Homelessness in the usa

Psychology Name College Homelessness in the USA There still exist problem of homelessness in the United States long after the United States Housing Act of 1937 made it clear that the federal government would provide safe, decent and affordable housing. It is not that the government has neglected the poorest people in the country. The United States Quality of Housing and Work Responsibility Act of 1998 reveals that the federal government has little role to play in ensuring that every citizen is housed. This is a show that there are other factors contributing to the growing problem of homelessness.In every American city, one is likely to find homeless families living in abandoned buildings, cars, shelters among other places. This paper looks at two biological factors and two social factors that may be related to becoming or being homeless. History on mental illness is one of the contributing factors to increase in homelessness. A majority of the homeless persons experience mental probl ems as a result of traumatic circumstances that dominate their lives (The United States Conference of Mayors, 2008). The illness takes different forms and mainly affects the functioning of the mind.This makes it difficult for an individual to lead a normal life as it becomes hard to perform daily duties. In addition, relatives or close friends often avoid associating with the mentally ill pushing them to the streets. Depression is one of the most common forms of mental illness affecting homeless individuals. According to the National Institute of Health (201 1), approximately twenty-five per cent of the mentally ill population comes from the homeless population. This is a high figure that is attributed to the stressful situations characterized by the depression.Individuals in such situations have a egative outlook towards life and are constantly struggling to make things work out. A person without a home feels lost and has a general low self-esteem. In addition, such a person has no interest in previous activities that were considered fun and would most likely keep to themselves. The isolation and loneliness often leads to depression for persons living in a homeless community. Moreover, situations that result in depression can result trom actual homelessness or can occur atter the loss ot a home (Marcuse, 1988).Another form of mental illness that has relations with becoming or eing homeless is schizophrenia. However, unlike depression, schizophrenia has biological and genetic components. This means that it does not result from external features like harmful environment or homelessness. The mental condition is devastating as it affects the how one perceives reality. This makes it difficult for one to handle the daily activities. Therefore, it is the condition that makes an individual become homeless. Individuals suffering from schizophrenia display two categories of symptoms.The first category of symptoms is referred to as positive symptoms. They re in form of delusions and hallucinations and cannot be seen on healthy individuals. For instance, hallucinations take the form of smell, sounds, and sights felt only by the affected persons. On the other hand, delusions are consistent false beliefs regardless of whether they are true or not. The second category is that of negative symptoms which are evidently seen in the life of a healthy individual but are not considered schizophrenic. Some of the common symptoms are displeasure in life or activities.It also includes the tendency to stay lonely and avoiding interaction with ther persons. This category also has symptoms relating to cognitive ability whereby an individual is unable to remember information Just received. This includes reduced capability of making informed decisions and solving problems (National Institute of Mental Health, 2011). The symptoms are a cause of distress to individuals who find it difficult to handle even the simplest tasks. This makes it hard for the affected individ uals to build lasting relationships and develop careers.In turn, it becomes difficult to maintain a home consequently leading to homelessness. There are many social factors that may lead to becoming or being homeless. Two of the most prominent social factors are poverty and social abuse. Poverty can be as a result of lack of material resources and the unfavorable market condition for housing. This affects the poor who can barely afford to rent a decent house. Most of the homeless are poor and are not well educated to secure well-paying Jobs. Therefore, they are less skilled and survive on the wages whose returns have been on the decline (Quigley Raphael & Smolensky, 2001).The rising share of income spent on housing osts is unbearable for the majority of the poor. It has become nearly impossible to own or rent a housing unit. This is the reason why most metropolitan areas have continued to experience an increase in homeless families living within the cities. Measures such as availabi lity of shelter beds in certain cities and regulations that criminalize homelessness have not been successful in bringing families and individuals out of the street. Social abuse is another factor that determines if an individual will become homeless.The most common forms of abuse are physical and exual abuse in childhood. The experience is traumatizing and may lead to major problems such as inability to adjust in all stages of life. There is also increased likelihood of experiencing stress, inability to build lasting relationships, and make good decisions. Furthermore, persons coming from an abusive background are likely to have low self-esteem, which worsens their situation as they become prone to health complications such as going into a depression and substance abuse (Richardson and Bacon, 2003).Children are worse affected compared to adults when t comes to physical and sexual abuse. In addition, children who witness constant violence are also likely to develop negative ettects that lead to homelessness. T atmosphere of violence becomes a part of their lifestyle as they become used to the incidences. Such exposure makes them develop less fear to otherwise dangerous experiences. This is what has enabled most of the children who grow in the street to get used to the harsh conditions. They tolerate the violence and later become perpetrators of the same.

Lady Macbeth Is More Ruthless Than Macbeth Essay

Lady Macbeth is portrayed as Macbeth’s driving force to, as some may call it the dark side. This is how Shakespeare shows her love for Macbeth and also her ambition; she wants the best life possible for him and also for herself. She is portrayed as the more ruthless one in the Macbeth team, but in hindsight she really only encourages Macbeth to be the best of his abilities she doesn’t kill anyone herself she is more ruthless in thought than in action. Macbeth acts on this encouragement therefore is the more ruthless one. The first time we hear of Macbeth in the play a captain is talking about the battle, even hear we can see Macbeth is ruthless. Macbeth is described as killing a man â€Å"Till he unseamed him from the nave to th’ chops† without any mercy or any hesitation. This shows courage but also ruthlessness, he does what he must to win the battle, which is kill his enemies. When Lady Macbeth heard that the first prophecy had come true she was plottin g the murder of Duncan straight away, I would call this ambition. Lady Macbeth is almost portrayed as an opportunist here. She sees her chance to gain the throne, sees what must done for her to gain it and makes it happen. Lady Macbeth knows she could never kill Duncan herself she is too weak. She calls on the supernatural to help her â€Å"come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here and fill me from crown to the toe topfull of direst cruelty† this shows Lady Macbeth is ruthless is thought but not in action. She doubts whether Macbeths has what it takes to seize the crown, she views his kindness and essential goodness as negative â€Å"it is too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness†. Macbeth is ruthless because he is the one to kill Duncan. At first Macbeth is hesitant when considering killing Duncan â€Å"who should against his murders shut the door, not bear the knife myself.† Lady Macbeth has to question has to question his man hood before he will agree to do it. â€Å"When durst you do it, the n you were a man†. Lady Macbeth never mentions anything about killing the guards Macbeth makes that decision all on his own. He does what he must to stay king and protect himself from being caught we see this constantly throughout the play. Macbeth was prepared to do something to Malcolm before he had even killed Duncan, before lady Macbeth had even spoke to him about killing â€Å"that is a step on which I must fall down or else o’er-leap for in my way it lies†. Macbeth has it arranged for his best friend and his son to be killed all for the sake of the throne, from the guards murder on Macbeth completely shuts out Lady Macbeth. He also kills macduffs family because he wouldn’t support him and feared he would try to over throw him. We see Lady Macbeth completely disappear from Macbeth life once he becomes king he is too preoccupied protecting his crown to bother with her. When she dies he doesn’t care all he says is â€Å"she should have dies hereafter† and charges away into battle this is where we see his true ruthlessness to not even care your own wife is dead to not care who will die in battle whether it be his subjects, thanes or wife all he cares about is staying king and he will do bathing he feels necessary. Lady Macbeth pays for her ambition dearly when she is haunted by her own sleep walking her subconscious mind shows what really is going on in her mind. Her tormenting grief is shown â€Å"yet who would have thought the old man to have so much blood in him† she torments herself over Macbeths killings â€Å"the Thank of Fife had a wife: where is she now ?† â€Å"Banquo’s buried; he cannot come out on’s grave.† this all shows she is not as ruthless as Macbeth he shows no remorse for what he has done apart from briefly after Duncan’s murder, whereas lady Macbeth is tormented by grief which eventually leads to her suicide. Macbeth is the more ruthless is the Macbeth team he does what he must to stay king he commits and plans numerous murders. Whereas Lady Macbeth encourages him to commit one muder, she is more ruthless in mind than in action.

Integrated Marketing Communications Plan

INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS PLAN A. ADVERTISING Advertising refers to the paid promotion of goods and services through a sponsoring organization or company. While marketing has the objective to choose markets that have the capacity to purchase a product, Â  advertising, on the other hand, is the paid communication through which relevant information about the product is conveyed to potential consumers (2001). In a general sense, the author plans to use advertising in order to be able to impart to interested Christian women aged 13-45 the availability of slots in the Virtuous Woman Pageant.In a way, advertising will also be able to provide critical information regarding the Virtuous Woman Pageant. The author believes that when the advertising campaign for the Virtuous Woman Pageant is achieved effectively, this can lead to an increased interest for Christian women to join the pageant. There are commonly three main objectives of advertisements: (1) conveying relevant informatio n regarding a particular product or service; (2) persuading consumers to purchase the advertised product; and, (3) keep the company under the watchful eyes of the public (2002).But in this particular case, the author plans to mix the elements of all three objectives. Since the Virtuous Woman Pageant is a relatively new event, then it must be supported with informative and persuasive ads. Evaluation of Advertising 1) Advantages The existence of Internet and the continued revolution in the world of Information Technology are certainly positive signs for the successful advertising campaign for the Virtuous Woman Pageant. For instance, the author plans to use Popup ads and email ads as a form of online advertisement. ) Disadvantages In recent years, the public opinion regarding advertising has become very negative. They view it as a medium that only promotes lies. This is of course contrary to the purpose of advertisements to encourage the target market to patronize a particular product or service. Nowadays, most advertisements are either perceived as merely stating opinions or portraying a product or service in a totally distorted idea away from reality. It is his alarming situation regarding the true objectives of advertising that could lead to an increase in the responsibilities that the author and the organizers of the Virtuous Woman Pageant would face. B. PUBLICITY Publicity is a term that is closely related to public relations. While public relations refers to the proper management of all means of communication among the companies and the people involved, publicity, on the other hand, is the careful management of a product or service’s means of communication between the company and the general public. Therefore, it is basically an informative process.However, its main objective is the promotion of products and services being offered by a company. Thus, a publicity plan is being made along the process in order to obtain excellent press coverage for the company’s products (2003). The author and the organizers plan to issue a press release regarding the launching of the Virtuous Woman Pageant, but other methods including Internet releases are in the author’s options. However, in order for these tools and techniques to be effectively utilized by the media, they must be able to generate a great interest from the public.For this to happen, the author and the organizers of the Virtuous Woman Pageant plans to manipulate the press release in order to be a perfect match to the Christian women. The author believes that the most successful publicity releases are often related to topics that the general public can easily relate to. Evaluation of Publicity 1) Advantages The advantages of publicity include having low costs, and its credibility. New technologies such as web cameras and convergence are gradually changing the cost-structure. ) Disadvantages The disadvantages include the lack of control over how the releases will be used, and the accumulation of frustration regarding the low percentage of releases that are being accepted by the media. C. PERSONAL SELLING Sales are an important part of any commercial transaction. The most common approach to personal selling pertains to a systematic process of continuous yet measurable methods in which the person selling describes his offered products or services in such a way that the buyer will be able to visualize ow to benefit from the offered products or services in an economic way. Selling is basically a part of the implementation procedures of marketing. It often forms a particular grouping within a corporate structure, employing independent specialist operatives known as salesmen (2003). The continued interrogation in order to understand a consumer’s goal as well as the establishment of a set of feasible solutions by conveying the necessary information that convinces a buyer to achieve his goal at a reasonable cost is the main responsibility of the sales person.On the other hand, the main objective of professional sales is to be able to know the needs and satisfy the wants of consumers effectively, and therefore convert possible customers into actual and reliable ones (2002). Evaluation of Personal Selling 1) Advantages Some of the distinct advantages that the author sees in the use of personal selling as an IMC tool for the Virtuous Woman Pageant include the immediate access to feedback, the persuasive nature of the endeavor, the option of choosing a target audience for the sales person, and its capability to give detailed information. ) Disadvantages Personal selling may have the tendency to become extremely expensive per exposure, and the gathered information may be different among the sales persons involved. It is a well-known fact that the main objective of selling is to help a consumer achieve his / her goals in a reasonable way. However, this is not always the case. For instance, Christian women can easily be persuaded by outside factors to join the Virtuous Woman Pageant that normally does not have any interest to them.Some sales people are being commanded by their mother companies to sell to consumers odd products that they don't necessarily need. This anomalous behavior is being supported by incentives of sales personnel to increase their total number of sales, incentives from the companies of service providers to sales personnel to sell their products where other similar products offered by competitors are offered, and the incentive to sell a consumer a product that is in need of being wiped out.CONCLUSION The results of the analysis carried out on the proposed IMC tools that would be used for the Virtuous Woman Pageant indicated very significant effects, even amidst the threats of unrest. Therefore, we could conclude that the IMC tools could still be expected to contribute to the successful launching of the Virtuous Woman Pageant. The review of the capabilities and resources of the IMC tools revealed very little inconsistencies regarding the overall strategies.This is coherent with the traditional inside-out approach. However, the need to reconcile both the inside-out and outside-in approaches becomes imperative now for the author and the organizers of the Virtuous Woman Pageant. The analysis among the environment as well as the capabilities of the IMC tools revealed certain gaps, most of which are biased towards the environment.However, these gaps paved the way towards determining a number of recommended strategic options to secure the competitiveness of the IMC tools. Also, the author and the organizers of the Virtuous Woman Pageant has to find a balance between adherence to internal forces within the management and to the changing forces of the environment in order to implement such strategic options Read more: http://ivythesis. typepad. com/term_paper_topics/2009/11/integrated-marketing-communications-plan. html#ixzz29wJi0bUf

