachandra Kaufmann (1988); Cooper, Edgett Kleinschmidt (1998); Englund Graham (1999) etc). Also often displayed in previous research is project portfolio management. This is another concept suggested in the literature to ensure the strategic alignment of project management and business strategy and it is defined as a dynamic decision-making process, which an organization can update and revise its list of active projects (see for literature: Turner Simister (2000); Cooper, Edgett Kleinschmidt (1998) etc.). Current literature shows us more about the research that has been done on the alignment of project management with business strategies of organizations, for example research of Sabin Srivannaboon (2006) , Tony Grundy (2001) Peter Morris Ashley Jamison (2004) etc. 4.4 Sustainability sustainable project management On Wednesday the 4th of November, member of the House of Representatives Esmà © Wiegman talks about faith in Sustainability and vice versa, please note: in church! That sustainability has even penetrated the Christian church sais a lot. We are all confronted with it and action is expected of us. Sustainability is a hot item, that is no surprise. Looking at the quotes mentioned below you can conclude that there is no process in an organization that is not interfered with sustainability items. â€Å"Managers are more and more beginning to consider the environment as an additional parameter on which they base their decisions.† (North, 1997) That is what Klaus North wrote is his environmental business management introduction in 1997. And Carin Labuschagne wrote almost a decade later: â€Å"Various driving forces originating from society, government employees and business partners are forcing companies to both incorporate sustainable development in their business practices as well as to align all internal operations and practices with the principles thereof.† (Labuschagne, 2005). Sustainability, what does that really mean? Norwegian prime minister Gro Harlem Brundtland formulated it as followed; â€Å"The development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs†. As Labuschagne already said, there is no process in an organization that is not interfered with aspects of sustainability. Project management is just one of these processes that cannot be ignored. That is also made clear in the APM sustainable outlooks, where is mentioned that they are considering a database with project and programme managers who have specialist knowledge, experience and expertise in sustainability issues generally or by specific sectors, locations or types of project. They also plead for the triple bottom line approach in every project. The triple bottom line approach includes environmental, social and economical sustainability (APM, sustainable outlooks). As organizations become more and more focused on environmental responsibilities, project managers cannot stay behind. (Zoyd Reed Luce) Where sustainability is grounded in almost every strategy of every large organization, this automatically is reflected in the projects of an organization. Project manager are forced to focus on sustainability these days, it becomes part of the project. 4.5 Theoretical Framework for aligning projects with strategy There are several articles expanding on the idea that there should be a certain focus on the corporate strategy when managing projects, for example the articles of Tony Grundy (2001) or Morris and Jamison (2004). Milosevic and Srivannaboon (2006) support this vision in their article and wrote an article which describes a theoretical framework for aligning project management with strategy. Milosevic and Srivannaboon have developed an empirically based theoretical framework that explains the impact of business strategy on project management and vice versa and discusses how mechanisms can be used to strengthen that alignment. As discussed earlier, strategy is about the importance of achieving advantage in a changing environment throughout configuration of resources and competences with the aim of fulfilling stakeholders expectations and defending it against competitive forces (Johnson et al., 2009). Milosevic and Srivannaboon have based their theoretical framework on the vision of Porter (1980) about Generic Business Strategies. Michael Porter states that to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage, an organization must chose a certain type of strategy. Porters generic strategies distinguishes three types of strategies, namely cost leadership, differentiation, and cost focus (see figure 3). Competitive advantage can only be achieved by choosing one of these strategies. If an organization chooses to pursue more than one generic strategy, it will perform being badly without competitive advantage and Porter refers to that as being ‘stuck in the middle. Milosevic and Srivannaboon use cost leadership, differentiation, and best cost as the primary focus of their analysis. They also use Shenhars strategic project leadership framework which consist of project elements like project strategy, project organization, project process and tools metrics and culture. Differentiation is about organizations pursuing a differentiation strategy by offering products and services that are unique from competition in order to satisfy the desires of their customers. This differentiation allows the organization to charge a premium price (Porter, 1980). Cost Leadership is about organizations pursuing a cost leadership strategy to gain competitive advantage and increase market share by operate with lower costs than competition, for example tight cost controls e.g. efficient facilities (Porter, 1980). Best cost (also called focus niche) is about organizations creating a sustainable competitive advantage through combining cost leadership and differentiation. This can be realized by offering a unique product or service to a special market segment and seek to offer low cost products within a special market segment (fast time-to-market, superior product quality, etc.). According to Milosevic and Srivannaboon the competitive aspects of the business strategy drive the focus of the project management elements. They see a pattern in project management elements for the differentiation of business strategy. Their research indicates that organizations can align projects with business strategies into three levels, namely the strategic level, the tactical level, and the corrective emergent strategic feedback. The first level of this framework (typified as mediating process at the strategic level) is the first step of the alignment process. At level 1 organization should use their intended strategy and select projects into their portfolio to determine the right projects that would contribute to the organizations strategy. The second level (typified as mediating process at the project level) involves the further planning of project details to ensure that alignment with the project life-cycle phases (Shenhars project classification) is realized. Proper alignment of projects with strategy during the project life cycle can be classified as the planning process and the monitoring process. Managers should develop a project management plan that has a certain focus on the business strategy. The third level (mediating process at the emergent strategic feedback level) is a process which uses stages, or also called stage gates or milestone, for evaluating or reviewing the project status on time, cost, and performance. These project stages are points in the project life cycle where projects transition from one stage to another. These stages provide project teams the opportunity to realign the project to its business strategy. 5. RESEARCH DESIGN 5.1 Research methods Based on the literature of Baarde and Goede (2001), the research on behalf of this thesis is categorized in a preliminary research study, a literature review, a case study research and a web survey. For the execution of the case study research are various data (re)sources used, namely in-depth interviews and the study of business documentation and reports of Centraal Boekhuis. The preliminary research study has given multifarious insights in for example the company of the case study, but also insights about project management and the business strategy of the concerning organization. In the preliminary research study is a critically literature review completed and several managers of the human resource division have been interviewed for creating a basis for this research. The products of the preliminary research study are a defined approach of the case study research, a description of the company and a defined approach of the web-survey. The case study research can be categorized in descriptive- and exploratory research study methods (Sanders et al, 2009). The descriptive study of this case study is defined by the research of qualitative data, for example the study of business documentation and reports that are in stock within the company about project management, its business strategy and sustainability. The exploratory part of the research describes the research methods in depth interviews and a web survey. In order to test how organizations work with project management related to its (sustainable) business strategy, two steps will be carried out. First, on Tuesday March 6, I will send a web survey to approximately 15 companies with sustainability stated in their business strategy. This short questionnaire will offer me data on the way the concerning companies arranges their project management related to the business strategies, to test on how the companies makes their projects sustainable. In order to increase the number of responses and to raise the chances of the answering the questions themselves, I will keep the survey very short, and stress this in the attached e-mail. Second, I will arrange in-depth interviews with about ten representatives of project management employees of the project department of Centraal Boekhuis. In these interviews, I will attempt Project Management and Business Strategies Project Management and Business Strategies ABSTRACT Which way to go? This is a question that organizations will ask themselves in a certain time, because organizations are faced with challenges of strategic direction. Some organizations are instigated by challenging opportunities, other organizations want to overcome significant threats. The business strategy can move an organization from where it is now, to where it needs to be in the future. Johnson et al (2009) states that the strategy of an organization is often likely to be complex, uncertain and mostly it affects operational decisions and requires an integrated approach. But the most typically and crucial components of strategy are change and innovation. Project management is essential for managing and reducing the inherent risk associated with change and innovation. Thats why many projects are the result of strategic decisions of organizations, because projects manage changes on an effectively and efficiently way. Changing organizations need projects for making change and for obtaining its business strategy and -objectives. Nowadays sustainability is a very hot (strategic) item for organizations. Organizations are integrating ideas of sustainability in their marketing, corporate communications, business strategy and in their actions. Centraal Boekhuis, a (leading) logistics service provider in stocking, storage, distribution and transportation of books, has also formulated a covering policy on sustainability for the strategy period 2009-2011 (Board of directors Centraal Boekhuis (2009)). Sustainability for Centraal Boekhuis means commitment to corporate environmental performances as well as sustainable performances on social and economic aspects. Several projects on behalf of sustainability will be conducted as well as projects will be conducted on behalf of other strategic targets. But