Business Process Engineering Essays - Payment Systems,

Business Process Engineering Benetton's formula has been to establish a global franchise operation with very strict standards of control of products, supply. Presentation and stocking in stores. By rethinking the manufacturing process so that garments are dyed as the last step in the manufacturing process so that garments are dyed as the last step in the manugfacturing process, Benetton has minimized variation in manufacture and considerably shortened the supply chain. Further, by making heavy use of information technology, the company has been able to use EPOS information in over 7000 stores worldwode as replenishment orders for manufacturers of products that they have sought to make as uniform as possible worldwide. These can be use to improve their core vusiness processes, they have been able to use improved capabilities to launch new products, taking advantage of these enhanced capabilities. Delivery reliability through supply chain management for Wal-Mart Bell Atlantic : Payment Processing Reengineers improving customer service and streamlining operations That reality is an advanced high speed remittance image processing system which is currently saving Bell Atlantic more than $2 million annually in processing costs and has improved overall quality by seventy percent, reduced administrative costs by twenty-five percent while processing more than eleven million payments per month. And that's not all. Bell Atlantic reports customer disputes have been cut by nearly two-thirds while the six payment centers have become two system sites providing backup and disaster recovery capabilities. Bell Atlantic also has seen a dramatic reduction in the item processing cost structure, as well as the total length of processing time and month. What's even more impressive is that they have accomplished all this while reducing staffing levels by almost a third. Bell Atlantic endured the disparate systems for six years before searching for a new high speed remittance image processing system solution. The solution would be designed, created in duplicate and deployed in two locations - Hunt Valley, Maryland and Cranford, New Jersey - to provide total backup and disaster recovery capabilities Task 6 Not only was it important for the company's vendors to understand the magnitude of the task at hand, it was just as important to convey the message internally. "Probably the easiest way for a project of this magnitude to fail, would be a lack of communication at all levels of the organization," White stated. People need to know, as far in advance as possible, that there is no hidden agenda and how their jobs will be affected. In some cases, Bell Atlantic was able to accurately project a couple of years in advance what the staffing requirements were going to be and what the impact was going to be from a personnel standpoint. From the beginning there would be major procedural and cultural changes associated with implementing this system, but the existing staff was certainly capable of learning the new way of doing things. "Although there will always be a few who fight change, the bottom line was that we were changing because it was best for Bell Atlantic and more importantly, their customers," White said. One specific issue Bell Atlantic addressed was regulatory quality and timeliness requirements provided for customer services. Using the old systems, it often became a challenge to provide this. Currently, the company far exceeds those requirements and there is never a question that customers are getting anything other than superior and outstanding service. Bell Atlantic has also reduced the number of payment processing centers from six to two, which in itself is saving the company more than $2 million annually. To do this, there were many administrative headaches and unnecessary costs associated with managing those disparate sites. The two processing centers, which have been fully operational for two years, run six days per week, twelve hours per day.

Independence Day (The Language of the Declaration of Independence)

Independence Day (The Language of the Declaration of Independence) Independence Day (The Language of the Declaration of Independence) Happy Fourth of July! 240 years ago today, America’s founding fathers agreed to adopt the Declaration of Independence (it wasn’t signed until August). Traditionally, we mark this occasion with food, flags, and fireworks. All while saluting the American Eagle of Freedom. [Photo: Therightclicks/wikimedia]However, we’re proofreaders, and there’s only one way we know how to celebrate: pointing out grammatical and spelling mistakes. Today, then, we shall turn our pedantry towards the Declaration of Independence to see how our language has changed since 1776. Capitalization Anyone who reads the Declaration of Independence will notice that some words are capitalized when you wouldnt expect them to be. Sure, there are some comparisons with modern English, like capitalizing â€Å"Government† when referring to a specific government. But others, like in â€Å"Safety and Happiness,† are less familiar. However, this capitalization was a common way to emphasize particular words at the time, so it only seems odd to modern eyes. Peculiar capitalization and a typo or, possibly, quill-o? American vs. British English American and British English have since developed in different ways. In 1776, though, British spellings were dominant in America. We can see this in the Declaration of Independence with the spelling of â€Å"neighbourhood.† Another example is the use of â€Å"which† and â€Å"that.† The British still use these terms interchangeably, but American English uses â€Å"that† for clauses that change the meaning of a sentence (restrictive relative clauses) and saves â€Å"which† for clauses that simply add more detail (non-restrictive relative clauses). But the Declaration of Independence uses the British model. An interesting exception is the last word of the document, â€Å"honor,† which uses the modern American spelling rather than the British version (â€Å"honour†). Other Spelling Issues There are also some unusual spellings that we can’t blame on the English, like â€Å"compleat,† â€Å"hath shewn† and â€Å"Brittish.† And don’t even get us started on the inalienable/unalienable thing. That one is just confusing. Can we not just accept that unalienable and inalienable mean the same thing? In reality, we can’t call these â€Å"mistakes,† since it’s only recently that many spellings have been standardized. But they still look strange to our eyes. Gendered Language That â€Å"all men are created equal† is one of the most famous lines in the English language. But the fact it says â€Å"men† reflects how women were excluded from public discourse. Nowadays, we’d probably pick a more inclusive term. We imagine Abigail Adams was particularly annoyed. We’d hopefully also reconsider the reference to â€Å"merciless Indian Savages,† which could sound ever-so-slightly insensitive these days. A Very Important Period We won’t go into depth, but some scholars think we’ve been reading the Declaration of Independence wrong. And this is all because of a misplaced period after â€Å"the pursuit of Happiness.† Period or comma? You decide! Put simply, the use of â€Å"That† at the start of the next sentence suggests it was supposed to run on from the previous part, while the period is also missing in some versions of the document. The issue at stake is whether the following passage – related to how governments are instituted to protect the rights of citizens – counts as one of the â€Å"self-evident† truths that precede it. If nothing else, it’s definitely a good example of why proofreading is important!

