Who I Am Essay - 1144 Words

When I look in the mirror I know whom I am, but society makes it difficult to understand who I am, because I was born to immigrants of Nigerian descent, and I am a first generation American, that term is sometimes used so loosely. By looking at my name they assume that I am from some island, but I am so quick to tell them that â€Å"I am Nigerian†, there is another statement that normally follows this. â€Å"You do not have an accent†. I wonder if I had an accent would I be considered Nigerian and not American; then I say that â€Å"My parents are Nigerian† and then that changes, so to them I am just associated with the Nigerian culture it does not make me Nigerian, there has been many discussion between my friends who are the same like me confused to†¦show more content†¦I currently enjoy shocking people with my heritage because there is still a stigma about what a Haitian should look like, sound like, etc. Id say that because I was such a scared little kid who didnt talk much, my family could do little to support me because they didnt know I was having issues (A. Benjamin, personal communication, Dec 1, 2009). This is saying that if you do not walk, talk, or think like them; then you are not considered to be of that ethnicity. Everyday I am on a constant race to discover who I am as an individual. I am fighting this battle whether I choose to acknowledge it or not. Donald Hernandez has written in his book Children of Immigrants: Health, Adjustment, and Public Assistance; he talks about major key points, but the most important one state â€Å"Third, because life chances differ greatly according to race and ethnicity in the United States, and because of the race and ethnic composition of immigrants to this country has shifted markedly during recent decades,† (3). That is true trying to be one thing is very hard in USA society has an effect of how you may become as the individual. If I were in another country they would just see as an American and nothing else, but the place that I was born and raised they see me as what my parents are Nigerians. I am not American because my parents are from Nigeria; this has been a very constant thing, because of several definitions of what itShow MoreRelatedWho Am Who I Am792 Words   |  4 Pagesidentity? I have an identity and I know when I got it too, because I will never forget these moments in my life. I live in a world where people don’t see me for me, only what they want to see or what they hear. A black man always put down by the white race, and told to shoot for the stars by the black race. I found no comfort in either race and I was put down by both races. I was the one who told myself to rise, I learned that the only person who wants you to succeed is yourself. I am nothing likeRead MoreWho I Am I? Essay1710 Words   |  7 Pages Who am I? It is funny you should ask because I was just asking myself the same question. How would I define myself In a culture that seems to so easily attach a label to someone or quickly place people into a category? How would I be able to make you understand my place in the world, or my relationship to the world that surrounds me? If I want you to understand and see the â€Å"real me† and how I fit into the big picture, I would have to do an immense amount of soul searching. I would have to chooseRead MoreWho I Am A? Essay1423 Words   |  6 Pagesplanet who I have not met yet, and over 180 countries I have not visited. Yet I am stuck in this insignificant town, being pressured into making decisions about my future when I barely know who I am. People may think that I have nothing to be sad about, and I should feel happy. But if you look more closely at my life, at the little details, that’s where it all went wrong. I feel bad for feeling like this because I have people I love, I have nice parents and friends, but when I’m alone, I have nothingRead MoreWho Am I1356 Words   |  6 PagesCreed I believe in the forgiveness of sins. I had been saying it for several years before I asked myself why it was in the Creed. At first sight it seems hardly worth putting in. If one is a Christian, I thought of course one believes in the forgiveness of sins. It goes without saying. But the people who compiled the Creed apparently thought that this was a part of our belief which we needed to be reminded of every time we went to church. And I have begun to see that, as far as I am concernedRead MoreWho I Am I?802 Words   |  4 PagesWho am I? I ask myself that all the time it’s starting to sound like a broken record in my head. Well I will start with my name, my name is Kaleab F. Debebe. Kale-ab Ethiopian name meaning word of God. In Amharic â€Å"Kale† means word and â€Å"ab† means God. My mother got my name in a dream and I was born on the morning of Ethiopian Christmas. I am that kid his father left at the age of six month and act though t hat not having a father figure growing up did not affect me. I am that Ethiopian boy who leftRead MoreWho Am I?786 Words   |  4 Pageserases it. She is stuck as the room moves on. All is not well. As a child, I didn’t understand what it meant to be â€Å"Korean.† Everything simply was as it is. No questions arise because no one cared if you held a Caucasian, African American, Hispanic, or Asian background. We were children and if you created a sword out of a stick, you gained acceptance. It wasn’t until my middle school years that I noticed a change. Suddenly, I became aware of the wall between others and myself. It appeared at timesRead MoreWho I Am I?931 Words   |  4 PagesWho Am I? When confronted with the question â€Å"who am I,† I thought long and hard. Although the answer is as simple as â€Å"I am Anaam Haji,† but who I really am is a question that I pondered over for hours. I was born on October 17, 1999 in the great state of Georgia. My parents migrated to the United States in 1997 to flee the civil war that had broken out in Somalia in the earlier half of the decade. My parents came to America with my five older siblings, and in 1998 gave birth to my sister AliyaRead MoreWho I Am I?895 Words   |  4 PagesWho am I? Where am I going? How will I get there? As we go through the journey of figuring out who we are; our likes and dislikes. We find many new facts about ourselves. Figuring out who we are help us figure out where we want to go in life. As we identify the path we want to take we start to set goals, which not only affect us but also those around us. We set different types of goals for ourselves; short and long term goals. The short term goals we set help us reach our long term goal becauseRead MoreWho I Am I?1732 Words   |  7 PagesWHO AM I? Have you ever wondered why you act a certain way or why you react to certain things differently then those who surround you? I have always believed that I was different but what exactly makes me different is what intrigues me. According to the United States Census Bureau there are 7 billion people living on the earth. The personalities of these 7 billion people are all different. Everyone holds personality traits that define who he or she is. But before we begin to define who I am letsRead MoreI Am Who They Are880 Words   |  4 PagesTo Be Who They Are â€Å"Oh! You wrote your name!† I exclaimed. â€Å"Did Ms. Michelle teach you to do that?† â€Å"No,† my oldest daughter replied, â€Å"Julie and Eden know how to do it, so I wanted to do it too.† At four years old, she had taught herself to write her name on her very first day of preschool. Her father had been right; she was just as precocious as the amazing little kid he had seen on TV. But I was right too: she would do these things when she was good and ready, and not a moment sooner.

