Battle of Jutland in World War I

Battle of Jutland in World War I Battle of Jutland -Conflict Dates The Battle of Jutland was fought May 31-June 1, 1916, and was the largest naval battle of World War I (1914-1918). Fleets Commanders Royal Navy Admiral Sir John JellicoeVice Admiral Sir David Beatty28 battleships, 9 battlecruisers, 9 armored cruisers, 26 light cruisers, 78 destroyers, 1 minelayer, 1 seaplane carrier Kaiserliche Marine Vice Admiral Reinhard ScheerVice Admiral Franz Hipper16 battleships, 5 battlecruisers, 6 pre-dreadnoughts, 11 light cruisers, 61 torpedo boats Battle of Jutland -German Intentions: With the Allied blockade increasingly taking a toll on the German war effort, the Kaiserliche Marine began devising plans to bring the Royal Navy to battle. Outnumbered in battleships and battlecruisers, the commander of the High Seas Fleet, Vice Admiral Reinhard Scheer, hoped to lure part of the British fleet to its doom with the goal of evening the numbers for a larger engagement at a later date. To accomplish this, Scheer intended to have Vice Admiral Franz Hippers scouting force of battlecruisers raid the English coast to draw out Vice Admiral Sir David Beattys Battlecruiser Fleet. Hipper would then retire, leading the pursuing Beatty towards the High Seas Fleet which would destroy the British ships. To support the operation, submarines would be deployed to weaken Beattys forces while also watching Admiral Sir John Jellicoes main Grand Fleet at Scapa Flow. Unknown to Scheer, the British codebreakers at Room 40 had broken the German naval codes and were aware that a major operation was in the offing. Unaware of Scheers intentions, Jellicoe sortied with 24 battleships and three battlecruisers on May 30, 1916, and took up a blocking position ninety miles west of Jutland. Battle of Jutland -The Fleets Put to Sea: Jellicoes departure was followed later that day by Hipper who left the Jade Estuary with five battlecruisers. Able to move faster than his superior, Beatty sailed from the Firth of Forth early on May 31 with six battlecruisers and the four fast battleships of the Fifth Battle Squadron. Leaving after Hipper, Scheer put to sea on May 31 with sixteen battleships and six pre-dreadnoughts. In all cases, each formation was accompanied by a host of armored and light cruisers, destroyers, and torpedo boats. As the British moved into position, the German u-boat screen proved ineffective and played no role. Battle of Jutland -The Battlecruisers Collide: As the fleets moved towards each other, a communications error led Jellicoe to believe that Scheer was still in port. While he held his position, Beatty steamed east and received reports from his scouts at 2:20 PM of enemy ships to the southeast. Eight minutes later, the first shots of the battle occurred as British light cruisers encountered German destroyers. Turning towards the action, Beattys signal to Rear Admiral Sir Hugh Evan-Thomas was missed and a ten-mile gap opened between the battlecruisers and the Fifth Battle Squadron before the battleships corrected their course. This gap prevented Beatty from having a crushing advantage in firepower in the coming engagement. At 3:22 PM, Hipper, moving northwest, spotted Beattys approaching ships. Turning southeast to lead the British towards Scheers battleships, Hipper was sighted eight minutes later. Racing forward, Beatty squandered an advantage in range and failed to immediately form his ships for battle. At 3:48 PM, with both squadrons in parallel lines, Hipper opened fire. In the ensuing Run to the South, Hippers battlecruisers got the better of the action. Due to another British signaling error, the battlecruiser Derfflinger was left uncovered and fired with impunity. At 4:00 PM, Beattys flagship HMS Lion took a near fatal hit, while two minutes later HMS Indefatigable exploded and sank. Its loss was followed twenty minutes later when HMS Queen Mary met a similar fate. Though scoring hits on the German ships, Beattys battlecruisers failed to score any kills. Alerted to the approach of Scheers battleships shortly after 4:30 PM, Beatty quickly reversed course and began running to the northwest. Battle of Jutland -The Run to the North: Passing Evan-Thomass battleships, Beatty again had signal difficulties which hampered the Fifth Battle Squadrons turn. As the battered battlecruisers withdrew, the battleships fought a running rear-guard action with the High Seas Fleet. Moving to Beattys aid, Jellicoe sent forward Rear Admiral Horace Hoods Third Battlecruiser Squadron while attempting to obtain information about Scheers position and heading. As Beatty ran north, his ships hammered at Hipper, forcing him to turn south and join Scheer. Around 6:00 PM, Beatty joined Jellicoe as the commander debated which way to deploy the fleet. Battle of Jutland -The Dreadnoughts Clash: Deploying to the east of Scheer, Jellicoe put the fleet in position to cross Scheers T and have superior visibility as the sun began to set. As the Grand Fleet moved into line of battle, there was a flurry of activity as the smaller vessels raced into position, earning the area the name Windy Corner. With Jellicoe forming the fleet, the action was renewed when two British cruisers came under fire from the Germans. While one was sunk, the other was badly damaged but was inadvertently saved by HMS Warspite whose steering gear overheated causing it to circle and draw German fire. Approaching the British, Hipper again clashed with the battlecruisers, including Hoods fresh ships. Taking heavy damage, he was forced to abandon his flagship SMS Lutzow, but not before his ships sank HMS Invincible, killing Hood. At 6:30 PM the main fleet action began with Scheer stunned to find Jellicoes battleships crossing his T. His lead ships under intense fire from the British line, Scheer averted disaster by ordering an emergency maneuver known as Gefechtskehrtwendung (battle about turn to starboard) which saw each ship reverse course by turning 180-degrees. Knowing that he could not win a stern chase and with too much light remaining to escape, Scheer turned back towards the British at 6:55 PM. At 7:15 PM, Jellicoe again crossed the German T with his battleships hammering SMS Konig, SMS Grosser Kurfà ¼rst, SMS Markgraf, and SMS Kaiser of Scheers lead division. Under intense fire, Scheer was forced to order another battle about turn. To cover his withdrawal, he ordered a mass destroyer attack on the British line, along with an sending his battlecruisers forward. Meeting brutal fire from Jellicoes fleet, the battlecruisers took heavy damage as Scheer laid a smoke screen and retreated. As the battlecruisers limped away, the destroyers commenced torpedo attacks. Turning away from the assault, the British battleships escaped unscathed, however it cost Jellicoe valuable time and daylight. Battle of Jutland - Night Action: As darkness fell, Beattys remaining battlecruisers exchanged final shots with the Germans around 8:20 PM and scored several hits on SMS Seydlitz. Aware of German superiority in night fighting, Jellicoe sought to avoid renewing the battle until dawn. Cruising south, he intended to block Scheers most likely escape route back to the Jade. Anticipating Jellicoes move, Scheer slowed and crossed the Grand Fleets wake during the night. Fighting through a screen of light vessels, Scheers ships engaged in a series of chaotic night battles. In these fights, the British lost the cruiser HMS Black Prince and several destroyers to enemy fire and collisions. Scheers fleet saw the loss of the pre-dreadnought SMS Pommern, a light cruiser, and several destroyers. Though Scheers battleships were sighted several times, Jellicoe was never alerted and the Grand Fleet continued sailing south. At 11:15 PM, the British commander did receive an accurate message containing the German location and heading, but due to a series of faulty intelligence reports earlier in the day, it was disregarded. It was not until 4:15 AM on June 1, that Jellicoe was alerted to the Germans true position by which point he was too far away to resume the battle. Battle of Jutland - Aftermath: At Jutland, the British lost 3 battlecruisers, 3 armored cruisers, and 8 destroyers, as well as 6,094 killed, 510 wounded, and 177 captured. German losses numbered 1 pre-dreadnought, 1 battlecruiser, 5 light cruisers, 6 destroyers, and 1 submarine. Casualties were listed as 2,551 killed and 507 wounded. In the wake of the battle, both sides claimed victory. While the Germans succeeded in sinking more tonnage and inflicting higher casualties, the battle itself resulted in a strategic victory for the British. Though the public had sought a triumph similar to Trafalgar, the German efforts at Jutland failed to break the blockade or significantly reduce the Royal Navys numerical advantage in capital ships. Also, the result led to the High Seas Fleet effectively remaining in port for the remainder of the war as the Kaiserliche Marine turned its focus to submarine warfare. While both Jellicoe and Beatty were criticized for their performance at Jutland, the battle did lead to several changes in the Royal Navy. Determining that the loss in battlecruisers was largely due to shell handing procedures, changes were made to ensure a higher degree of safety. Also improvements were made to gunnery practices, signaling, and the Fleet Standing Orders. Selected Sources First World War: Battle of JutlandThe Battle of Jutland