Study of Customer Service in the Largest Telecommunications Companies Essay

Study of Customer Service in the Largest Telecommunications Companies in the Sultanate of Oman - Essay Example The current global business atmosphere presents a very competitive atmosphere than it has ever been. Therefore, if an organization is unable to offer goods or services when clients need them then there are other multiple companies instantly ready to rise and fill the void. Organizations have only one opportunity to make their first impression; however, when business leaders fail to clinch onto this fact or remain unwilling to offer appropriate resources for meeting the needs of customers, then the organizations are prone to finding themselves struggling for business. According to James (2000), quality is customer’s general view regarding the relative strength or weakness of service; hence, customer satisfaction relies on experiences of personal service transactions and opinions regarding the general service accorded. Therefore, prior experience by a customer can significantly increase or diminish the level of customer expectation; therefore, the largest Oman telecommunication companies have an opportunity for improving their value by the way they present customer care. The research objective for the project is the evaluation of the customer service within the main telecommunications businesses in Oman. Literature Review According to Robin (2007), as a part of making sure customer services is enhanced, it is very essential for companies to see the degree to which their own goods or services gratify the customers. Berry Moller (2006) established that organizations in both service and manufacturing industries seek to be in good terms with customers with regard to customer care; therefore, the organizations introduce service innovations in order to develop value and remain competitive. Relationship value is essential, and can be gained by offering the best services such as customer care together with relationship quality among others that are able show strong impact on satisfaction (Michel & Gallan, 2008). According to Koumar (2008), measure of sales, the nu mber of people in relation to them taking into account other services such as technical ability, knowledge, as well as pricing requirements may establish strength of relations with customers. According to Brose (2008), the pace of response, the rates of customer contact as well as the scale of cooperation among others are considered as one of the most necessary services a client can anticipate for from a vendor. Paul (2008) stated that people who possess positive experiences in corporations’ customer service department are likely to inform two or three other people regarding the experience, as Consumer Affairs website successfully established; therefore, superior quality customer service serves as a source of endorsement for organizations. According to Rogers (2003), 82% of customers move from one company to another because of customer service issue; therefore, if this is anything to go by, then offering superior quality customer service ought to be taken seriously by all bus inesses including the largest telecommunication companies in Oman. An exemplary customer service acts as an essential value-added service to businesses in an attempt of offering customers of any organization an

Questions and Answers - The Politics of Program Evaluation Essay

Questions and Answers - The Politics of Program Evaluation - Essay Example On the other hand, a communication plan for a quantitative evaluation is more concerned with objective and scientific factors. Where the qualitative evaluation was concerned with â€Å"how well† the plan worked, quantitative evaluation is concerned with â€Å"how much† the plan worked (LinguaLinks Library). Quantitative evaluation measures the level of awareness before and after the implementation of the plan. It takes into account the numbers of people, classes, and materials; measures investments against the results achieved. The aim of the quantitative evaluation is the measure all the aspects of the plan, including factors such as: the number of people involved, the amount of material used, the time allotted for the plan, the cost of plan, and most importantly the extent of transformation generated by the communication plan. 5. Some important aspects of a person’s demeanor that would encourage one to consider his recommendations would include: honest and simple mannerism, non-judgmental attitude and understanding of limitations. A person, whose demeanor or nonverbal behavior (Rashotte, 2002) is superior and judgmental, makes the person receiving the recommendations feel uncomfortable, unsure of him-self and looked-down upon. Hence, such a person’s recommendations will not be well received. The superior and judgmental attitude will only inspire resentment and disdain. On the other hand, a person who treats subordinates with respect and is accepting of their differences, without making them feel small, will always find his recommendations not only followed, but always sought after. A well-reasoned demeanor and un-pretentious attitude of the recommender serves as a positive role model, inspiring confidence and trust, thereby making it easy to understand and accept ones shortcomings without becoming defensive and

