The Road Not Taken By Robert Frost - 1026 Words

Choosing the right path is hard when there is a lot at stake to lose. Sometimes doing what is best for you may hurt the ones you love. It is sometimes necessary to take a chance and choose the riskier path to see what is behind the next bend, or corner. The poem, â€Å"The Road Not Taken† describes a person having a hard time choosing what path to take. Robert Frost elicits the central idea, theme, meaning, and how the speaker came to his decision by the use of metaphors describing the want for his readers to think through the hard decisions in life. One decision in life can make you or break you. It is all on how a person approaches the situation. Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, Frost introduces the metaphor of two diverging roads. He is depicting that it is fall by using the lexicon â€Å"yellow wood†. Fall is symbolic of a time of change. And sorry I could not travel both Robert Frost is sorry that must make a choice. He using the word choice â€Å"sorry† shows his uneasiness in making his decision. And be one traveler, long I stood He is standing alone and having a hard time making a decision on own. And looked down one as far as I could He tries to see the consequences of one decision. To where it bent in the undergrowth; There are too many unknowns to know what will happen. Robert Frost uses the word â€Å"undergrowth† to represent the unknowns blocking his vision. Then took the other, as just as fair, It seems just as nice to travel. And having perhaps theShow MoreRelatedThe Road Not Taken By Robert Frost983 Words   |  4 PagesThe poem â€Å"The Road Not Taken was written by Robert Frost, a four-time Pulitzer Prize winner in poetry, and also a special guest at President John F. Kennedy’s inauguration (Robert Frost Biography). Frost was born on March 26, 1874 in San Francisco, California and he died of complications from prostate surgery on January 29, 1963. Much of Robert’s popularity was gained throughout Europe (An Analysis of Robert Frost’s Poem: The Road Not Taken). Frost became a poetic force, and the unofficial poetRead MoreThe Road Not Taken by Robert Frost764 Words   |  3 PagesWritten by Robert Frost, â€Å"The Road Not Taken† deals with about making choices in life and how those choices affect your whole life. The meter of this poem is iambic tetrameter, for the most part. In most lines, the meter follows the rule with four iambs, which means that there is one unstres sed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. But the meter is not normal since, in some lines, an anapest, which means there are two unstressed syllables followed by one stressed syllable, is substituted forRead MoreThe Road Not Taken By Robert Frost1173 Words   |  5 PagesRobert Frost, one of America’s well-known poets is highly regarded for his realistic illustrations of rural life and poetry which is still relevant in today’s society. After being honoured on numerous occasions, he became one of America’s most popular public figures. Frosts’ poems reflect his greatness and his life in a variety of ways after he was confronted with such despair and grief after the passing of his father due to tuberculosis at just eleven years of age and his mother who passed awayRead MoreThe Road Not Taken By Robert Frost995 Words   |  4 Pagesthey can only move forward hoping for the best. â€Å"The Road Not Taken†, Robert Frost, 1916. In â€Å"The Road Not Taken† a traveler is strolling through the woods and comes across two different roads he could take, and unable to travel both the poet eventually chooses which path to take. The theme conveyed is about making choices. Frost does this through the use of diction, the use of figure of speech, and the use of imagery. To start with, Frost displays the main idea of decision making by the wordsRead MoreThe Road Not Taken By Robert Frost1055 Words   |  5 Pagesago. Either way, if you admit it now or in the wee hours of the night, like most people, you will come across this question at least once in your life. Robert Frost was able to grasp this raw, vulnerable life changing moment in the palm of his hand. Then he beautifully laid it out in the form of words in the narrative poem â€Å"The Road Not Taken†. Frost is able to take you back to a time when you have been faced with a life-changing decision. Then, causing you to ask yourself â€Å"Did I make the right choiceRead MoreThe Road Not Taken By Robert Frost940 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"The Road Not Taken† was written by Robert Frost in 1916, and it was the first poem in the collection Mountain Interval (Shmoop). Even though it was written many years ago, people of all ages still study this enticing poem. Frost wrote about coming to a fork in the woods and examining which path he should take and whether he might ever come back; the speaker believes each path is fine to take, but he takes the less used path (line 6). He wrote about this decision in clear, standard English. â€Å"TheRead MoreThe Road Not Taken By Robert Frost863 Words   |  4 PagesThe Poem, â€Å"The Road Not Taken†, by Robert Frost is a detailed poem about a conflict in a person’s life, dealing with having to take the right path throughout life. The Narrator of this poem is faced with a predicament when he comes across two paths. The choices that he makes in his life, can alter the future for better or worse. This poem describes his attitude and emotion towards his choices as well as, shows examples of themes, mood, and different literary devices. The title of this poem canRead MoreThe Road Not Taken, By Robert Frost968 Words   |  4 PagesPersonal Response 3 Title: The Road Not Taken Text Type: Poem Author: Robert Frost The poem, ‘The Road Not Taken’ by Robert Frost is about the â€Å"roads† and different paths we take in our lives. Frost wrote about a traveler who had to chose between two roads. He had to decide if he wanted to go down the well used or less used path. In the end, he went down the less used path. The theme of decision making and choices is shown in this poem. I think that this is a way of describing the choices we makeRead MoreRoad Not Taken, Robert Frost942 Words   |  4 PagesEnglish 101 Burstrem October 7, 2009 The Road Not Taken Life is full of choices and decisions that could ultimately change the outcome of our lives. In the poem, â€Å"The Road Not Taken† by Robert Frost, a traveler is destined to make that decision. This traveler man has to decide which road to take, one that is frequently traveled, and the one that is not. After contemplating which road to follow, he comes to the decision to take the road less traveled because he doesn’t want to follow inRead MoreThe Road Not Taken By Robert Frost1100 Words   |  5 PagesRobert Frost reflects that poetry â€Å"begins in delight and ends in wisdom†¦.It runs a course of lucky events , and ends in a clarification of life—not necessarily a great clarification, such as sects and cults are found on, but in a momentary stay against confusion† (931). His poem â€Å"The Road Not Taken† is a clarification of life. This paper will analyze and evaluate the formal elements of â€Å"The Road Not Taken† and consid er how these elements work together to fit the author’s purpose and clarification

