Bag of Bones CHAPTER SEVEN

The little girl actually she wasn't much more than a baby-came walking up the middle of Route 68, dressed in a red bathing suit, yellow plastic flip-flops, and a Boston Red Sox baseball cap turned around backward. I had just driven past the Lakeview General Store and Dickie Brooks's All-Purpose Garage, and the speed limit there drops from fifty-five to thirty-five. Thank God I was obeying it that day, otherwise I might have killed her. It was my first day back. I'd gotten up late and spent most of the morning walking in the woods which run along the lakeshore, seeing what was the same and what had changed. The water looked a little lower and there were fewer boats than I would have expected, especially on summer's biggest holiday, but otherwise I might never have been away. I even seemed to be slapping at the same bugs. Around eleven my stomach alerted me to the fact that I'd skipped breakfast. I decided a trip to the Village Cafe was in order. The restaurant at Warrington's was trendier by far, but I'd be stared at there. The Village Cafe would be better if it was still doing business. Buddy Jellison was an ill-tempered fuck, but he had always been the best fry-cook in western Maine and what my stomach wanted was a big greasy Villageburger. Now this little girl, walking straight up the white line and looking like a majorette leading an invisible parade. At thirty-five miles per hour I saw her in plenty of time, but this road was busy in the summer, and very few people bothered creeping through the reduced-speed zone. There were only a dozen Castle County police cruisers, after all, and not many of them bothered with the TR unless they were specifically called there. I pulled over to the shoulder, put the Chevy in PARK, and was out before the dust had even begun to settle. The day was muggy and close and still, the clouds seeming low enough to touch. The kid a little blondie with a snub nose and scabbed knees stood on the white line as if it were a tightrope and watched me approach with no more fear than a fawn. ‘Hi,' she said. ‘I go beach. Mummy ‘on't take me and I'm mad as hell.' She stamped her foot to show she knew as well as anybody what mad as hell was all about. Three or four was my guess. Well-spoken in her fashion and cute as hell, but still no more than three or four. ‘Well, the beach is a good place to go on the Fourth, all right,' I said, ‘but ‘ ‘Fourth of July and fireworks too,' she agreed, making ‘too' sound exotic and sweet, like a word in Vietnamese. ‘ but if you try to walk there on the highway, you're more apt to wind up in Castle Rock Hospital.' I decided I wasn't going to stand there playing Mister Rogers with her in the middle of Route 68, not with a curve only fifty yards to the south and a car apt to come wheeling around it at sixty miles an hour at any time. I could hear a motor, actually, and it was revving hard. I picked the kid up and carried her over to where my car was idling, and although she seemed perfectly content to be carried and not frightened a bit, I felt like Chester the Molester the second I had my arm locked under her bottom. I was very aware that anyone sitting around in the combined office and waiting room of Brooksie's Garage could look out and see me. This is one of the strange midlife realities of my generation: we can't touch a child who isn't our own without fearing others will see something lecherous in our touching . . . or without thinking, way down deep in the sewers of our psyches, that there probably is something lecherous in it. I got her out of the road, though. I did that much. Let the Marching Mothers of Western Maine come after me and do their worst. ‘You take me beach?' the little girl asked. She was bright-eyed, smiling. I figured that she'd probably be pregnant by the time she was twelve, especially given the cool way she was wearing her baseball cap. ‘Got your suitie?' ‘Actually I think I left my suitie at home. Don't you hate that? Honey, where's your mom?' As if in direct answer to my question, the car I'd heard came busting out of a road on the near side of the curve. It was a Jeep Scout with mud splashed high up on both sides. The motor was growling like something up a tree and pissed off about it. A woman's head was poked out the side window. Little curie's mom must have been too scared to sit down; she was driving in a mad crouch, and if a car had been coming around that particular curve in Route 68 when she pulled out, my friend in the red bathing suit would likely have become an orphan on the spot. The Scout fishtailed, the head dropped back down inside the cab, and there was a grinding as the driver upshifted, trying to take her old heap from zero to sixty in maybe nine seconds. If pure terror could have done the job, I'm sure she would have succeeded. ‘That's Mattie,' the girl in the bathing suit said. ‘I'm mad at her. I'm running away to have a Fourth at the beach. If she's mad I go to my white nana.' I had no idea what she was talking about, but it did cross my mind that Miss Bosox of 1998 could have her Fourth at the beach; I would settle for a fifth of something whole-grain at home. Meanwhile, I was waving the arm not under the kid's butt back and forth over my head, and hard enough to blow around wisps of the girl's fine blonde hair. ‘Hey!' I shouted. ‘Hey, lady! I got her!' The Scout sped by, still accelerating and still sounding pissed off about it. The exhaust was blowing clouds of blue smoke. There was a further hideous grinding from the Scout's old transmission. It was like some crazy version of Let's Make a Deal.' ‘Mattie, you've succeeded in getting into second gear would you like to quit and take the Maytag washer, or do you want to try for third?' I did the only thing I could think of, which was to step out onto the road, turn toward the Jeep, which was now speeding away from me (the smell of the oil was thick and acrid), and hold the kid up high over my head, hoping Mattie would see us in her rearview mirror. I no longer felt like Chester the Molester; now I felt like a cruel auctioneer in a Disney cartoon, offering the cutest li'l piglet in the litter to the highest bidder. It worked, though. The Scout's mudcaked taillights came on and there was a demonic howling as the badly used brakes locked. Right in front of Brooksie's, this was. If there were any old-timers in for a good Fourth of July gossip, they would now have plenty to gossip about. I thought they would especially enjoy the part where Mom screamed at me to unhand her baby. When you return to your summer home after a long absence, it's always nice to get off on the right foot. The backup lights flared and the Jeep began reversing down the road at a good twenty miles an hour. Now the transmission sounded not pissed off but panicky please, it was saying, please stop, you're killing me. The Scout's rear end wagged from side to side like the tail of a happy dog. I watched it coming at me, hypnotized now in the northbound lane, now across the white line and into the southbound lane, now overcorrecting so that the left-hand tires spumed dust off the shoulder. ‘Mattie go fast,' my new girlfriend said in a conversational, isn't-this-interesting voice. She had one arm slung around my neck; we were chums, by God. But what the kid said woke me up. Mattie go fast, all right, too fast. Mattie would, more likely than not, clean out the rear end of my Chevrolet. And if I just stood here, Baby Snooks and I were apt to end up as toothpaste between the two vehicles. I backed the length of my car, keeping my eyes fixed on the Jeep and yelling, ‘Slow down, Mattie! Slow down!' Cutie-pie liked that. ‘S'yo down!' she yelled, starting to laugh. ‘S'yo down, you old Mattie, s'yo down!' The brakes screamed in fresh agony. The Jeep took one last walloping, unhappy jerk backward as Mattie stopped without benefit of the clutch. That final lunge took the Scout's rear bumper so close to the rear bumper of my Chevy that you could have bridged the gap with a cigarette. The smell of oil in the air was huge and furry. The kid was waving a hand in front of her face and coughing theatrically. The driver's door flew open; Mattie Devore flew out like a circus acrobat shot from a cannon, if you can imagine a circus acrobat dressed in old paisley shorts and a cotton smock top. My first thought was that the little girl's big sister had been babysitting her, that Mattie and Mummy were two different people. I knew that little kids often spend a period of their development calling their parents by their first names, but this pale-cheeked blonde girl looked all of twelve, fourteen at the outside. I decided her mad handling of the Scout hadn't been terror for her child (or not just terror) but total automotive inexperience. There was something else, too, okay? Another assumption that I made. The muddy four-wheel-drive, the baggy paisley shorts, the smock that all but screamed Kmart, the long yellow hair held back with those little red elastics, and most of all the inattention that allows the three-year-old in your care to go wandering off in the first place . . . all those things said trailer-trash to me. I know how that sounds, but I had some basis for it. Also, I'm Irish, goddammit. My ancestors were trailer-trash when the trailers were still horse-drawn caravans. ‘Stinky-phew!' the little girl said, still waving a pudgy hand at the air in front of her face. ‘Scoutie stink!' Where Scoutie's bathing suitie? I thought, and then my new girlfriend was snatched out of my arms. Now that she was closer, my idea that Mattie was the bathing beauty's sister took a hit. Mattie wouldn't be middle-aged until well into the next century, but she wasn't twelve or fourteen, either. I now guessed twenty, maybe a year younger. When she snatched the baby away, I saw the wedding ring on her left hand. I also saw the dark circles under her eyes, gray skin dusting to purple. She was young, but I thought it was a mother's terror and exhaustion I was looking at. I expected her to swat the tot, because that's how trailer-trash moms react to being tired and scared. When she did, I would stop her, one way or another distract her into turning her anger on me, if that was what it took. There was nothing very noble in this, I should add; all I really wanted to do was to postpone the fanny-whacking, shoulder-shaking, and in-your-face shouting to a time and place where I wouldn't have to watch it. It was my first day back in town; I didn't want to spend any of it watching an inattentive slut abuse her child. Instead of shaking her and shouting ‘Where did you think you were going, you little bitch?' Mattie first hugged the child (who hugged back enthusiastically, showing absolutely no sign of fear) and then covered her face with kisses. ‘Why did you do that?' she cried. ‘What was in your head? When I couldn't find you, I died.' Mattie burst into tears. The child in the bathing suit looked at her with an expression of surprise so big and complete it would have been comical under other circumstances. Then her own face crumpled up. I stood back, watched them crying and hugging, and felt ashamed of my preconceptions. A car went by and slowed down. An elderly couple Ma and Pa Kettle on their way to the store for that holiday box of Grape-Nuts gawked out. I gave them an impatient wave with both hands, the kind that says what are you staring at, go on, put an egg in your shoe and beat it. They sped up, but I didn't see an out-of-state license plate, as I'd hoped I might. This version of Ma and Pa were locals, and the story would be fleeting its rounds soon enough: Mattie the teenage bride and her little bundle of joy (said bundle undoubtedly conceived in the back seat of a car or the bed of a pickup truck some months before the legitimizing ceremony), bawling their eyes out at the side of the road. With a stranger. No, not exactly a stranger. Mike Noonan, the writer fella from upstate. ‘I wanted to go to the beach and suh-suh-swim!' the little girl wept, and now it was ‘swim' that sounded exotic the Vietnamese word for ‘ecstasy,' perhaps. ‘I said I'd take you this afternoon.' Mattie was still sniffing, but getting herself under control. ‘Don't do that again, little guy, please don't you ever do that again, Mommy was so scared.' ‘I won't,' the kid said ‘I really won't.' Still crying, she hugged the older girl tight, laying her head against the side of Mattie's neck. Her baseball cap fell off. I picked it up, beginning to feel very much like an outsider here. I poked the blue-and-red cap at Mattie's hand until her fingers closed on it. I decided I also felt pretty good about the way things had turned out, and maybe I had a right to. I've presented the incident as if it was amusing, and it was, but it was the sort of amusing you never see until later. When it was happening, it was terrifying. Suppose there had been a truck coming from the other direction? Coming around that curve, and coming too fast? A vehicle did come around it, a pickup of the type no tourist ever drives. Two more locals gawked their way by. ‘Ma'am?' I said. ‘Mattie? I think I'd better get going. Glad your little girl is all right.' The minute it was out, I felt an almost irresistible urge to laugh. I could picture me drawling this speech to Mattie (a name that belonged in a movie like Unforgiven or True Grit if any name ever did) with my thumbs hooked into the belt of my chaps and my Stetson pushed back to reveal my noble brow. I felt an insane urge to add, ‘You're right purty, ma'am, ain't you the new schoolteacher?' She turned to me and I saw that she was right purty. Even with circles under her eyes and her blonde hair sticking off in gobs to either side of her head. And I thought she was doing okay for a girl probably not yet old enough to buy a drink in a bar. At least she hadn't belted the baby. ‘Thank you so much,' she said. ‘Was she right in the road?' Say she wasn't, her eyes begged. At least say she was walking along the shoulder. ‘Well ‘ ‘I walked on the line,' the girl said, pointing. ‘It's like the cross-mock.' Her voice took on a faintly righteous tone. ‘Crossmock is safe.' Mattie's cheeks, already white, turned whiter. I didn't like seeing her that way, and didn't like to think of her driving home that way, especially with a kid. ‘Where do you live, Mrs. ?' ‘Devore,' she said. ‘I'm Mattie Devore.' She shifted the child and put out her hand. I shook it. The morning was warm, and it was going to be hot by mid-afternoon beach weather for sure but the fingers I touched were icy. ‘We live just there.' She pointed to the intersection the Scout had shot out of, and I could see surprise, surprise a doublewide trailer set off in a grove