Project Management Essay Example for Free

Project Management Essay Moving forward to begin the process of managing the trade show project for LRH Products, it is important that all aspects of the process are performed correctly and efficiently. After studying the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) and the nine knowledge areas, I have ascertained that the following three areas are of utmost importance to the success of this project: Project Time Management, Project Human Resource Management, and Project Communications Management. Project Time Management, which contains the sub-areas of Activity Definition, Activity Sequencing, and Activity Duration Estimating is a very important part of planning for the trade show. Activity Definition is perhaps the most crucial aspect of this area. If this step is not thoroughly researched and all scenarios accounted for, it can impact the rest of the planning activities. It is essential to remember that training is one activity which must be properly time managed and added to the schedule, as well. Even one forgotten item can put the entire project behind schedule. Unfortunately, if time is not managed properly, there can be no extensions to the trade show date. Activity Sequencing is a bit less important although it must also be given careful consideration. Oftentimes, the performance of one activity hinges on the completion of another so little regard to this area could also impact the time to achieve all required activities. Activity Duration Estimating can be one of the trickiest parts of the planning process, especially for a new manager who has no first-hand experience dealing with the assigned personnel and little or no knowledge of resource availability. Oftentimes, managers will respond to questions regarding time in an optimistic manner, believing that this is what their superiors want to hear. It does no good to anyone involved to seriously underestimate the amount of time required and can add undue stress to those assigned tasks with no hope of completing them according to schedule as well as detrimentally affecting motivation and commitment. It is vital to always allow enough time to accomplish all that needs to be done – as well as accounting for changes which may hamper progress. Of course, as uncertainty declines, the time estimate becomes ever more accurate (Billows, 2006). Project Human Resource Management entails Organizational Planning, Staff Acquisition, and Team Development. This is important in that one person cannot perform all tasks and requires the help of a team. According to Trade Show Advisor (2008), â€Å"†¦the effectiveness of your exhibit team can make or break your success at any given show†. Deciding on who is best equipped to handle each activity is vital, although when large amounts of personnel are needed (depending on the size of the trade show) it may be necessary to train staff members who might not have prior experience. Particularly for a new manager, it is best to assign tasks based on areas of strength; for instance, it is known that Pat enjoys updating the collateral. This is a perfect assignment for Pat, then, and the effective manager will base goal times on completion around this employee’s schedule vacation in order to ensure it is performed effectively. Dealing with Terry, who can make travel arrangements but often makes mistakes in setting them up, means additional time considerations to perform follow-up on Terry’s work to check for accuracy. Staff Acquisition is another area of consideration. Due to the limited amount of time each assigned employee is available to devote to the project and keeping in mind that unexpected circumstances, such as illness or personal emergencies may occur, it is always wise to have a selection of personnel from which to select as back-up. Ensuring that all staff members are on the same page and communicating frequently will aid in Team Development. Everyone involved must realize that this project is a team effort and commit to doing whatever is necessary to accomplish goals. As well, it is critical to encourage honest and open communication so that there are no surprises as the project nears its end. Staff members must know that it is all right to admit they are not going to make a deadline, in order for the project manager to come up with alternatives before it is too late to fix. Project Communications Management is by far the most important area of the project management plan. A loss of, or breakdown in, communication can have disastrous results for the entire project. If not properly managed, lost or missing communication can mean the staff attending the show are unprepared, or do not have the necessary resources. Within this broad category are the areas of Communication Planning, Information Distribution, Performance Reporting, and Administrative Closure. Communication Planning – deciding who needs to know what – is a topic best addressed carefully. It takes the ability to look at the big picture to best determine who must stay in the loop. Oftentimes, it is assumed that a minor player, such as an administrative assistant, need not be communicated with as much, or as often, as others, but this can be a fatal mistake. Remember that support staff left behind during the trade show itself are the only lifeline between clients and absent sales managers. It is also a good idea to have one staff member who is not attending the show to be fully informed of all activities in the project. Information Distribution is also a key component, especially when deciding how to communicate vital information. It is important to ensure that all team members receive communications in a timely manner and let the project manager know it has been received to avoid later problems or excuses. Similarly, Progress Reporting is an additional area in which it is vital to ensure the manager is working with the most up-to-date information and that all personnel are aware of how their progress, or lack thereof, impacts the entire project. Administrative Closure is the final step in communication of the project. This is where the manager is held accountable for the success of the trade show and the resulting sales leads which must be followed up on after its conclusion.

