Narration and Tone in The Tell Tale Heart, The Ghost in the Mill, and Cannibalism in the Cars Essay

If fear, quizzical characters, and death all have something in common, it is that they are all present in each of the following short stories: Edgar Allan Poe’s â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart†, Harriet Beecher Stowe’s â€Å"The Ghost in the Mill†, and Samuel Clemens’ â€Å"Cannibalism in the Cars†. Each story has a unique and thrilling plot, with diverse characters, from the maniacs in â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart† and â€Å"Cannibalism in the Cars† to the simple storyteller in â€Å"The Ghost in the Mill†. Tones differ quite a bit in each; however narration is almost the same as each short story is being narrated by someone recalling the past. â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart† is a very ominous short story presented to us by the narrator who describes how he murdered an old man and his reason behind it. The story begins with the narrator telling his audience he felt nervous and that his disease (presumably his madness) had given him keen senses. â€Å"The disease had sharpened my senses –not destroyed –not dulled them† (92). He then proceeds to enlighten readers by recounting the haunting idea that entered his mind—to murder the old man. He devises a very methodical plan to murder the old man—simply because of the old man’s blue eye which had a thin film over it. The â€Å"vulture eye† haunted the narrator, and thus he premeditated the ungodly murder which ultimately led to his own downfall. The way with which he kills the old man is very precise, allowing readers to feel a sense of disgust towards the narrator, yet at the same time his methodology is to be somewhat admired. Prior to the old man’s death, the narrator remains objective about the old man stating that he did have a liking for the old man; however, the thought of the â€Å"vulture eye† made him irrational. Cynically he says, â€Å"I loved the old man†¦.For his gold I had no desire. I think it w as his eye! yes, it was this†¦ I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye forever† (92). He graphically describes how each night for seven nights he would enter the old man’s bedroom and shine a lantern light into his eye—which he would always find closed, that is, until the eighth night. On the eighth night, the mad man found the old man awake and startled. Patiently, the mad man waits an hour for the old man to resume his sleep and when sure of his slumber shines the light precisely on the â€Å"vulture eye.† Upon discovery that the old man is indeed awake, he pounces on the old man and uses the bed to kill him shamelessly. Subsequently, he cuts the old man’s limbs off and puts them under the floorboard. The police then come after hearing a report that a neighbor had heard a shriek coming from the house. Fearlessly, the narrator brings the police inside telling them that the shriek was his own coming from a dream, and that the old man was not to be found as he has supposedly in the countryside. Readers start wondering whether he will get caught or flawlessly fool the police. He shows them around the house jubilantly then offers them a seat once they are convinced of his innocence. The seat is placed above the old man’s body. Quickly things change, as the narrator’s fearlessness turns into agonizing desperation as he hears the beating of a heart grow louder and louder. Adrenaline pumps as he tries to mask the sound by making noise; however, his guilt could not be held within, and he admits his deed to the police. The underlying question in this last scene is whose beating heart is it? Is it the narrator’s heart, the old man’s, or was it simply in the mind of the narrator? In Harriet Beecher Stowe’s â€Å"The Ghost in the Mill† a story is being told by Sam Lawson; however, it is being seen through the viewpoint of a man who is recalling the story from his childhood. It begins with a comforting homeliness as everyone prepares to hear Sam Lawsons story in days where there were no â€Å"magazines and daily newspapers†¦no theatre, no opera† (98). Lawson begins telling the story in a confusing street dialogue which then becomes clearer once the reader refrains from overthinking the words, but instead begins relying on context. Lawson begins the story by talking about the disappearance of Jehial Lommedieu. Then he speaks of a strong snowstorm which led Captain Eb Sawin to Cack Sparrows house for the night instead of heading towards Boston. At Cack’s house, they share a few drinks and laugh until they hear a sudden knock on the door. Again, someone knocks at the door as if demanding to come in. Fearful, Cack opens the door to find Ketury—an old Indian woman who was feared in her town. There were notions that she did all sorts of immoral practices and was â€Å" ‘to the [service of] the Devil’ † (104). Ketury incited fear in Cack, â€Å" ‘Cap’n Eb says he never see a fellow seem scareder than Cack did when he see Ketury a-standin’ there’ † (104). There is a sense of spookiness when Lawson makes a reference to brown leaves flying through the wind referring to how Ketury came through the wind. An evil smile presents itself on Ketury’s face as she looks at the chimney and begins to call out â€Å" ‘Come down, come down! lets see who ye be’ †(106). Piece by piece, a man is formed from the chimney. It turns out to be Jehial Lommedieu. Cack becomes traumatized and admits how his father killed Jehial for his money and he helped hide the body in the chimney. Afterwards, Cack only lives for a few more days. â€Å"The Ghost in the Mill† has strong references to church. Methuselah, the devil, and the effects of not going to church are present in the story. Sam Lawson criticizes Cack and says he is â€Å"an immortal crittur lyin’ loose all day Sunday, and not puttin’ on so much as a clean shirt†¦What can you ‘spect to come of it† (102). Then, Lawson tries to teach the story-goers a lesson by showing everyone the example of Cack. Additionally, in this story, a body is hidden in the chimney, while in â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart†, the body is also hidden, but under a floorboard. â€Å"Cannibalism in the Cars† is also like â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart† and â€Å"The Ghost in the Mill† in that a story is being told that occurred in the past. The similarity is even closer to â€Å"The Ghost in the Mill† because both of them are stories within stories told by someone other than the narrator. In this case, we see the story through the viewpoint of a train passenger hearing a congressman’s story. Also, like â€Å"The Ghost in the Mill†, a snow storm causes an unfortunate incident as the congressman’s story recalls the time when he was stranded on a train, miles away from civilization. The congressman and the other professional men in the train were starving and so a proposal for cannibalism was brought up. The way they went about being cannibalistic can only be described as overtly political. By the time the congressman has to go—for he has reached his stop, he tells the passenger listening to the story â€Å"I like you, sir; I have conceived an affection for you. I could like you as well as I liked Harris himself† (117)—Harris being the first man he ate. The passenger gets alarmed at the thought of having Harris’ fate; however, he is later told that the congressman is a monomaniac, thus, the story was all made up. Men who were to be eaten were chosen in the most diplomatic way—by candidacy and vote. The men chosen were calm and simply accepted their fate, not once alarmed. The ease with which people were eaten is rather humorous as it seems that men were getting gulped down with no remorse from others—almost gluttonously. It is almost as if there is no fear in this story due to its entertaining humor, unlike the other two stories which were chilling. Unlike â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart†, this story doesn’t give any details about how the bodies were prepared, but simply jumps to who got eaten. The victims taste was given personal attributes such as â€Å"the next morning we had Morgan of Alabama for breakfast. He was one of the finest men I ever sat down to –handsome, educated, refined†¦a perfect gentleman, and singularly juicy† (116). Just like in â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart†, this story is straight forward and quickly goes from mysterious to overt honesty. Unlike â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart†, the description of what happens to victims is vague and practically nonexistent. Also, in â€Å"The Ghost in the Mill†, the characters lack the eruditeness present in characters from â€Å"Cannibalism in the Cars†.

Diets Are Not the Answer

Do you know that almost everybody in the world is sick with obesity? Cries have been heard all over the world over the invading monster. Children, young women and men, elderly women and men have been attacked by this strange ailment. However, it is an ailment of their own making and in the real sense no one should be crying out of its consequences. Perhaps children have a right to let out a wild wail. Their blood is innocent and parents are to blame. Eating of fatty and sweet fast foods has been the main cause of obesity.Fast foods might be sweet in taste and good in eating but they have a long-lasting negative effect to the body. The additional calories in the fatty and sugary food lead to the addition of a couple of pounds in the weight of an individual. Studies have been made to find a solution to obesity. Without much thought, dieting has in the past been found to be that solution long sort for. Does it help in curing obesity? This research paper seeks to prove the earlier studie s wrong and support the statement that ‘Diets are not the answer’. Reason that researchers had for conducting this studyFor the past two or more decades, obesity cases have been on the increase bringing the attention to the researchers. All around the world, obesity has been on the increase. In the United States for instance, obesity related health problems are the main causes of the high mortality. It is the second after issues related smoking. According to researches carried out in the years of 1980, more than 15% of the American population suffered from obesity. In a period of two decades, the percentage of those suffering from obesity rose drastically to 34% of the total US population (Mann, Tomiyama, Westling, Lew, Samuels & Chatman, 2007).Because of the rapid increase of obesity, Medicare has in the recent years made alterations in its policy covering the treatments of obesity. One of the areas that the Canters for Medicare and Medicaid Services worked upon is the removal of the phrase that quoted that obesity was not an illness from the coverage manual. It was a new dawn for people suffering from obesity as well as Medicare. Obesity treatments could be given rather than the initial treatments for the specific conditions that were thought to result to obesity such as hypertension and diabetes (Mann, Tomiyama, Westling, Lew, Samuels & Chatman, 2007).Long-term outcomes of the calorie-restricting diets have been of major concerns to researchers. The question that these researchers seek to answer is ‘Is dieting an effective obesity treatment? The truth of the matter is that dieting does more harm than good (Mann, Tomiyama, Westling, Lew, Samuels & Chatman, 2007). According to earlier researches made, it has been found out that 1/3 or 2/3 of people who diet gain more weight than losing it. The studies however are more likely to underestimate the counter-productivity of dieting as a result of methodological problems.All the methodologies app lied in these studies are bias and show a successful loss of weight through dieting. More so the previous studies do not give a clear explanation and evidence to show that in the real sense dieting leads to health improvements irrespective of the changes in weight. Little or no support is given in support of dieting as a lasting solution to weight loss or in the fight against obesity. Similarly, previous researches do not give enough support on the relationship between dieting and the accruing health benefits.These and many more limitations of the previous studies lead researchers in a study to prove that â€Å"Diets are not the answer† as far as obesity and the related health problems are concerned† (Mann, Tomiyama, Westling, Lew, Samuels & Chatman, 2007). Diet studies were therefore was carried out to evaluate the truth about dieting and its relationship with weight loss. Several hypotheses were therefore made (Mann, Tomiyama, Westling, Lew, Samuels & Chatman, 2007). Main Hypothesis of the research †¢ Starvation or eating less than normal food quantities leads to a short term loss of weight. †¢ In the long-term, starvation encourages weight gain.Individual who have stopped dieting or starvation gain much weight than they had lost as time goes by. †¢ Eating less as well as specified types of foods as prescribed by the doctor do not have any positive health benefits to an individual who is dieting. †¢ Dieting is not the absolute solution to obesity. Type of study Experimentation was used in this study in an effort to look at the effects of dieting on weight loss. Some of the individuals who were suffering from obesity were put under the medication or the dieting where by they were starved for 38 days. They formed the experimental group or the dependant variable.The others were not starved and they formed the control group or the independent variable. The application of dieting procedures included the manipulation to the experim ental group. Experimental method was the best method in carrying out this study. This type of study makes it possible for casual conclusions to be made on the diet effect on weight. It was as Mann, Tomiyama, Westling, Lew, Samuels & Chatman point out in their study â€Å"The most rigorous designs in studies†¦that randomly assign individuals to a diet condition or to a no-diet condition and then follow them over time† (Mann, Tomiyama, Westling, Lew, Samuels & Chatman, 2007).Summary of main findings The reviews done on dieting scientific literature drew two conclusions concerning the diets. To begin with, diets have a short-term effect as far as weight loss is concerned. According to research studies carried out in the years of 1970-mid 90’s, participants in dieting lost a considerable amount of weight. Each individual lost an average weight of between 5-10% of their total body weight (Mann, Tomiyama, Westling, Lew, Samuels & Chatman, 2007). Secondly, the researches found out that the weight loss cannot be maintained. In one of the reviews, the rates of weight regain opened many debates.More weight is regained after the individuals stopped their dieting. As Mann, Tomiyama, Westling, Lew, Samuels & Chatman point out in their research study on Medicare’s search for effective obesity treatments: diets are not the answer â€Å"The more time that elapsed between the end of a diet and the follow-up, the more weight is regained† (Mann, Tomiyama, Westling, Lew, Samuels & Chatman, 2007). For instance, according to the study of the research in which patients suffering from obesity in hospital were starved for 38 days, they lost a lot of weight.However follow-ups that were carried out for varying time lengths showed that in less than two years 23% of the patients regained even more weight than they actually lost during the starvation period. Within a span of two years or more, 83% of the patients had regained more weight than they had lost. Studies whose follow-ups took a lengthy time of about 4-5 years after dieting gave negative results. There was no sign of weight reduction but participants continued to add several pounds of weight (Mann, Tomiyama, Westling, Lew, Samuels & Chatman, 2007).Research findings and the hypothesis These finding completely supports the postulated hypothesis that eating less, starvation or dieting has little or no help in the fight against obesity. It actually leads to increases in weight when it is stopped. Weight loss is short lived and only occurs when the individual is under dieting. It has no long term weight loss and it is impossible to starve a person for the rest of his/her life. Therefore, obese they will remain even after dieting. Dieting is in fact not the answer! (Mann, Tomiyama, Westling, Lew, Samuels & Chatman, 2007).Major limitations of the data On of the limitations of the study is that dieting does not lead to a life-time weight loss for obesity sufferers. Follow-ups that a re given after dieting is stopped reveal that dieting results to additional weight gain. However, only few studies give long-term follow-ups to allow clear comparison between dieters’ weight and that of the control group because it is very difficult to make people who are obese to diet for a long period of time (Mann, Tomiyama, Westling, Lew, Samuels & Chatman, 2007).This study however is not the best method as it is impossible to keep obesity people on diet for the rest of their lives (Mann, Tomiyama, Westling, Lew, Samuels & Chatman, 2007). More so, dieting in many studies is combined with lifestyle interventions such as exercise. Dieting therefore could hardly work alone without some physical exercises. There are diseases that are associated with obesity such as obesity and hypertension. In a study carried out on those dieters who also suffered from hypertension, there was no significant outcome in the improvement of systolic and diastolic pressure of blood.However the par ticipants in dieting showed less need for the antihypertensive drugs. In addition, dieting can only prevent diabetes but cannot actually cure it (Mann, Tomiyama, Westling, Lew, Samuels & Chatman, 2007). Research Agenda Individuals who have been put under dieting are gaining and maintaining their weight. According to the studies carried out, dieting becomes an ineffective way to stop obesity. Even in prospective nonrandomized studies, dieting does not result to once and for all loss of weight. It is not the answer to obesity. The benefits of dieting in obesity treatment are few.Health problems associated with obesity are also not curbed by dieting. Short-term effects of dieting are considerable but long-term outcomes are minimal. There are also potential harms as a result of weight cycling. Dieting is not therefore a good recommendation for effective obesity treatment (Mann, Tomiyama, Westling, Lew, Samuels & Chatman, 2007). Further studies are therefore needed to address obesity rel ated health problems. Rigorous diet studies have produced poor results. All that is needed now is a long term randomized study on dieting effects on health outcomes.More studies should also be carried out to determine whether short term weight loss has any effect to the obesity health related problems after the weight is regained. Are there any consequences of weight regain? What are the health outcomes of weight cycling? Exercises have been linked to weight loss and reduced health problems. Is physical exercise a treatment for obesity? Future research should focus on the physical exercise as the obesity treatment. It is not known as to whether exercises alone can lead to weight loss or reduced heath problems and further studies are needed.If Medicare is out to fund for the treatment of obesity, improvements need to be made as far as weight and health aspects are concerned. Majority of the individuals in the world need to be helped out of diabetes but dieting does not seem to work ( Mann, Tomiyama, Westling, Lew, Samuels & Chatman, 2007). Conclusion Dieting is not the cure in the treatment of obesity. All the studies that have been made on diabetes have been disappointing. The study on the effect of reduced calories intake for people suffering from diabetes on weight loss has produced negative result.Actually, the short-term effects are very promising as individual loose considerable amounts of weight during the starvation period. However, when the starvation is brought to an end, pounds and pounds of weight add to the already overweight. More weight is even gained than what was lost during dieting. Obesity, health related problems seem not to be affected by dieting and physical exercises when used together with dieting produce significant result. However, more research needs to be made on obesity health related problems in relation to dieting and physical exercises as a fight against obesity because dieting have proved not to be a cure.