is it possible to make project management sustainable, in order to make other projects contribute to the policy on sustainability too? In this research the relation between project management and the pursuing of the realization of business strategies will be looked at. Then the main research question will be answered: how will the business strategy influence the selection and execution of project management within organizations, and how will this in consequence lead to sustainable project management? The hypothesis is that when project management is constructed and selected in accordance with the business strategy, and more specifically linked with sustainable business strategy, projects will contribute to the realization of the business strategies as well as it subsequently will contributes to sustainability. The actual research will be executed through a web survey among several organizations as well as a case study of Centraal Boekhuis, which contains in-depth interviews with about 10 representatives project employees from Centraal Boekhuis. The research will also contain the study of qualitative data, for exampl e the study of documentation and reports that are in stock within the company about strategy, project management and sustainability. 1. INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND 1.1 Introduction To understand project management within organizations it is important to understand projects. The Prince2 Foundation (2005) defines a project as a temporary organisation that is needed to produce a unique and predefined outcome or result at a pre-specified time using predetermined recourses. In practice projects bring recourses, skills, technology and ideas together to achieve business objectives and deliver business benefits. But why is there a need for projects within organizations? Organizations are continuously striving after agility and success by for example introducing new products and services or by improving business processes or activities. Many projects are the result of organizations that wants to manage such changes on an effectively and efficiently way. According to Bryan Atkin and Adrian Brooks (2009), Change Management is the key towards innovation of organizations. In order to make progress and achieve greater efficiency and better value for money and to be more effective or competitive, organizations have to do things differently and have to make changes. Maylor (2005) stresses that Project management is essential for managing and reducing the inherent risks associated with change and innovation. Changing organizations need projects for making change. Recently Johnson et al. (2009) gives an interesting definition on business strategy. The definition describes that strategy contains the direction and scope of an organization over the long term, for achieving advantage in a changing environment throughout configuration of resources and competences with the aim of fulfilling stakeholders expectations. Aforementioned definition displays that the fundamental principle of making changes of organizations can be the result of aiming towards targets that contributes to the fulfilment of the business strategy. In practice this means that organisational changes and the application of project management for realising those changes can thus be the result of the long term direction and scope of an organization. Simply said; project management can move an organization from where it is now, to where it needs to be in the future to meets its business strategy and -objectives. As mentioned above the management of projects within organization is among other things related to its business strategy, but how will the business strategy influences the selection and the execution of project management within organizations and how can project management thus contributes to the realization of the business strategy? For example, The board of directors of Centraal Boekhuis (2009) has formulated a covering policy on sustainability for the strategy period 2009-2011. Several projects on behalf of sustainability will be conducted as well as projects will be conducted on behalf of other strategic targets. But is it possible to realize more strategic focus, by linking all projects to the business strategy of an organization? This leads to the main research question of the thesis: how will the business strategy influence the selection and execution of project management within organizations, and how will this in consequence lead to sustainable project management? Another interesting question will be: if project management is constructed and selected in accordance with the business strategy, and more specifically linked with sustainable business strategy, will projects contribute to the realization of the business strategies as well as it subsequently will contributes to sustainability? 1.2 The organization; Centraal Boekhuis Centraal Boekhuis is a (leading) logistics service provider in stocking, storage, distribution and transportation of books. More than 500 publishers and over 1500 booksellers use the service facilities for distribution, transportation, information and administration. For publishers is Centraal Boekhuis the entry into the Dutch and Flemish (book) markets. For booksellers in the Netherlands and Flanders, Centraal Boekhuis is the provider of the assortment of Dutch-language books, general as well as educational or scientific books, and a selected range of foreign-language books (staff directory guide Centraal Boekhuis, 2007). Besides taking care of stocking, storage, distribution and transportation of books, Centraal Boekhuis also offers administrative or financial services. For publishers the company organizes complete stock and sales recording, invoicing and debt collection. Booksellers as well benefit from a broad range of information technology services. The majority of Centraal Boekhuis services are integrated in a single automated system (CB Online), so customers have access to the operational and management information they need, focused on their companys business processes. Upon request, Centraal Boekhuis will also arrange the storage, distribution and transport of office supplies, stationary and greeting cards. All logistic activities and processes are linked with the transport centres delivery network. The centres range of services includes processing special offers and returned goods, (temporary) storage, order picking and carrying out special mailing campaigns with value-added logistics. The Transport Centre of Centraal Boekhuis organizes transport from and to countries outside the Benelux. In England is a consolidation point bounded, where shipments from 1600 English publishers intended for Dutch bookshops are collected and forwarded to the Netherlands. This enables Centraal Boekhuis to offer customers attractive services. Shipments from Germany and America are transported along similar lines. History For over 135 years Centraal Boekhuis have been the logistic partner in the Dutch book trade. In 1871 the Vereeniging ter Bevordering van de Belangen des Boekhandels (VBBB) in Amsterdam lay the foundations for Het bestelhuis van de Nederlandsche Boekhandel, presently called Centraal Boekhuis. Publishers send their boxes with books to that warehouse of books, where the boxes were distributed across the Netherlands. Many years later, in 1926, the VBBB decided to found Centraal Boekhuis in Amsterdam. Well-established publishers were obliged to store their books in the central depot of Centraal Boekhuis in Amsterdam. From now on the book stores and publishers could order their books with Centraal Boekhuis from one central point in the Netherlands. In 1973, because lack of space, Centraal Boekhuis grounded their company in Culemborg, where the company nowadays is still grounded. In that same year is Het Bestelhuis and Centraal Boekhuis merged into one company: Centraal Boekhuis B.V (Intranet Centraal Boekhuis, 2008). Organization The daily management of Centraal Boekhuis is directed by the Senior Management Team (SMT). The lead direction of the 5 Senior Managers is directed by a Chief Executive Officer, namely Hans Willem Cortenraad. They have weekly meetings to discuss the company policy and how this policy is best directed to the line managers. Centraal Boekhuis in figures (2009) Full time employees: 579 Publishers: 500 Booksellers: 1500 Available Dutch titles: 80,000 Number of copies delivered per year: 60,000,000 Number of delivery addresses per day: 2500 Number of packages transported per year: 4,500,000 Number of pallets transported per year: 300,000 2. PROBLEM STATEMENT RESEARCH QUESTION According to Project Management Institute and Morris (2006) oorganizations often want efficiency, good financial results and success and they want it fast. It is for that matter that organizations generally focus on short-term results, such as immediate realizable financial goals. However, Centraal Boekhuis for example expects also from its employees to achieve results that corresponds to the overall long term objectives of the business strategy. This contradiction pointed me in the direction to ask myself if it is possible to operate more efficiently if the portfolio of projects is continuously linked to the business strategy of Centraal Boekhuis. My hypothesis subsequently is that the overall business strategy will be the input for the project portfolio planning and in turn, project success impacts the goals and objectives of the business strategy. Nevertheless, the solution isnt that easy. For instance, organizations are nowadays more often integrating ideas of sustainability in business strategies. It is for that matter unavoidable that there will be projects related to sustainable strategy, namely environmental or social projects. However, will projects on behalf of other strategic objectives also be sustainable? Thats why I assume that when project management is constructed and selected in accordance with the business strategy, and more specifically linked with sustainable business strategy, projects will positively contribute to the realization of strategies as well as it subsequently will contributes to sustainability. [2] The main question and hypothesis will be clarified for a reasonable interpretation of the research construction and approach. In this research the relation between project management and the pursuing of the realization of business strategies will be looked at. Foresaid leads to the following research question: what is the impact of the business strategy on the selection and execution of project management within organizations, and will this possible influence in consequence lead to sustainable project management? The hypothesis is: when project management is constructed and selected in accordance with the business strategy, and more specifically linked with sustainable business strategy, projects will positively contribute to the realization of the business strategies as well as it will positively contributes to sustainability; the result subsequently is that the overall business strategy will be the input for the project portfolio planning and in turn, project success impacts the goals and objectives of the sustainable business strategy. Why is it so important to link the project management of an organization to its business strategies, in order to make projects sustainable? As stated by Johnson et al (2009) it is ultimately the fulfilling of the business strategy to aim on the fulfilling of the expectations of the stakeholders. If an organization have stated sustainability within their business strategies, stakeholders are involved in monitoring if the strategy is achieved the objectives and if there is corrective action needed. This is called strategic control and it will keep an organization in track with its achievements on behalf of its strategy (and also sustainable strategy). According to foresaid it is plausible that it is important to state sustainability in the business strategy, for making sure that projects will meet the objectives and goals of sustainable strategy. 