Saturday, December 28, 2019

Inquiring Minds Want to Know--Now! Question Seven Eight...

Case Study Assignment Four: Inquiring Minds Want to Know--Now! Question Seven: Assume you are compiling your research report. How would you present the statistical information within this case to the Industry Week decision maker, the manager who must decide whether or not to continue to publish reader service cards? In the provided case study, Penton Media has performed a research study to determine consumer and industry interest in reader service cards, included in Penton publications (Cooper amp; Schindler, 2011). Research provided statistical data which much be evaluated and presented to Industry Week to determine future use of reader service cards. To get the message across, it will be necessary for leadership to format a†¦show more content†¦Produced correctly, presentations should show trends and relationships efficiently, allowing for information to be relayed properly to interested parties. Just as in verbal or written reports, visual and graphic presentation allows for information simplification. Providing the opportunity f or visual shortcuts, researchers understand information must not be time consuming and difficult to process. Graphics attract a reader’s visual attention, creating better understanding through graphs, charts, and other visual structures. Provision of visual aids showing statistical data will allow Industry Week to properly understand research results, and allow for visual observations to be made rapidly and simply. Utilizing different methods of visual charts and tables can be beneficial in presenting statistical research. For instance, a bar graph can identify the number of ads in correlation with reader response, while a line chart can show trends in reader response. Penton researchers can also use pie charts and individual graphs to show percentages related to email, website, mail, phone, and fax or mail readership contact information. Penton Media would also benefit from a scatter chart allowing for individual consumer responses to be measured as well. Utilizing these visual aids along with a through, yet simple written report will allow for Industry Week to better determine whether reader service cards areShow MoreRelatedAge and Language Learning3118 Words   |  13 Pagesefficiently. Furthermore, there i s no loss of language ability or language learning ability over time. Age is not a detriment to language learning, and by all accounts, learning a second (or third etc) language actually keeps the older language learners mind active. People of all ages can benefit from learning languages. It is generally believed that younger learners have certain advantages over older learners in language learning. The common notion is that younger children learn L2 easily and quicklyRead MoreEssay about Billy Graham : Man and Ministry5476 Words   |  22 Pagespresidents. For thirty seven years he has been on the Gallup organizations list of the ten most admired men in the world. His is a ministry that has been heard and felt around the world, beginning in the nineteen fifties. It is this beginning decade that perhaps gives the most insight into the ministry, how and why it started, and how people reacted. It is the strength of the ministry built in this decade that continues to carry Grahams ministry to this day, even while Graham is now slowed by ParkinsonsRead MoreLifespan Essay14430 Words   |  58 Pagesyou dont disturb him. A At 0 months: After only a week with ARDA, you can already feel a hormonal connection. When ARDA cries, you begin to lactate!This will increase if you choose to breast feed, but it will die off gradually if you do not. You want ARDA to be active and curious about his environment, so you: deck out ARDAs crib with the latest baby gear, including black and white mobiles, rattles, etc. talk to, hold and interact with ARDA whenever he seems interested. You figure you areRead MoreA Picatrix Miscellany52019 Words   |  209 Pagesof the twenty-eight mansions of the moon, according to the â€Å"Indian† system, and assigns to each its correct talisman. Analysis of the passage shows that it is a compound of â€Å"Indian† doctrines, the tenets of Dorotheus of Sidon (both attested by Ibn abi ‘l-Rijà ¢l) and elements from a list ascribed to Hermes (attested by the Ihwà ¢n al-Safà ¢Ã¢â‚¬â„¢) (pp.14-21). At the beginning of the chapter, the author advised the magician of the necessity to prepare himself inwardly for his task: this is now, in an excursusRead MoreCatering Industry in India15547 Words   |  63 Pagesthe individual but also to all the other five senses of a human being. With the right atmosphere, it is possible to appeal to all of these senses making the occasion unforgettable. Of course, beautifully prepared food can alone do this, but now days, caterers want to reach out to the customers in all possible ways and bowl them over. †¢ The venue †¢ The menu †¢ The dà ©cor These are certain areas, which the caterers aim to cover for an all round, win. . Whatever may be the occasion; a bachelor’s partyRead MoreLogical Reasoning189930 Words   |  760 Pages........................................................................................... 144 Seeking a Second Opinion ............................................................................................................ 147 Trust Me, I Know It on Good Authority ..................................................................................... 149 Suspending Belief......................................................................................................................Read MoreTEFL Assignment Answers23344 Words   |  94 Pageswould assume a 25% -Teacher/75%-Student ratio would be effective. â€Å"What are some ways you plan to avoid excessive TTT in your classroom when you are a ESL/EFL teacher? Provide specific strategies and examples.† In answering the second part of this question, I’ll first admit that I am in the process of learning how to cut-back on Teacher Talking Time [TTT]. I have learned that this is not always an easy task for me. But, I have been serious about learning to limit my speech. I have been raised andRead MoreIntroduction to Motivation16686 Words   |  67 Pageswe hardly know about this story simply because Tendulkar is itself the name of success . We all know about Thomas Alva Edison as a great scientist but we hardly know about his story of failures. Every successful person had a bad patch in his or her life .What was it that made Thomas A. Edison a great scientist even after several failures ,what made Tendulkar a great living legend, what was the magic that changed the life of Wilma Rudolf ;it was nothing but MOTIVATION. We all want to achieveRead MoreDeveloping Effective Research Proposals49428 Words   |  198 Pagesplan 2.6 Research questions or research problems? 2.7 A simplified model of research 2.8 Review concepts and questions Notes 3 A General Framework for Developing Proposals 3.1 An overall framework 3.2 A hierarchy of concepts 3.3 Research areas and topics 3.4 General and specific research questions viii ix x 1 1 3 3 3 4 5 6 7 8 8 9 10 10 11 13 14 15 16 17 19 19 21 22 23 24 25 previous page page_v next page Page vi 3.5 Data collection questions 3.6 Research questions and data – theRead MoreMicrosoft Excel Workbook100984 Words   |  404 Pages....................................................................................................... 229 Chapter Six Review ........................................................................................................... 230 Chapter Seven: Working with Lists..............................................................................235 Lesson 7-1: Creating a List................................................................................................ 236 Lesson 7-2: Using the

Thursday, December 19, 2019

Why I Should Be Prepared - 1642 Words

Sirens shrieked through the air in chaotic pulses, adding to the panic already felt by the mob of people rushing to the launch pad. My wife, Jessica, and I started to run, but we struggled, weighed down by our children on our backs. We followed the trail like we practiced, but even after all of the drills, I still felt as if I was not prepared. How should I be prepared? No one expected the North Koreans to invade, especially not here in Los Angeles. We ran for what felt like miles. Minutes felt like hours. Each step felt as if it were fighting gravity for our dear lives. Finally my eyes met the eyes of the guards at the gate of the launch pad. A crowd had assembled around the gate, trying to get in. I pushed and shoved everyone out of the†¦show more content†¦The colony was made up of many structures connected by tunnels in order to keep our lives separate from the empty vacuum of space. There were multiple 62-AB robots stationed around the colony in case we needed assistance with anything. This just seemed odd. Of course robots that are developed to look and act just like humans are a bit strange, but the way that they acted around us was quite disturbing. Everyone was acting different than normal too. Ever since we arrived, my kids started behaving as if they could not do anything wrong. They were always good children, but they would misbehave every once and awhile. My wife seems to be very passive and submissive, just agreeing with everything I say. It feels like my wife is a completely different person now and not the wonderful woman that I married. I loved her personality, but it seems as if she is just anoth er one of those 62-AB robots. As the days went on, I started to get anxious. Nothing about the colony felt right. I asked the doctor 68-JJ about my observations, but he seemed to repeatedly deny what I said, as if the line was a part of his programming. I began to think of the worst possible ideas. I was wondering why we were never called about our status in regards to returning home. It seemed as if they were hiding something. I had to take initiative and get someShow MoreRelatedEssay How to Get Prepared and Start My Own Business1585 Words   |  7 PagesHow to Get Prepared and Start My Own Business . All of us have a lot of ideas about the things that we think about; most of the time we do not even recognize how millions of ideas got through our brains. Even now, when I typed this sentence, it took a while for me to come up with an idea and put it into words, so that all the readers get exactly what I want them to understand after reading my writing. We use our ideas everywhere, since it is something that lets us process and understand the informationRead MoreAnalysis of the Role-Play Island Cruise Essay619 Words   |  3 PagesI. Introduction I chose to represent the major in the â€Å"Island Cruise†-role play. Taking part at that play made me realize that there are several aspects that you should keep in mind before attending a meeting, e.g. and amongst others â€Å"be prepared†, â€Å"listen†, â€Å"share common goals† and â€Å"keep your emotions out†. II. Strategy First of all and to be honest, I was not prepared for the first two role-plays we did, because I thought it would not be necessary as I thought I am skilled in arguing andRead MorePaid for Grades?686 Words   |  3 Pagesshe tried her best, but it still wasn’t enough to earn her a cash sum. There are a few reasons why children should not get paid for good grades. First, they lose out on valuable life lessons. Second, it is hard to provide the money for all of the children that get A’s. Third, it can become a competition and can cause problems amongst friends and family. Finally, children aren’t mentally prepared for handling the stress of money. First of all, children lose out on valuable life lessons. PayingRead MoreAnalysis Paper1050 Words   |  5 PagesThe basic idea of the commercial is that no matter what happens in life, that you should always be prepared for what to do next. GEICO is not just car insurance, but they can be your friend. First of all I would like to start of this essay by telling you what my commercial is about. The commercial that I chose to write my paper on was a GEICO commercial. There are lots of commercials out there for car insurance, but I think this one is the best. When we first see this commercial on the televisionRead Moresurvey master llc Essay1525 Words   |  7 Pagesproducts and services sold by manufacturers, distributors, and consultants. Data was collected and analyzed to provide information about demand, pricing, design, distribution channels, and delivery systems. A typical project ended with a report prepared for and delivered to the client who had contracted for the work with Survey Masters. In 2006, the company had completed 120 projects. An income statement in rounded numbers for 2006 is shown in Exhibit 1. The Marketing Research Survey Process Read MoreEssay On Hurricanes945 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"social science research is needed to expand the existing knowledge base on the response of households, businesses, and special facilities to hurricane warnings†. I will discuss the main points about what actions the government plans to make in these situations, why hurricanes are so important to be prepared for, and my stance on what I think about these propositions. The role and actions of local government is very critical with hurricanes. Do you advise the citizens to stay and protect themselvesRead MoreEffects Of The Sauk Rapids Tornado1650 Words   |  7 Pagesme to learn more about tornadoes. This led me to research about tornadoes in Minnesota. As I began surfing the internet about tornadoes that occurred in Minnesota, I came across the effects that each tornado had caused to the areas that it had struck. This is where I discovered the effects of one particular tornado called the Sauk Rapids Tornado. As I looked at the effects that this tornado had produced, I discovered that this tornado was labeled as the deadliest tornado in history to ever hit MinnesotaRead MoreObserving Bacteria and Blood- Lab #1 Essay1095 Words   |  5 PagesObserving Bacteria and Blood- Lab #1 Purpose: Being able to learn how to correctly use a microscope and the oil immersion lens to be able to see the prepared slides. Also to learn how to prepare my own yogurt and blood slides. Procedure: First, set up the microscope. Clean the ocular lenses and objectives with lens paper. Then pace the prepared e slide on the stage and make adjustments. Turn the rotating nosepiece until the 10x objective is above the ring of light coming through the slide. MoveRead MoreWhy school needs to have strict discipline.1547 Words   |  7 PagesI understand students annoyance with the harsh disciplinary rules of school. I am well aware that each works very hard, and you are ambitious students. And yes, sometimes we are late, or not prepared due to unforeseen circumstances. Let me try to explain the reasons why the school has made these disciplinary rules. First, a student will not be expelled for being late in the morning, where traffic and other things can hinder us all in getting to our destination on time. If a student is late in theRead MoreWhy I Am An Effective Teacher Essay1275 Words   |  6 PagesGreat teachers are rare, are you an Effective Teacher It has been stated that teaching is a craft and a highly skilled craft that can be learned. What is consider to be an effective teacher? To keep this as simple as possible I could name a ton of attributes, but to name just a few I would say an educator that knows how to dress for success or maybe someone that has their classroom ready for learning, or even someone that knows how to create effective assignments for their students. Also a great teacher

