Robert Frost - Nature In His Poetry Essays - Robert Frost

Robert Frost - Nature in His Poetry Robert frost has many themes in his poetry. One of the main themes that is always repeated, is nature. He always discusses how beautiful nature is or how distructive it can be. Frost always discusses nature in his poems. First, in the poem ?Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening? there is a lot of nature expresses. Frost's very first sentence already talks about the woods. ?whose woods these are I think I know?. Also, in the poem he states that the narrator likes to sit and watch the snow. He is also a nature lover. In the second stanza Frost refers back to the woods. He must also like ice, because he brings ice and cold up a lot in his poems. Once again Frost brings ice up when he mentions flake and cold wind. Then in the last stanza Frost mentions woods again. Even though the narrator has a long way to go he always has enough time to stop and watch the small thing in nature in detail. Second, in the poem ?Once by the Pacific? there is a lot of nature expressed. Frost changes his natures view from woods to water. In this poem he now talks about water. The reader can see how powerful the water is when it eats away at the cliff. The shore was lucky by being backed by the cliff. Once again Frost is discussing water which goes back to stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening by stating the water because there is water in this poem with snow Frost keeps bringing up water and snow. Water is a sign of being powerful, Frost must love having power by showing it with water. He also shows how powerful water is by tearing away at the cliff. Third, in the poem "The Most of it" there is also a lot of nature being expressed. You can see in this poem Frost refers back to the cliff which is in the fifth sentence of the poem, ?Some morning from the boulder broken beach?. He also talks about the water again and how mighty it is. Frost loves to write about water and how powerful it is in this poem and in many others of his. Frost always expresses nature in his poems. The reader can tell that Frost does love water. He also likes the power of it and expressing ot through nature. He also brings up other points of nature, but it always has water. The water is always breaking down cliffs, beaches and boulders. Frost's poems are similar but are also very different, but they all have nature in them.

The Articles of Confederation Investigation essays

The Articles of Confederation Investigation essays Throughout the history of civilizations, many constitutions have been used. In America, the present day constitution is law and is used to govern the United States of America yet this was not the first constitution of the United States. That would be the Articles of Confederation. This constitution was in effect from 1781-1789, and it had its ups and downs. Overall the "Articles of Confederation" were good in many cases and bad in economic problems. The Articles of Confederation were a group of documents written by John Dickinson in the late 1700s. It was in favor of the small government and big state power. People were the first part of their states and then part of the country. As seen in Document B, from the years of 1770-1775 the market value of United States exports to Great Britain was greatly increased over the years. Then theirs a break in the chart, this is most likely the time of the American Revolution and the countries overall post-war recollection. Then in 1784, the chart begins again, and the number of market value exports with England has dropped down by about 20 percent. This number then begins to waver up and down as the years go by. Although it is safe to assume that the loss of trade is due to anger between the British and United States yet it is also safe to assume that since the Articles of Confederation does not give the national government the ability to impose taxes, and tariffs, on products, thus subst antially lowering its profit value. People in other countries, especially Great Britain knew that the U.S.' government could not impose taxes and tariffs and a state wouldn't impose a tax on its people because they can just move to another state and rebel on the state. So according to Document B, the Market value of the United States good had substantially lowered during the use of the Articles of Confederation. Admittedly, under the "Articles of Confederation," many good things did happen. The Treaty of Pa...

Article Critiques on Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Article Critiques on Finance - Essay Example Developing countries led by Brazil, Russia, China and India hold most of the world’s foreign exchange reserves, and their share of exports has risen from 20% in 1970 to 435 in 2006. However, as the economic balance of power changes, the balance of political power continues to remain in the West, a situation that cannot continue indefinitely. That changes are imminent can be gauged by the fact that the IMF is already considering some changes in its power structure. Similarly, a UN Security Council that excludes 1/5th of humanity (China, India) or a G7 that excludes China, which holds the worlds largest foreign exchange reserves, cannot stand the test of time. There is bound to be some friction on account of these changes, but overall it will benefit mankind as a whole. In earlier centuries, economic rivalries brought in its wake widespread hostilities, as nations tried to wrest power and widen their spheres of influence as part of the ‘Great Game’. However, that might not be the case in the 21st century, as the US remains the world’s sole military superpower. Dialogue and reliance on international organizations to settle disputes is the preferred approach, though the slow progress of the Doha talks is a cause for concern. Nonetheless, the chances of armed conflict remain negligible, now that geo-economics has overtaken geo-politics as the driver of a country’s foreign policy. As the battle between Boeing’s 787 and Airbus’ A380 heats up, there are indications that the later is in danger of losing the race. Production delays due to inefficient practices, which are politically motivated, are likely to result in at least a two-year delay. This delay could mean the difference between making profits and bankruptcy. It is estimated that the delay, â€Å"will knock a further E 4.8 billion off profits and E 6.3 billion off revenues between 2006 and 2010. The losses could even be higher if airlines that have placed orders for the A380