of pines about two hundred feet up the little feeder road. Wasp Hill Road, I recalled. It ran about half a mile from Route 68 to the water what was known as the Middle Bay. Ah yes, doc, it's all coming back to me now. I'm once more riding the Dark Score range. Saving little kids is my specialty. Still, I was relieved to see that she lived close by less than a quarter of a mile from the place where our respective vehicles were parked with their tails almost touching and when I thought about it, it stood to reason. A child as young as the bathing beauty couldn't have walked far . . . although this one had already demonstrated a fair degree of determination. I thought Mother's haggard look was even more suggestive of the daughter's will. I was glad I was too old to be one of her future boyfriends; she would have them jumping through hoops all through high school and college. Hoops of fire, likely. Well, the high-school part, anyway. Girls from the doublewide side of town did not, as a general rule, go to college unless there was a juco or a voke-tech handy. And she would only have them jumping until the right boy (or more likely the wrong one) came sweeping around the Great Curve of Life and ran her down in the highway, her all the while unaware that the white line and the crossmock were two different things. Then the whole cycle would repeat itself. Christ almighty, Noonan, quit it, I told myself. She's three years old and you've already got her with three kids of her own, two with ringworm and one retarded. ‘Thank you so much,' Mattie repeated. ‘That's okay,' I said, and snubbed the little girl's nose. Although her cheeks were still wet with tears, she grinned at me sunnily enough in response. ‘This is a very verbal little girl.' ‘Very verbal, and very willful.' Now Mattie did give her child a little shake, but the kid showed no fear, no sign that shaking or hitting was the order of most days. On the contrary, her smile widened. Her mother smiled back. And yes once you got past the slopped-together look of her, she was most extraordinarily pretty. Put her in a tennis dress at the Castle Rock Country Club (where she'd likely never go in her life, except maybe as a maid or a waitress), and she would maybe be more than pretty. A young Grace Kelly, perhaps. Then she looked back at me, her eyes very wide and grave. ‘Mr. Noonan, I'm not a bad mother,' she said. I felt a start at my name coming from her mouth, but it was only momentary. She was the right age, after all, and my books were probably better for her than spending her afternoons in front of General Hospital and One Life to Live. A little, anyway. ‘We had an argument about when we were going to the beach. I wanted to hang out the clothes, have lunch, and go this afternoon. Kyra wanted ‘ She broke off. ‘What? What did I say?' ‘Her name is Kia? Did ‘ Before I could say anything else, the most extraordinary thing happened: my mouth was full of water. So full I felt a moment's panic, like someone who is swimming in the ocean and swallows a wave-wash. Only this wasn't a salt taste; it was cold and fresh, with a faint metal tang like blood. I turned my head aside and spat. I expected a gush of liquid to pour out of my mouth the sort of gush you sometimes get when commencing artificial respiration on a near-drowning victim. What came out instead was what usually comes out when you spit on a hot day: a little white pellet. And that sensation was gone even before the little white pellet struck the dirt of the shoulder. In an instant, as if it had never been there. ‘That man spirted,' the girl said matter-of-factly. ‘Sorry,' I said. I was also bewildered. What in God's name had that been about? ‘I guess I had a little delayed reaction.' Mattie looked concerned, as though I were eighty instead of forty. I thought that maybe to a girl her age, forty is eighty. ‘Do you want to come up to the house? I'll give you a glass of water.' ‘No, I'm fine now.' ‘All right. Mr. Noonan . . . all I mean is that nothing like this has ever happened to me before. I was hanging sheets . . . she was inside watching a Mighty Mouse cartoon on the VCR . . . then, when I went in to get more pins . . . ‘ She looked at the girl, who was no longer smiling. It was starting to get through to her now. Her eyes were big, and ready to fill with tears. ‘She was gone. I thought for a minute I'd die of fear.' Now the kid's mouth began to tremble, and her eyes filled up right on schedule. She began to weep. Mattie stroked her hair, soothing the small head until it lay against the Kmart smock top. ‘That's all right, Ki,' she said. ‘It turned out okay this time, but you can't go out in the road. It's dangerous. Little things get run over in the road, and you're a little thing. The most precious little thing in the world.' She cried harder. It was the exhausted sound of a child who needed a nap before any more adventures, to the beach or anywhere else. ‘Kia bad, Kia bad,' she sobbed against her mother's neck. ‘No, honey, only three,' Mattie said, and if I had harbored any further thoughts about her being a bad mother, they melted away then. Or perhaps they'd already gone after all, the kid was round, comely, well-kept, and unbruised. On one level, those things registered. On another I was trying to cope with the strange thing that had just happened, and the equally strange thing I thought I was hearing that the little girl I had carried off the white line had the name we had planned to give our child, if our child turned out to be a girl. ‘Kia,' I said. Marvelled, really. As if my touch might break her, I tentatively stroked the back of her head. Her hair was sun-warm and fine. ‘No,' Mattie said. ‘That's the best she can say it now. Kyra, not Kia. It's from the Greek. It means ladylike.' She shifted, a little self-conscious. ‘I picked it out of a baby-name book. While I was pregnant, I kind of went Oprah. Better than going postal, I guess.' ‘It's a lovely name,' I said. ‘And I don't think you're a bad mom.' What went through my mind right then was a story Frank Arlen had told over a meal at Christmas it had been about Petie, the youngest brother, and Frank had had the whole table in stitches. Even Petie, who claimed not to remember a bit of the incident, laughed until tears streamed down his cheeks. One Easter, Frank said, when Petie was about five, their folks had gotten them up for an Easter-egg hunt. The two parents had hidden over a hundred colored hard-boiled eggs around the house the evening before, after getting the kids over to their grandparents'. A high old Easter morning was had by all, at least until Johanna looked up from the patio, where she was counting her share of the spoils, and shrieked. There was Petie, crawling gaily around on the second-floor overhang at the back of the house, not six feet from the drop to the concrete patio. Mr. Arlen had rescued Petie while the rest of the family stood below, holding hands, frozen with horror and fascination. Mrs. Arlen had repeated the Hail Mary over and over (‘so fast she sounded like one of the Chipmunks on that old ‘Witch Doctor' record,' Frank had said, laughing harder than ever) until her husband had disappeared back into the open bedroom window with Petie in his arms. Then she had swooned to the pavement, breaking her nose. When asked for an explanation, Petie had told them he'd wanted to check the rain-gutter for eggs. I suppose every family has at least one story like that; the survival of the world's Peties and Kyras is a convincing argument in the minds of parents, anyway for the existence of God. ‘I was so scared,' Mattie said, now looking fourteen again. Fifteen at most. ‘But it's over,' I said. ‘And Kyra's not going to go walking in the road anymore. Are you, Kyra?' She shook her head against her mother's shoulder without raising it. I had an idea she'd probably be asleep before Mattie got her back to the good old doublewide. ‘You don't know how bizarre this is for me,' Mattie said. ‘One of my favorite writers comes out of nowhere and saves my kid. I knew you had a place on the TR, that big old log house everyone calls Sara Laughs, but folks say you don't come here anymore since your wife died.' ‘For a long time I didn't,' I said. ‘If Sara was a marriage instead of a house, you'd call this a trial reconciliation.' She smiled fleetingly, then looked grave again. ‘I want to ask you for something. A favor.' ‘Ask away.' ‘Don't talk about this. It's not a good time for Ki and me.' ‘Why not?' She bit her lip and seemed to consider answering the question -one I might not have asked, given an extra moment to consider and then shook her head. ‘It's just not. And I'd be so grateful if you didn't talk about what just happened in town. More grateful than you'll ever know.' ‘No problem.' ‘You mean it?' ‘Sure. I'm basically a summer person who hasn't been around for awhile . . . which means I don't have many folks to talk to, anyway.' There was Bill Dean, of course, but I could keep quiet around him. Not that he wouldn't know. If this little lady thought the locals weren't going to find out about her daughter's attempt to get to the beach by shank's mare, she was fooling herself. ‘I think we've been noticed already, though. Take a look up at Brooksie's Garage. Peek, don't stare.' She did, and sighed. Two old men were standing on the tarmac where there had been gas pumps once upon a time. One was very likely Brooksie himself; I thought I could see the remnants of the flyaway red hair which had always made him look like a downeast version of Bozo the Clown. The other, old enough to make Brooksie look like a wee slip of a lad, was leaning on a gold-headed cane in a way that was queerly vulpine. ‘I can't do anything about them,' she said, sounding depressed. ‘Nobody can do anything about them. I guess I should count myself lucky it's a holiday and there's only two of them.' ‘Besides,' I added, ‘they probably didn't see much.' Which ignored two things: first, that half a dozen cars and pick-em-ups had gone by while we had been standing here, and second, that whatever Brooksie and his elderly friend hadn't seen, they would be more than happy to make up. On Mattie's shoulder, Kyra gave a ladylike snore. Mattie glanced at her and gave her a smile full of rue and love. ‘I'm sorry we had to meet under circumstances that make me look like such a dope, because I really am a big fan. They say at the bookstore in Castle Rock that you've got a new one coming out this summer.' I nodded. ‘It's called Helen's Promise.' She grinned. ‘Good title.' ‘Thanks. You better get your buddy back home before she breaks your arm.' ‘Yeah.' There are people in this world who have a knack for asking embarrassing, awkward questions without meaning to it's like a talent for walking into doors. I am one of that tribe, and as I walked with her toward the passenger side of the Scout, I found a good one. And yet it was hard to blame myself too enthusiastically. I had seen the wedding ring on her hand, after all. ‘Will you tell your husband?' Her smile stayed on, but it paled somehow. And tightened. If it were possible to delete a spoken question the way you can delete a line of type when you're writing a story, I would have done it. ‘He died last August.' ‘Mattie, I'm sorry. Open mouth, insert foot.' ‘You couldn't know. A girl my age isn't even supposed to be married, is she? And if she is, her husband's supposed to be in the army, or something.' There was a pink baby-seat also Kmart, I guessed on the passenger side of the Scout. Mattie tried to boost Kyra in, but I could see she was struggling. I stepped forward to help her, and for just a moment, as I reached past her to grab a plump leg, the back of my hand brushed her breast. She couldn't step back unless she wanted to risk Kyra's slithering out of the seat and onto the floor, but I could feel her recording the touch. My husband's dead, not a threat, so the big-deal writer thinks it's okay to cop a little feel on a hot summer morning. And what can I say? Mr. Big Deal came along and hauled my kid out of the road, maybe saved her life. No, Mattie, I may be forty going on a hundred, but I was not copping a feel. Except I couldn't say that; it would only make things worse. I felt my cheeks flush a little. ‘How old are you?' I asked, when we had the baby squared away and were back at a safe distance. She gave me a look. Tired or not, she had it together again. ‘Old enough to know the situation I'm in.' She held out her hand. ‘Thanks again, Mr. Noonan. God sent you along at the right time.' ‘Nah, God just told me I needed a hamburger at the Village Cafe,' I said. ‘Or maybe it was His opposite number. Please say Buddy's still doing business at the same old stand.' She smiled. It warmed her face back up again, and I was happy to see it. ‘He'll still be there when Ki's kids are old enough to try buying beer with fake IDS. Unless someone wanders in off the road and asks for something like shrimp tetrazzini. If that happened he'd probably drop dead of a heart attack.' ‘Yeah. Well, when I get copies of the new book, I'll drop one off.' The smile continued to hang in there, but now it shaded toward caution. ‘You don't need to do that, Mr. Noonan.' ‘No, but I will. My agent gets me fifty comps. I find that as I get older, they go further.' Perhaps she heard more in my voice than I had meant to put there people do sometimes, I guess. ‘All right. I'll look forward to it.' I took another look at the baby, sleeping in that queerly casual way they have her head tilted over on her shoulder, her lovely little lips pursed and blowing a bubble. Their skin is what kills me so fine and perfect there seem to be no pores at all. Her Sox hat was askew. Mattie watched me reach in and readjust it so the visor's shade fell across her closed eyes. ‘Kyra,' I said. Mattie nodded. ‘Ladylike.' ‘Kia is an African name,' I said. ‘It means ‘season's beginning.† I left her then, giving her a little wave as I headed back to the driver's side of the Chevy. I could feel her curious eyes on me, and I had the oddest feeling that I was going to cry. That feeling stayed with me long after the two of them were out of sight; was still with me when I got to the Village Cafe. I pulled into the dirt parking lot to the left of the off-brand gas pumps and just sat there for a little while, thinking about Jo and about a home pregnancy-testing kit which had cost twenty-two-fifty. A little secret she'd wanted to keep until she was absolutely sure. That must have been it; what else could it have been? ‘Kia,' I said. ‘Season's beginning.' But that made me feel like crying again, so I got out of the car and slammed the door hard behind me, as if I could keep the sadness inside that way.

