Case Analysis Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Case Analysis - Article Example I think public administration is an integrating science which means it consists of a number of several disciplines working as one, and as such, public administrators should be concerned mainly with theory and practice (Hamel & Breen, 2007). Therefore, I see public administration as a science because knowledge is generated and evaluated according to the scientific principles as evident in the case. Public administration is also concerned with human resource management which is an in-house structure that mainly functions to ensure that public service staffing is done in an unbiased, ethical and values-based manner without favoritism. The basic functions of the HR system will include employee benefits and training of employees. Further, organizational theory in Public administration which is the study of the structure of governmental entities and the many particulars put into them. Administrative ethics in public administration serves as an approach to decision making. Additionally, policy analysis serves as a guide to decision making. More so, public budgeting is the activity within a government that allocates scarce resources among unlimited and varied demands. In this case, the main administrative principles such as openness and transparency, accountability, efficiency and effectiveness reliability and predictability are missing because of biasness (Kumar & Sharma, 2000). I think, without public administration, the government cannot operate and manage own activities effectively and efficiently as required. The administration plays a vital and crucial role for delivering and distributing the public services to all corners of the country. Administration spreads all over the country for supplying the governmental and public goods and services up to the countryside from the urban centers and to rural areas. Public administration is very significant

Project Management and Life Cycle

Project Management and Life Cycle Introduction: Project: Project is a thing usually with very specific objectives. It is temporary, means it starts and end and it is some way unique, Roland and Bee (1998). Project Initiation: Project Life Cycle: Project life cycle consist of four steps Concept or Idea, Planning, Execution and Termination, Field and Keller (2007). Concept: In concept stage firstly we have to develop project agreement, analyze the requirements of the project and build up beginning project scope report, Burke (2003). Planning: Planning stage consist of developing project management plan, plan and define scope than creating Work Break Down structure, which means to distribute the work according to schedule to different workers. Further sequence activities, activity resources, activity duration, cost, plan cost budget are estimated. Planning for quality assurance, communications, risk management, purchases and acquisitions is done. Moreover human resource planning is done to complete the planning stage, Burke (2003). Execution: Project execution is managed in execution with performing the quality assurance, developing the project team and distributing the information. Further project work is controlled and managed, scope, schedule, cost, quality, risk is verified and control. Contracts and project team are managed, Burke (2003). Termination: Project is closed and it contracts are closed as well, Burke (2003). Project Manager: Project Manager is the person who is appointed to manage as specific project and it is expected from him to achieve the goal keeping in mind the project scope, schedule and budget, Richman (2002). Role and Responsibilities: Project Managers responsibilities include estimating and planning the project including the collection of data, keeping in mind that what is to be done exactly and how to organize it properly within schedule and budget, Field and Keller (2007). Assembling a team is also a role of project manager. The success or the failure of the project totally depends on the project team. A project manager should motivate his team, manage any problems between the team members and ensure good communication between them, Field and Keller (2007). Project Manager is responsible for the whole project so he is the spokesperson of the project and its his job to answer his heads, the clients and every other person who is having part in this project, Field and Keller (2007). This is project managers responsibility to make sure that all the equipments and tools are there which will be needed for the project completion. Project manager after start of the project manages all the work done, coordinating with th e team members and other staff, Field and Keller (2007). The changes due to any problem in the project are the role of project manager keeping in mind the budget and the schedule, Field and Keller (2007). Skills: There are some skills that a project manager should have like people skill. A project manager should have to skill to deal with people, how to handle them, how to motivate the employees and how to convince other people to make the project successful, Richman (2002). A project manager should be able to estimate the cost and able to make the budget plan. He should be able to perform audit reports, analyze progress information and able to plan and perform a project, Richman (2002). Project manager should have to knowledge of the organization which will help him to take decisions and achieve its task on time and within cost. He should also have technical and integration skills so that he can be able to understand anything provided by the civil engineer or other employee relating the project, Richman (2002). A project manager should be responsible, and he should have skills of accountability and authority, Richman (2002). Planning: Planning is a very important step of a project because the process of planning firstly establishes what have to be done and also helps in making it happen by smoothing the way, Burke (2003). Planning is everything about looking forward in time, Burke (2003). Work Breakdown Structure: It can be defined as a product oriented duty chain of command of all to be done to achieve the project objectives. The product can be anything documents, tests, reports or other, Rook (1991). In Work breakdown structure the work of the project is divided and further sub divided for management and control purpose, Turner (1993). Risk Management: For a project to be successfully completed management of risk is very necessary, because of this a manger gets a clear idea about the risks a project might face in the future, Field and Keller (2007). Risk management is the active process of identifying, assessing and responding to the project risk, to ensure that the company meets its objectives and the project is successful, Field and Keller (2007). Identify risk means to find out what type of risk a company might face during the project. Assessing