Becoming an Optimist

I woke up early, finished the reports I was supposed to submit during the day drove to the office and I was not late. Then, my boss hands me the memo and says that I am given until tomorrow to submit a written explanation. I mumble incoherently but feel crushed and almost in tears and angry at my boss. Belief I am not a good worker, I am always tardy and hence I have become a liability to my department. I do not have any place in this office anymore. I have no choice but to resign.Consequence I am depressed and angry and hurt. Disputation I am not a bad worker, I have met deadlines, I have been innovative at my work and I give my best in every task I am assigned to. I have had high performance evaluation ratings for the last 4 years in this job. My reaction to the memo was overreacting; of course it is company policy to call the attention of employees who had been late for work a number of times to make sure that they can do something about it.I was late a couple of times but that di d not mean I am a lousy employee, even my boss comes to the office late at times. I had been working two jobs and going to school at the same time and it means that I am tired and exhausted thus if I wake up late in some mornings it is understandable because my body has to rest at some point. Thinking that I am a bad employee and that I have to resign is not really doing me anything good, instead of checking my behavior; I felt utterly depressed and had to miss work in the afternoon.It does not do anything good to think these thoughts. Energization I decided that I can prove to myself that I can be punctual everyday, thus I have made a contract with myself saying that I will never be late for work anymore, starting today! Being optimistic is related to motivation because it gives that extra boost to the person who is faced with challenges and difficulties (Seligman, 1991). Optimism is a state of mind and heart, that is, to think positively about the outcome of the situation or event .When a person thinks that a problem is a challenge, and then he/she would face it head on and believe that he/she can overcome it, if a person thinks that a problem is a punishment, then he/she would not do anything at all since he/she has already accepted defeat. References Kady, L. (2006). Being an optimist. Retrieved December 11, 2006, from http://www. articlejuice. com/Article/Being-an-Optimist—Part-1/200 Seligman, M. E. (1991). Learned Optimism. Alfred A. Knopf Inc.

Poverty Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Poverty - Research Paper Example My research will point out the importance of certain functions in the Elizabethan history of poverty and its relevance to present world. Presence of poor people is evidently manifested around the globe. Changes in political and economic organizations result to re-distribution of wealth and in effect, the number of poor people increases, rate of poverty heightens, and in domino effect, crimes are manifested. Way back in the middle Ages in England, society has been defined into three categories, monarchy, nobility, and peasantry. These three elements of the society are considered to be interdependent between each other and in spite of the existing differences between the three when it comes to status and wealth, buffer have to be put on the side of the peasantry. Continuous trends of the monarchical policies led to the rise of unemployed people and subsequently heighten poverty and crime. With regard to resolving this issue, during the Elizabethan times, acts and laws were struggled and serve as the buffer between the monarchical and the peasant (Talbot, R. 2002). The population grows and as it grows, the pressure of sustenance to peoples needs is evidently manifested not only on the part of the government but as well as on the part of the general public. Acts have been promulgated and stretched that the poor people was belong to the community’s responsibility and every individual has a role to play in the society. Poverty is a state of material and social deprivation. People who experience poverty feel the deprivation of well-being, having not enough income to support the needs of the family when it comes to basic necessities such as food, shelter, and clothing. Child malnutrition is considered the closest manifestation of poverty among the poor families in a certain society. In Elizabethan society, the definition of poverty is also the same with regard to the universal definition, however, Elizabethan treatment to poor

First new york subway Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

First new york subway - Research Paper Example The lessons in design, planning and implementation that attended the project continue to offer practical wisdom for city planners and urban architects alike. More importantly, the infrastructure of the subway proves to be a cultural melting pot for a nation that is constantly evolving its identity. The NYC subway was commissioned to be built by the Rapid Transit Construction Company. Privately owned, the company spun off an exclusive branch (Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT)), for overseeing the operations of the construction. Moreover, the stakeholders in the company applied and won the contract to operate the railway line upon its construction. The grand scale of the project warranted that the IRT publish a book in 1904 highlighting the features of the just-completed project. Considering the numerous hurdles and hiccups the project successfully overcame, the company showcased its achievement in the large-format book with plenty of photographs and in a appealing layout. The book is now rightly considered a colletor’s item, not only for the momentous occasion it marked but also for the rich detail it contained. For example, the book included the reasons and considerations behind certain decisions taken during the planning and design stage. As well, it contained d etails of particular problems and their resolutions during the implementation stage. Further, much of the content was serialized in a reputed trade journal in the lead up to the inauguration of the subway. This was meant to serve two objectives: to educate the general public about the upcoming utility and also to generate excitement and anticipation of its launch. (Interborough Rapid Transit, 2004, p. 1) It is not surprising that the NYC subway project elicited lots of excitement among the general public upon its initial announcement. The subway employees were looked upon as noble public servants and the IRT motormen were celebrated as heroes. The train engine was a

Research Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Research Project - Essay Example Hence, Google Inc. Company is on average. Gross profit margin shows the percentage for availability of revenue to cover cost of operating and expenditures. The gross profit margin has increased from 43.4% to 58.9% for years 2013 and 2014 respectively. Hence, there is improved profit margin. It analyses financial statements that are operated on a single period. On income statements, correlation is represented by percentage of each account that is separate to net sales. Express accounts apart from net sales as a percentage of net sales. Net income is calculated as a percentage of net sales that has not been used on expenses. It makes comparison of data for two periods. Users of financial statements review changes in the data that much like an indicator. Analysts determine for growth in assets, net income, revenue, in addition to decreasing in liabilities and expenses. In determining changes in absolute dollar need users to deduct base figure from the current number. To determine percentage need users to divide by the value now and multiply by 100. Helps to review financial statements of three or more years. The earliest years in the data represent the base year, and dollars can be used for consecutive periods. For comparability, analysts use percentages. Improved financial statements include decreased expenses and an increase in

How do competing Jewish and Christian claims to the Old Testament Essay

How do competing Jewish and Christian claims to the Old Testament create a problem for Biblical Theology Is there a solution to - Essay Example On the other hand, Judaism highlights the right conduct or orthropraxy which focuses on the Mosaic Covenant which the God of Israel established with the Israelites as seen in the Torah and the Talmud (Bloom, 2005). These are but a few of the differences between these two religions. More details shall be discussed in this paper, highlighting how the competing Jewish and Christian claims to the Old Testament create a problem for Biblical Theology. This essay will also discuss if there is a solution to this problem. Body Based on the teachings of the Bible, Christians would be able to gain individual salvation from their original sin by faithfully repenting and by spiritually accepting that Jesus Christ is God (Jacobs, 1973). On the other hand, the Jews individually as well as collectively take part in a continuous dialogue with the God of Israel by applying their traditions, rituals, as well as prayers (Jacobs, 1973). Christians also pay homage to a Triune God who was also birthed as a human. Judaism highlights the Oneness of God and does not agree with the Christian ideals of God having taken form as human (Goldsworthy, 2000). These competing claims to the Old Testament and other teachings in the Bible between the Jews and the Christians causes problems for Biblical Theology because the interpretations for the Bible can cast doubt on the authenticity of its teachings. Biblical theology mostly refers to a Christian approach where theologians assess the Bible based on an understanding of the progressive history of God where God unveils himself after the Fall and within the Old and New Testament (Hagner, 1993). Biblical theology also highlights the Old Testament in order to understand how each area or part fits the life of Jesus and his journey and growth as a man. In instances where there are competing claims between Judaism and Christianity, the biblical theology somehow becomes vague and confused (Mead, 2007). Normally, biblical theology seeks to establish a bet ter understanding of the bible using the history leading up to the biblical references. The Christian theology for the bible seeks to understand how the writer knows God, the extent to which God’s plans are unveiled through the Messiah, how Israel has responded to God’s relationship up to this point, and how a given subject successively progressed within its redemption history (Mead, 2007). The competing claims of Judaism and Christianity makes the Christian and the Jew less committed to the teachings of the Bible, choosing instead to follow what they perceive as true (Cohn-Sherbok, 2001). The belief of God and His teachings is often based on faith and the basis for the most part of such faith is the account of Jesus’ life here on earth. Where the basis for such faith is put on shaky ground, the faith also becomes unstable (Cohn-Sherbok, 2001). The purpose of biblical theology is to place individual texts within a historical context. Its revelations are based on the history which progresses in the Bible. The support for such theology comes from Luke 24.27 as he declares that â€Å"and beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, Jesus explained to the disciples what was said in the scriptures concerning himself†. This would indicate that the Old Testament spoke of the messiah, and Jesus was the messiah. In order to establish an improved understanding of

