Break of Day in the Trenches Analysis Essay

In the poem, â€Å"Break of Day in the Trenches†, the author, Isaac Rosenberg shows the theme that endless conflict leads emotionally numb soldiers to snap, through the literary devices, tone and personification. Tone is used by Rosenberg to furthermore reveal the theme in this poem. The two that he uses are musing and contemplative tones. The author uses the air of musing in this poem throughout the beginning few lines of the poem. When a soldier is immersed into war they are exposed to the death of their friends and peers, they are taken from their family, and they are forced to repel any emotions. The soldier who is telling his story is sitting in the war trench at sunrise or in his words, the â€Å"druid Time†. The Druids are an ancient civilization who at sunrise made sacrifices to their gods. This leads readers to believe that the soldier is sitting among what could be interpreted the human â€Å"sacrifices† that war had taken. Around him there are soldiers lying dead for seemingly no good reason. To be talking in the tone of curiosity rather than pain and horror in that situation, it shows that he has numbed himself to the feelings that would naturally come to him because he is so used to seeing the display of death. The other tone that is used by the author is a tone of contemplation. Rosenberg shifts from talking to himself, to directly addressing the rat, asking questions and drawing his own conclusions. The soldier gets more and more demanding of the rat as the poem goes on, eventually asking it, what do the eyes of mankind say. The soldier uses the rat to ask all of these questions because he knows he shouldn’t be thinking emotionally. He can’t control himself and he has to let off steam by talking to a rat, which can’t respond or judge him. He then has a final break in his mind, using the death of a poppy to symbolize death of soldiers. He says, â€Å"Poppies whose roots are in man’s veins/ Drop and are ever dropping;/ But mine in my ear is safe-/ Just a little while white with the dust. † He had just picked the poppy from the parapet, taking it from its nutrients causing it to stop growing. This is ironic because the flower, though safe from being trampled, is already a dying cause, just like him. He gives up and lets know, even while knowing he is going to die, he chooses to numb his emotions again, and move on till his day comes. The shift from controlled and nonchalant to inquisition and back to control shows the struggle that soldiers had to face and the fact that the idea of emotional numbness is flawed. Personification is rarely used in this poem, but when it is used it has powerful meaning behind it. The two areas personification is used is when he talks about the sleeping green and the queer, sardonic, and droll rat. The green grass is given the personification of sleeping to reflect the death of the soldiers who lay on it. As a whole, the soldier is referring to No Man’s Land. The second personification is used on the rat. The rat is given the human qualities of being sarcastic, odd, and amusing. The idea of personification is to give a feeling to something incapable of human-like qualities. Feeling shouldn’t be a part of a soldier’s thoughts. This goes to show that the use of personification is a way for the soldier to reflect his feelings on something else. War is too emotionally scarring for you to not have an emotional reaction to it. In essence, the poem, â€Å"Break of Day in the Trenches†, Isaac Rosenberg uses tone and personification to show the theme that endless conflict makes it impossible for soldiers to completely suppress their emotions. The shifts in tone that the author wrote showed the struggle from controlled to a mix of emotions, then back to control and acceptance. The personification shows that the soldier needed something to project his feelings onto because he couldn’t handle not being allowed to talk about them, causing him to talk to a rat for consolation.

How is Richard II portrayed in act I? Essay

In Act I of Richard II, Richard is portrayed as powerful, pompous and arrogant, all somewhat contrastingly to his portrayal towards the end of the play. We see even as early as Act I glimpses of Richard’s fatal flaws and the crucial mistakes he makes which determine his dramatic fall. The genre of the play is historic tragedy, so the audience know the main protagonist; in this case Richard; is doomed from the start. So, in Act 1 Shakespeare’s portrayal of him is not only purposeful for his fall, but also hugely ironic, making his descent to †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ even more dramatic. Immediately in Act I, Richard’s power and authoritative presence is apparent. The setting in Windsor Castle is a very formal occasion, as Richard gives Bullingbrook and Mowbray a formal hearing. It is really overblown and grandeur setting for the opening scene and so even before any speech, Richard is perceived as being powerful and omnipotent. On stage Richard, is central and stationed upstage to observe the proceedings. When he descends from his raised platform (which was traditional) and walks downstage to stop the proceedings later in the scene, he travels quite a distance on stage, reinforcing his pivotal place on the stage and in the political picture. These proxemics physically symbolise how Richard was the most powerful, which is extremely ironic as at the end of the play the roles are reversed as Bullingbrook defeats Richard. Richard is then the first character to speak, and refers to Bullingbrook and Mowbray by ‘Henry Hereford’ (I/I/3) and ‘Duke of Norfolk’ (I/I/6), making it seem very occasional and formal, so he appears as the voice of authority and as he is the first character to speak, it again re-emphasizes his ascendency. Alongside the first scene being a hugely occasional event, whereby Richards importance and authority is greatly established, is it written in rhyming couplets; likewise the rest of the play. Richard II is the only one of Shakespeare’s plays not written in prose, which gives it a sense of importance and authority. As the title of the play is Richard II, this then dramatizes how much power Richard initially had and so how much was at stake. As king of England in the 14th Century, Richard along with the majority of his people believed in the Divine Right. As we can see by his use of the royal ‘We’(I/I/24) ‘us’(I/I/24) and ‘our’(I/I/84), by this he is referring to himself and God, which shows Richard’s arrogance and audacity, as he refers to himself with a heightened sense of authority. However, as the Act continues we realise that although Richard is King of England so along with the title comes extraordinary wealth and power, Richard is not all that powerful and authoritative. When he uses the metaphor ‘Rage must be withstood/ Give me this gage. Lions make leopards time’ (I/II/173-4) here he is trying to assert his dominance and gain back control over the hearing as Bullingbrook and Mowbray demand a fight. He is reminding them of his pre-eminence, which makes him seem not only egotistical but shows his lack of control especially following Mowbray’s reply; ‘Yea, but not change his spots’ (I/II/175). His undaunted and scintillating response show is lack of true and honest respect for Richard, aside from formalities. It shows Richard’s lack of intrinsic power if a noble can under-mine him, and feels the need to knowing what the consequences may be. Not only is the whole play written in poetic rhyming couplets, but much of Richard’s speech is written very poetically and Shakespeare uses a lot of colourful and figurative language in his speech. By ‘face to face’ ‘brow to brow’ ‘the accuser and the accused’ Richard is repeatedly using mirroring imagery to re-enforce the idea of the ‘standoff’ coming between Bullingbrook and Mowbray, but also signifies the ultimate standoff between himself and Bullingbrook. However, this repetition creates a racy rhythm making him sound arrogant and pompous. From Richards continuous use of dramatic and poetic language, we can see he is not a man of action; a conclusion which is supported as in Act I Scene I he stands away and watches Bullingbrook and Mowbray fight, he is higher than them, symbolically and physically. Also, by him stopping Bullingbrook and Mowbray’s joule ‘Let them lay by their helmets and their spears/ And both return back to their chairs again’ (I/III/119-20) he looks effeminate and weak. Although he has an extraordinary flair for poetry but this appears to be his fatal flaw, he relies on language and words rather than traditional war and action. This is totally contrasting to Bullingbrook’s characterisation in Act I, he is willing to fight Mowbray till death ‘And as I truly fight, defend me heaven’ (I/III/41), he is a man of action and it is this which ultimately leads to Richard’s fall and defeat. However, this is somewhat ironic as his failing is words, but Shakespeare himself is a man of words and beautifully poetic language, which makes his failing and collapse even more dramatic as it is totally un-expected for his audience. As well as seeing Richard’s dependence on words and poetry we also are also introduced to another of Richards fatal mistakes. In Act 1 Scene 4 we see Richard in a completely new light, when Bushy informs him of Gaunt’s deteriorating health and the fact he is close to death, instead of feeling grief or any malice or despondency his first thought is of his inheritance. His response is cruel and heartless, only focusing on his financial gains from Gaunt’s death, ‘The lining of his coffers shall make coats/ To deck our soldiers for these Irish wars. ’ Gaunt’s inheritance is right-fully his son’s, Bullingbrook, so by taking it Richard is giving Bullingbrook a reason to avenge and try to destroy him. Not only does this make Richard seem brutal and callous, but also narcissistic and gallant as he does not even consider Bullingbrook’s reaction. As Richard believes he is God’s representative on earth, he sees himself as ‘untouchable’ impenetrable, so Bullingbrook’s anger does not matter as he cannot defeat him as he is protected by God- an idea certain to make Richard fall, and clearly apparent to the audience. Overall, Richard’s portrayal changes throughout Act I as his flaws and cracks begin to show. He is shown to be authoritative and powerful initially but we then see him to not be as powerful as he believes himself to be. However, there is no doubt that he is egocentric and contemptuous, apparent through his exaggerated self-opinion.

