Identity in E.L. Doctorows Ragtime Essay example

Identity in E.L. Doctorows Ragtime Written almost thirty years ago, describing an age far removed from its own, E.L. Doctorows novel Ragtime nevertheless explores issues of identity and ethnicity that still face America in spite of its lofty ideals of individualism and diversity. It displays for the reader a rich and hypnotic portrayal of the soul of immigrant America, yet still fails to avoid ethnic bias in certain subtle ways. Whether the lapses into feelings of cultural superiority originate from the purposeful portrayal of the characters Doctorow created or without the authors conscious prior awareness, a careful reading of the text will reveal them. In this way, these same assumptions and prejudices test our†¦show more content†¦There were no immigrants (Doctorow 4). What follows quickly after is the voice of truth and reason in the text, expressed through the fictional re-representation of the anarchist Emma Goldman, who shows white culture that Apparently there were Negroes. There we re immigrants (Doctorow 5). Despite this laudable cultural advancement, the authors meaning of the term immigrant takes place within a very limited context. Asians and indigenous peoples are not invited in Ragtime; while black America is given a voice through the stubborn and noble Coalhouse and the eloquent Booker T. Washington, and the Eastern European immigrant community is given a rich and touching voice through Tateh and his daughter, Doctorow never ventured far enough along to include Asians in his spectrum of ethnic narrative. Just like the Oriental silk cushions that made Houdini feel so trapped in Fathers home, they are deprived of a true voice. Great lengths are taken by Doctorow to empathize with the Eastern European immigrant community. With great emotion, he describes Fathers impression of an immigrant ship, decidedly of a European identity because of the head shawls that the women wore (Doctorow 14). With an emotion that belies the authors role as third-person omniscient, he argues eloquently against this ethnic group being wrongly stigmatized as being lost within moralShow MoreRelatedRagtime by E.L. Doctorow1502 Words   |  6 Pagesectasy of speed.† E.L. Doctorow’s novel Ragtime, which has been adapted into a stage production as well, stands as an example of precisely this sort of text. There is the question of the association of the cultural, historical, and fictional characteristics of Ragtime that critic Brian Roberts has called the â€Å"central metaphor† of the novel. When put together with the cohesive historical narrative within the novel, the discussion reveals the ways in which Do ctorow uses Ragtime to perform a work thatRead MoreThe Poverty Balls And Evelyn And Tateh s Relationship1626 Words   |  7 Pagesso far removed from the poor that they perceived them with a sort of fascination and romanticism because they were so vastly different. I will demonstrate this through examining the poverty balls and Evelyn and Tateh’s relationship in E.L. Doctorow’s novel Ragtime. One of the first storylines introduced in the novel is the relationship between Evelyn Nesbit, Tateh, and his daughter. The sharp contrast of these characters illustrates the deep wage gap that is characteristic of this era. Evelyn isRead MoreThe Question Of Identity2144 Words   |  9 PagesLina Kim Professor Crumpler Commerce and Culture October 1st, 2014 Ragtime: The Question of Identity in Society Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow emphasizes the difference between identity and status in and outside of society by using the characters’ pursuit of self within the novel. Coalhouse Walker is the main representation of how a character’s identity is indefinitely shaped by his choices and can lead to various consequences. As Coalhouse’s personality subtly changes into a new persona, the reader slowly

Privacy National Security Vs. The Fourth Amendment

Privacy: National Security vs. The Fourth Amendment Privacy! It’s an elementary principle we all value and fight to protect. However, with technological trends, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat, our lives have now become accessible to all. These social media platforms have become part of our daily lives, from sharing personal information or activities to communal networking. The fascination to be trendy and acquire followers, is compromising our privacy principles and places us at significant risk. It’s remarkably easy to pretend that we control what personal information we share, however, realistically we leave technological trails every day we login to these apps, or browse the internet. For the most part, it seems that†¦show more content†¦Under the Bush Administration, the Protect America Act was passed in the wake of the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001. As a result, in 2007, the National Security Agency designed and operated a surveillance program called ‘Prism’. The programs’ intent is to gather web communications from major United States internet corporations. Under Section 702 of the FISA Amendments Act of 2008, Prism collects suspicious stored web communication and further employs communication companies such as, Verizon, to turn over all data that included court-approved terms, that indicated conspiracies targeted to compromise our national security. (NSA PRISM Slides - IC OFF THE RECORD, 2013). Now, you may feel conflicted about their approach to securing our safety, but some are certain that this is undoubtedly a breech in our civil liberties. Lee (2013), states, â€Å"Civil liberties groups warned that the PAA s vague requirements and lack of oversight would give the government a green light to seek indiscriminate access to the private communications of Americans. They predicted that the government would claim that they needed unfettered access to domestic communications to be sure they had gotten all relevant information about s uspected terrorists.