Response to Speech Titled An American Success Story -- Nakasian

Dear Mr. Nakasian, Your speech has been capable of showing people your thoughts and ideas on â€Å"An American Success story†. In â€Å"An American Success storyâ€Å", you tell your audience that forty years ago you entered America through a U.S. District Court in New York. I believe that the U.S. District Court is in the same area as the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. You spoke of applying and receiving your American Citizenship, then going through an honored ceremony. Also you spoke of the meanings and feelings that this Certificate has expressed on you, which showed your public viewers. Well as much as your viewers see this speech, personally I do not agree with you on some levels of your speech being a well rounded and believable description of â€Å"An American Success Story†. You state only your experiences not knowing what anyone else went through nor giving any examples of anyone else’s experiences. Mr. Nakasian, my opinion of you is constructed of an idealistic person who wants to believe everything that comes out of your mouth. In your speech of an â€Å"American Success Story†, you speak about cherishing your certificate for forty years. You announced your meaning of this certificate as a very special item to you because no other country offers as much as this certificate guarantees. Also you spoke of escaping discrimination by coming to America and having the guarantee of religious beliefs and personal freedom. You set down experiences about yourself, how you went through a poor life and then becoming orphaned shortly after arriving in the United States. In your speech, you discussed your dream of becoming a lawyer and making progress: educationally, professionally and economically. Also an interesting point you have made to y... ...sion as shows, movies, commercials and so on. Also it is harder for immigrants to find a job, especially if they have accents. For example, even immigrants with an education who have an accent have closed doors to job opportunities because they are not of the same kind and an accent make’s it harder to identify someone. Think about it people will not always be nice to you in this world, maybe you were just hit with a simple bit of luck. Many things in American society is not as always great as people might seem to think they are, which gives people a different vibe about America such as you Mr. Nakasian. Although people know there is no country that provides each person with better opportunities than America. I just do not completely agree with your presentation, as the United States being an ideal country because people don’t give us enough information.

Downfall of our public schools Essay

As much as we would like to be able to assert that American public schools are the best in the world, time and time again we have been proven wrong, at least partially. The American system of public schools is failing those it serves. It has failed to provide equal educational opportunities to all students, it has failed to train them to take jobs and advanced careers, and it has failed to secure the future of American prosperity by failing utterly to create the kind of necessary professional and skilled labor balance that is critical to our continued prominence as a nation. On structural, financial, and curricular levels, the system is not designed to succeed. What it does do well is prepare a very small number of people who come from wealthy families to have any opportunity they want to take advantage of and leaves the vast majority of the nation to fend for itself – often without the tools, support, or ability to do so. The American public system of education bases its curriculum on several overarching principles: generalization, focus on the liberal arts, and an emphasis on individual achievement and self-selection (meaning that individual students determine the course of their own education and career path rather than being funneled into specific schools and programs as is common in other countries). Each of these, philosophically, is designed to help students achieve the greatest level of self-reliance and independence while providing the broad liberal foundation that can be, theoretically, applied in any situation, in any calling. Those are the benefits of a liberal foundation, but the detriments are that without specialization in education, students aren’t able to focus intensely upon their particular subject area until as late as college, and perhaps a small amount in high-school. The result is that students focusing on a general education for 12 years are allowed only 4-5 years of specialization (Browser, 10). Other nations, notably Japan and Germany, employ a system of education that, as early as elementary school, begins to identify potential school types and careers for students and puts them through specialization 4-6 years earlier than the US (Browser, 10). This results in many of these nations excelling in math and science where the U. S. falters. But, this is not the only point of failure of the U. S. system, the 2005 study of reading and mathematical proficiencies of 4th and 8th graders nationwide found that less than 40% of all students tested were grade-level proficient in those subjects (Standard & Poors, pNA). This figure gets worse when the schools are dominantly African-American or Hispanic in Graduation Graduation rates are similarly dismal – only 69. 7% of American high school students matriculate (â€Å"High School Graduation Rates in the United States†, pNA). The American public school curricula is failing its students. There are a variety of opportunities throughout the continuum of public education to directly assist students in determining the career path that best suits not only their individual skills and needs, but those of the nation as well. In my own experience, I witnessed high school programs that taught industrial arts, and job-related programs that had been designed to provide students who would not be going to college with the skills necessary to enter the workforce upon graduation get cut out of the curricula entirely. The reasoning given was that the school wanted to focus on achieving higher levels of college entrance, and to increase the numbers of college-prep courses available. This, on paper, sounded great, but in reality it left many students completely without post-high school support. If the American dream requires college, then we are absolutely failing our students by allowing (in some districts) more than half of the population to fail out of school entirely. If we take a realistic look at how students could benefit from industrial arts, business training, home economics, and other job-related training, providing intensive specialization in high-school would allow for a much higher success rate and a higher graduation rate. Our system is failing its students in terms of investment in their present and their future. Schools get the majority of their funding from locally levied taxes with additional state and federal support. It should be no surprise, then, that the districts with the largest tax base to population ratio results in a much larger amount of money available for schools than in districts with a low tax to population ratio. For example, in Nevada, there are two primary sources of funds for schools – property tax and gambling revenue taxes. In districts with the highest value of homes, the tax base is very high, resulting in significantly more money per pupil available than in districts with less expensive homes or those dominated by apartments and low-income housing which do not pay nearly as much in property tax per resident than do the more affluent communities (â€Å"America Goes Back to School†, pNA). The impact, then, is not only significant regional differences in the amount of money available per student, but these differences can be found at the district by district level throughout the entire country. Not surprisingly, those schools with the highest per-capita spending capability are also among the highest ranked schools in the nation (there are no inner city urban public schools in the top 100 high schools in the nation). Therefore, by failing to provide a balanced financial opportunity for every school district, we are pre-determining the level of success, graduation, and career opportunity for entire swaths of students. The poor, the Black and Hispanic, and the otherwise disadvantaged will remain so because they (as a community) will never be able to catch up in terms of opportunity and performance with the more successful communities until we balance the amount of money spent per student throughout the entire nation. On a structural and statistical level, in terms of money and curricular focus, our public school system is failing its students and the communities it is supposed to serve. Despite a continual â€Å"focus† on education, our graduation rates and basic skills passing rates are absolutely dismal. Our generalist curricula has absolutely failed to contribute meaningfully to reducing the massive gaps in our workforce. Finally, the severe imbalance in spending and available funds from district to district and community to community has led to a near permanent state of success and failure for the entire student population in each of those districts. Ultimately, then, the system has failed and is continuing to fail to properly educate, support, and allow our students to contribute to the betterment of society and our success in the international community. References Browser, Jack. Educating America: Lesson Learned in the Nation’s Corporations. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1989. United States Department of Education. â€Å"America Goes back to School† www. ed. gov/Family/agbts/index. html. Online. Internet. Info Acc March, 2007. Standard & Poors. â€Å"United States Public Schools & Districts: How Students Performed on National Reading and Math Tests†. SchoolMatters. com Online. Internet. Avail: http://www. schoolmatters. com/app/location/q/stid=1036196/llid=162/stllid=676/locid=1036195/site=pes. Info Acc March 18, 2007. Manhattan Institute for Policy Research. â€Å"High School Graduation Rates in the United States†. Manhattan-Institute. org. Online. Internet. Avail: http://www. manhattan-institute. org/html/cr_baeo. htm. Info Acc March 19, 2007.

