Project Management and Tran Essay Example for Free

Project Management and Tran Essay Tran was taking his dog Callie on her evening walk as the sun began to set over the coastal range. He looked forward to this time of the day. It was an opportunity to enjoy some peace and quiet. It was also a time to review events on the Ajax project and plot his next moves. Ajax is the code name given by CEBEX for a high-tech security system project funded by the U. S. Department of Defense (DOD). Tran is the project manager and his core them consisted of 30 full-time hardware and software engineers. Tran and his family fled he was 18 and used the education stipend to attend Washington State University. He joined CEBEX upon graduating with a dual degree in mechanical and electrical engineering. After working on a variety of projects for 10 years Tran decided he wanted to enter management. He went to night school at the University of Washington to earn an MBA. Tran became a project manager for the money. He also thought he was good at it. He enjoyed working with people and making the right thing happen. This was his fifth project and up to now he was batting. 500,with half of his projects coming ahead of schedule. Tran was proud that he could now afford to send his oldest child to Stanford University. Ajax was one of many defense projects the CEBEX Corporation had under contract with DOD. CEBEX is a huge defense company with annual sales in excess of $30 billion and more than 120,000 employees worldwide. CEBEX’s five major business areas are Aeronautics, Electronic Systems, Information Solutions, and Space Systems. Ajax was one of several new projects sponsored by the Integrated Systems Solutions division aimed at the homeland security business. CEBEX was confident that it could leverage its technical expertise and political connections to become a major player in this growing market. Ajax was one of several projects directed at designing, developing, and installing a security system at an important government installation. Tran had two major concerns when he started the Ajax project. The first was the technical risks inherent in the project. In theory the design principles made sense and the project used proven technology. Still the technology had never been applied in the field in this matter. From past experience, Tran knew there was a big difference between the laboratory and the real world. He also knew that integrating the audio, optical, tactile, and laser subsystems would test the patience and ingenuity of his team. The second concern involved his team. The team was pretty much split down the middle between hardware and electrical engineers. Not only did these engineers have different skill sets and tend to look at problems differently, but generational differences between the two groups were evident as well. The hardware engineers were almost all former military, family men with conservative attire and beliefs. The electrical engineers were a much motlier crew. They tended to be young, single, and at times very cocky. While the hardware engineers talked about the Seattle Mariners, raising teenagers, and going to Palm Desert to play golf, the software engineers talked about Vapor, the latest concert at Gorge amphitheater, and going mountain biking in Peru. To make matters worse, tension between these two groups within CEBEX festered around salary issues. Electrical engineers were at a premium, and the hardware engineers resented the new hires’ salary packages, which were comparable to what they were earning after 20 years of working for CEBEX. Still the real money was to be made from the incentives associated with project performance. These were all contingent on meeting project milestones and the final completion date. Before actual work started on the project, Tran arranged a tow-day team-building retreat at a lodge on the Olympic peninsula for his entire team as well as key staff from the government installation. He used this time to go over the major objectives of the project and unveil the basic project plan. An internal consultant facilitated several team-building activities that made light of cross-generational issues. Tran felt a real sense of camaraderie within the team. The good feelings generated from the retreat carried over to the beginning of the project. The entire team bought into the mission of the project and technical challenges it represented. Hardware and electrical engineers worked side by side to solve problems and build subsystems. The project plan was built around a series of five tests, with each test being a more rigorous verification of total system performance. Passing each test represented a key milestone for the project. The team was excited about conducting the first Alpha test one week early—only to be disappointed by a series of minor technical glitches that ook two weeks of problem solving to resolve. The team worked extra hard to make up for the lost time. Tran was proud of team and how hard members had worked together. The Alpha II test was conducted on schedule, but once again the system failed to perform. This time three weeks of debugging was needed before the team received the green light to move to the next phase of the project. By this time, team goodwill had been tested, and emotions were a bit frayed. A cloud of disappointment descended over the team as hopes of bonuses disappeared with the project falling further behind schedule. This was augmented by cynics who felt that the original schedule was unfair and the deadlines were impossible to begin with. Tran responded by starting each day with a status meeting where the team reviewed what they accomplished the previous day and set new objectives for that day. He believed these meetings were helpful in establishing positive momentum and reinforcing a team identity among the engineers. He also went out of his way to spend more time with the â€Å"troops,† helping them solve problems, offering encouragement, and a sincere pat on the back when one was deserved. He was cautiously optimistic when the time came to conduct the Alpha III test. It was the end of the day when the switch was turned on, but nothing happened. Within minutes the entire team heard the news. Screams could be heard down the hallway. Perhaps the most telling moment was when Tran looked down at the company’s parking lot and saw most of his project team walking by themselves to their cars. As Callie chased some wild bunnies, Tran pondered what he should do next. 1. How effective has Tran been as a project manager? Explain. 2. What problem(s) does Tran face?