The American Disability Act ( Ada ) - 1176 Words

Disability has been a function historical to justify inequality for any disabled people, but in addition has also helped so many women, and minorities. Over the years there have been many models that can explain disability law. There is a social model which argues that it is the environment, that basically caused those traits to limit the functions; therefore creating disability. Another model that people tend to use when looking at disability is the normative claim, which his that disability should be inscribed as a subject of discrimination If you wanted to compare both models, The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is correlated with social model, while the discrimination model is link to many other pass precedents. Before the American Disability Act in 1990, disability went through some revolutionary phases. The first, was to be able to define disability properly. Looking back in the past, there have been many features, and true definitions of the word disability. In the 1970s a group called the Union of the Physically Impaired Against Segregation defined disability as the disadvantage or restriction of activity cased by social organizations. U.S disability activists made efforts during the 1970s to form different alliances with the disability community, that protested for the inclusion of disability discrimination under the Rehabilitation act. Thereafter there was a medial model at looking at disability, that views disability as an individual shortfall. InShow MoreRelatedAmerican With Disability Act ( Ada )855 Words   |  4 PagesIndividuals with disabilities continually encounter various forms of discrimination, including intentional exclusion from certain work areas, that denies them the opportunity to compete on an equal basis and to pursue those opportunities that guarantees success in the society. To guarantee success there is expectation regarding the relationship between the employer and employee, giving close attention to the various factors t hat should be considered to make the person with disability successful. ThisRead MoreThe Americans With Disabilities Act ( Ada )1432 Words   |  6 PagesThe Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) strictly â€Å"prohibits discrimination and ensures equal opportunity for persons with disabilities in employment, State and local government services, public accommodations, commercial facilities and transportation.†1 This law, enacted in 1990, was created so that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else in society so that they don’t get left behind. The ADA gives civil rights protections to those with disabilities in aRead MoreThe Americans With Disabilities Act ( Ada )1414 Words   |  6 PagesSection 504 of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) created what is commonly referred to as a 504 or a 504 Plan. The purpose is to prevent/prohibit discrimination against public school students with disabilities and guarantee they receive accommodations that will ensure their academic success and access to the learning environment (University of Washington, 2015). Section 504 and the ADA govern education accommodations in college (Alao, 2015). Additionally, 504 Plans are a civil rights law.Read MoreThe American Disabilities Act ( Ada )2583 Words   |  11 Pages The American Disabilities Act (ADA) defines disabled workers as individuals who have â€Å"physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, have a record of such an impairment, or are regarded as having such an impairment†. Such impairments substantially limit major life activities such as seeing, hearing, speaking, walking, breathing, performing manual tasks, learning, caring for oneself, and working (ada.gov). In contrast, the definition of disability usedRead MoreDisability Discrimination And Americans With Disability Act ( Ada )1983 Words   |  8 Pageshis/her disability in various areas of their lives. Today, discrimination against disability has become a complete law by which a person can sue the other party for being discriminated on any impairment. In the United States, the law is covered by Americans with Disability Act (ADA). The law prevents one party (specifically employers) to discriminate other party (particularly emplo yees) on the basis of their physical impairments. The purpose of this paper is to discuss and analyze disability discriminationRead MoreEssay on The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)1448 Words   |  6 PagesThe Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is one of the most significant laws in American History. Before the ADA was passed, employers were able to deny employment to a disabled worker, simply because he or she was disabled. With no other reason other than the persons physical disability, they were turned away or released from a job. The ADA gives civil rights protections to individuals with disabilities similar to those provided to individuals on the basis of race, color, sex, national originRead More Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) Essay757 Words   |  4 Pages Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) Approximately 54 million non-institutionalized Americans have physical, intellectual, or psychiatric disabilities (Hernandez, 2000). . The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) protects individuals with disabilities from discrimination based upon their disability (Bennett-Alexander, 2001). The protection extends to discrimination in a broad range of activities, including public services, public accommodations and employment. The ADAs ban againstRead MoreResearch Paper on Americans with Disabilities Act (Ada2589 Words   |  11 Pagesknew very little about the ADA. During the period of research and writing the paper I hope to obtain a better grasp on the ADA in general. But I also hope to learn some things that my current place of employment can improve our standards when it comes to those with disabilities. The ADA was signed into law on July 26, 1990 by then President George H. W. Bush. It prohibits discrimination based on disability and only disability. It is fairly similar to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. ResearchRead MoreThe Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): A Good Start Essay1081 Words   |  5 Pagesdid the Americans with Disabilities Act. People are still isolated because of physical differences, such as disabilities. Some people may disagree, but the ways to victimize are more abundant than just abusive treatment. These ways include the constant evasion of a person, the exclusion of someone from some activity, as well as the change in manner towards them. These seem to be the most common responses for people with disabilities to receive. In fact, people who have disabilities may faceRead MoreThe Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the Workplace Essay1556 Words   |  7 PagesPeople with disabilities have become an integral part of the workforce. The ADA forbids discrimination against people with disabilities when recruiting, hiring, training, and compensating employees (Sotoa Kleiner, 2013). The ADA prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in em ployment, transportation, public accommodation, communications, and governmental and establishes requirements for telecommunications relay services (activities (Stryker, R. (2013). Employers are not allowed

