Martin-Pullin Bicycle Corporation Essay

Martin-Pullin Bicycle Corp. (MPBC), located in Dallas, is a wholesale distributor of bicycles and bicycle parts. Formed in 1981 by cousins Ray Martin and Jim Pullin, the firm’s primary retail outlets are located within a 400-mile radius of the distribution center. These retail outlets receive the order from Martin-Pullin within two days after notifying the distribution center, provided that the stock is available. However, if an order is not fulfilled by the company, no backorder is placed; the retailers arrange to get their shipment from other distributors, and MPBC loses that amount of business. The company distributes a wide variety of bicycles. The most popular model, and the major source of revenue to the company, is the AirWing. MPBC receives all the models from a single manufacturer overseas, and shipment takes as long as four weeks from the time an order is placed. With the cost of communication, paperwork, and customs clearance included, MPBC estimates that each time an order is placed, it incurs a cost of $65. The purchase price paid by MPBC, per bicycle, is roughly 60% of the suggested retail price for all the styles available, and the inventory carrying cost is I % per month (12% per year) of the purchase price paid by MPBC. The retail price (paid by the customers) for the AirWing is $170 per bicycle. MPBC is interested in making an inventory plan for 2011. The firm wants to maintain a 95% service level with its customers to minimize the losses on the lost orders. The data collected for the past two years are summarized in the following table (Table 1). A forecast for AirWing model sales in the upcoming year 2011 has been developed and will be used to make an inventory plan for MPBC. Figure 1. QM output for given data. To keep the total costs as low as possible, the optimal order quantity should be maintained. This means an average inventory of 34.14. The Annual Setup cost and Annual Holding cost would both be $417,89. As a result, the total annual inventory cost is $835.78 (2 x 417.89). Discuss ROPs and total costs To determine the Reorder Point (ROP), the demand and the demand standard  deviation must be known. The demand is determined by dividing the total of the 2011 forecast by the number of months and the standard deviation is determined using Microsoft Excel. Figure 2. QM output for ROP As a result of the sum of the Demand standard deviation and the safety stock, the ROP is 76.89 which the inventory position at which an order should be placed. The total costs can be found in Figure 1. Annual inventory holding cost plus annual setup cost plus purchase cost gives the total cost of $45613.79. How can you address demand that is not at the level of the planning horizon According to the sample date, the determined demand shows there is not a so called level demand over the planning horizon. Therefore, the EOQ for an entire year should not be used due to seasonal sales. A planning horizon to use might be a quarterly planned horizon because this would be more evenly distributed and help make a plan for each segment. Reference Render, B., Stair, R. M., & Hanna, M. E. (2012). Quantitative analysis for management (11th edition). Pearson/Prentice Hall.

Of Men And Mice †Is loneliness mans greatest enemy? Essay

Loneliness is a state of being alone in sadness, resulting from being forsaken or abandoned. As I understand it, loneliness is when a person has no one to talk to, no one to confide in, nor anyone to keep companionship with. Loneliness also makes a person slip into a desolate state, which they try to conceal under a tough image, and is an emotion even the strongest cannot avoid. In his novel, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck deals with loneliness by looking for comfort in a friend, but settling for the attentive ear of a stranger. Although they seem at ease and friendly on the surface, a deep sense of loneliness lingers in the hearts of Crooks, George, and Curley’s wife, to which they are desperate to find an escape from to cope with their seclusion from the rest of society. Crooks, a lively, sharp-witted, black stablehand, who takes his name from his crooked back, leads a lonely life. He lives according to the rule that no black man is allowed to enter a white man’s home. Crooks’ loneliness is a result of rejection from everyone else on the ranch. He is forced to live alone in a barn, where he lives his life in isolation because of his colour, which was an issue in those days. When Lennie visits him in the room, Crooks’ reactions reveal the fact that he is lonely. As a black man with a physical handicap, Crooks is forced to live on the border of ranch life. He is not even allowed to enter the white men’s bunkhouse, or join them in a game of cards. His resentment typically comes out through his bitter, sad, and touching vulnerability, as he tells Lennie: †¦A guy needs somebody–to be near him. A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody. Don’t make no difference who the guy is, long’s he’s with you. †¦I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an’ he gets sick. (Steinbeck 72-73) Crooks’ openness of his inner self, and his ability to speak his heart’s desire to a stranger illustrates how lonely he gets, and admits that it results in sickness. Furthermore, as bitter as he is about his exclusion from other men, Crooks is grateful for Lennie’s company, and when Candy enters Crook’s room, it becomes difficult for him to conceal his pleasure with anger. The only relationship he can find is with his books. When Lennie talks about his dream farm, Crooks hesitantly asks Lennie an alternative for  him to escape his loneliness, â€Å"‘†¦If you†¦guys would want a hand to work for nothing–just his keep, why I’d come an’ lend a hand'† (Steinbeck 76). Crooks’ desperation to get out of his lonely spell prompts him to make such a drastic, but shy, suggestion. Crooks becomes so desperate for a relationship that he offers his services to George and Lennie for free, just to escape his loneliness. Crooks is not successful in overcoming his loneliness because Lennie dies in a matter of days, and no white man in his right mind would care to step foot in Crooks’ humble abode. George, a short-tempered but loving and devoted friend, is lost in loneliness. At the beginning of the novel, George reveals his thoughts on loneliness in a story that he narrates about Lennie, himself, on a farm: Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don’t belong no place†¦. With us it ain’t like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us. We don’t have to sit in no bar room blowin’ in our jack jus’ because we got no place else to go. If them other guys gets in jail they can rot for all anybody gives a damn. But not us. (Steinbeck 13-14) George realizes that loneliness attributes too much of his sufferings. George’s rough attitude to conceal his loneliness and to admit to suffering from profound loneliness is revealed when he reminds Lennie that the life of a ranch-hand is among the loneliest of lives. Migrant workers, like George, rarely have anyone to look to for companionship. To overcome his loneliness, George not only befriends Lennie, but he seems to find companionship with his co-workers as well. He eagerly accepts the invitation to go into town with ‘the boys’, leaving Lennie alone in the barn with the animals. Towards the end of the novel, George feels an even greater sense of loneliness and guilt before he kills Lennie. Instead of being angry and reprimanding him, George, overcome by his forthcoming loneliness, responds to Lennie’s running away to the caves, â€Å"No †¦ I want you to stay here with me† (Steinbeck 104). The wave of nostalgia and loneliness that engulfs George is so overwhelming, that he shoots Lennie instantly. In this way, George is not successful of overcoming his loneliness because he would mourn for the loss of his friend  for a long time, leading him to feel even more guilty and lonely. Curley’s wife, who walks the ranch as a temptress, hides a deep sense of loneliness behind the â€Å"tramp,† â€Å"tart,† and â€Å"bitch† masks that she puts on. For a young lady to wed at an early age, and then be left alone at home, would send one in a deep state of loneliness or depression. She is married to a man that gives her little attention and none of his time. Curley’s wife’s ‘mask’ of a prostitute hides the vulnerability, dissatisfaction, and loneliness in her life. Her first outburst in Crooks’ room tears down a wall of her image: –Sat’iday night. Ever’body out doin’ som’pin’. Ever’body! An’ what am I doin’? Standin’ here talkin’ to a bunch of bindle stiffs–a nigger an’ a dum-dum and a lousy ol’ sheep–an’ likin’ it because they ain’t nobody else. (Steinbeck 78). Being the only woman on the ranch, Curley’s wife does not have another person to talk to who could emphasize with her. She has no friends, no future, no respect; she does not even deserve a name! Desperate to satisfy her need for belonging and love, she turns to strangers such as Lennie, Crooks, and Candy. Before her death, Curley’s wife reveals a lot about herself to Lennie, the only person that she feels she can talk to. She hints at her loneliness when she says, â€Å"Seems like they ain’t none of them cares how I gotta live,† (Steinbeck 88). Her aggravation and frustration about being lonely is being released, and she may be free, in a way, because she has finally released most of her innermost feelings and emotions before her death. She is successful in getting a person like Lennie to talk to and confide in, but it works out to her misfortune that she has to be mercilessly killed by his hands. All three of the characters share the despair of wanting to change the way they are and attain a victory over their loneliness. Crook’s loneliness is hidden by his character, but eventually comes to surface while talking to Lennie. George’s loneliness is hidden by his rough attitude, which seems to disappear when narrating the story of the farm to Lennie. Curley’s wife’s loneliness is covered behind the mask of a portrayed prostitute, but the mask falls off during her conversations with strangers, including Lennie. I  think John Steinbeck’s message about loneliness and people’s attempts to overcome loneliness in the novel is to reveal to us the nature of human’s true existence. One cannot escape from being lonely, and the characters’ attempts to overcome their loneliness is to seek the desire and comfort of a friend, but settle for the attentive ear of a stranger. I feel that Steinbeck is not completely successful in delivering his message across because for a full realization, one has to dig deep into the story, as well as place themselves in the shoes of a character to emphasize with, as well as relate to them and perceive their misery.

My Communication Style Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

My Communication Style - Essay Example Many of the customers possess the communication style of being a questioner and an asserter. As they are on the receiving part, they tend to ask in-depth questions and try to clear out all possible level of queries with the customer service representative. Some customers are harsh and some are cool and patient. Different types of customers need to be dealt according to their nature of questions. At the end of the day, there are certain goals and objective that I have to accomplish and be accountable to my management. Hence to achieve these goals I need to constantly improvise my communication skills. At certain times, some difficulties may lead to undesirable conversations which may lead to conflicts with the customers. The Perfectionist : While dealing with a perfectionist I would ensure that I give in all the details and also accomplish all my goals while dealing with customers. Since the perfectionist wants detail oriented conversation, all details would be provided The Achiever: When an achiever style of communication comes forward, as I too am an achiever, the conversation would be enjoyable as well as logical. As both the customer and I would be clear and logical on whatever is being communicated. The Romantic: While dealing with a Romantic style communication of the customer, I would make the customer talk more about their feelings and perceptions about the product or service so that they feel motivated and feel important during conversation. The Observer: I would ask the Observer style of customer to clear their queries as such customers do not share their feelings. Being an achiever, I would ask them to share their though process and convey my opinions accordingly. The Questioner: I would communicate with a style that is not confusing and in which the customer does not have any doubts because such customers are very particular about

Compare and contrast the idealism of Lenin and woodrow Wilson in terms Essay

Compare and contrast the idealism of Lenin and woodrow Wilson in terms of how they conceived and tried to implement a better world - Essay Example Both these leaders had different vision pertaining to reforms enabling the formation of a better society and a better world. An in-depth study of their vision would definitely formulate a rich comparative study joining the two separate halves of the world into one philosophical and theoretical unit. There is no doubt upon the fact that by the closing years of the Cold war era, Vladimir Lenin and Woodrow Wilson emerged as the two great revolutionary and political leaders of the world captivating and controlling the world’s two most powerful blocks. Both the leaders were distinguishingly different both in their means and in their ends. The ideological difference of Wilson and Lenin was actually about the emerging difference between evolution and revolution. It was a clash between liberalism and communism. The organic thought process from the Burke’s school of thought on one hand and the idealistic thought process from the Marxian school of thought became glaringly evident in their ideologies. Wilson’s vision regarding the formulation of a better world was through the fulfillment of the progressive history. And much contrary to it, Lenin viewed it as a transition, an age that is quite critical in nature apprehensive of a degeneration of an older order and indication of a violent future. Lenin tried to implement a discourse pertaining to progressive revolution which he defines as inevitable in the history of the struggle of mankind. At this point, the contention of Wilson was different from that of Lenin. He viewed it as autocratic derailing of natural constitutional development. In their ideology and world vision, the realm where Wilson showed his calm and poise, Lenin displayed his aggression and violence. Many American citizens placed their gullible opinions towards Lenin and much contrary to it; Bolsheviks totally displayed their distrust towards Wilson and his Treaty of Versailles.