† Imagine we have a government that justifies spying on its citizens without any legal authorization to do so. The exploit our trust by suggesting that theyShow MoreRelatedGovernment Surveillance : A Controversial Issue On Terrorism853 Words   |  4 Pagescan be predicted to only become bigger and stronger, unless citizens seek to change the laws that allow the interception of privacy. Although the Fourth Amendment gives citizens the right to privacy, the interpretation of the law leaves the NSA to ultimately invade peoples’ privacy. The Fourth Amendment was added to the Constitution on December 15, 1791. The Fourth Amendment came about in correspondence to the rule of King George in the Colonial Age. The King of England only saw the American ColoniesRead MoreInvasion Of Citizens Privacy On Digital Data1620 Words   |  7 PagesInvasion of Citizens’ Privacy on Digital Data In today’s world, people tend to run the majority of their daily errands through the internet. It is very easy, convenient, and it saves a lot of time. In one hour someone can make a deposit into his personal bank account, order a medical prescription, pay bills, apply for a loan, get some shopping, and more. All it takes for a customer to be able to do this is having an account with each of these company’s websites. Creating an account is usually a veryRead MoreDigital Data And The Internet1611 Words   |  7 Pagesadvancement of technology presents an encompassing examination network seem almost necessary. We owe enough of the privacy we have experienced in the past to a combination of immature technology and insufficient labor to monitor us. But these protective inabilities are giving way to efficiency technologies of data processing and digital surveillance that threaten to eliminate our privacy. Already we are traced by our credit card transactions, our cell phone calls, and our passes through the fast lanesRead MorePersonal Privacy in the Information Age1784 Words   |  8 PagesProfessor Kiehn English 302 3 October 2013 Personal Privacy in the Information Age Some of the most contentious and recurrent argumentative dialogues regarding civil liberties stem from what seems at face value, like a relatively elementary idea the notion of personal privacy. This debate could never be more relevant than in present day society, where globalization and advanced communications technologies have synergized to form a ubiquitous digital library of shared information. The specific exampleRead MoreUsing Digital Data Or Digital Information1262 Words   |  6 Pagesinevitable. We owe much of the privacy we have enjoyed in the past to a combination of immature technology and insufficient manpower to monitor us. But these protective inefficiencies are giving way to efficiency technologies of data processing and digital surveillance that threaten to elimina te our privacy. Already we are tracked by our credit-card transactions, our passes through the fast lanes at toll booths, our cell phone calls. This world today seems to have no privacy on the Internet, despite theRead MoreUsing Digital Data Or Digital Information1727 Words   |  7 Pages the march of technology makes an encompassing surveillance network seem almost inevitable. We owe much of the privacy we have enjoyed in the past to a combination of immature technology and insufficient manpower to monitor us. But these protective inefficiencies are giving way to efficiency technologies of data processing and digital surveillance that threaten to eliminate our privacy. Already we are tracked by our credit-card transactions, our passes through the fast lanes at toll booths, our cellRead MoreThe Role Of The Supreme Court Plays On The Policymaking Process Essay1356 Words   |  6 Pages CHAPTERS 14, 4 5 ESSAY #2) Describe the role the Supreme Court plays in the policymaking process. Compare and contrast Judicial Activism and Judicial Restraint. Explain 5 Amendments in the Bill of Rights. How does a society balance possible contradictions and inconsistencies with respect to national security, and the rights of the individual? Discuss some of the conflicts, issues and problems that arose during the Civil Right s movement in the 1950 s and 1960 s, as well as current Civil RightsRead MoreThe Importance Of Personal Information And How People Feel About It1613 Words   |  7 Pagesthefts use others’ credit cards to cause personal financial loss. It is important to have control and protect personal informations Consumer Privacy Protection Act of 2015 was to protect privacy and sensitive personal information against security breaches, frauds, and misuse of personal information. (Congress 2015). This act ensures the protection of privacy from other individuals so that people have control of their own informations. For many tech companies that offer online services, people haveRead More Internet and Personal Privacy Essay875 Words   |  4 PagesInternet and Personal Privacy In the world of today most records can be easily accessed by a home computer. Even Governmental records can be viewed. Some