The returning of the moon man

One Autumn evening of the same year, Griffith ‘s family heard a noise, they went to the street and they noticed that a spacecraft departed from London, it would be the first expedition to the moon but It had crashed and an astronaut was Injured so they needed someone to go In his place _ Grandfather didn't let Deal go with them and took the place of the injured man, so he went to the moon. He was there for a long time so Grand married another man, as she believed that her husband would not return from space, and they went to 1954 for they honeymoon.However, Grandfather came back and when e discovered what had happened, he chased them to 1954, where he smashed the Time Machine and imprisoned Grand in a nunnery. 9. Write the names of the characters. Grandfather Griffith; Grand; Deal my father; Browne, the narrator; Mother; Electric Plumber Williams, Uncle Space-ship-Repairs Jones; Auntie Space-ship-Repeals Jones; The Moon Men; Lonely Time Machine. 10. Choose two characters that h ave impressed you the most and build up their profiles: Name: Grandfather Griffith Role in the story: He is a main character. Description (appearance, personality, actions): He is tall, fiery, old and hard. Great shining rocket. He shot out his long arm and grasped a chopper†. Name: Grand Role in the story: She is a main character. He is like Description (appearance, personality, actions): She uses black clothes, pathetic- looking little woman. She is sad, progressive, persistent, ignorant and angry. â€Å"Grand shivered and sighed†. 11. Describe the setting of the story (time and place). Time- A. D. 2500. Place- Pen-Y- Craig Farm in Rural Wales. 12. Describe the main action/topic/theme of the story. The story occurs in the Rural Wales when the light appeared. C. 13. Explain the meaning of the story title.Grandfather goes to the Moon for a long time and then he returns. 14. Give it another title. Grandfather goes to the Moon. 15. Give the story a different ending. When Grandfather came back from the Moon and discovered Grand had married with another man, he chased them. After having held them, he found a convent to leave Grand. Grandfather wanted to return to the moon with intentions of staying there to live so past few days he went to the moon and never returned, leaving everyone to think that his life was on the moon. 16. Write two quotes from the story that you liked and explain your choices. â€Å"She

Should You Speak Your Mind on an Important Point If You Know It Will Upset Your Manager

Should you speak your mind on an important point if you know it will upset your manager or should you hold back your thoughts in the name of making a good impression? Explain your answer. Response: Speaking from experience, as I am currently a consultant and have been a Fielding Director, Program Manager and a team lead as well as spending 20 years in the U. S. Navy; this question hits very close to home. I have made a living on speaking my mind and being completely honest.I am well known for always telling the truth whether it gains me something or not. However, I have learned in the last 10 years since I have retired, speaking your mind is great but there is a time and place for it. The first and foremost is don’t ever embarrass your boss. It’s ok to speak your mind but make it the correct time and place because if you embarrass your boss, even if you are correct in what you are saying, you are wrong for doing it.I have learned over the years that speaking your mind, while it may upset your boss at the beginning, if you do it with professionalism it will always work out. You also have to learn to sometimes agree to disagree. Meaning if they heard what you said but still are not going to go in the direction you feel it should go, learn to let it go. So my response is yes; it’s ok to speak your mind at the risk of upsetting your boss but learn to pick your battles and never embarrass your boss.

Medical Genetic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Medical Genetic - Essay Example 4. Giving the allele symbol M (dominant allele), m (recessive allele) the proband genotype is MM and the husband’s genotype is mm. If II: 2 is heterozygous, her genotype will be Mm. III: 1 will be heterozygous or homozygous with equal possibilities. This because the genes cross and combines to produce a child that has a genotype of either Mm, Mm, mm or mm as shown in table 1. 7. It is not possible because II.12 has a possibility 75% possibility of having a healthy girl and 25% of having the one with the trait. The genotypes of the III.12 daughter either are Mm, mm, mm, or mm. 10. Yes, gene mutation leads to ether deletions or insertions caused by the uncertainties during the chromosomal crossover due to meiosis. This causes misalignment of homologous chromosomes leading to a different structure of the DNA. 3. The frequency of homozygous and heterozygous gametes expected from II.2 is computed using Punnett table 3 with the information on the pedigree. Consequently, the two genotypes have equal frequency of occurrence of 50%. 5. Typically, it is a Mendelian inheritance. This is because offspring with a dominant allele from either of the parents has the trait, and dominant allele dominates the recessive allele. The pedigree indicates phenotypic traits that show co-dominance of the dominant allele. vii) Assuming No. of full linkage recombinant in the family, according to the pedigree=3. The no. of total progeny is 9 but one is exceptional hence the no. on non-recombinant offspring is 8. Consequently, probability of observing children of II.2 genotype is given by 0/2=infinity. Parental probability =hence linkage genotype probability (very small), which is the probability of sequence with linkage ()=0 viii) In independent linkage, the probability multiplies for each linkage probability is given by  ¼ (0.25) because all four possible genotypes are equally probable.

