Achieving Project Goals

Achieving Project Goals PAGE PAGE 7 Achieving Project GoalsAchieving Project GoalsHilda BrinasUniversity of PhoenixProject ManagementMGT 437Charles A. VallanceOctober 22, 2007Project management is becoming a skill necessary for all managers and specialists. Technology and competition has driven the use of project management to expand. Organizations feel the need to use project management whenever there is a need to achieve objectives that have scope, cost and time restraints. According to the Project Management Institute (2007), project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to project activities to meet project requirements. The University of New England's website(2007) states that the project management skills are becoming a required core competency for growth and quality oriented organizations.A project is any series of activity and tasks which have a specific objective that has to be completed within certain specifications. The task must have a beginning date and a spe cific deadline and include a budget (Dilts, Pence, 2005).Monitoring and Control project activitiesThe task will include a companion of resources. The combination will consist of individuals and material objects. The activities and tasks must be multifunctional. The end result will be for several functions.Project management involves the planning, execution and follow-up of a project. The planning stages include defining the work requirements, defining the quantity of and quality of work expected to produce and defining the resources needed to complete the project.The execution of a project involves the implementation of the project with the resources obtained during the planning stages. During this stage the project is put into motion. The project monitoring is where the progress of the project is monitored. During this stage the actual outcome is compared to the outcome initially predicted. The impact of the project is then analyzed and the necessary adjustments, if...

