The Evolving American Dream - 647 Words

In the most basic of terms, the American Dream is having â€Å"a happy life† (Hart, C). Many people in the 1920’s had to start from nothing, building themselves up to great achievements (Muir). Today’s youngers generations interpret the American Dream as creating a career based on their individual passions. Although the American Dream has transformed over many years, key elements still remain. Being successful, creating a career, and having a beautiful family are all parts of the dream. One of the key parts of the American Dream is success. Looking good and making something of yourself. Carly Hart, a ten-year-old student at Celina Elementary School, currently identifies her success in life through her grades. She is a straight A student and knows education is very important. As an almost sixteen year old girl, I find my success not only through acquiring good grades also, but in other aspects of life such as my social manners, my achievements in band and my progress in art, and my advancements in driving (Walters). Hannah Stroth, age eighteen, holds a view similar to mine. She has the initiative to better herself through working hard at her job, studying, and practicing music that makes her feel successful. Hannah also finds success in the support and love of her friends and family. Casey Muir is a twenty-six year old, currently working as a veterinary receptionist, she classifies her success through her talents and skills, her newlywed life, and constant hard work. RetiredShow MoreRelatedThe American Dream : F. Scott Fitzgerald s The Great Gatsby1362 Words   |  6 PagesGatsby Corrupted Dream The American Dream is originally thought to be about how hard work can lead one person from poorness to richness with the right amount of effort put in. The American Dream can have different meaning to different people but at the end they are all trying to achieve a goal. The American Dream usually requires hard work and dedication. But cheating your way to success can change a person. An example of a distorted American Dream would be F. Scott Fitzgerald s The Great GatsbyRead MoreCaptain Americ The American Dream1341 Words   |  6 PagesCaptain America, AKA Steve Rodgers, exemplifies all the best qualities of America. He embodies the American dream. America continues to grow more diverse every day, yet still Steve remains the undying patriotic example of what it means to be American. The American dream in simple terms is the fulfillment of the ideals the America was founded on with equal respect. To go into more detail, the American Dream allows all people the rights of liberty, autonomy, justice, dignity, the pursuit of happiness,Read More The Evolution of the American Dream Essay1634 Words   |  7 Pages Comparing the perspective of the American dream in the 1920’s to the American Dream in the 1940’s and present day seems to be a repeating cycle. The American dream is always evolving and changing. The American dream for present day is similar to the dream of the 1920’s. An Ideal of the American life is to conform to what our society has determined is success. Money, materialism and status had replaced the teachings of our founding fathers in the 1920’s. A return to family valuesRead MoreThe American Dream722 Words   |  3 Pagesor phase in an immigrants life do they start to develop their American Dream compared to a natural born American? Do both dreamers have the same exact dream for themselves? Dreamers often must go through devastating and life-threatening situations to get through the small and big obstacles to achieve The Dream. Eventually, over some period, immigrants and U.S citizens are able to overcome these obstacles and achieve their American Dream. With so many immigrants emigrating to the United States it isRead MoreThe American Dream1652 Words   |  7 Pagesclassical American dream is sought after like the fountain of youth by immigrants. The history of America is sewed with different immigrant groups fleeing their own country in order for a better life in the new world. Through libertarian ideals, rights and duties guaranteed by our Constitution, the American dream, education ideals and individualization, America are still a growing country that is currently evolving based on changing ethnic and cultural identities. Learned Hand was an American scholarRead MoreThe Great Gatsby American Dream Essay1030 Words   |  5 PagesThe American Dream and â€Å"The Great Gatsby† The American Dream can be described as someone starting at the bottom of the social or economic ladder and working hard towards prosperity, wealth and fame. By having money, a car, a big house, nice clothes and a happy family symbolizes the true American dream. This dream also represents that people, no matter who he or she is, can become successful in life by his or her own work. The majority of people pursue the American Dream for themselves, their familiesRead MoreThe Dream Of The American Dream1023 Words   |  5 PagesThe American Dream can be described as someone starting at the bottom of the social or economic ladder and working hard towards prosperity, wealth and fame. By having money, a car, a big house, nice clothes and a happy family symbolizes the true American dream. This dream also represents that people, no matter who he or she is, can become successful in life by his or her own work. The majority of people pursue the American Dream for themselves, their families and their legacy. Several years ago theRead MoreEffects on the American Dream, Both Positive and Negative Essay example1019 Words   |  5 PagesEffects on the American Dream, Both Positive and Negative The editors of Forbes called on these writers: James Q. Wilson, Katherine Newman, Robert Reich, Gertrude Himmelfarb, Natwar M. Gandhi, and Charles Derber. To answer this following question: If things are so good, why do we feel so bad? The American Dream has both positive and negative effects on the country, but in the end people will ultimately create their own fates. There are many positive effects that the American Dream has such immigrantRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie A Raisin Of The Sun 938 Words   |  4 PagesSun is a Move about dreams. The movie starts off in south side Chicago, evolving around a time period where racism was still common. The genre of the film is known as drama, and is based upon the Younger family. They receive a check from the death of the father in the story. The main characters’ struggle to deal with society, or in other words the â€Å"man.† The Younger family all have dreams that they wish to fulfil, and the ten-thousand-dollar check is the ticket to their dreams. There are many rolesRead MoreThe American Dream Rhetorical Analysis1131 Words   |  5 Pageshe believes this generation has the responsibility to keep the American Dream alive for the next generation. As the author clearly sates, â€Å"for the American Dream, to survive another generation, then another. â€Å"if the American Dream is to come true and to abide with us†¦it will, at bottom, depend on the people themselves. â€Å"The people who have the power to change the world should just as the people who have the power to change the dream for better we should. The ones who can move physically and can be

Case Study Prescription Drug Abuse - 1885 Words

Research Paper Focus: Prescription Drug Abuse Abuse is a pattern of substance use that results in negative consequences and impairment (Bukstein and Nquyen). Misuse is the use for a purpose not consistent with medical guidelines or without a prescription for the individual using the medication (Bukstein and Nquyen). Abuse of prescription opioids has been cited as the fastest growing drug problem in the United States, and has surpassed the use of cocaine and heroin combined as a cause of mortality (Singhal ). In 2013 alone, nearly two million Americans abused prescription opioids and 16,235 deaths were caused by prescription opioids representing almost a fourfold increase since 1999 (Singhal ). Two million people reported using†¦show more content†¦Doctors prescribe medications to people with certain doses and forms because of how fast or slow the drug goes through the body. The drug will move to the stomach where it is dissolved, then it will release the drug into the blood, and then finally traveling to the brain. When the drug is abused it changes the speed and the way the drug travels throughout the body and to the brain. For example, when someone abuses the stimulant, Adderall, by crushing the pill and snorting it through their nose, a dose that would normally work over the course of a 10-12-hour period hits the brain all at once creating a high and drastically increasing the risk for overdose, addiction, or death (Prescription Drugs). There are many reasons people misuse or abuse prescription drugs like for instance they think it’s a safer way than to use illegal drugs, they are â€Å"not addictive†, or they are easier to acquire than illegal drugs. Approximately 40% of adolescents reported that they thought prescription drugs are much safer to use than illegal drugs, even if they are not prescribed by a doctor (Bukstein and Nquyen). The accessibility to prescription drugs is at a high. People acquire the drugs through diversion which is the most common means of obtaining prescriptions for unintended purposes (Elliott). Diversion is the channeling of prescription drugs from legal use to illegal use (Ford and Watkins). Getting drugs from siblings,Show MoreRelatedEffects Of Opioid Abuse On A Community Essay1636 Words   |  7 PagesVarious Effects of Opioid Abuse on a Community The relationship between the rising rates of prescription-opioid abuse and heroin use has led to increases in crime, incidences of HCV and HIV, and drastic increases on overdose and death. In fact, between 1999 and 2010 opioid-related mortality increased 415% among women and 265% among men (King et al, 2014). According to King et al (2014), the main causes of this increase in deaths can be attributed to prescriber error, user behavior and characteristicsRead MoreRichard Fee Was A Potential Medical Student1496 Words   |  6 Pagespotential medical student, an athlete on the baseball team and sophomore class president. In 2008 he began to struggle with focusing on his studies and went to see a doctor who believed he had Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. The doctor immediately prescribed him Vyvanse for his ADHD. In 2008 after he graduated with a degree in biology, he began to study hard for the medical school entry exams. (Schwarz 1) This caused him to make an appointment to the nearby Triad Psychiatric and CounselingRead MoreNon Medical Use Of Prescription Drugs Among Treatment Essay1290 Words   |  6 PagesNon-medical use of prescription drugs among treatment seeking population in Singapore: the impact on life and services (temp title) Asharani PV, Mythily Subramaniam, Edimansyah Bin Abdin, Guo Song, Christopher Cheok Prescription medications have improved the overall well beings of patients worldwide with many new drugs hitting the market in the past decade. These drugs which are prescribed by the general practitioners and specialist to treat various ailments were diverted and abused by people leadingRead MorePrescription Drug Abuse1298 Words   |  5 Pagessick. Prescription drugs are being taken for reasons other than the ones they are being prescribed for, fueling an addiction that impacts as many as 48 million Americans (Prescription Drug Abuse WebMD). According to MedLinePlus, an estimated 20 percent of people in the United States have used prescription drugs for nonmedical reasons. This is prescription drug abuse. While a considerable amount of time, resources, and attention are focused on the problems associated with illicit drugs, prescriptionRead MoreTeenage Prescription Drug Abuse Essay1427 Words   |  6 PagesTeenage Prescription Drug Abuse Years ago, the common image of an adolescent drug abuser was a teen trying to escape from reality on illegal substances like cocaine, heroin, or marijuana. Today, there is a great discrepancy between that perception and the reality of who is likely to abuse drugs. A teenage drug abuser might not have to look any further than his or her parent’s medicine chest to ‘score.’ Prescription drug abuse by teens is on the rise. Also, teens are looking to prescription drugsRead MorePrescription Drug Abuse990 Words   |  4 PagesPrescription drug abuse is not a new problem within our society. Prescription drug abuse has in fact been an ongoing problem that is currently spinning out of control. There are many people within our society that are currently dealing with prescription drug addiction. Prescription drug abuse is the intentional use of a medication without a prescription; in a way other than as prescribed; or for the experience or feeling it causes (The Science o f Drug Abuse Addiction, 2014). Prescription drugsRead MoreKyle Craig and his Abuse on Adderall1698 Words   |  7 PagesWhat no one knew is that Kyle illegally looked to Adderall to keep up his â€Å"I’ve got it all together† act. Adderall is a stimulant prescription drug for those with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, also known as ADHD (FDA). Kyle took Adderall illegally and abused it much too often just to perform better academically and socially. While abusing the drug, Kyle slowly began spiraling into a dangerous state of psychosis that no one seemed to catch on to. That dangerous spiral led KyleRead MorePrescription Drug Abuse1483 Words   |  6 PagesAnalysis The audience I will be addressing is parents, caregivers and school educators about the dangers of prescription drugs and how we can better educate teenagers and young adults on the dangers of abusing them. There are many ways that we can teach and educate our teenagers and young adults, but it’s important that families, schools and communities are involved. The rate of prescription drug overdose among teenagers and young adults have sky rocketed over the past several years. This has becomeRead MoreThe Effects Of Drug Abuse On America1350 Words   |  6 PagesDrug abuse in America is evidently a huge problem, yet remains to be misunderstood by many people. Elizabeth Foy Larsen writes a strong, informative article about a young woman named Brittany who has fallen to drug abuse. Brittany was a drug free, well rounded student with great potential just like many other young adults in America. However, one occasion flipped her life completely upside down. She had gotten her wisdom teeth removed and received prescription medication to reduce her pain. She soonRead MoreThe Epidemic Of Opioid Addiction1678 Words   |  7 Pages The United States currently faces an unprecedented epidemic of opioid addiction. This includes painkillers, heroin, and other drugs made from the same base chemical. In the couple of years, approximately one out of twenty Americans reported misuse or abuse of prescriptions painkillers. Heroin abuse and overdoses are on the rise and are the leading cause of injury deaths, surpassing car accidents and gun shots. The current problem differs from the opioid addiction outbreaks of the past in that