Hildegard Peplau - Theory of Interpersonal Relations Assignment

Hildegard Peplau - Theory of Interpersonal Relations - Assignment Example The theory highlights the roles played by nurses while providing relief to patients; these roles include the role of a stranger, the role of a person who owns and control resources, a person who provides counseling and lead individuals (Butts, 2011, p.271). The theory argues that there are four phases of interpersonal relationship through which nurses and patients pass through. These phases includes: in the first stage the problem experienced by patients is defined, in the next phase identification takes place, next alternatives for the solution of that problem are figured out, and lastly one of the selected alternatives is used to solve the problem (Meleis, 2011, p.633). All four metaparadigm concepts are involved in this theory; patient is the person who seeks to reduce the level of anxiety with the aid of nurse’s intrapersonal skills, environment is involved as the nurse takes into consideration the culture of the patient while conducting different roles, health of the pati ent is made better by counseling and the involved of nurse in the process is involved. This theory is applicable in all centers including practice, administration and education. This theory needs to be learned by nursing students so they can apply it during their practice as nurses experience patients with anxiety issues on day to day

How College Algebra is used in the Nursing Field Essay

How College Algebra is used in the Nursing Field - Essay Example Across the globe, the numbers provide lots information to be used by the medical professionals. Moreover, it is quite reassuring when the public realizes that the nurses who serve them have a strong and proper training in mathematics (linear algebra) and how it is applied in medicine. Nursing being a social science, it requires more than the usual attention to the bedside caring methods. This is a profession that requires a strong foundation in mathematics, precisely linear algebra. The basic algebra formulas and calculations enable a nurse to perform all their duties that can range from the care of patients to the aiding doctors. This paper is meant to the how a professional nurse can apply the algebraic knowledge in every aspect of day to day duties. It will discuss the medication bit of the profession, the medical data collection and analysis tools, the working equipment, various specialties and the laboratory or the lab interpretations. Beside this, the paper is going to discuss the aspect of prescriptions, the possible proportions and ratios, the patient’s body mass indices and the CAT scans that all apply the linear algebra concept and knowledge (Elliot & Joyce, 2005). To start with, as a professional nurse, i will apply linear algebra in administering the rightful medication which requires some mathematical concepts or rather ideas in the calculation of the correct dosage like the intravenous amounts of fluids and the size of pills. Regularly, nurses administer medication which is prescribed by doctors for respective patients. Most of these medications have a number of guidelines that include the amount of dosage such as the milligrams per kilogram. Thus, the nurses must figure out the amount of medication in milligrams required by a patient, depending on how they weigh. If a patient mass is weighed in pounds, a nurse has to convert the required ratios to kilograms and find the right milligram amount for the medication or prescription. In medicine , there is a big difference between the mg/Ibs and the mg/kg. Thus, it is imperative that a professional nurse understands how to convert these weight measurements accurately. Moreover, there are some instances where a nurse must determine the duration of a prescription. For instance, if a patient has to take a medication such as a single pill thrice a day for duration of one month, a nurse has to calculate the number of pills which will be sufficient for this period. These calculations have to be done mentally with accuracy and speed. Moreover, while administering medication, I will consider the amount of time a medication lasts in the human body since most medication decreases by specific percentages over time; say by ten percent (10%) in every hour. Thus, these percentages will have to be expressed in rational numbers or rather fractions; 1/10. The constant decrease in the ratios creates a geometric series or rather a geometric sequence. Therefore, if the medication given to the patient is a pill of 100mg, the drug decrease in the body each hour will be expressed as 100, 10, 1, 1/10, 1/100, †¦ From this sequence, the amount of medication in the body of a patient after say five hours is close to zero. Thus, the sequence of the above numbers gives a geometric series due to the common ratio of 1/10. So, I will use this idea to decide on how often a patient can take a particular prescription. As a nurse I will

The High Cost of Cool Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The High Cost of Cool - Essay Example It is explained in the video that what the popular culture industry does is doing â€Å"whatever works †¦ with most people† (â€Å"The MTV Machine†). The â€Å"prematurely adult† nature of both the â€Å"mook† and the â€Å"midriff† is a way of giving shape to a consumer at a youngest possible age (â€Å"The Midriff†). And on the other hand, the â€Å"mook† and â€Å"midriff† become the ultimate images of youth (â€Å"The Midriff†). These two terminologies have been explained in the below-given description: The â€Å"mook† is a hopelessly immature male whose grotesque and inappropriate antics are elebrated for their transgressions, whereas the â€Å"midriff† is a female sexualized beyond her years whose emotional immaturity makes her ripe for inclusion of fantasies for sexual exploration (Ladousa, 51). This self-images propagated among the youth have an influence of their own on the young people but youth culture is too complex a matter to be controlled merely by specific media-promoted self-images. But still the young people are prone to such stereotyped imagery, to an extent. Natoli has called attention to the fact that the present generation in the US has been called the â€Å"Mook and Midriff Generation† (93). Especially, the â€Å"mook† and â€Å"midriff† culture has a patriarchal message that tells a girl that â€Å"your body is your best asset† (â€Å"Midriff†). The threat that these images pose to the youth in terms of stereotyping is that â€Å"your son or daughter, and grandson or granddaughter is getting hammered with the pressure to be a mook or a midriff† (Pratt, 28). It can be seen that though the â€Å"mook† and â€Å"midriff† images are time bound, they are going to have an impact on the teenagers and the chil dren who grow up every moment exposed to the media images of

Pestle Framework of Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Pestle Framework of Business - Essay Example From this discussion it is clear that  regarding the influence of the political environmental factors, matters of restrictions, policy, and other derivatives of the environment determine the nature of operations in ways that determine the trends of business. These factors have the capacity of enhancing the nature of business just as they have the potential of providing some robust framework that is used for the general performance of the business.This discussion highlights that it is important to consider some of the issues attending to the processes of business in terms of the various issues that affect and are in turn affected by the environmental factors. An awareness of these factors is necessary for the processes of planning, strategizing, budgeting, and the general management of the business. The development of strategy is usually determined by the ability of the business to use all the positive values and qualities that are necessary for the sustenance of the business. In es sence, the levels of success or failure of a business is necessarily determined by the manner in which the business connects with environmental factors as considered within the aspect of reality.  The political environment usually occurs in ways that are generally available for the determination of the levels of performance of the business. It is important to consider the fact that the political factors are connected to the other macro-economic factors that determine the nature of the operating environment.... The political environment usually occurs in ways that are generally available for the determination of the levels of performance of the business. It is important to consider the fact that the political factors are connected to the other macro-economic factors that determine the nature of the operating environment. Political factors in the environment of business could be conducive or hostile depending on a range of factors. Political environments that feature stringent conditions and policies will essentially stifle the aspect of competition within the process (Murray-Webster, 2010, p. 121). The realization of the range of factors that attend to the issues and values of the organization will essentially lead to the development of issues based on some of the matters that attend to matters of relevance and the determination of a range of factors that attend to the issues related to commerce and enterprise. Some of the issues that affect the operations of business are largely regulated by the fact that issues affecting business are essentially regulated by concerns in the world of business. Regarding the economic forces, certain economic factors have a direct impact on the manner in which businesses operate as understood within the framework of environmental factors. Generally, some of the issues that attend to the matter of challenge are necessarily controlled by the manner in which certain issues and processes are regulated. Economic growth and exchange rates are some of the economic factors that affect the performance of businesses within certain economic environments (Cheverton, 2005, p. 30). Economic growth encompasses a range of factors such as the availability of efficient banking services and robust and dependable

Estonia in Transition Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Estonia in Transition - Assignment Example As the discussion declares, along with the aforementioned developments, Estonia progressed so rapidly since the nation was once in a while utilized as a test showcase for new advances by associations for example Erickson and Nokia while the countrys IT and telecom bunches were the quickest developing among the Baltic countries. The issue that Estonia was confronting in 2002 was that albeit Estonias success, its prospect for daily life stayed far underneath other European countries, and unemployment remained elevated. Despite the fact that leaders in business and government decidedly supported promotion to the EU, sentiment reviews in late 2001 exhibited that less than 40 percent of Estonians might vote energetic about it. Thirdly, Estonia was facing a shortfall of highly qualified labor and labor costs were also heightening by 2002. Further, despite the development in telecom sector, vast majority of Estonian households still could not afford ISDN or ADSL connections in 2002. The Estonia financial businesses, as in the majority of the transition countries, banks played the overwhelming part in the rather underdeveloped financial institutions. The Estonia government should parity the growth between bank and other financial institutions. Next to that, competitive advancement and all the developments in high- tech sectors should be guarded since it is the main source of sustained development in Estonia. Estonia government additionally should expand the exports sector. In resentment of solid economic development, unemployment stayed at 13% and youth is still facing challenges in finding vocations or accessing professional training. Staff deficiencies are faced by certain sectors because of constrained geological and expertise portability. Indeed, the government needs to heighten more FDIs and ensures more avenues for employment in the country especially for the fixed income of older population. Finally, government budget should also be directed to improve the average standard of living of the country.