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Risk Management What is Proactive Management

Question: Locate, synthesise and critically evaluate recent/current information from a wide range of published literature in the area of Project Risk and Procurement Management. Apply knowledge of the theory and practice of Project Risk and Procurement Management to develop insights into and solve current problems. Critically evaluate the use of complex models of Project Risk and Procurement Management; systematically and creatively making sound judgements based on the systematic analysis and creative synthesis of ideas. Critically and effectively assess the value of theories, concepts and models to the practice of Project Risk and Procurement Management. Answer: Introduction Risk management refers to the technique of establishing control over the potential problem which can occur or may not occur depending upon the investment decision and market feasibility. To have better understanding on the immensely calculative topic of risk management, it is necessary to understand the terminology of risk, factors associated with risk, factors affecting risk situations and sources of risk. Unless, the base problem is known which carries in risk factor, it is tough to manage investment decisions and control risk. (Hamilton, Byatt, Hodgkinson and Terrill, 2012).While the strategic decisions related to projects, investments, are taken, high importance is given to factors of risk and their impacts in the short run or long run. Risk is the probability that the real outcome from an investment will contrast from the expected outcome. Further, when investor are alarmed on their investments and their unsure returns, there is greater risk associated with increasing expectatio n of possible outcomes. It should not be assumed that risk can be controlled because it can be minimized and the impact can be lower done but controlling is all about letting the event not happen at all. In so practical financial markets, where bull and bear are always in form of some action, there is no certainty over the outcome of the investments and this makes everyone in financial market on why the management of risk is proving to be gigantic task for the profession of project management. Risk management is the process of systematically and logically ascertaining, scrutinizing, treating and monitoring the risk which is associated with any project. It is obvious for managers to have long sightedness over the life of the project and pay keen attention to the expected outcome vs. actuals in progress. For managers, risk management is the important step in achieving success in their decision making goals and making the best use of resources which are available to the organization. W hen any project is started, its viability of success is tested over different financial scenarios to ensure no stone is left unturned for the accomplishment of the project. (Mar, 2016) Corporate managers understand it well that risk is not a certain thing because it might happen or it might not happen and there is no scope to consider the latter opinion and continue with the project as per steps concluded. Risk is associated with future happenings and for guaranteed, with the change in life of the project, there will be change in opinions and degree of impact of the risk factors. The uncertainty over happening or non-happening of the impact of risk, is not always in full proportion to 100% because it might happen that project have not failed but there are serious constraints. Such constraints will not allow the project to be completed as originally expected. (Duggan, 2013) Thus, it becomes mandatory to take care of the obstacles and then only actual results could be expected. Managing risk effectively is again a daunting task and demands the strong analysis of the market situations where project would be operational. Risk factors are not always associated with the market situations but also involves the risk of business continuity, risk of scarcity of resources or may be risk associated with the interest rates. In coverage of risk management, the best strategies are proactive one because projects managers can easily analyze the potential risk involved with the project and risk factors must be identified in advance of the project startup and thereafter, prioritized by significance. Another technique of reactive response deals with the opinion that if risk cannot be avoided so it can be minimized by the best possible use of risk management techniques which will be discussed in the further course of assignment. It will also deepen our knowledge on understanding the type and identification of risks, historical risk factors and practices to be followed which act as measure of the risk. End outcome must be the attainment of project goal in alignment with business goals. (Mack, 2013) Sources of Risk Risk originates from various source and among them following are crucially important for better treatment of risk factors and restore the life of the project: (Borysowich, 2008) Business risk: As an investor who have invested in corporate instruments such as shares and debentures, expectation is that business should grow in terms of performance and provide better ingathering to investors. But situation is not always as per expectation and there is always a risk of pitiable performance by business and the direct impact will be on the share value of the business which will fall giving disappointments to the investors. There could be number of reasons for poor show by the business such as cut-throat competition, failure to upgrade to new technologies, change in business laws, change is policies of the government, supply of raw material affected by any reason and so on. Such changes have huge impact on business activities and sometimes, even strings of the better planning break leaving behind the losses and uncertainty of recovery situations. No analysis of such factors could be remedial to cover the business risk but management cannot escape from the flaw of po or planning and strategies that were not implemented timely. In management of projects, poor performance of the business create a gap of timely accommodation of financial resources. Finance is the lifeline of the projects and when business do not perform well, there are strong chances that business firm will not be able to impair. (Blackman, 2014) Interest rate risk: Investment on projects have returns which can be fixed or variable interest. In market conditions, where interest rate fluctuations affect the interest of the both the investor scenario of fixed interest or variable interest. When interest rates change and move higher, investors getting fixed rate of interest are affected because they are getting lower interest in comparison to the prevailing market rates and fixed rate investors get benefitted when market rates are falling. On contrary, investors getting variable returns from projects enjoy the high yield when interest rates go higher and if interest rates fall, they are adversely affected. (Kumar, 2014) Market risk: It is believed that earnings of the company and interest rates usually do not fluctuate much and tends to remain intact. Projects with bulky investments are affected with the change in price of the securities. The sentiment of the investors are important factor in fluctuations of the securities because they investors keep their observations on the market and bull/bear horizons keep them tentative over their decisions to hold, buy or sell.(Rodeck ,2012) Project risk: Market experts believe that those projects which are risk free or involve close to zero risk, actually do not return anything in terms of revenue from investment. There may be factor involving such as scope of the project is not defined properly so it becomes actually difficult to go correctly with estimates. Project managers must be very competent to analyze all the viability factors of a project so that upcoming deviations could be controlled on right time. (Naybour, 2015) Effective management of risk Management of risk is the part of business stratagems to deal with opportunities to be tapped positively and threats to be handled before they become insurmountable. Business activities are not carried in vacuum so whatever is done have some or the other involvement weighted potential risk. Business grow rapidly only when the risk taken are calculated and well analyzed. From the risk taking ability of the organizations, we analyze numerous things which are actually useful in decision making of investments. (Schurr, 2008). Taking too much risk and taking too low risk, both are termed to be adverse decisions. If any business firm is investing in those projects involving too much risk, it means business may fall at some point of time. On opposite, if business is investing in those projects which have very low or no risk, then it is clear that conservatism is at peak and growth potentials are locked. (Purdy, 2014) All projects do not always have similar kind of risk involved do dealing with them should be unique. Process followed to manage project risk: 1-Identify potential risks: Project managers are responsible to spend time on identifying those risk which may arise in future and growth of project may get hampered. Learning from the past experiences is important and experiences of the past can be utilized to make smart decisions. When risk are identified in priority, they are also dealt in advanced with the best possible solution. Since business do number of projects, it is easy to relate to number of projects with history of risk impact. Team work is important when management is trying to deal with risk factors because few in the team have vast experience of working on numerous projects and their input will serve as right key that will open right doors. Input from all the team-mates will be a mix of useful ideas which can be screened as per need of the project and thereafter, best could be implemented to detect the risks of future. Once the risk factors are identified, next step is to analyze their degree of impact. (Rawi, 2014) 2-Assessment and analysis of identified risks: Once the potential risks are on the decision cycle of the business, next step is analyze the degree of impact that will be coming because of certain risk factors and if such risk can be mitigated with the period change over the life of the project. It is not at all necessary that risk factors identified may actually prove harmful for the project because these risk might have lower impact than thought. (Bonnie, 2014) Assessment is done to see if the risk factors involved carry long term damage or short term damage only. Experts suggest that management should defer or decline those projects which have legality issues associated with them. Pros and cons are evaluated in respect to risk factors and then decision is made on whether the project is worth taking the risk. A tough is also given on the point that whether rewards will be higher or cost will crunch the game. (Chandana, 2013) Assessment of each risk factors will come with the output of quality and quantity.Tools that can be used by management for: Qualitative Risk Analysis: (Belinda, 2011) Risk probability and impact assessment Risk data quality assessment Risk categorization Risk urgency assessment Expert opinions Quantitative Risk Analysis: (Dash, 2015) Sensitivity analysis Monetary value analysis Decision tree analysis Monte Carlo analysis Apart from this, while project manager is finalizing plans to mitigate risk, reference to beginning of the project should not be missed at all. In a nutshell, it is necessary to have a diversified team for project so that inputs, thought process and actionable items on them do not result in redundancy. After the deep assessment of the risk factors, outcomes could be: High risk or serious threat risks- Such risk are the one which no one is willing to deal but they are unavoidable risk factors and may ruin the entire project if due management is not followed. Low risk or opportunity based risks- Such risks are worth taking because of positive factor which will give project right growth momentum. Contingent response- Such strategies are formed with future course of action and this ensures that all members of the project team are aware of what steps are required at different stages of the project. (Usmani, 2012) 3-Monitoring the project: Projects are regular part of the business and regular observation is necessary to keep a check on the deviations caused because of various financial factors. Sincere monitoring of the projects will not make the projects successful but also loyalty of investors will grow and faith will be established on management decisions. There are many purposes that get fulfilled in monitoring the project such as: (Benson, 2016) -Informed decisions are taken and are based on actual scenario rather relying on the estimates only. -Accountability could be fixed for the resources being used in the project. -Relevance and effectiveness of going with the plans is useful in long term. -Impact of high risk factors are checked from time to time and this ensures that project team is on right track. -Efficient use of project resources without going on pitfalls. Not all risk factors need to be mitigated because during the assessment of risk factors, risk tolerance are also set. Risk tolerance refers to the maximum degree which can be accepted for a project and this can be concluded only by measuring the rewards and risk and the balance between both of them is established. Risk tolerance is different from one organization to another and depends upon the legal status of the organization. Important principles of risk management are as follows: 1-Attention to be paid on the process of risk management on continuous basis.-Risk management like business operations is a continuous process and need attention for the life of the project. 2-Forward looking view- Business management should always have their contingent plans ready to tackle risk that may arise any time in future. 3-Reporting-There should be transparency in decision making and visibility of the project to all members of the project and also to the investors for inner peace of mind. Also information used in making decisions, should be verified and from the trusted source. 4-Support structure-The project team should be diversified and equipped with teammates who are intelligent, dynamic and diligent in handling on time complex queries related to the project. 5-Integrate risk management In simple terms, risk management can be associated with certain technology which may warn the project team if deviations persists. 6- Emphasis on open communication- Communication is always strong key to address various issues. Honest input from the project team can be expected when manager have open door policy to listen and respect the opinions presented. (Tomtsongas, 2011) Risk Management Plan Risk management honestly becomes more nerve-wracking when project also involve international partners because at that point of time, project managers and team not deal internal pressures but also international interaction bring changes. Projects with international involvement need the protocol of contingency to be prepared in advance and thus, level of risk is manageable even in case of high uncertainty. (Dcosta, 2015) Project risk management strategy for complex projects involving international partner organization: 1-Identification of project risk: It is the initial step in the process to tackle risk factors. Risk factors must be evaluated on their chances of occurrence such as almost certain, likely, moderate, Unlikely or rare and according plans are made. Once the occurrence chances are on the analysis, further impact of the risk need to be analyzed. Projects are the lifelines of the business and managing projects without doing proper SWOT analysis is putting the money to waste because investors in the project will not be in situation of earning good yield. It also degrade business manage strategies. 2-Risk analysis and actionable item- After the potential risk factors are analyzed and there is clear picture on what is the action on the risk factors, detail analysis is required on important factor of how much risk will impact whether impact will be extreme, very high, moderate, low or negligible. There may be numerous risk factors and each of them will different treatment depending on their impact factors. Acceptable risk and acceptable impact of risk will differ from business to business and also on their financial structure so business have international partner organizations should quantify on priority the degree of risk factors and how much should be in tolerance without affecting the original goals of the business project. (Scheid, 2013) 3-Foreign exchange fluctuations- When an international partner organization is involved in the project, foreign exchange fluctuations have impact on the valuation of the project and should be taken care through initial set up of the project. 4-Risk categorization Treating the risk with best eligible solution is the key in management of projects. In general, project managers are not anxious by low risk and very low risk because impact by such risk factors is negligible. However, risk factors from moderate to extreme need strategic planning to handle them and therefore risk profiles must be developed in order to monitor risk areas and countermeasures adopted for the same. Effectiveness of the plans implemented must be reviewed on periodic basis and results can be shared for future assessment. Reports analyzed must be through reliable system and feedback reports may turn useful in decision making regarding which risk to ignore and which one to pay attention. (Lang, 2009). 5-Risk Audits After the risk factors and their solutions are in place, there is need of robust audit plan to ensure success of the risk control solutions. Risk audit measures the effectiveness of the plans implemented to manage risk. Audits are the part of project review process because project managers know the importance of cost-control and budgeting in finalizing the project. (Livingstone, 2012). 6-Risk reassessment-It is never onetime thing that risk factors are analyzed and plans are implemented because continuous monitor of the process through life of the project is must to make it successful. Risk reassessment is mandatory to ensure the progress of the project is on right track and earlier detected issued are in control or are not at all there in the process. It can be said that risk reassessment is proactive process and helps in avoiding pitfalls. (Williams, 2011). Conclusion With deep analysis over risk, risk factors, sources and impacts, it can be concluded that success of the project is vital and can be recognized only when risk factors are minimized and returns are maximized. Risk supervision can captivate a substantial amount of the project design efforts and help to form cover against the market fluctuations and business uncertainty. There is strong need of proactive planning for mitigating the risk factors and current planning information of risk control can be documented for future risk analysis. We also felt that process of risk management process help management focus on priorities and in taking decisions dealing with very limited set of resources. Risk management is a process and must be inculcated in the project lifecycle. At the beginning of the project lifecycle, there should additional concentration on the opportunity factors of the project planning and same attention should be risk factors associated with the project. Planned estimation an d forecast give expected results without wastage of financial and other important resources. References Mack, S. (2013), What is proactive management, Chron, accessed on 14 August 2016, https://smallbusiness.chron.com/proactive-management-56375.html Mar, A. (2016), 130 project risks, Management guide, accessed on 14 Aug 2016https://management.simplicable.com/management/new/130-project-risks Hamilton. G, Byatt, G. Hodgkinson, J Terrill, P. (2012), A risk management implementation, CIO ,accessed on 14 Aug 2016https://www.cio.com.au/article/427457/risk_management_implementation/ Duggan, T. (2013), Why Is Risk Management Important to Project Success, Chron, accessed on 14 August 2016, https://smallbusiness.chron.com/risk-management-important-project-success-56920.html Borysowich, C. (2008), Sources of risk, Toolbox, accessed on 14 August 2016, https://it.toolbox.com/blogs/enterprise-solutions/sources-of-risk-22055 Blackman, A. (2014), The main types of business risks, Envatotuts, accessed on 14 August 2016, https://business.tutsplus.com/tutorials/the-main-types-of-business-risk--cms-22693 Kumar, L. (2014), Financial risk and its mitigation, Academia, accessed on 14 August 2016, https://www.academia.edu/6851541/financial_risk_and_its_mitigation Rodeck, D. (2012), What Factors Increase the Riskiness of a Capital Budgeting Project, Studio D, accessed on 14 August 2016, https://smallbusiness.chron.com/factors-increase-riskiness-capital-budgeting-project-15829.html Naybour, P. (2015), What are project risks and how can you identify them, APM, accessed on 14 August 2016, https://www.apm.org.uk/blog/what-are-project-risks-and-how-can-you-identify-them Schurr, A. (2008), 7 steps to effective risk management, Network world, accessed on 14 August 2016, https://www.networkworld.com/article/2279924/infrastructure-management/7-steps-to-effective-risk-management.htm Purdy, G. (2014), How to Manage Risk More EffectivelyMake it Part of How You Manage, IFAC, accessed on 14 August 2016, https://www.ifac.org/global-knowledge-gateway/risk-management-internal-control/discussion/how-manage-risk-more Rawi, R. (2014), Project risk identification for new project manager, PM times, accessed on 14 August, 2016, https://www.projecttimes.com/articles/project-risk-identification-for-new-project-manager.htmlBonnie, E. (2014), Project risk assessment, Wrike, accessed on 14 August 2016, https://www.wrike.com/blog/ultimate-guide-to-project-risk-part-1-risk-assessment/Chandana,(2013), Risk assessment in project management, Simpli learn, accessed on 14 August 2016, https://www.simplilearn.com/risk-assessment-project-management-articleBenson, L. (2016), 4 Key project monitoring steps to help you succeed, PM times, accessed on 14 August 2016, https://www.projecttimes.com/articles/4-key-project-monitoring-steps-to-help-you-succeed.htmlTomtsongas. (2011) Risk management-principles and definitions, Program success, accessed on 14 August 2016, https://programsuccess.wordpress.com/2011/05/29/risk-management-principles-and-definitions/Dcosta, A. (2015), Risk management plan, Bright hub project management, accessed 14 August 2016, https://www.brighthubpm.com/risk-management/5141-risk-management-plan-examples/Livingstone, R. (2012), Your audit checklist, CFO, accessed on 14 August 2016, https://ww2.cfo.com/the-cloud/2012/06/it-risk-your-audit-checklist/Willians, C. (2011),Risk management, Project smart, accessed on 14 August 2016, https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/project-management-risk-management.phpLang, R. (2009), How to categorize risk, Facilitiesnet, accessed on 14 August 2016, https://www.facilitiesnet.com/emergencypreparedness/article/How-to-Categorize-Risk-Facilities-Management-Emergency-Preparedness-Feature--10691Belinda. (2011), Qualitative Risk Analysis vs Quantitative Risk Analysis, Passionate, accessed on 14 August 2016, https://www.passionatepm.com/blog/qualitative-risk-analysis-vs-quantitative-risk-analysis-pmp-concept-1Dash, S. (2015), Qualitative vs. Quantitative Risk Analysis, MPUG, accessed on 14 August 2016, https://www.mpug.com/articles/pmp-prep-qualitative-vs-quantitative-risk-analysis/Usmani, F. (2012), Contingency plan vs fallback plan, PM study circle, accessed on 14 August 2016, https://pmstudycircle.com/2012/02/contingency-plan-vs-fallback-plan/ Scheid, J. (2013), Why you need a risk management action plan, Bright hub project, accessed on 14 August 2016, https://www.brighthubpm.com/risk-management/31709-why-you-need-a-risk-management-action-plan/