involves the evaluation and estimation of levels of risks. Responding means to make precautions how to overcome these risks, Field and Keller (2007). Scheduling: Scheduling is one of the many important stages for a project manager. To ensure that the project finishes on time it is important to make a detailed schedule for every activity in the project and keep an eye on the process against this schedule, Field and Keller (2007). Gant Charts: Bar charts showing a schedule of activities are usually called Gant charts. Gant chart is very simple and effective and because of this it is an attractive way of conveying information about the timetable to the people concerned with the project, Field and Keller (2007). Network Diagram: Network Diagram is a visual illustration of the schedule of a project. It is useful in project management for tracking and planning the project from the start till the end. Critical path as well as the total float of the project is also presented in network diagram, Field and Keller (2007). Float is the extra time existing for an activity in addition to the duration estimated. A critical path is said to be a path with smallest amount of float, Field and Keller (2007). Managing Stakeholders: Stakeholders can be an individual or a group who have an interest in the project, they are affected by it and can influence its result, Field and Keller (2007). It is a part of project management to identify stakeholders, assess their interest in the project and with this information, try and mange relationships with such groups, Field and Keller (2007). Building Team and Assigning Tasks: People are the main source of any project. Success is achieved through people who work as a team, Field and Keller (2007). Project management is about working with people. Objectives, schedules, machines, plans are important but it is people who get things done, Field and Keller (2007). A manager should build a skilled team and assign them their tasks and make sure they get the point and than keep an eye on the teams progress, Field and Keller (2007). The work breakdown structure should be the basic framework for assigning responsibilities, Field and Keller (2007). Team Motivation: Team motivation is a very important task to be performed by the project manager. A motivated team performs its responsibilities more efficiently and within given time, Field and Keller (2007). A team can be motivated through many ways, some are under: Encourage and support. Give rewards, awards and bonuses. Promotional opportunities. Give responsibilities. Have a democratic system. Staff training, X-Factor Recreational opportunities. Maslows hierarchy of needs. Lead by example. Field and Keller (2007). Controlling: Project scope is defined, plan has been produced, the association has been set up, the assets have been allocated and the project has been approved. Now the project manager during the execution of the project has to keep in mind that the project is going according to the plan, the team is working as directed and the project is under estimated cost and time, Field and Keller (2007). Managing Initial Stages: The most important actions in start that a project manager should take are: Identify training needs and arrange workshops Arrange startup meetings with stakeholders. Get contract for work assurance from project staff. Setup the control change procedure. Agree to a timetable for monitoring and control reports and meetings. Field and Keller (2007). Monitoring and Controlling Cost: Project costs are usually measured through accounting systems in any business but projects managers usually setup their own system for monitoring and controlling achievements and project costs, Field and Keller (2007). The system is known as earned value system. It tells the manager the cost of work performed so far and in addition it also tells the value earned by the work, Field and Keller (2007). The earned value of the task completed on a project is the amount that was estimated and attached to that work when the project budget was described, Field and Keller (2007). Controlling cost is more difficult than monitoring the cost. It is very difficult to recommend how it should be done, Field and Keller (2007). Cost controlling is only about controlling future cost, its not about expenses done it the past. But it is helpful for a manager because he can decide through the future to control the price and try and keep it within the allowed budget. Maintaining the Schedule: Maintaining schedule includes updating the network of the project, tracking of milestone and usage of earned value curves, Field and Keller (2007). As the monitoring and controlling of cost is necessary in the same way maintaining the project schedule is also necessary to see that whether the tasks are completed late, on time or early, Field and Keller (2007). If the project is on or before time than no schedule changes are required but if the project is behind its schedule than the project manager needs to make some changes in the schedule to make sure that the project finishes on time, Field and Keller (2007). Maintaining Quality: Product quality is a powerful tool. Quality is to assure the client that the product will be every time produced to the required condition, Burke (1992). If the quality is not up to the mark than its a mangers job to make sure that the product meet its quality and control the quality. Its managers job to do the inspection of the products and take any needed steps to make sure that the quality of the product is up to the mark, Burke (1992). Termination of the Project: Project manager right from the beginning had in mind the target of successfully closing the project, Field and Keller (2007). The project manager tries his best to finish the project in good quality, within budget and schedule, Field and Keller (2007). There are many problems that might rise in the closure or termination of the project defined by Spirer (1983) as: Staff might have the fear of no future work which might lose interest in remaining task. It might also lose motivation of the staff in project delivering, team identity might be lost and this might cause diversion of effort, Spirer (1983). There is a possibility that clients may change their attitude, they might lose interest in the project and may change their personnel dealing with the project, Spirer (1983). There might be some internal and external problems that might be faced at the closure of the project like control of changes to project, closure of work orders and work packages, obtaining needed certifications and many more, Spirer (1983). Conclusion: As a project manager of this huge project I have presented in this report the steps needed to successfully complete this project on time, within budget and with quality standards. This project is a dream come true for me and following the steps provided above I will easily achieve my objectives and the project will be successful.