How Messed Up Education Can Be free essay sample

So just like any other year, students have to attend the opening ceremony; my little sister sat down in the last rows filled with graffiti in the auditorium I looked up and thinking to myself, â€Å" They changed the principle again, whoever in charge, do they think it will fix the problems? † They have been using this method for ages. Every year, the new principle would give an awesome speech about how they would fix everything. But the past decade, same problems still haunt the school. Even though fear and worries in my head, I have no choice but to let my little sister attends this school. Welcome to Northeast High of the Kansas City District; welcome to the education of my life. I moved to America when I was twelve and I attended Northeast Middle School. The District put me in the ELL (English Language Learner) program because I didn’t speak any English. We will write a custom essay sample on How Messed Up Education Can Be or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page So in those three years, I learned as much as I could but I was still a kid, I didn’t really pay attention to my education nor did I care about it. But in 8th grade, I got a peak of how education could turn out. Mr. Bui was my math teacher that year, he was special. Even though the school set up its lesson plan, Mr. Bui didn’t follow it; he told the class that we were ready for higher level class. So he ordered an old set of high school Algebra I textbooks and started teaching. I knew he was a good teacher, the whole class got A in the end of the year and we were ready for high school. When I was a freshman in high school that was where education became more serious for me. All the students that went to Northeast Middle were automatically enrolled in Northeast High, which is right next to each other. The school is about to be 100 years old and it was popular for all the bad things, such as: gangs, shooting, fighting, drugs, and bad education. My family didn’t want me to go to this school. But we had no choice, we couldn’t afford to move. At first, I thought these violent wouldn’t matter because I was going to try hard to learn. But I was dead wrong, the school was like a prison, these were ten security guards and two police officers always on standby in case of emergency. It just made you feel like a criminal being watch instead of a normal student like you are supposed to be. But the biggest problem prevented me from learning was the teacher, they were horrible. It seemed like they were there to babysit us, most of them would tell you to crack a book open and read one chapter then do the reviews. They usually read the newspaper, play games or read a book. Once, the class even caught my teacher watching inappropriate videos on his computer. Things were horrible, there were no such thing as homework, the school use the excuse there wasn’t enough textbook for students to bring home. Even so, not all the teacher were bad, some of them are actually teaching and a few were doing well in it. I guess it’s about who cares and who doesn’t. Of course, the students love it, they never had to do anything to get a good grade. You can just sleep in one class the entire year and would still able to pass with C. Sometimes I enjoy it but other time I hated it because I have high expectation of myself. In my junior year, the Kansas City School District was low on funds for education. It closed down a few schools and Northeast High was on the list. But then in the meeting for voting, there were so many parents showing up and spoke up; Northeast High remain stay open. Even so, the District closed down Northeast Middle and put the students in high school and it turned into the K-12 program. Which they made the problems worse; every week there would be a fight in the school, more gangs related, more bullies, more graffiti, and more shooting in the neighborhood. We had big an incident when a girl got raped in the bathroom, but they kept it as a secret. The victim moved away and the kids took part in it was punished. In my last year of my high school, disaster strike when the Kansas City School District lost its accreditation. The reason we lost it is because of the students test scores, I wasn’t really surprise but I was mad. My whole education life felt like trash, I wish I could do something to change it. But even so, I hoped for a better education in college so I kept going. The senior class of 2012, there were 142 students but only about half of us graduated. I was in the top 10% of the class rank and I received a few scholarships. Only a handful of class went on to a 4 years-college, some went to community college and the rest still trying to find a job. There are many reasons why the education system could be so mess up but someone, somehow need to fix it. If one can fire the useless teacher and hire the good teacher. I think things would be a little better. Of course, if the neighborhood were better, the school wouldn’t be effect by all the bad things around it. I’m hoping my family will finally able to move next year so my little sister doesn’t have to go through the same thing I did. I’m also glad I made it to college and getting a good education. I know some kids out there that wish to be me right now.

Profession of Arms

Table of Contents Introduction The Profession of Arms Conclusion References Introduction The US army has been performing magnificently on and off the field. At the same time, the army has developed up to date skills and technology that have enabled it to stand at an advantage over its enemies and other forces of danger.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Profession of Arms specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Due to this fact, the US army has been regarded as one of the best armies in the world. Despite all this, the army that is operational at the present moment is somewhat different from the army that the country had before the year 2001 (Dempsey, 2011). For the last ten years, a lot of factors have changed in the army. During this time, the army has lost some of its tradition and skills; factors that used to make the army to be effective and efficient in its operations (Dempsey, 2010). At the same time, the train ing that is offered to the soldiers is also different. There are some key elements that are not included during the recruitment process. As a result, the army has always been in transition. It keeps on concentrating on developments that will enable it to cope with change. In the process, it has lost its original skills. Although the army has been performing well, several considerations need to be done to ensure that the army regains the skills that it has lost. This essay therefore discusses these issues into details and explains their importance in the army. The Profession of Arms The US army serves to protect the nation against any form of danger. This includes natural disasters, attacks by foreign nations or terrorists and any other catastrophic events. It works to protect the constitution of the United States of America together with its citizens within and outside the country (Dempsey, 2011). To achieve all this, the army has to act in a professional manner. However, the profes sion that the army displays is different from that of other careers. The army unlike many other professions assumes limited liability. This means that they put their lives at risk to ensure that they achieve the goals and objectives of their mission. The army therefore is authorised to ethically apply land combat power while serving under the authority of civilians to secure the country from any danger.Advertising Looking for essay on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The culture of the US army has developed for over two decades. It represents a historical development that has grown in times of peace and combat, ups and down. The culture of the US army has been based on discipline, value-based leadership and professional ethics (Dempsey, 2011). However, for the last ten years, this culture has been changing drastically. The army is now putting a lot of emphasis on effectiveness and efficiency while neglecting its his tory and culture that has enabled it grow for the last two decades. Due to this fact therefore, the army is slowly deviating from its profession of arms. To curb this predicament, several amendments need to be made. First, the army needs to stick to its values and ethics. It has to act in accordance to the rules and regulations that have been set by the armed forces. Secondly, the army needs to come up with a strategy that will utilize its traditional and current skills especially in training. This mix will make the army to be in accordance with the profession of arms and achieve its set goals and objectives. Conclusion Despite the success that the US army is currently enjoying, it needs to incorporate some of its traditional knowledge and skills that have been slowly eroded for the last ten years. This will ensure that the army has a mix of traditional and up to date skills, a combination that will increase its effectiveness and efficiency. As a result, the army will continue to se rve its purpose in a more professional manner. References Dempsey, M. E. (2010). The Profession of Arms 2010. Web. Dempsey, M. E. (2011). The Profession of Arms 2011: The Profession After Ten Years of Persistent Conflict. Web. This essay on Profession of Arms was written and submitted by user Kailynn Reeves 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.

Sympathy in Film essays

Sympathy in Film essays Creating sympathy is a very delicate and skilled task to perform in a motion picture. Filmmakers have to take factors in to account in order to get their message across. There are many techniques, ranging from an actors or actresses clothes and possessions to the environment in which the movie takes place in, to the set lighting, camera angle, and sound. Although, none of which is as near as important as the acting; how the star portrays his or her character. We have to believe the actor is really that person on the screen, if we are to feel emotions towards that character during a dramatic scene. A film that demonstrates this to the tee, with brilliant acting, visual effects, and sound is Braveheart. The leading/main character, William Wallace, played by Mel Gibson gives his audience a emotionally charged experience viewing this film. Without words, every look, every expression, we know exactly how he is feeling and sympathize with his pain. His first real traumatic experience comes when his newly wed wife is killed. Her throat is slit and she is tied to a pole for the town to see as an example. Meanwhile William is waiting for her at a meeting spot. We, the audience already know that shes dead, but distressfully watch as Wallace slowly becomes terrified of what could have happened, as he looks round and round for her. He soon gives up, and decides to return to the town hed last seen her. Finding her slain body tied up to the post, he falls to his knees, speechless, and we see the utter horror in his eyes, as Wallace realizes he has nothing else to live for. Looking at a proud man suddenly broken, the audience feels utter sympathy towards him and what he has lost. Mel Gibson directed in and stared in this film, which let him play the role of William Wallace in the manner he wished. The film was produced in Scotland, and was made to take place around the end of the 13th century. The s ...

Comparing and Contrasting in English

Comparing and Contrasting in English Imagine you are participating in a discussion about ideas. Its not small talk. Its a discussion about how you feel about something important, like your beliefs, politics, who you feel is better for a job, and so on. Using the right phrases and grammar structures can help you express your ideas well. Knowing how to compare and contrast is a particularly useful tool to get your point across in an interesting way. Words and Short Phrases Used to Compare The following words or short phrases compare two items or ideas: likelikewisesame asas well asalso, toolikewise Here is a short paragraph using some of these expressions: Time, like money, is a limited resource. You cant buy everything you want, likewise, you dont have enough time to do everything you want to do. Our time is the same as our money: its limited. Also, time is a resource when work needs to be done. Words and Short Phrases Used to Contrast The following words or short phrases contrast two items or ideas: unlikein contrast toas opposed todifferent fromwhereas Here is a short paragraph using some of these expressions to contrast: Unlike time or money, desire is an unlimited resource. Think about it: In contrast to money which can run out, your desire for new experiences and ideas will never end. Whereas there is never enough time to do everything you want, your desire will always come up with something new and exciting. Forms Used When Comparing Ideas The most important form to use when comparing two ideas is the comparative form. For three or more ideas, use the superlative form. Comparative Form These sentences use the comparative form to discuss ideas concerning the difficult economy: Employment issues are more important than political problems at this point in time.Job training is more critical to a sustained well being than food stamps and other welfare programs. Politicians are more worried about reelection than truly improving the economy. As ... as A related form to the comparative is the use of as ... as. The positive form shows something is equal. However, when using as ... as, do not modify the adjective as in the comparative form. The loss of manufacturing jobs is as unfortunate as the drop in pay.Spending on education in my state is as high as in some foreign countries like Korea. The negative form shows that something is not equal. It isnt as easy as you think. The loss in production isnt as great as in the past. Superlative Form These sentences use the superlative form to state what someone feels are the most important aspect of success at university: Dedication is the most important factor in success at University. Opening my mind to new perspectives was the most rewarding part of my time at university. Conjunctions and Connectors Use these  subordinating conjunctions, connecting words, and prepositions to contrast positive and negative aspects. Though, Although, Even Though​ Although the initial cost will be high, we will eventually profit from the time spent. Its important to remember that time is money even though many believe that money is more important. However, Nonetheless We need to improve the local infrastructure. However, we must also respect nature. The government should invest in job training programs. Nonetheless, that would be expensive. Despite, In Spite Of Despite the difficulty, students will soon see the benefit of this topic of study. The situation will improve in spite of the economy. Practice Situations Find a partner and use these suggestions to practice comparing and contrasting ideas, events, and people. Make sure to vary the language you use when practicing rather than using the same phrase over and over again. For practice, you could try the following topics: Discuss the economic situation in your countrySpeak about the positive and negative aspects of a politician or political partyCompare and contrast two different courses at schoolConsider both sides of an important decision such as an investment, a career change, etc.

