PM Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

PM Case Study - Essay Example During this time frame the activity where slack or float time is observed can be delayed by a certain extent without delaying the overall completion of the project (Chitkara, 2007). It is evident from figure 1 and 2 given above that float time or slack is associated with activity D and E. This indicates that activity D and E can be delayed by a definite extent without delaying the overall completion of the project. The float time for activity D is 140 weeks and that of activity E is 115 weeks. Therefore, the total float time for activity D and E is 255 weeks. Critical Path: The longest path in a project is referred to as the critic path (Clarke, 2008). The project related activities which falls within the critical path cannot be delayed by any means as delaying these activities would mean delaying the overall completion of the project (Crawford, Pollack and England, 2008). In figure one and two given above, the project based activities highlighted in red are the critical tasks. Taking into account the fact that there is a delay of 6 weeks in activity H, it can be seen that a delay of such scale and magnitude will certainly delay in the completion of the project. The major reason behind that is the fact that activity H is a critical task that falls within the critical path of the project and henceforth project managers cannot afford to let loose anything which might result in a delay in any of the critical tasks. However, a project is always associated with external factors and therefore uncertainty. There are various risk factors that can push the overall duration of a project. Therefore, it is the duty of the project managers to adopt appropriate counter measures in order to be prepared for any adverse scenarios which in turn will allow them to prevent the overall delay of the project. In this case a delay is noticed on activity H (user acceptance testing). Multiple courses of actions can be taken in order to prevent delay

Reading response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 39

Reading response - Essay Example Nevertheless, a writer should have the capacity to overcome the counterclaims on his argument. Olsson argues that Wal-Mart is one of the multinational companies that underpays, mistreats, and overworks its employees. She also argues that Wal-Mart has been fighting off unions that advocate for workers’ rights. Olsson argues that Wal-Mart employees must have a second job to survive unless an employee is a manager or has been working at the company for more than 20 years. According to Olsson, the company has been pushing employees to maximize all their potential to reap maximum benefits and cut costs without hiring more employees. The author supports the former and current Wal-Mart employees’ right to fight the company for violating wage-and-hour laws. Olsson accommodates counterclaims by recognizing Wal-Mart’s policies and views on employees’ treatment, compensation, and right to join unions. She also accommodates the company’s response to complaints of unpaid overtime. She stated, â€Å"Wal-Mart blames unpaid overtime on individual departmen t managers, insisting that such practices violate company policy† (Olsson, 2003). Olsson also considers the dominant complaints about understaffing and low pay as well as the company’s response on training and promoting female managers. However, Olsson addresses all the counterclaims by treating Wal-Mart as a unique case by considering its size and potential as well as the employees’ right to fair pay and treatment. She also refutes the counterclaims by quoting the wage-and-hour laws. In the reading â€Å"Progressive Wal-Mart. Really,† Mallaby argues that the anti-Wal-Mart campaign brewing in Maryland and across America is trivial, ironic, and comic. He argues that preventing the company from opening new branches will bring suffering to poor Americans since it will limit ordinary families from sharing the health benefits and food relief offered by the company. Mallaby argues that Wal-Mart

Gucci And Innovation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Gucci And Innovation - Essay Example This paper intends to analyze the employee creativity and innovation as a key focus for most international organizations especially while trying to manage global economic crises in recession. Among other ways through which the multinationals remain strategic and influential in the international, market especially in terms of competition and market segmentation is through organizational processes and products/services differentiation. A key strategy that has been adopted in this regard is through adoption and focus on creativity and innovation. Employees have been very instrumental in ensuring relevance of the international organizations through creativity and innovation. However, the level of innovation and creativity by such employees has been dependent of institutional frameworks and thus organizational leadership becomes very instrumental in empowering the employees for such assignments as designing of products and services for the companies through innovation and creativity (OECD , 2009, p. 5-6). Discussion Innovation is a phenomenon that is socially acceptable, which brings together the ideas of different people and the implementation of the same. Moreover, through innovation, products and services are designed and made through the cooperation of people working together. The success of any organization especially in innovation and creativity requires the collaboration of efforts by the leadership as well as the subordinates. The management/leadership teams within organizations are usually tasked to propel the organization forward with implementation of policies meant for realization of goals and objectives carried on by the organization. In fact, many studies reveal that to many organizations, goals are just one and the same as the performance of the organization itself. However, it is more challenging to realize set goals and there must be some frameworks through which the realization of set goals; short term as well as the long-term goals (Ordonez et al, 2009, p.1-5). The process of driving the international organization towards realization of the set goals entails among other things proper planning and human resource management. International organizations’ management such as is the case with Gucci undertakes the planning in terms of short-term vision as well as long-term vision. Whenever an organization adopts either short-term goals or the long-range vision, continuous improvement is vital in order to realize that long-term objective. Nevertheless, changes in management practices have seen a substantial shift of the management practices from long range planning to much simplified planning structures, which concentrate with very short-term goals that are easy to achieve and evaluate. In order for any business to remain relevant and objective, the periodical evaluation and analysis of performance is critical. Innovation and creativity is such a basic tool that is currently in use in order to realize such goals especially aimed at overcoming the effect o f economic recession that affects the global economy today (Sharma et al, 2010, p. 29-30). In the choice of management practice to adopt, any management team must therefore put profit consideration into perspective. Continuous

