Customer Service and Class Discussion

MAR1011 WK8 HOMWRK Class Discussion (30 points) This week's discussion focuses retail distribution strategies. You will have the opportunity to analyze traditional and non-traditional retail strategies. Please respond to the following prompt in the class discussion section of your online course: 1. How would you classify Wal-Mart in terms of position on the wheel of retailing versus that of an off-price retailer? Individual Work (35 points) The following assignment allows you to analyze the Mall of America.You will have the opportunity to develop strategies designed to assist the Mall of America in acquiring new customers. Please read the â€Å"Mall of America Shopping and a Whole Lot More† case study (pages 313-315). After reading the case, please answer the following questions: 1. Why has the Mall of America been such a marketing success so far? 2. What specific marketing actions would you propose that Mall of America managers take to ensure its continuing success in attract ing visitors (a) from the local metropolitan area and (b) from outside it? 3. Your assignment should be at least 1-2 pages in length.Quiz (40 points) This quiz will consist of questions taken from Chapters 12-13. The quiz will contain 20 multiple choice and/or True or False questions. This quiz covers the following material: †¢In Marketing: The Core read: oChapter 12, â€Å"Managing Marketing Channels and Supply Chains,† pages 271-294. oChapter 13, â€Å"Retailing and Wholesaling,† pages 295-316. MAR2305-14 Class Discussion (35 points) It is important to understand the sources of customer satisfaction in order to address the issue effectively. Lucas provides strategies to identify communication breakdowns.Please review Chapter 7 in Customer Service Skills for Success, and discuss all the following questions: †¢What is your definition of a dissatisfied customer? †¢What are the sources of customer dissatisfaction? †¢What can service providers do to pr event and deal with dissatisfied customers? Individual Work (40 points) Service breakdowns can occur unexpectedly and need to be handled promptly. Complete the â€Å"Handling Service Breakdown at AAA Landscaping† case study on page 248 of your textbook. Please answer questions 1-4. Each answer should be a minimum of one paragraph. The total minimum document length should be 300 words.

8 mile film analysis Essay

The 2009 film, 8 Mile, parallels the true life story of multi-platinum artist, Eminem. Directed by Curtis Hanson, the film takes place in 1995, a time where hip-hop music was growing and Detroit, Michigan had hit an all time low. Eminem (formally referred to as Marshall Mathers) plays Jimmy, a wannabe rapper from the poor side of Detroit and stars like Brittany Murphy, Kim Basinger, and Mekhi Phifer all play key roles in the film. The film follows the lyrically talented Jimmy, also known as Rabbit by his friends, and his struggle to become a white rapper in a predominately black field. He also struggles with dealing with his alcoholic mother, poor social status, and his rival gang who call themselves â€Å"The Free World† (8 Mile, Wikipedia.com). The film effectively portrays the rap competition in Detroit and Jimmy’s fight to be on top. 8 Mile’s urban tale raises questions about stereotypes, class separation, and segregation, while gaining the viewers respect fo r hip-hop music and successfully developing characters and using real life matters to reproduce a true story. The film begins with Jimmy Smith (Eminem), a young and unhappy blue-collar worker from a poor family, struggling with different aspects of his life. He has moved back north of 8 Mile Road to the rundown trailer home in Detroit, Michigan of his alcoholic mother, Stephanie (Kim Basinger), his little sister Lily (Chloe Greenfield), and Stephanie’s abusive live-in boyfriend Greg (Michael Shannon). Jimmy is focused on getting his music career started, but he seems unable to catch a break. Jimmy comes to realize that his life has remained largely the same since he graduated high school. (â€Å"8 Mile†, rottentomatoes.com) At first, he considers himself a victim of his circumstances and blames others for his problems. Over time, though, Jimmy begins to take more responsibility for the direction of his life. His newly established relationship with Alex (played by Brittany Murphy) ends when Jimmy walks in on his friend Wink (Eugene Byrd) having sex with her. Jimmy beats up Wink, which later causes Wink to join forces with Jimmy’s enemies, a gang of rappers known as the Leaders of the Free World. Later, Wink and the Free World gang jump him outside of his mother’s trailer, but when one member pulls a gun on Jimmy, Wink stops him and they leave. Jimmy’s friends have hailed him throughout the film as an incredible rapper, and his friend Future (Mekhi Phifer) puts pressure on Jimmy to get his revenge by competing against the Leaders of the Free World at the next rap battle. (â€Å"8 Mile†, wikipedia.com) The battle acts as a â€Å"final conflict† with the Leaders of the Free World gang who have harassed Jimmy throughout the film. It has three rounds, and in each of them Jimmy confronts a member of the gang. Jimmy wins both of the first two rounds and in the last round, he is paired against Papa Doc (Anthony Mackie), the tournament’s most feared battler and Jimmy’s main antagonist throughout the film. Jimmy is aware that Doc knows all his weak points, so he decides to address them with his freestyle. Jimmy acknowledges without shame his lower-class white trash roots and the humiliations the Free World gang have inflicted on him, and then uses the difficult life he has had as basis to reveal the truth about Papa Doc. With little to say in rebuttal, Papa Doc gives the microphone back to Future and Jimmy wins the battle. As Jimmy leaves the venue, Future suggests that he stay and celebrate his victory while also offering a position that would allow him to host battles at The Shelter. Jimmy turns him down, claiming he has to get back to work and to find success his own way. He then starts walking back to work, feeling more confident about his future. (â€Å"8 Mile†, wikipedia.com) The movie is titled after a main street in Michigan, 8 Mile road. 8 Mile Road has carried major cultural significance; it has served as a physical and cultural dividing line between the wealthier, predominantly white northern suburbs of Detroit and the poorer, predominantly black city (â€Å"Michiga n highway†). The road plays a major part in the film and is the reason for the two different rap crews. One rap group, â€Å"Three One-Third† is the one that Jimmy and his friends, Dr. Iz, Cheddar Bob, Future and Sol are a part of. Their group name is a representation of the slums they live in, with their area code being 313. Most of them are black, have old cars and live in run down homes. Jimmy lives in a trailer park with his alcoholic mother, and is often stereotyped as â€Å"white trash†. Throughout the movie the characters reference the road to one another aware of its cultural meaning. Jimmy raps about it repeating in one of his freestyles, repeating, â€Å"Everybody from the 313 put your motherf***ing hands up and follow me† (â€Å"The 10 Most Memorable Rap Lines From ‘8 Mile†) He also raps; â€Å"I’m gonna turn around with a great smile, and walk my white ass back across 8 Mile† (â€Å"8 mile lyrics†). The Free World, the second group in the film, lives on the northern side of 8 Mile. They are part of a middle class Detroit and their crew includes Papa Doc, Wink, Lyckity Splyt, and Lotto. They own guns, dress better, and have more control over the Detroit area due to their higher social status. They have the upper hand in the hip-hop â€Å"game† and are convinced they have the better connections and are gonna make it before Rabbit does. Papa Doc even owns an Escalade in which they all pull up in when going to beat up Rabbit, proving they are the antagonist in the film. 8 Mile is not only the title of the film but also the racial boundary that sets imaginary lines in class separation in the movie and in Detroit today. The notorious road is not the only racial dispute in the film. Rabbit struggles multiple times throughout the movie simply because he is white. In the opening scene, you see Rabbit in a club bathroom preparing to rap battle. As he leaves the bathroom he passes the bouncer to proceed backstage. He quickly gets stopped by the bouncer and the large black man asks â€Å"Where the hell do you think you’re going?† Rabbit looks startled and begins to argue, claiming that the bouncer had just seen him leave to go the bathroom. When the bouncer replies, â€Å"I didn’t see nothin’† Rabbit gets worked up and screams â€Å"Man, you just fuckin’ seen me! I just went to the bathroom!† He continues to fight with the bouncer and is not let in until his black friend, Future, who is respected in the Detroit area, grabs him and lets the bouncer know that â€Å"he’s cool†. (â€Å"8 mile†, imbd.com) When Rabbit goes to rap, the camera focuses on him, then on the crowd where viewers take a mental note of the all black mob he is about to rap to. When the camera focuses back Rabbit, he looks nervous, chokes and walks off stage. This scene really portrays how difficult it is for Rabbit to overcome his disadvantage of being white in, what it seems to be, an all black competition. The opening scene makes Rabbit seem like a scared white boy, fearful of the judgement of the blacks, but as the movie continues, Rabbits character grows and becomes less afraid. Not only do you see Rab bit becoming less fearful, but he also reveals his soft spot for children. After Rabbit flees from the rap battle, he goes back  to live with his mother since he recently broke up with his girlfriend whom he lived with. Once he meets his mother’s new boyfriend, they get into a verbal argument where Jimmy throws a beer bottle at him. The argument wakes up Jimmy’s little sister, Lily. Once Lily comes out, even the tone of Rabbit’s voice changes. He becomes higher pitched and looks at her with a softness in his eyes, and when requested to sing her to sleep, he does so, singing to her a song he comes up with on the spot. This scene illustrates the complexity of Jimmy’s character and shows that he is more than just a ‘white trash rapper’. Another key moment in the film that shows Rabbit growing as a person is a work scene. When Rabbit’s car breaks down, he’s late to work and upon questioning, Rabbit quickly says its not his fault. A few scenes later, when another on the job dispute happens, he stops himself from saying that it wasn’t his fault and assures his boss that it won’t happen again. The audience can realize that Rabbit is maturing and taking responsibility for his actions. Another intricate character is Rabbit’s friend, Dr. Iz. Although his do-rag and large clothing say otherwise, he is a complex character who often looks deeply into things. He says when looking around the city, â€Å"Man, do you know how many abandoned buildings we have in Detroit? I mean, how are you supposed to take pride in your neighborhood with shit like that next door? And does the city tear them down? No, they too busy building casinos and taking money from the people.† When his friends make it clear that they don’t care he says, â€Å"Did you care when that crackhead raped that little girl? You think that woulda’ happened if he didn’t have an abandoned house to take her to (â€Å"8 Mile Quotes†)?†. He convinces Rabbit to help them burn down the building by evoking feelings of sympathy and saying â€Å"It could have been Lily†. Jimmy’s quick urge to help shows the compassion that Jimmy has for his sister and how Dr. Iz and the friends who helped burn the house down believe in what’s right, have morals, and wanted to erase the memory of a helpless girl getting raped. The actors in the film act tremendously well. Eminems portrayal of Jimmy was simple for him to perform considering the character is based on himself. Although the raps are scripted, Eminem delivers them with such strength. The veins in his arm pop out as he raps and his eyes bulge out of his head, truly showing his passion for rap music. The way Kim Basinger takes the role  as an alcohol dependent and emotionally unstable is brilliant. She carries out her lines with a shaky, uncertain undertone that truly brings out how emotionally unsure she is. Brittany Murphy plays a seductive and sassy young adult seeking to be a model. She administers her lines with her head slightly down and her big eyes looking up. She shakes her head often and almost seems to be on drugs, but it works for her character. Overall, I think the acting was well done, but not too impressive considering the roles they played weren’t impossibly hard. The music choice in this film is another aspect to take note of. The song opens up with â€Å"The Shook Ones† by Mobb Deep. The famous line in the song, â€Å"Cause ain’t no such thing as a halfway crook† is played while Jimmy gets ready to rap, and in his final freestyle that line is used again, but by Jimmy this time. Whenever you see Jimmy coming up with lyrics, the instrumental beat comes on and only the words that he is rhyming are heard. While he is in the car with his friends, Biggie Small’s â€Å"Juicy† is playing. The song is an iconic tune that comes to mind when one thinks about rap music. I also believe it is foreshadowing that like Biggie, Jimmy will also become a legend in the hip-hop industry. When Rabbit is getting beat up by The Free World members, the song â€Å"Gang Stories† by South Central Cartel is playing which has a specific line â€Å"don’t be another sucker on my hit list† and Jimmy was definitely on th e Free World’s hit list. The music in the movie really adds on the the hip hop, gangster vibe of the film, and enhances its effectiveness to show what 1995 Detroit was like. Although the movie reviewing website, Rottentomatoes.com only rated the movie a 6.7/10, I would rate the film a 10. I believe that the actors were very into their characters and all of their roles were extremely believable. The scenery is not staged and was actually filmed right on 8 Mile, furthering the movies credibility. I also believe the music choice magnifies the movie’s energy. The film rids itself of subplots and complexities, making it a light film to watch, even though its urban and inner city settings weigh it down. I think people who rate it any lower than a seven out of ten lack an ability to see the artistic side of the film and expect it to be grander, when in reality the movie was not created with intent to  be criticized, or make millions. (â€Å"8 mile† chicagoreader.com). Rather, the film was created to give viewers a deeper insight into what Grammy award winning rapper, Eminem, had to overcome to become the amazing artist he is now and although som e may not have received a deeper understanding of the life of a wannabe rapper, I certainly did. Works Cited â€Å"8 Mile.† IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2014. â€Å"8 Mile (2002).† 8 Mile. N.p., 16 Feb. 2002. Web. 30 Jan. 2014. . â€Å"8 Mile (film).† Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 29 Jan. 2014. Web. 30 Jan. 2014. . â€Å"8 Mile .† Chicago Reader. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2014. . â€Å"8 mile lyrics.† IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2014. . â€Å"Eminem.† Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 29 Jan. 2014. Web. 30 Jan. 2014. . â€Å"Full Cast & Crew.† IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2014. . â€Å"8 Mile Quotes.† Quotefully – Browse Your Favorite TV Show and Movie Quotes.† Quotefully – Browse Your Favorite TV Show and Movie Quotes. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2014. . â€Å"The 10 Most Memorable Rap Lines From ‘8 Mile’.† Vibe. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2014. .