Drug Development and Toxicology (High-performance liquid Essay

Drug Development and Toxicology (High-performance liquid chromatography) - Essay Example is also vital in actiation of various carcinogens and detoxification of toxic epoxides (Bauer, Faiola, Abernethy, Marchan, Pluta, Wong, Gonzalez, Butterworth, Borghoff, Everitt and Recio, 2003). The deficiency of epoxide hydrolase does not show any abnormal phenotype. This suggests that it is not important for physiological homeostasis and reproduction. However, deficiency in epoxide hydrolase results in the organism been unable to bioactivate DMBA to the carcinogenic metabolite. This results in the organism been highly resistant to DMBA induced carcinogenesis. Its deficiency causes a decrease in reaction to toxicity that is as a result of benzene as there is a reduction in the quantity of metabolites that are toxic (Bauer, Faiola, Abernethy, Marchan, Pluta, Wong, Gonzalez, Butterworth, Borghoff, Everitt and Recio, 2003). As shown in the test results, the concentration of 4, 5 – dihydrodiol reduces day after day. This means that the catalysis of epoxide hydrolase leads to its reduction. This means that the toxicity of 4, 5 – dihydrodiol is relatively reduced. For 7, 8 – dihydrodiol, the catalysis of epoxide hydrolase leads to its complete reduction. Hence, it is rendered non-toxic. The concentration of 7, 8 – diol – 9, 10 – epoxide continually rises after each day. This means that the inhibition of the catalysis of 7, 8 – diol – 9, 10 – epoxide by epoxide hydrolase leads to a rise in the concentration of this metabolite which results in an increase in its toxicity. Mr. X is likely to develop a cancer as a result of this accident. From the graph, it can be inferred on that the concentration of 7, 8 – diol – 9, 10 – epoxide gradually increases. This metabolite is not inactivated but is resistant to epoxide hydrolase and increased in quantity. This increase in concentration increases the likelihood of Mr. X developing cancer. The reason for this is, due to its resistanse to catalysis by epoxide hydrolase, this metabolite causes mutation in

RESEARCH AND THEORY METHODS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

RESEARCH AND THEORY METHODS - Essay Example In addition, the literature argues that the nature of gender bias changes as women and men mature from elementary school children through adolescence, to college undergraduate and graduate students (Kelley & Parsons, 2000) Given that men and women participate in gender bias behaviours, research provides limited qualitative insight to explain why men and women accept such behaviours in a classroom environment (Fritschner, 2000). This paper compares the perceptions of male and female graduate students regarding the influence of gender in the classroom. Once gender influences are better understood, women and men may also have the opportunity to improve their understanding of each other. Literature Review The Sex Discrimination Act 1975 outlawed discrimination based on several characteristics, including gender. However, long ­standing attitudes, traditions, and practices continued to subtly subjugate minority groups based on race, gender, ethnicity, age, and sexual orientation. As note d by Haslett and Lipman (1997), "As overt, visible discrimination was challenged in the 1960s and 1970s, it became replaced by subtle and covert discrimination" (p. 36). Beginning in the early 1980s, popular research by Sadker and Sadker (1985), Hall and Sandler (1982), and others explored subtle mechanisms that marginalised women in the classroom. As defined by Mary Rowe (1977), gender bias produces "micro inequities" reflecting "everyday interactions in which individuals are often treated differently because of their gender" (Sandler, Silverberg, and Hall, 1996, p.1 0). Haslett and Lipman (1997) observed: Micro inequities are particularly ubiquitous because in each instance the harm seems too small to bother with. In the aggregate, however, they constitute a serious barrier to productivity, advancement, and inclusion. Micro inequities are particularly difficult to respond to because of the face issues involved as well as the seeming "smallness" of each single instance. (p. 38) As summarised by Fassinger (1995), research efforts produce conflicting opinions. For example, Hall and Sandler's widely referenced 1982 report provided anecdotal documentation of gender bias in academia, concluding that gender bias created a "chilly climate" for women in colleges and universities. However, Howard and Henney (1998) dispute the existence of a chilly climate. While Young (2001) explores biases that have an adverse impact on boys, most gender bias research examines the marginalising behaviours committed by men against women. However, gender bias includes more than men marginalising women's efforts. Haslett and Lipman (1997) observed that "women may discriminate against other women through their reluctance to support other women. And women may discriminate against themselves through limiting their own aspirations or an unwillingness to take risks" (pp. 35-36). King (1998) found that women unconsciously favor academic papers based on the assumption that the paper was writte n by a man. Research on gender bias provides a rich assortment of quantitative and anecdotal investigations into the nature and impact of gender bias in academia. As examples, Karp and Yoels (1976) quantified classroom participation among undergraduate and graduate students. Hall and Sandler's chilly classroom reports (Hall & Sandler, 1982) were based primarily on anecdotal research. Jamison (1999) evaluated interviews with more than 340