Psychological Experience of Colonialism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Psychological Experience of Colonialism - Essay Example On the other hand, those who resist the new order are often isolated into lonely lives from the rest in desolate lives. Colonialism had serious psychological effects not only on the colonized, but also on colonizers who did not share the same ideologies with their fellow Europeans. In Burmese Days, Orwell presents an important aspect in Flory’s predicament as an inner struggle between joining the exploitative fellow Europeans and siding with natives. Flory’s inner conflict results from his guilt of being a ‘colonizer’ enjoying many privileges at the expense of the exploitation and victimization of the natives. This eventually leads to torturous inner conflict after which Flory commits suicide. This suggests when an individual is overwhelmed by their inner conflict and is helpless in solving them, they lose their essence and the only resolution to such a predicament is death. Flory is much awake to the economic motives of colonialism and is strongly opposed to it, denying it in his mental level, but unfortunately the conflict is just trapped in his mind and; he sometimes acts like the same colonizers. Importantly, fighting and rejecting the status quo seldom leads to redemption, but leads him to be more caged, as Flory is observed lonely with only a few friends. This is the painful but conscious choice taken by an individual due to their awareness of the exploitative nature of colonialism Ironically, Flory lastly portrays his exploitative nature through sexual abuse of Burmese women as he dumps and sacks his mistress, Ma Hla May, for interfering in his relationship with Elizabeth, and for being a financial burden to him, after exploiting her for sexual favors. Flory’s give and take relationship with his Ma Hla May signifies how colonizers treat the colonized, characteristic of how the whites exploited Burma for economic benefit but left after becoming a financial burden after the Second World War Similar to how Burma is of no im portance in the colonizer’s eyes, Ma Hla May is devoid of value and identity in Flory’s eyes as she is discarded easily like an object. Therefore, Flory does not fit well in the colonizer’s framework as brought out by Memmi as he neither fully condemns nor supports the exploitative nature of the colonizers. The painful inner conflicts are not a preserve of the colonizers as the colonized similarly face such strong internal struggles, leading to negative perception of self. In Not out of Hate, Way Way best exemplifies serious inner struggles resulting from exploitation by the colonizer. Way Way is submissive and passive, conforming to the expected colonizer- colonized system where the colonizer has the right to make all decisions, though she suffers serious inner conflicts as her desires are not in tandem with the system. Way Way finds U Saw Han to be over controlling, which leads her to feel depersonalized, in which her life has to revolve around performing role s and responsibilities around and according to him. Way Way increasingly feels caged as she lives her life different from her desires and will. This crushes her so much that he loses touch with herself and in fact she is so depersonalized such that her identity is not different from U Saw Han. Way is not just passive in the whole predicament, but struggles greatly with her internal conflict. She even had sought solace at the monastery after her

