Sunday, January 26, 2020

Procurement Routes in Construction

Procurement Routes in Construction The main purpose of this report is to evaluate key procurement issues that the client has to consider in selecting an appropriate procurement route for the rapid reconstruct of three hotel building project. We have analysed four kinds of procurement routes such as traditional procurement route, design and build procurement route, management contracting procurement route and construction management procurement route. After the analysis, we have chosen a most suitable method to meet our objective, in terms of cost certainty, construction within the planned period and quality of the building. Also, creating a sparkling and luring environment for hotel guests in the near future. We too have considered the economic benefits as such if the hotel re-opened on time within the budgeted cost, we can also recover the investment costs as soon as possible. Therefore we have recommended the design and build procurement route for this project. Introduction In construction industry, many factors cause the results of the project. The right procurement route is one of the factors to achieve project successfully. In order to select best procurement route, we need to analyse clients background, objective, project requirements, technical complexity of the project, construction risk (cost, time and design/quality) and etc. Analysis Client Background Cinnamon Grand is a privately owned large hotel chain in the UK. They offer comfortable accommodation across the UK and are committed to preserving their rich heritage. They are very passionate about the outlook of their hotel buildings and they are experienced at renovation of buildings. But they have lack of in-house executive who is either experienced enough or enable to devote sufficient time in advising the reconstruction of their properties. Project Requirements As the hotel has planned to reopen on the 1st April 2015, we have started planning for the project on August 2012 and construction will be started on 1st March 2014. Lastly, the hotel will be handed over to the owner latest by 28th February 2015. Reconstruct in two phases Phase 1 Rapid reconstruction for the main areas of the hotels such as swimming pools, roofs, restaurant and guest rooms, which allows the hotel to be re-opened for business within a period of 12 months (from 1st March 2014 to 28th February 2015). Phase 2 Newly construction of some facilities such as health and fitness centre, conference and meeting, rooms dance studios. High technology multimedia facilities with air conditioning shall also be provided for conference and meeting rooms. During construction, good service will also be provided to hotel guests. Quality of the buildings is also important. The new constructed hotel must create sparkling and luring environment that can be enjoyed by all hotel guests. It has to match the existing hotel or even better which allows the former magnificent look to be brought back. Design requirements Design quality should at least match the existing hotel or even better. The tender document submitted by the tender contractor should include scope of works, construction methods, programming, management methods, availability of resources and costing. The material application will submit through template or sample and requires strict inspection and approval by client. Contractors typical design proposals require approval by client, due to client experienced in the renovation of buildings. Client requires retaining the ancient architectural style- rich heritage for the external features of the hotel Using green materials in order to lower impact to the environment. For example: using green roof. Demolitions works will minimize the damage to the building when using suitable method. Maintenance proposals should be done during the preparation time (from August 2012 to 1st March 2014). Good construction planning and planning should include safety, environmental and health issues and solution. Especially during the phase 2 constructions, the normal business of the hotel will not be affected by the construction. Hotel guests will also not be subjected to the influence of the construction. Client Objectives To complete project within the budget of  £120 million by choosing the best possible procurement route. To complete the building within the planned schedule. To enhance the quality of building and facilities provided, creating a sparkling and luring environment after renovation of the building During phase 2 constructions, good service must be provided to the customer. Analysis of the Procurement Route There are three generally accepted standard approaches to construction procurement in the UK construction industry: traditional procurement; design and build procurement and management procurement (management contracting and construction management). Different procurement route has different approach. Hence, we will analysis the traditional procurement, design and build procurement, construction management and management contracting. 