Effectiveness Of Communication In Project Management

Effectiveness Of Communication In Project Management A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service or result (PMI, 2008, pg. 5). A project is a sequence of unique, complex and connected activities having one goal or purpose and that must be completed by a specific time, within budget, and according to specification (Wysocki and McGary, 2003, p. 3). A project comprises of number of activities that must be completed in some specific order or sequence according to their technical requirements. Activities in a project are unique, complex and connected in a sense that no two activities can occur under the same conditions which make them unique; the activities are not simple, and the output of one activity becomes the input to another which makes them connected (Wysocki and McGary, 2003). The most important difference between the management control of on-going operations and the management control of projects is that the on-going operations continue indefinitely, whereas a project starts, moves forward from one milestone to the next, and then stops (Anthony and Govindarajan, 2005, p. 790). Projects are temporary, unique and require progressive elaboration (Gardiner, 2005, p. 2). The first characteristic is that projects have a definite life span and they exist for a limited time varying from few days to several years although its end products may sustain indefinitely. This temporary nature of project indicates a definite beginning and an end. The end is reached when the objectives of the project are achieved; the need for project no longer exists or the objectives of the project cannot be met due to lack of resources and the project is terminated. The second characteristic is that each and every project will be different from other projects in their own way. The last characteristic is that as the project progresses, work required is slowly defined with information being added over time (Gardiner, 2005). A project usually has a single objective and the time horizon is the end of the project. The objective of a project is to produce a satisfactory product, within a specified time period, and at an optimum cost (Burke, 2007). Projects often involve trade-offs between scope, schedule, and cost (Gardiner, 2005). Less scope might mean less costs or a shortened schedule leads to overtime and thus increasing costs. Plans for projects can be changed frequently and drastically. A project begins when management has reviewed the nature of what is to be done in the project and approved it. The project ends when its objective has been accomplished, or when it has been cancelled. Projects can be of various durations. Some project may last for a few days, a few weeks, or several years. Its content can be similar to work done before, or unlike anything ever done before (Burke, 2007). Most projects start small, build up to a peak activity and then taper off as completion near (Anthony and Govindaraja n, 2005). An international project is a project that involves multiple locations, entities, organizations and business units (Lientz and Rea, 2003). International projects typically are simultaneously multicultural projects relating to diverse cultures be it national, organizational, or functional cultures (KÃ ¶ster, 2010, p.3). In international projects, stakeholders and organizations who have different cultural and educational background work together. International projects are different from national projects because of language and dialect variations; religious practices; legal, regulatory and reporting requirements; technology level differences in different areas (Lientz and Rea, 2003). The difference between standard projects and international projects are shown in the table below: Attribute Standard projects International Projects Organizations Single Multiple organizations and departments System and technology Homogeneous Multiple systems Culture Single and common culture Multiple, varied cultures Organization Can be focussed on the project Many other competing demands for resources Self-interest More easily understood More complex to understand Table 1 Comparison of standard and international projects (Lientz and Rea, 2003) In short, a project can be considered as a series of activities and tasks that have A specific objective Defined start and end dates Consume human and nonhuman resources Are multifunctional 2.2. Project Life Cycle A project can be considered to have a life-cycle that is divided into four phases. Those phases are: Initiation and definition, Planning and development, Execution and control and finally Closure (Gardiner, 2005; Burke, 2007; Keeling, 2000). A clear understanding of these phases permits the project manager to control resources effectively to achieve the project objectives. D:DocumentsMscDissertationRequiredPlc.JPG Figure 2 Project Life Cycle (Gardiner, 2005) 2.2.1 Initiation and definition This phase represents the start of the project. This is a conceptual phase which includes the preliminary evaluation of an idea (Kerzner, 2006). This phase sets the scope of the project (Gardiner, 2005; Keeling, 2000). It forms the basis for deciding if a particular function or feature is within the scope of the project. This is the phase where new ideas and options are considered and tested to ensure the project objectives can be achieved making use of resources effectively (Burke, 2007). The project ideas are usually derived from the identification of a demand, an available resource or a need (Potts, 2002). The initiation and definition phase is mainly about formulating goals and strategies (Keeling, 2000). 2.2.2 Planning and development During the planning phase, the time plan is set into detail and the planning of the project is conducted with great accuracy. In the project planning phase, a project planning team specifies the rough estimates that were made when it was decided to implement the project. The project planning phase is often the most challenging phase for a project manager as he/she needs to make an educated guess of the stakeholders to be involved, resources and equipment needed to complete the project (Wysocki and McGray, 2003). The project manager needs to plan communications and procurement activities and create a comprehensive suite of project plans which set out a clear project roadmap ahead (Gardiner, 2005). Planning helps in reducing uncertainty, increases understanding of the goals and objectives to be achieved and improves resource efficiency (Wysocki and McGray, 2003). Thus detailed specifications for the product, time schedules, and cost budget are prepared and a management control system, a task control system and an organization chart developed. Furthermore a responsible manager is identified for each work package. Even on projects with little complexity a plan for planning exists and the planning process itself can be seen as a subproject (Anthony and Govindarajan, 2005). 2.2.3 Execution and control This is the phase in which the plans are put into operation (Keeling, 2000). The rate of expenditure is at its peak in this phase (Gardiner, 2005; Burke, 2007). Executing the plan involves four steps (Wysocki and McGray, 2003) Identify the specific resources that will be required to accomplish the work defined in the plan. Assign workers to activities. Schedule activities with specific start and end dates. Launch the plan. No matter how attentive the team is when creating the plan, the project work may not go according to plan. There may always be some schedule slips (Wysocki and McGray, 2003). To minimize this, the progress of the project should be regularly monitored. This is usually done in the controlling phase. Completed work is measure against the plan to monitor the progress of the project and avoid potential problems which may occur in the future. 2.2.4 Closing Closing a project means that the project has been completed and the results of the project can be submitted to the client. The closing phase evaluates what occurred during the project and provides historical information for use in planning and executing later projects (Keeling, 2000; Kerzner, 2006). 2.3. Role of Project Manager The role of project manager is to attain the project objectives (Gardiner, 2005). The project manager must be experienced, capable, and competent in getting the project work done on time, within budget and according to specification (Wysocki and McGray, 2003). The project manager must simultaneously see to the needs of the sponsor and other stakeholders, manage the project life cycle and the performance of the project team, including his or her performance (Gardiner, 2005). It is a role that involves a mix of abilities, combining management with leadership and political awareness (Pinto, 2000). The project manager is responsible for coordinating and integrating activities across multiple, functional lines. The integration activities performed by the project manager include activities which are necessary to develop a project plan; execute a plan and to make changes to the plan (Kerzner, 2006). A project manager must be able to understand the project detail but manage from the overall perspective (PMI, 2008). As an architect of the project plan, the project manager must provide complete task definitions; resource requirement definitions; major time table milestones; definition of end item quality and reliability requirements and the basis for performance measurement (Kerzner, 2006). Project managers influence people to take action (Gardiner, 2005). This requires an ability to communicate in a style appropriate for the individual concerned. If communication in the project is of low quality, the project will be more likely to fail (Armstrong, 1992). People working within a project always communicate but the quality of the communication must be high. The purpose and direction of the project lie on the ability of the project manager to communicate well with the partners within the project (Briner et al., 1996). One important role of the project leader is to create active communication among the project members by staying in touch with individuals and passing information between different members and between them and the funding organization (Briner et al., 1996). The project manager must be able to convert the inputs (i.e. resources such as capital, materials, equipments, facilities, information, personnel etc.) into output