Wednesday, May 6, 2020
The Glaze Storms of 1998 Free Essays
string(37) " forest ecosystems in North America\." Ice storms, also referred to as glaze storms, cause considerable damage every year to trees in urban and natural areas. They vary considerably in their severity and frequency. Ice storms are result of the ice formation process, which is influenced by general weather patterns. We will write a custom essay sample on The Glaze Storms of 1998 or any similar topic only for you Order Now Ice accumulates when super cooled rain freezes on contact with surfaces, such as tree branches, that are at or below the freezing point (0ââ¬â¢C). This generally occurs when a winter warm front passes through an area after the ground-level temperature reaches or falls below freezing. Rain falls through layers of cooler air without freezing, becoming super cooled. Periodically, other climatic events, including stationary, occluded, and cold fronts, also result in ice storms. The purpose of this paper is to gain a better understanding of the1998 ice storm. This paper features three main section: An introduction, the main body (damage to woodland), and finally, a conclusion. In the main body of this paper, the effect of fire and pest/disease is discussed in detail. In the conclusion, comparison is made between fire and pests/disease versus ice storm. By the end of this paper, one should gain a better understanding of the severity of the 1998 ice storm as well as other damaging agents that affect the woodland in eastern North America Ice storms are often winterââ¬â¢s worst hazard. More slippery than snow, freezing rain or glaze is tough and tenacious, clinging to every object it touches. A little can be dangerous, a lot can be catastrophic. Ice storm in Northeastern America has been common but the 1998 ice storm was exceptional. Ice storms are a major hazard in all parts of Canada except the North, but are especially common from Ontario to Newfoundland. The severity of ice storms depends largely on the accumulation of ice, the duration of the event, and the location and extent of the area affected. Based on these criteria, Ice Stormââ¬â¢98 was the worst ever to hit Canada in recent memory. From January 5-10, 1998 the total water equivalent of precipitation, comprising mostly freezing rain and ice pellets and a bit of snow, exceeded 85 mm in Ottawa, 73 mm in Kingston, 108 in Cornwall and 100 mm in Montreal (Environmental Canada, Jan 12/1998). Previous major ice storms in the region, notably December 1986 in Ottawa and February 1961 in Montreal, deposited between 30 and 40 mm of ice ââ¬â about half the thickness from the 1998 storm event! (Environmental Canada, Jan 12/1998). The extent of the area affected by the ice was enormous. Freezing precipitation is often described as ââ¬Å"a line ofâ⬠or ââ¬Å"spotty occurrences ofâ⬠. At the peak of the storm, the area of freezing precipitation extended from Muskoka and Kitchener in Ontario through eastern Ontario, western Quebec and the Eastern Townships to the Fundy coasts of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. What made the ice storm so unusual, though, was that it went on for so long. On average, Ottawa and Montreal receive freezing precipitation on 12 to 17 days a year. Each episode generally lasts for only a few hours at a time, for an annual average total between 45 to 65 hours. During Ice Stormââ¬â¢98, it did not rain continuously, however, the number of hours of freezing rain and drizzle was in excess of 80 ââ¬â again nearly double the normal annual total. One of the most appealing features of Eastern Ontario is the extensive forest cover. This is made up of woodlands of varying structure. These woodlands, as well as natural fencerows, windbreaks, and plantations of pine and poplar, dominate the landscape. Icing impacts may best be understood by treating spatially larger scales, starting with individual trees, proceeding to stands, and finally to forest landscapes. Ice damage to trees can range from mere breakage of a few twigs, to bending stems to the ground, to moderate crown loss, to outright breakage of the trunk. In the 1998 Northeastern ice storm, icing lasted long enough that many trees which were bent over had their crowns glued to the snow surface by the ice in many instances for as long as 3 weeks. Some of those trees actually erect posture after release from the snow, while many others remain bent over after 2 years. The severity of damage is generally believed to be closely related to the severity of winds following the heaviest ice accumulations. Damage varies across a range of severity and subtlety: minor branch breakage; major branch loss; bending over of crowns; root damages; breakage of trunks and in some hardwoods, trunks can be split. Depending on the stand composition, the amount of ice accumulation, and the stand history, damage to stands can range from light and patchy to the total breakage of all mature stems. Complete flattening of stands occurred locally in the Northeaster 1998 storm. In response to more moderate damage, effects on stands could include: shifts in over story composition in favor of the most resistant trees; loss of stand growth until leaf area is restored; and loss of value of the growth due to staining or damage to stem form. The term landscape refers to a ââ¬Ëgroupâ⬠or a ââ¬Ëfamilyâ⬠of trees. I use the term vaguely because the size and composition of landscapes differ from region to region. The degree of damage is typically highly skewed by area. For example, in the January 1998 Northeaster storm, 1,800,000 ha of damage in Quebec was assessed by the Ministry of Natural Resource: very severe 4.2%, severe 32.0%, moderate 29.9%, and slight/trace 33.9% (The Science of the Total Environment, Volume: 262, Issue: 3, November 15, 2000, pp. 231-242 ). The effects on entire forest landscapes are highly patchy and variable. They also depend significantly on how landowners respond to the damage. Disturbance caused by diseases, by themselves or in conjunction with disturbance by insects, abiotic factors such as drought, fire and wind, and, increasingly, human activities, has played a critical role in the dynamics of many forest ecosystems in North America. You read "The Glaze Storms of 1998" in category "Essay examples" In the predominantly coniferous forests in western North America there are considerable areas undisturbed directly by human activities. In these areas, diseases kill trees or predispose them to other agents of disturbance, resulting in gradual change in stand composition and structure. In areas disturbed by forest management practices of harvesting or exclusion of fire, increased disease incidence and severity has increased the damage caused by disease, and consequently, the rate of change. In the absence of introduced diseases in the predominantly deciduous forests of the Appalachian region of eastern North America, forests are relatively healthy. Here, forests are disturbed significantly by disease only after they are disturbed or stressed by other agents, predominantly defoliating insects and drought. In the eastern montane coniferous forest, chronic wind