Business and Management for Engineers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business and Management for Engineers - Essay Example Its management remains in control during the period of Chapter 11 but the important thing is that it gives the company â€Å"automatic stay† and â€Å"breathing room† to put its house in order by not allowing parties to take legal action or take away its assets (http://www.gmreinvention.com). General Motors was originally founded on September 16, 1908 as a holding company for Buick by two partners, William C. Durant and Charles S. Mott. Two years later or around 1910, Durant lost control of General Motors because of a default in its bank loan obligations. However, he was able to regain control through a proxy war he waged by using the Chevrolet Motor Car Company to acquire shares secretly but then he lost control again when the vehicle market collapsed during the Great Depression. General Motors Corporation was part of the so called three generals in American business – the other two being General Electric and General Mills. Years of mismanagement and a bureaucratic corporate culture led to its collapse in the last financial crisis and is now owned by the US government through its Treasury Department under the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP); it was overtaken by Toyota last year. After its restructuring under Chapter 11 rules, it is now a limited liability company. It means being an LLC, it provides limited liability to its owners which are the US government and to a lesser extent, also the Canadian government. Other present owners include the United Auto Workers Union Employee Association and various bondholders of Motors Liquidation Corporation (the new name of General Motors while it is undergoing rehabilitation at present) while the previous stockholders of the company are now holding worthless pieces of paper as company liabilities are much greater than its total assets (a negative net-worth of $86 billion). Before the restructuring, it was a

Financial Security in a Persons Retirement Term Paper

Financial Security in a Persons Retirement - Term Paper Example In order to have financial security in our retirement, we need to start saving, keep saving and also stick to our goals. We need to make saving for the retirement a priority. In order to stay focused, we need to know our retirement needs and save towards it. A good starting point is finding out our retirement benefits. Investing for retirement is vital in ensuring safe and enjoyable retirement. Due to uncertainty, the true quality of a person’s retirement actually depends on their planning and planning must begin somewhere (Berk & DeMarzo, 2014). To have a secure retirement one must understand all the necessary factors that are crucial in the realization of the set goal. In saving for retirement individuals must understand the time value of money concept because it influences any financial decision to be made. They need to start saving early enough to increase the worth of the money in the future. It is the idea that money available today is worth more than the same amount in future because of its potential earning capacity (Taillard, 2013). Because money earns interest, any amount of money is often worth more the sooner it is invested. The paper entails computation of the amount to be invested annually to earn $1,000,000 in 30 years and the amount earned at retirement. In addition, it discusses values such as time and the interest rate that can be changed to lower annual deposits while increasing benefits. Besides, it discusses asset allocation among three asset classes, stocks, bonds, and cash. It concludes by looking at the investment objective which in this case is capital appreciation. Further, it discusses investment constraints that affect my asset allocation. In solving the problem, I will use the money purchase method which takes into account annual deposits and actuarial factor that is based on annuity period (time horizon or age) (Berk & DeMarzo, 2014). This method takes into account the time value of money by using present value or ordinary annuityÃ'Ž

Good bye Greek Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Good bye Greek - Assignment Example The Council also has a broader perspective, which is to build partnership between the school and the community with service. Ultimately, the Council’s overall spirit is creating activities for campus pride and participation. On the other hand, the MU’s Greek Leadership Council main goal is to strengthen a sense of com ­mu ­nity within our campus as well as foresee a perfect value founded institution. In partnership with the Greek Council, the students are in a position to strengthen their identities and as such live in harmony during their campus life. To bring order and discipline within or outside the university, both the Councils should come together and be one towards advocating for respect for each other and developing good values. The Council should have one agenda: providing a student perspective in deciding and implementing the goals as well as the initiatives of the University. The two Councils should bread the boundaries in terms of representation thus having one ideology. This ideology should aim at creating and overseeing a university with good values that provide an opportunity for both personal and professional growth. To arrive at solutions during the negotiation, both the two teams should nominate two representatives, who will take part in the negotiating process. Further, the VP should be the moderator since he will be a neutral (Kinzie & Kuh, 2004). Additionally, each team should come up with their own solution after which the best solution will be arrived at. Through nominating two representatives, time will be properly

The important of Civic Engagement & social capital and community Essay

The important of Civic Engagement & social capital and community capacity of Civic Engagement - Essay Example Moreover, it would also entail a brief description of the overall activities of the project; that is, the specific activities that will be undertaken in the project and how they may impact on the local communities. The introductory section would also describe the ways in which the local communities may be engaged in the development project and the pertinence of using the identified engagement methods. Additionally, brief information concerning the period that would be taken to engage the local communities and the specific departments where the local communities shall be engaged. Engagement of the local Community: Under this section, information concerning the pertinence of engaging local communities in any public development shall be discussed. It would also entail provision of case studies, in a brief manner concerning past successful development projects that undertook civic engagements in their development projects. Negative impacts that might arise in case the public is not engaged in the development project shall also be elaborated. Consequently, information regarding associated costs of engaging the local community in the development project shall also be discussed i.e. the amount of financial resources that may be needed to engage the local community. The potential roles that could be played by the local communities shall also be described in this section for instance; provision of local construction materials, assessment of possible conflict that could occur and developing solutions, awareness creation concerning the importance of the development project within the city, identification of community perception concerning the development project as well as seeking the support of the community concerning the road development project. Role of project developers in the civic engagement: Information regarding the roles

The stranger commentary Essay Example for Free

The stranger commentary Essay To get to the visiting room I went down a long corridor, then down some stairs and, finally, another corridor. I walked into a very large room brightened by a huge bay window. The room was divided into three sections by two large grates that ran the length of the room. Between the two grates was a space of eight to ten meters, which separated the visitors from the prisoners. I spotted Marie standing at the opposite end of the room with her striped dress and her sun-tanned face. On my side of the room there were about ten prisoners, most of then Arabs. Marie was surrounded by Moorish women and found herself between two visitors: a little, thin-lipped old woman dressed in black and a fat, bare headed woman who was talking at the top of her voice and making lots of gestures. Because of the distance between the grates, the visitors and the prisoners were forced to speak very loud. When I walked in, the sound of the voices echoing off the rooms high, bare walls and the harsh light pouring out of the sky onto the windows and spilling into the room brought on a kind of dizziness. My cell was quieter and darker. It took me a few seconds to adjust. But eventually I could see each face clearly, distinctly in the bright light. I noticed there was a guard sitting at the far end of the passage between the two grates. The lines 73-74 of the book The Stranger written by Albert Camus, it talks about Merusault indifference and his perception towards life. Through the successful use of syntax, imagery and tone, Albert Camus created an atmosphere of indifference while putting the reader in the protagonists shoes. Syntax is a key literary device used throughout the book, especially in lines 73-74. All Merusault narration varies in a way that reflects his attitudes toward the world around him. When describing his social or emotional situations, his sentences are short, precise, and offer minimal detail. For example Most of the Arab prisoners and their families had squatted down facing each other. They werent shouting. In this scene, Marie visits Merusault in the jail and relatives or friends visit other jail mates. Merusault tells only the essentials of what he sees and rarely uses any literary devices. His focus of attention is not on Marie but rather on the environment and surroundings. These meager descriptions display Merusault indifference to society and to the people around him. Like the vigil that he attended earlier in the story, he doesnt feel happy or sad when a person close to him passes away or visits during a time of dismay- hes indifferent. Another example is A little, thin-lipped old woman dressed in black and a fat, bareheaded woman who was talking at the top of her voice and making lots of gestures. This is viewed from a different perspective where his longer descriptive sentences are about others rather than himself. Although he saw Marie, he described the commotion around him and even what the people were wearing rather than detailing commenting about the beauty of Marie or even the way she dressed. This further shows that Merusault attitude towards the world is by far stronger than his attitude towards the people close to him. Imagery is perhaps the second key literary devices used in lines 73-74. By having Merusault narrate the story, it allows the reader to see and feel the way he feels. Furthermore, by describing what he sees enhances our understanding about his character and how he perceives things. For example To get to the visiting room I went down a long corridor, then down some stairs and, finally, another corridor. I walked into a very large room brightened by a huge bay window. In this excerpt, Merusault was told that Marie was there to visit him. On his way down to the visitors room, we can see that he was busy observing the objects around him rather than reminiscing about his past with Marie. This reveals another aspect about his character; he accepts the world as it is because he knows that nothing is dynamic enough to change the world. Seeing Marie would not revert his to-be-execution or world it get him out of jail. Although we may see this a negative aspect of Merusault, it does in a way benefit him. He has proven that he doesnt live a life of illusions but rather a life that is true to him. Another literary device that is powerfully used in this passage is tone. Tone is used in this passage For example My cell was quieter and darker. It took me a few seconds to adjust. But eventually I could see each face clearly, distinctly in the bright light. I noticed there was a guard sitting at the far end of the passage between the two grates. The tone of Merusault in this excerpt is mellow, calm and relaxed. This is rather ironic because someone who has been spending much time with him was there to visit and yet his tone wasnt joyful or anything. He should be exuberant that shes here to visit him but his tone shows otherwise. This reveals more about his character and how hes more or less emotionless. In conclusion, through the use of syntax, imagery and tone, Albert Camus has successfully described the protagonists indifference towards the people and the world.