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

The Bull Moose Party free essay sample

The Bull Moose Party was created by Theodore Roosevelt in 1912. Roosevelt was President of the United States until 1909. Following Roosevelt, a republican, William Howard Taft became President. Taft was also a republican. At the end of Taft’s term, Theodore Roosevelt was dissatisfied with Taft’s leadership and decided he wanted to become the republican nominee for President. The party decided to choose Taft for their nominee for President. Angered and upset, Roosevelt stormed out of the convention center and formed his own party. This party became known as the Progressive Party and would later be referred to as the Bull Moose Party. Theaodre Roosevelt ran for President in the 1912 election as a Progressive. His running mate was Hiram Johnson. The Bull Moose Party focused on many different platforms, and would be classified and ideological third party. â€Å"True to Roosevelts progressive beliefs, the platform of the party called for major reforms including womens suffrage, social welfare assistance for women and children, farm relief, revisions in banking, health insurance in industries, and workers compensation. We will write a custom essay sample on The Bull Moose Party or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The party also wanted an easier method to amend the constitution† (Bull Moose Party; About. com) Their platform called for registration for lobbyist, strong restrictions on political campaign contributions, and recording and publication of the proceedings of Congressional Committee. The Bull Moose Party was very passionate about social issues. They called for national health care, social insurance, minimum wage for women, worker compensation for injuries, inheritance tax, and Federal income tax. The Bull Moose Party wanted direct election of enators and primary elections for both state and federal nomination. They also pushed for a more â€Å"direct democracy†. This included recall election, which would allow citizens to reelect officials before their term was over. Referendum would allow laws to be created by popular vote, while initiative would allow citizens to propose a law by petition and then create it by popular vote. The party wanted reduced tariffs and a strong military with limitation on the Navy. The Bull Moose Party was very similar to the republicans of that time, and resembles modern democrats. In 1912, Theodore Roosevelt ran for President under the Bull Moose Party. â€Å"Voters could choose between William Howard Taft who was the incumbent Republican president, Roosevelt who had previously been the Republican president or Woodrow Wilson, the Democratic candidate. Roosevelt shared many of the progressive policies of Wilson yet his core support came from Republicans who defected from the party† (Bull Moose Party; About. com). Roosevelt received 27% of popular vote and 88 electoral votes, compared to Taft’s 21% and 8 electoral votes. The split between the Republicans and the Bull Moose Party allowed Woodrow Wilson to win the election with 43% of the popular vote and 435 electoral votes. Despite their loss in the 1912 election, the Bull Moose Party still continued on several more years before dying out. In 1914, 138 candidates ran for the House, and five of them were elected. Hiram Johnson also ran in the election for the Governor of California as a Progressive after being denied to run as a Republican. He was re-elected as Governor. In Washington, the Bull Moose Party won a third of the seats in the State Legislature. The Bull Moose Party was a fairly successful third party. Its focus on social issues allowed it gain popularity, helping it to become one of the most famous third party in American History. Works Cited Bull Moose Party. About. com American History. Web. 06 May 2013. Bull Moose Party (political Party, United States). Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, Web. 06 May 2013. Bull Moose Years of Theodore Roosevelt by Theodore Roosevelt Association. Bull Moose Years of Theodore Roosevelt by Theodore Roosevelt Association. N. p. , n. d. Web. 06 May 2013.

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Communication Skills of the Mental Health Nurse Essay Example

