Hitler: Planner or an Opportunist?

Hitler: Planner or an Opportunist? In order to reasonably construct an argument, it is first necessary to elucidate the question slightly. Specifically, it would seem that the question infers planning and opportunism to be mutually exclusive by asking if Hitler was a planner or an opportunist in his foreign policy. To adapt ones actions in order to achieve wider predefined goals contains elements of both planning and opportunism, so it should be borne in mind that one does not necessarily exclude the other; he may have been both. Since Taylors controversial The Origins of the Second World War (Taylor, 1961) was first published, intense debate has raged in the historical world as to whether Hitler was simply an opportunist, a view propounded by Taylor (1961), or if his actions were well planned and strategised, as suggested by Hillgrubers Stufenplan (Hillgruber, 1965) and others. This essay addresses the question by considering key events in German foreign policy from 1933-1941, analysing each in terms of opportunism and planning. Particular attention shall be given to events prior to the German invasion of Poland and the resulting declarations of war upon Germany by France, Britain, Australia and New Zealand. After these declarations were made, Hitlers foreign policy would need to be more opportunistic and fluid if it was to be successful; in any war victory requires constant reappraisal of the situation at hand. It shall also be suggested that Hitlers actions in the period 1940-1941 were, though forced to adapt due to circumstance, ultimately motivated by a greater plan built on strong ideological beliefs, a view shared by Hillgruber (1965) in Hitlers Strategie. The question of the existence of a Stufenplan, as proposed by Hillgruber (1965), is somewhat harder to answer. Certainly such a plan may be constructed from analysis of Mein Kampf. However, it is difficult to say if such a plan genuinely existed, or if it is merely a construct built upon a foundation of selected statements from the book. Such a plan is also suggested in Nazism 1919-1945, A Documentary Reader (Noakes Pridham, 1988, p. 617): â€Å"from the comments and arguments contained in Mein Kampf one can construct a foreign policy programme which essentially consisted of five stages † However, this is somewhat within the realm of conjecture and with the benefit of hindsight. Mein Kampf is by no means a step-by-step work, but there are key principles embedded within the text which may be extracted and compared to Hitlers actual foreign policy actions. Through this it shall be argued that at least some level of planning, some attempt to achieve pre-defined goals, did in fact exist. In the broadest sense, the foreign policy advocated by Hitler in Mein Kampf is quite clear, namely to expand Germany to become a world power through the acquisition of territory or ‘living space. In Mein Kampf Hitler (1926, p. 557) states: â€Å" without consideration of ‘traditions and prejudices, it (Germany) must find the courage to gather our people and their strength for an advance along the road that will lead this people from its present restricted living space to new land and soil † Furthermore, it should be noted in the above quote that Hitler not only expresses his desire for lebensraum, but goes further in suggesting that it is reasonable to acquire territory without â€Å"consideration of ‘traditions and prejudices†. From this it may be inferred that Hitler is largely unconcerned by any ethical argument that might counteract the expansion of Germany. This view is compounded by Hitlers (1926) further statement â€Å"Germany will either be a world power or there will be no Germany†. Although A.J.P. Taylor (1961) argued that Hitler did not have any real blueprint for his foreign policy, which consisted of nothing more than taking opportunities as they offered themselves, that Hitler was nothing more than â€Å"a traditional European statesman† (Taylor, 1961), the above comments from Mein Kampf seem to suggest a higher motivation, the desire to expand Germanys borders and present Germany as a world power by non-traditional means, without, as Hitler (1926) states, â€Å"consideration of ‘traditions or prejudices†. In order to expand Germany and gain lebensraum it would first be necessary to somehow remove the restrictions of the Versailles Treaty. It is already apparent that in 1926 Hitler saw no use in any future delegations regarding the removal of the sanctions imposed by Versailles, dismissing the treaty as an act of â€Å"highway robbery against our people† (Hitler, 1926). He further stated in Mein Kampf: â€Å"One must have the simple mind of a child to believe that the revision of the Versailles Treaty can be obtained by indirect means and by beseeching the clemency of the victors The sword is the only means whereby a nation can thrust that clutch from its throat† (Hitler, 1926, p. 554). Taylor (1961) would have us believe Mein Kampf to be nothing more than the ramblings of an imprisoned man, yet already we see an element of forward planning; what was outlined here would be realised by Hitler years later. In March 1935, Hitler introduced compulsory military conscription, openly flaunting the Treaty of Versailles, although his army had already been growing in secret since 1933, when Hitler ordered his Generals to treble the size of Germanys army to 300,000. This was the ‘sword with which Hitler intended to vanquish the ‘clutch of Versailles. A year later, on March 7, 1936, German troops remilitarised the Rhineland, again flagrantly violating the Versailles Treaty. Were these actions merely opportunistic, lacking any real planning? Had Hitler simply, to paraphrase Taylor (1961), leaned on the door of the Rhineland hoping to gain entrance? One could argue that, due to the poor British economy following the Depression, Hitler was opportunistic in his timing of these treaty violations, perhaps sensing that military retaliation was unlikely. However, he had undoubtedly expressed his intentions to violate Versailles by forceful means almost ten years earlier, as evidenced above in Mein Kampf. Rather than simple opportunism, it would seem that Hitler was shrugging away the shackles of Versailles at a prudent juncture, just as he had intended. Furthermore, this may be seen as the first step in his wider quest for lebensraum. To acquire territory, to become a world power, required military strength prohibited by Versailles. In March 1938, German troops annexed Austria. This was at least in part opportunistic. Hitler knew very well that the Nazis enjoyed strong support in Austria; four years earlier Dolfuss had been assassinated by pro-Nazi sympathisers within Austria who actively desired Austro-German unification. Such was the influence of the Austrian pro-Nazis that Austrian Chancellor Schuschnigg was ultimately forced to resign, due to pressure from within Austria and from Hitler himself. Following Schuschniggs resignation, German troops were able to enter Austria without resistance. In the case of Austria, perhaps it is reasonable to entertain the idea of Hitler simply acting as a statesman rather than following any great plan. Since such strong support for the Nazis existed within Austria, it could be argued that any prudent statesman in a similar position would take advantage of such a situation. However, there is also evidence in Mein Kampf that this event was planned: â€Å"German-Austria must be restored to the great German Motherland. And not indeed on any grounds of economic calculation whatsoever. No, no. Even if the union were a matter of economic indifference, and even if it were to be disadvantageous from the economic standpoint, still it ought to take place. People of the same blood should be in the same Reich† (Hitler, 1926, p. 11). Hitler appears to hold the union of Austria and Germany in particular regard, a matter of principle and genetic unity rather than merely a stepping-stone in Germanys expansion. Taylor (1961) would have us believe that Hitler merely took advantage of the situation in Austria and that this situation was â€Å"produced by Schuschnigg not Hitler† (Taylor, 1961). This view seems somewhat myopic. Hitler may have been acting opportunistically to restore or strengthen Germany through alliance with Austria, but his primary motivation would appear to be something more esoteric, the unification of blood or race. To counteract the above argument, one might say that there were many far-right individuals with similar beliefs, that Hitler was not unique and thus the annexing of Austria was still simply an opportunist act. Opportunist in timing, perhaps, but it cannot be denied that as early as 1925, when the first volume of Mein Kampf was published, Hitler already intended to unite the two countries. How and when he did so may be a matter of opportunism, but the fact that he intended to do for ideological reasons remains. In view of this it seems difficult to renounce the unification of Germany and Austria as purely opportunistic. The evidence presented so far in support of the view that Hitlers foreign policy was not entirely opportunistic is largely rooted in Mein Kampf. However, when considering the Sudetenland and Czech Republic there is further evidence of possible planning on Hitlers part in the form of the Hossbach Memorandum, minutes of a meeting that took place on November 5, 1937 between the Fuehrer and several highranking Nazis (of these the majority were military officials rather than politicians). It is interesting that Hitler chose not to hold a full cabinet meeting, given the gravity of the topics discussed. Hitler himself attributed this to the importance of the matter, but one might also infer that he was reluctant to include too many politicians in the meeting in order to minimise the abstraction of military planning from himself and thus maintain more precise military control. This in itself may be said to evidence a certain level of planning on Hitlers part; discussing such matters within a full cabinet would seem to be the logical course of action for the typical statesman. What is especially interesting about the meeting is that the subject of Czechoslovakia as a tactical foothold is specifically addressed. Hossbach (1937) specifically notes: â€Å"If the Czechs were overthrown and a common German-Hungarian frontier achieved, a neutral attitude on the part of Poland could be the more certainly counted on in the event of a Franco-German conflict. Our agreements with Poland only retained their force as long as Germanys strength remained unshaken. In the event of German setbacks a Polish action against East Prussia, and possibly against Pomerania and Silesia as well, had to be reckoned with† (Hossbach, 1937). Almost a year later, German troops occupied the Sudetenland, with