The components of financial management Coursework

The components of financial management - Coursework Example Year Cash flow Discount factor Present value 0 (? 2m) 1 (? 2m) 1 (? 1.5m) 0.909 (? 1.3635m) 2 ? 1.0m 0.826 ? 0.826m 3 ? 1.3m 0.751 ? 0.9763m 4 ? 1.8m 0.683 ? 1.2294m 5 ? 1.3m 0.621 ? 0.8073m 6 ? 0.6m 0.564 ? 0.3384m ? 0.8139m The NPV of the project is ? 0.8139m. This is a positive amount and therefore is an indicator that the project can be carried on. Section II Associated risks of the project The risk associated with a project may be defined as the variability that is likely to occur in the future returns from the project. Risk arises in investment evaluation because we cannot anticipate the occurrence of the possible future events with certainty and consequently, cannot make any correct prediction about the cash flow sequence. In the context of capital budgeting projects, risk results almost entirely from the uncertainty about future cash inflows, because the initial cash outflow is generally known. These risks result from a variety of factors including uncertainty about future re venues, expenditures and taxes. Therefore, to assess the risk of a potential project, the analyst needs to evaluate the riskiness of the cash inflows. There are three possible attitudes towards risk that can be identified. These are: (a) Risk aversion (b) Desire for risk (c) Indifference to risk A risk averter is an individual who prefers less risky investment. The basic assumption in financial theory is that most investors and managers are risk averse. Risk seekers on the other hand are individuals who prefer risk. Given a choice between more and less risky investments with identical expected monetary returns, they would prefer the riskier investment. The person who is indifferent to risk would not care which investment he or she received. There are various risks involved in the project that have different degrees of consequences. Such risks may be categorized into technical risks, environmental risks, economic risks, political risks and project completion risks. (Horngren, Foster, & Datar, 2001) The risks that any project is predisposed can be avoidable or unavoidable and therefore a firm has to minimize the risks that face the projects it undertakes as much as possible. The project that is intended to be carried out can face the risk of errors in estimation. Such errors could disrupt the schedule of the whole project as a whole if the business and development teams do not work closely to curb such cases of errors. There is also the possibility that there can be a requirements overload whereby the requirements for the project are not well established and are therefore constantly being added later on during the development phases of the project. This disrupts the laid down schedule and delays the events of each step of the project. Lack of proper documentation of the project at the same time as the project progresses is also a risk that most projects face since critical information related to the project may be lost. PART B Section I Beck Bag Year Expected ca sh flows Accumulated cash flows 1 60,000 60,000 2 70,000 130,000 3 70,000 200,000 4 40,000 240,000 5 20,000 260,000 The project costs 200,000 and the amount is recouped in the third year, therefore the payback period is 3 years. Roo Bag Year Expected cash flows Accumulated cash flows 1 70,000 70,000 2 70,000 140,000 3 60,000 200,000 4 60,000 260,000 5 60,000 320,000 The project costs 260,000 and it takes 4 years to recoup this amount. Therefore the payba

Saving my best friend Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Saving my best friend - Essay Example But somehow we realized and took a vital move on our part by coming a bit towards the lower side. The trees and grass on the hilltop were hustling and bustling and the little rain that was present in the clouds had touched our fists every now and then. We know a thunderstorm was there any minute since the clouds started to turn black of all a sudden. They had the gashes of a bucket full of water that was waiting to come down on us hard. We knew we needed to hurry to reach our destination otherwise there was a wet day in the fields for us. There was something different however in the making. Something extremely terrible! As we hurried down the hill, Jim’s ankle sprained and he started to come down quickly. I ran after the sliding Jim and used all my might and force which I could offer at the time. I realized this was not enough. Somehow or the other, I had the presence of mind within me which started to make its mark. This made me reach for Jim who was stuck on the rock’s edge and his both feet were in the air, leading towards the valley down under. Had he fallen, it would have been the end of Jim’s life, his future and his dreams. More than anything else, his parents and friends would have lost a soul full of energy and wit fed into him. It suddenly dawned on me that I was wasting time thinking about all this! I needed to do something – something, no – the vital thing that would eventually save his life. I quickly started looking for a rope but I knew it would not be available there. I got hold of tiny pieces of cloth here and there. I instantly picked them up and tried to stick the pieces of cloth so that the end result would be in the form of a single cloth through which I could pull back Jim and thus bring a fresh lease of life in his desolate self. All this required tact and immense patience. Also I had to be brave and physically strong to pull Jim up since his body weight and height resembled mine. The pieces of cloth were

United States as an Imperialist and Expansionist Nation Essay Example for Free

United States as an Imperialist and Expansionist Nation Essay Imperialism is the influential expansion of a country’s power through territorial invasion creating a financial and political control of other countries. Imperialism is used to refer to the period of 1880 to 1918 wherein the developed countries look for new territories to dwell in, creating their command to the African and Asian countries so that they will have the most useful location. The United States pursue an aggressive policy of expansionism during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries to expand the nation’s political and economic influence worldwide. The United States general public observed the first expansion attempts as a means to help other nations for a righteous reason but as it goes by they changed their mind and viewed the United States as an imperialist nation. Manifest Destiny was created in 1845 to somewhat justify American expansionism. United States would still be the sole strong power even without expansion but it was America’s goal to reign supreme above others. In 1860’s when American Imperialism was isolated, it affected the affairs of other small countries but it had no effect whatsoever to the Great Powers which the United States has not fully reached. Initially the United States wanted expansion to be able to compete with the European markets. In The People’s History of the United States, Howard Zinn commented about the demand of expansion: Appleman Williams has described in The Roots of the Modern American Empire that there were need for expansion by many commercial farmers. Populist Congressman Jerry Simpson of Kansas told Congress in 1892 that with a vast agricultural excess, farmers ‘must of necessity search for foreign market. True, he was not calling for violence or invasion but once foreign markets were seen as significant to success, expansionist procedure, even war might be appealing. The period of Imperialism began when United States helped Cuba to drive away the Spaniards and helped the Cuban gain their independence. The Americans then had a navy base in Cuba and they wanted to help the Philippines next but instead of giving them independence they build their own empire. The American people come to realized and viewed their nation as an upcoming imperialist nation because prior to the Spanish American War, the American military did not subsist. The national identity of the people of America changed significantly since they were able to show to the whole world that they can survive even without the help of Great Britain. The Manifest Destiny was created to rationalize to the citizens the expansion that was happening. The United States expansion enabled them to be competitive to the European market but later on the expansion became more of imperialism like what happened in the case of the Philippines. By becoming an imperialist nation, the United States has to build their military from scratch and the people who object their expansion was viewed as unpatriotic by the government. The United States without expansionism would be just like one of the numerous nations that is incompetent in absorbing millions of immigrants, without the ability of protecting itself against great nations and without the capacity of spreading and preserving its culture worldwide. Work Cited Zinn, Howard. The People’s History of the United States. New York: Harper Collins Publisher, 1999.

Factors Affecting Euthanasia :: Euthanasia Physician Assisted Suicide

Factors Affecting Euthanasia      Ã‚  Ã‚   In the September 4 issue of the British. medical journal The Lancet, Canadian researchers report on how dying patients' "will to live" is likely to show "substantial fluctuation" due to changes in both physical and mental factors. Dr. Harvey Chochinov of the University of Manitoba and his colleagues assessed the "will to live" twice daily in 168 mentally competent cancer patients admitted to palliative care, and correlated this with a variety of other factors. The patients ranged in age from 31 to 89 years old; they survived an average of 18 days, though one woman lived more than 150 days. The factors with the most impact on the will to live were "depression, anxiety, shortness of breath, and sense of well-being." Which factor was most important varied with the stage of illness. During the earlier course of a patient's illness, anxiety was the dominant factor; depression became more important later, and shortness of breath was the chief factor suppressing a will to live when death became imminent. The study confirmed that, at least during much of a terminal illness's course, psychological factors weigh more heavily in a desire for death than factors such as physical pain.    Numerous US studies have established that the Americans most directly affected by the issue of physician-assisted suicide -- those who are frail, elderly and suffering from terminal illness -- are also more opposed to legalizing the practice than others are:    * A poll conducted for the Washington Post on March 22-26, 1996, found 50% support for legalizing physician-assisted suicide (Washington A18) Voters aged 35-44 supported legalization, 57% to 33%. But these figures reversed for voters aged 65 and older, who opposed legalization 54% to 38%. Majority opposition was also found among those with incomes under $15,000 (54%), and black Americans (70%).    * An August 1993 Roper poll funded by the Hemlock Society and other euthanasia supporters indicated that voters aged 18-29 supported "physician-aided suicide" 47% to 35%; voters aged 60 and older opposed it 45% to 35%. Hemlock's newsletter commented that "the younger the person, the more likely he or she is to favor this legislation." The newsletter added that "this is somewhat at odds with how Hemlock views its membership," since it sees itself as defending the interests of elderly citizens. (Humphry; Poll 9) A study of cancer patients found that terminally ill patients experiencing significant pain are more opposed to physician-assisted suicide than other terminally ill patients or the general public.