Communication Skills of the Mental Health Nurse Essay Abstract This work attempts to examine a number of issues generated by the discussion on the communication skills of the mental health nurse. Nursing actions are planned to promote, maintain, and restore the clients well-being and health. Clients and nurses alike come to the communication with unique cognitive, affective, and psychomotor abilities that they use in their joint endeavor of enhancing the clients well-being. Mental health nurses are responsible for encouraging this interchange of ideas, values, and skills. In an effective helping communication there is a definite and guaranteed interchange between clients and nurses in all three dimensions. The communicative role of the nurse is, thus, an important one. We will write a custom essay sample on Communication Skills of the Mental Health Nurse specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Communication Skills of the Mental Health Nurse specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Communication Skills of the Mental Health Nurse specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Communication Skills of the Mental Health Nurse Communication is a life-long learning process for the nurse. Nurses make the intimate journey with the client and family from the miracle of birth to the mystery of death. Nurses build assertive communication for this journey. Nurses provide education that helps clients change life-long habits. Nurses communicate with people under stress: clients, family, and colleagues. Nurses deal with anger and depression, with dementia and psychosis, with joy and despair. Nurses serve as client advocates and as members of interdisciplinary teams who may have different ideas about priorities for care. Despite the complexity of technology and the multiple demands on a nurses time, it is the intimate moments of connection that can make all the difference in the quality of care and meaning for the client and the nurse. As nurses refine their communications skills and build their confidence, they can move from novice to expert. Nurses honor the differences in clients with humility and learn and grow i n their ability to trust their intuition — the sacred moment of connection when we ac- knowledge the divine presence in each of us, the essence of each person. Communication involves the reciprocal process of sending and receiving messages between two or more people. This work will focus on the communication skills of the mental health nurse. Communication can either facilitate the development of a therapeutic relationship or create barriers (Burleson 2003). In general, there are two parts to face-to-face communication: the verbal expression of the senders thoughts and feelings, and the nonverbal expression. Verbally, cognitive and affective messages are sent through words, voice inflection, and rate of speech; nonverbally, messages are conveyed by eye movements, facial expressions, and body language. Senders determine what message they want to transmit to the receiver and encode their thoughts and feelings into words and gestures. Senders messages are transmitted to the receiver through sound, sight, touch, and occasionally, through smell and taste. Receivers of the messages have to decode the verbal and nonverbal transmission to make sense of the thoughts and feelings communicated by senders. After decoding the senders words, speech patterns, and facial and body movements, the receivers encode return messages, either ve rbally, through words, or nonverbally, through gestures.   Figure 1 illustrates this reciprocal nature of the communication process. At any point in an interpersonal communication we send and receive verbal and nonverbal messages about thoughts and feelings. The assertive nurse appears confident and comfortable. Assertive behavior is contrasted with nonassertive or passive behavior, in which individuals disregard their own needs and rights, and aggressive behavior, in which individuals disregard the needs and rights of others (Figure 2). The communication between mental health nurse and clients typology is divided into two broad categories: client–nurse communications and person-in-situation, or environmental, interventions. There are six intervention methods within the client–worker communications category: 1. Sustainment. Communications designed to convey interest, understanding, confidence, and reassurance constitute the bulk of sustainment. Frequently, these are nonverbal cues, such as attentive posture, minimal prompts (repeating a word the client has used ina questioning manner), nods, and smiles. Sparingly used supportive statements such as â€Å"You seem to be coping well with an enormous amount of pressure† or â€Å"It is to be expected that this would be difficult to deal with† reflect a level of understanding of the clients situation and sustain the communication. 2. Direct influence. This communication type is really a continuum of interventions that range from tentative suggestion through directive advice giving. Giving direct advice is seldom appropriate to the mental health nurse. Even so, suggestions such as â€Å"I wonder whether it might make sense to consider X strategy for handling this problem† or â€Å"Have you thought about trying to do X in that situation?† fall within the range of mental health nurse work interventions in health care settings. 3. Exploration, description, and ventilation. These communications are designed to promote client disclosures through questions and other techniques. Although using minimal prompts and nodding are also involved in sustainment, the goal differs when they are used in this context. The exploration of clients problems, motivations, and strengths, their descriptions of interactions and situations, and their opportunity to allow open expression of emotions are all goals of this type of intervention. 4. Person–situation reflection. Reflection of client communications is often a main goal of intervention. Burleson (2003) divides the types of reflection into six further categories: reflections of others (clients own health or other aspects of the exterior world); client behavior (including its effects on others or on self); the nature of clients behavior, thoughts, and feelings; the causes and provocations of behavior; self-image, values, and principles from an evaluative stance; and feelings about the nurse or the client–nurse relationship. 5. Pattern–dynamic reflection. Communication for the purpose of reflecting back general patterns in the clients behavior and the motivations behind the behavior are given a separate category. Much interpretive and analytic work is done with this type of communication. 6. Developmental reflection. Like pattern–dynamic reflection, this type of communication identifies patterns in client motivation and behavior; however, the focus is on historical developmental patterns. Framing reflections in terms of prior client development is a hallmark of this type of interaction. Acceptance, and its associated value of being non-judgmental, is extensively examined in communication skills. It involves ‘respect and concern’ and ‘an uncompromising belief in the innate worth of the individual human being’ (Atkinson 2002). It is essential not simply that the worker should have these beliefs, but that the client actually experiences himself being respected by the worker.   We do not display unconditional positive regard: there is an expectation by the worker that change will occur. Acceptance, however, requires humility. Indeed, it may go beyond simple refusal to judge, but actively to seek to understand can be a prerequisite to acceptance. A final element is the commitment implied by acceptance: that although the client may behave in ways disapproved of, the relationship will continue as far as the nurse is concerned. Atkinson (2002) stresses consciously attempting to suspend personal value judgments, opinions, attitudes and feelings ab out the issues raised, and concentrate on accepting the client’s values, feelings and opinions (p. 174). The nurse should accept the patient as he or she is, and in addition to accepting him/her as he is, the nurse should treat the patient as an emotionally able stranger and relate to him/her as such until evidence shows otherwise. Nurses must remain true to their values while accepting the patient’s right to follow his/her conscience, they must display tolerance of themselves and others and must be non-judgmental so the patient feels free to express his/her real feelings. To be accepting is, at base, to be friendly. Empathy, listening and individualizing are a closely related cluster of qualities. Empathy is perhaps the most widely discussed element in nursing communication skills. Atkinson (2002) suggests it is imaginatively understanding others: ‘the power to feel imaginatively the experience of the other person†¦to â€Å"get on the same wavelength† as them’. The nurses attempt to ‘put themselves in another’s shoes’. However, this should not overwhelm them. Burleson (2003) calls it controlled emotional involvement. Burleson identifies a continual movement between merging with the client and regaining an objective stance. We recognize that we are a separate person, and this is necessary to maintain a sense of proportion. There is a clear intuitive dimension. Jordan (1979, p. 20) considers ‘it requires the exercise of all her [the worker’s] intuitive and imaginative capacities’ to go beyond the detail of the message. It also has a more cognitive element. It involves ‘building up our knowledge’ (Atkinson 2002) and methods of reasoning†¦to make an objective analysis†¦ [and] the theoretical knowledge [to obtain]†¦a mental representation of the other (Burleson Planalp 2000). Listening is a closely associated practice element. Indeed, it would appear a prerequisite to any degree of accurate empathy. Although non-verbal cues may be used, the ability to listen significantly facilitates understanding of the client and the meaning for him of his circumstances. Listening, however, is not a passive activity. Atkinson (2002) emphasizes nurse involvement, and the active seeking for ‘information’: ‘a listener who is able to respond actively and appropriately to the messages he receives’. Riley (2000) considers likewise it is not a passive ‘hearing’. It is an active search for the meaning in and an active understanding of, the client’s communication. (p. 168) It is this active striving for meaning which links it to empathy, the attempt to understand. It is ‘listen and know what I mean’ (Worden 2003). Listening, though, has a further positive element: actually encouraging the client to express himself. It involves listening hard, not only to the words which the client is using, but also the overtones of what he is saying together with encouraging the client to formulate and express his worries. Individualization is also closely associated with empathy: for to empathize is to do so with an individual who has unique qualities. Individualization is the recognition and understanding of each client’s unique qualities based on the right to be treated not just as a human being, but as this human being with his personal differences. Individualization possesses two central characteristics: like others it involves recognition of uniqueness, but also one of value a valuation of an individual’s potential accomplishments. Barrett (2003) identifies three ways in which it occurs in practice: in the present through the current nurse-client relationship; in description of the past through which the client presents their biography; and discussing future actions contributing to his/her personal identity. Overall treatment should be geared to individual needs. Above all, individualization means being free from projecting stereotypes on to people. Communication skills of mental health nursing also discuss empathy. It is the ability to perceive accurately the feelings of another person and to communicate this understanding to him. It is the capacity for participating in a vicarious experience of another’s feelings, volitions or ideas. Atkinson (2002) considers it to be an absolutely essential element of interpersonal communication. Nurse authors recognize it goes beyond simply what another person says: it is the ability to perceive accurately the internal frame of reference of the other and involves the latent meaning of what has been said. It is necessary, though, to retain some separateness: it is the quality of objectivity which distinguishes empathy from sympathy. Overall seeing things through the other person’s eyes involves, first, responding to the words and reflecting them, and second, picking out the unspoken feelings behind what is said. A further cluster of related concepts are authenticity, genuineness and openness. Authenticity requires the nurse be real and human in the communication. It implies spontaneity, the willingness to share one’s own feelings and reactions. Genuineness on the other hand means that there is a striving towards congruence between the nurses’ feelings and their behavior. Authenticity, then, means retaining one’s essential ‘humanness’, while genuineness is significant in the generation of authenticity: the worker openly providing information requested, and when appropriate initiates information sharing. This involves being honest about the reality of the nurse’s position: that the nurse’s powers and limitations are stated clearly when appropriate. Authenticity and openness, therefore, involve being authentic as a professional and not just a private person. Congruence means that nurses bring honest matches the underlying value system and essentia l self as a professional person. At a personal level it motivates a warm and nurturing heart, on objective, open and disciplined mind (heart and head). It is the synthesis of personal and professional which is significant: without this there is a loss of spontaneity with the worker appearing as a guarded professional. How does the nurse demonstrate genuineness? The nurse should give time, be sincere and be consistent in the attitudes and behavior shown during the communication. However sincerity does not involve cushioning the patient inappropriately from reality. This work has examined issues relating to communication (or its likely effect) and client involvement in the process of intervention. The role of the mental health nurse in health communication bears both similarities and dissimilarities to that of the physician. The nurse is in a pivotal position on the patient care team. Often nurses claim that patients should be treated as people rather than cases, they do not communicate as they profess they should nor as they think they do. In summary, this work highlights the importance of practice and preparation in the development of mental health nurses communication skills. Changing and improving the way health care providers interact with patients is complicated for several reasons. First, many nurses have developed a style of communicating that they perceive to be effective and easy to use, especially if they have been practicing for a number of years. To diversify their communicative repertoire, nurses must believe in the need for change , learn new responses (e.g., open-ended questions, attentive listening), and identify and refrain from problematic behaviors. Because of these factors, it is unlikely that a single, brief intervention will lead to significant improvement in a health care providers communicative skills. Research to date indicates that the most successful communication skill interventions will be those that are intensive and employ diverse pedagogical techniques including expert and patient feedback, role playing, modeling, practice, group discussion, and watching ones performance on videotape. References Atkinson, Mary. (2002). Mental Health Handbook for Schools. Routledge/Falmer: London. Barrett, Sheila. (2003). Communication, Relationships and Care: A Reader. Routledge: New York. Burleson, B. R., Planalp, S. (2000). â€Å"Producing emotion(al) messages.† Communication Theory, 10. Burleson, Brant R. (2003). Handbook of Communication and Social Interaction Skills. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates: Mahwah, NJ. Riley, Julia Balzer. (2000). Communication in Nursing. Mosby: St. Louis, MO. Worden, J. William. (2003). Grief Counselling and Grief Therapy: A Handbook for the Mental Health Practitioner. Brunner-Routledge: Hove, England. Figure 1  Ã‚   The Human Communication Process Figure 2 Assertive and Nonassertive Style of Communication Characteristics Assertive Nonassertive Aggressive Attitude toward self and others Im OK Youre OK Im not OK Youre not OK Im not OK Youre not OK Decision making Makes own decision Lets others choose for him or her Chooses for others Behavior in problem situations Direct, fair confrontation Flees, gives in Outright, assaultive Verbal behaviors Clear, direct statement of wants; objective words; honest statement of feelings Apologetic words; hedging; rambling; failing to say what is meant Loaded words; accusations; superior, haughty words; labeling of other person Nonverbal behaviors Confident, congruent messages Actions instead of words (not saying what is felt); incongruence between words and behaviors Air of superiority; flip- pant, sarcastic style Voice Firm, warm, confident Weak, distant, soft, wavering Tense, shrill, loud, cold, demanding, authoritarian, coldly silent Eyes Warm, in contact, frank Averted, downcast, teary, pleading Expressionless, cold, narrowed, staring Stance Relaxed Stooped; excessive lean- ing for support Hands on hips; feet apart Hands Gestures at appropriate times Fidgety, clammy Fists pounding or clenched Pattern of relating Puts himself or herself up without putting others down Puts himself or herself down Puts himself or herself up by putting others down Response of others Mutual respect Disrespect, guilt, anger, frustration Hurt, defensiveness, humiliation Consequences of style I win, you win; strives for win-win or no lose solutions I lose, you lose; only succeeds by luck or charity of others I win, you lose; beats out others at any cost STUDENT NAME_________________ DATE___________________________ GRADING GRID / CRITERIA: FORMAL APA PAPER TOPIC SELECTION: (15%)_____  § Relevant to professional nursing  § Timely/current  § Appropriate for length and course STRUCTURE: (35%)_____  § Correct use of grammar and spelling  § Expression of ideas well organized, clear, and concise  § Appropriate length of paper and paragraphs  § Appropriate use of tables, graphs, etc.  § Correct use of APA editorial format CONTENT: (35%)_____  § Information generates interest  § Illustrations and examples used as needed  § Information is accurate  § Resources/references underpin structure of the paper and salient points  § Implications for nursing practice or research identified REFERENCES: (15%)_____  § Less than 4 years, unless nursing or other theory or supporting reference  § Scientific nursing, medical, or allied health journal or other scholarly Publication

