The Role of Intuition and Improvisation in Project Management Essay Example for Free

The Role of Intuition and Improvisation in Project Management Essay Improvisation consists of a combination of intuition, creativity, and bricolage. Intuitions are rapid, affectively charged, holistic judgements arrived at without the apparent intrusion of rational thought. Improvisation and intuition represent two important and related aspects of management in general and of the management of projects in particular. There have been few, if any, studies that have examined the relationship between intuition and improvisation in the context of the management of projects. In this research we used a model of the relationships between project managers’ intuitive decision making behaviours, their use of improvisation and project outcomes in order to examine whether or not intuition is used in the management of projects, how it relates to improvisation and how intuition and improvisation are linked (if at all) to project outcomes. The research employed a cross-sectional survey design (N = 163) administered in two waves. Mediated multiple regression analyses revealed a number of statistically significant effects (p 0.05), namely: (1) there is a positive relationship between the use of intuitive judgements and improvisation; (2) there is a positive relationship between experience and improvisation; (3) there is a positive relationship between the use of intuitive judgements and experience; and (4) the use of intuitive judgements is related to externally focused project outcomes. These findings are discussed in terms of their implications for the following: role of intuitive judgements and improvisation in the management of projects; the ways in which both intuition and improvisation are conceptualised; and the training and development of project managers.

Evolution Essay -- essays research papers

Charles Darwin had two great themes in "On the Origin of Species" which accounted for the similarities and adaptations characteristic of living organisms. To account for the adaptations of organisms and those innumerable features that equip them for survival and reproduction, Darwin (and Wallace) independently came up with the central theory of evolutionary process: natural selection. Natural selection gives insight in to why organisms are the way that they are. Adaptations are phenotypic variants that result in the highest fitness among a specified set of variants in a given environment. In reference to humans, there are many traits that have been selected and adapted for throughout their evolutionary history giving them the characteristics that they have today. In this paper I will discuss some parts of the human body, which have been found to be selected for by the evolutionary mechanisms of natural selection, adaptation and mutation. Natural selection, adaptation, and mutations are three components of the evolutionary process, each one having either positive or negative effects on the other. What exactly is natural selection? There are many variations of the definition but most agree that it must include the following concepts: some attribute or trait must vary among biological entities, and there must be a consistent relationship, within a defined context, between the trait and one or more components of reproductive success, where "reproductive success" includes both survival and the reproductive processes themselves (Futuyma, 1998). Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection states "if variations useful to any organic being ever occur, assuredly individuals thus characterized will have the best chance of being preserved in the struggle for life; and from the strong principle of inheritance, these will tend to produce offspring similarly characterized." Regardless of how it is defined, natural selection and its action can have tremendous effects on the members of a population. It is natural selection that causes adaptation, and these adaptations evolve to ensure the survival of a species. Evolution, in a very broad sense, is defined as descent with modification and often with diversification (Futuyma, 1998). Darwin's idea of evolution was that it occurred by descent with modificatio... ...-carbohydrate, high protein diet. Certain metabolic adaptations were therefore necessary to accommodate the low glucose intake. Many indicate that the adaptive response to the low carbohydrate intake is insulin resistance(Miller, Colagiuri, 1994). A study done by J.C. Brand Miller and S. Colagirui proposes that insulin resistance offered a survival and reproductive advantage during the Ice Ages. This study also proposed that a carnivorous diet would have disadvantaged reproduction in insulin-sensitive individuals and positively selected for individuals with insulin resistance. Another factor mentioned was the various environmental factors that contributed to the low carbohydrate intake such as the types of foods that were available. The forces of natural selection on the evolutionary processes in humans can have a broad range of effects on the characteristics of humans. There are no concrete answers to some of the questions proposed in this paper, but time will soon tell exactly how the evolutionary mechanisms have effected the human race. The human species will continue to evolve as long as the mechanisms of evolution and environmental factors act upon us.