of products, services and ultimately profi ts (Kerzner, 2006). In order to do this, the project manager needs strong communicative and interpersonal skills, must become familiar with the operations of each line organization and must have knowledge of the technology used (Kerzner, 2006). Project leader should have high level of communication skills to be able to successfully manage with the project. The project managers role is like a spider weaving the web and should be the centre of communication and events (Briner et al., 1996). One of the major responsibilities of the project manager is planning. If project planning is performed correctly, then it is conceivable that the project manager will work himself out of the job because the project can run itself (Kerzner, 2006).The chief executive role of the project manager involves more than that of being accountable for the activities of the project (Cusworth and Franks, 1993). It implies that the manager is expected to make things happen by active involvement. The manager role as co-ordinator is vital in co-ordinating the efforts of the project team and the stakeholders. The project manager should define the ethics, norms and values of their project team, establishing the atmosphere of the organization and the way that the various project tasks are approached. The project managers role as a diplomat requires high level of sensitivity and good negotiating skills (Cusworth and Franks, 1993). He/she must be able to negotiate the relationship between the project and its environment and must be able to ensure the political support. The project manager along with his/her team should brainstorm to decide who the various stakeholders in the project might be. The project manager should go out and talk to all of those stakeholders and develop the necessary interviewing and probing skills which enable him/her to draw out of them what their expectations are. Often, the stakeholders are uncertain about what they want (Potts, 2002; PMI, 2008). The project manager should engage in a dialogue with them to help them to think through their expectations (Jandt, 2007). The project managers initial consideration of stakeholder expectations will help him/her to begin to understand the kinds of resources the project might require and will ensure positive outcome (PMI, 2008). Talking about resources does not mean only talking about tangible resources of money, time and materials, but also about those intangible resources of technical skills, non-technical managerial and communication skills, and the vital intangible of commitment and support from particular people within the project organisation and outside it (Jandt, 2007). The project manager should need to map the risk that may occur in a project by going through a structured process (PMI, 2008). Such process might include: brainstorm possible risks; considering what was wrong in similar projects previously; clustering into related topics; weighting-seriousness and probability; focusing on the very serious and highly probable; defining the project type, and review typical risks; planning how to run the project with the risks in mind. Highlight where in the project the risks will be most crucial; deciding how to reduce the risks so that the chances and consequences of failure are minimised. The project can be considered as temporary organization because it has limited time frame, limited budget, specific goals and activities (Maylor, 1999). Some of such temporary organizations might be inter-organizational projects that involve many organizations having different specialties or expertise (Maylor, 1999). In such projects, it is very important for the project manager to ensure the flow of information from the different organizations involved within the project. The flow of information is vital for the success of such project or organization (Burke, 2007). Since these innovation projects are of interdisciplinary and innovative, the share of experiences, knowledge, and the cooperation in different stages of the project development become absolute necessary for its success. Managing international projects that are of multi organizational type is not an easy task, especially when these organizations are from different technical, cultural, political backgrounds and have different management style in their approach for handling a task (Lientz and Rea, 2003; Koster, 2010). A careful and detailed preparation of projects, especially for inter organizational ones due to their complexity, in their planning phase is vital for their success. The manager should have high experience in planning such projects. To summarize things up, the project manager should have the following attributes Ability to select and develop an operational team. Leadership skills and management ability. Ability to anticipate problems, solve problems and make decision. Ability to integrate the project stakeholders. Operational flexibility. Ability to plan, expedite and get things done. Ability to negotiate, persuade and make deals. Understand the environment within which the project is being managed. Ability to review monitor and apply control. Ability to keep the stakeholders and client happy. COMMUNICATION: ITS ROLE AND EFFECTIVENESS IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT 3.1 Definition of Communication Communication is a process in which information is transmitted from a source to a receiver through various channels (JPIM, 2000). Communication means act of transferring information, exchange of information, message which is either written or verbal, and an idea for conveying thoughts effectively (Kerzner, 2001). A good definition of project communication is Project communication management includes the process required to ensure timely and appropriate generation, collection, distribution, storage, retrieval and ultimate disposition of project information (PMI, 2008, p. 243). In a project environment, communication refers to the exchange or sharing of messages and information to convey meaning and knowledge between project manager, internal and the external stakeholders (Verma, 1996). Communication is a process involving the exchange of message and the creation of meaning. No two individuals ever attach the same meaning to a message or symbol. Effectiveness of communication depends on the degree to which the individuals attach similar meanings to the messages exchanged. Stated differently, communication is effective when individuals are able to minimize misunderstandings. To say that meaning in communication is never totally same for all communicators is not to say that communication is impossible or even difficult only that is imperfect (Fisher, 1978, p. 257). When individuals communicate, they attach meaning to messages they construct and transmit to others. They also attach meaning to messages they receive from others. There are different types of communication such as verbal, written and non-verbal (Verma, 1996; Mehta, 2008). Verbal communication gives a lot of flexibility to the speaker. It is mainly used in face to face meetings, group meetings and over the telephone. While communicating verbally, the speaker can communicate with voice as well as body language. Written communication on the other hand is usually more precise (Mehta, 2008). Written communication can be in the form of letters, memos, notices, emails, reports, proposals memoranda etc. Another type of communication is the non-verbal communication. Non-verbal communication refers to a speakers actions and attributes that are not purely verbal. It can be reflected in the way people dress, their tone and stance while talking, their gestures, facial expressions and their body language (Verma, 1996). 3.2 Importance of Communication Communication is an important skill for project managers to accomplish effective project management (Analoui, 1993). This skill is vital because part of management is motivating people to perform their assigned duties to the best of their ability (Perret, 1982; Scott, 1989). Effective communication is the key to success for the individual as well as for the project (Verma, 1996, p.23). By using communication skills, the project manager help to plan, direct, control and coordinate their operations throughout the project life cycle (Verma, 1996). Most of the communication activities of project managers involve interpersonal communication and project communications, sharing information with the project team members and other stakeholders. Communication is the nerve system of leadership, teamwork, cooperation and control. It determines the quality of relationships, levels of satisfaction, the extent of projects success or failure. Cleland and King (1988) in a study of fifty project managers found that managers named communication as one of the vital ingredients for successful project implementation. Moreover, Morris and Hough (1986) also argues that clear communication is necessary for project success and that effective communication is the key to high staff morale which is vital for project success. According to Ruuska (1996, p.67) More than half of the management problems in projects are more or less caused by poorly looked-after communication. Communication acts as a resource as well as tool in project management. As a resource, communication can be compared to other project resources such as time, money, people and equipment. It should be taken into consideration when planning along with the resources. On the other hand, communication is a tool which can be used for effective utilization of other project resources. Communication helps in developing relationships in the organization (Ruuska, 1996). A projec t manager uses communication more than any other element in the project management process to ensure that the team members are working cohesively on project problems and opportunities (Verma, 1996). Communication plays an important role in connecting different parts of an organization together and its external environment (Taylor and Watling, 1979). In an organization, communication is needed to inform the members about the on-going status of the project. For an effective management, it is necessary to have a two way communication channel, to and fro in and across a project organization. A good communication channel can also allow progress to be monitored; difficulties to be reported back to the executive management and expert specialist can advise on technical or commercial problems to be sought by any participant (Keeling, 2003). Communication plays an important role in influencing the whole organization that may be affected and not only those immediately involved in the change. However, the importance of communication is often neglected in many projects (Toney and Power, 1997). Furthermore, lack of communication also results in many failures in change projects (Orr and McKenzie, 1992). Failure to maintain adequate information flows, conflict among project staff or between project administrators and professional staff, as being among some of the causes for inadequate execution, operation and supervision in projects (Rondinelli, 1977). These problems which are in essence communication problems are likely contributors to project failure. Hammond (1990) states that if the intrinsic difficulties such as limitation of funds are taken away, the reason some projects fail is because of problems with people, problems that effective communication could go a long way in solving. Lack of effective communication may lead to misunderstanding. Frustration can be seen in employers due to ineffective or poor communication and may result in conflicts. Communication breakdown is a prime cause of discord or conflict (Keeling, 2003). 