The Death Of Black Shorts - 1886 Words

I giggle, holding Wolf s hand as we walk down the sidewalk. I am Amlyssa, blue-eyed, with wild blonde hair that flows down my back, the tips a light purple. I am soft-spoken, sweet, a little angel. But most of all, to everyone I meet, I am Wolf s girlfriend. It took me about thirty minutes to become her. I m five inches shorter than Misty, just 5 7, so she shrank her size down. She morphed her face into my slightly more childish features, turning her eyes into my pools of blue. her dark hair changed into my wild mane of blonde, the unnatural tips having been saved in her mind, which was the only reason she could do it without hair dye. Than she, Misty, was me. I had put on a top with a soft cottony corset around my torso, and†¦show more content†¦He nudges me and I look at him, then at the restaurant we re walking towards. It s modern, but with a gothic touch. A dark, concrete exterior with off white window trim and Victorian swirls covering them. The sign reads Alimente. How did you know about this place? I ask, letting my hair fall into my face. There was a Satanist who worked here... She may still do... But anyway, Satan bribed her into taking food from the kitchens, on the busy days, so it wasn t as noticed. It went on like that for a few months... He runs his hand through his hair, Until Jane almost got me shot. Then I had to leave. I look at him. Why here, of all places? It was pretty far... Kinda, from where I was living for 8 fucking terrible years of my life, in Northern California. Besides, I could blend in more, and there was a lot of food places. I giggle. That s what you remember? Hey, I might be a killer who happens to have a soul attachment to Satan, but I m still a teenage boy. He chuckles as he pulls open the door handle. I follow him into the restaurant, looking at the room around me. There... White stone ceilings, white stone walls, pictures of Dracula, Vlad the Impaler, and other vampires all around me, and more gothic versions of modern house windows. I smile and look at the clerk. Male, looks relatively normal. Hair is slicked back. He s about an inch

Essay on The Effects of Incarceration on the Family

Introduction According to Bowen’s (2013) family systems theory, individuals in a family unit are all interconnected and the system is comprised of interlocking connections (Bowen, 2013). Consequently, whenever an individual in a family system is experiencing a stressor or problem the other individuals in the system will be affected by the stressor and will experience a change in the family system (Bowen, 2013). Bowen (2013) suggests that this family system can be used to understand the dynamics of the family unit and explains that an individual’s behavior has a specific function in his or her own family system (Bowen, 2013). By taking into consideration this theory when looking at a family struggling with an incarcerated parent, it is†¦show more content†¦Content In the family system, whenever a family member is incarcerated the grandparents in the family system will be affected by this change by, sometimes, undergoing a complete role change in their family sy stem in addition to experiencing various changes in their health (Hanlon et al., 2007). Grandparents, in a family system experiencing the incarceration of a parent, will oftentimes undergo a role shift and take over the incarcerated parent’s previous role as primary caregiver to their grandchildren (Hanlon et al., 2007). Additionally, the added stressors of maintaining a connection to the incarcerated family member in addition handling parenting responsibilities leads many grandparents to have poor personal health (Hanlon et al., 2005; Travis et al., 2005). One change in a family system experiencing incarceration that affects grandparents is the difficulty maintaining family ties with the incarcerated individual. Travis, McBride, and Solomon, (2005) state that factors such as the presence of security guards, the time it takes to visit inmates, difficulty of coordinating visits, and geographic location of the prison all hinder the ability for family members to maintain ties wi th the incarcerated family member (Travis, McBride, Solomon, 2005). These particular challenges in visitation are difficult for family members, such as grandparents, toShow MoreRelatedMass Incarceration And Its Effects On Families, Communities, And Society1400 Words   |  6 Pagesmany refuse to believe or even acknowledge that there is one. However, the United States has paved the way to create a cycle of endless incarceration for many people but especially for those of color. Such as the 1994 Violent Crime Control Act and the lack of substance abuse treatment in prisons. Overwhelmingly, mass incarceration has had a great impact on families, communities and society as a whole. As illuminated through the parable by inmate Joe Martinez, this continued cycling of inmates inRead MoreMass Incarceration And Its Effects On The United States Essay1264 Words   |  6 PagesMass incarceration is a major problem in the United States. Since the tough on crime movement that began to emph asize more punishment and creating new policies such as; three strikes law, truth-in sentencing laws, mandatory sentencing, and determinate sentencing, our prisons and jails have become overcrowded. The three strikes law increases the prison sentence of an offender convicted of three felonies or serious crime. Usually the punishment ranges from a minimum of 25 years to life in prison. TheRead MoreLauren Touchet. Cjus301. 17 February 2017. Research Paper/Lit1325 Words   |  6 Pages17 February 2017 Research Paper/Lit Review Part I Since mandatory sentencing began in the mid-1980s, the United States prison system has seen a dramatic upswing in incarceration rates (Glaze Maruschak, 2008, p. 1). â€Å"The United States’ increasingly punitive sentencing philosophy has resulted in an overreliance on incarceration, resulting in an incarcerated population that has soared from approximately 340,000 in the early 1970s to nearly 2.3 million today† (Raeder, 2012). â€Å"Parents held in theRead MoreThe Effects Of Children After Parental Incarceration1302 Words   |  6 PagesA Literature Review: The Effects on Children After Parental Incarceration Prisons have been around for centuries and in many countries the prison population has grown quickly. The prisoners’ health, behavior and well-being have been focal points in many social concerns, however; incarceration goes beyond the prisoners’ experience. It touches employment after incarceration, social stigma, and families and communities that have been affected by incarceration, especially a child with incarcerated parentsRead MoreEssay on Cost of Incarceration1308 Words   |  6 PagesWhat is incarceration? Incarceration is the act of placing someone in prison. Incarceration serves as a punishment for criminals due to their actions against the law. It is a solution for keeping the public safe. Prisoners follow a strict rules and schedules while following the culture within the walls among other prisoners. As a result of their crimes, convicts lose their freedom and are place among others who suffer the same fate. Crime is the cause of this establishment, but wha t are the effectsRead MoreThe Effects Of High Incarceration On The United States879 Words   |  4 PagesA. Societal Effects From Increasing Alienated Population The vast societal effects from mass incarceration have caused an increasingly alienated population to form in the U.S., which can be broadly classified in the dual areas of lasting effects and impacts to the family unit. First, the lasting effects of high incarceration rates are that they impact the rights of the convict, particularly African Americans. For example, noted civil rights attorney Michelle Alexander posits that the longRead MoreThe War On Drugs And Mass Incarceration Essay1439 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction The War on Drugs and Mass Incarceration have been two very well-known topics of society. While these have taken place during the Cold War, there is still a continuance in them today. The impact that has been left on society from these issues have stuck around, while mass incarceration is still of talk today. War on Drugs The War on Drugs not only has many acts that have been in place due to it, but there has been a domino effect with other topics. The War on Drugs has become a complicatedRead MoreThe Sentencing Policies For Crimes1357 Words   |  6 Pagessentencing policies for crimes, primarily drug crimes, in America, the effect this change would have in the poor communities were impossible to imagine. The policies which were changed to get tougher on drug crimes on the federal level followed with mass incarceration in the prison system. This was especially true with young African American males in largely poor communities. So these policies not only created a mass incarceration but also racially targeted certain race in America. These proceduresRead MoreAttention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ( Adhd )1365 Words   |  6 PagesLastly, they could have complications in the development of relationships because of emotional problems. This issue is important to acknowledge because future genera tions are suffering from the repercussions of the incarceration process. Overall, parental incarceration has a negative effect on behavioral aspects involving attention and interaction. The first negative product that goes along with parents being imprisoned is attention disorders. Attention disorders then lead to a difficult time focusingRead MoreAttachment Theory And Family Systems Theory Essay971 Words   |  4 Pagesoften overlooked are the negative effects that the incarceration of one partner can have on the attachment and parenting styles of both partners. When a father is incarcerated the mother becomes the primary caregiver, causing a stress. This stress often impacts the mother’s attachment with her child and the parenting style. Likewise, the father begins to feel a loss of control, lower self-esteem, and feel powerless in the situation. Attachment theory and Family Systems theory relates to the issues

