Advanced Project management -Master Level scenario based report Essay

Advanced Project management -Master Level scenario based report - Essay Example According to Kanter (1995) such an action will not constitute an adequate response. This is so because success is based on an organisation’s ability to create, rather than predict the future by developing those products that will literally transform the way the world thinks and view it self and the needs (Kanter 1995:71). Within the context of today’s global competition, businesses and firms no-longer compete as individual companies but try to corporate with other businesses in their activities (Wu & Chien 2007:2). These researchers went further to argue that, this strategy has become quite common in many businesses and in project management it is becoming a best practice. The conventional vertical integrated company based business model is gradually being replaced by collaborative relationship between many fragmented, but complementary and specialized value stars and constellation (Wu & Chien:1). Having said these, this report focuses on some of the pertinent issues affecting a project organization. The report first of all examine the changing environment of the contemporary organization, there after attention is shifted to the evaluation of the current management structure being used by my organization. The third part of the report focuses on the current project management processes in an organization to see if they are effective or there exist certain deficiencies. The last part of the report present recommendation in the form of a conclusion. In business, environmental analysis is an appreciation of an organisations activities vis-Ã  -vis its environment (Lin& Lee 2006). Such analysis has become imperatively necessary in the light of increase competition as present, subsequent operations and strategies direction will be dependent on the result (Lin& Lee 2006). According to Johnson et al (2007), it is a process by which a business gathers

Arthur Miller Essay Example for Free

Arthur Miller Essay Between 1949 and 1953, Arthur Miller wrote two of his most famous plays. Both plays dealt with major problems in society. The main characters of the plays were similar. Also, the supporting characters of both plays were alike. Arthur Millers plays Death of a Salesman and The Crucible are similar in many ways. The main purpose of both Death of a Salesman and The Crucible was to show major problems in American society. In Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller was trying to show the impossibilities of the American Dream. In The Crucible, he was trying to show how society is intolerant toward others and is prone to hysteria. Both plays dealt with society defeating the average, hard-working man. Each play showed a society that was full of deceit and liars. In both of these plays, society was depicted as an evil thing that would overpower the average person and create an unjust world. The main characters of Death of a Salesman and The Crucible, Willy Loman and John Proctor, were alike in many ways. Both of these men had extramarital affairs, and in both cases, the affairs ended up destroying their lives. Both of these men were hard-working, average men who were just trying to make a good life for themselves and their families. Names were important to both men, and they both took pride in their names. In both cases, many decisions the two made were because of their family members. One large similarity between Willy and John was the fact that they both eventually died, and the death was partly their choice. Both men could have avoided death, but instead, they chose to die because they believed it was the correct thing to do. In these two plays, there were also many similarities between the supporting characters. In both plays, children had much more power than they normally do. In Death of a Salesman, Willys son controlled much of his life. In The Crucible, the girls, led primarily by Abigail Williams, caused many people to be hanged, and even more to be imprisoned. Also, both John and Willy had wives that were very loyal to them throughout their lives and supported them until the end. Both plays showed a figure of power, seen as Howard in one play and Judge Danforth in the other. In both plays, the main character had a friend who stood up for them at the end. Willy had Charley, who had been his best friend for a long time, and John had Reverend Hale, who tried to prevent Johns death. There are many similarities between characters in the two plays. Death of a Salesman and The Crucible are alike in many ways. Arthur Miller created similar characters in both plays. He used both to show the many things wrong in America. These two plays are both powerful pieces of literature that should be read and appreciated by all people.Sources: Death of a Salesman and The Crucible by Arthur Miller