the blessing of both Neville Chamberlain and Edouard Daladier. In fact Lord Runciman, sent by Chamberlain to attempt reconciliation between the Germans and Czechs prior to the cession of the Sudetenland seemed to positively endorse the action as ‘natural: â€Å" the feeling among the Sudeten Germans until about three or four years ago was one of hopelessness. But the rise of Nazi Germany gave them new hope. I regard their turning for help towards their kinsmen and their eventual desire to join the Reich as a natural development in the circumstances† (Runciman, 1938). Reading Lord Runcimans comments above, one might consider it reasonable to view the acquisition of the Sudetenland as opportunistic; after all the British and French were willing to appease Hitler with the Munich Agreement. However, a year earlier, Hitler and those present at the meeting documented by Hossbach had realised the advantages occupying Czechoslovakia would present; Hitlers desire to take Czechoslovakia was already evident in 1937. Shortly after signing the agreement Hitler complained â€Å"That fellow Chamberlain spoiled my entrance into Prague†. Three weeks later, Hitler told generals to prepare for the â€Å"liquidation of the remainder of Czechoslovakia†. Undoubtedly Hitler was opportunistic in signing the Munich Agreement, though it is clear that both before and after signing his ultimate goal was to take Czechoslovakia. It is also apparent that two years before finally annexing Czechoslovakia in March 1939, Hitler saw an advantage in Czechoslovakia beyond immediate opportunistic gain; namely the improved position of Germany with regard to possible aggression on the part of Poland in the event of Franco-German conflict. Taylor (1961, p. 152) dismisses all this, saying â€Å"Even more than in the case of Austria, Hitler did not need to act The crisis over Czechoslovakia was provided for Hitler† and claims that Anschluss in Austria had led German Czechs to â€Å"ungovernable excitement† (Taylor, 1961, p. 152). However, even if Hitler was taking advantage of the crisis, to dismiss his actions as pure opportunism seems churlish; the plan to take Czechoslovakia existed in 1937, before the annexation of Austria took place. This plan also had a wider strategic purpose, even if the execution may have taken advantage of opportunity, particularly in the form of the Munich Agreement. The Pact of Steel also held a higher tactical purpose than mere opportunistic allegiance. In Nazism 1919-1945 A Documentary Reader, it is heralded as a â€Å"diplomatic success in his (Hitlers) preparation for war with Poland securing at long last an alliance with Italy† (Noakes Pridham, 1988, p. 736). Hitler knew that the French and British would not support the invasion, in fact in his Zwitte Buch he makes it quite clear that France shall always be an enemy of Germany: â€Å"In any conflict, regardless on what grounds, regardless for what reasons, France will always be our adversary† (Hitler, 1928, p128). Thus the Pact was important to Hitler, it levelled the field somewhat regarding the issue of Poland. With France and Britain likely to oppose Hitler in this matter, Italy became an important ally. Taylor (1961) counters this view saying â€Å"The Germans attached less weight to the Pact (than the Italians). They took it almost by accident†. Here it seems hard to logically support Taylors comments. The Pact was proposed by the Germans themselves in 1938, so to suggest that it was taken â€Å"by accident† simply does not make sense. Even if it is argued that the Pact was not direct preparation for war with Poland, it was proposed by Germany in 1938 and became reality in 1939. It did not fall to Hitler by accident, it was an opportunity Germany made for itself. Even if one chooses not to see the Pact as preparation for war with Poland, the invasion of Poland itself was preparation for a greater war in Hitlers view. In May 1939 he stated: â€Å"It is not just the Danzig that is at stake. For us it is a matter of expanding our living space in the East and making food supplies secure and also solving the problem of the Baltic States† (Noakes Pridham, 1988, p. 737). Thus the tactical importance of the Danzig and Poland was paramount to Hitler. Not least it represented preparation for a greater conquest; Russia. Furthermore, this principle of expansion into the East was not a new dream of Hitlers, being laid out quite clearly in Mein Kampf: â€Å"When we speak of new territory in Europe today we must primarily think of Russia. This colossal empire in the East is ripe for dissolution. And the end of Jewish domination in Russia will also be the end of Russia as a state † (Hitler, 1926, p. 557) As evidenced above, in 1926, Hitler was convinced that Russia should be Germanys primary goal in terms of land acquisition. Thirteen years later, he is intent on annexing the Danzig to expedite this goal. It is difficult to deny a certain clarity of vision here. Hitler still seems to be following his original wider plan of expansion, namely to reach a position where it becomes feasible to attack Russia. On 23 August 1939, the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact is signed, facilitating Hitlers invasion of Poland with help from the Soviets. This could be argued as an opportunistic Pact, simply expediting the attack on Poland, expanding German territory and presenting a stronger united enemy to the French and British, allowing Hitler to fight a stronger war in the West if need be. Conversely it could be argued that Hitlers conviction that Germany must expand into living space in the East remained. In this case the non-aggression pact with the Soviets and the subsequent invasion of Poland can be seen as opportunism with a further goal, the invasion of Russia itself. Since Hitler had maintained this attitude towards Russia since 1926 and reiterated it only months before signing the Molotov- Ribbentrop Pact, it would seem that, opportunistic or not, Hitler had signed the Pact with Russia ultimately to facilitate action against Russia herself. Operation Barbarossa further supports the view that action against Russia was always intended, with Hitler invading the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941. If anything it could be argued that a more opportunistic leader would have sought to maintain the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and concentrate on what was available in Western Europe, rather than risking a war on two fronts. However, Hitler was not only opportunistic but idealistic, seemingly determined to end â€Å"Jewish domination in Russia†. From a purely opportunistic point of view, starting a war with Russia would not seem the most prudent course of military action given the current conflict in the West, so one can only assume that Hitler did so due to anti-Semitic ideals and his ongoing belief that Russia should ultimately provide lebensraum. To summarise, it is difficult to label Hitler or his foreign policy as either purely planned or purely opportunistic. Taylor (1961) seems to do the latter at the expense of evidence to the contrary, yet equally it cannot be doubted that Hitler often took advantage of fortuitous situations such as the Austrian Crisis, whilst also creating his own, one example being the Pact of Steel. Ultimately it would seem that Hitler had several definite goals in mind as set out in Mein Kampf; to breach Versailles, to build military strength, to unite Germany and Austria, to invade Russia and ultimately to establish Germany as a world power. Whether or not these goals were intended to be accomplished step-by-step, a Stufenplan, or were simply tackled on a more ad-hoc basis, the key aims established in Mein Kampf do seem to persist in later German foreign policy and many of them were achieved. Rather than simply a planner or an opportunist, it would seem that Hitler was both; taking advantage of opportunity to bring him closer to his planned objectives. Henigs (1985) interpretation of Bullocks argument articulates this view extremely well, and it is with this that the discussion shall be drawn to close: â€Å"He combined consistency of aim with opportunism in method and tactic† (Henig, 1985, p. 39). Are Metropolis and 1984 Cautionary Tales? Are Metropolis and 1984 Cautionary Tales? Both Metropolis and 1984 can be viewed as cautionary tales. The concerns communicated within the texts directly align with the concerns of their respective authors and their contexts. Discuss this statement. Texts are fundamentally expressions of the composers contextual concerns, where differing perspectives upon similar issues provide insight into the values prevalent in the composers time. Fritz Langs expressionist film Metropolis (1927) and George Orwells dystopian satire novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984) (1949) are linked by their shared exploration of technological advances and social structures that restrict individual autonomy. Lang is optimistic about societal reform whereas Orwell completely rejects the possibility of a cohesive world, revealing the shift in context from Weimar optimism to post-war nihilism. Therefore, a thorough study of the conceptual connections between these texts ultimately allows us to attain an enhanced appreciation of their composers intertextual perspectives on universal concerns. Despite their differing contexts, both composers highlight the dehumanising nature of totalitarian regimes within society. Langs depiction of German expressionism in Metropolis displays the extensive disparities of class that occurs due to the existence of autocratic power. Set in a dystopian future world, Master Joh Fredersons complete control of the capitalistic Metropolis is exemplified through the juxtaposition of the underclass labourers in the Depths, a subterranean workers city while the aristocratic, wealthy industrialists high in the heavens rule over them tyrannically, symbolically representing the oppression of the inferior lower class. This notion parallels the social inequality in 1920s Germany where hyperinflation induced by the Weimar Republics poor economic management led to immense social disparity. Furthermore, the hedonistic behaviour of the upper class in the Golden 20s is epitomised in the privileged life of Freder, depicted by the extreme long shot of the Eterna l Gardens. In contrast, the mise-en-scene coupled with the slow, uninspiring body language of the workers during shift change illustrates the lack of individuality within the working class. Thus, Lang skilfully allows the audience to empathise with the workers by highlighting this perspective, allowing for insight into how totalitarian regimes necessitate conformity as shaped by the context. Orwell mirrors the ramifications of harsh political regimes on the individual and echoes the qualities of