damage is a major predisposing factor to disease. Past harvesting practices, introduced diseases and insects, and fire exclusion have in some instances resulted in large areas of similar species and relatively similar ages that exacerbate the magnitude and severity of disturbance by disease. Fire is predominantly a natural phenomenon that burns the forest vegetation, polluting the ozone and wiping out the biodiversity. One major distinction between ice storm and forest fire is the way disaster are caused. The majority of forest fire could arguably be a result of human action and ice storm as an ââ¬Ëact of god,â⬠an act that is out of human control. Foresters usually distinguish three types of forest fires: ground fires, which burn the humus layer of the forest floor but do not burn appreciably above the surface; surface fires, which burn forest undergrowth and surface litter; and crown fires, which advance through the tops of trees or shrubs. It is not uncommon for two or three types of fires to occur simultaneously. Forest management has been able to reduce the occurrence of this event but many forest fires are out of armâ⬠s length. Humans cause the majority of forest fires. Campers that do not put out their bond fire or campers littering lit cigarette bud are responsible for such an action. Natural occurrence such as lightning could spark a forest fire but the probability is small compared to human action. The convention way of putting out or reducing the spread of forest fire has been airliners. These airliners are filled with gallons and galloons of water. With limited capacity, these airliners fly above the flame and deposit galloons of water. For the purpose of this paper, deforestation simply means the lost of trees where the lost of trees exceeds the level of sustainable development. One of the major effects of forest fire is the burning of carbon dioxide into our atmosphere. This eventually creates a greenhouse affect and global warming. The effect damages our ecosystem as well as reduces one of Canadaâ⬠s precious natural resource. Many projects, both from government funding and corporate sponsors, have done a good job increasing the awareness and risk related to deforestation. Pests directly affect the quantity and quality of forest nursery seedlings and can indirectly cause losses by disrupting reforestation plans or reducing survival of out planted stock. The movement of infested stock can disseminate pests to new areas. Since control of nursery pests may be based on pesticide usage, pest outbreaks may lead to environmental contamination. Woodland damage caused by livestock is a well-documented, yet persistent, forest health problem. Soil compaction, root disturbance and trunk/root collar damage caused by livestock reduce the vigor of trees. This paves the way for armillaria root rot, borers and other opportunistic organisms. Livestock also destroy the forest under story (reproduction), which hastens soil erosion and limits the future productivity of the site. The resulting forest decline reduces the quality, value and longevity of current and future trees on the site. Eliminating livestock from woodlands is the first step toward a healthier, more productive forest. As mentioned earlier in this paper, ice storm is a natural phenomenon caused by nature whereas forest fire are a result of human actions and preventable. One of the major differences between fire and ice storm is the rate of damage. Forest fire has a direct impact on the woodlands by changing the diversity of the landscape. Forest fire wipes out an entire landscape of trees causing a release of carbon dioxide. This ââ¬Ëin lieuâ⬠effect results in global warming as well as greenhouse effect. The release of carbon dioxide has a long-term effect to our ecosystem. Carbon dioxide is trapped in our ozone layer making airways less preamble. This trapping effect eventually radiates heat causing global warming. The long-term effect is hazardous and changes our biodiversity. Ice storm has very little affect to our ozone layer. Damage to woodlands as a result of ice storm is concentrated within that area. Ice storm does not spread like fire does so areas that have been hit by an ice sto rm affect woodlands Pests and disease slowly eroded the quantity as well as quality of woodland. Infected woodland slows the development of growth by eroding the soil limiting the production of trees. Pest control and good forest management could improve the quality and well as productivity in these areas. Pests and diseases cause a slow change in biodiversity. As the woodland become infested, animals feeding from leafs and branch find it less desirable, eventually leaving the area in search of more suitable woodland. Similarly, forest fire, pests and disease spread but at a much slower rate. These agents infect the trees, eventually penetrating the roots and moving on to the next host. As mentioned previous, ice storm does not spread, rather the effect stays within the area. To conclude, fire and pests/disease are similar in the way these agents spread and infect their host. The preceding sentence can be best thought of as a virus infected itâ⬠s host as an analogy. Fire spreads at a much faster rate than pests/disease and the impact are instant. Both of these agents have long-term effect, which does not work in our favor. Ice storm affects the area it hits and will not spread. Furthermore, ice storms are predictable whereas fire is not since the cause of fire is human mistake and is hard to predict. Ice storms are not preventable but human actions can be prevented. The potential of damage from fire is far more severe than that of ice storm. We must increase the awareness to ensure that our woodland remains healthy and protect our ecosystem. 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Tuesday, May 5, 2020
Analysis on Accounting Theory and Using Them for Practical Cases
Question: How To Using the Accounting Theory Practical Cases? Answer: Introducation This is on the article Costs blow out for Suncorps natural hazard allowance to $350m, 4th period in row for over-size claims. Suncorp being a financial institution with the main business of Banking and insurance had faced a lot of claims in the near past and also in the period in the current topic. The article describes that fact why the same happened with the company which had over crossed their budget for the consecutive four times. This mainly happened because of two big events that took place which was Wild storms and earthquake in New Zealand which had mainly increased the claims and thus leading to negative cash flows for the company. This is somewhere effected by aggressive approach and some incorrect decisions and planning that the team is making up. Accounting Theory TheAccounting theory selected is Legitimacy Theory. This theory generally implies that what is the generalized assumption to prove that the actions of an entity are desirable, appropriate and in the interest of socially constructed norms, beliefs and definitions. The more an organization is legitimate the higher are the chances of survival in the current market situation. The entity respecting the social values finally tend to benefit from the organization activities at large.