How Romanticism and Photography Shaped Western Modernitymodern

â€Å"Western modernity was shaped by cross-currents between Europe and North America in the 19th century and in the beginning of the 20th century. † Neoclassicism was a movement which focused on the rediscovery of Ancient Greek and Roman values and style (and called Greek revival in the United States[1]). It was a defining trait of the Enlightenment age and of its reasoning-based political and artistic thinking and saw its apogee during the Napoleonic era.Starting in the 19th century, this movement was opposed by the Romantics, who ended the strict rules of neoclassicism and made the expression of their emotions and feelings the basis for their art, may it be poetry, literature, painting or music. The English romantic poet William Wordsworth called romantic poetry â€Å"the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings recollected in tranquility†[2]. Compared to the neoclassicists, romantics such as Edgar Allan Poe or Victor Hugo were â€Å"modern†.They anticipated mentality changes in the Western world. Parts of western modernity were shaped by interactions and cross currents between Europe and the United States during the 19th and 20th century. These centuries were characterised by a break from the established rules and the artistic past and were times of new technologies as well as increasing interaction between the two sides of the Northern Atlantic. Such Euro-American relations, may they be artistic, cultural and even political have never died out.To understand our Western modernity, this paper shall examine two different aspects of these artistic cross-currents. Firstly, the romantic current played an important role in all the arts, ranging from poetry to architecture. Finally, the appearance of the documentary art of photography has in many aspects shaped modernity and even later led to the invention of motion picture and cinema[3]. Firstly, the Romantic Movement that swarmed across Europe and North America starting in the 19th century helped to shape western modernity.The Romantics broke away from the neoclassicism and the Enlightenment era and, as Samuel Taylor Coleridge puts it, Romanticism is the expression of â€Å"intellectual intuition†, and combines reason and emotion to find Truth and Beauty. The movement focused on individualism and even egocentrism, the importance of the â€Å"self†; the concept of â€Å"author-as-hero† was particularly popular. Romantics also elevated human and divine imagination and inspiration, revered nature and ts mysteries and authors often opposed an ideal view of reality to the sense of loss and melancholy, as Baudelaire does in the section â€Å"Spleen and Ideal† of â€Å"Les Fleurs du Mal†, his poetry volume. In short, they believed in beauty for beauty's sake and art for art's sake. This was modernity. Edgar Allan Poe and Charles Baudelaire are the epitome of the relations and cross-currents between North America and Europe shaped modernity, as Charles Baudelaire often translated Poe' work from English and made it accessible to French readers.Edgar Allan Poe was a famous American romanticism writer who lived in the first half of the 19th century. He surely deserved William Butler Yeats’s praise for being â€Å"always and for all lands a great lyric poet† as he was one of the earliest short story writers and often considered as the inventor of modern crime fiction and the modern character of the detective, a self-referential character. Poe clearly revolutionized and therefore modernized literature and western modernity greatly inherits from his work. He had a well-know taste for writing ghoulish and mysterious stories.In â€Å"The Man of the Crowd†, a short story he wrote in 1840 for example, an unknown narrator follows a mysterious old man throughout the crowds and bazaars of London. This story emphasizes how the â€Å"wanderer† or â€Å"stroller† can walk through the crowded city whi le still maintaining an outside view: he does not buy anything and does not even notice the narrator. The story opposes the individual to the rest of the people, seen as one group: â€Å"the crowd†. Charles Baudelaire translated this story to French in â€Å"L'homme des foules†. For Baudelaire, the flaneur becomes important to understand urban modernity as he â€Å"walks the city to experience it†.This image of an outsider is also mixed with the image of the dandy, and Baudelaire is known to be somewhere between the two, as his peculiar habits testified. Baudelaire defines modernity as the â€Å"ephemeral, the fugitive, the contingent, the half of art whose other half is the eternal and the immutable† in â€Å"The Painter of Modern Life†, which he writes about Constantin Guys without revealing his name. For Baudelaire, Guys is the painter of modern life because he is not only a flaneur, he is also able â€Å"to distil the eternal from the transito ry†.Guys, who wanted to remained unnamed in Baudelaire's review, was a an army man with no artistic education who started with drawings specialized in war but later also represented modern urban life in London and Paris such as popular celebrations or simply street scenes[4]. Constantin Guys never signed or exposed his paintings and was only recognized in his time by Baudelaire and a circle of friends of which the prominent photograph Nadar. He painted and drew from memory and Baudelaire writes in â€Å"The Painter of Modern Life† that â€Å"Monsieur G. ever ceases to drink the fantastic reality of life; his eyes and his memory are full of it. â€Å"[5] â€Å"Ou il faudrait ne voir que le Beau, notre public ne cherche que le Vrai†, writes Baudelaire in  «Le public moderne et la photographie ». Modernity for Poe, Baudelaire and the Romantics in general is finding and creating beauty for the sake of beauty. Baudelaire did not appreciate the first photographs that were made of him such as the one by Etienne Carjat shown below. In his critique of the Salon de 1859, he blames the new industry of photography for the decline of French spirit.In â€Å"Le public modern et la photographie†, Baudelaire writes that the ignorant modern crowds believe that what is identical to nature is art and that they wrongly believe that therefore photography is â€Å"l’art absolu†. â€Å"Les insenses! †. Even though photography was the refuge of bad painters and was first considered industry and not art at first, it is nowadays considered by many both an art and a way of documenting life and events as in all newspapers and magazines, especially the ones that focus on nature, journalism or even fashion photography. [pic][pic] Baudelaire by Carjat.Carosse, drawing by Guys One of the first kinds of photography, the daguerreotype process was named after its French inventor Frenchman, Louis Daguerre. In 1839, it was eulogized in the Fren ch academies of Sciences and of Fine Arts by Francois Arago because he found it useful for astronomy. Using such processes, the French photographer Nadar, friend of Guys and Baudelaire who lived and had his studio on the rue Saint-Lazare in Paris, had the opportunity to photograph many figures of the French arts and journalism scene such as Gustave Dore or Alexandre Dumas.Until the 1870s defined the modern photographic portrait: thanks to an astute use of lights, his portraits were more life-like than the ones by other photographers. He used no decor, a â€Å"neutral background† and â€Å"clothes that served simply to bring out the sitter's outline†[6]. The telegraph inventor Samuel Morse brought the daguerreotype to the United States after meeting Daguerre in Paris in 1839. Such cross-Atlantic contact was already common in the 19th century and even Poe spent time on both sides of the ocean.Because photographic techniques kept on improving and modernizing, picture look ed more and more lifelike and representative of reality. Photography was most notably used during the American Secession War from 1861 to 1865. Photography was not only used by upper-class citizens in daily bourgeois life but also as documentary photography. The great characters as well as horrible events of the civil war were for instance immortalized, partly for the sake of information and truth. As shown below, Gardner’s pictures of the war have integrated the American historical heritage.It was the avant-garde of modern mass media: in 1933, the first photograph was transferred on a newspaper, revolutionizing forever modern newspapers. [pic][pic] Alexander Gardner's photographs in Antietam, USA, September 1862 But modern photography was also well elevated to the statute of fine art in the life time of the internationally recognized photographer and gallery director Alfred Stieglitz (1864-1946): he is considered â€Å"a crusader for modernism†[7]. Stieglitz worked pa instakingly and succeeded in legitimizing the fine art of photography.He became of Expressionist leaning and started to replace naturalism in his art with exaggeration and the expression of â€Å"intense, subjective emotion†[8] as his piece shown below, Equivalent suggests. , once again proving his pioneering role in the perception of modernity. [pic][pic] The Terminal by Alfred Stieglitz (1892)Equivalent by Stieglitz (1926) Western modernity was shaped by the cross currents across the Atlantic in the 19th and 20th centuries, especially the Romantic Movement of which Poe and somehow his follower Baudelaire were part of.Poe and Baudelaire pioneered western modernity as they have for the self-reflecting character of the flaneur and by for example noticing Constantin Guys and his modern urban dweller drawings. Thanks to the invention and rise of photography during the end of the 19th century painting was liberated from the need to represent accurately and modern painting was tri ggered by a wave of creativity in the beginning of the 20th century. Photography also contributed to shaping western modernity, especially by documenting the Civil War that ravaged North America and by the creation of portraits of intellectuals in France.The invention of photography also eventually led to cinema, which became increasingly popular and accessible throughout the 20th century to become the seventh art and for some companies a very profitable industry. Photography is also one of the ways journalists make us see what is too far from us, such as modern day events like the Arab revolutions. In short, photography, starting with, among others, Daguerre, Nadar, Gardner and later Stieglitz became a full part of western modernity both in industry and fine art.

Gender and Sex Worksheet Essay

What is gender? What is sex in biological terms? Are gender and sex the same thing? Explain why or why not? Gender is a subclass within a grammatical class (as noun, pronoun, adjective, or verb) of a language that is partly arbitrary but also partly based on distinguishable characteristics (as shape, social rank, manner of existence, or sex) and that determines agreement with and selection of other words or grammatical forms (â€Å"Merriam-Webster†). Biological term for sex is one’s biological classification as male or female which is set into motion at the moment the sperm ertilizes the egg (â€Å"Intro To Sociology†, 2009). Gender and Sex in my opinion are not the same. Sex refers to the biological and physiological characteristics that define men and women, gender refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviors, activities, and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for men and women. How do gender and sex contribute to the concepts and constructions of masculinity and femininity? According to Planned Parenthood Federation of America Inc (2013), â€Å"Culture determines gender roles and what is masculine and feminine. What does it mean to be a woman or man? Whether we are women or men is not determined just by our sex organs. Our gender includes a complex mix of beliefs, behaviors, and characteristics. How do you act, talk, and behave like a woman or man? Are you feminine or masculine, both, or neither? These are questions that help us get to the core of our gender and gender identity. † Do our concepts of gender and sex contribute to the ways we embrace gender and sex in diversity? Yes, I do feel that our concepts of gender and sex contribute to the ways we embrace gender and sex in diversity. I feel that we look at males as the ones who are supposed to be the readwinner, the rough and tough kind of person and we look at females as the ones who are supposed to be the sweet and kind caregiver at home taking care of the house and kids and being the emotional one, when it can be the other way around. Do our concepts of gender and sex contribute to our understanding of sexual orientation? Explain. Yes, I feel that our concepts of gender and sex contribute to our understanding of sexual orientation in many ways. We have a understanding of what each gender is and what they provide, causing us to make a decision on who we want to be with in life.

Reaction Paper on “Immortality on Ice” Essays

Reaction Paper on â€Å"Immortality on Ice† Essays Reaction Paper on â€Å"Immortality on Ice† Essay Reaction Paper on â€Å"Immortality on Ice† Essay The movie that we watched was about reviving a person from the dead. This is said to be done in the future but they had already started researching how to use ice as a power to revive a clinically dead person. They used ice as a method to preserve a body and now they are planning on how to revive a person through the use of nanotechnology that can repair all the cells that were ruptured n the freezing process. The technology that they were referring in the movie is called Cryonics. This Cryonics would enable a man to prolong his life and at the same time be able to revive himself in certain conditions. As a technology, it also has technological system which various aspects. The first aspect is the techniques or human activity-form. In the Cryonics, it was seen on how people preserved a dead body. In Egypt, the dead people were mummified and preserved in order to reach the second life. In Cryonics, they also want to follow this ritual or activity. They want to preserved a dead body in order to revive it and not for the preparation of the afterlife. With this technology, they can prolong the life of a person or they can make people â€Å"immortal†. The technique that they will use in technology is the power of ice to preserve a dead body. Their example is a frog that was frozen to dead and was still able to revive itself when the ice melted. The second aspect of the technological system is resources, tools, or materials. In studying Cryonics and to further develop its technology, they are using dead bodies that are stored in a freezing apparatus that has liquid nitrogen to preserve a body. All the tools that they will be using are located in their laboratories. Their tools and apparatus would enable them to further study and analyze their research on how to revive a frozen dead body. The third aspect is the technological products and artifacts. In the technological system, the products that were created by different techniques were called artifacts. This can also serve as resources in some technological process. The artifacts in the Cryonics are the new life or the prolonged life that would be possessed by a human when he undergoes the technological techniques that were used in Cryonics. Although there is still o artifacts produced to the lack of technological advancement on the field but they said that in the future this technology would be present. Right now, they are piling dead bodies to be preserved so that in future they would be revived again. The fourth aspect pertains to the ends, function or valence of the technology. Man always seeks on how he can prolong his life here on earth. The function of this technology is basically to pro long and enhance the life of man and to be able to extend the limitation to another level. With this, the desire and needs of man to be â€Å"immortal† could be attained. To be with your love one forever and to defy the death are of the function of this technology. The fifth aspect is the factual knowledge. This pertains on how the technology will work and how it operates. In the Cryonics, they made use of the other organisms of animal that are capable of reviving itself after being frozen. When the body was frozen, it stops all cellular action and in turn the body was clinically dead but some animals like the frog has the capability to reanimate itself after beng frozen the has an innate mechanism that allow them to do that. In humans, we are not capable of that that why the cryonbiologists are still searching a way to be able to know how to resurrect and frozen body. With this, it plays a role in the further development of the technology. The last aspect is the social context or organization in which technologists are developed, distributed and employed. This pertains to the division of labor, where each has different task but has similar goal and same accomplishment and that is to be able to enhance the life of humans. In the institute, where Cryonics were conducted, it is composed of different people with different fields. There are programmer, cryontechnicians, cryonbiologists, engineers and many more. All of the make-up a institution that is will make â€Å"immortality of ice possible†. All of these people have different specializations but they all contribute make the technology that would enable to revived a frozen body possible. The technology is made due to interaction of different fields and this is the most important aspect of technology. Without the help of other fields the technology would not advance. In the movie, the dynamic relationship of science and technology on Cryonics is that the technology is dependent on the science. This is based on my understanding and based on what I saw in the movie. The technology that would enable to reanimate a frozen dead body in not yet feasible in the present. Although science and technology are independent the technology to revive a frozen body is still dependent to science. Without proper knowledge on how to fix all the ruptured cells on frozen body, the techniques and technology would not be able to advance. The people in the institute admit to themselves that in the present there will not be able to resurrect the frozen bodies. But they said that in the future, together with the advancement on technology, they would be able to reanimate a frozen dead body. They still need to gather more knowledge and expand research on nanotechnology to be able to make a technology that can revive a person or enhance its quality of life by extending it to the normal life expectancy of man. All they were doing today are series of research and experiment to further developed the technology they had today. I am not saying that the technology is always dependent on the science. Science and technology are mutually interdependence. The science shows the principle on technology will work and in return the technology helps the science to advance itself. An example of this is Microbiology. Without the invention of microscope, the field Microbiology, Cytology and Genetics will not be born. And absent in the advancement of either one of this will result in stagnation of the other. With the advancement of this technology, there are ethical issues that would arise from the technological system. First kind of ethical problem is the questions about how ethical values and norms apply n new technological context. This can be seen in the arising of moral concerns against the church. Reanimating a dead person defies the presence of a God, who has the power to give and take the lives of the person according to church. It also defies the law of nature. Reanimating of a dead is a mortal sin for the religious sects. This is the main ethical issue that would arise when the technology would be completed. Another kind of ethical issue that would arise is the questions concerning distributive justice and equality. With the advancement of technology in Cryonics, only a group or a class of people would benefit from this technology. Only the rich, elite and powerful will have an easy access on this technology. Since the technique would surely be expensive, not all people will be able to be brought back to life once they had died. Not all people will have equal chances to have a so called â€Å"immortal† life. Due to limited sources and facilities of the technology and the massive population of the human, only the powerful, rich and elite people would have the advantages on the technology. Thus, the questions on social justice and equality would arise due to technological innovation. The last kind of ethical issue that would arise is the question about the technology’s power to create dramatic changes. With the advancement in Cryonics and if the technology that can enhance the life of human to become â€Å"immortal† would be realistic then it would cause a greater problem to ourselves and the environment. Together with the enhancement of life, there would be decrease in the death rate of the humans. This would imply a more rapid growth in the population of the humans. With the increasing number of people and limited resources, there would be competition among people and other creatures. This would lead to an ecological imbalance. This advancement of technology would alter the world by destroying the environment to have a shelter, extinction of other organisms due to lack of habitat, and arising of wars due to completion on natural resources. Together with the advancement n technology, we the people who created it should also have limitation on what kind of technology we are making. Technology s a double edge sword that is both beneficial and detrimental at the same time. It is up to the people on how the will make used of the technology. We should not only look on the benefit we get on the technology but we should also think the consequences before it become too late to fix the problems brought by technological advancement.

