Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 25

Leadership - Essay Example There must be procedures and policies that are vital in managing a program and therefore failure to successfully communicate these may interfere with success of the project. Workers need to understand basic information required in doing their jobs and therefore effective communication is really weighty in getting the job done. According to West (2012), there are always limited resources and time constraints that ought to be completed. Failure to accomplish project on time may indicate overall project failure and therefore all the resources both human and materials should be allocated in the most efficient way. Improper utilization of resources may break the smooth running of the project and eventually lead to terrible program failure. Also, resources and time play a major role in the estimation of the project. These two elements are very expensive and are the reason behind program budgeting and estimations. Failure to control resources and time may heighten the cost of the project. Indeed, resources and time are very important aspects of any project and are vital in determining long term health of the project. Managers are required to manage their conflicts democratically with a clear distinction between substantive and personal issues. In managing interpersonal conflicts, leaders need to be prepared with information that is more detailed and multiple alternatives to enhance the quality of their debate. Availability of more data, which are objective based, compel managers to focus on issues rather than personal matters or useless arguments rooted in ignorance. Inadequate information makes management rely mostly on guesses and baseless assumptions that do not help the program (West, 2012). Reliance on facts reduces involvement on personal issues and eventually interpersonal conflicts. In addition, administrators need to use humor and share a common goal in debates while maintaining a balanced power structure. Furthermore,

Difference between capital and revenue items of expenditure and income Essay Example for Free

Difference between capital and revenue items of expenditure and income Essay Accounting involves any business, company or person recording their financial transactions, such as payments coming in or paying going out. It is very important for a business to record their transactions for a number of reasons: Economic decisions: If a company is going to succeed then it’s needs to be aware of what it can and cannot afford and how the resources available will be effectively used and not put to waste. Inventory: Knowing how much of a product you have can be save you from buying the same product again and wasting money on something you longer need. Stocking up on a certain product that is no longer making sales could make it more prone to damage or theft, therefore making the product un-sellable. By recording the amount of stock you have left you could save money and make a larger profit, this would then further secure the stakeholders you have investing in your business. Monitoring activity: during the process of buying or selling goods mistakes can be made and those mistakes can properly be identified and dealt with if it is kept on a record. Keeping an account of your stock would also prevent theft, damage or loss of property. Also if there are any products exported out to different countries then accounting for which countries buy more products would help you provide more stock for that country to maximize profits. Measuring financial performance: A business needs to know how well they are doing; this can benefit them in a number of ways. If in the first quarter a business is doing well but in the second quarter the profit dips then the problem can easily be assessed and dealt with. However this can only be accomplished if the business keeps a record of the intakes and ou ttakes.