Organised Crime and the Criminal Justice Process

Organised Crime and the Criminal Justice Process This essay will begin with a brief outline of the historical work of organised crime. Then the definition of organised crime will be given with examples of areas associated with organised crime. The Criminal Justice Process will then be explained and the role of the Serious Organised Crime Agency including the Assets Recovery Agency with statistics showing the economic and social impact of organised crime. Finally a brief outline of Cohen’s view of organised crime will be given and the role of the victims of crime as key players in the Criminal Justice Process and ending with Box’s clues to understand most serious crimes. According to King et al; (2000) â€Å"the battle over the origins of organized crime is one being constantly fought, and historians have utilized archive data, such as police and judicial reports, economic evidence, pamphlets, diaries and biographies, to disinter the professional and organized criminal†. Furthermore, King et al; (2000) states that â€Å"organised crime seems to have been a feature of British society from Elizabethan times onwards and British studies of professional criminals, some of them displaying elements of organization, indicate a wide range of activities†. However, by the eighteenth century professional and organized criminal gangs, armed with a variety of criminal strategies from petty theft and violence to fraud, were firmly established in Britain (King et al; 2000). Criminals not only established their activities in London where the market place was most affluent and the control of the emerging working class was at its most ineffective, but also in coastal, rural and provincial areas (King et al; 2000). The definition of Organised crime is broadly seen as economically motivated offending which involves more than two people (Hale et al; 2005). Furthermore, Hale et al; (2005) suggests that â€Å"unlike legally defined crimes or predicate offences such as murder, drug trafficking and money laundering, organised crime tends to be confined to its structures and relationships and the general nature of crimes committed by such associations†. According to Hale et al; (2005) Article 2 of the ‘United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organised Crime’ states that an â€Å"organised criminal group must have at least three members operating in concert to commit a serious crime as part of an internally structured organization which has been in existence over a period of time preceding and subsequent to the commission of the criminal act†. Whilst such a definition provides a general framework of understanding, it can in practice undermine effective law enforcement responses (Hale et al; 2005). An organised crime group can include anything from a four person, low level racketeering group to a highly complex, international networks involved in human trafficking or money laundering (Hale et al; 2005). Get help with your essay from our expert essay writers Furthermore according to Marshall, (1998) â€Å"organised crime is a term used for situations where a large number of people in a hierarchical structure are engaged in an on-going pattern of criminal activities†. The most common areas associated with organised crime are extortion and the provision of illegal goods and services, such as drink, drugs, gambling, money laundering and prostitution (Marshall, 1998). According to Marshall, (1998) â€Å"these activities involve continuous relations with the victims or clients, who have contact with the lower echelons of the organization†. In order to succeed organised or syndicate crime involves some element of corruption or intimidation of the police or other law enforcement agents (Marshall, 1998). Marshall, (1998) suggests that â€Å"organised crime is often thought to be synonymous with a secret society, such as the Tongs of the Chinese diaspora, the Camorra of the nineteenth century Naples and the Mafia of Sicily and Costa Nostra in the United States†. Although, according to Marshall, (1998) â€Å"it seems more likely that if such societies exist at all, they do not actually run criminal activities, but rather act as a fraternal organisations for some of the racketeers†. On the other hand, according to Marshall, (1998) â€Å"organised crime is associated with violence and threats in the course of extortion, but also in the maintenance of control over subordinates, and struggles for power within groups and the struggles for monopoly control between groups†. Furthermore, Hale et al; (2005) points out that â€Å"organised crime can be argued as primarily a reactive phenomenon, exploiting gaps in a diverse and lucrative market†. Also according to Hale et al; (2005) â€Å"Its clientele are, for the most part, ‘ordinary’ folk who seek, alternative routes to satisfying needs unmet or proscribed by the legislatures of the countries they inhabit or pass through†. However, according to Hale et al; (2005) â€Å"In many cases clients are also victims, obliged or enticed into cooperation, as in the trafficking of women and children and in areas of economic decline and acute social inequality organised crime can provide alternative employment and a reinstatement of status, a situation currently common in former communist states†. According to Kelbie, (2007) â€Å"Human trafficking is a growing trade and it is estimated that around 700,000 people are trafficked in Europe every year, and most of them are women and girls who are forced into prostitution, while others are brought in to work illegally†. Furthermore, Kelbie, (2007) estimates â€Å"that 4,000 women are trafficked into Britain each year and are forced to work in the multi-million pound sex industry†. As more numbers of Eastern European and African Girls are trafficked into Britain, some as young as 12 years old, the traffickers are shifting their trade outside major cities (Kelbie, 2007). Consequently, as a result of this growing trade in Human Trafficking, Glasgow is the only city outside London to provide help and support to victims of sexual exploitation (Kelbie, 2007). Furthermore, according to Kelbie, (2007) â€Å"the city’s organised sex industry is worth approximately 7 million pounds a year, earned from the exploitation of women who are forced to work in saunas, private flats and as escorts†. The women forced to work in these places are regularly sold and re-sold between organised criminals operating in all of Britain’s major cities (Kelbie, 2007). Meanwhile, there are millions of incidences of online crime in Britain each year (Sharp, 2007). Furthermore, according to Sharp, (2007) â€Å"around 3 million internet crimes were committed in the UK last year and one of the most common is identity theft†. In 2004, two people were arrested in connection with an internet crime ring, the Shadow Crew, who planned to defraud consumers and banks out of hundreds of millions dollars (Sharp, 2007). British organised crime has it’s ‘families’ modelled along the lines of Mafia families in the United States. One of the most powerful recent criminal families has been the Arifs from Stockwell, in South London. They were involved in armed robberies and drug smuggling in the 1980s, and also owned a string of pubs, restaurant and clubs, and it is certain that these establishments were bought from the proceeds of their criminal activities (Giddens, 1977). According to Giddens, (1977) â€Å"Bekir Arif was jailed for five years at the end of the 1980s after being convicted of robbery with violence, and the reign of the Arifs ended in the early 1990s, following a series of police operations†. The head of the family, Dogan Arif is currently serving a fourteen year prison sentence for his part in a  £8.5 million drug smuggling deal (Giddens, 1977). In order to regulate and manage the risks that organised crime presents, investigation and law enforcement play important roles in bringing offenders to justice. According to Davies et al; (1998) â€Å"in exploring what a criminal justice aims to do, we need to distinguish between the goals of the system as a whole, and the functions of the different agencies who make up the system†. The cross-system goals of the criminal justice system according to Davies et al; (1998) are â€Å"protecting the public by preventing and deterring crime, by rehabilitating offenders and incapacitating others who constitute a persistent threat to the community, upholding and promoting the rule of law and respect for the law, by ensuring due process and proper treatment of suspects, arrestees, defendants and those held in custody, successfully prosecuting criminals and acquitting innocent people accused of crime†. Furthermore, â€Å"maintaining law and order, punishing criminals with regard to the principles of just deserts, and registering social disapproval of censured behaviour by punishing criminals, and finally aiding and advising the victims of crime†(Davies et al; 1998). The ‘National Crime Squad’ was put into effect by the Police Act 1997 and came into operation on the 1st April 1998 (Newburn, 2003). Furthermore, it merged with all regional crime squads. They targeted serious and organised crime, such as immigration crime, illegal arms and drug trafficking crimes and money laundering and counterfeiting (Davies et al; 2005). Following the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005, the Serious Organised Crime Agency was created and the agency officially came into being in April 2006, and its function was to tackle the growing problem of international criminal gangs. (Home Office, 2008). The agency was formed from the amalgamation of the National Crime Squad, the National Criminal Intelligence Service, the National Hi-Tech Crime Unit, the investigative and intelligence sections of HM Revenue and Customs on serious drugs trafficking and the UK Immigration Service responsible for organised immigration crime (Home Office, 2008). The Serious Fraud Office continues to be a separate agency. According to the (Home Office, 2008) â€Å"the economic and social impact of organised crime in the UK is staggering and statistics show that global profits from people smuggling is estimated to be $10 billion annually, 280,000 problem drug users cause half of all crime, every  £1 spent on heroin is estimated to generate about  £4 of damage to the national economy and there are around 400 organised crime bosses in the UK with an amassed criminal wealth of approximately  £440 million†. The economic and social cost of organised crime is estimated to be in the region of  £20 to  £40 billion per year (Home Office, 2008). Furthermore, the Home Office, (2004) strategic plan for Criminal Justice 2004-2008 was â€Å"the criminal justice process will relentlessly target the top 15-20 prolific offenders in each Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership area, and more in bigger areas, and give the police, the Crown Prosecution Service and the |Serious Organised Crime Agency the powers they need to take on the most serious and organised criminals†. Also, the police, Crown Prosecution Service, courts and other agencies like the Serious Organised Crime Agency would be able to keep at least 50% of the value of all the criminal assets they help to seize (Home Office, 2004). The recovery of criminal assets would be the role of the Assets Recovery Agency which was set up under the Proceeds of Crime act 2002 and plays an important part in the government’s plans to seize the profit out of crime, and separate and prevent the criminal organizations from continuing with their activities by removing the money which motivates their activities and their major source of income (Assets Recovery Agency, 2008). Meanwhile, the (Assets Recovery Agency, 2008) has three strategic aims â€Å"to disrupt organised criminal enterprises through the recovery of criminal assets, thereby alleviating the effect of crime on communities, to promote the use of financial investigation as an integral part of criminal investigation, within and outside the Agency, domestically and internationally, through training and continuing professional development and to operate the agency in accordance with its vision and values†. As, the Assets Recovery Agency was formed to stop organised criminal activities through the recovery of assets, on the 16th January 2007, the government introduced the Serious Crime Bill to Parliament setting out their suggestion to amalgamate the operational elements of the Assets Recovery Agency with the Serious Organised Crime Agency, and the Agency’s training and accreditation function with the National Policing Improvement Agency (Assets Recovery Agency, 2008). On the 1st April 2008 the operational section of the Assets Recovery Agency merged with the Serious Organised Crime Agency. Commenting on the merger Hughes, of SOCA, (2008) said â€Å"we are gaining important skills and expertise with the arrival of Assets Recovery Agency staff and we welcome them into SOCA. Now that the merger has taken place we will get on with the job that parliament want us to do, namely depriving crooks of their ill-gotten gains†. However, the Home Office minister Coaker, of SOCA, (2008) said that â€Å"assets recovery is critical in the fight against all levels of crime and we are determined to stop criminals profiting from crimes which affect the lives of law abiding majority†. Meanwhile, Goggins, SOCA, (2008) said â€Å"this merger will strengthen the fight against crime in Northern Ireland as it combines the intelligence expertise of SOCA with the hands on practical experience of ARA. This combination will make the recovery of assets even more effective and strengthen our fight against those who profit from organised crime†. Under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 on 17th January 2008 the Asset Recovery Agency recovered assets worth at least  £4 million from the High Court in Belfast. Also, on 5th February 2008 the agency obtained a Civil Recovery Order in the High Court in London worth an estimated  £750,000 from a couple who had obtained the assets through the human trafficking of people, mainly from Eastern Europe into Britain to work in brothels (Assets Recovery Agency, 2008). According to the Home Office, (2008) â€Å"the Serious Organised Crime Agency Second Annual Report showed another record year in the war against drugs with almost 90 tonnes of class A drugs seized with partners at home and abroad, a 20 per cent increase on the previous year. The cocaine alone, cut to usual UK street quality, could have realised  £6bn†. Furthermore, according to the Home Office, (2008) â€Å"53 disclosure notices, requiring individuals to co-operate with investigations by producing documents or answering questions, and 46 warnings on crime threats issued to over 2,500 private sector organisations throughout the UK. Meanwhile, the Home office, (2008) quotes â€Å"over  £46m criminal assets restrained by the domestic courts†. All SOCA operations now include financial investigations with an additional 35 financial investigators appointed during 2007/2008. According to Wright, (2006) â€Å"For Cohen, it is necessary to map the interactions, processes and patterned relationships both within and outside organisations in a more holistic way. It is necessary to establish the social context of the criminal activities of ‘organised criminals’, as well as the structure of their associations†. Furthermore, for Wright, (2006) â€Å"Cohen points out that criminology has done little work on the nature of organisational processes in crime groups. It has overlooked such things as recruitment, socialisation of members within organisations, and the way in which subcultures are developed and maintained. It has also to a large extent ignored such things as the protection and insulation of participants from the impact of conventional moral definitions†. For Cohen, according to Wright, (2006) â€Å"criminal groups should be subject to assessment of their internal structures and to analysis of all societal activity as it bears upon the production of their criminal behaviour. It is necessary to show that the functional problems of human systems take a distinctive form in criminal enterprise and that this distinctiveness provides a justification for the specialised study of criminal organisation†. Victims of crime are now recognised as key players in the Criminal Justice Process. According to Zedner, (2002) â€Å"without the cooperation of the victim in reporting crime, furnishing evidence, identifying the offender, and acting as a witness in court, most crimes would remain unknown and unpunished. The reliance of the Criminal Justice System on the victim has proved to be a powerful bargaining tool in the recognition of the victims’ interests†. The Victims Charter was first published by the Home Office in 1990 and at the time signified an important way forward in the recognition of victims’ interests, though it had been criticized for offering little by way of enforceable standards (Zedner, 2002). The clues to understanding most serious crimes according to Box, (1983) â€Å"can be located in power, not weakness, in privilege, not disadvantage, in wealth, not poverty†. In conclusion, since the launch of the Serious Organised Crime Agency in April 2006 and the merging of the Assets Recovery Agency in April 2008, the Criminal Justice process in dealing with serious organised crime has had a huge impact on criminal gangs operating within the UK, with the recovery of their assets from their criminal activities and to make it harder for them to continue in their criminal ways. BIBLIOGRAPHY Assets Recovery Agency, (2008), â€Å"Making Sure Crime Doesn’t Pay†. Available at: http://www.assetsrecovery.gov.uk http://www.assetsrecovery.gov.uk/AboutARA/AimsandObjectives/ http://www.assetsrecovery.gov.uk/AboutARA/History/ Box, S. (1983), Power, Crime and Mystification, Tavistock Publications, London. Davies, M; Croall, H. and Tyrer, J. (1998), Criminal Justice: An Introduction to the Criminal Justice System in England and Wales, (2nd Edition), Pearson Education Ltd, Harlow, Essex. Davies, M; Croall, H. and Tyrer, J. (2005), Criminal Justice: An Introduction to the Criminal Justice System in England and Wales, (3rd Edition), Pearson Education Ltd, Harlow, Essex. Giddens, A. (1997), Sociology, Polity Press, Cambridge. Hale, C; Hayward, K; Wahidin, A. and Wincup, E. (2005), Criminology, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Home Office, (2004), Cutting Crime, Delivering Justice: A Strategic Plan for Criminal Justice 2004-08. Home Office, London. Home Office, (2008), â€Å"Organised and International Crime†. Available at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/crime-victims/reducing-crime/organised-crime/ Kelbie, P. (2007) â€Å"Kirk acts on human trafficking in Scotland†. Available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2007/may/20/humanrights.internationalcrime/print King, D.R; and Wincup, E. (2000), Doing Research on Crime and Justice, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Marshall, G. (1998), Oxford Dictionary of Sociology, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Newburn, T. (2003), Crime and Criminal Justice Policy, Harlow, Pearson. News Distribution Service, (2008), Home Office (National), â€Å"Tackling serious organised crime in new and different ways†. Available at: http://nds.coi.gov.uk/content/detail.asp?ReleaseID=367603NewsAreaID=2Navig.. Proceeds of Crime Update, (2008). Available at: http://www.assetsrecovery.gov.uk/MediaCentre/ProceedsOfCrimeUpdate/2008/ Serious Organised Crime Agency, (2008), â€Å"Merger of SOCA and ARA strengthens Government drive to deprive criminals of their assets†. Available at: http://www.soca.gov.uk Sharp, R. (2007), â€Å"Cybercrime†: Uncovered. Available at: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/cybercrime-uncove Wright, A. (2006), Organised Crime, William Publishing, Devon. Zedner, L. (2002), ‘Victims’, in M. Maguire; R. Morgan and R. Reiner (eds), The |Oxford Handbook of Criminology (3rd edition), Oxford University Press.