believe this has benefits, while others are screaming about invasion of privacy. Heated debates can go on for many hours about this topic. Each side has people who devote all their time and energy to see their side of the argument prevail. The Freedom of Information Act which was established in 1966 states that all people shall have accessRead MoreU.s. National Security Agency1242 Words   |  5 Pagescitizens including, the protagonist, Winston. Even though our society is not as invasive we have our own big brother, the NSA. Although it protects U.S. national security, the government should discontinue the surveillance done by the NSA because it is detrimental the U.S. economy the Constitution and the citizens of the U.S. The National Security Agency, NSA, is an intelligence organization of the United States government, responsible for global monitoring, collection and processing of information

Business Analysis of EI Supremo Coffee System

Question: Case study on "Business Analysis of EI Supremo Coffee System". Answer: Development of AS IS and TO BE process Figure 1: As-In process of Ordering System Comparison of As-is and To-be Process to prepare note for organizational change and training team based on the business impact of the system The AS-IS process consists of the business process model that describes its list of roles, steps as well as expectations. EI Supremo Coffee wants to automate as well as streamline with the current processes whereas the current system is documented. In the AS IN process of the above diagram, the sales staff takes the order manually. There is no data warehouse where the products are stored. Therefore, the business desires to implement an online ordering system that can reduce the chances of errors within the system (Goedertier, Vanthienen and Caron 2013). Then after taking the order from the customers, the staff takes the particular price of the product from the customers. The entire process of ordering is done using the telephone call centre with ordering of more suppliers. The customers as well as franchisees are calling for new ordering system that should provide with best services (Scholtz, Calitz and Snyman 2015). Then the business experiences that they can experience a raid growt h in their operations by providing with faster as well as efficient services with minimal errors. In the TO BE process, the existing system is redesigned such as the ordering using the telephone call centre is changed into an online ordering system that takes the orders and generates the payment for the product. In order to implement the online ordering system for the business, the organization requires an ERP system that uses to place the order of the customers. It can collects, stores as well as maintains all the account details of both customers as well as franchisees (Mallick, Garg and Grover 2014). Then, the system supports the status notifications to track the order with a confirmation that the order has been placed. After placing of the order, the staff searchers in their database system if it is available in the store. If it is available then the customers can pay for the product (Alotaibi 2014). The customers are given with two options such as they can pay the price by card or cash. If the customers pay online, then after the payment the order is delivered to the person. However, if the customer chooses to pay by cash, then at the time of delivery of the order, the customer pays the price. Recommendations to manage impact of the business The order process is executed by the use of ERP system. It reduces the manual data entry and helps to keep the data up-to-date such that the staffs can track for the products if it is available or not. The following are the recommendations to manage the impact of the system as follows: Minimizing of the overhead cost: The overhead cost should be minimized in order to overcome with the future challenges of the business. With the online ordering system, it reduces the time as well as cost of the business (Baghdadi 2014). However, it also reduces the occurrence of errors within the system such that the customers are satisfied with ordering online. Installation of the ERP system: With the installation of the ERP system within the business, it reduces the operating cost with standardized of the business processes (Masood Butt et al. 2015). Due to the centralized nature of the ERP system, the organization can track the levels of inventory on the daily basis such as inventory in transit with consignments for the future. Training to the staffs: Training should be given to the staffs so that they can familiar with the advanced technology of receiving the online ordered booking from the customers (Liu, Xia and Zhang 2014). It helps the staffs to become efficient with the overall functional and non-functional specifications of the system. Recruitment of highly professional IT specialists: In order to identify the gap between As-in as well as To-be process, highly professional IT specialists are required to make the gap between two different organizational structures for the existing as well as proposed system (Bouchbout, Akoka and Alimazighi 2012). Engagement of the vendors in the implementation process: The vendors are selected to engage into the implementation process such that it helps in identifying the functional as well as non-functional requirements of the system. Proper software solution is selected for the business with upgradation of the current version. Using the