PESTLE Analysis of Project Ballycotton

PESTLE Analysis of Project Ballycotton Introduction This essay shall analyse the failure of project Ballycotton using the PESTLE analysis. PESTLE analysis involves looking at political, economic, sociological, technical, legal and environmental factors affecting the outcome of a project. Changes in these factors may or may not favour a project outcome.Advertising We will write a custom coursework sample on PESTLE Analysis of Project Ballycotton specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Political There are internal politics in every organisation. We can note the presence of organisational politics in opinions and attitudes of different stakeholders in the organisation. However, this depends on where the power of influence is. What is necessary in a situation of organisational politics is to identify and manage them. Internal politics of organisations also exist at personal levels and in team jealousies. These factors pose severe consequences to a project. Therefore, the project mana ger must identify and diffuse them. Project outcomes also depend on some other factors like clients, contractors, consultants, state authorities, material and service providers, among others. These bodies may also have their private agendas that eventually affect the outcome of a project (Lester, 2006). The project Ballycotton exhibits political differences between Michael Higgins and the Irish treasury civil servants over tax cut the film should have. The government’s decision to give a tax relief to the film project is a favourable political condition for the project. However, the political fights between Michael Higgins are factors that if not managed may derail the project. There are also political factors that the project’s sponsor and manager have no control over. Projects with international influences are likely to suffer disruptions due national or international political complications. Government actions such as changing taxation systems, exchange restrictions , penal working conditions, or even cancellation of the contract in totality affects the project’s outcome. Countries with unstable economies, government or prone to coups may make the project come to a halt. Project technical team should envisage, evaluate, and plan for such eventualities. At national level, there are also political actions and reactions that may affect the project completion. Economic Internal economic factors relate to the project viability and soundness. These are factors that are within the project team control. Project team must evaluate both the financial and non-financial gains before embarking on it. Project teams use financial models and proven accountancy techniques to evaluate the project viability (Lester, 2006). Evaluation should be an ongoing process till the end of the project.Advertising Looking for coursework on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More However, in the case of Ballycotton project, the team did not use any proven financial models or accountancy techniques to envisage lack of funds before the beginning of the project. In fact, lack of money was the main cause of failure of this project. The project team could have managed the situation of financial crisis before the actual screening process. They could have considered the decision to abort the project before accruing so much debt (Lock, 2007). External factors that influence the outcome of a project relate to political situations. Government may decide to increase or reduce its taxation systems, exchange rate, labour laws, among others. These factors affect the viability of a project. The Irish government lures moviemakers with attractive tax write-off schemes. The case study shows that Irish government can write-off up to 60 percent of the total cost of project production within its tax system. They use this system to attract moviemakers. Social Most projects have impacts on t he community where the team decides to implement them. Depending on the nature of the project and its consequences, it is necessary for the project manager to inform the community about the project purpose, intent, benefits and any side effects. Therefore, there must be a formal meeting between members of the public and the project representatives. The project representatives must also take care of pressure groups in society. They must know of the unwanted effects and positive side of the project. However, the project team must also recognise the fact that it cannot satisfy all the demands of these groups, and comprises are necessary from both sides. The project manager must do this to avoid constant disruptions and demonstration from the community. The Ballycotton project suffers from social issues. The church Bishop refuses to grant permission for the team to use his churches. This is because he did not like some of the script contents where the female character dies under her cop ulating husband. In addition, the film represents Irish as cheesy with a character called Swill McCool. The verdict of the Bishop threatened the entire process.Advertising We will write a custom coursework sample on PESTLE Analysis of Project Ballycotton specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The British tabloid paparazzi take advantage of exposing the naked Marlon Brando. This affected his social image as a public figure. Though this is too personal, its impact can bring the entire project to a halt. Most projects have positive effects on lives of the community they touch. However, the financial constraints of Ballycotton project could not allow the community to see any benefits. In fact, every person and business entity that interacted with the project team suffered setbacks, particularly in financial terms. Technical Protect must be technically sound to avoid failure. Technology must be in place for the project to start and succeed. Tec hnical aspects of a project require early preparation including risk assessment in order to establish realistically available options (Williams, 2008). The Ballycotton project hired several options that they never settled their bills. The project team ought to have considered the installations, physical locations, existing facilities, and management team. The project lacked technical planning, the participants, and business contacts felt that the entire process would eventually fail. The planners did not consider the financial implications of the entire process. This resulted into massive debts and loss of trusts. Legal Every project must incorporate some legal aspects. The relationships between the parties should be legally binding contracts, which must also comply with the laws. The contracts must be fair to both parties, and any unreasonable terms must be eliminated. All parties must comply with the laws of different countries in cases of international projects. Project managers must seek legal advice from specialists before undertaking any project. The legal document must focus on established conditions of contract and other standard industry requirements. In addition, it may also address political, legal, and commercial requirements (Baguley, 2000).Advertising Looking for coursework on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Ballycotton project has a weak legal foundation and no money to support it. David Lowe could not raise money for the completion bond. However, the project went on without the bond to the surprise of the lawyers. There are also legal concerns rising due to non-payment of bills and bouncing cheques. Environmental The location of a project influences its costs and time of completion. Projects must take into account the weather patterns of a project location. In the case study, the choice of Ballycotton had cost implication for the project sponsor. In addition to the project team, there was also a crew of 125 people. The weather patterns were unfavourable for the production processes. The report indicates that the project started badly. The rains followed a summer of blistering sun during the production of the movie. Reference List Baguley, P., 2000. Project Management. New York: McGraw-Hill. Lester, A., 2006. Project Management, Planning and Control. 5th ed. Loughborough: Elsevier Scie nce Technology Books. Lock, D., 2007. Project Management. Hampshire: Gower Publishing Limited. Williams, M., 2008. The Principles of Project Management. Collingwood, Australia: SitePoint Pty Ltd.