Close to the Edge the Representational Tactics of Eminem free essay sample

The Representational Tactics of Mine a comprehensive essay written by Marcia Ales Adkins, provides a concrete, insightful examination of the strategy and tactics used by a Caucasian artist to integrate himself into the predominantly African-American and Latino dominated sub culture of hip-hop. The purpose of this document is to illuminate the methods utilized by what Adkins calls the Other to seamlessly sneak Into a racially charged social group and gain acceptance amongst Its critics and audiences. This Is someone who would otherwise be labeled as an outcast from the point of view of Its patrons.Such methods draw from Michel De Carters stages of cultural navigation, which Adkins makes use of to support the analysis. The focus of this analysis is of course Amines conscious and effective employment of these three stages: appropriation, spatial acting out of the place and allocation, in order to represent himself as a talented artist. The significance of Adkins paper Lies In its clear and concise ability to communicate with other spectators and critics of hip-hop and In doing so offer Insight as to why others havent been able to mimic the same path Mine has taken to be successful in the art form.The general idea inferred from this article is that of the sameness and otherness, which is believed to be a large component of Americas racially divided entertainment industry. Adkins therefore refers to this concept continually as the underlining argument to reinforce her analysis of Amines representational tactics. The author explicitly gives credit to Mine (In conjunction with his management and record label) for his conscious Implications of De Carters three stages of cultural navigation.Beginning with appropriation, the author states that Mine is able to adopt the hip-hop vernacular and formula required to establish himself as an innovative white rapper as opposed to Just another discredited emcee. Adkins compares h is appropriation to that of The Beastie Boys, the first successful white hip- hop group. The author also points out the failure of Vanilla Ice, from which Mine learned that creating a facade or false Image would ultimately destroy the career of a rap artist In a short time. Amines race Is of obvious concern when regarding his appropriation.The concept of sameness/otherness resurfaces when Mine is arced to confront and industry dominated by minorities. In order to secure his appropriation he affiliates himself with African-American practitioners of the art form and in doing so not only is he accepted and deemed authentic but he Is also able to spur his career. Thus, Adkins ascertains that Mine came to the realization that authenticity and honesty to his audience would serve to gain their respect and adulation, hip-hops absorption by suburban middle- class white youths hankering for authenticity is the latest phase of a complicated history of transversal entertainment. Adkins, 467) This is a valid argument that can be applied to most sub cultures, because in order to firs t be welcomed into any culture something must first prove its worth. Therefore this idea of appropriation can be applied to another genre of music or a new product. Adkins following argument focuses on the aura embodies is a singularity, a unique trait attributed to that person alone. When applied to Mine the aura is personified through his multiple personae. The purpose of the aura is to distance Amines art from his audience thus rendering it inaccessible and indestructible.In regard to De Carters paradigm, Adkins states that the aura serves as a clever marketing ploy in where Mine clearly distinguishes himself as the Other. Mine uses his alter egos Slim Shady or Marshall Matters to address an insane, zany, outrageous topic or a serious, sentimental tone respectively. This creates a certain mystique about Mine which only further reinforces and reaffirms his status as a talented emcee. The idea of the aura works in unison with mechanical reproduction, a way for Mine to represent and distribute himself in different methods to his audience. Like the MM candy, he is packaged and colored differently on the surface depending on the expectations of his intended audiences. (Adkins, 472) The final argument and last stage put forth by Adkins is that of allocation, when referring back to thesis is the notion that the same and Other can co-exist. No longer divided by racial boundaries, in Amines case being a white rapper in an ethnic genre, he no longer has to walk the line of blackness/whiteness. His outlook, impressions and creed are shared with the rest of the members of the sub culture.The arguments Adkins presents are compelling and for the most part the evidence to support them are very solid. Are the sources reliable however? The answer is a resounding yes; Adkins utilizes a number of sources from a variety of academic scholars and reputable writers. The basis on which Marcia Alaskan Adkins develops her thesis is directly from Michel De Carters The Practice of Everyday Life. Michel De Accurate was a scholar of social sciences and therefore his studies and findings outlined in The Practice of Everyday Life are a sound platform to draw and develop ideas from.Furthermore, his ideologies of the three stages of cultural navigation are logical, well-grounded and strong therefore making them hard to dispute. With this as the framework used to establish and further the authors arguments there is no possible way we can discard Adkins stance from the beginning. In defending the arguments Adkins brings to the forefront sound reasoning and many examples and analogies are offered. For instance to support her claim of Amines successful appropriation into hip-hop, Adkins gives concrete evidence that reinforce that he was indeed a success from he beginning, Since his underground debut in 1996 Mine Old over 33 million records, won Grammar Awards and an Academy Award, developed a clothing line called Shady Ltd (Adkins, 466) This is irrefutable evidence of Amines successful appropriation into the sub culture. In addition, Adkins has a comprehensive list of sources that share her same opinion in some respect or another. Drawing information from the opinions and analyses of other critics, Journalists and writers, the author is able to develop her own examples of how Mine indeed maneuvered is way into hip-hop consciously using the three stages.Regarding the second stage which deals with the aura and the idea of re-inventing oneself in the form of a persona or an alter-ego, is reinforced not only by Amines alter-egos but that of his propg Curtis Fifty Cent Jackson. This example is highlighted by a specific video in where this second stage is clearly visible, the breakout single, In Dad Club. In this three distinct settings: in the laboratory, in a nightclub in and in the recording studio (Adkins, 472) Therefore it is a safe and fair assumption to say this article engrossed a large accumulation of research of reliable information.Adkins analysis entitled Close to the