the prevalent communist ideology as he examines the psychological impacts of politically enforced conformity on the individual, emphasised by his personal experiences with fascism and his socialist agenda. The totalitarian rule of Oceania, governed by the omnipotent and omniscient Party employs the use of propaganda such as Big Brother and Newspeak to manipulate people, leading to a society in which the people unquestioningly obey their government and mindlessly accept propaganda as reality, similarly represented during Stalins arbitrary governance in Soviet Russia. The complete suppression of independent thought is described through anaphora in Thoughtcrime does not entail death: thoughtcrime IS death provides parallels to the contextual deprivation of freedom of speech as facilitated by Soviet governance. Orwell employs the protagonist, Winston Smith, to rebel against the Party s doctrine, paralleling the mass uprising in Metropolis, through his blow struck against the Party political act as his subversion culminates in a sexual relationship with Julia which challenges how the Party, and similar dictatorships in Orwells context, suppress human sexuality and relationships. However, Winstons attempt is rendered futile as the psychological and physical torture instigated by the Party in the novels poignant culmination results in Winston succumbing to the totalitarian rule when he states with an accepting tone of voice that He loved Big Brother. Talent Management and Acquisition: Human Resource Management Talent Management and Acquisition: Human Resource Management Before going into the discussion on Talent Management, it would be apt to understand the word Talent. Talent in general terms refers to the capabilities, skills or the art, a person possess in a particular field. It also refers to those people who have high potential, scarce knowledge and skill or who can successfully bring about transformation and change in the organization. Talent management refers to the process of developing and integrating new workers, developing and retaining current workers, and attracting highly skilled workers to work for a company. Coming to the word Talent Management in an Organisation, it refers to those special steps an organization adopts to recruit, develop and retain its pool of top talent. The steps adopted should normally be creative and should not project bureaucracy. Talent Management also denotes a deliberate approach taken up by an organization to attract, develop and retain people with the aptitude and abilities to meet not only the current requirements but also future organizational needs. In todays talent-hungry market scenario, one of the greatest challenges that organizations are facing is to successfully attract, assess, train and retain talented employees. Talent Management encompasses in itself the entire process of Planning, Recruiting, Developing, Managing, and Compensating employees throughout the organization. Organizations have realized the need for talent management and are now focusing to develop and retain the existing talent in their organization rather than trying to acquire a new talent because the cost of identifying, developing and retaining the talent internally is more cost effective instead of replacing the talent which is lost from external market. Though it may appear initially that in the process of retaining talent, we are spending more in terms of increased wages, rewards and recognition, when we practically analyse, the cost of acquiring a new talent is higher. Apart from higher cost of acquiring the new talent it has to additionally face the initial hiccups of this new employee getting along with the organizational goals and strategies. Every business unit is making sure that they can respond and withstand the challenges of talent crisis by developing an effective talent management strategy like identifying the key talented people in the organization, cultivating and developing the skill of their present workforce and retaining highly talented employees by protecting them from competitors. HISTORY OF TALENT MANAGEMENT The origins of Talent Management can be traced to the 1990s with the realization of the immense value of the Human Asset for organizational success surpassing every other resource. Today it is a very widely used terminology with Google returning about 26,300,000 results. Many companies commit the mistake of putting a herculean effort in attracting the best employees but fritter away this valuable resource by not making any effort to develop or retain them. Companies have initially thought of talent management as a means to solve high employee turnover. In course of time it has become part and parcel of the corporate strategy itself with a key responsibility placed on the line managers. One cannot wish away the fact that these managers have to play a pivotal role in nurturing the talents and skills of those reporting to them. In other words, it is a case of joint trusteeship between the line and staff functions. However, in Indian Companies, talent management is of fairly recent origi n. Talent Management Process Organizations are made up of people: people creating value through proven business processes, innovation, customer service, sales, and many other important activities. As an organization strives to meet its business goals, it must make sure that it has a continuous and integrated process for recruiting, training, managing, supporting, and compensating these people. The following chart shows the complete process: Creative ways to innovate Talent Acquisition There are seven creative ways to innovate Talent Acquisition which is mention here:- Talent Acquisition Strategy Outsource Internally: A clever way is to get someone else to do your job. Its a clever way of finding the right person for a position while adding to the insurance of a successful hire. Involve the hiring manager, the superiors, the subordinates this persons work will affect. Collect their ideas for increasing productivity, satisfaction and success. What skills are required? What personal traits will be helpful? What strengths are already on the team? Which might be missing? Translate this input into the skills and personality attributes that tell you exactly what to look for in a candidate. Market your openings in ways you may not have tried before, and build relationships to reach people youve never reached before. Set up an employment interest station in your lobby, at tradeshows, or conferences. Give your business cards to salespeople, or anyone who can evangelize employment, or who may come across colleagues, or even customers, interested in employment with your company. Think like a talent scout, and open your recruiting efforts up to extend beyond the familiar grounds for sourcing talent. Create a widespread referral network that works continuously. Recent hires, association colleagues, retirees and high performers who have left your company are all excellent points of reference. Consider putting up wanted posters, describing your ideal candidate, complete with a cash reward. The reward gets split among all referrers in a line that lead to a successful hire. There can also be other incentive referral programs, like points awarded for referrals, with redemption for prizes, travel, or paid vacation days. However its implemented, the key ingredient is people reaching out to other people. Really interact with people who show interest in joining your company. Job seekers, both active and passive, are a fountain of information about your business, your industry, your competition and your customers. If you develop the approach of treating your interested job seekers like you would treat prospective customers, this can become second nature. Forget about auto-responders on email, or generic postcards. These can actually confirm an applicants suspicion of being a number rather than a valued prospective employee. Create an easy, non-intimidating talent collector that makes it easy for people to explore your company, what its about, what its like to work for. The best place to do this is your company website, with its global reach, and endless possibilities for communication and relationship building around the clock. Move the Careers area to a prominent position on your site. Turn around your application process, reduce your workload and find the right people for open positions fast by having interested job seekers create a profile of themselves. You can collect more information specific to your companys hiring objectives, and also begin to turn the workload in your favour by not having to respond to each individual application. This way, you can build your talent pool exponentially to always have a ready source to search for current and coming position openings. REVIEW OF LITERATURE OF TALENT MANGEMENT AND TALENT ACQUISITION While study of talent management and talent acquisition. I have been read some articles; Review of literature some mentioning her Business Editors High Tech Writers,Dec4,1998 We are a marketing and communications company with Internet and interactive businesses at our core, said Werner Haase, co-chairman and chief executive officer of Exceed, Inc. Whether our clients are looking for ecommerce solutions, or communication strategy and execution for mergers, acquisitions, corporate branding, Web development, human resources or consulting services, weve got the talent to deliver. Ian Cunningham,2007 This paper explores ways in which organizations can take a systemic stance on talent management. The article is based on work done in a variety of organizations plus research in HR functions. The need is for a systemic approach to talent management. Just focusing on talent acquisition is misguided and unhelpful. The article has real practical implications for leaders/managers and learning and development professionals in setting up a functional strategy for talent management. The article will be of value to managers and learning specialists who are involved in talent management strategy. Business Finance Week, Atlanta, Feb 18, 2008 In the paper, McCoy says that in both good economies and in times of economic uncertainty, it is incumbent upon senior management and human resource (HR) leaders to be smart about the resources they hire and ensure their organizations workforce is structured for flexibility and maximum productivity. PR Newswire, New York, Mar 5, 2008 A January 15, 2008 Wall Street Journal article (Demand Rises for Talent Management Software) identifies one of many issues that shine a spotlight on the looming talent crisis: a labour shortage in industries across the board caused by the aging of the Baby Boomer generation and a decline in worker satisfaction. The Banker, London, Jul 2008 Outsourcing requires the same commitment to understanding