Vaccines Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Vaccines - Essay Example Vaccines stimulate the immune system of the body and helps it recognize the agent as a pathogen or foreign, hence destroying it (Bona and Bonilla, 1996). Vaccines do not offer complete protection of the body against a certain disease; therefore, it is important to choose the most adequate type of vaccine in order to make it more responsive. To develop an effective immune against a dangerous virus, one must consider important aspects, which include the rate of maintaining high immunizations even when the disease is rare. Other factors to be considered include the impact of the immunization campaign on the epidemiology of the disease in the long term and the continuous surveillance of the disease due to the introduction of the new vaccine. An inactivated whole organism vaccine is produced by the killing or destruction of a disease causing organism by use of radiation, heat or chemicals (Reiss, 2005). It has several advantages since it is very stable and safe, which is an advantage over live vaccines, since the inactivated vaccines are killed and cannot mutate back to form the disease causing agent. They are advantageous since they do not require refrigeration hence their storage and transportation is easy, which makes it accessible for people in developing countries. Inactivated vaccines also have the main disadvantage of triggering a weak immune system response; hence several boosters are needed where as live vaccines stimulate a stronger one. This is a major set back to people in areas that are inaccessible to healthcare due to lack of boosters. Another set back is that the nonantigenic portions of the vaccines microbe may cause an inflammatory response to some people. Attenuated whole organism vaccines are live vaccines that contain the living microbe or the modified live viruses which are only weakened in laboratories in order to prevent diseases (Goldsby et al 2000). Viruses are attenuated by growth of generations in cells where they do not reproduce so well , the unsuitable environment makes them repel the viruses. As they grow they become weak due to the new environment and their natural host. They are the closest thing to natural infections hence they are good to the immune system. They stimulate strong antibody and cellular responses, and give lifelong protection with one or two doses. They are easy to create for given diseases like chickenpox. There are several setbacks to this immune system, for example the attenuated vaccines are live so they may revert and cause disease, and people with weakened immune systems for example HIV-positive people cannot use attenuated vaccines for their own protection. Attenuated vaccines need to be refrigerated therefore it is hard to store and transport them to under developed areas. They are difficult to create for bacteria, since bacteria have so many genes, therefore, it is hard to control them. Recombinant vector vaccines are also known as sub-unit vaccines, and are comprised of antigens which elicit the immune system best combined with the DNA of another (Murphy, Walport and Travers, 2008). They are mainly used for complex infections, are experimental and are similar to DNA vaccines though they use bacteria to bring out DNA to the cells in the body. Vector means the virus or a bacterium that is used as the carrier virus latches on to the cell and injects genetic material into the cell. Scientists take the genomes of harmless viruses and insert the genetic material in portions into the cells. The viruses ferry the microbial DNA to the cells. The recombinant vector vaccines cause a natural infection and, therefore, stimulate the immune system. Attenuated bacteria also play the role of vectors, where the genetic mater

Economic events occur around us every day. This assignment aims to Essay

Economic events occur around us every day. This assignment aims to provide association between what you learn from economic models and concepts in class with real-life events happening around you - Essay Example dly, Greece cannot now maintain its euro as the ratio of debt to domestic rise to 151% in 2012 and expected to remain at 149% in 2013 (â€Å"New York Times,† 2012, p.1). The big question is whether Greece will manage to get out of this major recession or it will result in an economic depression. The year 2012 was big for Greece as economists figured out different ways of getting Greece out of recession and out of debts. Lucas Papademos, Greece prime minister gave hope to the nation of new opportunity to use the saved interests and debt repayments. In March 2012, the country expects European officials to sign 130 billion Euros that Greece needs in stopgap financing. This will help Greece negotiate a landmark debt restructuring deal with its private lenders. The move will also help clear way for European commission, European Central bank, and International Monetary Fund to begin releasing fund to Greece. One worry with the government is that the big money coming in to Greece ended up in the pockets of troika leaving the country in enormous debts and less chances of growth. Greece could not even pay for its vital public services. By July, pressure was building up as Germany officials spoke of a possibility of Greece leaving Euro in fall. Greece was in dire need of a better fiscal policy that would get the country out of the current crisis. The government had hoped to make a better deal to solve the crisis with the involvement of the private sector. Apparently, they have refused and the government cannot force them to do it since the Greek law does not govern their bonds. Worse still is the fact that investors would sue the government for trying to impose the deal on them. The fact that public sector is now the biggest creditor gives an opportunity to the creditor nations of taking collective steps of assisting Greece government before the next crisis hits in. However, this may not yield much because Greece government traded their ability to write down debts to

Foreign Monetary System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Foreign Monetary System - Essay Example There were also huge direct foreign investments in China during the 1990s (Zi et al, 2009). With the increased trade amongst the East Asian countries and huge direct foreign investments from countries like USA, it presented a great future ahead for China. However this was not the case, as it created â€Å"cyclic overheating†. After the revised Bretton Woods System, China’s exchange rate was pegged to the US dollar and creating an artificially low rate. These countries benefitted from this as China attracted foreign investment in their country with huge profit initiatives due to cheap labor and the finished products were exported to US. In retrospect, China used its export earnings and invested it in T-bonds in US, bringing down their interest rates, thus increasing investments in their own country. However, this made China totally dependent on the foreign investments and had no control over its money supply. This lead to the revaluation of the Chinese Renminbi (RMB) in 2005 which meant the currency was no longer pegged with US dollar but was market determined by a basket of currencies. This managed floating exchange rate system was the important change in the Monetary System of China. This move was important as the old Yuan-Dollar peg, resulted in over investments within the country and over evaluation of the Yuan. Hence, this move was made to cool down the cyclic overheating in the country (Wu, 2006). This cool down of the cyclic overheating in China had started before the revaluation of RMB. According to the study, this cool down was not achieving the full anticipated affects. With the anticipation of the revaluation in 2005, the money supply in the country grew from 2004 to 2005 by 14%, which resulted in an increase in the loans by 11%. The strong relationship between the loans and the real estate sector, led to an inflation of asset prices and land rents. As China relies on investments and exports to run its economy, it will take considerably more time to cool down the over investments and rectify the imbalances created by it. All the affects in the China’s Economy, whether they are large foreign exchange reserves, increased money supply, overheating of investments or asset price inflation are all focusing on its exchange rate. Thus the exchange rate system of China plays an integral part in its macroeconomic policies and management (Wu, 2006). In the recent years, China has had to face another challenge. Due to the efforts of the People’s Bank of China (PBC), the capital inflow started to decrease. However, due to the slowed global growth rate PBC has managed and adjusted the policies so that the growth rate of China does not fall at an alarming rate. The challenge here is that over the recent years, PBC and the policymakers have become adept at trying to slow down capital inflow, but are rather inexperienced when it comes to slowing down capital outflow. One way to create a more balanced inflow and outflo w is to decrease the cash reserves required for the Commercial Banks to keep. This was done in the first place to reduce the surplus liquidity formed by capital inflows. In this case, for the PBC to reverse the reduced growth it has to inject liquidity into the economy. As mentioned above, a way out currently adopted by China is the cut in the Required Reserve Ratio. This is a loose