Are Kids overmedicated Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Are Kids overmedicated - Essay Example In this paper I will be attempting shade more light on the whole topic of overmedication in kids by answering the questions. There is evidence pointing at the fact that pediatricians are prescribing over ten million antibiotics for unnecessary cases e.g. common flu, asthma and even in some cases headache. The Centers for Disease Control also report that over ten thousand kids are on psychostimulant drugs such as Ritalin. It was estimated that approximately 7.5% of children in the United States in the age ranges of six years to seventeen were using medicines for behavior and emotional problems as at 2011. The number of children on psychostimulants has been rising sharply in the past few years. What this means is that there are many children out here receiving either antibiotics, drugs for behavioral problems or many others in large numbers that can be avoided. It points to an interesting fact; either the psychiatrists or medical doctors are overwhelmed or too busy to take enough time and provide quality service. It could also mean that parents are very busy give their children healthy home environments. Also schools must take a portion of the blame for their busy schedules that limit recess time or completely do not have activities for children to relax. Pharmaceutical companies should be blamed largely for the overmedication being reported in kids due to their marketing campaigns which are mostly driven by profitmaking (Insel, 2014). The consequences of overmedication can be devastating considering the health of these kids who are still growing. Overt and under-treatment are some of the consequences. Due to carelessness or clinicians being to busy, the children are subjected to medication even when conditions can be manage by therapy for instance in the case of psychostimulants. Antibiotic over or misuse may arise especially in situations where diagnosis is very uncertain e.g. in infections of the ears.

Causes and effect of stress Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Causes and effect of stress - Essay Example The feelings of loss can turn to stress if nothing is done to remedy the situation. Phobias also stress people because one has little control over what happens when they experience these stressors. Another cause of internal stress levels includes those issues related to health. If an individual has depression-related ailments or heart diseases, the stress levels increase (Renner 294-5). External issues also affect the way an individual reacts to stress. Pressure from work due to too much work with few or no vacations could have a negative toll on the body. Having to meet deadlines everyday also affects the daily reactions amongst employees. Finances also affect the way people react because they are unemployed, have low wages or have to plan for the future and are yet to get substantial amounts of money to accomplish their goals (Renner 296). People undergo different transitions in life, which define who they are. When they experience stressful situations, some may cave in to pressure. Others result to depression or solve their issues appropriately. Whichever way one looks at it, stress is part of life, but people need appropriate coping

Project Management Organizational Structures In Aerospace Research Paper

Project Management Organizational Structures In Aerospace - Research Paper Example It is not, however, just the practices and knowledge coding capabilities of the project manager that determine success, it is how the project manager adapts within different organizational structures when working on a project. This essay highlights the dynamics of the three different types of project management organizational structures, emphasizing the potential advantages and disadvantages of each structure. The role of the project management office within a matrix organizational structure receives special prominence in analysis. Describing the Three PM Organizational Structures The first organizational structure analyzed is the functional structure, one that is primarily found within companies that sell standard products. In the aerospace industry, this structure is common when there is a very high volume of production output and where there is a single core product that drives the basis of manufacturing. The functional structure individuals that maintain the same technical expert ise are placed into functional groups, for example a team of engineering specialists, which are responsible for handling activities associated with their level of skills and responsibilities toward meeting the objectives of the business mission (Gido & Clements, 2012). The types of businesses that utilize a functional structure are those that have dedicated research and development teams, such as Johnson & Johnson, where functional experts are grouped into expert laboratories where group members share the same skills, competencies and technical capabilities. In the functional structure, there is generally a main executive leader that governs the entire division (such as engineering or marketing) by which divisional managers maintain reporting responsibility. For instance, systems engineering, mechanical engineering, and software engineering management report to the Vice President of Engineering with no other additional tiers of hierarchical control in the functional model. The next organizational structure analyzed is the autonomous project organizational structure, a structure found in a business that works with a variety of projects that have varying characteristics, different needs for specialist work, and where there is no standard project framework that will guide the projects in which the company operates. For example, a company may contract the project-oriented company for a multi-million dollar project that will require three years to complete that involves engineering experts, installation specialists, or special manufacturing requirements. Because this type of business maintaining a functional structure is working on many different projects concurrently, it will be necessary for some specialist groups to work autonomously until a specific aspect of the project has been completed by which the specialist groups maintains responsibility for completion. Resources in the autonomous project organizational structure are allocated permanently until this port ion of the project has been completed and the specialist group is then managed by a project manager that oversees the administrative function of the group. These partially-autonomous groups only provide support to the project until their unique responsibilities have been completed and then another functional group continues forward until all

Supermax facilities Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Supermax facilities - Essay Example The reality cannot be worse for a prisoner in solitary confinement in a physically cramped condition for years with no social contact. The supermax reforms require an environment to which the inmates can relate both physically and socio-psychologically. It has to provide them with recreations, social interactions and activities in a way that would not contain even the subtlest hint of force. We have to stop the crude system of continuous watching and monitoring of each movement of the prisoners that reinforce in them the feeling of being no better than caged animals. More space needs to be created in these "modern-day dungeons" (Pupovac, 2008) that have become unmanageable for the sheer number of prisoners. I suggest humane practices like touching the prisoner with bare hand by the guards and not by wearing gloves and removal of the glass barrier to allow the prisoner to have a better communication with family and friends. These measures are necessary to convey to the prisoners that they are in the supermax for rehabilitation and not for cruel punishment. Training of the correctional administrators should include the very relevance of the prison system with emphasis on developing processes to make it more humane. In spite of the transition from the Big House to Contemporary Prisons and evolving race relations policy, racial discrimination is still visible in U.S. prisons.

Macro and Micro Economics. What is the subject matter of economics Essay

Macro and Micro Economics. What is the subject matter of economics - Essay Example The scope of Economics revolves around many things some of which are factor pricing, product pricing, income, demand, economic growth and welfare. The study of economics attempts to gain a glimmer of light on how and why the wealth of the world gets produced, distributed and finally consumed. It not only examines the local market, but it also everything at the global levels. Class structures and wealth distribution, the role of government and politicians, demand and supply of products and services, division of labor and other countless factors are all encompassed in economics. It attempts to explain the production system in the world and why they function the way they do (ILO, 2013). Arguably, one of the most inalienable factors in the definition of the subject matter of economics is division of labor. According to International Labour Organization, the current distribution of labor is a positive factor contributing to the economic climate today. Labor gets distributed not only betwe en companies and countries but also within a company. Wage disparity occurs between the laborers and capitalists, a condition that results from division of labor. The laborers will thus have low buying powers in comparison to the business owners. This means that their economic standard will always be lower than that of capitalists. Division of labor is thus effective as a clear vision of the subject matter of economics. Economics study is not effective if we fail to discuss the two main divisions of economics namely macroeconomics and microeconomics. Macroeconomics is a branch of economics which looks into, the behavior, decision-making and performance of an economy as a whole and not as individual markets. The World Trade Organization makes use of GDP, unemployment and price indices in a bid to understand how the economy functions. In macro economics, models get used to explain the relationship between such factors like national income, output, consumption, unemployment, savings, i nflation and international finance (IMF, 2013). Macro economics is such a broad field of study and there are two main areas of research considered emblematic of the discipline. This is the attempt to give an account of the causes and consequences of short-run fluctuations in the national income (the business cycle) and an attempt to understand the determinants of a long-run economic growth. In most cases, macroeconomic models and their focuses get utilized by governments to assist them in their development and evaluation of economic policies. Some of these policies include the monetary policies, fiscal policies and comparison policy. Further, macroeconomics encompasses output and income, unemployment and inflation & deflation as the three major variables of its research (IMF, 2013). Thus, the subject matter of macroeconomics revolves around the three aspects of national aggregates; stability, growth and stability of the community at large. Most variables of macroeconomics get relate d with employment, inflation, unemployment issues and import and export matters of a nation or between nations. Microeconomics is the branch of economics that analyzes market behaviors at a level of individual consumers and firm. This it does in the attempt to understand the underlying decision-making processes of firms and households. It majorly concerns itself with the interaction between individual buyers and sellers (IMF, 2013). In particular, macro economics mainly focuses on supply and demand patterns, as well as price and output determination at these individual markets. The strength of microeconomics crops from the simplicity of its underlying structure and its closeness in contact with the

Renaissance and Fashion trends Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Renaissance and Fashion trends - Essay Example The essay "Renaissance and Fashion trends" talks about trends in the fashion in the era of Renaissance. For instances clothes that were designed for war had specific purpose, on the other hand the bridal clothing was designed to suit the function of the day. Before the 19th century clothing was tailor made to suit the needs of each individual. The design of women garments was quite different with the modern garments. The garments were loosely fitting and flowing. Most fabrics in ancient time lacked decoration. The general rule in western world preferred plain clothes to the decorated clothes. History records that clothes that people wore were white in color. Any other color was not easily accepted. Commoners were prohibited by the rules of the land not to wear red clothes in the theaters. A wide range of cloth colors started featuring in the fifth century. During this time, people could wear a wide range of colors in public places and in theaters. The cultural believes and the societ al norms dictated the kind of design that a community would accept. However, at the advent of the 20th century, the idea of standardized clothing became more popular as sewing and stitching technologies became widespread and the world moved into the era of industrialization. Tailors and dress markers developed new fashions and took them to the market. Competition among different designers is another factor that has contributed to the changes in fashions. Many designers want their products to sell.