Chapter Summary Notes

Adam Smith – argued the economic advantages of vision of labor, and the breakdown of Jobs into narrow and repetitive tasks, known as Job specialization. Division of labor increased productivity by increasing each worker's skill and dexterity, by saving time lost in changing tasks. 2. 18th Century – Industrial Revolution – the main contribution of the Industrial revolution was that human power was replaced by machine power, which then made it more economical to manufacture goods In factories rather than at home.Large, efficient factories require managerial skills, as they had to ensure that demand was met, enough eternal was on hand to continue production, assign tasks to people, direct daily activities, coordinate various tasks, ensure the machines were still running efficiently and were kept in good condition while maintaining standards, etc. There are 6 different approaches to management: 1. Scientific management: an approach that involves using scientific meth ods to define the ‘one best way for a Job to be done. The aim of this method is to make organizations and workers be as efficient as possible.Frederick W. Taylor was one of the first to Introduce methods of scientific management. He Introduced 4 principles of management: a. Develop a science for each element of an Individual's work with standardized work Implements and efficient methods for all to follow b. Scientifically select workers with skills and abilities that match each job and train them in the most efficient ways to accomplish tasks c. Ensure cooperation through incentives and provide the work environment that reinforces optimal work results in a scientific manner d. Vivid responsibility for managing and for working, while supporting individuals in work groups doing what they do best. Some people are more capable of managing, whereas others are better at performing tasks laid out to them. These guidelines are still used today for improving efficiency and production. They are used when managers analyses the basic work tasks that must be performed, use time-and-motion study to eliminate wasted motions, hire the best-qualified workers for a Job and design incentive systems based on output. . General administrative theory: an approach to management that focuses on describing what managers do and what constituted good management practice. There were 2 significant theorists in developing this method: Henry Offal and Max Weber. Henry planning, organizing, commanding, coordinating and controlling. He stated 14 principles of management, which are fundamental rules of management that could be taught and applied to all organizational situations.They include: a) division of work – specialization increases output by making employees more efficient b) authority: managers must be able to give orders c) discipline: employees must obey and respect the rules that govern the organization d) unity of command: every employee should receive orders from only n ee superior e) unity of direction: organization should have a single plan of action to guide managers and workers f) subordination of individual interests to the general interest: interests of one employee should not take precedence of the organization as a whole g) remuneration: workers must be paid a fair wage for their services h) concentration: the degree to which subordinates are involved in decision making I) scalar chain: line of authority from top to bottom j) order: people and materials should be in the right place at the right time k) equity: managers should be kind and fair to their subordinates l) stability of tenure of response: management should provide orderly personnel planning to ensure that replacement are available to fill vacancies m) initiative: employees who are allowed to originate and carry out plans will exert high levels of effort n) esprit De corps: promoting team spirit will build harmony and unity within the organization Max Weber: he developed a theory of authority structures based on an ideal type of organization he called a bureaucracy: a form of organization characterized by division of labor, a clearly defined hierarchy, detailed rules and regulations, and impersonal relationships. 3. Initiative approach: the use of quantitative techniques to improve decision making. Total Quality Management: a philosophy of management driven by continual improvement and responding to customer needs and expectations.This approach has contributed directly to managerial decision making in the areas of planning and control, such as when managers need to budget, schedule, quality control and similar decisions are made. 4. Organizational behavior: a field of study concerned with the actions (behaviors) of people at work. Hawthorne studies: a series of studies during the sass and ass that provided insight into individual and group behavior. Human relations movement: the belief, for the most part unsubstantiated by research, that a satisfied worker w ill be productive. Behavioral science theorists: psychologists and sociologists who relied on scientific method for study of organizational behavior. 5. Yeasts approach: known as one of the contemporary approaches. It is a set of interrelated and interdependent parts arranged in a manner that produces a unified whole. Closed systems: systems that are not influenced by and do not interact with their environment.

