Final - Project and Program Risk Management Essay Example for Free

Final Project and Program Risk Management Essay This type of management may take on an informal or formal approach, but risk management is essential for every project. Risk Management is not a well accepted standard practice since it points out negative aspects of projects, and there are numerous inhibitions that restrain the dynamics of risk management. According to the Wikipedia, a free web-based encyclopedia, the Project Management Institute (PMI) is a non-profit professional organization with the purpose of advancing the state-of-the-art of project management. The company is a professional association for the project management profession. The PMI sets standards, conducts research, and provides education and professional exchange opportunities designed to strengthen and further establish professionalism. The Project Management Institute, Inc. (PMI() has established a six-step set of processes and practices for the risk management process as documented below: 1. Risk Management Planning: project risk infrastructure is established and a project-specific risk management plan is generated. 2. Risk Identification: events with potentially positive and negative impacts are clearly described. 3. Risk Qualifications: risks are evaluated according to nonnumeric assessment protocols. 4. Risk Quantifications: risks are evaluated according to numeric assessment protocols. 5. Risk Response Planning: strategies to deal with or precluded risks are evaluated and communicated. 6. Risk Monitoring and control: risk management and response plans are put into action. b) Why do professionals mandate Risk Management? Professionals mandate Risk Management in organizations since risk sometimes becomes a secondary issue. This secondary issue occurs since the hope that Project Managers will be able to handle issues and problems as they occur. Since risk remains a secondary issue until an organization’s luck runs out or a profitable opportunity is missed, professionals take a more proactive approach to risk identification and mitigation by applying Risk Management Process and Practices. Based on statistical information, unfavorable risk events eventually occur in good projects without a way to identify and mitigate risk. The Project Manager suffers the repercussions of such type of failure; therefore, professionals mandate Risk Management and support its practices in effort to mitigate risk. . Explain the Delphi Technique and steps for effective application. a) Explain the Delphi Technique. When expert interview techniques are not an option, the Delphi Technique provides an alternate means for extracting information from subject matter experts (SMEs) without pressuring or forcing them to provide much needed information. Many SMEs prefer not to participate in data-gathering processes; therefore, the project manager ( facilitator) applies the Delphi technique to collect information directly from the SMEs without infringing on their schedules. This technique allows the facilitator with directed follow-up capability from experts after peers have been consulted so the highest quality of information is extracted from the experts. b) Steps for Effective Application. To obtain effective information from the Delphi Technique, the Project Manager must posses the ability to generate the original questions to present to the experts and to clarify the information from the experts as it is received. The following six (6) major steps will increase the chances of a successful technique application: 1) Identify experts and ensure their participation 2) Create the Delphi instrument 3) Have the experts respond on the instrument 4) Review and restate the responses 5) Gather the experts’ opinions and repeat 6) Distribute and apply the data The Delphi technique is a time-consuming process, but this technique is promising in extracting information from experts who might not otherwise contribute to a project’s body of knowledge. 3. Explain the Crawford Slip Method (CSM). The Crawford Slip Method (CSM) is a classic tool used to combat the negativism inherent in team members while attempting to identify risk and risk information-gathering for a particular product or process. CSM offers a variety of advantages over other information-gathering techniques, in particular, the ability to aggregate large volumes of information in a very short time period and the complete avoidance of groupthink. CSM is not the hardest risk management technique to apply when properly facilitated. A clearly established question is defined by the facilitator and provided to all qualified participants. The participants then document their response to the clearly established question on a slip of paper. Providing the same clearly established question to the participants again, they document their response to the question on a slip of paper again. This process is repeated ten (10) times using the same clearly established question to better extract all of the unknown information available from the participants involved in the product or process. The initial slips of paper are usually very similar in content; however, as the process repeats itself, the later slips of paper tend to generate identification of issues and risks that could have been overlooked without repetition. The strength of Crawford Slip Method is efficiency. 4. Define SWOT Analysis and their selection criteria. a) Define SWOT Analysis. Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) Analysis Technique is a directed risk analysis that identifies risks and opportunities within a higher-level organizational context rather than a project’s narrow vacuum.