How Facebook Effects Relationships

Facebook is a popular web page where anybody can create a free account, similar to an email address. The site allows anybody to add friends, post pictures, and let all their friends know what their doing on an hourly basis. At the beginning, the page appeared to be a great way to keep in touch with people who lived two minutes to two hours to two thousand miles away. The site allows all who have accounts to add friends, some who are suggested by the page itself, and keep in touch through quick, easy Internet access.But is the web site actually helping or hurting the relationships we form everyday? There are many benefits to Facebook. Facebook is the quick, easy way to keep up to date with events that happen every day. Once a person creates an account, they can add their friends and therefore look at the page that is created by that person and see their posts. When a person â€Å"posts† something it means that they are writing anything they want for all their friends to see, fr om song lyrics, to what their plans are for the day, to angry outbursts with a lot of curse words associated.The posts pop on the community wall so a person doesn’t have to go to each individual’s page to see their plans. This feature is beneficial because it allows a friend to discover plans and therefore work with, or around them to be able to see or communicate with that person without having to go through to hassle of keeping in touch every hour or having to send a text to twenty of your friends about what you’re doing that day. Another benefit of Facebook is it allows a person to keep in touch even through long distances.For example, if a person lives across the country, it is difficult to coordinate the time difference, and therefore makes it hard to have phone conversation or text repeatedly back and forth unless it is at a set time that is consensual for both parties. Facebook allows people to keep in touch on each person’s own time through wall p osts, and messages, this is especially helpful in families who have ventured off to different areas of the world. Finally, the site is helpful by keeping loved ones in touch.Just as it does with families, Facebook allows person A to say something to person B on their own time but it also lends a hand in reminding loved ones how much they miss or care about each other publicly. As stated by Andrew Sabatini in his article Effects of MySpace and Facebook, â€Å"These websites provide a new way for couples communicate and help eliminate geographical boundaries. Both sites allow one member of the couple to get brownie points, through gifts and comments, and get them out of the dog house. (Sabatini) The option for a boyfriend of bringing surprise flowers to his girlfriend when she’s with all her friends is eliminated when the two are separated by hours due to college or job choice or a family vacation. Facebook allows the man to publicly display his affection (though it wonâ€℠¢t always work) to his girlfriend through words of endearment and the thought that he doesn’t mind letting everyone know how much he cares for his significant other. Although there are many benefits of Facebook, the site can also create a lot of tension.In the film Catfish, a documentary directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, a 24-year-old photographer begins talking to a family after becoming intrigued with an 8-year-old child painter prodigy. As the main character Yaniv â€Å"Nev† Schulman creates a stronger bond with the family he starts to talk to the young prodigy’s older sister via text, phone calls, and of course, Facebook. Without ever meeting his soon-to-be girlfriend, Nev discovers her appearance, her friends, events, and whereabouts through Facebook.However, when Nev travels to visit the family and girl he has been communicating with for months he learns that all is not what he expected. The location where she has said to be staying is not being occupied by anyone, and the mail he has sent her is still located in the abandoned mailbox. Nev and his friend’s next stop is the house of the young artist who inspired the whole film. While there Nev realizes that the girl he had been having a technology-based relationship with is actually the married mother of the 8-year-old sensation. The mother had created a fake Facebook account, added fake friends she had created and posted fake wall posts.Through imagination, and some form of determination this woman formed a relationship with Nev through Facebook updates and text messages. Eric Eisenberg pronounces in a Catfish review, â€Å"As social networking becomes more and more a part of every day life for people of all ages, Catfish is a reminder that it’s wise to wonder what’s truly going on at the other end of the line. † (Eisenberg) The movie simply proves that Facebook can let a person be anyone they want, the pictures, the updates, everything can be a lie, yet nobody will ever know.It’s a concern of trust, but more so of safety. Even though there are many more negative aspects of Facebook, such as the time it consumes from people every day, the things that makes Facebook non-appealing to many is that it creates jealousy, and tension in intimate relationships. On the web site people are able to tag other people in pictures. The website causes jealousy due to pictures because if a person’s significant other is pictured with someone you don’t know, or aren’t comfortable with, or never told you they would be with, the tension rises and questions come up.Another negative effect of Facebook on relationships is how wall posts may not match exactly what a person said. For example, in the article What Effect does Facebook have on Relationships by Lauren Fisher, she says â€Å"If your boyfriend told you they were out for the weekend, that was pretty much it. But now you have the ability, should you want to, to scour their Facebook page for updates over the weekend, to see what they’re up to. † (Fisher) Facebook creates a sense of suspicion, and obsession to check if your partner is actually doing what he or she claims.Furthermore, Facebook has the ability for people to display their relationship status. A relationship isn’t really a relationship these days unless it is â€Å"Facebook official†, and a break-up isn’t concrete until a wall post says that they are single. John Norvell declares â€Å"†¦people had ways of telegraphing their status. † (Hines) Even though people could always easily portray their relationship status through actions and words the simplicity of updating a page in seconds can cause a person to second guess â€Å"trying to talk it over† or give them time to reflect on what’s actually happened, and if breaking up is the best choice.As stated before, Facebook can let people demonstrate their care for another, h owever it can also become an annoying obsession preformed by many, women more so then men. For instance, â€Å"One participant of the survey said that her boyfriend calls her a pain when she does it (comments on his wall or message’s him) because she has done it so many times that it has become obnoxious. † (Sabatini) Finally, and most obviously, Facebook use correlates directly to stress in relationships. Facebook permits a person’s significant other to view how much activity is taking place, and therefore generates resentment, yet it is a no win situation.If a person has too much information it can be questioned on why so much action is taking place, yet if things are hidden or unable to be seen it is also grounds for distress because curiosity strikes. In a study â€Å"Accessibility of information: Increased info about the interactions of significant others lead to increased monitoring and jealousy for 19. 1% of participants†, â€Å"Relationship jealo usy: 16. 2% of respondents were explicitly linked to Facebook use contributing to jealousy†, and â€Å"Lack of context: 7. 4% of respondents referenced how Facebook can be ambiguous and that, without context, jealousy can be spurred over misunderstandings. (Parr) There is no easy way out of the Facebook jealousy factor, except to delete your Facebook account altogether, and consequently disconnect from society in a way. In conclusion, Facebook is a very good way to stay in touch with people who are distances away. It helps people keep up to date, and know what their friends are doing for the day. The site allocates couples to show their affection to the public without even leaving their house, and doesn’t conflict with time schedules or location. But to every good, there is a little bad. Facebook creates jealousy left and right.The web page makes questions arise that may not have before the site was created. And the option of hiding crucial information or checking and obsessing over it can lead to destruction in a somewhat other happy relationship. Overall, Facebook has its positives and negatives, just like everything else in life, but a person has to ask themselves, is social connectivity via the internet worth a full hearted relationship? Only time can tell.Works CitedCatfish. Dir. Henry Joost and Areil Schulman. Perf. Navid Schulman. Rouge Films, 2010. Film. Parr, Ben. â€Å"Study: Facebook Increases Jealousy in Relationships.Social Media News and Web Tips – Mashable – The Social Media Guide. 9th Aug. 2009. Web. 27 Oct. 2010. . Sabatini, Andrew. â€Å"Effects of Myspace and Facebook on Relationships. † http://webrelationships. wetpaint. com/page/Effects+of+Myspace+and+Facebook.Fisher, Lauren. â€Å"What effect does Facebook have on Relationships? †Ã‚  http://www. simplyzesty. com/facebook/effect-facebook-relationships/.Hines, Twanna A. â€Å"Is Facebook Helping or Hurting Your Love Life? †Ã‚  http://www. fa stcompany. com/articles/2008/02/facebook-love-life. html.