Spontaneous Consumer

The impacts on ’Spontaneous Consumer’ have resulted in the trend on Auckland Theatre Company. Impacts such as raising demands in the sales of tickets at the last minute. As inferred from the case study, â€Å"on average, 25-30 per cent of a season is booked in advance by subscribes. This may create loss of sales revenue from the particular group of ‘Spontaneous Consumers'. However, Auckland Theatre Company may extend their registration dates to cater to this particular group's needs. Extended registration dates such as having two sessions. First session registration dates to be launch earlier in the month, second session registration dates to be launch end of the month to cater to busy consumer who are not able to make it for the first launch dates. Other impacts such as disputes consumers may derive from ‘the spontaneous consumers. ‘ The inability to purchase a ticket to the play due last minute decision may result in poor customer experiences and thus poor customer retention. As inferred from the case study, â€Å"Part of the reason for the success of Auckland Theatre Company lies in the company's ability to recognize and address the safety, social, ego and self-actualization of the consumers. The inability to purchase a ticket to the play due last minute decision may also result in the lack of ego needs toward consumers. In addition to minimize the negative impacts on Auckland Theatre Company. Auckland Theatre Company can accommodate to this particular group of ‘spontaneous consumer' by using the power of marketing strategic to enhance attractive promotion such as ‘ early bird promotion' to attract spontaneous consumers to purchase their tickets in an earlier timings. This may help to increase the impulse of spontaneous consumers and influence their buying decision through marketing strategic and also help generate revenues for their company.