Being Professional Nurse Professional Conduct Applicable

Question: Describe about the Being Professional Nurse for Professional Conduct Applicable. Answer: 1: The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia have put forward certain guidelines in the form of Code of Professional Conduct for Nurses. In the guidelines, the decorum of practicing nursing in a secured and competent way abiding by the professional and extended health system standards as well as the laws pertinent to the occupation and nursing care have been proposed (www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au, 2016). In the given case study of Conyard, 2015, the nurse was alleged of being guilty of unsatisfactory professional conduct applicable under the Section 139B of the national law (NSW). As per the stated law unsatisfactory professional conduct may be referred to as the demeanor on the part of a registered health personnel possessing adequate experience and training that is not in conformity or is substantially below the expected, reasonable standard (Staunton Chiarella, 2012, Pairman et al., 2015). The course of action that followed in this particular case stem out of the fact that the nurse was unable to ascertain and react appropriately to the patient As declining health status and consecutively failed to document her observations and improvise a proper working modality accordingly. The circumstantial evidences that lead to the prosecution as reported is as follow. Proceedings on 11th January, 2013 for patient A Time Observations Activities 1700 hours Significant health deterioration 1720 hours Clinical Recordings: Blood Pressure- 89/53 Respiratory rate- 40-44 bpm Abdominal pain Diarrhoea 1810 hours Nurse informed Post 1810 hours Nurse made personal observations Observations undocumented Doctor uninformed 2200 hours Locum doctor arrived Overnight Patient critically ill Morning of 12th January Patient died The loophole in the nurses conduct identified under the given context was that she failed to inform a doctor on time although that was essential. Moreover she did not keep record of the personal observations. All these breaches favored the assessment of the case under the conduct pathway for the Nursing and Midwifery Council of NSW. 2: Individual professional accountability in the context of the nurses is in accordance with the Registered nurse standards for practice. The standardized nursing practices encompass a wide range of activities such as critical thinking and analysis, engagement in an integrated palliative care, assessment, improvisation, maintenance of a proper nursing regime and ensuring suitable nursing practice. Accountability implies that the nurses address and cater to the needs and requirements of the patients receiving care under their supervision as well as inform and report to the competent authorities such as their employers, the nursing regulatory body and also the public at large. The nurses themselves are held responsible for performing their duties, roles and responsibilities, making the decisions in addition to documenting the experience and observations (Krautscheid, 2014). Accountability as per general perception cannot be delegated and in case that is done, then also the nurses conti nue to be accountable for the decision to delegate, supervising the task of the relevant person and estimating the results including risks and benefits of the delegated activity (www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au, 2016). An essential component of the accountability for the registered nurses is the ability to undertake a coordinated care approach of treatment involving the delegates such as an enrolled nurse, a student nurse or an individual outside the nursing profession (Savage, 2015). In view of the Conyard, 2015 case certain mitigating factors reduced the personal accountability of the nurse. As per the available information, lack of documentation and failure of timely referral and communication with the immediate higher authority or the concerned physician may be regarded as the possible causes. 3: In the discipline specific case study, the following standards are identified to be relevant with the codes and standards as put forward by The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia for the registered nurses. As per their guidelines: Standard 2 implies engagement in therapeutic and professional relationships. This overall includes the definite engagement in holistic clinical and professional relationship through collegial generosity, mutual trust and respect within a congenial, healthy working atmosphere. Utilization of consultation, delegation, supervision, coordination and referral as a part of the collaborative work plan are carried out in this respect to optimize the patient well-being (Chang Daly, 2016). Standard 4 consist of comprehensively conducting assessments. It refers to the usage of appropriate assessment techniques in conjunction with an inter-professional partnership to procure and acquire accurate, relevant knowledge in addition to evaluate the resources to inform future planning and nursing practice. Standard 5 includes developing a plan for nursing practice. This standard takes into consideration the assessed data for drawing effective plan in partnership through proper communication. Additionally, documentation, evaluation and plan modifications are executed as part of the commitment to the agreed outcomes. Planning and negotiation to achieve the desired benefit within stipulated time duration are other important aspects of this standard. Standard 6 highlights the necessity of providing safe, appropriate and responsive quality nursing practice. It deals with the provision of safe, quality care nursing practices complying the relevant regulations and legislations. Identification, assessment and scrutiny of both assumed and real risks and report of the practice below the standards are done in this case (www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au, 2016). Rationale for selection of the discussed standards to the context of the Conyard, 2015 case study: Breach of Standard 2- On 11th January the nurse failed to recognize and act accordingly to the debilitating health condition of the patient. No consultation, delegation or referral was made. Breach of Standard 4- No assessment regarding patient As health from the available data and observations were done, starting from the day of hospitalization till the taking over by the nurse. Thus scope for future planning strategy was reduced. Breach of Standard 5- There was dearth of documentation from the nurse to assess the health status of the patient thereby eliminating the chances for suitable clinical interventions in the near future. Breach of Standard 6- Lack of suitable intervention even after observing the deterioration in the patient As vital signs was a major mistake on the nurses part. She failed to assess her risks and arrange for appropriate treatments or medications. Thus the standards code of conduct as laid down by the concerned authority was breached. 4: Unlike every other profession that demands certain amount of knowledge, expertise, personal attributes and prior experience to satisfy the needs of the client, the professionals engaged in the noble profession of healthcare like nursing require to have much more than these basic qualities. It is expected that the nurses must be thorough about their understanding of the nursing practice by virtue of their knowledge foundation related to clinical reasoning cycle and clinical actions and duties. Clinical reasoning, as described by Levett-Jones et al., (2013) is a complicated cognitive process that require the personnel to utilize several thinking strategies to ably collect and analyze information of the patients (Lapkin, Levett-Jones, Gilligan, 2013). The professional should think beyond the convention and apply their intuition and insights to influence the decision making pertaining to the individual patients situation. A persons attitudes and perspectives, assumptions and preconce ptions majorly impact the critical thinking modality (Blondy et al., 2015). The clinical reasoning skill adds to the efficiency and professionalism of the nurse and the cycle involves certain major steps. Among them considering the patients situation, collecting cues or information, processing those information, identification of the issues, establishment of suitable goals, taking proper actions, evaluation of outcomes and finally reflection regarding novel processes and new learning are the essential steps (Dempsey et al., 2009). The careful following of all these steps enable a nurse to perform her duty competently. In the context of the Conyard, 2015 case study a distinction would have been possible if certain aspects of the professional behaviors could be altered after insightful consideration of the patient situation. As stated in the complaint the nurse in charge of the patient A on 11th January 2013, could not assess and thereby act accordingly to the deteriorating clinical condition between 17:10 and 21:00 hours. Simultaneously, a failure to organize a medical review of the Patient As declining vital signs despite falling under the red zone category was considered as a major breach of conduct and thus was liable to prosecution. Moreover, the nurse did not document her observations and successive failure to assess the patients critical condition thereafter followed this missed conduct. Subsequent failure to implement a suitable plan of action for the patient A was also not executed and all these consecutive incidences and conducts of the nurse contributed to further worsening of the patient circumstances. A proper professional approach could have made a difference in this case study if the nurse strictly complied by the standards and established regulations. The nurse could have carried out the clinical reasoning process to critically analyze the patients condition. A little prudence and foresight on her part could have provided some respite to the patient and spare her the trauma of the legal prosecutions as well. Timely intervention and communication with the persons in higher position, an important responsibility of the nurse could be beneficial in the said circumstances. A nurse of her order and experience who was into the job for a period of over 14 years till 2013 should have been more careful and conscious in executing her duty. 5: Preparedness for professional practice is a real time necessity particularly for healthcare providers. Considering the Conyard, 2015 case study the role of the nursing accountability may be discussed in this context. As per my understanding, I learnt that to be accountable, the nurses must be able to perform the desired task or therapeutic intervention, accept the responsibility of doing the duty and lastly must possess the requisite expertise and qualification to perform the activity and delegate in compliance with the protocols and policies of the working organization. Referring to the case studied, I found that the lack of documentation from the nurse was a hindrance to the personal accountability. Therefore in my opinion this specific task of documenting each and every encounters and clinical observations by the nurses are of immense importance in the nursing practice for safeguarding the health of the patients undergoing treatment module in a hospital framework. I believe thi s practice of documentation might also be of immense help for future references as well as for keeping personal records. However trivial or unnecessary the observation might seem to the nurse, yet it must be well reported in paper to avoid any near misses and appreciate new findings. The healthcare personnel are subjected to the criminal and civil courts in case their duties do not conform to the legal requirements, hence they must be extremely cautious and aware about their norms of practice and patient care. As a new graduate nurse, in fine I would like to comment that taking legal liability of a patient following strong professional ethics and morale are imperative to the professional accountability of the nurses and under no circumstances should be undone. References: Blondy, L. C., Blakeslee, A. M., Scheffer, B. K., Rubenfeld, M. G., Cronin, B. M., Luster-Turner, R. (2015). Understanding Synthesis Across Disciplines to Improve Nursing Education.Western journal of nursing research. Chang, E., Daly, J. (Eds.). (2016). Transitions in nursing: Preparing for professional practice (4th ed.). Chatswood, Australia: Elsevier. Dempsey, J., Hillege, S., French, J., Wilson, V. (2009). Fundamentals of nursing and midwifery: a person-centred approach to care| NOVA. The University of Newcastle's Digital Repository. Krautscheid, L. C. (2014). Defining professional nursing accountability: A literature review.Journal of Professional Nursing,30(1), 43-47. Lapkin, S., Levett-Jones, T., Gilligan, C. (2013). A systematic review of the effectiveness of interprofessional education in health professional programs.Nurse education today,33(2), 90-102. Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (2010) A nurses guide to professional boundaries. Retrieved 15 September 2016, www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Codes-Guidelines-Statements/Professional-standards.aspx Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia. (2015) Supervision guidelines for nursing and midwifery. Retrieved 15 September 2016, www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Registration-and-Endorsement/reentry-to-practice.aspx Pairman, S., Pincombe, J., Thorogood, C., Tracy, S. K. (2015). Midwifery: Preparation for practice (3rd ed.). Chatswood, Australia: Churchill Livingstone. Savage, P. (2015). Legal issues for nursing students: Applied principles (3rd ed.). Frenchs Forest, Australia: Pearson Australia. Staunton, P. J., Chiarella, M. (2012).Law for nurses and midwives. Elsevier Australia.