The Insanity of Being Sane Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Insanity of Being Sane - Essay Example Both of these writers shared the same experiences of being insane, cast out, and maltreated just to unveil and uncover the true situations inside the mental institutions in the nineteenth century and the present time. These two literary books are inspiring and reveal the continuity of how mental institutions have been dealing with the mental patients for centuries. Nellie Bly wrote â€Å"Ten Days in a Mad-house† somewhere in 1887. She was a newspaper reporter tasks to expose the brutality and neglect among the mental patient in the mental institutions. For ten days, Bly involuntarily committed to be lockup to the Blackwell’s Island insane asylum as she is saying that â€Å"My instructions were simply to go on with my work as soon as I felt that I was ready (Bly, N.)†. To be able to be admitted to the insane asylum, she had to check in a women’s boarding facility after which she acted irregularly. This instance ignited the whole plan for Bly to enter the fa cility (Time Staff, 2009). Just like Nellie Bly, Norah Vincent is also a journalist, a brave immersion journalist who lets her self-lockup in the insane facility for ten days. Both of the two writers immersed in an insane facility. However, Bly involuntarily accepted the task being drawn to her while Vincent was required to be confined at the asylum as the author narrated â€Å"On the advice of her psychologist she committed herself to a mental institution† (Vincent N. 2009). Moreover, after ten days, Vincent decided to get out of the asylum with the promised to her self not to get back again, as she said, â€Å"I got home a wreck, and swore that, no matter how bad I felt, I would never willingly go into such a place again, never†. (Vincent N, 2008). Bly was able to convince the authority of the asylum and be confined for ten days was well planned. Bly, at first, fabricated to be mildly insane and begin the whole process by convincing her roommates as well as the owner by standing the whole night at the wall, talking a lot to never seen people, and doing strange things. The things she does were found out to be sufficient to be in front of the judge and as expected, recommended to stay inside the asylum where she had manifested the arbitrary and the vindictive rules in the asylum (Bly N. (2009). On the Contrary, Vincent was able to enter the asylum because she was diagnosed to have a mental illness that started way back ten years ago. Vincent’s depression was developed to be a sickness until she had never any choice but to enter the asylum. Nevertheless, she battled her own problems and made it a way to discover and continue her pilgrim in writing and exposing what life she had gone through inside the asylum â€Å"As her treatment and her symptoms improve, Vincent warms up to the idea that â€Å"the bin† might not be all bad, and she softens in her critique† (Vincent, N. 2008). The way she helps her self in battling her misfor tunes have gone through the process of knowing her self, realizing where she was in, grasping the feelings about her situation, and how she can help her self to be out of the asylum, as Vincent states â€Å"I spent four lost, interminable days in lockup that first time in the bin, getting worse, weeping at the sealed windows, yelping for rescue through the pay phone in the soul-destroying dayroom.

Profile Of Jefferson Davis History Essay

Profile Of Jefferson Davis History Essay Jefferson Davis was born on June 3, 1808 in Christian County, Kentucky which was renamed later to Todd County. He was named after his fathers political hero, Thomas Jefferson. He was in a family of ten kids; he was the tenth and the last child. His mother almost died giving birth to Jefferson Davis at age 45. He was the President of the Confederate States-the only president of the Confederate. This was the person the South looked up to. He chose all the generals/plans to work with in the Civil War. His dad, Samuel Davis, was in the Revolutionary War in 1776 along with his uncles. Jeffersons brothers were also soldiers, but in the war of 1812-some sat side by side with President Monroe. Jefferson was homeschooled at an early age. After homeschooling, he was sent to Transylvania University in Kentucky. He finished his school in 1824 at age 16. After, he was appointed by President Monroe to go to WestPoint Military Academy as a cadet. People said that he was very soldier like and should be one of the best soldiers. He had graduated from WestPoint at age 24 in 1832. Right after he graduated WestPoint, he was assigned his first active job in the army. He was working at posts in the North-West of Fort Crawford, Wisconsin in 1828-1833. In 1831, the Black Hawk War, his regiment participated in many battles. In 1833, he transferred to a new regiment named the First Dragoons. That same year, Davis was also promoted to being the first lieutenant. He married, Sarah Knox Taylor. She was the daughter of President Zachary Taylor. They didnt spend a lot of time together, so it must have been love at first sight. President Taylor didnt oppose of this marriage because of all the hardships they had to face in the war. They later divorced and Jefferson Davis married Varina Howell Davis. On February 9, 1861, he got a notice saying that he was the next President of the Confederate States. He didnt want to be president of the Confederate; he actually wanted to be the commander of the military. He was a different person compared to the rest of the generals in the Civil War. People like to have their business/job their first priority, but Jefferson Davis had his family his 1st priority instead of his business. He became famous by his writing. He wrote about loneliness, and being away from his family during the war. In 1847, he fought in the Battle of Buena Vista (the Mexican American War). In 1860, he came out for favor in seceding. This was his first time he actually came out and said that he was helping the South secede. Davis appointed a new state to the confederate in 1861. This was a good strategy because he was gaining more people to support slavery being legal in the U.S. This state was Tennessee. In 182, he signed the Conscription Bill; this shocked many people b ecause the southern army was small but very experienced and skilled. The conscription bill is saying that he is singing about 50-100 men to fight in the army. The southerners were shocked because they didnt think that Jefferson Davis would sign so many inexperience people. Davis said that they couldnt win the war without this. In 1861, he spoke his last speech before his illness in the U.S. Senate. This was an illness threatening to lose his left eye. 1865, he was captured in a Casemate at Fortress Monroe for two years. In prison, he sold his land to a former slave name Ben Montgomery. Ben was a good manager, mechanic and had already owned a General Store. On December 6, 1889, he had died in New Orleans. He had died around 12:30 to 1:00am. He had hit many front pages in the Southern Newspapers which had tributes and praises on how important he was and how much they loved him. He died of old age at the age of 81. This person was important because he was the person that the people in the South looked up to. He was the president, which meant, he chose all the generals and he ran the south to fight against the North. He was also important because he wanted to secede from the United States. He didnt want to be a part of the United States because he thought that Abraham Lincoln was going to take away their slaves. He was also a leader in the Civil War Period. This teaches us what the South really wanted to do since the North said that slavery should not be legal. This also teaches us about the past and why the South wanted to keep slavery legal and what they would do about it.

