'Classical pluralism comes nowhere near capturing the reality of local Essay

'Classical pluralism comes nowhere near capturing the reality of local politics' (Stone 2008). Discuss - Essay Example This paper aims to study the classical pluralist theory and analyze how much it is found in our local politics today. Classical pluralism is the view that politics and decision making are mostly located in the government, but there are also non-governmental groups who use many resources to exert their influence on politics and decision making (Barzilai 2003). Discussion What we observe these days in our local politics is actually neopluralism. It is the reconstruction of political science and advancement in the fundamental and traditional structure of classical pluralism of political sociology. Our societies have come a long way from the traditional classic era of classic pluralism of the post second world war era. Pluralist legacy emphasized on the primacy on the pluralist social agents and factors. Neopluralism still falls in the pluralist legacy of the classic, but it has undergone a series of complicated revisions. There are many theoretical perspectives on one of the most fundam ental question of politics. Who should rule? The answer varies from the many, the few, to one? Classical pluralist answer to this question is the rule of many. Although there are not many theories that support the rule of one but classical theories do support the existence of one ruling class or powerful elite. In short we can term it as the rule of the few (Connolly 2010). What is classical pluralism? The central theme of classical pluralism is the concept of unity in diversity proposed by Aristotle. It is also followed by early liberal’s competitive and representative democracy. This theory of liberal democracy in socially diverse countries flourished and evolved into what is called Polyarchy. Polyarchy form of pluralism is about effective rule of elected representatives through a process of free and competitive elections conducted in the supervision of the civil associations of civil liberties. Polyarchy is rooted in the heterogeneous pluralist social structure. The era of 1960’s and 70’s was the era of political and ideological tumultuous and the pluralist theory also responded by evolving into neo pluralist theory. In this theory attention was given to state initiatives. The pluralism of agency was extended to the state-based interest groups (Janosky 2005. The theory of classical pluralism is founded on two building blocks namely interest groups and power politics. It revolves around the idea that interest groups compete with each other to acquire power to further their own interests. The classical pluralist democracy also has equilibrium in place through self correcting balance of political powers. It believes that all the interest groups will have equal opportunities to influence public decision making process. Classical pluralist theory was more an idealistic vision rather than the actual situation although proponents of this theory claimed it to be realistic and based on empirical evidence. This was the first generation of plurali st. Second generation pluralist also called neopluralist were led by Robert Dahl and Charles Linblom. These second generation pluralist were more realistic and realized the inequalities in the theory which were not in favor of the less disadvantaged. Third generation pluralist restricted the identification and categorization of fixed groups with fixed interests (Behrouzi 2006). What are interest groups? There are two views about

Marketing Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Marketing Management - Essay Example Revenue generated by this company is divided at a 54% from sales of food and 46% general merchandise. However, some of the activities that generate income for the company range from purchases and delivery, which offers customers a good shopping experience. 1. A. Macro environmental factors PESTLE ANALYSIS Political Factors M&S has been subjected to tax policies, political and environmental laws are entailed in the UK, leading to substantial influence on with holding their products from the public. The company focuses on gaining and maintaining good attitude towards foreign companies, which is evident through their association with other companies. Moreover, they are always adhered to the laws on hiring and firing, hence there have been no cases of employee disputes in the company. Â  Therefore, they appreciate the fact that political factors are related to the extent of government intervention and economy. Â   Economic Factors The rate of unemployment has been falling at a fast rat e and the measure of Gross national product is rising at a modest rate in UK. The government has made the relevant effort to lower the interest rates in order to facilitate borrowing of by customers, hence increasing their purchasing power. Nevertheless, the inflation is being controlled by the government through the relevant fiscal policies aimed at regulating money supply into the UK economy. The economic factor has influenced the operations and decision-making process. There has been an increase in the operating cost due to many economic factors, whereby there was a rise in the consumer Price Index. Social Factors M&S products have a significant influence on lifestyles, whereby the consumers are consuming products, which is highly expensive. Therefore, prestigious products are contributing to increased living standards among the consumers. The company is also contributing generation of employment due to the advancement in technology that is increasing career expectations among