The Mind-Body Connection :: essays research papers fc

The mind has an incredible power. We see it as we go through our everyday activities, constantly displaying the wonders of logic, thought, memory and creativity. Yet, can the mind be more powerful than we know? Is it possible to reduce or even eliminate pain, illness and disease by using the natural powers it possesses? Can the mind heal? Many of our finest researchers and scientists have explored that question, and while the exact answer still eludes us, the facts seem to bear out that the mind does have the power to assist in both healing, and conversely, bringing on "disease" as well. Two such examples of mind and body healing are hypnotherapy and meditation. There are others such as ionization, which focuses on thinking positive instead of negative. But first, I will describe the reasoning behind the mind-body connection. Psychoneuroimmunology is the name for the study of the min-body connection, or PNI for short. PNI has been around for the last 20 years or so and has revolutionized the way we look at health and wellness. There was a point in human existence when the connection between the mind and the body was taken for granted. A couple of centuries ago, science had grown to understand the "mechanical universe" concept. The laws of Sir Newton and the science of physics had begun to infiltrate the science of medicine. If the universe followed mechanical laws, so might the body. To prove this theory, scientists needed to open a body up to observe how it worked. The Church was very adamant about the body being the temple of the soul and could never be desecrated. After much haggling and several smoke-filled back room discussions, an agreement was reached. The Church would maintain it’s jurisdiction over "the mind" for that is were the personality and soul "truly" resides and science could have the body, which is just a "machine for the mind" and upon death, would become simply an empty vessel. Furthering the rift, more recent science has discovered that specific diseases can be "cured" through specific medicinal formulas or drugs. This "magic bullet" mentality spread throughout medicine and science. Truly the body was a mechanical thing that responded to specific stimulus and could be counted on to respond the same way every time. Wonderful news, the body did not respond as intended. Science has tried to brush aside or explain away this phenomenon y saying, "Oh, it’s just the placebo effect" or "It’s spontaneous remission" as well as other innocuous terms seemingly to lessen it’s importance. It is human nature when something is not understood to either dismiss it, diminish it or ignore it all together. This search to seek out answers to this reoccurring phenomenon is the basis for PNI, the way the mind-body connection is made and how