(Aldrich, 1994) The social and moral values that tend to help an entity to grow are the ones which are socially accepted and helps the management to take correction steps at the necessary time to stand up in the environment.(Hybels, 1995) Analysis In the given article for Suncorp the issue in question was the increase in the costs of claims which the company is incurring in the times and how the same is being faced by the various stakeholders of the company as well. The article describes the reason of the problem to be highly aggressive and not thinking in a legitimate manner in taking any such important decisions. The company is continuously crossing the budget allowances and still the attitude to plan and covers its liabilities is not taking place. The legitimacy theory clearly points out how the entities should think before framing any such policies and this theory integrates with the problem where the company should focus on the plans by using past trends of data and helping to have a better position in the social and required values of the organization.(RAMALLAH, 2013) The company should neither go too conservative by tucking up too much money for claims nor should they be too much aggressive with the budget that it makes for the disasters as budgets are the picture of actuals and hence the team should focus on the same before proper decisions might be taken by the company as a whole. The company and its planning might not help the investors to reach to their objective to invest in the company and should focus on the correct estimation of the losses that happened in the future along with a better disaster budget which will help to plan the things and profitability in a much better way. Hence the problem statement in the article lies in the estimation error any further values added to the same through legitimacy would add value to the situation and develop more ecofriendly situation for the company on an overall level. These theories focusing on the external environment speaks a lot about the success factors of many organizations and thus helps to take decisions in a better way and develop better market superiority.(Reuters, 2012) Conclusion The overall understanding of the case here is that sustainable thinking is very important for an organization and there are lot of factors that the companies should focus upon before giving the final outcome of a particular solution. These theories help to understand the correct way and regain the market position at difficult times. References Aldrich. (1994). Fools rush in? Academy of Accounting Management Review,, 645-670. Hybels. (1995). A critical review and integrative theoretical model. Academy of Management Journal, Best Conference Proceedings, 241-245. RAMALLAH. (2013). Abbas seeks legitimacy in Palestinian strategy splurge. Chicago Times, 1-1. Reuters. (2012). Communique To Recognise Legitimacy Of Steps Taken. Chicago Tribune, 1-1.
Thursday, April 2, 2020
What effect does smart phone overuse have on peopl Essays
What effect does smart phone overuse have on people? As generations proceed to advance, we find new discoveries to help our regular lives. However, those discoveries are only beneficial until we, human beings, find a way to abuse its benefits and be negatively affected. Smart Phone is one of those discoveries that was meant to help us. Unfortunately, people nowadays are too addicted to smart phones and getting effects by it. Although, invention of smart phone started positively, overuse of such technology is creating negative effects on people. First negative effect of smart phone is the excessive stress to eyes. Human eyes are not meant to stationary stare at an object for a long time, but addicted smart phone users look at their screen for more than an hour. Many people nowadays start their day by turning on the smart phone and also end the day by it. Looking at such a small and close -range object creates immersive amount of stress to eyes, which is the leading cause of teenagers with glasses. Apart from bad effect to eyes, phones also cause dangerous environment(dangerous accidents) to the society. People are too concentrated to their smart phone sometimes that they cross a road without even watching out for cars. One of the leading cause of pedestrian-car accident comes from people with smartphone on their hands. Some countries even made a embedded traffic light on ground so that addicted smart phone users can see the green light without looking away from their screen. Third effect of overuse of smartphone is the relational issues. People addicted to smart phone are usually excluded and isolate from a group. This causes smartphone users to lose their sense of interpersonal communication skills. In conclusion, discoveries are meant to be used in right way. Overusing a certain technology, such as smartphone, can have negative effects to people by health issues, problem with communication, problem to the society. Thus, we need learn and discipline ourselves to use such technology efficiently, not adversely. As generations proceed to advance, we find new discoveries to help our regular lives. However, those discoveries are only beneficial until we, human beings, find a way to abuse its benefits and be negatively affected. Smart Phone is one of those discoveries that was meant to help us. Unfortunately, people nowadays are too addicted to smartphones and getting effects by it. Although invention of the smart phone started positively, overuse of such technology is creating negative effects on people. First negative effect of the smartphone is the excessive stress to eyes. Human eyes are not meant to stationary stare at an object for a long time, but addicted smartphone users look at their screen for more than an hour. Many people nowadays start their day by turning on the smartphone and also end the day with it. Looking at such a small and close -range object creates an immersive amount of stress to eyes, which is the leading cause of teenagers with glasses. Apart from bad effect to eyes, phones also cause dangerous environment (dangerous accidents) to the society. People are too concentrated to their smartphone sometimes that they cross a road without even watching out for cars. One of the leading cause of pedestrian-car accident comes from people with a smartphone on their hands. Some countries even made an embedded traffic light on the ground so that addicted smartphone users can see the green light without looking away from their screen. Third effect of overuse of smartphone is the relational issues. People addicted to the smartphone are usually excluded and isolated from a group. This causes smartphone users to lose their sense of interpersonal communication skills. In conclusion, discoveries are meant to be used in right way. Overusing a certain technology, such as a smartphone, can have negative effects to people by health issues, a problem with communication, a problem to the society. Thus, we need to learn and discipline ourselves to use such technology efficiently, not adversely.
