Identify and Discuss Examples of Good/Bad Practice in the Management of

According to the UK Association of Project Management (APM) quoted in Atkinson (1999), it has produced a UK Body of Knowledge (BoK) which provides a broad definition for project management as: â€Å"The planning, organisation, monitoring and control of all aspects of a project and the motivation of all involved to achieve the project objectives safely and within agreed time, cost and performance criteria.† The planning of the project firstly consists of identifying and clarifying the tasks and necessary resources required for completing the project; the organisation phase or scheduling then allocates how much time is needed to complete each task, and finally the monitoring tracks progress and analyses performance and quality (Spinner, 1997). Time and cost management are both the most commonly used and important project management functions and are strongly linked with the level of success of the project. These are predicted during the planning phase of the latter; time, cost and quality are so closely linked that they form what is called the â€Å"Iron Triangle† (Atkinson, 1999). This assignment will thus first shed light on the Fourth Bridge and Bath Thermae Spa case studies respectively, and will then be structured around three primary skill and managerial elements contained within the Project Management Body of Knowledge. According to Cramb (2008), renovating the bridge located near Edinburgh is a â€Å"never-ending job† due to its length, given that as soon as maintenance crews have finished renovating it, it is time to start again. In 2002, civil engineering company Balfour Beatty signed a maintenance contract of  £10 million per annum for Network Rail till the estimated end of contract in 2009 (Forth Bridges Visitor Centre Trus... ...rison, F. and Lock, D. (2004) Advanced Project Management: A Structured Approach. 4th edition. Aldershot: Gower Publishing Hendrickson, C. and Au, T. (1989) Project Management for Construction: Fundamental Concept for Owners, Engineers, Architects and Builders. 1st edition. New Jersey: Prentice Hall McManus, J. (2010) ‘Keeping projects under cost control’, The Chartered Institute for IT [Online]. Available at: http://www.bcs.org/server.php?show=conWebDoc.5912 (Accessed 01 December 2010) Spinner, M. P. (1997) Project Management: Principles and Practices. London: Prentice Hall International Thermae Bath Spa (2010) Project History. Available at: http://www.thermaebathspa.com/newsandinfo/projecthistory/ (Accessed: 30 November 2010) Wikipedia (2010) Forth Bridge [Online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forth_Bridge#Maintenance (Accessed: 24 November 2010)