3.3 Model of Communication A basic model of communication is shown below: Description: C:Documents and SettingsmnmbaramDesktopcommunication model.JPG Source: Project Management Institute, 2008. This model shows how communication is transferred between the sender and the receiver. The model includes the following components: Encode. The process of putting an idea or a thought into a symbol. Message. The encoded thought or idea. Medium. Means by which the encoded message is transmitted. Noise. Anything that distorts the message. Decode. To translate the message back into thoughts and ideas. The components in the communication model should be taken into account when discussing project communication. The sender determines what information he or she intends to share, encodes this information in the form of a message, and then transmits the message as a signal to the receiver. The destination decodes the transmitted message to determine its meaning and then responds accordingly. If the message decoded is the same as the sender intended, communication is successful (Jandt, 2007). Whenever information is sent from the sender to the receiver, the sender is responsible for making the information clear to the receiver so that the receiver understands it clearly. The receiver is responsible for making sure that the information is received is in its original form and understood correctly. In order to make sure that the message is sent and understood properly, feedback is required (Verma, 1996). 3.4 Channels of Communication Three basic channels of communication in a project environment exist (Verma, 1996). They are upward communication, downward communication and lateral communication. 3.4.1. Upward communication This type of communication is called subordinate/manager communication (Fielding, 2006). It involves communication from the lowest positions in the company to the highest positions. It contains information that higher management needs to evaluate the overall performance of the project for which they are responsible (Verma, 1996). This communication is in the form of reports, memoranda or messages about individual problems and performance; company policies and practices and specific staff problems. 3.4.2 Downward Communication This communication involves managers communicating down the line to subordinates. It provides direction and control for project team members and other employees. It may include information such as missions and goals of the organisation, feedback to subordinates on their performance; procedures to be followed etc (Fielding, 2006). 3.4.3 Lateral communication This communication takes place between departments in a company or project manager and his/her peers (Verma, 1996). This communication is in the form of reports on the activities of departments to keep each other informed and information to managers on company policies and progress so that they are able to make informed decisions (Fielding, 2006). 3.5 Effectiveness of Communication Effective communication involves minimizing misunderstandings. To be effective in communicating with people, everyone must be mindful. Communicating effectively and appropriately are important aspects of being perceived as a skilled communicator (Gudykunst and Kim, 1992). Communication is only effective if the following two conditions are met (Rogers, 1976 cited in JPIM, p. 364). Firstly, the source must be willing to share the information. However, such willingness may be absent at times because the source may not be able to transmit the information, is reluctant to transmit the information or thinks that the information is irrelevant. Secondly, the information transmitted is only effective if it has an effect on the receiver. The effect maybe either change in knowledge, change in attitude or a change in behavior. Ineffective communication can occur for a variety of reasons when individuals communicate. They may not encode the message in a way that it can be understood by others, people may misinterpret what they say or both can occur simultaneously. Effective communicators are those who are motivated; knowledgeable and possess certain communication skills (Samovar and Porter, 2004, pg. 303). Project managers should be motivated; should have a positive attitude towards communication event and they should put every effort to bring about constructive results. They should have the knowledge of what topics, words or meanings are required in a situation. They should know how to assemble, plan and perform content knowledge in a particular situation. Their communication skills should be high enough to accomplish their goals (Samovar and Porter, 2004, pg. 303). For effective communication in project management, it is essential that communication should be focused. If used effectively, can reduce non-productive effort, avoid duplication and help eliminate mistakes (Clarke, 1998). Communicating effectively helps in identification of problems, helps in generating ideas leading to better solutions and helps in dealing with uncertainty. Moreover, it encourages team-work, motivates the team and ensures that every member of the team is involved (Gannon, 1994). Not only effective communication is essential for project implementation and control, it is a powerful weapon against stakeholders conflict. Communication usually fails for the following reasons; not having a clear goal in mind; not establishing relationship; being impatient; not hearing what others have to say; overabundance of ego; assuming that others have the same information on the subject that you have; mistaking interpretations for facts; failure to analyse and handle resistance (Ritz , 1990). 3.6 Communication in stages of Project Life Cycle Communication is important during various phases of the project life cycle. During the initiation/planning phase, communication planning involves determining the information and communication needs of the stakeholders: who wants what information, when will they need it, and how will it be given to them (PMI, 2008). Some other things to be given consideration are the methods of communication to be utilized during the project. These are the technologies or methods used to transfer information back and forth among project entities. Different forms of communication will need to be utilized for communicating with different types of stakeholders and different occasions. Different assumptions and constraints that will affect the project also need to be carefully thought out. Once these factors are kept in mind, develop and document a communication plan that can be shared with the entire set of stakeholders, including team members, management customers and vendors. This type of methodical pl anning can lead to a carefully constructed project communication plan (Mehta, 2008). The plan should detail out what type of communication will take place during the project, who will receive what type of information, where the information will be stored, the schedule of communication such as status reports and project team meetings. Communication with stakeholders from start to the finish of a project is essential to all project management (Verma, 1996). Once the initial communication guidelines and expectations of the project have been established, the communication plan can be executed. During the execution phase of the project, the three main communication functions are information distribution, performance reporting and project control. Information distribution involves making needed information available to project stakeholders in a timely manner. It includes implementing communication management plan and responding to unexpected requests for information (PMI, 1998, p. 106). Some of the essential tools and technologies for information distribution are communication skills and information distribution system. Many of the project deliverables and records result from this function such as meeting minutes and decision documents. Various tools and techniques can be used for performance reporting such as performance reviews, variance analysis, traffic light reports, earned value analysis and trend analysis (Scott and billing, 1998). The output that results from performance reporting are performance reports and project change requests that is generated due to corrective action that needs to be taken to address a variance from the original plans or additional customer needs. All of these functions are useful for project control. Keeping the project on track according to the project plan, budget and estimates that have been laid out is of prime importance. If the project needs to vary from any of these established plans, the project information distribution system should be utilized. The project stakeholders need to be informed and new expectations need to be set. Following a set of established project management processes can be helpful in identifying events that are not planned for. When unexpected events occur , assessing the impact and quickly communicating them to the affected people according to your established communication plan can be efficiently addressed them. Some simple things that a project manager needs to keep i