The Safety net and layoff Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Safety net and layoff - Essay Example Well, there are two economic perspectives on this issue. The first perspective argues that by increasing the support for people without jobs those with low incomes will decrease their incentive to find jobs. Others argue that more generous the government is the more incentive for the unemployment to find jobs. Government has become more generous with social safety net in many ways. A bonus was added to unemployment checks, people were offered subsidies to pay for their health insurance, food-stamp benefit levels were increased, and were available in situations in which they were formerly unavailable and states were granted waivers from program work requirements. This perspective is in line with the Keynesian school of thought which is based on the concept that in order for an economy to grow and be stable, extreme government intervention is required. This will make people have less motivation to find a job, and will shift the aggregate supply of labour to the left as shown in the diagram below. The advantages of unemployment benefits affect everyone. Benefits help individuals and family to have the necessities to live and help them throughout periods of unemployment. The unemployment benefit will result in an increase in consumption and that affect the general economy shifting the AD to the right as shown in the diagram below. The disadvantages of benefits are for business and the society as whole. As unemployment increase, government will need to give more unemployment benefits, and the government get the money for increasing taxes and/or reallocating their spending from one sector to another. Thus businesses and society will not be in favor of the unemployment benefits. While economists seek to find whether or not the government should be generous with social safety net and what is the effect of that on unemployment job seeking they often fail to notice the effect of the safety net on the

Principles of leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Principles of leadership - Essay Example Some is derived from brute force, some from moral leadership. The truth is that leadership values of the past can easily be transferred to the present and to the future. Furthermore, leadership principles in one field—for example, politics or the military—can be transferred to another field such as business. A useful book on this subject is called Power Ambition Glory by Steve Forbes and John Prevas. In it they discuss many ideas about leadership and its role throughout history. They talk about how it has changed and how it has remained the same. In this book the authors describe the tactics and travails of a number of people such as Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar and Xenophon. These mens lives have lessons for us today but also in a way parallel the lives of some of the most significant business leaders of the 20th and 21st centuries. Business leaders and generals and political leaders all lead high stress lives. Many people depend on them for everything and their decisions have enormous impact. It is therefore very useful to understand what works and what doesnt. The main thing is that leadership values have not changed much over the years and can generally be applied to almost any adventurous scenario. An adventure by nature is an endeavour that involves risk and the potential fo r great loss. In such situations you need a leader by your side to help take care of business. That is the same if you are crossing the Alps to attack Italy or if you are negotiation a big business deal which merge two very large multi-national companies. One of the best things about this book is how it covers so much ground so quickly. It provides an excellent overview of a number of historical periods and places. This part was a very exciting read. I knew little about Xenophon for example and his style of leadership. That was a model which is not often written about. This general style is very important: so many

The Development Of Diverse Sexual Orientations In Humans Begets Only Research Paper

The Development Of Diverse Sexual Orientations In Humans Begets Only New Versions, Rather Than Presents A Universal Explanation - Research Paper Example While all these people have some thoughts on this issue, hardly somebody of them can clearly operate by well known and scientifically proved arguments that are perceived as a common truth. Biologists, sociologists, psychologists and other professionals do investigate the issue of different sexual orientation among humans, conducting more and more studies and researches in attempts of finding the most reliable answer. Deep studies of the development of diverse sexual orientations in humans begets only new versions, rather than presents a universal explanation There exist many different scientific studies and methodologies aimed at understanding the factors, influencing human sexual orientation. These factors can be differentiated by two or even three categories, including: social factors, biological factors or â€Å"symbioses† of both social and biological factors. Mustanski et al., (2002) in their research review mainly the influence of biological factors on sexual orientation and concludes that biological influences do have impact on human sexual behavior to some extent. While exploring biological influences on sexual orientation, empirical researchers are used to apply two approaches: impact of hormones on development of sexual orientation, and behavioral genetics. ... This research was focused on those drugs which were more likely to affect the hormone level. This link was aslo supported previously by Mustanki et al. (2002) because misbalance of sex hormones levels lead to sexual differentiation of the fetal brain. To be more precise, Mustanski et al. (2002: 97) mentions â€Å"that prenatal hormones hard wire sexual orientation into fetal brains†. For studying the impact of the use of drugs during gestation, researchers have taken a sample of 5102 mothers and collected reports of mothers and their offspring regarding their sexual orientation. According to the results of survey, less than 15% of pregnant women have taken at least one drug or class of drugs, however there was found little evidence on prenatal exposure to drugs among male offspring (Ellis and Hellberg, 2005). While this theory failed to work in relation to male scion, there was evidence that some drugs did have some impact on sexual orientation among female offspring. These we re two types of drugs, which consisted of synthetic thyroid medications and amphetamine-based diet pills (Ellis and Hellberg, 2005). This tendency might be explained by the fact that during the first three months of being pregnant mothers of lesbian offspring did consume high doses of drugs prescribed. From this study there have made a conclusion that prescription drugs such as mentioned above have influence on the immune system of developing female fetuses. Immune system may impact on the processes of feminization of the brain among males, and masculinization of the brain among females. These â€Å"reverse† reactions of the brain might result in different sexual orientations of offspring.

Event Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Event - Essay Example It has a homophonic composition and its sort is a suite. There is a wide mixed bag of instruments (aerophones, chordophones, and membranophones) utilized as a part of this piece. Around the wind instruments (woodwinds and metal) heard were bassoon, oboe, French horn, and trumpet. The strings played incorporated the violin, viola, cello, and twofold bass. At last, the percussion instrument utilized for this piece was the timpani. This development is broken down into four areas by rhythm: Adagio, Allegro, Lentement, and Allegro. The Adagio segment starts with a moderate presentation at a mezzoforte dynamic. This area is in a real enter and set in fourfold meter. It has a wide extend and a rising song. There are short rhythms and the area develops in a crescendo. The clamor and vitality of this area holds the consideration of the audience and makes a pleased and happy mind-set. Schuberts Symphony No. 8 in B minor was formed throughout the Romantic period. The instruments heard incorporate the trombone, woodwind, oboe, bassoon—parts of the aerophone family—and in addition the violin, viola, cello, and twofold bass—all chordophones. This piece has a general homophonic composition. The classification is an orchestra, which is separated into two developments: Allegro moderato and Andante con motto. The Allegro moderato takes after sonata-allegro structure. There are two subjects introduced, and the development is in triple meter in a minor key. It starts at a delicate (piano) element level and develops in a crescendo. It is for the most part conjunct with a thin go that in the long run ventures into a wide run. The delicate quality opening makes a sensational air loaded with feeling. This development delineates a restatement the restatement of subjects, since the principle two topics repeat all around the piece. Joseph Haydns Symphony No. 94 in G significant ("Surprise") was made throughout the Classical period. It

Individual Annotated Bibliography (IAB) Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Individual (IAB) - Annotated Bibliography Example s a need for standards to govern ethics in business so that whenever we feel that an organization has done something wrong, we can have a valid rationale, as well as a systematic and widely understandable point of argument. Andrew Crane is a Professor of Business Ethics at the School of Business in Schulich. He joined the school in January of 2007. He has also been the Chair of Business Ethics of the International Center for Corporate Social Responsibility (ICSSR) in Nottingham Business School. Before that, he had been at Cardiff University; here, he had been involved in the setting up of BRASS. With all these credentials, this is a very credible author whose insight cannot be brushed aside for anything else. These authors discuss the main ethical theories and their potential and value for business ethics. In looking at ethical theories, they suggest two perspectives from which to look at it. These include ethical relativism and ethical absolutism. These authors argue that, for the purposes and reasons of practical decision making in business, the theories of ethical absolutism and ethical relativism do necessarily make for positions that are particularly useful. For them, pluralism is the answer to the problems related to business ethics. Pluralism, as they explain, occupies the middle ground between relativism and absolutism. According to the pluralism point of view that these authors vouch for, different moral backgrounds and convictions are acceptable, and at the same time, a consensus in rules and basic principles in certain contexts in social domains deserve to be reached. Further on, these authors provide a line of thought that states that in business there is just benefit and harm to define morality. They get this statement from Kaler (1999). According to it, wrong and right are mainly to do with providing benefits and aiming to avoid harm at all times. The authors also criticize the egoistic theory of ethics. They state that the theory can and may only