Definition of Order Number 1

Definition of Order Number 1 In the days of the Russian Revolution of 1917, an order went out to the countrys military which almost destroyed its ability to fight, and made a takeover by socialist extremists more likely. This was Order Number One, and it had only good intentions. The February Revolution Russia had experienced strikes and protests many times before 1917. They had once, in 1905, experienced an attempted revolution too. But in those days the military had stood with the government and crushed the rebels; in 1917, as a series of strikes convulsed the political orders and showed how a Tsarist government that was dated, autocratic and would rather fail than reform had lost support, the Russian military came out in favour of the rebellion. The soldiers whose mutiny helped turn strikes in Petrograd into Russia’s February Revolution in 1917 initially came onto the streets, where they drank, fraternized and sometimes held key defensive points. The soldiers began to swell the newly appearing councils - the soviets - and allowed the situation to become so bad for the Tsar that he agreed to abdicate. A new government would take over. The Problem of the Military The Provisional Government, made up of old Duma members, wanted the troops to return to their barracks and regain some form of order, because having thousands of armed people wandering around out of control was deeply worrying to a group of liberals who feared a socialist takeover. However, the troops were afraid they’d be punished if they resumed their old duties. They wanted a guarantee of their safety and, doubting the integrity of the Provisional Government, turned to the other major government force which was now nominally in charge of Russia: the Petrograd Soviet. This body, led by socialist intellectuals and comprised of a large body of soldiers, was the dominant power on the street. Russia might have had a Provisional Government, but it actually had a dual government, and the Petrograd Soviet was the other half. Order Number One Sympathetic to the soldiers, the Soviet produced Order Number 1 to protect them. This listed soldier’s demands, gave the conditions for their return to barracks, and set out a new military regime: soldiers were responsible to their own democratic committees, not appointed officers; the military was to follow the orders of the Soviet, and only follow the Provisional Government as long as the Soviet agreed; soldiers had equal rights with citizens when off duty and didn’t even have to salute. These measures were hugely popular with the soldiers and were widely taken up. Chaos Soldiers flocked to carry out Order Number One. Some tried to decide strategy by committee, murdered unpopular officers, and threatened the command. Military discipline broke down and destroyed the ability of huge numbers in the military to operate. This might not have been a major problem were it not for two things: the Russian military was attempting to fight World War One, and their soldiers owed more allegiance to the socialists, and increasingly the extreme socialists, than the liberals. The result was an army which could not be called upon when the Bolsheviks gained power later in the year.

Knowledge Management and Organisation Learning Essay

Knowledge Management and Organisation Learning - Essay Example Modern business history lists a number of instances when knowledge-centred management has helped create competitive advantage of organisations and even countries formerly limited in financial and other resources. For Microsoft, Dell, IBM (which is believed to be one of the founders of the paradigm), Compaq, British Airways, Ryan Air and other major organisations knowledge management has become the cornerstone of success. The same is true for such countries as South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong which rely on the national knowledge economy. Over the last two decades, organizations have often been described in terms of knowledge and learning with the help of such concepts as "learning organisation", "intellectual capital", "people-centred approach" or "knowledge based management". Cakar and Bititci (2001) perfectly summarise this trend in the following statement: "1980s were all about automation. In the manufacturing industry FMS, FAS, Robots, AGV'S etc. were commonplace. The 1990s have been about people, this is evident in the development of concepts throughout the 90's focusing on delegation, involvement, ownership cross functional teamwork, self managed works teams and so on The needs of modern business emphasize the role and importance of people and knowledge" (p.2). Also the idea of knowledge management appeared requested in 1990s the concept itself dates back early 1960s. Its advent is associated with classic works of Peter Drucker w. Drucker found out that on 1960s, He called this new era an informational one (Drucker, 1994). The ideas of Peter Drucker (1994), whom was the first to use term 'knowledge worker', became widely recognised in 1980s when a number of followers supported his idea that investments in human resources were increasingly becoming more cost-efficient than investments in machines. In 1986, European knowledge management pioneer Karl-Erik Sveiby described the concept of a "know-how company" (Doz, Santos & Williamson, 2001), and in 1991 the ideas of knowledge management were reconsidered by Ikujiro Nonako whom presented the idea of "knowledge-creating company". The 1996 could be considered the turning point in history of knowledge management: the influence of this paradigm became overwhelming in absolute majority of the developed countries (Skyrme, 2002). The ideas and concepts related to knowledge managements were successfully applied in the oil, pharmaceutical, high technology, financial, and other industries. Main Body Knowledge management is a new form of management which helps organizational adaptation, survival and competence in face of increasingly discontinuous environmental change. This broader perspective incorporates the processes of knowledge use, knowledge creation, knowledge sharing, knowledge transfer and knowledge renewal (Malhotra, 1998). Therefore, knowledge management is commonly defined as "the explicit and systematic management of vital knowledge and its associated processes of creating, gathering, organizing, diffusion, use and exploitation, in pursuit of