Rethinking Giroux’s Disney Essay Example for Free

Rethinking Giroux’s Disney Essay In Henry Giroux’s book, â€Å"The Mouse that Roared† he argues that Disney animated movies lead to the end of innocence in children. He focuses mainly on the images that Disney portrays towards gender roles and gender stereotyping. He primarily targets the issues that women are portrayed as being subordinate to men and are viewed as property and objects of desire instead of as human beings. Giroux is unconvincing in his argument because he writes above the level of thinking and comprehension that most children who are exposed to Disney films would posses; by focusing on specific scenes, while ignoring the overall morals throughout the rest of the movies, he takes the message Disney is trying to illustrate out of context. Since Giroux’s argument is directed to the effect Disney animated movies have on the innocence of children, he discusses what images are portrayed and are picked up by children who view the films. He mainly explains that Disney movies teach young girls that men are dominate over women, and that men care more about a woman’s image rather than what a woman has to say. Giroux fails to consider that the children exposed to Disney films would not comprehend the message in the same way he does. The images that Giroux discusses such as; â€Å"Ursulas disclosure to Ariel that having her voice taken away is not so bad because men do not like women who talk is dramatized when the prince attempts to bestow the kiss of true love on Ariel even though she has never spoken to him. Within this rigid narrative, Ariels maturity and identity are limited to her feminine attractability and embodied by heterosexual marriage,† children from the ages of 5-13 are not able to comprehend the analogies and imagery that he points out. Children at that age are more interested in the whimsical entertainment of the films and are too innocent and oblivious to any of the symbolism that Giroux maybe trying to insinuate are present in the films. In the Little Mermaid children are more captivated by the singing sea creatures and the wonderful colors of the ocean than by storyteller’s views on women having a voice in society. Giroux argues that in Beauty and the Beast, Belle teaches young women that they are responsible for controlling a man’s anger and violence, and that any woman can change an abusive man into a Prince. However many children are going to be focused on the dancing, singing furniture rather than analyzing the message Giroux interprets; that Belle is just a prop used to solve the beast’s dilemma. The age of children that will be most influenced by Disney films, are at a level of thinking where they have not begun to recognize and understand the images that Giroux describes are embedded in the Disney films. Giroux supports his claims by dissecting various scenes from Disney animations to better describe his insinuations on what Disney films teach children. However Giroux tends to over analyze and take certain criteria out of context, and disregards other parts of the movies that would cause some of his analysis to be incorrect. For example he states that â€Å"in Aladdin the issues of agency and power center primarily on the young street tramp Aladdin. Jasmine, the princess he falls in love with, appears as an object of his desire as well as a social stepping-stone.† In the movie however, Aladdin is not in search of power and does not view Jasmine as a social-stepping stone, instead he wishes to be a prince in order to be allowed to marry Jasmine, the woman he loves. However in the end he chooses not to be a prince even if it means losing Jasmine, in order to help his friend and to be true to who he really is. Giroux fails to examine the rest of the movie which in result supports that Jasmine is not a social-stepping stone to Aladdin, since he only wanted to be a prince in order to be with her and then gave up his standing in the end. For those in Giroux’s audience who have seen the entire movie, the ending contradicts Giroux’s argument which then weakens it. Giroux argues that in the movie The Little Mermaid, Ariel giving up her voice for a pair of legs so she can go above the sea to be with her prince, illustrates that men do not care about what women have to say, but instead are more interested in their looks. Giroux doesn’t take into account that Prince Eric didn’t truly fall in love with Ariel until she got her voice back and he realized she was the one he was looking all over town for. Ursula also used Ariel’s voice in order to hypnotize Eric in to loving her, since she knew Eric was in love mainly with Ariel’s voice. This supports that Ariel’s voice matters immensely to Prince Eric, not just her looks, which highly contradicts Giroux’s argument. Without analyzing the full movie, Giroux fails to provide strong supporting evidence, because he does not realize that scenes from the rest of the movie contradict the image he feels Disney is insinuating to children. Many who have seen the full movies he uses as examples will see how other scenes in the film disprove his argument, causing him to become less convincing to his audience. Giroux may be right that Disney can have a negative effect on the innocence of children, and that parents should be cautious when showing Disney movies to their children. When discussing the movie Mulan Giroux presents a strong argument when he states that Mulan has to hide who she is in order to enter the war and help her father. He claims that she is a strong, independent, and bold female, but must change herself into one of the boys so as to help her country and family. In this example he uses the full movie as an example instead of focusing on one scene of the movie. In his example of The Lion King Giroux argues of when Mufasa dies and Scar takes over pride rock, the lionesses stay and do his bidding. He suggests that Disney is insinuating women are dependent on men to lead them. Instead of taking one particular scene out of context he uses the entire movie as an example, as well as insinuates a message that may not be out of comprehensible reach for children who watch this particular Disney movie. Throughout the film the lionesses rely on a man to lead their â€Å"pack† and to help them make decisions. Even at the end of the movie the lionesses did not rebel and fight back towards Scar until Simba returned and lead them into a revolt against Scar and the hyenas; making Giroux successful in presenting a strong argument to his audience. Giroux discusses certain images that he feels Disney portrays to children and assumes that the children viewing the films will see the same illustrations, or comprehend the embedded stereotypes in the same way he does. However he does not take into account that the target audience that Disney attracts is at too young of an age to comprehend the morals he insinuates Disney is communicating, mainly because those morals have not been taught to children, or have not been exposed to such life experiences, therefore are ignorant to the stereotypes in the films. Many of the scenes that Giroux discusses are accurate in plot, but he seems to take certain parts of the films out of context and dramatizes the morals that Disney is trying to communicate to its audience. Instead of looking at the overall moral of the story he tends to focus on the scenes that enhance his argument, rather than include all scenes in which could begin to discredit his point of view, causing his writing to lack strong supporting evidence. Giroux, Henry. The Mouse that Roares. Lanham: The Rowman and Littlefield Publishing Group, 2010. Print.