Compare and Contrast: Cataract Operation, About his person, & Poem

Simon Armitage was born in 1963 and lives in West Yorkshire. Simon Armitage has taught at the University of Leeds and the University of Iowa's Writers' Workshop, and currently teaches at Manchester Metropolitan University. He writes biographical poems, which are based on things, which he has experienced in his life. In this essay I will be comparing and contrasting three of Simon Armitage's poems, Cataract Operation, About His Person and Poem. The subject matter in Cataract Operation is about the poet looking out of his window and seeing things in a way he has never seen them before, like pigeons in the yard, washing on a line, and hens pecking for food. This is because a cataract operation clears the lens of his eye's, which has become unclear, so the poet is affectionate to his new way of seeing things to having had a difficulty in front of his eyes cleared away by surgery. The subject matter is a happier and more enjoyable compared to About His Person. About His Person lists all the items that a dead man had upon him when he was discovered. It reads like a police officer's report. The following quotations â€Å"an analogue watch, self-winding, stopped†, â€Å"but beheaded in his fist†, and â€Å"a ring of white unweathered skin† all show a sign of a wrecked and finished life. Poem could be similarly compared to the two other poems. The reason being is as it shows signs of affectionate love and signs of tragedy and deceitfulness. Poem is about a husband and a father who has a serious problem with his frame of mind. † And if it snowed and snow covered the drive he took a spade and tossed it to one side, and always tucked his daughter up at night, and slippered her the one time that she lied. This quote shows us that he had a mixed personality and proves sometimes he did this, and sometimes he did that. The language used in Cataract Operation can be very misleading, as the poet creates phrases, which could mean a number of things and is left to the reader to decide. â€Å"A pigeon in the yard turns tail† is an example of the misleading language used because we imagine the bird turning around so that its tail faces the poet in the window, while at the same time we can read turns tail as ‘runs away from' or ‘turns its back on', as if it is snubbing the poet. Simon Armitage also uses a mixture of metaphors and personifications so that every item of drying laundry takes on a characteristic movement of the country or place that we might associate that item with. For example, the shirt is doing â€Å"monkey business†, as if the shirtsleeves were the monkey's arms and the handkerchief waves cheerio as the original type of British man who wears a handkerchief in his chest pocket might do. The poem is laid out in ten couplets, but they are not rhyming couplets as we observe in About His Person. There is no steadiness in the length of the lines, to highlight that everything the poet sees is new and irregular. The language used in About His Person is very similar to the language used in cataract operation. Again the poet uses a number of misleading expressions, like the title itself. It could be a formal way of saying, â€Å"he had on him†, but if you look at it in a different manner then it could also suggest that the poem is about the dead person whom is the subject of the poem. About His Person written in ten two-line stanzas called rhyming couplets. They are short and accurate, just like the notes that a detective might make if he or she was investigating a dead body. The language used in Poem is different compared to the other two poems, as the words are simple. There is no misleading phrases used and the language could be considered as straight forward and formal. â€Å"And every week he tipped up half his wage. And what he didn't spend each week he saved. And praised his wife for every meal she made. And once, for laughing, punched her in the face. † This language is easy to understand and is uncomplicated compared to About His Person and Cataract Operation. Poem is a sonnet, which is often the figure used for love poetry. Maybe, this highlights the lack of love in the man's life. It is divided into three regular stanzas with a couplet to finish. This might help to underline the steadiness and ordinariness of the man's life. The Ideas and attitudes of cataract could be very difficult to understand. We do not know what it was that made the Simon Armitage suddenly see all the objects he talks about in a new manner. Perhaps he did have a cataract operation or maybe he was imagining what it must be like to have one or he could even use the idea of a cataract operation as an image of what it is like to open your eyes. One thing is for sure, that he is trying to explain that we should appreciate our world and see the inner beauty that it possesses. The poet for example saw the images according to his situation and saw the magic in the simplest way and opened his eyes towards it. This cannot be compared to About His person as in this poem a man is being revived within the poem and the poem could be called as a memorial to him. In this poem Simon Armitage creates a misleading story and we are not totally sure of what happened. The police do not get emotionally involved in cases like these, as they gather the bare facts and leave the feeling out, but we sympathise for the man as we believe he was forced to kill himself and we see him as a victim of love and deceit. Poem can in a way be similarly compared to Cataract Operation because it tries to prove a point and produce a moral. The way Simon Armitage tried to make people aware of the beauty of our world in Cataract Operation is similar to the way he tries to make the man in Poem represent the ordinary gentlemen and set a message that sometimes you might do this, and sometimes you might do that. In this poem Simon Armitage does not actually condemn the man for all the things he did wrong; he simply lists the mistakes and leaves us to represent them. Overall I think that About His Person and Poem are similar because they both include the story of a man, whom is involved in marriage and both men have suffered from a problem and in this essay I have fully compared and contrasted all three of Simon Armitage's poems.

Classroom Shortage Essay

Introduction This is an often problem of most high schools. The numbers of students become bigger while the numbers of classrooms are still the same. Due to this situation, some students at the back are having some difficulties, they cannot concentrate to the discussion on that the teacher had prepared because they barely hear the lessons. The teachers also are having a tough time in balance provision of all students so that some of the students could not relate to the topic. Most of the times, especially during afternoon, students are suffering from a hot weather because our school also needs to enhance proper ventilations. Due to this problem, students can’t focus in the lesson because sometimes they feel irritated. They are not able to learn in a congested classroom. Some of the students and teachers are pushed to study in the covered court or sometimes in the stage, because of this, they cannot concentrate to the discussion because they are distracted by the students who passed by and who makes noises. And it is also the cause why students do not attend their class and just spent their time in the canteen. As we all know because of the classroom shortage, our schedule is not well fixed. Pointing on this situation is a problem we need to take action. They lose the chance of the students to study comfortably without distractions and hindrances. We may get the high quality of education if they will provide more classrooms to accommodate new students coming from other schools.