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Project risk management

Project risk management Introduction Risk management can be described as the proactive management against the possibility of loss. The concept involves the identification of key risk areas and the formulation of possible strategies that can be used to lower the probability of occurrence of the risk, or reduce the potential losses (Crockford 1986, 12; Dorfman 2007, 10).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Project risk management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Sometimes risks may also be positive, for instance the risk of completing a project before its scheduled completion date. Management therefore has the task of coming up with an action plan that will guide on the procedures to follow in the event of positive or negative risks (Gorrod 2004, 23). A basic project risk management program involves risk management planning, identification and assessment of risks, risk response planning and monitoring and control of risks and strategies. The ris k management process involves the initial planning phase, whereby management decides on how the process will be carried out. Decisions made include the general approach in the project risk management process, and how management intends to execute key activities in the process (Conrow 2003, 21). Once a suitable plan has been selected, the management team has the task of identifying all potential risks that may have an impact on the project (Delvin 2006, 41). The planning process group has a role to play in the identification of these risks, as well as analyzing the effects of these risks on the project’s objectives. Risk assessment involves the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the identified risks, which are carried out by the process planning group. Qualitative risk analysis looks at the probability of occurrence of the risk event, and the potential impact on the project’s objectives. Quantification revolves the determination of the impact of each of the identi fied risks, and the prioritization of the risks according to their severity and probability of occurrence (Chapman, Ward and Ward 2003, 3; Capman 2005, 32). This can be done through a project risk map which categorizes risks according to their level of consequence and probability of occurrence (Fink 2002, 35; Chapman, Ward and Ward 2002, 74).Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Risk response planning evaluates the options available to management in handling various types of risks (Kendrick 2003, 2009). Risk response planning is also carried out by the planning process team. There are four basic methods of dealing with risks; avoidance, transfer, mitigation and risk acceptance. Risk avoidance implies strategies used to completely steer clear of risky activities. Management may decide to change suppliers for a particular material so as to avoid the risks posed by contra cting one supplier. Risk transfer means transferring the burden of the risk to someone else, hence making them responsible for the resulting loss. A classic method of risk transfer is through insurance (Harvard Business School 2004, 23). Alternatively management may establish contracts that make vendors accountable for a specific risky portion of the overall project (Heerkens 2007, 100). By choosing to mitigate risks, the project managers will undertake processes that seek to lessen the possibility of the risk, or reducing the impact of such a risk (Wang 2000, 63). Where the payoff resulting from an activity outweighs the potential losses, the planning process team may conclude that such a risk could be accepted. The final step in the risk planning process is risk control (Weel, Lindenaar and Kinderen 2004, 47). This involves constant monitoring of the identified risks in order to ascertain the effectiveness of the chosen risk management strategies (Royer 2001, 39). Periodical risk reviews are important for this function since a change in the status of a risk may warrant a change in strategy (Lientz and Larsen 2006, 29). The risk status indicates the probability and severity of a risk, as indicated in the project risk map. Regular reviews will also point out risks that have passed and identify new risks that management should concentrate on. Key strategic considerations Top management support is crucial for every aspect of the project, more so in risk management (Regester and Larkin 2002, 67). This will ensure timely decision making processes and overall support for the planning process group.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Project risk management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Through effective cooperation and coordination, organizational constraints can be removed, thereby making the risk management process smooth (Apgar 2006, 41; Cooper 2005; 73; Blyth 2009, 103). Management support wil l ensure efficient allocation of resources and efficient policy decisions. With upper management support in place, other strategic considerations are enabled (Martin 2004, 63). Stakeholder support is also necessary for the success of any given project. Project stakeholders, including the project management team and the client, need to agree on viable risk management strategies that will reduce the negative risks for both parties. Agreements could focus on realistic deadlines for the entirety of the schedule (Curtin, Hayman and Hussein 2005; 88). Project managers face the task of meeting completion phases in time, and may compromise on quality checks in order to get approval from the client, resulting into higher risks on the performance of the completed project (Lock 1996, 45; 2003; 63; 2007; 94). Communication between the two parties proves to be beneficial if talks are objective. Availability of resources is a major challenge for all project managers, whereby managers compete for labor, money and time with other projects. With top management support, the project management team will be able to define priority areas across all processes and make sure that crucial projects are not affected by the competition for resources. Crucial projects are those that are aligned with the overall objectives and targets of the organization. Lack of stakeholder involvement during the planning process may lead to unclear goals for the project management team (Pickerton 2003; 74), hence the risk of unsatisfied stakeholders once the project is complete. This usually happens when the client has not explicitly described the visions and goals of the project (Haynes 2002, 55). Lack of consulting with the end users of the project, who may not necessarily be the sponsor, may also not yield the desired results. As a consequence, the project will fail to achieve it full intended value. Constant communication and consultations with the stakeholders are required in order to conquer this p roblem. Any changes to the project should be communicated well in advance so as to get approval from the sponsor and the stakeholders (Hillson and Simon 2007, 37). The project management team should provide options, with implications of each, so that the sponsor can make an informed decision.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Another important consideration that project managers should make is the applicability of local standards and codes. Different states have unique standards requirements, so the project management team should be familiar with those requirements and ensure that people hired meet the set professional qualifications. Extra training of personnel will be required, which may come at an extra cost for the contracting company. The training sessions are important in that they reduce the risk of mistakes being made when the project is underway, and as a way of conforming to state regulations. A major problem faced by most project managers is that of estimating costs in a project (Barkley 2004, 71). Most projects start out with misinformation, with both the sponsor and the contractor relying on cost estimates to base their decisions, which may be lower than the actual costs incurred. Because of this, either side may experience losses due to lack of sufficient information. Various controls and a ccounting measures need to be involved from the start of the project that will make it easier to track down any variances in the costs illustrated in the budget. Risk management theories The critical chain theory focuses attention on schedule development and management in project management (Goldratt, 1990, 1997 and 1998)). The main aim of risk management in projects is that of converting uncertainties and risks into certain outcomes or promises. The critical chain theory in project management focuses on the resources needed to carry out specified tasks so that the whole project can be on schedule (Goldratt and Cox 1984; 77). Critical chain project management identifies and inserts buffers into projects that monitor the schedule and financial performance of the project (Dettmer 1997, 7). The theory follows the same methodology as the critical path theory, with the latest completion dates for each task. Safety time is aggregated to tasks within the buffers, thereby avoiding the risk of time wasting due to bad multitasking (Dow and Taylor 2010, 99). Goldratt (1984, 61) introduced the theory of constraints by explaining that all organizations face several challenges, or constraints, that limit the achievement of the overall objectives. The theory therefore urges organizations to identify these constraints and restructure themselves in order to protect the organization’s interests. Five focusing steps have been recommended for this purpose, also known as the Process of Ongoing Improvement. As with the risk management process, the organization has to first identify the constraint and then decide on how it will exploit the constrained process. Thirdly, the organization has to reorganize itself with the decisions made. Once the decision has been supported throughout the organization, the organization can make other changes in its systems in order to break down the constraint. Lastly, the constraint will have to be monitored since it can move to other processes , where the organization will have to repeat the five focusing steps again (Gray 2010, 15; Klein 2000, 31). Management of project risk The risk management process begins with the identification of all potential risks that may affect the project. The project management team can use various strategies to identify such risks, though risk analysis is not carried out at this phase. The objective of the risk identification stage is to merely state all risks that the team may encounter, so a comprehensive list is required by the stakeholders of the project. In the planning process, the project risk manager may be asked to document the risks and their characteristics; therefore he must collect as much relevant information as possible. Some of the techniques that may be employed for this purpose include a brainstorming session, whereby scheduled meetings and interviews with the stakeholders are carried out in a bid to list all potential risks to the project. If the project management team ha s valid experience in its line of work, it may revisit some of the risks it identified in a similar project. The learning process will be facilitated if the company maintains a log of previous work, performance and customer satisfaction records (Klein 2000, 47). Traditional risks will be identified from historical information, past projects and industry findings (Cooper et al. 2005, 106) In research and development, the most common risk identified is that of the risk of failure. As such, companies engaging in RD overlook the importance of project risk management and concentrate on their research work (Frigenti and Comnimos 2002, 126; Frigenti 2007, 157). There are other factors that may lead to the cancellation of a research work other than failure, and management has to identify such risks before it is too late. Risks associated with RD can be categorized into project, technical, internal and external risks. The project management team cannot afford to concentrate on one form of ri sks since the others may be overlooked (Coudhury 1988, 65; Allen and Jarman 1999, 70). The company could use the project management plan as a guide for the overall research project, and communicate on a regular basis to the stakeholders. Communication is useful as most researches breakdown due to lack of clarity, resulting into budget cuts or unexplained delays (Lewis 2002, 176; 2007, 103). Change management and systems integration are also subject to risks, so only through the understanding of such risks can the risk management process be effective. The most common risk pertaining to these processes is resistance to change, especially from the end users. Employees of a company may fear change, and would be against additional training so that they can become familiar with new processes or software programs. The main reason for this is the fear that most people have of the unknown, so employees may be resistant to change since they do not fully grasp the benefits of a new system, or fear losing some