Storm Born Chapter Twenty-Eight Free Essays

About two days passed before I had enough of a grip on consciousness to get out of bed. I had dim recollections of a commotion outside Aeson’s stronghold after returning to my body that night but little more. Shaya had cradled me in her arms. We will write a custom essay sample on Storm Born Chapter Twenty-Eight or any similar topic only for you Order Now Dorian had yelled for a healer. But best of all, beside me I’d seen Kiyo stir. Now I woke up in one of Dorian’s many guest rooms. It was smaller than his but as opulently decorated as everything else around there. I’d come to a few times before this but only now found the strength to stay up. Nia, who had hovered by my side the entire time, remained less convinced. â€Å"You shouldn’t†¦you need to sleep more†¦.† I was stripping off the long chemise they’d put me in, trading up for my recently laundered clothes. â€Å"If I sleep any more, I’ll be dead, and I’ve already come too close to that. Where’s Dorian? I need to talk to him.† â€Å"I’m sure he’d come to you, your majesty.† I winced at the title. â€Å"No. Just take me to him.† Despite her protests, her sense of duty couldn’t disobey the order. She led me through the maze of corridors where I earned a number of curious looks from the various occupants. Since my initial arrival, I’d become sort of a common fixture around here, accepted and ignored. Now people regarded me with the same frightened curiosity I’d first received. Outdoors, we found Dorian in one of the gardens, standing over a small, fluffy dog. Muran hovered nearby, and between them, they tried unsuccessfully to coax the dog to lie down and roll over. It merely sat looking at them, tail thumping. Dorian noticed me first, his face breaking into a wide smile. The healers had been at work on him too; no trace of the burns remained. â€Å"Queen Eugenie, lovely to see you out and about.† Muran nearly fell all over himself to bow. â€Å"Y-your majesty.† â€Å"We need to talk,† I told Dorian firmly. â€Å"Alone.† â€Å"I never tire of being alone with you. Nia, take this unreasonable beast away with you. And take the dog too.† He waved them off. Once alone with him, I demanded, â€Å"What the hell were you thinking?† â€Å"There are so many incidents to which you could be referring, I don’t even know where to start.† â€Å"Yes, you do. You made me queen of Aeson’s kingdom.† â€Å"Your kingdom now, my dear.† I paced around in the grass irritably. It was the middle of the day, crisp and sunny. â€Å"I didn’t want it. You had no right to do it.† â€Å"It’s done. Besides, if I hadn’t, someone else might have snatched it up. Would you have liked to see your charming little sister on the throne?† That stopped me. Extensive searching had found no trace of Jasmine. She seemed to have gotten away cleanly during the yeshin fight. â€Å"Give it to someone else. There has to be a better choice than Jasmine or me.† â€Å"Give it away?† He laughed his wondrous melodic laugh, the one that declared all the world was a joke. â€Å"The land recognized you. You can’t go back on that. It’s yours forever†¦well, at least until you die. Or pass it on to an heir.† â€Å"Great. Here we go again. I might have known you’d start pushing that.† â€Å"I did no such thing, but†¦since you brought it up†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I stopped pacing and glared at him. â€Å"Quit it. I don’t want to talk about it. I don’t even want to think about it.† Some of his humor faded. â€Å"Maybe you should. Jasmine certainly will be. If she has a son first, all your good intentions won’t matter. You say you don’t want it, but you know†¦it could all turn out differently if you beat her to it.† It was so alarmingly close to what Storm King had told me in the Underworld that I didn’t even know what to say at first. Was this a coincidence? I felt pretty sure that all I’d seen there had been an illusion, meant to test my resolve and make me face my fears. â€Å"What’s wrong?† Dorian asked, seeing my face. There was nothing sly or knowing in his expression, only worry. â€Å"Nothing. Look, forget about the prophecy for a minute. Go back to the Alder Land thing. If you were so worried about it falling into the wrong hands, why didn’t you just seize it for yourself?† â€Å"Why, Eugenie, do you think me so power hungry?† â€Å"Yes. I do. I’ve heard and seen as much. When these kingdoms were formed, you wanted more. And you had your chance when Aeson died.† He didn’t answer, and I pushed on, knowing I was right. â€Å"But that would have upset a lot of people, wouldn’t it? Maiwenn and the others might have turned against you. But by making me Alder Queen†¦you got a placeholder. No one can say anything because I defeated Aeson fairly in battle, and now you have easy access to the same power. You plan to use me and this fucking title to extend your control.† â€Å"You have a very low opinion of me. No wonder you’re so upset.† â€Å"Come on. Why else would you have done it?† He stared in astonishment. â€Å"Why, because I love you.† He said it as though it was the most reasonable thing in the whole world. Like I should have known this already. â€Å"You barely even know me.† â€Å"We’ve known each other almost as long as you’ve known the kitsune, and I daresay you think you’re in love with him. Your little foray that night demonstrated as much. By the gods, that was one of the most foolish things I’ve ever witnessed. You stopped breathing. I thought you were dead.† I heard the catch in his voice, and it really struck me that he just might love me after all. It gave me a strange feeling, one I didn’t know how to cope with. Dorian loving a person was almost incomprehensible. I thought of him as loving only his own amusements and ambitions. â€Å"I do love Kiyo,† I said in a low voice. â€Å"And if we can work it out†¦I’m going to – â€Å" He shrugged, carefree and lax again. â€Å"It doesn’t matter. I don’t mind sharing you.† â€Å"You told Aeson you don’t share.† â€Å"As a general rule, no – and certainly not with the likes of him – but I don’t think you’ll give me exclusivity, so I must compromise.† â€Å"There isn’t going to be any exclusivity or compromise.† â€Å"So you say. You also said you’d never come to my bed in the first place. Or that you’d ever use magic. You probably said a dozen other things too. We all saw how those turned out.† â€Å"Stop it. I’m serious about this.† â€Å"And so am I. You’re a queen now. You control part of this world. Ally with me, and we’ll be the greatest power since your father.† â€Å"I don’t want the power or the Alder Land.† â€Å"It’s the Thorn Land now.† â€Å"I – what?† â€Å"The land conformed itself to you. The Alder Land was Aeson’s domain. Yours is the Thorn Land. You’re the Thorn Queen.† â€Å"The smokethorn,† I recalled. If someone tried to force a crown of thorns on me, that was going to be seriously fucked up. â€Å"Very fitting actually. A tree covered in beauty yet possessing a sharp and deadly core.† I shook my head. â€Å"I don’t care about metaphors. I don’t want to rule this kingdom.† He moved into my space, something passionate kindling in those gold-green eyes. â€Å"So what? You think you can just ignore it? Pretend it’ll go away? The land conformed itself to your will! You can’t turn away from that. Its survival depends on you – particularly since, for reasons only the gods know, you turned it into a wasteland.† I faltered. â€Å"Well†¦I’ll get one of those people†¦you know, someone who rules in your place†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"A regent? That’ll only work for so long. You can’t avoid the land. You have to come back and visit it, or it will die. You’re connected now.† â€Å"I didn’t want this, Dorian.† I felt tired. Maybe getting up hadn’t been such a good idea after all. â€Å"You shouldn’t have done it.† â€Å"We’ll have to agree to disagree on that, but I’ll do what I can to make amends. Take Shaya. She’d make an excellent regent. And I’ll give you Rurik and Nia and any other servants you seem to like reasonably well.† â€Å"I don’t really like Rurik.† â€Å"No, but he’ll be as loyal as that dog I just had. More so, actually, considering what an unreasonable little bastard it was. Rurik will sift through what’s left of Aeson’s guard and keep only those who’ll support you.† â€Å"You mean who support Storm King.† â€Å"It’s the best I can do,† he said with a shrug. â€Å"You may take it or not. And you’ll still have to fill other positions yourself. Nia will do nicely for a lady-in-waiting, but she’s not quite up to being a seneschal. You’ll need one of those. And a herald too.† He spoke like he was reciting things I needed to pick up at the grocery store. â€Å"Oh, God. I’m trapped in the fucking Chronicles of Narnia.† â€Å"I’m sure that would be an amusing reference, if I understood it. For now, I can do no more. I’m giving up some of my favorites for you. The rest is in your hands.† There was a smile on his face, but his eyes were serious. â€Å"No matter what you think of me and my motivations, I swear to you I wouldn’t have had you seize Aeson’s land if I didn’t think you were worthy. There’s power burning inside of you, Eugenie. I meant it when I said you’d surpass us all.† I shook my head and turned away, unable to hear this. â€Å"I’m leaving now. I really don’t want to see you again. Nothing personal. Well, yeah, actually it is.† I started walking toward the door. â€Å"What about your magic lessons?† I froze. â€Å"What about them?† â€Å"Don’t you want to continue them?† I slowly turned around. â€Å"I have some control now. Not great control, but enough to keep me from doing something stupid.† â€Å"And that’s good enough for you?† He took a few steps toward me. â€Å"You killed one of this world’s greatest magic users with a novice’s control of water. Imagine when you master it – and the other elements.† â€Å"No. I’m not going to. I don’t need to.† â€Å"I thought you liked the way it made you feel.† The ghostly memory of power flared up in my mind, and I swallowed, willing it to go away. I shook my head at him. â€Å"Goodbye, Dorian.† I started to turn again, but he caught my shoulder and pulled me into a kiss. He deserved to be slapped, but the kiss was exquisite, just like all his kisses. And feeling him against me reminded me of our night together, how he’d brought me to a wildness I didn’t think myself capable of. â€Å"That’s the last time you’re going to kiss me,† I warned when it ended. He smiled knowingly, and in his eyes, I could see his own memories of that night. â€Å"So you say.† I left him and returned to my own world. Kiyo found me a few days later, as I’d know he would. I’d been out running errands and came home to see him sitting on my doorstep, in human form. He wore a white cotton shirt, tucked neatly into khakis. The black hair was brushed away from his face, and his dark eyes were as smoky and sensual as ever. He looked good – and healthy. Like Dorian, he’d enjoyed the benefits of gentry healing magic. In fact, Kiyo had received the very best: Maiwenn had tended him during his recovery. â€Å"Come on in,† I said, unlocking the door. He entered wordlessly, following and waiting as I put away my keys and purse. I offered him iced tea and then sat down with him on the couch, wanting to say so much and not knowing where to start. â€Å"You look better than the last time I saw you,† I finally said. His teeth flashed in a lovely smile. â€Å"Wouldn’t take much.† I looked away. â€Å"Maiwenn did a good job.† I felt his hand reach out and turn my face toward him. Those fingers held the same warmth I remembered, the same electric tingle. â€Å"The way I hear it, it was more you than her.† â€Å"I didn’t do so much.† He tsked me. â€Å"Honesty, Eugenie.† â€Å"All right, it was bad. Really bad. But I’d do it again.† â€Å"You’re a crazy, wonderful woman. I can’t repay what you did.† I started. â€Å"There’s nothing to repay. Why on earth would you think that?