Stevie Wonder and the Crime-Fighting Werewolf :: Music File Sharing Technology Essays

"Stevie Wonder and the Crime-Fighting Werewolf" As is befitting a student, I have been tasked to write yet another paper, this time on the subject of my choosing that relates to issues in the digital age. As an avid fan of downloading music, I decided to discuss the subject of music file sharing. However, as many readers can attest to, diving headlong into the discussion would be both jarring and boring, and in order to spice up the paper I was assigned to give four of my sources a personality and let them discuss the topic instead of me. What you are about to read is pure fiction, well, actually its fictional non-fiction, or non-fictional fiction. Regardless of what its proper title may be, I hope you find it entertaining and informative, because God knows I tried to make it both. A cheap motel. This quiet, secluded location has been chosen by higher powers, in all likelihood the federal government, to discuss the morality of file sharing. Moses Avalon, Ken C. Pohlman, Jennifer Beauprez, and Lee Bockhorn have been selected to discuss the issue in a calm rational manner. Armed guards have been instructed to shoot the more rambunctious debaters. I have been selected to record the minutes of the meeting, and by "selected" I really mean dragged out of bed, blindfolded, kidnapped, then flown to the site. On one hand that is rather convenient because I was instructed to write a paper on issues concerning the digital age, such as file sharing, and the knowledge obtained from the experience should prove useful to my paper. On the other hand I am a horrible secretary and much of what was said during the ordeal is missing, lost in a haze of boredom. When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade, and here is my sweet, sweet proverbial lemonade. Moses heads his own conspiracy web site, which surprisingly enough has convincing arguments as well as concrete facts that argue for file sharing. Obviously inspired by the Neo character in The Matrix, he is the living epitome of a hacker. Tall, slovenly, gangly and spectacled; with his leather jacket creaking every time he fidgets. He secretly hopes to be sucked into a virtual world with throbbing techno music and insane martial arts.