Hume Argumentative Essay Example For Students

Hume Argumentative Essay David Hume was an imperialist philosopher who revolutionized scientific argument and methodology with his skepticism. His arguments about the way people though up to his day, and still today, are fundamental in explaining how we gain knowledge and what we do with this knowledge. Hume helped pave a road leading toward a higher state of consciousness for humanity with his theory concerning the perceptions of the mind. He divided the minds perception into two distinct group’s impression and ideas. With these two classifications Hume rationalized the depths of human understanding. Impressions consist of the perception regarding all that is seen, felt and heard. Ideas are formulated thoughts based upon impressions. They are the perceptions of the mind involved with thought rather than experience. Hume used impressions to test the relevance of ideas through his â€Å"microscope† system. This theory challenged the mind to test out inconsistent ideas by means of the impressions. The essence of ideas and impression defines the nature of the mind and all that it perceives. Together they rationalize clear and distinct thoughts and sensations Impressions are lively perceptions that implore all the sensation and emotion that the mind perceives. They are not misleading, for their essence is based entirely on experience. It is a perception that ignites the way all is felt, seen, or heard. External causes or objects effect the senses, influencing the way the mind perceives things. For instance to understand the essence of a rose is to recognize that it is red, the pedals feel like silk, it smells of sweet perfume and it evokes happiness. All of these perceptions are derived from the senses. Beautiful words could never conjure enough realism to replace the reality of seeing a rose. A poem written by Ernest Hemmingway describing the beauty of a rose would still act as a dull substitute for the actual experience. An impression is superior to any idea. Hume claimed that, â€Å"The most lively thought is still inferior to the dullest sensation,†(Hume, 10). Sensation is the only real attribute of the mind and it serves as focal point for all ideas and extensions of thought. Impressions have the ability to stand independently; they do not depend on any other elements to make them seem more real. They can always be relied upon; there is no chance of making a mistake when regarding them. Impressions are original in their state of being and never act as a counterfeit. They are dazzling and sound. Impressions are derived from inward and outward sentiments. Outward impressions are caused by external perceptions. These consist of the sounds of a thunderstorm, the sensation of rain on the skin and seeing the electricity in lightening. It includes all the perception that the senses experience first hand. Inward impressions make up all of the internal perceptions. This includes feelings and emotions that are evoked by external extensions. The emotions: loyalty, compassion, misery, depression and romance are all categorized as inward impressions. Seeing a shooting star and feeling lucky as a result of the sighting is an example of an outward impression causing an inward impression. The two impressions define one another. Ideas are the feeble perceptions of the mind. They are the reflections of the sensations experienced from impressions. Ideas are codependent on impressions; they cannot exist without their influence. They are at least when simple, like impression but imperfect. Ideas cannot be trusted or relied upon to be consistent and true. They seem on the surface, to be infinitely powerful with the ability to transcend the limits of the mind. However, in actuality they are limited to the impression that formulated them. The creative boundaries of the mind are restricted to having only the ability to transform bits of memory that were copies of past experiences. The Freedom Of Speech Essay I believe Hume makes a bold stance to say that the dullest impression will always be superior to the greatest idea. He is claiming that even his own expressions and ideas on philosophy are pretty much inferior to anything in nature or in human feeling. Hume also claims that even the most beautiful poetic verses could not substitute experience. Yet sometimes poetry enhance the way humanity perceives the world. Thoughts can be just as dramatic as perceptions. I feel as though Hume did not credit imagination enough in his analysis of the mind’s perception. The formulation of complex ideas however needs not to resemble the original impressions. We can use our imaginations and develop an object without ever seeing it’s influence. Among ideas, those that do return a considerable degree of quality of the original impressions belong to memory, while other ideas belong to imagination. The mind has the capacity to imagine. However, I agree with Hume that most ideas are just augmentations of the many combined impressions we experience. Ideas based on inward impressions are impossible to conjure up without influence of impression. The idea of love or pain can’t be comprehended without experience. The idea of love must always be derived by an antecedent impression of pleasure. Imagining what love is like can never act as a substitute for the actual sensation Hume’s â€Å"microscope† theory was a brilliant and simple formula designed to distinguish false ideas. It is built on the foundation of impressions. He is proving his theory of ideas and impressions with the microscope idea. Since impressions influence all ideas they then have the power to prove if these ideas show their influence. It is as if Hume developed the theory to prove to everyone how sound his ideas were. It worked. I looked at some of man’s most complex creations and looked to see if I could find any type of influence of an impression. For most of all my ideas I was able to trace them back to impressions. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries there were debates, as there are today, about how much of what we know is something we learned through experience and how much of what we know is something we could have reasoned out using our human intelligence without the benefit of particular experience. Hume added considerable insight concerning all the perception of the mind and helps develop a system to differentiate the relevance of ideas. He distinctly and clearly stated that the only truth the mind has is based on the sense experience. Hume shed light on the mind perceptions that was completely new and different from other modern philosophers. In the process he challenged the world to look at life from a new angle and understand their minds extension with a new appreciation.Bibliography:

Four Seasons Hotel and Resort Sales Analysis

Importance of Cities in the Society Essays

Importance of Cities in the Society Essays Importance of Cities in the Society Essay Importance of Cities in the Society Essay Cities had always been a part of the society. â€Å"The city is the point of concentration of the power and culture of a community (What is a City).† Oftentimes, cities are considered as the central area where most changes first took place. Changes in the city bring forth changes in the society. No matter what alteration it may be (whether technological, cultural or economic changes), these inevitably leads the society towards a step of transformation. Needless to say that the advancement in cities also paves the way towards the advancement of the society.As everyone would say, ‘change is the only constant thing in the world.’ Through the advent of industrialization, rapid urbanization occurred. Accompanying urbanization is the dawn for more sophisticated technologies thus altering the environment in which people live in (Simon 2007, 75). During the early civilization, the characteristics of man’s way of living are very simple. Their society was also characterized as plain. But cities had opened the opportunity of changing this simple lifestyle into a modern and easier one. The said social unit (city) had played a vital role in the development of new technologies. Most people choose to live in cities with the hope that they would be able to have an access to these various technologies and would therefore improved there way of living.This product of advancement (technology) can be reflected in various fields such as in the workplace as well as in the learning place. Schools throughout the cities had been highly equipped with modern gadgets therefore improving the learning process (Young 2005, A32). ICT or the Information and Communication Technology, which was first introduced in the urban places had opened the opportunity to what is so called on line learning and enhances the learning process through providing numerous information resources and introducing a new way of communication with other students as well as with tutors (Keogh 2001,223).   The ICT was also found to be useful for people from remote areas as well as for disabled people to have an access in education. Innovations commencing in the city had been advantageous to most people (in terms of learning) in the society. Furthermore, technological innovations have also improved the way of communication and socialization of individuals.The historical identities present in cities made this social unit as the center of metropolitan regions and the center for foreign exchange and economic growth’ (Clark, 1995). It was reported that almost ‘half of the population now lives in cities (Madanipour 2006, 175). Alongside with this trend, is the issue of globalization and its implication on the economy of the country. Most business as well as political transactions takes place in the city. â€Å"What is mistakenly considered as a place-less process of globalization takes shape and unfolds in the city â€Å"(Madanipour 2006, 176). Through globalization, the society is also benefited. Opportunities for personal economic growth would take place therefore improving lives of the people. Collectively, the improved state of individuals will in effect improve the society’s condition.Advancement of the society can be coined from the advancement in the cities. Cities serve as the major region for improvement and creation of new technologies to occur. With modern facilities comes a modern way of living. Through these improvements and advancements, the society is also affected and shifted to a more sophisticated and modern one. Furthermore, cities had been the center region for economic growth to take place and economic growth would in effect trigger the competitiveness of the society. Without the city as a channel for several changes to occur, our society would not be as superior as we are experiencing it today. Can we deal with the simplicity of life that our ancestors had before? How would the country (a nd the world) advance if innovations in the cities did not take place? Certainly, these questions answer the depth of importance of the cities in molding our society. Cities play a vital role in shaping today’s society and if we let these cities to deteriorate, ‘there are hidden costs that will mount.’

Fashion, Culture and Tibetan Buddhism Research Paper

Fashion, Culture and Tibetan Buddhism - Research Paper Example The essay "Fashion, Culture and Tibetan Buddhism" will study the relationship that exists between Tibetan Buddhism (its culture and religion) and fashion, while comparing it with Islam and its influence on fashion. In the context of fashion and social identity, observations revealed that an individual interacts with fashion in a same manner he/she interacts with other people, thus using fashion to reveal what he/she wants to personify. The direct contact between the wearer and various fashion elements (such as, clothes and other accessories) help to establish a personal identity. Since fashion tends to portray the link between physical materials (such as, clothes and jewelry) and the wearer’s personal values, there is also a close connection between fashion and one’s self-perception. Fashion affects the wearer’s self-perception, thus acting like a filter, positioning itself between society and the wearer. Observations revealed that generally, physical bodies are viewed as social symbols, where female bodies form an important mechanism for preserving social and cultural traditions; wherein majority of the conservative religions tend to dictate stringent norms for female fashion . While establishing personal identities, fashion also helps in constructing social status and position, where it is presumed that fashion is a true reflection of the wearer’s self and lifestyle. The strict sociocultural rules governing fashions are often visible as laws of the land that force people (primarily women). to follow rigid social standards in the context of clothing, and often giving rise to a social tension between conformists and dissidents (Voss, 405-407). In such instances, it is evident that culture plays a dominating role and fashion becomes a strong tool in hands of the conservatives, which is used for gender subjugation and social control, a condition prevalent in the Islamic countries. On the other hand, social dissidents also use fashion t o symbolize their breakaway from rigid socio-cultural and religious norms. Therefore, fashion is closely related to different aspects of the culture and society from which it originates and subsequently represents. Tibetan history, culture and fashion Tibetan culture  has evolved through the influence of various external factors. Tibet had established trade connections with India and China from the ancient times, and these two countries have produced a significant effect on its cultural development. Tibet’s  inaccessibility, owing to its remote location, has however helped to preserve certain local influences that make it stand apart from both India and China. In terms of religion, Buddhism  has a strong influence on the socio-cultural aspects of Tibet, since its introduction in the country as early as the seventh century. Music, literature, art, clothing and almost all aspects of the Tibetan life strongly reflect presence of Buddhist values and beliefs. In Tibet, Buddh ism has developed its own unique form, which adopted the  Bon cultural tradition, interspersed with various local beliefs. According to