Market analysis of Sodexo and food and facilities management services

Market analysis of Sodexo and food and facilities management services INTRODUCTION: Sodexo is one of the flourishing food and facilities management services. It believes in providing quality services is winning the customers heart and trust ;through which they have been successful in the market. The organization has more than 25 years old experience in the field of hotel chains, resorts and vacation villas. The organization contains the best and most efficient staff to provide quality service including laundry, housekeeping and food serving. According to Peter, customer service is defined as fulfilling needs and expectations of customers according to them (Whitman, 2001). Since quality assurance is the key to gain the trust of customers and to maintain the competitive edge it is important to have a quality assessment in hotels to know the standards of a hotel. (Bo Edvardsson, 2006) Edvardsson advised the concept of services should be viewed from customers approach because they are the main users of the services and best to judge it. Different customers have different demands and they may look at same thing with different views. People belonging to different cultures, religions have different perceptions, social behavior and preferences. Many researches are done on assessing the service qualities through customer satisfaction in several parts of the world; (Davidson, 2003), (ONeill, 1996), the Kano model (Preece, 2002), (Amy Wong Ooi Mei, 1991) etc. Literature Review: The theory and models designed to evaluate the service quality and potential gaps in quality in hotel industry are necessary. Hotels do market research to get full information about its target audiences and the environment. TQM Total Quality Measurement is a new management term introduced to execute the exceeding demands of the customers. Different hotels use different approaches to TQM according to the surroundings and competition. Measuring Service Quality: The actual evaluation takes place at the time of delivery, whether its beyond expectations are below expectations. The time when we service our customers is the moment of truth that gives the result. For instance the food delivered in the hotel gets its immediate feedback either by the verbal response or in written form by the customers. SERVQUAL MEASURING TECHNIQUE: SERVQUAL model which is also referred as the skeleton for measuring service quality. It basically evaluates what the customer demanded and what he got, the difference between the two. It includes five basic dimensions on which the customers assessed the quality he received and what he had in mind; Tangibles: the physical appearance and facilities of the personnel Reliability: ability to perform the desired service accurately and efficiently Responsiveness: Availability and willingness to help the customers Assurance: Knowledge of employees to gain trust and confidence Empathy: Caring, making customers feel special and cared. The advantage from this model is that it provides an immediate response of the customers after the service delivery which if not up to mark could be sent for improvement. For instance the responsiveness of the hotel staff is just a call away from ones room. On time assistance availability always adds up to the quality of services they provide. Today almost every hotel in the world has their feedback form based on the SERVQUAL model of assessing the quality of services. However there has been some criticism about the model, Brotherton and Booth implemented SERVQUAL strategy on a 4 star hotel and found out that customers viewed tangibles as the hygiene and cleanliness of the resources. The homogeneity in the dimensions of the model is said not to be appropriate in providing exact results. Knutson introduced LODGSERVE for service quality evaluation, Mackey developed REQUAL and etc. all the studies carried out on this topic indicates that certain dimensions are highly valued by the custo mers which mainly includes the interaction and physical quality. THE CHRISTOPHER NAD YALLOP MODEL: Christopher and Yallop suggest a four stage process model to measure the perceptions customers have when they receive the services; Identify the vital elements that are important to the customers and why Understand the importance attached behind it Investigate how successful the organization is in providing those elements Analyze from the collected data for improvements. The model basically suggests an inquiry set to investigate the expectations of the customers. It is important to know what the special or important requirement of the customers is and why is it so? Answers to this can help the organization earn customers trust and reliability. Then the organization needs to evaluate itself by seeing how well he fulfills those demands and how The answer to this can lead the organization to further improvement, analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of the organization in terms of customers perception. Especial rooms are designed according to the demands of the customers, the food menu contains a variety to serve all possible taste they could for vegans, Chinese or different people from different culture. THE PRUDENTIAL MODEL: (McCabe, 2001) Prudential model suggest how financial advice is also a way to meet the expectations of the customers and gain their satisfaction. It examines the perception of customers in terms of what they value most or what would make them value the most. Are there any possible changes that could be implemented in the organization? The charges in the hotel are reasonable and set according to the market equilibrium which should be acknowledged by the customers. The overall package of their stay; food, laundry, hygiene etc are the factors that the customers look for and expect it to be standardized. The hotel charges are kept such that if offers a complete package the customers with the room and other complimentary facilities like sports club, gym, swimming pool etc. THE ECR (EFFECTIVE CONSUMER RESPONSE) MODEL: The main theory of this model suggests that the companies should give continuous focus on the elements that are highly values by the customers. The preference of a certain service or product for instance if the room service is very efficient hotel should invest more in this department in order to gain more customers. Also an appropriate use of technology for efficient usage of resources to satisfy customers. BLUE PRINTING It is a common and very effective theory adopted by the hotel through which they ensure an effective service delivery. It defines the whole process of offering services in three stages; backstage, front stage and line of visibility. The whole struggle is to maintain service standards and to update the whole process with a backup plan. The front stage for instance is the interaction the staff has with the people. The reservation process, greeting the customers and introducing them to the hotel, parking the car, guiding them to their rooms with their luggage etc. Second and the third stage that is the invisible services that the hotel takes care off. Like maintain the reservations with updates and checking for the desired room and its availability. Taking care of the facilities and maintenance required for it. Process Redesigning It is important to set service target standards which are transparent to the staff to work on. The feedback from the customers should be analyzed and strategies should be redesigned according to the demands of the customers. Redesigning services reduces the services failure, enhance productivity and increase customer satisfaction. The process of redesigning first step is to eliminate the non value adding steps, shift the system to self service. The involvement of customers to co-produce the service can lead to progression. SSTs Self Service Technology is the form of customer involvement such that the customers avail the services provided by the suppliers to evaluate and give a response. It is a flexible and cost saving method but requires a lot of effort. Therefore the basic delivery process involves three stages; Introductory scene Delivering the core/main service or product. Conclusion of the drama This provides the hotel with the information where the hotel is lacking in customers eye. MEHRABIAN- RUSSELL STIMULUS RESPONSE MODEL This is a model that indicates how customers response to environment that surrounds the, Emotional or physical responses like anxiety, boredom or excitement. How different environments gives different responses of customers in different surrounding. How variety of factors can affect customers response. The surrounding, color scheme etc influence the customers. For instance the signs and symbols hanged for guidance in multi languages for the ease of the customers. All these models and theories incorporate the similar concept implied for customer satisfaction. Sodexo and other hotels in the world implied these concepts to maintain or improve their service standards because hotel business heavily relies on quality service. SERVICE QUALITY GAPS: It is important to identify the key gaps that exist in delivering the services to the customers and how they can be overcome. (Sargeant, 2008) The Knowledge Gap: it is basically the barrier in communicating the expectations and demands of the customers to the hotel staff. It could be overcome by having a strong market research by carrying out interviews or sampling questionnaire which should be repeated once a while. Management should be allowed to interact with the customers to know what they feel and expect. The management should make sure the feedback is implemented immediately and monitored constantly. The Policy Gap: it is the differences or restrictions made because of the policies. To overcome this gap it is important to use systematic processes to improve working methods. The goals, agendas and priorities based on customers demands and expectations which should be transparent to the employees. The Delivery Gap: it is the difference between the quality service delivered and the service itself. It is important to ensure that the performance of the customers and also that the customers understand the service delivered. For this the employees should be well trained to perform the required tasks more efficiently. Employees should be clear in what they have to deliver and do in more effective way. Consistent monitoring should be done to endure how well are they are performing; they should be motivated to work harder with incentives. The hotel should be updated in terms of technology. Advanced and cost effective equipments should be installed for better and quick services. This would also make a balance between productivity and demand. The customers should be educated enough o perform their roles successfully to gain customers trust. The Communication Gap: this occurs because of the communication barriers between the customers and the staff. To overcome this gap it is important to have transparent vertical integration in the organization such that the information can easily flow in. The managers should be able to identify the problems the staff is facing or their demands to produce better results. Employees should be involved in the basic functions of the organization. By rotating and recruiting the staff can lead to more efficient and motivated employees to provide better results. The Perception Gap: this occurs when there is a perception gap between the customers and the management and employees. It is important to show customers with some evident changes that the hotel is putting in efforts to meet their requirements. By tangibilizing the management can show their customers how concerned they are for their customers. The Service Gap: it is the collection of all the gaps which cause the services to get bad. It could be overcome by overcoming and monitoring all other gaps. It is important to provide the customers with the best service and make sure that they acknowledge it and are satisfied. By implying the theories and models according to the requirement of the hotel the management can meet the demands of the customers and gain their trust. The hotels should have a constant feedback system with immediate implementation to make the customers realize that they are important. By monitoring the work and progress of the staff the management needs to make sure that the staff is motivated enough and works with a team spirit. It is highly important for the hotel industry that the customers are satisfied and becomes loyal to the service it offers.

Specialty Cheese Company :: essays research papers

Specialty Cheese Company   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Specialty Cheese Company is a dynamic, small company that has thought about its future. The company has been around since 1839. It has survived when there were over 4000 cheese companies, The Great Depression and over 150 years of leadership. With less than 150 cheese companies in the United States, the Specialty Cheese Company has three United States Department of Agriculture approved functioning companies.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Starting out with over approximately 60 people, the Specialty Cheese has increased its cheese making capabilities and has doubled in employee size within the last five years. The Company is made of skilled and certified cheese makers. Since the company is stationed in Wisconsin, it has at least one major advantage over some of its competition that are in other states. The company receives its milk daily from over 60 local dairy farmers verses importing it from across the state or elsewhere. The money that is saved from shipping costs on milk seems to be reinvested back into the company. They have established a great reputation by winning awards for their products. They take pride in producing new varieties of cheese, producing ethnic traditions from around the world, and improving the quality of their existing cheeses.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Even though only one percent of their sales come from the Internet, Specialty Cheese is not going to miss out on any opportunity to sale its cheese. They have a professional Webmaster handling their website. The website is a marketing tool of today and the future. It provides free recipes, information on the company, the ability to place online orders, foodservice distributors, retail stores, frequently asked question and much more. Having a professional Webmaster on staff helps market their cheese to customers that the company might miss. The dynamics of the web pages are easy to navigate, clear, concise, and appealing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Paul Scharrman who owns the Specialty Cheese Company monitors, the market place and conducts competitive intelligence. He builds profiles consisting of facts and intuition over long periods of time. These profiles of the competition are gathered at trade shows, talking to customers, and visiting popular outlets. After studying the profiles, the Specialty Cheese can decide on what type of strategy it will take to stay ahead of the competition. Scharman must reevaluate his company often because of the unpredictability of the market place and trends. Specialty Cheese Company :: essays research papers Specialty Cheese Company   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Specialty Cheese Company is a dynamic, small company that has thought about its future. The company has been around since 1839. It has survived when there were over 4000 cheese companies, The Great Depression and over 150 years of leadership. With less than 150 cheese companies in the United States, the Specialty Cheese Company has three United States Department of Agriculture approved functioning companies.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Starting out with over approximately 60 people, the Specialty Cheese has increased its cheese making capabilities and has doubled in employee size within the last five years. The Company is made of skilled and certified cheese makers. Since the company is stationed in Wisconsin, it has at least one major advantage over some of its competition that are in other states. The company receives its milk daily from over 60 local dairy farmers verses importing it from across the state or elsewhere. The money that is saved from shipping costs on milk seems to be reinvested back into the company. They have established a great reputation by winning awards for their products. They take pride in producing new varieties of cheese, producing ethnic traditions from around the world, and improving the quality of their existing cheeses.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Even though only one percent of their sales come from the Internet, Specialty Cheese is not going to miss out on any opportunity to sale its cheese. They have a professional Webmaster handling their website. The website is a marketing tool of today and the future. It provides free recipes, information on the company, the ability to place online orders, foodservice distributors, retail stores, frequently asked question and much more. Having a professional Webmaster on staff helps market their cheese to customers that the company might miss. The dynamics of the web pages are easy to navigate, clear, concise, and appealing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Paul Scharrman who owns the Specialty Cheese Company monitors, the market place and conducts competitive intelligence. He builds profiles consisting of facts and intuition over long periods of time. These profiles of the competition are gathered at trade shows, talking to customers, and visiting popular outlets. After studying the profiles, the Specialty Cheese can decide on what type of strategy it will take to stay ahead of the competition. Scharman must reevaluate his company often because of the unpredictability of the market place and trends.

Akira Kurosawas The Seven Samurai and John Sturges The Magnificent Se

Akira Kurosawa's The Seven Samurai and John Sturges' The Magnificent Seven The 1954 movie The Seven Samurai, directed by Akira Kurosawa, and its 1960 remake The Magnificent Seven, directed by John Sturges have many similarities; for example, the plot of both movies entails farmers hiring mercenaries to help fend off bandits that annually pillage their farms. The two movies also have differences like the characterization of the bandits in The Magnificent Seven as opposed to The Seven Samurai. One of the main similarities between the Seven Samurai and Magnificent Seven is the plot. In both movies bandits annually pillage a small village and the farmers are left with barely enough food to survive. In the Magnificent Seven Calvera and his men actually stop in the town and talk to the farmers, however, in Seven Samurai the bandits ride by and are overheard by a farmer about coming back when the barley is ripe. The farmers then have a meeting and decide to hire mercenaries, in Seven Samurai the farmers use rice and in Magnificent Seven the farmers offer $20. In both movies the farmers are turned down many times before they find the first mercenary, and how they find the first mercenary is similar in the sense of the courage they show. In the Seven Samurai the main character Kanbei disguises himself as a monk and saves a child taken hostage. Magnificent Seven shows the main character Chris and his new found partner Vin in a violent confrontation with thugs who are trying...