th ose in the field of technology. The company is interested on consumer activism, since they focus on purchasing products that are environmentally friendly, though this is finite since the prices are playing a substantial role in decision of the consumer. There is a relation of the political and economic circumstances and this entails the cultural aspect and the rise in environmental consciousness, emphasis and attitudes on environmentally friendly. Technological Factors The company has invested on intensifying their Research and development in order to facilitate the advancement of technology for producing better products in the future. Moreover, the company is focusing on applying the new developments in technology in order to offer their products in a way that will enable them attain the required market share. Therefore, M&S has been utilizing technological advancement, whereby they have enabled their customers to access their catalogues online, and they are able to purchase produc ts in a timely manner. On the other hand, the company has integrated their operation with Business Intelligent BI systems to increased performance in the future (Mohd, Idris, & Momani, 2013, p.40-49). Environmental Factors The company operations are affected by the environmental factors like the growing awareness of the climatic change, which may reduce sales for some of their products. There are factors affecting consumers due to the increase in awareness of the environmental impacts on

History Of The Work Breakdown Structure Information Technology Essay

History Of The Work Breakdown Structure Information Technology Essay Projects developed with available time and budget are more useful for own as well as customers satisfaction. This process is completed through the mechanisms of planning, monitoring and also re-planning. This report supports the project scheduling, planning and analysis methodologies, modeling concepts and analysis technique. The report is presented using a theoretical contribution on process simulation to assist design planning. We have highlighted the design planning using Microsoft Project Design with key challenges of project management. The Microsoft Project is a flexible and competent program designed to administrate the projects and help to plan effectively. We can organize the lists of task and set the time frame and facilitates with quick planning of projects. Large and complex projects are more significant for the project management. The consequence decisions of projects as how the project is managed and role of the managers are portrayed. When the schedule is tight more need is magnified. Technical design of projects requires different skills and for the complex projects the technical aspects are out these areas which need to be well managed. For this reason project management is more emphasized backed by the specialized resources. The management team is responsible for the development, designing and delivery of the projects. Our project is based on the case study of the Pharmaceutical industrys Software development in Switzerland. Pharmaceutical industry management needed the software development for their indigenous business and in other countries of the world. It also addresses all the critical processes and operations which are required for its performance and successful business. The management system approaches to quality management and all the successful operations of Pharmaceutical industry. In this process the decommissioning of the business is considered to achieve the mandate and objectives. Work breakdown Structure Work breakdown structure (WBS) defines the total scope of our project. The WBS subdivides the project into smaller and manageable piece of work. This concept of the WBS is used to produce the work packages scheduled, cost estimated, monitored and controlled. The development team uses the WBS from the previous projects and works as a template for new project. The WBS involves the following activities Identifying the deliverable and other related work; Organizing and structuring the WBS; The decomposing of the upper work breakdown structure into lower level detailed components; Assigning and developing the identification codes to WBS. Finally verifying the degree of decomposition which is necessary and sufficient. Schedules Projects are complex endeavors and plan is a necessary guide for the execution of the project. The progress of the project is recorded on a project and remaining work is reassessed in the light of new information. It is rare that execution of a project proceeds as initially set plans. The purpose of the scheduling is to show a road map that when and how the project will deliver the products in the limits of the scope defined by the project team. For the project management planning and analysis the scheduling is one of the basic requirements. Its main aim is to set the time for the required project. The project management sets the time to complete the project. The management team engaged with our project manages the processes as given following. Many activities are performed by the management team accomplishing the project undertaken. Activity: To produce the deliverable projects many specific schedule activities are identified. Activity sequencing: The schedule activities are dependent and activity sequencing identifies these dependencies among the schedule activities. Activity resource estimating: This type of activity defines the resources to perform these schedule activities. Activity duration estimating: It identifies the number of work periods which are entirely needed to complete the individual schedule activity. Schedule Development: The process of analyzing the activity sequences, resources requirement, durations, and other schedule constraints required to create the project schedule. Schedule Control: It controls the changes made in project schedule. For our project we use the Microsoft Project 2010 where Gantt chart gives us visual representation. It represents the tasks and products deliverable within the time specified in schedule. It also provides the roadmap to execute the product its delivery, tracking the changes and also managing the changes. Microsoft Project Management has very powerful tools in it to perform the activities very quickly as in figure 1. Fig 1: Project professional 2010 We can manage the schedule tasking manually using the Project Professional 2010. Fig 2: Improved Top to down scheduling Managing team has option to schedule the task automatically as shown in figure 2. The design and developments tasks of our project are scheduled automatically. The project professional 2010 is more useful for the business managers and productivity of project. The concept of Precedence Diagramming Method (PMD) is used to represent the activities and show the dependencies of the activities with sign of arrows. There are four types of dependencies or called as precedence relationships. Finish-to-Start: Successor activity starts which depends upon the completion of predecessor activity. Finish-to-Finish: the completion of the successor activity depends upon the completion of predecessor activity. Start-to-Start: The successor activity starts and depends upon the completion of the predecessor activity. Start-to-Finish: The completion of the successor activity depends upon the beginning of the predecessor activities. Time constraints are very important during the schedule development. Start and Finish activities can be restricted by imposing the dates which affects the completion of the activities. Many other constraints are also present in the project management software but in our case Start No earlier than and theFinish no later than constraints are specifically used. Project customer, sponsor and stakeholders dictate the major milestones and affect the certain deliverable components to a specific date. The scheduled dates become the expected dates and only can be changed through the approval. Milestones only provide the schedules interface and are not part of the project data base. Fig 3: Milestone and Tasks Project is actually a list of tasks and manager reports and keeps track of it. Our project is broken into phases by the managers and completion of these tasks is called as milestone. Milestone of our projects are documented at the end of each phase which reduces the project operating cost. Planning and Control The planning process consists of the project maturity, scope, development and project management plan and schedule of project activities occurring within project. While control techniques are used to compare the actual performance with planned performance. It also analyses the variances and trend assessment to improve the process improvements and recommending the adequate corrective actions required. Monitoring and Controlling a Project When a project is planned then it requires to be started according to plan. Formal changes in plan are permitted and customers are informed about this change. If this process is not completed then it is not possible to get the approval for the extension of time. In our case the monitoring project ensures: development of the required products is ensured The required standard and quality are being met Products are ready in time according to the budget and planned resources Business case is achieved by the project products Using the planning and scheduling software three components are measured as Time, Resources and cost Planning Time Resources Cost The analysis of the project schedule is not taken lightly. Budget and timeline are the basic measures to analyze the quality of schedule. The budget and timeline are kept on track, if it is not on track then manager takes immediate action to cure the problem. For the project schedule a baseline was established, this baseline is used as starting point and performance on the project is also measured. This technique is used during the project execution when the project is on track. Cost Performance Baseline costs compared and variances are shown between these two variances. Earned Value Management (EVM) technique is used to monitor the IT projects in some ways as other projects. For the effective performance measurement EVM has proven itself and also feedback tool to manage the projects.EVM also informs us that where the project is and its comparison with the proposed project. Value of accumulated cost is also measured by the EVM as the amount of work and amount spent on it. PERT Analysis Project Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) back to its history was used to control the large complex projects in USA. PERT has become now the combination of the Critical Path Method (CPM) and is thus know as the PERT/CPM. For project in discussion Pert Chart is a five step process. Identifying the all tasks for the entire project i.e. planning to execution of the product. Amount of work required to complete the each task in development of the product. Identifying the immediate predecessor tasks. Entering each task in PERT/CPM chart. Calculating the time and duration based on the resources and durations. In above tasks first two tasks are always manual and completed in brainstorming session. Last three tasks are interacted with MS Project. The best advantage of the PERT is used for the most probable effort for the tasks. We