Public School System Essay Example for Free

Public School System Essay Abstract The public school system in America is a topic that is surrounded by great debate. There are many questions that surround this topic. The research question for this paper was, is the public school system failing to prepare our children for the future? And, what solutions are available if the system is failing? The methodology the researcher used in this paper was literature review, and he also conducted an interview with someone working in the field. In this paper the researcher explains how the public school system is failing to prepare our children for the future. The paper also explains how the teaching styles are out dated. The researcher also explains the solutions that are already in place and the possible solutions for the future. Introduction For several decades, the public school system has been a topic of great debate. There are many questions surrounding this topic, such as: Is the public schools system failing to prepare our children? Who should make the curriculum? Who should make the policies? And what role and say do the parents have in their children’s education? These are just a few examples of the questions that may come up with the topic of public education. This topic is important to me because of the diverse educational background I come from. I started out my educational experience in regular classes and then was moved to advanced classes and finally, after failing, I ended up at an alternative school. That is why I ask the question, is the public school system failing to prepare our children for the future, what are the problems, and if it is what is being done to fix it? Due to my educational background I do believe that the public school system is failing to prepare our children. I also believe there are many contributing factors, such as, the school staff, the government, the teachers union, and even the parents. I also believe that there are many ways to fix the system, like new union and staff rules, changing the curriculum, and involving more educators than politicians when forming policies. This topic is important for all children in the U.S. public school system, because if the system is successfully improved, their learning experience will be greatly enhanced. It will also benefit the teachers, because they will have the opportunity to truly serve the community rather than just going to work. This has become a very complex topic but after reading the research ahead you will see that the answer is relatively simple. Review of Literature There is an idea that our public schools are failing to prepare our children for the future. This future could be four year college, technical school or directly into the work place. It is the job of our public schools to prepare each student for all of these futures. However, it seems that the idea that their failing has become the reality and it is a concerning thought that America is producing children less prepared for the world than are other countries. The National Center for Education conducted a study in 1995 involving students from forty one countries. They tested skills in math and science for students in fourth, eighth, and twelfth grades. What they found at the fourth grade level was that the students were above the international average in mathematics and science. At the eighth grade level they found that the students scored below the international average in mathematics, but above the average in science. At the twelfth grade level they found that the students scored below the international average among the lowest of the participating nations. (Calsyn, Gonzales, Frase, 1999) This seems to be the trend with our students in America. They tend to level off instead of advancing like students in other nations. Part of this problem is due to the teaching that the students receive. This is described in the 1995 study by the National Center for Education; â€Å"eighth grade U.S. mathematics teachers’ typical goal is to teach students how to do something, while Japanese teachers’ goal is to help students learn how to do something and also understand mathematical concepts so that they can solve future problems.† (Calsyn, Gonzales, Frase, 1999) Some teaching was said to be boring and out dated. The students sometimes seem like drones listening to the person in the front of the room rather than grasping the whole idea. Mike OConner described in his interview. (OConner, 2012) The documentary Waiting for Superman also talked about the case of the bad teacher. Which, if your school has one, it was said that you would be stuck with it? This is mainly because of the union benefit called tenure that protects teachers from being dismissed for the wrong reasons, but also makes it very difficult and sometimes impossible to dismiss the bad teachers. (Guggenheim, 2010) Teachers are not the only problem and should not be the only source of blame. There are higher positions to the school system than just teachers such as principals, administrators, and city officials that all play a role in the failing system. The article Dependant teachers, Ineffective Principals, Failing Children describes the differences between having good administrators and bad. The article goes on to say that if a school has a good administrator they will attract good teachers. Then it talks about bad administrators and their need for power and control. This in turn will attract teachers who have dependency needs and do not tolerate independence. (Muschel, Fall 1979) In other words, if you have bad leaders you get bad followers. This article also describes how through the use of rules, regulations, paperwork, and language an administrator can control the staff. They do this to give themselves job satisfaction, but it ultimately stops the teachers from effectively engaging in the classroom. (Muschel, Fall 1979) The government officials also play a role in the way our schools’ lesson plans are laid out. The article Needed: Educational Philosophy as a guide for Decision Making in the Public Schools touches on this. (Klein, Spring 1977) The article talks about how the endeavors of our politicians change our schools curriculum. It also states that the direction our country is going in comparison with other nations changes our curriculum. One example of this is during our endeavors to beat Russia into space our children were required to learn complex and abstract science and math disciplines. (Klein, Spring 1977) Another example of the politics behind education is the No Child Left Behind act of 2002. This act by congress states that each state set up a standard that each student has to test at. It also gives the parents the right to pull a child out of a failing school and put them in a better one. In addition it holds the state accountable for its education. The article Conflicts over Directing the Education of Children: Who Controls, Parents or School Officials, talks about this act. It says that the schools are more accountable for a student’s yearly success. It also states that the schools need to use researched based methods of teaching. It also talks about how the act is somewhat of a control of parental rights; in the manner that it is up for the individual to seek education. Overall, it mainly talks about how the act should help improve students who are in economically disadvantaged areas, but does not touch on the failing children in the more economically fluent areas. (Russo, 2005) Mike O’Conner also talked about the No Child Left Behind act in his interview. He mainly said that it is a good idea, but it is about twenty years too late. He said this because of the times we are in. He also described how this is the technology and information age, it is time we start teaching in that capacity, rather than make provisions that still support our old system. (OConner, 2012) One other problem which was touched on by the film Changing Education Paradigms. This problem was the fact that children are medicated for ADHA too much and too quickly. It was described that children now are being bombarded by information from every technological device around them. This, in turn, distracts them from the information on the blackboard, which appears boring. To deal with this the students are medicated to calm them down and making them pay attention. It also showed that the prescriptions are given more frequently as you head east across the states. (Robinson, 2010) That is just some of the problems with public education today. There are many more like attendance issues, and the children’s home environment. These are just some of the main points surrounding our public schools problems. Now it is time to address some of the solutions to these problems. As the problem of the failing public education system grew so did the demand for a solution. Educators and others came up with one solution which has mixed reviews. This was the invention of the alternative, or charter schools. These schools are set up for the student to ultimately succeed in today’s curriculum, with more ease and confidence. The article An Oasis of Hope: the Power of Thinking Developmentally (McCarty Quirk, 2003) talks about how the public schools have placed some children in low quality, control based programs which give them limited outcomes. It goes on to say that these children need to be put in alternative programs that follow positive guidelines. These guidelines should follow these principles: All children must have opportunities for success based on efforts which are celebrated by significant adults. All children need to be seen for their strengths. All children must have opportunities to develop qualities which follow a healthy developmental progression. All children have the right to live and learn in contexts relevant to their real lives and dreams. (p. 106) The article also describes how to use these principals in the framework for alternative schools for special needs children. (McCarty Quirk, 2003) The idea of alternative and charter schools is in our own backyard of Milwaukee. â€Å"Wisconsin ranks among the leaders in education,† according to the article Alternative Education Programs in Milwaukee. (Howard, Summer 2003) The article states that, â€Å"in 1990 the state of Wisconsin legislated mandatory alternative education programs for children at risk of not graduating from high school.† Howard states that the legislation set parameters that qualify the children as at risk such as; one or more years behind their age group in the number of high school credits attained, habitual truants, adjudicated delinquents, and parents. (Howard, Summer 2003) The article also says that by August fifteenth of each year the schools must have a plan in place for each student who is at risk. It goes on to describe the classes as a fifteen to one student to teacher ratio, which allows personalized time with each student. (Howard, Summer 2003) Howard also talks about three different alternative schools which are Silverspring Neighborhood Academy, Shalom High School, and Cornerstone Achievement Center. Each school has a different approach to the alternative setting, but they all share equal success with their students, according to the article. (Howard, Summer 2003) The video documentary Waiting for Superman is a great example of the successes of charter schools. This documentary talks about several schools across the country. Most of these schools are in the larger cities, but some are in the suburbs. It talks about the great success stories that each school has where the public sector is failing. It also stated that the students graduating from the schools shown were adequately prepared for college. The film also showed the demand for the schools in the failing districts, because the students had to be placed in a lottery just to get in. According to the film, almost all the students who attended the charter schools were successful and most went on to college. Another way the school system can improve is by completely restructuring the way the children are taught. According to Mike O’Conner, in his interview, the schools were designed to educate children fifty years ago. He states that the schools need to â€Å"personalize learning† and base the education on â€Å"competency rather than credits.† One example of this would be not having â€Å"archaic technology bans such as cell phones and I Pads.† Also, with the competency rather than credit program, a child could start school and finish at their own pase, rather than six years of elementary, two years of middle school, and four years of high school. An example of that is two students start their freshman year; one student finishes school in three years, the other in five. Mike also says that part of the â€Å"solution is pacing, relevancy, and refocusing on creativity† which will help keep children involved and help them develop their passions. This is the focal points of what he is trying to do at his school. He also states that although these are great solutions, he does not see it at the state or national level yet. Additionally he thinks that if the school system does not act soon on these ideas, America’s dropout rate and failure rate will rise drastically. (OConner, 2012) Discussion As the research shows the public school system is failing to prepare our children. There are many contributing factors to this. The way I see it is there are too many people trying to be in charge. The schools are controlled by federal, state and local governments. First of all, none of these bodies are education experts. Second, each of these government bodies has their own interests in mind, not necessarily the well being of the children. Third, the three different bodies of government seldom see eye to eye with each other. This is why I think the state and local government need to step out completely in the areas of curriculum not in the areas of budgets. I think if this happened the school system will be on one united front, which would be a good start. They could make teaching a federal job then, and at that point they could abolish the teachers union, and the teachers could still get union like benefits. With this they could make the teaching jobs more performance based. This would also abolish the idea of bad teachers and administrators, because if they have bad performance they would no longer be working in that field. That is just part of the problem. The bigger problem at hand is our outdated curriculum and teaching style. I experienced this, my whole life in school, until my senior year of high school when I was placed in an alternative program. The idea of alternative and charter schools is great, because it gives children a chance, and it promotes competition with the public sector. I think the charter schools are on the right track, but if they do not keep continue with innovative ideas, they will be in the same situation as the public sector. I think the best way for all to benefit is to restructure the whole teaching curriculum and learning environment. I think we need to structure it as if our current time was 2025 and not 2012, because if we do that we will not be starting out dated from the get go. Conclusion Public education is an important role in our children’s lives. It is there to help them develop learning and life skills for the future, so that they may go on and play vital roles in society. It is unfortunate that the research shows that our current public school system is failing to prepare our children for the future. It also shows that there are many reasons for this such as, the government, the design of the curriculum and teaching styles, school staff, the parents, and, in some regard, the teachers union. There is hope however, the invention of the charter school is helping children graduate and preparing them for college. There are also some acts that the government has put in place to have some accountability for the children’s success. It is hopeful because there are others out there trying to reshape our whole education system to benefit today’s needs. Our current system is failing. We are behind in almost all subjects when compared to other nations. This is a scary thought when you think of a global economy. Our children are not as prepared as children in other countries to fulfill job needs on a global scale. This means that our children currently are less likely to have the skills to make the new inventions that will carry our nation into the future. This potential is that America, as a whole, will fall behind other nations in all aspects, and it could all be due to education. All of these are frightening thoughts and if we do not act quickly and make changes now it is only going to get harder. Education is one of the most important parts in building society. In our country we are provided the opportunity to have somewhat free public education. Our system seems to be failing; this failure provides a great opportunity. There are many ways to repair it and it is time that we stop crawling with the issue, and start making leaps and bounds. If we start working together we can rebuild the corner stone to a successful society, which is education. References Calsyn, C., Gonzales, P., Frase, M. (1999). Highlights from TIMMS. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education. Guggenheim, D. (Director). (2010). Waiting for Superman [Motion Picture]. Howard, T. (Summer 2003). Alternative Education Programs Milwaukee. Reclaiming Children and Youth , 121-123. Klein, D. S. (Spring 1977). Needed: Educational Philosophy as a Guide for Decision-Makeing in the Public Schools. Education , 290-293. McCarty, B. C., Quirk, C. A. (2003). An Oasis OF Hope: The Power of Thinking Developmentally. Reclaiming Children and Youth , 105-107. Muschel, I. (Fall 1979, Fall). Dependent Teachers, Ineffective Principals, Failing Children. Education , 06-12. OConner, M. (2012, February 2). A Principals Point of Veiw. (D. Miller, Interviewer) Robinson, K. (Director). (2010). Changing Education Paradigms [Motion Picture]. Russo, C. J. (2005). Conflicts over Directing the Education of Children: Who Controls, Parents or School Officials? The Journal of Education , 27-40.