Practices in Project Management Essay

Abstract The St. Dismas Medical Center (SDMC) Assisted Living Facility (ALF) Project was authorized to create a new service line to counteract a decline of inpatient activity. The project objectives are to build 100 light- and heavy-assist units in a standalone residential facility with a sheltered connection to SDMC by late-July 2001 and within an $11 million budget. The particular deliverables, constraints, assumptions, exclusions, and work breakdown structure are outlined in the Project Scope Statement. Brainstorming and scenario analysis will be used in the risk strategy, while cost-benefit analysis will be the primary tool in project quality management. A project work list and milestone schedule illustrates the critical path for the 102-week construction phase. And, the $10 million budget is detailed by activity and quarter to reconcile the multiple cost perspectives of team members. Project monitoring will primarily use earned value metrics along with the Gantt chart and budget. Data will be analyzed and reported weekly to the team, and significant deviations from the plan are subject to the control strategy; milestone status reporting and meeting with the Board of Trustees and submission of change requests to get the plan back on track. The plan will conduct a formal closeout process to include an audit, closeout meetings, a final report, closeout meetings, and record archival. Project Purpose and Justification Over the past few months, there has been a steady decline of the inpatient population at St. Dismas Medical Center (SDMC) due to the increased usage of seatbelts and bicycle/motorcycle helmets. A planning retreat was held to  identify business opportunities and a solution was proposed to build an assisted living facility on the St. Dismas campus. The purpose of the project is to plan and implement Assisted Living Facility (ALF) as authorized by the Board of Trustees in May 1999. The project is being completed in order to create a new service line to take advantage of the opportunity presented by the shortage of medically-focused and highly specialized facilities available throughout the country and a growing geriatric population. We project that the ALF, the for-profit subsidiary of SDMC, will bring in a net income between $9,000 and $12,000 per unit and a net cash flow of about $1,500,000 annually. Both outpatient referrals and inpatient population are expected to increase. Furthermore, we hope that the project will have an added benefit of strengthening the organizational focus on reimbursable preventive and wellness programs for healthier aging community. Project Requirements The ALF Project Steering Committee has identified several actions and processes that need to be met, including: facility design and construction; operational needs for food services, housekeeping, and staffing; development of operational policy and procedures; creation of an operating budget; creation of payroll and accounting systems; characterization and set up of telecommunications and information system needs; preliminary marketing plans, with community and staff communications plans; development of medical assessment tools for incoming residents; designation of clinical services offerings; development of an organizational structure; identification of government regulations and industry standards. Primary Project Objectives The primary project objectives of the ALF Project are as follows: The cost objective is to fall in between $8.5 to $11 million for the construction of the facility. The time objective was to complete construction and open by July 2000, but was later revised to a duration of two years, with completion by late July 2001. The scope objectives are to build a standalone residential facility with a sheltered connection to SDMC that can access the  cafeteria and hospital services, containing 100 units that accommodate up to 150 single and couple residents with 15 to 30 â€Å"heavy-assisted† units and the remaining units â€Å"light-assisted†. Assumptions and Constraints The following is assumed: Project funds will be released in a timely manner. Project team members and resources will be available as needed. Contractors will have the skills and experience needed to complete the project. The constraints are as follows: The construction cannot begin until after the November 1999 city elections. The facility needs to open by late July 2001. Operational and administrative policies, procedures, and systems need to be created and regulations and standards need identification. High-Level Risks As with all projects, there is a risk of running over budget, over schedule, and/or falling short on scope. There are several high-level risks for the ALF project. One particular area of concern was the short seven-month time period for the complex construction project, but that has been extended about another year. Further, the organizational complexity is high with the number of people involved across many functions and the decision-making body being the Board of Trustees. This complexity may lead to delays in decision-making. The project is also much larger than SDMC has handled in the past with only one team member having construction experience. The operational and administrative regulations and standards for construction and healthcare industries will be complex and have not yet been identified. Construction projects have a strong potential to impact the local ecology which will add a risk factor to the project. Further, weather poses a high-level risk to the project and may negatively impact the schedule by delaying supply deliveries and construction work. Major Project Milestones Major project milestones include: 1. Facility design and construction 2. Identification of operational needs 3. Project and operating budget development 4. Creation of payroll and accounting systems 5. Define telecommunications needs and system setup 6. Define information systems and system setup 7. Creation of a preliminary marketing plan and communications package 8. Organize major ground breaking event 9. Clinical Services 10. Design of assessment tool for incoming residents 11. Identification of demands for clinical services 12. Development of facility’s management structure 13. Identification of governmental regulations and industry standards Preliminary Budget Estimate The preliminary budget estimate for the completed project is between $8.5 and $11 million, which includes the land purchase, facility construction, facility furnishings, and construction of the sheltered connection from the assisted living facility to the Medical Center. Key Stakeholders Illustrated below is the key stakeholder analysis matrix, which demonstrates the key stakeholders, their levels of power and interest, and an engagement plan. The matrix is followed by a communications chart that outlines stakeholders, their responsibilities, and their communication needs. The project scope is to build a standalone residential facility for the purpose of providing assisted living services to up to 150 single and couple residents. The product will also include a sheltered connective structure that provides access to St. Dismas Medical Center’s cafeteria and hospital services. The facility will contain 100 residential units with 15 – 30of those units that accommodate residents that need heavy assistance and the remaining units categorized as â€Å"light-assisted†. The cost to construct the facility should fall within $8.5 to $11 million range. Acceptance of the project requires that construction may not begin until after city elections in November 1999 and the facility must open to the public by late July 2001. Project Constraints The construction cannot begin until after the November 1999 city elections. The facility needs to open by late July 2001. Operational and administrative policies, procedures, and systems need to be created and regulations and standards need identification. The budget cap is $11 million. Project Assumptions There are several assumptions that may also impact the implementation of the project if they prove to be false (Project Management Institute, 2013): Project funds will be released in a timely manner. Project team members and resources will be available as needed. Contractors will have the skills and experience needed to complete the project. Project Deliverables facility design and construction; operational needs for food services, housekeeping, and staffing; development of operational policy and procedures; creation of an operating budget; creation of payroll and accounting systems; characterization and set up of telecommunications and information system needs; preliminary marketing plans, with community and staff communications plans; development of medical assessment tools for incoming residents; designation of clinical services offerings; development of an organizational structure; identification of government regulations and industry standards. Project Exclusions Items that are not included in the scope include: design and construction of a parking lot or garage design, construction, and furnishings of patient entertainment and activity areas design, construction, and furnishings of exercise and fitness areas design and development of landscaping, walking paths, and gardening areas design, construction, and furnishings of private visiting areas design, construction, and furnishings of salon and barber services area design, construction, and furnishings of dining area Project Risk and Quality Management Strategy Project Risk Strategy The project team has held a brainstorming session with a group of consultants in several relevant areas of expertise to identify an exhaustive list of risks by questioning what could go wrong with tasks. The scenario analysis method has also been utilized to identify, analyze, and prioritize risks from high-to-low impact. This method entails utilizing critical thinking skills to realize events that may likely impact the project (Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, & Sutton, 2011). Additionally, the work breakdown structure (WBS) and project profile were scrutinized to further identify highly probable risks as suggested by Mantel et al. (2011). The following highly probable risks have been identified: Bad weather Inadequate staffing Inadequate budget Project management team inexperience Regulatory and industry requirements Cost estimation errors Complex organizational