Edge: The Representational Tactics of Mine is a thorough account of the tactics used by Marshall Matters in order to assimilate himself into the hip-hop social group, using the cultural navigation stages devised from Michel De Accurate. This paper makes a point of creating theoretical assumptions that this feat is especially difficult for Mine who struggles finding his place in the aforementioned social group because he is of Caucasian decent and Hereford it is harder for him to be accepted by ethnic artists and audiences.This theory is that of sameness/otherness or blackness/whiteness when applied to Mine. Although the analysis is valid the author states that this is an experience exclusive to Mine and this is a false assumption. By taking on multiple personalities, or flavors, in music videos and lyrics to make audiences forget that there is only one of him he closes the door for other transversal artists and preserves inequality (Adkins, 480) This quotation suggest that no other rapper either than of African-American or Latino decent can saturate the medium such as Mine has.This is invalid, in fact due largely in part to Amines success other rappers, namely Caucasian have been able to gain acceptance in the sub culture. Paul Wall a down south white American rapper has experienced notable success in the hip-hop world. Releasing singles such as Still Tipping and Break Me Off and since establishing himself as a talented white rapper. Similarly Collie Buddy a white reggae artist has also gained access into the reggae culture which is also predominantly black and mom would argue more difficult to infiltrate then rap music itself.Therefore the maneuvering of Mine is not exclusive to him alone. It has now become a trend to almost encourage the idea of transversal artistry. The text written by Adkins outlines the struggles and difficulties taken for any craft or product to first overcome obstacles and gain acceptance, and subsequently maintain popularity through the use of re-invention, or a certain mystique, or by branding or by representation. This can be applied to all aspects of popular culture.

Strategic financial management

Introduction Strategic management is defined as the field of management that deals with the emergent and intended initiatives that are usually taken by the firm’s general leadership group on behalf of the board of the company. The strategic direction entails the specification of resource utilization, the objectives, mission, and vision of the firm, plan and policy development, and resource allocation for plan and policy implementation. (Hill. 2008. p. 479)Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Strategic financial management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Financial strategic management is the identification of the best strategies that will maximize the market value of an organization. It involves resource allocation among the existing competitive opportunities. Financial strategic managers are supposes to determine the best ways to allocate the scarce resources In order to maximize on profits. Financial strate gic management basically involves financial, investment and dividend decisions of the organization. (Hoaghant.2005.p .7) The strategic position of Sony The strategic position of Sony was to regain its profitability by penetrating more into the market and reducing their operating costs. After recording their first loss since 1995, Sony in 2009 decided to take a growth-based strategic direction that was meant to develop their products and marked. Having made a great loss of 98.94 billion for the year ending 31st march 2009, Sony decided to restructure its organization. As part of the restructuring process, Sony made great changes by closing down eight manufacturing sites among its fifty seven, and downsizing its employee number by 16,000 workers. This was mainly geared towards reducing the operating cost of the company. Sony also changed the structure of its competitive divisions that included the manufacture of Televisions, music players, gaming consoles and electronic reader. This s aw Sony re-structure into two cross company units namely the network products and service group, and the consumer products group. The growth-based strategic management option entails product and market development, diversification and market penetration. This approach is applied with companies that have that can further enter the market by providing products that are suitable and acceptable. Alternative strategic direction There are several strategic options that an organization can decide to take. The specific directions taken by any firm at a given point in time entirely depend on the available resources of the organization, and the nature of the performance of the product in the industry. The major strategic direction options include; growth based consolidation, divestment, and harvesting.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Consolidation In general, the term consolidation r efers to the act of merging many things into one. In business context, the term consolidation refers to the act of merging or the acquiring smaller companies into bigger ones. There are four types of business consolidation and these include statutory merger, statutory consolidation, stock acquisition and amalgamation. Statutory merger is the coming together of several firms that leads up to the assets liquidation of the firm that is bought and the buying company continue to exist. Alternatively, statutory consolidation is a coming together of firms that brings up a new entity in which all the involved companies stop to exist. Stock acquisition is the combination of firms in which the firm buying gains more than 50 percent of the entire stock of the firm that is being bought and both of them continue to exist after the merger. Amalgamation is the act of a firm being completely owned by another one. In this case the consideration is paid and the purchasing one survives (Patherick 2009 .p.57). This strategy is best used by managers who uncover the strength and weaknesses of their organizations through feasibility studies and come up with the best ways of coming up with one a powerful venture. Before such a decision is taken, thorough feasibility studies of the organizations in question have to be done (Justis.1979.p.35-42) Divestment Divestment is a management strategy in which the given organization reduces its assets for ethical or financial goals or sale of an already running business by an organization. Divestment simply means de-investing. Organizations can divest in order to do away with a line of business that is out of its interest in order to pay more attention on what it does. (Levicki.1984.p.1) Divesting can also be done in order to obtain funds or when the break up value of the organization is higher than the organization itself, then divesting can be done. Part of an organization may also be divested in order to create stability or to do away with a d epartment that is performing poorly. The final motive of divestment may de an order from regulatory authorities with aims of creating competition in the market among other reasons. (McKienan, 1992.p.49) When an organization is running a line of business that is not suitable towards attaining its objectives, then the most important strategic decision is divesting. This enables it to concentrate on the line that suits its operations well (Kotter.2002.p34)Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Strategic financial management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Harvesting Harvesting is the complete withdrawal of the product from the market. An organization that is achieving its goals may make a decision of harvesting their product or service by allowing it to be completely eradicated from the market, if its market analysis shows that its performance is poor compared to the other products. In case a firm has a product that is not acceptable in the market, then the most important strategic decision is to withdraw the product or service completely from the market and fully concentrate on the lines of business that suit the given firm.