Sea Water Injection System

Sea Water Injection System In order to improve the oil recovery in an oil field the injection of sea water is used to increase the pressure inside the reservoir and enhance the oil production. The graph given in Figure 1 is a typical seawater injection system, before the injection process, water must have a treatment to decrease the corrosion rate caused by seawater in pipe lines, surface and downhole injection equipments. The treatment is based in a mechanical de-aeration process and chemical scavenger injection to decrease the concentration of oxygen in seawater. Figure 1. Seawater Injection System In a normal operation of the seawater injection system the conditions of the process are 150,000 barrels per day, pipe diameter of 8 inches at 25  °C, however in terms of corrosion parameters the data is provided in table 1, this table shows that the mechanical deaeration process reduce the most quantity of Oxygen concentration in seawater. Table 1. Concentration of Oxygen in normal operation Concentration of O2 in different Units PPB mg/l mole/m3 Feed Seawater 7,000 7 0.22 After mechanical de-aeration process 100 0.1 0.003 After scavenger dosage 10 0.01 0.0003 With the data provided, the corrosion rate in normal operation condition is 0.0454mm/year (the calculation step by step including unit conversion are shown in the appendix) hence the corrosion rate is far less than the company acceptable value which is 0.1 mm/year, and it means that the system is working properly. It has been found that the mechanical de-aeration equipment requires repair, and it will be out of operation for between one and three months. Water system Injection without a mechanical de-aeration process: Calculating the limit current density with the following equation: Concentration of Oxygen only with the addition of Scavenger dosing = 6.910 ppm K is the mass transfer coefficient and it calculations and unit conversions are shown in the appendix. Calculating the Corrosion Rate: Assuming the main component of the pipe Iron therefore n= 2 M= 55.84 g/mol Density: 7.87 g/cm3 Now we can compare the corrosion rate of each case and determine the implications of operating the system without the mechanical de-aeration. Hence the corrosion rate will increase 502 times without the mechanical de-aeration. Based on this result it is obvious that the most important process for oxygen removal is the mechanical deareation. The company request the assessment in a technically and economically point of view three operational solutions during the repair of the mechanical de-aeration equipment. For the given acceptable corrosion rate less than 0.1 mm/year, a corrosion rate value of 0.09 mm/year was used to calculate the implications of the possible solutions. a. Decreasing the Flow Rate Assuming an acceptable corrosion Rate of 0.09 mm/year, From the equation above we can reach the Current density: With current density we can reach mass transfer coefficient k: Now we can reach the new Sh number: With Sh number we can obtain Re number: This value of Reynolds number means that we are in the transition regime between laminar flow and turbulent flow. Now we can reach the flow rate: From the technical point of view and based on the concepts of fluids mechanics, decreasing the flow volume to 260 barrels per day will generate a laminar flow (Re less than 3000) on the pipe, in other words it means that the velocity will not be in the required optimum range of 1.5 m/s to 2.5 m/s, according to Streeter. Doing the calculations the velocity will reach a very slow value of 0.014 m/s in the pipe, which is by far lower than the minimum value of 1 m/s. Therefore technically, the reduction of flow rate to reach an acceptable corrosion rate is not a possible solution. In addition, this kind of diminution of the flow rate (577 times lower than the original) would have impacts on the oil well. Specifically, it would not be able to maintain the pressure at the desired level and therefore would have a big impact on oil production leading to money loss. b. Increasing the amount of scavenger Assuming an acceptable corrosion Rate of 0.09 mm/year From the equation below we can reach the concentration of Oxygen that we need to contain in the water in order to have an acceptable corrosion rate Using Sodium sulfate as scavenger the following reaction will proceed: Hence form the stoichiometry of the reaction the relation between the compounds will be 2 moles of Scavenger and 1 mole of Oxygen. Therefore the amount of scavenger Sodium sulfate needed is: => In an injection flow rate of 150,000 bbl/day Based on scavengers calculations we need to provide the system with a high amount of scavenger to reduce the oxygen concentration that gives an acceptable corrosion rate, it is up to 1.3 ton per day, it is nearly 80 times more than amount of scavenger used in normal operation, which is about 17 kg per day. On the economically point of view, if the scavenger will substitute mechanical de-aeration for a month, the need of scavenger will be approximately 40 ton per month. By using the commercial price of scavenger 0.64 USD/kg (https://www.icis.com), it will cost around 832 USD/day and scaling it to a month it will cost nearly 24,960 USD/month. c. Corrosion Inhibitor Corrosion inhibitor compound will reduce the corrosion rate by preventing both anodic and cathodic reactions. Anodic inhibitor will be adsorbed onto metal surface to form protective film and prevent metal dissolution while cathodic inhibitor will minimize O2 reduction reaction by forming non-conducting film on metal surface. And in technical terms it could be the solution of the problem. However, from the calculations, we know that corrosion rate without the mechanical deareation is 22.5 mm/year and the aim is to decrease the corrosion rate below 0.1 mm/year. Based on the corrosion inhibitor risk category that is proposed by Hedges (2000), if the expected uninhibited corrosion rate is graeter than 6 mm/year inhibition is unlikely to provide integrity for the full field life. Therefore corrosion control of the system could not be efficient with a only corrosion inhibitor because of the high requirement of availability. Based on the results of the three possible options, on the economically point of view decreasing the injection flow rate will impact in the production of oil, and decreasing the main product (oil) of the industry it will have terrible effects in the oil company. Therefore in the corrosion engineering point of view the most accurately solution is to increase the amount of scavenger (Na2SO3) in order to reach a corrosion rate of 6 mm/year and then with the addition of corrosion inhibitors the corrosion rate can be reduce to an acceptable value of less than 0.1 mm/year. The dosage of O2 scavenger has to be interrupted for 8 hours per week for the injection of the biocide. During this time if there was not the corrosion inhibitor, the Corrosion rate would be 22.5 mm/yr. but if the Corrosion inhibitor inhibition rate is 98.5% (as from 6mm/yr to 0.09mm/yr), the corrosion rate would be: Therefore the Corrosion rate would be: The Corrosion rate is slightly above the required norm (0.002 mm/yr), but in the worst case scenario, 3 months with no deaerator, due to the fact the Corrosion rate with the mechanical deaerator is 0.0454 mm/yr which is 0.0546 mm/year less than the required standard. So, in a year perspective the slightly more amount of Corrosion will be not significant and the system will work properly. Also, the amount of Na2SO3 needed to reach a CR of 6 mm/year is 905 Kg/day and it will cost around 580 USD/day. Finally, in order to choose the ideal corrosion inhibitor laboratory tests must be performed in the same seawater that will be used. In situ tests would help to assure the quality of the results. Streeter, Victor L. Handbook of fluid mechanics. McGraw-Hill, ed 1 (1961). Hedges, B. (2000) The Corrosion Inhibitor Availability Model, NACE International, Paper 00034. Water system Injection with a mechanical de-aeration process and Oxygen scavenger addition: Considering the water system injection above and the following data we can reach a corrosion rate value in the next steps. Data provided: Pipe Diameter: = 8 inch, therefore the Area A = 50.26 in2 = 0.032429 m2 Volume Flow Rate: = 150000 bbl/d Initial Oxygen Concentration = 7 ppm Concentration of Oxygen After Mechanical De-aeretion = 100 ppb Concentration of Oxygen After Scavenger dosing = 10 ppb Kinematic Viscosity: 1.05 X 10-6 m2/s Schmidt number = 505 Calculation of Re number: Calculation of Sh Number: In turbulent Flow calculation of Diffusion coefficient: From Sh number we can reach the mass transfer coefficient k: Now calculating the limit current density with the following equation: Concentration of Oxygen after mechanical de-aeration and Scavenger dosing = 0.01 ppm Calculating the Corrosion Rate: Assuming the main component of the pipe Iron therefore: n= 2 MFe: 55.84 g/mol à Ã‚ : 7.87 g/cm3 For 8 hours per week, the O2 scavenger dosing is interrupted for biocide to be injected. So, there is an Availability of : => The Corrosion rate at a concentration of 0.1ppm of O2 is: Water system Injection without a mechanical de-aeration process: Calculating the limit current density with the following equation: Concentration of Oxygen only with the addition of Scavenger dosing = 6.910 ppm Calculating the Corrosion Rate: Assuming the main component of the pipe Iron therefore n= 2 M= 55.84 g/mol Density: 7.87 g/cm3 Now we can compare the corrosion rate of each case and determine the implications of operating the system without the mechanical de-aeration. Hence the corrosion rate will increase 502 times without the mechanical de-aeration. Evaluation of the following operational solutions: Decrease the flow rate of water: Assuming an acceptable corrosion Rate of 0.09 mm/year From the equation above we can reach the Current density: With current density we can reach mass transfer coefficient k Now we can reach the new Sh number: With Sh number we can obtain Re number: This value of Reynolds number means that we are in the transition regime between laminar flow and turbulent flow. Now we can reach the flow rate: Increasing the amount of scavenger: Assuming an acceptable corrosion Rate of 0.09 mm/year From the equation above we can reach the Current density: From the equation below we can reach the concentration of Oxygen that we need to contain in the water in order to have an acceptable corrosion rate Using Sodium sulfate as scavenger the following reaction will proceed: Hence form the stoichiometry of the reaction the relation between the compounds will be 2 moles of Scavenger and 1 mole of Oxygen. Therefore the amount of scavenger Sodium sulfate needed is: Hence we need: In an injection flow rate of 150000 barrels per day