Sunday, March 8, 2020
How Mainbars and Sidebars Are Used in News Coverage
How Mainbars and Sidebars Are Used in News Coverage Youve probably noticed that when an especially big news story happens, newspapers, and news websites dont just produce one story about it but often many different stories, depending on the magnitude of the event. These different kinds of stories are called mainbars and sidebars.à What Is a Mainbar? A mainbar is the main news story about a big news event. Its the story that includes the main points of the event, and it tends to focus on the hard-news aspects of the story. Remember the five Ws and the Hà - who, what, where, when, why and how? Those are the things you generally want to include in the mainbar. What Is a Sidebar? A sidebar is a story that accompanies the mainbar. But instead of including all the main points of the event, the sidebar focuses on one aspect of it. Depending on the magnitude of the news event, the mainbar can be accompanied by just one sidebar or by many. An Example Lets say youre covering a story about the dramatic rescue of a boy who has fallen through the ice of a pond in winter. Your mainbar would include the most newsy aspects of the story - how the child fell and was rescued, what his condition is, his name and age and so on. Your sidebar, on the other hand, might be aà profile of the person who rescues the boy. Or you might write about how the neighborhood where the boy lives comes together to help the family. Or you might do a sidebar on the pond itself - have people fallen through the ice here before? Were appropriate warning signs posted, or was the pond an accident waiting to happen? Again, mainbars tend to be longer, hard-news oriented stories, while sidebars tend to be shorter and often focus on a more feature-y, human-interest side of the event. There are exceptions to this rule. A sidebar on the dangers of the pond would be a very hard-news story. But a profile of the rescuer would probably read more like a feature. Why Do Editors Use Mainbars and Sidebars? Newspaper editors like using mainbars and sidebars because for big news events, theres too much information to cram into one article. Its better to separate the coverage into smaller pieces, rather than having just one endless article.à Editors also feel that using mainbars and sidebars is more reader-friendly. Readers who want to get a general sense of what has happened can scan the mainbar. If they want to read about one particular aspect of the event they can find the relevant story. Without the mainbar-sidebar approach, readers would have to plow through one huge article to try to find the details theyre interested in. In the digital age, when readers have less time, shorter attention spans and more news to digest, thats not likely to happen. An Example From The New York Times On this page, youll find The New York Times main news story on the ditching of a U.S. Airways passenger jet into the Hudson River. Then, on the right side of the page, under the heading Related coverage, youll see a series of sidebars on the accident, including stories on the quickness of the rescue effort, the hazard that birds present to jets, ââ¬â¹and the fast reaction of the jets crew in responding to the accident.