3. GOALS OBJECTIVES I will try to find out if a business strategy, specifically a sustainable business strategy, can positive influence the way on how projects will be selected and executed, as I expect it to be. I will test the hypothesis that the overall business strategy will be the input for the project portfolio planning and in turn, project success impacts the goals and objectives of the sustainable business strategy, to see if it is possible to make project management sustainable. If so, this offers an interesting new insight in sustainable project management, which could be the basis for more research. First it is important to study literature to get familiar with the several subjects of this thesis. The several subjects that will be described are project management, business strategy and of course overall sustainability. Next I will try to describe the multifarious relative contexts between the several subjects described in the literature, in order to make my hypotheses plausible. The most important objective of the literature review is to create an elementary basic assumption for further research. Furthermore the research methodologies that I will use are a case study research and a web survey. For the execution of the case study research are various data (re)sources used, namely in-depth interviews and the study of business documentation and reports. The case study research methodology will be used to get insights in how Centraal Boekhuis arranges its business strategy, especially how it is arranged towards its project management. Then it is important to look at how the sustainable policy of Centraal Boekhuis affects the daily operations as well as the sustainable policy affect its project management. For comparison and further research I will send a web survey to approximately 100 companies with sustainability stated in their business strategy. Hopefully this will give me insights in how other companies arrange their project management related to its business strategy and maybe they have certain methodologies to make project management sustainable, so I have some interesting data to work with. My research will focus on project management, business strategies, sustainability and sustainable project management in an attempt to find relative contexts to integrate business strategy and projects in order to facilitate development of sustainable project management. Overall I hope that the executed research will create a certain frame work for linking project management to the overall business strategy of an organization, in order to make project management sustainable. 4. LITERATURE REVIEW As mentioned earlier my research will focus on project management, business strategies, sustainability and sustainable project management. Therefore the theoretical background of my research will also be focused on foresaid topics. 4.1 Business Strategy The traditional literature about business strategy is often about the general definitions of business strategy, where organizations focus on where they want to be on the long term (mission and vision) and how this is achieved (goals and objectives) (Alblas Wijsman, 2001) in order to gain competitive advantages. The current literature about strategy describes more that strategy is about the importance of achieving advantage in a changing environment throughout configuration of resources and competences with the aim of fulfilling stakeholders expectations (Johnson et al., 2009). Aforementioned shows that the current literature on business strategies discusses the importance of the characteristic aspects change and configuration (Kloosterboer, 2005). The relative context between business strategy and changes is an important aspect that must be taken into account before I continue my research. According to Bryan Atkin and Adrian Brooks (2009), Change Management is the key towards innovation of organizations. In order to make progress and achieve greater efficiency and better value for money and to be more effective or competitive, organizations have to do things differently and have to make changes. Harvey Maylor (2003) characterizes project management as essential aspect for managing and reducing the inherent risks associated with change and innovation. Therefore changing organizations need projects for making change. 4.2 Project Management The Prince2 Foundation (2005) recognizes that organizations are continuously striving after agility and success by for example introducing new products and services or by improving business processes or activities. Many projects are the result of organizations that wants to manage such changes on an effectively and efficiently way. Furthermore Prince2 (2005) defines a project as a temporary organisation that is needed to produce a unique and predefined outcome or result at a pre-specified time using predetermined recourses. In practice projects bring recourses, skills, technology and ideas together to achieve business objectives and deliver business benefits. According to the International Project Management Association (2006), professional project management is broken down into the following three competences (see also figure one): Technical competences for project management; behavioral competences of project personnel; and the contextual competences of projects programmes and portfolio. The technical competence covers the techniques of project management, for example the practice of Prince2. The behavioral competence represents the professional behavior of the project personal, like project management skills. The contextual competence is the linkage between the project and organizations involved. The vision on project management by IPMA in the International Competence Baceline presented in October 2006 