Advantages And Disadvantages Of Construction Management Construction Essay

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Construction Management Construction Essay Construction Management is a specialized management practice consisting of an arrangement of services applied to construction projects and programs through the planning, design, construction and post construction phases for the purpose of achieving project objectives including the management of quality, cost and time. It is also a faster pathway procurement method which enables work to begin on the early stages of construction while the design and documentation of later trade packages are being finalized. For instance, a client engages a construction manager to organize, let and supervise the trade packages. Construction management is useful in unstable economic and industrial climates by helping to reduce the time and cost of project delivery. Clients can change the specifications of later trade packages according to changing project requirements. Construction management is a discipline and management system specifically created to promote the successful execution of capital projects for owners. These projects can be complicated. The construction manager seeks to achieve a smooth inter face between trade contractors. This is an important factor as the successful completion of one trade package is to a large degree of reliant upon the satisfactory implementation of earlier or related packages. The construction manager must plan the works to ensure continuity and avoid possible delay claims against the principal. Construction management is perhaps best summed up as the procurement route whereby designers design, trade contractors detail and deliver their packages, and where the construction manager manages the process, leaving the client to lead and accept the risk on a project for which they are ultimately responsible. The situation, responsibilities and risks may vary significantly between construction managers. The Advantages of Construction Management The implementation of these management activities turns the planning, design and construction process into one which generates value and  maximizes control.   These activities add predictability to the outcome of the project from the planning phase to the completion of construction. A more professional Service is provided. Construction Management (CM) is recognized as a professional service. Therefore, even in public projects, the owner has the right to select a CM firm based on the company reputation and personal qualification. Responsibility is also stand an important issue in construction management. A construction manager is often selected early in the budget development process before the design team is selected to aid the owner in establish a budget and schedule that will be used to protect all financing, and then secure suitable and competitive design proposals. In addition, it also improves the concern between the contractor and the owner. Generally, a general contractor typically is less motivated to work with the owner to improve quality and costs, and is more focused on maximizing their profit. A greater teamwork is formed in this project. Normally, the owner selects the team such as project manager to represent the owner under the construction management based upon their track record. The relationship of a construction manager with a client is usually as an addition of the clientà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s staff hired for the purpose of promoting project teamwork besides cost, schedule and quality control on the project. Greater staff flexibility is also one of the advantages of construction management. For instance, a construction manger can give an owner greater flexibility in dealing with income and relocation of workers within the ownerà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s staff. The implementation of construction management improved the cost control and provides greater reliability and creativity. A construction manager typically provides cost estimating during the initial owner budgeting process, and further cost estimating and value engineering during the design phase of a project, costly and time consuming. Value engineering and cost reduction ideas are identified when they can still be implemented into the design. It also improved the communication within the team. For example,that construction managers often work for owners on subsequent projects, lessons learned as a team on one project are applied to future work. Disadvantages of Construction Management While Construction Management may be beneficial in some circumstances, owners should recognize that it may also have some disadvantages. The most significant disadvantage of many Construction Management contracting arrangements is that significant portions of the total services for which the Construction Manager is remunerated are not subject to competitive bidding. Consequently, it is much less likely that the Owner will be charged the lowest possible market rates for these services. A second commonly seen disadvantage is the open-ended nature of many Construction Management contractual arrangements, which unnecessarily expose the Owner to the risk of unanticipated cost increases. Depending on how the Construction Manager is to be remunerated, there may be a built-in disincentive for the Construction Manager to minimize costs (e.g. if there is a cost plus a percentage component in the Construction Management services contract). There can also be a built-in disincentive to complete t he work as quickly as possible (e.g. if the Construction Manager is paid additional money for additional time spent on the project). Contractual arrangements that may have this effect should be avoided. Alternatively, under CM as Constructor, and especially when no fast-tracking is intended, these concerns can be mitigated by establishing a guaranteed maximum price, or by converting the Construction Management services contract to a stipulated price construction contract prior to the commencement of construction. Unless and until this happens, Owners should be aware that the Construction Manager is not contractually committed to the construction cost estimate and that there exists the potential for significant unanticipated cost increases. (This may be somewhat offset however by the Construction Managers desire to maintain a reputation for meeting budgets.) While the security provided by a guaranteed maximum price, or a stipulated price, is often attractive to Owners, it should be borne in mind that this security comes at a price, since the guaranteed maximum price or stipulated price will invariably include a cushion to cover risks which may or may not materialize.