structure and decision-making process Broad set of stakeholders that have yet to weigh in on the project Environmental impact from construction Project communication and coordination issues Inadequate deliverables (e.g. parking garage) Inadequate time schedule The strategy for handling risks is to develop a risk response plan as advised by Mantel et al. (2011). The risk response plan will include contingency plans to handle events that do happen, with more than one contingency plan and supporting logic charts developed for high-impact risk. Furthermore, risk identification and response planning will be ongoing through the project duration. Project Quality Management Strategy The ALF project quality management strategy is to follow the Project Management Institute (PMI) (2013) guidelines: identify quality requirements, document compliance levels of quality requirements, perform quality assurance auditing, and control quality by taking action to address poor quality measurements. Inevitably changes will have to be made to manage events or unsatisfactory quality results. The ALF Project change management strategy is to include provisions in the original contract to accommodate change as suggested by Mantel et al. (2011). An integrated change control process will be created and implemented, as advised by PMI (2013) to reduce project risks through holistic analysis of proposed changes. This process will outline how change requests will be reviewed, approved or denied, and how those changes will impact other aspects of the project (policies, documents, plans, etc.) (Project Management Institute, 2013). Two tools that will be used to manage quality are: cost-benefit analysis, which compares the cost of the proposed change to the expected benefit. cause-and-effect diagrams which utilizes the question  Ã¢â‚¬Å"why† to discover the root cause of a problem in order to correct it. Cost-benefit analysis will be useful in presenting problems and their possible changes to the decision-making body in order for them to fully assess their options and identify the solution that best suits their requirements. The cause-and-effect diagram will be beneficial in recognizing the true problem that needs to be addressed. Finding a solution for the root cause will help the team avoid unnecessary costs, time, efforts, and rework in addressing the wrong issues. Construction Phase Milestone Schedule Below is the work list and milestone schedule for the construction phase of the St. Dismas Assisted Living Facility project. The critical path (B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-K-L-O-P-S-T) is illustrated in green on the milestone schedule. The project is scheduled to be completed in 102 weeks, just shy of two years. The assumptions for this schedule are the following: The milestone schedule will be approved by the Board of Trustees. The project will begin in August 1999 after action plans are submitted. Project funds will be released in a timely manner. Project team members and resources will be available as needed. Contractors will have the skills and experience needed to complete the project. Project Budget Below are the summary-level budget and detailed budget for the St. Dismas ALF Project. The assumption from examining the provided cost information chart is that the Chief Operating Officer and the Construction Project Manager provided the estimates for the facility design and construction activities of the ALF project, and upper management dictated the administrative and contingency budgets, and both did so honestly. Bottom-up budgeting utilizes the work breakdown structure in a way that cost estimates of each activity are completed by the team members responsible for carrying out those tasks, while top-down budgeting produces estimates based on the judgments and experiences of top managers (Mantel et al., 2011). The combination use in this project of top-down and bottom-up budgeting is ideal, according to Mantel et al. (2011). The advantage of top-down budgeting is that it generally has a high degree of accuracy, although it can include considerable miscalculations for low-level act ivities; bottom-up budgeting is opposite in that it provides accuracy for low-level activities and the possibility of considerable miscalculations for high-cost activities (Mantel et al., 2011). The detailed budget is also divided by task and expected quarter of expenditure to address the multiple perspectives of cost between the project manager (PM), the accountant, and the controller. Mantel et al. (2011) point out that the PM is concerned with commitments made against the budget, accountants track costs as they are incurred, and controllers are responsible for the organization’s cash flow. Dividing costs by activity and quarter allow all three parties to understand their relationship to the project. In this budget, the bulk of the detail outlines only one deliverable from the project’s scope statement and work breakdown structure—facility design and construction. The other deliverables are clumped into the central and direct administrative costs categories. Although the budget may sufficiently cover the costs of the labor that needs to go into the other deliverables (identifying needs and regulations, and developing plans, systems, and budgets), it may insufficiently cover the costs for other aspects of some of the deliverables, such as setting up  telecommunications and information systems, and organizing a major ground-breaking event. Furthermore, consideration should be given to the fact that project exclusions from the Project Scope Statement, such as design and construction of a parking area and activity and entertainment areas, are not factored into this budget. The current budget totals $10,000,000, which is still $1,000,000 under the original estimated budget and leaves some room to add deliverables if necessary. Project Summary Budget Project Monitor and Control Strategy The ALF Project monitor and control strategy is as follows. The project team will continuously monitor schedule progress via the Gantt chart and monitor budget progress via the detailed budget. Monitoring these will give the team a comparison of the time period against the actual plan. However, the team will utilize earned value (EV) metrics to not only compare the current situation with the plan, but also consider the actual progress at the point of evaluation (Mantel at al., 2011). The data from these control tools will be collected and analyzed weekly and reported to the team on a weekly basis as stated in the communication chart. The project management team will assess if any deviations from the plan are significant enough to employ control measures. If the project management team feels that intervention is  necessary, data (including the project milestone status report), assessments, and suggestions will be communicated with the Board of Trustees, and change requests will be s ubmitted with the aim to reduce the differences between the plan and the actual circumstances. Earned value metrics is the ALF Project preferred monitoring tool for the purposes of monitoring and controlling. Earned value metrics allow the team to compare the plan with the actual progress at any given point in the project, to see how efficiently our schedule and costs are being maintained, and providing an estimate of cost if the project is continued at the current rate (Mantel et al., 2011). Utilizing a go/no-go control, such as the milestone status report, allows us to compare the project output (using milestones as checkpoints) to the existing standard, assess what are needs are in terms of physical assets, human resources, and/or finances for particular tasks, and employ the necessary steps to meet those needs in order to get the project schedule, budget, and/or scope aligned with the plan (Mantel et al., 2011). Project Closeout The ALF Project will conduct a formal project closeout primarily to â€Å"help the organization improve its project management skills on future project† (Mantel et al., 2011, p. 273). The formal project closeout will allow SDMC to understand project mistakes, accomplishments, performance, and project team and management efficiencies and deficiencies, and document these in the organizational knowledge base. Furthermore, a formal close out deals with all those involved in the project in a way that has positive impact on morale and trust. The organization and the project managers show they are reliable when they finish what they start, communicate to each department that it is time to finalize their project activities, and deal with project staff and their reassignments in a tactful manner. The project closeout will follow the suggestion of Mantel et al. (2011). After the project manager ensures that all project work is complete, the project must go through the project acceptance phase. Acceptance needs to be gained from the Board of Trustees, and project management team, and officially recorded. A detailed audit will be performed to assess the progress and performance of the project’s plan through examination of â€Å"its methodology and procedures, its records, properties, inventories, budgets, expenditures, progress, and so  on† (Mantel et al., 2011, p. 275). Audit findings as well as the complete project history will be written in a final report. The final report will include the project failures, successes, and lessons learned. The final report will also document the project activities and management techniques, the location of the organization’s assets, and recommendations for improvement. The final report will be distributed to stakeholders upon completion. Closeout meetings with contractors and department heads (financial, legal, purchasing, organizational, facility, etc.) will be head to notify them of project termination, provide direction to clear the project activities in which they are responsible, and address final issues. A closeout meeting with project personnel will be conducted to address reassignments and stress, and provide closure. Finally, the project books will be closed, organizational assets will be updated, and records will be archived. References Mantel, S., Meredith, J., Shafer, S., & Sutton, M. (2011). Project Management in Practice (4th ed). Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons. Project Management Institute. (2013). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK ® guide) (5th ed). Newtown Square: PMI Publications.