Research Paper Format

Research Paper Format Research Paper Format Carter M. McCutchan Ms. Kemmerle Freshman English Period 3 18 April 2014 Icefall by Matthew J. Kirby It is imperative that Icefall, recipient of an Edgar Award for Best Juvenile Mystery, by Matthew J. Kirby be required reading for 9th grade students because of the striking imagery, atypical setting, engulfing plot and bold and dynamic characters it has to offer. In Icefall Matthew J. Kirby employs sharp mental images and senses to appeal to a wide variety of audiences. According to School Library Journal, â€Å"In a page-turning climax†¦ the ensuing battle and survival scenes are vividly portrayed, and characters fight back with the epic heroism of gods. Solveig is an empathetic heroine and Hake, the hulky berserker war chief, is also a well-developed and (eventually) endearing character.† Brilliant imagery and striking scenery are also called out on Booklist when it states â€Å"The episodic plot and atmospheric setting make this a challenging title to narrate.† It is evident from these reviews that Icefall has a well-described, vibrant setting and is has a thrilling and unexpected plot. It is essential to a child’s learning for them to understand the importance of a good setting and descriptive imagery. Good setting must appeal to the senses and describe the scene well. For a book to be deemed good literature, it must possess a vibrant description of setting to help place the reader into the setting described in the book. The plot must not only contain events that are not foreshadowed in the book and must be eventful so as not to bore the reader. Multiple reviews are available on Icefall from various companies. Publishers Weekly says â€Å"Kirby turns in a claustrophobic, thought-provoking coming-of-age adventure that shows a young woman growing into her own, while demonstrating the power of myth and legend. Kirby’s attention to detail and stark descriptions make this an effective mood piece. Readers may be drawn in by the promise of action, which Kirby certainly fulfills, but they’ll be left contemplating the power of the pen versus the sword- or rather the story versus the war hammer.† It can be interpreted from this review that the book has elements of both mystery and adventure. Solveig learns a lesson in the book to find what she is good at rather than being judged on an uncontrollable trait. As indicated in the passage above, it highlights â€Å"Kirby’s attention to detail and stark description make this an effective mood piece.† Most of this description and detail is towards setting, creating a descriptive setting that almost feels real. Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books says â€Å"Kirby masterfully interweaves the familiar aspects of Solveig’s coming of age with a taut, compelling mystery and survival story that fans of both fantasy and historical fiction will find utterly appealing. . . There’s an arctic bite that permeates even the most mundane of scenes, making the ominous setting a character in its own right, while the inclusion of several Nordic myths complete the icy picture. Readers will be left thinking about this one long after the chill has left their bones.† Kirkus Reviews reads, â€Å"The chilly, claustrophobic, ancient setting is vividly created, and the sense of impending doom generates a gripping suspense overarching the developing- and deteriorating- relationships among the group, marking Kirby (The Clockwork Three, 2010) as a strong emerging novelist. Recommend this one to teens who crave a good mystery set in an icily different time and place.† You can easily tell from this evaluation of the book that it is sufficiently challenging for high school students, as Kirkus clearly recommends the book to teens in the last line of the review. Words in these reviews such as ominous, claustrophobic, and vivid offer an idea as to how the book’s setting is well-described, uses a broad variety of vocabulary and vivid imagery. Nancy Farmer, a Newbery Award-winning author says â€Å"Against an authentic backdrop

The Business of Sport and Entertainment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Business of Sport and Entertainment - Essay Example (Fullen, pg 287, 2006) The PESTEL analysis for this theatre is one of an important task, which should be done in an orderly manner in order to generate better outcomes. (Grant, pg 551, 2002) All the external factors should be properly measured and all the areas should be covered in order to know all the external factors, which can harm this theatre, and those factors, which can be the positive as well as useful for this theatre. All the factors should be considered well before the working of any project, in order to overcome any upcoming problem. (Babette, pg 228, 2008) The political element directly refers to political stability in any nation or country and also explains the political support for any business, direct or indirect. Main issues concerned with Rose Theatre are funds related, the theatre management has asked Kingston Council for around  £600,000 a year of council taxpayers’ and there are political pressures against proposal also (Surrey Comet, 11th November 2008). On the other hand, an economic element refers to the degree of market stability as well as freedom. There are other factors also to understand like how much the business is costing and how much it can generate to keep competitive. In the case of Rose Theatre the Kingston Borough Council has been supportive and has provided funds worth  £5m and also supported in other ways, now is the turn for the theatre to generate audience and money to keep running (Billington, 6 December, 2004). The social element refers to the demographic factor of any country or nation. Rose Theatre has one feature which is uncommon, it accommodates people at low prices to take front space and settle on cushions to watch plays. It attracts a large audience because of its status as one of the best theatres in town and has had many big names step onto its stage for productions (Britton & Worthington, p.181, 2009). The

Canadain provinces Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Canadain provinces - Dissertation Example Population growth demonstrated a variation between the two provinces. Alberta registered the highest population in the entire country by a massive 10.3% while the province of Manitoba registered a 0.5 % growth. These statistics demonstrates a population density of 2.0 for Manitoba while that of Alberta is 4.6 people per square kilometer. Population age characteristics were found to be consistent in both provinces. In terms of gender, the females are dominant across both provinces though by slight margins. The majority of the population lies at the age group of 25-44 years among all genders while the second placed age group is between 5-14 years in both provinces. This indicates a trend of population that can be extrapolated to the entire country. In addition, the older population comprising of ages 85 and over seems to be the lowest followed by age group 75-84 years. These figures converge at a median age of 36.8 in Manitoba and 35.0 in Alberta, this indicates that the future populat ion trend in Alberta is expected to show more growth despite the exponential trend experienced in the past. Majority of the people in both provinces are above 15 years with figures indicating 79.1% and 79.2% in Manitoba and Alberta respectively. Education is a key pillar of socio-economic development in Canada. A great portion of people aged 15-24 years in Manitoba attends school on full time basis while a substantial 30.9% of population in this age group attending school on part time basis. Alberta is not any different, majority of the population around the same age group undertake education on full time basis with only 30% on part time engagement. Across all the age groups the percentage number of individuals with a University certificate, diploma or degree is higher in Alberta as compared to Manitoba. This is an indicator of the weight given to education in Alberta. Apart from the 20-34 age groups, all other age groups in Manitoba depict higher percentages of individuals with les s than a high school graduation certificate (Maclean 2).. There exist over ten religions in these regions of Canada. Protestants dominate in both provinces having almost half of the population subscribing to this religion. In second place come Catholicism, having a substantial following in both provinces but Manitoba has a higher general percentage of people who subscribe to this religion. Similar trends are evident across most of the other religions with the percentage of people who subscribe to no religion appearing third in the order of dominance. 23.6% of the entire population is atheists in Alberta while in Manitoba the percentage is slightly lower at 18.7%. Christian, n.i.e. is the fourth most dominant religion in both provinces contributing 4.03% and 4.2% in Manitoba and Alberta respectively. An aberration is evident in the fifth most dominant religion. In Alberta Muslim takes the position with a 1.7%, contrary to Manitoba where it appears ninth in the order of dominance. In Manitoba at fifth position is Christian Orthodox that has 1.4% following of the entire population. The people in these provinces use various languages with English dominating. The census indicates the majority of people use English