Little Credibility Found in The Captain’s Quarterly Blog :: Website Evaluation Blog Blogging

Little Credibility Found in The Captain’s Quarterly Blog Captain Ed allows his emotions to overflow after Media Matters for America accuses Sinclair Broadcasting Group of partisan news programming. Sinclair airs The Point, a commentary featuring Mark Hyman, the spokesman and overseer of all of Sinclair’s Washington lobbing. Sinclair. Most of Sinclair’s 62 Stations are required to air every night during their local news. Captain Ed stated with an excellent argument, but quickly lost his credibility with name calling and childishness but even more with his ability to ignore logic and dispute truth with no relevant backing. Emotion can be a powerful tool in writing, if it can be harnessed and put into words. On the other side, emotion left unchecked, can destroy an entire work. The appeal of pathos and ethos in this essay did all the work for the opposing view. What is the best way to win an argument? Captain Ed will say it is to as quickly as possible call the people whom one is arguing against â€Å"lunatics† (Captains Quarters Blog 1). This is precisely what was done. When doing this the point that is being made is lost. It now has become a credibility issue. When writing an argument it is only logical to think the intended audience is the opposite view. Why would a writer blatantly attack its own audience? No the reader is trying to understand the other opinion not get verbally assaulted. Logic is necessary in any kind of argument. With out it the reader will only become confused and weary of any further reading of the authors. Captain Ed excellently points out that, â€Å"MMA and the rest of the lunatics seem to have overlooked one thing: The Point is a commentary, an editorial that does not pretend to be news reporting. Sinclair advertises it as such. In effect, MMA seeks to condemn Sinclair for doing exactly what newspapers and broadcast stations have done for decades -- editorialize as owners see fit† (Captains 1). This is an excellent example of a well written logos appeal. It is true commentary is editorial and bias but not news. However, the fact that was left out is really more important. These commentaries are aired during the local news. The local news is on every night for people to tune in and get a non bias report of what is going on around them. For Sinclair to force stations to air a biased commentary during the news is illogical.

Childrens Songs Popularity in 1918 :: Influenza Songs Essays

Children's Songs' Popularity in 1918 A brief review of the historical year of 1918 when people were informed to take precaution against influenza, while their children came up with a catchy tune for the "worst epidemic the United States has ever known"1 and comparing it with the influenza of today. PHILADELPHIA-- I had a little bird, Its name was Enza, I opened the window In 'flu' Enza. What is the truth behind the song mentioned above that children sing so often during those days? Ironic how the soldiers who came home from the war not only brought life, for they came back alive, but also brought what will soon become the death of so many. It all started in March of the year 1918 in which at Fort Riley located in the state of Kansas, an Army private reported symptoms such as headache, fever, as well as sore throat. It seemed like mild symptoms but by noon the count of soldiers who were ill of the same symptoms totaled up to one-hundred.2 Doctors everywhere were puzzled about what might be causing this illness. What soon came to be known as the Spanish influenza came also to be known as the "worst epidemic the United States has ever known." More soldiers from the war died from this influenza than from combat on the field. One of the earliest victims of the flu came from sailors who resided on the Receiving Ship at Commonwealth Pier in Boston (August 1918) in which the situation gave the flu the advantage of eventually spreading throughout the civilian population. But of course, people were first advised that there was nothing to worry about. According to "Dr. William Hassler, Chief of San Francisco's Board of Health had gone so far as to predict that the flu would not even reach the city."3 But within such urban, crowded cities such as Boston and Philadelphia, it was inevitable that this illness would turn into an epidemic. In Philadelphia of September 1918, new cases of influenza were recorded from the civilian population days after a parade. As a result, Philadelphia was forced to admit that the city has fallen under the Spanish influenza epidemic.4 The severity of this epidemic began to become apparent and so precautions were made--any public places in which crowds of people were able to accumulate were considered "off limits.

Sammy the Social Climber in John Updikes A&P :: A&P Essays

Sammy the Social Climber in A & P Men will go to extreme measures to impress women. This is the case in the story "A & P" written by John Updike. Sammy, who is a cashier at a supermarket, displays a classic example of a man trying to impress a woman. His rash decision to quit his job was a bad decision and will definitely have an adverse effect on him in the future. Sammy seems doomed from the very first sentence when he says, "In walks three girls in nothing but bathing suits" (Updike 1026). He notices every little detail about the girls from the color of their bathing suits to their tan lines. At this time he is checking out "one of these cash-register-watchers," and he is yelled at for ringing up her item twice (Updike 1026). This distraction from his job shows his interest in the girls, especially the one he calls "Queenie." To Sammy’s delight, Queenie and her two friends pick his register to purchase the "Fancy Herring Snacks in Pure Sour Cream" (Updike 1027). When she puts the snacks down on the counter, Sammy notices that her hands are free. While he is wondering where the money is going to come from, she proceeds to pull the dollar bills "out of the hollow at the center of her nubbled pink top" (Updike 1027). This gesture puts Sammy in total awe of the girl, and this is the turning point, this is when he makes his decision that he should try to impress her. His big chance comes when the store manager, Lengel, makes a visit to Sammy’s line. "Girls, this isn’t the beach," is the first thing Lengel says to the girls when he sees them (Updike 1028). Queenie explains that her mother sent her to pick up some herring snacks, implying that since her mother sent her it is perfectly fine for her to be in the store with only a bathing suit on. While Lengel and Queenie are arguing, Sammy visualizes himself at Queenie’s house during a party. In his imagination he sees, "her father and the other men were standing around in ice-cream coats and bow ties and the women were in sandals picking up herring snacks on toothpicks off a big glass plate and they were all holding drinks the color of water with olives and sprigs of mint in them" (Updike 1028).