Microsystem Bronfenbrenner Analysis Essay Example

Microsystem Bronfenbrenner Analysis Essay Example Microsystem Bronfenbrenner Analysis Paper Microsystem Bronfenbrenner Analysis Paper Bronfenbrenner’s theory known as the ecological systems theory views at a child’s development the perspective of the system of interactions that form his or her environment (Addison, 1992). He describes intricate ‘levels’ of environment, each one having consequences on a child’s development. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological system theory looks at the child’s environment in terms of its quality and context. Recently there has been a shift as some have renamed the theory â€Å"bioecological systems theory† to stress that a child’s own biology is a principal environment fueling her/his development. Thus, a child’s development is stimulated and steered by the associations between factors in the child’s maturing biology, such as his immediate family/community environment, and the societal landscape (Addison, 1992). Alterations or clash in any one layer will ripple all the way through the other layers. According to Bronfenbrenner, for one to be able to learn a child’s development then, he must look not only at the child and her immediate environment, but also at the interaction of the larger environment as well. The ecological theory as articulated Bronfenbrenner identifies four types of systems that contain roles, norms and rules that shape development. The systems comprise a microsystem, mesosystem, ecosystems, and macrosystem. The microsystem covers the associations and interactions a child has with her immediate environment. Microsystem includes structures such as family, school, neighborhood, or childcare surroundings in which the child is operating (Berk, 2000). Within this echelon interaction impacts in two directions- both away from the child as well as toward the child. For instance, the parent of the child can affect the child’s beliefs and behavior in as much as the child can affect the behavior and beliefs of the parent/s. it is acknowledged that at the microsystem echelon, bi-directional influences are strongest and have the most impact on the child. The mesosystem is two Microsystems interacting, for instance the link between a child’s home and school, connection between the child’s teacher and his parents, between his church and his neighborhood, etc. Thus, it offers the connection between the structures of the child’s microsystem (Berk, 2000). The exosystem comprises of an environment in which a child is not directly concerned and is external to his/her experience however, it affects him anyway. Structures in this stratum affect the child’s development by interact with some structure in her microsystem (Berk, 2000). An example of exosystem is a parent’s workplace or community-based family resources (Edwards, 1992). Whereas the child may not be openly implicated at this level, but he/she does experience the positive or negative force involved with the interaction with his own system. The macrosystem is considered as the outermost layer in the child’s environment. This stratum does not offer specified framework however, it comprises cultural values, customs, and laws (Berk, 2000). The impacts of larger values described by the macrosystem have a cascading manipulation among the interactions of all other layers. For instance if the society holds a belief that, a parent is solely responsible for bringing up their children, then it is obvious that the society is less probable to offer resources to help parents (Edwards, 1992). This consequently influences the structures in which the parents function, similarly affecting the child’s microsystem. The chronosystem – this system covers the measurement of time as it relates to a child’s surroundings. Elements determining this system can be either external, for instance, the timing of a parent’s death, or internal, such as the physiological variations which appear as a child ages. As children advance in age, they may respond in a different way to changes in environment and may be more capable to establish more how that change will influence them (Henderson, 1995). How I was personally influenced It was only through the influences of the five environmental systems as outlined by Urie Bronfenbrenner’s theory of ecological systems that I was able develop and join graduate school to obtain my masters degree. Immediate members of my family were the first to shape me. At the tender ages, my parents proved to be caring but also useful in my development. They made sure that whomever I had contact with was not a person of wanting behavior. At the family set up, my father not only made sure that the family’s economic background was stable but also ensured that, we were well supplied with the basic needs that made smooth our living environment. My mother on the other hand was full of advice as far as the correct behavioral attributes were concerned. She ensured that we were fed well, on top of affording the much-required filial love for a developing child. Both parents were influential in according us protection. When I entered school, my father this time started to play a very crucial role in showing me how to tackle assignments in as well as encouraging me to have determination in whatever I was doing. This encouragement formed upon which modeled me to enter graduate school in the later years. The school environment was very encouraging, as far as peers seemed to be cooperative. Generally, there was mood of co-existence among ourselves, working in harmony as well helping one another whenever our teachers requested us to do something. Our teachers always reminded us that discipline was the key to success in any academic setting. The teachers made sure that they demonstrated best behavioral standards required of us. Our teachers standard of perfection was exceptional thus to us they served as role models in our development. This type of interaction constituted what Urie Bronfenbrenner referred to as microsystem of development On the subject of mesosystem, my parents used to correspond with my teachers on issues associated with my academic progress as well as my behavior. My teacher could inform my parents on the areas I required to put more pressure as far as academia was concerned, a feature of which I belief facilitated in shaping my development towards this end. My parents in rejoinder furnished my teachers with the significant information touching on the development of my behavior. I can vaguely recollect that at one time, my father was called by my teacher where he was highlighted on the substance of ensuring that I was accorded free time from house chores so that I could do my assignments, as this could help improve my grades. My father was affirmative on the proposal and after this discussion, house chores were transferred to other members of our family. The teachers in general were very challenging and encouraging. For instance, our psychology teacher impressed me through his presentation of ideas as well as ideologies. His attitude of arrangement, for instance he could chronologically evaluate child development issues very brilliantly and plainly throughout the important development stages in a very touching manner. I came to admire him most and I was determined to follow his footsteps. My father’s place of work was also influential in shaping my development, as my father worked five hours, four days a week. This kind of structure ensured that my father had ample time with his family. In time of need, my father’s employer showed concern and permitted him to attend whatever was required of him at home. Our country’s school policy was also imperative in shaping me towards this end. Through the state, I was able to acquired a scholarship. Save for the same, I could have been affected badly financially. References Edwards, P. , Young, L. (1992). Beyond parents: Family, community, and school involvement. Phi Delta Kappan, 74, 72-80. Addison, J. T. (1992). Urie Bronfenbrenner. Human Ecology, 20(2), 16-20. Berk, L. E. (2000). Child Development (5th ed. ). Boston: Allyn and Bacon. 23-38 Henderson, Z. P. (1995). Renewing our social fabric. Human Ecology, 23(1), 16-19.