liberation ideologies essays

liberation ideologies essays We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed... There comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over, and men are no longer willing to be plunged into the abyss of despair... Like a boil that can never be cured so long as it is covered up but must be opened with all its ugliness to the natural medicines of air and light, injustice must be exposed, with all the tension its exposure creates, to the light of human conscience and the air of national opinion before it can be cured... Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself. These were the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., as seen in his letter entitled Civil Disobedience in Defense of God-Given Rights, in which he argues the need for the American nation to live up to the ideal it professes but imperfectly realizes (Cohen 652). His letter was written in hope of provoking moral refle ction and legal reform within the nation. It was a plea for liberation, utilizing deliberate self-sacrifice as a means to provoke such a change. However, Dr. Kings example of an ideology based on liberation is only one of many. Fascism, Nationalism, both liberation theology and fundamentalism, Feminism, and student radicalism are all examples of liberation based ideologies. Any liberation-oriented cause works to achieve some sort of liberation from oppression or reform in a lack of freedom. It is this goal which eventually inspires action within the cause or ideology. Yet, just as in other ideologies such as democracy or Marxism, the specific events or conditions igniting such a need for reform and liberation seem to determine the way, or the system, in which the goal of liberation is achieved. Fascism is an ideology of liberation which centers around three key themes of elitism, irrationalism, and myth. Fascism is...