Thursday, February 20, 2020
Due process Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
Due process - Essay Example It is meant to provide a balance on the powers that are owned by the laws while providing protection to individuals. Various cases have been used in the understanding of this clause, in this essay a focus on the Plessy vs Ferguson and Brown vs Board of Education will provide more insight on the concept of Due Process. The concept of Due Process has a very long history that dates back in A.D 1354. Historical evidence indicates that the first time this phrase appeared was during the reign of Edward III of England as provided in a statutory rendition of the Magna Carta. English jurist Edward attempted the interpretation of the Magna carta, he established the modern thought of Due process. In the United States, the ratification of the Fifth Amendment done in 1791 provided for the Due Process. In addition, the Fourteenth Amendment was ratified in 1868 to provide a limit to the powers that are held by the state (Sunstein 1567). These laws have continued to evolve; usually attracting various interpretations from the Supreme Court. The Due Process provides checks and balances to the governments so that they do not violate the provisions of the Bill of Rights. The Due Process clause was extended from the federal government as provided in Amendment Five to include the state governments since it was seen to be an advocate for the Bill of Rights, this was achieved through a series of Supreme Court decisions. Due Process is so much inclined to the procedure in which justice is dispensed, this procedure should retain fairness and equality. This explains the provisions of the landmark ruling Brown vs Board of Education. The Due Process Clause has some generality, which has been used by judges in their decisions, especially on the Plessy vs Ferguson. When the government is obliged to follow fair procedures by the two amendments, there is lack of clarity on the aspect of fairness. For example, the judges in the Plessy vs
Tuesday, February 4, 2020
MIH 514 - Cross Cultural Health Perspectives (Mod 2 CBT) Essay
MIH 514 - Cross Cultural Health Perspectives (Mod 2 CBT) - Essay Example However, I feel this would do more harm than good. Although it is widely believed that English, being the most popular and frequently used language of most Americans and people of British origin, this by itself is not sufficient justification, by any stretch of imagination, to warrant an absolute and arbitrary enforcement to enforce this language on a member of a minority race, or a person with limited or no knowledge of this language. ââ¬Å"Some employers impose restrictions against the use of a language other than English in their workplaces. Reasons given for the restrictions include: The use of a foreign language in a workplace is inappropriate; English has been made the official language of their state and safety and public relations require that only English be spoken.â⬠(William, 1993, para.1). I believe that propagation of English language does not necessarily have to be made at the cost of denigrading other languages. Besides, placing any kind of imposition on the use or non-use of any language to propagate the usage of English, could be tantamount to Anglo mania, and needs to be unanimously condemned. The proposed rule is that they are going to vote on a policy that will require all employees to speak only English at all times in the work place. This is the culmination of events leading to increasing numbers of members of minority groups being hired by the organization and several complaints from employees and customers, which has caused a great deal of distress and anxieties to the majority members of the workforce. I am firmly of the view that an employment policy, or practice that applies to everyone, regardless of race, color, can be discriminatory, or illegal if any one of the following set of circumstances is envisaged: The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, (EEOC) is committed to prevent any kind of discrimination in the workplace arising, inter alia, due to
Monday, January 27, 2020
Preventing Conflicts And Disputes As A Project Manager
Preventing Conflicts And Disputes As A Project Manager Project management is an important aspect of an organization and a main factor for successful completion of a project. In todays changing times tools such as project management, if used properly can provide a useful way for organizations to manage that change effectively. Managing construction projects is a complex undertaking. The quality of a project is the result of many factors the quality of Project Manger is one such factor. Project manager make things happen on a project. A project needs a good planning, organization management which would bring out the maximum benefits for the organization and this can be only achieved by a good leader-Project manager. Another area which needs a lot of attention in an organization is conflicts disputes. Conflict is an inevitable aspect of an organization. It can be destructive as well as functional and it depends on the project manager to resolve the conflict in a manner so that it does not lead to the loss for an organization. There have been many past studies on project success factors affecting project success. These include Project managers competence, control systems responsibilities, selection of teams, politics, contracting solving of conflicts, proper allocation of resources etc. Effective project management begins with selecting and prioritizing projects that support the firms strategy and mission. Project managers have to plan and budget projects as well as orchestrate the contributions of others. Social-skills, decision making skills, problem handling skills, opportunities recognizing skills, and management of conflicts are certain personal attributes of a project manager affecting p roject success. The main aim of study is to find different attributes of a project manager which would help in overcoming all the challenges faced while working on a project as this marks the success of any organization. Project manager plays a very important role in a successful working of any organization and the aim of this study is to deeply study all those attributes which a project manager must have to become a good leader who can manage his team well extract maximum benefits out of them within the limits of time, money resources. Projects are inherently uncertain face unexpected events, from small changes to unforeseen changes like conflicts within organization, with the client, resource unavailability, etc. Project Manager forms a link between the top management the other employees so it is the responsibility of the project manager to maintain a good balance between both. The conflict can arise in top management as well as other employees. The aim of the study is to see how project manag ers respond to such events. As this forms a major reason for the success of any organization, the aim is to give an in depth study of these characteristics of a good project manager which is profitable for all the organizations draw a critical relationship between the Project Managers managerial attributes, the use of key project management principles, practices project performance. The study would also recommend some methodological processes, conceptual frameworks, experiments, experiences some conclusions drawn from various studies done in various companies compare contrast them with previous studies to attain a broad analysis for successful working of a project manager his role in successful completion of a project within the given constraints. Initially the study would examine what a project is, what project management is and what is the role of a project manager. Then the study would examine the causes, types effects of conflict followed by the ways they can be resolved the role of Project manager in conflict resolution. SEARCH STRATEGY The search strategy starts with an aim objective in mind. The aim the objective of present study are as follows: AIM: To study the roles