GROUP DESIGN PAPER Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

GROUP DESIGN PAPER - Essay Example Although motivational interviewing is commonly associated with substance abuse problems, it has also found varied applicability in clinical problems such as psychosis and other severe mental disorders. Clinical practitioners have reported that â€Å"the principles of motivational interviewing have broad applicability for addressing problematic behaviors (including substance abuse and non-adherence to treatment recommendations) that interfere with clients with dual disorders in achieving their personal goals† (Mueser, Noordsy & Drake, 2003, p. 108). It is in light of the issues presented above that I have chosen individuals who have dual disorders – substance abuse and mental disorders – as the treatment population for designing a motivational interviewing group therapy. Many chronic drug abusers, or commonly referred to as addicts, often simultaneously suffer from serious mental disorders. Substance abuse treatment and medical professionals call this condition co-occurring disorder or having dual diagnosis. While doing internship at 26th in California, a court and jail facility, most of the clients have been mandated to attend treatment for substances abuse. While helping clients with substance abuse problems, the court system has no provisions for assistance of co-occurring mental disorders. According to the American Psychiatric Association (DSM-IV), most individuals who have substance abuse problems also have mental disorders as well. Neglecting these mental disorders is not only detrimental to the patient but will further feed the cycle of violence and crime. I believe that treatment of both the substance abuse and mental problems is the most effective way of decreasing crime rate which is the ultimate goal of our judicial system. The succeeding sections of the paper will discuss the treatment population and the group therapy design for motivational interviewing. As previously discussed, the target population for

The growth of debt among young American Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The growth of debt among young American - Essay Example (Economic Crisis, 71) The purpose of this research would be to determine the three most fundamental questions related to the aspect of growth of debt among young Americans. What is the social problem 2) What cause this social problem 3) What is the impact to the people of this social problem 4) What are some solutions regarding to this social problem One of the interests financial planners have would be in understanding how money attitudes can be related to both investment and savings behaviors. Financial counselors wish to understand the how and why students either intentionally or unintentionally get themselves into debt. The rapid rise in consumer credit card debt and personal bankruptcies causes concern with policy makers and this is one reason for the study. There is increasing evidence that credit card debt has contributed to the rise in family financial problems and personal bankruptcies (Brobeck, 45). In the quest to discover why consumer credit card use and debt are increasing it is important to understand an individual's attitudes towards credit, money and debt (Hayhoe, 645). The use of credit has becom... The use of credit has become almost a rite of passage for many collegiate students worldwide. The objective of this paper would be to study the attitudes of university students in the use of credit cards and the general use of money. The aim in actuality is to study the positive and negative credit card usage by University students and the reasons behind their usage or abuse. University students often are faced with a barrage of financial considerations including credit cards, financial institutions, student financing for educational purposes, part-time employment and other such financial decisions to manage. The research conducted would be inclusive of local collegiate students just beginning their tenure on campus and those that have been on campus for a year or more. Credit Cards have gained a lot of popularity in the United Kingdom and around the world. Most businesses use credit card services. The businesses, especially retail stores, have their own credit cards. They either have just a credit card for their store alone or they might have a Visa, MasterCard or even an American Express logo on it where the consumers can use that credit card no matter where they shop. In fact, if the businesses did not use credit cards they would lose a good chunk of money. This review will cover credit use and abuse, credit cards themselves, consumer decision making, consumer attitudes, adoption behavior, credit card debt and the viewpoint of credit card issuers and banks. Long term cardholders who carry a balance, pay late, and on occasion would surpass their credit limit, thus incurring additional fees, would in fact be the most