Fanons The Wretched Of The Earth and Foucaults Discipline and Punish :: Wretched Of The Earth Essays

Fanon's  The Wretched Of The Earth and  Foucault's Discipline and Punish Fanon's book, "The Wretched Of The Earth" like Foucault's "Discipline and Punish" question the basic assumptions that underlie society. Both books writers come from vastly different perspectives and this shapes what both authors see as the technologies that keep the populace in line. Foucault coming out of the French intellectual class sees technologies as prisons, family, mental institutions, and other institutions and cultural traits of French society. In contrast Frantz Fanon (1925-1961) born in Martinique into a lower middle class family of mixed race ancestry and receiving a conventional colonial education sees the technologies of control as being the white colonists of the third world. Fanon at first was a assimilationist thinking colonists and colonized should try to build a future together. But quickly Fanon's assimilationist illusions were destroyed by the gaze of metropolitan racism both in France and in the colonized world. He responded to the shattering of his neo-colonial identity, his white mask, with his first book, Black Skin, White Mask, written in 1952 at the age of twenty-seven and originally titled "An Essay for the Disalienation of Blacks." Fanon defined the colonial relationship as one of the non recognition of the colonized's humanity, his subjecthood, by the colonizer in order to justify his exploitation. Fanon's next novel, "The Wretched Of The Earth" views the colonized world from the perspective of the colonized. Like Foucault's questioning of a disciplinary society Fanon questions the basic assumptions of colonialism. He questions whether violence is a tactic that should be employed to eliminate colonialism. He questions whether native intellectuals who have adopted western methods of thought and urge slow decolonization are in fact part of the same technology of control that the white world employs to exploit the colonized. He questions whether the colonized world should copy the west or develop a whole new set of values and ideas. In all these questionings of basic assumptions of colonialism Fanon exposes the methods of control the white world uses to hold down the colonies. Fanon calls for a radical break with colonial culture, rejecting a hypocritical European humanism for a pure revolutionary consciousness. He exalts violence as a necessary pre-condition for this rupture. Fanon supported the most extreme wing of the FLN, even opposing a negotiated transition to power. His book though sees the relationship and methods of control in a simplistic light; he classifies whites, and native intellectuals who have adopted western values and tactics as enemies.

Cold War: Cuba and Latin America Essay

There were several motivations for United States policy in Latin America during the 1950’s and the 1960’s. Some of these motivations included the applying of the policy of containment in Latin American to stop the spread of communism. Another motivation was to stop the growing alliance between Cuba and the Soviet Union. All of these motivations were set in place to avoid the development of a second Cuba in Latin America. It was urgent for the United States to act since now there was Soviet Union presence in Latin America offering to be an ally. The United States had numerous justifications for the polices that it followed during it’s presence in Latin America. One of them being President John F. Kennedy’s Alliance for Progress. The United States offered Latin America countries that were developing economically aid; this was a method of applying the policy of containment. The United States need to stop communism motivated them to pass the Alliance for Progr ess. The United States justified the policy by arguing that they needed to have a policy in Latin America that went beyond the Roosevelt Corollary. After 1959, the United State was still devoted to ridding Fidel Castro’s presence from Cuba. The United States policy makers saw the alliance between Cuba and Soviet Union as dangerous thing, particularly after the critical Cuban Missile Crisis. In the Dominican Republic, the Johnson Administration justified the assassination of Rafael Trujillo since his dictatorship had become a liability to the United States. Trujillo was at one point a United States ally because he was willing to protect its interests but he was cruel to his own people and the United States feared he would spark a revolution in the Dominican Republic, much like the one that had brought Fidel Castro to power. There were many things that the United States ignored as it followed the polices that they had enacted. One, being the lack of evidence that there was a relationship between Castro and the Soviet Union before 1959. Another being that the Alliance for Progress was modeled on the Marshall Plan for Western Europe but Latin America was not Western Europe (92). There was also the contradiction between the Alliance for Progress, that it was nice than the method that it followed in Latin America during the 1960’s.

Romeo and Juliet Fate Essay

Some believe that whatever happens during the course of their lives is inevitable and every event destined and laid out before them like a map to their life; in other words, fate. Fate is defined as a force, principle or power that predetermines events, it is the inevitable events that are destined by this force. Why do Romeo and Juliet meet? Why do Mercutio and Tybalt have to die? Why does Juliet awaken seconds after Romeo dies?These occurrences are caused by fate. Romeo and Juliet's fates were linked from the beginning. In the Prologue it states â€Å"A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life†. This sentence expresses that from the start that the fate of Romeo and Juliet was written in the stars, and they were cursed to death. In the play, fate directs the lives of the characters. Secondly, it foreshadows events that were yet to come. Lastly, the characters are aware that they are controlled by their destiny and fate. In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, fat e plays a significant role.Fate directs the lives of the characters in the play. Romeo and Juliet’s first meeting isn’t purely coincidental. A servant of Capulet crosses paths with Romeo and Benvolio, and invites them to the Capulet party, not knowing that they are Montagues. â€Å"My master is the great rich Capulet, and, if you be not of the house of Montagues, I pray come and crush a cup of wine† (I. ii. 78-80). It is by fate that Romeo and Benvolio run into the Capulet servant and learn of the party. It is not just an accident that the servant tells the two cousins about the party at which Romeo is destined, yet still unaware, that he will meet his one true love. Also, it is not by coincidence that Friar John is unable to deliver the letter of Friar Lawrence’s plans to Romeo. It is destined for Balthasar to tell Romeo that Juliet had died. â€Å"Her body sleeps in Capel's monument, And her immortal part with angels lives† (V.i. 18-19).Even thou gh he says what he believes is true and had good intentions, Balthasar’s news is the cause of the tragedy. He is the final piece of Romeo’s puzzle of fate. Romeo, being oblivious to Friar Lawrence’s plan, returns to Verona only to take his life next to his â€Å"dead† wife. In the play, fate controls the paths of life of the characters. Fate is an omen for bad things to come various times during the story. The first time fate foretells the future was before the Capulet ball. Romeo has a strange feeling before he arrives to the party; he says:Some  consequence, yet hanging in the stars, Shall bitterly begin his fearful date With this night’s revels, and expire the term Of a despised life closed in my breast By some vile forfeit of untimely death (I.iv.107-111)Romeo predicted that fate isn’t on his side that night; going to the party would set Romeo on a life altering course which would lead to his utter demise. The death of both Romeo and J uliet is the â€Å"consequence† Romeo speaks about. Another prime example of foreshadowing by fate is the last time Romeo and Juliet meet being alive and well. Juliet proclaims â€Å" O God, I have an ill-divining soul†(III.v.54); it is God’s will that her soul forebodes evil and malice. Juliet then remarks that it appears as though Romeo is in a tomb and that he looks deathly pale. Romeo’s death is envisioned yet again, making it impossible to deny that his fate will lead him to any other outcome. Fate is a harbinger of Romeo and Juliet’s definite future: death. Characters believe that fate controls their destiny.This realization is made by Romeo after fighting and killing Tybalt, he says â€Å"O, I am fortune's fool.†(III.i.135). Romeo is upset over slaying Tybalt, subsequently destroying his future with Juliet and the possibility of ceasing the feud between the two families. He sees himself as a subject to his â€Å"fortune† or fat e, and recognizes that he cannot control his actions. Later on, when Romeo learns of Juliet’s apparent death, he exclaims â€Å"Then I defy you, stars!†(V.i.24). Romeo tries to oppose the stars, or fate by expressing his independence by saying that he is in charge of his own life and that he is not ruled by some fixed series of events.However, Romeo cannot change his fate and everything that happened to him was going to happen no matter what and he was destined to fall in love and come to an unfortunate end. Committing suicide next to his love Juliet is exactly what fate had in store for him. In the end, Romeo did the opposite of defying his fate by fulfilling it. In conclusion, in Romeo and Juliet, fate plays a powerful and meaningful role. Fate has a plan laid out for each character. It is a prediction of the couple’s doomed and tragic end. Also, the characters are aware that their life’s course is decided for them by fate.As Lemony Snicket once said â €Å"Fate is like a strange, unpopular restaurant filled with odd little waiters who bring you things you never asked for and don't always like.† ; Nobody will truly know what fate has in mind for them; every experience and outcome happens for a reason. Whether it is good or bad, fate will always get its way no matter the cost. Romeo and Juliet Fate Essay Some believe that whatever happens during the course of their lives is inevitable and every event destined and laid out before them like a map to their life; in other words, fate. Fate is defined as a force, principle or power that predetermines events, it is the inevitable events that are destined by this force. Why do Romeo and Juliet meet? Why do Mercutio and Tybalt have to die? Why does Juliet awaken seconds after Romeo dies? These occurrences are caused by fate. Romeo and Juliet's fates were linked from the beginning.In the Prologue it states â€Å"A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life†. This sentence expresses that from the start that the fate of Romeo and Juliet was written in the stars, and they were cursed to death. In the play, fate directs the lives of the characters. Secondly, it foreshadows events that were yet to come. Lastly, the characters are aware that they are controlled by their destiny and fate. In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, fat e plays a significant role. Fate directs the lives of the characters in the play.Romeo and Juliet’s first meeting isn’t purely coincidental. A servant of Capulet crosses paths with Romeo and Benvolio, and invites them to the Capulet party, not knowing that they are Montagues. â€Å"My master is the great rich Capulet, and, if you be not of the house of Montagues, I pray come and crush a cup of wine† (I. ii. 78-80). It is by fate that Romeo and Benvolio run into the Capulet servant and learn of the party. It is not just an accident that the servant tells the two cousins about the party at which Romeo is destined, yet still unaware, that he will meet his one true love.Also, it is not by coincidence that Friar John is unable to deliver the letter of Friar Lawrence’s plans to Romeo. It is destined for Balthasar to tell Romeo that Juliet had died. â€Å"Her body sleeps in Capel's monument, And her immortal part with angels lives† (V. i. 18-19). Even tho ugh he says what he believes is true and had good intentions, Balthasar’s news is the cause of the tragedy. He is the final piece of Romeo’s puzzle of fate. Romeo, being oblivious to Friar Lawrence’s plan, returns to Verona only to take his life next to his â€Å"dead† wife. In the play, fate controls the paths of life of the characters.Fate is an omen for bad things to come various times during the story. The first time fate foretells the future was before the Capulet ball. Romeo has a strange feeling before he arrives to the party; he says: Some consequence, yet hanging in the stars, Shall bitterly begin his fearful date With this night’s revels, and expire the term Of a despised life closed in my breast By some vile forfeit of untimely death (I. iv. 107-111) Romeo predicted that fate isn’t on his side that night; going to the party would set Romeo on a life altering course which would lead to his utter demise.The death of both Romeo and J uliet is the â€Å"consequence† Romeo speaks about. Another prime example of foreshadowing by fate is the last time Romeo and Juliet meet being alive and well. Juliet proclaims â€Å" O God, I have an ill-divining soul†(III. v. 54); it is God’s will that her soul forebodes evil and malice. Juliet then remarks that it appears as though Romeo is in a tomb and that he looks deathly pale. Romeo’s death is envisioned yet again, making it impossible to deny that his fate will lead him to any other outcome. Fate is a harbinger of Romeo and Juliet’s definite future: death.Characters believe that fate controls their destiny. This realization is made by Romeo after fighting and killing Tybalt, he says â€Å"O, I am fortune's fool. â€Å"(III. i. 135). Romeo is upset over slaying Tybalt, subsequently destroying his future with Juliet and the possibility of ceasing the feud between the two families. He sees himself as a subject to his â€Å"fortune† o r fate, and recognizes that he cannot control his actions. Later on, when Romeo learns of Juliet’s apparent death, he exclaims â€Å"Then I defy you, stars! †(V. i. 24).Romeo tries to oppose the stars, or fate by expressing his independence by saying that he is in charge of his own life and that he is not ruled by some fixed series of events. However, Romeo cannot change his fate and everything that happened to him was going to happen no matter what and he was destined to fall in love and come to an unfortunate end. Committing suicide next to his love Juliet is exactly what fate had in store for him. In the end, Romeo did the opposite of defying his fate by fulfilling it. In conclusion, in Romeo and Juliet, fate plays a powerful and meaningful role.Fate has a plan laid out for each character. It is a prediction of the couple’s doomed and tragic end. Also, the characters are aware that their life’s course is decided for them by fate. As Lemony Snicket once said â€Å"Fate is like a strange, unpopular restaurant filled with odd little waiters who bring you things you never asked for and don't always like. † ; Nobody will truly know what fate has in mind for them; every experience and outcome happens for a reason. Whether it is good or bad, fate will always get its way no matter the cost.