MOSCOW requirement prioritization method categorize the backlog and identifying the stories that make minimum viable product Requirements Category Must Should Could Wont Description The online ordering system must be implemented by El Supremo Coffee to save both money as well as time. This system must develop as well as maintain relationships with the customers and keep them informed about the upcoming products in El Supremo Coffee. The online ordering system should collect and store the details of the customers. It stores and tracks the products to verify if it is available or out-of-stock (Behnam and Amyot 2013). The online ordering system reduces the errors in storage of details of customers as well as payment (Li, Yan and Lin 2012). The ordering system would not decrease the operations of business as well as the base of the customers. The ordering system collects as well as stores the account details of their customers as well as franchisees. It also stores as well as tracks the products that are available with the data warehouse of the store or it is out of stock. The ordering system also supports the notifications of the status of the ordered products as well as confirmation (Bisogno et al. 2016). It collects as well as stores the enquiries that are submitted by the franchisees within the central area. It provides with the order history as well as support the re-ordering from the previous orders. It supports with a point system for the customers those are purchasing the orders frequently. The system must be connected with the WIFI as well as interfaces with the social marketing platforms (Milani et al. 2016). The new online ordering system provides with the benefits to the EI Supremo Coffee. The new system gives benefits to the business by increasing the orders of the customers as well as franchisees. It also increases the satisfaction level of the customers. Therefore, this system increases the speed of delivery of the customers. Due to the implementation of the new online system, it provides with increasing the marketing of EI Supremo Coffee products as well as its locations (Kuciapski 2013). The new customers are also attracted with social media marketing. It increases the scalability of the business with the opportunity to attract more customers as well as franchisees more efficiently. In order to match with the software of the system, EI Supremo must realign with the processes of the business (Jezek and Moucek 2012). The implementation of the online ordering system is integrated with the ERP system in order to handle the payment process as well as ordering process of the firm that helps to access with the information of invoice of their customers. The implementation of the online ordering system for EI Supremo helps the business operations to become more efficient as well as profitable (Bogel, Stieglitz and Meske 2014). The key functional specifications of the EI Supremo Coffee System are reports, ordering, support, suppliers as well as accounts. Even the non-functional requirements are its performance, usability, compatibility as well as security (Goedertier, Vanthienen and Caron 2013). The online ordering system is required to execute when it overcomes with the business processes to make it more profitable as well as productive. Development of screen designs of MUST stories and identifying the business rules Figure 3: Development of screen designs of MUST stories The initial step of the project plan is the implementation of the online ordering system. This particular system can take the order from the customers and then check for the availability for the ordered product within their database. After checking for the orders within the database system, the staffs confirm that the ordered product is available or out-of-stock from their stored data warehouse (Bouchbout, Akoka and Alimazighi 2012). The customers then pay for the ordered. Within the payment method of the system, the customers pay for the ordered product by two means such as cash or card. After the payment for the particular product, it is verified if the payment method is true or false. If there is any error in the payment process, then the customers can again get the option to pay (Faisal 2012). After the payment, the order is dispatched to the customers. The online ordering system is beneficial for EI Supremo Coffee as it saves the hours each day by improving over the manual process of taking the orders from the customers. It removes the paper orders as well as handling of payment process (Pathak and Saxena 2012). The benefit of the online system is that it saves the time of printing of the item production sheets, ability to update the catalogues with the use of website at any time. It increases sales by providing an exciting new ordering system for the customers (Caron and Vanthienen 2015). The system monitors the orders. The team of customer service tracks each of the order so that none of the orders is missed. The web server used in the system must be secured as well as consists of high-speed data centre. It is necessary to consider the possibilities as well as have a system backup in the place (Durugbo 2014). The system improves the administration as well as security for the store by removing the requirement in order to reconcile the records as well as bank of hundreds of small cash transactions. The merits of the proposed system are that it ensures for the accuracy of the data during the process of order placement (Natschlager and Geist 2013). It