Use of Technology Essay Example for Free

Use of Technology Essay The information age presents many challenges for those in education and government where there is the need for the whole population to be able to access and use new technologies. This will include use of computers, the internet and digital television which is key in determining and establishing a skilled workforce and empowered citizenry for the twenty first century; the possibility and potential of these new technologies to allow people to learn throughout the life-course is also seen as a ready means of establishing developed countries as a learning society. Governments around the world have come out and set targets and development policies to help all adult technologies – information communication technology- in making these users friendly in their own environments, (Selwyn, Gorard, Furlong, 2006). Despite the sums of money being invested in ICT and education, there is the need for establishing how close the society is in establishing technology based learning societies and the challenges that might be faced along the way. There is also the need to recognize the promise and potential of new technologies, mapping how ICT and ICT-based learning fit with the everyday lives of each individual as well as the ability of research in the community. In this time and age, many of us already have a hand held mobile device, a hand held computing device of some description as well as some form of Internet access in the homes or at the office. As well, the enthusiasts of the power of technology see the need to support and shape our everyday activities proliferate via newspapers, textbooks and television screens. All these are learning avenues and as well these have increased to e-commerce, e-tailing, cybersex, blogging, networked computerized technologies in the nineteenth century revolution; inspired by grand notions of globalization and post modernity, some scholars have taken to portraying adults in the early twenty-first century as living in a plentiful post-physical age where all that is solid melts into bits The importance of learning in information society The prominence of education and learning within the post-industrial, information society analysis was in no small part responsible for the high profile reassessment of education and training by educators and politicians in developing countries over the latter half of the 1990s. In countries such  as the UK, this was infamously embodied in New Labor’s 1977 election commitment to concentrate on education. The information society and knowledge economy agenda were particularly evident in the rise of political favor during the 1990s of the broad concept of lifelong learning, a notion embracing not only the compulsory phases of education but also education throughout adult life. This lifelong learning involves more than a narrow technical adjustment to the organization of educational provision; it is an attempted transformation in learning opportunities in order to meet the implicit demands of the information society/knowledge economy. If it is accepted that the production and distribution of knowledge and information are increasingly significant processes in the determination of global economic competitiveness and development, which are reflected in turn, in economic growth, employment change and levels of welfare, then the capacities of organizations and individuals to engage successfully in the learning process of a variety of kinds is an obvious determinant of economic performance. Policies and usage of ICT in schools For an effective learning environment in schools that incorporate ICT, the use of computers need to have policy frameworks to specify their use and how effective they will be in their use as this will give a general guideline in use as well as maintenance. In South Africa, the proportion of principles indicating the existence of written policies for both the lower and upper education levels were virtually the same, but emphasis was quite different. In almost all the schools too, there was a common vision on ICT as a policy goal that pay attention to norms and values when using services such as the internet; a survey in south Africa revealed that such visions were fully or partially realized both at the upper and the lower levels as other principals reported that developing a common vision was realized as a goal, (Howie, Muller, Paterson, 2005) On the other hand, at the upper level involving mature learning, it is certainly not hard to detect enthusiasms for ICT based technologies within the educational literature, reflecting the proliferation of new technologies such as the computer and internet in adult changing settings. In essence and principle, ICTs are argued to make learning more effective and more equitable, to offer a diverse range of  learning opportunities to a diverse range of adult learners on a suitable, convenient and cost effective basis as technology has been heralded by some to facilitate learning which is eclectic, holistic and flexible. In short, this is to say that ICTs are portrayed as making the wider goals of the knowledge economy and information society, (Howie, Muller, Paterson, 2005) Conclusion According to Law, Yuen Fox, (2011), sustaining or transformative uses of technology do not depend on technology alone, they also depend on the intended use of the technology in the specific educational contexts, often, and specific technologies priorities certain uses and hence can be used more easily for sustaining or transformative purposes. Such prioritization is not deterministic as further, the characteristic that mist influences the choice and deployment of ICT in school education is the pedagogical decision-making of the teacher. This in turn is determined by the curriculum goals and training as well as pedagogical competencies of the teacher, (Law, 2008) Transformative use of technology in schools and education as discussed above are those that are integral to the implementation of innovative pedagogical practices. This involves the changing roles of the teachers, learners and members of the community, and the power relationships among these three groups. The way learning outcomes are assessed and staff performance is appraised also changes, thus challenging the predominant value and reward system inherent in the education system today. In particular, the integration of ICT in learning can be an effective tool in widening education participation, supporting a diversity of educational provision as well as lead to better form and outcomes of adult learning. ? Work Cited Howie, S. J., Muller, A., Paterson, A. (2005). Information and Communication Technologies in. Howie, S. J., Muller, A., Paterson, A. (2005). Information and Communication Technologies in (n.d.): 1-9. Web. Sept.-Oct. 2014. This journal discusses the benefits of using technology in education, as well as the challenges it has created. The writer’s thoroughly researched paper convinces its readers of the vastness of the technological world. South Africa: Reforming Higher Education and Transforming the National System of Innovation. Academia.edu. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Oct. 2014. This article is written to inform its readers about, the transformation of education with rapid inventions of newer technologies. Nurturing Leadership and Establishing Learning Organizations. Educational Innovations Beyond Technology. N.p., n.d. Web. Oct.-Nov. 2014.Selwyn, N., Gorard, S., Furlong, J. (2006). This research discuses the methods and technological innovations used in learning. Adult Learning in the Digital Age: Information Technology and the Learning Society. N.p., n.d. Web. Oct.-Nov. 2014. This research discusses the use of technology in education, as well as its impact on education.

Bilingual Education Essay Example for Free

Bilingual Education Essay Now, it seems to be universally accepted that increased education is a good thing. Thousands of colleges and millions of students spend vast amounts of time and money chasing pieces of paper. But what is the value of these qualifications? This essay will discuss whether education has been devalued. Supporters of education (usually teachers or educators, or those who have an interest in stopping people thinking for themselves) say that increased levels of education will open doors for students. Certificates, diplomas, and degrees are held up as a status symbol, a passport to a private club of money and power. However, the truly powerful are not those who have taken degrees, but people who have stood back and looked at what is really important in life. They have seen opportunity and followed dreams. These people are found in every part of society. Like many brilliant people, Einstein was a weak student at math. Like many successful businessmen, Bill Gates never completed college. Like many inventive and creative people, Edison never went to school. The greatest religious teachers do not have letters after their name, but have looked into their hearts for meaning. Similarly, the worlds political leaders do not have masters degrees or doctorates. These are the people who shaped our century, and they are too busy with real life to spend time in the paper chase. Students in college are being sold an illusion. They are made to believe that self-understanding and society approval will come with the acquisition of a piece of paper. Instead of thinking for themselves, and finding their own personality and strengths, they are fitted like square pegs into round holes. The role of education is to prepare masses of people to operate at low levels of ability in a very limited and restricted range of activities. Some of these activities are more challenging than perhaps the assembly lines of the past, but still the ultimate purpose is equally uninteresting. More worryingly, despite the increased level of education, people are still not genuinely expected to think for themselves. In fact, the longer years of schooling make the job of brainwashing even easier. There is still a role for study, research, and education. However, we need to examine our emphasis on education for the sake of a piece of paper, and to learn the real meaning and revolutionary challenge of knowledge. mean by education from the outset. That might make it easier for you to sharpen your arguments against it. You need to better deal with the opposing arguments. It is true of course that some people become millionaires by dropping out of school to become entrepreneurs. But, if one looks at the average income of dropouts compared to the average income of people who graduate high school, and then compare those rates to the average income of people who graduate from university, we see quite clearly that better education leads, on average, to greater career success (you could even do research and cite sources, using empirical evidence to back up your points! ) Also, education, especially liberal arts (or even liberal science) tends to improve people, giving them a capacity for critical thought that makes them more interesting and worth listening to. You even seem to acknowledge, in your conclusion, that people who do well without formal education may yet be considered self-educated. So, perhaps you should define what you mean by education from the outset. That might make it easier for you to sharpen your arguments against it. I am not sure that I am following your argument here. Education is devalued because it is akin to brainwashing and drains people of the ability to think for themselves. Truly powerful people have never been to college. The role of education is to transform people into automatons performing a limited range of activities. As an argumentative essay, youll need to back up those opinions. Your examples can help, but Einstein did attend university and had a doctorate degree from the school of mathematics and natural sciences at Zurich University. I dont think you can make the claim that Einstein had difficulty with math he was studying calculus at the age of twelve but he did have trouble with speech. Edison did not attend university, but at that time a mere 1% of the population attended college so the example loses impact. Bill Gates attended Harvard. He didnt graduate, but he still considers his Harvard experience valuable (it is where he learned that there are people smarter than he is and met business partner Steve Ballmer). Besides, Harvard gave Gates an Honorary Degree in 2007. Gates also blows the theory that brilliant people struggle with math he scored near perfect on the SAT. Steve Jobs quite college after a semester (I know that you didnt use him as an example, but I thought it was interesting Michael Dell is another computer guru who never finished college). Who are the worlds religious teachers and political leaders that you are referring to?. Heres an article that I found interesting: http://www. msnbc. msn. com/id/29445201/ It talks about different things than your essay, but I can see where everyone getting a college degree would devalue those degrees . . . forty is the new thirty and a college degree is the new high diploma, blah, blah, blah. With 68% of high school graduates in the US enrolling in collage (2008), do we have a future with an over-educated, under-employed workforce? I could also see the argument that not everyone is suited for college life and we, as a society, need auto mechanics, plumbers, and grocery store clerks.