Compare Chinese law and African laws Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Compare Chinese law and African laws - Essay Example However, there are those who believe that such marked similarities in terms of laws and norms are not only a product of contacts between races. Their argument is that there is a kind of universal bond borne out of humankind’s common understanding of what is right or wrong, which makes rewards and retributions a common scenario. I am inclined to take the side of those who feel that a universal understanding of what is right or wrong is behind the spirit of the laws that governs the human society. To illustrate this point, let us take into considerations the Chinese and the African setting, taking into specific considerations the origin and foundations of such laws. China and Africa are almost at the opposing poles if we talk about cultures, civilizations and the evolution of their legal systems. Since time immemorial, Chinese have been known as traders traversing the high seas to trade goods. In the olden times, Chinese dynasties were known to be one of the most organized structures of government and have codified their laws as early as the 221 BC (Gray. Gregor. 1878) By contrast, Africa was a mystery to the rest of the world up until now and most of its laws are still unwritten to this day. Unlike China where the codes are easy accessible to those who would care to read them, African laws, owing to its unwritten nature, are not readily accessible by outsiders. In order to gain knowledge of African law, one must closely observe and learn from experiential accounts of its subjects. However, what is interesting to note is that even though one laws is already codified and the other unwritten, by looking into the origins and the spirits of the law s of these countries, there are similarities in them that is worth looking into. By taking a closer look into the very foundations of these laws, one will find that both are more or less built on similar foundations. Studies conduct on Chinese and African laws noted that both laws are essentially based

Colleges become major front in fight over carrying Guns Research Paper

Colleges become major front in fight over carrying Guns - Research Paper Example But proponents argue that reduced level of criminal events like sorry mass shootings seen in 2007 and 2008 at Virginia Tech and Illinois University respectively is directly associated with prohibition on carrying guns. Banning guns is also a popular argument presently because this strategy curbs the bravado of emotional students who may shoot their professors dead over trivial matters. Sustaining the right to carry guns is a really weak argument because nearly all states in the US are in agreement that this is a really bad idea. Crime is strengthening in the world at a stupendous and horrifying rate. In such a distressing situation, colleges should play an active and efficient role in the noble fight over carrying guns because staying silent and inactive can potentially result in an increased rate of ugly shooting incidents at campuses. This paper basically aims at contemplating the controversial nature of gun rights, what contemporary research has to say on the subject, and reviewin g to what extent colleges are justified in fighting against carrying guns. Research reveals that there is an increased incidence of dangerous behaviors like binge drinking on campuses which is considered by anti-gun advocates as a really good reason to make colleges gun-free zones. Introducing guns into an environment of â€Å"binge drinking, drug use and the pressures that college students are under† (Pelosi cited in Ruiz) is a really bad and wretched thing to do. It is claimed that a high rate of high-risk behaviors witnessed on college campuses like â€Å"binge drinking and drug use are commonly cited by anti-gun advocates as reasons to keep weapons off campus† (Smeck). Understandably, carrying guns at campus by students in contemporary world is seen in a very controversial light because given the severity of certain really bad incidents which have occurred in the US colleges in the past, the right to carry concealed weapons is seen more as a promising threat of unb ridled violence. Only recently, seriously troubled news of murders at Sandy Hook Elementary School generated waves around the US fueling the gun control debate. Only Utah, Colorado, Mississippi, Wisconsin, and Oregon are five states which still permit students to carry guns at campus. Gun advocates in these states still argue that if students are not allowed to carry weapons, other people living outside the law with criminal intentions will get green signal for hitting the vulnerable targets easily getting away with their horrendous actions without being hit in reaction. But it is argued by director of the Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus that â€Å"this argument is not strong enough to justify allowing concealed weapons on campus† (Pelosi cited in Smeck). Actually, more threats are promised by gun allowance than benefits. It is claimed that gun violence â€Å"disrupts American lives, inflames public sentiment, and interrupts the societal concept of ordered liberty† (W ilson 6). Anti-gun sentiments have been building for past five or six years (Moynihan cited in Smeck) especially since the notorious Virginia Tech incident which involves a psychopath student deliberately shooting 32 students and a professor to death. This is recognized as one of the major incidents responsible for initiating a ceaseless debate between advocates and opponents of gun-carrying rights laws. This tragic incident took place in 2007 and just after 5

ETHICS CASE Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

ETHICS - Case Study Example In as much as the main goal of businesses is to increase their profitability by becoming efficient and effective in their operations, the obligations it has on its stakeholders must be upheld (Bader 12). First, the decentralized managers are under pressure to improve their operations. This means that they suffer from psychological problems including stress by having to work for long period or implement very discriminating and harsh work conditions. The sales representatives are also forced to apply unethical ways to increase their sales turnover. This could be harmful to the business long-term image. Moreover, the consumers’ welfare is likely to be breached if quality control procedures are compromised in order to reduce operation costs. Customers have the right to get quality products free from any harm. The managers of the corporations are in a dilemma of having to increase their performance through unethical ways or face termination of their services or demotio ns. They are torn on whether to breach the welfare of the customers or go against the company requirement. The sales personnel too have to embrace unethical ways to increase sales and this could force them to give wrong information for sales to be realized. Achievement of business goals can be attained by not necessarily becoming unethical (Bader 13). National products corporations should set realistic goals and motivate their employees to increase their level of commitment and effectiveness for the organization. The managers should as well be given the required tools and be involved in goal setting. Adherence to their customers’ requirements and expectations will also reduce the unethical practices. Stakeholders demands should be integrated in the business (Bader 12).In conclusions, businesses must remain committed at meeting their stakeholders’ expectations without engaging in unethical

Project Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Project - Research Paper Example Time management techniques provide a way to people to get more work done with more efficiency, less mistakes and more accurately. Proper time management helps people save time for their other activities, strong and better relationship, more satisfactory family life and feel less tensed and stressfulness because of workload. These techniques include the following: The first and foremost step in managing time is to be focused. It is not possible to reach your destination without focusing on the way that will lead you to that particular place. A person knowing his target must know about the procedures that may help him in achieving those targets. There are certain techniques that help individuals in keeping their focus on a particular target without distracting their thoughts and actions because of other goals and plans. The first step that may be helpful is to keep the track of things in writing. A person cannot memorize all the necessary stuff, it is always better to write down the vision, goals, assignments, projects, appointments and important occasions. This is the first step in time management as it allows the individual to keep a track of the things which are required to be incorporated in the plans. This also helps the individual to focus on one task at a time and move on to the next one once it is completed. The next step is to identif y which task worth the time you have. In order to manage the time properly, an individual must identify the unnecessary activities which are resulting in the wastage of time. Time is a limiting factor in our lives; hence it must not be wasted but utilized. Moreover, in order to be focused a person must have a strong vision on the outcome of his efforts. This vision of the completed picture of his goal motivates him on putting his best efforts and staying away from the unnecessary and unfruitful activities of his life. People waste a lot of time because of less of no planning. There has to be a balance between family

Zeitgeist Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Zeitgeist - Movie Review Example The first part of the movie was more or less based on the birth of Jesus Chris, stating that he wasn’t infact born on this date. Here again, the director has to prove the fact that the birth date of Jesus Christ is not actually the 25th of December and that it should be in the season of winter solstice but the director has yet again avoided the theories which point otherwise. The next topic being discussed in the video is regarding the cross. The director claims that the cross is actually the symbol of the zodiac and is persistent on proving that the symbol is somewhat astrological by origin. The author has done this by discussing the myths. But it could be easily said that the cross has no relation whatsoever from astrological point of view rather it is used because Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross because crucifixion was the conventional method of punishing someone by law. Similar things can be said about the claim the author makes regarding the crown of thorns. The author also makes claim that the Bible is not actually a work of God and the stories of various prophets such as Noah, Moses mentioned in the Bible are actually again similar to other stories of the past. But the one thing that is problematic here is if the director is trying to prove wrong of the Bible why he is not trying to prove the reliability of the stories which he mentions in order to contradict the teachings of the Bible. The author also says that Horus was the God of the sun in Egypt, this shows that the author has a lack of understanding regarding the topic being discussed and he needs to do research regarding them. Every one, particularly Egyptians know that Horus was infact the God of the sky and Ra was the Sun God. This is one of the many examples which show the baseless facts that the director has mentioned in the entire video. The main conclusion that can be drawn from this video is that the religion, especially Christianity is the basis of