3.4.1 Analysis of traditional procurement route The clients consultants will complete fully the design before contractors tender. Then the tender will be usually awarded to the contractor with the lowest price. Advantages Good design quality due to design completed by clients consultants. Client will choose the lowest tender price as contractors will tender based on the same information given. Procedures well known by both party Disadvantages Long preparation time, due to design fully completed by clients consultants before tender. Construction will only start on site upon the completion of the design. Client is fully responsible for the design risk Risks Lump sum contract will bring the cost risk to low risk as same information given by client. As for fixed contract date, the contractor might have the right to claim for extensions due to design or contraction issues, therefore it is medium time risk. As design quality control by clients consultant based on clients requirement, therefore it reduces design risk to low design quality risk. In conclusion, traditional approach is suitable for inexperienced clients or occasional construction clients and project without critical time requirements. It is not suitable for some large and complex project which requires advanced management systems, structures and skills. 3.4.2 Analysis of design and build procurement route The design and construction is undertaken by a single contractor for a lump sum contract, which allows overlapping. Design is not fully develop by contractor before the contract is awarded. Advantages Single contact point due to contractor is responsible on design and construction. Early start and shorter project duration due to design and construction is overlapping. Client can control project cost due to lump sum basis. Disadvantages Tender need to be awarded before design fully complete. Client has the difficulty to prepare the adequate brief. After the tender has been awarded, changing of design can be expensive for the client. Risks Lump sum contract will reduce the cost risk to low risk. Design and construction can be overlapping; therefore it is a low time risk. Design and build contractor is responsible for the design, if clients design requirement is not clearly indicated, then maybe it is a high risk for design quality. Therefore Design and build approach is suitable for all clients including inexperienced or client requiring cost certainty and fast track projects. Not suitable for complex or high quality buildings. 3.4.3 Analysis of construction management procurement route Construction Management, in which the design is developed by the Employers consultants and construction commences before the design is complete. A fee-earning consulting Construction Manager works for the Employer to define and manage several Works Packages, each representing a specialised or functional aspect of the project. Advantages Shorter overall project duration Clarity of roles, risks and relationships for all participants Client requires late design change easily due to contact awarded by different package Disadvantages Client doesnt have control on cost. Need a good quality project team to manage the project. Needs effective control of time and information. Risks Actual cost will only be known until the last package is awarded, so cost risk is medium. Because job is awarded by individual package, so does not has the main organisation to overall control the construction time. Therefore time risk is considering as medium risk. Project done by individual specialist contractors to reduce the design risk to low risk. Construction Management approach is suitable for experienced clients, fast track projects, complex building and not suitable for project requiring cost certainty. 3.4.4 Analysis of management contracting procurement route Management Contracting, in which the design is developed by the Employers consultants and construction commences before the design is complete. A Management Contractor is appointed early to let elements of work progressively as a series of trade or package contracts (called works packages). As with Construction Management, the final cost can only be determined when the last packaged has been let. Advantages Overall project duration shorter Client requires late design change easily due to contact awarded by different package Work packages let competitively Disadvantages Poor cost certainty, client will only know the final price till the last package been awarded. Need a good quality project team to manage the project Need a good quality brief to every works contractor, if not the case, contractor may not make client requirement. Risks Actual cost will only be known till the last package is awarded, so cost risk is medium. The total construction duration is a consequence of package selection. Therefore time risk is considering as medium risk. Project done by individual specialist contractors to reduce the design risk to low risk. Management contracting approach is suitable for experienced clients, fast track projects, complex building, and fairly large project. It is not suitable for project requiring cost certainty. Conclusion No procurement route is best suited in all circumstances. We can only base on the key elements and to select a most suitable procurement route. Time within planned schedule, cost certainty and quality of the building are the key elements we need to consider in this project. Both traditional and design and build can achieve clients objective of cost certainty. Management contracting, construction management and design and build can achieve clients objective of time within planned schedule. Management contracting, construction management and traditional can achieve clients objective of quality of building. Based on above analysis, out of 3 key elements we only can choose two most important elements as following:- Cost is the first consideration. Both management contracting and construction management procurement routes, the cost can only be known till the last package is awarded. But due to client concerns for cost overrun, they want