Project Management in SMEs

Project Management in SMEs Introduction To Literature Review: Literature Review is done by knowing a clear definition of SMEs, its role in the Indian economy. Then it is carried out by analyzing the definition of project management and its significance in the SMEs, and next the definition of project and its factors affecting the success of a project was discussed. This chapter also deals with the staffing of a project manager, project team and also about the effective skills required for a project manager to implement successful project management methodologies into an organization. This literature also covered by the critical analysis of effective risk management through Project Management practices in Small and Medium Enterprises in India, here mainly it was discussed about the types of risks that an organization encounters while establishing/choosing a vendor, and ways of analysis this risks through project management techniques. This chapter also explained about the ways of implementing a project management methodology into an SME and effec ts that a SME might face of implementing the project management tools and techniques. Definition Of Smes: SMEs can be defined in different forms due to broad mixture in business. A company is generally distinguished as a small or medium enterprise based on the total number of employees, total turnover and the balance sheet of the company. A company is considered as a small firm if it has 50 employees with an annual turnover of about  £5.6 million and an annual balance sheet of  £2.8 million. On the other hand, a firm is said to be a medium firm when it has a total of 250 employees with a turnover of about  £22.8million and a balance sheet of  £11.4million (company act 1985, Duke Ghosh, 2009). Role Of Smes In Indian Economy: SMEs are most vital part in the sustainable economical growth and participating in a long run of development of industrial sector from the past few years, SMEs are considered as a stepping stone for industrial growth. It has ability to transfer technology and modernization which brings economic success in this modern era. In the development of better and greater economic growth, competition, flexibility and good communication are the required parameters, for this reason SMEs are becoming like of mixture of competitiveness within the economy while providing flexibility and better communication system to the complete industrial structure. (Duke Ghosh, 2009) Recently the dimensions of the SMEs are seems likely to be increasing due to the government promotions and also its encouragement towards the goal of SMEs. The growth of the entrepreneurial sector have been raised from 870,000 businesses in 1981 to nearly 4 million by 2003 by the identification of importance and its development by the government of India. And it stood next to gigantic agricultural sector in providing the employment opportunities (Boulton and Turner, 2005). This SMEs are acting like a job providing engines, which indirectly raising the per capita of the nation economy. Such firms make significant contributions to private sector employment and output, which appears to be increasing overtime (Storey, 1994). The following diagram show the growth and the position of the development of the small industries development as on 2003 according to SIDO Importance Of Smes To The Indian Economy SMEs, however defined, constitute the majority of all enterprises in most of the economies in the world (OCED, 1998). SMEs are not only acting as employment generator but also achieved outstanding credit in Indian economy by satisfying its core objectives and being as a supporting body to the large firms. This is one of the main reasons why the SMEs have gained more attention from the politicians, policy-makers and academics. However, between 1945 and the late 1960s there was little interest in small firms from either the government or academics. According to Mr. Pawan Kumar Bansal, Union Ministry of State for Finance, Bangalore; says that SMEs are playing a vital role in socio-economic policies of Government of India. Foreign earning and imports of foreign capital goods contribution have been developed by the socio economic policies of India (Mr. Pawan Kumar, 2007). â€Å"SMEs were regarded as being poorly managed, badly organised and reliant on outmoded technologies to produce inferior products and services† (Manson and Harrison, 1990). For this reason the Indian government have implemented many more SMEs policies for their development and mainly focused on promoting clusters of small firms and supporting the development of high-tech sector such as IT sectors and BPOs in Bangalore, and this policies have been very successful as a results many of the outsourcing companies from western countries are moving to India (Patrizio B, et. al, 2006). Starting with wide varieties of situations and approach, a huge amount of SMEs policies have been implemented in developing countries like India (Parrilli, 2005). Services have been the fastest-growing sector of the Indian economy over the past decades and helped to accelerate the overall growth rate of the economy, this services have also made Indias integration with the world economy through trade and capital flows (Uma Kapila, 2009). The phenomenal growth and export in the services like IT and BPO have placed India on the global map as one of the major players in the field of knowledge-based services this also helped to improve the performance of the other sectors of the economy in turn helping the overall development. Project Management And Its Significance: This literature says before knowing about the significance of project management in SMEs, it is important to explain the definition of the project management and its approach of implementing a project as follows: Project Management: â€Å"The purpose of project management is to plan, organize and control all activity so that the project is completed as successfully as possible in spite of all the difficulties and risks. This process starts before any resources are committed and must continue until all work is finished. The aim is for the final result to satisfy the objectives of both the project performer and the customer† (Lock, 2006, p. 1) It is known that projects differ from each other in more ways than one. They might differ in their structure, mode of operation, funds allocated or even the strength they comprise of or their criticality to the business (Heldman, 2005). Even though a similar project has been carried out in the past, the projects may differ in one or more aspects such as administrative, physical and commercial or a change in ways of working etc; managing projects is a part of every business and is quintessential for the smooth functioning and success of the project. Project Management includes all necessary activities needed to plan and execute a project (Lock, 2006). The two most important steps involved in going about a project are discussed below: Step 1: To decide what needs to be done before the initiation of a project. The next set of requirements from a project management perspective is to estimate the cost of completing the project and make sure there are necessary funds available to execute the project so as to bring name and revenue to the organization (Burke, 1999). People involved in planning the project need to ensure beforehand that they pick the right people to execute the project and make them aware of the responsibilities assigned to them. Project resources are the key to success in any project and its rarely a one-man team (Heldman, 2005). Therefore, a team that has an open-minded approach towards the project and all other people involved in the project and be prepared to motivate and be motivated throughout the length of the project. This will encourage teamwork and commitment in what they do. One of the key things to ensure higher rates of success in a project is to choose the right mix of people and the right level of management looking for process improvement and thereby providing value added services to customers. This in turn helps organizations improve their efficiency and help them to stay on top of its competitors (Baron, 2005). Every person involved needs to be updated by project leaders and start the chain of communication to ensure adequate buy-in and at the same time commit to managing their expectations from the project. The main aim of communication is to keep everyone updated about any latest developments that take place and keep them engaged (PMBOK, 2004). Provide clear briefs to people involved in the project to obtain commitment on work and deliveries (Baron, 2005). The support of sponsors is very important by making them commit to your approach. (Burke, 1999) Meeting the expectations of the stakeholders, meeting of objectives and requirements, meeting budget, meeting deadlines etc (Jeston and Nelis, 2006). Step 2: We live in a competitive world where every firm attempts to make optimum use of resources and to be better than their competitors. This brings the area of proper planning and execution of the project. The main objective of planning a project well is to schedule and chart out the complete work for the project and then ensure arrangements are in order for work to start and continue as per schedule (Burke, 1999). For a project to be successful and be admired, it should complete on schedule. The project needs a leader who takes the final decision with the consent of all members in his/her team. He/she should portray the courtesy to listen to subordinates even when the opinion is not being considered or implemented (Heldman, 2005). People who carry out the project should be taken into confidence and spoken to regularly. Most importantly, a project should have clarity about its scope, objectives, responsibilities, cost and accountability, scope for improvement should be considered and stockholders should be kept in confidence (PMBOK, 2004). The literature explains that the project management methodologies allow the project manager to allocate and make more work done with less people and time, so it would be beneficial to the SME where it have very fewer people working. And also its make the organisation more effective by implementing more project in lesser time by providing clear control on the projects scope and changes and implementing them more effectively and efficiently. Project management improves the line of decision making; it also increases the quality of a project. SMEs can handle more projects by raising its business (Kerzner, 2003). Definition Of Project And Its Success Factors: Project: A project is a series of activities or tasks that have a specific objective to be completed within a determined specification; have defined start and end dates; usually funded and require resources (Kerzner 2003; Cooke-Davies 2001). When the project is said to be failed it is waste of capital, time and resource, a new lessons /techniques/methodologies have to be learned from the failed projects and the project manager/ project authorities have to continue for the new project. Project management is one of the methodologies which deals the projects in a systematic manner and says the following are the essential factors to be made to complete successfully with a project: Clarity In Project Definition: Project manager has to make himself/herself with a clear idea and definition of the project, but not only he/she but also to his/her project team. He/she have to make sure about the project specifications such as â€Å"what the project is about† its aim, objectives, and its deliverables, etc. For example we can talk about the case studies of some unsuccessful projects due to indistinct objectives and aims which are documented by Gray and Larson (Gray and Larson, 2002). Thus the chances of increasing project success lies in clear and distinct objectives and aims. Project Feasibility: It is one among the factors which talks about the social, economical, political, human, cultural, financial and environmental factors which underpins to the achievement of the project (Fullen, 2005). According to Khatib this factors would produce a good result for a project which undergoes a serious study, specified aim and objective and allocation of time (Khatib, 2003). Consistent feasibility makes a project manager to define himself with a clear and well project aim, time specifications, and allocation of resources. A positive feasibility brings more chances to lead a project success. Planning: â€Å"According to Kerzner project planning; in general, can best be described as the function of selecting the enterprise objectives and establishing the policies, procedures, and programs necessary for achieving them. It can be described as a forecasting the environment and predefined course of action† (Kerzner, 2003 ). According to Kerzner, there are four basic reasons for project planning: Elimination or reduction of uncertainty. Improving the efficiency of the operation. Understanding a better understanding of the objectives. To provide a basis for monitoring and controlling work. (Adapted from Kerzner, 2003) Work Breakdown Structure (Wbs): The important task to be done by the project manger after project planning is dividing the work into manageable tasks. â€Å"The work breakdown structure is a deliverable-oriented hierarchical decomposition of the work to be executed by the project team, to accomplish the project objectives and create the required deliverables† (PMBOK, 2004). The work breakdown structure also explains complete scope of the project. The WBS divides the work into small tasks which are manageable and will have a specific responsible authority will be allocated, it will be in a manner of integratable so that the total work package is the summation of subdivided elements, and it will be as much as easy to be measure in terms of progress like estimating cost, scheduling, monitoring, and controlling (Kerzner, 2003). Involvement Of Project Stakeholders: â€Å"Project stakeholders are the individuals and organizations that are actively involved in the project, or whose interests may be affected as a result of project execution or project completion. They may also exert influence over the projects objectives and outcomes† (PMBOK, 2004). Project stakeholders are also a part of the project success, to ensure this success the project team have to identify their requirements, expectations, and their influence on the project. Stakeholders may have various levels of authority/responsibility on the project; they may vary from occasional contributors to full sponsors for the project. â€Å"Stakeholder who ignores this responsibility can have a damaging impact on the project objectives. Likewise, project managers who ignore stakeholders can expect a damaging impact on project outcomes† (PMBOK, 2004). The above figure shows that every individual project is similar to the structure of the earth where in each sector plays an important role here the most interior structure is project manager who forms the base of any project. The project manager forms the integral part of a project management team along with whom he carry on the project. The project manager and the project management team together comprises of a project team where in this team wholly concentrate on the project that is to be taken. These three together works for the satisfaction of the stakeholders interested in the completion of the project it may comprises of the senior management of the company the owners and the