The Difference Between Metals and Nonmetals

The Difference Between Metals and Nonmetals Elements may be classified as either metals or nonmetals based on their properties. Much of the time, you can tell an element is a metal simply by looking at its metallic luster, but this isnt the only distinction between these two general groups of elements. Metals Most elements are metals. This includes the alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, transition metals, lanthanides, and actinides. On the periodic table, metals are separated from nonmetals by a zig-zag line stepping through carbon, phosphorus, selenium, iodine, and radon. These elements and those to the right of them are nonmetals. Elements just to the left of the line may be termed metalloids or semimetals and have properties intermediate between those of the metals and nonmetals. The physical and chemical properties of the metals and nonmetals may be used to tell them apart. Metal Physical Properties: Lustrous (shiny)Good conductors of heat and electricityHigh melting pointHigh density (heavy for their size)Malleable (can be hammered)Ductile (can be drawn into wires)Usually solid at room temperature (an exception is mercury)Opaque as a thin sheet (cant see through metals)Metals are sonorous or make a bell-like sound when struck Metal Chemical Properties: Have 1-3 electrons in the outer shell of each metal atom and lose electrons readilyCorrode easily (e.g., damaged by oxidation such as tarnish or rust)Lose electrons easilyForm oxides that are basicFave lower electronegativitiesAre good reducing agents Metal: copper (left); metalloid: arsenic (center); and non-metal: sulfur (right). Matt Meadows, Getty Images Nonmetals Nonmetals, with the exception of hydrogen, are located on the right side of the periodic table. Elements that are nonmetals are hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, oxygen, sulfur, selenium, all of the halogens, and the noble gases. Nonmetal Physical Properties: Not lustrous (dull appearance)Poor conductors of heat and electricityNonductile solidsBrittle solidsMay be solids, liquids or gases at room temperatureTransparent as a thin sheetNonmetals are not sonorous Nonmetal Chemical Properties: Usually have 4-8 electrons in their outer shellReadily gain or share valence electronsForm oxides that are acidicHave higher electronegativitiesAre good oxidizing agents Both metals and nonmetals take different forms (allotropes), which have different appearances and properties from each other. For example, graphite and diamond are two allotropes of the nonmetal carbon, while ferrite and austenite are two allotropes of iron. While nonmetals may have an allotrope that appears metallic, all of the allotropes of metals look like what we think of as a metal (lustrous, shiny).

Double Displacement Reaction Definition and Examples

Double Displacement Reaction Definition and Examples A double displacement reaction is a type of reaction where two reactants exchange ions to form two new compounds. Double displacement reactions typically result in the formation of a product that is a precipitate. Double displacement reactions take the form:AB CD → AD CB The reaction occurs most often between ionic compounds, although technically the bonds formed between the chemical species may be either ionic or covalent in nature. Acids or bases also participate in double displacement reactions. The bonds formed in the product compounds are the same type of bonds as seen in the reactant molecules. Usually, the solvent for this type of reaction is water. Alternative Terms A double displacement reaction is also known as salt metathesis reaction, double replacement reaction, exchange, or sometimes a double decomposition reaction, although that term is used when one or more of the reactants does not dissolve in the solvent. Double Displacement Reaction Examples The reaction between silver nitrate and sodium chloride  is a double displacement reaction. The silver trades its nitrite ion for the sodiums chloride ion, causing the sodium to pick up the nitrate anion.AgNO3 NaCl → AgCl NaNO3 Heres another example: BaCl2(aq) Na2SO4(aq) → BaSO4(s) 2 NaCl(aq) How To Recognize a Double Displacement Reaction The easiest way to identify a double displacement reaction is to check to see whether or not the cations exchanged anions with each other. Another clue, if the states of matter are cited, is to look for aqueous reactants and the formation of one solid product (since the reaction typically generates a precipitate). Types of Double Displacement Reactions Double displacement reactions may be classified into several categories, including counter-ion exchange, alkylation, neutralization, acid-carbonate reactions, aqueous metathesis with precipitation (precipitation reactions), and aqueous metathesis with double decomposition (double decomposition reactions). The two types most commonly encountered in chemistry classes are precipitation reactions and neutralization reactions. A precipitation reaction occurs between two aqueous ionic compounds to form a new insoluble ionic compound. Heres an example reaction, between lead(II) nitrate and potassium iodide to form (soluble) potassium nitrate and (insoluble) lead iodide. Pb(NO3)2(aq) 2 KI(aq) → 2 KNO3(aq) PbI2(s) The lead iodide forms what is called the precipitate, while the solvent (water) and soluble reactants and products are termed the supernate or supernatant. Formation of a precipitate drives the reaction in a forward direction, as the product leaves the solution. Neutralization reactions are double displacement reactions between acids and bases. When the solvent is water, a neutralization reaction typically produces an ionic compounda salt. This type of reaction proceeds in the forward direction if at least one of the reactants is a strong acid or a strong base. The reaction between vinegar and baking soda in the classic baking soda volcano is an example of a neutralization reaction. This particular reaction then proceeds to release a gas (carbon dioxide), which is responsible for the fizz of the reaction. The initial neutralization reaction is: NaHCO3 CH3COOH(aq) → H2CO3 NaCH3COO Youll notice the cations exchanged anions, but the way the compounds are written, its a bit trickier to notice the anion swap. The key to identifying the reaction as double displacement is to look at the atoms of the anions and compare them on both sides of the reaction.