Racism Essay examples -- Racial Prejudice

Racism Racism has often played a central role in conflicts between groups of people. Racism is the intentional or unintentional use of power to isolate, separate and exploit others as defined in the Webster dictionary. People generally respond to others differently based on what they know, which may include superficial characteristics often associated with race. This paper will express my opinion of how racism will effect America. I will base information from Webster’s definition of Racism, reading assigned for the course, and some of my own ideas on ways to overcome this obstacle as a nation. Racism has historically been defined as the belief that race is the primary determinant of human capacities, that a certain race is inherently superior or inferior to others, and/or that individuals should be treated differently according to their racial designation. Sometimes racism means beliefs, practices, and institutions that discriminate against people based on their perceived or ascribed race. While the sin of racism is an age-old phenomenon based on ignorance, fear, estrangement, and false pride, some of its ugliest manifestations have taken place in our time. Racism and irrational prejudices operate in a vicious circle. Racism is among the worst of ingrained prejudices that characterize sinful human beings. Racism's ultimate goal, according to Fredrickson, is to establish a permanent hierarchal order that, "has two components: difference and power." Dictionaries are not much help in understanding what is meant by the word. They usually define it as the belief that one's own ethnic stock is superior to others, or as the belief that culture and behavior are rooted in race. When Americans speak of racism they mean a great deal more than this. Nevertheless, the dictionary definition of racism is a clue to understanding what Americans do mean. Nussbaum’s argument is logical, in which case it can be stated as: If your first loyalty should be to your own group, then why arbitrarily make this group the one represented by your country? Why not direct your primary allegiance to your own particular tribe or kinship group? After all, if the mere accident of belonging to such and such a group is to be the basis of your moral allegiance, then what makes your country a more logical choice than your sect or tribe or even your family? Where do you draw the line?... ... false belief that "some" races are inherently superior to others because of different skin color, nationality, ethnic or cultural background. RACISM deprives people of their basic human rights, dignity and respect Global change has to start small and travel abroad. If children are taught at an early age that it is ok to mock and stereotype others, when they become in the position to change policy concerning the offensive use of other cultures, is it any wonder why they don't see such use as racism and stereotyping? What I propose is that we look for the seeds of racism in dominant society and we destroy them by replacing with good seeds. We need to replace the seeds of racism with seeds of morality, compassion, love, and mutual respect, which is found in our traditional teachings, so that are children and future my blossom. We will only continue to hurt ourselves by not welcoming diversity. Racial discrimination is an offense against our fellow human beings, who were created in God's image. We must have a evolution of process to make change happen. This is the only cure that will aide the Americans in becoming less racist. Change is not instantaneous nor will it happen over night.