want to know the ways of estimating the effort for each task. Pessimistic, most likely and optimistic estimates are combined together into a single value which gives the expected effort for the task. A weight average simply ensures that any deviation from the optimistic or pessimistic estimates is not so much effective to take away the duration from expected duration. These estimated are more valuable when right people are involved in it. First task needed the two days and second one 1 day each with two people working. We can say that first task requires the 4 person-days of work and second task needed two. Three kinds of dependencies are found during the third task. These dependencies include the (1) project mandatory (2) external mandatory (3) discretionary. It is clear that start of the new task depends upon the success or output of previous task. External dependencies are due to non-project occurrences for example the arrival of the new hardware and interface definition of another project. Discretionary dependencies are troublesome. These dependencies are based on the flexibilities which are used to build the schedule; but also add some complexities. When all rearranging and juggling is completed and hand written information is transferred to computer based applications like MS project. Toggling between views optimistic pessimistic Calculating the Pert Entering the weight for PERT calculation Entering the durations of optimistic, pessimistic and expected in one sheet Entering the durations of optimistic, pessimistic and expected Figure 4: Pert Analysis in MS project We have found that PERT methodology has number of limitations. The first problem lies in calculating the accurate estimates of duration of tasks. When a single dominant path is selected then it yields very accurate results. In case when there are number of parallel paths then it gives overly optimistic estimation. It is recommended that classical PERT model for the quantitative for the risk analysis when you require the accurate estimation for the optimistic, pessimistic and most like durations and our project has a dominant path through the entire network. Conclusions In this report we have discussed the project scheduling, planning and analysis methodologies, modeling concepts and analysis technique using the Microsoft Project. Delivering the IT projects on time and budget is very critical to companies success and their effective management of scheduling. The concept of WBS is an essential part of this report which has determined the scope of our project. Activities and tasks with allocated time and budget are also discussed in this report. For these tasks and activities Gantt chart makes a best visual representation and used to manage and track the changes in schedule. Earned Value Management (EVM) is a best tool to measure the progress of the project. PERT analysis is also a major part of this report to represent the tasks and durations using the MS Project.

Teachers Need to Feel Empowered and in Control of their Career Essay

What does 2.0 look like? I became a teacher when spiders spun webs and a library teacher when the Internet was accessed through the telephone. I was an early adopter and adapter of everything 1.0. I embraced the magic of the CD-Rom, remember Encyclopedia Encarta. What a revelation. I became a librarian the same year that the card catalogue was replaced by lookup stations. I have no idea about creating a title, subject or author card but boy can I come up with the perfect key words for a Boolean search. During the days of Web 1.0 I taught students who were just as awed by computers and astounded with the Internet as I was. Together we explored this new digital world. Today the digital natives look upon computers and the Internet as a ubiquitous component of school and education. I understand. That’s all they have known. I know that I need to continue to embrace the new technologies. I need to continue to be on the cutting edge, be aware of the newest and coolest, what is the n ext Twitter, Facebook or YouTube and, most importantly, how can this technology be used to impact student learning. To that end I am a teacher leader in the area of technology. If a volunteer is needed for a presentation I’m the one. This year I have used Prezi to present copyright law to my staff at school. I have also coordinated building-wide training for district wide tech competencies assessment. I have been on the school’s technology leadership team since the school opened. I see myself as a leader in the field of technology integration. In order to help students and staff keep current with the software and now apps, that are available. I have embraced LibGuides a data management program that has revolutionized the old library pathfinders and web quest... ...ally policy, but also best teaching practices. These conferences have empowered me to take on these leadership roles in my school district and local NEA association. My primary objective after any of these professional growth experiences is to share them with my colleagues. And to that end I make it a practice to mentor new educators. I am also guide the students to think of the field of education as a valid career choice. I am concerned that with the negative image of education and educators, the poor economic climate that our smartest and gifted students and new teachers will not consider a career as a teacher, or continue in that career. I believe that if teachers feel empowered and in control of their career they will not only remain in education they will make a difference in the life of a child. And they will continue in this worthwhile and important career.