Industrial Security Plan Essay

Roles and Responsibilities of Industrial Safety and Security Officers Safety and security in the industrial setting are elements that are required for the safety of the plant, its staff, and the public in the surrounding area. As a constantly evolving process, the use of safety and security officers is also paramount in the enforcement of policies and procedures to decrease or eliminate injury or loss. Safety and security personnel are â€Å"responsible for enforcing organization rules and regulations concerning security and safety,† (Fisher & Green, 2004). Each organization has its own rules, regulations, policies, and code of conduct to protect the staff from hazards such as fire, accidents, product tampering, and possible terrorist attacks. Local, state and federal regulations are also included in these policies to increase and maintain the safety of the staff and public. Another role of safety and security personnel involves â€Å"developing measures and action plans for the preventing and responding to cases related to fires, industrial accidents, natural disasters, theft, vandalism and medical emergencies,† (Fisher & Green, 2004). The safety and security staff are responsible for consulting a company’s best policies and procedures to create and enact standards to prevent the above mentioned threats. Safety and security personnel are also expected to, â€Å"gather intelligence information that would assist in anticipating the occurrence of any threat to organizational safety and security,† (International Foundation for Protection Officers, 2003). This would allow the security and safety staff to adequately respond to industrial accidents such as fire or breach of security and ensure the proper emergency services are notified. Maintaining OSHA and EPA Regulations A compliance assistant who works for OSHA states, â€Å"the most cited violations are fall protection, hazard communication, respiratory protection, control of hazardous energy, powered industrial trucks, ladders, electrical wiring, industrial machines and improperly guarded floors and wall openings,† (Spencer ,2013). Before OSHA was created in 1970, work related accidents accounted for more than 14,000 deaths of employees and staff. Nearly two and a half million workers were disabled and new cases of occupational diseases totaled three hundred thousand. With the creation of OSHA pressure on most organizations increased to provide a safer workplace for employees except some self employed individuals, farmers, and government employees. Management is obligated to provide the needed resources and funding for OSHA and EPA program implementation. This allows the personnel chosen by management the authority to maintain and enforce all needed safety regulations in the workplace. Normally a safety officer, this individual finds, prevents, or controls hazards as well as training and educating employees in OSHA and EPA regulations and policies. The easiest way to enforce regulations and policies in any organization is to enact and enforce them in the beginning of operations. Safety officers must then maintain an open line of communication with OSHA and EPA inspectors to maintain standards and note changes in regulations and provisions. Allowing an open door policy with employees is also beneficial as violations can be noted and employees can be trained and informed of changes. According to Spencer (2013), â€Å"That for every one dollar spent on safety and health, businesses get at least four dollars back – and sometimes as much as a ten dollar return on investment.† While the task of enforcing OSHA and EPA regulations and provisions may seem impossible, properly maintaining reports and record keeping can make passing inspections easier and less daunting. In order to meet or exceed the minimum requirements of OSHA and the EPA, following the set order of compliance allows the ability to keep employees safe. â€Å"By January 1, 1991, and by the beginning of each succeeding fiscal year, EPA and OSHA will develop an annual work plan to identify and define the priorities to be addressed during the year. This work plan will include an identification of specific types of facilities to be jointly addressed during the year,† (EPA/OSHA, 1991). Emergency Response When dealing with incidents that threaten the plant or employees such as fire, chemical release, or natural disasters unique challenges are created. These normally require the assistance of local, state, and federal government agencies that demand a centralized command structure. Founded in 2003 as a response to errors in the â€Å"Katrina† disaster, the National Incident Management System (NIMS) is a system that provides the ability for local, state, and federal agencies the ability to work together regardless of the size or complexity of a disaster, (Kirkwood,2011). Using the Incident Command System (ICS), the working characteristics, interactive managing and mechanisms, and construction of occurrence management and disaster response associations engaged throughout the life cycle of an incident are defined. Initially, the first step of the response is to evaluate the total scope of the incident by continually determining the type of hazard as well as estimates of possible damage to the environment, critical systems, life, and property. After these questions are answered the next step, an action plan, is created. The second step requires local, state, and federal agencies to create an action plan that is based on the response plans of the independent agencies and each agency takes responsibility for a different part of the action plan. The plan is then deployed after it is developed with each agency providing their assets to the task at hand and is guided by the unified chain of command through the ICS and the Incident Commander. The Incident Commanders main responsibility is to ensure the incident is handled safely, efficiently, and effectively to minimize injury, death, and so a favorable outcome can be achieved. In the occurrence of a disaster, the incident commander has activated five functional areas of the incident command system: 1. Command 2. Operations 3. Planning 4. Logistics 5. Finance/Administration Each of these functional areas performs specific duties working together as required by the National Incident Management System and report to the incident commander. Operations take the responsibility of managing the  tactical operations of the incident and they direct their activities towards reducing the hazard, saving lives and property, establishing control of the situation, and restoring normal conditions. Agencies such as â€Å"fire, police, public health, public works, and emergency services all working together,† (Homeland security, 2004), comprise this section. Planning is responsible for the collecting, evaluating, and disseminating tactical information pertaining to the incident. This section maintains control of the personnel, facilities, supplies and equipment used during the incident and keeps track of all resources available as well as knowing where all groups are assigned. All arriving personnel check in with this department so that they may be properly assigned and accounted for. Logistics receives all requests for resources needed for the incident and orders the needed equipment such as supplies, food services, communications, transportation, and medical services as required. The facilities unit â€Å"sets up and maintains all facilities needed during the incident such as places to sleep, food and water service, showers and sanitation. Portable toilets, lighting units and shower facilities are included in the facilities units’ responsibilities during the incident,† (Homeland security, 2004). The communications units duties are to make the â€Å"most effective use of the communications equipment and facilities assigned to the incident, installs and tests all communications equipment,† (Homeland security, 2004). Communications is responsible for issuing and recovering any communication equipment assigned to the personnel working the incident as well as maintaining and repairing the equipment as needed. The need for communications during any incident is of paramount importance when dealing with any hazard or incident response. Food services are responsible for controlling the feeding of all incident response personnel and arrange services to do so. The medical units’ responsibility is to control any medical care that must be performed when incident personnel are injured or harmed in their duties. The finance/administration department is responsible for controlling costs and also for the administration of the different departments during an incident response. Disaster Response and Continuity Plan In the event of an incident or disaster and the possible impact to employees and the public’s health and safety, external agencies may be required to assist in lessening the effect of injuries or death. Using the National Incident Management System and the Incident Command System to successfully integrate external organizations into the plan or process is paramount depending on the incidents severity. Event integration of the incident command system begins at notification and, once outside agencies are notified, getting the authority that has jurisdiction to a specific location is the first requirement. This requires providing clear specific information about the event and then developing the incident command structure with clearly defined roles and responsibilities for each responding agency whether local, state, or federal. Depending on the incident and the possible impact to employees and the public, the organization needs to integrate the National Incident Management System into their disaster response plans in a systematic and proactive approach. NIMS provides organizations with assistance agreements and mutual aid agreement templates when incidents occur as well to assist in recovery. Following NIMS guidelines before an incident occurs also assists in preparing and organizing for vulnerabilities the organization may face. The main aspect of any business continuity plan is to effectively allow the organization to survive and mitigate any losses and should be the number one priority. The second should be the collection and security of all business related data and materials. This can be achieved through preparing hard copies of the data, having data stored on offsite devices, and storing data on devices protected from outside environments. Materials and orders also need to be tracked effectively so that in the event of an incident, the organization does not suffer further loss. It is also advisable to have secondary locations to use in the event of an incident or natural disaster. This would allow the organization to maintain operations or to regain operations quicker with lower loss of income. References Fisher R. & Green G (2004). Introduction to Security. Butterworth- Heinemann Publisher Homeland security. (2004, March 1). National incident management system [PDF ]. Retrieved from http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/dhs/nims.pdf International Foundation for Protection Officers (2003). Protection Officer Training Manual. USA, Butterworth Publishers Kirkwood S. (2011). NIMs and ICS: From Compliance to Competence. Retrieved from http://www.emsworld.com/print/EMS-World/NIMS-and-ICS–From-Compliance-to- Competence/1$7052 Spencer, J.R. (2013). OSHA inspection prep: Have a plan ready when inspectors come knocking. New York, NY: Headline News. MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION AND THE U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY OFFICE OF ENFORCEMENT (02/13/1991, EPA/OSHA) Section III Article A Paragraph 2 https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_id=238&p_table=mou

