Encourage Innovation or Kill Competition Microsoft and Apple vs Google Android free essay sample

â€Å"†¦Microsoft and Apple have always been at each other’s throats, so when they get into bed together you have to start wondering what’s going on†¦Ã¢â‚¬ - David Drummond, Senior VP and Chief Legal Officer, Google. Mr. Drummond stunned the world with this accusation late 3rd August 2011 in the official Google blog. The Android operating system took the mobile-phone market by storm as its latest version(Honeycomb 3. 0) wowed the smart-phone users with out-of-this-world features like multi-tasking, multi-touch interface, over the air updates, open source, etc. Taken over by Google in 2005, and with 550,000 devices being activated every single day currently, Android seems to be the next big thing for smart-phones. But recent events involving the â€Å"patents war† and the blame-game being played out by the three behemoths, namely Google, Microsoft and Apple have brought a new issue to the forefront: are patents instruments to encourage innovation or to kill competition? Google claims that the recent acquisition of the wireless giant Nortel’s patent portfolio by an Apple-Microsoft consortium was â€Å"bogus† as a $1million deal was finally made at . We will write a custom essay sample on Encourage Innovation or Kill Competition? Microsoft and Apple vs Google Android or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page million. Google was invited to bid on Nortel’s patent portfolio in early July but was outbid by the consortium. It has requested the US Department of Justice( DOJ) to investigate whether this was done to achieve anti-competitive means. It is also working on strengthening its own patent portfolio to be able to combat competitive threats in the future. The DOJ has already asked Microsoft to sell the patents it had bought earlier and make them open-source. Earlier, Oracle sued Google for using Java in Android. Microsoft and Apple have both sued Motorola, a licensee of Android. Another licensee, HTC has had to pay huge royalties to Apple for a twin 4 patent infringement. Implication: This will help to necessitate and encourage round-the-clock innovation in the open-source community. Also the Android suppliers and users will not have to suffer due to licensing fees and end-user costs being driven up by competitors of Android holding all patents. Google has to keep innovating for Android so as to maintain its competitive edge. The fact that Android is offered for free and Microsoft has to charge a licensing fee for its Windows Phone 7 has not gone down well with Android competitors and that has led to the latter scrambling to acquire patents in the field of wireless, wireless 4G, optical, voice, internet, etc to gain long-term benefits and also suing Android as well as its partners for using the competitors’ patented technology. Whether acquisition of patents and lawsuits for their infringement can yield long term benefits for their holders or undermine innovation in the open-source community remains to be seen.

Project Management and Project Alignment Strategy

Introduction Project management has been practiced mainly in the engineering and construction sectors. This is mainly due to the fact that tasks in these sectors have to be organized in a systematic manner if they are to yield the required results. However, since the 1990’s, project management has gained prominence in other sectors as various firms execute their operations in forms of projects.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Project Management and Project Alignment Strategy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As such, project management is no longer restricted to the creation of products but it has been used to facilitate business transformation as well as to business improvement during the implementation of strategies. The rapid rate at which project management is being applied in businesses is currently being referred to by business critics and commentators as the â€Å"the projectification of society† (Cicmil and Hodgson, 2006). As Hauc Kovac (2000) reiterate, â€Å"Projectification in an organizational context has resulted in the apparent agreement that projects and project management are an efficient means of implementing organizational strategy.† This paper shall discus this statement by reviewing relevant literature pertaining to this topic. To this end, a brief discussion exploring the content, limitations and potential problems brought about by strategic alignment of projects shall be provided. Brief overview of project management The Project Management Institute (PMI) defines a project as a temporary work effort that has â€Å"a clear beginning and end that is intended to create a unique product or knowledge† (PMI, 2004). Projects vary in size and they may involve the effort of a single individual or even hundreds of people working as a team. Project management involves â€Å"application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques† so as to achieve the desired end-result (Cicmil et al, 2006). While small projects may be undertaken without necessarily applying project management, a significant project must involve project management. Experts agree that while good project management does not guarantee the success of a project, poor management invariably leads to a project’s failure. For this reason, the project management component is very essential for any sizable business project. Projects and strategies Strategies refer to the overall plans and procedures designed to execute a particular goal or objective. Cleland and Ireland (2006), state that projects mainly dwell on the equipments, tools and techniques. The project manager must come up with a strategy that lays out how the various aspects of the project work together to yield the expected results.Advertising Looking for critical writing