Inclusive Education Essay

In this assignment I will be critiquing a peer reviewed research article which explores an aspect of interprofessional practice. I will reflect on my practice and identify how the research discussed with in the article impacts and challenges my thinking and approach. By critiquing the journal – Early Years: An International Research Journal, I will show knowledge and understanding of other professional roles in early years under pinned by theory I have researched. My own understanding of inclusive practice in early years is that – â€Å"All children, irrespective of ethnicity, culture or religion, home language, family background, learning difficulties or disabilities, gender or ability should have the opportunity to experience a challenging and enjoyable programme of learning and development.† (Early Years Statutory Framework, 2014, 1.15) The journal focuses on 52 early years practitioners from England, their experience of interprofessional working, woven together and their level of confidence and competence also different settings such as children’s centres, preschool settings and private settings as well as community preschool as it has been the fore front of government policy in UK since the inquiry into Victoria Climbie I have focused on three prime aspects from the journal: training, communication with multiagencies and support which I think is key regarding my own reflection of my practice as well as the impact on my thinking approach. The writers of the journal are Jane Payler and Jan Georgeson (2009) but nowhere in the journal are their qualifications and backgrounds cited. It is unclear that the writers are professional s or have had any practical experience in early years. It does not tell you where the settings are located and which back ground the children and families are from. I believe if all this information was given it may have been clear to the readers why we believe that research done in the deprived area has a  huge impact on their achieving when it comes to budget training and skills. If it was a deprived area they might be struggling with the funds, resources and support. On page b385 it states that they sent the questionnaires out but I believe all the methods used had weaknesses as it does not say anywhere what language they were using and what sort of questions were asked. Throughout the journal the writers praise the efforts that are made from the children’s centre in terms of working with inter professionals. As a reader I felt they were biased towards the children centre as throughout their article they have mentioned several times about how well children centres are doing, in comparison to preschool and private nurseries. Even the tables indicate that the children’s centres are performing at the top and preschool and private settings are nowhere near their achievement and successes. On page 387 of the journal it states that during her research it clearly showed that the children’s centres showed a secure understanding of procedure as well as confidence in approaching other agencies. The first aspect explored was training needs. The Journal article states that â€Å"the survey done was completed by 52 early years practitioners who were either undergoing, or had recently completed training for early years professional status.† Due to the level of education, it is clear to me why most of them were confident when working with outer agencies and writing reports according to the NutBrown review of early education and childcare qualifications interim report (March 2012) – â€Å"Getting qualifications right will help to ensure that women and men enter the profession with the skills and experiences they need to do the best work with young children and their families. Well taught courses and learning routes that lead to reliable qualifications can help early year’s practitioners to improve their skills, knowledge and understanding, constantly developing in their roles.â€Å" This has made me reflect on my own training in regards to what I need to attend in terms of inclusive education and its importance as it is clearly shows in the journal on pg381 that the staff members with high qualifications and training were more confident in approaching and writing IEPS (Individual Educational Plan). As I was reading the journal one thing which really drew my attention was that it talked about the staff training being inconsistent. In some places staff seemed confident and in some places they were not. My  self being an early year’s practitioner and working in a private sector I can relate to the problems as staff are expected to go on training in their own time. Working within the Borough of Hounslow I have experienced first-hand cuts that have definitely been made in regards to training. According to the Guardian published in 2011 heading â€Å"The government is putting training out of reach of those who need it most in early years’’. (Th e Guardian, 2011) It goes on further to state thatâ€Å" From August colleges and training providers, in the main, will receive only half the cost of courses’’. This results in training being harder to gain. In order to go onto training you now have to firstly go onto a waiting list. Not only has that had an impact on your practice but also a staff member’s confidence with dealing with any situation which that training may have addressed. Another issue is that we now, as a setting, have to pay for the training. If a setting is low on funds the training cannot take place and so the staff members, as well as, children, parents and the setting, miss out. Covering the staff on training and courses exacerbates the situation.† It is also shown on page 390 of the journal that due to the cuts the speech and language therapist who will come to the setting one day fortnightly was reduced to once a week which impacts on the children having to refer somewhere else and not having an inc lusive service. I have been affected by this last year as I was told that there was no money left in Hounslow borough to give out for inclusion support staff which resulted on my having to use the staff I had already to support the child’s need . Despite the above and reflecting on my own practice, I believe early years practitioners do the best when it comes to identifying a child with a need, as they are the primary carers after the parents. In my belief, other agencies might have the qualifications but we as practitioners are the ones who identify the problem and so refer them on. As stated in the new EYFS (2014 3.20) â€Å"providers must support staff to undertake appropriate training and professional development opportunities to ensure they offer equality, learning and development that continually improves.† The second aspect which came to my attention was the different level of support throughout the children’s centre, preschool and private nursery. It was astonishing to see that the children’s centres were given the most support and due to this it is not a surprise that they were the most confident in approaching the  outside agencies and writing reports. This is clear due to their inter links with the outside agencies. According to the article they state that in every child’s centre in London they have family support, speech and language therapists as well as health visitors who are designated to each children’s centre. Due to that reason, I believe that they have far more support including regular meetings, interactions and support; however, private nurseries and preschools do not get that support and rely on communication based on letters as well as emails and phone calls, which is not always reliable and as effective as meetings. From my own experience I have noticed that once you identify a concern with a child’s speech and language, the referral takes over six months to completely get a response from a speech and language therapist. In Hounslow alone there is a long waiting list of children waiting to be seen by a speech and language therapist. Due to this, it is no doubt in my mind that having an in-house speech and language therapist or to even have a type of training in order to help and support children with their need as now out of? â€Å"Children coming to school are in need of some sort of speech and language support’’. (I CAN Talk Series – Issue 6) This has challenged my thinking and approach I would definitely like in my setting, as a manager, ascend a staff member to see how the speech and therapist works so they can come back and continue with the therapist approach. It was described by one of the practitioners that sitting with a child whilst seen by the therapist helped her to support the child page 389. I would love to be able to do so in my setting. I can support children with some support while the child is waiting to be seen by the speech and language therapist. Once the child has been seen by the speech and language therapist I make sure I have the copy of the recommendations and advice made by the therapist, so I can use the same strategies used by the therapist. According to I CAN, an organisation that helps children to communicate, ‘‘In some parts of the UK, particularly in areas of poverty over half of children start school with speech, language and communication needs.’’ â€Å"That means 2 to 3 students in every classroom have significant communication difficulties.’’ (I CAN Talk Series – Issue 6) One of the other aspects which came to my attention was that throughout the article it is c lear to me that there has been effective communication within the children‘s centre as there have been professional  staff on site; therefore all communication is face to face especially with speech and language therapists. Whereas private and other settings do not have this capacity and funds so all the communication involving outside agencies is on paper. It is clearly shown in figure 1 page387 that the children’s centres were 100 % on target when it comes to face to face contact with outside agencies. Other settings like independent preschools where I am employed are only doing 75% of face to face contact when it comes to communication and although it’s only 75% contact it is effective within that percentage. I agree with this as my own private setting has to rely on emails, phone calls and paper. This is also clearly stated in the journal on page 387. On page 395 it tells you about the need of the effective inter professionals practice in early years and their belief that it will be possible once the two year old check for disadvantaged children is extended. Since the 2 year check has been introduced I have experienced more regular contact with the health visitor. I have experienced di fferent types of response when it comes to effective communication. As in the document one part needs to be done by the practitioner one by the parents and one need to be done by the health visitor regarding any concern with the child. Some health visitors will be very particular in writing about the child’s health and on other hand some health visitors will write little information concerning the child and leave it as ‘no concerns’. Conclusion: The article helped me to reflect on my practice and identify key issues that impact and challenge my thinking and approach. For me, inclusion is not simply the toleration of all pupils, but the active provision of opportunities for all to feel good about themselves and to have the chance to flourish, whatever their individual needs and potential barriers to learn might be. Whatever difficulties may arise in dealing with the outside agencies ,distance between the professionals and resources and funds available as a particular I believe we have a legal duty to make sure we do the best when it comes to equality and diversity (inclusive and inclusion). In my setting and practice I have made sure that I provide and implement a clear policy and procedure to promote equality and support to every child in need as up held by the legal frame work in EYFS 3.66. It was also clearly stated in the journal on page 389 that settings doing their best when it comes to competence in developing their knowledge and network for inter-professionals over a period  of time were based on their knowledge and greater experience of integrated provision. Effective working practice with outside agencies should occur whatever the contact is, face to face or remote. As a practitioner it is our responsibility to make sure the child is covered within the inclusion policy. The second part of my assignment will be focusing on communication and the importance of communication in settings between other agencies, staff and parents/guardians. The word â€Å"communication† comes from the Latin word â€Å"communis,† meaning â€Å"to share.† (Communication studies). I believe sharing is a very important element when working within your practice, with parents and outside agencies. Personally I believe communication â€Å"is the act of conveying information for the purpose of creating a shared understanding. And includes verbal, non-verbal and electronic means† (Communication studies) According to Pietroni (1992) – â€Å"We should not underestimate the many factors that challenge working relationships between professionals. Most fundamental is communication.† â€Å"To achieve better integration of services and organisation, The Children’s Act 2004 required local authorities to enter into partnership arrangements with parents who, in turn, carried reciprocal duties to cooperate.† -Aubrey Carol. â€Å"As suggested by the Laming Report, the Common Assessment Framework(CAF) was introduced as a standardised approach to assessing children’s additional needs. CAF supports the identification of a child’s additional needs which are not currently being met at the earliest possible stage.† (How children learn, Pg. 59) As an early years professional it is very important that I use communication effectively regardless of the type of setting, the ability to communicate effectively is crucial for developing positive relationships with children, young people and their families, colleagues and other professionals. Not only does it pave the way for a happy working environment but it is also a core unit of study for most children and young people especially when working with inclusion. In my setting I am the manager and the SENCO. I believe we are at the stage of norming as described by Tuckman in his performing team development models. Consensus largely forms among the team, our team responds well to reinforcement by a leader. Roles and responsibilities are clearly defined and important decisions are discussed and agreed upon by the entire team. Smaller decisions may be delegated to  individuals or small teams within a group not only to empower the members of staff but to ensure each staff member understands how to handle decision making and help them to gain experience. Our team also discusses and develops our processes and working styles and are always adapting and evolving in parallel to new research and studies. There is overall respect for team leaders and leadership is shared by the team. Leader facilitates and enables (similar to the Situational Leadership ‘Participating’ mode). Working beside staff is very important to make sure we have an e ffective chain of communication which is strong and healthy. In support of this â€Å"Good communication practices need to be built into the policies and procedures of a setting† (Communication studies: what is communication) In our setting we make sure we work alongside parents as they are the â€Å"first educators† (Early Years Foundation Stage – EYFS, 2.2.) To help children achieve their full potential we make sure that practitioners investigate the experiences families and children receive when they attend our setting. Their feedback is essential to us as it helps us to further improve and meet the needs of parents more successfully. As part of gaining insight into the experiences of children and parents in our setting we send out surveys and questionnaires for parents to express their opinion through, this is especially effective if the parent does not feel comfortable expressing their opinion face to face with a member of staff. In addition to this our setting has an open door policy where every morning members of st aff are available to talk to; our staffs are multilingual and can communicate with a vast range of parents. We also have a text and email system in place for the parents who are working and don’t have time to complete surveys or get in touch with the staff. All these systems are in place to ensure effective communication. Coffee mornings are also in place and provide greater opportunities for parents to discuss their feelings in an informal atmosphere. Some settings invite parents to attend a short nursery rhyme performance and a chat about their experiences of the setting. We, at our setting take the ethos of â€Å"parents as partners†. Research tells us that the parents have the most influence over child development and so practitioners will serve children better by working in partnership with the parents. Practitioners also need to be mindful of the parents’ readiness to engage. There are many factors that should be considered when communicating or  attempting to communicate with parents such as communication barriers. Some of these barriers include time constrain ts regarding parents working hours, story time and language issues and if the parent may have special needs. Another communication barrier is if the engagement may be difficult due to family issues (such as a new baby, caring for a relative, domestic violence, health issues, and unusual working patterns.) It is only by understanding parents and valuing their input that practitioners will be able to acknowledge their readiness to engage with the setting. Strong and positive communication and relationships between staff, parents and children will help to develop an atmosphere of trust and comfort. Some children may receive additional support from agencies for their communication development. It is essential that practitioners work in partnership with these agencies to maximize the benefit for the child as it also states in EYFS â€Å"When parents and practitioners work together in early years settings, the results have a positive impact on children’s development and learning.† (EYFS, 2.2) Our setting works closely alongside outside agencies and take the multi-agency approach to make sure we provide the best care to the children. We also follow EYFS guide lines which states in i.16 – â€Å"Close working between early year’s practitioners and parents is vital for the identification of children’s learning needs and to ensure a quick response to any area of particular difficulty. Parents and families are central to a child’s wellbeing and practitioners should support this important relationship by sharing information and offering support for extending learning in the home†. – To make sure this is happening effectively we have implemented a key person system. Each child has a key person allocated before they start at the setting; it is established before the child starts the setting and on the basis of the initial meeting on induction day and the information gathered from paperwork. An example of this in practice is during introduction staff members meet all the parents and the children. If during the meeting we identify any information about the child’s specific needs such as speech/language/physical issues and the parents need e.g. parents first language is not English, the key person is chosen to suit the need of the child’s /parents so they have better communication and feel more comfortable and at ease. Parents can feel confident in communication with staff members and between their children and staff. The role of the key  person is too gather as much information as possible before the child starts the setting so that the settling in time can be arranged according to the child’s needs and interest. On the child’s first day the key person sets the activity of the child according to the child’s perceived interest and ability to ensure comfort and a sense of safety for the child. In addition to this the key person is responsible for noting and observing the activities of the child. After the initial meeting of the child and pare nts the SENCO of the setting (me) sit down and asses and evaluate any issues or concerns. An example of this is a child who attended my setting and during the induction day the mother had mentioned that the child is shy and an introvert. However upon observing the child during induction activities I learnt that the child may be more than just shy or anti-social. I came to this conclusion as I had noticed the child avoided eye contact and would only play with one toy, a toy car in which he would move it up and down in a continuous pose. The child also flapped their hands as a result of excitement. After the introduction I sat with my staff and talked about the day and mentioned the particular child. I then allocated myself as the child’s key person. I felt I had more rapport with the child and insight than any other member of staff. I then shared my thoughts and observations I had made during the day and offered some solutions and plans of action. During the first few weeks of the child attending the setting I conducted many observations and also got in touch with m y local SENCO and shared my concern over the phone. We then collectively arranged a day for her to come and observe the child. I double checked and ensured there was no further help I could provide and did all that was possible for the child e.g. the child enjoyed sticking doodles wherever he could and so I made a little post-box in each corner of the classroom and moved any hazards such as televisions as he loved sticking notes on the screens of television and computers. I also maintained daily contact with the mother and even asked her if it was possible to come earlier to pick him up as he became very upset when seeing other parents pick up their children. And made the mother aware of the assistance I was receiving from my local SENCO. I explained how it was vital to contact my area SENCO as they could provide advice which would further help me to support her child to the best of my ability. On the mothers agreement permission my area SENCO visited me and observed the child  she later introduced herself to the mother, she explained her role and what she could do for her child. We arranged a meeting to discuss the concern we have as a team and our plans to set up a IEP so that we are to help and support the child on confirming the date we made sure that all the people involved are available such as the mother, area SENCO and myself the setting SENCO. We explained everything to the mother for example what an IEP is and what we were trying to accomplish with it. My role was to arrange a support worker who would work alongside the child to support his needs. On our meeting day we all sat down together with all staff members who were going to support the child. Everyone shared their thoughts individually and expressed their opinions. In the end we set up IEP targets to help the child develop skills and improve, these targets were made in shared agreement. Each individual involved was given a copy of the IEP targets, this ensured that all staff members involved in relation to the child was aware of the child’s difficulties and aware of processes to help overcome them and that we all were all shared same vision to establish positive relation, both with each other and what’s best for the child. I personally believe â€Å"A trusting relationship between the practitioner and parents begins with the initial contact and it is crucial that from the start, parents appreciate that staff value their knowledge and understanding of their child.† (Working in partnership with parents, EYFS Principle) â€Å"a professional and honest approach by all staff will be the baseline in building the feeling of trust† as also reinforced in the government good practice guide as well as in Working Together to Safeguard Children, 2013 states – â€Å"all professionals contribute to whatever actions are needed to safeguard and pr omote a child’s welfare and take part in regularly reviewing the outcomes for the child against specific plans and outcomes;† according to the report published a HM inspector in 2007 talks about working together with professionals and has stated that it is important that we as a practitioner enable ‘’parents to play a stronger role as partners in their child’s learning and development.† The staff also share the IEP so all the other staff are also aware of what is our common goals as a team as I believe it is very important to work as an effective team and to have the common goals. For me teamwork is like an oil that makes the team work. It can enable smoother movement towards targets, can prolong forward momentum, and can help teams to overcome  obstacles. In my setting I make sure when I communicate to my staff, parents and professionals I perform as an adult as a model of Berne’s transactional analysis theory. As I believe if you talk like a child you will get a reaction like a child so it is very important that you make sure you come across as someone you want to be, as an adult or someone representing an accounting function or model. We need to be communicating like an adult. To make sure the staff is confident in doing the targets I arrange for the staff to go on training to be able to support the child as it is vital to me to make a â€Å"quality lea rning experience for children and this requires a quality workforce†¦ providers should regularly consider the training and development needs of all staff members to ensure that they offer a quality learning experience for children that continually improve† (Department of Education 2012). We also have professionals come to our setting to train the staff on the IEP targets such as bucket time. Intensive interaction and especial time in the setting – â€Å"the staff trained that share their experience and knowledge with less experienced staff, in order to ensure that continuing professional development takes place†. (EYE VOLUME 14) The professionals who train the staff come to the setting to work with the key person to see if they are using the training effectively. I have regular contact with the professional through phone, email, and through paper. We have regular interaction with the outside agency and termly meetings in which the child’s progress and next steps to take are addressed. During the meetings the child’s transition is also discussed as it is very important to make sure the child moves to the next setting with all the support and the hard work achieved by us at our setting is implemented and continued. I sat with the mum and the area SENCO to explain to mum the options she has to choose from as in the end it’s what she wants for the child that is important.as it is clearly stated in the SEN code of practice working in partnership with parents 2.2 â€Å"parents too have a vital role to play in supporting their child’s education.† They hold key information and have a critical role to play in their children’s education. It continues to state that parents have â€Å"knowledge and experience to contribute to the shared view of a child’s needs and the best ways of supporting them.† So I believe it is very important that professionals (schools, LEAs and other agencies) actively seek to work with parents and value the contribution they make. It  is my belief that â€Å"The work of professionals can be more effective when parents are involved and account is taken of their wishes, feelings and perspectives on their children’s development.â €  In the document it continues stating â€Å"When practitioners are friendly and have a genuine interest in the children, parents come to like and trust them, and mutual respect can flourish.† According to B Sandra who is the consultant and director of Early Years gives some recommendation on effective communication according to her recommendation we need to give full attention to the person who we were communication, we need to be aware of our body language, need to resist any ways to interrupt. We need to take account of individual need and be flexible in the way they communicate and be ready to ask for help when required, be honest about what we know and what we don’t know, one of the other recommendation is that we need to be sensitive to culture differences as in some cultures direct eye contact is class as been rude in other culture satin cultures certain gestures are classed as rude.so care is needed when communication. While communication with a person with English as a additional needs we need to use photos, and visual aid. Someone with hearing aid needs to be communicating visual aid as well as use of British sigh language to make sure effective communication is taking place. To conclude my assignment I believe that a happier, healthier and better-informed workforce leads to a better setting. And that engaging your workforce with the right kind of communication, delivered regularly and efficiently through appropriate channels and means can make a big difference to all involved, for example you, your staff, child, parents and outside agencies.