Case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 47

Case study - Essay Example There were many other stakeholders whose direct input and opinion could not be avoided since they all contributed to the success of the event (Senge, 19). For instance, the KSNN could not provide alternative traffic routes and a parking stadium away from the college. In brief, it was not possible for KSNN to independently sort out the accrued problems. KSNN received a publicity boost other than the financial benefits that came with it. Thus, many people got to know KSNN as a company due to the positives. The sponsors such as the corporate firms got the chance to advertise their wares and used the chance as a marketing tool and avenue. The college also got a temporary facelift when the show was being done therein. For instance, most of the people in the society got to learn about the college since the show was being held in their venue. Thus, the college and its reputation got to reach a wider pol of people in the

Hiroshima and nagasaki bomb Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Hiroshima and nagasaki bomb - Research Paper Example Waves of fire and flash burns devoured people (Richard Minear, 1990). In Hiroshima, firestorm wind made the structures burn and people highly affected. Trees got uprooted and fire debris and other remains flew here and there. Hazardous radiation added to the causalities. Immediately after the explosion temperature rose to millions of degrees and light emitted to a level exceeding the brightness of sun (Richard Minear, 1990). Deadly radioactive particles affected the people and atmosphere in such a way that it wouldn’t t be healed even after centuries. Both the cities and the neighboring areas suffered from radiation sicknesses and death for several decades. Hiroshima and Nagasaki before the bombing – brief information Hiroshima with its dense population was a city of high military importance to Japan. Almost three-fourth of the city’s population was concentrated on the densely populated well-built centre portion of the city. Having the 2nd Army headquarters and c rucial communication points, the city was a major assembling point for the troops. Hiroshima contained few large industrial plants, reinforced concrete buildings, wooden houses, wooden workshops and numerous industrial buildings (Dower, 1995). Because of the risk of earthquake majority of the houses and industrial buildings were wooden built and reinforced concrete constructions were strong. ... The major part of the population lies along the heavily build-up area which is concentrated to very few kilometers. Numerous industries that produced military equipments, war accessories, ships and other materials made Nagasaki a crucial city for Japan. Buildings, structures and houses were made of wood, with no plaster or roof tiling. Most of the industries were also houses in wooden buildings. It would be best to call Nagasaki and industrial valley with thickly populated industries and houses built close to the industrial buildings. The effects of bombing in Hiroshima and Nagasaki – People and economy The bombing completely paralyzed Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Cities were destroyed, people were killed, affected and stranded, and environment was polluted to a level that even the future generations could not escape from the aftereffects of the bomb.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The atom bomb had numerous long term effects on the health and well being of the affected people. Majority of th e people in the affected area were heavily exposed to radiation and developed different types of cancers, including leukemia. Children who were exposed to radiation became highly susceptible to cancer and other radiation sicknesses (Kodansha, 1993). Almost all living victims of the bomb were in the risk of getting myoma, cancers, hepatitis, thyroid problem, liver problem and several other health issues (Kodansha, 1993). Eyesight was affected and cataract problem was encountered by numerous survivors who were exposed to radiation (Kodansha, 1993). Apart from this, people suffered heavy loss; they lost their family members, house, property and all belongings (Lifton, 1967). This had numerous long time consequence including sufferings and pain. Orphans and elderly

Google's Prospects in Terms of the Criteria 'Suitability, Essay

Google's Prospects in Terms of the Criteria 'Suitability, Acceptability and Feasibility' (FSA) - Essay Example would be embarked on to understand its strategic position based on the feasibility, acceptability and suitability of its present strategy. Evaluation would be helpful to determine if â€Å"Google Inc.: Running Amuck?† as stated by many, is true or to what extent the company is exposing itself to risks by expanding and diversifying? This report attempts to clearly understand Google Inc.’s strategic position with its innovative product and service launches in the recent past. Products and services Google has products and services for both online internet users and the mobile users. The company has products and services based on three types of technologies: web search technology, advertising technology and large-scale systems technology (shown in Appendix A). It has a large portfolio of products and services with a core product: web search, as its major revenue generating service. It has various different classifications of its products based on the kind of service it prov ides. â€Å"Google.com, web and content search, communication and collaboration, downloadable applications, mobile, labs, Google AdWords, Google AdSense and Google Enterprise, all of which are nevertheless marketed as categories of products relevant to: search, explore and innovate, communicate, show and share, go mobile and make your computer work better† (Case study- Google Inc., 2011). The company also is committed to always giving users an experience that they would vouch for, and its motto is the guiding force. The company has a strategy for investment where it invests in three different levels, popularly known as 70-20-10 investment strategy. It invests in three kinds of product markets: core search and advertising products, products related to core products and experimental products (Case study- Google Inc., 2011). It also has a product serving according to the specific region or country laws as witnessed in EU and China where the company has adapted to the legal requi rements of serving restricted or customized services through locally located servers delivering filtered web pages (Martin, 2006). A list of patents for Google is shown in Appendix B. Appendix C and Appendix D list the free and for profit products offered by Google. Opportunities Google provides search engine web content services through simple user interfaces and uses low cost web servers. It provides content in about 88 languages and is an established brand which has gained users trust. Leveraging on this end user trust, the company has the potential to build on its sponsored advertisement links by tracking user searches and providing relevant and updated content with user permissions (Google Inc.: SWOT analysis, 2008). As the sponsored links are relegated to a corner of the page at the moment, it can nevertheless be moved to a full-fledged revenue generating service offering like AdSense and AdWords. The company’s product offering, Google Video is another link that provide s