Philosophy Notes on Kant Essay Example for Free

Philosophy Notes on Kant Essay Morality is entirely determined by what someone wills because a good will is the only thing that is good with out provocations. Every other character trait is only morally good once we qualify it as such. Kant morality is all about what someone wills and not about the end result or consequence is. Someone can be happy but for immoral reasons. Kant it is really the thought that counts. Motivation is everything. What does Bentham and Mills look at consequences and happiness. Kant thinks of these things as matter of riddle in the game of morality. Think of it this way. If we think of someone as our favorite moral hero in past and present because of the various things they did, accomplish, brought about. All you are doing when you admire such people is judging results. What we see. But if we are really judging moral worth on what we see we are then failing to adjudicate moral worth entirely. After all we have no idea what the shop clerks real motives are. Perhaps she is honest because she thinks this is the best way to make money. If this wasn’t her true motivation she may start ripping people off as soon as she could. Think back to what glaucon says. He says it is better to appear to be moral than to really be moral. Kant believes this is a much more comman way of going aobut things that it probably happens most of the time given that many people don’t have moral motivations that we really have no way of knowing what peopole’ motivations are. Perhaps Abraham Lincoln and MLK motivations were not stemmed form good will at all but only for honor, fame or fortune. We simply don’t know. Remember there are many people who were unlucky failed to bring any results even thought they hated good will or moral principles. They are forever unknown they are forever anonymous. He says we should stick to what pure reason tells and tells us it doesn’t care about consequences, doesn’t care about actions, doesn’t care about results. It cares about motivation. We can never tell anyone’s motivation just from look at them. Kant argues that if we look around the natural world that by in large things seem to fill their end for what they are designed for. Cheetahs usually have four legs and are good at catching prey. By and large, natural entities fulfill their designed purpose. Eyeballs are designed to see and usually do. Sure they eventually pucker out but for most part our eyes work how they were designed to function. But if we look at this larger thing called the human person and then assumed he was designed for happiness in the same way a cheetah was designed to run and catch prey and the eyes were designed to see we can conclude that the design of the human person were wrong. We can’t be designed for the purpose of being happy because if we were we would be a strange anomaly of nature. But why do we say this because we are species. We are a species that is defined by pain and suffering and anxiety and depression that results in misery. We are sad, miserable and pathetic. Unfortunately, argues Kant, we aren’t designed to be happy. The purpose of life isn’t to be happy! It is to be moral. Instead we are designed to be moral. Happiness may forever be out of reach but that’s ok because that is not the purpose of being human. The purpose of being human is to be moral and happiness may not have anything to do with each other. Kant’s theory is seen as deontological because it is all about duty. Kant argues that to be moral we have to consider duty compared to what we might want to do based on our emotions and inclinations. The name of the game is DUTY. We must be motivated by duty in order to be moral. Ex: if we only help out in a soup kitchen only because it makes us feel good then we aren’t properly moral. If happiness is your only motivation because once you stop feeling good about it you will quit working in the soup kitchen. You will burn out fast. Emotions can’t motivate. They can accompany but can’t motivate it. You can’t be motivated by sentiments or emotions. They aren’t moral or immoral. They are just†¦there. We can’t help them. In other words we are motivated to help because it’s your duty and you also like to help then that is all fine and good. Consider your enjoyment a nice bonus but a bonus that is entirely outside of the moral realm. Again difference on one hand being motivated by duty whilst liking it all the while and on the other hand being motivated only because you like it is this. If you are motivated by an emotion than once you cease having that emotion you will quit. The man who works in the soup kitchen only because it makes him feel good will immediately quit because he wants to feel good about it. It won’t take him long because it will be really stressful because it’s really smelly work. You have to deal with smelly people. If someone says if your heart isn’t in it then it is not worth doing. Kant would say this is total rubbish. You have no control over whether your heart will be in it or not. Do it because it is your duty. You only do it because of your rational or rationality. Morality is based on duty and that’s it. So how do figure out what duty is. Kant says we figure out to be what means to be the dutiful person by considering the act from pure reason alone and to get rid of emotion and sentiment. Duty stems from pure reason. Acting from sentiment and emotion is not properly rational. Kant wants to figure out what it means to be a rational, moral person. He does this by considering what pure reason is and pure reason is an aspect of the human person that is not particular to emotions or passions, or pathology or hormones or sentiments. For Kant, rationality is something that is much more pure. Something entirely bound up with nothing biological. Nothing evolutionary. Nothing emotional. Nothing empathetic. Kant would have been very much at home with the idea of the intergalactic senate. Lots of different sorts of biological beings with various physical attributes but all sharing in the same transcendental rationality attached to their particular alien biology. He would have been much more in line with Spocs decision making than captain kirk. Kant is spac. Most of us acting on emotion like Captain Kirk aren’t being truly ration and therefore aren’t truly being moral at least as far as Kant is concerned. To do the moral thing is to do that thing which is based on duty. We determine what our duty on what maxims can be universalized with out contradiction. We consider our duty via pure rationality and pure rationality tells us that one only acts morally if their actions are universalizable. Kant it is important to consider morality this way because this way we can make morality certain and self-evident. To say we act on a universalizable maxim is to say that a immoral action is precisely that action with is based on a maxim that can not be universalized with out contradiction. Thus, the reason you cannot steal is because to base ones action on stealing you would have to have one maxim that steal if you cannot afford to pay. But this creates a situation that cannot be universalized. If everyone stole if they cannot afford to pay then there would be no such thing as theft. This would destroy the very concept of legitimate theft. You would destroy the very concept of property and ownership making theft impossible. . You can only make sense of stealing most people don’t steal most of the time. Thus to act immorally is to count on everyone else or most of everyone else to follow a certain role precisely in order for you to get away with not following that rule. What holds for stealing also holds for lying. You can only get away with lying if most people don’t lie most of the time. To universalize lying would destroy the possibility of being able to tell a lie. Kant differentiates imperative based and hypotheses and imperatives that are categorical or come from pure reason. Hypothetical imperatives and categorical imperatives. Kant says that all imperatives are based on hypotheses that are not properly moral. That is that no action that is based on hypothesis that a certain thing will come about if a action is done can be properly be called a moral action. Thus for example if I base my example that I base my hypothesese that my action will result in a certain pleasure or emotion than it isn’t properly moral. Morality is not a means end rational thing in this way. It can’t be. Hypothetical imperatives. Precisely because it is only a hypothesis, we do not KNOW with certainty that a certain action will bring about a certain consequence. Morality must be based on some certain principles and all means are based on hypothesis. We think or hypothesize that doing a certain action will give us pleasure or happyness. Utilitarians act on a hypothetical imperative and this is because utilitarians are trying to get good consequences. The problem with this theory, says Kant, is that you are trying to bring about something that you might not have the foggiest clue how to bring about. Morality by contrast, says Kant, can’t be based on knowledge that you might not have. We don’t know for sure how to bring about happiness. We think we know if we pass a policy that it will bring about more jobs to stimulate the economy but we don’t know that for sure. Morality can’t be an experiment. It must be based on a set of principles or as Kant calls it the categorical imperative. That action which is at the same time is able to be a universal law. Categorical imperatives are based on the certainty that only pure reason gives us. Only categorical imperatives can bring us true morality. This stuff about law is important. In his theory everyone is a legislature of moral law. We are all moral legislature. Remember that Kant does not think we can discover facts out there in nature or by meditating on the forms like Plato thinks. He actually disagrees with Plato and Aristotle and agrees with the Utilitarians on this point where as these ancient thinkers say we discover moral facts on the nature of the good. Kant argues that we construct moral law from a rightly working from pure rationality like they did in the intergalactic senate. As rational agents we have the ability to construct moral law. We do not discover moral law. It is not part of the world. We create moral law, based on the logic of pure reason. Literally make it. But just because it is subjectively constructed doesn’t mean morality can’t be objective. If moral principles are based on categorical imperatives from maxims then the constructive moral laws are the same time objective. He concedes that morality is intersubjectively objective. That’s the name of the game to create laws that are intersujectively subjective. Even though morality is constructed, it is still objective. This is because you can only legislate—or create—morality one way: the way given to you by pure reason.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Essay -- To Kill a Mockingbird Essa