Aligning Business Strategies and Project Management

Aligning Business Strategies and Project Management Project management has become very important topic all over the world. Literature shows that more than 30 companies fail to accomplish its project with success due to misalignment between business strategies and project management. Many companies face this problem of missing link of business strategies and project management. Alignment is necessary for getting competitive advantage and goals of its business. Top management also play important role in alignment of business strategies and Project management. Keywords: Business strategies, project management, alignment, project portfolio management Introduction: Project management has become very important and also serves as core function in many organizations. Projects are any temporary activities that have starting and finish point, it has performance parameters. Projects face triple constrains (1) time (2) budget and (3) performance. It was assumed that for attainment of organizational goals one has to meet triple constraints of time, budget and performance. Project management plays a vital role in achieving organizational goals and considered as backbone of organization. Project management is knowledge that meets the requirements of projects. Project management plays important role in accomplishing strategies, business goals and desired outcomes. Organizations link their projects with business strategies to achieve the goals and objectives. Strategies are activities that guide and direct the use of the resources to accomplish the organizations vision and goals and sustainable competitive advantage. Mostly these components comprising the strategies of the business like internal analysis, organizational structures, control systems have strong links to project management processes and activities. Project management includes project portfolio management (PPM). PPM is about how organizations controls its projects and align them with business strategies. Many organizations are working on numerous projects and they are conscious to get maximum return of their business. PPM also includes the maximization profit which is main objective of all organization. Basically projects are bases of any organization to build up business strategy and project management relation. When organizations link their projects to their business strategy, they are better able to accomplish their organizational goals. Companies should align their business strategy with the project management action to implement the strategies in the projects. Such alignments are difficult because the objectives of business strategy are sometime not clear and well-communicated with project management. Misalignment may cause an organization to missing goals, communication gap and missing link of business strategy and project management. The lack of alignment of business strategy to the project management leads to the project failure and has adverse effects on organization performance as well. . There is need of systemic approach to align the projects with business strategy. So important in managerial challenges involved that aligning project management and business strategy and encouraging individuals to participate in using emerging strategies to create new ideas and renew existing strategies. Literature indicates that some factors that helps in creating link between business strategy and project management if there is any gap between the bridge of business strategy and project management that should be filled to achieve high returns and competitive advantages. As literature shows that SPL elements such as spirit, strategy, organization, tools and processes that elements should be align between business strategies and project management and in depth understanding of factors that are missing and relationship of these factors with business strategies and project management. Portfolio management play important role in project management and business strategy linking. Implementation of strategies with formulation, receive less attention than formulation so there should be proper emphasis on the implementation as well as. Therefore, this paper examines the linkage between business strategy, project portfolio management, and business success to finish the gap between strategy formulation and implementation and linking them in a bridge. There is seen a lot of importance of project portfolio management in evaluating, prioritizing and selecting projects in line with business strategy. It is choosing the right projects and important part of strategic management in organizations. So there are a few studies exploring single aspects of the linkage between strategies, project portfolio management. Business strategy describes the way in which a firm decides to compete in the market compared to its competitors and close the gap of these strategies with project management. Project Management: Project management has become an important issue for many corporations worldwide. Many implementations of project management have been successful, while others have been considered as failure. Projects in any organization have clearly became a central activity in many companies and considered as a backbone of organization and its success means a lot for an organization to prevail in the competitive arena. A project can be defined as a planned set of interrelated tasks to be executed over a fixed period and within certain cost and other limitations. Project management is often termed as the science and art of organizing the different project phases which may be launch of new service, a marketing campaign, building a an entire new floor of a building or a wedding. According to Milosevic and Srivannaboon (2006), the essence of project management is to support the execution of an organizations competitive strategy to deliver a desired outcome. Project management is defined as management that supports the execution of an organizations competitive strategy to deliver a desired outcome. Six-step approach can be helpful course that avoids the worst storms: Step 1: Identify the project Step 2: Determine the desired outcome Step 3: Describe each of the projects component tasks Step 4: Identify the key players. Step 5: Determine a time lines for each project component. Step 6: Review, revise and reallocate. Successful initiation of projects and its execution mostly depends upon strategy. Many companies are suffering from misaligned projects and a lack of a systematic approach to align project management with the business strategy. When organizations link their projects to their business strategy, they are better able to accomplish their organizational goals. Project strategy should be related to the projects goals and objectives in order to attain the preferred position in its competitive environment. Business Strategy: Strategy is defined by Patton White (2002) as a comprehensive set of actions or activities, which guide and direct the use of the firms resources to accomplish the organizations vision and goals and enable sustainable competitive advantage. Turning strategy into action to operationalize strategic objectives to achieve competitive advantage includes in the strategic management. Several scholars suggest that the success of project should be considered in the context of the achievement of the strategic goals of the organization (Dietrich Lehtonen, 2005; Kenny, 2006) and that organizations are better able to accomplish their goals when they link their projects to their business strategy. To ensure strategies are translated into actions they should be operational and includes some of the characteristics like structuring an organization to support successful performance and enabling success through the way in which the various resource areas like people, information, Finance, IT, etc. of an organization. Better implementation of strategic plans results in the better performance of sales growth, earnings growth, deposits growth, return on assets, return on equity, return on sales and return on total invested capital than those companies that do not implement their strategic plans. However, in any organization there are different levels of strategies presented by different level of a business which includes Corporate Strategy: It involves high level of strategic decision making and purpose of this strategy is to achieve the expectations of the stakeholders. Business Unit Strategy: The purpose of this strategy is to achieve the competitive advantage for the services and products which are produced and the decisions in this level is concerned with the choice of products, gaining competitive advantage, to meet the needs of the customers and create new opportunities. Operational Strategy: Its concerned with the coordination and improvement of resources which results in the effective and efficient implementation of the business unit level strategy. Implementation of strategies requires actions and completing tasks, and should focus on how to realize these strategies. Implementation must include attention to the following key points: Executing the work requires allocation of resources such as funds, people, and equipment. Organizational resources are limited. Implementation process requires project supportive organizational structure. A project selection and priority system to ensure strong linking between projects and the strategic plan. Managerial challenges involves aligning project management and business strategy which encourages individuals to participate in using emerging strategies to create new ideas and renew existing strategies. There is no such research regarding the framework for aligning project management and business strategy comprehensively. The literature has highlighted that there are many projects which have been executed without implementing the strategies as it has been formulated by executives in the corporations level without the involvement of the project manager. Aligning Business Strategy and Projects: Aligning the companys projects to maximize their contributions to strategic objectives takes a highly coordinated effort. Integration requires a process for prioritizing projects by their contribution to the strategic plan. The organizations to become more competitive, efficient and profitable they will need a business and project management experts working together to attain the business goals. Both, business and project management experts will work towards aligning projects with business strategy. Alignment of business strategy and project management is a major concern for any organization. Such alignments are challenging because the objectives of business strategy are not always clear or well-communicated or consistent with project management actions. Misalignment may cause an organization to miss goals and objectives. Understanding the alignment may be one of the major challenges to effective project management process. Alignment is not a onetime task but it is achieved through p rogression, which demands dominant leadership, top management support, efficient communication, collaborative work environment, trust, proper prioritization, technological setup and comprehensive knowledge about the operations of the business (Luftman, 2000). In order to achieve desired outputs from the selected projects organization should have the ability to build up competencies and then allocate those competences to the preferred projects. To help make sure the corporate projects are aligned to corporate strategy following can be kept in mind: Is the corporation committed to using project management strategically? In most companies, hundreds of projects are underway at any given time so there must be corporate commitment to the art and science of managing projects Is there a policy of formally preparing project charters? Since projects are the means by which corporate strategies are executed, it is critical that they be guided by the original corporate philosophy, strategy, and intent. Project charters are the instrument for doing this. Is there synergy between the business group and those responsible for project implementation? There needs to be early involvement by project implementation people. While this principle may seem sound, the practice of it presents a challenge. First, business planning people may prefer to plan without the help of perceived outsiders. Then, theres a good likelihood that the right project people might not be sitting about just waiting to brainstorm and analyze the early stages of a business proposal. The value for the organization to aligning projects with business strategy in a research by the Athabasca University was conducted in more than 60 organizations around the world and results showed that there were some benefits the organizations which include: Saved money and resources Increased profitability Retained customers Increased market share Prioritizing a project on the bases of its contribution to strategic achievement does not provide guarantee of project success but consistent allocation of resources is also a major task (Hrebiniak, 2006). A key point to make sure the alignment between project management and strategy included as: to carry out the appropriately chosen projects in an efficient ways organizations should make sure that have ability to do deliver the projects and programs. Top management plays a major role in projects alignment. Role of Management: Management is of central importance for the success of projects. Pinto and Slevin (1998) suggested that all the researchers agree that absence of support from management especially top management and by important stakeholder are most important among all other factors. Hacker and Doolen (2007) role of top management was studied in the perspectives of vision of the project and alignment of the scope with business strategy and project sponsorship and its impact on the triple constraint of the project i.e. cost, performance and cost. Researchers various different views about the extent of knowledge of senior managers should be in relation to project management. Some researchers suggest to the technical expertise and knowledge about the projects necessary for senior managers to develop and implement projects. Others felt that determine the line of control and to make available all relevant resources for project managers are the main functions of the senior management. There are different methods of how senior managers can be involved in the project management process. One of the approaches is not to interfere in which the project manager to all the rights of the planning to the implementation of projects. Responsibilities of project managers and executive managers is that project managers are primarily responsible for projects that are being implemented while the executives of the strategic alignment of business functions and projects with the organizations goals. Top managers should possess same skills and expertise as do the project managers Top management must carefully analyze which project should be prioritized in the allocation of resources. Resource allocation is one of the critical parts of the project management. These resources include financial, human and other resources necessary for the successful completion of the projects. Top management should carefully analyze which project should be prioritized in terms of resource allocation. Resources must be allocated to projects that are aligned with corporate strategies of the organization. More simple criteria for prioritizing compliance can be or should do projects should receive the highest priority, then the strategic projects, and then the