organisational goals, due diligence and governance as a merger, acquisition, or strategic partnership. Before any outsourcing initiative is undertaken, there needs to be a clear vision of how the project enhances stakeholder value. Infosys finds that its most successful clients have a well-thought-out, long-term, strategic sourcing plan that focuses less on cost savings and more on leveraging global talent and industry expertise. This article discusses location strategy while considering global sourcing. Steven Land berg, Jan 2010 Positions on what can a corporate hiring executive learn from sports teams an approach to talent acquisition is answered. When pursuing talent acquisition, executives can observe some interesting analogies and learn some lessons from sports teams. First, talent selection and acquisition is recognized as one of the most critical aspects for success in a sports organization. Sports teams frequently acquire free agents that have moved amongst a number of teams with the understanding that many of those moves are not necessarily the choice of the player. Chris serres,Jan24,2010 Two years of brutal downsizing and consolidation on Wall Street, combined with the disappearance of such storied firms as Lehman Brothers and Bear Stearns, as well as a slew of regional investment banks, have given Piper the opportunity to play on a bigger stage, according to industry analysts. Piper declined to comment for this article, citing a company policy against discussing its financial performance or other material non-public information in advance of earnings. PR Newswire, New York, Apr 26, 2010 Media Link LLC has launched an Executive Search Practice and hired Christopher Nutile, one of the most respected professionals in the executive search and talent acquisition sector, to run it as Director of Executive Search, it was announced today by Media Link Chairman CEO Michael Kassan and President COO Wenda Harris Millard Business Wire, New York, Apr 28, 2010 In creating i-GRasp 3.0 we incorporated many of the features that customers said were vital to them in terms of increasing recruiter productivity, reducing operating and IT costs through enhancing self-configuration capabilities, and providing a great candidate experience as they step up recruitment activity in the face of economic recovery. Step Stone Solutions on-demand (SaaS) software and services enable organisations to implement efficient processes, including: attraction and hiring, post-hire talent management, performance management, compensation management, skills and competency management, career and succession planning, training and development management. Recent trends in talent management Attracting qualified talent is the critical first step in the talent management cycle. Jobs are plenty, finding the right candidate is the challenge. The need is to sell a job. Having sold the job well, retaining good employees is the next challenge that arises. And the companys brand image makes these tasks easier. Hence the marriage of compulsion arises between HR and marketing principles-employer branding. As we know that we get good customers with a good brand. In the same way companies must develop their image in the society by implementing the best practices in each and every aspect. Employer branding therefore helps a company attract, recruit, and retain employees that if wants and is becoming increasingly important in attracting and retaining star performers in a talent-tight market. Employer branding is not different from (branding a product or service and the payoff are identical. Some of them are product service branding customer acquisition is easier Increased retention possible Loyal customers Less price sensitive customers Employer branding Recruiting people is easier Reduced employee churn Committed employees Less CTC sensitive employees Selecting Talent An effective retention strategy begins at the earlier stages of the recruitment selection process. This is true because most of the employee turnover happens due to poor chemistry or bed fit. The research indicates that most of the people leave organizations due to the mistakes made during the hiring phase. For this reason some smart companies are adopting the strategy of hire for attitude train for skill. They have realized that it is easier to develop the skills capabilities that an employee needs than to attempt to change the employees personality or mind set. For instance, although Infosys receives about twice the number of application as its competitors it is very selective in recruiting employees. In the financial for 2004-2005, it received close to one million resumes which went through rigorous selection process and offers were made to about 1.5% of the applicants. Infosys looks at candidates who display a high degree of learnability. Indian company was selecting a senior marketing manager after the candidate had gone through several rounds of interviews. The company had identified the person they thought was the right one for the job and was on the verge of making an offer. Retaining Talent In present scenario people choose companies which have congenial atmosphere and prefer change if they dont get desirable, as it may hinder the growth and success of the company. Hence retention is vital than recruitment. The attrition rate of employees in organization is alarming. Take any industry, any sector, any organization and you can find more than enough examples of employees joining and leaving their workplace. All this adds to the worry of HR managers who are only left with the option of scratching their heads and singing no mercys all-time hit-where do you go? Thus it is an organizations ability not only to recruit, but also to cultivate and retain, talent that will ultimately determine its longevity. Two major trends point to the growing importance of employee retention as an important HR issue. Cost of Employee Turnover Turnover is important because it costs the organization money in direct expenses to recruit and train new hires and indirect expenses to pay overtime for remaining workers, when necessary, and in opportunity cost of lost production. With a 10 per cent turnover rate per year and on average individual pay level of $40,000 might be expected to spend between $ 4 million and $ 8 million per year on turnover-related costs. Talent management involves in 1. Recruiting- Does the firm have a formal recruitment processes to recruit internally or externally? 2. Career Management- Is there clarity in the career path for the employees? 3. Succession Planning- Are there clear-cut plans for who steps into which position at which time. This involves matching current potentials with future organizational demands. 4. Performance Management- This should be able to tell us how each staff performs in his/her present responsibilities. A very good performance Management should be able to unfold the following; those who need to be rewarded, those who need to be cautioned, those who need additional responsibilities, Staff training and development needs, Promotions, Demotions etc. 5. Reward Management- Talent Management will not succeed without a system that clearly defines performance results. Average, Superior and Outstanding performers in an organization should be rewarded differently otherwise outstanding performers for instance will not be motivated to work harder. Todays Top 10 Talent-Management Chalenges Attracting and retaining enough employees at all levels to meet the needs of organic and inorganic growth All three companies are facing a talent crunch. Essar, for example, has grown from 20 thousand employees to a staggering 60 thousand in the past 3 years. Fifty-five per cent of their employees have less than two years of tenure. Creating a value proposition that appeals to multiple generations With four generations in todays workplace, most companies are struggling to create an employee experience that appeals to individuals with diverse needs, preferences and assumptions. Developing a robust leadership pipeline I believe one of the biggest potential threats to many corporations is a lack of a robust talent pool from which to select future leaders. This is in part a numbers issue. Rounding out the capabilities of hires who lack the breadth of necessary for global leadership Its relatively straightforward to identify and assess experts in specific functional or technical arenas, but much more difficult to determine whether those individuals have the people skills, leadership capabilities, business breadth, and global diversity sensibilities required for the nature of leadership today. Transferring key knowledge and relationships The looming retirement of a significant portion of the workforce challenges all companies, but particularly those who are dependent on the strength of tacit knowledge, such as that embedded in customer relationships, a key to Mercers business success. Stemming the exodus of Gen Xers from corporate life A big threat in many firms today is the exodus of mid-career talent-people in whom the organization has invested heavily and in whom it has pinned its hopes for future leadership. Redesigning talent management practices to attract and retain Gen Ys The challenge of calibrating talent management practices and programs to attract and engage our young entrants is critically important to all firms. Creating a workplace that is open to Boomers in their second careers. Age prejudice still exists, but smart companies are looking for ways to incorporate the talents of Boomers and even older workers in the workforce. In many cases, this requires rethinking roles and work relationships. Overcoming a norm of short tenure and frequent movement Some industries, such as specialty retail, are known for having a very disposable view of talent. Companies intent on changing that norm, such as The Gap, must address both external influences in the marketplace and an internal mind set. Enlisting executives who dont appreciate the challenge Many talent executives complain that business leaders still believe that people are lined up outside the door because of the power of the companys brand. The challenge of enlisting the support of all executives for the transition from a talent culture that has traditionally operated with a buy strategy to one that places more emphasis on build is widely shared. CRITICAL APPRAISAL Firstly I want to discuss about Critical appraisal. It is the process of carefully and systematically examining research to judge its trustworthiness, and its value and relevance in a particular context. When I study some the articles of talent management and talent acquisition then I find something which is helpful in company to solve the problem related to talent management and talent actuation issue. 