How the west was won Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

How the west was won - Essay Example Through foreign treaties, political sabotage, military conquest, and digging mines, and pulling in enormous migrations of foreigners, the United States expanded greatly from coast to coast. With time, the American frontier drifted into history, and the myths of the west firmly held to the imagination of Americans and foreigners alike. From this understanding, this paper will give a detailed analysis of How the West Was Won. The outer line of settlement moved steadily towards the west from the 1630s to the 1880s, with some movements from towards the north. The ‘west’ was always the area beyond that boundary. Thus, the Midwest and parts of the American south have a frontier history with the modern western states. Politicians prioritized the west during the colonial period (Leslie 73). In terms of expansion and settlement, the English, Dutch, and Spanish happened quite differently. The Dutch traded in the Hudson River valley, taking up tracts of land, but they did not push westward. In contrast, the Britons gave priority to individual land ownership among farmers (Otten 85). Some American politicians began to argue that the United States should absorb the whole of North America. Bills were introduced into the senate, in an attempt to allow granting of free land to reward those willing to travel and claim the Rocky Mountains. Other politicians were of the opinion that such legislation would trigger war with Britain, and the bill did not sail through (Addison 4). There were several reasons, which made people risk travelling to California and Oregon. Emigrants emphasized on the importance of leaving the swamps of Mississippi, which were infested with fever. Antonie Robidoux claimed that he had never witnessed any case of fever. Stories regarding the high quality crops and the possible yields after growing spread widely. Claims were thrive that the motives, which brought

Corporate culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Corporate culture - Essay Example The goal of the essay is to identify what parts of culture are the most important and why it is useful for managers in order to build a worthwhile long-term corporate strategy and keep competitive edge. Here will be described power, diverse attitudes and beliefs, how to effectively manage people, risk and socialisation. The corporate culture There are several success factors for business if the organisation desires to achieve growth and build high human capital development. First, leadership needs to have a very strong vision of what they want to accomplish. â€Å"They know how to set the direction for the organisation and how to build commitment to follow that direction† (DeVries, 1996, p.491). It is necessary for managers to be transformational, using positive personality and charismatic traits, in order to get employees to model themselves after the leader. They need to push for personal growth and add more value to the human resources role to gain this commitment. However, this cannot be done without setting a cultural tone within the business that provides opportunities for employees to be empowered. If the manager considers culture important, they will develop proper training for this effort and always reinforce how important it is for employees to be focused on mission-related goals. ... Managers should not always keep power at the top levels since this breaks down the effectiveness of attempting to build a positive, unified corporate culture. â€Å"If power lies in the strategic coordination of resources rather than mere possession of them, then a strategic conception of power offers the opportunity for subordinate groups to develop coalitions capable of challenging dominant groups† (Alvesson & Willmott, 2003, p.6). If this is true, then employees will work against senior-level power and control and try to combat it by developing their own factions as they try to gain control in certain key areas. If power only resides at the top layers of the business leadership, then it is not a true culture. It is, instead, a business that maintains very high controls and does not provide workers with much flexibility or give them perceptions of value. A business that operates in this condition would be referred to as a centralised organisation dedicated only to making sur e employees perform as they are expected. Social and psychological factors are dismissed in this type of business and no culture exists at all, only one with a Theory X type of focus where employees are always regulated. This could lead to higher turnover rates or generally dissatisfied employee groups who have little to contribute to a cultural whole. In some business environments overseas, such as Saudi Arabia, managers score high on testing related to Hofstede’s power distance scale. This is due to Muslim beliefs that are traditionalist and are common in Islamic societies (Bjerke & Al-Meer, 1993). Power distance is the level of closeness between management and regular employees.