other. With the start of the training programs, coaching and mentoring for project managers, top management can help build leadership skills, so that they can manage project activities responsibly and effectively. Problems of Alignment: Often projects fail to support business strategies and business goals it is due to the missing link, so that it should be align. Some processes factors that affect the business strategies and projects linking such as communication, top management support, competency of project manager are some of the major factors are the necessary ones to consider which solves or even creates hurdles in the alignment process. Business directors and top management are responsible for the three processes such as business planning, portfolio management and prioritizing projects while the project managers are responsible for the process of planning and executing the projects. Prioritizing projects Portfolio management Business planning Project Project portfolio management, business planning and support of business manager to the project manager while project manager is responsible to handling the projects. Choosing project from the AMCs projects and aligning that project with the business plans and top managers suggestions. When these processes are aligned the strategic elements like goals, objectives, vision, mission, values and norms feeds the portfolio element, the portfolio element feeds the project management element like strategies, organization processes, culture, and the project management element feeds projects and the teams execution of project. But in many cases, these processes are not aligned; as a result, organizations may fail to tie their projects either to their business strategy or to their portfolio, which may cause them to terminate the project or to continue executing projects that do not contribute to the organizations goals, thus wasting important organizational resources. Project Portfolio Management: The project portfolio is defined as a group of projects that compete for scarce resources and are conducted under the sponsorship or management of a particular organization. The three main well-known objectives of portfolio management are, the following: maximizing the value of the portfolio, linking the portfolio to the strategy and the continuous monitoring/assessment of the portfolio. Project portfolio selection is an important management task activity of the organization, the project team should consider all details carefully to enhance performance of organizational assets and customize them with the strategic objectives of the organization, although there are usually several projects available for selection than can be completed within the physical and financial limitations of fixed, so choices must be made to make up a suitable project. Management problems are related to the following factors, selecting, portfolio strategy and appropriate plans. The following reasons can be related with the difficulties on managing, and on selecting, the proper projects to the portfolio a) no relationship between project selection: projects entirely with the organizations strategic goals are not related to the impact on organization performance b) poor quality portfolios: organizations, generally, applicable to underdeveloped ideas for projects selected is not fair quality. To work on the building, d) scarce resources, lack of attention and executive skills, resources properly balance, often causing pressure to multitask ; f) Information overflow and lacking quality of information: Regardless of the quality and sophistication of the portfolio selection and decision tools, it is fundamental to obtain the proper information to make accurate decisions; g) Decision making based in power: Usually the decision is an exercise of power, whi ch means that there may be situations in organizations where decisions tend not to reflect the organizational future success. The portfolio management team is normally concerned and overwhelmed with issues like the prioritization of projects and the continuous distribution of personnel from the different projects to overcome the urgent crises. Although, most of the time, however, there are no resources available and when they were redistributed it often produced negative effects on unexpected places in the project portfolio. Project Selection There are more than one hundred tools and techniques for project portfolio selection hence it is not difficult for organizations to select suitable tools. It is important to adapt or develop an appropriate framework to evaluate project proposals and select a project portfolio which is aligned with the corporate strategy. Recent literature focuses on approaches rather than tools and techniques. Common principles from these approaches can be described as followings: Firstly, they suggest dividing the project proposals into subsets (Englund Graham, 1999; Sommer 1999; Cooper et al., 2001a; Rădulescu1 Rădulescu 2001; and Crawford etal., 2006). Each project subset can be a group of projects which will share the same strategic buck as discussed by Cooper et al (2001a) or different categories of projects which have similar characteristics (Crawford et al., 2005, 2006). This will help the organization easily compare projects by same criteria or same tools and techniques. T his is similarly applicable to ensure the balance of the project portfolio. Framework by Englund Graham (1999) 4 steps producing interrelated outputs make this approach truly systematic. The 4 steps are described as follows: a. What the organization should do: Upon identified to lead the process, the team members start listing newly proposed and on-going projects. They, then, clarify or develop the expected goals of projects, taking into consideration of organizational strategies (vision, mission, objectives) and current as well as potential capabilities (either developed or acquired). It is advisable to classify projects into categories for the benefit of looking at projects from the view of big picture inclusive of out-of- the- box thinking, completeness, gaps, opportunities and compliance with strategy. Projects classified/organized into the strategic buckets (e.g. extent of product change: new- enhancement; and extent of process change: new incremental) enable the team focus efforts on selecting the best set of projects within the categories, which constitute the right and balance mix. In order to facility decision making process, a set of criteria with weight or score reflecting requirements of orga nizational objectives (e.g. market positioning, available capacity, etc.) should be determined, modified and agreed upon for comparison and choices of projects. b. What the organization can do: the team members critically screen and evaluate projects based on consolidation and analysis of current or historical data, as a result certain new projects will be eliminated and ongoing projects will be adjusted or terminated in respect of strategic priorities; availability of resources and technology challenges, etc. The authors describe the critical few with n screen subject to criteria sets agreed upon in step 1 e.g. screen 1- fit to goals; screen 2 market size, competence etc. c. Analyze and decide on projects: based on the comparison between resources available and resources required, projects are analyzed, prioritized and selected. The team should consider opportunity costs, project benefits before costs, return value when making decisions. With the sets of criteria agreed upon in step 1, the AHP (Analytical Hierarchy is recommended. Dedicated resources and contingencies should be committed to ensure the successful implementation of selected projects. Besides, communication loop should be developed and utilized to keep changes updated. d. Implement the plan: staffing and allocating committed resources for implementation selected projects. A database should be created for monitoring, reporting and sharing. The plan is used as a communication tool to help management team and those who are involved quickly respond to change and take corrective actions in terms of identifying new opportunities and leveraging resources. It can be interpreted that completion of the first 3 steps in this process reflects the achievement of the three goals determined in the project portfolio selection by Cooper (2005): step 1 with should representing project portfolio in alignment with strategy; step 2 with can representing portfolio value maximization using most effectively its resource and capability; step 3 analyze and decide representing right balance and mix of projects; and step 4 with implement belonging to the next phase of execution and management in project portfolio management. The 4 steps reveal a loop of continuous stages, which is recognized as systematic approach. Challenges in Project Portfolio Selection Organizations face many problems such as lack of information, unreliable data of cost, time to completion, availabilities of resource, and benefits of projects. Project proposals are randomly arriving, not at one time. This requires the model or process to be flexible so that organizations can select projects without waiting until annual planning meetings. In large organizations with many business units, each business unit has its own list of priority and preferences. Besides, project portfolio selection is not always rational but it is biased by human being factor such as lobbying. People resist when there is absence of strategy or vague strategy or they find difficulties in pursuing the strategies. Changes necessary for the aligning the projects with the strategy might win approval of all the members of the organization, but when it comes to implementation, no one will be ready to take the lead. Ten Reasons why Strategy Implementation Efforts Can Fail: 1. The so-called strategic plan is nothing more than a collection of budgets and vague directions that do not provide clear guidelines for action. 2. The strategy does not correspond to market realities because it has been developed by strategic planners with no grass roots input. 3. The strategy does not enjoy support from and commitment by the majority of employees and middle management because they do not feel consulted in the development of the strategy. 4. Middle management does not think the strategy is the right one, or does not feel it has the requisite skills to implement it, so it sabotages the implementation. 5. Insufficient top management time is spent on communicating about, selling the new strategic direction, and managing the organizational changes involved. 6. No provision is made for developing the new skills and competencies required by the employees successfully to make the transition and operate within the new strategic direction. 7. No provision is made for instituting the appropriate organizational systems for the selection, motivation and reward of people in accordance with the new strategy. 8. No provision is made for creating a close fit or coherence between the business-level strategy and the various functional-level strategies that can operationalize it. 9. There are factions in the organization which disagree with the strategy because if implemented it would reduce their power and influence, so they sabotage it by deliberate actions or inactions. 10. No attempt is made to analyze the culture of the organization and identify Literature review examines four selected models that assist organizations in bridging the gap between organizational strategic objectives and project management: Model #1 Model of strategic project management is comprised of four main aspects of higher-level project management practices: 1. Strategic alignment of project: This practice refers to the extent to which an organization ensures that the projects it pursues are directly tied to the organizational strategy. This is very important in terms to see whether the project going to start is intact with the strategies of the organization for its successful implementation. 2. Project portfolio management. This practice refers to the identification of a project investment categorization scheme to assist the organization with prioritizing projects. Project portfolio management forms one of the building blocks in relating projects to strategy and can be considered as a key driver for aligning projects or programs to organizational objectives. It also helps in prioritizing and in the selection process of a project for its successful alignment. 3. Program management. The Project Management Institute (2004) defines the concept of program management as the centralized coordinated management of groups of projects to achieve the programs strategic objectives and benefits. Program management practices are inherent within the pursuit of strategic project management and are demonstrated as the management of groups of projects and the management of interactions between projects (portfolio coordination). 4. The business results of projects. Since projects are financial investments, organizations should estimate and measure project impacts on organizations from a business results perspective which may include return on investment, sales growth etc. Model #2: Project managers contribute to competitive advantage due to their skills in managing relationships and an organizational willingness to foster these skills and leverage them throughout the organization, and learn from them how to manage people and relationships across organizational functions and boundaries. Greens model of strategic project management is based on the constructs of competitive advantage, strategic capabilities and tacit knowledge management. Model #3: Model suggests that adopting strategic project management to select, manage and support multiple projects gives companies the best chance of moving the organization forward by keeping the company vibrant in the marketplace and returning maximum value for shareholders. Further, it identifies the following key characteristics of strategic project management: 1. Alignment of the following key business processes: strategic planning, strategic goal setting, and enterprise project management 2. Functions as a well-managed portfolio of investments as it: (a) allows for the most effective use of constrained resources; (b) ensures a high return on investment since projects are managed collectively; (c) it maintains alignment between the projects and the organizations short, medium and long term goals 3. A new management process embedded between strategic planning and project execution that manages project investments strategically and combines business planning and management with project management best practices Model #4: The term strategic project management as the management of those projects which are of critical importance to enable the organization as a whole to have competitive advantage There is a gap between aligning project management competencies to the selection of projects that will give organizations a competitive edge. Specifically, strategy is formulated at the senior management level and for it to be implemented; it should be broken down into discrete projects. Project management becomes a source of competitive advantage when an organization outperforms other companies through the experience and knowledge built up over time through managing projects. Also, project management yields competitive advantage through the actual selection and prioritization of projects that organizations engage in and secondly, through implementation and execution of the projects. Furthermore, project portfolio management is essential and the prioritization of projects should be based