E-Recruiting Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

E-Recruiting - Term Paper Example I hope to gain more knowledge on improved techniques that can be used in organizations to get potential employees more easily using the Internet resources. This knowledge will also enhance an individual’s knowledge about technological advancement. E-Recruitment analysis E-recruiting is the process by which personnel are recruited by using electronic resources and in particular the Internet (Watson, 2008). Most recruitment agents and companies have relocated most of their recruitment processes online in order to enhance the speed at which potential candidates can match live vacancies. Online recruiting systems are time-saving to the employer since they can easily rate their e-candidate and also several other people in the human resource department can review these candidates (Gary, 2005). The database technologies used in this program in conjunction with worthy search engines that advertise online jobs enable candidates to fill posts in a remarkably short period. In the ninetee nth century, recruitment was centrally based on an apprenticeship methodology. Organizations had apprentices who were not employees in the organization and after completion of the apprenticeship they were given jobs in the company. Comparison between the apprentices and skilled candidates proves that the skilled candidates are considered more desirable since they have the necessary qualifications pertaining to the job vacancy. With the needed employee data in the Human Resource Information System databases, Human Resource executives are free to pursue creative thinking and critical projects. This technology uses the power of online CV search technology to search resume databases and aid employers together with the human resource personnel actively search for valid candidates... This essay stresses that the Human Resource department is truly changing the operational phenomena in organizations that have adapted this change. The Human Resource Management System will ensure that employee’s data is managed effortlessly. The use of this system also reduces data-entry errors which are common in the traditional recruitment methods. In a considerate view, the paper-based processes detain about 80% of the information whereas the software system can detain all the data. The optimizing of the Human Resource management software system requires identification and investing in the right system to suit the business’s demands. One can also examine the technological, cultural and economic parameters. The communication factor also affects the competitive nature of the company by either increasing or decreasing it depending on the organization’s productivity. Employee satisfaction is also impacted by the financial capability of the employer. This also affe cts the health requirements and wellness of the employee in several ways. This article makes a concluiosn that nowadays, Human Resource managers are channeling their attention in motivation, policies, relations and quality consciousness in conjunction with E-Recruitment. Lastly, there are other future advocated models like Triple I, Federal and Shamrock that have been proposed by HR professionals including the likes of Charles Handy among others. These are the future organizational models to be used in the future of E-Recruitment.

Steroids Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Steroids - Essay Example In terms of the categories, ergogenic aids can be seen as distributed in terms of mechanical aids, pharmacological aids, physiological aids, nutritional aids and psychological aids (Sports Coach, 1997). All of these categories actually illustrate the fact that the ergogenic aids can be specifically tailored in view of the particular aspect of the being that needs to be enhanced. The most commonly used ergogenic supplements are protein supplements, energy boosters, weight loss agents and anabolic agents etc (Bonci, 2010). It is this category of anabolic agents in which the stubject matter of steroids falls. Steroids constitute two categories namely anabolic and corticosteroids (Dowshen, 2010). Anabolic steroids are the synthetic derivatives of testosterone and are synthetic hormones that boost the muscle production in the body and their strength. While the corticosteroids are drugs that doctors specifically prescribe to control inflammation (Dowshen, 2010). The usage of such steroids is mostly for the purpose of enhancing one’s abilities in the strength dependent sports. Anabolic steroids are the ones that trigger the release of the endogenous growth hormone and induce protein synthesis in the muscle cells whose psychological influence can enhance a more intense and sustained workout. While the complete effectiveness of them in enhancing strength and other factors that influence their effects still have some ambiguity in terms of understanding and cannot even be seen in a proper documented form. The effects of such steroids have not yet been determined correctly with full consensus based on the differences in the approaches being taken for their usage (Mac & Silver, 2001). With the advent of steroids as energy boosters in the sports category, there has always been a question of their effectiveness in terms of athletic

The Waiting Years Essay Example for Free

The Waiting Years Essay The passage from the â€Å"The Waiting Years† reveals a bleak look into the earlier years of Shirakawa, who had worked as a government official. It also reveals dedication of moving from moving from one assignment to another and how difficult that time period must have been for the family. When we hear about the winter months, and how Shirakawa’s mother died, we understand what a hardship the winter months must have been for them, and get a direct link between feelings of guilt on Shirakawas’s part, from the quote and his mother’s passing but we also learn the importance of work and family loyalty. The family crest description offers a deep respect for the family members when the author describes the shrine, concealed in a black lacquer safe, emblazoned with the family crest in gold and it demonstrates a wonderful respect for the family member who had earlier passed on, when the passage speaks about the custom. Tomo acted in a very responsible manner, and it seemed that she had no other choice, but to keep a keen eye on the family property and she was going to do so and hear what she need to know with her own ears. Tomo had taken on the custom of dealing with all business matters concerning the rent on the houses and the land in this Buddhist retreat, tuck away at the back of the house. We also learn that there was more land that belonged to the family, and they had an acre or so each, which brought in a lot of money for the family and we understand that she had to watch out for those who defaulted on the property .