(Madera, 2007.p.34-58) Recommendation Even though Sony expected their operating loss to go even higher to 120 billion for the year ending 31st march, 2010, they reported a loss of 25.7 billion at the end of the first quarter. This was lower than expected and the reduction was attributed to the operating costs that went down by 19.2 percent. In my opinion, I would recommend that Sony would have divested. Given that it handles a variety of products, it makes the company become too big to be managed. The best thing that Sony would do was to sell part of its huge assets in order to pay close attention to the divisions that would yield good returns. This would make the company more stable and the finances received from the sell of some of the business lines would be pumped back in to the main business. Restructuring the organization whose break up is higher than it self does not add value to the organization as such. In real sense it doesn’t eliminate the fact that the firm is just too big to be managed at divesting at such a point comes in handy as a strategic financial management direction. Conclusion As a conclusion, financial strategic management is a crucial management practice that needs to be handled very carefully. There are various directions an organization can take and each option has its own advantages and disadvantages. Managers need to determine the best direction because any cause of action taken has its own to impact to the organization, in as much as the attainment of its goals is concerned. This impact may be either negative or positive hence has to be guarded. Reference List Hill, C.W. 2008. Strategic management, Boston: hoghton Miffin CompanyAdvertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Hoagland. P.P.2005. introduction to financial management. Belmont: Thompson Higher Education. Madura.J. 2007. Introduction to business Canada: Thompson south western. Justis, R.T, 1979. The feasibility study as a tool of venture analysis. Burlington: Elsevier academic press. Levicki.C. 1984, Small business: theory and policy, Sydney: Croom Helm Ltd McKiernan.1992. Strategies of growth: maturity, recovery and  Internationalization, London: Routlege, chapman and hall. Kotter.j.p, 2002, the Heart of people and change.Boston: Harvard publishing School. New Jersey: Humana press Patherick. W. 2009. Principles of management and leadership, Burlington: Elsevier academic press. This report on Strategic financial management was written and submitted by user Jace Case to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Xemba Translations Project Plan

Xemba Translations Project Plan Project Performance Measurement Metrics The broad objectives of the work of any project manager are the delivery of a project on time, within budget, and within the quality criteria. These objectives provide the basis for the development of performance measurement metrics for any project. The following five metrics will be applied to the performance measurement of the Xemba Translations Project.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Xemba Translations Project Plan specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The first metric is the measurement of the budgeted cost of labor versus actual cost of labor. While general metric dealing with all costs would still provide some information, the nature of labor in this project calls for proper accounting for its use. The human resource for this project came with a price tag. The hourly pay model gives a clear indication of what it costs the company to motivate human resource commitement to the project. The measurement for this metric will be the number of hours billed versus the number of hours in the project plan. The project will be performing poorly if the budgeted hours are less than the hours actually used in the project for the designated work packages. The second metric is similar to the first one, although it is related to the cost of acquisitions. It measures the budgeted versus the actual cost of acquisitions. This metric needs monitoring because of the expected increase in the cost of acquisitions. This expectation arose from the realization that the company will need twelve more computers to complete the project. The measurement of the metric will be similar to the method used to measure staff performance. This is the calculation of the money actually spent on acquisitions versus the money budgeted. If more money goes to the acquisitions compared to the money in the budget for that purpose, then the project will be off budget. The third metric to be used in the measurement of project performance will be the variance between the scheduled versus the actual time spent on the activities of the project. The deadline for the project is the beginning of the third quota. A failure to keep time will have consequences for the company’s operations. This measure will come from the Gantt charts for the project, which show the amount of time needed to complete the project.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More A related metric will be the task completion rate. This metric will combine the Gantt chart values with time indicators to determine whether the project stakeholders are handling their tasks as planned. The task completion rate will help determine whether the pace of the project at any time is commensurate to the targets set to complete these tasks. This metric, calculated weekly, will give a value indicating the pa ce of the project. The project is currently behind schedule and there is need to monitor the daily progress of the tasks to ensure that everything ends on time. The task completion rate will provide the basis for making conclusions about any discrepancies in the delivery of work packages. It is essential to complete the project on time, which is before the third quarter. The reason why the work packages are important to measure is that they provide critical information for reporting the progress of the project to all stakeholders. The completion of any work package constitutes a project milestone. The calculation for this metric will rely on time. Justification of Metrics The need to deliver the project on time and within budget informed the decisions that guided the choice of metrics for performance measurement for the project. The five metrics deal with time management or financial management. The justification for the using labor expenses as a metric for the project is as follows . First, the company committed some employees and contract workers to work on the project. The company bills the project for the time the employees and contract workers spend working on the project. Secondly, the time that the members of staff spend working on project reduces the overall project time. This means that an observation of how much money goes towards paying for the resource persons is an indirect indicator of the progress of the project.