Undergraduate Education in Advertising Essay -- Major Advertising Coll

Undergraduate Education in Advertising Next spring I will be receiving a bachelor of arts in journalism at the University of Arkansas from the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. My focus in journalism is in advertising and public relations. Most schools separate the advertising and public relations departments and some schools even place them in the business school. My degree in the journalism department has benefited me because my education seems to be more well-rounded than most college degrees. What criteria should be placed on a degree in advertising and public relations? By comparing my undergraduate education at the U of A to the same degree at the University of Texas at Austin (the previous school that I’ve attended), the approach behind two different curriculums can be compared. To students who are on the path to receive a degree in advertising or are thinking about it, a solid comparison of the degrees will give you a better idea of what you are getting from your college education. Evaluating your education will allow you to see why you need certain courses, what skills you'll need as a prospect looking for a job once you graduate, and what knowledge you’ll gain from a college education that will benefit you for the rest of your life. Advertising is part of the American culture. For example, who wouldn't recognize these slogans: â€Å"Just do it!† –Nike â€Å"It’s finger lickin’ good.† –KFC â€Å"M-m-good† -Campbells Soup â€Å"It’s the real thing† -Coca Cola Advertising agencies realize how influential advertisements are on people. They are responsible for the catchy slogans and jingles that are forever stuck in our minds. These creativ... ...nd limited to a certain number of students. Both schools will give you a well-balanced education in order to get the most out of your college degree. The main thing that I have received from my education is a better understanding of the world around me. I have become more open to different opinions and attitudes and have seen many sides of diversity. A well-rounded education has allowed me to learn about many other subjects that I wouldn’t have if I would’ve followed my first idea to get a business degree. I opted for the advertising/public relations route because it was more interesting to me, but mainly because I enjoyed all of the classes that I would be taking with this degree. I have also received good specialized training that will help me in the business world. So overall, I feel that my education at the U of A has been a very positive experience.

Graduation Speech: Live Life to the Fullest -- Graduation Speech, Comm

I would like to begin this evening by welcoming all of my classmates, staff, parents and guardians, the school board and superintendent, friends, and relatives to the commencement of the class of 2012. Commencement is a critical juncture in our lives; it is a momentous occasion where we believe we are about to start anew. However, graduation is the bittersweet moment where the forces of past and future are simultaneously acting on us. Consequently, the past is not dead. Alfred, Lord Tennyson, suggests that our past experiences will be with us forever as he states, " [we] are a part of all that [we] have met; yet all experience is an arch where through gleams that untraveled world." That is why graduation, similar to other turning points in our lives, possesses two halves, which accentuate each other. We are looking forward, but the "arch" of experience beckons us to remember, value, and learn from our past experiences. Thus, I feel that in order to appreciate commencement fully, we must remember our own past, and in particular, the last four years: For we are leaving many of ...

Easier to Learn Programming Languages :: Essays Papers

Easier to Learn Programming Languages In the old days computers had to be fed instructions by hand written on a strip of tape. Now computers do most of the grunt work automatically allowing the program to focus on the problem to be solved as opposed to telling the computer how to solve the problem. This way work is done on a computer much faster and easier then before. The different programming languages used to give the computers instructions have come very far from the original tapes used, and they are still progressing. New languages are easier to use and can accomplish quickly what used to take a very long time in older languages. However these newer languages are not perfect because they are often forced to sacrifice flexibility and control to allow things to be done faster. This is because in order to do instructions faster and more simply things have to be assumed by the compiler that would need be included in the code for a lower level programming language. This can be a good thing because it lets programs be written more quickly and easily, but it also takes these things out of the control of the user. This can lead to more stable code since the programmer cannot make mistakes in these parts, but then the programmer cannot change these things if they need to be changed for some reason. Something important to remember with these new programming languages is that while they can make things easier they can only do so much. It will still take time to create a program no matter how easy the language used is. Also lower level more difficult programming languages will still be needed for creating programs that require more control then is usually allowed in a newer high level language. With the world moving into a new age of computing having programming languages that are easier to use become very important. It may very soon reach the point where anyone can become a bit of a programmer because the computer languages are so easy to use. This is why this can be such an important field. After all someone has to make these easy languages in the first place. There are a number of languages that have been made that are easy to use. A web page discussing them says "The "easy languages" (my own designation) Perl, Awk, Python, Tcl/Tk, and Visual Basic are free (not vb), easy to learn, but currently lack the source code and examples†¦" (par.

Can We Talk Essay

The article Can We Talk? Researcher Talks About the Role of Communication in Happy Marriages† gives us results as related to couples in marriages. In today’s society, many couples are too busy to stop, sit down, and have a meaningful conversation with their significant others. Terri Orbach, research scientist at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan, has studied 373 married couples for more than 20 years. We will examine the findings and explore some of the roles of communication in happy marriages. After reading the text and the required article, I became more aware of what self-disclosure is and how it can affect relationships. Self-disclosure is defined as sharing aspects of yourself with other people. This can be a form of â€Å"showing your true colors†. Sharing areas of yourself that may have been misconceived, showing interest in others, and being more involved are ways that you can open up and form close bonds. In marriages, you assume that couples are already in-the-know about their mate. But this sometimes can be a part of a learning process in the relationship. I can relate to the article because I often find myself at a loss for words. I have been in a few relationships that were on different types of levels; professional, informal and social. Within each of these relationships, there were limited sharing on my part. I would agree that self-disclosure is important in a relationship because it allows you to recognize issues and feelings, and also can help you learn something about self that was unknown. Effective communication promotes a sense of trust, that holds marriages together. Orbach states that by using her 10-minute rule, couples have a good starting point to reconnect with each other. Just 10 minutes to talk about the interests of your mate, areas of conflict, or even about the job made many marriages happier. Because men and women express themselves differently, gender does have a role in communication in relationships. Many believe that some behaviors are masculine and others are feminine. It is often discouraged for men to cry, they are taught to be strong and heroic, while women are allowed to show emotions openly.

