CONSTRUCTION PROJECT MANAGEMENT EXAM QUESTIONS (PAST PAPER REVISION)

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SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS:
• Word Limits: Maximum 2000 words per each question
• Format: A4 size paper, Single spacing, 25 mm margins (all sides) and Times Roman
font 12.
• File format: Microsoft Word and/or PDF/JPG for a scanned copy of hand-written
answers
• Cover page: must include (a) Course Name and No. (CIVL5555); (b) Coursework
Assignment name (“Extended Assignment”); (c) your name and Univ. No. etc.
• REFERENCES – You should list all references used at the end. It is also recommended
to cite specific references (in your text) at the locations where you drew material from
them.
Question 1 – Answer ALL PARTS of this Question.
A road project was delivered in traditional mode (Design-Bid-Build). A consultant was hired
to carry out the detail design, prepare contract documents and carry out construction
supervision. Contract duration is 2 years and construction work commenced on 1 May 2019.
According to the construction practice in Hong Kong, the consultant is the Engineer of Contract
(the Engineer).
a. Briefly discuss the rights and obligation of contractor in this road construction contract.
Then comment on the statement: “Drawing is a contract document that would protect the
interest of both the client and contractor.” (10 marks)
b. The Engineer was asked to assess the performance of the contractor in the last 12
months. In your own view, (i) suggest, with reasons, THREE key performance factors
that should be considered by the Engineer (ii) name the relevant contract documents that
stipulate the requirements for the key performance factors suggested in (i). (10 marks)
c. Assume the contractor is performing, identify other possible risks that might affect the
progress of the works in the remaining contract period and briefly discuss contractual
consequence if delay occurred. (5 marks)
Include examples in the answers to (a), (b) and (c).
Question 2 – Answer ALL PARTS of this Question.
a. The principle of sustainable development advocates balance growth in economic, social
and environmental attributes that benefit society now and in the future. Balance growth
of these three attributes is the way towards a true sustainable society. Use Hong Kong*
as an example to elaborate your view on the importance of balance growth of economic,
social and environmental attributes of a society. (12.5 Marks)
To answer this question students are required to provide source of reference, e.g. GDP,
Gini coefficient, Happiness Index, etc. to support their arguments.
* Exchange students who may not be familiar with Hong Kong may use a city from
his/her country of origin as example to answer this question.
b. Define the following school of thoughts for materials selection in construction works:
1. Ecological School of Thought
2. LCA School of Thought
You are required to choose one of the above school of thoughts in manufacturing structural
steel. Discuss the reasons of your choice. (12.5 Marks)
Question 3 – Answer ALL PARTS of this Question.
a. Value engineering and lean construction are two effective strategies for enhancing the
performance of the construction industry.
i. Describe the key stages of conducting a value engineering exercise using the
example of optimizing the design of the building of the International Commerce
Centre (ICC). (4 marks)
ii. Explain the principles of lean and elaborate the principles within the context of
lean construction. (5 marks)
b. Method study is an effective technique for enhancing the productivity of construction.
i. Explain the steps of conducting a method study (2 marks).
ii. Draw a flow diagram to illustrate the work process of cutting and bending
structural rebars for fabricating a column rebar cage (3 marks).
iii. Provide three recommendations for improving the productivity of rebar cutting and
bending (3 marks).
c. Modular construction has been promoted globally to improve quality, sustainability and
productivity of construction.
i. Explain the concept of modular integrated construction (MiC) (3 marks).
ii. Discuss the adoption of MiC in comparison with the precast concrete practice for
public housing in Hong Kong. (5 marks)
Question 4 – Answer ALL PARTS of this Question.
a. Draw and explain a building lifecycle process in terms of key activities in each phase,
actors and outputs. (5 marks)
b. Explain the importance of the concept design phase for construction projects. (7 marks)
c. Explain how the IPD (Integrated Project Delivery) strategy can help the project team
better perform in the design phase and what benefits are expected. (7 marks)
d. Explain how to use the network analysis to effectively manage a construction project.
(6 marks)

Project Management assignment

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Topic: Project Management

 

Paper details:

1- Read the Case Study – PDF file 2- According, kindly answer the question 1-6 in the word document named PM- A 3- Please, all the points mentioned under project risks and step plan have tackled in the Acquisition Plan

Project Management assignment

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Topic: Project Management

 

Paper details:

1- Read the Case Study – PDF file 2- According, kindly answer the question 1-6 in the word document named PM- A 3- Please, all the points mentioned under project risks and step plan have tackled in the Acquisition Plan

Strategic Application In Project Management

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Book:
Larson, E. W., & Gray, C. F. (2018). Project management: The managerial process, 7th Edition McGraw Hill
Read the Case “Introducing Scrum at P2P – PART A & PART B” at the end of the chapter 16 and response to the following questions:
PART A
1. How well is Scrum working?
2. What are the issues confronting the Big Foot project?
3. Assume you are Kendra. What would you want to say at the retrospective? How would you say it?
4. What improvements or changes need to be made?
PART B
1. How would you assess P2P’s effort at introducing Scrum
2. What challenges does an organization face when adopting an Agile approach like Scrum?
3. What could P2P have done to enhance success?