Drinking a Love Story by Caroline Knapp Essay

Drinking a love story by Caroline describes a life of an alcoholic daughter of rich parents. Excessive wealth, love and carelessness from her parents caused her to adopt life threatening habits. She later on started consuming alcohol. She indulged in alcoholism so much that her life was completely devastated. Caroline describes in details the bad outcomes of excessive consumption of alcohol. One third of alcoholics are women. Every day she consumed more and more alcohol and that was causing more damage to her life. Caroline Knapp, a psychotherapist, narrates a trajectory life of an alcoholic daughter. During Dream world stage, since her adolescence she had problems with drinking. She starts consuming alchol in her early teens and became a regular drinker by the age of sixteen. Her father was a psychoanalyst and a drinker himself who had affairs with several women. Her mother wasn’t able to give attention to her daughter as she was already sufferring from breast cancer. She was born in a prosperous family and her twin sister became a physician. However, Knapp became extremely addictive to alcohol. In disillusionment stage, all the symtptoms of alcoholism started appearing her as she approached her 20s. She also started on unrealistic sex relationship with several men. This added to her unhealthy conditon. During misery stage her thoughts and imaginations were immersed in a bottle of alcohol. A daughter of well-to-do family had a love affair with alcohol that ruined her entire life. The story narrates a true life image of an alcoholic and a warning for those who had started out habit of drinking. During her enlightment stage she sometimes realized that this habit has completely ruined her life. She struggles to find out contact with those who are even more alcoholic than her, in order to comfort her that she’s not the alone. Her parents were also alcoholics. However, she tries to come-up with this problem by improving her self-image and recovery from this state. â€Å"At the same time Meg’s story – her shyness and shame and confusion -is achingly familiar. Bad, semi-consensual drunken sex: so many women I know did this. So many still do. At least one quarter of the 17,592 students surveyed in a 1995 Harvard School of Public Health study on campus drinking said they had suffered an unwanted sexual advance as a result of drinking; that same year, a Columbia University study reported that alcohol plays a role in ninety percent of rapes on college campuses. † (Knapp) In her mid 20s she seeked help with psychotherapist to solve her problems with eating. Because of her excessive consumption of alcohol she lost her apetite, a condition called anorexia. However, duirng her treatment she kept on drinking. Regular consumption of alcohol made her very distressed and she gradually started realizing the cause of her unhappiness. During mutual respect stage, her both parents died of cancer. Loss of her parents, her father’s several comments and her carelessness while holding a child of her friend moved her to undergo an alcoholic anonymous rehabilitation program. Though she was successful as a journalist, she was unable to control her behavior, her unhealthy condition and developed distorting unwanted sex relationship with several men. She found her love affair with an alcohol as a synonymous to an unfaithful and unresponsive man, who had destroyed her life completely. Her recovery would be to end this relationship from its roots and to take a divorce from this love. Those who consume alcohol usually indulge in this habit in order to avoid facing difficulties in life. Caroline brings to their awareness that drinking is not the solution as it makes the problem worse. By drinking one cannot avoid those difficulties and problems but in fact have other severe health problems incurred. This can make their lives miserable. The story is a very good advice for drinkers about this life threatening habit. She sketches a true picture of an alcoholic daughter and its miserable outcomes on women of all age who have this habit. References Knapp, Caroline. Drinking A Love Story.