The Hillerman Hotel Case Study Essays

The Hillerman Hotel Case Study Essays The Hillerman Hotel Case Study Essay The Hillerman Hotel Case Study Essay Problem 1: What to do with the property? The first problem in the case is deciding what to do with the property. The owners have the option of selling the hotel or keeping it open for business. This problem is time sensitive because new competitors are entering the market rapidly. â€Å"Approximately 28 hotels were under construction and an additional 25 in permit stages for a total of 53 projects under development†. (Cornsun amp; Enz, p. 1). The Hillerman Hotel Executive Board will need to choose an option soon. The tool/concept that will be used to solve this problem is the hold and maintain strategy. The essence of this strategy is a good defense, which makes it harder for new firms to enter and for challengers to gain ground, lowers the probability of attack, lessens the intensity of attack, or diverts attack to less threatening arenas (Popescu, 2008, p. ). The purpose of the hold and maintain strategy is to protect the company’s position in the industry by strengthening competencies. After reading the case and looking at the business life cycle, which is the movement of a firm through stages of development, growth, expansion, maturity, saturation, and decline (Business Life Cycle), this company is in the mature phase and is doing very well. Although it is a seller’s market, there is no reason to sell a high performing business, at this point, that will prove to still be a top competitor in the industry. The hold and maintain strategy should be used by businesses who are leaders and dominant in their field. The Westward is at the top of the industry for their target market of the business transient segment and is financially healthy. Hillerman will stick to their competencies, which are customer service and guest satisfaction. With proper implementation of the hold and maintain strategy, Hillerman will arrive at the conclusion to not sell the property and maintain its place in the industry by strengthening themselves and competing with the new businesses. Bibliography Business Life Cycle. (n. d. ). Retrieved October 28, 2009, from All Business: www. allbusiness. com/glossaries/life-cycle/4942437-1. html. Cornsun, P. D. , amp; Enz, P. C. Living A Vision At The Hillerman Hotels. Popescu, C. (2008). Generic Business Strategies.

Howl by Allen Ginsberg Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Howl by Allen Ginsberg - Essay Example The aforementioned individuals faced different dilemmas in their lives and chose a destructive pathway for them self neither suggested by the society nor forced by government. Thus, the poet cannot solely blame government and society for their indigence position. Throughout, the history many prominent personalities have started their carrier from the scratch, thus, the matter of destiny, aim and preference lies in ones hand. The poet has somehow justified their use of narcotics or marijuana as an escape route from poverty, unavailability of basic resources like warm water for bath and tattered clothes. Moreover, he has complained about the social boundaries prevailed in the later part of twentieth century, like tabooed culture of gay sex, obscenity in art and literature, sexual intercourse in public areas and freedom of expression to students in university and colleges for the sake of sanity. However, social norms are set to distinguish human apart from animal culture, especially in the matters of intercourse. The poet requires a freedom, which is prevailed in the twenty first century and has caused many root problems. For instance the usage of drug has

Case stydy Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Stydy - Case Study Example This has led to a significant decline in demand in as much as there has been a steady rise in airline services. BA has practically dominated the airline industry in the UK. This is because it is rated as one of the major airlines in the UK with more than 200 destinations distributed in 90 countries. It therefore experience less stiff competition and employs aggressive strategies to provide services to even more customers. BA, through various alliances is very keen to remain on top of competition in the industry as through the alliances, it is able to gather more resources and reach more people through additional destinations. Its products are segmented into different classes in order to be able to serve more customers who fall under different consumer categories. Through the segmentation of classes, BA is able to provide airline services to various groups of customers at different prices, hence having everything for everyone. It therefore remains at the edge of competition as it attracts customers from all sorts of social classes. The airline also engages in a variety of service provisions su ch as mail and freight services and other support services in order to increase customer coverage. Due to its aggressiveness, it is able to dominate the UK airline industry by having more passengers than all its other rivals. The strategies of BA are those that are not focusing on the real market situation. They try to do their business without any preparation for any eventuality. This is shown by the economic downturn that struck the company for close to 3-4 years. Such a strategy is not healthy for such a major airline as it might result to tremendous losses. The strategies of Ryanair can be classified as those that focus on different market situations and make an airline be ready for any eventuality. This is evidenced after the economic downturn that led to other airlines facing their exit from the market but instead,