Racial Profiling Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Racial Profiling - Essay Example Using racial profiling as a law enforcement tactic can be considered as unjust discrimination since it applies to specific people. This restricts the privacy and freedom of movement by individuals from this particular race. The USA receives thousands of immigrants from other countries and regions, but Latinos and blacks are the majority of deportees. After the 9/11 attacks in New York and Washington, Muslim communities in USA have been targeted by security agencies in USA. The equality principle provides the moral and legal assertion that all citizens are equal and require equal treatment from the law. All people are therefore supposed to enjoy equal rights, opportunities, and welfare regardless of race or social status. Muslims in USA are arbitrarily arrested or stopped by police officers on suspicion of engagement in terror activities. In airports, they are subjected to thorough security checks, which are not conducted on ordinary Americans. The FBI has shortlisted several Muslims, and they are on constant surveillance (Jamal and Naber, 2008). This causes discrimination of Muslims by citizens and the law enforcement officers. However, racial profiling of Muslims has helped the FBI and the police identify several potential terrorist within the country. This has helped prevent other attacks and paralyze the operation of terroris t cells in

Evaluate the current Talent Management (TM) strategy at any well-known Essay

Evaluate the current Talent Management (TM) strategy at any well-known organization in Saudi Arabia - Essay Example These efforts are increasingly being directed towards growth of the companies along with the growth of the individuals. Today the same emphasis is provided by organisations to each phase of an individual employee continuum with the employment of such strategies that identifies high performing employees and providing them with greater opportunities for growth through career planning. Moreover, greater importance has also been generated towards the overall development of employees over long terms and towards their assistance for reaching their career goals and objectives. Organisations have shown their belief towards the development of a fulfilling and happy employee (Mabry, 2001, p.55). This has been achieved through recruitment, on boarding, developing career paths, and development of succession planning. The aim is to develop a happy and satisfied employee who would eventually be able to attain a high customer satisfaction and which would eventually result in adding to the organisat ion’s bottom line. ... Talent management encompasses the complete employee life cycle, starting from recruitment, managing performance, competency development, redeployment, succession planning, training, leanings management, career development, and finally employee retention and engagement (Davis, 2007, p.74). The present project aims to discuss and evaluate the talent management strategy undertaken in Saudi Aramco. It would emphasise on the various ways in which the company has been trying to attract and retain and develop the talents. It also presents an assessment of the effectiveness of the strategy in the present organisational context. The talent management strategy is prescribed for the organisation only after making a thorough study of organisation. It presents such strategies for implementation based on the identified talent gaps. The initiatives would be directed towards retaining the high performers in the core and strategic roles. The most promising challenge confronting the human resource pro fessionals in the organisation would be implementing the strategy successfully. Saudi Aramco- About the Company Saudi Aramco is a state owned oil company in Saudi Arabia which is a completely integrated and global petroleum organisation. The company has evolved as a leader in the production, exploration, shipping, refining, distribution and marketing of petroleum in the world. The company manages reserves of crude oil amounting to 260.1 barrel. The fourth largest gas reserves in the globe, is also managed by the company, which amounts for a volume of 275.2 trillion cubic feet (Saudi Aramco, 2011, p.2). The company is committed to deliver the most reliable supply of petroleum and petroleum

Federalism and the Exercise of National Power Coursework

Federalism and the Exercise of National Power - Coursework Example Similarly, regulating the use of marijuana is not spelled under the commerce clause. Taking away homegrown marijuana is a way of controlling its consumption. There is no law in the US constitution, which gives federal government powers to invoke cultivation of marijuana without explanation (Pierre, 2011). Therefore, Commerce Clause or other clauses do not grant the federal powers to regulate the use of marijuana. The federal system overstepped its mandate to ban marijuana. This is so because the 10th Amendments state that the people have a say on powers that the constitution does not delegate to the United States (Pierre, 2011). Thus, the cultivation of marijuana is not spelled in the constitution leaving the decision to lie with the individuals and the state. Similarly, growing marijuana for medical purposes is allowed as long as it is not for commercial purpose under Commerce Clause. Moreover, the federal government has powers to regulate interstate commerce under Article 1, Section 8 of US constitution (Pierre, 2011). However, this does not mean they have powers to control anything associated with interstate commerce. The woman who grew marijuana was an exception because there was no evidence of participation in interstate

The Priority for Glenmeadie's Innovation Efforts Essay

The Priority for Glenmeadie's Innovation Efforts - Essay Example Marketing experts should be aware that the product is the thing that they’re selling, and innovation in this field is also necessary to build a customer base. The purpose of this essay is to explore how Glenmeadie can balance their innovation efforts between the product and new types of marketing in an effort to impress new customers and build a loyal customer fan base, by using the Ansoff and 8Ps frameworks to provide an illustration on how best to tackle the issues at hand. Glenmeadie The information provided by Nunes & Driggs (2006) paints an outline of Glenmeadie. As a Scotch whiskey distillery, Glenmeadie has won 7 gold medals in one season on a national and international scale, suggesting an upmarket taste and therefore suggesting a target market of whiskey connoisseurs. The marketing campaign led by Bob consists of international efforts to put on Tastemakers events in 25 cities, starting in New York. The aim is to spend $15,000 on each event, offering tastes of various whiskeys and bringing in efforts from an apprentice distiller and buyers from local distributors. Glenmeadie is also trying to give a more personal face to the brand, having interactive websites and creating loyalty card programs. ... Rayport, Stephen Dull and Joe Scafido. Scafiado, a member of the executive council at Dunkin’ brands, raises concerns about the fact that the front- and back-house innovations programs seem to be presented as separate enterprise. This is mainly because they seem to have separate functions in marketing, with product development being considered part of back-room company enterprises and marketing focusing on customer involvement and sales. However, this is a limited perspective on the matter. At Dunkin’ brands, Scafiado brought together the culinary team and the operating specialists into one department, meaning that any culinary development is being innovated simultaneously with efforts on how to present this to the company. Herman, who is president of Lebanon, agrees that Glenmeadie should be focusing efforts on product excellence as well as drawing customers in with these innovative marketing campaigns. After all, it is the product that is being sold, not the marketing scheme. Rayport, founder and chairman of Marketspace, sees things differently. Although Glenmeadie has reported some stress on research and development budgets, Rayport suggests that this can only be a positive thing, even for Ellis, the distiller. Rayport even goes as far to suggest that Ellis’ argument against expansion in marketing efforts is a paradox, as Ellis cannot have the freedom to create and innovate in the distillery without an expanded market and expanded profits. Dull, vice president of strategy at Greensboro, sees things a little differently. Dull suggests that Glenmeadie is a luxury product, as a whiskey, and therefore the aims of the company to branch into mass-marketing are a mistake. Dull suggests that there hasn’t been much of an

Review on the Principles of Economics Research Paper

Review on the Principles of Economics - Research Paper Example Three discuss how the economy works as a whole; trade, interaction of households and firms in market economies, government intervention in the economy. The last three discuss how people interact; nation’s standard of living depends on its capacity to produce goods and services, prices rise when government increases the money supply and the economy faces a short-run tradeoff between inflation and unemployment. This topic gained my attention as I realized that economics is all around us and plays a vital role in our daily life activities. It not only exists in situations like visiting the bank to deposit money or taking out cash from an ATM machine but also conditions like buying a small gift from our savings or watching the soccer match and not doing homework. My favorite topic was the concept of Opportunity Cost which is basically with reference to what is seen in opposition to what is unseen. This concept has a lot of depth attached to it. We are all aware of the direct costs of life. We experience them whenever we take out our wallet to pay for something like when we dine out and pay the bill, buy a drink, pay for the bus ticket, pay for our tuition etc. However, we tend to ignore the unseen or the hidden costs that we have to pay for and the choices that we make regarding them. For example if a person buys a car for $10,000 there are many other things he could’ve done with that much amount of money. He could’ve invested it, or spent on travelling etc. But its on him to make the decision and choice as to what he has to give up in order to achieve something. So basically opportunity cost is spending our capital, time and energy on one thing in substitute of another thing. In order to decide this, our decision making skills and preferences come into account. I have learnt that every choice or decision that I make always has an opportunity cost attached to it and it is not necessary that the cost is easily seen. The cost can be unseen as wel l. Like I had saved $100 and could not decide as to where should I spend them. It could be spent either on partying with my friends, or shopping for me or buying books to read. I can even save them up instead of using them all. Furthermore this concept taught me how to measure the benefits of every activity that I decide to do. Like when I have a couple of hours relaxing time I have to make choices as to what should I do? Whether I should read, sleep, watch TV, listen to music or talk with the family. Then I calculate the advantages that I obtain from each activity. This process exercises my brain and helps me decide as to what I should carry out. I learned that the option which brings the most overall benefits to my life is the finest choice and the accurate thing to do. Most importantly, by studying this concept I have learned to value time and I have realized its significance. In every situation I find myself calculating and thinking as to what can be the best thing I should be d oing right now? Am I spending time in the right place? By developing this mindset I have learned to take improved decisions that facilitate me in making my life and lifestyle healthy. I intend to study and become acquainted with the economic concepts that work at macro level. I want to improve my knowledge and understanding about the global affairs and how economic activities dominate and regulate all the