Quick Summary Essay

Maru is definitely not likeable but then again most real life leaders are not. Leaders portrayed in literature, movies tend to be likeable because the writer wants to champion some idea using that character. In this case, I don’t think Bessie head necessarily wanted us to like Maru or feel warm fuzzies about Margaret finally ending up with Maru( and not Moleka). She was driving the point home that the reality of overcoming prejudice takes more than inviting one’s servants to the dinner table and eating from the same fork. Maru has to literally create a new society and he hand-picks those that he deems to be worthy of being citizens of such a society and also those who have characters that would make a good foundation for such a society. Those that thrive in the existing society – such as Moleka, Dikeledi – are left in the old society. He even connives to get Moleka and Dikeledi together because they are some of the best at what they do in that society. All the unsavoury characters such as all the women who were after Maru’s position, all the bigots who looked down upon Margaret, the nurses who refused to wash the body of the dead â€Å"Masarwa† women – all of them are left behind in the old society.  the missionary Margaret Cadmore eventually leaves; the goat and her kid leave the village of abuse and go and live with Margaret; the bus driver that transports Margaret into the prejudiced society places Margaret in the â€Å"good hands† of mistress Dikeledi and then he leaves with the bus; Maru is the next in line to be king but he can’t rule such a society – his dreams are bigger than their prejudices so he also leaves and he takes with him the few candidates that would be good seed for cultivating a new just society. That is also why he is constantly plagued by the fact that he can never know if his decision to take Margaret away from Moleka was the right decision. He can only let time tell which seeds will grow and which ones will not. He loves Margaret but he is never sure if his love was the greater one – the better one – the one that does not lead to the destruction of the one character that is untainted by the warped society. as sure as he is of himself and his vision, he still cannot see the picture from the point of view of universe†¦..  i. e. why are there men like Moleka, why are there men like Maru, why do even the purest of women still get attracted to men like Moleka. Remember Margaret’s first encounter with Moleka is not exactly a rosy walk in the park†¦why is there women who scheme for social position, why is it that men such as Maru have to trick women into marrying them. why are people like Dikeledi quite happy to accept the way things are even tho ugh they see the prejudices as clearly as Maru, et cetera – hence his recurring nightmare. When we are introduced to moleka, it is clear that he thrives in that society. When we are introduced to Dikeledi, it is also clear that she embraces her positions in that society – and the only men that is good enough for her is Moleka. when we are introduced to Maru, he is not liked by his servants. Margaret has troubled introduction to the world. Moleka and Dikeledi belong and thrive in the current system. Maru and Margaret do not thrive in that system. So do Maru and Margaret stick around and accept the death plots and prejudice? So, I like Maru as a character because in the end, he actually makes a stand against the whole village, he challenges Moleka to come after him if his love is really superior – alas, Moleka chooses the here and now. So, Maru is not by any means perfect but then again Moleka is not exactly a saint either. Maru chooses the future without prejudice in a new society. Moleka chooses the current society with all its flaws. i think it is a misconception to think that Bessie head meant this to be a fairy tale. This story is very close to reality. There are no happy solutions to fighting injustice, prejudice and other such vices. The overcoming of such only is attained by those who are strong enough to make tough decisions even when those decisions are unpopular. Would Moleka really have left his womanizing ways and settled for a woman who didn’t care about social status? †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦if Bessie head had ended the story with Moleka and Margaret together then it would have been a fairy tale