Financial Statements Essay Example for Free

Financial Statements Essay There are four basic financial statements that companies use. They begin with income statement, statement of owner’s equity, balance sheet, and the statement of cash flows. Company’s use income statements to report how much money they have made and how much they have spent over a specified period of time. The statement of owner’s equity is used to report any changes in equity from a company’s net income or net loss, as well as report changes in the owner’s investments and withdrawals over a specified period of time. The balance sheet is used to report a company’s financial position at any point in time. This statement includes information such as what types of assets and their amounts, liabilities, and equity. The statement of cash flows is the last document out of the four basic financial statements. This statement is used to report how much money a company is bringing in (receipts), and how much they are spending (payments), during a specific period of time. Any changes found in assets and liabilities on a balance sheet reflect the revenues and expenses found in the income statement, which in turn results in gains or losses for a company. The statement of cash flows reports more information concerning the cash assets that are listed on a balance sheet and a linked, but not necessarily the same, as the net income found on the company’s income statement. Financial statements are nothing but numbers on a document when they’re on their own, but together, they provide valuable and powerful information for a company to make very big decisions about how to run their company, and how to make decisions for their company in the future. The information is also valuable for investors to make wise and educated decisions for investing in companies.

Post Bureaucracy And Network Society

Post Bureaucracy And Network Society Organisations around the world have changed their structures, the internal managerial strategies in order to survive within a competitive market and hence evolved to best suit the external environment they operate in. Every organisation in todays time has to be profitable in order to be in business and therefore it must organise its structure, (Grahame .F. Thompson 2003 Oxford University Press). In the 21st century a revolution of globalisation, Information technology and cultural change has made corporate organisations to re-think and re-structure themselves to better suit the needs of workers, employers, consumers and the future of the company as a whole. There has been a social change in the division of labour and concepts of Post Fordism and flexible specialisation has come up in the last quarter of a century, (Tony J. Watson 2003 Routledge). In this essay we will see the shift from factory type bureaucracy towards a network society and the emergence of post bureaucratic organisa tions in todays economy which is based on knowledge and innovation. But this leaves us with an argument that is a post bureaucratic organisational form predominant in the network society/knowledge based economy? In the latter part of this essay we see some evidence of bureaucracy and its elements still present in Network Organisations. To understand this and come to a reasonable conclusion we must know what are bureaucratic organisation, post bureaucratic organisations and network organisations. As we know that bureaucracy is a highly structured system of administration it was seen in the late 1920s as being highly successful in the era of capitalist and mass production and administrative complexity. Thus, due to its nature of being machine like it ignored moral, ethical and emotional values and was efficient. The control and co-ordination of work task through a hierarchy of appropriately qualified office holders, whose authority derives from their expertise and who rationally, devise a system of rules and procedures are calculated to provide the most appropriate means of achieving specified ends. (Tony J. Watson, 2003, Routledge, sociology, work and industry fourth edition, pg-86). Bureaucracy had a hierarchy and decision making which flowed from top level managers to low level skilled and unskilled workers. In Weber ideal model Weber argued that without a proper filing system the bureaucratic organisation would fail and many organisations followed that and had highly secre tive filing systems. Managers and workers were allocated task according to technical expertise. There was a framework of rules to be followed for the production and functions to be carried out. Decisions made were not affected by emotions or personal preferences but defined by system of rules and under the official jurisdictional area. But the ideal form is for us to understand that it is unachievable but through which reality can be compared. (Tony J. Watson, 2003, Routledge). Bureaucracy is a concept of sociology and political science and can be seen in many government agencies, large manufacturing firms, hospitals, and many academic institutions, (Reference). As the government of states grew larger during the modern period, modern bureaucracies arose and especially following the Industrial Revolution, (Osborne David and Gaebler Ted, 1993, Plume). The major changes which gave rise to the factory system was that the workforce of labour shifted from hand production such as working i n the fields to a power driven machinery system. This revolution made division