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Xemba Translations Project Plan specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The decision to have a separate metric measuring the cost of project acquisitions came from the realization that there is need to keep track of the cost of items earmarked for purchase. The main items that the company will need to acquire are new computers that can replace slower ones. There is information that the number of computers the company needs to buy to replace the slow computers is more than the number estimated at the beginning of the project. A second reason to monitor these computers is that the supplier will be late in supplying the computers by two weeks. This is because there was a fire that affected their main supplier. In addition to these two reasons, it is necessary to make a decision regarding the type of computers to buy. The choices that exist now are between laptops and desktop computers. The laptops are more expensive. This means that buying desktop computers may help in managing the budget. However, there are operational factors regarding their use that need consideration. The third metric regarding schedule management arose because of the need to bring the project back on track. All the work packages are behind schedule. There is need to identify the causes of delay and to find ways of ensuring that the project concludes on time. Keeping track of the schedule will benefit the project in two ways. First, it will ensure tha t there is an objective measure of the use of time at regular intervals. This will help in the identification and elimination of the sources of delay in the project delivery. Failure to uncover the causes of delay may cause further interruptions to the project. Secondly, the project needs to recover time because of the delays already experienced. The only way to measure the degree of recovery needed and the impact of new measures geared towards the recovery of time is by using a performance measure that tracks the schedule. The task completion rate as a metric will help monitor the actual output derived from the project resources. The first reason for measuring the task completion rate is that this is the only way that the project management team can know whether the resources assigned to the project are creating value for the project.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Secondly, task completion is the basic unit of measurement of the delivery of project goals. It is an accurate means of measuring the progress of the project. The final metric chosen to measure project performance is the rate of delivery of work packages. The work package is a larger unit of work which completion amounts to a milestone for the project. The first reason for choosing this metric is that it is very important for reporting progress to the stakeholders such as the management. Secondly, the delivery of a work package is a milestone for the project with a complete set of benefits. It is important to keep track of the completion rate of the work packages in this regard. Project Status Based on Metrics Resource Name Cost per Hour ($) Budgeted Hours Budgeted Cost ($) Work Completed ($) Remaining Hours Projected Hours to Complete Project Time Overrun (hrs) Cost Overrun ($) Elizabeth 70 121.43 8500.1 122 -0.57 0 0.57 39.9 Hugh 70 120 8400 103 17 17 0 0 Kimberly 70 76 5 320 72 4 16 12 840 Phoebe 68 98 6664 76 22 20 -2 -136 Ben 68 138 9384 93 45 52 7 476 Zeke 65 384.67 25003.55 153 231.67 245 13.33 866.45 Malinda 75 224 16800 58 166 160 -6 -450 Willis 70 108 7560 160 -52 68 120 8400 Jackson 45 268 12060 177 91 112 21 945 Valene 60 150 9000 116 34 64 30 1800 Kendrick 40 78 3120 86 -8 0 8 320 Marcel 75 432.85 32463.75 268 164.85 200 35.15 2636.25 Clemencia 80 218.05 17444 104 114.05 114 -0.05 -4 Lianne 37.5 204 7650 170 34 110 76 2850 Darius 55 72 3960 30 42 42 0 0 TOTAL 2693 173329.4 1788 905 1220 315 18583.6 Table 2: Analysis table for various costs The Budgeted cost of labor for the project was 173,329.4 dollars. Projected time overrun shows that the money required for the project to go to completion is 18,583.6 dollars. This is an increase of 10.7% from the original budget. This proves that there is a need to monitor the way the resources use project time because of the obvious increase in the budgetary deficit for th e project. Willis and Marcel lead in both the time spent on the project above the budgeted time, and the time needed to complete their tasks. Special focus needs to go into monitoring the time these two employees spend on the project. The company budget shows that acquisitions for the project must not exceed 73,670.57 dollars. The report presented, which is related to the need to acquire new computers shows that the company needs to buy twelve extra computers. The initial plan was to buy thirty-five computers. However, after auditing the existing ones, the total number of computers due for replacement went up to forty-seven. This will escalate the cost by between 11,400 dollars and 14,200 dollars, depending on whether the company acquires desktop computers or laptops. Variance in Activity Time Task Name Work (hrs) Baseline (hrs) Variance (hrs) Actual (hrs) Remaining (hrs) % Work Complete Computer inventory and requirements 375.95 340 35.95 375.95 0 100% Technical support 197. 33 200 -2.67 160.67 36.67 81% Computing support 258 210 48 192 66 74% Document servers 356 330 26 242 114 68% Shared drives 351.2 310 41.2 228.8 122.4 65% FTP Sites 621.67 609 12.67 230.87 390.8 37% Firewalls 417.6 424 -6.4 97.6 320 23% Web-based meetings 430 270 160 260 170 60% 3007.75 2693 314.75 1787.89 1219.87 Table 3: Activity summary of tasks and work packages Task Completion Rate The activity summary shows that in almost all areas, there will be a need for more time than scheduled. Various factors affected the progress of the project. The important issue to bear in mind at this point is that most work packages will require more time to deliver. Table 2 also shows that work package delivery is still very low, with the completion of only one work package. The high number of hours beyond the planned time that the project requires before completion is of more interest. Impact of Current Problems The analysis of the status of the project revealed the following i ssues. First, two employees will account for more than fifty percent of all cost overruns related to labor. The two employees carry the highest staff costs for the project. Marcel and Willie will require more than 10,000 dollars out of the total projected cost overrun of about 18,000 dollars. This presents three problems to the project. First, it means that any interruption in the availability of these