of their responsibilities in the change management process. End user involvement and clear communication are strategies through which this form of risk can be averted. Change management also brings in the risk of scope, whereby a project’s scope widens in the duration of the program (Kerzner 1992, 67; 2006, 63; 2009, 76). This happens when a change management situation has already began, and the project team keeps on integrating more ideas in the development stage so that the results from the change management program are more than those that had initially been planned for, which may also exceed budget limits. The scope of the change management should be explicitly illustrated and communicated to avoid scope creep. With technology transfer, systems integration and change management comes the risk of data loss in the conversion process. Data conversion risks include missing important information, the comprehensive new system could require data that the old sys tem never had in place, or data from the old system may lose meaning in the new system. The change management team can employ several measures to counter these risks, for instance making sure that there is sufficient back up of available data. A plan should be drawn up to illustrate how data conversion is to be managed. In case of missing data, the organization could do without such data if its unavailability will not affect the new system. Where such data is of vital importance, the organization could add it back into the old system before converting it into the new system, or alternatively add the missing data directly into the new system (Goldratt, E. M., 1997, 77; Gray and Larson 2008, 129). Project planning and implementation strategies Planning is essential form the success of project management for a number of reasons. Project planning helps management organize and schedule tasks, as well as allocate the resources that will be used up by each task. Planning allows for communi cation and coordination of the various parties involved in the project, from the sponsors, to the contractors, to the employees (Goldratt 1990, 88). For it to be effective and comprehensive, planning should entail issues of project work and scheduling, distribution and use of resources, budgetary issues and planning of the information system. Planning involves several steps, starting off with the definition of the project objectives. Once the objectives have been identified, work activities are specified with the involvement of the stakeholders. The specification of the work activities allows for the setting of responsibilities, thereby the project organization is created (Forsberg, Mooz and Cotterman 2005, 132). Tasks are allocated and the schedule is set. A resource map is drawn together with the project budget. Forecasts made to do with time targets, costs and desired performance levels are communicated to the stakeholders in the final stage of the project planning process. For a project implantation process to be successful, the planning process has to be adequate. A sound plan enables for a clear and concise allocation of responsibilities and better contract management by the project management team. Funds have to be available in a timely manner for the implementation process to be smooth. Adequate control and monitoring measures will enable the quick identification and effective management of the risks that may arise in the implementation process (Coudhury 1988, 71). Summary and conclusion Project risk management is a vital element of project management. Where contractors may overlook the importance of planning for risks in the initial stages of the project, and only applying risk management once the project has already commenced, risk planning allows for project managers to be better prepared in the event of risk. Planning enables managers to identify all risks that may occur, and analyze their chances of occurrence and the potential impact that they po se to the project. In this way, the project management team is able to prioritize focus to strategize on how they will manage such risks. Management may also view the need of establishing a contingency plan that will come into effect once a risk has occurred (Cleland and Ireland 2006, 153). Without a contingency plan, management would have to bear serious disruptions in the project, which will have a negative impact on the project’s schedule. Resources have to be actually available for a contingency plan to be effective; otherwise the entire process will be of no value to the project management team. The project risk model identifies and ranks the risks that may occur, whereby assessment is carried out based on the budget risk of the component risks. High complexity risks are those that have the highest negative impact on the project budget, and therefore require special attention, and a contingency plan for such risks is recommended. References Allen, G. and Jarman, R., 1999 . Collaborative RD: manufacturings new tool, 5th ed. New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons. Apgar, D., 2006. Risk Intelligence: Learning to Manage What We Dont Know. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press. Barkley, B., 2004. Project risk management. New York: McGraw-Hill Professional. Blyth, M., 2009. Business Continuity Management: Building an Effective Incident Management Plan. New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons. Capman, C. S., 2005. Controlling strategy: management, accounting, and performance measurement. London: Oxford University Press. Chapman, C. B. and Ward, S. C., 2002. Managing project risk and uncertainty: a constructively simple approach to decision making. New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons. Chapman, C. B., Ward, S. and Ward, S. C., 2003. Project risk management: processes, techniques, and insights, 2nd ed. John Wiley and Sons. Cleland, D. I. and Ireland, L. R., 2006. Project management: strategic design and implementation. New York: McGraw-Hill Professional. Conrow, E. H., 2003 . Effective Risk Management: Some Keys to Success. Reston, VA: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Cooper, D. F., et al. 2005. Project Risk Management Guidelines: Managing Risk in Large Projects and Complex Procurements. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons. Coudhury, S., 1988. Project management. New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill. Crockford, N., 1986. An introduction to risk management, 2nd ed. Cambridge, UK: Woodhead-Faulkner. p. 18 Curtin, T., Hayman, D., and Hussein, N., 2005. Managing a crisis: a practical guide. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Delvin , E. S., 2006. Crisis management planning and execution. New York: Auerbach publications Dettmer, H. W., 1997. Goldratts theory of constraints: a systems approach to continuous improvement. Great Barrington, MA: ASQ Quality Press. Dorfman, M. S., 2007. Introduction to Risk Management and Insurance, 9th ed. Englewood Cliffs, N.J: Prentice Hall. Dow, W. and Taylor, B., 2010. Project Management Communications Bible. New Jersey: J ohn Wiley and Sons. Fink, S., 2002. Crisis management: planning for the inevitable. 2nd ed. Bloomington, IN: iUniverse. Forsberg, K., Mooz, H. and Cotterman, H., 2005. Visualizing project management: models and frameworks for mastering complex systems, 3rd ed. New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons. Frigenti, E. and Comninos, D., 2002. The practice of project management: a guide to the business-focused approach. London: Kogan Page Publishers. Frigenti, E., 2007. The Practice Of Project Management. London: Kogan Page Publishers. Goldratt, E. M., 1990. What is this thing called theory of constraints and how should it be implemented? Great Barrington, MA: North River Press. Goldratt, E. M., 1997. Critical chain. Great Barrington, MA: North River Press. Goldratt, E. M., 1998. Essays on the theory of constraints. Great Barrington, MA: North River Press. Golratt, E. M., and Cox, J. 1984. The goal: excellence in manufacturing. Great Barrington, MA: North River Press. Gorrod, M., 2004. Risk Manage ment Systems : Technology Trends (Finance and Capital Markets). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan Gray, C.F. and Larson, E.W., 2008. Project management: the managerial process, 4th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Gray, L., 2010. Project Management: The Managerial Process, 5th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill Education. Harvard Business School, 2004. Harvard business essentials: crisis management: master the skills to prevent disasters. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Press. Haynes, M. E., 2002. Project management: practical tools for success, 3rd ed. New York: Cangage Learning. Heerkens, G. R., 2007. Project Management: 24 Steps to Help You Master Any Project. New York: McGraw-Hill Professional. Hillson, D. and Simon, P., 2007. Practical Project Risk Management: The Atom Methodology. McLean, VA: Management Concepts Publishers. Kendrick, T., 2003. Identifying and Managing Project Risk: Essential Tools for Failure-proofing Your Project. New York, NY: AMACOM. Kendrick, T., 2009. Identifying and M anaging Project Risk: Essential Tools for Failure-proofing Your Project, 2nd ed. New York, NY: AMACOM. Kerzner, H., 1992. Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling, 4th ed. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold. Kerzner, H., 2006. Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling, 9th ed. New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons. Kerzner, H., 2009. Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling, 10th ed. New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons. Klein, R., 2000. Scheduling of resource-constrained projects. London: Springer. Lewis, J. P., 2002. Fundamentals of project management: developing core competencies to help outperform the competition, 2nd ed. New York, NY: AMACOM. Lewis, J. P., 2007. Fundamentals of project management, 3rd ed. New York, NY: AMACOM. Lientz, B. P. and Larssen, L., 2006. Risk Management for IT Projects: How to Deal with Over 150 Issues and Risks. London: Butterworth-Heinemann. Lock, D. , 1996. Project Management, 3rd ed. London: London: Gower Publishing, Ltd. Lock, D., 2003. Project Management, 8th ed. London: London: Gower Publishing, Ltd. Lock, D., 2007. Project Management, 9th ed. London: Gower Publishing, Ltd. Martin, P. K., 2004. The Professional Guide to Risk Assessment: The MTA Step-by-step Method. Cincinnati, OH: Martin Training Association. Pickerton, W. J., 2003. Project management: achieving project bottom-line succe$$. New York: McGraw-Hill Professional. Regester, M. and Larkin, J., 2002. Risk issues and crisis management. 2nd ed. London: Kogan Page Publishers. Royer, P. S., 2001. Project risk management: a proactive approach. McLean, VA: Management Concepts Publishers. Wang, J. X., 2000. What Every Engineer Should Know About Risk Engineering and Management. New York, NY: Marcel Dekker. Well, S. D., Lindenaar, F. and Kinderen, S., 2004. Project risk management: an essential tool for managing and controlling projects. London: Kogan Page Publishers.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Social policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Social policy - Essay Example Many books and articles were written based on these crises. The most notified is that of W.Hutton’s â€Å"The State We Are in†. Certain arguments made by Hutton were welcomed by historians and analysts and certain gave way to a number of controversies. The main points which Hutton wants to emphasize are the shor-termism existing in Britain’s economy, The factors leading to that and what could be the solution to eradicate the short-termism. Before going deep into the arguments the existing situation of Britain’s state ant the relationship of the state with the individual and the range of activities of the state should be looked out. During the course of years Britain had been witnessing a series of crises they are o unemployment problem, housing for the slums, fall of export rates in the economic field etc. The 1920’s saw more industries such as motor and electrical industries but then failed to cater to the standards expected in the world market. On the other side the percentage of unemployment was also gradually increasing. The rate of exports has come down by 50%. But by 1980’s with the intrusion of Margret Thatcher the United Kingdom has become the place of leading trade and financial power. The various state enterprises were given the status of nationalized enterprises. But Britain seemed to have had an imbalanced relationship between its state and citizens. The best illustration could be of the worst housing conditions for the poor and the unfulfilled desires of the state to renew their locality and buildup of houses. There was definitely a failure faced by Britain in the housing matters as a result there was only an increase in the slum houses could be seen. Many political writers and reviewers were of the opinion that a strong and active participation of the citizens in the social and the political activities will turn the state a