Book Review of Lytton Stracheys Elizabeth and Essx :: essays research papers

The tragic but yet romantic novel I read was called, Elizabeth and Essex. This novel is a biographical and historical book. The subject of the book is a â€Å"tragic history†. The author, Lytton Strachey, tells the reader a lot about these two â€Å"love birds† that were destined to be together. Whose name’s were Elizabeth and Essex. Lytton Strachey presents a very â€Å"well-rounded† picture of the book. I think it is very important for an author to present a good picture of the book because of one very IMPORTANT reason, for the reader to understand and to become more interested in the book, the author has to make the reader feel as if they were there discovering that piece of history that was created or a joke that was told. To me I think that the author’s purpose was several different things. Only because the book wasn’t only entertaining , but it was informing, and instructive. The author will do anything to make his/her book interesting and enjoyable to the public, so they try to squeeze in entertaining, informing, and instructive material into the book. The style of the book is what made it so special. It was VERY easy to understand, and at the same time it was exciting. Some readers may think a tragic, but yet romantic novel is hard to understand, but what they don’t know is that all books are easy to read. You are just stopping yourself too soon to learn it. This book had no problems with being beautifully written and understandable. Compared with the first book I read for the first nine weeks, I would say this book is 110 times better. (The book that I read the first nine weeks was called Abraham Lincoln as I knew him.) This book, Elizabeth and Essex, had everything that a book worm could ask for. Some interesting quotes and passages that I found were: on page 3 it said that the Earl of Essex, Elizabeth’s lover, was once her first cousin twice removed. Another one I read was on page 91. It was a quote that was quoted by Portia to Bassano, â€Å"but I fear you speak upon the rack, where men enforced do speak anything.

Information Security Overview Essay

In this paper I will be discussing some of the benefits of having frameworks for information security management. What each of the frameworks of information security are, their pros and their cons. Which major perspectives to consider in information security management and framework choice. What organizational factors should be considered in framework choice? I will also attempt to come up with a better framework for information security. Some of the benefits of having frameworks for information security management are, that they serve as a common ground for integrating all types of information security functions. It also helps answer question of how to react to information security issues. As well as, helping identify what the important components involved in establishing and maintaining information security initiatives. Since our information faces more potential security breaches than ever before (Ma, Schmidt, Pearson, 2009 p. 58). The information security frameworks are the follow ing: -Governance frameworks -Security frameworks -Risk management and risk assessment frameworks -Audit and assurance frameworks -Legal and regulatory frameworks The governance framework is very important because it gives us a road map for the application, evaluation and improvement of information security practices (Information Security Governance: Toward a Framework for Action). This frame work includes legislation, regulations, corporate structure, corporate culture and the importance of information security to the organization. It also acts as a mechanism to deliver value, mange performance and also mitigates risk. Another important fact about this  framework is that it gives us a way to assign accountability for each decision and performance. It ensures that policies, procedures, management and other related management techniques are all working hand in hand to achieve the organization’s goals. There aren’t many documents that define the roles, tasks and responsibilities of different senior members of an organization, just like in any other successful practice the need of support from senior management is needed. FISMA clarifies how that support has to be given. Some of the pros that governance frameworks bring to the table are as follows: It helps technology with business goals, it provided a framework for measuring and managing IS performance. It also facilitates compliance with external legislation and regulations. And last but not least, it helps ensure valuable technology solutions are delivered on time and on budget. Security standard framework consists of various guidelines, standards and regulations FISMA, NIST 800-39, HIPAA stand out to me. Each of these cover a wide range of needs that need to be followed in order to achieve a successful security framework. While FISMA is a more broad regulation that covers many government related issues, it still provides a good understanding of the division of responsibilities. NIST 800-39 delves into different risk management issues, which will be highlighted as I continue this research. Information security planning or strategy should be aligned with business objectives (Peltier, 2003 p.22) According to NIST 800-39 Risk management is a comprehensive process that requires organizations to: frame risk i.e. establish the context for risk-based decisions, assess risk and responds to risk once determined, and to monitor risk on an ongoing basis. This frame work is a fundamental requirement in which senior leaders and executives need to be committed to. There are many organizational risks, some of these are: i.e. program management risk, investment risks, legal liability risk and security. Information systems is also critical to the success of organizations achieving their objectives and strategic goals (NIST 800-39 p. 2). Some of the pros for Risk Management frame works are a) reducing the risk to an acceptable level if the risk cannot be eliminated, with which the organization it is still able to function safely. b) Risk can be transferred by using insurance policies by insuring that the company’s assets are protected for theft or destruction. Audit and assurance frameworks includes assessing and comparing what is actually happening in an  organization against what is actually supposed to be happening. Auditors can also be called to assess compliance with corporate security policies, standards, procedures