The Malampaya Offshore Oil and Gas Field Assignment

The Malampaya Offshore Oil and Gas Field - Assignment Example The Philippine Government Department of Energy approved Shell Philippine Exploration (SPEX) to build a 500 kilometre undersea pipeline to transfer gas from the Malampaya-Camago fields to the main island of Luzon. Although the fields are in Chinese claimed waters, China did not object to the development (Pumphrey 237). Shell Philippine Exploration (SPEX) developed the Malampaya fields at an estimated cost of $4.5 billion U.S., â€Å"the largest single investment in the country† (Kreil 36) and the largest infrastructure project (McCallum 40). The Malampaya project is a joint venture of the Philippine government with the private firms Chevron Texaco and the Philippines Oil Company Exploration Corporation (PNOC-EC)† (Oxford Business Group 72). Structural interpretation of the 3D seismic data indicated the most prominent structural feature to be a SW-NE oriented fault, forming a crest at the western margin of the carbonate system. This fault was sealed by the Pagasa shales. à ¢â‚¬Å"Minor normal faults affect the Latee Eocene and Early Oligocene deposits in the North-Eastern termination of the carbonate system forming a short and narrow horst structure† (Fournier, Borgomano and Montaggioni 198). ... ubsurface Data Used to Describe the Malampaya Field â€Å"The dataset used in this study consists of a 3-dimensional seismic survey acquired by Shell Philippines (SPEX) in 2002, and well data from 10 wells (MA-1 to MA-10)† (Fournier et al 2005, 192). Core sections are available in wells MA-2, MA-3, MA-4, MA-5, MA-7, and MA-9. The seismic interpretation used prestack time migrated data (PSTM), with zero-phase signal. The seismic polarity is defined as negative amplitude means a downward increase in acoustic impedance, a positive reflection coefficient. The work uses the depositional facies and diagenetic features identified by Fournier et al, 2004 from MA-5 and MA-7, those obtained from thin section analyses on MA-6, MA-8, MA-9, and MA-10, and the re-examination of the rock material studied by Grotsch and Mercadier (1703) from MA-1, MA-2, and MA-3. Carbon and oxygen isotope analyses on whole-rock samples were used to support diagenetic interpretations. Deposition of the Reservo ir Section and Geometry of the Platform The evidence from the investigations by Shell Philippine Exploration (SPEX, 2009) verified the existence of an immense power source. Situated 80 kilometers northwest of Palawan island and located about 3,000 metres below sea level, â€Å"the Malampaya field had recoverable reserves of about 2.5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas reserves and 85 million barrels of condensate† (Oxford Business Group 72). A thin oil rim of 65 metres is overlain by a thick gas column of up to 650 metres; these are contained in a high relief carbonate reef build-up complex of the Nido Limestone Formation. It was determined that â€Å"28.5 MMscf/ day of gas and 7,500 bbl/day of 30 degrees APL oil† (Department of Energy, 2010) were released every day. The Late Eocene to Early Miocene