on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The al ignment of projects presents various opportunities and challenges. However, as Grant (2005) reiterates, the success or failure of any given project depends on the strategies formulated to facilitate in the implementation processes of each project. To this end, if an organization aligns its project in such a manner that the success of one project affects the others, there may be problems if cases of misappropriation of funds or failure to meet the set deadlines occur. Importance of project management Without PM, projects would be delivered late, have cost overruns and in most cases; the product would also be of inferior quality. Project management involves coming up with a plan so as to ensure that all the objectives are clearly stated and everyone involved in the project knows their role. Without such a plan, the project is bound to be delivered late and at a higher cost. Also, owing to the fact that the roles and objective are not clearly defined, the final product will be of infer ior quality. Project management involves balancing conflicting demands to ensure resources are optimally utilized to achieve the end-product. To achieve this, the Project Manager begins by clearly defining the objectives that the particular project aims to achieve and the scope of the project (Kerzner 2003). The project manager then develops a detailed schedule that contains the various activities that need to be undertaken and the resources that shall be utilized to fulfill the same. An organizational structure that highlights the duties and responsibility of each member of the project is also developed to ensure the effective management and implementation of the necessary work. Some of the main objectives of PM include but are not limited to: Defining the objectives and scope of the project Developing a schedule of activities and resources required Developing an organizational structure for the project Ensuring the commitment and backing by the project stakeholders It should be noted that no project can be successfully undertaken without the commitment and approval of the various stakeholders of the project, chief among them being the financiers and the senior management. The project manager will therefore set out to gain the approval of these important parties. Successful projects are characterized by having clear objective, good project plan and effective communication among the involved parties (Freimut, et al, 2001). Project risks All projects involve some measure of risk. Risks arise as a result of the uncertainties that are inherent in each project. One of the things which make risk management hard in all projects is that there is no standardized approach to dealing with risks (Norris, Perry Simon 2000).Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Project Management and Project Alignment Strategy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This is because no two projects are alike and as su ch, each project had its own unique environment and variables which leads to differing risks (Kerzner, 2003). To this effect, risk Management is normally ignored since most project managers deem it as unnecessary paperwork. This notion leads to aggressive approaches to dealing with problems that appear in the life of the project. Risk analysis and management Risk analysis and management involves the recognition that risks exist. It entails a thorough assessment of the project to identify what could go wrong. The concept of risk management involves conducting a detailed assessment of a particular project so as to identify significant things that could go wrong with the project. Norris, Perry and Simon (2000) assert that project risk analysis and management if properly undertaken increases the likelihood of successful completion of a project on time and within stipulated costs. Value of risk management By undertaking risk management, the project manager increases his/her control of th e project as risk management provides a framework which enables the future activities to be undertaken in a consistent manner (The Institute of Risk Management 2004). In addition to this, risk management stipulates that project risks be identified beforehand. This will lead to an improvement in decision making since the decisions will be based on facts. The efficiency with which the project will be undertaken will therefore be increased as project activities will occur in a consistent and controlled manner and capital and resources allocation will be efficiently performed. As such, risk management is important to projects because it provides a framework, through which the project activities can take place, improves decision making, planning and prioritizing, contributes to the efficient allocation of project resources and optimizes operational efficiency of overall project (KMPG 2002). Resolving risks The fundamental goal of risk evaluation is to be able to reduce or altogether, eli minate risk (Lycett et al, 2004). Once the risks involved in the project have been identified and subsequently classified according to their frequency of occurrence and the impact that their occurrence may have on the overall project, risk resolution activities should be undertaken. However, in most cases, the project team only has a vague idea as to the nature of the risk. As such, further research on the risk should be carried out for the project team to have an intimate understanding of the same.Advertising Looking for critical writing on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Some risks are inevitable in the project and they should therefore be accepted as a part of the project. The project team should however anticipate these risks and have measures put in place for dealing with the same. Some risks are deemed as being too high and for the project to proceed favorably, measures must