minimizes the manual data entry as well as interactive for the customers to view the catalogue with visual confirmation that the order is being placed correctly. Lastly, it minimizes the time and simplifies the ordering process. Acceptance Criteria for the stories After the approval of the project plan for the online ordering process system, the project manager identifies the acceptance criteria of the system. The acceptance criteria for the stories are categorized as follows: The customer can place the order as well as update the ordering details. The customer should have the ability to place the order and payment for the order online. After the payment for the ordered product, a notification is sent to the customer about their payment approval. The confirmation should be sent within 30 seconds after the payment for the ordered product (Carone et al. 2015). The process of transaction should be taken into a real formal based. None of the manual paper work is carried out to process the ordering as well as payment process (Scholtz, Calitz and Snyman 2015). The system should be compatible with the business operations of the company such that it consists of accounting system. The system should create an account for the user login as well as holds of the details for the future logins (Yuena, Yangeng and Qun 2012). The system solution for EI Supremo implements in order to manage the payment, order process as well as sales accounting required for the business (Deshpande and Desai 2015). Job Description for the Business Analyst Within the business operations of EI Supremo, the business analyst can have the ability to manage the constant change through innovation that makes the business to a success position. The expansion with the job descriptions of the business analyst helps to offer with professionals the opportunity to shift towards the business focus in the technological aspect of the roles. The business analyst can develop technical solutions for the business problems (Seethamraju 2012). It provides them with an opportunity to expand their skills, value as well as become more marketable. The person can lead the role in: Assisting, planning as well as monitoring the business case Understanding the needs of the various stakeholders of the business (Kuciapski 2013). Facilitating the requirements of negotiations among various stakeholders Identifying both current as well as future state of the processes of business (Faisal 2012). Helping the stakeholders to meet with the changes in order to support the future Analyzing and validating the detailed functional as well as non-functional requirements Facilitating the design sessions with the implementation to define the system solution Delivering the elements of the system design such as rules for data mitigation, business rules as well as detailed deliverables (Natschlger and Geist 2013). Analyzing of the feasibility study as well as development of the existing system of the organization Ensuring that the system meets with the requirements of customers Testing of the system to identify the risks Key differences between Agile and SDLC (Waterfall) methods for business analysis The following are the differences between Agile and Waterfall methods for analyzing the business as follows: The waterfall method stresses the record keeping which allows improving over the existing system in the future whereas the agile method allows making changes after the initial planning (Bgel, Stieglitz and Meske 2014). The waterfall method helps the clients to know about the size, price as well as timeline of the project (Deshpande and Desai 2015). The agile methodology allows making changes as well as adds features to keep the system up-to-date with its latest development within the industry. The main advantage within the agile methodology is its backward scalability (Liu, Xia and Zhang 2014). The waterfall approach cannot make change within the decisions as well as implementations that are taken place in the previous stages. The flexibility to check errors in the development stages are taken place in agile methods whereas waterfall cannot test the bugs at the end of the development stages (Mallick, Garg and Grover 2014). Agile methods provide flexibility in order to make changes as per the requirements of the customers (Masood Butt et al. 2015). Therefore, it is more inclined towards better satisfaction to the client. The waterfall model does not allow for modifications once the module has completed. Agile helps the developers by allowing simultaneous development of various modules at the same time as per the business requirement as compared to waterfall methods. References Alotaibi, Y., 2014. Business process modelling challenges and solutions: a literature review.J Intell Manuf. Baghdadi, Y., 2014. Modelling business process with services: towards agile enterprises.IJBIS, 15(4), p.410. Behnam, S. and Amyot, D., 2013. Evolution mechanisms for goal-driven pattern families used in business process modelling.IJEB, 10(3), p.254. Bisogno, S., Calabrese, A., Gastaldi, M. and Levialdi Ghiron, N., 2016. Combining modelling and simulation approaches.Business Process Mgmt Journal, 22(1), pp.56-74. Bgel, S., Stieglitz, S. and Meske, C., 2014. A role model-based approach for modelling collaborative processes.Business Process Mgmt Journal, 20(4), pp.598-614. Bouchbout, K., Akoka, J. and Alimazighi, Z., 2012. An MDAà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ based framework for collaborative business process