Socrates Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Socrates - Essay Example listening to both sides of the argument rejects the study of language altogether declaring it shallow and shoddier than the study of things themselves. If we go into the details of this argument, Plato’s seems to argue that nothing significant can be known about a particular thing by examining its name Keller(2000,pp. 285-305) . The actual worth of a thing lies in itself which seems convincing to some extent. However, at the same time, it seems a bit irrational to assume that the words or names have an intrinsic relation to the things they signify .A same thing can be viewed differently by different individuals depending on his mind set. It certainly will not be wrong to say that it is all a matter of perception. For instance, the word ugly sounds ugly but it certainly does not signify the essence of the thing it is referring to and it sounds ugly only because it has been inculcated in our minds from the beginning of our lives thereby making Hermogenes’ argument stronge r Robinson(1956,pp. 325). Even the educational psychology reveals that it is not the verbal utterances but the behavioral patterns that have a deep impact on a person’s mind. Socrates argument, on one hand, sounds convincing but on the other hand, the importance of language cannot be denied altogether and I firmly believe that the two of them go hand in hand. It is indeed more important to go into the depth of the thing itself in order to study it extensively, however, language is an essential medium to give one’s thoughts a voice with interesting corollary which basically is the most significant attribute of mankind and giving them equal importance sounds a lot better than the Socrates’ argument of rejecting the language altogether. Hence, it can be said that the name of a thing may not be as important as the thing itself but a thing without any apparent identity of its own makes it hard to describe. In fact, the plot of the argument shows a contrast between wh at Socrates is defending in

Nurses dealing with the death of their patient Essay

Nurses dealing with the death of their patient - Essay Example There are several tips that can help those entering the nursing field for the first time and who need guidance on how to handle death and the bereaved family once the death of one of their patients occurs. The tips will be discussed in detail below. The first thing to always remember and put in mind is that death is inevitable for anyone no matter whether the patient had signs to die or not. This therefore calls for acceptance once it happens. Acceptance is not always easy but reminding oneself that the patient wherever he or she is has no more pain and is better off comprises acceptance. One has also to think about the rest of the people who are living and how lucky they are to be alive and this will help with the acceptance process. There is no time limit for this process of acceptance just as there is no time limit for grieving (Kasher, 2009). The other thing the nurse has to remember is that everyone is allowed to grieve and in whichever way they want to as long as if it is in the workplace, one has to still maintain professionalism unless under closed doors, in the presence of a counselor or fellow nurses who have also undergone the same thing in the past or more often. One can shed tears in the work place and once at home, they can fully grieve and breakdown. Grieving even though is another step of acceptance is a channel to express the feelings of pain, anger and unhappiness that come with death. Talking is another way to cope with bereavement of a patient. Talking can be with family members, with grief professional, with other nurses who have had to undergo the same during their career or even with close friends and spouse as long as they understand. It helps to talk to people who will not judge but who will be understanding and considerate of your feelings and hence the coworkers and grief counselor are the best. Talking will also help to heal quickly and move on so that you will be able to pay more attention to the rest of the loving patients who