of labour more complicated, hierarchy gave managers more control, superior supervision and coercive authority, enabled capitalist to take greater reward, moral machinery was introduced to break the resistance from employees, and reduction of skill on which workers relied caused a reduced labour cost, (Paul Thompson and David McHugh, 2009, Palgrave Macmillan). (Give Examples of British companies as well as worldwide) Bureaucracy was at its height with the rise of the factory system. It was transforming organisations into technically superior system of administration and production. Coordination between man and the machine and with the introduction of the assembly line everything changed. Organised and detailed planning were the key features of Technical superiority. Rationality helped large firms achieve more out of the workers by allowing them to do simplified work in a formalised manner to achieve efficiency and limit the decision making power to the top down hierarchy. Limiting workers decision making and increasing efficiency by ground rules clearly defined without personal prejudice and emotional values. Control was achieved by reducing and restricting vital information and knowledge lead to more direct control from the management. Organisations used bureaucratic structures not only to retain the most earning but many of its features benefited the workers, there was job security, grievances procedures and demarcation, etc. This wave caused the workers something to look forward to and see the organisation in a positive manner, (Paul Thompson and David McHugh, 2009, Palgrave Macmillan). Taylorism and Fordism Taylors principles were based on bureaucracy and the phenomena were called scientific management. This was a typical example where an organisation was successful at the time when bureaucracy was at its heights. This was not an ideal type Webers model but it saw social aspects of the organisation where employees were also benefited but the big chunk of profit was taken by organisation. Employees were given specialised routine tasks and which being mechanised with proper coordination of human work effort led to Scientific management. It had a success with organised labour; in which manager had a concept of soldiering on the employee because Taylor thought that it is a tendency for men to take it easy without proper supervision. He had one best way of organising work. In counties like France and Britain experiments on Taylors scientific management started taking place, his ideas of time study and piece rate working gave rise to Taylorism, (Thompson and McHugh, 2009, Palgrave Macmillan). One of the models of Taylorism states that an official can work his way up the career hierarchy within a few years from being a simple worker to a middle level manager and even in some cases as high as the top management. This was the minimum interaction model describe by littler (1982), (Tony J. Watson, 2003, Routledge). In many parts of Britain and Europe Bedeaux system came through and Sweden and Germany followed districting paths but were influenced by Taylorism, (Thompson and McHugh, 2009, Palgrave Macmillan). Henry ford was Fordism became popular after the assembly line was introduced in factory working which increased efficiency many folds. This was the era of mass production were the employees were consumers and part of the market. What made the car factories a success were his detailed supervision, planning management strategies and close supervision. Ford gave his employees something to look forward to in terms of material benefits such as incentives, high wages, and could have a ford car of their own in a number of years. This made them loyal and a sense of trust emerged, (Tony J. Watson, 2003, Routledge). Post Bureaucracy and Network Society Post Bureaucratic organisations emerged when organisations found it difficult to cope up with strict rules and defined boundaries of the bureaucratic structure. With the introduction of advance technology being used in the modern age the organisational structure has changed in many large-scale industries. The age of mass production seemed to be over and highly specialised customer need analysis had to be done. During the time of Henry ford cars were produced in bulk which was standard in its appearance, style and technology. Nowadays we have entered the 21st century where cars are customised according to the needs of a specific customer. We have shifted from a factory type mass production to a customer oriented knowledge based economy where many authors believe bureaucracy is of the past. The ideal type of post bureaucratic structure has more of a dialog based and discussion rather than commands given where individual expertise is given credit. Here we see flat hierarchy which was ne eded in network society to work efficiently on project based process and group tasks, (Heckscher .C, Donnellon .A, 1994, Sage Publications). The changes that are prominent in the network form of organisation are that there are workers and groups with flat hierarchy who take decisions based on their knowledge and expertise. There are team based group doing projects and working together either from the office or from other sites. Networks have proved a useful alternative conception in analysing how a range social activity is organised and governed at a number of levels, (Graham .F. Thompson, 2003, Oxford university press). In modern organisations the concept of flat