be taken to mitigate the same and establish contingency plans in case the risks arise. These are the steps that should be followed in risk management: Research, acceptance, reduction and elimination (Barney Bennett, 2000). Strategic alignment of projects Archibald (1988) reiterates that project management has over the years been useful in ensuring the efficiency and subsequent success of projects. The author further states that project management has helped many managers formulate and implement various strategies which ultimately guarantee the success of a project. However, Anderson and Merna (2003) argue that the failure of most projects is as a result of poor strategic pl anning during the implementation phase. In addition, Cicmil et al (2006) reiterate that on average, 80% of failed projects are as a result of the managers failure to map out clear procedures and priorities regarding to a given project. According to Aalto (2000), strategic alignment of project refers to the process through which organizations select the projects to be accomplished within a particular period of time and prioritize their completion according to the available resources and their ability to remain aligned with the organizational resources. Thiry (2002) further contends that other organizations group their projects using a managerial framework. This enables the organization to space the projects accordingly thereby minimizing and chances of rippled failure (Maylor et al, 2006). Maylor et al (2006) define project strategy as the unique approaches a project utilize so as to achieve the set strategies of an organization. To this effect, project strategy acts as a link betwee n the proposed project plans and the organizations strategies. The authors further assert that the project strategy provides the rules that govern the behavior of the project team and ensures that they meet the deadlines within the given timeframe and budgetary allocation. However, it should be noted that there is a very distinct difference between project management strategy and project strategy. Anderson and Merna (2003) assert that project strategy refers to the executive plan that aims at achieving the set objectives of a given project while project management strategy refers to the strategic approaches used to manage a given project. In other words, project strategy refers to the directions that the senior management gives the project managers in order to meet the organizational objectives while project management strategy are the procedures, plans and policies that see the project to the end (Artto et al, 2008). Inherent problems to project management Measuring project progres s is essential in all projects since it gives the project team and manager control. However, there must be measurement metrics and unity between the strategies formulated by the project sponsors, the organization and the project managers which make use of project deliverables to measure progress. Morris Jamieson (2005) state that it is the role of the project manager to give detailed specifications to the team as regarding to the methodology and techniques that are to be employed during the collection and retention of project metrics. When there are many projects being conducted for the same organization, the project team may develop some conflicts of allegiance since there is no single strategy that can effectively be used for different projects. In addition, the business world is characterized by a high degree of dynamicity. To this effect, the organizational objectives may change in order to conform to the market and competition trends. If the projects are aligned to meet the or ganizational objectives, they may fail in the event of a drastic change (Hodgson Cicmil, 2006). This may lead to losses of an unprecedented scale. Consequently, the organization may end up loosing the trust and respect from the sponsors as well as a great market since the projects would be rendered useless. In regards to costs, projects often require a large amount of capital. If the project management team is inefficient, they may fail to follow the policies and procedures set by the senior management. This would subsequently lead to great losses that cannot be easily recovered. In addition, if the strategies stipulated by the senior management are inefficient, this would lead to the failure of the whole organization. Also, as Crawford (2005) explains, each project must have some unforeseen risks. This fact makes project very unpredictable. With this in mind, aligning projects with the organizations objectives may prove to be costly since failure of a project affects the overall p erformance of the organization. The project manager is expected to come up with a project plan which should explicitly specify the processes to be used to measure and control the quality of the work and the resulting work products (Couchman et al 2008). To this effect, handling many projects at once may invariable lead to confusion and corrosion of set objectives thereby affecting the success of the project as well as the quality of the results yielded. As Artto et al (2001) explain, some projects may require the attention of various departments within the organization. However, despite the fact that each department within an organization aim at achieving a common organizational goal, each has a set of departmental goals that have to be met. Bearing this in mind, cases where members from different departments may tacitly try to influence the project decisions such that they favor their departments. Project management tools that ensure successful alignment of projects To ensure succe ss in projects, there are vital tools that can be used to monitor and control the progress at each stage. This is especially important because most of sizable projects are complex and very sensitive. As such, any mistake no matter how tiny may