Project Management and Business Strategies

Project Management and Business Strategies ABSTRACT Which way to go? This is a question that organizations will ask themselves in a certain time, because organizations are faced with challenges of strategic direction. Some organizations are instigated by challenging opportunities, other organizations want to overcome significant threats. The business strategy can move an organization from where it is now, to where it needs to be in the future. Johnson et al (2009) states that the strategy of an organization is often likely to be complex, uncertain and mostly it affects operational decisions and requires an integrated approach. But the most typically and crucial components of strategy are change and innovation. Project management is essential for managing and reducing the inherent risk associated with change and innovation. Thats why many projects are the result of strategic decisions of organizations, because projects manage changes on an effectively and efficiently way. Changing organizations need projects for making change and for obtaining its business strategy and -objectives. Nowadays sustainability is a very hot (strategic) item for organizations. Organizations are integrating ideas of sustainability in their marketing, corporate communications, business strategy and in their actions. Centraal Boekhuis, a (leading) logistics service provider in stocking, storage, distribution and transportation of books, has also formulated a covering policy on sustainability for the strategy period 2009-2011 (Board of directors Centraal Boekhuis (2009)). Sustainability for Centraal Boekhuis means commitment to corporate environmental performances as well as sustainable performances on social and economic aspects. Several projects on behalf of sustainability will be conducted as well as projects will be conducted on behalf of other strategic targets. But is it possible to make project management sustainable, in order to make other projects contribute to the policy on sustainability too? In this research the relation between project management and the pursuing of the realization of business strategies will be looked at. Then the main research question will be answered: how will the business strategy influence the selection and execution of project management within organizations, and how will this in consequence lead to sustainable project management? The hypothesis is that when project management is constructed and selected in accordance with the business strategy, and more specifically linked with sustainable business strategy, projects will contribute to the realization of the business strategies as well as it subsequently will contributes to sustainability. The actual research will be executed through a web survey among several organizations as well as a case study of Centraal Boekhuis, which contains in-depth interviews with about 10 representatives project employees from Centraal Boekhuis. The research will also contain the study of qualitative data, for exampl e the study of documentation and reports that are in stock within the company about strategy, project management and sustainability. 1. INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND 1.1 Introduction To understand project management within organizations it is important to understand projects. The Prince2 Foundation (2005) defines a project as a temporary organisation that is needed to produce a unique and predefined outcome or result at a pre-specified time using predetermined recourses. In practice projects bring recourses, skills, technology and ideas together to achieve business objectives and deliver business benefits. But why is there a need for projects within organizations? Organizations are continuously striving after agility and success by for example introducing new products and services or by improving business processes or activities. Many projects are the result of organizations that wants to manage such changes on an effectively and efficiently way. According to Bryan Atkin and Adrian Brooks (2009), Change Management is the key towards innovation of organizations. In order to make progress and achieve greater efficiency and better value for money and to be more effective or competitive, organizations have to do things differently and have to make changes. Maylor (2005) stresses that Project management is essential for managing and reducing the inherent risks associated with change and innovation. Changing organizations need projects for making change. Recently Johnson et al. (2009) gives an interesting definition on business strategy. The definition describes that strategy contains the direction and scope of an organization over the long term, for achieving advantage in a changing environment throughout configuration of resources and competences with the aim of fulfilling stakeholders expectations. Aforementioned definition displays that the fundamental principle of making changes of organizations can be the result of aiming towards targets that contributes to the fulfilment of the business strategy. In practice this means that organisational changes and the application of project management for realising those changes can thus be the result of the long term direction and scope of an organization. Simply said; project management can move an organization from where it is now, to where it needs to be in the future to meets its business strategy and -objectives. As mentioned above the management of projects within organization is among other things related to its business strategy, but how will the business strategy influences the selection and the execution of project management within organizations and how can project management thus contributes to the realization of the business strategy? For example, The board of directors of Centraal Boekhuis (2009) has formulated a covering policy on sustainability for the strategy period 2009-2011. Several projects on behalf of sustainability will be conducted as well as projects will be conducted on behalf of other strategic targets. But is it possible to realize more strategic focus, by linking all projects to the business strategy of an organization? This leads to the main research question of the thesis: how will the business strategy influence the selection and execution of project management within organizations, and how will this in consequence lead to sustainable project management? Another interesting question will be: if project management is constructed and selected in accordance with the business strategy, and more specifically linked with sustainable business strategy, will projects contribute to the realization of the business strategies as well as it subsequently will contributes to sustainability? 1.2 The organization; Centraal Boekhuis Centraal Boekhuis is a (leading) logistics service provider in stocking, storage, distribution and transportation of books. More than 500 publishers and over 1500 booksellers use the service facilities for distribution, transportation, information and administration. For publishers is Centraal Boekhuis the entry into the Dutch and Flemish (book) markets. For booksellers in the Netherlands and Flanders, Centraal Boekhuis is the provider of the assortment of Dutch-language books, general as well as educational or scientific books, and a selected range of foreign-language books (staff directory guide Centraal Boekhuis, 2007). Besides taking care of stocking, storage, distribution and transportation of books, Centraal Boekhuis also offers administrative or financial services. For publishers the company organizes complete stock and sales recording, invoicing and debt collection. Booksellers as well benefit from a broad range of information technology services. The majority of Centraal Boekhuis services are integrated in a single automated system (CB Online), so customers have access to the operational and management information they need, focused on their companys business processes. Upon request, Centraal Boekhuis will also arrange the storage, distribution and transport of office supplies, stationary and greeting cards. All logistic activities and processes are linked with the transport centres delivery network. The centres range of services includes processing special offers and returned goods, (temporary) storage, order picking and carrying out special mailing campaigns with value-added logistics. The Transport Centre of Centraal Boekhuis organizes transport from and to countries outside the Benelux. In England is a consolidation point bounded, where shipments from 1600 English publishers intended for Dutch bookshops are collected and forwarded to the Netherlands. This enables Centraal Boekhuis to offer customers attractive services. Shipments from Germany and America are transported along similar lines. History For over 135 years Centraal Boekhuis have been the logistic partner in the Dutch book trade. In 1871 the Vereeniging ter Bevordering van de Belangen des Boekhandels (VBBB) in Amsterdam lay the foundations for Het bestelhuis van de Nederlandsche Boekhandel, presently called Centraal Boekhuis. Publishers send their boxes with books to that warehouse of books, where the boxes were distributed across the Netherlands. Many years later, in 1926, the VBBB decided to found Centraal Boekhuis in Amsterdam. Well-established publishers were obliged to store their books in the central depot of Centraal Boekhuis in Amsterdam. From now on the book stores and publishers could order their books with Centraal Boekhuis from one central point in the Netherlands. In 1973, because lack of space, Centraal Boekhuis grounded their company in Culemborg, where the company nowadays is still grounded. In that same year is Het Bestelhuis and Centraal Boekhuis merged into one company: Centraal Boekhuis B.V (Intranet Centraal Boekhuis, 2008). Organization The daily management of Centraal Boekhuis is directed by the Senior Management Team (SMT). The lead direction of the 5 Senior Managers is directed by a Chief Executive Officer, namely Hans Willem Cortenraad. They have weekly meetings to discuss the company policy and how this policy is best directed to the line managers. Centraal Boekhuis in figures (2009) Full time employees: 579 Publishers: 500 Booksellers: 1500 Available Dutch titles: 80,000 Number of copies delivered per year: 60,000,000 Number of delivery addresses per day: 2500 Number of packages transported per year: 4,500,000 Number of pallets transported per year: 300,000 2. PROBLEM STATEMENT RESEARCH QUESTION According to Project Management Institute and Morris (2006) oorganizations often want efficiency, good financial results and success and they want it fast. It is for that matter that organizations generally focus on short-term results, such as immediate realizable financial goals. However, Centraal Boekhuis for example expects also from its employees to achieve results that corresponds to the overall long term objectives of the business strategy. This contradiction pointed me in the direction to ask myself if it is possible to operate more efficiently if the portfolio of projects is continuously linked to the business strategy of Centraal Boekhuis. My hypothesis subsequently is that the overall business strategy will be the input for the project portfolio planning and in turn, project success impacts the goals and objectives of the business strategy. Nevertheless, the solution isnt that easy. For instance, organizations are nowadays more often integrating ideas of sustainability in business strategies. It is for that matter unavoidable that there will be projects related to sustainable strategy, namely environmental or social projects. However, will projects on behalf of other strategic objectives also be sustainable? Thats why I assume that when project management is constructed and selected in accordance with the business strategy, and more specifically linked with sustainable business strategy, projects will positively contribute to the realization of strategies as well as it subsequently will contributes to sustainability. [2] The main question and hypothesis will be clarified for a reasonable interpretation of the research construction and approach. In this research the relation between project management and the pursuing of the realization of business strategies will be looked at. Foresaid leads to the following research question: what is the impact of the business strategy on the selection and execution of project management within organizations, and will this possible influence in consequence lead to sustainable project management? The hypothesis is: when project management is constructed and selected in accordance with the business strategy, and more specifically linked with sustainable business strategy, projects will positively contribute to the realization of the business strategies as well as it will positively contributes to sustainability; the result subsequently is that the overall business strategy will be the input for the project portfolio planning and in turn, project success impacts the goals and objectives of the sustainable business strategy. Why is it so important to link the project management of an organization to its business strategies, in order to make projects sustainable? As stated by Johnson et al (2009) it is ultimately the fulfilling of the business strategy to aim on the fulfilling of the expectations of the stakeholders. If an organization have stated sustainability within their business strategies, stakeholders are involved in monitoring if the strategy is achieved the objectives and if there is corrective action needed. This is called strategic control and it will keep an organization in track with its achievements on behalf of its strategy (and also sustainable strategy). According to foresaid it is plausible that it is important to state sustainability in the business strategy, for making sure that projects will meet the objectives and goals of sustainable strategy. 3. GOALS OBJECTIVES I will try to find out if a business strategy, specifically a sustainable business strategy, can positive influence the way on how projects will be selected and executed, as I expect it to be. I will test the hypothesis that the overall business strategy will be the input for the project portfolio planning and in turn, project success impacts the goals and objectives of the sustainable business strategy, to see if it is possible to make project management sustainable. If so, this offers an interesting new insight in sustainable project management, which could be the basis for more research. First it is important to study literature to get familiar with the several subjects of this thesis. The several subjects that will be described are project management, business strategy and of course overall sustainability. Next I will try to describe the multifarious relative contexts between the several subjects described in the literature, in order to make my hypotheses plausible. The most important objective of the literature review is to create an elementary basic assumption for further research. Furthermore the research methodologies that I will use are a case study research and a web survey. For the execution of the case study research are various data (re)sources used, namely in-depth interviews and the study of business documentation and reports. The case study research methodology will be used to get insights in how Centraal Boekhuis arranges its business strategy, especially how it is arranged towards its project management. Then it is important to look at how the sustainable policy of Centraal Boekhuis affects the daily operations as well as the sustainable policy affect its project management. For comparison and further research I will send a web survey to approximately 100 companies with sustainability stated in their business strategy. Hopefully this will give me insights in how other companies arrange their project management related to its business strategy and maybe they have certain methodologies to make project management sustainable, so I have some interesting data to work with. My research will focus on project management, business strategies, sustainability and sustainable project management in an attempt to find relative contexts to integrate business strategy and projects in order to facilitate development of sustainable project management. Overall I hope that the executed research will create a certain frame work for linking project management to the overall business strategy of an organization, in order to make project management sustainable. 