Colgate pursues low cost strategy

Colgate pursues low cost strategy CP has a large and efficient distribution network. Its distribution channels are located all over Pakistan (Moore, E.R) It caters to a broad customer base. It has developed itself in almost all the categories which are associated with customers on the daily basis. Colgate pursues low cost strategy. Its plant is automated. Only one plant is used for the manufacturing of three different detergents like bonus, express, brite The whole process is repeated for each of the detergent. By automating the plant, CP is able to save a lot of cost. CP value delivery network does not have any delays in it which helps CP to save cost. CP targets all segment, it has products for the lower class, middle class and the upper class. Its pricing is done accordingly. It has cost leadership in the detergent and the surface care category CP forecasting is very accurate which helps them to reduce cost because if estimated are accurate then it helps the company to avail cost advantages CP is allowed to deviate only 5% from its forecast both upwards and downwards CP has concentrated more on process efficiencies CP has access to large capital that is required to make significant investment. CP never compromises on the development expenditure. It is always ready to improve its production processes. Being a low cost producer it helps CP to better compete to its rivals. Being the low cost producer it has helped CP to insulate themselves from powerful suppliers who nowadays demand increasing prices due to rising inflation. Being he low cost producer, it has also helped to attract powerful buyers whom CP sells directly like MAKRO, DMART, IMITAZ, AGHAS, and NAHEED etc (Moore, E.R). Economic Factor The overall economy of the country is showing a stable growth. Therefore this industry is also showing a growth of 10%. But the inflation is growing rapidly which is not a good sign for the new entrants. Change in the interest rate also affects the industry. Hence the new entrants are also threatened by the increasing interest rates. Economic factors do influence the bargaining power of buyers as inflation is the major factor that is affecting the consumers hard. Economic factors do not affect the availability of substitutes. But since inflation is growing, so it is hard for the poor people to switch to more modern products like washing powder, tooth paste. They would rather prefer oil to clean their clothes and use miswak to brush their teeth. Economic factors do have an affect on the bargaining power of suppliers as inflation is rising fast. Suppliers demand that they would provide the necessary raw material at a higher price. Exchange rate fluctuations also affect the cost of raw material. Economic factors do affect the rivalry among the competitors as all the players in the industry want to have cost leadership. The economic factors are favoring intense competition from the last five years. People have more money at their disposal. Also Pakistan is a consumption oriented society (Hiatt, Jeff.). Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix (QSPM) STRATEGY 1 STRATEGY 2 Weights AS TAS AS TAS STRENGTHS Market leader in surface care with 90% market share 0.15 Good Leadership 0.06 Employee commitment 0.12 3 0.36 2 0.24 Cooling crystal patent 0.1 Accurate forecast with respect to demand 0.07 4 0.28 2 0.14 High EPS 0.08 3 0.24 2 0.16 Strong advertisement and promotional campaign 0.08 2 0.16 3 0.24 WEAKNESSES IT not used optimally 0.13 4 0.52 2 0.26 No ecommerce 0.1 3 0.3 2 0.26 No proper use of forward integration 0.05 2 0.1 3 0.15 They are not exporting their products to other countries 0.06 1 OPPORTUNITIES Exploring into new categories like shampoo, hand wash , body wash, shower gel 0.14 2 0.28 4 0.56 Rural population switching from miswak to toothpaste 0.06 Gap in tooth brush market 0.08 2 0.16 3 0.24 Implementation of ERP(SAP) 0.14 4 0.56 2 0.28 People becoming hygiene and beauty conscious 0.1 2 0.2 3 0.3 No layoffs 0.07 THREATS(T) Raw material and energy prices are increasing 0.12 3 0.36 2 0.24 Inflation in the country 0.07 3 0.21 2 0.14 Competitors re launching their products 0.1 2 0.2 3 0.3 Competitors increasing their marketing budgets 0.06 2 0.12 3 0.18 Unstable law and order conditions. 0.06 1 TOTAL 4.05 3.69 Rivalry among existing competitors Yes (+) No (-) The industry is growing rapidly. à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ The industry is not cyclical with intermittent overcapacity. à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ The fixed costs of the business are relatively low portion of total costs. à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ There are significant product differences and brand identities between the competitors. à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ The competitors are diversified rather than specialized. à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ It would not be hard to get out of this business because there are no specialized skills and facilities or long-term contract commitments etc. à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ My customers would incur significant costs in switching to a competitor. à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ My product is complex and requires a detailed understanding on the part of my customer. à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ My competitors are all of approximately the same size as I am. à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ 7 LOW MEDIUM HIGH INTERPRETATION: Threat of competitors is high because the product is not unique as there are no product differences. Same products are available with all competitors like Unilever, Procter and Gamble, Shield, Oral B. Therefore rivalry is also increasing as demand in the economy has also increased for the last 5 to years. Majority of the competitors are MNCs which means that they have the necessary resource and skill (Hiatt, Jeff). Government Factors: Government regulations do have an affect on the rivalry among the competitors. Political factors: Political factors do not affect the rivalry among the competitors Economic factors Economic factors do affect the rivalry among the competitors as all the players in the industry want to have cost leadership. The economic factors are favoring intense competition from the last five years. People have more money at their disposal. Also Pakistan is a consumption oriented society (Hiatt, Jeff). Social trends Social trends have changed, buyer are more aware of their purchases. So the players in the industry are always trying hard to increase their market share (Hiatt, Jeff). Technological change Technology is helping the companies to gain a competitive advantage over their rivals. Also research and development plays an important role in this (Hiatt, Jeff). KEY SUCCESS ACTORS FOR COMPETIVE SUCCESS Low cost production efficiency. CP has plants installed that take only 30 minutes for the plant to shift from the production of one product to the other. High quality manufacturing of products with very few defects. A strong network of wholesale distributors. Gaining ample space on retailer shelves. (Examples Naheed, Aghas, Makro and other small shops.) Attractive packaging and styling. Good length of product lines. Attractive commercials and advertising. Good reputation in the industry along with favorable reputation with buyers. Market penetration Colgate can do market penetration by increasing its advertising, people always associate Colgate with tooth paste and have no awareness that it produces personal and surface care products as well. They should show their logo on all its products so that people know the producers and this will increase customer loyalty and also when people will come to know that Colgate is the producer then new customers will also buy the product (Hiatt, Jeff). They should also increase their promotion efforts by going to school and doing health awareness programs, also they should go to residential areas and make women aware of their surface care and fabric care products such as max, bonus and express etc Product development: Colgate can also do product development by introducing new features in their already existing brands. They can improve their tooth brush quality and features by introducing flexi tooth brushes for special oral care. Also they can introduce whitening features in their feature in their tooth paste; different colors of tooth paste can also be introduced to attract the kinds market. In their fabric care they can introduce in special features of protecting the color of the cloth while washing and also whitening enhancing surfs to give a good shine to while clothes (Hiatt, Jeff). develop systems to involve appropriate stakeholders in the introduction of change SIX THINGS REQUIRED TO EFFECTIVELY IMPLEMENTING A STRATEGY According to Porter, to implement a strategy effectively six things should be followed: Create a formal plan: Distributor Quantity Item Price Negotiation, Inventory Reporting, Stock Details, Payment Terms HR Module Inventory / Store Sales Module Sales Module Stock Details Quantity item Price negotiation, inventory reporting, ex stock details, payment terms Finance Module Credit terms, payment procedures, Stock in out effect Inflow outflow of raw materials Procurement Module Create a multifunctional team: To effectively implement ERP, Colgate must first hire an independent resource firm. Acquire licensing for SAP Implementation. Establish an independent IT unit for the monitoring of ERP. This department will coordinate with all the other departments (Robbins S, Mukerji). Communication of strategy: inside and outside: All employees in the company should be made aware of the new automated system. Each employee must be provided a minimal insight of SAP but those employees who have to work on SAP the most should ofcourse be provided with proper training course of SAP. These include: Factory Manager Manager accounts Warehouse Manager Distribution team Consumer insight department Outside the company the strategy to implement ERP should be communicated properly to all the local and foreign suppliers of Colgate Palmolive (Hagberg). Consistency over time: As Information Technology is progressing day by day, new changes in ERP are expected after certain time periods. Therefore it would become very important for Colgate to cope up with the changes in the software. For this purpose it would need to update it employees by providing training whenever any change takes place in SAP (Hagberg). Use proper measurements: Other measures, not just financial measures would be required to test whether the system is working properly. These measures include: Whether the system is accurately forecasting demand, sales, price changes Whether or not there are any deviations in the actual versus projected sales Effectiveness of the internal processes after the strategy implementation (Robbins S, Mukerji). Test the strategy: Ask employees and senior management in all departments whether they are satisfied with the new system of working. Talk to suppliers and distributors whether they want any more improvements in the new system of working (Hagberg). EIGHT PILLARS OF STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION Allocating resources: Colgate has to invest around 50mn for which they have to make a separate IT department in which 1 trained personnel have to be hired so that it can be implemented in an efficient way. building capable organizaion: After the implementation of SAP, a capable organization would be established. It would help the company to coordinate all activities. CP can then expand into new markets and would develop innovative products. Exercising strategic leadership: SAP implementation will require an annual strategic audit to check whether the desired objectives have been achieved or not. This means a visionary leadership is required. Leadership should be exercised strategically in such a way that it helps the company to maintain its competitive advantage. Tying rewards: Rewards in maintaining the best MIS, highest no of transactions, successful employee in training face should be given in terms of recognition, increased in salary and gift vouchers. Installing support system: It is important to maintain MIS with in different department so they can work in a best possible way Benchmarking: In Pakistan very few organizations has implemented SAP. PSO and National Foods are some of them. Since PSO has very successfully implemented SAP so Colgate benchmarks them. Strategic supportive policies: They have to make strategies in which maintaining an MIS should be mandatory. There should be digital culture. They should have a centralize data base through which all department are interlinked and any transaction can be tracked down by any department. Every department should have access to only relevant information. Shaping corporate culture: Colgate should implement paperless. Digital culture where the records must be maintained through MIS and not manually .even communication should be done electronically. KEY DRIVING FORCES Industry growth: Now most of the people have knowledge about the different products and its advantages. The intense competition in industry and high demand enables the new entrants to compete in this market (Hagberg). Product innovation: Innovation in product, as Colgate has just introduced Max fresh in which the coolant crystals are present which none of the competitors has adopted yet. There is also room in innovation in washing detergents (Hagberg). Changing societal concerns, attitudes and lifestyle: Since social issues are really effecting the use of product just like the use of Miswak which is the Islamic mode of cleaning the teeth (Hagberg). Use of E-commerce and Internet: Usage of online ordering and maintaining the stock level through e-commerce can be driving force in the industry. By using that they can provide products to customer which is value addition for them (Hagberg). This report is purely based on the finding from the Colgate expert and the secondary data analysis, and the reason for writing the whole report is to find the obstacle / hindrance a business men face and how the organization can minimize it through implementing the different strategies and analysis. The whole report research draws attention to  the fact that any problem can be eliminate if proper investigation and consideration can be observed the success is easy to get, Pakistan market is mature market and the competition is tough here because most of the customer is price conscious and act like butterflies, so targeting this kind of customer is quite difficult, but on the other hand it can be managed if the you can understand the market effectively and efficiently (Robbins S, Mukerji). Hiatt, Jeff. The definition and history of change management. http://www.change-management.com/tutorial-definition-history.htm. Filicetti, John (August 20, 2007). Project Management Dictionary Moore, E.R., (accessed 1 April, 2001), Creating Organizational Cultures: An Ethnographic Study, Eastern Academy of Management Virtual Proceedings, Moore, E.R., (accessed 1 April, 2001), Creating Organizational Cultures: An Ethnographic Study, Eastern Academy of Management Virtual Proceedings, , R. Ph.D. Heifetz, D.Ph., 2000 (accessed 4 April, 2001), Corporate Hagberg Culture/Organisational Culture: UnderJerryding and Assessment, Robbins S, Mukerji D (1994). Managing organisations. Prentice Hall of Australia, McPhersons Printing Group, Australia. Sergiovanni, T.J. (1984) Educational Leadership, Leadership and excellence in schooling, Volume 41, Number 5, United States of America, page 4-13 Kent State University 2000 (accessed 28th March, 2001), Kent State University Cultural Self-Study Internal Communication of Change By Dagmar Recklies Circling the Pyramid Building Lasting Commitment to Change  Ã‚   (pdf-file) by Edmond Mellina What Makes a Good Change Agent? by Dagmar Recklies The Role of the Change Master From Change Agent to Change Master By Ruth Tearle Managing Change Definition and Phases in Change Processes by Oliver Recklies Problems in Managing Change by Oliver Recklies AuditNet.org provides a downloadable PDF of change management best practices. Fred Nickols wrote Change Management 101: A Primer. SearchCRM.com provides resources on handling change management following a CRM upgrade. Neglecting your change control process can kill an IT disaster recovery plan.