Dickinson’s Poetry Is Startling and Eccentric Essay

Perhaps one of the aspects that draw us to the poetry of Dickinson is its eccentricity and startling nature. In her poetry, Emily Dickinson explores a number of different themes including death, hope, nature, pain and love. The trademark signs of a Dickinson poem are her hallmark dashes she uses. Her dashes suggest that there is more to the story than she is writing down. Another characteristic of Dickinson’s poetry is the capitalization of random words throughout her poems. This could suggest importance of the words that she is highlighting. A large number of Dickinson’s poetry revolves around the theme of death; both psychological and physical. She makes the reader question what our place in the universe is. Her sharply contrasting moods and her laconic images make her poems appealing to scrutinize. Evidence of Dickinson’s unique and unusual style strikes us in ‘I Felt a Funeral in my Brain’. We’re given a comprehensive look at her delicate state of mind through her magnificent imagery. Here, Dickinson compares her psychological deterioration to the rites of a funeral. The opening stanza of the poem divulges that she is in a coffin and ‘’mourners’’ are going ‘’to and fro’’. The ‘’treading – treading’’ of the mourners as they move ‘’to and fro’’ combined with the ‘’beating – beating’’ of the ‘’Service like a drum’’ emphasizes her inner turmoil. The depth of her vulnerability astonishes us as she says her world is reduced to ‘’And Being but an ear,’’ She likens herself to a ‘’strange race’’. We can clearly sense her isolation. I felt this was very abstract. It reminded me almost of a Picasso painting. We are left in no doubt of her deepening crisis with her startling image of the coffin crashing downwards as a ‘’plank in reason, broke. And I dropped down and down—‘’. I heard a Fly buzz—when I died—†¦ † was equally eccentric and startling. Once again the imagery played a significant role in evoking this idea. The poem opens to a vibrant image of Dickinson lying in her bed surrounded by her nearest and dearest. ‘’The eyes had wrung them dry, / And breathes were gathering sure’’. I was struck by the startling contrast created here when she compares the stillness in the room to ‘’the air/ Between the Heaves of Storms’’ The poem strikingly describes the mental distraction posed by irrelevant details at even the most crucial moments—even at the moment of death. The poem then becomes even more bizarre and more macabre by transforming the tiny, normally disregarded fly into the figure of death itself, as the fly’s wing cuts the speaker off from the light until she cannot â€Å"see to see. † One of the most peculiar aspects of ‘‘I heard a Fly buzz—when I died—†¦ † is the odd introduction of the fly into this environment. Again, the imagery plays a significant role. Flies can often be associated with death and decay and I think that is the message Dickinson was trying to convey by using the image of the fly in this particular poem. It is a poem that examines what is possible with hope and how far hope can carry a person. The poem uses a bird as a symbol to define the feeling that hope can give an individual. ‘’Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul,  Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ This proves that Dickinson is eccentric as most people would never compare hope to ‘the Thing with Feathers’. What is striking about the poem is its absolute simplicity, both in structure and in the words the poem presents. The idea of hope in the â€Å"chillest land/And on the strangest sea,† is a quite philosophical way of viewing the world. There is a contrast within the poem between hope, represented with words like â€Å"warm,† â€Å"Soul† â€Å"sweetest† and the pain of life shown in words like â€Å"storm† â€Å"gale† â€Å"chillest†. There is a battle between hope and the pain of life; it is clear which one comes out on top as hope can still be found through gales and storms. I think the poem is trying to convey that even though things can seem bleak, hope can always pull you through it. Dickinson’s poem ‘I Could Bring You Jewels — had I a mind to –‘ is similar to ‘Hope is the Thing with Feathers’ in regards to the tone of the poem. It is a joyful, optimistic poem. In ‘I Could Bring You Jewels’, Dickinson is corresponding with an unknown person in a coy, teasing tone. This poem is very different to most of Dickinson’s poetry because unlike many of her other poems she is not discussing death or loneliness and is instead, conversing with someone and seems to be enjoying herself. She is talking to this person about what gift she is going to buy him/her. ‘I could bring You Odors from St. Domingo – Colors — from Vera Cruz — Berries of the Bahamas –‘ Although I would not consider Emily Dickinson to be my favourite poet, I found her work intriguing and uniquely eccentric. This could be because of the contrast between each of her poems and the different themes she uses in each poem. It may be as a result of its bleak, distressing nature. I personally felt that her fixation with physical and psychological death was quite shocking to be honest. The imagery Dickinson uses in her poetry could definitely be interpreted as very eccentric and startling. You would not expect all of the pain and hurt that is expressed in her poetry to be coming from a young woman from a well-to-do family who lived a very privileged existence.