4. LITERATURE REVIEW As mentioned earlier my research will focus on project management, business strategies, sustainability and sustainable project management. Therefore the theoretical background of my research will also be focused on foresaid topics. 4.1 Business Strategy The traditional literature about business strategy is often about the general definitions of business strategy, where organizations focus on where they want to be on the long term (mission and vision) and how this is achieved (goals and objectives) (Alblas Wijsman, 2001) in order to gain competitive advantages. The current literature about strategy describes more that strategy is about the importance of achieving advantage in a changing environment throughout configuration of resources and competences with the aim of fulfilling stakeholders expectations (Johnson et al., 2009). Aforementioned shows that the current literature on business strategies discusses the importance of the characteristic aspects change and configuration (Kloosterboer, 2005). The relative context between business strategy and changes is an important aspect that must be taken into account before I continue my research. According to Bryan Atkin and Adrian Brooks (2009), Change Management is the key towards innovation of organizations. In order to make progress and achieve greater efficiency and better value for money and to be more effective or competitive, organizations have to do things differently and have to make changes. Harvey Maylor (2003) characterizes project management as essential aspect for managing and reducing the inherent risks associated with change and innovation. Therefore changing organizations need projects for making change. 4.2 Project Management The Prince2 Foundation (2005) recognizes that organizations are continuously striving after agility and success by for example introducing new products and services or by improving business processes or activities. Many projects are the result of organizations that wants to manage such changes on an effectively and efficiently way. Furthermore Prince2 (2005) defines a project as a temporary organisation that is needed to produce a unique and predefined outcome or result at a pre-specified time using predetermined recourses. In practice projects bring recourses, skills, technology and ideas together to achieve business objectives and deliver business benefits. According to the International Project Management Association (2006), professional project management is broken down into the following three competences (see also figure one): Technical competences for project management; behavioral competences of project personnel; and the contextual competences of projects programmes and portfolio. The technical competence covers the techniques of project management, for example the practice of Prince2. The behavioral competence represents the professional behavior of the project personal, like project management skills. The contextual competence is the linkage between the project and organizations involved. The vision on project management by IPMA in the International Competence Baceline presented in October 2006 will be critically looked at for my research. This project management approach will also be studied and discussed during the master program of the Master of Facilities Management and Real Estate. The eye of competence figures the integra tion of the elements of project management as seen trough the eyes of the project manager. So the essence of project management is to support the execution of an organizations strategy to deliver a considered necessary outcome (Clifford and Gray, 2002). The research of recent literature shows us that project management is nowadays recognized as one of the primary business processes (Atkin Brooks, 2009). It is for that matter that organisational changes and the application of project management for realising those changes must be linked to the overall business strategy of an organization, in order to accomplish the business goals and objectives. Simply said; project management can move an organization from where it is now, to where it needs to be in the future to meets its business strategy and -objectives. For this thesis I will mainly focus on the SWOT analysis, because this management and strategy tool is used by Centraal Boekhuis for defining its strategy. The SWOT analysis can be used as a strategy formulation tool. It helps organizations to identify its Strengts, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT). The Strengths and Weaknesses represent the internal factors that create value or can destroy value. Opportunities and Threats are the external factors that can influence the organization value (Ahaus, 2005). 4.3 Business Strategies vs. Project Management According to Sabin Srivannaboon (2006), previous research on project management and its relation with business strategy mostly links the project management with business strategy through critical project selection, viewing it as part of the alignment process (For example Bard, Balachandra Kaufmann (1988); Cooper, Edgett Kleinschmidt (1998); Englund Graham (1999) etc). Also often displayed in previous research is project portfolio management. This is another concept suggested in the literature to ensure the strategic alignment of project management and business strategy and it is defined as a dynamic decision-making process, which an organization can update and revise its list of active projects (see for literature: Turner Simister (2000); Cooper, Edgett Kleinschmidt (1998) etc.). Current literature shows us more about the research that has been done on the alignment of project management with business strategies of organizations, for example research of Sabin Srivannaboon (2006) , Tony Grundy (2001) Peter Morris Ashley Jamison (2004) etc. 4.4 Sustainability sustainable project management On Wednesday the 4th of November, member of the House of Representatives Esmà © Wiegman talks about faith in Sustainability and vice versa, please note: in church! That sustainability has even penetrated the Christian church sais a lot. We are all confronted with it and action is expected of us. Sustainability is a hot item, that is no surprise. Looking at the quotes mentioned below you can conclude that there is no process in an organization that is not interfered with sustainability items. â€Å"Managers are more and more beginning to consider the environment as an additional parameter on which they base their decisions.† (North, 1997) That is what Klaus North wrote is his environmental business management introduction in 1997. And Carin Labuschagne wrote almost a decade later: â€Å"Various driving forces originating from society, government employees and business partners are forcing companies to both incorporate sustainable development in their business practices as well as to align all internal operations and practices with the principles thereof.† (Labuschagne, 2005). Sustainability, what does that really mean? Norwegian prime minister Gro Harlem Brundtland formulated it as followed; â€Å"The development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs†. As Labuschagne already said, there is no process in an organization that is not interfered with aspects of sustainability. Project management is just one of these processes that cannot be ignored. That is also made clear in the APM sustainable outlooks, where is mentioned that they are considering a database with project and programme managers who have specialist knowledge, experience and expertise in sustainability issues generally or by specific sectors, locations or types of project. They also plead for the triple bottom line approach in every project. The triple bottom line approach includes environmental, social and economical sustainability (APM, sustainable outlooks). As organizations become more and more focused on environmental responsibilities, project managers cannot stay behind. (Zoyd Reed Luce) Where sustainability is grounded in almost every strategy of every large organization, this automatically is reflected in the projects of an organization. Project manager are forced to focus on sustainability these days, it becomes part of the project. 4.5 Theoretical Framework for aligning projects with strategy There are several articles expanding on the idea that there should be a certain focus on the corporate strategy when managing projects, for example the articles of Tony Grundy (2001) or Morris and Jamison (2004). Milosevic and Srivannaboon (2006) support this vision in their article and wrote an article which describes a theoretical framework for aligning project management with strategy. Milosevic and Srivannaboon have developed an empirically based theoretical framework that explains the impact of business strategy on project management and vice versa and discusses how mechanisms can be used to strengthen that alignment. As discussed earlier, strategy is about the importance of achieving advantage in a changing environment throughout configuration of resources and competences with the aim of fulfilling stakeholders expectations and defending it against competitive forces (Johnson et al., 2009). Milosevic and Srivannaboon have based their theoretical framework on the vision of Porter (1980) about Generic Business Strategies. Michael Porter states that to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage, an organization must chose a certain type of strategy. Porters generic strategies distinguishes three types of strategies, namely cost leadership, differentiation, and cost focus (see figure 3). Competitive advantage can only be achieved by choosing one of these strategies. If an organization chooses to pursue more than one generic strategy, it will perform being badly without competitive advantage and Porter refers to that as being ‘stuck in the middle. Milosevic and Srivannaboon use cost leadership, differentiation, and best cost as the primary focus of their analysis. They also use Shenhars strategic project leadership framework which consist of project elements like project strategy, project organization, project process and tools metrics and culture. Differentiation is about organizations pursuing a differentiation strategy by offering products and services that are unique from competition in order to satisfy the desires of their customers. This differentiation allows the organization to charge a premium price (Porter, 1980). Cost Leadership is about organizations pursuing a cost leadership strategy to gain competitive advantage and increase market share by operate with lower costs than competition, for example tight cost controls e.g. efficient facilities (Porter, 1980). Best cost (also called focus niche) is about organizations creating a sustainable competitive advantage through combining cost leadership and differentiation. This can be realized by offering a unique product or service to a special market segment and seek to offer low cost products within a special market segment (fast time-to-market, superior product quality, etc.). According to Milosevic and Srivannaboon the competitive aspects of the business strategy drive the focus of the project management elements. They see a pattern in project management elements for the differentiation of business strategy. Their research indicates that organizations can align projects with business strategies into three levels, namely the strategic level, the tactical level, and the corrective emergent strategic feedback. The first level of this framework (typified as mediating process at the strategic level) is the first step of the alignment process. At level 1 organization should use their intended strategy and select projects into their portfolio to determine the right projects that would contribute to the organizations strategy. The second level (typified as mediating process at the project level) involves the further planning of project details to ensure that alignment with the project life-cycle phases (Shenhars project classification) is realized. Proper alignment of projects with strategy during the project life cycle can be classified as the planning process and the monitoring process. Managers should develop a project management plan that has a certain focus on the business strategy. The third level (mediating process at the emergent strategic feedback level) is a process which uses stages, or also called stage gates or milestone, for evaluating or reviewing the project status on time, cost, and performance. These project stages are points in the project life cycle where projects transition from one stage to another. These stages provide project teams the opportunity to realign the project to its business strategy. 