Management Of Variations In Construction Management Construction Essay

Management Of Variations In Construction Management Construction Essay Management of Variations could be counted as one of the most significant challenges in construction management. The nature and amount of Variations occurrence varies from one project to another depending on various factor (CII, 1986; Kaming, Olomloaiye, Holt Harris, 1997). Arain and Low (2005a) identified the design phase as the most likely area on to focus to reduce the number of Variations. The newsletter Law Talk by McKays Solicitors discussed that Contractors inability to successfully pursue variations claims, is one of the main factors contributing to business bankruptcy in the industry. One way to reduce Variations on site is to begin with is to focusing on what and how does the project team can help in minimizing the problems during the design phase (Arain, 2005). Variations changing the design or the specifications usually have a time impact and a cost impact. It is for this reason that the construction drawings and specification should be prepared with great care and precision. The less ambiguity in terms of design documentation, then lower the potential for Variations (Stuart Miller, 2009). This chapter focuses on the definition and nature of Variations. The causes and impacts which the Variations influence from the pre-construction stage until the construction stage will be identified. Definition A construction contract is an agreement to build and can be subjected to variability. Contractual provisions relating to changes allow certain parties involved in the Contract to initiate variation orders within the ambit of and without vitiating the Contract. There is no single explanation for the word variation. Variation in layman terms means changes, alteration or modifications. Each standard form of building contract has its own definition for Variation. In PAM 2006 (Clause 11.1) Variation means the alteration of modification of the design, quality or quantity of the Works. A Variation can be any, a combination of any of the following: Variation in building projects may mean the alteration of modification of the design quality or quality of the Works in the Contract drawings and described by the Contract Bill of Quantities and includes the addition, omission or substitution of any work (Clause 11.1 (a) ), the alteration of the kind of standard of any of the material as goods to be used in the Works (Clause 11.1 (b) ), and the removal from site of any work executed or material and good brought thereon by the Contractor for the purpose of the Works other than work, material and goods which are not in accordance with the contract (Clause 11.1 (d) ). Variation in building projects together related with instruction of expenditure of provisional sums, prime cost sums and instruction related the nature of Works are a Variation in the contract documents. Variation of contract in law, are variation of the contract terms condition. Example: both parties alter the original contract document by agreement after execution of the original contract. Variation of price clause which enables the sum to be adjusted for increase or reduction in the cost of labour or materials. Variations are directly attributed to matter not being stated or as required in the contract documents. This occurs either because circumstances actually changes or because circumstances upon which the contract documents based were misinterpreted. The former is matters which can easily appreciated and comprehend. Nevertheless, it still has two distinct aspects. Firstly, circumstances may change in such a way, which can have no control, that the documentation can now be seen to be defective. Alternatively, circumstances may require that the client determines a choice of action, with the resulting choice of creating a Variation. Most standard forms of contract include a clause under which the employer or his representative is able to issue an instruction to the contractor to vary the works which are described in the contract. A change in shape of the scheme, the introduction of different materials, revised timing and sequence are all usually provided for by the variations clause. It will also usually include a mechanism for evaluating the financial effect of the variation and there is normally provision for adjusting the completion date. In the absence of such a clause the employer could be in a difficulty should a variation to the works be required. The contractor could both refuse to carry out the work or undertake the work and insist upon payment on a quantum meruit or fair valuation basis. Calculation of the price for the extra work applying this method could involve payment well in excess of the contract rates. Potential Causes of Variation Literature reviews that of Variations and Variation Orders requires a comprehensive understanding of the root causes of Variations (Hester et al., 1991).Variations some of which are financial, design aesthetics, changes in drawings, weather, geological and geotechnical reasons. From the literature review, there were 53 causes of Variations identified and these Variations are mainly caused by the Employer, Consultants and Contractors. As shown in Figure 1, these causes of Variations were grouped under four categories: Employer related Variations, Consultants related Variations, Contractor related Variations and other Variations. These Causes of Variations have been identified by many researchers (CII, 1990a; Thomas and Napolitan, 1994; Clough and Sears, 1994; Fisk, 1997; Ibbs et al., 1998; OBrien, 1998; Mokhtar et al., 2000; Gray and Hughes, 2001; Arain et al., 2004). The causes of Variations can be categorized according to the originators (CII, 1990a; Thomas and Napolitan, 1994). The 53 causes identified from the literature review are also discussed below. Causes of Variations Employer related Variations Consultants related Variations Contractors related Variations Change of plans or scope by Employer Change in design by Consultants Lack of Contractors involvement in design Change of schedule by Employer Errors and omissions in design Unavailability of equipment Employers financial problem Conflict between contract documents Unavailability of skills Inadequate project objective Inadequate scope of work for contractor Contractors financial difficulties Replacement of materials/procedure Technology change Contractors desired profitability Impediment in prompt decision making process Value engineering Differing site conditions Obstinate nature of Employer Lack of coordination Defective workmanship Change in specifications by Employer Design complexity Unfamiliarity with local conditions Inadequate working drawing details Lack of specialized construction manager Inadequate shop drawing details Fast track construction Consultant lack of judgment and experience Poor procurement process Lack of consultants knowledge of available materials and equipment Lack of communication Honest wrong belief of consultant Contractors lack of judgement experience Consultants lack of required data Long lead procurement Obstinate nature of consultant Honest wrong belief of contractor Ambiguous design details Complex design and technology Design discrepancies (inadequate design) Lack of strategic planning Non-compliance design with govt. regulation Contractors lack of required data Non-compliance design with owners requirement Contractors obstinate nature Change in specifications by Consultant Figure 1: Causes of Variation grouped under four categories A. Employer Related Changes This section discusses the causes of Variations that were initiated by the Employer. In some cases, the Employer directly initiates Variations or the Variations are required because the Employer fails to fulfil certain requirements for carrying out the project. Change of plans or scope by Employer: Change of plan or scope of project is one of the most significant causes of Variations in construction projects (CII, 1990b) and is usually the result of insufficient planning at the project planning stage, or also i can because of lack of involvement of the Employer in the design phase (Arain et al., 2004). This cause the Variations affects the project severely during the later phases. Change of schedule by Employer: A change of schedule or master programme during the project construction phase may result in major resource reallocation (Fisk, 1997; OBrien, 1998). This is because time has an equivalent money value. A change in schedule means that the Contractor will either provide additional resources, or keep some resources idle in the construction site. In both cases additional cost is incurred. Employers financial problems: The Employer of the project may run into difficult financial situations that force him to make changes in an attempt to reduce cost of the project. Employers financial problems affect project progress and quality (Clough and Sears, 1994; OBrien, 1998). Proper financial planning and review of project cash flow would be effective in avoid this problem to from happening. Inadequate project objectives: Inadequate project objectives are one of the causes of Variations in construction projects (Ibbs and Allen, 1995). Due to inadequate project objectives, the designers would not be able to develop a comprehensive design which leads to many of Variations during the project construction phase. Replacement of materials or procedures: Replacement of materials or procedures may cause major Variations during the construction phase. The substitution of procedures includes Variations in application methods (Chappell and Willis, 1996). Therefore, an adjustment to the original contract value is required if there is a change in procedures. Impediment in prompt decision making process: Prompt decision making is an important factor for project success (Sanvido et al., 1992; Gray and Hughes, 2001). A delay in decision making may obstruct the progress of subsequent construction activities and that may eventually delay the entire project progress. Obstinate nature of Employer: A building project is the result of the combined efforts of the professionals. They have to work at the various interfaces of a project (Wang, 2000; Arain et al., 2004). If the Employer is obstinate, he may not accommodate other creative and beneficial ideas. Eventually, this may cause major Variations in the later stages and affect the project negatively. Change in specifications by owner: Changes in specifications are frequent in construction projects with inadequate project objectives (OBrien, 1998). In a multi-player environment like any construction project, change in specifications by the Employer during the construction phase may require major Variations and adjustments in project planning and procurement activities. B. Consultant Related Variations This section discusses the causes of Variations that were initiated by the consultant. In some cases, the consultant directly initiates Variations or the Variations are required because the consultant fails to fulfil certain requirements for carrying out the project. Change in design by Consultants: Change in design for improvement by the Consultant is a norm in contemporary professional practice (Arain et al., 2004). The changes in design are frequent in projects where construction starts before the design is finalized (Fisk, 1997). Design changes can affect a project adversely depending on the timing of the occurrence of the changes. Errors and omissions in design: Errors and omissions in design are an important cause of project to delays (Arain et al., 2004). Design errors and omissions may lead to loss of productivity and delay in project schedule (Assaf et al., 1995). Hence, errors and omissions in design can affect a project adversely depending on the timing of the occurrence of the errors. Conflicts between contract documents: Conflict between contract documents can result in misinterpretation of the actual requirement of a project (CII, 1986a). To convey complete project scope for participants, the contract documents must be clear and straight to the point. Insufficient details in contract documents may adversely affect the project, leading to delay in project completion. Inadequate scope of work for contractor: In a multi-player environment like construction, the scope of work for all the players must be clear and without uncertainty for successful project completion (Fisk, 1997; Arain et al., 2004). Inadequate scope of work for the contractor can cause major Variations that may negatively affect the project, and leads to changes in construction planning. Technology change: Technology change is a potential cause of Variations in a project. Project planning should be flexible for accommodating new beneficial Variations (CII, 1994b). This is because the new technology can be beneficial in the project life cycle, for instance, reducing maintenance cost of the project. Or new methods of constructions that reduce construction cost. Value engineering: Value engineering should ideally be carried out during the design phase (DellIsola, 1982). During the construction phase, value engineering can be a costly exercise, as Variation in any design element would initiate and leads to Variations to other relevant design components (Mokhtar et al., 2000). Lack of coordination: A lack of coordination between parties may cause major variations that could eventually impact the project adversely (Arain et al., 2004). Unfavourable Variations, which affect the projects negatively, can usually be managed at an early stage by paying extra focus in coordination. Design complexity: Complex designs require unique skills and construction methods (Arain et al., 2004). Complexity affects the flow of construction activities, whereas simple and linear construction works are relatively easy to handle (Fisk, 1997). Hence, complexity may cause major Variations in construction projects. Inadequate working drawing details: To convey a complete concept of the project design, the working drawings must be clear and concise (Geok, 2002). Insufficient working drawing details can result in misinterpretation of the actual requirement of a project (Arain et al., 2004). Thorough reviewing of design details would assist in minimizing Variations. Inadequate shop drawing details: Shop drawings are usually developed for construction work details for site professionals (Cox and Hamilton, 1995). As mentioned earlier with regard to working drawing details, likewise, inadequacy of shop drawing details can be a potential cause of Variations in the construction projects. Consultants lack of judgment and experience: Professional experience and judgment is an important factor for a successful completion of a building project (Clough and Sears, 1994; OBrien, 1998). The lack of professional experience increases the risk of errors in design as well as during construction. Eventually, this may affect the project quality and delay the project completion. Lack of consultants knowledge of available materials and equipment: Knowledge of available materials and equipment is an important factor for developing a comprehensive design (Geok, 2002). In the construction industry where material standardization is not common, the consultants lack of knowledge of available materials and equipment can cause numerous major Variations during various project phases. Honest wrong beliefs of