Impact of Stakeholder Management on Construction Industry

Impact of Stakeholder Management on Construction Industry 1.0 Introduction/Background Project management is an evolving discipline which is relatively new in both practice and academics hence knowledge is drawn from other disciplines to further advance both theory and practice in managing projects. Consequently this research will draw from different academic disciplines for its theory and the construction industry for its practice. To this end a project could be described as a strategy used by organisations to achieve its strategic goal, the strategy could be suggested to have a start and an end date (Turner 2009 p.20; Holton 2002 p.10-2). It could also be suggested that the word organisation in the above definition by Turner 2009 could be called the project stakeholder. Olanda and Landin (2005 p.321) defined project stakeholders as a  ¦group of people who have a vested interest in the success of a project and the environment within which the project operates. This research is focused on investigating the impact of stakeholder management and its contribution to project success in the construction industry. It could be suggested that the use of PMs life cycle phases be adopted for the entire project plan as seen in figure 1 below. Figure -Project Lifecycle The project initiation phase of this report will include proposing a project research topic, assigning a project supervisor or project sponsor and proposing a research plan. While the project planning phase will include reviewing of the available project materials and the execution phase will involve writing up the literature review and project methodology. Handover and closeout will involve submitting the final report to supervisor and award of Msc degree in Project Management. Lessons learnt could be suggested to be the feedback and experience gained in during the research. 1.2 Project Context Project Context could be suggested to be the setting in which a project is carried out (ApmBok 2009). In relation to the above description, the aim of this research is in agreement with the above suggestion (Achterkamp and Vis 2008 pg 749). 1.3 Project Rationale 1.3.1 Academic Rationale The academic research into project stakeholders has been attractive and extensive to researchers and professionals. Evidence shows that the construction industry accounts directly for 10% GDP growth in the UK (Cridland and Wates 2009 p.5),this goes to justify the need to investigate the impact of stakeholder management and its contribution to project success in the construction industry and also fulfil the academic requirement of the award of Masters Degree. 1.3.2 Business Rationale The economic implications for any organisation if projects fail will be devastating considering the above report by Wates and Cridland (2009 p5), this report shows that the construction industry account for 10% GDP growth. Project failure of any kind in the current economic climate will cost the organization its finance and jobs e.g. BP deep horizon in the US Gulf Coast where the collapse of a well led to fatalities which in-turn increased BPs financial burden. 1.3.3 Personal Rationale It could be suggested that as a project management professional, embarking on this research will help one better understand the principles of stakeholder management. The knowledge gained from this research will clarify any unanswered questions at the end of this research. 1.4 Aim and Objectives This research is aimed at: Investigating the impact of stakeholder management and its contribution to project success in the construction industry Objectives To explore the principles of stakeholder management and project success. To assess the benefits and challenges of stakeholder management. To correlate a relationship between stakeholder management and project success. To propose a strategy for measuring the impact of stakeholder management thereby assessing its impact on project success. To make recommendations for improved stakeholder management practices. 1.4.2 Project Scope According to Burke (2003 p. 104) project scope identifies when a project has been successfully completed within specified requirement. The scope for this project will involve activities such as writing the literature review, research methodology and drawing on the findings of the above mentioned activities to come up with a conclusion and recommendation. The scope of this research excludes the execution of the primary research. 1.4.3 Project Deliverables Project deliverables for this research is suggested to be the outcome of the report at every stage of the lifecycle (ApmBok 2009 p.135). The deliverables as shown in Table 1 are generalised and subject to being revised at the end of this report. Table Project deliverables Deliverables Description Project Research Plan Introduction/ Background Project Context and Project Rationale Project Definition Project Approach Research Project Schedule Resource Requirements Ethical Considerations Literature Review Research of theory and practice within the construction industry Project Approach or Methodology It involves the description of the process in the collection and evaluation of data that will be used to achieve the overall aim and objectives of this report. Project Proposal This involves outlining a research proposal from the finding and the analysis done in the project approach section. Conclusion and Recommendation This section involves the final summation of all the data used and presenting recommendation(s) where necessary. 1.4.4 Assumption, Constraints and Considerations Assumptions The project will be delivered on time, quality and within budget. The literature / materials needed to complete the project will be readily available. That the project aim and objectives will be met at the end of the project. Constraints The time required by the sponsor to complete the report. Combining three live projects at the same period. i.e. CPD, Group placement and dissertation. Considerations That the report will inspire its readers to proceed towards a primary research. That there will be more research into the impact of project stakeholders and its contribution to project success within the construction industry. 1.5 Initial Literature Review 1.5.1 Stakeholder Management Project stakeholders have been widely discussed in various project management literatures. Fewings (2005 p.34) described project stakeholders as people that their interest could affect the outcome of the project while Olanda and Landin (2005 p.321) agues that although project stakeholders are group of people with different interest in a particular project, they are also interested in a successful outcome no matter the level of interest. Since this research will be focusing on stakeholder management, McElroy and Mills (2007 p.270) suggested that stakeholder management deals with the relationships between stakeholders within projects. This relationship must be developed and structured so as to achieve a successful outcome. McElroy and Mills (2007 p.270) description of stakeholder management is convincing because different bodies of knowledge are yet to agree on a particular description for stakeholder management. Fewings (2005) and Olanda Landin (2005) perspectives on project stakeholders in relation to stakeholder management is valid in that all agreed that stakeholders are made up of more than one individual, so managing this relationship as described by McElroy and Mills (2007 p.270) will determine if a project is a success or a failure . 1.5.2 Project Success Yu et al. (2005) suggested that a: Project  is a success if its created product adds value to the client, considering the cost to the client at the point of acceptance While there is no definite definition to what project success is or what will be the best way to define success, this report would look into critical success criteria used in the construction industry to determine when a project is successful. The ApmBok (2009) defined project success as: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the satisfaction of stakeholder needs measured by the success criteria as identified and agreed at the start of the projectà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ 1.6 Project Research Approach In this section it could be suggested that a proposed research approach be developed, this approach would be aligned with the project aim and objectives. To achieve the above this report has identified two methods or type of research, this are the Primary and Secondary research. A primary research entails the collection of new data or expansion of existing theories in project management body of knowledge. This could be achieved by using the following methods: the use of questionnaires, sampling and survey. Data for this research would be collected though documentary research. This involves analysing various literatures relating to the research; given that this research is a secondary research, a qualitative method will be employed. 1.6.1 Ethical Consideration Sekaran (2000, p17) defined ethics as a code of conduct or expected societal norm of behaviour while conducting a research or project . Below in table 2 are the ethical considerations used to compile this research. Table -Ethical Consideration This research was carefully structured to avoid any misrepresentation or distortion of data collected. All information used for this research was adequately referenced to avoid plagiarism. This report was written with due respect for the subject and authors All information used for this report is in line with universities academic guidelines. Sekaran ( 2000, p.261) 1.7 Project Planning / Report Schedule Burke (2003, p.94) defined project schedule as  ¦a process required to ensure that various elements of the project are properly managed and controlledà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ The project schedule will be used to assign expected start date and expected finish date. The schedule is in a Gantt chart, this could be suggested to be in agreement with (Burke 2003) definition. See Appendix 1 for more details. 1.8 Project Resource Requirements and Budget The resources required for a successful completion of this project is listed in Table 2 and the cost estimate that would apply to both primary and secondary research is in Table 3 Figure -Resources Requirement Human Resources Description Hours Researcher Researcher would carry out a secondary research and prepare a primary research plan to be used to further analyse the project aim 600 Academic supervisor The academic supervisor would give guidance, review and monitor project to ascertain if the project is within scope. 60 Project sponsor The project sponsor and management would be need during an actual primary research. 100 Table Project Budget Activity Budget Source Cost for Researcher and supervisor  £3000 RGU and Sponsor Printing of dissertation and buying of CD drives ( hard and soft copies)  £200 Researcher and Sponsor (in the case of a primary Research) Transport is Dependent on the location of the organisation and RGU library Not Determined at present Researcher and Sponsor 1.8.1 Risk Matrix Risk management is a key area in APM and PMI bodies of knowledge; projects are often associated with one form of risk or another (Raz Michael 2000), controlling this risk is an important task for any researcher. To this end, this report will take a proactive role in controlling risks associated to this project by developing a risk plan which can be seen in Table 4

The Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 :: American America History

The Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 The debate of the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 revealed bitter controversies on a number of issues. Most of the controversies had, however, arose even before these acts; as far back as the penning of the Constitution. The writers of the Constitution knew that as time proceeded, the needs and demands of the nation and of the people would change, leading to controversy. By not assigning specific powers to specific groups/parties, governments, they unintentionally created a vast problem in the years to come. Subsequently following the ratification of the constitution, two leading groups formed; the Federalists and the Antifederalists, each believing in exact opposite interpretations of the Constitution. The Federalist Party was headed by the newly appointed Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, who thought the interpretation of the Constitution should be very loose. Hamilton believed the Constitution encompassed powers other than those authorized or enumerated. These hidden powers, claimed Hamilton, were implied powers. Hamilton stated it would be essential that the federal government should gain control over any later added account to the nation. Significantly, Hamilton aspired to put these implied powers to use in requisition to build a powerful and domineering central government. In opposition to Hamilton?s Federalist Party, Jefferson who believed in strict interpretation of the Constitution. Jefferson anticipated that everything should be done through strict evaluation and a laws should abide by what is written. Although Jefferson was not a Federalist, he was also not an Antifederalist; he was a Democratic-Republican, a composite of the two. Jefferson vindicated that all powers not enumerated by the Constitution are obtained by the States. Issues between the two groups lead to the imperative question: should a strong central government be established or should each individual state have control? The attacks of the succeeding debate and public scurrility led to the Sedition Act. This act prohibited intermingling and conspiracy against the America government and the correspondence of scandalous and malicious writings against the government or its officials, under penalty of a fine or imprisonment. Succeeding the Sedition Act, the Republicans turned to the stat es arguing that federal government had strode past their powers; the powers delegated to it by the states through the Constitution. Therefore the states acquired the right to repeal the act. Another issue was what to do about the problem of immigration that rapidly increased after the Revolution.