Brittle Stars and Basket Stars

Brittle Stars and Basket Stars Theres no question as to how these creatures got their common names brittle stars and basket stars. Brittle stars have very fragile-looking, worm-like arms and basket stars have a series of branching arms resembling a basket. Both are echinoderms that belong to the Class Ophiuroidea, which contains thousands of species. Due to this classification, these animals are sometimes referred to as ophiuroids. The mouthful of a name Ophiuroidea comes from the Greek words ophis for snake and oura, meaning  tail - words that presumably refer to the animals snake-like arms. There are thought to be over 2,000 species of Ophiuroids.   A brittle star was the first deep-sea animal to be discovered. This occurred in 1818  when Sir John Ross dredged up a brittle star from Baffin Bay off Greenland.   Description These marine invertebrates are not true sea stars, but have a similar body plan, with 5 or more arms arranged around a central disc. The central disk of brittle stars and basket stars is very obvious, since the arms attach to the disc, rather than joining to each other at the base like they do in true sea stars. Brittle stars usually have 5, but may have up to 10 arms.   Basket stars have 5 arms that branch into many slender, highly mobile arms. The arms are covered with calcite plates or thick skin. The central disk of brittle stars and basket stars is usually relatively small, under one inch, and the whole organism itself may be under an inch in size. The arms of some species can be quite long, though, with some basket stars measuring over 3 feet across when their arms are extended. These very flexible animals can curl themselves into a tight ball when they are threatened or disturbed. The mouth is located on the animals underside (oral side).   These animals have a relatively simple digestive system that is made up of a short esophagus and a sac-like stomach.   Ophiuroids do not have an anus, so waste is eliminated through their mouth. Classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Echinodermata Class: Ophiuroidea Feeding Depending on the species, basket stars and brittle stars may be predators, actively feeding on small organisms, or may filter-feed by filtering organisms from the ocean water. They may feed on detritus and small oceanic organisms such as plankton and small mollusks. To move around, ophiuroids wriggle using their arms, rather than using the controlled movement of tube feet like true sea stars. Although ophiuroids have tube feet, the feet dont have suction cups. They are used more for smelling or sticking to small prey, than for locomotion.   Reproduction In most ophiuroid species, animals are separate sexes, although some species are hermaphroditic.   Brittle stars and basket stars reproduce sexually, by releasing eggs and sperm into the water, or asexually, through division and regeneration. A brittle star may purposely release an arm if it is being threatened by a predator - as long as a portion of the brittle stars central disc remains, it can regenerate a new arm fairly quickly. The stars gonads are located in the central disk in most species, but in some, they are located near the base of the arms.   Habitat and Distribution Ophiuroids occupy a wide range of habitats, from shallow  tide pools  to the  deep sea.  Many ophiuroids live on the ocean bottom or buried in mud. They may also live in crevices and holes or on host species such as corals, sea urchins, crinoids, sponges or even jellyfish. They are even found at hydrothermal vents.   Wherever they are, there are usually a lot of them, as they can live in dense concentrations.   They can be found in most oceans, even in the Arctic and Antarctic regions.   However, in terms of numbers of species, the Indo-Pacific region has the highest, with over 800 species. The Western Atlantic was second-highest, with over 300 species.   References and Further Information: Dubinsky, Z. and N. Stambler. 2010. Coral Reefs: An Ecosystem in Transition. Springer Science Business Media. 552pp.Mah, C. 2009.   The Basics: How to Tell Sea Stars (Asteroids) from Brittle Stars (Ophiuroids).   The Echinoblog. Accessed April 28, 2016.Paterson, G.L.J. 1985. The deep-sea Ophiuroidea of the North Atlantic Ocean. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) Zoology 49(1): 1-162.Stà ¶hr, S., O’Hara, T. Thuy, B. (Eds) 2016.  World Ophiuroidea Database. Accessed April 26, 2016.Stà ¶hr, S, OHara T.D.,, Thuy, B. 2012. Global Diversity of Brittle Stars (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea). PLoS ONE 7(3): e31940. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0031940University of California Museum of Paleontology.   Introduction to the Ophiuroidea. Accessed April 28, 2016.