modelling.Business Process Mgmt Journal, 18(6), pp.919-948. Caron, F. and Vanthienen, J., 2015. Exploring business process modelling paradigms and design-time to run-time transitions.Enterprise Information Systems, pp.1-24. Carone, C., Erlich, J., Sensharma, A. and Wang, Z., 2015. Two-field axion-monodromy hybrid inflation model: Dantes Waterfall.Physical Review D, 91(4). Deshpande, K. and Desai, B., 2015. Model for Assessment of Agile Methodology for Implementing Data Warehouse Projects.IJAIS, 9(8), pp.42-49. Durugbo, C., 2014. Bunch: a channel-oriented business network modelling approach.Business Process Mgmt Journal, 20(3), pp.455-479. Faisal, C., 2012. Users' Adoptive Behavior Towards the ERP System.IIM, 04(03), pp.75-79. Goedertier, S., Vanthienen, J. and Caron, F., 2013. Declarative business process modelling: principles and modelling languages.Enterprise Information Systems, 9(2), pp.161-185. Jezek, P. and Moucek, R., 2012. System for EEG/ERP data and metadata storage and management.NNW, 22(3), pp.277-290. Kuciapski, M., 2013. A Business Process Modelling Approach to Communication Management in Projects.BSC 2013, 1(1). Li, K., Yan, J. and Lin, Z., 2012. A knowledge-based system for supply chain process modelling, reuse, and redesign.IJEB, 10(2), p.142. Liu, J., Xia, H. and Zhang, H., 2014. A Research into the UML Legend in the Waterfall Model Development.AMM, 519-520, pp.322-328. Mallick, B., Garg, D. and Grover, P., 2014. A Constraint Guided Progressive Sequential Mining Waterfall Model for CRM.Journal of Computing and Information Technology, 22(1), p.45. Masood Butt, S., Masood Butt, S., Onn, A., Tabassam, N. and Abdul Majid, M., 2015. Usability Evaluation Techniques for Agile Software Model.JSW, 10(1), pp.32-41. Milani, F., Dumas, M., Ahmed, N. and Matulevicius, R., 2016. Modelling families of business process variants: A decomposition driven method.Information Systems, 56, pp.55-72. Natschlger, C. and Geist, V., 2013. A layered approach for actor modelling in business processes.Business Process Mgmt Journal, 19(6), pp.917-932. Pathak, S. and Saxena, P., 2012. Hybrid Methodology Involving Scrum and Waterfall Model towards the Software Project Development in Academic Knowledge Centers.International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education (IJERE), 1(1). Scholtz, B., Calitz, A. and Snyman, I., 2015. Synchronous gesture manipulation for collaboration and coordination of co-located Business Process Modelling.SACJ, (57). Seethamraju, R., 2012. Business process management: a missing link in business education.Business Process Mgmt Journal, 18(3), pp.532-547. Yuena, K., Yangeng, W. and Qun, Z., 2012. A Mode of Combined ERP and KMS Knowledge Management System Construction.Physics Procedia, 25, pp.2228-2234.

The Project Management Challenges at the Beijing EAPS Consulting (BEC), Inc.

The challenges at Beijing EAPS Consulting (BEC) illustrate the difficulty of co-conducting a project plan without a clear structure showing the roles and responsibilities of each manager. These situations are stressful, not just for the managers concerned but also for the people who work under them.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Project Management Challenges at the Beijing EAPS Consulting (BEC), Inc. specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The first implication of co-conducting a project as viewed from the perspective of the departmental manager is that it reduces the attention of the departmental staff because of the assignments that come from the project manager. This increases their stress levels and reduces their output. Secondly, it jeopardizes the roles that the department needs to play because the project manager does not have in mind the functional duties of the department. This puts the departmental manag er at the risk of coming across as ineffective. Thirdly, there is competition for resources because the department has its own functions, which informs the quantity of resources availed. The project manager places demands on these same resources. When examined from the perspective of the project manager, the following implications come to the fore. First, the project manager comes into the department as an intruder to find a way to get tasks accomplished. This makes the work of assigning tasks difficult because the project manager is not a natural supervisor to the departmental staff, who may find it more sensible to report to the departmental manager. The second implication is that the project manager, being neither subordinate nor superior to the departmental manager, may fail to know whether a situation calls for consultation with a departmental manager or whether he can go ahead and assign tasks to departmental employees. These implications arise from the fact that the two manag ers have a duty to deliver on their individual mandates. To do this, they have to share the resources available without the benefit of a neutral arbiter to ensure that resource allocation is consistent to the organizations objectives. The two key strengths of the project plan are flexibility and adaptability. Evidence of the flexibility of the plan comes from the fact that the company was able to deliver on its commitments to the clients using only a skeletal staff. The team members fitted into whichever situation the clients presented and delivered according to their needs. This is a valuable trait for a young company that is still defining its place in the market.Advertising Looking for essay on project management? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The second strength is the plan is adaptability. The plan allowed the company to adapt its structure to meet emerging needs and opportunities. This shows in the fact that the compan y grew its employee numbers from six, to twenty in just about a year. Again, this is a desirable trait for a fast growing company. The most serious weaknesses evident in the project plan are the fact that there is an unclear reporting structure, and the lack of strategic forethought in the company. The existence of two types of managers at the same level in the company without different resources or at least a resource-sharing plan is a recipe for disaster. This situation is what is making employees decide on their own what the priorities are, because each manager has a different mandate. It has the potential of demoralizing the team members to the detriment of BEC. On the other hand, BEC seems to lack a strategic plan to guide its growth and development. Originally, one of its strong attributes was research but is seems to have drifted towards profiteering because of demand. This is a fundamental shift in the focus of the company. Such shifts should not be the result of external fo rces. They should be part of a deliberate corporate strategy. One of the most critical team behaviors required to balance out the expansion and management problems at BEC is big picture awareness. Each member of the team at BEC needs to know what the overall picture needs to look like. This alone, regardless of the corporate structure, will make it easier for everyone to know how to prioritize the tasks that come up. It will make it possible for both the project and departmental managers to agree on the most optimal resource allocation patterns to ensure that organizational priorities do not suffer because of interpersonal conflict. Each manager should strive to ensure that his tasks do not jeopardize the work of the other managers because this reduces organizational effectiveness. Each member of the team must remain goal driven. The situation at BEC calls for people to take their role seriously and to ensure they fulfill their part in making the company a success. In addition to ha ving a big picture mentality, the next thing each person must do is to make sure that he is playing his part in making the big picture a success.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Project Management Challenges at the Beijing EAPS Consulting (BEC), Inc. specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Thirdly, there is need for the whole team to remain committed to effective communication. The struggle between the managers in the case is the result of waning communication between them. The company ought to institutionalize effective communication channels to ensure that even if there are interpersonal problems, they do not become an impediment to the entire company. This way, the employees will also have an easier time talking about the struggles that come with reporting to more than one manager. There is an urgent need for the company to clarify it reporting structure. Depending on its operations, there is a need to make one type of managers to report to the other. Since the company feels that a project management approach is the best way to achieve its goals, then it needs to make the departmental managers junior to the project managers. This way, the departmental managers will be facilitating the projects as designed by the project manager. It will be easier to assign tasks to the employees and to discuss any problems with a clear reporting hierarchy. The second issue required for the timely completion of projects is clarification of the project’s priorities to all employees. If the current structure remains, then the departmental staff should have a way of knowing which among the tasks issued by the different managers are key to the timely completion of the project. This is why it is imperative to keep clarifying the project objectives and the time-critical tasks such as those in the critical path. It is not clear from the case the monitoring and review mechanisms in place. If these are lackin g, there is a need to ensure that there is a means for all staff to know the status of the projects they are working on. This can take the form of weekly briefings and daily updates. In addition, this calls for establishment of formalized communication channels to ensure everyone is on the same page despite personal differences.Advertising Looking for essay on project management? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More One final way to ensure the project ends on time is by the use performance incentives to encourage both staff and managers to deliver on activities in the critical path in a timely manner. These incentives should have the express goal of securing the critical path. Works Cited Cleland, David. Project Management: Strategic Design and Implementation. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Professional, 2006. Print. Haynes, Marion E. Project Management: Practical Tools for Success. Ontario: Cengage Learning, 2002. Print. Lewis, James P. Fundamentals of Project Management. New York, NY: AMACOM, 2007. Print. Lock, Dennis. Project management. Burlington VT: Gower Publishing, 2007. Print. Meredith, Jack R and Samuel J Mantel. Project Management: A Managerial Approach. New York, NY: John Wiley, 2005. Print. 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