will be critically looked at for my research. This project management approach will also be studied and discussed during the master program of the Master of Facilities Management and Real Estate. The eye of competence figures the integra tion of the elements of project management as seen trough the eyes of the project manager. So the essence of project management is to support the execution of an organizations strategy to deliver a considered necessary outcome (Clifford and Gray, 2002). The research of recent literature shows us that project management is nowadays recognized as one of the primary business processes (Atkin Brooks, 2009). It is for that matter that organisational changes and the application of project management for realising those changes must be linked to the overall business strategy of an organization, in order to accomplish the business goals and objectives. Simply said; project management can move an organization from where it is now, to where it needs to be in the future to meets its business strategy and -objectives. For this thesis I will mainly focus on the SWOT analysis, because this management and strategy tool is used by Centraal Boekhuis for defining its strategy. The SWOT analysis can be used as a strategy formulation tool. It helps organizations to identify its Strengts, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT). The Strengths and Weaknesses represent the internal factors that create value or can destroy value. Opportunities and Threats are the external factors that can influence the organization value (Ahaus, 2005). 4.3 Business Strategies vs. Project Management According to Sabin Srivannaboon (2006), previous research on project management and its relation with business strategy mostly links the project management with business strategy through critical project selection, viewing it as part of the alignment process (For example Bard, Balachandra Kaufmann (1988); Cooper, Edgett Kleinschmidt (1998); Englund Graham (1999) etc). Also often displayed in previous research is project portfolio management. This is another concept suggested in the literature to ensure the strategic alignment of project management and business strategy and it is defined as a dynamic decision-making process, which an organization can update and revise its list of active projects (see for literature: Turner Simister (2000); Cooper, Edgett Kleinschmidt (1998) etc.). Current literature shows us more about the research that has been done on the alignment of project management with business strategies of organizations, for example research of Sabin Srivannaboon (2006) , Tony Grundy (2001) Peter Morris Ashley Jamison (2004) etc. 4.4 Sustainability sustainable project management On Wednesday the 4th of November, member of the House of Representatives Esmà © Wiegman talks about faith in Sustainability and vice versa, please note: in church! That sustainability has even penetrated the Christian church sais a lot. We are all confronted with it and action is expected of us. Sustainability is a hot item, that is no surprise. Looking at the quotes mentioned below you can conclude that there is no process in an organization that is not interfered with sustainability items. â€Å"Managers are more and more beginning to consider the environment as an additional parameter on which they base their decisions.† (North, 1997) That is what Klaus North wrote is his environmental business management introduction in 1997. And Carin Labuschagne wrote almost a decade later: â€Å"Various driving forces originating from society, government employees and business partners are forcing companies to both incorporate sustainable development in their business practices as well as to align all internal operations and practices with the principles thereof.† (Labuschagne, 2005). Sustainability, what does that really mean? Norwegian prime minister Gro Harlem Brundtland formulated it as followed; â€Å"The development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs†. As Labuschagne already said, there is no process in an organization that is not interfered with aspects of sustainability. Project management is just one of these processes that cannot be ignored. That is also made clear in the APM sustainable outlooks, where is mentioned that they are considering a database with project and programme managers who have specialist knowledge, experience and expertise in sustainability issues generally or by specific sectors, locations or types of project. They also plead for the triple bottom line approach in every project. The triple bottom line approach includes environmental, social and economical sustainability (APM, sustainable outlooks). As organizations become more and more focused on environmental responsibilities, project managers cannot stay behind. (Zoyd Reed Luce) Where sustainability is grounded in almost every strategy of every large organization, this automatically is reflected in the projects of an organization. Project manager are forced to focus on sustainability these days, it becomes part of the project. 