to know the cost before project start. So both routes are not recommended. Time is the second consideration. Hotel must be re-opened on 1st April 2015. As only 12 months is given for phase 1 construction and the opening before the tourist season has a great impact on the hotel business, therefore traditional is not suitable for fast track construction. Design and build is well suited to warrant maximum price contracts and design and construction overlapping. This will involve considering return on capital investment, the likely benefits to operational efficiency or income flow. So we are not considering using traditional in this project. Quality of the building is the third consideration. It is generally felt in the construction industry that quality is the first thing to suffer in design and build contracts. However, the evidence does not support this. Quality of the building is the result of how we management the construction process. There is no correlation between procurement method and perceived quality of the product. After consideration, we will recommend design and build procurement route for this project. The appointed contractor is responsible for the design, documentation and construction of the project, based on the client project brief and requirements through lump sum cost. So the speed of construction is faster and the client will know the costs of the project earlier. Whether the quality of building can be achieved, it is depending on how well our project requirements have been defined and delivered. Project manager will be responsible for co-ordinated design and construction programme. This may considerably reduce revisions after contract award and minimise possible interferences. All team members must build up well communication channels, to solve the problem as soon as possible when construction is going on. Referencing John Murdoch and Will Hughes (2008), Construction Contract Law and Management, Fourth edition School of the Built Environment  © Herriot Watt University (2012), Procurement Contracts Task 2 Option A Discuss the liability of Alexander Contractors to the Employer for the additional costs that the Employer had to incur as a consequence of being required to employ a more expensive tenderer to carry out the construction project. Discuss the Clerk of Works power to issue a Direction as detailed in the given scenario and its implications on the loss and expenses incurred by the Contractor. Detail the possible claims with respect to the given scenario, the main facts that can be included in the claims and the contractual provisions available to substantiate the claims according to the JCT Standard Building Contract With Quantities 2005 Edition (JCT SBC05) Revision 2 2009. If you were the Contract Administrator prepare a report outlining your assessment of the Contractors claim including the process you have followed, the pertinent issues of the dispute and the contractual provisions relevant.

Saturday, January 18, 2020

“Of Mice and Men” By John Steinbeck †Coursework Essay

â€Å"Of Mice and Men† was set in the 1930’s in North California. This was a time of economic hardship due to the Wall Street Crash. Men were forced to leave their families and find work on ranches. Pay and working conditions were poor. Men scraped by, spending any extra money they had gambling or in one of the many whore houses. This is where Steinbeck drew his inspiration from; he spent time on the ranches experiencing the hardships experienced by the workers. The book is about these workers and the extremely lonely lives they led. It also exposes underlying themes of racism and how badly the disabled were treated. This was a time when people looked after number one, as there was nobody else to do this for them. The two main characters are somewhat different, as they travel and work together, looking out for each other. This was very unusual because life would have been hard enough without the extra responsibility of looking after another person. The two main characters have just been evicted from their work in a town called â€Å"Soledad† (which means loneliness). They are the only people in the book whose names Christian names are actually used. It shows that nobody makes the effort to make friends enough to be on first name terms. This is symbolic of the loneliness of each of the characters and shows how unusual the two main characters are. The two main characters are called George ands Lennie. There is very little information about them in the book. They work for their keep on the ranches. Lennie is slightly brain damaged and has a very limited memory. He is an enormous man and Steinbeck often compares his actions with those of a large, clumsy animal using similes and metaphors: â€Å"Dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws.† These are intended to subtly give the reader the impression that Lennie is big and clumsy, like an animal that does not know its own strength; â€Å"Lennie dabbled his big paw in the water.† George is exactly the opposite of Lennie. He is small, dark and quick, and is cautious about his surroundings; â€Å"The small man stepped nervously†¦Ã¢â‚¬  George is always on the look out and he knows how to look after himself. The town they had just come from was called â€Å"Weed† which could signify that they were unwanted, like a weed, there: they were forced out of there because Lennie made a mistake. He had grabbed a woman and she said that he had raped her. George is very much the dominant figure in the relationship and makes all the decisions. At the very start you can tell this because Lennie copies George in the way he looks and acts; â€Å"Lennie, who had been watching imitated George exactly.