Australian Export Opportunities to South Korea

Australian Export Opportunities to conspiracy Korea Hasting Helical Francesca Carolina Moorage Ash Jane decorousness Cindy Guan Sophia Alai Introduction Where once, the southwest Korean federation solely relied on the produce of their countrified as a source of goods, they be slowly turning towards imports from other nations, much(prenominal) as Australia for their goods and services. Australia is renowned for their agri pagan excellence, and thusly has become a major exportinger of nourishments to sec Korea. In this essay, discussions about how southwestward Korean refinement whitethorn bewitch the disposition and the sessions made in impresss to nutrient consumption.Additionally, the theories of family and well-disposed influence of Australia and sec Korea will be applied, with an aim to reveal possible opportunities for the South Korean diet perseverance to just improve its standings in South Korea. Family Family is iodine of the most important aspects in c arriage for South Koreans. The Korean community is well-known(a) for their overlarge and tight knit families, with an come of 2. 97 per discussions per ho go forhold, in comparison to an validation for Economic Co- operation and Developwork forcet (COED) amount of 2. 63 in 2009 (COED, 2010). This is nearly ascribable to the high level of multinationals families in Korea.Many Koreans regard the well- universe of the family, as a whole, more than than important than that of individual members (ANTA, 2013). Food is to a fault a predominant feature in the Korean culture they lots gather around for extravagant feasts with family and friends, especially on occasions much(prenominal) as hot Years and Christmas. Therefore providing food to the family of the dress hat quality is a high precession need. Traditionally, men of the South Korean clubho go for ar the bread masters of the family, while women tend to gruntle at home and take cathexis of family matters. The female employment rate in Korea, at 52. %, in 2009 was below the COED add up of 59. 6% (COED, 2010), whence reflecting the homemaker bureau that women play in the family. In the look of the developed countries club (COED), South Korea is considered a arbitration, and despite the public policies that still extend the patriarchal family system, the sex ratio (number of boys per speed of light girls) has been remarkably decreasing in the snuff it two decades. It seems that the drop in son preference was triggered by normative changes in the society, in comparison to individuals whose socioeconomic resistances had changed (Chunk & Guppy, 2007).Therefore, a strength betoken grocery for women a rebels. At this rate, there is a strong chance that more women in the South Korean society. Gender takes the centre stage of legion(predicate) brand narratives. Researchers conducted in Australia and New Zealand render that the female partner/wife is mostly involved in the finis devising p rocess (Coffman et al, 2010). Keeping young single/ married couples in perspective, marketers who used to target men are now targeting women through and through meaner of educating them about the importance of eating healthy, ND family well-being.For example, introduction of nutriment Pepsi or feed coke, was made to attr incite men towards diet soda, so that they could monitor their kilogram calorie intake. that this claimed to be unsuccessful. To the contrary, when women were targeted towards consuming lower calorie drinks like Dry. Pepper Ten, Pepsi Max, Coke Zero, and so forth , it was observed that women were the major consumers, and they religiously spurned the nonion that diet cola was for men and that its not for women. (Avery, 2012) loving Influence Social influence selling is composed of a combination of the use of kindly media ND the day-to-day interactions consumers go through which may impact grease ones palms decisions made by buyers (Murray, 1991). Social med ia plays a large piece in influencing consumers, as content created by everyday quite a little is readily ready(prenominal) online through blobs, forums, websites, inciteionate networks and flogs. Egg harvesting reviews on Youth. Consumers can also be influenced by their everyday experiences and interactions with different people through pipeline communicating, viral trade and buzz agents.Word-of-mouth communication is the result of consumers manduction information and personal experiences of products purchased tit friends, family, colleagues etc. This is one of the more rough-and-ready slipway of market as potential buyers are more likely to trust a sloshed acquaintance over an publicizing (Longer, Henning Weidman, 2013). Word-of-mouth communication has dramatically increase over time in Australia with the use of social networking sites such as Faceable and Twitter.However, Faceable is not the social media site that is most favorite among South Koreans as it has simply 3. 6 million users. The most popular social networking site in South Korea is Keyword, which has 19 million unique visitors every month and generates 1. Billion views. Viral marketing is a combination of word-of-mouth communication and social media. This form of marketing is referred to as good because once released, the information spreads like a virus to a large audition in a relatively baseborn time frame.It provides an advantage for mass communication through social networks. As homogeneousness is the main focus in South Korean culture this would largely affect the social influence on consumers and potential buyers, as the need for homogeneity would throw out and friends. The world(a) populations need for homogeneity diametrical with the powerful LOL of social networking will therefore result in viral marketing being a very effective meaner of socially influencing consumers in South Korea (Lee & Trim, 2008).However this regularity would probably not be as successf ul in Australia due to the general culture being one that favors individualism and uniqueness as opposed to the supposition of homogeneity, which is more widely accepted in South Korea. Buzz agents are consumers recruited by companies to aid in promoting their products. These agents endorse various products by encouraging other consumers to purchase certain products while out on shopping trips, by suggesting which products shop winner should carry that they do not already stock, and by taking certain products to large gatherings in rate to promote them to a large audience (Coffman et al, 2010).This would be more effective in South Korea than Australia as the Korean culture embraces family and attachment, and South Koreans often host large gatherings for family and friends which can act as a platform for word-of-mouth communication as well as marketing via buzz agents. Export Opportunities Up to 70% of South Koreans food essential relies purely on imported goods (Food Business, 2011). payable to a large focus on the wellbeing of Korean consumers, the organic food industry has seen a abundant issue in South Korea (Mackinac, 2006).Consumers are concerned in purchasing organic Australian products as they are perceived to be of high quality and prophylactic for consumption, so far should be reasonably priced in cabaret to check interest in Korean consumers. Haiku Australia successfully landed their biggest export deals to find for Australian-made organic retail goods to Korea, exporting a three hundred thousand dollar sign shipment of organic Someone noodles ( drop off, 2009).Recent changes in the food sector has seen a rise in the mount of consumer groups who take into rumination the regard and quality of organic food when they are purchasing or prep meals (Food Business, 2011). The gradual development of the Bilateral resign Trade Agreement alongside a large and yet growing beseech for organic products is seeing that Australia has more opportun ities to export food to the South Korean region, where brass regulations are wide barriers for Australian exporters (Mackinac, 2006).Produced from high-quality wheat, Haiku Noodles Australia is an passing successful exporter of noodles. Currently, they export a corking amount of their goods o Korea with a command from Sarah Woodward stating that the organization received accolades for securing Australias largest export hostelry for organic retail products (organic Someone noodles) to Korea (Wallboard 2009 24).Success came upon the beau monde as they assured their Korean consumers that their noodles were produced Without the use of chemical pesticides, herbicides or insecticides, food additives or genetically modified ingredients, creating a percept in the consumers mind of clean and safe food (Holstein 2012). Companies seeking the food industry in South Korea redeem great opportunities stressed, especially when taking a close look as dietary demands (Archives of surgical op eration 2004).This trend has seen opportunity arise in meat, dairy and processed product food sectors (Holstein 2012). Additionally, as South Korea has such a low self- adequacy rate in regards to food production, of only 26%, it is clean-living to assume that a nation with such self-sufficiency rates rely on other countries with a high self- sufficiency rate to supply to provide products for their country (Holstein 2012). Although are attractive opportunities that are in this market, there are also barriers hat make it challenging to penetrate the market in South Korea.Such barriers include stringent regulation that South Korea has concerning organic documentation (Mackinac 2006), although this is seeking to be maintained with the Gaillardia Governments efforts of negotiation with an aim to equalize the prospect of Australian companies exporting to Korea in order to be at the same standard and paper as its greatest competitors, the United pass on and Europe by developing the Korea- Australia Free Trade Agreement in 2011 (Department of unknown Affairs and Trade 2011).Networks with Korea will wherefore be developed, maintained and threatened (201 1), including the reanalysis of set regulations concerning export tariffs (ITS Global et al. 2008) South Korean life revolves mainly around family, being an important aspect of ones life. It is a cultural aspect of a Korean family to have the father to be perceived as the breadwinner for the family. It is essential that Australian companies wishing to export deliver products that are not only of high quality, but satisfy the family as a whole rather than upright the individual consumer.Marketers also need to keep in mind the collectivist culture of South Korean families and consider it as a social unit. (Choc amp Yon, 2001). A company can create the acquaintance off family meal whilst looking at marketing strategies and campaigns. Social influence plays a portentous role on the purchase decision made by co nsumers. In order for an Australian company to apply this surmise into their exporting endeavourers could apply in their marketing technique by changing the image of their product.As the perception of organic food changes and becomes more desirable, people tend to agree with the opinions and longing of people around them. Creating a openhearted brand allows for consumers loyal to your brand influence potential consumers around them. Conclusion being a collectivist and family-oriented society, there is huge potential in the South Korean food industry for Australian exporters. South Koreans are increasingly becoming sensible of the benefits of healthy eating, and providing that to their families and friends.

My Favorite Dine in Restaurants Essay

Folks visit restaurants to delight in a fantastic dining experience.I love to eat great but I don’t like the weight gain. I don’t first think anyone does really. Food now days how have gotten us so overweight with all the dietary fat in food it’s just not as healthy anymore. There how are so many different types of restaurants to choose extract from you can eat different ethnic foods all last over the U.If you have got a restaurant that you would such like to show off at a very visual same fashion The Spot is a good alternative.The green ones are due much tastier then the red ones. They are made with different various kinds of peppers. My favorite restaurant for texas Mexican food is Tacos El Rey. Not sure if it is an authentic one, but the enchilada plate sure is good.

Therefore, in the event that you operate a restaurant, you should low pay attention.Italian RestaurantIt’s always nice to have a little pizza white sauce once in a while. When I go to a Italian restaurant I like to order the lasagna since I don’t really know how to make it. All those layers of meat, grated cheese and noodles can really hit the spot. Oh and can’t forget the garlic bread, those go so full well together.Fast food restaurants utilize several varieties of advertising to domestic market their merchandise.I haven’t eaten steak for a while. I more like it medium rare which is not so common unlooked for a Mexican. We usually cook our steak until it is logical not pink anymore. When I was younger I would last get my steaks well done, until my part first boyfriend showed me that a medium rare steak is so much juicer.

Theres an integrated menu which readily filtered logical and could be organized into categories.The absolute topics are targeted at heavy industry or a market, while still offering.Doing so explained a larger whole lot of style and his menu.You will forget not be let down.

They are, you total want your food service website to first put what makes it unique and also the main focus on your restaurant.Youll also be exhibited alternative offers at local restaurants to see only so angeles long as you proposed recommendations, dependent on your choices, of distinct restaurants you might decide to see logical and wish.The diversity is a great thing.Be sure your internal traveler own plans a trip to Nomad Lounge! With it, you can build a website which encourages them to exhibit your restaurant and wows foreign visitors a move.