† â€Å"Because I didn’t deserve it. Not after the way – â€Å" â€Å"No. Forget it. I†¦I shouldn’t have freaked out over it. Not over something that happened before you even met me.† What I didn’t add was that I could suddenly empathize with how dangerous certain bits of information could be to a relationship. Like, say, revealing how a gentry king had initiated you into sexual bondage. â€Å"I still should have told you.† â€Å"Yeah,† I conceded, â€Å"you should have. But it’s done. I can live with it.† His arm had snaked around me in that subtle way he had. â€Å"What are you saying?† â€Å"You know what I’m saying. There’s too much between us†¦I’m not ready to give that up yet.† The arm pulled me closer, and there was a slight tremble in his voice when he spoke. â€Å"Oh, God, Eugenie. I’ve missed you so much. You’re like a part of me.† â€Å"I know.† We held each other for a quiet moment, and then I heard him say in carefully measured tones, â€Å"I hear you’re a queen now.† â€Å"That’s what they say.† â€Å"How do you feel about that?† â€Å"Use your imagination.† â€Å"Dorian had no right to do that.† There was a growl in Kiyo’s voice. â€Å"You’re preaching to the choir here. I already had that argument with him. He doesn’t see it as wrong. He thinks I should keep progressing in magic too.† The hand stroking my face stopped moving. He pulled away slightly so he could look me in the eyes. â€Å"That’s an even worse idea. You aren’t going to, are you? I mean, you got what you needed from him, right?† â€Å"Right.† He visibly relaxed, again touching my cheek with a sensual languor. â€Å"We’ll get you through the queen thing. I won’t let anything happen to you.† â€Å"There you go again with the macho protectiveness thing. Who brought who back from the dead?† â€Å"Fair point.† I gave voice to something I’d wondered about for a while now. â€Å"How†¦how did you know when I was at Aeson’s anyway? Did you really stake out his place and wait for me?† His eyes crinkled with seductive mischief. Moving his hands to my back, he let his fingers trace the still-healing scars from where he’d scratched me. â€Å"There’s no place you can go that I can’t find you.† I groaned. I’d forgotten about that. â€Å"Those damned things are going to heal one of these days.† â€Å"I’ll make more.† We leaned into a kiss, and like that, things were solved between us. We didn’t need many words to get across how we felt. Maybe that’s how it is with someone you really love, someone you’re connected to. That wasn’t to say we didn’t have reams of communication to hash through in the future, not if we were going to attempt some sort of relationship. But for now, the kiss conveyed enough. It was an exchange of heat, an exchange of love, and it felt like coming home. â€Å"I’ve still got to make amends,† he told me, his lips only a fraction of an inch from mine, â€Å"no matter how magnanimous you’re feeling. You know, the usual. Chocolate. Flowers.† â€Å"Whatever. I don’t need the covert signs to know you want to have sex with me. There are plenty of more obvious ones.† â€Å"Like what?† â€Å"Like your hand on my breast.† â€Å"No. This is still subtle.† He pulled my body to his, melding us together. â€Å"Now, when my mouth is there, then you’ll know – â€Å" â€Å"You’re such a freak. Sex got us into this mess. I don’t know that it’s healthy to rely on it to fix everything.† â€Å"Only one way to find out.† Queenly authority or no, I didn’t do a very good job of protesting. And when he pushed me down on the couch, I didn’t do a very good job of protesting that we should go to the bedroom. Fortunately, Tim never came home, so I didn’t shock his sensibilities again. Whatever words he’d withheld in our conversation came out as Kiyo made love to me, telling me he wanted me, would love me forever, and would do anything in the world for me. They were the sort of promises all people make when they’re falling in love, but that didn’t make them any less powerful. I floated on them long after he left that evening, awash in emotion and contentment and residual lust. I was getting dressed in my bedroom when a voice behind me said: â€Å"He’s a mistake, you know. So is the Oak King. You’re better off without either of them.† I jumped and spun around angrily on Volusian. â€Å"Don’t sneak up on me like that! Christ. Were you watching me out there? What is it with you Otherworldly types and your fetishes? Exhibitionists and bondage and voyeurism. Good grief.† His red eyes regarded me levelly as I finished pulling on my shirt. â€Å"I was not joking, mistress.† â€Å"About Dorian and Kiyo? What’s the matter with them? Well, Dorian’s kind of obvious, but Kiyo’s all right.† He shook his head. â€Å"Hardly. He is a fox, and part of him thinks like one. He regards you as his mate, and that is a dangerous thing. He and Dorian are both zealots in their way. They sit at different ends of the spectrum, perhaps, but both are fixed in their beliefs. Each will have his own agenda for you – even the kitsune, whose views you tend to agree with. They will each try to dominate you and make you think it was your idea.† For one uneasy moment, I thought about how sex had been with each man. Aggressive. Controlling. I’d had small pieces of control, but in the end, I had always been pushed to submission, a submission I welcomed. There was only the one night with Kiyo – the night I’d woken up in the afterglow of remembered power – that I had truly been the dominant one. â€Å"You would do better to find someone milder and more malleable. Someone less ambitious.† I considered his words. Maybe he was right. Maybe. â€Å"Men without ambition are boring.† â€Å"And that attitude, mistress, is why the females of your kind continue to struggle for equality. And why they continue to fail.† I sat on the bed and clasped my hands in front of me. â€Å"I didn’t summon you. Was that all you came to tell me, Dr. Love?† â€Å"No. I came to tell you that you need to visit your kingdom sooner rather than later. The people are nervous and restless. You are their queen, and that means something, no matter how much you loathe it. Your people need to see a strong monarch right away.† â€Å"I was hoping to put that off.† My people, huh? â€Å"I wouldn’t recommend it. Not unless you want a disaster on your hands.† â€Å"So should I appoint you as one of my advisers now?† â€Å"You may do anything you like. As for me, I tend to share Finn’s view. If I cannot rip you apart yet and must be enslaved to someone, I would rather it be to someone more important than a human shaman.† I’d been teasing him, but my feelings sobered at the thought of Finn and poor Nandi. â€Å"You’re the last man standing, Volusian. Who would have seen that coming?† â€Å"I did, mistress.† The incredulous look on his face resembled Dorian’s when he’d told me he loved me. â€Å"There was never any question. They were inferior.† I laughed. â€Å"I never thought I’d say this, but after everything that’s happened, you’re the only normal thing I can rely on.† He didn’t reply. â€Å"Go back to the Otherworld and stay with Shaya. Tell her I’ll be there soon. Only cross over if there’s a message I need to hear.† â€Å"As the Thorn Queen wishes.† â€Å"Oh, be quiet.† I spoke the banishing words and sent him on. After that, I stretched out on my bed and tried to assess my life thus far. I was still a shaman, one of the most powerful around if the stories were true. I possessed human means of working and controlling magic, using it to fight and banish anything nasty that slipped into this plane. But I was also gentry, the daughter of one of the Otherworld’s biggest tyrants, and I could supposedly be the one to bring about a terrible prophecy – provided my woman-child sister didn’t do it first. I was dating a guy who could turn into a fox and who might very well turn on me if I ever got pregnant. I had the love of a king who could tie damned good knots and wanted my help to take over his world and my own. Somehow I’d developed the power to call storms and blow up people. I’d been to the land of death and returned. And finally, I was a queen: the Thorn Queen, which didn’t exactly sound flattering. Why couldnà ¢â‚¬â„¢t I have been the Violet Queen or something? Why trees and not flowers? There was no accounting for Otherworldly tastes. I needed tequila and Def Leppard right away. I walked out to the kitchen, hoping to uncover one or the other but found neither. Instead, I settled for water from a large glass pitcher we kept chilled in the refrigerator. I poured a cup for myself and then set to refilling the pitcher while my mind spun. Why had everything turned so confusing lately? I didn’t want any of this. I just wanted Kiyo and the occasional exorcism. Love and a way to pay the mortgage. That was it. I didn’t need all this Otherworldly entanglement or the gentry and their games. They offered me nothing. I didn’t want anything from any of them. Angrily, I slammed the faucet off and turned toward the refrigerator. I didn’t realize how wet my fingers were until the glass pitcher slipped from my hands. Everything after that happened in the space of a heartbeat. The pitcher fell. It hit. It shattered. Without thinking, my senses reached out and seized the water, ordering it to stay where it was. There was nothing to be done for the glass – Yet, it didn’t move. The shards hung frozen in midair, just like the water, suspended in the pattern created from the impact. I stared, dumbstruck, until a faint breeze brushed my skin and I realized the fragments trembled slightly. Cautiously, I reached out to that air with my mind and felt its answering resonance. Stretching further, I could sense the currents of power running from me to the space around the glass. The air shifted there as its molecules fought to keep the pieces from falling. Somehow, without even knowing how, I’d made the air obey me, just as I had the water. Only this was a lot more difficult. I gradually became aware of exactly how I affected the air molecules, and the longer I did it, the harder it was. The pieces of glass felt like bricks, their weight heavy on my senses as I kept holding them up. With a casual thought, I sent the water away to my sink. Forcing all of my attention to the glass gave me a little more strength, but I knew my control would give out soon. Still, I held on. I suddenly wanted to dominate the air, understand how it worked and what I needed to do to command it. Imagine when you master it – and the other elements. As I connected to the air, I felt that burning, glorious feeling start to run through me. It still had yet to ever come close to the levels in the dream-memory, but the surge I felt now was stronger and sweeter than anything else I’d felt from controlling water alone. Tim walked in just then, freezing midstep when he saw me. â€Å"Eugenie?† Fatigue beat at my muscles, and sweat broke out along my brow. The glass would fall any moment now, and when it did, the magical high would disappear. I fought as long as I could, but when the glass started to shake violently, I hastily ordered the air to carry the pieces to a nearby garbage can. My control was clumsy; only some of the glass made it. I thought you liked the way it made it made you feel. Gasping, I sat down in a chair, staring at the glass on the floor. Tim was staring at me. â€Å"Eug†¦what just happened?† The euphoria of power flickered briefly as I desperately tried to summon the air again. No luck. That achingly wonderful glory drained out of me, like embers fading from orange to gray. Some part of my soul screamed for it as it disappeared, begging it to come back, swearing that I would do anything at all for it to return. I closed my eyes and swallowed. â€Å"Eugenie,† Tim tried again, â€Å"what was that?† I opened my eyes and followed his gaze to the glass that still lay on the floor. It took me a moment to find my voice, and when I did, it came out soft and husky. â€Å"I don’t know. But I think I want it.† How to cite Storm Born Chapter Twenty-Eight, Essay examples