responsibilities of an effective Project Manager analyze what attributes of a Project Manager are required to resolve different conflicts in an organization. OBJECTIVES: To define Project Project Management. To define the roles responsibilities of an effective quality Project Manager. To define conflict, examine its causes, types, core processes effects in an organization. To examine what attributes of a Project Manager are required to manage Conflict effectively. The key words used in the study include: Project, Project Management, Project Manager quality, Project manager roles, Unexpected events, Conflict, Conflict Management, work performance of Project Manager, Managerial attributes, Project Performance, Power, Politics, organizational politics, leadership, communication, motivation, managing project teams, project stakeholders, project life cycle. These words are relevant for the search because they cover the required objectives of the study. They help in finding the appropriate journal papers, links or other information regarding the different aspects of a project, project management, Project manager, conflict conflict management by a project manager. These words help in finding information that can describe the overall aim objectives of the study. The other sources of information include: Search engine used: Science direct, Scopus, Google Scholar, Engineering Village. Other sources: Project Management: the managerial process 4e by Gray Larson. Business Psychology Organizational Behavior by Eugene McKenna. Commercial Management of Projects defining the discipline by Dawid Lowe with Roine Leiringer. Industrial Organizational Psychology by John B. Miner. www.ogc.gov.uk www.apm.org.uk REVIEWS OF FOUR JOURNAL PAPERS: Project Quality project managers: This journal paper Project Quality Project managers- http://tinyurl.com/24d9ue8 emphasizes on the fact that a successful project requires sound project management practices and for any project management system to be effective, a project must be managed by a project manager who exhibits high quality managerial attributes. The research discussed in the paper is sponsored by the Construction Industry Institute. The main purpose of the paper is to confirm the critical relationship between the use of key project management principles, practices project performance. The paper emphasizes on the effective project management practices their use by project managers at all levels during a project life cycle. The paper argues that the relationship between a Project Managers managerial attributes project success is indirect. The project performance is affected by the effective application of project management principles by a project manager. Further the paper also argues that the high quality managerial attributes are an equally important contributor to project success and commensurate with high quality technical skills. The paper presents the key principles recommended practices such as strategic project organizing, design effectiveness, project control management of quality articulated by the Construction Industry Institute (CII) the Business Roundtables Construction Industry Cost Effectiveness (CICE) project. They are believed to have the strongest effect on project performance. The paper clearly defines the objectives scope of the research. The data does not only give theoretical results but also provides empirical support by acquiring data through detailed questionnaire developed to survey 400 construction companies where the respondents provide individual views based on their experiences on projects in the heavy engineering, building industrial construction sectors. This paper also provides strategies to improve project manager effectiveness. This helps in deeper understanding of the managers ability to consistently produce project success. However this paper considers only the aspect of project Manager as the factor for project success. Project success could be assessed not only on project management techniques but also on other external factors. The Project Manager must also allow the client to take equal responsibility of the project. It is important to determine the expectations importance of each customer in the project by the project manager as t his also marks one of the factors for successful running of project. [1,2] Along with leadership skills there is also a need of emotional competencies and as the project managers progress they need to enhance their leadership competencies particularly developing the emotional dimensions. [3] This paper also does not examine the working environment affecting the performance of project managers. This is important not only for determining the success of a project, but also in continual of the good performance of project managers. [4] The research done by CII CICE indicates that the critical factor to project success is the quality of a Project Manager. Managing construction projects is a complex undertaking requires many factors. The quality of Project Manger is one such factor. Project Manager needs to stress different attributes at different times over the life of a project to make the project successful. Many Project Managers are perceived to lack the requisite managerial skills so new strategies such as increased pre appointment training, mentor system, careful selection of potential project managers etc are suggested to improve the quality of an effective Project Manager. 2) Conflict its management: This journal article http://tinyurl.com/37skcfr presents a detailed analysis of conflict its management by disputants themselves or by third parties such as Project Managers, mediators etc. The paper first examines the causes, core processes effects of conflict subsequently probes into conflict escalation de-escalation, context conflict management. In the end the paper also concludes some suggestions for future research provides recommendations for practicing managers. The article highlights the issues by reviewing certain scholarly reviews of the conflict literature which have already been published. The major purpose of the article is to draw attention towards the inevitable unanticipated nature of conflict and how these can be managed by disputants or by third parties such as Project Managers who play an important role in conflict management. The article defines conflict as a process where one party perceives that its interests are being opposed or negatively affected by another party. It then goes onto explain the causes of conflict like individual characteristics, inter-personal factors, communication, behavior, etc. It explains the effects of conflicts on individuals organization subsequently determines the concept of conflict escalation de-escalation. It then unfolds the conflict context which has been approached from 4 different perspectives: (i) A description of the conflict setting, (ii) A reference to the independent variables, (iii) The environment in which the conflict is embedded (iv) The structural level or paradigm of the conflict. The article then explores the role of disputants in managing conflict such as Perspective (establish co-operative goals, note the alternatives etc), descriptive ( agree to symbols of defeat, compromise, convert the opponent etc) the role of third parties such as Project manager tactics (adopting appropriate leadership styles, group-discussions, encouraging negotiations etc), mediation, arbitration, conciliation recapitulation. The article helps in deeper understanding of all the phases of conflict, its inevitable nature, its effects causes. It not only explains the conflict phases , its management but also gives research managerial suggestions for future references. The suggestions provided though are beneficial for the practicing managers but should have been more detailed provide with examples to help in clear understanding of the point. It is important to identify five modes of conflict resolution such as confronting, compromising, smoothing, forcing avoiding. [5] This article does not mention any cognitive analysis. Cognitive analysis approach( identifying conflict domain, generation of conflict cases, exercise of judgment, analysis of result cognitive feedback) identifies cognitive difference between the parties as the main source of conflict which needs to be taken care by a Project manager.