Debate & MySpace Essay

The motion here today is that Social networking sites can actually cause more harm than good. We do not however deny the fact that in today’s society, these social networking sites do bring benefits to our daily life and also in the ever growing business industry. For example, it helps us connect with our loved ones who are halfway round the globe, or even a marketing platform for business developers with its vast consumer reach. On the other hand, what we are affirming today is that despite it upsides, it can bring about MORE harm than good. It is an increasingly untenable fact, especially with the ease of access to the internet to virtually anyone, that these social media can have more negative effects than good. This is Veronica, she will be speaking about the negative effects that it will bring to our health and financial fraud. Secondly, Hema will elaborate further the effects on business risk and personal risk. Thirdly, Nazrul will touch on the topic of productivity and cyber-criminal activities. Last but not least, Joshua will briefly wrap up about this debate. This is a 5-round debate, and we look forward to challenging our opponent in this controversial topic. Social networking sites are websites that facilitate communication between 2 or more individuals. When we are communicating with 2 or more individuals, many fail to realise that we are essentially putting out information on ourselves out there on the World Wide Web. There are obviously a lot of privacy issues at hand when this happens. I’m certain that the opposition will argue that we have control of what we share over the internet, and we can prevent these issues from happening. Even if we are very careful on what information we share, we still cannot prevent all forms of privacy violation  from happening. An article on The Guardian UK states that Facebook users are unwittingly revealing intimate secrets – including their sexual orientation, drug use or political beliefs. A research shows that just by looking at a user’s â€Å"Like† activities, they can predict information about the user. Researchers are able to predict a user’s characteristics, race, religion, beliefs and political views with up to an accuracy rate of a shocking 88%. Even if we do put in controls, data on these sites are still accessible to anyone, especially those with expertise in the IT arena. A student from the University of Georgia is suing her university of $2 million dollar over the misuse of her Facebook picture. The University have pulled out a picture of her in a bikini from her social media account for a district-wide presentation campaign raising awareness on what not to do on social media. Incidentally, this student has set her privacy settings to only allow her friends to view her pictures. These examples here gives a fair indication of how our personal information can be accessed by almost anyone regardless of the measures that we took to protect our information. And if the opposition party would like to argue that it is the user’s decision NOT to put anything on the social sites, then I think that it would be considered as NOT USING these social media sites in any case, and as such, would be irrelevant to the topic of today. Another issue that I would like to address today is Cyber Bullying. Cyber bullying is a very serious problem because it’s very harmful to younger generation psychologically and also physically. Most bullies don’t think about what they say or do have an enormous effect on others. A very famous case sparked the attention of many people to realize that cyber bullying does have a very negative effect. The case of Amanda Todd shocked the world as she posted a video before committing suicide. In the black & white video, Amanda tells the world her story of years of bullying. I now would like to pass on to my fellow colleague who will go on to the second point. Cyber Bullying Amanda Todd http://www.abc4.com/content/news/top_stories/story/Girl-Commits-Suicide-After-Being-Cyber-Bullied/qIO2h9LBhUaCEB_3oQlbzg.cspx Jessica Laney http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/social-media-blamed-teen-suicide-article-1.1218550 Eden Wormer http://abcnews.go.com/US/bullied-teen-commits-suicide-posting-loves-haterz/story?id=15887174 http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/mar/11/facebook-users-reveal-intimate-secrets http://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/student-sues-school-district-for-using-her-facebook-bikini-picture-in-school-wide-presentation/ http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/selfies-damage-relationships-study-article-1.1424830 http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/internet-is-bad-for-kids-mental-health-237178.html In Wake Of Teen Suicides, Ask.fm Faces A â€Å"Myspace† Problem