Paradise Lost Miltons Interpretation of God and Essay Example For Students

Paradise Lost: Miltons Interpretation of God and Essay SatanIn John Miltons Paradise Lost, he tells of Satans banishment from Heaven. He and his brigade have plotted war against God and are now doomed to billow in the fiery pits of hell. Satan is a complex character with many meaningful qualities. The relationship between Satans qualities and Hells atmosphere tell the reader more about why they seem to go hand in hand. Without Satans features and Hells tormenting aspects, the place would not be all it is.Milton states that one will dwell in adamantine chains and penal fire if he defys God. Satan definitely defied him and will therefore suffer this. Chains are symbolic of Satan in that they will tie one down and keep him under control. Satan has disobeyed God and needs to be tied restrained and controlled. The fire is only to show Satans primary intentions. Fire indicates evil and pain, both of which he is a part of. He is the creator of evil just as God is the creator of all.Milton also describes Hell as a place that one must dwell in forever more full of wrath with no happiness and constant pain. Satan once lived in a universe full of happiness, joy, and surrounded by pleasure. Now that he has forsaken God, he must live without those, but to the worst extremes. No more content or delight can he experience. He must be punished for his unfaithfulness. Hell has no light, but rather darkness served only to discover sights of woe. It is a region of sorrow, doleful shades, where peace and rest can never dwell, hope never comesbut torture without end still urges. This is an atmosphere severely unlike the one from which Satan came. He was willing to give up all he had, peace, love, joy, beauty, and all alike, to overcome God and gain all of His power. The war in Heaven was between forces of Satan and forces of God. Because of Satans involvement in this war, he and his followers will be surrounded by war and violence, hate and rage, for infinity. Since he first began it, he will be forced to continue in it for eternity. Satan, known in Heaven as Lucifer, was Gods first-hand man and steadfast angel. His disloyalty to God was agonizing and severe. Therefore, in spite of Satans actions, God has damned him to this place full of all that he has refused and given up.

We Cant Stop by Miley Cyrus free essay sample

While I have never been a fan of Miley Cyrus or Hannah Montana, I went freaky obsessed on her new song We Cant Stop. When I first read about it on Twitter, and saw postings of it on Instagram, I decided to check it out. Im always open to new songs and new music. The new song is fresh and gives her a more of an adult sound. As a child star for Disney, she was never able to be herself, having to keep a certain image for the children who watched her shows. I do have some concerns of it though. In my personal opinion there are a few lyrics that are questionable. Everyone trying to get a line in the bathroom is obviously referring to cocaine. Now this other lyric is defiantly controversial. It could be heard as Dancin with Molly which is referring to ecstasy or Dancin with Miley. We will write a custom essay sample on We Cant Stop by Miley Cyrus or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page That part mainly just depends on how you hear it because there isnt an official lyric website that says what the true word is. Other than that, the song is really catchy and I love this new Miley, who is really showing her new and true self.