5. RESEARCH DESIGN 5.1 Research methods Based on the literature of Baarde and Goede (2001), the research on behalf of this thesis is categorized in a preliminary research study, a literature review, a case study research and a web survey. For the execution of the case study research are various data (re)sources used, namely in-depth interviews and the study of business documentation and reports of Centraal Boekhuis. The preliminary research study has given multifarious insights in for example the company of the case study, but also insights about project management and the business strategy of the concerning organization. In the preliminary research study is a critically literature review completed and several managers of the human resource division have been interviewed for creating a basis for this research. The products of the preliminary research study are a defined approach of the case study research, a description of the company and a defined approach of the web-survey. The case study research can be categorized in descriptive- and exploratory research study methods (Sanders et al, 2009). The descriptive study of this case study is defined by the research of qualitative data, for example the study of business documentation and reports that are in stock within the company about project management, its business strategy and sustainability. The exploratory part of the research describes the research methods in depth interviews and a web survey. In order to test how organizations work with project management related to its (sustainable) business strategy, two steps will be carried out. First, on Tuesday March 6, I will send a web survey to approximately 15 companies with sustainability stated in their business strategy. This short questionnaire will offer me data on the way the concerning companies arranges their project management related to the business strategies, to test on how the companies makes their projects sustainable. In order to increase the number of responses and to raise the chances of the answering the questions themselves, I will keep the survey very short, and stress this in the attached e-mail. Second, I will arrange in-depth interviews with about ten representatives of project management employees of the project department of Centraal Boekhuis. In these interviews, I will attempt Project Management and Business Strategies Project Management and Business Strategies ABSTRACT Which way to go? This is a question that organizations will ask themselves in a certain time, because organizations are faced with challenges of strategic direction. Some organizations are instigated by challenging opportunities, other organizations want to overcome significant threats. The business strategy can move an organization from where it is now, to where it needs to be in the future. Johnson et al (2009) states that the strategy of an organization is often likely to be complex, uncertain and mostly it affects operational decisions and requires an integrated approach. But the most typically and crucial components of strategy are change and innovation. Project management is essential for managing and reducing the inherent risk associated with change and innovation. Thats why many projects are the result of strategic decisions of organizations, because projects manage changes on an effectively and efficiently way. Changing organizations need projects for making change and for obtaining its business strategy and -objectives. Nowadays sustainability is a very hot (strategic) item for organizations. Organizations are integrating ideas of sustainability in their marketing, corporate communications, business strategy and in their actions. Centraal Boekhuis, a (leading) logistics service provider in stocking, storage, distribution and transportation of books, has also formulated a covering policy on sustainability for the strategy period 2009-2011 (Board of directors Centraal Boekhuis (2009)). Sustainability for Centraal Boekhuis means commitment to corporate environmental performances as well as sustainable performances on social and economic aspects. Several projects on behalf of sustainability will be conducted as well as projects will be conducted on behalf of other strategic targets. But is it possible to make project management sustainable, in order to make other projects contribute to the policy on sustainability too? In this research the relation between project management and the pursuing of the realization of business strategies will be looked at. Then the main research question will be answered: how will the business strategy influence the selection and execution of project management within organizations, and how will this in consequence lead to sustainable project management? The hypothesis is that when project management is constructed and selected in accordance with the business strategy, and more specifically linked with sustainable business strategy, projects will contribute to the realization of the business strategies as well as it subsequently will contributes to sustainability. The actual research will be executed through a web survey among several organizations as well as a case study of Centraal Boekhuis, which contains in-depth interviews with about 10 representatives project employees from Centraal Boekhuis. The research will also contain the study of qualitative data, for exampl e the study of documentation and reports that are in stock within the company about strategy, project management and sustainability. 1. INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND 1.1 Introduction To understand project management within organizations it is important to understand projects. The Prince2 Foundation (2005) defines a project as a temporary organisation that is needed to produce a unique and predefined outcome or result at a pre-specified time using predetermined recourses. In practice projects bring recourses, skills, technology and ideas together to achieve business objectives and deliver business benefits. But why is there a need for projects within organizations? Organizations are continuously striving after agility and success by for example introducing new products and services or by improving business processes or activities. Many projects are the result of organizations that wants to manage such changes on an effectively and efficiently way. According to Bryan Atkin and Adrian Brooks (2009), Change Management is the key towards innovation of organizations. In order to make progress and achieve greater efficiency and better value for money and to be more effective or competitive, organizations have to do things differently and have to make changes. Maylor (2005) stresses that Project management is essential for managing and reducing the inherent risks associated with change and innovation. Changing organizations need projects for making change. Recently Johnson et al. (2009) gives an interesting definition on business strategy. The definition describes that strategy contains the direction and scope of an organization over the long term, for achieving advantage in a changing environment throughout configuration of resources and competences with the aim of fulfilling stakeholders expectations. Aforementioned definition displays that the fundamental principle of making changes of organizations can be the result of aiming towards targets that contributes to the fulfilment of the business strategy. In practice this means that organisational changes and the application of project management for realising those changes can thus be the result of the long term direction and scope of an organization. Simply said; project management can move an organization from where it is now, to where it needs to be in the future to meets its business strategy and -objectives. As mentioned above the management of projects within organization is among other things related to its business strategy, but how will the business strategy influences the selection and the execution of project management within organizations and how can project management thus contributes to the realization of the business strategy? For example, The board of directors of Centraal Boekhuis (2009) has formulated a covering policy on sustainability for the strategy period 2009-2011. Several projects on behalf of sustainability will be conducted as well as projects will be conducted on behalf of other strategic targets. But is it possible to realize more strategic focus, by linking all projects to the business strategy of an organization? This leads to the main research question of the thesis: how will the business strategy influence the selection and execution of project management within organizations, and how will this in consequence lead to sustainable project management? Another interesting question will be: if project management is constructed and selected in accordance with the business strategy, and more specifically linked with sustainable business strategy, will projects contribute to the realization of the business strategies as well as it subsequently will contributes to sustainability? 1.2 The organization; Centraal Boekhuis Centraal Boekhuis is a (leading) logistics service provider in stocking, storage, distribution and transportation of books. More than 500 publishers and over 1500 booksellers use the service facilities for distribution, transportation, information and administration. For publishers is Centraal Boekhuis the entry into the Dutch and Flemish (book) markets. For booksellers in the Netherlands and Flanders, Centraal Boekhuis is the provider of the assortment of Dutch-language books, general as well as educational or scientific books, and a selected range of foreign-language books (staff directory guide Centraal Boekhuis, 2007). Besides taking care of stocking, storage, distribution and transportation of books, Centraal Boekhuis also offers administrative or financial services. For publishers the company organizes complete stock and sales recording, invoicing and debt collection. Booksellers as well benefit from a broad range of information technology services. The majority of Centraal Boekhuis services are integrated in a single automated system (CB Online), so customers have access to the operational and management information they need, focused on their companys business processes. Upon request, Centraal Boekhuis will also arrange the storage, distribution and transport of office supplies, stationary and greeting cards. All logistic activities and processes are linked with the transport centres delivery network. The centres range of services includes processing special offers and returned goods, (temporary) storage, order picking and carrying out special mailing campaigns with value-added logistics. The Transport Centre of Centraal Boekhuis organizes transport from and to countries outside the Benelux. In England is a consolidation point bounded, where shipments from 1600 English publishers intended for Dutch bookshops are collected and forwarded to the Netherlands. This enables Centraal Boekhuis to offer customers attractive services. Shipments from Germany and America are transported along similar lines. History For over 135 years Centraal Boekhuis have been the logistic partner in the Dutch book trade. In 1871 the Vereeniging ter Bevordering van de Belangen des Boekhandels (VBBB) in Amsterdam lay the foundations for Het bestelhuis van de Nederlandsche Boekhandel, presently called Centraal Boekhuis. Publishers send their boxes with books to that warehouse of books, where the boxes were distributed across the Netherlands. Many years later, in 1926, the VBBB decided to found Centraal Boekhuis in Amsterdam. Well-established publishers were obliged to store their books in the central depot of Centraal Boekhuis in Amsterdam. From now on the book stores and publishers could order their books with Centraal Boekhuis from one central point in the Netherlands. In 1973, because lack of space, Centraal Boekhuis grounded their company in Culemborg, where the company nowadays is still grounded. In that same year is Het Bestelhuis and Centraal Boekhuis merged into one company: Centraal Boekhuis B.V (Intranet Centraal Boekhuis, 2008). Organization The daily management of Centraal Boekhuis is directed by the Senior Management Team (SMT). The lead direction of the 5 Senior Managers is directed by a Chief Executive Officer, namely Hans Willem Cortenraad. They have weekly meetings to discuss the company policy and how this policy is best directed to the line managers. Centraal Boekhuis in figures (2009) Full time employees: 579 Publishers: 500 Booksellers: 1500 Available Dutch titles: 80,000 Number of copies delivered per year: 60,000,000 Number of delivery addresses per day: 2500 Number of packages transported per year: 4,500,000 Number of pallets transported per year: 300,000 2. PROBLEM STATEMENT RESEARCH QUESTION According to Project Management Institute and Morris (2006) oorganizations often want efficiency, good financial results and success and they want it fast. It is for that matter that organizations generally focus on short-term results, such as immediate realizable financial goals. However, Centraal Boekhuis for example expects also from its employees to achieve results that corresponds to the overall long term objectives of the business strategy. This contradiction pointed me in the direction to ask myself if it is possible to operate more efficiently if the portfolio of projects is continuously linked to the business strategy of Centraal Boekhuis. My hypothesis subsequently is that the overall business strategy will be the input for the project portfolio planning and in turn, project success impacts the goals and objectives of the business strategy. Nevertheless, the solution isnt that easy. For instance, organizations are nowadays more often integrating ideas of sustainability in business strategies. It is for that matter unavoidable that there will be projects related to sustainable strategy, namely environmental or social projects. However, will projects on behalf of other strategic objectives also be sustainable? Thats why I assume that when project management is constructed and selected in accordance with the business strategy, and more specifically linked with sustainable business strategy, projects will positively contribute to the realization of strategies as well as it subsequently will contributes to sustainability. [2] The main question and hypothesis will be clarified for a reasonable interpretation of the research construction and approach. In this research the relation between project management and the pursuing of the realization of business strategies will be looked at. Foresaid leads to the following research question: what is the impact of the business strategy on the selection and execution of project management within organizations, and will this possible influence in consequence lead to sustainable project management? The hypothesis is: when project management is constructed and selected in accordance with the business strategy, and more specifically linked with sustainable business strategy, projects will positively contribute to the realization of the business strategies as well as it will positively contributes to sustainability; the result subsequently is that the overall business strategy will be the input for the project portfolio planning and in turn, project success impacts the goals and objectives of the sustainable business strategy. Why is it so important to link the project management of an organization to its business strategies, in order to make projects sustainable? As stated by Johnson et al (2009) it is ultimately the fulfilling of the business strategy to aim on the fulfilling of the expectations of the stakeholders. If an organization have stated sustainability within their business strategies, stakeholders are involved in monitoring if the strategy is achieved the objectives and if there is corrective action needed. This is called strategic control and it will keep an organization in track with its achievements on behalf of its strategy (and also sustainable strategy). According to foresaid it is plausible that it is important to state sustainability in the business strategy, for making sure that projects will meet the objectives and goals of sustainable strategy. 3. GOALS OBJECTIVES I will try to find out if a business strategy, specifically a sustainable business strategy, can positive influence the way on how projects will be selected and executed, as I expect it to be. I will test the hypothesis that the overall business strategy will be the input for the project portfolio planning and in turn, project success impacts the goals and objectives of the sustainable business strategy, to see if it is possible to make project management sustainable. If so, this offers an interesting new insight in sustainable project management, which could be the basis for more research. First it is important to study literature to get familiar with the several subjects of this thesis. The several subjects that will be described are project management, business strategy and of course overall sustainability. Next I will try to describe the multifarious relative contexts between the several subjects described in the literature, in order to make my hypotheses plausible. The most important objective of the literature review is to create an elementary basic assumption for further research. Furthermore the research methodologies that I will use are a case study research and a web survey. For the execution of the case study research are various data (re)sources used, namely in-depth interviews and the study of business documentation and reports. The case study research methodology will be used to get insights in how Centraal Boekhuis arranges its business strategy, especially how it is arranged towards its project management. Then it is important to look at how the sustainable policy of Centraal Boekhuis affects the daily operations as well as the sustainable policy affect its project management. For comparison and further research I will send a web survey to approximately 100 companies with sustainability stated in their business strategy. Hopefully this will give me insights in how other companies arrange their project management related to its business strategy and maybe they have certain methodologies to make project management sustainable, so I have some interesting data to work with. My research will focus on project management, business strategies, sustainability and sustainable project management in an attempt to find relative contexts to integrate business strategy and projects in order to facilitate development of sustainable project management. Overall I hope that the executed research will create a certain frame work for linking project management to the overall business strategy of an organization, in order to make project management sustainable. 