lead to the failure of the project (PMI, 2004). Gantt charts Gant charts are used to asses the progress of a project. The X axis is the time scale over which the project will run and task is represented as a single horizontal bar. Activities which can run concurrently can be plotted on the same Y-axis while those that are dependent on the completion of others can not begin before the others complete (Jenkins, 2006). As such, each stage can be marked and the expected date of completion highlighted so that all members know what to do and when to do it. This ensures that the project resources are efficiently utilized which in turn avoids wastage of finances and resources. Pert Charts Pert charts are used to indicate project milestones and depende ncies. They are also used to calculate the critical path which is the set of tasks which have to be completed in time for the project to beat the deadline (Larsen, 2005). Pert charts show the longest path from start to finish. The milestones are marked as nodes with numbers and the critical path is from activity 0-2-4-6-9-10. Any delay in any of these activities will lead to delay in entire project. Most biotechnological projects require calculations and equations. There are various formulas that can be applied to come to an answer. Most projects fail because they lack options and if the main methodology fails, the project is therefore wasted. The pert charts provide the project team with options from which the most efficient can be applied. Conclusion Project management is an essential part of any substantial project and it involves planning, identification of risks and progress tracking. Risk management which involves addressing the risks attached to the project activities, is cru cial to the success of a project. In the end, it is the project manager’s obligation to assess the risks and make decisions as to the path that the project takes (The Institute of Risk Management, 2002). Due to the popularization of project management in the business realms, care should be taken by project managers to ensure that projects are successful. Even though the concept of project alignment is still at it’s preliminary stages, business entities should make an effort towards implementing it in their operations. Not only does it offer a competitive advantage to businesses, but it also improves productivity and performance within the organization. This is mainly due to the fact that the projects are synchronized with the organizations objective. As such, the success of a project also means the success of the organization in general. References Aalto, T. (2000) Strategies and methods for project portfolio management. University of Technology, Helsinki. Anderson, D and Merna, T. (2003) Project management strategy: Project management represented as a process based set of management domains and the consequences for project management strategy, International journal of project management, 21, 387-393. Archibald, R. (1988) Projects: Vehicle for strategic growth, Project Management Journal, 19, 31-33. Artto, Lehtonen et al. (2001) Managing projects front-end: Incorporating a strategic early view to project management with simulation, International Journal of Project Management, 19, 255-264. Artto et al. (2008) Project strategy: Strategy types and their contents in innovation projects, International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, 1, 49-70. Barney, B and Bennett, R. (2000) Risk Management for the NASA/JPL Genesis Mission: A Case Study. Web. Cicmil, S and Hodgson, D. (2006) Making projects critical: An introduction, Palgrave MacMillan, New York. Cicmil, S et al. (2006) Rethinking project management: Researching the actuality of projects, In ternational Journal of Project Management, 24, 675-686. Cleland, D and Ireland, L. (2006) Project management: Strategic design and implementation. McGraw-Hill, New York. Couchman, P et al. (2008) Lost in Translation? Building science and innovation city strategies in Australia and the UK. Innovation: Management, Policy Practice, vol. 10, 221-219. Crawford, L. (2005) Senior management perceptions of project management competence. International Journal of Project Management, vol. 23, 7-16. Freimut, B et al. (2001) An Industrial case study of implementing software risk management. Web. Grant, R. (2005) Contemporary strategy analysis. Blackwell Publishing, Malden, MA. Hauc, A and Kovac, J. (2000) Project management in strategy implementation–experiences in Slovenia. International Journal of Project Management, 18, 61-67. Hodgson, D and Cicmil, S. (2006) Are projects real? The PMBOK and the legitimation of project management knowledge. Palgrave MacMillan, New York. Jenkins, N. (2 006) A Project Management Primer. Web. Kerzner, H. (2003) project management: A system approach to planning, scheduling and controlling. John Wiley Sons Inc, New Jersey. KMPG. (2002) Program management survey. KPMG, UK. Larsen, D. (2005) Project Management Process. Web. Lycett, M et al. (2004) Program management: A critical review. International Journal of Project Management, 22, 289-299. Maylor, H. (2001) Beyond the Gantt chart: Project management moving on. European management Journal, 19, 92-100. Morris, P and Jamieson, A. (2005) Moving from corporate strategy to project strategy. Project Management Journal, 36, 5-18. Norris et al. (2000) Project Risk Analysis and Management. The Association for Project Management, Buckinghamshire. PMI. (2004) A guide to the project management body of knowledge: PMBOK guide. Project Management Institute Inc, Pennyslvania. The Institute of Risk Management. (2002) A Risk Management Standard. AIRMIC, London. This critical writing on Project Management and Project Alignment Strategy was written and submitted by user Malik T. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

What Are The Best Do-It-Yourself Writing Essay Samples?