organisational structure has been introduced and work has been divided into many groups and teams of professional workers, where a set of employees take decisions at various levels of the work process. This also contributes to the innovation where employees have the freedom to make decisions and exercise their expertise. M ost of the employees are treated with formal equality and joint membership in the network organisation, (Graham .F. Thompson, 2003, Oxford university press). Basically what the author is trying to say is that network organisations gave more freedom to work and a sense of equality amongst the workers and employees. This can be seen in highly value added services, like education, medicine, law firms etc. The Network organisations are based on a high trust culture; it has low level of formal division of labour. Networks developed as business shifted from bureaucratic system to a more flexible system because organisations had to survive in the age of technology, innovation and globalisation. The rise of post bureaucratic structure was thought to be due to three major factors such as globalisation, information technology and cultural change. Globalisation caused high degree of competition as the markets to expand and overstretch national boundaries. Many organisations opened branches in other countries and corporate culture was born. This was the era of professionals where knowledge and networking were given importance. Because bureaucratic structures could not cope up with change and adaptability Post bureaucratic organisations had more flexible control process and were more proactive towards its environment. Making connections and providing service was part of almost every organisation regardless of its size and nature. Another major change that gave rise to Post bureaucracy was the change of technology and innovation. Information technology is required for an organisation to stay in business without communication and innovation a business cannot survive in long term. Some people suggest that culture also influenced Post bureaucratic rise in the network organisation. Consumers are given importance in the network society is based on consumerism, relativism and individualism, unlike in the bureaucratic structure, (Manuel Castells, 2000, Blackwell Publishers). Evidence of Post Bureaucratic Forms in Network Organizations (Castells, Journals) Many authors such as Castells suggest that post bureaucratic systems are the only way of the future of the knowledge based economy. This is a very hardcore and too optimistic approach yet we see that a pure bureaucratic organisational structure has failed to adapt into a network society. We know that due to change in administration in knowledge based economy bureaucracy has been replaced by a more flexible and adaptable organisational structure. Social, technological and economic change, multi-tasking work and the need for analysing data at different levels has shifted network society to engage the workers with high trust, empowerment, de-centralised decision making in knowledge economy, (Give Examples).Many organisations stared de-bureaucratizing because Webers concept of control was seen as an exercise of control on the basis of knowledge but in network organisations there had to a freedom to exercise indirect control where employees would practise self discipline and very less s upervision was needed. They had to exchange information and knowledge to be innovative which meant being proactive towards the environment for a long-term survival for the organisation. The concept of disagree to agree is used as friendly constructive discussion for decision making. We know that through empowerment high performance work systems are possible which has shifted from a factory type system where one could not act out of the official jurisdiction of their job description. In many value added organisations empowerment given to employees can lead to success of the firm/company (give example). (Paul Du Gay, 2005, Oxford University Press). Total quality management and customer satisfaction are relatively new methods of the Post-Bureaucratic structure which are used by organisations in the network society and knowledge based service industry. The famous legend in automobile industry Henry Ford ideas of mass production have shifted to some extent to a customised vehicle for a s pecific customer. An article by John Ovretiveit showed that TQM was applied to many hospitals and clinics across Europe became widespread since the 1990s. This method helps organisations deliver better quality control and customer satisfaction essential in knowledge based economy, (John Ovretiveit, 13/2 [200] 74-79, International Journal of health care quality assurance). TQM has been seen as a useful tool but many experts believe that it is difficult to evaluate and is difficult to implement. Whereas we see that in bureaucracy implementation and supervision were regarded highly and Taylors scientific management made it easy for firms to implement policies and evaluate them according to tasks specified to workers according to their official jurisdiction. As Richard Sennett says that there are three deficits of structural change are loyalty, informal trust and adaptive information faced by firms trying to de-bureaucratise, (Richard Sennett, 2004, Yale University Press). Evidence of Bureaucratic elements still present in Network Organizations (Reed M, Journals) Many Organisations have