two employees will lead to further delays in the project. Secondly, the nature of task distribution that led to this situation reveals a fundamental problem with the original organization of the project. The two employees seem to carry an inordinate amount of responsibility in the project. This may lead to lapses or inclusion of errors in their output because of the strain on them. Thirdly the two employees need extra time to complete their tasks because of the exhaustion of their previous time allocation This is an indication that there is need to investigate the actual distribution of work in relation to the two employees. Is there a chance that the two employees are not creating value for the project as initially intended? The second main problem that the analysis revealed is that the project will exceed the budget by more than ten percent. This conclusion comes from two observations. The first observation comes from the projection that the cost of staff will exceed the budget by 10.7 %. These projections came from the estimated time the project staff members require to deliver the project. The causes of the delays that led to the need for more time still exist. For instance, not all information that relates to the operations of the final system is available. It is only wise to anticipate some more delays that may lead to the need for more time, especially in relation to the testing of the new system. The second observation is that the cost of acquisitions will exceed the budget. The reason for this is that there are components whose necessity became apparent only after the inception of the project. For instance, the budget estimates show that the number of new computers the organization will need to buy to replace the slower ones is thirty-five. However, the actual number of computers that the organization needs to replace is forty-seven. This will increase the cost of acquisitions by more than 10,000 dollars. The third main problem the analysis revealed is the risk of catastrophic failure of the system. The two main aspects of the project that will lead to this eventuality are time and technical constraints. The rigid deadline set when the project started, demands the completion of the project before the third quarter. The project is already behind the schedule because of various factors. The only way to ensure that the project ends on time is to increase the work rate of the employees available or to assign more employees to the project. The second problem related to the technical limits is that the team must work within. Many techni cal risks exist around the project. If any of the associated risk events occurs, the project will be in jeopardy. The relationship between this situation and the analysis above is that the project is under dire time and resource constraints. If there is no injection of new resources to support the delivery of the project on time, then the available resources may not be sufficient to mitigate the risks. All it will take for a catastrophic failure to occur is one mistake. Mitigation Measures The mitigation measures needed to deal with these problems are as follows. First, there is a need to undertake an audit of the work assigned to Marcel and Willis. This will help determine the cause of the huge time requirements that they need to complete their work packages. In the event that the distribution of work was overwhelming for them, then it will be important to assign more resources to handle aspects of their work packages. If the audit shows that they are incompetent, then the best act ion in the interest of the project will be to replace them. Nothing can bring the project back on budget at this stage. Since the management gave an allowance of going over-budget by up to ten percent, there is need to approve the necessary funds to cover for the impending shortfall. This will ensure that the team meets the quality criteria for the project. The board needs to approve a supplementary budget to cater for the financial shortfalls experienced by the project so far. The risk of catastrophic failure due to time and resource constraints is the most challenging issue to deal with in this project. The risk management matrix revealed that several risks could occur concurrently leading to catastrophic failure. This will require very careful management of the project to keep these risks from taking place. The best way to ensure that the entire project succeeds is to bring the project online in phases. It will also help to carry out more performance tests than earlier planned. I t is also possible to increase the resources available to the project to increase the work rate of the employees. This will enable the project team to handle the risks more easily. Executive Summary Xemba Translations is in the middle of an IT project geared towards making it possible for telecommuters to work effectively for Xemba. The new risks identified include the likelihood for resource competition among project priorities, and an increase in labor costs. Other risks are the failure to meet the project deadline and the potential for a catastrophic technical failure due to implementation mistakes arising from pressure to deliver the project on time. The metrics that will help in measuring the performance of the project are as follows. The first metric is a comparison of budgeted cost versus the actual cost of labor. This arises from the realization that labor consumes project funds at an hourly rate. The second metric is a comparison of the budgeted cost of acquisitions versus the actual cost. The third metric is the measurement of the actual time consumed by project activities, compared to the scheduled time. The fourth metric is the task completion rate. The project has fifty-five tasks. This metric will help to measure how well the project is performing based on task completion rate. The fifth metric is the measurement of the delivery of work packages. After applying these metrics, the main problems uncovered during the project are that two resource persons account for more than fifty percent of labor cost overruns. Marcel and Willie need more 10,000 dollars to complete their work. The second problem is that the project will exceed the budget by more than ten percent. The third main problem is that there is a risk of catastrophic failure of the project arising from the time and resource constraints. The measures required to mitigate against these problems include auditing Marcel and Willie’s work to ensure they are competent and that they are ca pable to deliver on their workpackages within the remaining time. Secondly, the project requires more money for it to be completed on time. It is necessary to approve the required money as soon as possible because it exceeds the 10,000 dollar threshold. Thirdly, from this point, the project manager must observe every process closely to ensure no more time goes to waste. References Arson, E. W., Gray, C. F. (2011). Project Management: The Managerial Process,. New York, NY: McGraw Hill International. Meredeth, J. R., Mantel, S. J. (2011). Project Management: A Managerial Approach (8 ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons. Phillips, J. (2010). IT Project Management. New York: McGraw Hill Professional.