What Are The Best Do-It-Yourself Writing Essay Samples?You've been assigned a thesis statement to write and now you're all worked up. You might be wondering if it's the right topic to write about or what the best thesis statement essay samples are. Regardless of what the reason, you must write a thesis statement, one way or another. But before you get to that, you need to know the facts about thesis statements.Writing a thesis statement is one way to help you bring your research to life. It can be a great way to connect with students who will be reading the text. It can also be an effective way to get into the weeds and to give the text substance. Unfortunately, the whole process can become even more confusing when you encounter thesis statement essay samples that fail to accomplish their purpose. Here are some tips to make the most of the writing process:Begin with a basic point. Your purpose for writing a thesis statement is to begin, build upon, and conclude your research. Writing a thesis statement should start with the most important issue you are trying to address. Make sure your first sentence or paragraph sets the tone of the entire document.Follow up with a strong conclusion. Your next paragraphs must be able to tie your research into your thesis statement. Make sure the last statement from your essay addresses each aspect of your article or chapter in the strongest way possible.Include your thesis statement. It's easy to forget to include this part of your thesis, but it's crucial. Students want to read about their subject so they can better understand it. They want to learn more about a topic, so make it clear that you are writing about your topic for them to read.Create a consistent format. If you forget to include your thesis statement, you could unintentionally omit a crucial part of your research. Be sure to include your name and a link to your website where the reader can find more information about the topic.Avoid common mistakes. Some common t hesis statement essay samples use sentences that are too long, contain too many words, or don't flow properly. These may be easy to spot, but they can negatively affect your writing. You may not enjoy writing the essay, but you can make sure it flows properly by following some simple rules.When you know how to write a thesis statement, you'll be able to help students gain insight into their topics and uncover valuable information they may have never thought about. For students, writing a thesis is often the culmination of their academic career. Make sure you help them write the best paper they can and avoid any common mistakes that leave the average student frustrated and confused.

Conflict Resolution Strategies for Team Dynamics

Conflict Resolution Strategies for Team Dynamics Free Online Research Papers This paper will describe the benefits and challenges of working in teams, as it relates to conflict resolution strategies. Additionally, I will examine how teams can enhance their performance and realize more benefit. Introduction First, we must understand that teams consist of personnel with varied backgrounds, experience, education, and intellectual ability. These differences will, by nature lend themselves to varying perceptions in business, its problems and solutions, which result in conflicts within the team. conflict has more to do with personal styles than the actual problem. Team leaders bring together certain people who possess the necessary aptitude to solve a particular problem but do not take in consideration the problem-solving styles, or cognitive styles, of the individuals involved. (Falcioni, 2007) When management selects individuals for a team, the emphasis should be placed on what each member brings to the team. An example, if a member displays talent in a given area, but has the attitude of â€Å"Get out of the way, or get run over,† the team should be balanced with an individual who is less aggressive. He/she should possess a control factor, which will not allow the value of a â€Å"team† to diminish. This will bring cohesion between the members and not highlight just one individual. If the aggressive individual continues without a balancing factor, the team will lose the benefits of what other members have to offer. It is of the utmost importance to choose a varied group of individuals that will keep each other in check. Good leadership in those choosing the right members is only the beginning. Teamwork cannot be demanded. Everyone involved must discuss and understand what the goal is and what is required of them. Teams should have traits such as goals and ob jectives, empowerment, trust, authentic participation, innovation, creativity, risk taking and leadership. (Temme and Katzel, 1995) While finding a good balance, conflicts will most certainly arise. Conflict resolution strategies must be utilized, for the team to be effective and meet the goals and objective of their assignment. These conflicts may be more evident in certain types of teams more so than in others. Conflict is common when working in teams. Its is important to have team meeting in order to lay out potential problems and disagreements and prepare to support the teams final decision. (Weinstein, 2007) In resolving conflict, ask the question, â€Å"How do we keep this from happening again?