started to re-bureaucratize because there is a problem with the high trust, empowerment, shared responsibility and personal treatment. The concept of re-bureaucratizing has been discussed by many authors that instead of organisations shifting from bureaucracy they simply clean up the bureaucracy in their organisation (Heckscher .C, Donnellon .A, 1994, Sage Publications). Webers Ideal model of bureaucracy can be re-theorized to include any non-contradictory attributes. His ideal type thus cannot yield a clear distinction between bureaucratic and post-bureaucratic organizations, unless bureaucracy is flattened into hierarchy, and post-bureaucratic into non-hierarchical. But hierarchy cannot be eliminated from complex organizations, and bureaucracy can be re-theorized to include any non-contradictory attributes. (Harro M. Hoopfl, Journal of Organizational Change Management, Vol. 19 No. 1, 2006, 8-21, Emerald Group Publishing Limited). Charles Heckscher, the author of The Post-Bureaucratic Organisation talks about the theory of contingency, which is clearly not bureaucratic in nature. The best form of organisational structure should be that which suits the environmental complexities and uncertainty when organisations shift to knowledge based economy. If organisations work under the highly bureaucratised system they would not be able to work effectively, but it is argued that bureaucratic forms have a greater capacity mobilising human energy and cooperation. The author of Lost in translation Simon Norton suggests that Anglo-American approaches of new public management may not be suitable and elements of bureaucracy are still present in public sectors in Japan. The finding of the research is that such systems are popular and work for countries like USA and UK. The findings also suggest that Japanese organisations give priority to the long term survival of firms and its group rather than thinking for individual perfor mance and benefit, for example through reward mechanisms for innovation and demonstration of personal initiative, are at odds with the Japanese tradition of amae and Confucianism; instead, reformers should evolve reform policy around the concept of groupism (Koh, 1989). (Simon Norton, 2007, Emerald Group Publishing Limited). This research shows us that Although Japan being technologically advance it still values its culture and traditions indicates elements of bureaucracy which means that even after entering a knowledge based environment flat hierarchy may not be so suitable as perceived by many authors. In some organisations in network society direct control is being observed in which employees are monitored and supervised. Another finding by Rachel Parker and Lisa Bradley suggests that bureaucratic values within public sector organisations are prominent although there is an evidence of changing economic trend and new public management is emerging. The control and hierarchy in publ ic sectors show a reverse of what post bureaucratic values impose in an organisation. The employees viewed the monitoring and quality management systems as bureaucratic. Public sector organisations have been motivated less by financial considerations than by political considerations, including the public interest, (Perry Rainey 1988). (Rachel Parker and Lisa Bradley, The Asia Pacific Journal of Public Administration, Vol 26, No 2 (December, 2004) 197-215). The transition towards a post-bureaucratic society is evident but the process is slow and cannot leave behind elements of bureaucracy as we have not entered a fully knowledge based economy. This is not a claim by me but, in my opinion it is like two sides of the same coin where elements of both bureaucracy and post bureaucracy are present in the modern knowledge based economy and a hybrid form emerges.

Business Letter of Reference :: Business Reference Letters

October 11, 2014 2987 Strawberry Lane Suite 1555 Somewhere, ST 01234 To Whom It May Concern: RE: Customer Reference - Cool Arts Inc. I have been asked to write this letter of reference because our company will no longer be operating its printing plant that has served Cool Arts Inc. for more than two decades. Cool Arts has been one of our top customers for the past 22 years. Accordingly, I have no hesitation in recommending them as a company with which to do business. In addition to doing business with his company for many years, I have known the president and founder of Cool Arts, Pablo Picasso, for over 25 years. We were classmates and teammates at Somewhere University in the mid 1970s. Knowing him for so long I am quite comfortable in vouching for him as a great individual as well as a concerned and active citizen in this community. As far as a company to do business with, Cool Arts Inc. is one of the best that we have ever dealt with. Its practice has always been to pay our printing invoices within the 30-day time limit. We did significant amounts of business, especially during the past 8 years, and I cannot recall a late-payment situation involving the company. Billing disputes were rare, and those only required some minor additional documentation for clarification and resolution. Cool Arts was one of the best companies that I have ever dealt with from a change-order and work scheduling perspective. We maintained close communication with the company's production people and they always kept us apprised of their upcoming workload. Thus, scheduling jobs on our presses was never a problem.