clients of the company. Staffing The Project Manager And Project Team: As mention above to my literature the successful project includes; on time delivery, must come across stakeholders expectations, within budget and have to congregate the project deliverables (Cooke-Davies, 2004). Project manager is one who plays a vital role to mix all stuff to formulate the project to a success. â€Å"Project manager is the individual ultimately responsible for managing and leading the project to its successful conclusion† (Paul D, 2005). It is a role that entails a mix of competencies, combining management with leadership and political awareness (Pinto, 2000). Though understanding the role of project manager sounds good, but the upper management always find difficulties in the selection of a correct project manager. â€Å"Project management is said to be successful only if the project manager and his team are totally dedicated to the successful completion of the project. This requires the project team and project manager must have good understanding of the fundamental project requirements† (Kerzner, 2003). For this reason the upper management have to look up/focus at the following skills in the selection process from the individual to appoint him/her as a project manager: (this are requirements demanded by a SME in its advertisement for a facilities planning and development project manager (adapted from The New York Times, January 2, 1972) (source: Kerzner, 2003) Business Management Skills: If project management is itself an organization, as the whole project group will work as a solo unit for the achievement of a common goal, then the project manager is the CEO of this organization. So the organization skills are predominantly important during project development. With strong business management skills, he/she must be able to achieve the most excellent hysterics across teams and in the midst of all project resources of the organisation. â€Å"It requires defining the reporting relationship, responsibilities, line of control, and information needs. A good program plan and a task matrix are useful organisation tools plus clear defined program objectives, open communication channels, good program leadership, and senior management support† (Kerzner, 2003). Leadership Skills: Project manager is the one who has to manage his/her team and make them to follow him/her, has to act as a leader. He/she has to have a clear project leadership and own direction to direct the team members. He/she must be able to solve the conflicts, assistance in problem-solving, as a project leader he/she as to represent his/her team to upper level management. He/she as to motivate the project team members towards common vision. Project manager as a leader has to remain as a inspiration to his/her project team (Kerzner, 2003). Technical Skills: Technical skills is an superlative addition remark for a project manager, if his proficiency applicable to the project, by this he/she can have good thoughts and understanding about the projects and can work out more for his/her profound project objective (Horine 2005; Murch 2001). Now a day this skills achieved a greater importance, without technical skills a project manager cannot understand the present market, updated technology and the environment of the business. With the help of these technical skills one can understand the consequences or technical risks that encounter in the project, for example a software engineer being as a project manager and handling a software development project can easily sort the risks that appear in that project. He/she can make sure of his/her project team with a clear understanding of the foreseen risks that may appear in the project. â€Å"According to Kerzner, 2003 the technical expertise is composed of the following understanding: Technology involved Engineering tools and techniques employed Specified markets, their customers, and requirements Product application Technological trends and evolutions Relationship among supporting technologies People who are part of the technical community† (Source: Kerzner, 2003) Communication Skills: Another important skill set must be posed by the project manager is communication skills. â€Å"Project manager influence people o take action, this requires an ability to communicate in a style appropriate for the individual concerned† (Paul D, 2005). Project manager is the communication channel throughout the project. Project manager is effective means of communication hub between the project team and the end users. Project manager have to act as a communication radio and have to carry the stakeholders expectations towards the project team and have to bring the project to a successful effective end. Moreover, a successful project manager ensures smooth information sharing across teams via instilling a communication-driven environment that allows for efficient spread, user-friendliness and use of information. Conflict Resolution Skills: No project end up successfully without any conflicts, there might be foreseen risks or conflicts between the project team members or conflicts between project team and stakeholders. So this is the main reason that the project manager, the CEO of project management organization has to possess the problem solving skills/conflict resolution skills. Project success lies with how well the project manager solves the problems/conflicts. Soundness of the solution taken by the project manager with a logical and analytical thinking conforms how well the project manager good at reaching the project to a successful end. However these conflicts are beneficial to a project which indirectly increases the competiveness among the team members involved the project (Kerzner, 2003). Project Management Experience: Implementing successful project management lies in the hands of able project manager, so the project manager is responsible character and must possess prior project management experience in general. Project management is body of knowledge which can be learned from the realistic knowledge, but its not a skill which comes by itself. A well qualified project manager will be very much able to implement a successful project management into an organization. Past knowledge makes a manager to overcome all the challenges that he/she face in completing a project by using project management. Other Skills: There are so many other skills such as planning, resource allocation, management support building, and time management skills, etc, which make the project manager to lay his/her path successful in controlling the projects successfully. Not only this but also the entrepreneurial skills and administrative skills are very important in understanding the tactics and implement them in his/her own project and make the project victorious (Kerzner, 2003). A Critical Analysis Of Effective Risk Management Through Project Management Practices In Small And Medium Enterprises In India: Risk: Vose (2008, p. 3) defines the term risk as â€Å"a random event that may possibly occur and, if it did occur, would have a negative impact on the goals of the organization. Thus, a risk is composed of three elements: the scenario; its probability of occurrence; and the size of its impact if it did occur†. Any risk could prove an organisation wrong in its quest to achieve success. Risks can occur in various forms and their impact can vary under a lot of factors. In a high cost business environment that is under fierce competition from companies not just on a national, but also on a global level, the chances of risks arising multiply quickly and heavily (Crouhy et al., 2000). A firm can easily lose its name in the market because they had overlooked a miniscule drawback that their competitors overcame. Therefore, risks not only carry financial implications with them, but also other factors such as brand image, market credibility or loss of market share. To analyse and understand these implications, it is necessary to understand the types of risks and their varying characteristics (Flynn, 2008). Click and Duening (2004) have come up with a list of the various types of risks such as human capital risks, Confidentiality risks, overall project risks, and scope risks, delay risks, estimation risks and dependency risks may occur in the business. In addition to this there might be property (intellectual), legal, value related or unavoidable natural risks that generally exist and arise in a business. Types of risks: Human capital risks This has always been an important part of the business activity. People who work towards organizational goals are the most critical assets of the firm and the project (Beasley et al., 2004). A loss of an employee who was very important to the smooth functioning of a project can be a risky proposition because a new individual joining the project would need time to understand and evaluate a lot of factors contributing to the project. This would invariably lead to loss of productivity, a slump in team morale or even loss of time and money (Flynn, 2008). Project risks – These risks arise because of a lot of other risks contributing to the main risk of a project being delayed or even shelved in certain cases. There have also been instances where proper planning and regulation were absent or goals misunderstood leading to extended timeframes to complete the project thus leading to increased investments of critical resources (Sanchez Canton, 1998). A very good example of project risks can be seen in Government funded public projects or even military developmental projects where public time and money is involved. Confidentiality risk: The second most important risk that may appear in dealing a project is confidentiality risk, it mostly appear due to lack of secrecy. This is especially for the large projects. The information have to be kept confidential, if not the competitors with large team members may understand the work flow/formulae of the project and be able to built the project earlier as before you can. We must be careful especially when we involve contractors or outsiders into the project. Effective project management may help in having a good communication line among the team members, marketing staff, and contractors; this may helps to keep the information confidential (T Kendrick, 2009) Scope risks: This is another type of risk which mostly appears when the project starts to take a shape. This is due to requirement of a new technology, unfamiliar developments of tools or methods, poor testing criteria, inconsistent specification, undefined product definition, and technical complication (T Kendrick, 2009) Delay risks: Delay risk is part of schedule risks and these are after scope risks, these risks mainly appear due to the delay of the essential parts required for a project, it include customs, Paperwork, delivery, and related concerns. This is also due to the delay of information needed, communication gap and misunderstanding among the team members/ project stakeholders, etc. Due this factor the project may delay for some days, months or may be for years (T Kendrick, 2009) Estimating risks: Estimating risk appears mostly in technical projects. Project manager mostly says the typical risks arise in the project is estimating risks. Estimating risks occurs when there are learning curves ( when the quality of estimates of new technology, or new people involvement is not good), judgements (misunderstanding, disintegration of work), and imposed deadlines (forceful deadlines set in advance, when an objective is retained) (T Kendrick, 2009) Dependency risks: Other projects, infrastructure factors, and legal issues are three sub categories of dependency risks. In general large project are sub divided into small projects and mostly these small project will be dependent on the other, unfortunately when one small project is delayed/stopped the other projects which are dependent on it will be delayed. â€Å"Even for the interfaces that were defined in advance, delay was fairly common due to the uncertainty in each project† (T Kendrick, 2009) The above section has detailed the different types of risks that normally exist or co-exist in projects. Their modes of occurrence and the impact they can have on the project and the firm has been explained in brief. The following part would attempt to explain ways that firms, projects and managers involved employ to analyse and manage the same since the occurrence of a risk can pose a threat to the above in terms of time, money or even failure to deliver what has been promised. Analyzing And Managing Risks: Ways to manage risks with limited impact on other resources: Risks are present in abundance in any IT and outsourcing industries because of the processes being tightly interlinked such as business processes, database, or process reengineering. Therefore, it is very important to: Identify risks. Weigh risks for probability of risk occurring. Weigh risks for criticality/impact at your operations. Plan to reduce risk (to zero if appropriate, for example for a safety critical industry) (Sanchez Canton, 1998). A simple way of explaining risk analysis is to take an airplane for example because the traveler, who is the user, has zero tolerance to risks. In similar manner, risk analysis can be carried out for other products and services too. The most important indicative risks are business continuity management risks, information security/data privacy risks and process related risks (Lock, 2001). The need to evaluate and monitor risks involved from an Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) perspective takes higher priority over other means of analysis in the information age of business (Flynn, 2008). It can be seen in the ERM diagram below the different risks across the entire organization that exist or arise and the need for them to be managed effectively (Beasley et al., 2004). An important reason firms should stress on analysing risks is the realization that risks delay chances of sticking to time schedules agreed by project leaders to customers in turn; leading to increased investment of resources in the form of man hours and time (PMBOK, 2004). This causes increase in investment of capital, which is something neither customers nor firms involved like to do. Risks occur at every stage of a project thus increasing stress on carrying out risk analysis and minimize the effects of risks on a given project. It means that risks and errors still occur when thorough analyses of their occurrence have been chalked out and steps have been implemented to minimize the effects they have on a project (Burke, 1999). However, prior knowledge of a risk occurring at a given period in the project enables people involved to counter the risk effectively and minimize or erase the impact it could have had on the project. Before the project could be initiated, assessing risks by knowing in exact what the project intends to do and the reason for it to be outsourced becomes very important. This could include assessing project behaviour under varying market conditions and the expected growth rate it can attain within a given period of time (Dickson, 2003). Risks need to be analyzed in a detailed manner by the top management in order to understand the various options available to conduct a cost-benefit analysis. This understanding and analysis becomes significant in implementing a sound risk management plan. A project taken up poses as a risk in itself to explore opportunities that lie waiting on the other side. Therefore, threats need to be minimized