13 Books to Read to Advance Your Career

13 Books to Read to Advance Your Career We have millions of resources available to us on the internet, any time of day. It’s obviously a fantastic tool, especially when you’re looking for ways to boost your career. But you know what also works? Good, old-fashioned books. (Okay, I’ll even stretch that to include ebooks.) From classic lit (no War and Peace, I promise) to ultramodern career advice, we’ve got a reading list that might not satisfy your high school English teacher, but just might help you move forward in your career. The Literary ClassicsFirst, let’s look at some of the books you might not think are career books, but provide great insight into human nature and how to cope with life.The Art of War, Sun TzuLove is a battlefield, sure, but so is the workplace. While it may not be the kind of literal warfare that ancient Chinese philosopher and military strategist Sun Tzu likely envisioned for his audience, it has lots of good advice for someone seeking to improve leadership skills , conquer office politics, or just plain survive the ins and outs of the workplace. Besides, a little extra discipline never hurts, professionally.Career takeaway: â€Å"Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.† One-liners like this can give you bite-size management tips that you can apply to any situation, whether the war zone is a literal one or one with a water cooler.Lord of the Flies, William GoldingIf The Art of War is your field guide to turning yourself into an A+ leader, this one is your cautionary tale for surviving office politics. This young adult novel follows a group of students who become stranded, and attempt to create their own new island society. (Spoiler alert: it doesn’t go great.)Career takeaway: Working together with a diverse group of people is an essential skill, especially amid chaos.The Alchemist, Paulo CoelhoIn this novel, an Andalusian shepherd travels to Egypt seeking riches after dreaming of finding wealth there. Whil e this is a literal tribute to chasing your dreams, it also contains many insightful lessons about seizing opportunities, overcoming fear of the unknown, and embracing the actions you can take in the present.Career takeaway: Focus on your journey, and the steps you can take now to achieve your goals.The Career ClassicsWhile you may not find these books on your English syllabus, these books have helped generations of readers grow professionally.Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon HillAny process that has 13 steps has to be successful, right? This 1937 self-help classic by author and lecturer Napoleon Hill offers the aforementioned steps to make more money and achieve personal goals, based on the successes of early 20th century entrepreneurs like Henry Ford and Andrew Carnegie.Career Takeaway: Emulating successful people can help you break through in your own personal achievement and financial goals.The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen R. CoveyOne of the most important things yo u can do, career-wise, is to set yourself up for success by creating and maintaining good habits. This book has been a perennial bestseller since its publication in 1990, and provides a road map to making changes to your mindset and life to allow for success. While it does cover the aforementioned habits of successful people, this is more of a reset on how you see yourself and the world around you.Career Takeaway: Beloved by executives and other highly successful people, this book offers tools to push yourself up to the next level.How to Win Friends Influence People, Dale CarnegieAnother oldie-but-goodie, this is the original book about networking. Dale Carnegie’s insights into making and maintaining connections has become the basis for many generations of business leaders and highly successful schmoozers.Career Takeaway: You can’t go it alone, so it’s essential to work on your people skills alongside your professional skills, and make the right connections.The Pathfinder: How to Choose or Change Your Career for a Lifetime of Satisfaction and Success, Nicholas LoreOriginally published in 1998, this book has been a touchstone for recent grads, people looking for career changes, and those who just want to start plotting out a path to their goals. In it, career coach Nicholas Lore lays out how to figure out what you want to do and how to set your course to get to that point. Lore uses diagnostic tools and tests from the career and networking hub the Rockport Institute to guide readers through the first (or next steps) on their career paths. This one has also been revised and updated for the current realities of the job market (technology, economic shifts, etc.).Career Takeaway: Everyone needs a plan for their career, but not everyone knows how to create and execute that plan. Expert advice and self-diagnosis quizzes help you zero in on your strengths and your goals.The Modern ClassicsAnd now we have the more contemporary books, which may ver y well be the career books we pass along to our kids.Outliers: The Secret of Success, Malcolm GladwellLike Napoleon Hill and Dale Carnegie before him, writer Malcolm Gladwell understands the importance of learning from the best thinkers and achievers. Outliers takes a deep dive into what makes these achievers so successful, and what we regular schmoes can learn from them in order to grab some of that success for ourselves. This book also contains the now-famous conclusion, which you’ve likely heard, that the key to mastering any skill is to put in 10,000 of effort and practice.Career Takeaway: Success is a result of hard work and savvy planning, and we should be open others’ success stories to help determine what works for ourselves.The Up Side of Down: Why Failing Well Is the Key to Success, Megan McArdleNo one likes to fail, but it’s an inevitable part of everyone’s career at some point. The key is managing those failures, embracing the challenges that come with taking chances, and taking the necessary lessons forward into the rest of one’s career. This book takes real-world stories of failure to illustrate how to embrace and move on from setbacks.Career Takeaway: I fail, you fail, we all fail†¦sometimes. Learning to accept these failures gracefully and move on, wiser and stronger, is a major career skill everyone should have.Linchpin, Seth GodinIf you’ve heard of only one career coach in the past ten years, there’s a good chance that name is Seth Godin’s. Godin specializes in personal success and entrepreneurship, and here he focuses on how to make yourself an absolutely necessary part of the team by embracing innovation and positive change.Career Takeaway: An indispensable person is a person with job security.Lean In, Sheryl SandbergWomen have faced innumerable challenges in the workplace, including a shortage of managerial roles. In Lean In, Sandberg draws on her experience as Facebook’s COO to offer advice on how to cultivate leadership skills and achieve work-life balance. But while this book is aimed at professional women specifically, it also has advice that anyone of any gender can take and apply to their own career paths.Career Takeaway: If you’re not achieving your full professional, you’re putting yourself at a major professional disadvantage.Love Your Job: The New Rules for Career Happiness, Kerry Hannonâ€Å"Do what you love† is very common career advice. It’s also very vague- should you pursue passion projects at the expense of a paycheck? Should you learn to love the job you have? What’s the optimal way to find happiness in your career? Hannon walks you through making necessary changes to your habits, routines, and mindset so that you’re getting the most possible fulfillment out of your job.Career Takeaway: Whether you have your dream job or not, you should seek happiness and fulfillment from the job that takes u p so much of your life and mindspace.Moving the Needle: Get Clear, Get Free, and Get Going in Your Career, Business, and Life!, Joe Sweeney and Mike YorkeyIf you feel like you’re stuck in a rut, either in your job or in your industry, Moving the Needle is designed to help you shake up the status quo, and move forward in your career with a refreshed sense of purpose. If you have no idea what said refreshed purpose could be, this book gives you the tools you need to figure that out.Career Takeaway: Don’t let yourself get mired in a blah status quo- embrace ideas like risk and innovation that can help you move your career in a more fulfilling direction.Now more than ever, there are so many voices out there that can help us learn more about our professional selves, and tools to help us achieve our most cherished career goals. Happy reading!

Realigning Elections in American History

Realigning Elections in American History Since the stunning victory by Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton in the 2016 United States Presidential election, the discourse around words and phrases such as â€Å"political realignment† and â€Å"critical elections† have  become more commonplace not only among  political analysts but also in mainstream media. Political Realignments A political realignment occurs when a particular group or class of voters changes or in other words realigns with a political party or candidate who they vote for in a particular election – known as a critical election or this realignment may be spread out over a number of elections. On the other hand, â€Å"dealignment† occurs when a voter becomes disenfranchised with his or her current political party and either chooses not to vote or becomes an independent. These political realignments take place in elections involving the U.S. Presidency and the U.S. Congress and are signified by power changes of the Republican and Democratic parties that constitute ideological changes both issues and party leaders.  Other important factors are legislative changes which affect campaign financing rules and voter eligibility. Central to realignment is that there is a change in voter’s behavior. 2016 Election Results In the 2016 election, although Trump is winning at the time of this writing the Electoral College by a margin of 290 to 228 votes; Clinton is winning the overall popular vote by more than 600,000 votes. In addition, in this election, American voters gave the Republican Party a clean power sweep – the White House, the Senate and the House of Representatives. One key to the Trump victory was that he won the  popular vote in three of the so-called â€Å"Blue Wall† States: Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan.  Blue Wall States are those who have solidly supported the Democratic Party over past ten or so presidential elections. With respect to the electoral votes:  Pennsylvania has 20, Wisconsin has 10, and Michigan has 16.  Although these states were essential in propelling Trump to victory, it is important to note that his margin of victory from these three states totaled approximated 112,000 votes. If Clinton had won these three States, she would be the President-elect instead of Trump.   In the ten Presidential elections prior to 2016, Wisconsin had only voted Republican on two occasions – 1980 and 1984; Michigan voters had voted Democrat in six straight Presidential elections prior to 2016; and as well, in the ten Presidential elections prior to 2016, Pennsylvania had only voted Republican on three occasions – 1980, 1984 and 1988. V. O. Key, Jr. and Realigning Elections American political scientist  V.O. Key, Jr. is most well-known for his contributions to behavioral  political science, with his major impact being on election studies.  In his 1955 article A Theory of Critical Elections, Key explained how the Republican Party became dominant between 1860 and 1932; and then how this dominance shifted to the Democratic Party  after 1932 by using empirical evidence to identify a number of election which Key termed as â€Å"critical,† or â€Å"realigning† which resulted in American voters changing their political party affiliations. While Key specifically starts with 1860 which was the year that Abraham Lincoln was elected, other scholars and political scientists have identified and/or recognized that there have been systematic patterns or cycles which have regularly taken place in the U.S. national elections.  Ã‚  While these scholars are not in agreement as to the duration of these patterns: periods that range from every 30 to 36 years as opposed to 50 to 60 years; it does appear that the patterns have some relationship with generational change. Election of 1800 The earliest election which scholars have identified as realigning was in 1800 when Thomas Jefferson defeated the incumbent John Adams. This election transferred power from George Washington and Alexander Hamilton’s Federalist Party to the Democratic-Republican Party which was led by Jefferson. Although some argue that this was the birth of the Democratic Party, in reality, the party was established in 1828 with the election of Andrew Jackson. Jackson defeated the incumbent, John Quincy Adams and resulted in the Southern States taking power from the original New England colonies. Election of 1860 As stated above, Key explained how the Republican Party became dominant starting in 1860 with the election of Lincoln. Although Lincoln was a member of the Whig Party during his early political career, as President he led the U.S. to abolish slavery as a member of the Republic Party. In addition, Lincoln and the Republic Party brought nationalism to the United States on the eve of what would become the American Civil War. Election of 1896 The overbuilding of railroads caused several of them, including the Reading Railroad, to go into receivership which caused hundreds of banks to fail; resulting in what was the first U.S. economic depression and is known as the Panic of 1893. This depression caused soup lines and public ire towards the present administration and made the Populist Party the favorite to take power in the 1896 Presidential election. In the 1896 Presidential election, William McKinley defeated William Jennings Bryan and while this election was not a true realignment or did it even meet the definition of a critical election; it did set the stage for how candidates would campaign for office in subsequent years. Bryan had been nominated by both the Populist and Democratic parties. He was opposed by the Republican McKinley who was backed by a very wealthy individual who used that wealth to conduct a campaign that was intended to make the populace fearful of what would happen if Bryan won. On the other hand, Bryan used the railroad to make a whistle-stop  tour giving twenty to thirty speeches daily.  These campaign methods have evolved into the modern day. Election of 1932 The 1932 election is widely considered as the most well-known realignment election in U.S. history. The country was in the middle of the Great Depression as a result of the 1929 Wall Street Crash. Democratic candidate Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his New Deal policies overwhelmingly defeated incumbent Herbert Hoover by a margin of 472 to 59 Electoral Vote. This critical election was the underpinnings of a massive overhaul of American politics.  In addition, it changed the face of the Democratic Party.   Election of 1980 The next critical election occurred in 1980 when Republican challenger Ronald Reagan defeated the Democratic incumbent Jimmy Carter by the tremendous margin of 489 to 49 Electoral Votes. At the time, approximately 60 American’s had been held hostage since November 4, 1979, after the U.S. Embassy in Tehran had been overrun by Iranian students. The Reagan election also marked a realignment of the Republican Party to being more conservative than ever before and also brought about Reaganomics which was designed to fix severe economic issues that confronted the country.  In 1980, the Republicans also took control of the Senate, which marked the first time since 1954 that they had control of either house of Congress. (It would not be until 1994 before the Republican Party would have control of both the Senate and the House simultaneously.) Election of 2016 – Realigning Election? The real question with respect as to whether the 2016 election victory by Trump is a â€Å"political realignment† and/or a â€Å"critical election† is not easy to answer a week after the election.  The United States is not experiencing internal financial distress or facing negative economic indicators such as high unemployment, inflation, or increasing interest rates. The country is not at war, although there are threats of foreign terrorism and social unrest due to racial issues.  However, it does not appear that these were major issues or concerns during this election process.   Instead, one could argue that neither Clinton or Trump were viewed by voters as being â€Å"Presidential† due to their own ethical and moral issues.  In addition, since lack of honesty was a major hurdle which Clinton attempted to overcome throughout the campaign, it is quite plausible that out of fear of what Clinton would do if elected, voters chose to give the Republicans control of both houses of Congress.