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Peronal Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Peronal Law - Essay Example I would agree with St. Augustine that "an unjust law is no law at all1." Against that backdrop, this question questions state banning on gay marriage. Applying Dr. Kings analysis, a just law was one that was in keeping with our moral teachings or the moral teachings of God. Likewise, if our moral teachings, teach us that something is immoral, then Dr. King would have advised against following that particular law and instead engaging in non-violent civil disobedience. If Dr. King felt that homosexual relations were something that were immoral then he would have agreed that state laws banning gay marriage are just and should be followed. Someone advocating in favor of gay marriage might argue that King would have advocated for gay marriage because he believed that all men are created equal and as a marginalized black man he can certainly identify with the feelings that gays have in being denied the ability to have their union legalized. I think however, that given Dr. King's religious background, the moral and vast religious climate of his time, Dr. King would have said that his interpretation of the Bible is that there was to me a union between man and woman only. I think that any law that allows the separation of people is one that begs civil disobedience. Any law that allows one group of people to have superiority over another group is one that is immoral and therefore must not be respected. For example if a group of gay students are not allowed to attend graduation or are made to feel so afraid to go to graduation that they refrain, refusing to attend graduation even though you must do so to get a diploma is an instance of when civil disobedience is justified. There is a way to get a message across without it becoming violent and without bringing additional malevolence to the marginalized party. The perfect form of civil disobedience was that of Rosa Parks. While we are all familiar with her refusal to give up her seat on a bus, she also brought a line of African American children to a "white" library and had them each attempt to check out a library book. The children were courteous, and sincere when they explained that they needed to get the books from the "white" library and despite being turned away, they did not protest violently. An unacceptable form of civil disobedience is when there are laws or codes enacted for the safety of a population and they are violated. Rioting or any other form of violence which puts the lives of others in jeopardy is not proper. Further, there is a fine line as to what is pushing the break of the law too far. Remember, Dr. King readily admits that in order the get the law changed, it must first be broken or others will not take notice. Thus the better question, is what is the difference between breaking the law and civil disobedience 5 points 3. What is the rule of law Under the rule of law how are government officials supposed to use their power and how are they not supposed to use their power There does not appear to be one universal definition of the rule of law. However there are basic tenets to the definitions that I did find. For purposes of answering this question I will submit the simplest definition and work my answer

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Personal Incident that Helped to Make Ethical Decision Essay