Avoiding Project Failure Dissertation

Avoiding Project Failure Dissertation ABSTRACT Project management have become increasingly important in the development of any nation. Various organisations have used project management techniques as a means of bridging the gap between failure and success in implementation of projects. Despite this increasing awareness of project management by organisations, projects still fail. The purpose of this dissertation is to systematically investigate the causes of project failure and how these can be prevented, managed, or controlled. Research studies investigating the reasons why projects fail, has been ongoing for years, with various researchers, organisations and project management institutions, providing lists of reasons, which they believe, are the cause of project failure. However, despite these lists projects continue to fail, Atkinson (1999). This research is done with the anticipation of not only adding information to the body of knowledge already in existence, but also examining the major issues currently causing project failure; this will help organisations effectively manage projects. To determine how to avoid project failure the criteria for measuring project success has to be properly determined and agreed upon; the major criteria commonly used are; cost, time and quality. Then the causes of project failure need to be determined. This study also examined generalisations made from existing literature about causes of project failure and methods of avoiding project failure using three construction case studies in United Kingdom. This is a secondary or desk research, which involves the collecting and analysis of secondary data, or data that already exists, from which inferences have been made, and conclusions drawn. CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1Research background Projects make a vital contribution to industrialisation and hence the growth of a nations economy. The importance of projects in the development of any nation cannot be overemphasized. This is demonstrated in various literatures explaining the success and failure of projects. Although projects are said to be important, its implementation can be an uphill task. Various researchers have discussed project management as a technique to help prevent against failure in projects. Others have established checklists to help prevent failure. Despite the increased project management awareness and these checklists, some projects still fail, Atkinson (1999). All projects are constrained by inherent risks; knowledge of these risks will play an important role in achieving success and avoiding failure. Usually projects consist of three stages consisting of the approval, execution and evaluation stages. If any of these stages is not managed properly it may result to the failure of the entire project. Failure or Success in projects is a multi-dimensional issue and may be influenced by so many factors. Some projects may have failed in project management practices including cost overrun, scope creep, delay in schedule etc, and other projects may fail in procurement practices. Despite these failures in the following areas the project may still be perceived as successful by the end users. An example is Wembley Stadium; despite all the issues associated with the project in terms of project management and procurement practices, it is still perceived to be successful and a state of the art stadium by the end users. This may result from the fact that it has hosted world class sporting events. Usually, projects are designed to meet stakeholders objective. These objectives define the criteria for success of that project, and projects not satisfying these objectives are deem to fail. Effective communication and clarity in the stakeholders objective is vital to the project manager. This thesis examines the causes of project failure and how these can be prevented, managed or controlled. It discusses project failure and success with the help of case studies in order to identify the critical success factors and reduce failure in the implementation of projects. This research is done with the anticipation of not only adding information to the body of knowledge already in existence, but also in defining the criteria for project success and identifying the variables involved. This will help organisations effectively manage projects. 1.2 Aim The aim of this research is to carry out appraisal on the causes of project failure and the appropriate methods of avoiding project failure. This aim is intended to be achieved with the following objectives. 1.3 Objectives To provide a review of project management To analyze success criteria for projects To explore factors that causes project failure or success To examine methods of avoiding project failure 1.4 Scope This research is based on construction projects executed in the United Kingdom over the last two decades. 1.5 Research Structure Chapter One, Introduction this introduces the research; topic highlighting the aim, objectives and scope of the research. Chapter Two, Literature review critically reviews the existing Literature regarding the subject. It establishes the definition of project success and the success and failure criteria / factors. Chapter Three, Methodology describes the methodology used to undertake this research. It demonstrates the fact that secondary data was mostly used in undertaking this research. Chapter Four, Case Studies Case studies on projects from the UK construction Industry were discussed in this Chapter. These case studies were analysed and linked to the literature review chapter. Chapter Five consists of the analysis of the discussion and findings. This is derived from critically analysing the Wembley, Heathrow terminal five (T5) and Holyrood case studies. Chapter Six, Conclusion and Recommendation: This chapter concludes the research and suggests directions for further research. CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction The importance of avoiding project failure in a rapidly evolving project-driven 21st century cannot be over-emphasized. Attempts to understand the causes of project failure and/ or success have proven problematic, despite attempt by many practitioners and academics over the years. Project demands have constantly increased over the last decade and have driven our society into a constantly changing environment. Despite attempts to make project appraisal and delivery more rigorous, a considerable proportion of delivery effort results in project that does not meet user expectations and are consequently rejected. In our view this can be attributed to the fact that few organisations have the facilities, training and management discipline to bring project to successful completion. Project success does not come easily; much has been contributed over the last decade to our understanding of the nature of and reason for successful and unsuccessful project completion. In addition many projects fail to complete at all. Sometime failure to satisfy all the original goals of a project can still be regarded favourably if the main sponsor is not satisfied with the outcome and the key stakeholders have gained in some way. Generally, the key development considerations are to have the goal clearly defined, to plan how to realize the goal and implement the plan. Developing an alternative methodology for project management founded on stakeholders, senior management support and proper planning should lead to a better understanding of the management issues that may contribute to the successful delivery of projects. This literature review is aimed at carrying out appraisal on the causes of project failure and the appropriate methods of avoiding it. It begins with key definitions, then analysis of causes of project failure and project success. Then it looks at success factors and criteria; also examine ways of avoiding project failure. The chapter ends with summary of the discussion. 2.2 What is a Project? Gary and Larson (2008:5) defined project as â€Å"a complex, non routine, one-time effort limited by time, budget and resource, and performance specifications designed to meet customer needs. This is in contrast to how an organisation generally works on a permanent basis to produce their goods and services. For example the work of an organisation may be to manufacture a vehicle on a continual basis, therefore the work is considered functional as the organisation creates the same products or services over-and -over again and people hold their roles on a semi permanent basis. A project can be defined as having constraints (usually centred around time and resources, but also including all aspect of the process and the outcome); projects are processes that in many circumstances are core business for organisation. The diagram below show different levels in project management. 2.3 What is Project Management? According to Gray and Larson (2006) Project management is a task derived from an organisation that enables professional project managers to use their skills, tools and knowledge to plan, execute and control a unique project within a limited lifespan by meeting the specification requirements of the organisation. Since the outcomes of the capital projects have strategic implications on the success and profitability of the business, the ability to deliver based on pre-determined objectives should be critical to the companys success. And yet one-third of all the oil and gas projects exceed budget and time projections by more than 10 percent. Failure to deliver big projects on budget and on schedule is highly publicized and damage the companies profile with capital markets that predictability and strong returns. Continual use of traditional project management techniques will not alter this trend. Companies that want to change and improve on their performance with critical capital projects will need to adopt new techniques. Munns and Bjeirmi (1996) also defined project management as a process used as a control to achieve the project objectives by utilizing the organisational structure and resources to manage a project with the application of tools and techniques, without disrupting the routine operation of the company. ‘Project management is the discipline of managing all the different resources and aspects of the project in such a way that the resources will deliver all the output that is required to complete the project within the defined scope, time, and cost constraints. These are agreed upon the project initiation stage and by the time the project begins all stakeholders and team members will have a clear understanding and acceptance of the process, methodology and expected outcome.(http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/introduction-project-management.html accessed on 30/06/09) Project management has been defined as â€Å"the process by which projects (unique, complex, non- routine, one-time effort limited by time, budget, and resources) are defined, planned, monitored, controlled and delivered such that the agreed benefits are realised† (APM, 2006:3) Other definitions have been offered, Reiss suggests that a project is a human activity that achieves a clear objective against a time scale, and to achieve this while pointing out that a simple description is not possible, he suggested that project management is a combination of management and planning and management of change. Despite all the suggestions about what is project management, the criteria for success, namely, cost, time, and quality remain and are included in the actual description. Meaning that Oisens definition of project management was either correct, or as a discipline, project management has not really changed or developed the success criteria over 50 years. Therefore project management is a learning profession. The significant point from all the definitions and suggestions of project management is that while the factors have developed and adopted, changes to the success criteria have been suggested but remain unchanged. In 2008, a survey undertaken by Booz Allen Hamilton (project management consultant) which comprises of 20 companies in engineering, procurement and construction; shows that 40 percent of all projects executed where faced with cost overruns and behind schedule. These overrun in cost and schedule has led to clients dissatisfaction on project performance; this view also agree with the research of M J Lang (1990). Therefore effective project management is very vital in such a volatile business environment. 2.4 Project Management Methodology Generally, projects are split into three phases Initiation, implementation and closure. Every stage of a project has multiple checkpoints which must be met before the starting of the next stage. The degree to which a project will be managed depends on the size of the project. For a complex project in a large organisation that involves a number of people, resources, time and money, a more structural approach is needed, and there will be more steps built into each stage of the project to ensure that the project delivers the anticipated end result. For a simple project in a small organisation, agreed milestones, a few checklists and someone to co-ordinate the project may be all that is required. 2.5 Defining Project Failure From Penguin English Dictionary (1992), failure is define as unsuccessful project that fails to perform a duty or an expected action, non-occurrence or non-performance. Whereas success can be defined as the achievement of something desired, planned or attempted (Cambridge Dictionary, 2007). It is also said that success is an event that accomplishes its intended purpose (dictionary.com, 2007). Anything short of that is failure. Project failure is an unpleasant event that cost large amount of money to the organisation. 2.6 Causes of Project Failure Pinto and Mantel (1990) carried out a research on the causes of project failure and revealed a good explanation that encompasses both internal efficiency and external effectiveness. They state that project failure is a vague concept, which has evoked much as to its definition, as the case with the definition of project success. A project is considered a failure â€Å"whenever a project does not meet the expectations of the stakeholders†. This has lots of impact to both the organisation and all stakeholders to the project. They include: cost and time overruns, quality degradation, frustration and stress, sometimes resulting to people quitting, low corporate market value, low public opinion and negative media campaigns. The total effect can be very costly to the organisation; at times even force the company into closure. Bienkoski (1989) identified ten factors that can lead to project failure and they are: * Lack of change management- happens when there is no method to handle or recognise changes. * Communication- causes delay or even failure since team members do not have the information they needed, issues or changes do not get escalated, project reporting is sluggish * Inadequate resources- Task take longer than expected to complete, deadlines and milestones get missed, and project completion date comes into jeopardy, one end of working more than necessary (double shift) to get the work done * No one is in control, not even the project manager, who is assigned to the project but not given the free hand to manage the project. This is most problem encounters in matrix organisation * Project lacks structure caused by things such as critical tasks being under rated * Inaccurate estimates. A top- down plan causes constraints on the prediction of the cost of the project * Poor risk management. The project initiation stage is not properly planned * Insufficient non-resources are not allocated to the project; for instance, it is not possible for a project to succeed if the right resources are made available for that project * Incompetent project management skill * Project changes from its original objective and goals. This can occur due to additional requirement from the client Pinto and mantel (1990) argue that the major causes of project failure are changes in the project environment, as it goes out of hands of the management. 2.7 Defining Project Success Lewis (2005) states that project success can be defined as meeting the required expectation of the stakeholders and achieving its intended purpose. This can be attained by understanding what the end result would be, and then stating the deliverables of the project. Shenhar et al. (2001) state the opposite: that project success is commonly judged by time and budget goals criteria, whereas in some cases this does not apply to some projects. Thiry (2006) argues that project success can only be defined if executives are able to consider the contribution of benefits and if the project is able to achieve these measures in relation to resources, competencies and complexity within the project parameters. 2.8 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) as a Measurement for Project Success The purpose of the KPIs is to enable measurement of project and organisational performance throughout the construction industry (The KPI Working Group 2000). Collins (2000) advocates that the process of developing KPIs involves the consideration of the following factors: * KPIs are general indicators of performance that focus on critical aspects of output or outcomes * Only a limited, management number of KPIs is maintainable for regular use. Having too many (complex) KPIs can be time-and resource-consuming * The systematic use of KPIs is essential as the value of KPIs is almost completely derived from their consistent use over a number of projects * Data collection must be made as simple as possible. * A large sample size is required to reduce the impact of project specific variables. Therefore, KPis should be designed to use on every building project. * For performance measurement to be effective, the measures must be acceptable, understood and owned across the organisation * KPIs will need to evolve and it is likely that a set of KPIs will be subject to change and refinement * Graphic delays of KPIs need to be simple in design, easy to update and accessible. Key Performance indicators for measuring project success can be illustrated with the help of the diagram below (Albert Ada, 2004). They identified the following as the measurement of project success: Cost, time, quality, commercial profitable/value, environmental performance, user expectation/ satisfaction, health and safety and participants satisfaction. This will help in explaining what the project success might mean to different stakeholders. Key Performance Indicators Dvir et al. (2003) state that the ranking of success is a one-sided judgement, as the definition of success is difficult to define, because it has different meanings for different people; thus, the criteria of success should reflect the diverse interest and view that lead to a multi-dimensional and multi-criteria approach. Baccarini (1999) states: that success entails â€Å"hard† criteria which often linked with cost, time and quality. He also states that hard criteria which can be easily measured can lead to some form of substantial agreement. In contrast, soft criteria are known to be one sided, restrained and not easily assessed. This implies that project success is a fantasy of the mind and only an individual can turn such vision into reality. A contrasting view from Westerveld (2000) defined project success as â€Å"the satisfaction of all the stakeholders, meaning that as long as the stakeholders are pleased with the outcome and gain profits or revenue from the project, then it is classed as a success. One of the Squares root corners, organisational benefits, drew much attention because of its significance and it was further analysed. Kerzner (2001, p6) suggests three criteria from the organization perspective in order for a project to be successful. The first is that it must be completed with minimum or mutually agreed upon scope changes, even though stakeholders constantly have different views about projects results (Maylor, 2005, p288). Secondly â€Å"without disturbing the main work flow of the organization because a project has to assist organisations everyday operations and try to make them more efficient and effective. Finally, it should be completed without changing the corporate culture even though projects are almost exclusively concerned with change with knocking down the old and building up the new (Baguley, 1995, p8). A project managers main responsibility is to make sure that he delivers change only where is necessary, otherwise he is doomed to find strong resistance from almost all organisational departments (Kerzner, 2001, p158) which ultimately could lead to project failure. A more structured approach to project success is grouping the criteria into categories. Wideman (1996, p3-4) describes four groups, all of them time dependent: internal project objectives (efficiency during the project), benefit to customer (effectiveness in the short term), direct contribution (in the medium term) and future opportunity (in the long term). The characterization of ‘time dependent is based on the fact that success varies with time. Looking at the future benefits of the organisation can be really difficult, because in some cases they dont even know what they want, yet it is vital to know what the project is trying to achieve after completion time so that success criteria are clearly defined in the early stages. This is quite a different approach, because the focus moves from the present success criteria to the future, in a way that a project can be unsuccessful during execution if it is judged by criteria like cost and quality, but in the long term it can turn to be a thriving story. A good example of this hypothesis is hosting the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, which received mass criticism both during the planning period, due to delays in construction time, and when it was finished, due to huge cost. But the benefits that Greece will gain from the Olympic Games can be fully understood after 5 or maybe 10 years from the hosting year (Athens2004.com). All the above success criteria should be simple and attainable and, once defined, they should also be ranked according to priority (Right Track Associates, 2003). Straightforward criteria are easy to understand by everyone involved in the project and therefore commitment is guaranteed. Unrealistic criteria can put a ‘failure label on many projects because of the unreachable standards, can generate low team esteem and team performance in future projects and finally generate unfair disappointment among stakeholders. As for priority issues, it is inevitable that things will go wrong and the project manager will be in a tough situation where he must make the right decision having in mind that he has to sacrifice the least important success criterion. Also Shenhar et ‘al (1997) are of view that project success can be seen from the four area: Project efficiency, impact of the project to the customer, business success and finally what the project holds for the future. This was further explain in the diagram in 3. 