1. Costs The costs of having to replace someone with scarce skills are considerable. Firstly, the Recruitment costs are substantial. Qualified staffs, especially Blacks and Women, are not freely available in the market place. This means that agencies or search consultants are required to find such talent and they are expensive. Further costs are incurred during the first 3 6 months of employment during which new staff are seldom fully functional 2. Risk Despite every attempt to follow effective selection practices, there is always a risk that new staff will not perform as expected. It is often said that while organisations select people on their competence and experience, they fire or lose them due to lack of cultural fit. A highly competent professional who is unable to fit the organisational culture is unlikely to be effective or remain for long. This is particularly true in respect of HDIs entering a firm which has been historically white and or male dominated. Client Service and Opportunity Costs In a service organisation service excellence relies largely on personal relationships. It demands that clients feel confident in the people providing the service and that service providers have a memory of client needs and issues. If that relationship is broken as a result of key talent leaving the organisation, the capacity of the firm to provide sustainable service is severely compromised. This has the potential to compromise future business with the associated opportunity costs Lack of Capacity Lack of people with suitable skills and talent is a key restraint in terms of service capacity. This manifests itself at 2 levels. Firstly, firms soon reach a state of overload. Deadlines are missed, standards and quality of work drop and a vicious cycle emerges and feeds on itself. This is a very common phenomenon with small and medium sized professional firms. They do not have the capacity to manage their growth or the peaks and valleys associated with the modern business world. Secondly, the firm is so consumed with meeting operational deadlines that it loses its ability to keep up to date with latest best practice, legislation or other issues demanding new skills. In this case clients will soon recognise that mistakes are made due to lack of currency of skills. These are some of the more visible risks to firms who do not pay attention to the attraction, growth and retention of key talent. Beyond the visible, other manifestations of the problem arise. Staff morale declines because leadership talent is absent and this energy drop is transferred to the client. Internal politics and protection of territory or unwillingness to share information and surface problems affect the functioning of the firm. All of these things affect the ability of the organisation to offer great service and take advantage of opportunities to grow Conclusion When I study then I decided that the attraction, growth and retention of talent are a key success factor for modern service based knowledge organisations. To be known as an employer of choice is considered a key organisational goal with direct benefits. Whether is a small accounting firm or a large consulting organisation there are certain processes that need to be applied for effective talent management. However, research has shown consistently that the most important factor that influences a persons decision to stay or leave an organisation is the relationship with their boss. Other key factors are opportunities for personal growth and career development, the culture of the organisation in terms of facilitating innovation and the nature of the work itself South African organisations, large or small, have an obligation to the country and to themselves to grow the professional skills required for economic growth and competitive advantage.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, the author, James Thurber, contrasts E

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, the author, James Thurber, contrasts that real life of the character, Walter Mitty, to the fantasy world he has created. Mr. Dykes ========= In the story, "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," the author, James Thurber, contrasts that real life of the character, Walter Mitty, to the fantasy world he has created. Walter Mitty, unhappy with his everyday life and his nit-picking wife, fades in and out of reality. To escape reality, he envisions himself as a brave, strong hero who is admired by others. His fantasies allow him to escape the boring life he lives. Sparked by events in his real life, his fantasies take him to World War II as a pilot who saves his crew from a severe storm to being a world famous surgeon. The more his wife nags, the more he becomes a victim in his fantasies. He even dreams of being on trial for murder and standing in front of a firing squad, and Walter still stands tall and proud (Thurber). I identify with the character of Walter Mitty very much. I find myself daydreaming all the time. Mitty feels like he...

Organisational Theory Essay

â€Å"Power, conflict and resistance key determinants of organisational life. † -Modern, symbolic-interpretive, post-modern and critical theory perspectives have different ways of understanding power, control and resistance in organisations. Choose two of the four theoretical perspectives and discuss how each perspective’s understanding of power, control and resistance in organisations contributes to different ideas about the nature of organisations. Introduction: The purpose of this essay is to analysis the two theoretical perspectives of Modern and Post-modern which have different ways of understanding power, control and resistance in organisations. We shall go through by the philosophical choices of ontology and epistemology, then examine the assumptions underlying of these two perspectives, and to compare from different perspectives and of distinctive contributions to the power, conflict and resistance which are key determinants of organisational life. Ranson et al. (1980), stated that â€Å"Organizational structure†¦ describes both the prescribed frameworks and realized configurations of interaction, and the degrees to which they are mutually constituted and constituting. Modernism: As to Hatch and Cunliffe (2006), Modernist focus on Objectivism which is belief in objective, external reality that independently exist from our knowledge on ontology philosophical saying. Martin Parker (2008) stated that on epistemology way, Modernism elevates the ‘faith in reason to a level at which it becomes equated with progress. † Clegg and Kornberger (2003) explained that Modernism does go through adherence to the canons of positivism – which discovering the Truth by using reliable measurement and valid concepts to examine knowledge against an objective world. Hatch and Cunliffe (2006) that Modernist organisation theorists believe that complete knowledge means understanding how and why organizations function the way they do and how their functioning is influenced by different environmental conditions. Modernist is emphasis on looking for universal laws and methods to solve problems, and by using standardized procedures and routine practices to control the organisation. Hatch and Cunliffe (2006) further elabourated

Road Safety Intersections Essay - 1016 Words

Introduction In modern days, society is entrusted with the responsibility of using one of the most accessible pieces of potentially dangerous pieces of machinery. With the rates of injuries and fatalities caused by vehicles continuously increasing, it has become the role of engineers to evaluate and improve the measures taken to prevent further damage. One major aspect of road safety is intersections, where the possibility of collisions is very high. 20% of all accidents occur within 100m intersections (K.W Ogden, 2001). The intersection that will be discussed in this report is the Broadwater Rd and Newnham Rd intersection at Wishart. This intersection is subjected to steep inclines and in some cases sight distance was largely hindered,†¦show more content†¦Madden, 2007). It will be assumed in further discussion that friction is the only resistance force acting on vehicles to allow negative acceleration. Also, other resistance forces such as air resistance will be neglected. The process of braking begins with applying force to the brake pedal, eventuating to brake pads in the front wheels generating friction with the rotor and brake shoes in the rear wheels generating friction with the drum (How Car Brake Works, 2012). As friction opposes motion, the spinning components are brought to rest by converting kinetic energy to heat energy. The pressure with which the brake pads and shoes act, dictate whether the vehicle negatively accelerates due to static or sliding friction. When different sections of the wheel are in contact with the road, it is regarded as static friction (Logbook pg2). Conversely, if only one section of the wheel is in contact with the road, it is regarded as sliding friction. The coefficient of friction increase with the resistance of the surfaces to move past each other, thus; the coefficient of sliding friction is less than that of static friction (Townsend, 2002). This drop in the friction acting against the motion of the vehicle locks its brake s, making it very difficult for the driver to control the vehicle. Therefore, to prevent this from happening, the anti-locking brake system is a standard safety feature in most vehicles (Royal Automobile Club ofShow MoreRelatedShared Space : Vulnerable Users1041 Words   |  5 Pagesconverted from driving on the left side of the road to the right, this was followed by a reduced traffic fatality rate for eighteen months after which the fatality figures returned to their original value, as before the change. He suggested that drivers perceived the change as dangerous and greater risk therefore reducing speed and taking care, only to revert to previous habits as they become accustomed to the new regime. Department for Transport found where road signage was simplified thus, introducingRead More Traffic Monitoring Camera Systems Essay3891 Words   |  16 PagesAbstract With the significant increase of traffic monitoring camera systems, the debate on their safety, effectiveness and Constitutionality has increased. 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A place where there is a smooth flow of traffic at an intersection as vehicles enter and leave without tons of traffic during busy hours of the day. Traffic lights are meant to control the flow of traffic and decrease the chance of accidents between vehicles and pedestrians on the road. They are most useful at four-way intersections. When the light is green, people go or keep goingRead MoreAnalysis Of Toward Zero Deaths1294 Words   |  6 Pagesdiscusses how this research will expand on the Minnesota’s Office of Traffic Safety and partners implemented a program named Toward Zero Deaths. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) and the Office of Transportation (OTS) conversed on working together on Toward Zero Deaths in 2001. For the most part, both agencies shared the same vision to decrease the number of deaths and severe injuries traveling on the roads of Minnesota. 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As a resident of Tomball and a driver on the roads, I have noticed that the feeder road at the intersection of S.H. 249 and F.M. 2920 located next to Lowe’s and Chase Bank has caused big issues for drivers. Ever since S.H. 249 became a toll road, many Tomball residents have avoided paying high fees