† The first thing is to be objective. This helps in managing conflict by keeping team members focused on the problem at hand (Huber, 2007) In the following section, we will see that there are several types of teams to be discussed. Regardless of the type team, conflicts are inevitable and therefore, resolutions must be found to remain productive. Team types In an effort to address types of conflict resolution strategies, we must first know a little about the teams themselves. In today’s business world, there are four basic team types. Cross-functional teams These include members from various departments or business specialties such as marketing, information systems, communications, public relations, operations, human resources, accounting, finance, planning, research and development, and legal. Cross-functional teams are usually charged with developing new products or investigating and improving a companywide problem such as the need to increase speed and efficiency across departmental lines or the need to adopt a new companywide computer system. Cross-functional teams derive their strength from diversity. By including representatives from all or most of an organization’s primary functional areas, the team can diagnose a problem from multiple perspectives simultaneously, ensuring that all relevant points of view are taken into account. This can speed up the problem solving process and result in an outcome that is more readily accepted by the various departments that are affected by the change. Self-managed teams These are â€Å"groups of employees who are responsible for a complete, self-contained package of responsibilities that relate either to a final product or an ongoing process.†15 Also known as self-directed, self-maintained, or self-regulating, self-managed teams are typically given a charge by senior management and then are given virtually complete discretion over how, when, and what to do to attain their objective. Self-managed teams are expected to coordinate their work without ongoing direction from a supervisor or manager. Self-managed teams set their own norms, make their own planning schedules, set up ways to keep relevant members and others informed of their progress, determine how the work is going to be accomplished, and are held accountable for their end product or â€Å"deliverable.† Many of these teams are responsible for hiring, training, and firing team members. The flattening of organizational structures, resulting in less hierarchy and fewer managers, m akes self-directed teams a popular concept in business today. Task Force This is an ad hoc, temporary project team assembled to develop a product, service, or system or to solve a specific problem or set of problems. Companies are always faced with the challenge of getting ongoing, day-to-day work done while utilizing available resources to work on various change processes or product innovations. For example, a technology company might designate a group to study the next wave in software development while others are maintaining and servicing existing software programs. Often task force members are individuals who have demonstrated interest or skill in the area being examined by the task force, so the members are enthusiastic about the project and its potential. Process Improvement teams These teams focus on specific methods, operations, or procedures and are assembled with the specific goal of enhancing the particular component being studied. Process improvement teams are typically composed of individuals with expertise and experience in the process being reviewed. They are assigned the tasks of eliminating redundant steps, looking for ways to reduce costs, identifying ways to improve quality, or finding means for providing quicker, better customer service.16 Process improvement teams are often given training on problem solving tools and techniques to help them map processes, identify root causes of problems, and prioritize potential solutions. Each type teams are made up of individuals with differences in opinion, perspective, and understanding. Regardless of the type of team, none of these teams are immune to conflict. One difference that can be seen is in the self-managed team. These individuals probably have the same conflicts as other teams but it is not publicized due to the autonomy of their team. Below are strategies used in conflict resolution, which may be successful on any level, whether one on one relationships or team dynamics. It is not uncommon for teams to run into problems. Some of the few problems are the scarcity of resources, the differences of values, attitudes and perceptions, which include poor communications, inadequate organizational structure for teamwork, and unclear goals and responsibilities. It is not wise to have too many assistants for one worker. The order in which to prioritize the work can cause arguments. The solution is to appoint one manager among the four on a rotating basis to prioritize. Another problem touched on was poor communication. Do