Are You A Good or A Great Boss Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Are You A Good or A Great Boss - Case Study Example In order to manage others, bosses should strive to manage themselves because their personality, thoughts and feelings drive your actions, especially how they relate with others that will influence them.   Becoming an effective manager requires not only acquiring good qualities and knowledge but also should undergo difficult personal changes. According to Hill and Lineback (16), the qualities that bosses posses influence others productivity and build trust depending on how well the boss has managed him or herself. Who you are portraying vividly in the way you build relationships with your teamwork; thus, an effective boss should possess the self-awareness and management required to influence their team and do things in the right way. I agree with the fact that a boss should have self-management because those who become bosses should learn to view themselves and their work differently. Meanwhile, they should develop qualities, deeper self-awareness and ability to exercise wise judgme nt in the way they delegate duties. Hill and Lineback (17) indicate that managing network is the significant issue that managers should focus on. In order to manage the people who are responsible to you, managers should manage the context in which these people dwell. The bosses should comprehend the political environment and develop ways in which to build a network with others by setting the right expectations for your people and utilize the right resources. To become an effective boss, one should strive to operate effectively in a political environment because the political environment meets the teamwork request and promote the competitiveness. The political environment provides the division of labour among the people in which it creates different teams with disparate and even conflicting priorities and goals. Meanwhile, it offers interdependence to the teamwork in that none of these teams can meet their responsibilities without informing their other team. To manage the network, bosses should be capable to create a co mpetitive environment where the teamwork should utilize the scarce resources to meet and improve the performance of the organization.  Ã‚  

Ethical Line in Journalism Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethical Line in Journalism - Assignment Example Hubert could have instinctively gone to a journalistic mode lives, taking pictures of the wreck. Â  By the fact that the story involved elements of good ethics in journalism, it was an appropriate piece for editors. Although the photojournalist failed to capture the main event at the scene, he chooses to try and help the stranger. It was a heroic deed by the people involved which was worth broadcasting. Â  The journalist involvement, in this case, helped shift the media focus from the accident itself to the moral and ethical aspects of journalism. The choice not to shoot photographs immediately tell of a journalist who is more concerned with the welfare of the needy as opposed to him doing his core duties. Â  Redbook crossed an ethical line in journalism the time they selected to put Aniston on the front page using a manipulated stock photo. They did not obtain permission from her. The magazine chose to use an edited photo crossing an ethical line once again. They deceived readers who believe the picture was real when in reality it was not. In contrast, Hubert chose not be intrusive and revealing but to be helpful to a perishing woman. Â  Herbert's thinking is in line with Garry's steps. He chooses not to make the moment of the suffering women public, and alternatively, he decided to help. For him photographing the women could have sent them into more trauma. He remained as least obtrusive as possible, taking pictures only after the saving the women. Additionally, he chose to act with compassion, and he was sensitive to their need for help. Â  The craft in the photo is good. It is telling the story of pain, a woman in agony. People are helping her. Someone is offering some water, and a hand is holding her by the shoulder. It shows that the agony is over for the woman, and people are trying to calm and comfort her. Â  

Smith's Accounting and Tax Service-Can Amanda Turn Her New Business Assignment

Smith's Accounting and Tax Service-Can Amanda Turn Her New Business Around - Assignment Example Factors like ethics, global competitiveness and environment are the factors that are seen to influence how the mangers perform the four functions. Planning Planning is the process of identifying the organizational goals for future performances and then decides on the task and the resources required accomplishing these goals. In simple terms planning says the manger regarding what the organization wants to achieve in future and how they can achieve that. Planning also specifies when and how the task should be performed. Managers are seen to exactly outline what to achieve and how to achieve. By this the managers are not only concern with the success of the organization in achieving long term goals but also short term goals as well (Agarwal, 2008). In this case Amanda has committed the mistake of not planning how she will be running the business. She even failed to plan how she would run the business if it is undergoing through crisis. Lisa was recruited not on the basis of her experie nce or qualification; she was recruited simply because of her acquaintances with Amanda. This shows that Amanda was totally unprepared for the business; otherwise she would have followed proper recruitment processes. Amanda developed the mission and vision of her company after the business has been already started. The target market was even chosen by Amanda after starting the business. Both the things need to be done prior to starting the business. Moreover she even did not plan any thing for the slack period that her business will be facing. When the slack period commenced, she started wondering about she will be paying her employees and eventually end up into losing them. Moreover she was taking... The four management functions are very important for the managers to follow in order to make the organization achieve its goals. If any of the four functions are not implemented by the manager then it creates a huge negative impact on the performance of the business. In this case, though Amanda has huge experience in auditing and taxation but was incapable of implementing the four function of management. She tried to do a lot of things and even done some of them but all at a wrong time. †¢ She should now first plan how she would be running the business, where she needs to also focus on some provision in case if the business fails to achieve its expected results. Recruit a human resource manager and an operational manager who will be looking the recruitment and day to day operations respectively. Amanda should engage herself more proactively regarding monitoring the performance and assessing them so that feedbacks related to necessary correction can be provided. Proper flow of in formation regarding the goals of the organization should be ensured.