Ernest Hemingway and Zelda Fitzgerald :: Biography Biographies Essays

Ernest Hemingway and Zelda Fitzgerald Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald was born July 24th, 1900 to Anthony Sayre, a judge of the Alabama Supreme Court, and Minnie, a once aspiring actress. She was considered a sought-after Southern belle who had a collection of soldiers' insignia pins by the time she met Scott Fitzgerald at the age of twenty. However, Zelda refused marriage until 1920 when the publication of This Side of Paradise gave Scott the wealth and economic stability, which she demanded. The first few years of their marriage were characterized by extravagant spending, but shortly after the birth of their only child, Frances Scott "Scottie" Fitzgerald, the couple began frequent arguments usually triggered by alcohol (http://www.sc.edu/fitzgerald/biography.html). In 1924, when the Fitzgeralds went to France, Zelda became smitten with a French naval aviator named Jozan, who unlike Scott was tall and athletic. Although it is not known whether the two consummated their affair, many suspect that it was Scott who demanded tha t the two stop seeing each other that summer (Milford 110). In Paris, Fitzgerald met Ernest Hemingway with whom he formed a friendship based largely on his admiration for Hemingway's personality and genius. The Fitzgeralds remained in France until the end of 1926, alternating between Paris and the Riviera. Although Scott and Ernest were very close at this time, they usually only included their wives, Zelda and Hadley, in social gatherings as "wives of writers" (Milford 116) rather than in their intellectual and literary discussions. Ernest became upset when Zelda said to Hadley at this time, "I notice in the Hemingway family you do what Ernest wants"(Milford 116). Thus, Ernest who always did things his way, was greatly disgusted over the amount of influence that Zelda had over her husband (Bruccoli 21). Legend also has it that at Ernest and Zelda's first encounter in the summer of 1926, Hemingway took Fitzgerald aside saying that Zelda was crazy when she asked "Ernest, don't you think Al Jolson is greater than Jesus"(Bruccoli 22). Zelda, on the other hand, thought Hemmingway was a "bogus," a "phony he-man," and a "pansy with hair on his chest". Scott was disappointed by their mutual dislike as he had hoped Zelda would admire Hemingway as much as he did. Hemingway recounts his 1921-1926 Paris years in A Movable Feast. In "Hawks Do Not Share," he introduces Zelda at "a very bad lunch" in the Fitzgerald's "gloomy" apartment.

Formation of Construction Contracts

Table of Contents Table of Contents 1. Outline of the NEC Contract a) Summary of the ethos & key aims of the Contract i. Stimulus to good management ii. Variations iii. Clear and simple language b) Strengths c) Weaknesses 2. Main Option Clauses a) List of main Option Clauses b) Summary and Comparison of Option Clauses c) Recommendation 3. Secondary Option Clauses a) 15 ‘X’ Secondary Options b) Two ‘Y’ Clauses c) Discussion of ‘Z’ Clauses d) Recommendation 4. Conclusion 5. References 1. Outline of the NEC Contract The NEC Engineering and Construction Contract (ECC) (previously the New Engineering Contract) has been developed to meet the current and future needs for a form of contract to be used in the engineering, building and construction industries. It is an improvement on existing standard contracts in a number of ways. ’ (NEC, 2005). a) Summary of the ethos & key aims of the contract i. Stimulus to good management The use of the NEC EC C should stimulate good management between the employers, designers, contractors and the project managers, and also make them work collaboratively to enable them to achieve their own objectives more consistently.It should also allocate the risks associated with the project between all parties clearly and simply to reduce the possibility of those risks occurring. The ECC focuses on ‘real time’ management of the project rather than looking back at what the parties should have done. This means the programme of works should always be up to date regardless of any changes. ii. Variations A variation is a change to the contract/programme of works after the contract has been agreed. An example of a variation could be a modification to the original design of works.In this case, the designers of the works would have to issue an early warning notification to all other parties involved to ensure they all know of any extra costs or delays in works that could happen as a result of th e change. After this, ‘the parties are then required to meet, to seek mutually beneficial solutions to overcome these problems, and to operate a formal Risk Register of notified events. ’ (NEC, 2005). This change also results in a compensation event and a sum of money is usually paid to the effected parties. iii. Clear and simple languageThe NEC ECC is written in ordinary language which is clear and simple and only uses words which are in common use. This makes it easy for everyone to understand, especially those whose first language is not English or those who are not used to using formal contracts. This also makes it easier to translate into other languages. The NEC ECC