Personal Incident that Helped to Make Ethical Decision - Essay Example A person may not be legally bound to choose a course of action but ethics demand that he take on that course of action. Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, deals with the obligations that human beings have to the society and people around them. It also deals with the values that we acquire while living within the society and it is these values that guide the decisions that individuals take in their lives (Duquenoy, George and Kimppa, 2008). In this paper, we attempt to present an ethical dilemma that I faced in my life recently and how this decision I made corresponds with two different ethical theories. Under the light of these ethical theories that are Utilitarianism and Kantism Theory, we would be discussing the decision that I made. The objective is to study the decision under these theories and determine whether the action taken was ethically correct. Ethical Situation Recently, while working as an intern in a hospital, I went across a case that required ethical decision mak ing. A 5-year-old child was suffering from severe trauma as a result of a car accident. The car accident that left the child in a vegetative state and he continued to be on life support for more than 3 months. Even before the condition, the child had been suffering because of his medical condition that had been diagnosed as Thalassemia Major. As the three months were nearing their end, the parents of the child were losing hope. The doctor, a senior and a mentor, was also losing hope. The parents were quite attached to their child and had been his main support throughout his life. But with time, they were realizing that their child may not survive given his condition and the injury that he had taken on. For this reason, they were considering using euthanasia as a valid option at that stage. The doctor, however, was not willing to allow the child to be put to sleep considering that the law was against such a situation. During the child’s illness and his injury, I had developed a good bonding with the parents. I saw them as caring individuals and loving parents who were generally distressed at their child’s present condition. Because of their concern, I usually took out the time in my busy schedule to visit and offer support at least once during the day. I was aware that my concern for the child reassured the parents and they discussed their options with me in great detail. Thus, it was not surprising that they came to me to discuss the option of euthanasia. Personally, I do not have a strong argument for or against euthanasia but seeing the child as he was and the suffering the parents were going through, I realized that euthanasia would be more advantageous in this position. However, I was legally bound to refrain from the practice myself. Decision After great deliberation, I decided that I indeed had an option that the parents would consider. I researched the internet about states that allowed euthanasia as legal practices and informed the parent s of such states.  

Friday, November 15, 2019

The Compass of Pleasure by David J. Linden | Review

The Compass of Pleasure by David J. Linden | Review The Compass of Pleasure Omobolanle Ajose Humans have a complicated relationship to pleasure which we spend a considerable amount of time pursuing. Certain forms of pleasure such as rituals involving prayer, music, dance, and meditation are accorded special status. Intrinsic pleasures that can be initiated or increased by artificial activators like cocaine, heroin, or modest doses of nicotine or alcohol, are located in our brains transmitting a pleasure buzz from a wide variety of ex ­periences. I chose the book, The Compass of Pleasure because neuroscientist David J. Linden the author, explored the dark side of pleasure. He explained how the human brain can turn pleasures into addictions and habits so overpowering and pervasive that people will sacrifice almost anything just to get a fix. This kind of behavior makes us wonder why anyone would ruin their health, neglect their family, and spend themselves into poverty all in pursuit of an addiction. Linden says it all comes down to a single neuro-chemical dopamine. The terms I learned while reading this book includes: Stoic, meaning ability to endure pain or hardship without showing feelings or complaints. Painasymbolia, also called pain dissociation which is a condition in which pain is experienced without unpleasantness.Ventral tegmental area (VTA), which is a collection of neurons situated at the center of themidbrain that sends dopamine releasing axons to other regions of the brain such as the amygdala, anterior cingulate cortex, dorsal striatum and hippocampus. Neuroleptics, meaning dopamine receptor antagonists. Linden (2011), describes most experiences in our lives that we find as transcendent, whether illicit vices, socially sanctioned ritual or social practices as meditative prayer to activate an anatomically and biochemically defined pleasure circuit in the brain. He used past research studies as references. Two postdoctoral fellows at McGill University conducted experiments that involved implanting electrodes in the brains of rats to activate their pleasure circuits. The electrodes were placed in positions that stimulated the medial forebrain bundle, the axons that excite the dopamine neurons of the ventral tegmental area (VTA). The electrode locations that produced the strongest pleasure were those that most effectively activated the dopamine neurons of the VTA. Another experimental design from the book focused on the stimulation of the brain of a homosexual psychiatric patient using surgically implanted electrodes. Before the patients brain stimulation, he was made to view a film that featured sexual intercourse between a male and a female. He was sexually indifferent and angry about being made to view the film. After the pleasure circuit self- stimulation, he agreed to view the film again during which he became sexually aroused, had an erection and masturbated to orgasm. After he was discharged from the hospital, he had a sexual relationship with a woman for several months. During this period, his homosexual activity was reduced but did not stop completely. In humans, rats, and other mammals, the reward circuit is interwoven with brain centers involved in decision making, planning, emotion and memory storage. When we find an experience pleasurable, it sets in motion several processes such as liking the experience and we associate both external and internal cues with the experience. These associations allow us to predict how we should behave to repeat or assign a value to pleasurable experience so that in future we can determine how much effort we are willing to expand and the risk we are willing to take to get them. Linden (2011) defined addiction as persistent, compulsive drug use in the face of increasingly negative life consequences. He explained that the scientific definition of addiction is actually rooted in the brainsinabilityto experience pleasure and that the dark side of pleasure is addiction. Addiction is associated with long-lasting changes in the biochemical, electrical, and morphological functions of connections within the medial forebrain plea ­sure circuit. These changes underlie many of the dark sides of addiction, including progressive tolerance, craving, withdrawal and relapse. Therefore, pleasure, addic ­tion and memory are closely related, and directly interconnected. Psychoactive drugs can be used in different social contexts; as medicine, religious sacrament, pure recreation, or to define oneself as part of a subgroup. Across cultures and over thousands of years of human history, people have consistently found ways to alter the function of their brains. Psychoactive drugs like cocaine, alcohol, and opiates strongly activate dopamine action in VTA target regions. Pleasure is central to some but not all psychoactive drugs. Certain foods and certain drugs can activate the pleasure circuits. While obesity results from food addiction, food addiction shares many properties and biological substrates with drug addiction, including a strong heritable component and triggering by stress. Orgasm is another pleasure buzz that may be weaker than cocaine but stronger than food. ( Cite page here) It is a multifaceted experience with dissociable sensory and affective, emotional, and rewarding components. It is fiery, transcendent and unique. Orgasm strongly activates the dopamine-using medial forebrain pleasure circuit. Drugs that modulate dopamine signaling in the brain can regulate libido and orgasm. Epileptic seizures or brain stimulation with electrodes can produce orgasms that are devoid of pleasure or emotional feeling. Gambling addiction is associated with reduced activation of the medial forebrain pleasure circuit. Genetic variants that suppress dopamine signaling, particularly in the medial forebrain, are associated with high rate of gambling addiction. For people who carry these gene variants, their muted dopamine systems lead to blunted pleasure circuits, which in turn affects their pleasure-seeking activities. Intensive exercise can bring about short term euphoria, reduction of anxiety, and increases in pain threshold. Long term painful stimulus is associated with increased dopamine. Interestingly, charitable giving produces an activation of the pleasure circuit. The interaction of pleasure and associative learning in the medial forebrain pleasure circuit yields both beneficial and detrimental rewards. The ability of experience to produce long-term changes in the pleasure circuit enables arbitrary rewards and abstract ideas to be felt as pleasurable, a phenomenon that ultimately underlies much of human behavior and culture. This same process is responsible for transforming pleasure into addiction. Reading the compass of pleasure gives an insight on the function of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the brain and how the dopamine systems in the brain play an important role in pleasure seeking and addictive behaviors. I also learned that dopamine is responsible for most of our immoral behaviors and secret cravings. It is responsible for love, lust, adultery, motivation, attention, and addiction. The denial of pleasure can yield spiritual growth. In practice, one can see beyond a persons behavior, personal history, and environment to understand what goes on in the brain when uncontrollable habits such as addiction present themselves. Understanding the interaction between the pleasure circuits and dopamine in the brain help us as health care professionals to understand that addicts are not weak, defective human beings lacking in willpower but are rather people with brains that are chemically deficient. According to Lundy-Ekman (2013, p.239), Parkinsons disease is the death of dopamine producing cells in the sustantia nigra. Occupational therapy improves mobility and functional status in people with Parkinsons disease. Intense resistance training produces greater muscle hypertrophy and functional gains than are produced by standard exercise. According to Linden (2011, p. 127), there are variations in genes turning down the functions of dopamine signaling within the pleasure circuit. These variations in genes let people seek pleasure through different activities. These activities may be meaningful to a client while others may be addictions they may want to stop. Understanding the biology of pleasure circuits may help clinician’s such as occupational therapist better understand what an individual deems meaningful or pleasurable. Knowledge of forms of pleasure such as rituals, routines , music, dance and even meditations that are of meaningful to a client obtained during an occupational profile, helps therapist in planning interventions for clients. On the other hand, the therapist can also help create therapeutic interventions to help with addictions. Linden (2011, p.150), further explained that exercises has an anti-depressive effect, shows long term improvement in mental functions and slows cognitive decline that accompanies normal aging. Occupational therapists work with a variety of population and this piece of information makes it interesting to know that range of motion exercises and other forms of exercises provided during therapy may be able to improve mental functions and slow cognitive decline in normal aging. Dopamine and serotonin are important neurotransmitters in the brain that influence many behaviors and movement patterns such as walking and coordination. Dopamine levels are associated with many neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, psychosis and even attention deficits hyperactive disorders. Too much or too little dopamine can interfere with cognition, behavior, or motor skills. In practice, occupational therapists work with clients with various neurological conditions by evaluating and analyzing the client, the environment and their meaningful occupational performance. Having insight into a clients deficits and its effect on occupational performance is important to therapist because it helps the therapist to be able to plan and provide therapeutic interventions aimed at improving cognition, coordination, mobility and functional status in clients. References Lundy-Ekman, L. (2013). Neuroscience: Fundamentals for Rehabilitation. St. Louis, Mo: Saunders/ Elsevier Inc. Linden, D. J. (2011). The Compass of Pleasure: How our Brains make Fatty Foods, Orgasm, Exercise, Marijuana, Generosity, Vodka, learning, and Gambling Feel so Good. New York, NY: Penguin Group Inc. Sturkenboom, I., Thijssen, M., Gons-van, J. E., Jansen, I. (2011). Guidelines for Occupational Therapy in Parkinsons Disease. Retrieved July 14, 2014, from National Parkinson Foundation: http://www.parkinson.org/NationalParkinsonFoundation/files/a5/a5c7ef92-a101-4485-96b2-7d81b31a42c9.pdf