Home school vs Public school Essay

More parents are choosing to home school their child or children rather than enrolling their children in a public school system. The parent’s make their decision based upon the school district that they live in. Some public schools do not have up to date materials. There are certain public schools that have a more difficult curriculum, which challenges students academically. Parents want what is best for their children’s education, public or homeschooled. Public-schools give children a chance to make lifelong friends and homeschooling is more hands on learning.  One of the most important things to a parent is their child’s learning environment. Homeschooling his or her child or children will give the parent the opportunity to control his or her learning environment. By doing so parents are ensuring that nothing tragic would happen. Homeschooling is a parent who teaches his or her child or children. The parent is going to give positive feed back to their child or children. There are fewer home schooled students in a classroom than there are in a public classroom. Homeschooling has more positive influences. They do not have bullies or feel pressure from trying to fit in certain groups in school or the clothes and shoes they wear. By not acquiring those things homeschooled students have a relaxed learning environment that has the advantage o f the teacher’s attention. There are many negative influences in a public-school system. A student who attends public-school can be harassed or bullied because of the clothes or shoes a student wears. Also, students can be harassed because of by their nationality, features or their grades. In public school there is always that one student that is very popular and dresses in the new fashions, but has the worst grades and makes jokes about student’s shoes or the way they  dress. There are students who are have seen and done things that a normal child has not, which makes these students a product of their environment. These are students who have a different childhood than most children. The things they see daily like fighting, hearing gun shots, and murders daily. These students will take things into their own hands if they are confronted by a person. The learning environment in public school is unsafe. In the past decade there has been a school shooting because students were teased, bullied, students ju st did not like them. Those shootings have had a major impact on parents who choose to have their child or children in public school. It is very important for a student to develop socially in fact, students who attend public school develop better socially than home schooled students. Public-schools have interaction with different levels of students or faculty each day of the school year. By learning how to talk to different levels of students or faculty will help students choose friends. In public schools you have a variety of friends like students that have attended the same schools through their child hood. There are new students that find his or her niche, which makes the transition to a new school easy for them. Having friends that are coworkers is something a public-school student would achieve before a homeschooled student. Homeschooled students do not have any interaction with other students during school unless they have siblings who are being home schooled. The only person a homeschooled student has to interact with is their siblings and their teacher, which is their parent. Being homeschooled a student would have to find kids in their neighborhood to be friends with. That is a hard thing to do because of the fact the other kids in their neighborhood attend public school, and have friends with the same interest that they play with five days a week that builds loyalty between the friends. Nevertheless, the teaching curriculum in public school is accredited meaning the school meets the states requirements. When a student attends and accredited school it is easier for the student to transfer credits. Teaching in a public-school where everyone has to learn at the same pace sometimes hurts students. However, it also helps some students pass a test because of the test scores the teacher would grade on curve. This allows some students to achieve a passing grade. Public school students will  not have a problem with the transition from high school to college. When attending public school all students learn at the same pace. Since public school students interact with different levels of students and faculty, they feel more comfortable when attending college. Home schooling is not and accredited curriculum meaning that the curriculum that the parent is teaching was not approved by the state where they live. Furthermore, a parent cannot teach a subject better than a licensed teacher unless the parent is a licensed teacher. Employment plays a vital role for single parents sending their child or children to public school allows him or her to obtain a job and provide for their family. Single parents would not be able to home school their child or children. Simply, because they would question how will the bills get paid and get the materials needed for homeschooling. A duel parent home may choose to have their child or children attend public schools so both parents can have jobs to his or her financial needs. It also allows the student to make their own decisions while they are away from their parent or parents. They have more responsibility and pressure on them to do their school work, get help if needed, and turn in assignments in by the due date. In order to home school a child or children there must be two parents in the household. One parent must obtain a job and the other teaches their child or children. Certain rooms in the house may become the classroom. Someone would lose their room or the kitchen table would become covered with piles of paper and books. Home schooling will allow the parent to be around their child or children 24 hours a day. They will not get a break from each other and this can cause trust issues between the child or children and parent. As the child or children gets older they are going to want some type of freedom. Suffocating them can push them away from the parent or it can make the child or children be socially challenged not being able to control his or her selves when they are not around their parents. Home school students would struggle in the real world because their parent or parents have controlled everything around his or her child or children. In conclusion public school students have a responsibility to do their work and make their own decisions, by doing so it will prepare them for real life  situations. For example, attending college the instructor is not going to spoon feed the students. It will be up to the students to get help if needed and complete assignments by the due date. Public schooled students will adapt to their environment easily. Also there are more free programs, school memories like prom, sporting events, and having childhood friends from different neighborhoods through you school years. All these things are something a home schooled student will not have the chance to achieve.