KES The Play Essays

KES The Play Essays KES The Play Essay KES The Play Essay The play Kes portrays the life of a fifteen years old, Billy Casper, who lives with is mother, Mrs. Casper, and his step-brother Jud. The play occurs during and after Billys last days at school. It shows the way Billy was feeling toward his hawk, and the way he was affected by it. The play takes different stages to build up the plot, Billy notices the hawk in the farms near by his house, getting impressed by the way it lives, catches its food, feeds its youngs. Billy starts to have thoughts about having a hawk as a pet or as an animal that he would care after, and keep for himself. The story takes place in the surroundings of Billys life: his house; newsagent, as he works there for Mr. Porter; Macs house, as the play provides the sense that he is the only friend he has, apart from the argument and fights they have had in the school; the public library as Billy has nicked a book about falconry that had helped him to deal with his hawk and provided him the knowledge he needed to take good care of his hawk; the school that Billy attends, as the play takes some parts in the school and as he faces some trouble there; and some local shops that he passes by. Billy is not welcomed by the people he lives with as it shows in his behavior with them, his attitude towards them, and their behavior and the way they treat him. His mother at the beginning of the play accused him of having fags, even thought she sounded like not being sure, and then she asked him for several things to get her before going to his school. I think due to her accusing him of having fags he refused to get her the cigarettes and other things she asked for, giving an excuse that he will be late for school. Some days later Billy goes to Macs house, as he needed someone to go with to the birds nest, watching them fly, land, feed and look after there kids. Macs mother mistreated him by telling him bugger off you little sod, as a reward of throwing a hand full of dirt at the window after she refused to wake up Mac giving reasons that its still early for him to hang out. Billy and his brother Jud dont live a good relationship, it goes on at the beginning of the play, as Jud refuses to set the alarm for Billy, he drains the milk pot so he wont leave any for Billy, being pessimistic with Billy Jud tries to convince him that he will only find work down the pit after he finishes school, for that Billy eats Juds snap that Jud has prepared for work. But Billy tries not to think about working there as it shows from the way he was talking to the teacher when he was offering a job down the pit, but Jud keep on telling him that he cant work down the pit either because he cant read and write or either because he is not tough enough to work there as he calls him a weedy little bugger. As things were go on good with his work boss Mr. Porter in his newsagent shop until Billy shakes the ladder that Mr.Porter was standing on, on purpose that made Mr. Porter calls him You clumsy young bugger. Mr. Porter was quite worried that Billy might not be able to deliver all his papers at time, as his brother Jud have taken his bike, and that might cause him some loss in his shops profit if Billy delivers the papers later than he is supposed. I learn that these people treat him generally in the same way, but with a difference from one to the other. I think Billy likes to have conversations with people even though he dont know them, as when he was delivering his papers in the early morning, after leaving Mr. Porters newsagent, and saw the milkman who started an conversation with Billy about having something to deliver his papers with even if its a Third class riding which is better than first class walking, as the milkman thinks, but according to Billy that is no good as he says that it do no more than five miles per hour, and that he can do faster on a kids scooter.

International business environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

International business environment - Essay Example The paper describes the process of globalization that results in mutual satisfaction of international economic relations as man-made and natural barriers fall. The process itself may have positive as well as negative effects on country's economy. The process grew strength in the early 19990s. Globalization offer opportunities that entail effective resource allocation and so higher per capita incomes. Faster integration to the system can be promoted by new methods and ways of production driven by change in technology. Globalization has made it easier to divide production into several sub-processes, so labor-intensive sections of the production process could be gotten from abroad. This atomization made international trade in intermediate goods a growing substantial feature of international trade. The rapid change in international demand and supply conditions has besides bringing economies together, made relations more composite. Another issue that has made international trade complex i s the weight of the upcoming markets in the world economy has become substantially more prominent. Although globalization entails various dimensions, it usually refers to economic ties and processes. Economic globalization pertains the expansion of production, consumption, trade, savings, and investment made to markets beyond regional and national ones. For countries that are developing, the risk of growing inequality linked with active participation in the global economy attributed to institutional weaknesses relating to being poor. (Prasad 2003, p.4). This paper tries to bring out a fair view of globalization; pointing out the benefits and risks that globalization has for countries that are developing. The paper looks at the evidence and controversies that can be used against and in favor of globalization and also the policy options and prospects. It also tries to assist Palomia by looking at its economy and reporting the risks and benefits of globalization. Gains from globalizati on Benefits from Globalization can lead to advances, in efficiency and gains, in economic wellbeing. Trade improves division of labor as countries that specialize in a given field gains comparative advantage over the rest. This is a very vital part of economic empowerment as a country like Palomia may have the advantage on something over the others. Deeper relationships and penetration of international markets will enable and encourage and motivate consumers and producers to reap the benefits of economies of scale. The competitive international market will also reduce profits of monopolies. This incentivizes businesses to seek innovations that are cost efficient and advances what they sell. Gains in efficiency also should bring advancement in economic growth and so resulting in higher per capita incomes. This could be good prospects for developing nations as it is able to make more money to stir more growth. Globalization also has assisted many poor countries in the world achieve hi gher growth rates and minimize the number of citizens living in absolute poverty. For consumers, globalization or international trade expands the range of good services available. The rate at which goods and services get innovated is also encouraging making the trade dynamic. The participation of countries that are still developing in the process of globalization can allow them better apply their comparative advantages. This making them bring in advanced technologies, management experience and foreign capital. It is also prosperous for eliminating monopolistic characteristics and toughening market competition (Bigman 2002, p.10). Risks involved in globalization While providing more growth opportunities for countries that are still growing, the globalization process also poses enormous risks. To begin with, economic globalization has indeed expanded instead of reducing the