Using Corn-Plastic as an Eco-Friendly Packaging Material

Using Corn-Plastic as an Eco-Friendly Packaging Material Introduction: For the purpose of this project, I chose to use sheets of corn-plastic as a wrapper for Big Kahuna Burger. The wrapper would be by inches and less than a millimeter thick. The reason I chose sheets over boxes was because sheets can be stacked by the thousands making shipping more efficient and producing less material in land fills. The material of this wrapper is corn-plastic, or by it’s scientific name, polylactic acid.Polylactic acid or polylactide (PLA) is a thermoplastic aliphatic polyester derived from renewable resources, such as cornstarch, tapioca roots, chips or starch, or sugarcane. This is an environmentally practical material for an assortment of reasons; It is biodegradable, non-harmful to people or the environment and it comes from natural, renewable resources. â€Å"The United States uses 20. 8 million barrels of oil per day, 10 percent of which goes solely to the production of conventional plastic such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) [sources: CIA World Factbook, Jewell].Bioplastics like corn plastic, however, don't require oil and, as a bonus, their manufacture releases fewer toxins and greenhouse gases. † (Howstuffworks. com) Pre-Production: †¢Harvesting of corn requires fossil fuels to run tractors and other machines †¢Fossil fuels required to ship to factories. Production: â€Å"First, the harvested corn crop is soaked and ground so that the endosperm can be separated from the gluten and fiber. This step is typical in grain crop harvesting, too.Next, producers add enzymes to the starchy endosperm, which converts the endosperm into a simple sugar called dextrose. Then, the addition of bacterial cultures causes the sugar to ferment into lactic acid in the same way brewers use fermentation to produce beer. The resulting acid consists of lactide molecules, which bond into long chains called polymers. At the end of this process, bioplastics produce rs have pellets of polylactic acid plastic, which can then be spun off into fibers or melted to take just about any form. (Howstuffworks. com). †¢Low energy and pollution in manufacturing process. Distribution: †¢Due to thin sheets, thousands of sheet wrappers can be shipped in a single box, making distribution highly efficient. †¢Less fossil fuels used in the distribution process. Utilization: †¢Although is a biodegradable material, it provides a stable water proof protection for food. †¢Wrapping sandwiches of different sizes with the same wrapper as apposed to having different sized boxes for each means less material used. Disposal: Takes a month in a high-humidity composting environment at 140 degrees Fahrenheit to decompose. †¢Can’t be recycled with PLE plastic. †¢After decomposition, turns back into its original form as earth that has zero affect on the environment and no pollution. Cons of Bioplastic: †¢It can only be decomposed i n commercial decomposition plants that require large amounts of energy. †¢ Cannot be recycled with regular plastic. A small amount of bioplastic in a traditional recycling plant can contaminate a much larger portion of reusable plastic, preventing it from being usable. Commercial composters in the Northwestern United States only accept bioplastics from food service operations, not households. (This is not a problem for big Kahuna Burger. Solution: †¢PLA wrappers at Big Kahuna Burger will be disposed of in a special bin and then sent to a commercial composter. This may cost more, but as the bioplastic industry grows and matures, cheaper and easier composting will be available. References: †¢Ã¢â‚¬Å"What is corn plastic? † How Stuff Works. July 2011.