Color Me Butterfly Essay

Me Butterfly Essay In Color Me Butterfly, L. Y. Marlow describes an African American family in the 20th century. Not only does she describe the family’s experiences, she also explains events common to many African-Americans during this time. The book covers Isaac’s experience in the Great Migration. It also describes the Civil Rights movement, racial tension in America, and history from the late 1980’s through 2001. In studying this novel, the reader follows the experiences of many African Americans during the 1900s. The Great Migration was the movement of large numbers of African Americans from small southern towns and rural neighborhoods to large northern cities. Many African Americans moved up north because of the economy. Because of the lack of work, Isaac wanted to move up north to have a steady income. â€Å"Isaac convinced his parents to let him move by telling them; he’d make plenty more money in the big city than the little he earned sharecropping, and he’d be able to send them something every now and then. This proves that because of the lack of work in Kingstree, he moved up north not only for his family but himself to have a better life. The Civil Rights movement is mentioned several times throughout Marlow’s novel. People involved in the movement worked to ensure equality among African Americans and whites. In the south, it was all about segregation, but it was also segregation up north. One night, Mattie, Roy, and their friends were on their way to visit his neighbor.

Project Management Comparison of Prince2 and Pmbok

MSC756 PROJECT MANAGEMENT ASSIGNMENT TWO THE PRINCE2 METHODOLOGY: A DETAILED COMPARISON OF RELATIVE STRENGTHS TO THE PMBOK AND APPLICATION TO PROJECT MANAGEMENT AUTHOR: KANE WRIGHT STUDENT: 400072002 WORD COUNT (LESS TABLE OF CONTENTS, REFERENCES, APPENDICES): 4972 DUE DATE: 28 SEPTEMBER 2009 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION________________________________________________ _____________3 LITERATURE REVIEW______________________________________________________ _3 Background__________________________________________________ _______________3 Methodology_________________________________________________ _________________3 Components__________________________________________________ ________________4 Processes___________________________________________________ __________________5 Implementing PRINCE2_____________________________________________________ ___7 ANALYTICAL DISCUSSION__________________________________________________ _7 Comparison__________________________________________________ __ _____________7 Contrast____________________________________________________ _________________8 Strengths___________________________________________________ __________________9 Weaknesses__________________________________________________ ________________12 Recommendation – The Application of PRINCE2 and PMBoK in Combination_________13 AUTHOR’S REFLECTION__________________________________________________ __14 CONCLUSION__________________________________________________ ___________14 REFERENCES__________________________________________________ ____________16 APPENDIX 1 – PRINCE2 PROCESS MODEL____________________________________18 APPENDIX 2 – PMBOK KNOWLEDGE AREAS AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT PROCESSES___________________________________________________ _____________19 APPENDIX 3 – PRINCE2 METHODOLOGY BENEFITS FOR BUSINESSES_________20 â€Å"PRINCE2 is extensively used in over 150 countries around the world and its take up grows daily. It is widely considered as the leading tool in project management, with over 20,000 organisations already benefiting from its pioneering and trusted approach† – Nigel Smith, Chief Executive, Office of Government Commerce (OGC), United Kingdom (Science Letter 2009) INTRODUCTION Through it’s evolution over the past three decades, the Project Management Institute’s (PMI) Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBoK) has become clearly established as the leading methodology for the understanding, analysis and execution of project management globally. The increasing need for, and implementation of, project management practices within private and public sector organisations concurrently however, has resulted in the emergence of alternate project management methodologies and frameworks. As an alternative option available to Project Managers, the Projects in Controlled Environments (PRINCE) methodology has gained significant attention and increased favour for implementation by organisations globally. This report has been prepared to describe in detail the PRINCE methodology, comparing its features and processes against those of the PMBoK, and analysing its relative strengths and weaknesses. This report will detail the benefits available to organisations in the application of the PRINCE methodology, how this tool can effectively and efficiently be employed for project management and recommendations for how organisations can tailor the methodology to maximise their chances for project success. LITERATURE REVIEW BACKGROUND The PRINCE methodology for project management was first developed in 1989 by the UK Computer and Telecommunications Agency. This governmental agency, now part of the Office of Government Commerce (OGC), originally developed PRINCE for application in government IT projects (Langley 2006 p30). The methodology was further revised and refined in 1996 by a consortium of 150 public and private sector organisations. The revision resulted in the creation of PRINCE2; a methodology with a much broader application to any and all projects, not just IT projects (Langley, 2003, p50). PRINCE2 has since gone through a number of revisions, the most recent of which is PRINCE2 2009 (Science Letter 2009). This methodology has received increased international interest and attention since it’s inception; and has now experienced widespread application across private sector, to become the accepted standard methodology for project management within the UK. METHODOLOGY – WHAT IS PRINCE2? As a practical tool of public domain, originally developed by government for project management, limited literature exists on the methodological description of PRINCE2’s structure, processes and application. A number of UK governmental publications and Project Management Professionals (PMPs) however, have developed summaries and guides to the method which explain the purpose and structure of PRINCE2. Birlouez (2009) draws directly from the PRINCE2 guide to describe the methodology as a â€Å"process-based approach for project management†. It is designed to be a structured method that the Project Manager can apply to guide the processes and procedures applicable to all projects. COMPONENTS The OGC have structured the PRINCE2 methodology to address eight core ‘components’ of project management (ILX Group 2009). The Business Case The business case provides the driving force within PRINCE2 from the inception of, and throughout, the project lifecycle. As Wideman (2002) highlights, the business case â€Å"justifies the undertaking of the project in terms of reasons, benefits, cost, time and risk†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and is the base document that shapes the suitability of a project for acceptance. Academics agree (Birlouez 2009, Siegelaub 2006) that the business case remains relevant throughout the project lifecycle and ultimately determines whether, through a change to feasibility of the business case at a certain point, the project should be terminated. Organisation PRINCE2 advocates a clear definition of the project organisation structure, to provide the Project Manager with the staff and resources to efficiently and effectively complete the project. Plans Planning is a core concept emphasised within PRINCE2, providing a focus for the outputs and products to be delivered at various stages in the product lifecycle (Wideman 2002) and ensuring that plans are developed and executed not only at the strategic level but also down to the lower (team) levels (ILX Group 2009). Product-based planning is the key PRINCE2 technique with which to achieve this and represents the first of three techniques available to project managers in using PRINCE2 (Birlouez 2009). Controls Siegelaub (2006) has described the ‘controls’ component of PRINCE2 as an area targeted to assist decision making. He identifies that the implementation of project control measures ensures: †¢ products generated meet defined acceptance criteria, †¢ the project is being completed in accordance with time/schedule, cost and resource plans, †¢ throughout the project lifecycle, the project and it’s associated Business Case remain viable, and †¢ the project is conducted within an acceptable level of risk. Control of technical work within PRINCE2 is achieved through the authorisation of work packages allocated against individuals or teams. These packages are measured against time, cost and quality requirements with responsible agents required to report back against these through identified checkpoints and triggers (Wideman 2009). Management of Risk Due to the unpredictable nature of project management and it’s susceptibility to the influence of environment variables, PRINCE2 advocates the employment of risk management to contain and minimise risk. PRINCE2 offers a risk log and scoring system to facilitate this requirement (ILX Group 2009). Quality in a Project Environment Time and cost targets represent only one part of successful project delivery. Quality is a critical factor in meeting customer requirements and ensuring project performance is achieved. PRINCE2 employs ‘Product Descriptions’ to establish the minimum standards for project deliverables. Quality reviews then represent the second technique available for successful project management (Birlouez 2009), as a measure for comparison of planned versus actual performance. Configuration Management Configuration Management is closely linked to quality within PRINCE2 in that it provides the means for monitoring and managing project deliverables, hence enhancing the project management team’s control over the project’s assets and products. Change Control PRINCE2 identifies the requirement for a means of assessing scope changes, their impact on project inputs, requirements and outputs, and most importantly, their impact on the Business Case. This component permits project managers to make informed decisions on the relative value of scope changes; and through the series of detailed change control techniques, processes and requests offered by PRINCE2 (ILX Group 2009), determine whether to include them. Change control is the third and final technique available to PRINCE2 practitioners. PROCESSES Within the context of the key components highlighted previously, PRINCE2 identifies a ‘stage’ process for the conduct and management of a project, similar to the phases espoused by the PMBoK. These stages focus specifically on the execution of a project, and do not cover in detail the associated preliminary project management activities associated with ‘soft’ project management functions like staffing or procurement. Appendix 1 is the PRINCE2 Process Model, which provides a graphical representation of the processes involved in delivering a project. These processes can be viewed as a structured checklist of how organisations can effectively manage a project. Start-up Starting up a Project is the preliminary step in conducting any project, to enable the fundamental activities required to assess project oversight and viability. The stage involves the appointment of project key and team staff and preparation of the project brief, stage plan and the initial (outline) business case (ILX Group 2009) This stage also identifies the Acceptance Criteria for the project, a unique management product that defines measurable requirements of the project (Wideman 2009) Initiation The project initiation stage directly follows project start-up and is predicated on authority to initiate. This stage provides the tools for the holistic development of the Project Plan and through PRINCE2’s Project Initiation Document (PID), provides an overview of the critical elements to the project (Siegelaub 2009)(including the Risk, Configuration, Quality and Communication Management Strategies (ILX Group 2009)). Directing a project The directing stage is a continuous stage which runs throughout the lifecycle of a project. This process is inter-related with all other processes and provides the framework for the decisions required of the Project Board and Project Manager in authorizing and directing the conduct of, and progression between, all the other PRINCE2 processes. Controlling a stage Controlling a stage incorporates key activities that guide how the Project Manager manages the specific activities of the project. Through configuration management and change control (Wideman 2002) this stage focuses on the authorisation, assignment and review of work packages, issue and change management and corrective action to ensure each project stage remains aligned with project objectives and targets. Managing product delivery The product delivery stage focuses specifically on the execution of the technical requirements of the project. It addresses the work that is to be performed, how it is executed and the delivery of the final outputs on completion. Siegelaub (2009) highlights that the activities within this stage constitute part of PRINCE2’s Work Authorisation System. Managing stage