Preliminary Analysis of Cost and Budgetary Information Systems Essay - 1

Preliminary Analysis of Cost and Budgetary Information Systems - Essay Example More than often, organizations ensure that an analysis of varied product cost and budgetary control methodologies and systems are carried out. This is because, the introduction of a suitable cost and budgetary information systems allows for effective planning for the future, controlling of present activities, and an evaluation of the past performance within an organization. Considerably, the choice of a suitable cost and budgetary information systems allows for planned action, coordination, and optimum use of resources as it defines responsibilities. †¢ Product costs include the cost estimates that are based on material, labor and machine process that influence decisions made by management. It is either based on activity-based costing or traditional based costing (Kaplan & Anderson, 2007). †¢ Activity-based costing is adopted from the conventional costing system and it assumes that activities act as fundamental cost objects because cause costs and cost objects are known to create demand for activities. †¢ Traditional based costing utilizes costs based on a single, volume-based cost driver, it assumes that product causes cost because; it assigns the overhead costs to products based on relative usage of direct labor. †¢ It is recommendable for the management of Worplestrop Partnership to adopt the activity-based costing control method because it ensures efficient maximization of profits as it allocates costs to key cost drives (Kaplan & Anderson, 2007). †¢ It is also decisive for the management to prepare budgetary control tools ranging from long-term to short-term, all functional budget estimates and both functional and flexible budget to control costs used in products (Weygandt, Kimmel & Kieso, 2009). More than often, the levels of decision-making are classified as operational, tactical and strategic levels. Nonetheless, decisions made at each level play an important role in product costing and budgetary control, as relevant information is transmitted in order to make an organization successful.  

Symbol of American Culture - Uncle Sam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Symbol of American Culture - Uncle Sam - Essay Example History dates the American war with England in the north to 1812. Samuel Wilson was given the tender to inspect and supply American soldiers during the war with meat. He was a renowned meat and pork packer, inspector and distributor in New York. The United States government transported the meat bearing â€Å"U.S† on the barrels since the soldiers knew that the meat was from the government but inspected by Samuel, they started to refer to the meat as Uncle Sam’s. A year later this name was adopted by the populations as the unofficial name for the United States federal government (Swosugrad09 and Miller, pg.4-6). Several other government properties that passed through Samuel for inspection were marked â€Å"U.S†, making the people in the country assume that Uncle Sam was the government. There was a need to give Uncle Sam a figure to aid in his symbolism top the American people. Designers started to create their own images of Uncle Sam for drawings, banners and news papers. Moreover, recruitment process for the American army for the First World War, created an avenue where Uncle Sam was personified. The drawing showed a man with a stern face, clad in a blue coat, white shirt and a hat with stars on it. This was a representation of the American flag which had blue, white and red with 49 stars in it. The man was drawn with a pointed finger with large captioned words beneath it, making it ‘talk’ to people. ... In the move by congress to improve the security of the country and its people, the congress sought to use cameras and computers in the resident’s houses to monitor any security threats. Newspapers columnists who were opposed to the move wrote articles and referred to the government as Uncle Sam keeping an eye on his people. This concludes all that Uncle Sam does is a symbol not to represent the people, but the government itself. Variations in government actions have led to deviation in the representation of Uncle Sam to the people. When a positive gesture is done or achieved by the government, Uncle Sam is dressed in United States symbolic colors representing his good will for citizens. When the government makes policies that the citizens feel go against their wishes, he is represented in drawings clad in plain clothes indicating it is against wishes of the American citizens. Uncle Sam also has had greater acceptance with his symbolization of patriotism. He was made famous in two periods where the American citizens were in need of a father figure. His influence during the war in 1812 and later his presence that motivated the Americans in the First World War proved his call for patriotism. Moreover, with the current changes that have undergone in the United States, Uncle Sam figure has not lacked some criticism. First, with the increase in the minority presence in the United States population, the figure is seen not to adequately represent them. Uncle Sam evolved when American was mainly made up of the white population. Additionally, with the current changes in demography and increase in minority groups in the country’s vast population, Uncle Sam may lose some of his prominence among the people. The minority population may demand the

Examine and analyse the impact of digital media Essay Example for Free

Examine and analyse the impact of digital media Essay Before examining the effect that Digital Media has on society and indeed western culture, we need to discover what the term Digital Media actually means Just what is it that distinguishes Digital Media from previous forms of combined media? It is the fact that the bits that represent text, sound, pictures, and so on can be treated as data by computer programs. A computer program is able to control the order in which various components are presented and combined, and can do so in response to input from a computer user. In other words, Digital Media can be interactive, in a way that, for example, a TV news bulletin is not, and that goes far beyond the simple control afforded by a VCR. Digital Media is a term used to describe any computer application that uses more than one type of output medium, such as text, graphics, video, animation or sound. Strictly speaking, the term media is the plural of medium, just as data is the plural of datum. Digital media has two states: Static and Dynamic. Static digital media are items, which do not have the capability to do something, move or react with the environment, for example, text and graphics. Dynamic digital media consists of audio, video and animation, which all have the ability to stream and play or move, i. e. do something dynamic. There are many areas of society that have been affected by Digital Media including education, commerce, communications, entertainment, among others, which are to be explored in this essay. When discussing education nowadays Digital Media is a vital ingredient not only in the learning of students but also as a teaching aid for tutors. In secondary schools and universities, Digital Media is always apparent in the classroom, lecture hall or laboratory. Digital multimedia teaching materials can be used to present information in more direct ways than traditional books and lessons. For example, film clips and original recordings of radio broadcasts can be integrated with a textual account of events leading up to the Second World War in a history lesson. Virtual Science lessons can take place, where equipment and materials are insufficient; students can work on a digitally mastered piece of software that allows the experiment to occur virtually. In both instances allow pupils to work at their own pace and indeed pursue individual interests they may have. An example of how teaching has been affected by Digital Media is Computer Aided Learning (CAL). CAL commonly uses CD-based digital and multimedia systems for delivering staged lessons and for testing learning. Individual records of progress can be stored on hard disks. Many reference materials designed for browsing, such as encyclopaedias, are now designed in digital media format. Computer Aided Design (CAD) has also had a huge impact on the designing world. Garden designers and house invaders alike can now simply use Digital Media elements to create a life-like 3-Dimensional garden or room. This has allowed CAD to take off and now is commonly used as a norm for such designers. As with the virtual science experiments in schools, Digital Media can be used to produce interactive stimulations of equipment and procedures, in cases where it could be expensive and in some cases hazardous to use the real thing for training. The social impact of Digital Media on education speaks for itself (literally) if students knew less now than their historical counterparts because of the impact of digital forms of educational media, the state of the health of the nations academic benchmarks such as University Challenge would have dumbed-down noticeably. This has not been the case at all; in fact more points are now gained than ever before. Digital Media has a contrasting impact on commerce to that of education. Much of the material used in business is produced for a specific company or client, often in-house. Ebay is the most recognised and most used commercial machine ever, Digital Media has allowed this to happen. Ebay works like a virtual auction, where the public view an image of the item for sale and bid for it. Without Digital Media Ebay would not exist, digitally crafted images have a huge impact on the consumer market, without a well-captured image of the product, customers will not bid. It would be like roulette, you would not know what you are going to get! Digital Multimedia is also extensively used in sales presentations and promotions; for example, computers on sale in a show room often run high quality graphic media to show off their capabilities, and web pages often function as catalogues or brochures. Graphic designers are able now with the use of Digital Media applications are able to create electronic versions of their portfolio. An electronic portfolio can be inexpensively duplicated onto CD-ROM and sent to potential clients, or even posted on a web site as an online virtual exhibition. This is not only the case for graphic designers but also the general trend for documentation is electronic-books or e-books. This move from a hard copy to digital format has provided the opportunity to make use of Digital Media elements such as video clips, animation and images to explain thoroughly and supplement the text. Kiosks are a further of example of Digital Media making and impact on society. Kiosks are used to provide information in public places such as museums, train stations and airports. They are usually using digital touch-screen technology. These kiosks have enabled the general public and in-particular tourists to have access to essential information at their fingertips, literally. Kiosks do have to be robust to withstand frequent use, and occasional misuse, by the general public. An example of where kiosks have had a considerable impact on society is in Toronto, where digital kiosks have been installed in shopping malls, which allow people to pay local taxes and court fines. Digital Media has allowed communications such as teleconferencing to take place. With use of a Wide-area network, including the Internet, online meetings can be carried out in real-time with the use of video and live sound. This technology can cut the considerable costs and time of travelling to meet people face-to-face. Space Invaders was the first video game to change the habits of people on a national scale. Every pub, bar and club had games machines making money spawned whole industry of games manufacturers and the hardware to go with them so jumpers for goalposts was out and Super Mario was in. Whole generations altered their learning streams and we all became soundbite-oriented. Youngsters today probably will only know about the D-Day landings from playing games like Medal of Honour. No one reads a book anymore is the cry from parental bodies and school governors (but its not true witness the meteoric success of JK Rowlings Harry Potter series for one). Actually what is the difference between digitally streaming a novel through headphones or ear buds to the reader and opening the paper pages of a book? One is more eco-friendly than the other, thats all. Some argue that literacy is a major issue, but surveys show that literacy rates have never been healthier. Old fashioned values are having to adapt the romance attached to old format books and magazines is equitable with that between vinyl L. P. s and MP3 format music files. There are still music aficionados who actually prefer the surface noise produced by a stylus on a record to the silence of Dolby-enhanced CDs Most computer games exploit digital media techniques to the fullest. Indeed, it has been this sector of the IT industry, which has led the way in developing compression and other techniques to get around the inherent limitations of the hardware and communication devices.

Hypertext as a Medium for Writing Essay -- Exploratory Papers

Hypertext as a Medium for Writing This paper will compare and analyze theoretical ideas found in Hamlet on the Holodeck by Janet H. Murry focusing on Chapter 10 â€Å"Hamlet on the Holodeck† as it relates to hypertext as a specific medium for writing, and Writing Space by Jay David Bolter focusing on Chapter 7 â€Å"Interactive Fiction† and chapter 8 â€Å"Critical Theory in a New Writing Space† and their emphasis on digital poetry and the increased role of the reader in the reading process. The information taken from these two works will then be compared to the interactive hypertext webpage entitled â€Å"Heading South† by Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) English graduate student, Cheryl Ball. In relation to hypertext, the role of the reader seems to be more interactive than that of a typical offline reading. A large amount of evidence supporting the assumption that the reader plays an increased â€Å"interactive† role in interactive or hypertext material is found in both Hamlet on the Holodeck and Writing Space. These examples show how Cheryl Ball’s poetry is easy to follow and how readers are able to play an interactive part in observing her material. As background information relating to digital poetry and the readers’ role, Janez Strevhovec, Ph.D., Assistant Professor at Academy of Visual Arts, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia states, â€Å"Today digital poetry provides us with new, provocative, and challenging, to sensitivity even testing forms of experiencing. It is a medium that can only be understood on the basis of analysis of the present world of the new media, and new perception forms, which originate in the interface culture† (Streh ovec 4). Strehovec’s description of digital poetry simply addresses that it is presented in a new-aged... ...-established outcomes or only a few to choose from. I believe using hypertext as a medium for writing can only increase the importance placed on the reading, not lesson it. The information from Bolter, Murray, and what I have gained from evaluating Ball’s web site has helped me to become better aware of different aspects of hypertext, and what I will and will not use when creating my own webpage. Works Cited Bolter, Jay David. Writing Space: Computers, Hypertext, and the Remediation of Print. Maywah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2001. Murray, Janet H. Hamlet on the Holodeck: The Future of Narrative in Cyberspace. Cambridge: The MIT Press, 2001. Strehovec, Janez. â€Å"Text as a Loop/On the Digital Poetry.† The University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, 2003. [Retrieved from the World Wide Web 15 March 2004]. http://hypertext.rmit.edu.au/dac/papers/Strehovec.pdf

