Define the term ‘Project’. Discuss the process of generating and screening the project ideas
Ans Projects
have a major role to play in the economic development of a country.Since the
introduction of planning in our economy, we have been investing large amount of
money in projects related to industry, minerals, power, transportation,
irrigation, education etc. with a view to improve the socio-economic conditions
of the people.These projects are designed with the aim of efficient management,
earning adequate return to provide for future development with their own
resources. But experience shows that there are several shortcomings in the
ultimate success of achieving the objectives of the proposed project. The term
project has a wider meaning. A project is accomplished by performing a set of
activities. For example, construction of a house is a project. The construction
of a house consists of many activities like digging of foundation pits,
construction of foundation, construction of walls, construction of roof, fixing
of doors and windows, fixing of sanitary fitting, wiring etc. Another aspect of
project is the non-routine nature of activities. Each project is unique in the
sense that the activities of a project are unique and non routine. A project
consumes resources. The resources required for completing a project are men,
material, money and time. Thus, we can define a project as an organized
programme of pre determined group of activities that are non-routine in nature
and that must be completed using the available resources within the given time
limit. Let us now consider some definitions of ‘project’. Newman et. al define
that “a project typically has a distinct mission that it is designed to achieve
and a clear
termination
point the achievement of the mission”.
Gillinger
defines “project” as the whole complex of activities involved in using resources
to gain benefits. Project management institute, USA defined project as “a system
involving the co-ordination of a number of separate department entities throughout
organization, in a way it must be completed with prescribed schedules and time
constraints”.
Identification of a new project is a complex
problem. Project selection process starts with the generation of project ideas.
In order to select the most promising project, the entrepreneur needs to
generate a few ideas about the possible project one can undertake. The project
ideas as a process of identification of a project begins with an analytical
survey of the economy (also known as pre-investment surveys). The surveys and
studies will give us ideas. The process of project selection consists of
following stages :
Idea
generation
Environment
appraisal.
Corporate
appraisal
Scouting
for project ideas.
Preliminary
screening.
Project
rating index
Sources
of positive Net Present Value.
Entrepreneur
qualities.
Idea
Generation :- Project selection process starts
with the generation of a project idea. Ideas are based on technological
breakthroughs and most of the project ideas are variants of present products or
services. To stimulate the flow of ideas, the following are helpful:
SWOT
Analysis :- SWOT is an acronym for strengths,
weaknesses, opportunities and
threats.
SWOT analysis represents conscious, deliberate and systematic effort by an
organisation
to identify opportunities that can be profitably exploited by it. Periodic
SWOT
analysis facilitates the generation of ideas.
Operational
objectives of a firm may be one or more of the following.
Cost reduction.
Productivity improvement.
Increase in capacity utilisation.
Improvement in contribution margin.
Fostering
a conducive climate :- To tap the creativity
of people and to harness their entrepreneurial skills, a conducive organisation
climate has to be fostered. Two conspicuous examples of organisation which have
been exceptionally successful in tapping the creativity of employees are the
Bell Telephone Laboratory and the 3M Corporation. While the former has
succeeded in harnessing creativity by providing an
unconstrained
environment, the latter has effectively nurtured the entrepreneurial skills
of
its employees as sources of idea generation. The project ideas can be generated
from various internal and external sources. These are :-
Knowledge of market, products, and
services.
Knowledge of potential customer choice.
Emerging trends in demand for particular
product.
Scope for producing substitute product.
Market survey & research.
Going through Professional magazines.
Making visits to trade and exhibitions.
Government guidelines & policy.
Ideas given by the experienced person.
Ideas by own experience.
SWOT analysis.
Environment
appraisal :- An entrepreneur or a firm systematically
appraise the environment and assess its competitive abilities. For the purposes
of monitoring, the
business
environment may be divided into six broad sectors .
The
key elements of the environment are as follow :
Economic
Sector
State of the economy
Overall rate of growth
Cyclical fluctuations
Inflation rate
Growth rate of primary, secondary and
territory sector
Growth rate of world economy
Trade surplus and deficits
Balance of Payment
Government
Sector
Industrial policy
Government programmes and projects
Tax structure
EXIM policy
Financing norms
Subsidies incentives and concessions
Monetary policy
Technological
Sector
Emergence of new technologies
Access to technical know-how, foreign as
well as indigenous
Socio-demographic
Sector
Population trends
Age shifts in population
Income distribution
Educational profile
Employment of women
Attitudes toward consumption and
investment
Competition
Sector
Number of firms in the industry and the
market share of the top few
Degree of homogeneity and
differentiation among the products
Entry barrier
Comparison with substitutes in term of
quality and price
Marketing polices and practices
Supplier
Sector
Availability and cost of raw material
Availability and cost of energy
Availability and cost of capital
Business
Environment
Corporate
Appraisal :- A realistic appraisal of corporate
strengths and weaknesses is essential for identifying investment opportunities
which can be profitably exploited.
The
broad areas of corporate appraisal and the important aspects to be considered under
them are as follow :
Marketing
and Distribution
Market Image
Product Line
Product Mix
Distribution Channels
Customer loyalty
Marketing & distribution costs
Production
and Operations
Condition and capacity of plant and
machinery
Availability of raw material and power
Degree of vertical integration
Locational advantage
Cost structure
Research
and Development
Research capabilities of the firm
Track record of new product developments
Laboratories and testing facilities
Coordination between research and
operations
Corporate
Resources and Personnel
Corporate image
Dynamism of top management
Relation with government and regulatory
agencies
State of industry relations
Finance
and Accounting
Financial leverage and borrowing
capacity
Cost of capital
Tax structure
Relation with share holders and
creditors
Accounting & control system
Cash flow and liquidity.
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