† This suggests that Lennie looks up to George and wants to be j ust like him. This is quite sad really as he has ended up nothing like him. Lennie hates to make George angry, like a dog that hates to make his master angry. George feels responsible for Lennie. He is like a father figure to him, and he knows that Lennie would never be able to survive without him. He feels a sense of duty because â€Å"Aunt Clara† told him to look after Lennie. The other reason they travel together is George, though he doesn’t like to admit it, enjoys Lennie’s company and he doesn’t want to let go of the â€Å"American Dream†. They share the dream of owning their own place with a few animals; â€Å"livin’ off the fatta’ the lan'†. George knows it is very unlikely to happen but Lennie still believes and always likes to hear the story of â€Å"how it’s gonna be†. This is painful for George and he is reluctant to talk about it. You can tell it is important to Lennie because he forgets anything he is told but he re members the dream. George and Lennie are always dreaming of the future. When George and Lennie arrive on the ranch, the ranch hands and the boss are suspicious of their relationship. They suspect that George is taking Lennie’s stake for himself; â€Å"I said what stake you got in this guy? You takin’ his pay away from him?† They cannot see why someone else would travel with someone who would restrict them unless they were getting paid. They are lonelier than George and Lennie, and have no real concept of friendship. Despite having Lennie as a companion, George is also lonely. He is alone in his responsibility for Lennie. In a way it is more like speaking to an animal than a human when speaking to Lennie because George knows that whatever he says to him will be forgotten and mean nothing. From the very beginning we get a hint of this by the way Lennie is made to seem more like a responsibility than a friend to George. Lennie is made to seen like an animal, â€Å"like a terrier that doesn’t want to bring his ball back to his master†, maybe signifying that he is like a pet that always needs looking after. Steinbeck also uses George playing solitaire as a metaphor for his loneliness; â€Å"George cut the cards again and put out a solitaire lay, slowly and deliberately.† George lays the cards out like he has done it many time’ before. Solitaire is a single player game (and solitaire is derived from solitary), this shows that Lennie is not capable of acting like an adult and so George must play on his own. George is held from having his own life by the responsibility of caring for Lennie. He continuously tells Lennie how life would be without him; how he could have a girl and a decent job: â€Å"God a’mighty, if I was alone I could live so easy† The truth though, is that George would be even lonely without Lennie. It is ironic at the end of the book that George should be so upset by the death of Lennie, because then he realizes that he will have to spend all the rest if his time alone. You never know what you have until it is gone. One of the ranch workers, Candy, features heavily in the book. He tries to join the friendship of George and Lennie. Candy is extremely lonely. He has been working on the ranch for many years and due to his disability. He is unable to leave because he knows that no other employer would take him on. The only reason he has got work now, is that he suffered the injury to his hand on the ranch. He has seen many men come and go but he cannot move on. Candy knows he will probably die on the ranch. Candy is very talkative because he is so eager to make friends. He warms to this gossip because he on his own when all the workers are in the fields. As soon as he meets George and Lennie he engages them in conversation, hardly letting them speak. He lets out all the opinions, about Curley and his wife and the other ranch hands that he has formed and never had anybody to tell them to. In fact the only sort of a friend he has is an old dog. The dog is old, has no teeth and it stinks. The dog is used to symbolise Candy: old and useless. The dog is also used as a foreshadowing device for Lennie’s death. When Carlson tells him that he should kill the dog he tries to stop him by making up excuses: â€Å"Maybe it’d hurt him,† and tries to put the inevitable off; wants to spend just one more day with the dog by killing it in the morning. The only reason Candy had left to live was the dog so in a way Carlson killed a part of him. The dog is also used as a second foreshadowing device for what George has to do to Lennie in the conclusion of the book. Lennie, unlike the dog, however will be killed by the only person he trusts in the world. This will come from the pressure of other people. In the early 20th Century, blacks were heavily persecuted because of their colour. The stable buck is called Crooks and is discriminated because he is a black; â€Å"S’pose you couldn’t go into the bunkhouse and place rummy ’cause you were blackà ¢â‚¬ . He is kept apart from the other ranch hands because of his race. He is very nervous when Lennie enters his room. This is because crooks has his own living space away from the other men. The only people he sees are probably going to insult or hurt him so he is immediately on guard when someone comes in to his room. He is also discriminated against because of his crippled back, which means that he can’t work in the fields like the other men. Crooks reveals his past to Lennie in his barn. The irony that his father used to own his own ranch and once he used to lead a comfortable life must be extremely painful for him to relive when he thinks about his present lonely self. That is probably why he is so bitter towards the other men who are treating him so harshly. Crooks is always dreaming of the past; â€Å"Remember when I was a little kid on old man’s chicken ranch.