boundaries This stage provides the guidance for the Project Manager on how to effectively transition between completion of one project stage and commencement of the next, including review and update to the Project Plan and Business Case (ILX Group 2009). This stage is closely linked to the ‘Directing a Project’ stage, as it provides the input to the Project Board at stage completion for decision on ongoing project viability, and develops the plan for subsequent work stages. Closing a project The closing stage of a project effectively terminates the project and transitions responsibility back to the organisation. Termination can be initiated due either to completion of work, or through premature termination, where project viability is no longer apparent (Siegelaub 2009). This stage includes the capture and evaluation of ‘lessons learned’ for organisational learning and final closure of all project activities. Planning Appendix 1 does not reflect ‘Planning’ within the PRINCE2 Process Model, as this stage (much like the Directing a Project stage), is an over-arching activity that spans the entire lifecycle of the project and is continuous across all stages. Planning identifies the project’s deliverables and the associated resources and activities to create them. Planning is closely aligned with all stages, particularly the ‘Initiation’ stage, as detailed planning must be consistent with the control requirements of the PID (Siegelaub 2009). IMPLEMENTING PRINCE2 PRINCE2 identifies that any product will have a lifespan of five phases. Of these phases (Conception, Feasibility, Implementation, Operation and Termination), PRINCE2’s methodology and process model specifically operate within the Implementation phase of the product lifecycle. From this application, it can be seen that PRINCE2 is therefore an ‘implementation methodology’ as opposed to a more encompassing and holistic project management methodology (Wideman 2002). ANALYTICAL DISCUSSION COMPARISON In order to highlight the differences that exist between PRINCE2 and PMBoK, t is necessary first to draw comparison between the two methodologies. PMBoKs processes are effectively building blocks, each of which can be categorized into a Process Group and Knowledge Area (Birlouez 2009). Appendix 2 provides an overview of the Project Management Knowledge Areas and processes espoused by the PMBoK. The major knowledge areas are: †¢ Project Integration Management †¢ P roject Scope Management †¢ Project Time Management †¢ Project Cost Management †¢ Project Quality Management †¢ Project Human Resource Management Project Communication Management †¢ Project Risk Management †¢ Project Procurement Management The Project Integration Management area acts as a lynchpin for the PMBoK, linking all other areas. Birlouez (2009) uses the development of the Project Management Plan as an example for this, as this document will incorporate all plans from the other knowledge areas (Risk, Communication, Quality, etc). Conceptually, PRINCE2 components can be aligned with and compared against PMBoK Knowledge areas. Siegelaub (2002) has tabulated this comparison: PMBoK Knowledge Area |PRINCE2 Components | |Integration Management |All processes/components combined | | |Change Control | |Scope Management |Business Case | |Time Management |Plans | |Cost Management | |Quality Management |Quality | | |Configuration Management | |Risk Mana gement |Risk | |Communication Management |Controls | |Human Resource Management |Organisation (to a limited extent) | |Procurement Management | | It is easy to observe then the similarities between the critical concepts addressed by each methodology. The application of PRINCE2 to project management however, differs in scope from the PMBoK. From the outset, PRINCE2 does not claim to comprehensively cover the subject of project management. Rather, it is a methodology that is based on the principles of the PMBoK. Siegelaub (2006) highlights that PMBoK: â€Å"specifically calls on the practitioner to apply a project management methodology (as a tool/technique), and PRINCE2 provides one. Viergever (2009) supports this argument, suggesting that PMBoK provides the framework, where PRINCE2 provides the method. CONTRAST Academic opinion (Birlouez 2009, Siegelaub 2006, Viergever 2009, Wideman 2002) generally prescribes that the PMBoK and PRINCE2 serve different purposes and are not easily comparable. Where PMBoK provides a comprehensive means for teaching the subject of each knowledge area of project management as a discipline, PRINCE2 provides a more detailed approach for the running of a particular project. When examining the process side of project management, PMBoK tends to focus on higher-level descriptions rather than a detailed explanation of processes. PRINCE2 by contrast offers a more detailed explanation of the processes (Viergever 2009). Several authors (Webber 2009, Van Bon 2006) have highlighted PRINCE2’s level of detail within project processes as a major advantage over PMBoK. Assessment from various PMPs and methodology description within the PRINCE2 guide advocate an extensive list of strengths for PRINCE2; as both a stand-alone methodology and in comparison to the PMBoK. Major strengths of the methodology based on public and private sector application have been grouped together into the following areas. STRENGTHS Methodology structure The detailed process model that PRINCE2 offers provides a controlled start, progress and close to projects. The structure of the methodology provides a standardised process for project completion that permits consistency between projects within an organisation. It also provides a framework for delegation and communication, and stipulates points for review and flexible decision points against the project plan, business case and risks (Ruleworks, 2009). The processes within permit a stage-by-stage breakdown of work requirements for project managers that goes into greater detail than the five project phases espoused by the PMBoK (Initiating, Planning, Executing, Controlling and Monitoring, Closing (IT Governance Ltd 2009)), effectively providing a ‘checklist’ for project managers; however as a generic methodology remain flexible enough that activities can be tailored to suit the organisation and project (and do not all require rigid application to all projects). The methodology is supported by a well-defined set of progressive documentation requirements that provide an easy guide to assist the project team. Thirty-three standard management ‘products’ are available to PRINCE2 practitioners as templates which can be employed as key outputs across the multiple stages (Wideman 2002). The Business Case and Project Brief provide uidance on viability during the start-up phase that is not recognized by the PMBoK, wh ile the PID offers the detailed description of how the project is to be executed. Although the PMBoK has an equivalent document (the Project Charter) the requirement for a substantiated Business Case does not serve as a prerequisite. This ‘commercial-off-the shelf’ (COTS) methodology is favoured amongst many organisations globally, as it provides significant cost and time savings (in multiple months and thousands of man-hours), compared to the decision to develop and launch a unique methodology for a business and educate staff in its application (Kippenberger 2009). Further benefits to business that the methodology’s structure offers are listed at appendix 3. Project organisation and assignment of responsibilities Another strength of PRINCE2 is its identification of management roles rather than jobs, which can then be allocated amongst organisational staff to suit the organisation. PRINCE2 goes beyond the PMBoK identification of a ‘Project Sponsor’ to highlight the benefits of using a ‘Project Board’ (a team of senior executives that provide oversight for the project and grant authority to the Project Manager through commitment of resources (Siegelaub 2006)). Although not a mandated requirement of PRINCE2, the Project Board is a function which can facilitate greater project ownership from key stakeholders. Representation will ordinarily be provided on the board through appropriate senior members from the business (usually the Senior Executive), the user organisation and the supplier. Presence of a Senior User ensures that customer specifications for a project are adhered to at various review points in the project lifecycle, while the Senior Supplier represents the interests of the team/s designing, developing and implementing the project, to ensure appropriate resources are committed and quality maintained (Wideman 2002). The importance of the customer/supplier environment that PRINCE2 espouses cannot be overemphasised. In a case study of four interactive media companies trialing the use of PRINCE2, England (2006) identified that wareness of project management practices on both user and supplier sides of any project was essential to facilitating effective project management and in managing stakeholder perceptions and expectations. Companies that achieved this when implementing PRINCE2 had improved communication and smoother reporting. PRINCE2 also advocates defined roles for project assurance and a configuration librarian, support roles that ensure all interests of a project are served and project and management documentation is maintained and accessible. Business case based decision making PRINCE2’s use of defined ‘go/no-go’ criteria for evaluating a business case by a project board provides an initial stage-gate check for project viability, significantly enhancing the chances of project success. As part of PRINCE2’s processes, the project start-up stage assigns responsibility to a project owner for preparation of the business case. Ownership of the business case encourages the person/s assigned to put sufficient rigour into the business case for approval (thus reducing the likelihood for ill-planned projects to be approved). In a review of one Dutch bank using PRINCE2 for it’s project management, this process (requiring a detailed justification for business cases) resulted in 30% less projects approved for initiation. Further analysis of these figures confirmed that the reduction of project approvals was attributable to Business Case reviews that identified non-viable projects prior to initiation (Viergever 2009). Product based planning Practitioners generally concur on PRINCE2’s planning method as a major strength of it’s methodology. PRINCE2 expands upon PMBoKs use of a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) to incorporate detailed Product Descriptions into a Product Breakdown Structure (PBS). This inclusion for deliverables not only clarifies expectations of project teams and end-users to ensure that the output provided meets requirements, but also provides a baseline against which scope changes can be measured (Siegelaub 2008). This benefit has been espoused by a number of PMPs (England 2006, Tang 2008, Webber 2009). Wideman (2009) notes that this process can be applied to any project at any level for positive results. The PBS provides a far greater level of detail than the PMBoK WBS by demonstrating the links between products and their associated work activities in the Product Flow Diagram, which facilitates identification of the necessary activities to achieve the final outcome and the creation of associated Gantt charts. As the CEO of IT Governance Ltd (the most comprehensive publisher of governance, risk and compliance books and tools globally), Alan Calder has endorsed the PRINCE2 methodology’s product-based planning approach. In his article on IT Project Governance, Calder (year unknown) highlights that this approach does not simply plan when an activity will be conducted; it goes further to clarify the result that is required. Work Packages Siegelaub (2006) has identified PRINCE2’s use of Work Packages (the core element of the PRINCE2 work authorisation system) as a major gap in the PMBoK Project Management methodology that PRINCE2 fills. The Work Packages extensively define: the work to be performed through Product Descriptions, time, cost and resource constraints; techniques for the work to be performed; the review and submission process for the work and the procedures for issue reporting. Content can be tailored to the organisation and the type of project; and offers a more comprehensive method for defining work. This is one of the fundamental tools that demonstrate how PRINCE2 provides the ‘nuts and bolts’ method that the PMBoK’s framework does not describe in detail. Registers of Scotland Executive Agency (a land title registration agency) have implemented Work Packages as a key Project Management deliverable and have experienced greater awareness amongst managers of the detailed structure to their projects and control over the work being performed. Implementation of PRINCE2 within the organisation, specifically through the pplication of the PID, defined the boundaries of projects within and t he subsequent allocation of work packages significantly reduced scope creep amongst the company (Gardiner 2002). Change control and configuration management Until recently, change control and management was covered almost exclusively by PRINCE2. PMBoK 4th Edition has started to address this through it’s section on Integrated Change Control (Kerzner 2009 p 475) however this is not at the same level of maturity as PRINCE2’s configuration management and change control approach, as PMBoK identifies the requirement without detailing the means