Sodor Oil Terminal Project Management

Sodor Oil Terminal Project Management The initiation phase of the Sodor project involved the formation of the project team and the nomination of the project manager. Group 12 is made up of 4 Nigerians and 1 Vietnamese which reflects a multicultural team with each nationality possessing peculiar personality traits. The objective of the first meeting was to nominate a Project Manager and to define and agree on ground rules for project team meetings. To ensure equal participation of all team members, it was agreed that the rotational project manager system will be adopted whereby each individual in the group would serve as the project manager for 1 week each throughout the 5 week duration of the Sodor project. It was agreed that meetings will be scheduled 3 times a week by the project manager lasting no more than 2 hours each. At each meeting, specific tasks is assigned to each team member to be submitted at the next meeting day. CONTRACTOR SELECTION CRITERIA The contractor selection criteria adopted by the team is the Trade-off technique. This technique uses a scoring system to quantify specific attributes of the various contractors and provides a numerical output, the highest of which represents the best contractor choice. The use of this technique provided the best possible contractors to manage the various stages of this project. CONSTRUCTION AND CLOSE OUT The close out process involved a review of the final Sodor terminal project plan to confirm scope, cost and schedule deadlines have been met. The lesson learned document was then prepared which showed the various conflicts that occurred throughout the project and how they where managed by the team in order to provide lessons for the future. The final project plan was then presented to the project sponsor and the Group 12 team was deformed by the project manager. We were able to arrive at a final project cost of  £7,356,123 and at a time of completion of 90.93 weeks. This can be mainly attributed to the fact that we used the TRADE OFF technique for contractor selection. The trade off technique provided an objective way of selecting contractors using a set of rank scores. INTRODUCTION Teamwork has been found to be an essential ingredient responsible for the success or failure of projects. The effective use and management of teams for projects has been noted to be a key determinant for how successful a project will be; however, the effectiveness of a team depends on the ability of the team members to interact appropriately with one another to produce a common output. DEFINITION Hoegl (2004) defined teams as a social interaction between two or more people within an organization who share a common task. Teams have also been described as a group of people who hold themselves mutually accountable to each other and who work together to achieve a common purpose(Scholtes et al,2003). The above definitions take into account the fact that for a team to exist, certain basic ingredients need to be in place which include; mutual accountability, constancy of purpose, and a shared responsibility for success or failure. The benefits of teamwork in project management cannot be overemphasized. Teams help in the mobilization of diverse resources to a project as compared to that achieved by a single individual. Church(1998) also noted that teams provide the flexibility to use the mobilized resources thus helping to continue with the project in the event of a particular individual being indisposed. Perhaps the greatest value of teams in managing projects rests with the ability of teams to provide a synergy of the efforts of the individual team members whereby the results achieved is greater than the arithmetic sum of the contributions of the individual members to the team. FACTORS THAT AFFECTED TEAM EFFECTIVENESS OF SODOR OIL TERMINAL PROJECT PLANNING AND DESIGN The need to have a plan for the management of the Sodor oil terminal cannot be overemphasized. Grachev et al(2006) using 3M corporation as a case study proposed that a key benefit of planning upfront for a project is the creation of well defined project goals. The goals help to give direction to a teams project. Other benefits of planning include; it helps the team members in the coordination of individual tasks by providing clearly stated assignments. Furthermore, the project plan also enables the team to have an overview of the project schedule, costs and constraints which the team can then use as a baseline to measure actual project progress. The planning and design of the Sodor oil terminal started with the identification of the Cost, Schedule and Scope goals from the data derived from the Project Sponsor. These goals where then integrated into a sequential structure by the use of the MS Project ® to produce the Sodor oil terminal preliminary Gantt chart. The final Sodor oil terminal plan is a comprehensive document showing the actual budget, time of completion, scope of the project, and the approved contractors selected for the project. Christina(2009) proposed that key factors that affect team success at the planning and design phase include; A. Well-Defined Goals: The definition of clear project deliverables has been shown to improve the success rate of project teams. Pinto and Slevin(1988) proposed that clearly defined and structured goals is a significant factor that determines the effectiveness of teams and hence the success rate of projects. Zander(1980) postulated that teams with clear and measurable goals perform better than teams with fuzzy goals. This is as a result of the use of clear goals by teams as a baseline through which team results can be measured. Furthermore, the use of clear and concise goals also helps the team in planning for what they can achieve within a particular timeframe.The goals of the Group 12 team where clearly stated and well defined at the onset of the project which was to deliver a project plan within 98 weeks at no more