CMM-Media and Society - Discuss Pozner Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

CMM-Media and Society - Discuss Pozner - Essay Example Since women are called the jealous gender, they are also given the title of being untrustworthy. And all this is simply a result of television shows making up our minds for us. We regularly watch such shows where women are shown trying to steal other women’s boyfriends and husbands; where they are competing with their own gender and planning against them; where they are trying to harm other women and getting a weird kind of satisfaction through it. And the reason behind television portraying such a view of women is that these kinds of shows are more popular among those who have nothing better to do than pass time. Besides, it serves as comedy and entertainment shows for the less intellectuals. Again, it is mainly about ratings and where there is a catfight there will be bound to be an audience for it. Such has become the mentality of our people and the television takes full advantage of

Report 5b Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Report 5b - Research Paper Example It implies that if the same study is conduced 20 times then 19 times the results should be within the margin of error. Moreover, it suggests that if the study is conducted several times then the results could differ by +/- 5% of the original results. The participants will be selected by using convenience-sampling technique. The reason researchers have selected convenience sampling because of convenient accessibility and proximity to the researchers. The participants will be IU students who are aware of Scratchy Mommy products. The researchers will conduct focus group session to acquire their perceptions, experiences and views about the Scratchy Mommy products. The two-way focus group will be used that will provide a comparison of the prevailing perception within the group. There will be 12 people (10 females and 2 males) in total who will be sub-categorized into two groups (5 females and 1 male). The reason to choose male participant as a part of focus group is that males also purchase beauty care products for them or their

Lab Chemistry Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Lab Chemistry Paper - Essay Example The substitution reaction always competes with elimination reactions so to prepare Cyclohexanol in good amount, it is essential to suppress the substitution reaction. It is achievable using strong acids such as sulphuric acid whose conjugate base is a poor nucleophiles and running at high temperature to favors elimination. Cyclohexene is a hydrocarbon of formula C6H10. It is as an intermediate in various industrial processes useful in synthesizing other desired molecules. It also helps in the synthesis of maleic acid and it stabilizes high-octane gasoline (Williamson & Katherine, pp123-178). Cyclohexene is not very stable when stored for long exposed to light and air because it readily forms peroxides. Dehydration is the elimination reaction of alcohol; a unimolecular elimination (E1) reaction of an alcohol. This elimination reaction involves the loss of a hydroxyl group (OH‑) from one carbon and hydrogen (H) from the adjacent carbon. The overall effect of this reaction is the loss of a water molecule, resulting in the formation of a ∠-bond of an alkene or an alkyne. Dehydration is therefore the loss of water molecule (Williamson & Katherine, pp173-212). In most cases, dehydration of an alcohol requires the use of an acid catalyst and high temperature. Phosphoric acid (H3PO4) and sulfuric acid (H2SO4) are the most commonly used acid catalysts. When more than one elimination product can be formed, the more substituted alkene becomes the major product, which is obtained by removing a proton from the adjacent carbon that has fewer hydrogens (Schlosser, pp153-189). The more substituted alkene is the major product because it is the more stable alkene; therefore, it has the more stable transition state leading to its formation. Alkenes can also hydrate; that is the addition of water in the presence of an acid catalyst (Williamson & Katherine, pp123-178). The

Literary Devices Essay Example for Free

Literary Devices Essay Alliteration Repeating the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words. AllusionA figure of speech that makes a reference to, or representation of, people, places, events, literary work, myths, or works of art, either directly or by implication. BildungsromanA type of novel concerned with education, development, and maturation of a young protagonist. Essentially, a Bildungsroman traces the formation of a protagonists maturity (the passage from childhood to adulthood) by following the development of his/her mind and character. Breaking the fourth wallAn author or character addresses the audience directly (also known as direct address). This may acknowledge to the reader or audience that what is being presented is fiction, or may seek to extend the world of the story to provide the illusion that they are included in it. An example is found in the film Ferris Buellers Day Off when the main character speaks to the audience by looking directly into the camera. Chekhovs gunInsertion of an apparently irrelevant object early in a narrative for a purpose only revealed later. See foreshadowing and repetitive designation. Cliff-hangerThe narrative ends unresolved, to draw the audience back to a future episode for the resolution. Deus ex machina (From Latin: a machination, or act of god)Resolving the primary conflict by a means unrelated to the story (e. g. , a god appears and solves everything). This device dates back to ancient Greek theatre, but can be a clumsy method that frustrates the audience. This has come to mean that a force steps in to save the day or a helicopter shows up just as the hero must jump off a building. EpiphanyA sudden revelation or insight—usually with a symbolic role in the narrative—in a literary work. First Person NarrationA text presented from the point of view of a character (esp. the protagonist) and written in the first person. Oftentimes, the first-person narrative is used as a way to directly convey the deeply internal, otherwise unspoken thoughts of the narrator. Occasionally this narrator can be seen as unreliable. In some cases, the narrator gives and withholds information based on his/her own viewing of events. It is an important task for the reader to determine as much as possible about the character of the narrator in order to decide what really happens. Important note: See page 4 for point form recap. Flashback (or analeptic reference)General term for altering time sequences, taking characters back to the beginning of the tale, for instance Flash-forwardAlso called prolepsis, an interjected scene that temporarily jumps the narrative forward in time. Flash forwards often represent events expected, projected, or imagined to occur in the future. They may also reveal significant parts of the story that have not yet occurred, but soon will in greater detail. This has been highly popularized by several television shows. ForeshadowingHinting at events to occur later. See also Chekhovs gun. Frame story, or a story within a storyA main story that organizes a series of shorter stories or a short story that is used within another to add meaning to the other. Framing deviceA single action, scene, event, setting, or any element of significance at both the beginning and end of a work. HamartiaThe character flaw or error of a tragic hero that leads to his downfall. HyperboleExaggeration used to evoke strong feelings or create an impression which is not meant to be taken literally. ImageryForming mental images of a scene using descriptive words, especially making use of the human senses. In medias resBeginning the story in the middle of a sequence of events. The Iliad and the Odyssey of Homer are prime examples. The latter work begins with the return of Odysseus to his home of Ithaka and then in flashbacks tells of his ten years of wandering following the Trojan War. IronyThis discrepancy between expectation and reality occurs in three forms: situational irony, where a situation features a discrepancy between what is expected and what is actualized; dramatic irony, where a character is unaware of pivotal information already revealed to the audience (the discrepancy here lies in the two levels of awareness between the character and the audience); and verbal irony, where one states one thing while meaning another. The difference between verbal irony and sarcasm is exquisitely subtle and often contested. The concept of irony is too often misunderstood in popular usage. Unfortunate circumstances and coincidences do not constitute irony (nor do they qualify as being tragic). Readers note: â€Å"Isnt it ironic? † by Alanis Morisette contains several examples, but many of them are not ironic at all. JuxtapositionUsing two themes, characters, phrases, words, or situations together for comparison or contrast Narrative hookStory opening that hooks readers attention so hey will keep reading OverstatementExaggerating something, often for emphasis (also known as hyperbole) OnomatopoeiaWord that sounds the same as, or similar to what the word means, e. g. , boom or squish OxymoronA term made of two words that deliberately or coincidentally imply each others opposite, e. g. terrible beauty ParadoxA phrase that describes an idea composed of concepts that conflict. A good example occurs in the first sentence of A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens: It was the best of times, it was the wo rst of times† (1). ParodyRidicule by overstated imitation, usually humorous, as in MAD Magazine Pathetic fallacyReflecting a characters (usually the protagonist) mood in the atmosphere or inanimate objects—for example, the storm in William Shakespeares King Lear, which mirrors Lears mental deterioration. PathosEmotional appeal, one of the three modes of persuasion in rhetoric that the author uses to inspire pity or sorrow towards a character—typically does not counterbalance the target characters suffering with a positive outcome, as in Tragedy. PersonificationUsing comparative metaphors and similes to give living characteristics to non-living objects. Plot twistUnexpected change (twist) in the direction or expected outcome of the plot. Poetic justiceVirtue ultimately rewarded, or vice punished, by an ironic twist of fate related to the characters own conduct Self-fulfilling prophecyPrediction that, by being made, makes itself come true. Early examples include the legend of Oedipus. There is also an example of this in Harry Potter. SatireThe use of humour, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize peoples stupidity or vices. Sensory detailImagery, sight, sound, taste, touch, smell Stream of consciousnessTechnique where the author writes down their thoughts as fast as they come, typically to create an interior monologue, characterized by leaps in syntax and punctuation that trace a characters fragmentary thoughts and sensory feelings. An example is Ulysses. SymbolismApplied use of symbols: iconic representations that carry particular conventional meanings.