and guidelines. Some times as contractual commitments, either as a specific audit or solely in the course of routine audit assignment. Legal and regulatory frameworks, ensure that organizations are abiding by the requirements given by the different regulations like, FISMA, HIPPA and others. Failure to comply with the standards listed on these and other regulations can affect organizations in various ways; ranging from fines to jail time depending of the severity of the violation and the state where the violation is being committed. The some of the pros to this framework are that organizations will be more apt to follow what is required of them all the while protecting not only the customers’ sensitive informations but also the employee’s vital information. Some of the cons to these frameworks â€Å"A secure system is one that does what it’s supposed to† (Eugene Spafford). There is no way to ensure that all systems have the same state of security. Because not all systems do the same things. Therefore each individual organization or user must choose what type of security is important. In some cases security clashes with itself. Controls that might enhance confidentiality doesn’t necessarily support integrity. With all the time it takes to control integrity and confidentiality and how complex they each are, the availability is impacted. It does not come as a surprise that it is impossible to create a universal checklist of the items once implemented, will guarantee security. Security risks aren’t necessarily measurable, since the frequencies and impacts of future incidents are dependent on many different things that tend to be out of our control. If we don’t know what skills whoever is attempting to intrude or hack our systems is working with, it would be difficult to fight it, let alone predict it. Opposite to what some might believe, according to BOA’s Smith, â€Å"senior management is not the biggest hindrance to better security. Rather, th e middle management might represent one of the largest challenges because they impact the organization daily.† Many organizations find it difficult to stay in compliance with different government laws and regulations like Sarbanes-Oxley Act and HIPAA in addition to Payment card industry Data security Standards. It does not help the fact that there is a scarcity in security professionals who have the technical and engineering skills that  know how to explain the risks/rewards and the trade-off and can sell solutions within the organization. When choosing a framework in information security management we have to keep in mind different factors in order to have a successful framework. Some of these factors are, the goals of the organization; we have to establish the information security objectives, these should be strategic, organizational focus and made by executive-level management, since they have a better grasp of the whole business goals and limitations. We also have to be aware of the fact that organizational goals, structure and information security management strategy has to change as different environmental factors like, technology business and legislation frequently evolve. Another important factor is the culture of the organization need to be the same for everyone involve, from the CISO to the administrative assistant. After all the extensive reading, my framework would have a continuous risk management and risk assessment frame work, security controls that align perfectly with the goals of the business and the culture of not only the organization but the entire workforce. I would achieve this by implementing quarterly training on the importance of ISM and how it affects everyone involved. I believe that everyone should be kept informed as to what our IS goals are by showing them how we have failed or succeeded. On the chance that we have failed we can have the employees propose how we can make it better. When we involve everyone affected they will take it more seriously. There are different types of frameworks that make up the information security management framework. Which address the needs for a functional ISM framework and details the obligations of those in an organization while providing the standards, guidelines, legislations and regulations the all have to abide by. And how the lack of a proper framework can affect those in the organization. Reference Ma, Q., Schmidt, M., & Pearson, J. (2009). An integrated framework for information security managemtn. doi: Review of Business Dempsey, K., Chawla, N., Johnston, R., Jones, A., Orebaugh, A., Scholl, M., Stine, K., & Johnson, A. U.S Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology. (2001). Information security continuous monitoring for federal information systems and organizations (800-137). Gaithersburg, MD D. Smith (Jonson, M., & Goetz, E. (2007). Embedding information security into the organization. 17.) Eugene Spafford. (I’m sorry, but I lost the article where I got his quote from)

The Role of Appearance on Social Acceptance - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 4 Words: 1188 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2019/04/12 Category Literature Essay Level High school Tags: Frankenstein Essay Did you like this example? Within the gothic novel Frankenstein; Or the Modern Prometheus, appearance is critical to being accepted by society. When I looked around I saw and heard of none like me. Was I, a monster, a blot upon the earth from which all men fled and whom all men disowned? (Frankenstein, 105). This familiar quote, spoken by the monster conveys the discriminating yet, the inevitability of judgment that the monster faces in Mary Shelleys gothic novel Frankenstein; Or the Modern Prometheus. Throughout the novel, there are multiple prominent instances where social acceptance is based solely on appearance. First, Elizabeth proves evidential in this case and secondly, the more obvious and prominent instance, Victor Frankensteins creature. The creature is one of the central characters of the novel who, overall represents mankind and their experiences with social acceptance throughout life. The readers of Mary Shelleys Frankenstein are taken on the journey through which this no-named creation is abandoned by his creator yet, only longs to be loved and understood. This journey reinstates that regardless of ones personality, the underlying message conveys that societys judgment of an individual is based solely on physical appearance. The issue of acceptance is easily perceived in Mary Shelleys novel. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The Role of Appearance on Social Acceptance" essay for you Create order For instance, Mary Shelley first acknowledges the idea of social acceptance based on physical appearance regarding Elizabeth Frankenstein. Subsequently, Caroline Frankenstein adopts Elizabeth as shes one of five from a poor Italian family. More symbolically, Caroline chooses her as she notices Elizabeths an unusually beautiful little girl who was unlike the rest. Furthermore, Victor describes her immediate response by stating, there was one which attracted her above all the restshe was thin, fair and had golden hair and blue eyes (43). Additionally, the author successfully gives credit to the idea of social acceptance by using beauty to demonstrate that regardless of ones personality, he/she will primarily be judged based solely on physical appearance. More specifically, her presence had seemed a blessing to them, Caroline went as far to say, but it would be unfair to her to keep her in poverty and want when Providence afforded her such powerful protection (43). In other words, because Elizabeth was unusually beautiful, she did not deserve to continue living in poverty. Instead, Elizabeth deserved a life as righteous as her beauty. Therefore, this dialogue ultimately contributes to the overall theme that judgment is inevitable for every person because humans are predisposed to judge others based on their physical appearance. Additionally, the author successfully uses Frankensteins creation to illustrate that facing societys judgment is inevitable, regardless of ones personality characteristics. This allegory is witnessed as Victor Frankenstein states I began the creation of a human being (54). A short, yet powerful statement that demonstrates Victor Frankensteins intentions to create a human being. While Victor does succeed in creating a living being, he is ultimately horrified by his creation. More explicitly, Victor states, I had desired itbut now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart (58, 59). Prior to this wake-up call, Victor sought pleasure in knowledge and creating a beautiful life. However, his creations arrival only disgusted him as he based his first impression entirely on his creations monster-like appearance. Additionally, Victor describes his creations arrival more vividly by stating the following: A flash of lightning illuminated the object and discovered its shape plainly to me: its gigantic stature, and the deformity of its aspect, more hideous than belongs to humanity, instantly informed me that it was the wretch, the filthy demon to whom I had given life (60). Again, before the creature is given a chance to speak, Victor makes a snap judgment based on the appearance of the creature. Ultimately leading Victor to arrive upon the decision to run away. Victor doesnt consider his creation a human because of how hideous its appearance is. Moreover, these various scenes deliver an even greater realization; although one might not be aesthetically pleasing on the outside, their personality does not correlate to physical appearance. Once again, another powerful message within Frankenstein denoting the prominent theme that physical appearance shouldnt determine how virtuous an individual is, rather the good deeds and selfless apparent acts. Moreover, additional confirmation to support the argument derives from the reaction of civilians to Victors creation. Victor has overlooked and forgotten what repercussions his creation has had on not only his personal life, but the everlasting impact his behaviors have had on his creation and those around him as well. Consequently, until Victors creation met a blind man by the name of Mr. De Lacey, he had never known what acceptance felt like. Without the gift of sight, Mr. De Lacey saw Victors creation in a way nobody else could, he based his first impressions off of the creatures personality. Meanwhile, in a different instance, the monster saves the life of a woman who fell into the river. Instead of receiving gratitude, the creature was shot. These two instances further exhibit the lack of social acceptance based on the creatures physical appearance. As a result of the ongoing social isolation, the creature states the following: All men hate the wretched; how then, must I be hated, who am miserable beyond all living things! Yet you, my creator, detest and spurn me, thy creature, to whom thou art bound by ties only dissoluble by the annihilation of one of us (83). Ultimately, through this enlightening dialogue, one can recognize the plot revolves around the overall theme of social acceptance and physical appearance. Once again, validating that the creature is judged upon his physical appearance, his oversized, monster-like statute. Moreover, the creature understands why people hate him, because of his appearance and monster-like physical features. Therefore, the creature begins to despise himself. Although the creature had been acting virtuously, upon the first appearance, he was visually unappealing and terrifying. Leading the creature to additionally state, I am alone and miserable; man will not associate with me; but as deformed and horrible as myself (126). Because Victors creature appears different than the majority of individuals, he is ostracized and abandoned on multiple occasions. Undoubtedly, the novel affirms that consequently, everyone regardless of gender, age, life choices, and wealth all face the same initial judgment upon fir st meeting. Undeniably, this moment additionally represents the fact that a persons looks fade out, except for the acts of benevolence. In conclusion, the gothic novel remains a timeless piece of work depicting a powerful message signifying the idea that beauty does not make one individual better than another. Through the journey of Victor and his creation, the reader receives a vivid reminder that actions speak volumes, not appearance. Alternatively, this novel concurrently reinforces the idea that excessive pride will only trick one into thinking they have a personal advantage throughout life. Mary Shelleys Frankenstein can be viewed as an allegory with the power to remind readers that beauty runs deeper than the surface. Lastly, throughout Frankenstein, the reader formulates a greater understanding of the importance of internal beauty as opposed to physical appearance. Works Cited Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft, 1797-1851. Frankenstein, Or, The Modern Prometheus: the 1818 Text. Oxford ; New York :Oxford University Press, 1998. Print.