Project Management – Gantt Chart

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Project Management – Gantt Chart 
A. Draw a Gantt Chart using MSP
B. Find the Critical path and project duration in days
C. Given the each resource is assigned 100% to each task identity the resource constrains
D. Level the resource and determine the new project duration and critical path
E. Identify what alternative solutions can be used to shorten th project duration and not over
allocate the resources

Project Management at MM Case Study

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Read the Project Management at MM Case Study on pages 324-327 in the textbook. Answer the Discussion Questions at the end of the Case Study.
Your responses must be complete, detailed and in APA format. All work must be 1 FULL page, single spaced, 12 font Times New Roman. The cover and reference page must be on separate pages. Please DO NOT include the question in your work as only your findings should be submitted.

Project Management at MM Case Study

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Read the Project Management at MM Case Study on pages 324-327 in the textbook. Answer the Discussion Questions at the end of the Case Study.
Your responses must be complete, detailed and in APA format. All work must be 1 FULL page, single spaced, 12 font Times New Roman. The cover and reference page must be on separate pages. Please DO NOT include the question in your work as only your findings should be submitted.

Discussion Question – What is a project, and what are its main attributes?

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What is a project, and what are its main attributes? How is a project different from what most people do in their day-to-day jobs? Discuss the importance of top management commitment and the development of standards for successful project management. Provide examples to illustrate the importance of these items based on your experience on any type of project. Discuss the unique challenges that an IT project presents.
In your peer responses, be sure to discuss your thoughts on project management, your views on project’s attributes, and your thoughts on successful project management. You can take opposing/differing views than your peers but be sure to provide applicable resources as needed. Properly provide examples in your peer responses as well and any additional challenges you see with IT projects.