Human Resource Development Information Technology Essay

Human Resource Development Information Technology Essay What is the role of technology in Human Resource Development. Identify some key forms of e-learning and critically evaluate their advantages and disadvantages, providing appropriate examples from organisations. This essay will identify and discuss the role of technology in Human Resource Development. It will define what Human Resource Development is and why it needs technology. Also it will discuss what electronic learning (e-learning) is, and will explain some key forms of e-learning and why we need to use e-learning. It will give a brief indication as to what technology actually is, and also the progression of technology. The essay will critically evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of using e-learning in Human Resource Development. There will be appropriate examples used to show how different organisations use e-learning within their company/organisation. Finally it will offer conclusions as to why I think technology should or should not be a part of Human Resource Development. Technology Technology is used in nearly all organisations these days including schools, companies and universities as examples. What people may not know is what it actually means. Technology is a branch of knowledge that can deal with the creation and the use of technical means and their interrelation with life, the environment and society. Technology draws upon subjects such as industrial arts, applied science, engineering and there are many more. Technology can be seen as a process or an invention of something. (Technology, N.D) Progressive Technology Technology is always progressing and this is very good for companies who need or even sell technology. If we look at how a few years back within companies the secretary would need to file documents manually and this could take a long time, also apart from the time issue there were more serious problems like documents going missing or being damaged. This is where technology began to progress because there was a new technology progressing and this was the database and this could hold all the documents you needed safely onto the computer and that way it would be a lot faster and more secure for the secretary to file the documents. This is just one example there are many more ways in which technology has helped to progress companies. The example given here is just to show that technology is progressing and it will keep progressing much further in the future years to come. Human Resource Development Human Resource Development is all about learning, training, developing and education the employees in the workplace. There is a difference between these four concepts but there all correlated. If for example we looked at learning; this can be learnt anywhere and you can be learning yourself the new skills, but on the other hand if you looked at education you are being taught something but in a formal way but the two are linked because from both of these you are learning new skills and then you can go on to training and developing them skills. HRD was not always known as this, there was a shift from welfare officers to HRD. HRD was initially set up for training and development and this was to help the employers in crafts such as electricians, or engineers as an example and from this they would be learning from their masters and will be developing their skills to be able to perform in the workplace. HRD created an integration of people management and development and this could become CIPD which stands for the chartered institute of personnel and development. HRD likes to be strategic and is more for the organisation than the employees; it is also a long term method to help to build the company. HRD does like to implement change into their methods and this is why e-learning will be very convenient to help within organisations because it is constantly changing and this change would help employees improve on their learning and training and will be able to implement new skills within the workplace. E-learning What is e-learning? Firstly before I go into detail about how e-learning helps HRD perform you will need to know what e-learning actually is. E-learning used to be known as computer-based learning, this is basically what it still is, it is a way of learning but on a computer or even these days there is even m-learning which is through the mobile. We need e-learning in everyday life to be able to adapt the required skills in education, employment, even at home. It can be defined as any learning activity supported by information and communication technologies which is known as ICTs. There are arguments out there concerning the labels, an example of this is whether ICT-based learning is the same as e-learning, we can gather information from the world wide web channel and this would be our online materials, but we can also get materials from this intranet would could be confused as being from the world wide web but instead this material is delivered through an internal network of personal computers. E-learn ing is in fact taken to mean any form of electronic technology which can support learning this can be opposed to the chalk and blackboard technology which used to be the main form of learning. E-learning comprises all forms of electronically supported learning and teaching. To implement the learning process the information and communication systems will serve as a specific media. It is essentially the computer and network-enabled transfer of skills and knowledge. The applications and processes will include web-based learning, computer-based learning, virtual classroom opportunities and also digital collaboration. The contents can be delivered via the Internet or even from an audio or video tape. E-learning can be self-taught or even instructor-led, this can be done in groups or