a Project Management in SMEs Project Management in SMEs Introduction To Literature Review: Literature Review is done by knowing a clear definition of SMEs, its role in the Indian economy. Then it is carried out by analyzing the definition of project management and its significance in the SMEs, and next the definition of project and its factors affecting the success of a project was discussed. This chapter also deals with the staffing of a project manager, project team and also about the effective skills required for a project manager to implement successful project management methodologies into an organization. This literature also covered by the critical analysis of effective risk management through Project Management practices in Small and Medium Enterprises in India, here mainly it was discussed about the types of risks that an organization encounters while establishing/choosing a vendor, and ways of analysis this risks through project management techniques. This chapter also explained about the ways of implementing a project management methodology into an SME and effec ts that a SME might face of implementing the project management tools and techniques. Definition Of Smes: SMEs can be defined in different forms due to broad mixture in business. A company is generally distinguished as a small or medium enterprise based on the total number of employees, total turnover and the balance sheet of the company. A company is considered as a small firm if it has 50 employees with an annual turnover of about  £5.6 million and an annual balance sheet of  £2.8 million. On the other hand, a firm is said to be a medium firm when it has a total of 250 employees with a turnover of about  £22.8million and a balance sheet of  £11.4million (company act 1985, Duke Ghosh, 2009). Role Of Smes In Indian Economy: SMEs are most vital part in the sustainable economical growth and participating in a long run of development of industrial sector from the past few years, SMEs are considered as a stepping stone for industrial growth. It has ability to transfer technology and modernization which brings economic success in this modern era. In the development of better and greater economic growth, competition, flexibility and good communication are the required parameters, for this reason SMEs are becoming like of mixture of competitiveness within the economy while providing flexibility and better communication system to the complete industrial structure. (Duke Ghosh, 2009) Recently the dimensions of the SMEs are seems likely to be increasing due to the government promotions and also its encouragement towards the goal of SMEs. The growth of the entrepreneurial sector have been raised from 870,000 businesses in 1981 to nearly 4 million by 2003 by the identification of importance and its development by the government of India. And it stood next to gigantic agricultural sector in providing the employment opportunities (Boulton and Turner, 2005). This SMEs are acting like a job providing engines, which indirectly raising the per capita of the nation economy. Such firms make significant contributions to private sector employment and output, which appears to be increasing overtime (Storey, 1994). The following diagram show the growth and the position of the development of the small industries development as on 2003 according to SIDO Importance Of Smes To The Indian Economy SMEs, however defined, constitute the majority of all enterprises in most of the economies in the world (OCED, 1998). SMEs are not only acting as employment generator but also achieved outstanding credit in Indian economy by satisfying its core objectives and being as a supporting body to the large firms. This is one of the main reasons why the SMEs have gained more attention from the politicians, policy-makers and academics. However, between 1945 and the late 1960s there was little interest in small firms from either the government or academics. According to Mr. Pawan Kumar Bansal, Union Ministry of State for Finance, Bangalore; says that SMEs are playing a vital role in socio-economic policies of Government of India. Foreign earning and imports of foreign capital goods contribution have been developed by the socio economic policies of India (Mr. Pawan Kumar, 2007). â€Å"SMEs were regarded as being poorly managed, badly organised and reliant on outmoded technologies to produce inferior products and services† (Manson and Harrison, 1990). For this reason the Indian government have implemented many more SMEs policies for their development and mainly focused on promoting clusters of small firms and supporting the development of high-tech sector such as IT sectors and BPOs in Bangalore, and this policies have been very successful as a results many of the outsourcing companies from western countries are moving to India (Patrizio B, et. al, 2006). Starting with wide varieties of situations and approach, a huge amount of SMEs policies have been implemented in developing countries like India (Parrilli, 2005). Services have been the fastest-growing sector of the Indian economy over the past decades and helped to accelerate the overall growth rate of the economy, this services have also made Indias integration with the world economy through trade and capital flows (Uma Kapila, 2009). The phenomenal growth and export in the services like IT and BPO have placed India on the global map as one of the major players in the field of knowledge-based services this also helped to improve the performance of the other sectors of the economy in turn helping the overall development. Project Management And Its Significance: This literature says before knowing about the significance of project management in SMEs, it is important to explain the definition of the project management and its approach of implementing a project as follows: Project Management: â€Å"The purpose of project management is to plan, organize and control all activity so that the project is completed as successfully as possible in spite of all the difficulties and risks. This process starts before any resources are committed and must continue until all work is finished. The aim is for the final result to satisfy the objectives of both the project performer and the customer† (Lock, 2006, p. 1) It is known that projects differ from each other in more ways than one. They might differ in their structure, mode of operation, funds allocated or even the strength they comprise of or their criticality to the business (Heldman, 2005). Even though a similar project has been carried out in the past, the projects may differ in one or more aspects such as administrative, physical and commercial or a change in ways of working etc; managing projects is a part of every business and is quintessential for the smooth functioning and success of the project. Project Management includes all necessary activities needed to plan and execute a project (Lock, 2006). The two most important steps involved in going about a project are discussed below: Step 1: To decide what needs to be done before the initiation of a project. The next set of requirements from a project management perspective is to estimate the cost of completing the project and make sure there are necessary funds available to execute the project so as to bring name and revenue to the organization (Burke, 1999). People involved in planning the project need to ensure beforehand that they pick the right people to execute the project and make them aware of the responsibilities assigned to them. Project resources are the key to success in any project and its rarely a one-man team (Heldman, 2005). Therefore, a team that has an open-minded approach towards the project and all other people involved in the project and be prepared to motivate and be motivated throughout the length of the project. This will encourage teamwork and commitment in what they do. One of the key things to ensure higher rates of success in a project is to choose the right mix of people and the right level of management looking for process improvement and thereby providing value added services to customers. This in turn helps organizations improve their efficiency and help them to stay on top of its competitors (Baron, 2005). Every person involved needs to be updated by project leaders and start the chain of communication to ensure adequate buy-in and at the same time commit to managing their expectations from the project. The main aim of communication is to keep everyone updated about any latest developments that take place and keep them engaged (PMBOK, 2004). Provide clear briefs to people involved in the project to obtain commitment on work and deliveries (Baron, 2005). The support of sponsors is very important by making them commit to your approach. (Burke, 1999) Meeting the expectations of the stakeholders, meeting of objectives and requirements, meeting budget, meeting deadlines etc (Jeston and Nelis, 2006). Step 2: We live in a competitive world where every firm attempts to make optimum use of resources and to be better than their competitors. This brings the area of proper planning and execution of the project. The main objective of planning a project well is to schedule and chart out the complete work for the project and then ensure arrangements are in order for work to start and continue as per schedule (Burke, 1999). For a project to be successful and be admired, it should complete on schedule. The project needs a leader who takes the final decision with the consent of all members in his/her team. He/she should portray the courtesy to listen to subordinates even when the opinion is not being considered or implemented (Heldman, 2005). People who carry out the project should be taken into confidence and spoken to regularly. Most importantly, a project should have clarity about its scope, objectives, responsibilities, cost and accountability, scope for improvement should be considered and stockholders should be kept in confidence (PMBOK, 2004). The literature explains that the project management methodologies allow the project manager to allocate and make more work done with less people and time, so it would be beneficial to the SME where it have very fewer people working. And also its make the organisation more effective by implementing more project in lesser time by providing clear control on the projects scope and changes and implementing them more effectively and efficiently. Project management improves the line of decision making; it also increases the quality of a project. SMEs can handle more projects by raising its business (Kerzner, 2003). Definition Of Project And Its Success Factors: Project: A project is a series of activities or tasks that have a specific objective to be completed within a determined specification; have defined start and end dates; usually funded and require resources (Kerzner 2003; Cooke-Davies 2001). When the project is said to be failed it is waste of capital, time and resource, a new lessons /techniques/methodologies have to be learned from the failed projects and the project manager/ project authorities have to continue for the new project. Project management is one of the methodologies which deals the projects in a systematic manner and says the following are the essential factors to be made to complete successfully with a project: Clarity In Project Definition: Project manager has to make himself/herself with a clear idea and definition of the project, but not only he/she but also to his/her project team. He/she have to make sure about the project specifications such as â€Å"what the project is about† its aim, objectives, and its deliverables, etc. For example we can talk about the case studies of some unsuccessful projects due to indistinct objectives and aims which are documented by Gray and Larson (Gray and Larson, 2002). Thus the chances of increasing project success lies in clear and distinct objectives and aims. Project Feasibility: It is one among the factors which talks about the social, economical, political, human, cultural, financial and environmental factors which underpins to the achievement of the project (Fullen, 2005). According to Khatib this factors would produce a good result for a project which undergoes a serious study, specified aim and objective and allocation of time (Khatib, 2003). Consistent feasibility makes a project manager to define himself with a clear and well project aim, time specifications, and allocation of resources. A positive feasibility brings more chances to lead a project success. Planning: â€Å"According to Kerzner project planning; in general, can best be described as the function of selecting the enterprise objectives and establishing the policies, procedures, and programs necessary for achieving them. It can be described as a forecasting the environment and predefined course of action† (Kerzner, 2003 ). According to Kerzner, there are four basic reasons for project planning: Elimination or reduction of uncertainty. Improving the efficiency of the operation. Understanding a better understanding of the objectives. To provide a basis for monitoring and controlling work. (Adapted from Kerzner, 2003) Work Breakdown Structure (Wbs): The important task to be done by the project manger after project planning is dividing the work into manageable tasks. â€Å"The work breakdown structure is a deliverable-oriented hierarchical decomposition of the work to be executed by the project team, to accomplish the project objectives and create the required deliverables† (PMBOK, 2004). The work breakdown structure also explains complete scope of the project. The WBS divides the work into small tasks which are manageable and will have a specific responsible authority will be allocated, it will be in a manner of integratable so that the total work package is the summation of subdivided elements, and it will be as much as easy to be measure in terms of progress like estimating cost, scheduling, monitoring, and controlling (Kerzner, 2003). Involvement Of Project Stakeholders: â€Å"Project stakeholders are the individuals and organizations that are actively involved in the project, or whose interests may be affected as a result of project execution or project completion. They may also exert influence over the projects objectives and outcomes† (PMBOK, 2004). Project stakeholders are also a part of the project success, to ensure this success the project team have to identify their requirements, expectations, and their influence on the project. Stakeholders may have various levels of authority/responsibility on the project; they may vary from occasional contributors to full sponsors for the project. â€Å"Stakeholder who ignores this responsibility can have a damaging impact on the project objectives. Likewise, project managers who ignore stakeholders can expect a damaging impact on project outcomes† (PMBOK, 2004). The above figure shows that every individual project is similar to the structure of the earth where in each sector plays an important role here the most interior structure is project manager who forms the base of any project. The project manager forms the integral part of a project management team along with whom he carry on the project. The project manager and the project management team together comprises of a project team where in this team wholly concentrate on the project that is to be taken. These three together works for the satisfaction of the stakeholders interested in the completion of the project it may comprises of the senior management of the company the owners and the