† The other men would probably dream of having their own space but Crooks is so lonely he would rather be with other people; â€Å"A guy needs somebody to be near him.† All Crooks has for company is a small collection of books that he reads over and over again. It must be very lonely being on your own all the time when he thinks about what it had been like when he owned his own ranch. Sometimes he almost goes crazy with loneliness; â€Å"Maybe if he sees somethin’, he don’t know whether it’s right or not. He can’t turn to the other guy and ast him if he sees it too,† He is only admitting this because he knows that Lennie is not listening, and even if he was, he couldn’t remember and repeat what was being said anyway. Crooks is proud and doesn’t want to admit that he is lonely or that the men are getting to him by calling him names and abusing him, â€Å"If I say something, why it’s just a nigger saying it.† When someone calls somebody something enough times a person will start to absorb the names and start to believe that there is some truth to what the person is saying about them. Crooks is treated like an animal. One Christmas time they â€Å"let† him into the bunkhouse and made him fight. The word â€Å"let† is used like letting an animal in for a treat. He then leaves after his fight, for his own room. The men just use him as entertainment. His life is always under threat because he means nothing them. Curley’s wife plays a very prominent role in the book as she brings the death of Lennie and herself. She is not given a name through the whole book. This signifies how little everyone thinks of her. She is referred to as â€Å"jail bait† and â€Å"slut† by all the ranch hands. This is due to the manner she has adopted to befriend the men. She constantly flirts with any man she meets and being pretty at the same time, she is bound to get herself into some sort of trouble. She acts like this because she is lonely and it is her way of attracting attention to herself. The problem is that all the workers are afraid to talk to her because they fear what Curley would do to them if they did. Curley is always looking for a fight to show how much of man he is. If he got just the faint scent of her cheating on him he would fight. Nobody want to get on the wrong side of Curley because they know he is a good boxer and because he is the boss’s son he can probably get anyone â€Å"canned† if he wants, In reality, Curley’s wife doesn’t actually like Curley and even admits to Lennie: â€Å"I don’t like Curley.† She married him to show her mother that she could be independent and to get back at her for the letter that could have been her big break that she thinks her mother stole. Curley’s wife is dreaming of what could have been, how she could have been in the movies and what a lifestyle she could have had. The marriage between Curley and Curley’s wife is not based on love but on sexual attraction Curley’s wife is also very lonely, that is why she is always skulking around the bunkhouse with the men. She needs someone to talk to; She uses the excuse that she is looking for her husband. In the end her loneliness is the end of her when she tries to talk to Lennie (much the same way as Crooks let out his thoughts to him). The climax of the book starts in the barn. The scene begins with Lennie worrying about his puppy which he has just killed accidentally. Curley’s wife enters, as usual looking for someone to talk to. She begins telling Lennie her life story. All through the book she has been portrayed as a spiteful woman; â€Å"foolin’ around with other guys, causin’ trouble.†, but here her true character comes out. Lennie ends up telling her about his love for soft things so she lets him stroke her hair. The other men can resist her charms but Lennie is not clever enough to know. Lennie strokes it a bit too vigorously and her panic affects Lennie. He breaks her neck by accident, then thinks that if he hides the puppy, which is used as a foreshadowing device to Curley’s wife’s death George will be more likely to let him tend his precious rabbits. This is sad and ironic, as Lennie cannot grasp the enormity of the thing he has just done. Curley’s wife seemed peaceful after her death; â€Å"the ache for attention were gone from her face.† She was realised from her prison on the ranch and was now free and happy. When George hears, he despairs, for Lennie has ended their chance of achieving the impossible â€Å"American Dream†. One of the themes of this book is certainly loneliness. The people are segregated into groups. Age, disabilities, race and sex separate many people. Also the time of economic hardship forced men to look after number one. It made it very hard for the men to form friendships as they have very few responsibilities. The book is about the unusual friendship of George and Lennie who have nothing in common with each other apart from they share the American Dream. That is all that keeps them going. It is extremely sad when George is forced to kill Lennie because he was all that George had left. It was ironic because George had always spoken about what life would be like without Lennie; how he could be free. Now he had his wish he was devastated that he had had to kill the only friend that he had in the world.