even individually, it can include media in the form of text, image animation, video streaming and audio. (e-learning, 2010) What is the purpose of e-learning? The purpose of e-learning is to advance and develop peoples skills. This is why it is so important to HRD because the aim of HRD is to learn, train, develop and educate people; this is exactly what e-learning does for people. Without e-learning I think people would be under developed with skills and this may not help them progress into a work place. E-learning can help to increase teacher effectiveness and will also improve the learning of the subject matter. With HRD I think trying to teach people new subjects can be quite tedious and this could be off putting for them involved and this can decrease their knowledge levels and even cause them to lose a job because they havent got the right skills needed for the job, this is where e-learning comes in with HRD because it makes the learning more relevant for them involved and helps them to become more interactive. E-learning now changes the way that people were taught new subjects because before people were being taught on a I will writ e out the subject and you will go away and learn it basis, but now computers are involved and people can teach themselves and this is the whole purpose of e-learning and it helps HRD to perform better. (Churchill, 2010) Have you used e-learning? What was your experience? I have used e-learning before, I am actually using a tool of e-learning now and that is Microsoft Word. I am constantly using this to complete assignments for my university work and I can develop my skills using this because there are so many different options within word for me to be able to expand my learning; an example of this would be to add a page number instead of doing this manually I can select an option to do it automatically. Another tool of e-learning that I use regularly is Facebook, I use this to keep in touch with friends and family and there are also applications on their which can help me towards education or my occupation. I am always very happy using e-learning and a lot of the time I actually prefer to use e-learning because I find it more interactive and detailed and when I learn this way I find that I actually want to learn because I dont get bored and uninterested in the subject. Different forms of e-learning There are a number of different ways which e-learning can be presented. The main two forms of e-learning are; traditional e-learning which is based on highly produced web courses and there is rapid e-learning which is based on the name rapid because this is quickly produced web courses. In addition to this there are also two types of Rapid e-learning which are asynchronous and synchronous. Asynchronous is mainly student directed and at a self-paced learning which can come under the learning concept for human resource development. Synchronous is at a set time which could happen in an internet classroom session as an example and this could again come under the education concept for human resource development because education can be taught within a classroom for example. With these two forms of e-learning there are not specific types of companies that should choose between traditional e-learning and rapid e-learning. It just simply means that some projects are best suited for either on e of them. Traditional e-learning the content of this is more fixed and it rarely changes, it is also generic and has a long shelf life. However it does need a large budget in order for it to be put into action. Rapid e-learning the content is rapidly changing and is updated quite frequently, also it may not be generic or have a short shelf life. The budget for this way of learning is limited or non-existent. The information is very hot topic and is just in time. (Readygo, unknown) In order to use traditional or rapid e-learning correctly you will need to use different tools which are available. Traditional e-learning developers will use Power User tools. These are specifically designed for graphics artist, web designers, programmers, and instructional design experts, and this will be useful for any persons working in these sectors and will help to develop human resource development. Rapid e-learning which is typically used in small or medium enterprises will need tools that can produce interesting multi level courses but do not require a graphic or design background. This easiest tool which can be used is Power Point. (Readygo, unknown2) Different types of e-learning: As well as different forms of e-learning there are also a number of different types. I think depending on the workplace and the HRD set up within the workplace it does not matter what types of e-learning you use, it will be the type of e-learning which is best suited for the organisation. Below I will just list a couple of examples of e-learning: You tube Facebook Google search Wikipedia Power Point Microsoft Office Firefox Pb wikis This is just a small example just to show that there are a number of different kinds of e-learning, and also to show that they vary also. There are number of different applications from Microsoft office to Firefox. Each of these applications however does play an important role for human resource development, and will help to implement skills for people. (Hart, 2010) Bangor University An example of an institute using e-learning to develop HRD is Bangor University. Bangor University implement a lot of e-learning to help their students develop their skills. The main type of e-learning which is used by the university is Blackboard. This is has been brought into the mainstream of teaching and learning activities within the university. It is one of the most central systems which are not only used by the students but also the lecturers also. Within blackboard the lecturers are able to integrate presentations which contain both