How Audio Players Changed Our Lives - 1250 Words

How Audio Players changed our lives The phonautograph was the first device capable of recording sound signals accorded to The Routledge Guide to Music Technology. Martinville s device could not reproduce sound signals though.Thomas Edison invented the tinfoil cylinder phonograph, which made the first recording of the human voice.By 1878, Thomas Edison had launched his Edison Speaking Phonography Company to produce recording and playback machines, which were intended as dictation machines for business purposes.A guy by the name of Emile Berliner adapter Martinville idea into a disc music player he called the gramophone.In 1896, Eldridge Johnson is the first to use the spring motor record player in a hand-cranked motorized†¦show more content†¦It ran on 5 flashlight batteries and weighed in at over 3 pounds (fully loaded). Later, Mercury Records would release a selection of music on Philips cassettes for about $6 a piece. Cassette and 8-track tapes would dominate the portable music world for the next 20 years.Ba ck in the 1970’s and 1980’s Sony was the king of miniaturization,and in 1979, they released the first truly self-contained portable music system, the TPS-L2 Walkman cassette player. The Walkman’s real innovation was its size, measuring only slightly larger than a cassette tape itself. Featuring a pair of portable, lightweight headphones and operating on AA batteries, it ushered in a new era of portability. The original Walkman retailed for 33,000 Japanese Yen, which would be around $274 US dollars today. The Walkman went on to sell millions of units and spawned numerous variations and imitators for many years after its initial release.As you can tell each year the nation comes up with some different technology. Old turntables v.s. New turntables The fact of the matter is that old turntables are almost certainly sonically better than new ones for the price. There are of course exceptions, with turntables with cult followings fetching outrageous prices on eBay. Old turntables will generally be much cheaper than new ones, and can go as low asShow MoreRelatedEssay on Is Music Downloading A Good Idea?1013 Words   |  5 Pagesbe unrestricted. Through the Internet, people can find many materials and download them as references or for general interest, and some of these files are cheap or even free. Therefore, music downloading has become a popular way for people to get audio files. As downloading becomes a prevailing way to share information, the government decides to develop copyright laws to limit people. It can protect a creator’s rights and prevent other people from stealing original products. According to WicknickRead MoreInart1557 Words   |  7 Pagesthat it plays in our lives. The advent of the technological era in the 1990’s has created a global marketplace where individuals have access to all different kinds of audio files at any time. 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Project Management on RALS Rostering Project Globex B T and Sons

Question: Discuss about theProject Management on RALS Rostering Project forGlobex B T and Sons. Answer: Introduction Prior to the establishment of the Globex B T and Sons started the Annual Riverina Agricultural and Lifestyle show in the year of 2000. The entire set up of the show was dependent on the volunteers of the show, this was making the entire system less effective and the popularity of the show was getting diminished. The show presented the local products of the farmers, various life styles of the local business holders as well as promotes the agricultural equipments in front of their concerned customers and audiences. The volunteers of the show maintain the entire management system of the show: sales of the ticket, cleanliness of the platform of performance, information collection, collection of sponsors etc. This report is proposing a Rostering project for RALS in order to resolve the problems raised due to the dependency on the volunteers within RALS. This rostering system was able to manage all the specific tasks that were performed by a group of volunteer within RALS. Selling of tickets, arrangement of the sponsors, managing individual events can be easily managed by the RALS. This project needs a structured plan with a proper scope related to it. All technological resources and equipments required for this project are being elaborate in this project. In addition to this risk assessment is also being discussed with a proper risk resolving technique. MOV (Measurable Organizational Value) of the Development Project The specific aim of this project is to provide a Rostering system to RALS for avoiding the dependency on the volunteers. This aspect involves so many measurable organizational values within this project. These measurable organizational values are customer, Financial details, Operational Performance, Social aspect and strategies applied in this project. in addition to this the stakeholder also add great value to this project as the measurable organizational value. Following tables elaborates the details of these MOVs in RALS. The MOV process within RALS involves the following steps to be followed: Steps Detailed Process Step 1 Recognition of the areas that provides more impact in the project Step 2 Analysis of the expenditure Step 3 Proper metric development for Rostering system Step 4 Estimation of the time schedule Step 5 Authentication of the agreements by involvement of the stakeholders Step 6 Evaluation of the valuable core areas of the project According to the above mentioned process RALS has to consider several impactful areas that will be beneficial for their rostering system. Areas to be focused Impact of the focused areas Rating of focused areas Time required Metrics Visitor Visitors are the main part of the show and they will be served well by the volunteers according to their demands 1 3 months Visitors are the core attribute of the show, therefore proper training of the volunteer will results into the availability of the visitors Strategies Strategic plan involved in the rostering system allows the management system of RALS to capture more revenues from the market 2 4 months Strategic plan will help to develop the efficiency of the RALS by 14% Operations Operations should be developed in order to maintain the development of RALS. 3 2months This aspect leads to the time saving and cost effectiveness of the system Social The communication between the clients and authority of RALS create a good social structure of the system. 4 5 months Reduce the inefficient nature of the manual system while considering the delivery of the service Financial Impact People with right skills will increase the cost saving. 5 7 months Development of the system will reduce extra expense by 40% Values Delivered by the Proposed System Value delivered by the system is considered by evaluating the impact of the stakeholders with respect to the ranking of the measureable organizational values. Measurable Organizational Value of the stakeholders can be elaborated with the help of the stakeholder matrix. In addition to this ranking of the valuable areas of the system can be described by focusing on the impacts of these valuable areas. Stakeholder Matrix Stakeholders Interest Domain of Interest Higher Management Team of Globex This team is always active to deliver the efficient and proper service to the clients of RALS Superior system, cost estimation Management authority of RALS Risk management and providing efficient service to the clients Cost effectiveness and superior system Volunteers of RALS Provide guidance to the clients and manages all events Improvement in service and fast service Employees of RALS Maintenance of the platform of RALS and keeps the efficiency high of RALS. Fast service and superior performance Ranking of Impacts of Valuable Areas Valuable areas Rating according to measurable organizational value Visitors Superior, Cheaper , faster service should be provided Financial Superior and cost effective features should be adopted Operational Superior, faster and improvement should be there in operational aspect Social Superior and improvement should be followed by RALS Strategy Improvement should be there in strategic thinking Scope Management for the Project The scope of the project is to capture the information from the volunteers and improvise the system management of RALS. Security of this information should be a matter of concern. All the information shared between the management and clients of RALS should be kept private. In addition to this all the manual transaction and other detailed information system should be replaced by cloud base or any kind of web based applications in order to resolve the inefficient nature of the conventional system. Interfaces should be there in between the management and clients in order to avoid conflicts. The entire system must be designed in the manner that the all the requirements from the clients can be resolved. Technological development requires the configured devices in the project. System documentation and training are two other important scope of this project that will provide the effective feature to the project. Technology to be Used in Developing the System Rostering system proposed for RALS is on web based or more specifically a cloud based system. Therefore any kind of cloud or web based system requires proper software and hardware set up to be present within the project in order to have a structured way of managing the project. Generally, for the project management purpose there are several specific technologies available, these technologies are UML project, Database tools for arranging the project elements in a integrative way and innovative programming languages. All of these above-mentioned technological tools should be present in the project in order to have accurate results. In addition to this, Grant chart, Pert charts are another important aspects that are helpful in developing the project. Networking devices are also helpful while considering the improvised