Critical response Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Critical response - Assignment Example Each of these decisions has both inherent good and harm in it. Therefore, the second step is for Sam to evaluate what good or harm will be obtained from each action and who will be affected. If he keeps silent, then the wellbeing of a large number of people will be placed at risk and the company will keep on expanding and earning massive profits. If he breaks the confidentiality agreement and exposes the company then the public will be informed and harm will be prevented, but the company will suffer serious losses, he will lose his job and throw his family into financial instability once more. Hence, Sam, being a utilitarian and believing that the ‘end justifies the means’ will choose to keep silent, saving the company, as well as himself and his family. For Sam, the greatest good is the one that will benefit his family and, indirectly, the company. He will not sacrifice his job and his family for things that are out of his control, such as the people choosing to buy cigarettes from Greyarea. They have their own choice, and Sam has his own. If Sam is a Deontologist, then he will definitely break the confidentiality agreement and expose the unethical actions of Greyarea, regardless of the consequences to him, to his family, to the company, and to other stakeholders. Deontology is duty-based ethics and it claims that individuals are morally obliged to make decisions or act based on a specific set of rules and ideals irrespective of outcome (Alavudeen et al. 40). Thus, Sam, being a deontologist, knows that what the company is doing is immoral, for it deceives and cheats the public. And so, based on such knowledge alone, of such discovery that the company is unethical, Sam will carry out his moral duty, and that is to inform the public about the company’s unethical behavior. Sam will do something about the situation out of respect for the moral or ethical codes and out of

How Electricity Pooling differ from Bilateral contract system Essay

How Electricity Pooling differ from Bilateral contract system - Essay Example This was disbanded and replaced by the New Electricity Trade Agreements (NETA), which fostered the relationship of bilateral trading that did not allow for the inherent market manipulations seen in the Pool experience. The new agreements used a forward trade market by developing Power Purchase Agreements, constructed to enhance healthy economic competition. While the cost of development of NETA is debatable, the governing bodies of the Great Britain electricity service industry remain encouraged by the end results of NETA, as it delivered lowered costs for end-consumers and removed the ability of major players to manipulate the market. For an effective understanding of the electronic service industry and the marketing impacts it manifests, it is first important to understand the deliverables of energy distribution as a commodity. As a commodity, the electrical service contains unique and unequivocal attributes due to the amalgamated technical aspects which prevail in this service domain. The interconnected technical characteristics as well as the commoditized aspects of this industry in turn beget exceptional considerations in the manner of trade within the industry. The following summarises Steve Thomass (2006) description of the characteristics of electricity as a commodity. Electricity functions as a commodity with distinctive features that separate the electricity service industry from incommensurable service industries. Electricity, foremost, is a constant in the neoteric society, and secondarily the electricity service industry has a prevalent impact on the ecological aspect of the modern world, which separates it drastically from standard service markets-except perhaps the manufacturing industries. In the archetypal industries, the product can be stored to allow for effective supply and demand distributions when a service product becomes diminished or bounteous, the suppliers have the ability to control the

Contemporary management systems research report Assignment

Contemporary management systems research report - Assignment Example The domain of internal and external factors for Virgin Airways would be discussed using the PEST and SWOT analysis respectively so as to give a more explicit insight into the influencing factors for the company. Political – Legal Impacts: In terms of the political scenario, it can be seen that the liberal policy environment along with the airline industry deregulation has served as a major factor boosting competition in the industry and encouraging new entrants in the market. Economic Impacts: The economic turmoil following the events of 9/11 and SARS has put the airline industry in a challenging environment. Along with that, the rising prices of fuel have increased the basic costs of flights while the consumer base on the other hand is reluctant to spend money in times of rising inflation. Socio-Cultural Impacts: In this context, the challenge is to get an adequate labour force for the operations from the tight labour markets especially for operations requiring skilled labour, which is quite essential for the airline industry. Technological Impacts: The rapidly changing advancement in technology has led to the creation of knowledge dependent global industries. The biggest challenge today for all companies is to keep pace with these advancements and talking in context of Virgin Airways; they would have to upgrade their operations and aircrafts to achieve better economies of scale in these testing times. Strengths: The greatest strength that Virgin Airways has is that of a strong supporting structure in form of the Virgin Group. Along with that, the company has well established itself as a well-recognized brand in the market that it serves as a low cost, no-frills travelling service provider capitalizing perfectly on the need of the time. Weaknesses: On the downside, Virgin Airways is faced with strong competition from Qantas Airlines that follows a more or less similar business model. Hence, the