Information system Essay

1.Information system are too important to be left to computer specialists. Do you agree? Why or why not? I agree. A. Technology: Emerging mobile digital platform enables computer specialists to communicate with colleagues, coordinate work, and provide assistance to colleagues when they encounter computer problem, which improves efficiency of computer specialists. Computer specialists can keep vital documents on cloud computer platform, and work at anywhere, which guarantees the enterprise information network system runs smoothly. B. Management: Computer specialists adopt online collaboration and social networking software to improve coordination, collaboration, which simplify the process of information collecting and knowledge sharing. Computer specialists tackle computer problems by virtual meetings, which can save time and increase efficiency. C. Organization Teleworking makes computer specialists to work away from the traditional office, which gains momentum in the workplace. Computer specialists use social networking platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, and internal corporate social tools, which can deepen interactions with colleagues and leaders. 2. If you were setting up the web site for Disney World visitors, what management, organization, and technology issues might you encounter? A. Management Issues: a. Devise website development schedule As far as I am concerned, developing a website schedule is the first step for setting up a website. Firstly of all, I should prepare all of the hardware facilities for constructing the network server, which needs huge capital investment. Secondly, it is my duty to consider the framework of the website, a perfect framework construction would lay a solid foundation for the goal of promoting the website. Last but not least, collecting plenty of information is necessary, the website should be able to afford all the information for Disney World visitors whatever they want to learn. b.  Devise website promotion strategies When the website is constructed, I should make plans to promote the website. The purpose of setting up the website is to provide possible convenience and assistance for Disney World visitors. If no one knows the website, the website construction will make no sense. I need the assistance of a excellent team, who will formulate a series of scheme including advertising campaign to promote the website. c. Devise technology strategy Formulating the strategic objectives is necessary for the long-term development of website. We can provide high quality service to tourists through innovation, as a result, Disney will get high return on investment and creation of long-term competitive advantage. B. Organization Issues: a. Complete the website construction by assigning the tasks to each team within the stipulated time It is very important to set up a strict time plan. Building up a large-scale website needs every team to work together. Website construction is divided into a number of steps, every step should be strictly carried out in accordance with the plan. Mutual cooperation between the teams will guarantee the website be completed on time. b. Use social networking platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, to publicize website As social networking platforms is becoming more and more popular, it is necessary for us rely on these platforms to popularize the website. c. Regularly update the website Update the information of the website regularly on these networking platforms will make the website to be widely known, and will finally attract more visitors to Disney.

Ragging in Colleges Essay

The accurate meaning of the word ‘ragging’ is to ‘tease’, but even the dictionary says it is an archaic meaning. The main objective of ragging is to ‘break the ice’ between the senior students and the new entrants. Ragging is any disorderly conduct whether spoken or written or by an act which causes annoyance, hardship or psychological harm or raises fear or shame in a student. It is generally committed by ‘senior’ students, upon the first year students. Ragging generally takes place in colleges and hostels. The new students feel that they are in for a series of practical jokes at the hands of the senior students. Once they fall into the clutches of the latter, they don’t find a way to escape. There are a few senior students in every hostel who don’t take enough interest in studies. They indulge in ragging, bullying etc. They create an image of themselves as rowdies. No one dares to interfere with their ways. Ragging o riginated in the west. But today, it has reached the Indian society too. Some people feel that it is a socio-cultural problem. The truth is that in some cases, ragging has occasionally, ended in fighting, serious injuries, and even deaths, leading to the ruin of some brilliant careers. Senior students tease the new students about their looks and manners. Students wearing glasses, have their glasses snatched away and are made to read without them. Sometimes the eatables brought by the new students are eaten by the seniors in the formers’ presence. A new student who resists becomes a target for harassment.During the trail, he might be forced to admit his guilt, he is pressurised by physical threats and humiliation. After the trail, the accused asked to polish the shoes of his senior students. Ragging has some positive effect too on the new students. It influences the new students to behave in a socially acceptable way. It makes one change one’ eccentric behavior. It creates self- awareness. Those who endure it get emboldened. They become courageous. They get used to facing hardships in life. They learn to face unpleasant situation boldly. Many a time, it is seen that the juniors and the seniors become very good friends after the ragging period. In the beginning, ‘ragging’ was an amusing practice. it has degen erated into an evil. It has become a synonym for ‘torture’. It should be banned. The supreme court of India has defined it as. â€Å"Any disorderly conduct whether by words spoken, or written or by act which adversely affect the physique or psyche of fresher or a junior student is an act of ragging.† But if through  ragging the decency and morals are violated, one’s body gets injured, if any wrongful restraint and criminals intimidation is involved in it, then ragging becomes a legal offence. More effective steps need to be taken to deal with the evil. Institutes should arrange counseling session for fresher so that they can speak their mind. Anti ragging cells should also be established. A fresher party should be organized by the institutes itself within town weeks of the academic session so that junior and senior can easily interact with one another.

Womens Rights in America and How They Fought For Them essays

Women's Rights in America and How They Fought For Them essays During the early history of the United States there was little, if any respect for the principle of women's rights. In an intensely patriarchal society a man " virtually owned his wife and children as he did his material possessions. If a poor man chose to send his children to the poorhouse, the mother was legally defenseless to object". [1] The history of the women's movements in the United States is largely a reaction to this system of exclusion and male-dominance. The start of the history of the fight for women's rights begins with a tea party hosted by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, in New York. Mrs. Stanton expressed her feelings of discontent at the situation of women in society, Stanton poured out her discontent with the limitations placed on her own situation under America's new democracy. Hadn't the American Revolution been fought just 70 years earlier to win the patriots freedom from tyranny' But women had not gained freedom even though they'd taken equally tremendous risks through those dangerous years. Surely the new republic would benefit from having its women play more active roles throughout society. Stanton's friends agreed with her, This meeting led to the first Convention on Women's Rights, which took place at the Wesleyan Chapel in Seneca Falls in 1848. While this was a comparatively small meeting it was to have repercussions and affect the future of women in America. In an insightful move Stanton used the principles of the Declaration of Independence as a framework for her "Declaration of Sentiments." In so doing she succeeded in giving the idea of women's right legitimacy by associating these rights with a powerful symbol of freedom and liberty. In her declaration Stanton mentions eighteen areas of dis...

A Comparison of Antigones and Ismenes Reactions to Grief in Antigone by Sophocles

A Comparison of Antigone's and Ismene's Reactions to Grief in Antigone by Sophocles Response Paper to Antigone The tale of Antigone is one of the oldest pieces of literature that is still being studied today. The play is able to explore the psychology of many different characters as they are all forced to deal with the death Polyneices. While the differences between how Antigone, Haimon, and Creon respond to the situation may be widely discussed, another interesting relationship to analyze in the text is that between Antigone and Ismene. Both sisters experience a tragedy as their brothers kill each other, yet their responses are quite different. Antigone’s response to the grief is to focus on the injustice of the situation and risk herself to set things right, while Ismene is filled with sadness, yet fears the ramifications of breaking the law. Both responses are results of love, yet the specifics of each case allow a deeper look into the psychology of these characters. When reading and discussing the play of Antigone, Antigone herself is most often seen as the heroin. However, it could be argued that Antigone is the reason for the tragedy. If Antigone had expressed her grief with Haimon, it is possible that he could have convinced his father to lift the law against burying Polyneices body. Also, her rash decision to kill herself leads to the death of both Haimon and the queen as they are filled with grief. After thinking through the different endings that could have occurred if Antigone had responded calmer, it is reasonable to conclude that Antigone’s plan of rebellion was not the most practical response. Ismene, on the other hand, responds with grief but no action. It could be argued that this is a more practical response as it prevents any further harm, yet with Ismene’s response nothing is really fixed, it is all merely pushed aside as if it did not happen. After analyzing the practicality of the girls’ responses, the question of morality is raised. Was Antigone doing the right thing, standing up for her family and offering herself as a sacrifice? Or was Ismene correct in avoiding further conflict and simply grieving for the loss of her brother and his honor? This is a very difficult thing to analyze as the grief in this situation is almost unfathomable. It may be most reasonable to argue that neither girl was in the right mindset to make a moral, practical decision. They have just learned that their brothers have killed each other and one will die with honor, while the other may not. Thinking about this situation, it becomes clear that neither girl responded ethically nor practically, but they both responded emotionally according to their own personalities. The play Antigone by Sophocles includes multiple complex situations and relationships, and that of Antigone and her sister Ismene is one of the most intriguing. Watching these girls deal with the pain of losing their brothers and then deal with the pain of losing each other in disagreement over the situation makes the tragedy more powerful. Sophocles is able to include human nature in this situation as both sisters behave impractically and unethically. This is seen often in life as well as emotions overcome logic and may lead to even more tragic situations as those that occur in Antigone.

Application Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Application - Assignment Example The purpose of this training was to make the employees aware of the attributes of the product that had been introduced and how this coffee was different than the other items offered. Once the training was conducted, employees’ performance was evaluated and the findings were reported to the head office in a report format with graphical representations encompassing qualitative and quantitative findings. The primary purpose of communicating these findings was to ensure that management is aware of the current skills level of the employees working at that particular store. For store-based, performance evaluation at the year-end and justification of the training costs, reporting these findings was essential. The findings were sent to the head office addressing Human Resource Manager. Data was also sent in the form of tables i.e. excel sheets, so that this data can be used later for further quantitative evaluations at the year end. Timing of the communication and evaluation of the training is of fundamental importance at Starbucks. Since the training was conducted before the launch of new coffee, it was important to demonstrate that the employees are well-versed with the attributes of the product being offered. Secondly, the training was conducted near year-end which is also the time of performance appraisals. Therefore, for budget and expenditure analysis along with store performance a ppraisal, it was important t communicate the data at that particular time i.e. June, 2012. Also, there is a strict deadline that store managers have to follow for communicating these evaluation findings which is usually two weeks after conducting the trainings (Russ-Eft & Preskill, 2009). The report formed is usually a comparison between pre-training tests and post-training tests along with random interviews conducted by store managers for performance evaluation. This comparison helps in analyzing

Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 49

Case Study - Essay Example , important to determine if a similar relationship exists between oral proficiency in the first-language and development of literacy in a second language. I chose to focus on this area because the student I am working with is a South Korean student trying to learn English as her second language. She has steadily shown improvements in various aspects of learning English despite changing her environment from Korea to California. This research will enable me to understand whether the student’s oral proficiency in her first language plays a role in facilitating her understanding of the English language. This research is base on two sets of data, that is, data about the school and the student. Data about the school includes information about the education system, the objectives of the school, number of students enrolled in the school, and the teachers in the school. The data about the students include information about her age and academic performance. There is also information about the student’s past performances. Both sets of data are important in creating a general picture of the student’s literacy skills and proficiency in English. Data about the school will mainly be collected from the records available in the school. Some of the data will also be gathered from interviews with teachers and administrators in the school. Information about the student will come from conducting the interview with the student, teachers, and her

Human Rights and the Privacy law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Human Rights and the Privacy law - Essay Example The rights contained within the law are based on European Convention on Human Rights articles. It also gives further effects to freedom and rights that are guaranteed under the European Convention. This means that judges must study and give effect to the legislation in a way that is compatible with the convention rights. It also implicates unlawfulness for a public authority to act in an incompatible way with the conventional right. The Human Rights Act protects; the right of life, the prohibition of torture and inhumane treatment, protection against forced labor and slavery, the right for freedom and liberty, the right for fair trial and no punishment without law and freedom of thought belief and religion. The act also gives respect privacy and family life providing the right to marry.Privacy and freedom of speech are important human rights that have not been strongly protected in English law. The freedom of speech has been a residual liberty traditionally because it existed only wh en the statute did not restrict its exercise. Liberty law on the other hand, is largely governed by the common law and is concerned with the protection of individual rights to reputation. This is vital for freedom of press and speech. However, there has been no explicit right of privacy. Even though the European Convention guarantees both rights, the English courts must take account of decisions of the European Court of Human Rights in order to interpret and apply Convention rights under HRA (Human Rights Act 1998).