clients of the company. Staffing The Project Manager And Project Team: As mention above to my literature the successful project includes; on time delivery, must come across stakeholders expectations, within budget and have to congregate the project deliverables (Cooke-Davies, 2004). Project manager is one who plays a vital role to mix all stuff to formulate the project to a success. â€Å"Project manager is the individual ultimately responsible for managing and leading the project to its successful conclusion† (Paul D, 2005). It is a role that entails a mix of competencies, combining management with leadership and political awareness (Pinto, 2000). Though understanding the role of project manager sounds good, but the upper management always find difficulties in the selection of a correct project manager. â€Å"Project management is said to be successful only if the project manager and his team are totally dedicated to the successful completion of the project. This requires the project team and project manager must have good understanding of the fundamental project requirements† (Kerzner, 2003). For this reason the upper management have to look up/focus at the following skills in the selection process from the individual to appoint him/her as a project manager: (this are requirements demanded by a SME in its advertisement for a facilities planning and development project manager (adapted from The New York Times, January 2, 1972) (source: Kerzner, 2003) Business Management Skills: If project management is itself an organization, as the whole project group will work as a solo unit for the achievement of a common goal, then the project manager is the CEO of this organization. So the organization skills are predominantly important during project development. With strong business management skills, he/she must be able to achieve the most excellent hysterics across teams and in the midst of all project resources of the organisation. â€Å"It requires defining the reporting relationship, responsibilities, line of control, and information needs. A good program plan and a task matrix are useful organisation tools plus clear defined program objectives, open communication channels, good program leadership, and senior management support† (Kerzner, 2003). Leadership Skills: Project manager is the one who has to manage his/her team and make them to follow him/her, has to act as a leader. He/she has to have a clear project leadership and own direction to direct the team members. He/she must be able to solve the conflicts, assistance in problem-solving, as a project leader he/she as to represent his/her team to upper level management. He/she as to motivate the project team members towards common vision. Project manager as a leader has to remain as a inspiration to his/her project team (Kerzner, 2003). Technical Skills: Technical skills is an superlative addition remark for a project manager, if his proficiency applicable to the project, by this he/she can have good thoughts and understanding about the projects and can work out more for his/her profound project objective (Horine 2005; Murch 2001). Now a day this skills achieved a greater importance, without technical skills a project manager cannot understand the present market, updated technology and the environment of the business. With the help of these technical skills one can understand the consequences or technical risks that encounter in the project, for example a software engineer being as a project manager and handling a software development project can easily sort the risks that appear in that project. He/she can make sure of his/her project team with a clear understanding of the foreseen risks that may appear in the project. â€Å"According to Kerzner, 2003 the technical expertise is composed of the following understanding: Technology involved Engineering tools and techniques employed Specified markets, their customers, and requirements Product application Technological trends and evolutions Relationship among supporting technologies People who are part of the technical community† (Source: Kerzner, 2003) Communication Skills: Another important skill set must be posed by the project manager is communication skills. â€Å"Project manager influence people o take action, this requires an ability to communicate in a style appropriate for the individual concerned† (Paul D, 2005). Project manager is the communication channel throughout the project. Project manager is effective means of communication hub between the project team and the end users. Project manager have to act as a communication radio and have to carry the stakeholders expectations towards the project team and have to bring the project to a successful effective end. Moreover, a successful project manager ensures smooth information sharing across teams via instilling a communication-driven environment that allows for efficient spread, user-friendliness and use of information. Conflict Resolution Skills: No project end up successfully without any conflicts, there might be foreseen risks or conflicts between the project team members or conflicts between project team and stakeholders. So this is the main reason that the project manager, the CEO of project management organization has to possess the problem solving skills/conflict resolution skills. Project success lies with how well the project manager solves the problems/conflicts. Soundness of the solution taken by the project manager with a logical and analytical thinking conforms how well the project manager good at reaching the project to a successful end. However these conflicts are beneficial to a project which indirectly increases the competiveness among the team members involved the project (Kerzner, 2003). Project Management Experience: Implementing successful project management lies in the hands of able project manager, so the project manager is responsible character and must possess prior project management experience in general. Project management is body of knowledge which can be learned from the realistic knowledge, but its not a skill which comes by itself. A well qualified project manager will be very much able to implement a successful project management into an organization. Past knowledge makes a manager to overcome all the challenges that he/she face in completing a project by using project management. Other Skills: There are so many other skills such as planning, resource allocation, management support building, and time management skills, etc, which make the project manager to lay his/her path successful in controlling the projects successfully. Not only this but also the entrepreneurial skills and administrative skills are very important in understanding the tactics and implement them in his/her own project and make the project victorious (Kerzner, 2003). A Critical Analysis Of Effective Risk Management Through Project Management Practices In Small And Medium Enterprises In India: Risk: Vose (2008, p. 3) defines the term risk as â€Å"a random event that may possibly occur and, if it did occur, would have a negative impact on the goals of the organization. Thus, a risk is composed of three elements: the scenario; its probability of occurrence; and the size of its impact if it did occur†. Any risk could prove an organisation wrong in its quest to achieve success. Risks can occur in various forms and their impact can vary under a lot of factors. In a high cost business environment that is under fierce competition from companies not just on a national, but also on a global level, the chances of risks arising multiply quickly and heavily (Crouhy et al., 2000). A firm can easily lose its name in the market because they had overlooked a miniscule drawback that their competitors overcame. Therefore, risks not only carry financial implications with them, but also other factors such as brand image, market credibility or loss of market share. To analyse and understand these implications, it is necessary to understand the types of risks and their varying characteristics (Flynn, 2008). Click and Duening (2004) have come up with a list of the various types of risks such as human capital risks, Confidentiality risks, overall project risks, and scope risks, delay risks, estimation risks and dependency risks may occur in the business. In addition to this there might be property (intellectual), legal, value related or unavoidable natural risks that generally exist and arise in a business. Types of risks: Human capital risks This has always been an important part of the business activity. People who work towards organizational goals are the most critical assets of the firm and the project (Beasley et al., 2004). A loss of an employee who was very important to the smooth functioning of a project can be a risky proposition because a new individual joining the project would need time to understand and evaluate a lot of factors contributing to the project. This would invariably lead to loss of productivity, a slump in team morale or even loss of time and money (Flynn, 2008). Project risks – These risks arise because of a lot of other risks contributing to the main risk of a project being delayed or even shelved in certain cases. There have also been instances where proper planning and regulation were absent or goals misunderstood leading to extended timeframes to complete the project thus leading to increased investments of critical resources (Sanchez Canton, 1998). A very good example of project risks can be seen in Government funded public projects or even military developmental projects where public time and money is involved. Confidentiality risk: The second most important risk that may appear in dealing a project is confidentiality risk, it mostly appear due to lack of secrecy. This is especially for the large projects. The information have to be kept confidential, if not the competitors with large team members may understand the work flow/formulae of the project and be able to built the project earlier as before you can. We must be careful especially when we involve contractors or outsiders into the project. Effective project management may help in having a good communication line among the team members, marketing staff, and contractors; this may helps to keep the information confidential (T Kendrick, 2009) Scope risks: This is another type of risk which mostly appears when the project starts to take a shape. This is due to requirement of a new technology, unfamiliar developments of tools or methods, poor testing criteria, inconsistent specification, undefined product definition, and technical complication (T Kendrick, 2009) Delay risks: Delay risk is part of schedule risks and these are after scope risks, these risks mainly appear due to the delay of the essential parts required for a project, it include customs, Paperwork, delivery, and related concerns. This is also due to the delay of information needed, communication gap and misunderstanding among the team members/ project stakeholders, etc. Due this factor the project may delay for some days, months or may be for years (T Kendrick, 2009) Estimating risks: Estimating risk appears mostly in technical projects. Project manager mostly says the typical risks arise in the project is estimating risks. Estimating risks occurs when there are learning curves ( when the quality of estimates of new technology, or new people involvement is not good), judgements (misunderstanding, disintegration of work), and imposed deadlines (forceful deadlines set in advance, when an objective is retained) (T Kendrick, 2009) Dependency risks: Other projects, infrastructure factors, and legal issues are three sub categories of dependency risks. In general large project are sub divided into small projects and mostly these small project will be dependent on the other, unfortunately when one small project is delayed/stopped the other projects which are dependent on it will be delayed. â€Å"Even for the interfaces that were defined in advance, delay was fairly common due to the uncertainty in each project† (T Kendrick, 2009) The above section has detailed the different types of risks that normally exist or co-exist in projects. Their modes of occurrence and the impact they can have on the project and the firm has been explained in brief. The following part would attempt to explain ways that firms, projects and managers involved employ to analyse and manage the same since the occurrence of a risk can pose a threat to the above in terms of time, money or even failure to deliver what has been promised. Analyzing And Managing Risks: Ways to manage risks with limited impact on other resources: Risks are present in abundance in any IT and outsourcing industries because of the processes being tightly interlinked such as business processes, database, or process reengineering. Therefore, it is very important to: Identify risks. Weigh risks for probability of risk occurring. Weigh risks for criticality/impact at your operations. Plan to reduce risk (to zero if appropriate, for example for a safety critical industry) (Sanchez Canton, 1998). A simple way of explaining risk analysis is to take an airplane for example because the traveler, who is the user, has zero tolerance to risks. In similar manner, risk analysis can be carried out for other products and services too. The most important indicative risks are business continuity management risks, information security/data privacy risks and process related risks (Lock, 2001). The need to evaluate and monitor risks involved from an Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) perspective takes higher priority over other means of analysis in the information age of business (Flynn, 2008). It can be seen in the ERM diagram below the different risks across the entire organization that exist or arise and the need for them to be managed effectively (Beasley et al., 2004). An important reason firms should stress on analysing risks is the realization that risks delay chances of sticking to time schedules agreed by project leaders to customers in turn; leading to increased investment of resources in the form of man hours and time (PMBOK, 2004). This causes increase in investment of capital, which is something neither customers nor firms involved like to do. Risks occur at every stage of a project thus increasing stress on carrying out risk analysis and minimize the effects of risks on a given project. It means that risks and errors still occur when thorough analyses of their occurrence have been chalked out and steps have been implemented to minimize the effects they have on a project (Burke, 1999). However, prior knowledge of a risk occurring at a given period in the project enables people involved to counter the risk effectively and minimize or erase the impact it could have had on the project. Before the project could be initiated, assessing risks by knowing in exact what the project intends to do and the reason for it to be outsourced becomes very important. This could include assessing project behaviour under varying market conditions and the expected growth rate it can attain within a given period of time (Dickson, 2003). Risks need to be analyzed in a detailed manner by the top management in order to understand the various options available to conduct a cost-benefit analysis. This understanding and analysis becomes significant in implementing a sound risk management plan. A project taken up poses as a risk in itself to explore opportunities that lie waiting on the other side. Therefore, threats need to be minimized a