audio and video content onto the online courses. This will then go on to develop online questions and test provisions which will simultaneously drive learning activity and reduce marking workloads. Also included with Blackboard is the use of online discussion forums in supporting the development of learners and understanding and this can become useful for HRD because students can be educated by other students or even lecturers by submitting questi ons onto the forum as an example. Another example of e-learning which the university use is webmail. This is the emailing tool of e-learning in which students, lecturers, support staff or whoever is involved with the institute can communicate with one another or even with people outside of the university. (Bangor University, unknown) Tesco Tesco is an example of a company which also use forms of e-learning within the workplace. Tesco was looking into developing an Online Academy which was going to be a new learning portal which hopefully in the end would eventually serve the learning needs of over 400,000 staff across the global businesses. Their aim was to develop a cost-effective solution, Tesco would be partnered with Kineo to design and also deploy learning based on Moodle. During 2009 Tesco piloted its Academy Online portal as a proof of concept for a learning management solution and portal for their staff across this business. Tesco wanted explore alternatives with open source technologies, with doing so they saw a potential to make highly customised solutions with a strong focus on the user experience. Tesco chose Kineo to design and develop the portal solution based on the experience they had at combing user experience and web design. This was to make it easier for their staff to understand how to use the porta l easily and in a way in which they were able to extend their skills when working for Tesco, also it was to help them to manage and update the software easily. (Kineo, 2009) Critical evaluation Advantages There are many advantages towards e-learning. The advantages are as follows: The work can be scheduled around personal and professional work. It can be cost effective because it can reduce the need to travel. It gives the users the option of selecting the learning materials which will meet their level of knowledge and interest. If an organisation wanted to organise a study session it can be studied wherever they have access to a computer and Internet. E-learning is self-paced which will allow learners to work at their own pace There are a number of different learning styles which are addressed and facilitation of learning occurs through varied activities. An important advantage is that e-learning can build self-knowledge and self-confidence and can also encourage the learner to take responsibility for their learning. E-learning is very good for communication because with online portals such as Black Board the users can contact their tutors or even students very easily. Interaction can also be an advantage for e-learning because some people may feel less confident talking face-to-face, but with e-learning there are some aspects where you can interact with someone without being face-to-face. E-learning can be time flexible; learners are able to access everything they need in one place at any time so long as they have the Internet. More people are able to afford to use e-learning, this can then go on to gain them a place at universities as an example because they can save money from expenses such as travelling, accommodation and even high fees for tutors. There are many advantages that come with e-learning, and all these advantages will play a role in human resource development. Also it will help to play a part in a users everyday life and will help them to progress their learning, training, development and education. (writing, 2006, unknown, 2008) Disadvantages As well as advantages there are a number of disadvantages which come with e-learning. Below I will list a number of disadvantages: There can be some learners who are unmotivated can because of this their poor study habits may fall behind. E-learning is very different from any other kind of learning and this may affect the learners knowledge due to lack of familiar structure, also the will then make the routine longer to get used to. E-learning can be a lonely way of learning which could leave the learner to feel isolated or even miss social interaction. If you required further instructions the instructor for the course may not always be available on demand. A lot of e-learning can be carried out online, however this may be useful for some but for others the can be frustrating due to slow or unreliable Internet connections. Face-to-face communication can be vital to how someone learns and because of the lack of this there can be a lack of understanding between the learner and the instructor. There is a limited amount of time for e-learning if you were using video conferencing as an example, and this could lead to the teaching being rushed and the learner not being able to learn enough. As you can see from the above there are some disadvantages, however there are fewer disadvantages than there are advantages. The disadvantages can however help human resource development because they can learn from this and try and avoid the disadvantages and use this to their advantages. (Writing, 2006, unknown, 2008) Conclusion In my opinion I believe that the role of technology in Human Resource Development is very much needed. I believe that along with technology the main form of this is e-learning and with my own personal use I think that this is very much need in order for us to be able to develop HRD. With e-learning you can learn so many new skills which can help you too improve in the workplace. However there are a couple of disadvantages like the lack of face-to-face communication which can affect how e-learning is used.