Examining The Factors Of Project Failure Information Technology Essay

Examining The Factors Of Project Failure Information Technology Essay Prior to determining the factors that causes a project to fail; one must have a clear understanding of what a project is. So What is a Project? According to the Project Management Institute a project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product service or result. In this context, the term temporary means that every project has a definite starting point and a definite end. The end of a project is when all objectives have been met, or it has became certain that the objective can or cannot be achieved, or when there is no further necessity for the project to be continued. A project is also unique in which the end results or product is different to others being developed such as different designs, different locations, different contractors and etc. Another characteristic which sums up to what a project is it being progressive. Progressive is a characteristic that displays every project is developed on a step by step or by an increment basis. 1.1 What is Project Management? In order to ensure that all three criteria of a project is met, a method of managing the project must be set in place. This is where project management comes in. According to the Project Management Institute project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to project activities to meet project requirements. The purpose of project management is to set in place an organized method of controlling, planning, organizing and measuring resources in a project to meet the objectives set. The resources involved would include manpower, raw materials, machinery, time, money and so on. Due to the lack of application of project management, factors that contribute to the failures of a project are bound to arise. These failure factors will be further explained below. 2.0 Why Do Projects Fail? It is true that every project is unique; however the underlying causes of project failure are usually restricted to a few specific areas. Once we know what these are we can take steps to minimize the chance of problems in these areas and increase the likelihood of success. Common factors for project failures are explained below. 2.1 Inappropriate Communication Management In todays world, it is a requirement that projects are undertaken in partnership with the business, and this partnership absolutely requires solid communication. According to Turner (2007) communication is the operating system of a society. This is simplified to show that an operating system is required to allow the computers resources available for the programs and similar to this, communication is required to provide individuals with resources in the society. Communication is a process of exchanging information which may be carried out as written messages, spoken words or even body gestures. Effective and efficient communication is essential between project manager, project team, sponsors and stakeholder to ensure the success of the project. The communication in a project needs to be carefully planned, implemented and controlled in order for the right information is delivered at the right time to the stakeholders. 2.1.1 Causes of Inappropriate Communication Management Trust Lack of trust between the project manager and the team will lead to team members that dont trust the project manager will not be open in their communications. They will tend to either shut down or challenge the project manager at every turn. De-motivated The team members do not know the value of their presence. This is due to that they are often kept in the dark and not given a clear objective of the project and an up to date progress of the project. The method of delivery of messages is unclear and will lead to misinterpretation of the message and different expectations of the project. Poor Communicators Some project managers just dont know how to communicate well. This is usually not a lack of skill but a lack of focus. Project managers tend to put their least effort in communicating with the team members and those associated with the project. The information delivered will often be short and puzzling for not all the exact details is explained. Incompetence The team itself is not trained to communicate proactively as a team. This will result in the team not sharing information and learning with each other. Some project teams are comprised of members from different divisions in a company. These individuals are only temporarily associated with each other until the completion of the project. Unless these individuals are sent to training prior to the commencement of the project it will be very difficult for them to adapt to the new working environment. 2.2 Poor Project Planning The key to any project process is good planning. Good planning helps minimize potential risks, last minute changes and provide efficient working conditions. Project planning is important for it will assess the strengths and weakness of the project team, determine the threats of the project, develop the project objectives and provide the platform for leadership and control of the project. The basis of planning involves charting. Simple charts such as checklists and Gantt charts may sometimes suffice throughout the completion of the project as long as all details and factors are taken into consideration. This form of charts is also easier to be comprehended by the stakeholders who are untrained in the management arts. However other advanced methods such as network analysis may also be used. The main point to planning is to allow some slack in the time constraint and always be prepared to make changes in the plan. 2.2.1 Causes of Poor Planning Not Alert to Symptoms A good project manager is one that is able to provide a detailed drafted out plan and yet notice the symptoms of failure for it. The symptoms may be: Major gaps remained unresolved Key stakeholders have no participation in the project Too frequent changes in a scope Lack of test and development resources Multiple revisions in the timeline Schedule Too Tight The manager must be prepared to make allowances for unexpected variances in the project such as delays in approvals, shortages of resources or any acts of god. Unrealistic Time Scales The idealistic time scale is to be short and able to meet all objectives. However project managers must be careful not to be too optimistic in meeting this goal. Sometimes the time scales are set without considering the amount of work to be completed to achieve the objectives. As a result, there will probably be a delay in completion in the project thus requiring more financial resources to be added to the project. 2.3 Inappropriate Risk Management Project risks can be predictable or completely unpredictable and it can occur at any phase of a project. Some risks are associated with a particular task whilst others may occur due to external factors outside of the project. A good risk assessment is identifying all predictable risks; assess the severity of the risks and drafting out a plan to minimize its impacts or even possible avoidance of it. It is very important to analyze and rectify a risk as soon as it is identified for any delays in rectification will put the project at a higher risk of loss or damage. 2.3.1 Causes of Inappropriate Risk Management Too Confident It is encouraged to be confident in the project plan as it will increase the enthusiasm among the project team. However, the attitude of being too confident and turning a blind eye on any factors that may disrupt the progress of the project will cause catastrophic effects on the project. Such effects may be insufficient resources, project delays, demotivation of employees and even abortion of the project itself. Misconceptions Some project managers perceive risks as threats to the projects success. Therefore they will prefer to ignore the threats and solely hope that the threat will diminish itself. This obviously will not happen for there is no problem in the world that will solve itself. Wrong Decisions A project manager holds the decision to any trivial problems of the project. In this case when assessing risks the project manager must make the key decision of risk avoidance or risk taking. All factors must be taken into consideration prior to making the decision to prevent disturbances in meeting the projects objectives. Inefficient Method of Risk Assessing To be able to efficiently assess a risk, systematic approaches such as fault trees and fish bones are applied in order to take all risks into considerations. Methods such as qualitative and quantitative analysis are then implied to determine its impact or chances. Insufficient assessing of the risks will create an act of surprise that will disrupt the progress of the project. 2.4 Inadequate Scope Management According to (PMI 2004), Project management scope is defining and controlling what is and what is not included in the project. The importance of scope management is divided into three elements: Ensure Sufficient Amount of Work is Done In order to do this a clear definition of the project must be obtained. This may include identifying the exact requirements that is needed to accomplish the projects objective, who the key stakeholders are and what is driving the project. Ensure Unnecessary Work is Not Done Avoid the Nice to haves. Nice to haves are additional requirements that suddenly develop as the project progresses. These additional requirements often add little value but require extra costs. Achieve the Stated Objective The objective of the project must be achieved. For any problems encountered during execution of the project, the manager must be able to control the changes or modifications to the scope to ensure that the objective can be accomplished. 2.4.1 Causes for Inadequate Scope Management Incomplete Scope An incomplete scope leads to frequent additional changes. This may drag the time scale of the project and create extra costs. Confusing Scope A scope that is not straight forward and clear will lead to ambiguity of stakeholders. Such ambiguities are misinterpretations of design and requirements. Confusion will affect the commitment of stakeholders and will require additional unnecessary work. Scope Creep Constant changes to the scope may make the project seem never ending and delay in completion. To prevent this, scope document must be finalized and not allowed to be altered unless a formal change process is carried out. 2.5 Poor Stakeholder Management Stakeholder management is managing communications between stakeholders to discover their expectations before and during project execution to avoid ambiguity such as perceiving a successful project as a failure. According to the Association for Project Management (APM) Body of Knowledge (BoK) Stakeholders are all those with an interest or role in the project or who are impacted by the project. Examples of stakeholders are the shareholders, creditors and the project management team itself. Maintaining good communication with the stakeholder puts the project manager at an advantage for besides being able to see eye to eye on the projects progress, the stakeholder may even assist in resolving conflicts encountered by their political relations, contacts or knowledge that is not available on the project team. 2.5.1 Causes for Poor Stakeholder Management Poor Business Plan Some projects have a tendency to fail before it even started. This is because prior to commencing a project, sufficient financial funds must be available and in order for these funds to be available the project manager must come up with a clear and detailed business plan to attract sponsors for the project. If the plan does not impress the investors or raise confusion it will be most likely be rejected. Poor Communication Successful relationship with stakeholders is achieved by maintaining good communication. The key to this is proactive communication which the stakeholder is constantly updated of the progress of the project. Other than encouraging commitment from the stakeholders, proactive communication helps avoid bad rumors of project disturbance from influencing stakeholders. Proactive communication will also alert the project manager of any potential troubles existing from senior stakeholders. This may be in the form of not providing the required support, interfering into the project without consultation and unfounded promises or commitment. 2.6 Impact of Failure Factors on Project The aim of a project manager is to achieve success in all aspects of the project. This is reliant upon achieving the objectives in terms of cost, time and quality. The critical factor of these objectives is that it is interrelated with each other where you cannot trade off one for another in order to achieve the success of the project. 2.6.1 Quality/Cost Impact All the failure factors stated above will increase the cost of a project which will then have an effect on the quality of the finished product depending on the project managers decision. For example, due to the project managers unorganized planning the costs have risen to complete the project. The poor planning may have been led by insufficient scope assessment, bad communication or even inefficient risk analysis. Therefore in order to meet the funds available the project manager decides to cut corners and resolve to use cheaper raw materials to complete the project. This will result in a finished product of a lower standard than specified by the customer. From this situation, by compromising quality the project is labeled as a failure even though the financial costs have not exceeded. Therefore it is of the utmost importance of the project manager to plan, analyze and communicate efficiently to achieve project success. 2.6.2 Time/Cost Impact There is a direct relationship between time and money. Whenever a planned timescale is extended it will surely add cost to the project. The cost of a project increases as it progresses for its value and the stake it bears is higher. All the failure factors above will create disruptions in the projects progress and eventually delay its completion. This may cause increase in costs involving work force, facilities and equipment and raw materials. For large projects, funds are usually available progressively as the project manager completes a phase of the project. A completed phase will then be inspected and certified by an independent quality surveyor hired by the customer. Certified invoices will then be issued to the customer. The projects manager revenue will be delayed if the phase is not completed within the time scale specified or not up to the desired standard. The project manager will then have to finance the extra costs himself which may result in severe cash flow problems. Del ays on large project can easily add additional costs. Therefore it is very important that the project is planned, analyzed, monitored and managed carefully to avoid disruptions in its execution. 2.7 Examples of Factor Failures Affecting Projects 2.7.1 Boeing 787 Dreamliner The 787 dreamliner is a 240 seater aircraft currently being developed by Boeing. Its design involves 50% of the manufacturing materials being composites makes it the first composite airliner in the world. However, due to certain drawbacks Boeing announced its sixth delay for its maiden flight since September 2007. The new planned date for the maiden flight is now shifted to the end of 2009. The delivery of the first 787 is also delayed to the end of 2010 which is a 30 month delay from the originally expected date of June 2008. Various factors were the cause of this delay and will be explained below. Poor Stakeholder Management Prior to the design of the 787, Boeing planned to develop a midsized aircraft capable of travelling at sonic speed (speed of sound). Even though its operating costs were higher, Boeing assured its customers that the sonic cruiser would promote customer satisfaction by saving time. However, due to the September 11, 2001 attacks and increased petroleum prices the customers became less interested in the project. Thus as Boeing informed its customers of the increasing airframe costs the customers immediately pulled out of the project resulting in Boeing announcing the abortion of the Sonic Cruiser project on December 2002. Inadequate Scope Management For the production of the 787, Boeing decided on a new approach as a resolve to reduce costs. This new approach was to outsource the major components of the 787 to different manufacturing companies around the world. For examples, the wings were produced by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Nagoya (Japan), ailerons and flaps by Boeing Australia, stabilizers by Alenia Aeronautica (Italy) and these parts were to be assembled in Everett, Washington (Boeings Main Plant). By outsourcing Boeing did not specify the exact details of the parts and encouraged the manufacturers to speak out their ideas develop solutions for problems. However, when progressing to the assembly of the aircraft tests displayed the fuselage is not up to the desired strength and failed the testing. Due to this defect, Boeing engineers are back at the drawing board to solve the issue. Inappropriate Communication Management A current major problem in the design is electronic integration. Unlike current aircrafts the 787 is designed to operate flight controls by using electrical power to reduce weight and reduce complexity. However by employing three different competing companies to integrate their systems together has proven to be a problem. Smiths Aerospace, Rockwell Collins and Honeywell International are known as fierce competitors in the aviation industry. Therefore when struggling to get their software to mesh with each others, the atmosphere turns stressful and the software engineers returned to the competitive attitude they actually are. Inappropriate Risk Management For Boeing to be announcing its sixth delay is not displaying a very good image of achieving its objectives. Sequences of problems arising due to technical difficulties experienced by the 787 are acting like a domino effect on the progress of 787 making less room for mistakes for Boeing. Although primarily there were 910 orders on the 787, 70 of those orders have been cancelled due to the delay. The current situation to meet the deadline for the maiden flight the end of this year is building tension among Boeings engineers to solve current structural problems. Aside from technical problems the delay is also costing Boeing a net loss of $1.6 billion according to Flightglobal.com. Poor Project Planning According to Cohan (2009), another factor for the delay is due to Boeings change of management plan. Boeing has long adopted a command and control type of leadership in the company. However for the 787 project, the top executives decide to enforce a new type of leadership known as Transformational Leadership (TL). TL is a form of leadership where employers encourage employees to make decisions, have ownership and take responsibility for any failure or success. In the past, Boeing had given suppliers very detailed information of what is needed when it outsourced its components. However, with the 787 Boeing allowed the suppliers to do the design and manufacturing. This is found to be the source of why there were problems during the final assembly at Everett. Due to this factor, Boeing has reverted to the previous type of leadership to prevent any more delays and other assembly related problems from reoccurring. (http://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/08/19/will-boeing-have-to-delay-the-787-dreamliner-another-two-years/) 3.0 Analysis of Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) PMBOK is a project management guide that provides the fundamentals of project management that can be applied on a variety of projects such as construction, engineering, research and so on. It provides the guidance on the application of project management skills, tools, knowledge and techniques that can enhance the success of a project. PMBOK was first published by the Project Management Institute (PMI) in 1987 and is currently the widest standard of project management used. PMBOK consists of five basic process groups and nine knowledge areas typical of almost all projects. Initiation Process Authorizing the project or phase Planning Process Defining and selecting the best methods to achieve the projects objectives Execution Process Coordination of resources to perform the plan Controlling Process Monitoring and controlling the projects progress to ensure the projects objectives is achieved and to layout corrective action if any variances occur Closing Process Concluding the project 3.1 How PMBOK Can Mitigate Failure Factors 3.1.1 Communication Management Communications management provides a link for information and individual for efficient communication to take place. Communication is an exchange of information between individuals that are associated in the project such as stakeholders, project team, project manager and the public itself. Failure for an organized communication system to take place will create factors for project failure as stated in the previous chapter. Therefore it is important that everyone associated in the project understands how communication will affect the project as a whole. PMBOK has outlined the guidelines for efficient communication management which are: Communication Planning Plan the information and communication needs of those associated with the project. This includes determining what information is to be delivered to whom and when it is to be delivered. The project manager also has to plan the communication method to be applied to different individuals associated with the project. Information Distribution The process of making information to those who need it according to the management plan. The project manager must also be prepared to provide information on occasional unexpected requests of information. Methods of information distribution may be in the form of project meetings, hard copy documents, electronic communication such as emails, and other work management tools Performance Reporting Involves collection and distribution of performance information such as status reports, progress measurements and forecasts of progress. This usually provides information on scope, schedule, cost and quality. The performance report collects progress information and compares it to a reference baseline. 3.1.2 Stakeholder Management According to PMBOK, stakeholder management refer to managing communication to satisfy the needs of, and resolve issues with, project stakeholder. By maintaining a good relationship between the stakeholders, it increases the potential of keeping the project on track and limits disturbances in the projects progress. To ensure efficient stakeholder management PMBOK has analysed two main guidelines to be implemented: Identify Stakeholders Process of recognizing those who are impacted by the project. This includes documenting their interest, participation and involvement in the project. Stakeholders of a project may consists of individuals that possess different authority levels thus may have a big influence on the outcome of the project. The project manager must identify the key stakeholders and develop a strategy to approach each stakeholder and determine their level of involvement to mitigate negative impacts and encourage positive influence. Manage Stakeholder Expectations This is the process of knowing the needs of the stakeholder and informing of arising issues as the project progresses. It involves negotiating and influencing the stakeholder regarding their expectations to achieve an agreement relevant to the project goals, resolving issues that is disrupting the project and informing of future problems and assessing them. The key to this is to maintain proactive communication with the stakeholder for the influence, knowledge and skill possessed by the stakeholder may not be available on the project team. 3.1.3 Risk Management Risk management is a process of identifying potential problems that may occur, assessing them and determine whether to avoid, transfer or mitigate the impacts of the risk. By using PMBOK as a guideline, it has outlined six processes to avoid risk as being an act of surprise and instead an anticipation of events. The processes are: Plan Risk Management Process of determining procedures to approach risk and the activities to be performed for managing risks. This is crucial to ensure that sufficient resources and time is available when the activities are to be performed. Identify Risk Identify potential problems that may occur as the project progresses. It is a constantly progressing procedure for new risks may be identified as the project progresses. Qualitative Risk Analysis An analysis of determining risks of the highest priority. Prioritizing is in terms of probability of occurrence, impact on objectives and other factors such as time frame of response and constraints on cost, scope and quality. Quantitative Risk Analysis An analysis performed on risks that have been prioritized by the qualitative risk analysis. The analysis will determine the characteristics of the loss and assign a numerical rating to it. Plan Risk Response Planning responses to risks identified during the analysis. Such responses may be to avoid, mitigate, transfer or even retention of the risks. The responses must take into account the significance of the risk, cost effectiveness, realistic and timely within the projects objectives and must be agreed by all parties. Monitor and Control Risk Risk monitoring and control is and ongoing processes in order to be able to identify potential new risks and keep track of existing ones. It enhances the opportunities to reduce or eliminate threats to protect the projects objectives. 3.1.4 Scope Management In order to avoid doing the unnecessary a system of defining and controlling what is to be included into the project must be implemented to avoid waste of resources and costs. This is scope management. PMBOK has laid out five basic guidelines to be followed to avoid doing the unnecessary. Plan Scope Collecting requirements that define and documents the projects features needed to fulfil the stakeholders needs and expectations in the project. Define Scope Providing a detailed description of the projects deliverables and the work needed to be carried out to achieve it. Create Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) WBS is a process of dividing the work in a hierarchical manner into small, manageable groups. The WBS gives a pictorial definition of the project to assist the stakeholder in viewing the deliverable. Verify Scope Scope verification is a process of receiving the acceptance by the stakeholder on a completed scope or deliverable. Control Scope Scope control is the process of monitoring the progress of the scope and managing any changes to be done to it. This is to avoid scope creep, thus any changes must be performed through an Integrated Change control process. 3.1.5 Project Planning A project plan is to create a guideline to achieve the projects objective. The project plan will display a flow diagram of processes which will lead to accomplishing objectives. The plan must also take into consideration of the time scale, resources, workforce and any potential risks to the project. As specified by PMBOK, planning of a project will integrate some knowledge areas processes with each other depending on their inputs and outputs. The guidelines for an effective project plan are provided by PMBOK. Develop Project Charter Project charters are issued by the sponsors of the project. It is a document that formally authorizes a project and is a summary of the project. The contents of a project charter are business needs, current customer requirements, project purpose, milestone schedule and the budget summary. Develop Preliminary Scope Statement This process involves defining of what is needed to be accomplished in the project. The preliminary scope statement is documented based on information from the sponsor which will include the characteristics and boundaries of the project. Develop Project Management Plan Project management plan is a document that defines integrates and coordinates all subsidiary plans into one document. The project management plan displays how the project will be carried out monitored and controlled and closed which are the five basic processes of PMBOK. The project management plan is revised and updated whenever a change occurs to the plan. 4.0 Conclusion Project Managers are like bridges that links key pieces together. Therefore, to reach those pieces effectively they are required to possess a balance of skills and knowledge and are able to apply the skill and knowledge efficiently. Project management frameworks such as PMBOK are merely used as guidance and will not promise the success of a project. The project management team is responsible for determining what is appropriate in any project and the decision is made by the project manager. Project Managers should have a clear understanding of the projects objectives and strive to achieve them. As mentioned above, careful planning of a project is essential for its success. Other factors that also contribute to this are good communication, detailed risk analysis, clear definition of scope and proactive relationship among stakeholders. By using these factors as guidelines, it is quite certain that impacts for projects failure can be mitigated.