than the stated project budget provided by the project sponsor. B. Management Support: Pinto and Slevin(1988) suggested that the support upper management gives a team helps in facilitating team success. This occurs by facilitating the release of resources to the project team hence ensuring their efficiency and helping to remove administrative bottle necks. Group 12 received the support of the project sponsor in the designing of the sodor plan especially with respect to weekly review meetings to assess the current status of the project plan and proffer ways to bring the plan back on track. C. Cross-Cultural teams: The importance of having multiple individuals from differentcultures in a team has been proposed to impact positively on team results(Earley and Mosakowski,2000). Ochieng and Price(2009) also suggested that the effective use of proper communication techniques to handle cultural differences in a team helps in promoting project success. Multiple cultures in a team brings together people with different skills, competencies, and personal attributes dedicated to a common purpose. The multicultural environment of Group 12 provided a pool of diverse ideas derived via brainstorming from which the best possible solution was agreed on and translated into the Sodor project plan. D. Team experience and continuity: Pinto and Slevin(1988) suggested that the inclusion of individuals with specific project experience into a team helps in promoting its success. This is because this individuals already have a knowledge of the critical factors needed to ensure the success of the particular project from the lessons learned from past projects managed by them. Scott-Young(2009) suggested that the stability of a team throughout the project lifecycle helps in ensuring team success. Stable teams have been shown to maintain the consistency of ideas generation and are not susceptible to the distraction that tends to occur from a team member joining or leaving the team(Akgun and Lynn,2000). The use of team members with a wide range of experience managing projects like healthcare, education, and engineering played a key role in the results of Group 12. This is due to the diverse nature of the knowledge pool available for planning the project. The stability of the Group 12 team throughout the project lifecycle also played a key role in the design of the sodor project plan. CONSTRUCTION AND CLOSEOUT A. Handling Conflicts: The absence of conflicts in a team has been proposed to be a pointer to the failure of the team(Saj-Nicole and Damon,2009). The presence of conflicts and how the conflicts are managed indicates how successful the project team will be. The nature of the conflicts i.e. conflicts relevant to the project scope, serves to provoke a generation of ideas from the project team on the best way to manage the crises. Several conflicts arose during the management of Group 12; an example will be the, Who to choose as the project manager? The way it was managed was to have a face to face meeting with the project team, everybody laying their individual ideas on the table, then arriving at a decision mutually beneficial to everyone which is to have a rotational project manager system with each member of the project team having a taste of the pie of being the project manager for 1 week each. This solution helped during the construction phase of the plan because all the team memb ers felt a sense of belonging and making a positive contribution to the team. B. Leadership Continuity: The proposal by Akgun and Lynn(2000) on the positive benefits of leadership continuity to the project team success is largely not applicable to the Group 12 project team. This is because the use of a single leader throughout the project lifecycle will have led to the presence of domineering tendencies being shown by the individual chosen which may affect certain decisions made during the formulation of the construction plan. It will also have led to project team members being made to feel they are not a part of the team. Hence in a bid to avoid this scenario, the rotational project manager system was proposed and adopted. C. Resource availability: The availability of resources plays a major role in the ability of a team to produce results. Peters and OConnors(1980) postulated that the availability of specific resources can either promote or interfere with a team effectiveness. The resources needed by a team to be effective varies depending on the project scope. It may include financial, Human, and Environmental resources. D. Reward and Recognition: The relationship between appropriate reward structures and team effectiveness cannot be overemphasized(Bullock and Lawler,1984). Developing a reward system that focuses on the entire team rather than individuals help in improving team motivation and hence its effectiveness. It is a fact that people are motivated to achieve results if they feel that the results provide value to the organization and this value is acknowledged by the organization. E. Lessons-learned documentation: The preparation of the lessons learned document is an essential part of the project team closure phase(PMI,2008). The lessons learned document captures the lessons learned at various milestones in the planning of the project. The final meeting of the Group 12 team was a brainstorming session to identify various challenges we had during the creation of the Sodor project plan and how the challenges where managed. CONCLUSION This paper details how the Group 12 team managed the Sodor project from design to the closeout phase. It explains in detail the various factors responsible for the success of the team in arriving at the final project plan; and also the various challenges Group 12 team had and how those challenges where managed to produce positive results. The paper sheds light on the key factors that affected various stages of the project and how they where harnessed and utilized positively by the Group 12 team.