[6] An awareness of the potential approaches to conflict resolution and the understanding of their consequ ences can provide project managers with a invaluable set of tools to create an optimal work environment. The article concludes that a conflict is self-generating inevitable in an organization. The conflict process is dynamic, self-perpetuating constantly changing: like effects become causes; original causes may disappear; new causes arise; the number of parties change etc. This makes conflict management a difficult target. Project Manager plays an important role in recognizing conflicts managing them as and when required. Conflict is prevalent cannot be recognized at all times so its management requires a lot of efforts. The challenge for organizational leaders and project managers is to try to maintain the right balance and intensity of conflict in project management. By utilizing project management principles, understanding the dynamics of conflict, and learning approaches to conflict resolution, managers will be able to establish an environment in which creativity and innovation is encouraged and project goals are accomplished. [7] 3) The Titanic sunk, so what? Project manager response to unexpected events. The journal article http://tinyurl.com/364k9rb studies the responses of Project manager to unexpected events during a project life cycle. This paper stresses on the point that unanticipated events are inevitable in a project the project success depends on the responses of the project manager to such events. This paper explores the gap between the practice success by defining three elements namely: Event, Response the perceived success. The article compares contrasts the successful unsuccessful responses to draw attention on successful practices. As responding to unexpected events is a fundamental function in project management, an analysis of 44 unexpected events faced by 22 experienced Project Managers in defense defense related organizations was conducted in the given study. The participants were asked to think of significant unforeseeable events during the project which took them by surprise or were unknown or unpredicted their responses were recorded to such events. The research was designed using a grid to unfold the differences between successful unsuccessful responses to unexpected events from the perspective of a project manager. The results found that some participants had difficulty in identifying unknown-unknowns ( circumstances, events outcomes that were not identified in the first place) from known-unknowns ( circumstances, events or outcomes that have been identified as possibly existing, but do not know whether they will take place or not). The ability to identify possible risks reflects the experience of the participants. The main purpose of the paper is to draw the importance of unexpected events during a project which many times are just neglected by Managers to study their responses in such events. These unexpected events threaten the viability of a project. The study carried on groups organizations looked at the behavior of individuals during crisis like situation. An Adapted Repertory Grid (RepGrid) method was used to explore the unexpected events their responses. The data was collected in three steps namely: discussion on each event to derive an overview of what happened in each event, response monitoring finally evaluation of the internal validity of data. The study revealed that successful responses were organic based on three pillars: A responsive functioning structure at organizational level, good interpersonal relationships at group level competent people at the individual level. The study gives an idea of responses to unexpected events their evaluation as success or failure. Certain studies suggest that conflict develops not only in environmental circumstances but in the styles used by individuals when confronted with a conflict. The manner in which a person responds to organizational decision and uncertainty will influence the responses of others and the individuals work experience. [8] But this has again beeen contradicted by concluding that a Project managers previous experience has a minimal impact on the projects performance whereas the size of the previous managed project does affect the managers performance.[9]. However some researchers found no relationship between project success project size. [10] The results conclude that the successful responses to unexpected events lie within the three pillars: Responses functioning structure, Good interpersonal relations Competent people. Simple, responsible functioning structures are highlighted by the study participants as fundamental pillars of success. The analysis suggests that there is a need to refrain from merely adopting a process based approach to predict all possible events. It should be understood that the combination of structure, people, relationship are more likely to enable a successful response to an unanticipated event. The result emphasizes to focus on behavioral aspects of project management further draws attention on successful unsuccessful responses of project managers to such events. 4) Understanding the role of politics in successful project management: This journal paper http://tinyurl.com/2va3ass links the ability of project manager other key players in an organization to understand the importance of organizational politics which is one of the major factors of conflict as a sign towards successful project management. Politics is most often regarded as damaging but common experiences acknowledge that politics often one of the prime moving forces within any organization for better or worse. The main purpose of this paper is to draw attention towards the role of politics in successful project management identifying ways in which Project managers can use politics in a positive effective manner. It focuses on the point that Project Management politics are inextricably linked. Successful managers are those who understand that their job consists of more than simply being technically managerially competent. Power politics is rarely addressed in project management but it needs to be understood that their presence is ubiquitous their impact is significant. The paper points to three modes of power: Authority, Status influence illustrates that these are the key problems faced by Project Manager in attempting to develop their projects in organizations. The paper explains the implications of project politics stresses that a Project Manager needs to acknowledge politics as a fact of organizational project life. It focuses on the fact that it is important to learn to cultiv ate appropriate political tactics as they decide whether it is healthy or unhealthy give characteristics of political behavior like underlying attitudes, techniques etc. Politics if not handled on time may lead to conflicts within the organization so a Project manager needs to acknowledge politics and manage it accordingly. The article suggests some measures to be adopted by Project manager such as the need to employ certain tactics such as conduct performance appraisals on their project team subordinates as it helps in sending a clear message throughout the members that the projects are valuable project contributions among team members will be remembered rewarded. The Project Manager needs to learn the art of influencing by developing a reputation as an expert, and also suggests a Project Manager to develop good negotiating skills recognize that conflict is a natural side effect of project management. These tactics as suggested can help Project managers in dealing with politics hence would prevent conflict within the team. This article gives a good understanding of politics which generally is neglected by Project managers. Organizational politics is one of the important factors responsible for conflicts in an organization but this factor many times is neglected. Conflict if avoided can lead to difficult situations. . Managers at all levels of an organization should be attentive to enhancing employee perceptions of organizational justice in order to encourage the use of more cooperative styles for organizational conflict management.