or process to achieve change control. PRINCE2 2009 continues to provide a more detailed change management process (Webber 2009). Work Package control in PRINCE2 is closely monitored through the checkpoints and reporting requirements stipulated in the methodology process (including Highlight Reports and Exception Reports) and the requirement to define tolerance levels, contingency plans and change control processes further aid configuration management (Wideman 2002), an area that the PMBoK lacks. ‘Directing the project’ across all phases PRINCE2’s thorough description of critical activities across processes facilitates a much more controlled project management process. Definition of how the project will handle exception situations, and the associated management actions required, as part of the PID during the ‘Start-up’ stage ensures key participants in the project have a clearly defined process to follow in escalating issues and taking corrective action. This, combined with the employment of Quality Reviews against project deliverables within PRINCE2, ensures that the Project Manager and Project Board can track project performance across all stages of the project. PRINCE2 offers a simple set of steps to guide how Quality Reviews are employed against these deliverables. Finally, PRINCE2 expands on the PMBoK’s reference to the requirement to manage issues, by providing a mechanism for conducting this: the Issue Log. The Issue Log provides a recommended format for tracking issues and identifies key points in the project lifecycle that issues should be identified, updated and reviewed (Siegelaub 2006). WEAKNESSES Despite the obvious strengths to the methodology, PRINCE2 as a project management tool in isolation is not an infallible methodology. The method is subject to several weaknesses. Application One of the basic weaknesses of PRINCE2, applicable across both Public and Private sectors, is the methodology complexity and range. A number of organisations are subject to implementing ‘PRINCE2 in name only’ (PINO), arbitrarily selecting various templates and products from the methodology without sufficient regard to the applicability to their projects, hence failing to effectively apply the processes. In these situations, the ‘document-centric’ nature of the methodology leads to the documents becoming ends in themselves instead of tools and products to assist the progress of the project (Project Management Australia 2009). When this occurs excess work may be generated for a project, which overshadows and detracts from the project itself. It must be highlighted however, that these particular shortcomings are failures of the practitioner rather than the methodology. Viergever (2009) supports this view, highlighting the propensity of the methodology to become mired in bureaucracy. Foremost, Viergever highlights culture as a reason for this. PRINCE2 assumes a customer/supplier environment, where both stakeholders have input to the requirements and management of the project. In a culture lacking this cooperation, the supplier ‘drives the ship’ and so much bureaucratic documentation is prepared without consideration for end user requirements. Secondary to, and supporting this, Viergever acknowledges that organisations have a tendency to apply all the templates and procedures described by PRINCE2. The methodology does not prescribe which of these are essential for different types of projects, therefore many organisations ‘over-prescribe’ and apply them all. The case of Suffolk County Council (SCC) is a good example where this ‘pitfall’ was experienced and rectified. After initial attempts to apply PRINCE2 for better management of public services were met with resistance (due to a perception of bureaucracy and over-prescription of practices), SCC tailored the system into a framework that suited them: PRINCE2 Suffolk Style (PRINCESS). Subsequently, the tailored approach provided the general guidance required by managers and employees to clarify role expectations and generic process to be followed, while scaling down the ‘reporting product’ requirements to better suit the organisation and it’s (comparatively simple) projects (Ling 2009). Poor definition of contracting and procurement Wideman (2002) illustrates a major weakness of the PRINCE2 methodology in the lack of strong detail during Project ‘Conception’. As the methodology largely focuses on the commencement of a project from ‘Start-up’ (or the ‘Implementation’ phase of the project lifecycle) little attention is paid to how the project may be run when conducted within a contract context; and scarce detail is provided on the procurement requirements applicable. Considered in isolation then, the PRINCE2 methodology lacks the detail on how to conduct these activities; a significant omission given the emphasis on sub-contracting project phases and elements in recent years. The PMBoK by contrast provides a dedicated chapter to procurement which provides guidance on these activities, including the actual procurement, pre-assignment or negotiation for project team members (ILX Group 2009). Lack of Human Resource focus PRINCE2 does not explore in significant detail the management issues associated with human resources (including team acquisition planning, training, team-building and recognition) despite the importance placed on human assets in various management disciplines (Webber 2009). Van Bon and Verheijen (2006) support this view, arguing that PRINCE2 lacks any real detail on the soft skills of Project Management, where PMBoK does address these issues through a detailed section human resource management. RECOMMENDATION – THE APPLICATION OF PRINCE2 AND PMBOK IN COMBINATION Notwithstanding the aforementioned weaknesses of PRINCE2, the methodology remains a very effective project management tool. Noting the obvious ‘conceptual’ areas that PRINCE2 fails to address in detail, these areas are captured and expanded upon in the PMBoK. Consideration must be given therefore, to the application of both methodologies in concert. Many academics emphasise how each methodology can be used to complement the other (Siegelaub 2006, Wideman 2009, Yeong 2007). PRINCE2’s lack of focus on Communications, Human Resource and Procurement Management are areas that are complemented by PMBoK. Alternatively, PRINCE2’s strengths in process and documentation, coupled with its business case approach, provide a stronger focus on the strategy aspects that PMBoK addresses only at higher levels. At the work unit level, the WBS of the PMBoK can be combined with PRINCE2’s PBS for a more comprehensive means of structuring project deliverables. Using PMBoK and PRINCE2 as an ‘integrative project management methodology’ (Yeong 2007) permits organisations to complement the strengths of each while mitigating their individual weaknesses. Ideally, the procedural and product concepts unique to PRINCE2 (Business Case, Project Boards, Issue Logs, Tolerance and Exception Plans, Configuration Management, etc) should be used to ‘flesh out’ and strengthen the PMBoK’s knowledge areas. The case of Getronics (a leading vendor of Information Communication and Technology solutions) provides an interesting example for the combination of both the PMBoK ‘framework’ and the PRINCE2 ‘method’. Following its adoption of PRINCE2, Getronics commenced a review of internal methodology to combine both methods. The company had drawn upon its PMP experience to apply the principles of Project Management advocated in the PMBoK; including project management ‘soft skills’ (communication management and people management) as well as other critical areas such as contract (procurement) management and the incorporation of an earned value system. Concurrently, Getronics grounded these aspects in a business case driven environment (one of the hallmarks of the PRINCE2 methodology), with a clearly defined process model for specific activities that were required throughout the project; and product based planning that was deliverables driven. This combination evolved into the Getronics Global Project Management Methodology and has been successfully applied by the company across 30 countries (APM Group 2003). At the individual level, the complementary nature of both methodologies means that the method-based certifications of PRINCE2 practitioners, combined with the PMI accreditation provided to PMPs, allows for a more ‘well-rounded’ PMP with a holistic understanding of Project Management. At the same time, these skillsets are complemented by technical skills for selecting and applying techniques. The combination makes for a more comprehensive approach that is easily obtained and adopted, based on public domain elements. Essentially, PRINCE2 can provide the depth the PMBoK lacks, while the PMBoK can address the broader elements of project scope not covered by PRINCE2. AUTHOR’S REFLECTION An obvious limitation of the research conducted within this report was the lack of quantitative data for analysis. Analysis of case studies is based largely on anecdotal evidence from participating organisations. Whilst the documentation available on PRINCE2’s application in business is not propagandistic, there is a notable prevalence of favourable literature and examples published, while examples of failed applications of PRINCE2 appear to be limited. Further quantitative analysis into unsuccessful trials of the methodology (incorporating productivity figures, schedule and cost variances) may provide an interesting counterpoint to the analysis conducted within this report. CONCLUSION As a project management methodology, PRINCE2 represents an alternative option to the PMBoK. PRINCE2 is a more detailed, process-based approach that provides thorough guidance on the management of a particular project. PMBoK by comparison is a more generic methodology that addresses the core knowledge areas of the project management discipline, establishing the framework within which PRINCE2 functions. PRINCE2 has a number of strengths that lie in its detailed processes, however the multiple products and deliverables that the methodology advocates can be incorrectly applied by practitioners if not appropriately adapted to suit the organisation. Despite the widespread support for this methodology across both public and private sector organisations, the methodology is not infallible. Through application in conjunction with the PMBoK however, the relative strengths of each methodology can be applied to counter and reduce the associated weaknesses of the other, for a combined and comprehensive project management methodology. Organisations that embrace the combination of these two approaches and careful application to their project environment are far more likely to experience effective project management and project success. 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Viergever, N 2009, Comparing PMBOK and PRINCE2, NVi Homepage, retrieved 14 September 09 http://www. viergever. info/en/pmbokp2. aspx †¢ Webber, L 2009, IT Project Management Essentials 2009, Aspen Publishers, USA pp18- 19 – 18-22. †¢ Wideman, R 2002, Comparing PRINCE2 with PMBoK, AEW Services, Vancouver. †¢ Yeong, A 2007, The Marriage Proposal of PRINCE2 and PMBoK, AnthonyYeong. com, retrieved 15 September 09 http://www. anthonyyeong. com/The%20Marriage%20of%20PRINCE2%20and%20PMBOK. pdf APPENDIX 1 – PRINCE2 PROCESS MODEL [pic] (Source: ILX Group 2009) APPENDIX 2 – PMBOK KNOWLEDGE AREAS AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT PROCESSES [pic] (Source: Wideman 2002, p2) APPENDIX 3 – PRINCE2 METHODOLOGY BENEFITS FOR BUSINESSES Detailed below is a succinct ‘checklist’ of the benefits that the PRINCE2 methodology can offer to businesses when applied correctly, based on the methodology’s structure for managing projects. These benefits are experienced when PRINCE2 is applied in the absence of any other project management framework or methodology, and do not take into consideration or compare against the benefits that alternative methodologies may offer. Benefits have been taken from the Ruleworks Knowledge Management website (2009): [pic]PRINCE2 provides  a controlled start, controlled progress, a controlled close. pic]Regular reviews against plan, business case and risks. [pic]PRINCE2 provides flexible decision points. [pic]Automatic management control over deviations. [pic]Stakeholder involvement at the right times. [pic]Clear  communication channels. [pic]Project managers using PRINCE are able to establish terms of refer ence before the project start. [pic]There is a defined structure for delegation & communication. [pic]Project managers divide a project into manageable stages for more accurate planning. [pic]Resource commitment from management is part of any approval to proceed. [pic]Regular but brief management reports are available (checkpoint reports, highlight reports and exception reports). pic]Meetings with management are kept to a minimum, but at vital points in the project. [pic]End product users are able to participate in the decision-making. [pic]End users are involved in project progress. [pic]End users participate in quality checks throughout the project. [pic]User requirements are specified. [pic]PRINCE2 is Free (other then any training or support you want to pay for). [pic]PRINCE2 has a strong User Group. [pic]PRINCE2 is supported by (UK) Government and organisations such as APM and ISEB. [pic]Training courses are available from many accredited training organisations. [pic]PRINCE2 is flexible and can be applied to any kind of project.