The Civil Rights Laws

The Civil Rights Laws Discrimination in relation to the race question was not ceased with the end of the Civil War in the United States. As a result, the period of the 1950s-1960s is characterized by the active civil rights movement.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Civil Rights Laws specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In this context, the figure of President Dwight D. Eisenhower can be discussed as influential in coping with segregation issues and protecting the African Americans’ civil rights because he demonstrated the significant political courage in enforcing the Civil Rights laws in 1957 and 1960 in order to regulate the voting procedures and provide the discriminated African Americans with the civil freedoms and opportunities. Thus, the Civil Rights laws of 1957 and 1960 affected the nation positively because the principles of the free civil society were stated legally for all the categories of the population without referen ces to racial differences. The 1950s in the history of the United States are characterized as the period of segregating the whites and blacks regarding their civil rights and principle of equality. The idea of social and civil inequality of the African Americans was actively supported in the Southern states of the USA, thus, the black people had no opportunities to receive the education or job position equal to the white people’s ones, and the right to vote was also limited (Dudziak 59-62; Finley 111-120). The focus of the Southern states’ governments on the segregation principles led to the significant tensions between the federal government and states’ governments because of the necessities to overcome the observed racial discrimination. Signing the Civil Rights Act in 1957, President Eisenhower demonstrated his political courage and readiness to oppose the Southern states’ forces which could share different visions of the issue because the law determin ed equal voting rights and protections for the white Americans and African Americans. The Little Rock Crisis of September, 1957, was the clear illustration for the discussed problem. The authorities of Arkansas rejected enrollment of the African American students in the school of Little Rock. As a result, the confrontation was discussed at the federal level, and President Eisenhower sent the troops to protect the rights of the African American students in Arkansas (Jacoway and Williams 11). Such decision demonstrated not only the clear position of President Eisenhower in relation to the nation’s civil rights but also his courage as the political leader.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The Civil Rights Act in 1957 was important for the further development of the American society because it was the first time when the federal legislation was enacted regarding the question of civil rights after the decades of silence in relation to the observed problem. In 1957, the Republicans should also demonstrate their political courage in order to support the Act singed by President Eisenhower because the Democrats were against the Act, and the Democrats presented the whole 19% as opposite to 76% of representatives voting for the Act (â€Å"HR. 6127. Civil Rights Act of 1957†). The situation changed in 1960 when 74% of politicians voting for the next Civil Rights Act included 179 representatives of the Democrats and 132 representatives of the Republicans (â€Å"HR 8601. Passage†). These numbers support the idea that the Civil Rights Act of 1960 was developed more effectively in comparison with the Act of 1957, and it covered more legal issues associated with the discriminatory practices which worked to promote segregation earlier. Thus, the procedure of voting in relation to the equality of civil rights for all the categories of the population was improved, and discriminatory practices were limited with the focus on stated penalties. It is important to note that President Eisenhower demonstrated his consistency in relation to promoting the equal civil rights and overcoming prejudicial procedures and practices typical for the segregated society in the United States during the 1950s-1960s. In spite of the fact that the Civil Rights acts of 1957 and 1960 were later discussed by politicians and researchers as not effective enough to overcome discrimination in the American society and provide the African Americans with the equal civil rights to participate in the voting procedure because the other aspects of discrimination were not covered with the acts, the initiative of President Eisenhower to sign the acts was the important step toward creating the equal society. From this point, the Civil Rights acts of 1957 and 1960 are the drafts for developing the effective civil rights legislation, and President Eisenhower needed to demon strate his political courage in order to oppose the visions of the majority (Ambrose 98-112). As a result, the actions of the President contributed to the improvement of the civil rights legislation and linked the public’s intentions to cope with discriminatory practices with the real legal actions in the field. That is why, President Eisenhower helped the nation to see the situation from the other perspective, with the focus on the legal possibilities to overcome discrimination.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Civil Rights Laws specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Thus, the Civil Rights laws of 1957 and 1960 can be discussed as the effective start for developing the appropriate civil rights legislation in the American society. Moreover, to enact the laws, President Eisenhower focused on his leadership abilities and qualities of a citizen to demonstrate the right way in overcoming discrimination. Ambrose, St ephen. Eisenhower: Soldier and President. USA: Premier Digital Publishing, 2013. Print. Dudziak, Mary. Cold War Civil Rights: Race and the Image of American Democracy. USA: Princeton University Press, 2011. Print. Finley, Keith. Delaying the Dream: Southern Senators and the Fight against Civil Rights, 1938–1965. Baton Rouge: LSU Press, 2008. Print. HR. 6127. Civil Rights Act of 1957. Passed. n.d. Web. https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/85-1957/s75. HR 8601. Passage. n.d. Web. https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/86-1960/h102. Jacoway, Elizabeth, and Fred Williams. Understanding the Little Rock Crisis: An Exercise in Remembrance and Reconciliation. USA: University of Arkansas Press, 1999. Print.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More