Refugees in Africa

Refugees in Africa Report on Refugees in Africaaka Da Foo-Gees ihn AhfrikahDefinition:A refugee is a person who has fled or been expelled from his or her country of origin because of natural catastrophe, war or military occupation, or fear of religious, racial, or political persecution. (Funk and Wagnalls New Encyclopedia).Where African refugees are found:Africa, with more than 600 different ethnic groups, has about one-third of the world's refugees, people uprooted by famine or by political liberation struggles and escaping racial and ethnic oppression and economic hardship. Caught in the turmoil that characterizes developing nations in the 20th century, some African nations have refugees going both in and out of their country, something that exists nowhere else.There are currently over 6,500,000 refugees in Africa. Here is a small list of how many they are, and where they can be found:‚Â ® Zaire: This country has by far the largest number of refugees in Africa.Refugees waiting to leave the campO n the 21st of November 1996, the High Commissioner reported that over 1.4 million Rwandan Hutus were currently in this country. In addition there are about 500,000 Angolan, Sudanese and Burundi refugees in Zaire.‚Â ® Malawi is inhabited by 700,000 refugees from Mozambique.‚Â ® Sudan: The 650,000 refugees in Sudan come from Eritrea, Ethiopia and Chad‚Â ® Guinea: There are about 600,000 refugees in Guinea. Most of them are from Liberia and Sierra Leone.‚Â ® Tanzania hosts 500,000 Burundi's and refugees from MozambiqueThese are only the five most significant African refugee host countries. Most other African countries also host refugees but this is where the largest part of them is.A typical case study: A political crisis in Burundi:Fights between government forces and armed groups in the area of a refugee camp in Burundi (Mugano) in January 1996 resulted in the mass...