Project CEO Selection

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Project: CEO Selection
Use the same organization you identified in the Week 1 portion of the project. (APPLE COMPANY)
Throughout this assignment, the critical importance of finding the right successor for the company’s CEO is paramount. The right candidate needs exemplary leadership, vision, and strategic planning abilities along with many of the other personal and professional qualities that have been discussed in this course thus far.
To begin finding the right successor, conduct a detailed analysis of the given organization’s current CEO, including the strengths, weaknesses, leadership and communication styles, and personal characteristics that make this leader dynamic and successful.
· What are the attributes of the current leader that you want his or her successor to possess? Why are such attributes necessary for a successor?
· What are the characteristics or traits of the current leader that you do not want his or her successor to possess? Why are such attributes not desirable?
· What other traits might need to be considered?
· Is there a job description available for your CEO? What are the specific knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary for the position?
Based on your research and answers to the above questions, you should be able to:
· Create a matrix or job audit form describing the ideal candidate to succeed the current CEO.
o What are the essential personal and professional qualities to identify in candidates (i.e., what must you find out about candidates)?
o What are the important but perhaps less essential qualities (i.e., what would be good to know but should be secondary issues compared to the essential qualities?)
· Describe in detail the methods and tactics you would use to identify, source, recruit, and screen candidates, both internally and externally, for the CEO position.
· Include strategies for identifying the candidates with the personal and professional qualities that you desire in the next leader for the company.
Submission Details:
· Support your responses with examples.
· 5-page paper. Cite credible sources in APA format.
· Post your response to the Submissions Area by the due date assigned.
^^WEEK 1 SELECTION AND ASSIGNMENT TO REVIEW^^^
Question 1
Succession plan is a necessary tool every company needs. A succession plan enables the organization to promote a talent approach culture by employing skilled workforce and the best talent. This paper will focus on Apple Company that has an elaborate succession strategy. Apple is also one of the leading electronic companies in the world.
Question 2
The mission of the apple company is “to bring the best user experience to its customers through innovative, hardware, software, and services.” The mission of the company is dynamic and subject to change.
The corporate culture of the Apple Company is the major driver of its success. The culture of the company focuses on developing and maintaining a commercial philosophy, beliefs, values and similar behavior among its workforce. The company has established a culture that reinforces human resource in attaining its strategic objectives. The cultural attributes of the company are aligned with the drive for innovation that is a major factor in market competitiveness. (Heracleous, L., 2013). Apple Company culture is based on creativity, innovation, top-notch excellence, secrecy and moderate competitiveness.
The leadership structure of the company is hierarchical, with remarkable divisional features and less powerful operational matrix. The feature of Apple corporate leadership structure includes spoke- and- wheel hierarchy, product-based divisions and weak functional matrix. The company has adopted democratic leadership mostly attributed to CEO Steve Jobs which was important in creating mutual understanding in the decision-making process. Currently Tim Cook has adopted ‘quiet’ leadership style that is seen to be effective.
Question 3
The company has experienced a number of challenges resulting majorly from the competitiveness in the market arena. These challenges include maneuvering trade uncertainty. Trade barriers and uncertainty are particularly emanating around china and United States trade policy. The uncertainty has forced the company to develop plans on how to relocate some of the products from china to cut down the risk of trade tariffs. The company is also facing steep competition with the Qualcomm that has resulted into legal show down. The battles were as a result of patent fees and licensing rates, in which apple sued Qualcomm in three countries and counter suit by Qualcomm, accusing apple for trading secrets to Intel. The battles have damaged the prospects of the company as shareholders are held in panic.
Similarly, attaining iPhone unit sales projection has been a challenge. The company has been targeting to sell approximately 200 million units of its product. In 2019 the company shifted away from its unit sales and still got disappointment in meeting the set target. (Damanpour & Aravind, 2012). This short fall has lowered the shares of the company. Similarly, the company is facing another challenge of selling investors on the services story. Business analyst have pointed out that recent reports indicate that apple iPhone unit sale is obsolete, and it will take time for investors to internalize new regime. Evidence shows low demand on iPhone, the new regime is task to guarantee investors that unit sale is not the future for the company’s success. However, it will take some period of time to convince iPhone heavy investors to buy the narrative.
Finally, the company is also facing the new challenge of planning for the arrival of 5G network. The discovery of the 5G will upset the competitiveness in the global market of smartphones. They expect their rival companies Samsung and Huawei to deliver 5G enable phones. They can result to negative competition to the apple company since company’s projection in terms of growth will be low.
Question 4
After apple CEO Steve Jobs resigned, Apple shares dropped by 7% after the announcement. Although the decline was foreseen before the trading started and was suggested that Apple shares were switching hands for $365 each. The shares rose beyond $370 by daylight and were exchanging at exactly 0.6% down in early afternoon. The traders were digesting the effect of Apple losing its charming head, who had led the way since its close bankruptcy after returning to the company in 1996. He restructured the company to be the world most treasured company by market value. Steve Jobs was not only a visionary leader from a technology industry view but also a micro manager.
Apples competitors’ shares rose overnight, due to investors’ anticipation that Apple might trip after Steve Jobs resignation. Samsung electronics company shares recorded a 2.5% increase while HTC smartphone maker gained 1.35%. Apple Company appointed Tom Cook as Steve’s successor. He was best placed for the position because he was the company’s chief operating officer and he has been in day-to-day charge of Apple Company when Steve’s health needed prolonged absences. Steve Jobs had provided not only personal leadership but also strategic vision at the top of the company, as probably the most visible and well-known CEO of any technological company. Tim Cook will face some challenges stepping into these tasks, as a trusted pair of hand but hardly a charismatic or a visionary figure.
References
Heracleous, L. (2013). Quantum strategy at the Apple Inc. Organizational Dynamics.
Damanpour, F., & Aravind, D. (2012). Organizational structure and innovation revisited: From organic to ambidextrous structure. Handbook of organizational creativity.
Marengo, L., & Pasquali, C. (2012). How to get what you want when you do not know what you want: A model of incentives, organizational structure, and learning. Organizational science.