Regency Plaza Essay

Regency Hotel Group (RHG) is a well reputed and successful operator in the hotel industry. They have experience on managing resources and controlling the Regency Plaza project. But they have faced several problems such as Unhappy Customers, Slow Sales Growth, Increasing Costs, Work Delays and Internal Conflicts. The reason for all those problems is poor planning. When proper planning and project management well established, Its very easy to schedule and coordinate the process. Then any problem can be identified and solved less expensively in a short time period. This would help to utilize resources economically and save up more time to finish the work successfully in the completion of the project. RHG has reputed brand name with their Good Service, Luxury and wide range of facilities given to their customers. Any distraction or delay of this project would fail the reputation of Regency Hotel Group. This report will express the importance of close relation between organization’ s strategic mission and the Project Management. Also will state to which extent the Regency Plaza project has managed and giving a good example for future Project Managers. Introduction Introduction to the company The Regency Hotel Group was located in major urban centers throughout the world & it was well-known for both its emphasis on service & the wide range of the conveniences that it offered in this hotel. They had developed all of its hotel properties in the past and now it was a mixed use project, this would be the first project & that would include condominium units. The project manager of the regency plaza was decided to build the maximum of 96 units, averaging 1,400 square feet, rather than fewer but larger units. Introduction to the report This project initially targeted toward wealthy couples in late middle age. The hotel project was not success the condominium sales were slow & the local economy appeared to be weakening & also, this project was at the back schedule & over budgeted, the cost estimating changes did not run through, the number & frequency of changes that were taking place on this project & also, lot of buyers were complain about the slower service, delaying closing & the bad workmanship. So, we have to analysis this project under these four questions. Analysis 1. Evaluate the project definition phase of the Regency Plaza project. How do the problems that emerged during the project relate to how the project definition phase was managed? During the design process, managing construction, managing marketing and in the current situation Regency Plaza project team had to face many problems and they took actions to prevent these issues. The actions taken during the project have explained below. The Design Process The Regency, KDS, the Boston Redevelopment Authority and vocal neighbourhood groups involved to the discussions for design process of condominiums. Hodgkins first challenge was number, size and type of condominium units that he could offer to the buyers. There were different ideas about number of unit. Farely suggested it should be 72 units and KDS’s view was it should be 96 units. But Hodgkins decided to build 96 units which could gain more profits. Managing construction Kelly had a huge work load to handle and because of that she divided the workload among few subcontractors. To approve the contract, project team needed subcontractors to produce a floor plan showing all the necessary things and completing time of the contract. Though this cycle took around one month, project team needed to know that they are in the right path. Marketing Hodgkins used a comprehensive marketing and service programme to introduce condominiums to the customers. They have committed to a high level of  customer service and the strategy was to customize condominiums according to the buyer’s interest. Hodgkins did not except big changes that would disrupt other condominiums owners and the guests and she hoped buyers would change their condominiums by themselves after the completion of the building. Thus she did not start discussions about the customization with buyers by thinking changes would be cut off. The current situation The condominium project became slow due to the movement of workers to the hotel area, because the hotel area needed to speed up their work to finish the project before July 15th according to the schedule. The relationship among Hodgkins and Kelly became weak during the project period due to the increase of costs and design changes. Grogan, Kelly’s project manager also became frustrated because of the increase of specialty items and unusual details. The project manager of Regency hotel, Jeff Cunningham was also behind the schedule due to lack of man power. Thus there were arguments between Cunningham and Grogan, because Grogan used more man power due to the constant changes. There was a problem of hard wood flooring and Cunningham asked Grogan to replace the flooring. But Grogan said it was Cunningham’s responsibility. This was caused to a conflict between Cunningham and Grogan. The sales of condominiums went slowly. Only 30 units out of 96 units have been pre-sold, beca use there target market was wealthy couple in late middle age. So Hodgkins wanted to gain more sales by minimizing the cost. 2. Evaluate the role of the project manager (Kris Hodgkins) in the case. What skillsdo you think are required to be the project manager for the Regency Condominium Development project? How well do you think that Kris Hodgkins meets these skill requirements? Do you think Kris Hodgkins was a good project manager? Project manager is the person who has responsibility till the project is completed with the help of the project team. Project management helps to guide the people and the process to finish the project successfully. There are some qualities that project leader should have such as planning, organizing, controlling, leading, communicating, motivating and customer awareness. Planning A project manager should have a clear plan to achieve the success of the project. He should have clear objectives to motivate others to be actively involved to the project. Kris did not have any contingency plan to implement if something went wrong with the Kelly’s schedule of 32 months. Organizing Here the project manager should consider time schedules, resource allocation and required performances. He should inform job scope, tasks and responsibilities to the project team members to get the maximum result from them. She purchased required items such as elevators and marbles earlier which take long time to receive. She was well organized with labour resource when needs. There were 250 construction workers at a time on the condominium floors. But Regency plaza condominium project went slow, because they could not follow the time schedules. This affects to the budget of the whole project. Controlling There should be a management information system to exchange information among the project team and monitor and control the ongoing project all the time. The project manager should always compare actual budget over planes budget and discuss regularly progress of the project with team members. But in Regency Plaza project, there was no good relationship between Hodgkin and Kelly. They didn’t discuss about the progress regularly. Because of that they couldn’t identify the future problems. Though she did not consider the above issues, she has retained 10% pay request to show some controlling over Kelly constructions. Leading This is important to guide the team to complete the project in efficient effective manner. The team member should be encouraged and inspired to get the maximum performance. But,  Hodgkins couldn’t get the maximum use of his team, though she had a well-qualified team. She didn’t lead her team well in there was no togetherness. Therefore conflicts have being occurred. In the case Susan  Randolph, the interior designer of the Regency didn’t agree with Hodgkins and Grogan because she felt they were both focused on speed and efficiency rather than quality. There was a conflict betweenSinclaire and Hodgkins because Hodgkins asked to cut down on tom’s billable hours. As a project manager Hodgkins should her attention more to reduce conflicts. Communication Communication is the important factor in projectmanagement. Projectmanager should able to send right massage to right person effectively. If not there will be more conflicts among members and expected result will not be achieved. But, Hodgkins did not make any meeting; she just sent letters to the buyers informing packages of condominiums. Hodgkins asked Sinclaire to do changes with incomplete information. If she maintained a good relationship with buyers, she could prevent the issues and complaints of the buyers. Motivation Project manager should recognize individual’s specific skills and talents. The team members should be appreciated,recognized, encouraged and inspired to achieve the project goals. Members can be motivated by giving incentives and feedback of the performance. In this project Hodgkins shows poor motivation skills. Shecut downSinclair’s billable hours but it was not fair because forwarded designs to him were incomplete. Customer Awareness Every organization’s ultimate target is to attract more customers and to gain more profits. Therefore this project also should follow the same strategy. They tried provide individual customization but they did not consider needs and wants of the properly. As this was a big project they should have to take idea of the customers. But they fail to do so, because of that only 30 out of 96 pre-sold and that project was behind schedule and over budget. He should have done a market research to find out the interests and attitudes of the people. Kris Hodgkinshad to face many problems and conflicts as a project manager but he was unable to take right decisions at the right time. Those decisions directly affected to the final result of the project. Considering above explanations if KrisHodgkins took better decisions, project would achieve expected results. 3. Evaluate how well risk was managed in the Regency Plaza project. You should use the four stage Risk Management framework from the module in answering this question. Every project has a risk and you cannot eliminate it. Only thing you can do is reducing risk. Risk should be carefully managed to minimize the impact of it. Regency Plaza project’s main priority should be to manage the risk to achieve the success. Using four stages of risk management process, how well risk was managed in the Regency Plaza project is described. Risk identification First, risks that will directly relate to the project should be identified and the risks that will occur in the future should be foreseen. It can be related to the quality, cost, schedule and etc. In this project they did not have a good idea about the size, layout, and design of the floor plate. They might have considered more about the fool plan efficiency and room locations. Hodgkins did not care much about the buyer’s satisfaction. He did not initiate ant meeting to discuss about the customization and he sent only a letter. He thought it will reduce the changes after completion of condominiums by his marketing strategy. Risk Assessment There were many upcoming risks with condominium units. Design changes, increasing number of specialty items, increasing incomplete information and unusual details were some of the issues. It was very difficult to continue the project with these issues. So they could not follow the schedule. Risk response development After assessing risk project manager should develop a contingency plan covering all the areas to manage the risks. But she did not make any provision for the design changes and she did not have a better contingency  plan. She did not think that buyers would agree or not with the design. Thus she had to face many problems and constructions were halt. Because of all these issues the project was become behind the schedule and over budgeted. Risk response control Finally after developing a risk response, project manager has to monitor and control it. In this case, Hodgkins could not manage and response to the risks occurred during the project. She made the wrong assumptions which were caused for additional costs and time delays. 4. Given the situation that Kris Hodgkins finds herself with the Millers at the end of the case, evaluate all of the options available to her and recommend the course of action your group thinks she should take? Kris Hogkins has five options at this situation. Option one has an opportunity for Millar to make the change at a later date and no additional delays in project. But some changes such as sprinkler require closing the whole floor. Option two minimizes changes required and costs will be removed by putting unit ob hold. But Miller’s changes will incur more cost and that will reduce Millar’s interest on the condominium. There will be a risk to put unit on hold too. Option three, hiring a small general contractor has more disadvantages. It is very difficult to hire contactors for small works and labour cost will be increased. There will be conflicts between the contractors and difficult to manage. The risk will be more. But required changes can be done to satisfy both parties. Option four also not a good idea to work out. Because there are many disadvantages such as difficulty in getting bank loans without certificate of occupancy, Regency’s control over project will be reduced and the target customer pool will shri nk. Option five, Move Millers to a different unit on higher floor will buy some additional time. But there are no similar floor plates on higher floors. After evaluating all the options we can come to a conclusion that option 2 is more beneficial comparing to the other options to the project though there is a risk of selling the condominium, there is a chance of selling it, because of the time and cost spend on it by the Millers. Thus we recommend option 2 as the action that she should implement. Discussion and Conclusion After studying the given case study, they have come across many problems and also they have found better solutions for the said problems.In theDesign Process we have found some problems, we find Hodgkins idea a better suited for the process, because it brings more profit. We think Hodgkins marketing plan is effective because giving the freedom to the buyers to customize their own condo is a great marketing idea. The buyer can get exactly what they want rather than unwanted stuff. The current situation of the project is getting messy due small facts that are not taken in to account by the relevant people. We think that the man power should be increase to achieve the given dead line and as said in the case study only 30 units were pre sold. Also there are small conflicts between fellow partners so it’s a disadvantage to the firm, and some have lack of interest. However Hodgkins makes his target market by minimizing the prices. According to the case study the project manager Hodg kins is not a skilled person at her job, she fail in many areas which her decisions were effecting the final output. She was not best at her duties; even though she had a good team she did not take much use of their skills. Also she was unable to achieve her target and the expenses were high, could not achieve the deadlines. Hodgkins should have focus more on the communication skills; due to her miner mistakes her team mates had small conflicts which affect the project in a way. Overall the Hodgkins managing skills was poor during this project. We evaluated the risk assessment and responses and the project manager have not focus much on the risks, because of that the cost of building have been increase also she was unable to give what the buyers wants. Since she was not focus on the risk and once they occur she was unable to face them all. By examining the five options which are left to Hodgkins to make this project work the author thinks the option two will benefits all who are involve in the project. We would like to conclude by saying that improving Project manager’s skills and by focusin g on risks and using all the resources give the project would have been a success. If they can overcome the above problems they will be able to achieve their targets. If we were the project manager we used our skills to get the maximum output.  And also always try to get team members ideas & by using their skills performed tasks to gain best interest to the project. Try to perform all the tasks according to the plan within the budget in order to complete the project on or before the deadline. Then we establish proper communication process to communicate among all the members without occurring barriers & before starting the project made arrangements for assessing risks and establish contingency plans to overcome from them. By considering all the above factors we can recommend below facts. Project managers must aware of the potential issues that can be cause for delay a project & to reduce such kind of delays project managers must conduct audits during the usual intervals during the project. At the same time by showing sensitivity to human reactions audit should be conducted throughout the project. Without looking at the weak points and without bl aming to mistakes project managers must focus on the issues that should be resolved. All the above things can be possible when there’s a stable proper communication between all the parties those who involve in the project to complete it successfully.