not take for granted that someone else is handing something and then find out nothing was done. A similar outcome is likely when goals and responsibilities are not clear. Managers need to communicate what an employee is responsible for, and provide feedback. (Weinstein, 2007) One could easily argue that teamwork is critical to business survival, especially when you consider that 80 percent of all small businesses fail within five years of inception. Choosing the best players to create a healthy group dynamic is essential. (Youngwirth, 2007) References Falcioni, J (2007). Conflict Resolution. Mechanical Engineering, 129, Retrieved Sept 8, 2007, from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=4hid=6sid=01fedb00ad65-48de- b208-896d30b68cd7%40SRCSM2 Guttman, H. (2005). Conflict Management: The Key to High Performance. manage Online, 3, Retrieved Sept 8, 2007, from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=3hid=104sid=8f2a9272-1928-463d-b47e- 86a05fbebbdc%40sessionmgr108 Huber, B. (2007). Maintenance and Operations conflicts. Rock Products, 110, Retrieved Sept 8, 2007, from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdf?vid=10hid=6sid=01fedb00-ad65- 48de-b208-896d30b68cd7%40SRCSM2 Temme, J, Katzel, J (1995). Calling a team a team doesnt mean that it is: successful teamwork must be a way of life. (teambuilding).. Plant Engineering, 49, Retrieved September 8, 2007, from http://find.galegroup.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/ips/infomark.do?contentSet=IAC DocumentsdocType=IACtype=retrievetabID=T003prodId=IPSdocId=A16497547 user GroupName=uphoenixversion=1.0searchType=BasicSearchFormsource=gale Weinstein, M (2007). Conquering Conflict. Training, 44, Retrieved Sept 8,2007, from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=3hid=2sid=fea5567a-4725-434c bdeb-429fc8d166d4%40SRCSM2 Youngwirth, J (2007). Do More than Dream About TeamworkCreate It. Journal of Financial Planning, 20, Retrieved Sept 8,2007, from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=4hid=2sid=fea5567a-4725-434c- bdeb-429fc8d166d4%40SRCSM2 Research Papers on Conflict Resolution Strategies for Team DynamicsResearch Process Part OneThe Project Managment Office SystemThe Hockey GameThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseThree Concepts of PsychodynamicAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductOpen Architechture a white paperQuebec and CanadaRelationship between Media Coverage and Social and

Definition of Dialectology

Definition of Dialectology The scientific study of dialects, or the regional differences in a language. Although to some extent an autonomous discipline, dialectology is regarded by some linguists as a subfield of sociolinguistics. What is Dialectology? Sociolinguists and dialectologists share some goals and methods. We both tend to be interested in the language of a particular place (a speech community), language in use, authentic speech, and defining a language variety in terms of how it might differ from the standard. A major difference is that in the past dialectologists or dialect geographers have been interested in the most divergent, traditional language of a community, assuming that other forms resulted from later movement toward the standard. Sociolinguists, on the other hand, are interested in the full range of forms in a community (and their social evaluation) ...The goals of dialect geography and dialectology have been to show where particular speech features are found, and to discover the boundaries between dialect regions. But dialect geography has also tried to find the most traditional speech in each region, on the assumption that regional dialects are most distinct when they havent been influenced by their neighbors , or by mainstream language.(Gerard Van Herk, What Is Sociolinguistics? Wiley-Blackwell, 2012) Dialect Geography Dialect geography [is] a methodology or (more accurately) a set of methods for gathering evidence of dialect differences systematically ...More than a century has elapsed since the first major project in dialect geography was undertaken, and in that time there have been hundreds of projects, great and small, that have made use of the methodology ...The resurgence [of dialect geography] began in the 1980s. We have already noted some of the benchmarks: the revival of the Middle and South Atlantic States project under Kretzschmar, the resumption of analysis of the survey of English dialects by Upton and his associates, and, of course, Pedersons Gulf States publications. In addition to these, significant regional projects are taking place in Spain directed by Manuel Alvar, in France sponsored by the Centre national de la Recherche Scientifique, and in many other places, including Mexico, Canary Islands, Vanuatu, and RÃ ©union. Dialect atlases are appearing in relative profusion, some of them belated culminations of old field work and others the end-products of more recent research.One reason for the resurgence is technological. Dialectology, the most data-oriented branch of language studies, finally found itself with tools commensurate to its task.