America Must Drill for Oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Essay

America Must Drill for Oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a very controversial topic. On one end you have the people who want to drill for oil to help out our economy, and on the other end there are the environmentalists and the Alaskan natives who do not want their land destroyed. Our economy needs help; oil prices keep rising, gas prices have reached an all time high, and America is depending too much on foreign trade. Drilling for oil in Alaska will solve these problems. There are ways of drilling without disturbing the environment and keeping the animals in their original habitat. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) is a large piece of land in Alaska. It is an 18 million acre piece of land where the weather reaches only 4 degrees Celsius in the summer and below 20 degrees Celsius in the winters (Urstadt). There is never any sunlight, except for maybe a day the whole year. It is beautiful land that just happens to be on 5.6 billion to 16 billion barrels of oil; the United States is said to go through over 7 billion barrels of oil a year (Arctic drilling makes sense 1). These days everyone complains about the price of gas, and how it keeps going up. That is the problem; the solution would be drilling for oil in that beautiful land. To hear the advocates tell it, drilling for oil in a long off-limits part of Alaska is the solution for record gas and oil prices, increased dependence on oil imports and even the need for U.S. military involvement in the Middle East. (Arctic Drilling Makes Sense 1). By drilling for oil in ANWR, it will help out the economy of the United States greatly. There will be no need to debate the topic of how g... ...Urstadt). It is a secluded part of ANWR, which is why it is a good place to drill. While drilling for oil there are always going to be pipelines everywhere. But today, the oil companies elevate the pipelines in order to let the animals pass under them. This helps out with the environment and helps to keep the animals in their homes as well. Drilling for oil in Alaska will solve many problems that have occurred the last several years in America. Gas prices keep rising in America which is due to a lack of oil and if America keeps getting oil from foreign suppliers, prices will never go down. The United States is the world leader in energy use and gas for cars. This is why drilling for oil is a good idea and will help out with a lot of problems that America has. Drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is the answer to all America’s questions.