4.5 Theoretical Framework for aligning projects with strategy There are several articles expanding on the idea that there should be a certain focus on the corporate strategy when managing projects, for example the articles of Tony Grundy (2001) or Morris and Jamison (2004). Milosevic and Srivannaboon (2006) support this vision in their article and wrote an article which describes a theoretical framework for aligning project management with strategy. Milosevic and Srivannaboon have developed an empirically based theoretical framework that explains the impact of business strategy on project management and vice versa and discusses how mechanisms can be used to strengthen that alignment. As discussed earlier, strategy is about the importance of achieving advantage in a changing environment throughout configuration of resources and competences with the aim of fulfilling stakeholders expectations and defending it against competitive forces (Johnson et al., 2009). Milosevic and Srivannaboon have based their theoretical framework on the vision of Porter (1980) about Generic Business Strategies. Michael Porter states that to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage, an organization must chose a certain type of strategy. Porters generic strategies distinguishes three types of strategies, namely cost leadership, differentiation, and cost focus (see figure 3). Competitive advantage can only be achieved by choosing one of these strategies. If an organization chooses to pursue more than one generic strategy, it will perform being badly without competitive advantage and Porter refers to that as being ‘stuck in the middle. Milosevic and Srivannaboon use cost leadership, differentiation, and best cost as the primary focus of their analysis. They also use Shenhars strategic project leadership framework which consist of project elements like project strategy, project organization, project process and tools metrics and culture. Differentiation is about organizations pursuing a differentiation strategy by offering products and services that are unique from competition in order to satisfy the desires of their customers. This differentiation allows the organization to charge a premium price (Porter, 1980). Cost Leadership is about organizations pursuing a cost leadership strategy to gain competitive advantage and increase market share by operate with lower costs than competition, for example tight cost controls e.g. efficient facilities (Porter, 1980). Best cost (also called focus niche) is about organizations creating a sustainable competitive advantage through combining cost leadership and differentiation. This can be realized by offering a unique product or service to a special market segment and seek to offer low cost products within a special market segment (fast time-to-market, superior product quality, etc.). According to Milosevic and Srivannaboon the competitive aspects of the business strategy drive the focus of the project management elements. They see a pattern in project management elements for the differentiation of business strategy. Their research indicates that organizations can align projects with business strategies into three levels, namely the strategic level, the tactical level, and the corrective emergent strategic feedback. The first level of this framework (typified as mediating process at the strategic level) is the first step of the alignment process. At level 1 organization should use their intended strategy and select projects into their portfolio to determine the right projects that would contribute to the organizations strategy. The second level (typified as mediating process at the project level) involves the further planning of project details to ensure that alignment with the project life-cycle phases (Shenhars project classification) is realized. Proper alignment of projects with strategy during the project life cycle can be classified as the planning process and the monitoring process. Managers should develop a project management plan that has a certain focus on the business strategy. The third level (mediating process at the emergent strategic feedback level) is a process which uses stages, or also called stage gates or milestone, for evaluating or reviewing the project status on time, cost, and performance. These project stages are points in the project life cycle where projects transition from one stage to another. These stages provide project teams the opportunity to realign the project to its business strategy. 5. RESEARCH DESIGN 5.1 Research methods Based on the literature of Baarde and Goede (2001), the research on behalf of this thesis is categorized in a preliminary research study, a literature review, a case study research and a web survey. For the execution of the case study research are various data (re)sources used, namely in-depth interviews and the study of business documentation and reports of Centraal Boekhuis. The preliminary research study has given multifarious insights in for example the company of the case study, but also insights about project management and the business strategy of the concerning organization. In the preliminary research study is a critically literature review completed and several managers of the human resource division have been interviewed for creating a basis for this research. The products of the preliminary research study are a defined approach of the case study research, a description of the company and a defined approach of the web-survey. The case study research can be categorized in descriptive- and exploratory research study methods (Sanders et al, 2009). The descriptive study of this case study is defined by the research of qualitative data, for example the study of business documentation and reports that are in stock within the company about project management, its business strategy and sustainability. The exploratory part of the research describes the research methods in depth interviews and a web survey. In order to test how organizations work with project management related to its (sustainable) business strategy, two steps will be carried out. First, on Tuesday March 6, I will send a web survey to approximately 15 companies with sustainability stated in their business strategy. This short questionnaire will offer me data on the way the concerning companies arranges their project management related to the business strategies, to test on how the companies makes their projects sustainable. In order to increase the number of responses and to raise the chances of the answering the questions themselves, I will keep the survey very short, and stress this in the attached e-mail. Second, I will arrange in-depth interviews with about ten representatives of project management employees of the project department of Centraal Boekhuis. In these interviews, I will attempt