consultant: Honest wrong beliefs may cause construction professionals to contribute poor value add in projects (Arain, 2002; Arain et al., 2004). Consultants, without having firsthand knowledge, may make decisions based on their wrong beliefs which would adversely affect the pace of the project. Consultants lack of required data: A lack of data can result in misinterpretation of the actual requirements of a project (Assaf et al., 1995; Arain, 2002). When there is insufficient data, consultants are prone to develop designs based on their own perceptions, which may not be what the Employer wants. Eventually, this may cause major Variations and affect the project negatively. Obstinate nature of consultant: In a multi-player environment like construction, the professionals have to work as team at the various interfaces of a project (Wang, 2000; Arain et al., 2004). If the consultant is obstinate, he may not accommodate other creative and beneficial ideas. Eventually, this may cause major Variations in the later stages and affect the project negatively. Ambiguous design details: A clearer design tends to be comprehended more readily (OBrien, 1998). Ambiguity or Doubtfulness or uncertainty in design is a potential cause of Variations in a project. This is because ambiguity in design can be misinterpreted by project participants, leading to rework and delay in the project completion. Eventually, this may affect the project progress negatively. Design discrepancies (inadequate design): Inadequate design can be a frequent cause of Variations in construction projects (CII, 1990a; Fisk, 1997). Design discrepancies affect the project functionality and quality. Eventually, this can affect a project adversely depending on the timing of the occurrence of the Variations. Noncompliance of design with government regulations: Noncompliance of design with government regulations or policies would cost the project difficult to execute (Clough and Sears, 1994). Noncompliance with government regulations may affect the project safety and progress negatively, leading to serious accidents and delays in the project completion. Noncompliance of design with owners requirements: A comprehensive design is one that accommodates the owners requirements (Cox and Hamilton, 1995). A noncompliance design with the owners requirements is considered an inadequate design (Fisk, 1997). Eventually, this may cause Variations for accommodating the Employers requirements. This may affect the project adversely during the construction phase. Change in specifications by consultant: Changes in specifications are frequent in construction projects with inadequate project objectives (OBrien, 1998). As mentioned earlier with respect to changes in specifications by the Employer, this is also a potential cause of Variations in a project, leading to reworks and delays in the project completion. C. Contractor Related Variations This section discusses the causes of Variations that were related to the Contractor. In some cases, the contractor may suggest Variations to the project, or the Variations may be required because the contractor fails to fulfil certain requirements for carrying out the project. Lack of Contractors involvement in design: Involvement of the Contractor in the design may assist in developing better designs by accommodating his creative and practical ideas (Arain et al., 2004). Lack of Contractors involvement in design may eventually cause Variations. Practical ideas which are not accommodated during the design phase will eventually affect the project negatively. Unavailability of equipment: Unavailability of equipment is a procurement problem that can affect the project completion (OBrien, 1998). Occasionally, the lack of equipment may cause major design Variations or adjustments to project scheduling to accommodate the replacement. Unavailability of skills (shortage of skilled manpower): Skilled manpower is one of the major resources required for complex technological projects (Arain et al., 2004). Shortage of skilled manpower is more likely to occur in complex technological projects. This lack can be a cause for Variations that may delay the projects completion date. Contractors financial difficulties: Construction is a labour intensive industry. Whether the Contractor has been paid or not, the wages of the worker must still be paid (Thomas and Napolitan, 1994). Contractors financial difficulties may cause major Variations during a project, affecting its quality and progress and in some cases even the safety of the site is affected if there is an argument. Contractors desired profitability: Contractors desired profitability can be a potential cause of Variations in construction projects. This is because Variations are considered a common source of additional works for the contractor (OBrien, 1998). The Contractor may eventually strive to convince the project Employer to allow certain Variations, leading to additional financial benefits for him. Differing site conditions: Differing site condition can be an important cause of delays in large building projects (Assaf et al., 1995). The contractor may face different soil conditions than those indicated in the tender documents. Eventually this may affect his cost estimates and schedule negatively. Defective workmanship: Defective workmanship may lead to demolition and rework in construction projects (Fisk, 1997; OBrien, 1998). Defective workmanship results in low quality in construction projects (Arain et al., 2004). Even the Contractor bares the cost of the defective work, but this also may affect the project negatively, leading to rework and delay in the project completion. Unfamiliarity with local conditions: Familiarity with local conditions is an important factor for the successful completion of a construction project (Clough and Sears, 1994). If the Contractor is not aware of local conditions, it would be extremely difficult for him to carry out the project. Eventually, project delays may occur that end up with vital Variations in the entire design entity. Lack of a specialized construction manager: The construction manager carries out the construction phase in an organized way to eliminate the risks of delays and other problems. Lack of a specialized construction manager may lead to defective workmanship and delay in the construction project. Fast track construction: Fast track construction requires an organized system to concurrently carry out interdependent project activities (Fisk, 1997). When the public and private sectors have large funds and want to complete projects in a very short time, complete construction drawings and specifications may not be available when the contractor starts work (Arain et al., 2004).Eventually, this procurement mode may cause major Variations. Poor procurement process: Procurement delays have various negative effects on other processes in the construction cycle (Fisk, 1997). Occasionally, the procurement delay may cause an entire change or replacement for originally specified materials or equipment for the project (Arain et al., 2004). This may therefore cause a need for project activities to be reworked. Lack of communication: Detrimental Variations, which affect the projects adversely, can usually be managed at an early stage with strong and incessant communication. A lack of coordination and communication between parties may cause major Variations that could eventually impact the project negatively (Arain et al., 2004). Contractors lack of judgment and experience: The consultants lack of professional experience increases the risk of errors during construction (OBrien, 1998). This lack may cause major construction Variations in a project, when both Contractor and consultant could not identify or foresee the problems in the planning stage due to both parties are lacking of experience. Eventually, this may affect the project quality and delay the project completion. Long lead procurement: Procurement delays have various adverse affects on other processes in the construction cycle (Fisk, 1997). Occasionally, the procurement delay may cause an entire change or replacement for originally specified materials or equipment for the project. Delay in long lead procurement is a common cause of delays in building projects (Assaf et al., 1995). Honest wrong beliefs of contractor: As mentioned earlier with respect to honest wrong beliefs of the consultant, honest wrong beliefs of the contractor can also be a potential cause of Variations in construction projects. Contractors, without having firsthand knowledge, may make decisions based on their wrong beliefs which would adversely affect the quality and pace of the project. Complex design and technology: Complex design and technology require detailed interpretations by the designer to make it comprehensible for the Contractor (Arain, 2002). A complex design may be experienced for the first time by the Contractor. Eventually, the complexity may affect the flow of construction activities, leading to delays in the project completion. Lack of strategic planning: Proper strategic planning is an important factor for successful completion of a building project (Clough and Sears, 1994; CII, 1994a). The lack of strategic planning is a common cause of Variations in projects where construction starts before the design is finalized, for instance, in concurrent design and construction contracts (OBrien, 1998). Contractors lack of required data: A lack of required data may affect the contractors strategic planning for successful project completion, leading to frequent disruptions during the construction process. This is because a lack of data can result in misinterpretation of the actual requirements of a project (Assaf et al., 1995; Arain et al., 2004). Contractors obstinate nature: As mentioned earlier with regard to the obstinate nature of consultant, likewise, this can be a potential cause of Variations in construction projects. If the Contractor is obstinate, he may not accommodate creative and beneficial ideas suggested by others. Eventually, this may cause major Variations in the later stages and affect the project negatively. D. Other Variations This section discusses the causes of Variations that were not directly related to the project team. Weather conditions: Adverse weather conditions can affect outside activities in construction projects (Fisk, 1997; OBrien, 1998). When weather conditions vary such as the various monsoon seasons in Malaysia, the contractor needs to adjust the construction schedule accordingly. Occasionally, this may affect the project progress negatively, leading to delays in construction. Safety considerations: Safety is an important factor for the successful completion of a building project (Clough and Sears, 1994). Noncompliance with safety requirements may cause major Variations in design. Lack of safety considerations may affect the project progress negatively, leading to serious accidents and delays in the project completion. Change in government regulations: Local authorities may have specific codes and regulations that need to be accommodated in the design (Arain et al., 2004). Change in government regulations during the project construction phase may cause major Variations in design and construction. This can affect a project negatively depending on the timing of the occurrence of the changes. Change in economic conditions: Economic conditions are one of the influential factors that may affect a construction project (Fisk, 1997). The economic situation of a country can affect the whole construction industry and its participants. Eventually, this may affect the project negatively, depending on the timing of the occurrence of the Variations. Socio-cultural factors: Professionals with different socio-cultural backgrounds may encounter problems due to different perceptions, and this may affect the working environment of the construction project (Arain et al., 2004). Lack of coordination is common between professionals with different socio-cultural backgrounds (OBrien, 1998). Eventually, project delays may occur that end up with vital changes in the entire project team. Unforeseen problems: Unforeseen conditions are usually faced by professionals in the construction industry (Clough and Sears, 1994; OBrien, 1998). If these conditions are not solved as soon as possible, they may cause major Variations in the construction projects. Eventually, this may affect the project negatively, leading to reworks and delays in the project completion. The Effects of Variation As stated in Max Abrahams in his book Engineering Law and the ICE Contracts, most of the employment given to the legal profession on engineering work is to do with disputes about Variations. Most significant number of claims emerged are from Variations, and that the Variation clause exists mainly is to protect the client/employer. If the majority claims by the contractors and the greatest problem in contract management are both caused by Variation, then either the variation must be reduced or eliminated, or a better legal and practical framework must be created so that they can be solve with more effectively. The simple answer to this is to be able to avoid use the of variation clause in the contract.. However, if a contract does not provide such clauses, the client may find himself unable to do something and accepting an unsatisfied product because he could not change what he now wants, although in return for great certainty with regard to price and possibly time. The existence of a variation clause improves the potential for securing and improving end product, but with a price, for the client then have less certainty about the price to be paid and the time for completion. In addition it to be said that the existence of Variation clause itself will also generate Variations cost, because the complete design at tender stage can be avoided. The extend to which completed design is to avoided at the tender state and extend to which the client has not secured a fixed price is generally considerable. Consider for instance, the parts of building project which are consider being variable in any event: Prime cost sums Provisional sum Provisional quantities Contingencies Day works Fluctuations Therefore, it is rare that a building contract sum is fixed. It is considered unwise that the contract should not contains Variation clauses because the consequence of inability to change the works as a right would, inevitably, lead on occasion to waste of resources. Some contracts do not contain Variation clauses, and such contract is very common in North America. This does not mean the Variation would not arise, only that the client has no contractual rights to vary the works. What we need is not about eliminating the Variation clauses, but to have better defined clauses. An inefficiently defined variation clauses can be easily identified, as variation occurs more often in works of alteration than on new works yet the system if control is not better; the same clauses are frequently used notwithstanding the fact that variations can to a great extent be reasonably anticipated on works of refurbishment or alteration. An improved legal framework and system of control must be also being willingness on the part of the professionals to use the variation clauses as intended and not to abuse it. Abuse can occur for various reasons: Where a clause is implemented because the scheme was not ful