Issues in the correctional system, the case study analysis of facility

Issues in the correctional system, the analysis of facility murder - Case Study Example Moreover, it explains the necessities of reducing the liberties given to the prisoners in America. According to Ikilo, (n.d.), it is the duty of The Federal Bureau of Prisons to â€Å"protect society by confining offenders in the controlled environments of prisons and community-based facilities that are safe, humane, cost-efficient, and appropriately secure, and that provide work and other self-improvement opportunities to assist offenders in becoming law-abiding citizens† (Ikilo, n.d.). However, nobody thinks about the safety of correctional officers while saying volumes about the safety of the public. It should be noted that many of the correctional officers working in American jails are females. They were forced to interact with many of the hard-core criminals who have less faith in humanity and more faith in cruelty. Many of the criminals in correctional system are sex offenders. Moreover, it is quite possible that even normal criminals may become sex offenders in jails si nce they are not getting any opportunities to relieve their sex energy. Many studies have proved that homosexuality is common in American jails. This is because of the lack of opportunities for heterosexuality in jails. Under such circumstances, the logic of asking women officers to work in American jails can be questionable. The ill fate suffered by Marsha Wills point towards the serious issues prevailing in American jails which needs immediate attention from the authorities. This paper tries to identify the issues, and make recommendations on how to improve the correctional system based on the given case study. Major issues prevailing in American correctional system James (2010) pointed out that â€Å"In "Tent City", a notorious convict camp in the Arizona desert that lacks even basic air conditioning, temperatures regularly top 130 degrees, causing no end of heat-related health problems among its internees† (James, 2010). It is a fact that absence of basic living condition s may cause distress in the minds of people and in the case of criminals, such distress may result in unexpected outcomes. Majority of the criminals in American jails are leading a no hope life. For example, life imprisonment in American means the culprit should spend his remaining life span in jails. He may not get enough opportunities for parole or probation. The US is the only country where juveniles are serving life imprisonment without parole under the so-called "life means life" policy. Only the US and Somalia have refused to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which rules out life sentences with no chance of release for crimes committed before the age of 18 (Pilkington, 2011). Even though America is believed to be the most civilized country in the world, they are not so at least in terms of considering criminals who got life sentencing. In other countries such as India, life imprisonment means only 15 year jail term. Moreover, during this 15-year jail term it self the criminal can spend lots of time outside in the name of parole. Those who are behaving decently in Indian jails, may get paroles frequently. In other words, criminals in Indian jails have hope for a future life outside the jail campus. The incidents or the murder of Marsha Wills in the given case should be analysed in the above context. John James, the 52

Statue of liberty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Statue of liberty - Essay Example This poem captures precisely what the features of the statue symbolise; it emphasises that America is the land for all and that it constitutes a state that will take all from around the globe and accept them as Americans. Written in 1886, America was a great nation in the making, a scarcity of people meant that such literature was of great effect in tandem with the statue in inviting and encouraging people to come help build a great nation in the making. Standing at a colossal height, the statue oversees the American people and is looked up to by the American people as a mother to their society and the carer and educator of their lives; her colossal height and empowering height acts as a symbolic reminder of the awe-inspiring makeup of a great nation and her piercing eyes represents the convictions of the American people but, importantly, also acts as a God-like inspirer and guider to instil faith and remind the people of their responsibilities at times where moral and social corruption plagues the American society. The torch she carries ignites and fires into the sky the notions of freedom and liberty, the flames being seen and felt by citizens and guest alike (whether in proximity or not), and through its scorching heat defends against, and attacks, the plague of oppression and tyranny. At the same time, the chains at her foot represent Liberty crushing the chains of slavery. Yet the principles embodied within her are not exclusiv e only to the American people; the general appearance of the statue's head is reminiscent of the Greek Sun-god Apollo who dressed in a similar robe and having on its head a radiate crown with seven spiked rays of the sun's rays. Indeed, the seven spikes are representative of the world and its nations, reinforcing the statue's image as host to all around the world and guests of America and reinforcing America's position as the land of the free and leader of the world as the seven spikes on the crown represent the Seven Seas (Arctic, Antarctic, North & South Atlantic, North & South Pacific, Indian) and seven continents (North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Antarctica, Australia). Indeed, together with the scorching flames of the torch, the statue, located in the middle of the Hudson river, reinforces its characteristics as a statue for all (water and the ocean generally encapsulates the concepts of liquidity and freedom). To hear the Statue is to travel to it by ferry and hear at the height of her dictating posture the howling wind which