Atticus once said You never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them - Examine characters and relationships in to kill a mockingbird, in order to illustrate this maxim! TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD Atticus once said "You never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them" Examine characters and relationships in to kill a mockingbird, in order to illustrate this maxim! I think Atticus is trying to say that you never really know a man until you step in his shoes and do what he does. In the story there are different relationships where characters do this. I think the biggest relationship showing this is between brother and sister, Jem and Scout Finch. Through out the whole story they will be together doing things like playing with each other, helping each other and exploring things with each other etc. Even on the first page when they are talking to each other about the events leading up to Jem's broken elbow to the last page where Scout is watching over Jem who is in bed after his broken arm, they are always together even if it is Jem watching over Scout at school or Scout helping Jem think of plans. There are lots of examples in to kill a mockingbird where Jem and Scout are together. The first real time Jem and Scout are together is when they meet Charles Baker Harris and they start talking about reading. "How old are you" asked Jem, "Four-and-a-half?" "Going on seven" "Shoot no wonder, then" said Jem, jerking his thumb at me. "Scout yonder has been reading ever since she was born, and she aint even started to school yet" Here Jem is showing Scout off and showing how proud that his sister has not started school yet but she can read. When Charles B... ...ything. That night Mr Cunningham and his crew come wanting to hurt Tom but luckily for Tom, Atticus is there and Scout manages to talk to Mr Cunningham and get them to leave. When the trial comes Atticus tries his hardest to prove Tom is innocent. He tries different way's and one is when he tells Bob Ewell to write some thing which he does then Atticus asks which side of the face did Mayella get hit on. Atticus makes it so that he catches out Bob. Atticus then asks Tom to come up and asks him to pickup a glass fully knowing he can't. This shows signs that it was not Tom who committed the rape but someone else. Even though Atticus proves this the Jury still finds Tom guilty of rape obviously because he is black and Bob Ewell is white. I think these are the main relationships in to kill a mockingbird, but there are also more but which are no way near as big.