The Causes of the American Civil War

The American Civil War is one of the most significant and controversial periods in American history. The Civil War was caused by mounting conflicting pressures, principles, and prejudices, fueled by differences and pride, and set into motion by unlikely set of political events. The war divided the country between the North (Union) and South (Confederate). The war lasted five years and by 1865 the Confederate forces were truly beaten. Out of this horrendous war though, where some 600,000 men died grew a greater sense of nationalism than is today, unrivalled around the world One of the causes of the American Civil War was the economic and social differences between the North and the South. With Eli Whitney’s invention of the cotton gin in 1793, cotton became very profitable. This machine was able to reduce the time it took to separate seeds from the cotton. However, at the same time the increase in the number of plantations willing to move from other crops to cotton meant the greater need for a large amount of cheap labor, Indo European slaves. Therefore the Southern economy became a one-crop economy, depending on cotton as well as slavery. On the other side the Northern economy was based more on industry than agriculture. In fact, the northern industries were purchasing the raw cotton and turning it into finished goods. This disparity between the two set up a major difference in economic attitudes. The South was based on the plantation system while the North was focused on city life. The second cause for the American Civil War was the fight between slave and Non-slave state proponents. As America began to expand, first with the lands gained from the Louisiana Purchase and later with the Mexican War, the question of whether new states admitted to the union would be slave or free. The Missouri Compromise passed in 1820 made a rule that prohibited slavery in states from the former Louisiana Purchase. The Compromise of 1850 was created by Henry Clay and others to deal with the balance between slave states and free states, northern and southern interests. One of the provisions was the Fugitive Slave Act. Another issue that further increased tensions was the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854. It created two new territories that would allow the states to use popular sovereignty to determine whether they would be free or slave. The last cause of the American Civil War was the growth of the Abolition Movement. Increasingly, the northerners became more polarized against slavery. Sympathies began to grow for abolitionists and against slavery and slaveholders. This occurred especially after some major events including: the publishing of Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin, the Dred Scott Case John Brown's Raid, and the passage of the fugitive slave act that held individuals responsible for harboring fugitive slaves even if they were located in non-slave states. The Civil War lasted longer than it was expected to. But, unfortunately, the War was inevitable due to the great gap between the North and South socially, economically and politically. In fact, due to these circumstances, if the South had won the War, the country would have probably been divided into two separate countries. As any war would have ended, the War ended with great losses to both sides. More Americans were killed in the Civil War than in all other American wars combined from the colonial period through the later phase of the Vietnam War. Apart from the number of deaths and casualties, the great loss of property and money, the country now needed to work together in order to rebuild what was lost. Emotionally, it would take long years for many people to overcome the consequences of the war. The war was followed by twelve years of Reconstruction, during which the North and South debated the future of black Americans and fought bitter political battles. Yet, there was a good outcome of this war. Slavery came to an end as a legal institution. But the war did not bring equal rights for blacks, they still had their own war to win until those rights would be achieved.