2.9 Defining Project Success Factors and Project Success Criteria Muller and Turner (2007) defined the two components of project success in relation to the use of project management as follows: Project success factors are the elements of a project that can be influenced to increase the like hood of success; these are independent variable that makes success more likely. Project success criteria are the measures by which judge the successful outcome of a project; these are dependent variable which measure project success. We often hear or read about various success stories. But what is success and what criteria should organizations use to identify success? What factors lead to a successful project? The purpose of this study is to define project success criteria, clarify their difference with success factors and analyse their importance in project management methodology. One of the vaguest concepts of project management is project success. Since each individual or group of people who are involved in a project have different needs and expectations, it is very unsurprising that they interpret project success in their own way of understanding (Cleland Ireland, 2004, p2). For those involved with a project, project success is normally thought of as the achievement of some pre-determined project goals (Lim Mohamed, 1999, p244) while the general public has different views, commonly based on user satisfaction. A classic example of different perspective of successful project is the Sydney Opera House project (Thomsett, 2002), which went 16 times over budget and took 4 times more to finish than originally planned. But the final impact that the Opera House created was so big that no one remembers the original missed goals. The project was a big success for the people and at the same time a big failure from the project management perspective. On the other hand, the Millennium Dome in London was a project on time and on budget but in the eyes of the British people was considered a failure because it didnt deliver the awe and glamour that it was supposed to generate (Cammack, 2005). In the same way that quality requires both conformance to the specifications and fitness for use, project success requires a combination of product success (service, result, or outcome) and project management success (Duncan, 2004). The difference between criteria and factors is fuzzy for many people. The Cambridge Advanced Learners Dictionary describes a criterion as a standard by which you judge, decide about or deal with something while a factor is explained as a fact or situation which influences the result of something. Lim Mohamed applied those definitions to project success and illustrated the difference. It is clear now that critical factors can lead to a series of events which ultimately meet the overall success criteria of the project, so they should not be used as synonymous terms. Project success can be seen from two different perceptive, the micro and macro viewpoint (Lim Mohamed, 1999). This can help in better understanding of what project success means to different people. 2.9.1 Success Criteria Many lists of success criteria have been introduced in the previous decades by various researchers. Primal success criteria have been an integrated part of project management theory given that early definitions of project management included the so called ‘Iron Triangle success criteria cost, time and quality. (Atkinson, 1999, p338) Atkinson continues that as a discipline, project management has not really changed or developed the success measurement criteria in almost 50 years. To meet the urgent need of modernizing the out of date success criteria, he suggest the ‘Square Route ( 3) success criteria instead of the ‘Iron Triangle, where he groups the criteria that other academics have proposed. The main change is the addition of qualitative objectives rather than quantitative, namely the benefits that different group of people can receive from the project. These benefits are seen from two perspectives, one from the organisational view and one from the stakeholders view. It is obvious that each part will have benefit differently from projects. For example one organisation can gain profit through achieving strategic goals when a project is completed and at the same time these goals have a serious environmental impact in the stakeholders community. This means that a successful project must bargain between the benefits of the organisation and the satisfaction of end users. The fourth corner of the ‘Square Root is the Information System which includes the subjects of maintainability, reliability and validity of project outcomes. Belassi and Tukel (2001) are of the opinion that criteria for measuring project success/failure can grouped into two groups: the factor and system response groups. The identified factor groups are: factor related to project manager, factor related to project team members, factor related to the project itself, the organisation handling the project and the factor related to the external environment in which the project takes place. The diagram below shows this in more detail. 2.9.2 Success Factors As mentioned earlier; success factors are those inputs to the management system that lead directly or indirectly to the success of the project or business (Cooke-Davies, 2002, p185). Some project managers intuitively and informally determine their own success factors. However, if these factors are not explicitly identified and recorded, they will not become part of formal project management reporting process nor they become part of the historical project data (Rad Levin, 2002, p18). Belassi Tukel (1996, p144) classified these factors into 5 distinct groups according to which element they relate to. 2.9.2.1 The Organization Top management support is the principal success factor for many independent research groups (Tukel Rom, 1998, p48) (CHAOS Report, 2001, p4) (Cleland Ireland, 2002, p210) (Tinnirello, 2002, p14), which means that no project can finish successfully unless the project manager secures true support from the senior or operational management. It is extremely difficult to work in a hostile environment where nobody understands the benefits that the project will deliver to the organisation. Stakeholder management and contract strategies (number of and size of the contracts, interface between the different contracts and the management of contracts) are separate success factors which are also considered part of organization issues (Torp, Austeng Mengesha, 2004, p4). 2.9.2.2 The Project Manager Having a project manager is not going to guarantee the success of a project. He must have a number of skills to use during the project to guide the rest of the team to successfully complete all the objectives. In the 2001 CHAOS report (The Standish Group International, 2001, p6), business, communication, responsiveness, process, results, operational, realism and technological skills are mentioned as some of the most important skills a project manager should have to deliver success. However, more resent research by Turner and Muller (2005, p59) has concluded that the leadership style and competence of the project manager have no impact on project success. It is very interesting to investigate why a highly respectable professional body for project managers published such a contradictive position. A possible answer could be found in the fact that project managers results are difficult to prove and even more difficult to measure. If the project is successful, senior management will probably claim that all external factors were favourable. On the contrary, if it turns to be a failure, project manager easily becomes the scapegoat. 2.9.2.3 The Project Team Project managers are very lucky if they have the option to choose their project team. More often, their team is inherited to the project from various sectors of the organisation. It is vital to have a good project team to work with, with core skills that can be evolved to core competences and capabilities for the whole organisation. All m Avoiding Project Failure Dissertation Avoiding Project Failure Dissertation ABSTRACT Project management have become increasingly important in the development of any nation. Various organisations have used project management techniques as a means of bridging the gap between failure and success in implementation of projects. Despite this increasing awareness of project management by organisations, projects still fail. The purpose of this dissertation is to systematically investigate the causes of project failure and how these can be prevented, managed, or controlled. Research studies investigating the reasons why projects fail, has been ongoing for years, with various researchers, organisations and project management institutions, providing lists of reasons, which they believe, are the cause of project failure. However, despite these lists projects continue to fail, Atkinson (1999). This research is done with the anticipation of not only adding information to the body of knowledge already in existence, but also examining the major issues currently causing project failure; this will help organisations effectively manage projects. To determine how to avoid project failure the criteria for measuring project success has to be properly determined and agreed upon; the major criteria commonly used are; cost, time and quality. Then the causes of project failure need to be determined. This study also examined generalisations made from existing literature about causes of project failure and methods of avoiding project failure using three construction case studies in United Kingdom. This is a secondary or desk research, which involves the collecting and analysis of secondary data, or data that already exists, from which inferences have been made, and conclusions drawn. CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1Research background Projects make a vital contribution to industrialisation and hence the growth of a nations economy. The importance of projects in the development of any nation cannot be overemphasized. This is demonstrated in various literatures explaining the success and failure of projects. Although projects are said to be important, its implementation can be an uphill task. Various researchers have discussed project management as a technique to help prevent against failure in projects. Others have established checklists to help prevent failure. Despite the increased project management awareness and these checklists, some projects still fail, Atkinson (1999). All projects are constrained by inherent risks; knowledge of these risks will play an important role in achieving success and avoiding failure. Usually projects consist of three stages consisting of the approval, execution and evaluation stages. If any of these stages is not managed properly it may result to the failure of the entire project. Failure or Success in projects is a multi-dimensional issue and may be influenced by so many factors. Some projects may have failed in project management practices including cost overrun, scope creep, delay in schedule etc, and other projects may fail in procurement practices. Despite these failures in the following areas the project may still be perceived as successful by the end users. An example is Wembley Stadium; despite all the issues associated with the project in terms of project management and procurement practices, it is still perceived to be successful and a state of the art stadium by the end users. This may result from the fact that it has hosted world class sporting events. Usually, projects are designed to meet stakeholders objective. These objectives define the criteria for success of that project, and projects not satisfying these objectives are deem to fail. Effective communication and clarity in the stakeholders objective is vital to the project manager. This thesis examines the causes of project failure and how these can be prevented, managed or controlled. It discusses project failure and success with the help of case studies in order to identify the critical success factors and reduce failure in the implementation of projects. This research is done with the anticipation of not only adding information to the body of knowledge already in existence, but also in defining the criteria for project success and identifying the variables involved. This will help organisations effectively manage projects. 1.2 Aim The aim of this research is to carry out appraisal on the causes of project failure and the appropriate methods of avoiding project failure. This aim is intended to be achieved with the following objectives. 1.3 Objectives To provide a review of project management To analyze success criteria for projects To explore factors that causes project failure or success To examine methods of avoiding project failure 1.4 Scope This research is based on construction projects executed in the United Kingdom over the last two decades. 1.5 Research Structure Chapter One, Introduction this introduces the research; topic highlighting the aim, objectives and scope of the research. Chapter Two, Literature review critically reviews the existing Literature regarding the subject. It establishes the definition of project success and the success and failure criteria / factors. Chapter Three, Methodology describes the methodology used to undertake this research. It demonstrates the fact that secondary data was mostly used in undertaking this research. Chapter Four, Case Studies Case studies on projects from the UK construction Industry were discussed in this Chapter. These case studies were analysed and linked to the literature review chapter. Chapter Five consists of the analysis of the discussion and findings. This is derived from critically analysing the Wembley, Heathrow terminal five (T5) and Holyrood case studies. Chapter Six, Conclusion and Recommendation: This chapter concludes the research and suggests directions for further research. CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction The importance of avoiding project failure in a rapidly evolving project-driven 21st century cannot be over-emphasized. Attempts to understand the causes of project failure and/ or success have proven problematic, despite attempt by many practitioners and academics over the years. Project demands have constantly increased over the last decade and have driven our society into a constantly changing environment. Despite attempts to make project appraisal and delivery more rigorous, a considerable proportion of delivery effort results in project that does not meet user expectations and are consequently rejected. In our view this can be attributed to the fact that few organisations have the facilities, training and management discipline to bring project to successful completion. Project success does not come easily; much has been contributed over the last decade to our understanding of the nature of and reason for successful and unsuccessful project completion. In addition many projects fail to complete at all. Sometime failure to satisfy all the original goals of a project can still be regarded favourably if the main sponsor is not satisfied with the outcome and the key stakeholders have gained in some way. Generally, the key development considerations are to have the goal clearly defined, to plan how to realize the goal and implement the plan. Developing an alternative methodology for project management founded on stakeholders, senior management support and proper planning should lead to a better understanding of the management issues that may contribute to the successful delivery of projects. This literature review is aimed at carrying out appraisal on the causes of project failure and the appropriate methods of avoiding it. It begins with key definitions, then analysis of causes of project failure and project success. Then it looks at success factors and criteria; also examine ways of avoiding project failure. The chapter ends with summary of the discussion. 2.2 What is a Project? Gary and Larson (2008:5) defined project as â€Å"a complex, non routine, one-time effort limited by time, budget and resource, and performance specifications designed to meet customer needs. This is in contrast to how an organisation generally works on a permanent basis to produce their goods and services. For example the work of an organisation may be to manufacture a vehicle on a continual basis, therefore the work is considered functional as the organisation creates the same products or services over-and -over again and people hold their roles on a semi permanent basis. A project can be defined as having constraints (usually centred around time and resources, but also including all aspect of the process and the outcome); projects are processes that in many circumstances are core business for organisation. The diagram below show different levels in project management. 2.3 What is Project Management? According to Gray and Larson (2006) Project management is a task derived from an organisation that enables professional project managers to use their skills, tools and knowledge to plan, execute and control a unique project within a limited lifespan by meeting the specification requirements of the organisation. Since the outcomes of the capital projects have strategic implications on the success and profitability of the business, the ability to deliver based on pre-determined objectives should be critical to the companys success. And yet one-third of all the oil and gas projects exceed budget and time projections by more than 10 percent. Failure to deliver big projects on budget and on schedule is highly publicized and damage the companies profile with capital markets that predictability and strong returns. Continual use of traditional project management techniques will not alter this trend. Companies that want to change and improve on their performance with critical capital projects will need to adopt new techniques. Munns and Bjeirmi (1996) also defined project management as a process used as a control to achieve the project objectives by utilizing the organisational structure and resources to manage a project with the application of tools and techniques, without disrupting the routine operation of the company. ‘Project management is the discipline of managing all the different resources and aspects of the project in such a way that the resources will deliver all the output that is required to complete the project within the defined scope, time, and cost constraints. These are agreed upon the project initiation stage and by the time the project begins all stakeholders and team members will have a clear understanding and acceptance of the process, methodology and expected outcome.