Sports Narrative - Track State Champion :: Personal Narrative Essays

Personal Narrative- Track State Champion With shaky knees, I hesitantly made my way up the large white steps. With the back of my hand, I brushed away a few salty tears of relief. As I stood at the top of the podium and looked up into the packed stadium, my mind drifted back to everything I had gone through to achieve this moment, the day I became a state champion. The start of the 2002 track season found me concerned with how I would perform. After a disastrous bout with mononucleosis ended my freshmen track season, the fear of failure weighed heavily on my mind. I set a goal for myself in order to maintain focus and to push myself like nothing else would. My goal for my sophomore track season was to become a state champion in the 100 meter hurdles. I worked hard everyday at practice and went the extra mile, like running every Sunday, to be just that much closer to reaching my goal. The thought of standing highest on the podium in the center of the field, surrounded by hundreds of spectators, overcame my thoughts of complaining every time we had a hard workout. When I closed my eyes, I pictured myself waiting in anticipation as other competitors names were called out, one by one, until finally, the booming voice announced over the loudspeaker, "...and in first place, your 2002 100 meter hurdle champion, from Hotchkiss, Connie Dawson." It wa s visions like these that drove me to work harder everyday. As the season progressed, competition started getting fiercer. I was up against girls running at a 5A level, yet, I was able to hold my own. Finally there came a tiny light at the end of the tunnel; it seemed as though I was getting closer and closer to accomplishing my goal. Along with my undefeated title came a huge target painted on my back. I religiously checked "Rocky Preps" every day to see if the competition was gaining on me. It seemed that every time I had improved, there was someone right behind me, running their personal best too. I trained during the weeks before regionals like I had never trained before. Each day my stomach became more twisted with knots that looped around every part of my stomach. I don't think I had ever been that nervous in my whole life.

Assignment International Business Management Essay

Instruction * Complete with your team (ca. 3 students) the assignments and case. Please use the answer form in doing so. * Please hand in your final version before the tutorial of 110 minutes (T3) by uploading it to the sharepoint site of the course Marketing. * Dont forget to bring a hardcopy version of your answer to class and prepare as a team how you will be presenting your answers. * N.B. This is a team exercise. Every group member is responsible for the work which is handed in at the deadline. Hence every group member may be asked by the instructor to clarify your team’s answers. Assignment & Case overview: Assignment # 1 (60 points: 10 per question, 20 points for questions 1 and 2) 1) Select an industry: IT and computers Examples of industries are: transport, energy, IT and computers, supermarkets, publishers, garden centres, travel agencies, employment agencies, etc. 1a) Please mention for your industry of choice at least 6 relevant developments in its macro-environment. (20 points) 2) Please select a company or brand which operates in your industry of choice. The company or brand of choice must have both consumer – and business clients. 2a) Please mention for your company or brand of choice at least 6 relevant developments in its micro-environment. (20 points) 3) From this company’s or brand’s perspective, do the developments you identified in the macro- and micro-environment, have a positive or negative impact for the particular company or brand? 4) Draw an organisational chart of your company of choice. Include all sister companies and SBU’s (Strategic Business Units). Case Week 1: Pegasus Airlines (40 points) Please read the case on page 36-37 and answer the following questions: Question 1:Give examples of the needs, wants and demands that Pegasus customers demonstrate, differentiating these 3 concepts. What are the implications of each for Pegasus’ practices? (10 points) Question 2: Describe in detail all the facets of Pegasus’ product. What is being exchanged in a Pegasus transaction? (10 points) Question 3: Which of the 5 marketing management concepts best applies to Pegasus? (5 points) Question 4: What value does Pegasus create for its customers? (10 points) Question 5: Is Pegasus likely to continue being successful in building customer relationships? Why or why not? (5 points) Answer FormMarketing Week 1(Total points to be earned: 100) Team #†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Class IBM12 Names:Jasper Henken Lam Le Danny Dikker Assignment # 1 (60 points: 10 per question, 20 points for questions 1 and 2) 1) Select an industry: (20 points) ————————————————- Industry: IT and computers ————————————————- 1a) Please mention for your industry of choice at least 6 relevant developments in its macro-environment. | 1a) Developments in the macro environment| (3) + or – impact| 1| Technological| +| 2| Economic| +| 3| Cultural| +| 4| Political| -| 5| Natural| +| 6| Demographic| +| ————————————————- Explanations: ————————————————- 1. There’s obviously been quite some innovations regarding the technology of computers, which also has a great impact on sales of computers and therefore is a positive impact on the macro environment. ————————————————- 2. The economy is more about communicating and working together. Every company nowadays runs on computer software and relies on computers to process the data. This obviously has a positive influence for IT. ————————————————- 3. There’s been developments cultural wise, people are more connect to each other by using a computer and therefore the cultural development has a positive influence on the macro environment ————————————————- 4. Governments are trying to spy on each other and their civilians by using IT technology. This basically scares away from IT in general. ————————————————- 5.The industry nowadays minimises its effect to the environment by limiting chemicals in its processes and minimising the electrical usage of their products and programmes. ————————————————- 6. Population is increasing and therefore the demand of computers will increase over time. ————————————————- 2) Please select a company or brand which operates in your industry of choice. The company or brand of choice must have both consumer – and business clients. (20 points) ————————————————- Company or brand: Microsoft ————————————————- ————————————————- 2a) Please mention for your company of choice at least 6 relevant developments in its micro-environment. | 2a) Developments in the micro environment| (3) + or – impact| 1| The Company| +| 2| Suppliers| +| 3| Marketing intermediaries| +| 4| Competitors| -| 5| Publics| +| 6| Customers| +| ————————————————- Explanations: ————————————————- 1. Microsoft is a big company therefore it should be logical that Microsoft has his own marketing department etc. ————————————————- 2. Suppliers have a positive impact because they deliver the goods that Microsoft needs to produce their product. ————————————————- 3. Microsoft has a lot of good relationships with other firms which allows them to expend in their production and possibilities. ————————————————- 4. Apple, linux are big competitors so Microsoft can struggle which means it has a negative impact. ————————————————- 5. Microsoft is well-known around the world, everyone that thinks about computers think about Microsoft. ————————————————- 6. Everyone uses a computer and since windows is one of the biggest in the market at the moment, Customers obviously have a positive impact. ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- 3) From this company’s or brand’s perspective, do the developments you identified in the macro- and micro-environment have a positive or negative impact for the particular company or brand? (See tables abover for questions 1a and 2a for indicating positive (+) or negative (-) impact and/or type an explanation here)(2 x 5 = 10 points) ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- 4) Draw an organisational chart of your company of choice. Include all sister companies and SBU’s (Strategic Business Units).(10 points) ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- Case Week 1: Pegasus Airlines (40 points) Please read the case on page 36-37 and answer the following questions: Question 1:Give examples of the needs, wants and demands that Pegasus customers demonstrate, differentiating these 3 concepts. What are the implications of each for Pegasus’ practices? (10 points) ————————————————- Needs: Low prices ————————————————- Wants: If a delay of more than 3 hours occur, they get a full refund. ————————————————- Demands: Innovative destination in offers. ————————————————- ————————————————- Question 2: Describe in detail all the facets of Pegasus’ product. What is being exchanged in a Pegasus transaction? (10 points) ————————————————- On-time departure, Information support by e-mail and SMS, Credit & Loyalty card, Refund in case of a 3+ hour delay, Fly Cafà ©, Opportunity to choose a seat, Discounts for early booking, Various destinations, customer service strategy lies regularly scheduled. ————————————————- ————————————————- Question 3: Which of the 5 marketing management concepts best applies to Pegasus? (5 points) ————————————————- The marketing concept. ————————————————- ————————————————- Question 4: What value does Pegasus create for its customers? (10 points) ————————————————- A flight experience with high quality and low cost. ————————————————- ————————————————- Question 5: Is Pegasus likely to continue being successful in building customer relationships? Why or why not? (5 points) ————————————————- Yes, if you deliver the customers’ needs and wants, they’ll pick you over competitors and you’ll be successful. ————————————————- ————————————————-