How can a traumatic experience influence childrens behaviour

How can a traumatic experience influence childrens behaviour How can a traumatic experience influence children’s behaviour? The issues surrounding children’s behaviour after a traumatic experience are complex, multifactorial and often hugely controversial. Having considered the literature on the subject, one could be forgiven for believing that there are as many opinions on the issues as there are people considering the issues. In this review we have attempted to cover as many of the major areas as possible in order to present a reasonably comprehensive overview of the subject. The definition of a traumatic experience is subjective from both the point of view of the child concerned and also form the observer. Some commentators have suggested that the only workable definition of a traumatic experience is one that, by definition, produces demonstrable psychological sequelae. (Abikoff 1987) This may be the case, but as other commentators observe, some psychological sequelae may not surface for years, if at all. This does not mean that the original triggering episode was not traumatic. There is also the view that that the worst kind, or most extreme type of trauma may be the most likely to be actively suppressed at either a conscious or subconscious level. (Haddad Garralda. 1992) Literature Review With an area of literature as vast as the one that we are considering here, it is often difficult to find a place to start. In this instance we will consider the paper by Prof. Harry Zetlin (1995) who starts with a short monograph on the screening of a television programme which dealt with arguably the most catastrophic of stresses to befall a child, that of the loss of a parent through murder or violence. He makes several thought provoking comments which are worthy of consideration as they are germinal to the thrust of this article. The first is a plea that the diagnostic label of post-traumatic stress should not be a catch-all basket for all emotional and behavioural problems that can occur after a traumatic experience. (Gorcey et al.1986) The second is the realisation that in the particular circumstances portrayed on the television where a parent is murdered have two consequences. The first is the obvious catastrophic trauma that the child experiences with the violent loss of a parent, but the second is the much less obvious fact that the child has, at a stroke, also lost a valuable, and normally available resource, of the protective family environment, which is often one of the most useful therapeutic tools available to the therapist. He adds to this two further insights. The first is that the surviving parent has their own trauma to deal with and that is invariably transmitted to the child and that, because such events are mercifully comparatively rare, only a comparatively few professionals are ever able to build up any significant expertise and experience on the subject. The main issue of the piece is, however, the very relevant point that considering the apparent obsession of the media with intrusive fly-on-the-wall documentaries and the almost equally insatiable public hunger for sensation, the very fact that such a programme is made at all, almost inevitably adds to the trauma felt by the victims. (Koss et al 1989) One could argue that actually confronting and talking about such issues is part of the healing process. Such considerations may be of value in the adult who is more able to rationalise the concepts involved, but to the child this may be very much more difficult and being forced to relive the episodes in a very public and unfamiliar arena, may do little more than add to the psychological stresses and damage already caused. (Mayall Gold 1995) This paper offers a wise and considered plea for sense and moderation, not to mention reservation and decency. It is written in calm and considered moderate tones which makes the impact of its message all the more powerful. The next few papers that we would like to analyse deal with the thorny issue of Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. It has to be commented that there is a considerable body of literature which argues on both sides of the debate about whether ADHD is the result of childhood trauma. One side is presented, quite forcibly, by Bramble (et al. 1998). The authors cite Kewley (1998) as stating that the prime aetiology of ADHD is a genetic neuro-developmental one. They challenge the expressed views that it is a manifestation of early childhood abuse or trauma which can have occurred at some time previously with the words: ..early abuse and trauma later manifest as symptoms and that the detection of these symptoms in children clearly illustrates early trauma is a prime example of the logical fallacy that underpins all psychoanalytical theory and practice. The authors argue that to state because psychotherapy is often effective it must reflect the fact that a traumatic episode must have been responsible because it addresses directly the original emotional trauma (Follette et al.1996), is completely unsound. The natural progression of this argument, they assert, is the reason why many parents of children with ADHD have such difficulty in finding child psychiatrists who can actually help them rather than the many who would seek to blame them for the childs behaviour in the first place. (Breire 1992) The authors take the view that the reason that psychoanalytical practitioners have held so much influence on the profession over the years is that it is only recently that the glare of evidence based medicine has fallen on their discipline. The authors argue that far from using psychotherapeutic tools to try to achieve resolution, the evidence suggests that psycho-stimulant treatment is far more effective (Abikoff 1987) if only because it enhances the therapeutic effect of other forms of treatment such as family therapy and special educational provision. The converse argument, or perhaps an extension of the argument, is presented by Thambirajah (1998) who takes the view that many papers on ADHD (and by inference he is referring to the one reviewed above), regard the syndrome as being a diagnosis made simply by checking an appropriate number of boxes on a check-list. He asserts that factors such as biopsychological circumstances should be weighed equally strongly as the