(J. K. Chambers and Peter Trudgill, Dialectology, 2nd ed. Cambridge University Press, 1998) Social Dialectology Social dialectology differs from traditional dialectology in its shift of focus from rural, settled communities to communities characterized by immigration and mobility... A sign that social dialectology is maturing as a discipline is that scholars are now able to compare the results of a range of studies in order to locate and explain parallel developments.(David Britain and Jenny Cheshire, Introduction. Social Dialectology: In Honour of Peter Trudgill. John Benjamins, 2003) Forms of Dialectology In social dialectology, boundaries between varieties are identified on the basis of trained linguists observations of actual phonetic and grammatical features that constitute salient differences between varieties. In regional dialectology, boundaries are identified on the basis of what trained fieldworkers are able to elicit from speakers or speakers reports of what they usually say. In perceptual dialectology, the beliefs and thoughts that non-linguists have about language are used to distinguish varieties. Peoples perceptions about language, whether descriptively accurate or not, are just as important to the researcher as the objective facts about how speakers talk.(Miriam Meyerhoff, Introducing Sociolinguistics, 2nd ed. Routledge, 2011)

International business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

International business - Essay Example China fits the needs of my criteria because it presents great opportunities and great challenges: China has something for everybody, but it is not always an easy place to do business and it is getting harder as a result of China’s harmonization of trade rules and tightening of loopholes. (Inch, 2008) The best location to have new branch outside of Qatar is China because it is an industrial country and encourages investment and businesses. It competes with well-developed country such as USA. Notably, China also offers a cheap labor at all times. Another encouragement for me is to learn and serve the entirely different cultural manifestations, thoughts, and natural geography. Collectivistic cultures have a great emphasize on groups and think more in terms of ‘we’. On the collectivist side, we find societies in which people from birth onwards are integrated into strong, cohesive in-groups. China indicates that a society is a representation of collectivism rather than individuality. Collectivism was certainly present throughout the country – strangers are to be treated like friends, and although emotions of individuals are important, the group is also very important in decision-making. Most Importantly, Social relations are often expressed by the exchange of gifts. An important concept within Chinese social relations is the concept of face and many other Oriental cultures. Hence, people are perceived as being "near" or "far" rather than "in" or "out". (Oneness, 2010). Ascription involves elderly influence, relationships and his/her position in the community. Chinese do not focus on the achievements; however, the primary focus is on the elderly, having relationships or prestige in the community. So, there will be a little bewilderment to find the employees due to an ascription culture. Hence, the rules of recruiting should follow the same rules that the people of the country follow. They relate status to

How Lack of Education Affects Children in India Research Paper

How Lack of Education Affects Children in India - Research Paper Example Education in India is catered for in most cases by the government through public schools and by private providers under the umbrella of private schools (Chamberlain, 2000). Funding for education, in this case, comes from three distinct sources namely the federal, state and local governments in respective areas. Both Union and state government have control over education in the country with a clear division of roles that are to be performed by each division of the government. Access to basic education is one of the fundamental rights that have been entrenched in the constitution of India where it is clearly stated that every citizen has a right to getting access to quality education in the country. Statistics indicate that for the past two decades, India has made tremendous progress in terms of access to primary education (Chamberlain, 2000). However, there have been areas where access to education has been hindered by several factors that have affected children in one way or the othe r. Despite a lot of developments in areas that of innovation and accessibility, India continues to face several challenges in terms of access to basic education especially to children in remote areas. Research shows that despite continued investment in education, at least 25% of school-age children in India are still illiterate. The government of India has placed a lot of emphasis on primary school education which is popularly referred to as elementary education in India. In an effort to ensure high levels of turnout at elementary levels, the government of India has moved to ensure that child labor in the country has been banned and that no school-age child is left behind.  Ã‚