Fashion History Essay - 1345 Words

Introduction Historically, multiple styles of dressing have been created during the last several decades, which played an important role in modern fashion in the UK. Everyone has a different and unique dressing style in their general life. Some styles are influenced in vintage styles which is attributing to the deep effects of old vogue, and another group of dressing styles are inclined into the fresh element. According to those different styles some of them are even evolved in the milestones in fashion history. To start this essay, it will introduce the evaluation of the first significant revolution of dressing style in 1960s. A famous designer called Mary Quant created mini-skirts and it becomes the most popular fashion style†¦show more content†¦For example the waistless chemise and schoolgirl pinafores occupied people’s eyes (Palmer and Clark., 2005) at that time. After this kind of dressing design appeared, women look more confident when they were it on and this kind of dress can fully exhibit women’s body. The matching colors and cutting patterns were also vital elements to attract people visual feeling. What is more applying the purely colors or contracting colors were a key foundation in the 60s style; such as white and black, red and green and yellow and pink (Palmer and Clark., 2005). Most importantly, OP-art fabrics were considered famous and typical material; in addition, vinyl and wet-look was also the high of cool in the 60s (Tolkien., 2002). As the hot fashion background during the 1960s, people cannot ignore a talented fashion designer, Mary Quant. She changed the dressing style of this decade and created the famous mini-skirt. It soon became the most popular product in the summer of 1960 (Tolkien., 2002). Most importantly, she improved and created the dressing styles of 1960 and women’s dresses have become sexier and more outrageous. In fact, Palmer and Clark(2005) mentioned that she did not directly admit that she created mini-skirts â€Å"I just copied them form the girls in the stress and there was something in the air† Supplely, Mary Quant was an art student and did not have any background in fashion. She studiedShow MoreRelated History of Fashion Essay638 Words   |  3 Pages History of Fashion Fashion has changed a great deal over the past three centuries. As history changes it seems that fashion in some aspect changes with it to adapt to the era. Even today fashion continues to change as the years go on. Looking at fashion even 20 years ago we can see a difference from what we see in our everyday lives. For the purpose of this essay Fashion will be divided into three centuries, since not every era of clothing can be touched upon. 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