4. LITERATURE REVIEW As mentioned earlier my research will focus on project management, business strategies, sustainability and sustainable project management. Therefore the theoretical background of my research will also be focused on foresaid topics. 4.1 Business Strategy The traditional literature about business strategy is often about the general definitions of business strategy, where organizations focus on where they want to be on the long term (mission and vision) and how this is achieved (goals and objectives) (Alblas Wijsman, 2001) in order to gain competitive advantages. The current literature about strategy describes more that strategy is about the importance of achieving advantage in a changing environment throughout configuration of resources and competences with the aim of fulfilling stakeholders expectations (Johnson et al., 2009). Aforementioned shows that the current literature on business strategies discusses the importance of the characteristic aspects change and configuration (Kloosterboer, 2005). The relative context between business strategy and changes is an important aspect that must be taken into account before I continue my research. According to Bryan Atkin and Adrian Brooks (2009), Change Management is the key towards innovation of organizations. In order to make progress and achieve greater efficiency and better value for money and to be more effective or competitive, organizations have to do things differently and have to make changes. Harvey Maylor (2003) characterizes project management as essential aspect for managing and reducing the inherent risks associated with change and innovation. Therefore changing organizations need projects for making change. 4.2 Project Management The Prince2 Foundation (2005) recognizes that organizations are continuously striving after agility and success by for example introducing new products and services or by improving business processes or activities. Many projects are the result of organizations that wants to manage such changes on an effectively and efficiently way. Furthermore Prince2 (2005) defines a project as a temporary organisation that is needed to produce a unique and predefined outcome or result at a pre-specified time using predetermined recourses. In practice projects bring recourses, skills, technology and ideas together to achieve business objectives and deliver business benefits. According to the International Project Management Association (2006), professional project management is broken down into the following three competences (see also figure one): Technical competences for project management; behavioral competences of project personnel; and the contextual competences of projects programmes and portfolio. The technical competence covers the techniques of project management, for example the practice of Prince2. The behavioral competence represents the professional behavior of the project personal, like project management skills. The contextual competence is the linkage between the project and organizations involved. The vision on project management by IPMA in the International Competence Baceline presented in October 2006 will be critically looked at for my research. This project management approach will also be studied and discussed during the master program of the Master of Facilities Management and Real Estate. The eye of competence figures the integra tion of the elements of project management as seen trough the eyes of the project manager. So the essence of project management is to support the execution of an organizations strategy to deliver a considered necessary outcome (Clifford and Gray, 2002). The research of recent literature shows us that project management is nowadays recognized as one of the primary business processes (Atkin Brooks, 2009). It is for that matter that organisational changes and the application of project management for realising those changes must be linked to the overall business strategy of an organization, in order to accomplish the business goals and objectives. Simply said; project management can move an organization from where it is now, to where it needs to be in the future to meets its business strategy and -objectives. For this thesis I will mainly focus on the SWOT analysis, because this management and strategy tool is used by Centraal Boekhuis for defining its strategy. The SWOT analysis can be used as a strategy formulation tool. It helps organizations to identify its Strengts, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT). The Strengths and Weaknesses represent the internal factors that create value or can destroy value. Opportunities and Threats are the external factors that can influence the organization value (Ahaus, 2005). 4.3 Business Strategies vs. Project Management According to Sabin Srivannaboon (2006), previous research on project management and its relation with business strategy mostly links the project management with business strategy through critical project selection, viewing it as part of the alignment process (For example Bard, Balachandra Kaufmann (1988); Cooper, Edgett Kleinschmidt (1998); Englund Graham (1999) etc). Also often displayed in previous research is project portfolio management. This is another concept suggested in the literature to ensure the strategic alignment of project management and business strategy and it is defined as a dynamic decision-making process, which an organization can update and revise its list of active projects (see for literature: Turner Simister (2000); Cooper, Edgett Kleinschmidt (1998) etc.). Current literature shows us more about the research that has been done on the alignment of project management with business strategies of organizations, for example research of Sabin Srivannaboon (2006) , Tony Grundy (2001) Peter Morris Ashley Jamison (2004) etc. 4.4 Sustainability sustainable project management On Wednesday the 4th of November, member of the House of Representatives Esmà © Wiegman talks about faith in Sustainability and vice versa, please note: in church! That sustainability has even penetrated the Christian church sais a lot. We are all confronted with it and action is expected of us. Sustainability is a hot item, that is no surprise. Looking at the quotes mentioned below you can conclude that there is no process in an organization that is not interfered with sustainability items. â€Å"Managers are more and more beginning to consider the environment as an additional parameter on which they base their decisions.† (North, 1997) That is what Klaus North wrote is his environmental business management introduction in 1997. And Carin Labuschagne wrote almost a decade later: â€Å"Various driving forces originating from society, government employees and business partners are forcing companies to both incorporate sustainable development in their business practices as well as to align all internal operations and practices with the principles thereof.† (Labuschagne, 2005). Sustainability, what does that really mean? Norwegian prime minister Gro Harlem Brundtland formulated it as followed; â€Å"The development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs†. As Labuschagne already said, there is no process in an organization that is not interfered with aspects of sustainability. Project management is just one of these processes that cannot be ignored. That is also made clear in the APM sustainable outlooks, where is mentioned that they are considering a database with project and programme managers who have specialist knowledge, experience and expertise in sustainability issues generally or by specific sectors, locations or types of project. They also plead for the triple bottom line approach in every project. The triple bottom line approach includes environmental, social and economical sustainability (APM, sustainable outlooks). As organizations become more and more focused on environmental responsibilities, project managers cannot stay behind. (Zoyd Reed Luce) Where sustainability is grounded in almost every strategy of every large organization, this automatically is reflected in the projects of an organization. Project manager are forced to focus on sustainability these days, it becomes part of the project. 4.5 Theoretical Framework for aligning projects with strategy There are several articles expanding on the idea that there should be a certain focus on the corporate strategy when managing projects, for example the articles of Tony Grundy (2001) or Morris and Jamison (2004). Milosevic and Srivannaboon (2006) support this vision in their article and wrote an article which describes a theoretical framework for aligning project management with strategy. Milosevic and Srivannaboon have developed an empirically based theoretical framework that explains the impact of business strategy on project management and vice versa and discusses how mechanisms can be used to strengthen that alignment. As discussed earlier, strategy is about the importance of achieving advantage in a changing environment throughout configuration of resources and competences with the aim of fulfilling stakeholders expectations and defending it against competitive forces (Johnson et al., 2009). Milosevic and Srivannaboon have based their theoretical framework on the vision of Porter (1980) about Generic Business Strategies. Michael Porter states that to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage, an organization must chose a certain type of strategy. Porters generic strategies distinguishes three types of strategies, namely cost leadership, differentiation, and cost focus (see figure 3). Competitive advantage can only be achieved by choosing one of these strategies. If an organization chooses to pursue more than one generic strategy, it will perform being badly without competitive advantage and Porter refers to that as being ‘stuck in the middle. Milosevic and Srivannaboon use cost leadership, differentiation, and best cost as the primary focus of their analysis. They also use Shenhars strategic project leadership framework which consist of project elements like project strategy, project organization, project process and tools metrics and culture. Differentiation is about organizations pursuing a differentiation strategy by offering products and services that are unique from competition in order to satisfy the desires of their customers. This differentiation allows the organization to charge a premium price (Porter, 1980). Cost Leadership is about organizations pursuing a cost leadership strategy to gain competitive advantage and increase market share by operate with lower costs than competition, for example tight cost controls e.g. efficient facilities (Porter, 1980). Best cost (also called focus niche) is about organizations creating a sustainable competitive advantage through combining cost leadership and differentiation. This can be realized by offering a unique product or service to a special market segment and seek to offer low cost products within a special market segment (fast time-to-market, superior product quality, etc.). According to Milosevic and Srivannaboon the competitive aspects of the business strategy drive the focus of the project management elements. They see a pattern in project management elements for the differentiation of business strategy. Their research indicates that organizations can align projects with business strategies into three levels, namely the strategic level, the tactical level, and the corrective emergent strategic feedback. The first level of this framework (typified as mediating process at the strategic level) is the first step of the alignment process. At level 1 organization should use their intended strategy and select projects into their portfolio to determine the right projects that would contribute to the organizations strategy. The second level (typified as mediating process at the project level) involves the further planning of project details to ensure that alignment with the project life-cycle phases (Shenhars project classification) is realized. Proper alignment of projects with strategy during the project life cycle can be classified as the planning process and the monitoring process. Managers should develop a project management plan that has a certain focus on the business strategy. The third level (mediating process at the emergent strategic feedback level) is a process which uses stages, or also called stage gates or milestone, for evaluating or reviewing the project status on time, cost, and performance. These project stages are points in the project life cycle where projects transition from one stage to another. These stages provide project teams the opportunity to realign the project to its business strategy. 5. RESEARCH DESIGN 5.1 Research methods Based on the literature of Baarde and Goede (2001), the research on behalf of this thesis is categorized in a preliminary research study, a literature review, a case study research and a web survey. For the execution of the case study research are various data (re)sources used, namely in-depth interviews and the study of business documentation and reports of Centraal Boekhuis. The preliminary research study has given multifarious insights in for example the company of the case study, but also insights about project management and the business strategy of the concerning organization. In the preliminary research study is a critically literature review completed and several managers of the human resource division have been interviewed for creating a basis for this research. The products of the preliminary research study are a defined approach of the case study research, a description of the company and a defined approach of the web-survey. The case study research can be categorized in descriptive- and exploratory research study methods (Sanders et al, 2009). The descriptive study of this case study is defined by the research of qualitative data, for example the study of business documentation and reports that are in stock within the company about project management, its business strategy and sustainability. The exploratory part of the research describes the research methods in depth interviews and a web survey. In order to test how organizations work with project management related to its (sustainable) business strategy, two steps will be carried out. First, on Tuesday March 6, I will send a web survey to approximately 15 companies with sustainability stated in their business strategy. This short questionnaire will offer me data on the way the concerning companies arranges their project management related to the business strategies, to test on how the companies makes their projects sustainable. In order to increase the number of responses and to raise the chances of the answering the questions themselves, I will keep the survey very short, and stress this in the attached e-mail. Second, I will arrange in-depth interviews with about ten representatives of project management employees of the project department of Centraal Boekhuis. In these interviews, I will attempt