Project CEO Selection

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Project: CEO Selection
Use the same organization you identified in the Week 1 portion of the project. (APPLE COMPANY)
Throughout this assignment, the critical importance of finding the right successor for the company’s CEO is paramount. The right candidate needs exemplary leadership, vision, and strategic planning abilities along with many of the other personal and professional qualities that have been discussed in this course thus far.
To begin finding the right successor, conduct a detailed analysis of the given organization’s current CEO, including the strengths, weaknesses, leadership and communication styles, and personal characteristics that make this leader dynamic and successful.
· What are the attributes of the current leader that you want his or her successor to possess? Why are such attributes necessary for a successor?
· What are the characteristics or traits of the current leader that you do not want his or her successor to possess? Why are such attributes not desirable?
· What other traits might need to be considered?
· Is there a job description available for your CEO? What are the specific knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary for the position?
Based on your research and answers to the above questions, you should be able to:
· Create a matrix or job audit form describing the ideal candidate to succeed the current CEO.
o What are the essential personal and professional qualities to identify in candidates (i.e., what must you find out about candidates)?
o What are the important but perhaps less essential qualities (i.e., what would be good to know but should be secondary issues compared to the essential qualities?)
· Describe in detail the methods and tactics you would use to identify, source, recruit, and screen candidates, both internally and externally, for the CEO position.
· Include strategies for identifying the candidates with the personal and professional qualities that you desire in the next leader for the company.
Submission Details:
· Support your responses with examples.
· 5-page paper. Cite credible sources in APA format.
· Post your response to the Submissions Area by the due date assigned.
^^WEEK 1 SELECTION AND ASSIGNMENT TO REVIEW^^^
Question 1
Succession plan is a necessary tool every company needs. A succession plan enables the organization to promote a talent approach culture by employing skilled workforce and the best talent. This paper will focus on Apple Company that has an elaborate succession strategy. Apple is also one of the leading electronic companies in the world.
Question 2
The mission of the apple company is “to bring the best user experience to its customers through innovative, hardware, software, and services.” The mission of the company is dynamic and subject to change.
The corporate culture of the Apple Company is the major driver of its success. The culture of the company focuses on developing and maintaining a commercial philosophy, beliefs, values and similar behavior among its workforce. The company has established a culture that reinforces human resource in attaining its strategic objectives. The cultural attributes of the company are aligned with the drive for innovation that is a major factor in market competitiveness. (Heracleous, L., 2013). Apple Company culture is based on creativity, innovation, top-notch excellence, secrecy and moderate competitiveness.
The leadership structure of the company is hierarchical, with remarkable divisional features and less powerful operational matrix. The feature of Apple corporate leadership structure includes spoke- and- wheel hierarchy, product-based divisions and weak functional matrix. The company has adopted democratic leadership mostly attributed to CEO Steve Jobs which was important in creating mutual understanding in the decision-making process. Currently Tim Cook has adopted ‘quiet’ leadership style that is seen to be effective.
Question 3
The company has experienced a number of challenges resulting majorly from the competitiveness in the market arena. These challenges include maneuvering trade uncertainty. Trade barriers and uncertainty are particularly emanating around china and United States trade policy. The uncertainty has forced the company to develop plans on how to relocate some of the products from china to cut down the risk of trade tariffs. The company is also facing steep competition with the Qualcomm that has resulted into legal show down. The battles were as a result of patent fees and licensing rates, in which apple sued Qualcomm in three countries and counter suit by Qualcomm, accusing apple for trading secrets to Intel. The battles have damaged the prospects of the company as shareholders are held in panic.
Similarly, attaining iPhone unit sales projection has been a challenge. The company has been targeting to sell approximately 200 million units of its product. In 2019 the company shifted away from its unit sales and still got disappointment in meeting the set target. (Damanpour & Aravind, 2012). This short fall has lowered the shares of the company. Similarly, the company is facing another challenge of selling investors on the services story. Business analyst have pointed out that recent reports indicate that apple iPhone unit sale is obsolete, and it will take time for investors to internalize new regime. Evidence shows low demand on iPhone, the new regime is task to guarantee investors that unit sale is not the future for the company’s success. However, it will take some period of time to convince iPhone heavy investors to buy the narrative.
Finally, the company is also facing the new challenge of planning for the arrival of 5G network. The discovery of the 5G will upset the competitiveness in the global market of smartphones. They expect their rival companies Samsung and Huawei to deliver 5G enable phones. They can result to negative competition to the apple company since company’s projection in terms of growth will be low.
Question 4
After apple CEO Steve Jobs resigned, Apple shares dropped by 7% after the announcement. Although the decline was foreseen before the trading started and was suggested that Apple shares were switching hands for $365 each. The shares rose beyond $370 by daylight and were exchanging at exactly 0.6% down in early afternoon. The traders were digesting the effect of Apple losing its charming head, who had led the way since its close bankruptcy after returning to the company in 1996. He restructured the company to be the world most treasured company by market value. Steve Jobs was not only a visionary leader from a technology industry view but also a micro manager.
Apples competitors’ shares rose overnight, due to investors’ anticipation that Apple might trip after Steve Jobs resignation. Samsung electronics company shares recorded a 2.5% increase while HTC smartphone maker gained 1.35%. Apple Company appointed Tom Cook as Steve’s successor. He was best placed for the position because he was the company’s chief operating officer and he has been in day-to-day charge of Apple Company when Steve’s health needed prolonged absences. Steve Jobs had provided not only personal leadership but also strategic vision at the top of the company, as probably the most visible and well-known CEO of any technological company. Tim Cook will face some challenges stepping into these tasks, as a trusted pair of hand but hardly a charismatic or a visionary figure.
References
Heracleous, L. (2013). Quantum strategy at the Apple Inc. Organizational Dynamics.
Damanpour, F., & Aravind, D. (2012). Organizational structure and innovation revisited: From organic to ambidextrous structure. Handbook of organizational creativity.
Marengo, L., & Pasquali, C. (2012). How to get what you want when you do not know what you want: A model of incentives, organizational structure, and learning. Organizational science.