symptom cluster of impulsivity, inattention or hyperactivity. (Tannock 1998) In direct contrast to the preceding paper he states that early traumatic experiences, current abuse or even depression of the mother may all be contributory factors in the aetiology of the condition. He argues that taking no account of these factors is to ignore much of the accumulated evidence and wisdom on the subject. He also makes a very valid point that to ignore these factors and only to use the check-list approach means that here is an over-reliance on the significance of these symptoms and, as a direct result, this leads to an overestimation of prevalence. He points to the obviously erroneous estimate of a study that was based exclusively on check list symptomatology, of 15% (although the study is not quoted). The author makes the very valid point that most psychiatrists would agree that the hyperkinetic disorder is a small sub-group within the ADHD syndrome and that these children may need treatment with stimulants but only after other aetiologies have been excluded. He makes the rather apt comparison of treating all children with ADHD the same way as calling all four legged animals with a tail donkeys. There are a great many more papers on this issue which we could usefully review but we must explore other areas of trauma in a childs life in order to try to give a representative overview. With the possible exception of the situation outlined in the first paper reviewed, there can be few experiences more traumatising to a child than to me made homeless as a refugee in a time of war. The paper by Hodes (et al. 2001) is both heart rending and informative as it explores the health needs of refugees arriving in the UK. Although the paper catalogues all of the health needs (that need not concern us in this article) of the refugees, it does not overlook the psychosocial trauma aspects of the childrens plight. They point to the fact that one way that a childs psychological trauma can be minimised is by being accepted into a peer group such as a school. While this may indeed be true, the problem is that refugee children are seldom seen by their peers as belonging and are therefore seldom completely accepted. (Lewis 1998) This is either aggravated or caused by the fact that they already have twice the rate of psychiatric disorder as found in control groups of children. (Tousignant et al. 1999). It is therefore important to be aware of these problems as they are often very amenable to psychiatric intervention (OShea et al. 2000). The authors quote a paper by Burnett and Peel (2001) who appear to be particularly pessimistic about making a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder in children from a fundamentally different culture, as their recovery is thought to be secondary to the reconstruction of their support networks, which may prove particularly difficult in a different or even alien, cultural environment. They point to studies of the children who fled to the USA to escape the Pol Pot regime, who had post-traumatic stress in childhood, and even when followed up 12 years later they quote 35% as still having post traumatic stress and 14% had active depression. (Sack et al. 1999). This may be a reflection of the difficulty in getting appropriate treatment for a condition in a different culture. But, in distinct relevance to our considerations here, the authors comment that even exposure to a single stressor may result in a surprisingly persistent post traumatic stress reaction. (Richards Lovell 1999). The last article that we are going to consider here is a paper by Papineni (2003). This paper has been selected partly because of its direct relevance to our consideration, but also because on a human level, it is a riveting piece of writing. It is entitled Children of bad memories and opens with the quote Every time there is a war there is a rape (Stiglmayer 1994). The whole article is a collection of war-related rape stories and the resultant psychopathology that ensued. The author specifically explores the issues relating to childhood rape and its aftermath. She also considers a related issue and that is how the effect of maternal shame shapes a childs perception of themselves (with heartrending consequences), how the shame felt by the mother is often externalised to affect the child who is the visible symbol of the physical act. (Carpenter 2000) The catalogue of emotion and reaction described in this article by some of the subjects, would almost make an authoritative text book on the consequences of a traumatic experience in childhood. It would be almost impossible to quantify a single negative emotion that was neither articulated nor experienced by the victims, not only of the act of rape, but also of the stigma and aftermath of the act which was often described as the worst aspect of the whole thing. A constant theme that runs trough the paper is the realisation that the presence of a child conceived by a rape is a potent reminder of the trauma and therefore is, in itself a bar to psychological healing. The author also points to the fact that another, almost inevitable consequence of forcible rape, is difficulty with relationships and intimacy which can devastate a childs social development. (Human Rights Watch.1996). Such a child may not only have this burden to bear for its life, but the stigma forced upon it by society may also have untold consequences. The author quotes a child born from the Rwandan conflict, describing itself by different names which bear witness to societys perception, and more accurately and inevitably, the childs perception of itself: children of hate, enfants non-desirÃÆ'Â ©s (unwanted children), or enfants mauvais souvenir (children of bad memories) The author describes how such psychological trauma may never be successfully treated and ends with the very perceptive comment. There cannot be peace without justice, and unless the international community recognises all rape in conflict situations as crimes against humanity, there will be no peace for the victims of such atrocities. Conclusion It is clearly a forlorn hope to cover all of the aspects of trauma and its potential impact on a childs life in one short article. We hope that, by being selective, we have been able to provide the reader with an authoritative insight into some on the problems associated with the subject.