Friday, January 10, 2020

Influence of Management Style on Creative Firms

Contents Contents2 Introduction3 Section One4 Management styles in creative firms4 Section Two6 Benefits and reasons of having a suitable management style6 Section Three8 Alternatives and comparisons8 Conclusion10 Reference Page11 Introduction By the definition from the book written by Howkins (2001), creative economy includes advertising, architecture, art, crafts, design, fashion, film, music, performing art, publishing, research and development, software, toys and games, television and radio, and video games.Nowadays, creative industries have become an important economic role in many developed countries, for example, America, United Kingdom, Canada, Japan and Hong Kong. Take United Kingdom as an example, department for culture, media and sport (DCMS, 2010, p. 6-8) states that the creative industries contributed 5. 6% to Gross Value Added (GVA) in 2008, excluding Crafts. In addition, DCMS also lists that creative industries provided 2. million jobs in the summer quarter of 2010 in Great Britain. Last but not least, creative industries exported 17. 3 billion services in 2008. Based on the statistics above, it shows that creative industries have a great contribution in British economy. Since creative industries are becoming more and more critical in a mature economy, it is fascinating to figure out what essential factors can lead creative firms to be successful.As a result, I decided to evaluate the factors that influence the management style for a creative firm since I am interested in business management and it would benefit my future studies in university This essay is mainly concentrated on the management style using in creative industries, the benefits of the management styles, and evaluating the connection between the successes and particular management style. This essay is divided into three sections. Firstly, the management tyles using in creative industries will be stated and discussed, the aim of this section is to find out the management styles in mo dern economy and hence, can be studied deeply in the section two. In section two, the benefits and the reasons of using a particular management style in the creative industries will be evaluated. The idea of this section is to work out the influence of management style on creative firms. Finally, in section three, alternatives of management styles and comparisons will be commented. In this section, different management styles can be compared; therefore the pros and cons can be accounted.Section One Management styles in creative firms In order to analyze the role of management in a creative firm, I am going to provide several management styles in some famous creative firms. By understanding the intermediates of the management styles, the importance of management for a creative firm can be figured out. In addition, we are going to go through some successful creative firms in the world for evaluating the elements of their successes, and try to make a connection between the achievements and the critical management styles.Media is the first example I am going to discuss. Howkins (2001) mentions that, media belong to the sort of creative economy. So the management style using in a media company does reflect the function of management style in creative firms. Bilton (2007, pp. 67-69) states that in 2000, there was a huge change of management style at the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Before the succession attempted by Greg Dyke, there was a straight management style in the BBC by the pervious director general, John Birt.Bilton (2007) claims the management of Birt as old fashion since the structure in the BBC was a tall organization structure before 2000, which means that the management structure within the BBC was a tall hierarchy. Decision-making was from the top of the board of directors down to the employees. In addition, Bilton states that there was a â€Å"strategic centralization† inside the BBC. It means the board of directors had the absolute power in the BBC. Based on the example provided by Bilton, it is not difficult to see that the management style in the BBC was autocratic management.After the succession, Greg became the director general and there was a huge change in management style at the BBC. Bilton claims that as a new management style for the BBC. Describing by Bilton, Greg was a program-maker and the first thing he did after his arrival was making the BBC a more inspired and interesting place to work. All the employees were encouraged to give new ideas for perfecting the BBC. Under the entirely new management style, the employees were more willing to contribute their ideas to the senior managers.Bilton comments the Greg’s management style brought the BBC a new working culture and made the BBC â€Å"the most creative origination† in the world. Another example I am going to give is a software firm, Google. Larry Page and Sergey Brin founded Google Company in 1998. It has become one of the most su ccessful software companies in the world by having more than 25,000 employees and valued at more than 150 billion US dollars (Jackson, Schuler and Werner, 2009, p. 3). Jackson, Schuler and Werner mention in their book that the management style, especially human resource management, appears as a critical factor in the success of Google.They show that the managers in Google highly respect the employees and provide as much as they could to the employees in order to stimulate their creativities. One of the evidence is that there is only five percent voluntary turnover rate of Google employees per year (Jackson, Schuler and Werner, 2009); also, Google was the top five in the ranking of â€Å"the top 100 best companies to work for† in 2011 (CNN, 2011). Last but not least, Jackson, Schuler and Werner