Feliz Navidad Essays - Mexican Cuisine, South American Cuisine

Feliz Navidad Essays - Mexican Cuisine, South American Cuisine Feliz Navidad In Mexico they celebrate the birth of Jesus and the coming of the three kings. Their celebrations begin 12 days before Christmas. When reenactments of Virgin Mary searching for shelter occur. The followers grow in numbers until it they all reach a church, where mass is held. In some Hispanic areas they celebrate the holidays on Three Kings Day, which is January 6th. This was traditionally the day that all the gift-giving took place. But now many areas follow the U.S. and exchange gifts on December 25th. Many children now look forward to receiving gifts on both days. The celebration usually begins in the afternoon or at the dinner time when a rosca or two is shared among family members. On Christmas Eve everybody gets together in the zcalo for a night of dancing. Many times families celebrate with the making and eating of tamales. Which I think are absolutely delicious. Les gusta comen los tamales. Les gusta bailan. Les gusta visitan los relatives. Bibliography 1. mexconnect.com 2. www.mexonline.com 3. Comptons Interactive Encyclopedia

The 401(k) †Business Research Paper (300 Level Course)

The 401(k) – Business Research Paper (300 Level Course) Free Online Research Papers The 401(k) Business Research Paper(300 Level Course) Daily Water cooler talks in offices spread from Los Angeles to New York are filled with questions and rumors about the down fall of social security. George Bush has used social security as the only other major reform platform in his presidency second only to his war on terror. So why is it that Americans are saving less then ever before in US history. US consumer savings are at its lowest level since the depression. In fact, it is estimated that US savings are at an astounding 0%. Consumers in 1980 saved an average of 10% of their salaries; in 2000 that number dropped to 2%. Sky rocketing house prices have played a large role in the populous aversion to savings. With interest rates at an all time low, consumers are refinancing their homes for top dollar, allowing them to spend more money than they have coming in a month. The increasing home prices also lend itself to consumer over confidence in their homes as opposed to confidence in a savings account. With this upsetting trend of little to no savings for today’s consumers, surprisingly it is the US companies that are coming to the rescue. With roughly $1.8 trillion in assets, the 401(k) is the fastest growing savings vehicle, according to research firm Cerulli Associates. Its assets are likely to surpass the $2.1 trillion in all institutional pension plans, whose growth rate is less than half that of the 401(k). The 401(k), which has turned 20 years old today, was a product of Ted Benna, a benefit consultant. The term 401(k) comes from the location of the tax loop hole that the savings plan come from. Paragraph k of section 401 of the national tax code focuses on employee rights to deposit a percentage of extra income, normally bonuses, into a company profit sharing plan. Since it’s meager beginnings, the 401(k) has turned into the single largest savings machine of the United States. The 401(k) concept is an easy one to understand. Most companies that offer 401’s allow employees to take a pre-determined percentage of their salary, either before or after taxes, and invest it in a profit sharing account. This has a very positive side effect for American businesses. Profit sharing gives employees vested interest in the company’s future and success, it gives them something to work for. For the employees, it allows them to procure a large stock pile of money for savings while missing very little from their weekly pay checks. Partnered with a company match program, it is very feasible for even the average paid American worker to have a profitable retirement. With the minimal savings that most American’s posses coupled with false hopes of being saved by medicare and home investments, the 401 has and will continue to be critical ingredient in America’s working force. It also is a great tool for employers to use to attract new and better talent. It is estimated that 45% of young professionals under the age of 30 look at the 401 as a strong selling point in choosing who to work for. Of course the company match percent is also a selling point as well. Currently Target contributes 100% of their employees contribution up to 5% of their income. Most companies range between 2% and 5%. Target markets its 401 as â€Å"its like giving yourself a 5% raise†. Research Papers on The 401(k) - Business Research Paper (300 Level Course)Twilight of the UAWMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceResearch Process Part OneInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesDefinition of Export QuotasOpen Architechture a white paperRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andAppeasement Policy Towards the Outbreak of World War 2