Free College Essays - The Use of Time in Antony and Cleopatra :: Antony Cleopatra Essays

  Use of Time in Anthony and Cleopatra  Ã‚     Shakespeare's use of time in Anthony and Cleopatra is seemingly [1] quite erratic.   However, it is important to note that Shakespeare was a playwright and his job was to write interesting drama, not to accurately record details of history.   It therefore seems quite unfair to expect him to use time in a precise manner.   However, to dismiss Shakespeare's use of time as merely a mistake or the by product of his dramatisation of history [2]is to do it injustice.   It could easily be argued that there is a method in it.[3]   To show this we can analyse one chunk of the play, staring at Act 1 Scene 3.   Here is where Anthony finally plucks up the courage to leave Egypt.   In Act 1 Scene 4, we are in Rome and here we have Caesar complaining about Anthony while messengers bring news of how Pompey is doing at sea as well as his allies Menecrates and Menas.     In act 1 Scene 5 we are back in Egypt and Cleopatra is talking about how she misses Anthony.   In Act 2 Scene 2 we are back in Rome and Anthony has finished his journey across the Mediterranean.   Anthony and Caesar get back on speaking terms and decide that to cement their relationship (or to destroy it, depending on your level of cynicism).   Octavia should marry Anthony.   By Act 2 Scene 5the news of Anthony's betrothal has reached Cleopatra in Egypt and though she rants and raves she doesn't actually do anything constructive about it.   In Act 2 Scene 7 we are in Rome again and there is a party where the three triumvirates become drunk to varying degrees .   In Act 3 Scene 2 Octavia and Anthony leave Rome together.   The next scene is in Egypt, where again very little action takes place. In Act 3 Scene 4 the most remarkable act of condensation occurs when eight years of Octavia and Anthony's marriage are meant to have occurred.     By Act 3 Scene 6 we are in Rome and discussing the fact that Anthony has left Octavia in Athens and is back in Egypt.[4]   So we see that in this chunk of the play there have been many things occurring in Rome, while in Egypt it might as well have been one long afternoon for all the deeds and actions that have occurred.

Autonomy and Responsibility: The United States involvement in the Persian Gulf :: Essays Papers

Autonomy and Responsibility: The United States' involvement in the Persian Gulf The United States' involvement in the Persian Gulf War showed the responsibility of the country to maintain peace and order, but more importantly, the conflict showed that the United States has a responsibility to oversee control of the world's natural resources. â€Å"On Aug. 2, 1990, Iraqi military forces, on orders from President Saddam Hussein, invaded and occupied the small country of Kuwait.†1 Kuwait, a small country in the Middle East, contains a large amount of oil that Iraq wished to take control of to help solve the economic problems of their country. A very important decision faced the United States, whether or not to risk lives of American soldiers to free Kuwait. By freeing Kuwait, the United States would be able to maintain Kuwait’s control over oil prices in the United States. The United States, fearing Iraqi control of Kuwait’s oil supply, initiated an offensive military action on January 16, 1991, over five months after Iraq’s in itial invasion.2 Thus beginning a conflict known as the Persian Gulf War. The United States, standing â€Å"for law and order and justice,† had a responsibility to free Kuwait after peaceful negotiations failed and the economic future of Kuwait, Iraq, United States, and the rest of the world was in danger pending Iraq’s control of the regions natural resources.3 So that citizens would be peaceful and supportive, the United States' use of military action was justified by the helpless Kuwait citizens and the fear of Iraqi control of oil prices in America. The public opinion on the United States’ responsibility to join the war involved several complex arguments and counter-arguments. One such argument involved the United States being the world’s police force. Since the United States controls most of the world power, many feel as though the United States should maintain order throughout the world. Unfortunately, this maintenance of order is not at a cheap cost. The United States spends billions of dollars to support its military forces and figures increase during war times. This created a huge dilemma among the nations leaders. The cost of war may or may not have been worth the cost of the government being involved in the Persian Gulf War. The government made the tough decision to engage in offensive military actions to free Kuwait on the basis that the price of war was less than the apparent price of allowing Iraq to control Kuwait and their oil supply.