About Marcel Breuer, Bauhaus Architect and Designer

About Marcel Breuer, Bauhaus Architect and Designer You may recognize Marcel Breuers Wassily chair, but you know Breuers Cesca, the bouncy metal tubular dining room chair with the (often fake plastic) cane seat and back. An original B32 model is in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City Even today, you can buy them, because Breuer never took a patent on the design. Marcel Breuer was a Hungarian designer and architect who moved with and beyond the Bauhaus school of design. His steel tube furniture brought 20th century modernism to the masses, but his bold use of precast concrete enabled large, modern buildings to be built under budget. Background: Born: May 21, 1902 in PÃ ©cs, Hungary Full Name: Marcel Lajos Breuer Died: July 1, 1981 in New York City Married: Marta Erps, 1926-1934 Citizenship: Immigrated to the U.S. in 1937; naturalized citizen in 1944 Education: 1920: studied at Vienna Academy of Fine Arts1924: Master of Architecture, Bauhaus School in Weimer, Germany Professional Experience: 1924: Pierre Chareau, Paris1925-1935: Master of the Carpentry Shop, Bauhaus School1928-1931: Bund Deutscher Architekten (Association of German Architects), Berlin1935-1937: Partnership with British architect F.R.S. Yorke, London1937: Begins teaching at Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Cambridge, Massachusetts1937-1941: Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer Architects, Cambridge, MA1941: Marcel Breuer and Associates, Cambridge (MA), NYC, and Paris Selected Architectural Works: 1939: Breuer House (own residence), Lincoln, Massachusetts1945: Geller House (Breuers first post-war bi-nuclear design), Long Island, NY1953-1968: St. Johns Abbey, Collegeville, Minnesota1952-1958: UNESCO World Headquarters, Paris, France1960-1962: IBM Research Center, La Gaude, France1964-1966: Whitney Museum of American Art, New York City1965-1968: Robert C. Weaver Federal Building, Washington, DC1968-1970: Armstrong Rubber Company Headquarters, West Haven, Connecticut1980: Central Public Library, Atlanta, Georgia Best Known Furniture Designs: 1925: Wassily chair1928: Cesca chair also known as the B32 Selected Awards: 1968: FAIA, Gold Medal1968: Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medal in Architecture1976: Grand Medalle dOr French Academy of Architecture Breuers Students at Harvard University: Philip JohnsonI.M. Pei Influences and Related People: Walter GropiusPaul Klee, Swiss artistLudwig Mies van der RoheRichard NeutraBreuer, along with Landis Gores, John Johansen, Philip Johnson, and Eliot Noyes, were known in New Canaan, Connecticut as The Harvard Five In the Words of Marcel Breuer: Source: Marcel Breuer papers, 1920-1986. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution But I dont want to live in a house which was in vogue twenty years ago.- Defining Modern Architecture [undated] ...objects have their different appearances as a result of their different functions. In that they should individually satisfy our needs, and not conflict with each other, they together give rise to our style....objects acquire a form corresponding to their function. In contrast to the arts and crafts (kunstgewerbe) conception where objects of the same function take on different forms as a result of variations and inorganic ornament.- On Form and Function at the Bauhaus in 1923 [1925] Sullivans statement form follows function needs a finish to the sentence but not always. Also here we have to use a judgment of our own good senses, also here we should not accept blindly the tradition.- Notes on Architecture, 1959 One needs no technical knowledge to conceive an idea but one does need technical ability and knowledge to develop this idea. But conceiving the idea and mastering the technique do not require the same abilities....The main thing is that we act at the point where something needed is lacking, and use the potential that we have at our disposal to find an economic and coherent solution.- On Form and Function at the Bauhaus in 1923 [1925] Thus modern architecture would exist even without reinforced concrete, plywood or linoleum. It would exist even in stone, wood and brick. It is important to emphasize this because doctrinaire and unselective use of new materials falsifies the basic principles of our work.- On Architecture and Material, 1936 There are two separate zones, connected only by the entrance hall. One is for common living, eating, sport, games, gardening, visitors, radio, for every days dynamic living. The second, in a separate wing, is for concentration, work and sleeping: the bedrooms are designed and dimensioned so that they may be used as private studies. Between the two zones is a patio for flowers, plants; visually connected with, or practically a part of, the living room and the hall.- On a Design of a Bi-Nuclear House, 1943 But what I value most of his achievements is his sense of interior space. It is a liberated spaceto be experienced not only by your eye, but felt by your touch: dimensions and modulations corresponding to your steps and movements, embracing the embracing landscape.- On Frank Lloyd Wright, 1959 Learn More: Who is Marcel Breuer?The Bauhaus, 1919–1933, The Metropolitan Museum of ArtA Bauhaus Life: Is Bauhaus Too International for America?Marcel Breuer Digital Archive at Syracuse University LibrariesThe Harvard Five in New Canaan by William D. Earls, Norton, 2006Saint Johns Abbey Church: Marcel Breuer and the Creation of a Modern Sacred Space by Victoria M. Young, University Of Minnesota Press, 2014 Sources: Marcel Breuer, Modern Homes Survey, National Trust for Historic Preservation, 2009; Biographical History, Syracuse University Libraries [accessed July 8, 2014]