(http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/introduction-project-management.html accessed on 30/06/09) Project management has been defined as â€Å"the process by which projects (unique, complex, non- routine, one-time effort limited by time, budget, and resources) are defined, planned, monitored, controlled and delivered such that the agreed benefits are realised† (APM, 2006:3) Other definitions have been offered, Reiss suggests that a project is a human activity that achieves a clear objective against a time scale, and to achieve this while pointing out that a simple description is not possible, he suggested that project management is a combination of management and planning and management of change. Despite all the suggestions about what is project management, the criteria for success, namely, cost, time, and quality remain and are included in the actual description. Meaning that Oisens definition of project management was either correct, or as a discipline, project management has not really changed or developed the success criteria over 50 years. Therefore project management is a learning profession. The significant point from all the definitions and suggestions of project management is that while the factors have developed and adopted, changes to the success criteria have been suggested but remain unchanged. In 2008, a survey undertaken by Booz Allen Hamilton (project management consultant) which comprises of 20 companies in engineering, procurement and construction; shows that 40 percent of all projects executed where faced with cost overruns and behind schedule. These overrun in cost and schedule has led to clients dissatisfaction on project performance; this view also agree with the research of M J Lang (1990). Therefore effective project management is very vital in such a volatile business environment. 2.4 Project Management Methodology Generally, projects are split into three phases Initiation, implementation and closure. Every stage of a project has multiple checkpoints which must be met before the starting of the next stage. The degree to which a project will be managed depends on the size of the project. For a complex project in a large organisation that involves a number of people, resources, time and money, a more structural approach is needed, and there will be more steps built into each stage of the project to ensure that the project delivers the anticipated end result. For a simple project in a small organisation, agreed milestones, a few checklists and someone to co-ordinate the project may be all that is required. 2.5 Defining Project Failure From Penguin English Dictionary (1992), failure is define as unsuccessful project that fails to perform a duty or an expected action, non-occurrence or non-performance. Whereas success can be defined as the achievement of something desired, planned or attempted (Cambridge Dictionary, 2007). It is also said that success is an event that accomplishes its intended purpose (dictionary.com, 2007). Anything short of that is failure. Project failure is an unpleasant event that cost large amount of money to the organisation. 2.6 Causes of Project Failure Pinto and Mantel (1990) carried out a research on the causes of project failure and revealed a good explanation that encompasses both internal efficiency and external effectiveness. They state that project failure is a vague concept, which has evoked much as to its definition, as the case with the definition of project success. A project is considered a failure â€Å"whenever a project does not meet the expectations of the stakeholders†. This has lots of impact to both the organisation and all stakeholders to the project. They include: cost and time overruns, quality degradation, frustration and stress, sometimes resulting to people quitting, low corporate market value, low public opinion and negative media campaigns. The total effect can be very costly to the organisation; at times even force the company into closure. Bienkoski (1989) identified ten factors that can lead to project failure and they are: * Lack of change management- happens when there is no method to handle or recognise changes. * Communication- causes delay or even failure since team members do not have the information they needed, issues or changes do not get escalated, project reporting is sluggish * Inadequate resources- Task take longer than expected to complete, deadlines and milestones get missed, and project completion date comes into jeopardy, one end of working more than necessary (double shift) to get the work done * No one is in control, not even the project manager, who is assigned to the project but not given the free hand to manage the project. This is most problem encounters in matrix organisation * Project lacks structure caused by things such as critical tasks being under rated * Inaccurate estimates. A top- down plan causes constraints on the prediction of the cost of the project * Poor risk management. The project initiation stage is not properly planned * Insufficient non-resources are not allocated to the project; for instance, it is not possible for a project to succeed if the right resources are made available for that project * Incompetent project management skill * Project changes from its original objective and goals. This can occur due to additional requirement from the client Pinto and mantel (1990) argue that the major causes of project failure are changes in the project environment, as it goes out of hands of the management. 2.7 Defining Project Success Lewis (2005) states that project success can be defined as meeting the required expectation of the stakeholders and achieving its intended purpose. This can be attained by understanding what the end result would be, and then stating the deliverables of the project. Shenhar et al. (2001) state the opposite: that project success is commonly judged by time and budget goals criteria, whereas in some cases this does not apply to some projects. Thiry (2006) argues that project success can only be defined if executives are able to consider the contribution of benefits and if the project is able to achieve these measures in relation to resources, competencies and complexity within the project parameters. 2.8 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) as a Measurement for Project Success The purpose of the KPIs is to enable measurement of project and organisational performance throughout the construction industry (The KPI Working Group 2000). Collins (2000) advocates that the process of developing KPIs involves the consideration of the following factors: * KPIs are general indicators of performance that focus on critical aspects of output or outcomes * Only a limited, management number of KPIs is maintainable for regular use. Having too many (complex) KPIs can be time-and resource-consuming * The systematic use of KPIs is essential as the value of KPIs is almost completely derived from their consistent use over a number of projects * Data collection must be made as simple as possible. * A large sample size is required to reduce the impact of project specific variables. Therefore, KPis should be designed to use on every building project. * For performance measurement to be effective, the measures must be acceptable, understood and owned across the organisation * KPIs will need to evolve and it is likely that a set of KPIs will be subject to change and refinement * Graphic delays of KPIs need to be simple in design, easy to update and accessible. Key Performance indicators for measuring project success can be illustrated with the help of the diagram below (Albert Ada, 2004). They identified the following as the measurement of project success: Cost, time, quality, commercial profitable/value, environmental performance, user expectation/ satisfaction, health and safety and participants satisfaction. This will help in explaining what the project success might mean to different stakeholders. Key Performance Indicators Dvir et al. (2003) state that the ranking of success is a one-sided judgement, as the definition of success is difficult to define, because it has different meanings for different people; thus, the criteria of success should reflect the diverse interest and view that lead to a multi-dimensional and multi-criteria approach. Baccarini (1999) states: that success entails â€Å"hard† criteria which often linked with cost, time and quality. He also states that hard criteria which can be easily measured can lead to some form of substantial agreement. In contrast, soft criteria are known to be one sided, restrained and not easily assessed. This implies that project success is a fantasy of the mind and only an individual can turn such vision into reality. A contrasting view from Westerveld (2000) defined project success as â€Å"the satisfaction of all the stakeholders, meaning that as long as the stakeholders are pleased with the outcome and gain profits or revenue from the project, then it is classed as a success. One of the Squares root corners, organisational benefits, drew much attention because of its significance and it was further analysed. Kerzner (2001, p6) suggests three criteria from the organization perspective in order for a project to be successful. The first is that it must be completed with minimum or mutually agreed upon scope changes, even though stakeholders constantly have different views about projects results (Maylor, 2005, p288). Secondly â€Å"without disturbing the main work flow of the organization because a project has to assist organisations everyday operations and try to make them more efficient and effective. Finally, it should be completed without changing the corporate culture even though projects are almost exclusively concerned with change with knocking down the old and building up the new (Baguley, 1995, p8). A project managers main responsibility is to make sure that he delivers change only where is necessary, otherwise he is doomed to find strong resistance from almost all organisational departments (Kerzner, 2001, p158) which ultimately could lead to project failure. A more structured approach to project success is grouping the criteria into categories. Wideman (1996, p3-4) describes four groups, all of them time dependent: internal project objectives (efficiency during the project), benefit to customer (effectiveness in the short term), direct contribution (in the medium term) and future opportunity (in the long term). The characterization of ‘time dependent is based on the fact that success varies with time. Looking at the future benefits of the organisation can be really difficult, because in some cases they dont even know what they want, yet it is vital to know what the project is trying to achieve after completion time so that success criteria are clearly defined in the early stages. This is quite a different approach, because the focus moves from the present success criteria to the future, in a way that a project can be unsuccessful during execution if it is judged by criteria like cost and quality, but in the long term it can turn to be a thriving story. A good example of this hypothesis is hosting the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, which received mass criticism both during the planning period, due to delays in construction time, and when it was finished, due to huge cost. But the benefits that Greece will gain from the Olympic Games can be fully understood after 5 or maybe 10 years from the hosting year (Athens2004.com). All the above success criteria should be simple and attainable and, once defined, they should also be ranked according to priority (Right Track Associates, 2003). Straightforward criteria are easy to understand by everyone involved in the project and therefore commitment is guaranteed. Unrealistic criteria can put a ‘failure label on many projects because of the unreachable standards, can generate low team esteem and team performance in future projects and finally generate unfair disappointment among stakeholders. As for priority issues, it is inevitable that things will go wrong and the project manager will be in a tough situation where he must make the right decision having in mind that he has to sacrifice the least important success criterion. Also Shenhar et ‘al (1997) are of view that project success can be seen from the four area: Project efficiency, impact of the project to the customer, business success and finally what the project holds for the future. This was further explain in the diagram in 3. 2.9 Defining Project Success Factors and Project Success Criteria Muller and Turner (2007) defined the two components of project success in relation to the use of project management as follows: Project success factors are the elements of a project that can be influenced to increase the like hood of success; these are independent variable that makes success more likely. Project success criteria are the measures by which judge the successful outcome of a project; these are dependent variable which measure project success. We often hear or read about various success stories. But what is success and what criteria should organizations use to identify success? What factors lead to a successful project? The purpose of this study is to define project success criteria, clarify their difference with success factors and analyse their importance in project management methodology. One of the vaguest concepts of project management is project success. Since each individual or group of people who are involved in a project have different needs and expectations, it is very unsurprising that they interpret project success in their own way of understanding (Cleland Ireland, 2004, p2). For those involved with a project, project success is normally thought of as the achievement of some pre-determined project goals (Lim Mohamed, 1999, p244) while the general public has different views, commonly based on user satisfaction. A classic example of different perspective of successful project is the Sydney Opera House project (Thomsett, 2002), which went 16 times over budget and took 4 times more to finish than originally planned. But the final impact that the Opera House created was so big that no one remembers the original missed goals. The project was a big success for the people and at the same time a big failure from the project management perspective. On the other hand, the Millennium Dome in London was a project on time and on budget but in the eyes of the British people was considered a failure because it didnt deliver the awe and glamour that it was supposed to generate (Cammack, 2005). In the same way that quality requires both conformance to the specifications and fitness for use, project success requires a combination of product success (service, result, or outcome) and project management success (Duncan, 2004). The difference between criteria and factors is fuzzy for many people. The Cambridge Advanced Learners Dictionary describes a criterion as a standard by which you judge, decide about or deal with something while a factor is explained as a fact or situation which influences the result of something. Lim Mohamed applied those definitions to project success and illustrated the difference. It is clear now that critical factors can lead to a series of events which ultimately meet the overall success criteria of the project, so they should not be used as synonymous terms. Project success can be seen from two different perceptive, the micro and macro viewpoint (Lim Mohamed, 1999). This can help in better understanding of what project success means to different people. 2.9.1 Success Criteria Many lists of success criteria have been introduced in the previous decades by various researchers. Primal success criteria have been an integrated part of project management theory given that early definitions of project management included the so called ‘Iron Triangle success criteria cost, time and quality. (Atkinson, 1999, p338) Atkinson continues that as a discipline, project management has not really changed or developed the success measurement criteria in almost 50 years. To meet the urgent need of modernizing the out of date success criteria, he suggest the ‘Square Route ( 3) success criteria instead of the ‘Iron Triangle, where he groups the criteria that other academics have proposed. The main change is the addition of qualitative objectives rather than quantitative, namely the benefits that different group of people can receive from the project. These benefits are seen from two perspectives, one from the organisational view and one from the stakeholders view. It is obvious that each part will have benefit differently from projects. For example one organisation can gain profit through achieving strategic goals when a project is completed and at the same time these goals have a serious environmental impact in the stakeholders community. This means that a successful project must bargain between the benefits of the organisation and the satisfaction of end users. The fourth corner of the ‘Square Root is the Information System which includes the subjects of maintainability, reliability and validity of project outcomes. Belassi and Tukel (2001) are of the opinion that criteria for measuring project success/failure can grouped into two groups: the factor and system response groups. The identified factor groups are: factor related to project manager, factor related to project team members, factor related to the project itself, the organisation handling the project and the factor related to the external environment in which the project takes place. The diagram below shows this in more detail. 2.9.2 Success Factors As mentioned earlier; success factors are those inputs to the management system that lead directly or indirectly to the success of the project or business (Cooke-Davies, 2002, p185). Some project managers intuitively and informally determine their own success factors. However, if these factors are not explicitly identified and recorded, they will not become part of formal project management reporting process nor they become part of the historical project data (Rad Levin, 2002, p18). Belassi Tukel (1996, p144) classified these factors into 5 distinct groups according to which element they relate to. 2.9.2.1 The Organization Top management support is the principal success factor for many independent research groups (Tukel Rom, 1998, p48) (CHAOS Report, 2001, p4) (Cleland Ireland, 2002, p210) (Tinnirello, 2002, p14), which means that no project can finish successfully unless the project manager secures true support from the senior or operational management. It is extremely difficult to work in a hostile environment where nobody understands the benefits that the project will deliver to the organisation. Stakeholder management and contract strategies (number of and size of the contracts, interface between the different contracts and the management of contracts) are separate success factors which are also considered part of organization issues (Torp, Austeng Mengesha, 2004, p4). 2.9.2.2 The Project Manager Having a project manager is not going to guarantee the success of a project. He must have a number of skills to use during the project to guide the rest of the team to successfully complete all the objectives. In the 2001 CHAOS report (The Standish Group International, 2001, p6), business, communication, responsiveness, process, results, operational, realism and technological skills are mentioned as some of the most important skills a project manager should have to deliver success. However, more resent research by Turner and Muller (2005, p59) has concluded that the leadership style and competence of the project manager have no impact on project success. It is very interesting to investigate why a highly respectable professional body for project managers published such a contradictive position. A possible answer could be found in the fact that project managers results are difficult to prove and even more difficult to measure. If the project is successful, senior management will probably claim that all external factors were favourable. On the contrary, if it turns to be a failure, project manager easily becomes the scapegoat. 2.9.2.3 The Project Team Project managers are very lucky if they have the option to choose their project team. More often, their team is inherited to the project from various sectors of the organisation. It is vital to have a good project team to work with, with core skills that can be evolved to core competences and capabilities for the whole organisation. All m