Hamlet Betrayed :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

Hamlet Betrayed Many things contribute to the fact that Hamlet gets himself in trouble. It is not Hamlet’s poor attitude that gets him in trouble, but the way he over analyzes every situation and event. The first thing is when the ghost of Hamlet’s father tells him about his uncle’s betrayal towards him. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern spy on him, which makes Hamlet examine their every move. Polonius sets up deceiving and devious plans toward Hamlet, making him act mad. Hamlet’s Mom, Gertrude, displeases Hamlet by marrying Claudius so quickly after his father’s so called "accidental death". Hamlet does not know how to deal with this situation, so he thinks about what to do for many weeks. To deal with all of the problems, Hamlet decides to put on his "antic disposition" to fool those around him. In this essay I will investigate the behavior and the actions that the Ghost, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Polonius, Laertes, and Gertrude do, to make Hamlet acted the way he does. Hamlet is in shock when he is told his father has died. He has no reason but to believe that his death was accidental, until he speaks with the ghost of his father. He believes the appearance of the ghost raises a suspicious question about his death. "My father’s spirit- in arms! All is not well" (I;ii;255-256). The ghost explains to Hamlet that Claudius murdered him and that he would like Hamlet to avenge his death. "Revenge his foul most unnatural murder" (I;v;75). The ghost also tells Hamlet that Claudius has seduced Gertrude. He says that Hamlet is not to take action against his mother. " Taint not thy mind, nor let thy soul contrive against thy mother aught: leave her to heaven and to those thorns that in her bosom lodge, to prick and sting her" (I;v’84-87). But Hamlet does not follow that order. He intends to ask his mother if she has betrayed his father. "Soft, now to my mother, O’heart, lose not thy nature, lot not ever the soul of Nero enter this firm bo som" (III;ii;362-364). Hamlet gets into a big argument with Gertrude and ends up killing Polonius, thinking it was Claudius behind the curtain. Hamlet defends himself by telling his mother what he did, is no less terrible than her marrying Claudius. "A bloody deed almost as bad, good mother, as killing a king, and marry with his brother" (III;iv;29-30).

A Probation Officer’s View of Effectiveness

There are two distinct sets of interests that were served by the individual evaluations; it can fairly be said that the newspaper’s evaluation of the department served the interests of the newspaper, as the newspaper would of course be able to use such sensational articles to attract readers to their publication.  Ã‚  Ã‚   It can also be said that to a certain extent, the interests of the public are served if there is accurate information in the newspaper articles.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Furthermore, the proposed evaluation would serve the needs of the higher ups in the probation department, as the evaluation could serve as a means for the managers to protect themselves from potential complaints from the public as a result of the newspaper articles.1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What theory or theories of effectiveness are represented in the new evaluation format?One theory of effectiveness which is especially appropriate in describing the new evaluation format is contingency theory.   T o be more precise in describing what is meant by contingency theory in this particular situation is that the new evaluation format would only be effective and useful to any extent if it were accepted by the subordinates in the department once handed down from the director of the department.   All of this ties back to the allegations made by the newspaper as well, because if the new evaluation format is not embraced by the entire department-superiors and subordinates alike-it will not be able to come into being, just as the original attempt at an evaluation resulted in the loss of a department head and the appointment of a new head, who is now attempting to institute the new evaluation format.2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What process and outcome measures are included in the evaluation? What domain of activity do these cover? Is the meaning of the variables clear?Within the evaluation, the process measures included consist of the surveillance/monitoring of clients, the intake/processing o f clients, and the ability to take on additional cases to maximize productivity.Additionally, the outcome measures could include the success of the clients upon their completion of the probation program, the resulting reduction of caseload for the probation workers, and improvement of the overall system that is utilized for the processing and monitoring of clients.The domain of activities that these measures cover can best be described as a combination of administrative and enforcement, which is to say that the probation officers perform the actual law enforcement activities required of them as well as the accompanying paperwork and recordkeeping.   The meaning of the variables overall is somewhat vague; for example, how one can measure the â€Å"success† of a client may be easier said than done, as is the measure of the improvements to the system itself.   The point to be realized here is that variables must be clearly defined if a process is to be as effective as possib le.