state that there are more than 1 million people apply to work at Google every year.All of the above show that the employees in Google have a great satisfaction. Jackson, Schuler and Wer ner show the importance of human resource management in Google. For example, they suggest that treating the employees as same as the company wants the employees to treat their customers is the philosophy of Google. They also claim that there is a strong connection between the business strategy and managing human resource in Google. By the examples provided above, it is not difficult to find that the management styles applied in creative industries have a direct impact on the performances of the companies.As a result, having an appropriate management style in a creative firm is a critical factor for leading the company to be successful. Section Two Benefits and reasons of having a suitable management style It is obvious that a suitable management style is a critical factor for leading a creative firm to be successful. In this section, the benefits of having an appropriate management style and the reasons of applying a particular management style will be discussed. Based on the exampl es given in the last section, the management styles applying in creative firms can be concluded as democratic and even Laissez-faire.Since the employees in the BBC and Google are both highly respected; in addition, the senior managers currently accept their opinions and ideas (Bilton, 2001; Jackson, Schuler and Werner, 2009). Therefore, the management styles in creative firms should be based on the satisfaction of employees because the creativities and ideas are the most valuable resource in creative economy; Florida (2002, p. xiii) has a similar idea that the creativity from human is the critical supply to the creative economy. Bamfield (2006, pp. 52-154) suggests that the function of management in creative firms is to stimulate the creativities and encourage employees to generate new ideas. Since creativity is a force for making a creative firm to be successful, therefore Bamfield also claims that the managers should provide a full support to employees in order to fulfill their sa tisfactions. Jackson, Schuler and Werner (2009) also support the similar idea, which the founders of Google concentrated on giving the employees everything they needed to create and innovate.Foote (2001) emphasize in his book that it is important to keep employees in an informal, open and friendly working environment. This can stimulate their creativity and ideas development. And he states that the manager cannot be too emotional with the employees, otherwise, it might affect the decision-making. Therefore, we can conclude that employees-based management style can have a positive impact on stimulating creativities, encouraging contributions, and generating new ideas and innovations. At the same time, the manager cannot be too emotional, which might lead to wrong decision-making.Comparing with the old-fashion management style, tall hierarchy, power centralization, and limits of decision making from subordinates, the new-management style (freedom, good communication between workers an d managers) is more suitable in a creative industry. Davila, Epstein and Shelton (2007) show that the successful development of younger electrical firms after World War 2 in Britain was benefited by used a more open mind management style and stimulated the innovations. On the other hand, older firms could not be successful because the old fashion of management style.This is because the old-fashion management style inhibits the innovative development. To conclude, an old-fashion management style (autocratic) is not suitable for creative economy because not only it contributes nothing to creations and innovations, but also worse it restrains the expansions of new ideas. Thus, a creative industry is hardly successful with an old-fashion management style. Last but not least, the satisfaction of labor is also a consideration of whether it is a suitable management style for a creative firm or not.Since Singh (2001) claims that a controlling style of management will lead the employees bein g passive. In order to control those passive employees, a more constricted control is needed. In this negative circle, a high labor turnover, low-morale, arguments or disagreements, low efficiency and poor sense of belonging to the company will be occurred. Singh gives an example that the managers from Mainland China applied an authoritarian management style and lead to the negative impacts mentioned above.In a conclusion, an unsuitable management style in a creative firm will conduct a huge negative impact to the industries. Section Three Alternatives and comparisons Management style plays such an important role in creative firms, how to pick a suitable management style should be the most difficult question to the senior managers in those creative industries. The information given above is a simple guideline to pick a appropriate management style since it mentions the management styles using in different kind of creative industries, some of them are famous all over the world.In add ition, it provides a wide range of benefits of different management styles and the conditions of using them. Actually, the management style that is suitable for a creative firm can be mainly divided into two big groups, one of them is democratic, and another one is Laissez-faire. These two management styles are quite similar to each other by the information provided in section one and two. The huge difference between these two is that democratic is described as more tructural and formal; on the other hand, Laissez-faire contains more freedom for workers and the structure of the company is more like an individual work force. Bilton (2007, p. 67) states that the management