Creation, the Fall, and the Journey of Redemption

Describe how the architecture and rituals associated with early catholic cathedrals represent the Creation, the Fall, and the journey of Redemption that leads back to the presence of God. Include in your essay a discussion of the east-west orientation of the cathedral, the atrium, the baptistery or baptismal font, anointing, and the symbolic layout of the structure. Creation begins with the fall and continues as a journey towards redemption through the resurrection. Catholics are well known for their elaborate Cathedrals. Some are so famous that people travel from all over the world to admire its artistic workmanship. In Christianity the Catholic denomination is the largest denomination. The leader being the Pope who lives in Rome, Italy. The Catholic Church with their symbols can be related closely to that of what is found in LDS symbols. Many of the most sacred of ceremonies from these two religions are closely alike. This is due because they both originate from Hebrew origins in symbolic meaning behind the ceremonies. Cathedrals and LDS Temples can be related as a house here on earth dedicated to God. Cathedrals were set apart with the best the people had to offer. Examples of materials used to build the Cathedrals were purple, purple die was the most expensive dye in previous times, blue dye, red dye, silver, and gold. The stained glass and wall art was used to tell the stories of creation, struggles, faith, hope, and redemption. We can relate this to LDS temples because we try to build temples with only the best of materials. It is filled as white, blue, and gold linings. Temples are usually eloquent but they try to avoid from over expressing beauty in the temple and keep in clean. This is because one theme of LDS temples is clean. It is a place where clean beings can dwell, for example, God and even our souls because of the redemption power of God. Endless novels have been written about the fall. Perhaps the biggest change that has happened in the Catholic Church is when the ordinance of baptism started changing over time. Sometimes the change is a good thing because God will’s it. An example of this is when Joseph Smith first gave the temple ceremonies and ordinances it took 6 hours for the endowment session. Things are much different today. Other times things change because with time we forget, or at the very least we unknowingly change things. I remember a story when because of wars some LDS churches in Germany worked as best as they could under the circumstances. Eventually when the war was done and higher LDS officials were able to come into Germany and visit the Saints something astonishing happened. It had only been a matter of a few years and yet the way the Sacrament was being administered was not in line with the Church guidelines. Talk to Brother Openshaw on campus if you want a more credible and full detailed account of this story. The Journey of Redemption is all encompassing. I believe that everything in this mortal life has a creation, fall, and eventual redemption. The articles we read this week made strong bridges showing that Cathedrals perhaps paved the way for eventual LDS temples to be built. On a side note I find it to be a testimony builder for there to be so many similarities between LDS temples and the Catholic Church. It is true that we have more common than we do in difference. I believe God influences everyone around the world regardless of their religion. So when another group of people who are separate from us have so many of the same beliefs it gives me comfort knowing that God loves all men and women, and He reaches out to teach us and loves us all.

Rondell Data Corporation

The Rondell Data Corporation was founded in 1920 to manufacture the electrical testing devices invented by Bob Rondell. Over the years, Rondell built its reputation as a source of â€Å"high-quality, innovative designs†. Delays in releasing the new Model 802 wide-band modulator has begun to put that reputation at stake and caused increased pressure among production and engineering staff. (Daft, pg 531-538) Rondell operates with the functional structure (Daft, pg 107), that doesn’t appear to function effeciently. The Director of Engineering has seen high turnover having had a new leader each of the past three years.It appears that this position is been designated as the company â€Å"scapegoat† (McGinnis, 2009) and therefore being blamed for all the problems that Rondell is facing with releasing the 802 modulator. Rondell has failed in adapting to the changing environments (Daft, pg 149) that can keep the company moving in a forward direction. There is an appearan ce that the company’s departments still operate in their specific silo’s (BusinessDictionary). According to the Production Supervisor, Dave Schwab, â€Å"to be efficient, production has to be self-contained† and â€Å"other departments should be self-contained as well†. Daft, pg 537) As such, they do not share needed information across departments or assist in problem solving by offering solutions based on their department observations.A prime example lies in the opening portion of the case study in which Frank, the Director of Engineering services, received a message back that the model released for production â€Å"can’t be produced either†¦Ã¢â‚¬  . (Daft, pg 531). While the reader is not given the full content of the message, I was left with the assumption that it did not go much past what is shown. Ideally, the note would have contained information that said â€Å"this can’t be produced because†¦. however, if we try to†¦. †. Not only would the message relay the problem as to why the design couldn’t be produced, it might provide a direction for engineering to pursue. â€Å"People at the grassroots level are often able to see and interpret changes or problems sooner than managers†. (Daft, pg 151) Rondell continues to be mired in it’s past successes. The culture leaves it difficult for them to change based on the established view points of their leaders – the old timers. (Daft, pg 188). Doc wants to move at his own pace and to do â€Å"his own thing† (Daft, pg 532).He doesn’t feel the same pressure as his boss and doesn’t have a sense of accountability to the company. Frank Forbus was just the latest in the line of scapegoats to go through Rondell. Jim Kilman most likely would have been successful but the sense is Rondell is extremely reluctant to change. Rondell should research other organizational structures such as a horizontal structure (Daft , pg 125) which would promote team work and collaboration throughout the organization to stop the engineering revolving door and restore the company’s reputation.References BusinessDictionary. (n. d. ). Retrieved November 10, 2012, from BusinessDictionary. com: http://www. businessdictionary. com/definition/silo-mentality. html Daft, R. L. (2008). Organization Theory and Design (Vol. 10). South-Western Cengage Learning. McGinnis, A. (2009, November 24). The Scapegoat Theory; Are You or Someone You Know a Scapegoat. Retrieved November 10, 2012, from Yahoo Voices: http://voices. yahoo. com/the-scapegoat-theory-someone-know-a-4951510. html? cat=5