Article of Confederation Essay

The first constitution was written in the United States was called the â€Å"Articles of Confederation. † It established a loose league of friendship between thirteen sovereign states and proposed that each state have its sovereignty, freedom, and independence. The Articles of Confederation approve in 1781, which led to a period of crisis between the years 1781 and 1789. This period refer as the Critical Period. The Articles of Confederation was the precursor of the United States Constitution because of the many reasons it had weaknesses and replaced by the United States Constitution. The Constitution of the United States comprises the nation’s fundamental law, providing the framework for its governance and the principles under which it must operate. When the constitution was written, it was intended to endure for ages, be flexible, and adaptable for future generations. The constitution was intended to be the supreme law of the land. â€Å"To win the required approval from all 13 states, drafters changed the plan and granted the Confederation control of western lands. After four years, the Articles finally won ratification in 1781. † (Created Equal, pg. 77) The Articles of Confederation, which were ratified in 1781, became the first constitution. The Articles of Confederation dealt with three problems: taxation, representation, and the extent of control over western territories. First, the Articles of Confederation weakness was that the central government did not have the power to collect taxes. As the Articles of Confederation illustrate, â€Å"According to the Articles, Congress could not collect taxes or regulate trade; it could only requisition funds from the states. Shares would vary depending on each state’s free population. (Created Equal, pg. 177) Under the Articles of Confederation, the state government can only send its contribution annually to the national government but they cannot be compelled to pay taxes. Due to this huge weakness, many problems arose in the U. S, which were signs of the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation. The trade agreements Congress had made with other nations were not always carried out. Many people soon started importing goods from other countries that they refused to pay for. Consequently, people in other nations soon became reluctant to trade with the U.  S; even Great Britain closed its commerce to it, which resulted in the loss of a lot of money because of lack of trade. There was also competition among the states, as they started levying taxes on goods passing through them to other states. Taxes are the lifeblood of the nation. Without it, no government machinery will function. Thus, the national government could not perform its functions because it did not have the funds. Second weakness was the enactment of laws. Under the Articles of Confederation, the enactment of laws needed the approval of 9 out of 13 states. The voting obligation is quite high. As a result, five states could easily prevent the enactment of laws, which seriously jeopardized the enactment of laws that needed to be passed. The Articles of Confederation note, â€Å"Moreover, the Confederation had no separate executive branch; executive functions fell to various committees of the Confederation Congress. † (Created Equal, pg. 177) There was no executive branch to institute the policies for the entire nation. As a result, the state governments did not have a cohesive policy that every state government should follow. Consequently, the state governments individually created their own policies. Since there was no national judiciary, the state courts were tasked to interpret laws. As George Mason indicates, â€Å"The Judiciary of the United States is so constructed & extended, as to absorb and destroy the Judiciarys of the several States; thereby rendering Law as tedious intricate and expensive, & Justice as unattainable, by a great Part of the Community, as in England, and enabling the Rich to oppress & ruin the Poor. † (Mason, Paragraph 2, pg. 10) It had become clear that it was necessary to abandon the Articles of Confederation in favor of a constitution that provided for a stronger national government, created a national judiciary and strong Congress. Finally, the United States had different issues that they had to deal with. These were foreign affairs, economic conditions, and Western land. The Articles clarify, â€Å"In addition, to the dismay of land speculators, the Congress would not control the western domains that several large states had claimed. † (Created Equal, pg. 77) The government was weak due to poor economic conditions and the people still feared the power of the central government. These weaknesses posed a threat to the effectiveness of the government. Under the Articles of Confederation, there was a unicameral legislature. There was one house and there were no executive or judiciary branches. Each state had the same number of representatives and their own currency. The states taxed each other and affecting the value of money to decrease and posed a threat to the economic stability of the United States, which was already weak and in need of reformation. The Articles of Confederation was the precursor of the United States Constitution because of the many reasons it had weaknesses and replaced by the United States Constitution. It brought the colonies together as a loose confederation with the state’s rights being more important than the power of the federal government. Even though the government under the Articles of Confederation was very weak, it was still more democratic because it gave more rights and power to the states. The Articles unified the states under a loose confederation, which lacked a strong, central government. Although the Articles of Confederation had several successes, it created far more weaknesses and failures. The failures of the Articles had to be addressed, so a new constitution was created and drafted at the Constitutional Convention, which determined the many failures of the Articles, and created a strong central government. A controversial issue has been debated over whether the government under the Articles of Confederation or the Constitution was more democratic. The Articles of Confederation created a more democratic government because it gave power to the individual states and to the people.

Choosing the Sex of Your Baby Essays

Choosing the Sex of Your Baby Essays Choosing the Sex of Your Baby Essay Choosing the Sex of Your Baby Essay Essay Topic: Shane Choosing the Sex of Your Baby Dr. Aaron Miller English Composition 115 Shanelle Gayden â€Å"Choosing the Sex of Your Baby† is a great article that I just read for English 115. This article cross examines the issues that would come along with choosing the sex of your baby. Choosing the sex of your baby is a topic many couples discuss. This article discusses biomedical science, the parental view, and the society’s view. The American Society has just endorsed in vitro fertilization techniques to help parents determine the sex of their child. This issue is argued and raises ethical concerns. One of the main concerns is parents will possibly want to change other genetics such as eye color. The arguments raised from choosing the sex of your baby are parents would prefer a certain gender order and force gender discrimination. Parents plead that they should have maximum freedom to choose reproductive matters and it causes no harm. Parents believe that it is fair to choose the sex of the second child. Choosing the gender will be a very costly procedure. Cost will play a major role in who would actually be able to take advantage of this procedure. The society is amongst competitive pressures in the fertility industry. The methods that would be used raises concern. This issue remains complex because it involves discarding embryos based on the sex. Gender discrimination is also a factor. Society stands in a neutral position with the outlook of the scientific and parental view. Choosing the sex of your child leads to issues that will affect the society. To determine ones sex through science, while creating the perfect family according to gender. It is clearly not an overnight decision. Although choosing the sex of your baby seems so simple, this clearly can lead to ethical concerns.