Economic Factors have been of dominant concern in Australian Foreign Po

‘ECONOMIC FACTORS HAVE BEEN THE DOMINANT CONCERN IN AUSTRALIAN FOREIGN POLICY OVER THE PAST 25 YEARS.’ During the past 25 years, Australian Foreign Policy has consisted of a balance between economic and security priorities. No government can afford to focus on one to the detriment of the other. During the Hawke and Keating era (1983-1996), economic factors were of significant importance as we were in a region that was growing rapidly, faster than any other region in the world. Although having said this, it can be argued that there were exceptions whereby security initiatives were of equal concern to the government. In the current day (Howard era), it is possible to view that there is a higher emphasis on security initiatives than ever before due to being situated in a heavily volatile region (Arc of Instability). Having said this, there once again has been emphasis on the economic growth and prosperity of our nation at the same time, via the use of Trade Agreements and other forms of economic policy. This indicates that although there have been concern on economic factors in the past 25 years in relation to Australian Foreign Policy (AFP) decisions, there has also been a balanced emphasis on security factors during this period. There is no doubt that during the Hawke/Keating era (83-96) economic priorities received significant emphasis in Australian Foreign Policy decisions. To promote the economic growth and increase of trade in the Asia Pacific Region, the Hawke government embarked on a period of ‘enmeshment’ within the region. Keating proposed this enmeshment with neighboring â€Å"Tiger Economies† by co-founding the APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Corporation), in 1989. Focused on facilitating economic growth, cooperation, trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific region, it was seen as being crucial to maintain healthy international diplomatic relations within the Asia - Pacific region. This was largely due to the strengthening trading blocks such as the EU (European Union) and NAFTA (North America Free Trade Agreement). These trading blocks exclusively stipulated that major trading was being transacted via these member economies and was ruling Australia out of many valuable markets. This reinforced that Australia must turn towards its own region for the concentration of developing itself as a strong economy and therefore founded the APEC organization under it... ...ing economic growth in the Asia Pacific Region, whilst also maintaining a fair market for the trade of agricultural goods. On the other hand particular focus was also placed on the national security interests on Australia with the participation in the 1991 Gulf War, in an attempt to strengthen our military ties with the USA and also strengthen ties via the ANZUS Treaty. However it can also be seen during the Howard era that Foreign Policy focus was primarily on a balance between security and economic objectives via the implementation of the â€Å"Helpem Fren† initiative in the Solomon Islands and Enhanced Cooperation Program in Papua New Guinea, there were also factors that determined a focus on security initiatives along with this economic focus. This was through Australia’s participation in the Gulf War to improve our military relationship and ‘insurance policy’ with the USA. Economic factors that were also in the Australian government interests for t he nation, was the bilateral free trade agreement with the USA. After evaluating both of these national parties and eras it can concluded that no government can afford to focus on one area of foreign policy to the detriment of the other.

Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy Essay

Does entrepreneurial self-efficacy distinguish entrepreneurs from managers? Self-efficacy is an individual’s cognitive estimate of his or her â€Å"capabilities to mobilize the motivation, cognitive resources and courses of action needed to exercise control over events in their lives† (Wood & Bandura 1989). One important effect of self-efficacy is on the chice of behavior settings, where individuals tend to choose situations in which they anticipate high personal control but avoid situations in which they anticipate low control. Starting one’s own business is often described as purposive and intentional career choice. Although there can be a wide variety of contextual as well as individual factors that influence the entrepreneurial choice, the role of entrepreneurial self-efficacy has been emphasized as a key antecedent . Bandura (1977b. 1986) distinguished his social learning theory from many traditional psychological theories by emphasizing reciprocal causation among cognition, behavior and environment, where we found that the notion of reciprocal causation is important in understanding self-efficacy and its determinants and effects. One of the researches conducted on the effects of self-efficacy found that self-efficacy is the most effective predictor of performance. This study had shown that people with high self-efficacy have more intrinsic interest in the tasks, are more willing to expend their effort and show more persistence in the face of obstacles. As a result, they perform more effectively. Performance and performance accomplishments are also considered to be determinants of self-efficacy. And the self-efficacy affects performance through interest, motivation and perseverance, whereas performance provides feedback information on the basis of which self-efficacy is further evaluated and modified. Concerning the Expectancy theory and self-efficacy we find that self-efficacy is about the execution of action, not its outcome. It is about all the internal factors that bear influence on the execution of actions, where a low self-efficacy may mean a belief that one cannot execute the behavior because one does n ot have the required cognitive and emotional abilities to mobilize effort. Whereas self-efficacy is a broader concept than effort-performance expectancy, it is considered more specific than locus of control, belief-based personality variable. Self-efficacy can be affected by two important distinctions: First: locus of control measures not only behavioral but also outcome control, while sel-efficacy concerns only behavioral control. Secondly: internal versus external locus of control is generalized construct covering a variety of situations, while self-efficacy is task specific, examining the individual’s conviction that he or she can perform a specific task at a specific level of expertise. Bandaru (1982) maintained that although self-efficacy is task specific, it can also be generative, that is self-efficacy with respect to one task may be generalized to another task. Regardless of the specificity of the task domain, assessment of efficacy has to be at the specific task level to maintain its predictive power. According to Gist (1987 p.481), he reflected that â€Å"it would be more promising to generalize self-efficacy perceptions by aggregating across a number of related but domain specific measures than by attempting to devise a broad omnibus test†. One of the most important ways of measuring self-efficacy of a broader domain is to develop a conceptual framework of task requirements on the basis of which self-efficacy of a domain is aggregated from self-efficacy of various constituent sub domains. The self-efficacy perspective is highly appropriate for the study of the entrepreneur. Where the entrepreneur self-efficacy (ESE) refers to the strength of an individual’s beliefs that he or she is capable of successfully performing the roles and tasks of an entrepreneur. For its effect on behavior choice and performance, self-efficacy is widely claimed to have greater predictive power than constructs that lack task-specificity. This implies that ESE should distinguish entrepreneurs better than do global personality traits. According to several authors and researchers, there are six entrepreneurial roles were identified, which are: innovator, risk taker and bearer, executive manager, relation builder, risk reducer and goal achiever.

Jack Johnson essays

Jack Johnson essays Arthur John (Jack) Johnson (1878 -1946) was the first black, and first Texan, to win the heavyweight boxing championship of the world. Johnson was born in Galveston on March 31, 1878. He was the second of six children of Henry and Tiny Johnson. Henry was a former slave and his family was poor. After leaving school in the fifth grade, Johnson worked odd jobs around South Texas. He started boxing as a sparring partner and fought in the "battles royal," matches in which young blacks entertained white spectators who threw money to the winner. I think that Johnson never realized that these men just wanted the young Negroes to fight so they could have fun. To my point of view, the white men knew that some day one African American was going to make it big and they just wanted to belittled them as much as possible so they would feel left out and no where to go. White men put barriers in front of great African Americans and the ones who overcame them were champions and great men to the African American history and people. Johnson turned professional in 1897 following a period with private clubs in Galveston. His family's home was destroyed by the great hurricane of 1900. A year later he was arrested and jailed because boxing was a criminal profession in Texas. He soon left Galveston for good. I think that he wanted to get away from the white people who had harmed him and didnt want him to be a profesional like he became. Johnson was a glamour tall black man and white females followed him around because they knew that he was way out of their league. Johnson believed that he could do anything thing he wanted just because he was Jack Johnson. He fought Bob Fitzsimmons, the ex-heavyweight champion in 1906 and knocked him out. But the boxers who succeeded Fitzsimmons refused to fight Johnson because of his color. Instead, another white boxer, Tommy Burns, fought Marvin Hart and ...