Lean Principles in Construction

Lean Principles in Construction Executive Summary Toyota is a name that when seen brings an image of high quality, durability, cost/fuel efficient and best value for money in the car industry. The reason for such a high standard is that Toyota Production System has Pioneered and Implemented Lean Principles in Production system. These principles didnt have the effect immediately in the start but at the last stages, it proved to have a greater worth for it. By implementation of Lean Theories and Philosophy, Toyota had got rid of much wasteful activities using Just In Time approach. The understudy report consists of the Implementation of Lean Principles on a Construction Project which was significantly delayed due to lack of managerial qualities. The Client built a new Head office to shift all the activities from the previous offices in to the new one, but a delay to all activities was observed. It has been analyzed that the construction companies fail to give proper time to the initial Pre-Design and Design Phases and are more reluctant towards starting their construction. The current method of working of the company is mapped and explained with the possible issues and problems are being enlisted. The Design Build approach of Procurement was appraised and further improvements have been suggested. The second part of the report consists of the major and applicable Lean Principles and how they can be implemented in Construction Projects. This not only reduces the wasteful activities but also prove to be cost efficient as mapped. Lastly some merits of Lean Implementation on the construction project have been enlisted and conclusions are drawn. NEW HEAD OFFICE OF COMMERCIAL BANK OF KUWAIT (CBK) Introduction The Commercial Bank of Kuwait is a well known Bank in Kuwait having its roots back in 1960s. It began with a simple minded policy from just a small part of the property with the aim to handle the financial burden on the main bank of Kuwait; the National Bank of Kuwait. Being an old player in the country, the CBK decided to shift its old head office to the new location as the old building had many issues like less working space creating hurdles in modernizing the banking facilities. The old office was in the region of Maidan Hawally which is considerably famous for foreigners living in the region. The new head office of CBK is in the Centre of Kuwait i.e. Kuwait City which is the economic hub of overall State of Kuwait. In this project, Commercial Bank of Kuwait was the main funding source. The Project began in January 2007 and the construction of the Bank lasted till March 2009. Although the project was expected to be completed by June 2008 whereas only the construction phase had jus t finished till March 2009 and the final building being handed over by September 2009. The study of the project indicated that the Project was not only delayed yet was significantly over budgeted. The Project was approximately 30 % over budget and 15 months delayed. Moreover not only these issues affected the project but too many changes by the client were also a reason for the delay. The delay in the completion of the CBK Project was due to two reasons. One being that the Chief Executive Officer of the CBK resigned due to some personal issues with Managing Director of the Bank and the other reason was due to the Financial Crunch throughout the globe. These two reasons caused changes in the project after a long halt to the construction till the new CEO was assigned as the requirements of the project were altered accordingly. Therefore only one person cannot be held responsible for the overall delay caused in the CBK Project. According to Tucker (1998), a high level of management in Construction is very much essential for smooth flow of project. Thus it can be said that there were flaws in the design phase of the project and the lack of good management resulted in overall failed on-time delivery of the project. The Procurement method of the project was Design Build keeping in view the needs and outcomes of the project. The Client (CBK itself) had future plans for further development which all seemed to be left in vain of further initiation due to such a mess created. There fore the Client took keen interest to map the overall processes of the project in order to learn the flaws that delayed the Project so as to further smoothen up its activities. Working Philosophy in the CBK Project Being appointed as an Assistant Project Manager by the Client (Commercial Bank of Kuwait), the task allocated was to analyze the overall performance of the CBK Headquarters project and prepare a report to learn the flaws and outcomes of the project. Such an exercise was done in order to generate preventive measures so that future projects may not be delayed much. The report consists of a comprehensive analysis of methodology used for the Development of Headquarter of CBK and the maximum emphasize is given to the changes in the design i.e. the overall management of the design. The first step taken into consideration is the feasibility report or the outline of the project which is the first process in a project. A detailed approach in investigation is taken therefore, the Contractor (Ahmadiah Contracting-Kuwait), the team of Client (CBK), stakeholders and other parties involved in the project were consulted. All the processes are shown are Appendix 1. Method of Procurement The method of procurement in this project was Design and Build. It is very much necessary to understand what this approach is by analyzing the method. From the clients point of view, the success of the project is nearly decided by choosing appropriate method of procurement in the beginning. The common layout of the system can be seen in the figure below. Fig.2 indicates that this system is very much suited for clients who typically pass their risk to the contractor and a close coordination is developed between the design and the contractor team. This enables to synchronize the time, cost and quality of the project in the true sense of good project management perspective. As the cost is pretty much decided in the beginning, the client is confident that all the further process is smoothen up. But the point to be concerned is that all teams should have proper knowledge of design and build approach. Mostly clients which have Design Build approach new into their project end up with the sentence that the contractor has made a lot of money out of this project. This can be true only if the client finds that the things mentioned in the proposal are not same as they should have been. According to Morledge et.al (2006), client should be in notice that: * Design and Build method may change the formal aspect of most of the parties involved throughout the project. * The contractual accountability of the involved parties can change according to the environment and need of the project. Therefore according to Morledge et.al (2006), the client should study the procurement route to be selected from the technical, financial and legal angle, well in advance before the commencement of the bidding stage. By this not only the client but also the other stakeholders involved in the project can proceed safely which having loose much money. From the explained context it can be seen that before initiating any step into the start of the project, if the client spends some time in understanding the possible pros and cons of the selection of procurement method, much discrepancies can be tackled easily. Moreover, the early involvement of the clients design team can lend a helping hand to the client in correct decision making. This type of activity seems to be very scarce in the CBK Project. Processes of CBK Project The working of the CBK Project can be seen in the form of a process map with each activity corresponding to a task. It can be seen that the working standard of the overall project is in the form of a three phase Design Build method. The three phases can be as: a. Pre-Tender Phase b. Tendering Phase c. Implementation Phase The three phases of the project are mapped as processes and sub processes and the roles of different parties involved in the overall project are elaborated (Appendix -1). This exercise enables to understand the whole process easily. Detailed Analysis of Processes The main processes of the New Headquarters of Commercial Bank of Kuwait are discussed as follows:  § Concept of the Project The Chief Executive of Commercial Bank of Kuwait had a vision towards modernization in the country and the Bank it self. Therefore in order to compete the competitive banks in Kuwait the decision was taken to develop a state of the art building which will serve as an headquarter and economic backbone for the organization. Modernization was in the sense that latest high performance computers with ultra high-tech security were to be operated in the building.  § Financial Issues The Commercial Bank of Kuwait being the client as well as the funding authority finalized the concept of the project in order to have a brief overview of required budget of the project. For this, closed group meetings and seminars were arranged in order to clear any queries in the mind of the staff of the bank.  § Planning Phase The top management of the Commercial Bank of Kuwait was keen to modernize its new headquarters. For this to happen, special sessions were arranged in collaboration with Ministry of Planning, Kuwait and State Bank of Kuwait. International Banks like Barclays and HSBC were taken as role model and one model being finalized for the future development. This was a good step as to bring Western standards into an Arab Country.  § Consultant Team The consultant team (Al-Injaz Architects and Engineers) selected by the client was through competition and the team selected was an experienced one in modern construction.  § Feasibility Report A feasibility report was made in order to study the potential outcomes of the project and what could be the difficulties faced by the teams.  § Integrating Clients Objective The Consultant team enlisted the requirements of the client and steps were taken to meet the clients goals. Mainly the clients focus was a state of the art modern building and the whole project to be finished quickly without compromising Quality Standards. Therefore quality standards were also a must for the client. Through critical analysis of the data, the consultant team came out with the Design Build approach of procurement.  § Design Phase The consultant team started their work in the perspective of Design Build approach so that the tendering process can take place on time. Initial plan setup, architectural designs along with structural designs, cost estimation; all were done right on time.  § Project Documents The Projects brief long with all the details of the project including deadline of the project, estimated cost, drawings and plan etc are documented.  § Document Review The first document review meeting was held in which the top management of the CBK took part. All the project documents were critically analyzed and the Chief Executive and Chairman of Commercial Bank of Kuwait were briefed by the Project Manager about the findings of the report. It was decided that the design of the bank was little more luxurious as per the standard set and was exceeding the budget. So minor changes were made and final documents were setup.  § Tendering Process After finalizing the Project documents, pre-qualification of contractors was done and tenders were called for the development of New Headquarters of Commercial Bank of Kuwait. This was done by the Bidding Committee assigned by the Client which was in close contact with the client during the tendering process.  § Bidding Documents Confidential bidding documents were received before the deadline and handed over to the client.  § Bid Evaluation The client selected the contractor with the lowest bid and consulted the consultant team and the project management team in order to approve the bid. Upon the approval from the teams, the client approved the Contractor (Ahmadiah Contracting, Kuwait) and informed the bidding committee.  § Contract Sign The Bidding Committee arranged a contract signing session in which the contract was signed between the two parties. It was assured that the detailed design would start immediately and the project would be finished on time and in budget.  § Initial Design The design team of the Contractor (Ahmadiah) started the initial design of the development of New Headquarters of Commercial Bank of Kuwait. The consultant team and the project manager of the client were also involved in this phase and regular meetings with the client were taking place. During this phase proper site survey and investigation was done and the design aspects were altered accordingly.  § Interior Design The interior designing of the CBK was given much more importance in order to meet the quality standards set by the client. The other reason was to meet the maximum security levels of the requirements of the project.  § Provision for restaurant In order to serve the employees of the CBK, it was mentioned in the objectives of the client to provide the catering service to the staff so that at lunch time, the staff can enjoy the atmosphere and have a chat and meeting at the same time along with lunch.  § Design Proposal After finalizing the initial design of the CBK, a design proposal was prepared along with the time and cost estimates for approval from the Client.  § Final Review The client, consultant team and the project manager set up a meeting in order to critically analyze the proposal and upon approval from the client, the contractor proceeds further.  § Final Design Plan Layout Once the proposal was finalized, the design team of the contractor started to work on the detailed and comprehensive design of the project. The HVAC, electrical works, the building services including CCTV arrangements, the infrastructure of the building, all were done according to the sub-contractors co-ordination. The final layout of what is to be developed appeared on drawing charts and Auto-Cad drawing were prepared. The Step wise proceedings of the design phase of the CBK project starting from the Clients input and ending at the Contractors output can be seen in the Fig.3.  § Final Agreement With slight alterations in design and requirement by the client, the contract was review and the construction phase was to be started.  § Construction Phase The first step of the construction phase was the site acquisition, construction of temporary offices for the staff as well as design team. For this to happen the sub-contractors were put on job and the heavy construction machinery was brought on site.  § Final Drawings Implemented on Site With the start of working on the construction site, the first step was to excavate the area to be constructed upon. The construction phase started to be as smooth as predicted.  § Time Quality Checks The project manager of the client (CBK) had frequent visits to the site which resulted in strict control over the time and quality issues. A few incidents took place in which the contractor was not up to the mark as stated in the detailed drawing specifications. For instance, the project manager managed to have a look at the steel standards adopted and found that in the beams, low quality steel was used and was further sent for testing in the laboratory. The overall view of the working of the teams in the CBK Project can be seen in Fig.3.  § Documentation and Review A very important aspect of the CBK project was that every thing was documented and latest computer software such as Primavera was used on the site. The Clients project manager had an access to it. Some clashes went up due to delay in the project beyond the critical path which was referred to the client. Possible Issues with the Current Method of Working Different types of issues arose during the project life cycle that lead to certain unexpected failures during the project. Following table enlists the main issues: The above mentioned issues were found to have a significant impact on the working of the CBK project. The need of the future and to be successful in the field of construction is by analyzing the short comings of previously done processes. To enhance the working and construction processes by the client in the future, the forth coming recommendations in the form of Lean perspective in construction have been defined. All the working can be seen in Appendix -1. ENHANCED WAY OF HANDLING COMMERCIAL BANK OF KUWAIT PROJECT Introduction to Lean According to Egan (1998) and Latham (1994), the construction industry has changed significantly in the past decade, especially the UKs construction industry. Much emphasis is now given to improve the construction industry by analysis the working methodology of the industry. By analyzing, one can rectify the short comings and further improve that to make a win-win situation. According to Koskela (1997), construction industry cannot be a regarded as a â€Å"rich cultured† industry, because the way of doing work, the procedures and outcomes are nearly same as they were years ago. To improve this, the construction industry had to be linked with production and manufacturing industry. The reason is that although the end product of both the industries is entirely different, yet if the working principles of both industries are studied, they can be regarded as identical. According to Egbu (2010) and Towill (1997), construction industry can be regarded as a manufacturing industry. If we look at the production or manufacturing industry, for instance a car industry, the end product is a car, which was the project of the factory (Muhlemann et al., 1992). In construction industry, the end product is a building, house, a dam etc, which is the project for the construction factory/industry. Taking this, approach, Koskela (2000) introduced Lean principles in construction industrys perspective. He argued that the manufacturing industry has set of production theories which when applied to the construction industry, the results can be significant. When seen the time-line of the car manufacturing industry, for instance, we can see that the car manufacturing has changed drastically over the past century. The reason being that the working principles adopted by production industry has polished itself over time again and again, when such principle be defined and impl emented on construction industry, the end product can be enhanced (Koskela, 1992). Lean thinking is the concept put forward by Womack and Daniel (1996) in which he describes to think every possible aspect in a leaner way. Thus by minimizing single repetitive step can be a step forward towards implementing lean in our daily life. Lean production system was adopted and implemented by Toyota Production System through out its time-line of production activities. Liker (1998) recognizes Toyota as the pioneers of lean principles which have brought a revolution in its production activities for more than a century. This is done by proper planning the supply chain activities, minimizing the wasteful activities, etc. By the introduction of 5S technique, Kanban and others, Toyota has flourished significantly in the production industry, whereas, the construction industry is far away from these concepts. Summary of 14 points as set by Toyota Production System and enlisted by Liker (2004), are as follows: 1. Base Your Management Decisions on a Long-Term Philosophy, Even at the Expense of Short-Term Financial Goals. 2. Create Continuous Process Flow to Bring Problems to the Surface. 3. Use â€Å"Pull† System to Avoid Overproduction. 4. Level Out the Workload (Heijunka). 5. Build a Culture of Stopping to Fix Problems, to Get Quality Right for the First Time. 6. Standardizes Tasks are the Foundation for Continuous Improvement and Employee Empowerment. 7. Use Visual Controls so no Problems are Hidden. 8. Use Only Reliable, Thoroughly Tested Technology That Serves your People and Processes. 9. Grow Leaders who Thoroughly Understand the Work, Live the Philosophy, and Take it to Others. 10. Develop Exceptional People and Teams who Follow your Companys Philosophy. 11. Respect Your Extended Network of Partners and Suppliers by Challenging Them and Helping them Improve. 12. Go and See for Yourself to Thoroughly Understand the Situation (Genchi Genbutsu). 13. Make Decisions Slowly by Consensus, Thoroughly Considering All options; Implement Decisions Rapidly (Nemawashi). 14. Become a Learning Organization Through Relentless Reflection (Hansei) and Continuous Improvement (Kaizen). Thus by closely looking and understanding the above mentioned principles, we can judge that how successful a company can be when adopted such principles. By using Kanban, much of the waste can be removed. The fact is to carefully see and analyse the company performance and take out the shortcomings. Integrating Lean with the CBK Project Construction industry is now in a phase of adapting new procedures and methods for its improvement and to increase its efficiency. This can easily be done by integrating lean philosophy in the construction industry (Jorgensen and Emmitt, 2008 2009). Liker (2004) has condensed the above enlisted 14 key principles of Toyota Production System into 4 main categories/sections according to their nature. These are: 1. Long-Term Philosophy 2. Selection of Right Process 3. People and Parners development can lead to value generation 4. Gradually problem solving These 14 points of Toyota Production System are very well condensed in the above mentioned four points. When thinking about construction, Long-term philosophy can very much help in implementation of lean principles. According to Arbulu and Zabelle (2006), to standardize work it is very much necessary to follow a guideline. The five stages vision, skills, incentives, resources and action plan can be idealized according to the CBK Project. Thinking Lean while keeping in view these 5 stages can very well prove to be successful in the project. Vision Defining a vision is the first step towards the start of a project. These not only assist in the further journey, but also remove any questions that may arise in the overall team in the project. This exercise was found to be completely during the construction of New Head office of Central Bank of Kuwait Project because everything was mixed and jumbled up during the last stages of the project. Defining a vision thus give a road map towards success and the vision is usually giving for the next couple of years, which elaborates the broad thing of the company in front of others. Only thing that matters is the top management team to be strong to take decisions which lacked through out the CBK Project. Skills Skills come first after a vision is set. In fact a vision cannot be defined without the proper knowledge of the skills that a company possesses. In order to be successful in implementation of Lean in the construction industry, the company has to design or upgrade its staff development program. Thus skills very much distinguishes between the current adopted working methodology with the new working method i.e.; Lean. Furthermore, proper knowledge of the companies profile is also very beneficial in perusing successful projects. Although the staff of the CBK Project is very much skilled yet some lack in understanding of basics in construction industry is found, for instance the top management dealing first time with the Design Build procurement method. Incentive Incentives are good in the sense that they keep the workers at work motivated. The incentives can be in the form of money or by applauding someones good work, this make the worker feel happing. To implement lean into the construction industry is something to make a great change into the system, thus by introducing incentives can encourage workers at work and be happy to work and accept the change. Resources Resources can be regarded as the backbone of a project. Insufficient resources and funds may load to a halt during a project. In order to smoothen the working and progress of the project, it should be made assure well in advance that there are enough funds to support the working. The financial crunch appeared during the construction of the CBK project which significantly halted the progress of construction activities. Action Plan Like setting up a clear vision right in the start of the project, a good action plan is also equally important as a right action plan sets up guidelines for the project team. Working on the correct action plan, incorporates any unsubstantial changes and alterations in a project. A good action plan cannot be seen in the CBK project which lead to some unwanted results in the last stages of the project. Improvement by Implementation of Lean Principles The 14 principles of Lean Production system used by Toyota Production System and stated by Liker (2004) are being implemented into the CBK Project which gives a more Leaner and good value of money look to the project. Not only the cost of the overall project is properly utilized but also it is a quicker approach Womack and Daniel (2005). The enlisted problems in the CBK Project (as stated in the start) can be resolved using the Lean Principles. Following are the Lean principles directly implemented to the improvement of CBK Project. 1. Long-Term Philosophy The long term philosophy in the context of lean can be explained as: I. Base Your Management Decisions on Long-Term Philosophy Long term philosophy gives a plate form for an organization to initialize the start of future prospects. Long term approaches are usually declared in the form of upcoming 5, 10, 15 or 20 years in which it is clearly briefed about the future plans of the organization. Commercial Bank of Kuwait should introduce this approach right from the start of future projects. This will enhance the managerial skills of the organization and an approach to solve all the problems will be upgraded (Carroll, 2002) and hence shown in Fig.4 after application. 