system set up of the system. Roles and responsibilities of the developers in this project are explained as follows: Roles of the Developers Responsibilities of the Developers Project Manager The duty or responsibility of the project manager is to maintain the entire project in a structured way and obtained desired results with the help of the strategic planning for a rostering system. Project Sponsor Sponsors of the project are responsible for generating and collecting funds for the development of the project. Project Scheduler Project scheduler is one of the most important parts of any project. They generate the entire plan for the project in order to have the structured performance. Risk Manager Risk manager play the role of identifying the risk factors involved in the project and finds the mitigating process concerned with that particular risk. Designer Designers arrange all the tasks in a scheduled way so that the arrangement of the task will attract the customers and will result into a high quality of performance. Analyst The duty of the analyst is to collect the available resources in the project while considering the project resources. They arrange the resources according to the raised demands of the project. Business Consultant The core responsibility of the business consultant is to provide advice to the management authority of RALS in order to resolve the functional disorder within RALS as well as to find mitigating techniques of the Concerned risk factors. Financial Manager Financial manager of the concerned RALS arranges all the detailed information about the expenses involved within the project and also try to reduce the extra expenses involved within the project. Training to the End Users Rostering system is one automated and web based application. This aspect introduces the fact that users of this system as well as the operating heads of this system needs proper and effective training in order to have clear point of view about the system base and structure. Web based applications involves so many networking, technical elements within the project. The functionality of each element should be clear to the each member of RALS. The entire system should not involve more than 30 user as this will introduce more queries from each users and will increase the time span of the processing. Clients will get delayed results due to this structure. Therefore, less number of members in the group will result into effective training process. Project Schedule and WBS for Developing the Rostering System Schedules for the Development Task Name Duration Start Finish Predecessors Resource Names Rostering Systemm for RALS 445 days Fri 9/23/16 Thu 6/7/18 Determination of Specification 52 days Fri 9/23/16 Mon 12/5/16 Feasibility Study of the Conventional System 20 days Fri 9/23/16 Thu 10/20/16 Project manager,Requirement analyst,Developer,Risk manager Business Requirements Identification 15 days Fri 10/21/16 Thu 11/10/16 2 Requirement analyst,Executive sponsor SRS Documentation 9 days Fri 11/11/16 Wed 11/23/16 2,3 Project manager,Requirement analyst,Developer,Risk manager Arrangement of Meeting with Visitors and Members 8 days Thu 11/24/16 Mon 12/5/16 4 Project manager,Developer Development and Selection Team 78 days Tue 12/6/16 Thu 3/23/17 Vendor Selection for Development 30 days Tue 12/6/16 Mon 1/16/17 5 Accountant,Project manager,Executive sponsor,Requirement analyst,Risk manager Analysis of the Development History of the Vendors 20 days Tue 1/17/17 Mon 2/13/17 5,7 Executive sponsor,Requirement analyst,Risk manager Development Task Scheduling 8 days Tue 2/14/17 Thu 2/23/17 8 Developer,Project manager,System analyst Budget Plan for Development 20 days Fri 2/24/17 Thu 3/23/17 7,9 Accountant,Executive sponsor,Project manager,Requirement analyst,Risk manager Phase of the Design 195 days Fri 9/23/16 Thu 6/22/17 Improvement of Voluteer Management Module 50 days Fri 3/24/17 Thu 6/1/17 10 Developer,Project manager,Executive sponsor,Requirement analyst,Risk manager Developing the First Prototype 30 days Fri 3/24/17 Thu 5/4/17 9,10 Developer,System analyst Improving the Installation of the New System 20 days Fri 9/23/16 Thu 10/20/16 Developer,Project manager,Risk manager,System analyst Setermination of the System Requirements 15 days Fri 6/2/17 Thu 6/22/17 12,14 Project manager,System analyst,Developer,Requirement analyst Milestone: Design Stage Completion 0 days Fri 9/23/16 Fri 9/23/16 Implementation Phase of the System at Organizational Level 250 days Fri 6/23/17 Thu 6/7/18 Business Objectives Implementation 30 days Fri 6/23/17 Thu 8/3/17 15 Developer,Requirement analyst,Executive sponsor,Risk manager Requirements for the First Built of the System 20 days Fri 8/4/17 Thu 8/31/17 14,18 Developer,Project manager,Executive sponsor,Requirement analyst,Risk manager Acquisition of the Hardware and Sooftware set ups 200 days Fri 9/1/17 Thu 6/7/18 19,12 Accountant,Project manager,System analyst,Developer,Executive sponsor Testing Stage 39 days Fri 9/1/17 Wed 10/25/17 Detemination of the Test Plan for the Test Cases 8 days Fri 9/1/17 Tue 9/12/17 19 Tester,Developer,System analyst Testing of the Prototype 20 days Wed 9/13/17 Tue 10/10/17 22 Developer,Tester,Executive sponsor,Requirement analyst Analysis of the Data Collected 7 days Wed 10/11/17 Thu 10/19/17 18,23 Executive sponsor,Project manager,Requirement analyst,Risk manager Result Presentation of the Management of RALS 4 days Fri 10/20/17 Wed 10/25/17 22,24 Project manager,Developer,Executive sponsor Milestone: Accepting the Test Results by Clients 0 days Fri 9/23/16 Fri 9/23/16 Risk Management Phase 33 days Thu 10/26/17 Mon 12/11/17 Identification of the Risks in Rostering System 20 days Thu 10/26/17 Wed 11/22/17 25 Project manager,Risk manager,Developer,Executive sponsor Impact Analysis of the Risks 5 days Thu 11/23/17 Wed 11/29/17 24,28 Risk manager,Project manager,Requirement analyst Mitigation Policies of the Risks 9 days Thu 11/23/17 Tue 12/5/17 28 Project manager,System analyst,Risk manager Registration of the Impacts of the Risks 8 days Thu 11/30/17 Mon 12/11/17 29 Project manager,Risk manager,Executive sponsor,Requirement analyst Milestone: Accepetance of risk Document Prsented by Client 0 days Fri 9/23/16 Fri 9/23/16 Closure of the project 29 days Tue 12/12/17 Fri 1/19/18 Evaluation of the functionality of the rostering system 9 days Tue 12/12/17 Fri 12/22/17 31 Executive sponsor,Project manager,Requirement analyst,Risk manager Rolling Out of the Final Product 20 days Mon 12/25/17 Fri 1/19/18 31,34 Project manager,Requirement analyst,Risk manager WBS for the Project Figure 1: Work Break Down Structure (Source: Created by author) Risk Assessment Plan for the Development Project Risk assessment is a crucial aspect involved within a project. There are several aspects that create malfunctioning disorders and hamper the growth of the project. This aspect involves disruptions within the project. Therefore, in order to resolve these risk factors it is important to identify the risks and their associated mitigation techniques. Risk Rating and Identification of the Risks Indentified risk factors Members involved in the risks Details Measure of Risks Likelihood (L) 1,2,3 Severity (S) 1,2,3 Ranking (L*S) Technological Risks Project Head There are some kind of technical failures that leads to network issues and other system errors 2 2 4 Economic Risks Financial Manager There are some extra expenses involved within the system that introduces several financial crises within the project. 3 2 6 Lack of Resources Project Manager A project requires a list of resources that becomes mandatory to the system set up. If these are not present within the project it blocks the growth of the project. 3 2 6 Loss of Manpower Project Manager Lack of work force reduces the effectiveness of the project. 2 3 6 Risk in Privacy Project Manger The data shared between the volunteer and authority should have to be secured enough in order to have an effective result from the project. 2 2 4 Risk Mitigation Identified Risks Mitigation techniques of the Risks Technological Risks Accurate monitoring system of the servers and other technical tools can easily resolve the risks associated with that. At a regular interval of time proper maintenance system can resolve these issues. Economic Risks Some financial back should always be there for adjusting the emergency economic disasters. Lack of Resources Identification of the elements not present in the project can mitigate the problems related to lack of resources. Loss of Manpower Work force support should always be present in the project management team as it will support the entire system at the time of crisis. Risk in Privacy Private data collected from the communication measures between the authority, clients and volunteers can be kept private by using proper technological tools. Quality Management Plan Project Name: Project Manager Name: Type Reason Time Taken Owner Method Status Approval expense One single source should be there for managing all the expenses related to the project. Otherwise there will be misuse of money. 1 months Financial manager Expense involve in the management Open Documentation of project Regular documentation of the project should be there within the project management. 2 months Project manager Project growth monitoring Closed Work Break Down Structure (WBS) WBS identifies the individual task to be done and responsible heads for those. 5 months Project manager Inspirational guidance to the project development team Open Project Planning According to the demands of the project as well as clients, the plan of project should be scheduled. 3 months Project manager Project monitoring Closed Plan associated with risk Risks must be identified at the first stage of the risk assessment and then those must be mitigated. 2 months Risk manager, project manager Review of the project details Open Measureable Organizational Values The impacts of the stakeholders are identified with respect to these characteristics. 1 month Project manager Observation Closed Training Materials Training materials identifies the specified details about the training. 