Evolution essays

Evolution essays People have always wondered how life originated and how so many different kinds of plants and animals arose. Myths and Theories of a supernatural creation of life developed among many peoples. The Bible, for example, tells of God's creation of humans and other higher animals over several days. Many people also believed that insects, worms, and other lower creatures spontaneously generated from mud and decay. Long after these stories became rooted in tradition, scientists began to question them. In my report, I will discuss these different theories The definition of evolution is included below, directly from Websters Dictionary. evolutionPronunciation: "e-va-'l-shunFunction: nounEtymology: Latin evolution-, evolutio unrolling, from evolvereDate: 16221 : one of a set of prescribed movements2 a : a process of change in a certain direction. b : the action or an instance of forming and giving something off. c (1) : a process of continuous change from a lower, simpler, or worse to a higher, more complex, or better state : growth 2) : a process of gradual and relatively peaceful social, political, and economic advance d : something evolved3 : the process of working out or developing4 a : the historical development of a biological group (as a race or species) : phylogeny b : a theory that the various types of animals and plants have their origin in other preexisting types and that the distinguishable differences are due to modifications in successive generations5 : the extraction of a mathematical root6 : a process in which the whole universe is a progression of interrelated phenomena As you can see, I have underlined and bolded what I believe the different definitions of evolution may be, as discussed in this report. There are many theories and myths about evolution. For example, here is a quote from Chief Weneinock of Yakima God created the Indian country and it was as if he spread ou...

Rare Earth Minerals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Rare Earth Minerals - Essay Example According to the IUPAC, these elements include Yttrium, Scandium and the fifteen Lanthanoids of the periodic table. Yttrium and Scandium exhibit similar physical and chemical properties. They usually exist in their compound forms in the same ore deposits and that is the reason why they are termed as rare (Saunders, p23). With the exception of the radio active promethium, the rest of the rare earth minerals are relatively plentiful and they are distributed all over the earth’s crust inform of ores or minerals. Centum is one of the rare earth’s element, however, it is the 25th most abundant element with a concentration of 68 part per million (Saunders, p24). Due to their geochemical properties, these elements are greatly dispersed all over the earth’s crust and are only found in traceable amounts which can be economically mined in the forms referred to us rare earth minerals. The question that we should asks ourselves, is why the united States hire and pay China to ship in these minerals to manufacture products such as missiles even though they are equally distributed across the globe? It should be noted, that most countries have little interest to mine and exploit these elements since they have several negative effects on the surrounding. One of the most dangerous wastes resulting from the exploitation of these minerals is the radioactive waste byproducts which many countries still can not handle (OECD Nuclear Energy Agency p37). This is the reason why the U.S. shut down its largest rare mineral mine at the Mountain Pass California. Currently, China is the leading producer of cheap electronic gadgets made from these rare earth minerals mined at high environmental costs. What is their worth? The prices of the rare earth minerals increased significantly between January and August 2010 by an average of 300 per cent. For example, the Samarium, a rare mineral that aids navigation in M1A2 Abrahams tanks has increased from $4.5 per kilogram to $34 per kilogram (Geological survey(US), p61). This is attributed to the artificial intervention by the Chinese government. Most of the industries all over the world including the U.S. industries have been relocated to China because the Chinese manufacturing firms that utilize the rare earth minerals enjoy monopoly powers. Some of the industries that have relocated to China due to Tax break and Quotas include Diaodo Electronics (Japan), Rhodia Group (France), General Electric (USA) and New Material Technology (Canada) (Geological survey(US), p62). Foreign international firms have collaborated with the Chinese local enterprises since the Quotas system only relate to raw materials but not the finished or partially finished rare earth minerals’ products. A Chinese investor, Rogers, told Indian business television, that â€Å"The future of the rare earth is great. What is happening is the prices are going through the roof because the Chinese do control the supply. But it is a pure s imple capitalistic economics now† (Geological survey (US), p64). Production of the rare earth mineral across the world The current survey that was conducted established that the total amount of rare earth minerals in the entire world is approximately 99 million tones. The United States and China are the key producers of these reserves. China controls about 36 million tones, which is 30 per cent of the total

Strategic Management in a Global Environment ( Emirates park resort ) Case Study

Strategic Management in a Global Environment ( Emirates park resort ) - Case Study Example Their most common competitors are resorts and facilities that tend to attract tourists such as; hotels, parks, ski areas, clubs and bars that readily offer leisure activities, game parks, and zoos. As more people continue to know and get enlightened on why to invest in the Middle East and Abu Dhabi to be more precise, new, stronger, aggressive and swifter competitors come into the picture (Saxena, p48). Hence, it is a fact that the external environment of Emirates Resort Park is ever in a dynamic change. There are different definitions of corporate governance, and none of the numerous definitions seem to be sufficient and conclusive enough to define the term corporate governance. But to be sufficiently general at these matter, the term corporate governance can be thought to mean the structure, system and way of administration of an organization that determine the direction and magnitude of development of the institution and how it can achieve its future prospects. It can be thought to mean what is done by the institution’s administration in order to realize its goals. The Emirate Resort Park has a remarkable corporate governance that has helped it to grow from the small Resort it was back in the year 2004 to what it is eleven years later. Its corporate governance is ever introducing new projects and engaging them to completion. These new projects are aimed at giving its visitors or tourists a much better customer experience and also to ensure that it is ever growing to a better place for tourists and also for its workers. One of the projects was its expansion. This is done in order to have more animals in the park and increase the size of the area for the people to interact with the animals. Since it was realized that the parking area is tremendously big. The administration has considered reducing the size of the parking as they give the space to areas that demand more space. Another is the introduction of