[10] There needs to be more emphasis on project team relationship as it can be one of the causes of politics and hence can lead to conflicts. Unwillingness to cooperate is one of the major reasons for failed teams leading to conflicts Hence, successful project completion depends to a large extent on members being able to work together effectively.[4] This article helps to draw attention towards the importance of politics provides effective project implementation techniques w hich may help in avoiding conflicts arising from politics. But it does not provide any empirical data proving the theories mentioned. The paper concludes that politics and project management are interlinked a project cannot be run without understanding politics. Politics is not necessarily evil but depends on how it is used that decides its effect. Managers do not understand the importance of politics many times but they need to understand that politics is ubiquitous; that is it operates across organizations functional boundaries.. Successful Project Managers are aware that politics, if used judiciously can have an extraordinary positive impact on the implementation of their projects.. SUMMARY: The journals provide a clear understanding of project, project management, roles responsibilities of a project manager, conflicts unexpected events in an organization the ways in which a Project manager could successfully manage them. All the journals focus on one point which is that a successful Project Manager requires a sound project management practices for any project management system to be effective, a project must be managed by a Project Manager who exhibits high quality managerial attributes knows to handle unanticipated situations in a project life-cycle. The research sponsored by the CII( Construction Industry Institute) in the first paper-Project Quality Project Manager highlights the importance of a quality Project Manager as one of the basic factors required for the success of a project. The paper specifies some suggestions to improve the Project manager effectiveness such as increased pre-appointment training, Establishing a mentor system, careful selection of potential Project Manager etc. The second journal article-Conflict its Management presents a broad analysis of conflict its management. This article stresses on the fact that conflict is inevitable in an organization can be handled by disputants themselves or by third parties such as Project Manager. Again this article stresses on the importance of the managerial qualities required in a Project Manager to handle conflict effectively. It provides suggestions for Project Managers to overcome conflict. These include: Project Manager should not always avoid conflict, should identify the issues carve them down to manageable set etc. Both the journal papers suggests that an effort needs to be made to identify develop key management skills that may be unique to the project management environment. The third journal -Project Managers response to unexpected events opines that projects can face unexpected events studies how Project Managers respond to such events. The article examines some events but found that human behavior issues predominantly led to failure while all other types of events could be managed either successfully or unsuccessfully. It identifies three pillars on which success response was dependent: Response functioning structure(high degree of freedom, rapid decision making implementation etc); good interpersonal relationship( Engagement with stakeholders, communication relationship between people involved) competent people( competence of leader team, behavior including self awareness ability to deal with stressful situations). The fourth journal paper- Understanding the role of politics in project management identifies organizational politics as one of the causes of conflict reveals that successful project management is linked to the ability of a Project Manager to understand its importance to make it work for project success. It states that project politics are interlinked it is up to what Project managers do depends on their ability to effectively manage not only the technical aspect of their job but also the behavioral side as well. It also focuses on the behavioral issues which need to be effectively handled by a Project Manger by understanding the dynamics of conflict process by learning to cultivate appropriate political tactics. It can be summarized that a project is an endeavor undertaken to meet specified goals objectives is usually constrained by time, scope budget. The discipline of planning, organizing managing resources to bring about the successful completion of such goals objectives during a project is known as Project management. A project manager is vital indispensable in any project. It is the Project manager who is accountable for accomplishing the objectives goals during a project life-cycle. The key project manger responsibilities include clear attainable project objectives, building the requisite environment, managing all the constraints of project, managing all unexpected events during a project such as conflicts etc. The quality of Project Manager is critical to achieving project success. Project Managers should emphasize different attributes at different stages of a project to be more effective. A project manager needs to understand that projects are inherently uncertain should be ready to manage them by understanding their importance make them work for project success. Proper skills in dealing with conflict can assist project managers and other organization members to handle and effectively resolve conflicts which can lead to a more productive organization as a whole. Using Project management principles and applying them gives the project manager the ability to establish success measures, incorporate quality principles, resolve conflicts and unexpected events, address future risk before becoming a problem, work within the scope of the project etc. The Project manager must have a combination of above average leadership human relations skills and administrative experience. Project performance is affected by the effective application of project management principles by a project manager. An effective Project manager should be capable of making decisions, communicate actions eliciting the commitment of team members. An effective Project Manager needs to diagnose conflict manage it by various methodologies such as improving communication, encourage joint responsibilities, create new alternatives, instill a co-operative, problem solving attitude between the conflicting groups. Successful project manager understand that project management skills if used judiciously can have an extra-ordinary impact on the successful implementation of their projects. Great successful organizations have always believed in idea generators executors for overall excellence. Project Manager is expected to have both qualities and the ability to handle all events during the course of a project. Effective instrumental leadership abilities initiatives have always lend a Midas touch to the organization. Since the aim of the study to be done is to analyze Project Managers roles and responsibilities and define attributes required in a Project Manager to prevent conflict during a project life cycle, these journals help in supporting the fact that Project Managers are one of the important factors required for project success. These journals define the various conflicts, its causes and explore the characteristics required in a Project manager to overcome unexpected events during a project. This would help in the further study of the current research and help in achieving the objectives of the research.
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