3 months Project manager Presentations and journals open Conclusion This can be concluded that RALS is developing a project that will help the show for implementing a new rostering system within the system. RALS want to implement a new rostering system that will reduce the dependency on the volunteers. This will make the entire system automated with respect to the conventional rostering system. This system implementation requires the set of project planning with respect to the scope and risk associated measures for the entire system. This report has explained all the scopes and objectives of this project. In addition to this, risk factors associated with this project are elaborated with the resolution techniques of those risks. These risks have involved some responsible individuals. The roles of these individuals are also explained in this report. The WBS structure is explaining the details task structure of the project. Bibliography Ahlemann, F., El Arbi, F., Kaiser, M. G., Heck, A. (2013). A process framework for theoretically grounded prescriptive research in the project management field.International Journal of Project Management,31(1), 43-56. Besner, C., Hobbs, B. (2013). Contextualized project management practice: A cluster analysis of practices and best practices.Project Management Journal,44(1), 17-34. Canils, M. C., Bakens, R. J. (2012). The effects of Project Management Information Systems on decision making in a multi project environment.International Journal of Project Management,30(2), 162-175. Dez Rodrguez, J. J., Oliver, C., Vicente, L., Ahumada Cervantes, B. (2015). Addressing strategic environmental assessment of Mexico's transition towards renewable energy. InAEIPRO 2015: International Congress on Project Engineering(pp. 1121-1132). Garel, G. (2013). A history of project management models: From pre-models to the standard models.International Journal of Project Management,31(5), 663-669. Hornstein, H. A. (2015). The integration of project management and organizational change management is now a necessity.International Journal of Project Management,33(2), 291-298. Joslin, R., Mller, R. (2015). Relationships between a project management methodology and project success in different project governance contexts.International Journal of Project Management,33(6), 1377-1392. Marcelino-Sdaba, S., Prez-Ezcurdia, A., Lazcano, A. M. E., Villanueva, P. (2014). Project risk management methodology for small firms.International Journal of Project Management,32(2), 327-340. Mller, R., Glckler, J., Aubry, M. (2013). A relational typology of project management offices.Project Management Journal,44(1), 59-76. Mller, R., Glckler, J., Aubry, M., Shao, J. (2013). Project management knowledge flows in networks of project managers and project management offices: A case study in the pharmaceutical industry.Project Management Journal,44(2), 4-19. Pitsis, T. S., Sankaran, S., Gudergan, S., Clegg, S. R. (2014). Governing projects under complexity: theory and practice in project management.International Journal of Project Management,32(8), 1285-1290. Rees-Caldwell, K., Pinnington, A. H. (2013). National culture differences in project management: Comparing British and Arab project managers' perceptions of different planning areas.International Journal of Project Management,31(2), 212-227. Serra, C. E. M., Kunc, M. (2015). Benefits Realisation Management and its influence on project success and on the execution of business strategies.International Journal of Project Management,33(1), 53-66. Svejvig, P., Andersen, P. (2015). Rethinking project management: A structured literature review with a critical look at the brave new world.International Journal of Project Management,33(2), 278-290. Teller, J., Kock, A. (2013). An empirical investigation on how portfolio risk management influences project portfolio success.International Journal of Project Management,31(6), 817-829. Teller, J., Unger, B. N., Kock, A., Gemnden, H. G. (2012). Formalization of project portfolio management: The moderating role of project portfolio complexity.International Journal of Project Management,30(5), 596-607.

Strange Meeting by Wilfred Owen Essay Example

Strange Meeting by Wilfred Owen Paper At the time he wrote this poem, Wilfred Owen had lost hope for the war generation: civilians could not understand, soldiers could not explain. All a war poet could do was warn children, they might find consolation later that a true voice had managed to speak. His poems might prove that there is something indestructible in this human spirit. That would only be consolation if future generations acted on his warning and loved their fellow men. Owen felt he failed as a poet. From your reading of Strange Meeting, what do you think? In the poem Strange Meeting, Wilfred Owen believes he has failed as a poet. I think that he would be trying to warn future generations and also tell the truth about the war to civilians. His aim was to make civilians realise what war was really like and for the war to end. Wilfred Owen has a negative attitude towards war in general, and this negativity shows constantly throughout his poem Strange Meeting. One of the main ideas of the poem is the pity of war and this shows Owens belief that war creates more problems that it solves. I mean the truth untold, the pity of war, the pity war distilled. We will write a custom essay sample on Strange Meeting by Wilfred Owen specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Strange Meeting by Wilfred Owen specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Strange Meeting by Wilfred Owen specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Wilfred Owen is telling us here that the soldiers cannot explain what war was like and that the real truth was not being told, as it should be. The truth is the pity of war and Wilfred Owen is trying to tell this message in his poem, because as a poet he believes that it is his duty to tell everyone how terrible war is. Owen is hoping that war will make people show pity and think about what war actually achieves for mankind. Wilfred Owen shows us that war does not move the human race on, but takes it backwards. He believes that war is not suitable in todays society. Much blood had clogged their chariot-wheels I this quotation, Owen is explaining that war (the blood) is halting humanity (chariot-wheels) from progressing. He believes war is what people did a long time ago when they had a disagreement, and it has no place in modern society. When humanity is evolving and moving the human race. On one step, war is taking us back two steps. He would rather leader talk about their disagreements instead of fighting with each other at any opportunity they get. Wilfred Owen shows us that through knowledge we can learn to avoid war, and if everyone knows about the reality of war, it can be a thing of the past. Courage was mine and I had mystery, wisdom was mine and I had mastery; to miss the march of this retreating world. In the war, soldiers have the courage, and they follow their orders to their extent. But Wilfred Owen has the wisdom to step back from the war and he still has his life intact, but those who have had the courage to be fully involved with war will have lost their lives. Wilfred Owen has almost lost all hope of warning civilians and he thinks that he is fighting a losing battle. He has lost all hope of helping others because he does not think that they can understand. Here is no cause to mourn The deaths and the suffering that Wilfred Owen saw in the war have left him without hope, because it goes against everything he believes in. From the first three lines of the poem we learn a lot about Wilfred Owen. We learn that he seems to be in a dream or nightmare because he uses the phrase it seemed. He uses the metaphor: Down some profound dull tunnel The dull tunnel is portraying Owens state of mind, a trench he is travelling down, and is also a reference to him entering hell. Wilfred Owen is travelling into his hell: war. The tunnel is great in intensity (profound) and is travelling into something which titanic wars had groined. Owens idea of hell is something war had shaped: a trench cut out into the earth during war by a bomb. The soldiers will be forced to be satisfied with the destruction they have caused or they will walk away sad from the war because of the lives that they have killed. Now men will go content with what we spoiled. Or, discontent, boil bloody, and be spilled. The soldiers may be happy with what happened, or be dissatisfied, as Wilfred Owen was, at the fact that there will be more wars, suffering and bloodshed in the future. Owen wants to do something about it now, and stop war altogether because they are killing innocent people and destroying the earth that they live on. Wilfred Owen was in his own vision of hell. His vision of hell was one of pain and suffering and hopelessness. He was living in hell. By his dead smile I knew I stood in Hell. With a thousand pains that visions face was grained. Here, Wilfred Owen is warning people of the pity of war and that war is the same as hell. Hell was a place where pain was multiplied a thousand times on one face. Wilfred Owen is willing to die, but not at war, because he does not believe that a life deserves to be lost at war. He thinks that war is not worth going through, because the bad points outweigh the good points. I have poured my spirit without stint but not through the cess of war. Enemies are made at war, even though there is no logical reason that they should be enemies. I am the enemy you killed, my friend Wilfred Owen is contradictive because he calls him an enemy and friend. He loves his enemy as he loves himself. These people are enemies because they are on different sides, but they have no reason for fighting. If they were not at war with each other, they would be friends. Wilfred Owens goal as a poet was to tell people about the war and warn them. Some of the real truths about the war were almost too terrible for civilians to understand. I would go up and wash them from sweet wells, even the truths that lie too deep for taint. There are truths that are hidden and are so deeply covered that they escape decay or change. Wilfred Owen wants to uncover these truths that people are trying to hide, and tell everybody so that he can help bring an end to war and suffering. He is trying to help civilians understand the evil of war, because he believes that those who embrace war will go to hell. In hell there is suffering and you can have no feelings or emotions. I went hunting after the wildest beauty in the world, which lies not calm in eyes, or braided hair, but mocks the steady running of the hour, and if it grieves, grieves richlier than here. This is not conventional beauty, this is a beauty that transcends time and is not beauty that human beings can possess. In conclusion, I do not think that Wilfred Owen has failed as a poet because I think that he has been successful in warning people about the pity of war. He has warned civilians about the evil that is in war. Wilfred Owen, in his poem Strange Meeting has tried to teach people, but he may not have been successful in his own battle, to stop war and suffering altogether. In his own eyes, Wilfred Owen may have not been a successful poet because there are still wars going on nowadays and therefore has failed. However, I believe that he told the real truths about war like a war poet was meant to, and has tried to teach people to love each other instead of fight.