Natural Disaster and the Retail Business Owner Essay

Disaster and the Retail Business Owner Natural Disaster and the Business Owner People make difficult decisions in business everyday. People that make these decisions have to stand by them. The situation in this assignment, speaking of hurricane Katrina, I have mixed feelings on the business owner Brian decision. From a person on the outside looking in perspective, I felt he was wrong for raising the prices of the hotel rooms. But in reality, I had to put myself in the shoes of the business owner. In this situation I believe Brian should not give Lilly’s job back. It was Lilly’s decision to quit her job because she felt that Brian choice to raise the prices was wrong. Due to Brian being the owner of the motel it was his prerogative to raise the rates. Lilly told Brian if he was going to raise the rates then she would quit. I think Brian’s response by telling her by telling her to do what you have to do was more than fair. I felt Lily disrespected Brian telling him she quit and hanging up on him. That helps support my decision to not give her job back. Also, what happens when Brian makes a decision she doesn’t like? What says she won’t react and quit again? If I understand these terms correctly, I fell Lily falls under Deontology. She spoke her mind because it her decisions to do so and it was her right to do so and it was not for the greater good. I believe Brian falls in the category of Deontological Ethics as well. It was his right to raise the rates of his motel rooms. It was also his right to le Lilly go if she didn’t agree with his decision. Hurricane Katrina was a perfect opportunity to make money of a natural disaster. Many businesses took the opportunity to raise prices to profit of natural disasters. The decisions to profit off natural disaster are not happiness based. These higher prices will affect the hurricane victims. If Brian’s decision was to lower rates to accommodate hurricane victims, he would be bombarded with customers and most likely lose money. This would cause unhappiness to the business owner and happiness to the customer. I believe Lilly did not support her decision because if she did she would have not reapplied for the job. Brian did raise the rates regardless of Lily’s argument and threat to quit. So why did she quit if she was going to try to get her job back. References https://cdad. trident. edu/CourseHomeModule. aspx? course=17&term=110&module=1&page=bkg