style in creative industries is similar to a ‘non-management’ management style, which means the managers are almost invisible in the management; however, the employees can still contribute a lot to the creative firm. The managers would not set the deadline of the products and the employees can finish th eir works a relaxing and creative way.Therefore, the products can be created in a high quality. Take Google as an example, the employees in Google are encouraged to do their creative pursuits and Google will even provide 20 percent of the workweek to them (Jackson, Schuler and Werner, 2009). Compared with Laissez-faire, the management style inside Google is more like a democratic management. It seems that the founders of Google treat the employees as a kind of resources more than contributors to the company. The reason of claiming that is due to the strategic approach to managing the employees.It might seem like Google already has had a plan to deal with the employees. On the other hand, the real example of Laissez-faire is hardly found. It might be because the over freedom of management style cannot give the board of directors confidence of making profits; since the manufacturing of innovation and new creation is not secured under Laissez-faire. In addition, it is tough to get the investments from the investment banks or investors because the managers are not able to give a warranty of making a brisk sale product. As a result, Laissez-faire is hardly appearing in the modern creative economy.Stewart (2011) also suggests this idea and she gives a significant example of the failure of Laissez-faire in her journal. Conclusion To conclude, the management style does play an important role in creative economy and it is also a critical factor that can lead the industries to be successful or failing. By the examples given in section one, two management styles are mainly applied in creative economy, which is democratic and Laissez-faire. The reasons can be found in section two, one significant reason is that these two management styles can provide employees a better orking place that can stimulate their creativities and generating new ideas. In addition, a new and suitable management style can prevent the labor turnover since employees’ satifactions are fulfille d; also it can avoid the restriction of creating new ideas. Finally, in the modern creative economy, democratic management is mainly used. It is because the creation of products or services is more secured when comparing with Laissez-faire. Also, democratic management can give the board of directors more confidence and the investment banks as well.Therefore the creative industries can more easily apply the investment from the investors. Management style is an essential part on developing creative economy and has a significant impact on it. Reference Page Bilton, C. (2007) Management And Creativity: From Creative Industries to Creative Management, Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd Bamfield, P. (2006) Research And Development in the Chemical And Pharmaceutical Industry, Weinheim: Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. Davila T. , Epstein M. J. , Shelton R. (2007), The Creative Enterprise: Execution, Westport: Praeger Publisher Foote C.S. (2001), The Creative Business Guide to Running a Graphic De sign Business, New York: Creative Business newsletter. Jackson, S. E. , Schuler, R. S. , Werner, S. (2009), Managing Human Resources, Mason: South-Western, Cengage Learning Singh, A. (2001), Creative Systems in Structural and Construction Engineering, Rotterdam: A. A. Balkema Howkins, J. (2001), The Creative Economy: How People Make Money From Ideas, Penguin CNN Money (2011), 100 Best Companies to work for, [online] Available at: < http://money. nn. com/magazines/fortune/bestcompanies/2011/full_list/> [Accessed 13 May 2012] DCMS (2010), Creative Industries Economic Estimates, London, UK: Department of Culture, Media and Sport, retrieved 9 December 2010 Stewart, H. (2011), Laissez-faire has failed us. Now we're getting panicky intervention. Guardian Observer, [online] 27 November 2011. Available at: ; http://www. guardian. co. uk/business/2011/nov/27/laissez-faire-failed-panicky-intervention; [Accessed 14 May 2012]

Thursday, January 2, 2020

The Cocktail Waitress, James Spradley And Brenda Mann Essay

Historically, anthropologists have focused their research on foreign cultures, often considered exotic to westerners. Yet, globalization has created a continuously shrinking world and is increasingly providing sovereignty for developing nations, which may impede research opportunities for modern anthropologists. In their book, â€Å"The Cocktail Waitress,† James Spradley and Brenda Mann explained how this semi-recent issue threatens trust and acceptance in these foreign communities and obstructs unique opportunities and research funding. Luckily, there are countless subcultures in America’s back yard, in which most are eternally evolving, providing a multitude of research opportunities for anthropologists. Alcohol establishments are home to a plethora of subcultures that display clashing and harmonious interactions enjoyable for even the untrained human observers. Noticeably, bars contain the local regulars, occasional boozers, business men, college students, and multip le others, all there for a common goal, leisure. Whether the responsible sober driver, moderate drinker, or completely inebriated, every patron has exchanged workday courtesies for uninhibited behaviors. Additionally, lounges often exhibit social interactions between men and women which provide ethnographers opportunity to study the cultural roles considered masculine or feminine within our society and subcultures. Formerly, women employed in alcohol establishments were prohibited from managerial, bar keeping, or