also has fewer clauses than in many standard forms, uses short sentences and the use of subjective words is kept to a minimum. Also, there is no cross-referencing between clauses. b) Strengths ? ? It can be used in a wide variety of commercial situations, for any type of work and in any location. Clear and simple document which is easy to understand and follow. Nothing is getting tested in the courts so no case law is being built. c) Weaknesses Aled Rhys Hughes 200714325 2. Main Option Clauses a) List of main Option Clauses ? ? ? ? ? ? ‘A) Priced contract with activity schedule; B )Priced contract with bill of quantities; C) Target contract with activity schedule; D) Target contract with bill of quantities; E) Cost reimbursable contract; F) Management contract. (NEC, NEC3 Engineering and Construction Contract, 2005) b) Summary and Comparison of Option Clauses ? Option A: ‘Provides a priced contract where the total of the price tendered by the contractor against each activity represents the amount he will be paid for that work. ’ (Rowlinson, 2011). Option B: ‘Provides a priced a priced contract but this time with a bill of quantities. Under this option, the contractor is paid the actual quantity of work carried out at the rates in the bill of quantities. ( Rowlinson, 2011). Option C: ‘The contractor tenders the prices (the target) backed by an activity schedule together with relevant percentages and rates. The percentages and rates are used in calculating the defined cost and price of work to date. ’ (Rowlinson, 2011). Option D: ‘Main option D follows the same approach as main option C, except that a bill of quantities is used against which the final total of the prices is re-measured. ’ (Rowlinson, 2011).Option E: ‘The employer pays for all the resources utilised by the contractor to carry out the works, following a formula employing various tendered rated and percentages, subject only to the disallowing of costs resulting from the contractor’s inefficient use of resources. ’ (Rowlinson, 2011). Option F: ‘Provides a management contract option under which the contractor is paid a fee for carrying out prescribed duties. ’ (Rowlinson, 2011). ? ? ? ? ? The main difference between each option clause is the risk associated with each one however; the risk for the contractor and client will differ for each option clause.The contractor faces high risk if option A is used decreasing to low risk if option F is used. The client is the opposite where they face low risk if option A is used and high risk if option F is used. c) Recommendation The use of main option clause A should be adopted in the contract document for this project. This option minimises the risks associated with the project for the client and all responsibility is then placed on the contractors to complete the project on time and for the agreed price. Aled Rhys Hughes 200714325 3.Secondary Option Clauses a) 15 ‘X’ Secondary Options ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ‘X1: Price adjustment for inflation; X2: Changes in the law; X3: Multiple currencies; X4: Parent company guarantee; X5: Sectional Completion; X6: Bonus for early Completion; X7: Delay damages; X12: Partnering; X13: Performa nce bond; X14: Advanced payment to the Contractor; X15: Limitation of the Contractor’s liability for his design to reasonable skill and care; X16: Retention; X17: Low performance damages; X18: Limitation of liability; X20: Key Performance Indicators. ’ NEC, NEC3 Engineering and Construction Contract Option A: Priced contract with activity schedule, 2005) b) Two ‘Y’ Clauses ? ? ‘Y (UK) 2: The Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996; Y (UK) 3: The Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999. ’ (NEC, NEC3 Engineering and Construction Contract Option A: Priced contract with activity schedule, 2005) c) Discussion of ‘Z’ Clauses Z clauses are intended for UK Government clients when using the NEC3 forms of contract. These clauses are additional conditions to the main NEC3 contract and are not intended for independent use. ) Recommendation An example would be for the contractors to request that the secondary option clause ‘X6: Bonus for early Completion’ to be included in the contract to reward them for possible early completion of the project. However, the client might request to include the secondary option clause ‘X17: Low performance damages’ to make sure that the contractors do not rush the job in order to attain their bonus. Aled Rhys Hughes 200714325 4. Conclusion ? ? ? The use of the NEC3 Contract is an overwhelming form of contract favourite and is highly regarded within industry.The use of the NEC3 Contract should be used as a governing document for the tender and subsequent project. The use of the main option clause A should be adopted in the contract document for this project. 5. References ? ? ? ? NEC. (2005). NEC3 Engineering and Construction Contract. NEC. (2005). NEC3 Engineering and Construction Contract Guidance Notes ECC . NEC. ( 2005). NEC3 Engineering and Construction Contract Option A: Priced contract with activity schedule. Rowlinson, M. (2011). Practi cal Guide to the NEC3 Engineering and Construction Contract. Hoboken, NJ, USA: Wiley-Blackwell.