2. Process Improvement The process improvement section of the Lean principles consists of following aspects: II. Create Continuous Process Flow to Bring Problems to the Surface This principle of Lean suggests that the working criteria of the company should be such that it is running smoothly, fast and in an accurate manner. In this way any problem that arises during the process, may be handled quite easily. This principle can be implemented in the design and the planning phase as it removes many problems which are caused by starting different activities at same time. Such exercise was completely missing in the CBK Project. Multiple tasks were started at the same time, which lead to misunderstandings in the project. Smooth flow of work was least found and by implementing this technique the smooth flow of work can be seen. III. Use â€Å"Pull† System Pull system helps to reduce the un-necessary work that is done during the project. The use of pull system can be used in the pre-project and pre-construction phases during the design phases as this will help to control the time lapsed between the completion of the drawings and the designing. Un-necessary meetings and suggestions were found during the execution of the Pre-Tender phase whose burden, the overall project planning had to face. By introducing Pull system, much waste full activities can be overcome. IV. Level out the Workload The workers at work shouldnt be overburdened at any time of the project. This not only applies to the Labor but also to the Design Team. When it comes to the labor, it should be taken care off that every labor has equal work allocated to him and work load should be calculated according to the time available. Similarly the Design team should be Lean Principles in Construction Lean Principles in Construction Executive Summary Toyota is a name that when seen brings an image of high quality, durability, cost/fuel efficient and best value for money in the car industry. The reason for such a high standard is that Toyota Production System has Pioneered and Implemented Lean Principles in Production system. These principles didnt have the effect immediately in the start but at the last stages, it proved to have a greater worth for it. By implementation of Lean Theories and Philosophy, Toyota had got rid of much wasteful activities using Just In Time approach. The understudy report consists of the Implementation of Lean Principles on a Construction Project which was significantly delayed due to lack of managerial qualities. The Client built a new Head office to shift all the activities from the previous offices in to the new one, but a delay to all activities was observed. It has been analyzed that the construction companies fail to give proper time to the initial Pre-Design and Design Phases and are more reluctant towards starting their construction. The current method of working of the company is mapped and explained with the possible issues and problems are being enlisted. The Design Build approach of Procurement was appraised and further improvements have been suggested. The second part of the report consists of the major and applicable Lean Principles and how they can be implemented in Construction Projects. This not only reduces the wasteful activities but also prove to be cost efficient as mapped. Lastly some merits of Lean Implementation on the construction project have been enlisted and conclusions are drawn. NEW HEAD OFFICE OF COMMERCIAL BANK OF KUWAIT (CBK) Introduction The Commercial Bank of Kuwait is a well known Bank in Kuwait having its roots back in 1960s. It began with a simple minded policy from just a small part of the property with the aim to handle the financial burden on the main bank of Kuwait; the National Bank of Kuwait. Being an old player in the country, the CBK decided to shift its old head office to the new location as the old building had many issues like less working space creating hurdles in modernizing the banking facilities. The old office was in the region of Maidan Hawally which is considerably famous for foreigners living in the region. The new head office of CBK is in the Centre of Kuwait i.e. Kuwait City which is the economic hub of overall State of Kuwait. In this project, Commercial Bank of Kuwait was the main funding source. The Project began in January 2007 and the construction of the Bank lasted till March 2009. Although the project was expected to be completed by June 2008 whereas only the construction phase had jus t finished till March 2009 and the final building being handed over by September 2009. The study of the project indicated that the Project was not only delayed yet was significantly over budgeted. The Project was approximately 30 % over budget and 15 months delayed. Moreover not only these issues affected the project but too many changes by the client were also a reason for the delay. The delay in the completion of the CBK Project was due to two reasons. One being that the Chief Executive Officer of the CBK resigned due to some personal issues with Managing Director of the Bank and the other reason was due to the Financial Crunch throughout the globe. These two reasons caused changes in the project after a long halt to the construction till the new CEO was assigned as the requirements of the project were altered accordingly. Therefore only one person cannot be held responsible for the overall delay caused in the CBK Project. According to Tucker (1998), a high level of management in Construction is very much essential for smooth flow of project. Thus it can be said that there were flaws in the design phase of the project and the lack of good management resulted in overall failed on-time delivery of the project. The Procurement method of the project was Design Build keeping in view the needs and outcomes of the project. The Client (CBK itself) had future plans for further development which all seemed to be left in vain of further initiation due to such a mess created. There fore the Client took keen interest to map the overall processes of the project in order to learn the flaws that delayed the Project so as to further smoothen up its activities. Working Philosophy in the CBK Project Being appointed as an Assistant Project Manager by the Client (Commercial Bank of Kuwait), the task allocated was to analyze the overall performance of the CBK Headquarters project and prepare a report to learn the flaws and outcomes of the project. Such an exercise was done in order to generate preventive measures so that future projects may not be delayed much. The report consists of a comprehensive analysis of methodology used for the Development of Headquarter of CBK and the maximum emphasize is given to the changes in the design i.e. the overall management of the design. The first step taken into consideration is the feasibility report or the outline of the project which is the first process in a project. A detailed approach in investigation is taken therefore, the Contractor (Ahmadiah Contracting-Kuwait), the team of Client (CBK), stakeholders and other parties involved in the project were consulted. All the processes are shown are Appendix 1. Method of Procurement The method of procurement in this project was Design and Build. It is very much necessary to understand what this approach is by analyzing the method. From the clients point of view, the success of the project is nearly decided by choosing appropriate method of procurement in the beginning. The common layout of the system can be seen in the figure below. Fig.2 indicates that this system is very much suited for clients who typically pass their risk to the contractor and a close coordination is developed between the design and the contractor team. This enables to synchronize the time, cost and quality of the project in the true sense of good project management perspective. As the cost is pretty much decided in the beginning, the client is confident that all the further process is smoothen up. But the point to be concerned is that all teams should have proper knowledge of design and build approach. Mostly clients which have Design Build approach new into their project end up with the sentence that the contractor has made a lot of money out of this project. This can be true only if the client finds that the things mentioned in the proposal are not same as they should have been. According to Morledge et.al (2006), client should be in notice that: * Design and Build method may change the formal aspect of most of the parties involved throughout the project. * The contractual accountability of the involved parties can change according to the environment and need of the project. Therefore according to Morledge et.al (2006), the client should study the procurement route to be selected from the technical, financial and legal angle, well in advance before the commencement of the bidding stage. By this not only the client but also the other stakeholders involved in the project can proceed safely which having loose much money. From the explained context it can be seen that before initiating any step into the start of the project, if the client spends some time in understanding the possible pros and cons of the selection of procurement method, much discrepancies can be tackled easily. Moreover, the early involvement of the clients design team can lend a helping hand to the client in correct decision making. This type of activity seems to be very scarce in the CBK Project. Processes of CBK Project The working of the CBK Project can be seen in the form of a process map with each activity corresponding to a task. It can be seen that the working standard of the overall project is in the form of a three phase Design Build method. The three phases can be as: a. Pre-Tender Phase b. Tendering Phase c. Implementation Phase The three phases of the project are mapped as processes and sub processes and the roles of different parties involved in the overall project are elaborated (Appendix -1). This exercise enables to understand the whole process easily. Detailed Analysis of Processes The main processes of the New Headquarters of Commercial Bank of Kuwait are discussed as follows:  § Concept of the Project The Chief Executive of Commercial Bank of Kuwait had a vision towards modernization in the country and the Bank it self. Therefore in order to compete the competitive banks in Kuwait the decision was taken to develop a state of the art building which will serve as an headquarter and economic backbone for the organization. Modernization was in the sense that latest high performance computers with ultra high-tech security were to be operated in the building.  § Financial Issues The Commercial Bank of Kuwait being the client as well as the funding authority finalized the concept of the project in order to have a brief overview of required budget of the project. For this, closed group meetings and seminars were arranged in order to clear any queries in the mind of the staff of the bank.  § Planning Phase The top management of the Commercial Bank of Kuwait was keen to modernize its new headquarters. For this to happen, special sessions were arranged in collaboration with Ministry of Planning, Kuwait and State Bank of Kuwait. International Banks like Barclays and HSBC were taken as role model and one model being finalized for the future development. This was a good step as to bring Western standards into an Arab Country.  § Consultant Team The consultant team (Al-Injaz Architects and Engineers) selected by the client was through competition and the team selected was an experienced one in modern construction.  § Feasibility Report A feasibility report was made in order to study the potential outcomes of the project and what could be the difficulties faced by the teams.  § Integrating Clients Objective The Consultant team enlisted the requirements of the client and steps were taken to meet the clients goals. Mainly the clients focus was a state of the art modern building and the whole project to be finished quickly without compromising Quality Standards. Therefore quality standards were also a must for the client. Through critical analysis of the data, the consultant team came out with the Design Build approach of procurement.  § Design Phase The consultant team started their work in the perspective of Design Build approach so that the tendering process can take place on time. Initial plan setup, architectural designs along with structural designs, cost estimation; all were done right on time.  § Project Documents The Projects brief long with all the details of the project including deadline of the project, estimated cost, drawings and plan etc are documented.  § Document Review The first document review meeting was held in which the top management of the CBK took part. All the project documents were critically analyzed and the Chief Executive and Chairman of Commercial Bank of Kuwait were briefed by the Project Manager about the findings of the report. It was decided that the design of the bank was little more luxurious as per the standard set and was exceeding the budget. So minor changes were made and final documents were setup.  § Tendering Process After finalizing the Project documents, pre-qualification of contractors was done and tenders were called for the development of New Headquarters of Commercial Bank of Kuwait. This was done by the Bidding Committee assigned by the Client which was in close contact with the client during the tendering process.  § Bidding Documents Confidential bidding documents were received before the deadline and handed over to the client.  § Bid Evaluation The client selected the contractor with the lowest bid and consulted the consultant team and the project management team in order to approve the bid. Upon the approval from the teams, the client approved the Contractor (Ahmadiah Contracting, Kuwait) and informed the bidding committee.  § Contract Sign The Bidding Committee arranged a contract signing session in which the contract was signed between the two parties. It was assured that the detailed design would start immediately and the project would be finished on time and in budget.  § Initial Design The design team of the Contractor (Ahmadiah) started the initial design of the development of New Headquarters of Commercial Bank of Kuwait. The consultant team and the project manager of the client were also involved in this phase and regular meetings with the client were taking place. During this phase proper site survey and investigation was done and the design aspects were altered accordingly.  § Interior Design The interior designing of the CBK was given much more importance in order to meet the quality standards set by the client. The other reason was to meet the maximum security levels of the requirements of the project.  § Provision for restaurant In order to serve the employees of the CBK, it was mentioned in the objectives of the client to provide the catering service to the staff so that at lunch time, the staff can enjoy the atmosphere and have a chat and meeting at the same time along with lunch.  § Design Proposal After finalizing the initial design of the CBK, a design proposal was prepared along with the time and cost estimates for approval from the Client.  § Final Review The client, consultant team and the project manager set up a meeting in order to critically analyze the proposal and upon approval from the client, the contractor proceeds further.  § Final Design Plan Layout Once the proposal was finalized, the design team of the contractor started to work on the detailed and comprehensive design of the project. The HVAC, electrical works, the building services including CCTV arrangements, the infrastructure of the building, all were done according to the sub-contractors co-ordination. The final layout of what is to be developed appeared on drawing charts and Auto-Cad drawing were prepared. The Step wise proceedings of the design phase of the CBK project starting from the Clients input and ending at the Contractors output can be seen in the Fig.3.  § Final Agreement With slight alterations in design and requirement by the client, the contract was review and the construction phase was to be started.  § Construction Phase The first step of the construction phase was the site acquisition, construction of temporary offices for the staff as well as design team. For this to happen the sub-contractors were put on job and the heavy construction machinery was brought on site.  § Final Drawings Implemented on Site With the start of working on the construction site, the first step was to excavate the area to be constructed upon. The construction phase started to be as smooth as predicted.  § Time Quality Checks The project manager of the client (CBK) had frequent visits to the site which resulted in strict control over the time and quality issues. A few incidents took place in which the contractor was not up to the mark as stated in the detailed drawing specifications. For instance, the project manager managed to have a look at the steel standards adopted and found that in the beams, low quality steel was used and was further sent for testing in the laboratory. The overall view of the working of the teams in the CBK Project can be seen in Fig.3.  § Documentation and Review A very important aspect of the CBK project was that every thing was documented and latest computer software such as Primavera was used on the site. The Clients project manager had an access to it. Some clashes went up due to delay in the project beyond the critical path which was referred to the client. Possible Issues with the Current Method of Working Different types of issues arose during the project life cycle that lead to certain unexpected failures during the project. Following table enlists the main issues: The above mentioned issues were found to have a significant impact on the working of the CBK project. The need of the future and to be successful in the field of construction is by analyzing the short comings of previously done processes. To enhance the working and construction processes by the client in the future, the forth coming recommendations in the form of Lean perspective in construction have been defined. All the working can be seen in Appendix -1. ENHANCED WAY OF HANDLING COMMERCIAL BANK OF KUWAIT PROJECT Introduction to Lean According to Egan (1998) and Latham (1994), the construction industry has changed significantly in the past decade, especially the UKs construction industry. Much emphasis is now given to improve the construction industry by analysis the working methodology of the industry. By analyzing, one can rectify the short comings and further improve that to make a win-win situation. According to Koskela (1997), construction industry cannot be a regarded as a â€Å"rich cultured† industry, because the way of doing work, the procedures and outcomes are nearly same as they were years ago. To improve this, the construction industry had to be linked with production and manufacturing industry. The reason is that although the end product of both the industries is entirely different, yet if the working principles of both industries are studied, they can be regarded as identical. According to Egbu (2010) and Towill (1997), construction industry can be regarded as a manufacturing industry. If we look at the production or manufacturing industry, for instance a car industry, the end product is a car, which was the project of the factory (Muhlemann et al., 1992). In construction industry, the end product is a building, house, a dam etc, which is the project for the construction factory/industry. Taking this, approach, Koskela (2000) introduced Lean principles in construction industrys perspective. He argued that the manufacturing industry has set of production theories which when applied to the construction industry, the results can be significant. When seen the time-line of the car manufacturing industry, for instance, we can see that the car manufacturing has changed drastically over the past century. The reason being that the working principles adopted by production industry has polished itself over time again and again, when such principle be defined and impl emented on construction industry, the end product can be enhanced (Koskela, 1992). Lean thinking is the concept put forward by Womack and Daniel (1996) in which he describes to think every possible aspect in a leaner way. Thus by minimizing single repetitive step can be a step forward towards implementing lean in our daily life. Lean production system was adopted and implemented by Toyota Production System through out its time-line of production activities. Liker (1998) recognizes Toyota as the pioneers of lean principles which have brought a revolution in its production activities for more than a century. This is done by proper planning the supply chain activities, minimizing the wasteful activities, etc. By the introduction of 5S technique, Kanban and others, Toyota has flourished significantly in the production industry, whereas, the construction industry is far away from these concepts. Summary of 14 points as set by Toyota Production System and enlisted by Liker (2004), are as follows: 1. Base Your Management Decisions on a Long-Term Philosophy, Even at the Expense of Short-Term Financial Goals. 2. Create Continuous Process Flow to Bring Problems to the Surface. 3. Use â€Å"Pull† System to Avoid Overproduction. 4. Level Out the Workload (Heijunka). 5. Build a Culture of Stopping to Fix Problems, to Get Quality Right for the First Time. 6. Standardizes Tasks are the Foundation for Continuous Improvement and Employee Empowerment. 7. Use Visual Controls so no Problems are Hidden. 8. Use Only Reliable, Thoroughly Tested Technology That Serves your People and Processes. 9. Grow Leaders who Thoroughly Understand the Work, Live the Philosophy, and Take it to Others. 10. Develop Exceptional People and Teams who Follow your Companys Philosophy. 11. Respect Your Extended Network of Partners and Suppliers by Challenging Them and Helping them Improve. 12. Go and See for Yourself to Thoroughly Understand the Situation (Genchi Genbutsu). 13. Make Decisions Slowly by Consensus, Thoroughly Considering All options; Implement Decisions Rapidly (Nemawashi). 14. Become a Learning Organization Through Relentless Reflection (Hansei) and Continuous Improvement (Kaizen). Thus by closely looking and understanding the above mentioned principles, we can judge that how successful a company can be when adopted such principles. By using Kanban, much of the waste can be removed. The fact is to carefully see and analyse the company performance and take out the shortcomings. Integrating Lean with the CBK Project Construction industry is now in a phase of adapting new procedures and methods for its improvement and to increase its efficiency. This can easily be done by integrating lean philosophy in the construction industry (Jorgensen and Emmitt, 2008 2009). Liker (2004) has condensed the above enlisted 14 key principles of Toyota Production System into 4 main categories/sections according to their nature. These are: 1. Long-Term Philosophy 2. Selection of Right Process 3. People and Parners development can lead to value generation 4. Gradually problem solving These 14 points of Toyota Production System are very well condensed in the above mentioned four points. When thinking about construction, Long-term philosophy can very much help in implementation of lean principles. According to Arbulu and Zabelle (2006), to standardize work it is very much necessary to follow a guideline. The five stages vision, skills, incentives, resources and action plan can be idealized according to the CBK Project. Thinking Lean while keeping in view these 5 stages can very well prove to be successful in the project. Vision Defining a vision is the first step towards the start of a project. These not only assist in the further journey, but also remove any questions that may arise in the overall team in the project. This exercise was found to be completely during the construction of New Head office of Central Bank of Kuwait Project because everything was mixed and jumbled up during the last stages of the project. Defining a vision thus give a road map towards success and the vision is usually giving for the next couple of years, which elaborates the broad thing of the company in front of others. Only thing that matters is the top management team to be strong to take decisions which lacked through out the CBK Project. Skills Skills come first after a vision is set. In fact a vision cannot be defined without the proper knowledge of the skills that a company possesses. In order to be successful in implementation of Lean in the construction industry, the company has to design or upgrade its staff development program. Thus skills very much distinguishes between the current adopted working methodology with the new working method i.e.; Lean. Furthermore, proper knowledge of the companies profile is also very beneficial in perusing successful projects. Although the staff of the CBK Project is very much skilled yet some lack in understanding of basics in construction industry is found, for instance the top management dealing first time with the Design Build procurement method. Incentive Incentives are good in the sense that they keep the workers at work motivated. The incentives can be in the form of money or by applauding someones good work, this make the worker feel happing. To implement lean into the construction industry is something to make a great change into the system, thus by introducing incentives can encourage workers at work and be happy to work and accept the change. Resources Resources can be regarded as the backbone of a project. Insufficient resources and funds may load to a halt during a project. In order to smoothen the working and progress of the project, it should be made assure well in advance that there are enough funds to support the working. The financial crunch appeared during the construction of the CBK project which significantly halted the progress of construction activities. Action Plan Like setting up a clear vision right in the start of the project, a good action plan is also equally important as a right action plan sets up guidelines for the project team. Working on the correct action plan, incorporates any unsubstantial changes and alterations in a project. A good action plan cannot be seen in the CBK project which lead to some unwanted results in the last stages of the project. Improvement by Implementation of Lean Principles The 14 principles of Lean Production system used by Toyota Production System and stated by Liker (2004) are being implemented into the CBK Project which gives a more Leaner and good value of money look to the project. Not only the cost of the overall project is properly utilized but also it is a quicker approach Womack and Daniel (2005). The enlisted problems in the CBK Project (as stated in the start) can be resolved using the Lean Principles. Following are the Lean principles directly implemented to the improvement of CBK Project. 1. Long-Term Philosophy The long term philosophy in the context of lean can be explained as: I. Base Your Management Decisions on Long-Term Philosophy Long term philosophy gives a plate form for an organization to initialize the start of future prospects. Long term approaches are usually declared in the form of upcoming 5, 10, 15 or 20 years in which it is clearly briefed about the future plans of the organization. Commercial Bank of Kuwait should introduce this approach right from the start of future projects. This will enhance the managerial skills of the organization and an approach to solve all the problems will be upgraded (Carroll, 2002) and hence shown in Fig.4 after application. 2. Process Improvement The process improvement section of the Lean principles consists of following aspects: II. Create Continuous Process Flow to Bring Problems to the Surface This principle of Lean suggests that the working criteria of the company should be such that it is running smoothly, fast and in an accurate manner. In this way any problem that arises during the process, may be handled quite easily. This principle can be implemented in the design and the planning phase as it removes many problems which are caused by starting different activities at same time. Such exercise was completely missing in the CBK Project. Multiple tasks were started at the same time, which lead to misunderstandings in the project. Smooth flow of work was least found and by implementing this technique the smooth flow of work can be seen. III. Use â€Å"Pull† System Pull system helps to reduce the un-necessary work that is done during the project. The use of pull system can be used in the pre-project and pre-construction phases during the design phases as this will help to control the time lapsed between the completion of the drawings and the designing. Un-necessary meetings and suggestions were found during the execution of the Pre-Tender phase whose burden, the overall project planning had to face. By introducing Pull system, much waste full activities can be overcome. IV. Level out the Workload The workers at work shouldnt be overburdened at any time of the project. This not only applies to the Labor but also to the Design Team. When it comes to the labor, it should be taken care off that every labor has equal work allocated to him and work load should be calculated according to the time available. Similarly the Design team should be