Immagration and pollution essays

Immagration and pollution essays The Effects of Population Growths on the Environment With world population skyrocketing, where is man-kind headed? The current world population is over six billion with the United States population alone numbering over 264 million. Studies on population growths project that by the year 2050 A.D., the U.S. will need to find room for more than 520 million people, almost doubling the current population. How will the environment and the human race itself be affected by this (Jackson 27)? First, we as inhabitants, need to know what we are doing to this place we call home, Earth. The consequences to the United States wild lands and all their resources would be overwhelming if the population saw those kinds of staggering numbers. A striking illustration is the national park system: since 1940, the U.S. population has doubled, but park visitation has increased sixteen times. A population increase that measured only half as great as the last fifty years would devastate these areas, diminishing the quality of visitors experience and reducing resources to unsustainable levels (Jackson 30). Recently it was found that MTBE (a gasoline additive that makes engines cleaner-burning, but may also cause cancer in humans) could be leaking into as many as 9,000 community water wells in 31 states from underground storage tanks. This chemical was first added to gas over 20 years ago to enhance octane and later in much larger amounts to help cut down on air pollution. Lately though, the foul-tasting and smelling oxygenate has been found in ground water all over the United States. John Zogorski, a scientist at the U.S. Geological Survey said, Very large amounts of MTBE have been used in gasoline during the past 20 years and perhaps 250,000 gallons leaking from underground storage tanks have contained MTBE (Times 1). The drinking water isnt all man has to worry about; what about the water that falls from the sky in...

How Managerial Changes Influence Organisational Behaviour Issues Research Paper

How Managerial Changes Influence Organisational Behaviour Issues - Research Paper Example One of the main obstacles to the smooth implementation of the change management process is the lack of awareness of the context of change by the workmen and unions. While the top management team is aware of the context in which these changes are being talked about, the workmen and unions are not well informed in this respect. A change seeking management has to overcome the stresses to which the system and the people have to undergo. Leadership is, therefore, required to create the necessary confidence to overcome the stresses and challenges in the change process. A successful leadership has to keep open the channels of communications within the organization and with the outside world. The leader must recognize authority and power system changes in the attitudes, behaviors, and interpersonal relationship of people (Tennenbam, 1999, p.177). As such organization problems can be overcome by four factors, namely, structural, technical, task and people. However, the capacity of individuals and groups in some organizations are underestimated. This is due to a variety of causes emerging from the organization structure, procedures and the traditions of a group of people working within the organization. Human Resource Management is, perhaps, the oldest and most widely researched subject in management. Yet, as technologies change, cultural diversities occur and people's expectations undergo fundamental shifts towards newer and newer dimensions. For instance, professionals are gaining more say in the running of organizations. Even where governance is by people who own the majority stakes, their own positions and the respect they command are contingent upon their competence rather than ownership. " Management is the art of getting things done through other people. Management is the dynamic, life-giving element in every business. Without it, the resources of production remain resources and never become production." (Hersey & Blanchard, 2002, p.211) Â  

Enterpuener company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Enterpuener company - Essay Example This is one of the rare companies, which have had the courage to explore the virgin territory of natural gas in the Rocky Mountains. Mr. Barett decided to meet me in an old coffee shop at the corner of the road and allotted me an hour to complete my task. 2) The company operates in the Rocky Mountains, one of the most endowed places in the U.S., which abounds in natural gas. The company did not restrict itself only in the field of natural gas and has ventured into refining oil too. Two reasons had resulted in success of the company: Firstly, strategic location of the points, where it had set up its drilling inventory, has been propelling growth. The company strongly believes that these points have huge reserves and will result in generation of revenues. Bill Barrett Corporation has spread its operation over five major basins of Rocky and Mr. Barrett proudly informs that the company has proved its mettle and emerged as a dominant player in most areas it operates in and is also the largest, in terms of coverage area, he added. The company is particularly interesting because it maintains a strong balance between developmental and exploration projects. 3) Mr. Barrett informed that when the company was first set up, the main objective of was to establish it as an exploration company in a true sense, so as to tap natural resources of the Rocky and emerge as one of the dominant players among the Rockies E&P company. After more than ten years of operation, the company has gone from strength to strength to establish itself as one of the most significant players in its genre. The claims made by Mr. Barett are backed by the current evidences, like, proved reserves of 197 MMBoe, including 88% growths in proved reserves at three active oil programs. The financial performance of the company is quite robust as the figures indicate. For instance, total debt of the company has reduced by $189 million from 2012, in 2013